OOC: Open to everyone. One-on one. Trying to refreshen my Role Playing skills. Anyone up to the challenge?



As a child, Cy Ara had visited Du Weldenvarden once and only once. Now, over ten years later, her fears had grown instead of dwindled. But, calling it a fear was a bit of an overstatement, because it was more of the things that lurked within her imagination than the things that went on around her. It was dark, freezing cold, and windy. Every breeze sent a chill up her spine, sending her into a teeth chattering fit that caused her to clamp her mouth shut. But whether it was the freezing cold air or the shadows from her small camp fire flickering by, she wasn't sure.
Siberia, her beloved, over sized white wolf, made her way to nestle behind Cy Ara for support, allowing her to lean back against her. Siberia's large body of fur and warmth engulfed her, calming her instantly. Even still, Cy Ara raised a hand towards the fire and, with a few motions of the wrist, helped the fire grow another few inches. The heat radiated with more warmth and light as it rose, emitting a brighter light that reached even to their belongings, not but a foot away and in eyesight.
Despite the icy chill in the air, Cy Ara wore little to nothing, as she usually did after a day of hunting. A simple black wrap hid away her chest. Baggy, black pants reached down to her knees. Her feet were bare. Her ebony hair was pulled into a scrambled bun, lose strands blowing in the light breezes. She was a mess. Then again, people usually were after dismissing sleep for almost four nights in a row. This was also why her hunting today had been so off, causing her to of caught nothing.
Shivering, she pulled her knees to her chest and turned onto her side, closer to Siberia's head, and hid her face in the ever welcoming fur as her stomach screamed to be filled. She ignored it.
'Cy Ara, sleep. I will stay awake tonight.'
'I don't need sleep.' She retorted. She was thankful for the bond that allowed their thoughts to entangle. Any sudden or loud noises and her head would ache even more so. Sometimes, though, Siberia was a bit too motherly.
But even as she lied there, denying her fatigue, she all ready felt sleep begin to overtake her.
But she couldn't let that happen. She sat up, suddenly, knees against her chest, and stared into the fire directly in front of her, causing Siberia to look her way. The fire lit her darkened skin and frustrated midnight blue eyes.
'I refuse to sleep because of the nightmares. .'

OCC: Mind if I join?

Winter was never one of Hurricane's favorite seasons. He preferred the warm nights of spring or summer. Flying through the darkness high above the forest, the black dragon scanned the land below looking for something to eat.

The winter snow will be here soon. Hurricane said to himself, not looking forward to another cold and long winter.

The life of an outcast was a difficult one. Hurricane was a crossbreed, being half lightning dragon and half firebreather. At one time he had a loving mate and his two parents. However, the war that raged in the land had claimed the life of Nesera and he had grown distant from his parents over the years. Hurricane's life had taken a turn for the better though when the guardians of the Spirit Realm bonded his soul with that of Nesera, allowing him to at least speak to his beloved mate.

Presently, the black dragon lowered his altitude a bit to search for prey. Even in the darkness, Hurricane's keen night vision could pick out a deer or anything else that might be lurking below. Finally he spotted a deer and dived down after it. Weaving between the trees after his target, the dragon opened his paws and then it was over. He landed on the ground with a thud and snapped the deer's neck with his jaws. Just as he was about to dig in, Hurricane noticed a light flickering in the distance. A campfire perhaps.

Hmm, I wonder who is traveling through the woods on a night like this. mused the black dragon as he dragged the deer carcass next to a tree and hid it there.



What are you waiting for, Hurri? Why don't you go and find out? They may be friendly. said his mate's voice.

Unlike Hurricane, Nesara had always been adventurous. She still was, even though she was physically dead.

Hmm, very well, Nesara. Hurricane replied as he crept toward the campfire. If he had to, he could take on his spirit form but Nesara considered it to be improper to sneak up on somebody using such methods. Hurricane's black scales blended in perfectly with the darkness and though he was a forty foot dragon, he was still capable of slipping silently across the forest floor. Hiding behind a tree, the dragon peered at the two figured behind the campfire. One was a girl that he had never seen before and the other was the biggest wolf he had ever seen.

