Licasteria - Ohh... Shiny.

[Eslakon]

((Rather short compared to my others recently, but it should do.))

”Thank you, Licasteria. Hopefully no more will be required. It’s just the same to us as it would be to you if they sold elf hearts for a great fee.” Chara stopped her murmuring as she watched the young dragon wonder around the room, and then the sides of her mouth raised slightly as if she were smiling.

Eslakon nearly leaped forward and caught the hatchling when it jumped into the air, trying desperately to fly, though he doubted this room was big enough. Yet he remembered that whenever Chara tried to fly for the first time, no one caught her, mainly because he wasn’t old enough to hold her weight. His smile grew wider as the dragon walked back to its rider, and almost let him forget his mentioning of magic.

If she already knows that I can cast magic, He thought. Perhaps I can cast a spell without her caring. He wanted to cast magic badly, for it felt that he hadn’t even moved a leaf with a spell in ages. Spotting a dormant candle on a nearby table, which was void of a flame. He glanced to Licasteria, Chara, the hatchling, and then back to the candle; He discarded the thought.

His fingers twitched at the energy welling up in his forearms and were forced to clamp shut so that he would not reveal his discomfort. Instead, he turned his attention to the baby dragon, wondering if she had thought up of a name yet. “Well,” He spoke up, leaning back into the chair. “What would you like to know?” He paused for a moment, wondering if he could answer all of her questions, for he remembered all of the ones he had and how most of them were redundant; Yet Licasteria was an elf. Another question struck his mind. “Have you named her yet?”

[Licasteria]

Licasteria smiled at her dragon. Midnight Star lay at her feet; her expression was alert and curious. The dragon's snout was in the air, sniffing furiously. Her wings tensed and relaxed at a steady pace, as if she expected something exciting was going to happen at any second. Suddenly, Midnight Star leaped.

The she-dragon soared through the air, not once did she flap her wings, it didn't look as if Midnight Star was trying to fly at all. Then... What was she doing? It was less than a second later that Licasteria found out. With an almost inaudible thump Midnight Star landed perfectly on a small rodent.

Pleased with herself, Midnight Star held the still squirming mouse with her forepaws, balancing on her hind legs and tail. With a swift bite to the neck, Midnight Star killed the tiny creature, her silver head swiveled around, and her gleaming black eyes locked on Licasteria. The corners of the she-dragon's lips curled up, to reveal her perfect, razor-sharp teeth.

"Lookie what I caught, Licasteria!" The tiny, squeaking voice echoed in Licasteria's mind, and, for a second, Licasteria thought she was imagining things. No, the voice was too clear, too real to be something she imagined. With stunned, wide eyes, Licasteria's head turned from Midnight Star, to Eslakon, to Chara, and back to Midnight Star.

With a quick, graceful movement, Licasteria rushed to Midnight Star, scooped her up, and hugged her tightly. The bloody mouse smudged Licasteria's silver tunic, but Licasteria didn't care. The only thought going through her mind was how proud she was. Her little dragon had caught her first prey, and spoken to her in the same moment.

"You're squishing me!" Midnight Star squeaked, and Licasteria immediately loosened her grip on the hatchling. Midnight Star was now on her back, wedged within Licasteria's arms. Midnight Star looked around the room a few times, and then started nibbling on her small mouse snack.

Licasteria Looked back up at Eslakon. The sudden event had made her forget the question he had asked, but she quickly remembered. A wide smile crossed her face, reddening her cheeks to a rosy shade, and revealing her flawless teeth. When she spoke, her pride and excitement for her dragon wasn't hidden.

"Midnight Star," She said happily, "Her name is Midnight Star."

[Eslakon]

Eslakon sat tense in his chair after Midnight Star had leaped off of the bed to catch a mouse, it seemed the last few moments have been very tense for him, for his fingers were twitching in his once tight grip. Though he couldn’t help but maintain his smile, for he had just witnessed a baby dragon catch its first prey, though he didn’t like the fact that this room had mice. Dragons usually spoke right after hatching, most likely because of the knowledge they acquire while in their egg, but he didn’t see how.

Chara set her rough chin on the floor, her eyes darting between the splotch of blood on Licasteria’s tunic to the hatchling. A puff of smoke rose from her nostrils as she exhaled, kneading the once solid wood on the floor. Her talons pulled up several splinters, as if she purposefully made a trap for whoever walked into or out of this room barefoot. She licked a smooth claw once before stretching her wings outside of the room, which caused several pops to strike the silent air.

“Midnight Star.” Eslakon said, staring up at a rough spot on the ceiling, and then abandoned his chair. Pushing down on his new sword, he stood and strode over to Chara, who set her head as far to the left as she could so Eslakon could sit down beside her. Placing his hand outside of the door and onto the grass, Eslakon concentrated, and then released a silent blast of translucent energy into the ground, frying several blades of grass but otherwise not harming much.

Finally able to relax, he alternated massaging his hands, which still had much tension despite his release. Ignoring the slight twitches, which were not near as bad as before, he spoke. “Yes, I remember how quickly Chara learned to speak,” He looked up at her massive jaw, “Even when I could not, she always seemed to lecture me on certain subjects.”

