Jo had been examining every corner of the Beor Mountains she could find, having come from the Empire it was aweing to her how such a place could exist. She gracefully climbed down a steep incline onto a small indention where she could stand and see some other peaks and plateaus within the mountain range. Not too far off she could see a dragon talking to something that looked like a human. Jo wondered if she should climb up the peak to try and see what was going on. It seemed as if the human was being attacked by the dragon.
Jo decided it was worth going to the peak to see what was happening. She glanced over the rock wall in front of her, spotting two possible hand holds in front of her about six feet up. She took a running leap and used the heel of her boot to propel her up just enough to grab one of the hand holds. She pulled herself up and found the next few hand holds. When she neared the top she hooked her arm around a nearby root growing out of the side of the rock wall and hoisted her self up to the edge. She saw now that the dragon and the human, whom the dragon was calling a shape shifter, were in some kind of argument.
"Excuse me, but is there some kind of problem here? Y'know it might not be worth fighting over, but thats just me." Jo moved her hand through her hair and shrugged her shoulders, "Cause you know that if one of y'all gets hurt, you could very well die, being stuck in a huge mountain range and all."
Jo watched the odd pair and shuffled her feet, brushing off the front of her shirt to get off the dust that was clinging to her and waiting for a response.

Jo chuckled and turned toward Snare, "Hey I never said I came here to help you. And by the way, my names Jo. Actually I'm here studying the different kinds of birds, plants and rocks." She wrinkled her nose, "Who's Crimson? And hey now, you two just chill for a while. It's not worth dying over a simple argument." Jo moved a few steps toward Snare and Incendia, gently moving her hand toward her spear, Nightwing, that was strapped to her back. She was willing to intercede for their own betterment although she'd rather them calm down on their own.
"So what are you two doing here then?" Jo looked around the peak, noticing a small bird floating by a tuft of bushes to the side. She fought the urge to interrupt the conversation to sketch it and take notes on its color and size. "Its always interesting when I see other people and creatures whenever I'm exploring, so I'm always curious about their stories." She flashed a huge grin at the two and leaked a little of her emotion power out into the air to see if she could calm the two a little.

OOC: Pass, Idk what to write now that everyone is going to sleep.

OOC: Hey, the weather here is really nasty and I have wireless internet. Which means that I may not be able to get on the next few days. It already kicked me off once, and I was just able to get on again now.

Don't worry abt it, the weather down here is getting worse too... *sigh* long night ahead...
Jo quietly murmered into Snares mind,I agree with Incendia, you need to tell them if their coming with us... They'll need to know anyway when we get to Surda...
Jo looked back to the maps, "I'm actually leaning towards the longer way, unless we do think speed is prompt." She glanced sideways at Snare and stretched her arms, Whig were still slightly tense from the night,"I think that if we stick to just flying we might make it in about the same time, but that's sacrificing a lot of Incendia and Oceanis's energy... Mm." Jo was torn, between maximum safety an minimal time.

OOC: Lol, we must all live in the same part of Texas.

IC:"Oceanis just ate, so her energy level should be pretty good. Not to mention it was a rather large meal. As long as we don't push her, she'll be fine. What about you Incendia?" Raven stated, turning to look at the other dragonness.

Oceanis quietly contacted Incendia and said, There are three of them. If we alternate between carrying one and two people among ourselves, then that will also help. And it would appear that if the two of us don't settle the matter, we'll be here until next week while Raven and Jo bash out the details.

OOC: lol well maybe she and I are pretty close :p you never know. The wind is blowing Sindhi g Into my window >.< and I think I wanna punch it
Jo nodded at Snare, sending her a bit of calming and encoragement. She moved her hand to roll up her map and set it gently into her bag, she watched the others, measuring Oceanis' and Raven's reactions, and testing their feelings.

[c Sounds good to me, Incendia replied, kneeling down so Jo and Snare could get on. You two might want to put something between your legs and my scales though since I don't have a saddle.

Snare leapt onto Incendia and transformed into a wolf. She curled up on Incendia's back, leaving some room for Jo, "That's ok," she replied to Incendia, "When I go dragon back riding I generally just curl u like I am now."
You've ridden a dragon before? she asked, surprised.
"Yes, Savania, do you know her?"
Of course I do! She's my aunt! Incendia chirped.

Jo half-smiled when Snare spoke, "I've had a lot of time to practice." she was doing a normal charcoal sketch, "It comes in handy in cities too." she flashed a grin and set back to getting Snare's fur the right shades. She glanced at her sides, watching the mountains pas fir a few seconds before returning to her work.

OOC: Bleh short. Sorry y'all I'm about to pass out lol

OOC: Me too... All this cold weather is making me want to hibernate, lol.

