All right. . He murmured quietly, not bothering to watch when Xelin left. His words struck him in a strange way that made him think harder about his dream than he would've guessed needed. He had thought it had been just a nightmare, a simple dream. Not something complex. But now he wasn't sure. .
It sounded like something from a story. Maybe the story. .of someone's life? He suddenly shook from his thoughts and turned around in the direction Xelin had gone, running after him. No more time for that kind of thinking. . time for training. He began to get excited.
When he reached the cliff, he slowed to a stop and spoke quietly, looking out over the water again.
The water looks rough today, for some reason. . you think there'll be strong winds up in the sky?

Irlais watching the storm with hesitance as Xelin spoke to him. He didn't look away until the wind buffeted them and he lost his grip on saddle's horn, going straight for Xelin's neck, which he clung to in his seat the best he could. If he would've been able to, he probably would've been digging his nails into the dragon. But wait, what was he getting so worked up about? It wasn't as if something bad was going to happen! He was strapped in. And even if they did happen to break, he could fly himself if absolutely necessary. And if he couldn't fly, he knew Xelin would be there to catch him.
At the question, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he grinned a little and murmured quietly.
"What's the point in starting out easy when you could head for your goal from the very beginning, and reach it faster. The hard, gut wrenching stuff."

OOC:
I can't join right now because I'm at the science museum and on my iPod touch. XD But I will join as soon as I get home.

OOC:
Ok, join after S_V replies...if she ever does...

To Irlais, they couldn't have gotten back to the cave fast enough. By the time they reached the cave, though, he had all ready begun unstrapping himself from the saddle. He didn't jump off until Xelin lied down, though, and spoke as he jumped off.
"A little too close for comfort. ."

OOC:
Here comes Naixul.lol

IC:
Naixul eyed the black clouds warily as the strong winds buffeted against him, warning him to land soon and find shelter. He squinted with his one eye and found a cave on an island. It looked uninhabited. The black-scarred-white male pulled in his wings and dove gratefully toward the shelter. He entered the cave on wing before dropping down onto his paws. His shoulder flared with pain as he jostled it with the rough landing. He grunted and twisted his head around to lick at the wound. He sighed softly and limped forward awkwardly to lay down against the back of the cave. He paused, noticing a faint scent that seemed a few hours old at the least. He couldn't distinguish it though, so he wrote it off as a wolverine or fox. He curled up on the ground, angling his left leg a bit so his shoulder wasn't strained. He settling his head down across his right paw, closing his eyes. He was thinking back to his most recent punishment when he heard the wing beats of a dragon. Instantly he shot bolt up right and limped to the entrance of the cave. A black male dragon with a white-haired Rider was just swooping in when the storm released. He hesitated a bit, but it was rude of him to stay silent when it was obvious they had been here first. So he came out into view so they could see him. His head was dipped low, the light from the entrance landing first on the scar across his left eye and the milky white iris, and his warm chocolate brown right iris, and then on his black-white-scar covered body. I apologize. I did not think this cave was taken. Please forgive me. he said quietly, keeping his head low respectfully and his eyes averted.

Irlais hadn't noticed the different scent that hovered in the air of the cave, either, even with as acute as his smell had become. Between the two of them, at that. How could they have missed such an important change? Then again, they had both been so wrapped up in the thunderstorm. Especially Irlais. He was gazing out the mouth of the cave at the down pour and thunder and lightening, resisting the urge to shudder, when the voice emitted from the newcomer and he jumped, turning around, like Xelin had.
As Xelin spoke, Irlais peaked around him, brow furrowing as he felt the back of his mind begin to tingle. He began taking a few steps closer at a time, running his hands along Xelin's scales as he listened to the tiny involuntary voices that seemed to speak to him. All the while, he couldn't take his eyes off the scarred dragon, seemingly soaking up every detail about him. He stopped beside Xelin's neck, resting his hand there and speaking quietly.
"He's fine, Xelin. . he has no where else to go. . and on top of that, he's wounded." Sympathy seemed to wash over him as the voices slowly faded from his mind and he let his hand fall from Xelin as he took yet another few steps forward, cocking his head to the side curiously. "You're another Shadow Dragon, aren't you?"

Irlais stayed quiet as Naixul and Xelin spoke, wrapping one arm around his waist while his other hand scratched the side of his head in thought. Something was bugging him. After Xelin finished speaking, he himself spoke up in question, lifting his gaze to Naixul.
". .you said you were banished for treason? What did you do?"

Irlais himself grew abruptly furious at Naixul's explanation. The King sounded just as bad as Lukia Ursl, if not worse. As Xelin spoke again, Irlais slowly moved himself over to stand beside Naixul's wounded left shoulder, cautiously so the scarred dragon wouldn't get the idea that he'd hurt him.
He raised his hands, hovering them inches away from the wound. Concentrating, his hands took on the familiar tingling sensation and green glow as it began healing. After Xelin finished speaking, he spoke up, quietly, but angrily.
"And on top of that, you're a living thing. A creature with your own opinions and your own free will. Or should be, at least. You can be sure, Xelin and I won't let you go on like this. We'll fix what that scaly piece of trash has broken.."