OOC: Not at all. Thanks for doing so. x3


Any other time, Cy Ara would've been able to sense the presence of another living creature instantly with ease. But her fatigue hampered her ability to stay focused on anything but trying to not fall asleep. Siberia's, on the other hand, worked perfectly fine. She could smell the sent of a dragon nearby, but gave nothing away to Cy Ara that she did. Yet. Instead, she continued to try and convince her stubborn master to rest.
Cy Ara. . your nightmares won't go away if you don't face them. We need to revi-
"Stop. I don't want to hear it." She had spoken out loud and just as she had expected, a slight pain coursed through the back of her head. She raised a hand to rest against her temple, letting her eyes close.
Siberia, changing the topic, slowly stood off the ground, turning in the direction the scent was coming from.
We have a visitor, Cy Ara.
Immediatly, Cy Ara was on her feet with her dagger unsheathed, suspiciously looking in the direction Siberia was.
"Who's there? Show yourself."
Cy Ara, don't overreact. .

Despite herself, Cy Ara uneasily sheathed her dagger and turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. She wasn't in the mood. . nor in any condition to exert herself in anyway. She knew Siberia, almost the same size as the dragon, could protect her if need be. But she didn't feel tension in the air. She didn't feel threatened, so she left it be. She figured if the other wanted to harm them, he would've done it all ready.
Siberia, lowering her head, spoke quietly, examining the black dragon with curious eyes.
Then what brings you this way? Here, to this specific spot.
The last dragon Siberia or Cy Ara had met was in a bowl, with soup. It hadn't been the greatest experience. Neither one of them had liked it and had sworn never again to eat dragon. Not only that, but it hadn't felt right.
Cy Ara, off balance, placed herself back into a sitting position before she toppled over. She spoke in a slight murmur out loud.
"Yeah. . and why are you alone. .?"

The two of them listening closely, not missing a beat as the other explained his situation. Siberia took a seat next to Cy Ara, looking like a giant by comparison, and allowed her to lean against her. Cy Ara felt a pang of sorrow strike through her at hearing how the black dragons family was murdered. She could relate. Too well.
She lifted her head at the announcement of the other's name, nodding her head once before speaking.
"Cy Ara."
Siberia.
Up until then, Cy Ara and Siberia had been thinking that the stranger would simply pass through before leaving, curiosity satisfied. But at the mention of food, both girl and wolf's head perked. As if on cue, Cy Ara's stomach cried out, causing her to place a hand over it to silence it. She nodded her head once, grateful for the kind gesture.
"That would be. . amazingly wonderful. Thank you. ."
The kind gesture was indeed surprising, to both Siberia and Cy Ara. Neither one of them were around too many other people or animals long enough to form some kind of friendship. It'd been a long time since any one had been so generous to them.

Cy Ara tried very hard not to tear into the deer and be greedy. She understood Hurricane needed the food as well. It was his catch, after all. But she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and she'd run out of "pick-me-up" vitamins. Restraining herself took a lot of what energy she had left.
In the end, Siberia was the one who split the deer, pulling off it's two hind legs and leaving the rest for Hurricane. She murmured,
Thank you.
She rested the legs next to Cy Ara, leaving one and taking the other, tearing into it after lying down. Cy Ara on the other hand knew she couldn't eat the meat raw. And even though she was practically drooling, she didn't feel up to fighting off some kind of bad reaction to raw meat, like last time.
With a flick of the wrist and a snap of her fingers, a ball of flame appeared in her hand. She began to run it along the length of the leg, cooking it slowly. She spoke solemnly.
"We will make this up to you. Together, Siberia and I are magnificent hunters. We'll catch you ten deer, if you want, as soon as the two of us are well rested."
For the first time in a very long time, Cy Ara smiled around another living creature that wasn't Siberia. But at the next question Hurricane asked made the smile disappear almost instantly. Immediately, her face became unreadable and she focused solely on cooking the meat as she spoke solemnly. Siberia wasn't paying attention. Her canine instincts were kicking in as she shredded the meat.
"My. .situation is much like yours. My family was murdered when I was younger. Afterwards, I had escaped and found Siberia. She's been. . with me ever since."