IC:Raven inked in a few more details onto her map, then left it alone so it could dry. She stoppered her ink bottles and muttered a word in the Ancient Language to clean her pen. She stowed the bottles and pen back inside her cloak. Stretching and turning in the saddle once more Raven instinctively touched her pack, the pack that used to contain the purple egg that was Oceanis's only remaining sibling. Her heart twinged as she remembered that day outside Gil'ead when their only chance of getting the egg back was lost. Shaking her head vigorously, the young Rider stifled the flow of bad memories before they could disturb Oceanis. To busy herself, she reached back again and untied the door to the collapsible cage that Shrel stayed in while they were in the air.

She smiled as the falcon waddled out then fell off the side of the blue dragon. He dived down about a hundred feet, then came swooping back up to fly next to Oceanis. He screeched his joy at being in the air and Raven giggled. If a bird could look prim and proper in the air, Shrel definitely pulled it off.

Oceanis looked back as she heard Raven giggle, and saw the falcon playing in the air next to her. The cerulean dragonness smiled mischievously as she saw Raven wasn't paying attention and was sitting up straight. She locked her wings to her back and was immediately plummeting towards the earth at a breakneck pace. She bugled her laughter as Raven yelped and grabbed the front of the saddle.

Pull up Oceanis! You're going to fast!

The dragonness chuckled deep in her throat, but just as she was about to pull up, something small and feathery darted past her face. Oh no you don't! She shouted after Shrel, pulling her wings in even more. The wind whistled in her ears and the treetops were racing up to greet her, but no way was she going to lose this contest!

Finally when they were barely two hundred feet from the trees, Shrel pulled up. Oceanis roared her triumph as she flared her wings. By the time she was steady again, the treetops were a mere fifty feet away. She circled up into the air to catch up with Incendia, Shrel leading the way.

Raven watched in resignation as the map she had so painstakingly drawn fluttered through the air a hundred feet away. You made your point, I should have been paying attention. But did you really have to do it before the map was secure? Grumbling to herself some more, she reached out to Shrel and directed him to bring her the map. She stressed the importance of not tearing it with his claws. A few moments later he dropped onto the front of the saddle with the map in his beak. Raven took the map and put it in her bags with the rest of her maps while Shrel slipped back into the air.


OOC: Sorry about the long post My creative juices got flowing and they wouldn't stop. Why does that always happen when I'm sleepy???

Jo grinned as Incendia picked up speed and held her sketchbook closer.
She set it inside her pack for a moment and strapped the bag up, sliding the buckles under the belt holding her down. She stretched her arms up and yelled, "Whoo! This is great!" She grinned wider than ever, feeling her hair whipping around her face and back, she laughed as they flew, loving the feeling of wind around her. She gleefully fake howled after Snare, teasing her as they rode onward. She smiled over at her, placing her hands down and running them over the side of Incendia's scales, laughing.
OOC: Ew short post lol.

Raven gave a girly, undignified screech when the cold water hit her. Using magic to draw the extra water from her clothes and skin, she molded it into a ball and tossed it into Jo's face. "No, but what about you?" she laughed as the water ball connected.

This is it! Oceanis called excitedly, straining to go even faster, but she only increased her speed a little bit. She growled in triumph as the last fifty feet from the finish line passed by with her in the lead, although it was close. Incendia's last burst of speed had put her nose barely an inch behind Oceanis's. She flared her wings and drew to a stop. Filling her enormous lungs with air, she cut loose a magnificent roar, full of triumph and vitality. Opening her jaws further, Oceanis released a stream of blue fire streaked with white. Raven applauded the mighty contest from her back, cheering her friend's win.

"That was amazing Incendia! I've never seen a dragon that can fly as fast as you! I think the only reason Oceanis won is because she just wouldn't quit," Raven said, ducking as Oceanis turned her head to butt her on the shoulder. It's true, my cerulean heart. You are a magnificent creature, even among dragons, but you aren't exactly the quickest of them. Now, in determination, you beat all others hands down. She quipped mentally to her partner, dodging another head butt.

You are a cheeky one, I'll give you that. Oceanis said back. Her tone suggested haughtiness, but Raven felt her warmth and affection under that. To Incendia and the rest of the group, Oceanis said, That would definitely be the best contest I've had in many a day. We should do it again soon. In the meantime we should probably be moving on. But this is your quest, I concede to your leadership. She nodded her head in Incendia and Snare's general directions.

OOC: Who is the leader of this expedition?

Jo was enjoying herself, watching as Snare slept she pulled out her sketchbook again, doing small thumbnails of her, then Raven and Oceanis next to them. She drew Incendia's head and neck and whatever else she could see. Knowing that it would be a while she took her time and waited, relaxing her legs so they wouldnt cramp. Soon the sky began to turn to a yellow color and she thought she could see the breaking of the mountains.

"Incendia, Raven, Oceanis, do you see that?" She carefully set her stuff back into her pack and watched the others.

OOC: Lol I figured i'd better transition us or we'd run out of things to say and do. :p