Irlais jumped, withholding a yelp as his hands shot up to clamp over his ears. The thunder is what startled him, the rain worried him, and the lightening just purely petrified him. This was pathetic. . he wasn't scared of practically anything! So why were thunderstorms such a big deal. .
When Xelin spoke again, he dropped his hands hesitantly, half expecting another boom of thunder, but was happy to hear there wasn't as Xelin moved through the shadows, literally.
He had been wondering when Xelin would finally break the news to Naixul that he was a shadow dragon. He smiled halfheartedly and waited for Naixul to start moving before he spoke to him quietly, following closely.
"If anyone can toughen you up, it's him. Xelin may be a lazy scales, but he's strong and diligent when it comes down to it. You stick around here, with us, and you'll have your head high on your shoulders in no time. . so to speak." He grinned a little at Naixul his habitual friendly and lopsided smile.

OOC: Go ahead and skip me. Irlais doesn't know much about the empire, so he's kinda just sitting there listening.

Irlais was just a bit lost, having known nothing about the Empire from just coming here to Alagaesia a couple of weeks ago. When Xelin moved, he glanced over his shoulder at him, but then let his gaze fall back ti Naixul, speaking quietly after Xelin.
"Who's Shruikan?"

Irlais had been in the confines of his own mind when Naixul spoke out to him. His eyes snapped up, wide momentarily, before he nodded his head a little, the attempt of a smile hinting at the corner of his lips.
It was then that Xelin sneezed and made him jumped. At his words, he looked over to the gooey substance and made a face, leaning away from it slightly and speaking to his dragon quietly.
"Don't need to tell me twice. ." That was genuinely disgusting. And Irlais wasn't in the mood for some kind of fungi to grow out on whatever part of him touched it. When Xelin spoke of sleep, Irlais complied with a small yawn, curling onto his side against Xelin and making himself comfortable before instantly beginning to doze off. He was so comfy now and in a half sleep all ready, he didn't even realize that he ended up speaking telepathically to both dragons before drifting off.
Night Xelin, Naixul.

OOC: I forgot that dragon are supposed to describe stuff when I RP us them...whoops

Xelin had a hard time staying awake during his watch. The cold-wet-rain continued to pour down, seemingly endless, making a sort of lullaby for him, and soon he was asleep again. He failed to notice that the rain had begun to come further into the cave.

Naixul nodded, a sharp dip of his head. Yes, I remember how. he said shortly, roving his single eye over Irlais's fastenings to make sure that the twoleg male was secure in the saddle.

OOC:
Sorry, short.

Irlais was gripping onto the saddle with blinding force, wanting to cry out at the feeling of his bones being gnawed at by ice. But he didn't, gripping his eyes closed and forcing himself to wait it out, until they were in the other cave. He refused to open his eyes momentarily, until Xelin asked if he was all right. He opened them, waited for them to focus, then spoke with chattering teeth.
"C-c-cold. ."
His mind was running a little slow and it took him a moment to remember how to unclench his white-knuckled hands from around the horn of the saddle and unstrap himself. When he jumped down, though, he instantly felt to his knees, before falling forward and catching himself with one hand, the other abruptly placing over his stomach. He absolutely could not stand sheer cold temperatures. It made him, regrettably, sick to his stomach, but not the kind of sick that made him want to hurl.
He sat himself down and instantly pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as he tried to pull into the smallest ball possible.

After moving closer to the fire, Irlais gratefully soaked up the warmth that Xelin's body gave off. And by the time Xelin asked if he was feeling any warmer, he had stopped trembling enough to speak clearly. With a small nod of his head, he looked up to the dragon slightly.
". .yeah. . thank you." He brought his gaze back down, shivering once when the wind blew and staying quiet for a while longer, after Xelin had made the fire. Despite his body being partially thawed out, he still felt like his brain was in an ice block and some little person was slowly chipping away at it with an ice pick, causing a small headache to throb around his temples. He started to half sleep, half daze, staring into the fire that Naixul had made. He felt like he was drifting away from himself. He never did well being startled awake like that, by dreams or whatever.

Irlais continued to stay quiet, even after he was lying down and had Xelin's wing covering him. He adjusted himself after Xelin told him night, lying back on his side in a ball right up against the dragon's stomach, and closed his eyes tiredly. It was a few moments before he finally responded.
Night, Xelin. . and thank you, too, Naixul. For a while, it lingered between half sleep and half consciousness. It took him a bit to finally doze off fully, but when he did, he didn't dream the rest of the night.