She listened as Hurricane spoke, tensing as the thought of Lukia Ursl faded into her mind. Apparently, she had enough energy to muster anger. Figured. She shook her head, speaking quietly asshe turned the leg over.
"Unfortunately, no. I have yet to fall the man who murdered my family. I know I'm not strong enough yet to do it myself. . that's why I have been waiting. Planning, you could say. But it's hard to get information on people like him."
At the feeling of snow landing on her bare back, she shivered, lifting her midnight sapphire eyes to the white flakes lazily falling from the sky. It entranced her momentarily, before she realized her flame had gone out in her hand. The small camp fire was beginning to dwindle as well. Snapping her fingers multiple times, she was confused as to why she couldn't produce a flame. Her brow furrowed, grinding her teeth. Her body was shutting down.
Looking Hurricane's way, she was surprised to see the tear, but said nothing. She knew it wouldn't be right to ask. If it was strong enough to make a person show their emotions, it was usually something personal. Standing, slowly and unbalanced, she lifted the deer leg with a bit of trouble and headed to their possessions.
"We need to find shelter. . if it snows for long, it'll begin to settle and stick. Then there will be no chance at making a fire and keeping it going."
Siberia had been watching the snow as well, loving it much more than Cy Ara did. She had stuck her tongue out, catching a few flakes on her tongue before eying Cy Ara as she spoke. She stood of the ground, snatching up the bone. She was planning on gnawing on that later. .but right now, her main concern was Cy Ara. She could see the fatigue starting to take over. If she kept this up, she'd end up passing out.
We didn't see any shelters on the way. . Hurricane, do you know where one might be?

Cy Ara, trembling and trying not to fall over, nodded towards Hurricane before he flew off to find shelter. Meanwhile, while he was gone for that short time, Cy Ara had their equipment packed and ready, her herself equipped with her Katana and dagger.
By the time the dragon had returned, Cy Ara had boosted herself onto Siberia's back, waiting for directions. When she'd seen Hurricane point in the direction, she wasted no time declaring to Siberia. With Cy Ara clinging to her fur, Siberia sped off in the direction in a blur.
Within moments, they found themselves at the entrance of the cave, entering cautiously. Barely a few feet into the cave, Cy Ara lost her ability to see because of the darkness. She was thankful Siberia's eyes saw past it.
Eventually, Siberia stopped not too far further back into the cave. By now, Cy Ara had stopped shivering from the slightly warmer atmosphere in the cave. She slipped off Siberia's back and stood, snapping both fingers. They did nothing but spark. She sighed, becoming frustrated. With eyes narrowing, she took in a deep breath and snapped her fingers once more, a flame appearing in her hand. She didn't smile, but inside she was beaming.
Looking towards the entrance of the large cave for Hurricane, she turned towards the back of the cave. From what it looked like, it continued on even further bck for some time.
"Do either of you have any idea what might be back there. .?"
It wasn't that she was scared. But she wasn't up for a fight. And having others fight for her would be too much for her to bear. Siberia shook her head, glancing in the same direction before lifting her head and taking a whiff of the air.
It's stale. But I smell the scent of nothing.