Xelin sighed. The more he heard about Naixul's life the more he felt bad for him. He looked out over the flooded island, slowly getting more and more depressed. He had planned on practicing Shadow-porting with Naixul and Irlais today, but since the island was flooded that would be hard. As he looked at the water, he got an idea. "Naixul, can you use your black fire?" He asked, glancing over at him.

OOC: so DS4, where yah been all day?

OOC: Skip. Irlais is still asleep. .
But i'm curious too. Where have you been DS4? xP

OOC:
lol Sorry, sorry. A girl friend of mine dragged me to the stable for horse back riding, but one of the horses had a very uncomfortable looking lump on his back, so we decided to just do barn chores instead. XD Now my arms and back are sore from cleaning out stalls all day. Lovely.

IC:
Naixul snorted softly as he laid his head down on his paws. To a degree. I've never used my full power black fire, just enough to send soldiers scurrying the other direction. Maybe melt a metal lock or two. he said with a dry chuckle. His one warm chocolate brown eye twinkled lightly, and even his milky white iris gleamed with slight humor.

"Can I help. . .?" Irlais yawned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. He'd woken just a few moments ago, right before Xelin mentioned clearing the island and practicing Shadow Porting.
He struggled to his feet, feeling a little shaky after the nights events, and lazily made his way over. "In any way?"

At Naixul's words of being able to use magic now, Irlais dropped his hands and looked to him in question. After Xelin spoke, he crossed his arms over his chest, looking off to the side as he tried to wrap his mind around all the combinations he's made with his rune stones before. He had a bare rune stone, but that was for emergencies. He had no idea what it even did. . his lifted his gaze only slightly to the two dragons.
". . I mastered the air pressure trick really well. . what if I could master the magic easily?"

He looked from Xelin, to Naixul, then back again before sighing, rolling his eyes, and nodding. "Fine. . no magic other than my rune stones. ." The only reason he was agreeing was because the thought of Xelin hurt made him feel queasy. He let his arms fall, contemplating something before continuing. "But leave the saddle here. . I want to make some adjustments to it." He moved closer to Xelin, unstrapping the large, single leather strap so it slid off Xelin's back on the opposite side of him.

Irlais tugged on the finally strap, tightening it before speaking. "Just adding the finishing touches." He grinned a little at his work, before turning around and looking at Xelin skeptically.
"I don't care how sneaky you think you are. . I could feel you getting closer." Irlais guessed it had been the connection or maybe it was just his instincts, he didn't know. But he thought it was funny and started laughing a little. "Next time, block your mind and see if that works. ."

Irlais grimaced at the thought of the connection between them being severed. It made him want to shudder, but he resisted the urge to do so by turning his full attention on Xelin as he commented on the saddle, causing Irlais to grin like a little idiot. He'd always been creative. It was one of his perks.
But when Xelin mentioned shadow-porting, he became a little tense, grin fading and face contorting into an expression of worry and curiosity.
"Is it. .going to be like yesterday?" He was referring to the cold.

Irlais shuffled a little before nodding and accepting Xelin's explanation. He wasn't as enthusiastic as he was yesterday about practicing it, but that was because he was still a little shaken from his nightmare and the nights events. He turned, gripping the saddle, and struggled to lift it up. It was heavy, yes, but it was nothing Irlais couldn't handle. At least, for a few moments. He lifted it up, took a step forward, and then let it fall back to the stone floor as he leaned against tiredly.
"Holy bloody scales. . why is this thing so heavy today. .? I didn't have a problem with it when we bought it!!"

Irlais stood straight suddenly and looked off to the side, raising a hand to rub the back of his head as he spoke.
"Uh. . .nothing." He hesitantly let his gaze fall back upon Xelin before grinning sheepishly like an idiot, shrugging his shoulders. "Just. . .uh. . .heavy. .air?" It sounded more like a question. And it sounded stupid, even to him.

Irlais grew irritated suddenly, looking from one dragon to another. "Would you two relax! It's not like I stuffed a dead body in there!"
He reached for the string of one of the pouches and pulled on it to the point where it came loose and the deer skin bag spilled its contents: about five rubies clanked to the floor.
Irlais turned his back to the dragons, head down. His voice was soft, full of annoyance, but something else.
". . I didn't think it'd be that heavy. I just wanted some for the road. . only two of the other pouches have any in them. ."

Naixul had earned himself a deathly glare from Irlais, too, as he looked over his shoulder at the dragon. He bit his tongue, not commenting until Xelin spoke. His gaze softened slightly and he looked down, murmuring. "Yeah. ."
With that, he began emptying the packs. It added up to fifteen gems in all; Five rubies, five sapphires, and five diamonds. He placed them by the fire in a pile and returned to the saddle, fixing the string he pulled loose as he spoke. "So. . exactly how would it work with me on your back? If I don't think of the same spot, am I going to fly out of a shadow some where else?"
He finished fixing the pack and went to lift it up, still with a bit of struggle, even though he'd emptied its contents. He went to place it on Xelin's back and strap it in as he explained.