Turning her gaze on Hurricane, she listened as he exclaimed. It wasn't often Siberia and her slept in caves. It usually left Cy Ara feeling claustrophobic, so they always slept outside. But this cave was one of the much bigger ones. She'd be all right in here for a night.
At the mention of her needing sleep, her brow furrowed as she turned away towards Siberia who had rested against the wall opposite Hurricane. She made her way over, dropping their things beside the wall - keeping her dagger at her side. She spoke quietly, sitting down and leaning against Siberia's side.
"I do not need sleep. I'm. . perfectly fine."
Siberia, lifted her head off her paws, her own brow furrowing.
Cy Ara. . you're being stubborn. Remember what happened last time you went more than three days without sleep?
Growing more annoyed, she sat quiet a moment. Though Siberia had mentioned it many times within the past few days, it hadn't really gone through to her until now.
The last time Cy Ara had stayed awake for a long time, they'd been attacked. They had just barely made it out alive, and wounds were left on both of them. Proof to the them both that it had happened. And that they should be more careful.
"Fine."
She rolled over, smothering herself in Siberia's fur as Siberia wrapped her large tail around her to keep them warm. But before she did allow sleep to overtake her and her nightmares to haunt her, she murmured quietly.
"Thanks..again, Hurricane. You might very well have saved our lives."

Unfortunately, just as she had expected, Cy Ara did not sleep well. Her constant nightmares left her trembling in her sleep in a cold sweat. The feeling of being swallowed, of not being able to breathe. The foreboding sensation that left her scared out of her mind.
She didn't awake from it until morning, her eyes snapping open as she gasped for air. After a moment of breathing normally, she slowly started to stand, sending aching pains through her head.
Siberia awoke as she was trying to do so and stood immediately, allowing her to balance herself. Cy Ara worried her to no end. .
Cy Ara. .
I'm fine. . just a little dizzy. she replied. Her tongue felt like a lead weight. She didn't think she could talk yet.

Hurricane awoke as the morning light came in through the entrance of the cave. The dragon yawned and got to his feet, looking at his companions.

Cy Ara still looked exhausted. Hurricane didn't want to say anything though. His stomach growled from hunger, much to his embarrassment. The deer that he had hunted the night before had not satisfied him.

I am going to go find more food. Does anyone want anything particular? A moose perhaps?

Hurricane liked moose. They had plenty of meat and it was somewhat different from the deer he usually hunted.


OCC: Sorry for the short post. I was in a hurry when I typed this.

OOC: Mm, no problem at all. It's all good.



Cy Ara lifted her head towards Hurricane, Siberia and her watching as he awoke. Cy Ara shook her head, speaking slowly as she tried to muster the words.
"Anything is fine for the either of us. Take Siberia with you, bring back twice the food. I'll stay here and. . make a fire."
Stay here unprotected? Siberia sounded concerned. She didn't like that idea.
"I'll be fine. I have enough energy to fight back if something does happen. Don't worry about me."
After a longing look from Siberia, and a small lick to the cheek, Cy Ara moved away as Siberia moved closer to Hurricane.
I'll follow you, if you don't mind me coming with you, Hurricane.
Cy Ara leaned her back against the wall, eyes falling closed as she raised a hand to rub her temple. She was beginning to obtain a headache again.

Hurricane nodded and said Siberia, We had better get moving. The large game usually stop feeding and disappear around mid-morning.

He walked out of the cave and then said to the giant wolf, You'll be able to smell prey on the ground before I can from the air. I'll fly overhead and see if I can sot anything from the air.

With that, Hurricane spread his wings and flew off into the morniong sky, blowing snow everywhere as he took off.

A chilly breeze blew snow flurries around as the dragon leveled off about 500 feet off the ground. he had a great view from up here and any moose or other large prey would be highly visible against the white landscape below.

I miss the southlands. It never got this cold there. he muttered to himself.

OCC: I promise I will post a longer response next time. I had to type this during my break at work.

OOC: It's fine, I understand, truly.

IC:
Siberia followed Hurricane out of the cave, stopping and listening to him before nodding once. The moment he was in the air, she lifted her head and took a few long whiffs of the crisp air. The cold usually camouflaged most smells when there was snow on the ground. But with the strength of Siberia's sense of smell, she could smell them through anything.
Unfortunately, she couldn't smell anything yet. Which meant they were a tad bit further away than she'd of hoped. Luckily, both her and Hurricane were fast.
With blinding speed, she headed off into the direction Hurricane had. After a few moments of running, she slowed down to a trot, lifting her head again and taking a long, deep breath.
There! Hurricane. . not even a mile to your right. A small group of moose.
Without waiting for Hurricane's response, she burst into that direction. Her canine side was kicking in, her wild side, made for the sole purpose of hunting, was kicking in.

It was true. Siberia did have a bit of a hard time keeping up. She couldn't run at her normal speed, but instead trotted with a limp as she carried her kill on her back. A little bit of the blood dripped onto her white fur, but it was of no importance to her. Her main concern was getting back to Cy Ara.
When they finally did make it back to the cave, Siberia let her kill fall to the floor next Hurricane's. Cy Ara had been sitting next to a fire that she had made while the two were out. As soon as Hurricane came in the cave, she was on her feet, thankfully not as wobbly as she had been earlier.
She saw immediately that Siberia was hurt, but had known the instant it had happened. Something that happened between an Allatik's and their bonds. It wasn't always a good thing, but it came in handy.
"You need to be more careful, Siberia. ."
Siberia simply nodded, knowing that she should be. After picking off which parts of the moose they wanted, they'd allowed Hurricane to have the rest. Cy Ara cooked hers, giving it a little boost so it would finish quicker.
As the question came up, it surprised both Siberia and Cy Ara. But Cy Ara played it cool, for now, and spoke quietly.
"When I was young, I was separated from my family. Wondering through the woods, I found Siberia and she raised me, having also been separated from her family. Nothing much, really."
Her defenses had reluctantly sprang up again. She didn't mean to, but she was keeping things short and to the point. It was nothing against Hurricane. . but she didn't wanted to reveal too much.

After the meat had cooked, she had begun chowing down. But as Hurricane mentioned exploring the cave more, her attention was immediately drawn away from the food, her hunger pains diminishing. Adventure. She loved it, yearned for it. It was the danger she could've done without.
She watched as Hurricane sent the fireball spiraling towards the back of the cave and her eyes grew wide at the sight of the gap. She truly was glad now that he'd stopped them last night.
Standing on her feet, she looked to Siberia, who was just finishing her food, and spoke quietly.
"Will you come?"
Siberia must have trusted Hurricane, because she would've never let her eyes off of Cy Ara with another person or creature even remotely close to them. She shook her head, and replied quietly, cleaning herself.
No. I'm thinking about maybe taking a walk in the snow, to keep my muscles loose.
Cy Ara wasn't sure if she wanted to go without Siberia, but toughened up and looked to Hurricane. She didn't need Siberia. She could handle herself. Besides, if Hurricane were to hurt them, with his size, he was probably strong enough to take them both on and still win.
"Ready when you are."

Cy Ara hesitantly followed at first. She wasn't so sure she wanted go any more. The further back in the cave they were, the less air flow their would be. And if they became caved in, the air supply would slip away before they knew it. But she wasn't being silly. There wasn't much chance of that happening and she wasn't going to let fear stop her.
Stopping at the edge of tube like volcano shaft, She looked down, to no avail. Her eyesight was much better than most, but it was still no match for the deep darkness below. At Hurricane's words, Cy Ara became hesitant again as she spoke quietly.
"Um. .truth be told. . this is the closest I've ever been to a dragon. . I've never been on one's back.."
She wasn't scared, just nervous. At least, that's what she told herself. But she wasn't really sure which was which, if there was even a difference at all.

Ok, so she was a little nervous. No reason for that to stop her.
Ok, ok. . no problem, just a little jump and i'll be on a dragon's back. . She silently tried to reassure herself, taking a few steps before starting ahead and jumping into the air. Coming down, light as a feather, on Hurricane's back, she sat down and looked down at herself.
So far, so good. . She thought to herself. She reached out, lightly placing her hands against Hurricane's neck. She felt warmer, being so close to him. "Ok, I'm ready. ."

When Hurricane had leaped, Cy Ara had to restrain herself from yelling out. She held onto him tightly, from fear of falling off, even though she was almost completely sure Hurricane would catch her.
When they reached the bottom, she waited for Hurricane to lower himself so she could hop off. Brushing herself off, she looked around the cave as well, having a slight hard time seeing because of the dark. She made a small motion with her hands, before snapping her fingers and causing a small flame to emit from her palm. She used her other hand to keep it stable as she moved over to where Hurricane was. It was then that she saw the lettering and her eyes widened as she read. She understood it. It was her language.
Raising the flame closer to the words, she moved it as she read.
"There is will, and there is power. With the will for power, there will be power to will." Cy Ara narrowed her eyes, racking her brain for a moment before she threw her gaze Hurricane's way.
"It's an old Allatik scripture. . but that can't be possible. Where exactly in Du Weldenvarden are we?" The question was more directed at herself than Hurricane. She often thought out loud when something perplexed her. She looked back to the glyphs and ran her finger along the lettering and some of the pictures, raising the flame so she could see them clearly.
"Hurricane. . my people often built underground temples with extremely tricky traps so no one could find their way into them and dishonor them. If this is one of those temples, we might be in over our heads. ."
Then again, there might be some of my people hiding out in this abandoned temple. . She thought to herself, narrowing her eyes before gazing down the almost pitch black corridor. As badly as she wanted to find her people, she didn't want to put Hurricane in danger. And with his size, he might very well be just that.

"Of course I want to continue. ."
There was no way she'd ever say no to something that might have to do with her people. She looked to Hurricane, then down the corridor again before starting for the darkness, her tiny flame illuminating a few feet ahead of them. She spoke quietly.
"Look for multiple holes in the walls, or a stone on the floor that seems like it's out of place, or any wires that may reflect the light of my flame. Avoid them. My people were amazing inventors. . if we set off a trap and it releases gas, we must get out of here as fast as possible."
She stressed the must, knowing very well what that gas would do. Depending on what kind they used, it would either eat away at your skin, like acid, suffocate you, blind you, the possibilities were endless. .

"My people have been around practically since the earth had been made. But after we started dying off, our history and traditions seemed to die more and more every year. To the point where people forgot about us completely. They figured we were important enough to remember."
She sounded angry, annoyed, as she spoke, moving slowly through the cavern and watching the walls and floor carefully. She knew the signs to look for. She continued on, her voice less acid filled.
"But. . my people were a great people. We weren't as corrupted and greedy as other races are. We lived solely for protecting the earth, ourselves, and our animal guardians; who lived to protect us, given to us by the earth as thanks. My guardian is Siberia, as you probably guessed."

Cy Ara was confused at first. She must've been so caught up in telling her little story, she hadn't been paying attention. She hadn't sensed anything. After Hurricane told her to stay close to him, she made sure to keep right next to him, looking around, but her flame suddenly flickered out. When she snapped her fingers, they simply sparked, refusing to start a flame.
No!! Not now. . !
She thought to herself, starting to panic. For some reason, she still couldn't sense anything, either. She looked up in the direction Hurricane was.
"Any idea what it is?" She murmured quietly.

With great hesitance, Cy Ara took a step back from the hole. Without her fire, she felt weak, open, and vulnerable. After a moment, the rustling stopped and momentarilly, Cy Ara thought that whatever it was, it had gone away. But just as she was about to state this, a man dropped from the hole, landing in a crouch. He was roughly in his twenties, handsome, except for a scar over one eye. He didn't look happy, but he didn't seem to be a threat. He wore a simple white torn tunic and tan shorts. He was barefoot and seemed dirty, like he'd been there for too long.
Cy Ara, of course, couldn't see all of this. She didn't have her fire. Partially scared, the took a few more steps back until she was finally by Hurricane's hind leg.
The man spoke quietly as he stood. "I mean no harm. . relax, friends."