”I was a bit bossy whenever I was younger, but that was because you were so naïve, so inexperienced in everything. Yet you were a child, a human child, there was no reason to suspect that you were as smart as I was then. Even though you still are not.” Chara shook her head, nearly hitting Eslakon in the face with her thick jaw.

Eslakon smiled at Chara’s sarcasm, at least he thought it was sarcasm, there was no grasp on the knowledge that dragons were capable of, even he did not know. Changing the subject in his own head, he looked into Midnight Star’s eyes, “She will grow much smarter, almost everyday. Their ability to absorb as much information as they do has me dumbfounded. Though the day that they fly differs between the dragons. Anyway, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, what other questions do you have?”

[Licasteria]

Licasteria pondered the question. There was so much she wanted to know; so many questions to ask. She basically wanted to know everything. She wanted to learn. Licasteria fingered the pommel of her blade, and then lifted her hand to Midnight Star. She stroked the gently for a while, wondering which of her questions needed to be answered first.

"Which question do you want to know Midnight Star?" Licasteria finally asked her little dragon, who was licking Licasteria's blood-stained shirt, which was almost clean.

After a few seconds, Midnight Star looked up from the shirt, and yawned. "I'd really like to know more about magic."

Licasteria had been wanting to know about that too. She had thought it seemed fun, but Eslakon had obviously been trying to hide it. Maybe magic was something for later on; something for riders with more experience. Licasteria simply hadn't been able to think of the right words to ask if he would teach her more about magic.

Now that it was out in the open, Licasteria thought she might as well just ask. Uncertainly, Licasteria smiled and asked cautiously, "I'd kinda like to know about magic as well, Eslakon. If you don't think I'm ready, just say so."

Licasteria pursed her lips and adverted her gaze to Midnight Star, waiting, for Eslakon's reply.

[Eslakon]

Eslakon paused, and then looked to Chara. ”They clearly know, Eslakon.” She said, putting his mind at ease, slightly.

He nodded, and the looked to Midnight Star. “Very well,” He tapped the center of his forearms, just in front of his elbows. “I have within my arms two shards of Drania’s essence, for I was not able to cast magic before. They collect energy on my emotions either at their own pace, or mine, which I can speed up with a cost; My energy. Though their potential is almost unlimited, powerful magic has a sort of . . . recoil. If I were too cast too large of a spell, the magic coming back to me would surely kill me. Though a wizard with nothing to lose would be a very powerful weapon.” He placed a hand on his kneecap, and then patted Chara’s jaw with the other.

“Magic is what allows dragons and Reyans to speak, but their intelligence is their own. Magic is believed to be everywhere, in the ground, the sky, the ancient trees in this city, but in different forms.” He paused in thought, looking up at the ceiling once more. “Some are born with the ability to cast magic, but others, like myself, require orbs. The ones in my arms were named before I acquired them, Flare and Feya.”

“Feya is a orb of the Divine magic, or so the council says, and Flare, Demonic magic. Every emotion that I have feeds them, for my happiness and joy goes to one, and hate and anger the other. How I cast magic is really unknown, for it is like a movement of your arm, but it is harder to control and maintain. Imagine holding up a heavy weight, one that you can barely hold up, and every second or so, it becomes heavier.”

Eslakon smiled, he had never really told anyone about magic before, and was glad that he was able. He leaned back on his left arm and glanced outside, making sure that no one else was eavesdropping. The ground where he had released the magic was cold, almost void of life. He frowned, and then pulled himself back inside. “Was there anything else about magic that you would like to know? I covered quite a bit, but not all of the information on the subject.”

[Licasteria]

Licasteria smiled. Yes, she had more questions; a lot more questions. Many of the things Eslakon just said made sense, he explained them well. Yet Licasteria still found things to question; she was still curious. For a while she wondered which question to ask first. A glaze slid over her eyes as she melted into her own wandering thoughts.

Where do you get magical orbs? Where do the people who give them to you get them? Why do the orbs have names? Do you have to have a divine and a demonic orb? What happens if you only get one, or have two orbs of the same kind? Who -or what- is the council? Do they make the orbs, or do they just hand them out? Why haven't I heard about them?

These questions hit her like a stone when she surrendered herself into her own mind. She had more questions, but those could wait. These were the questions she wanted answered first. They clawed at her like angry cats; the sense of ignorance washed over her, and, for a second, she was almost embarrassed at not knowing any of this.

Shaking away from her thoughts, she looked back at Eslakon, then at Chara, then on Midnight Star. The dragon's eye's gleamed with interest and she asked, "Well? What do you want to know, Licasteria? I'm sure you thought up something to ask."

I nodded and took a deep breath. I filled my nose with the scents around me. The earthy smell of dirt and wood was the most obvious. There were small traces of blood and raw meat, thanks to Midnight Star's earlier catch. "I do have a few questions to ask, Midnight Star," Licasteria finally breathed. The words came out slow and calm, and that's how she intended them to be.

With the slightest movement of her head, Licasteria faced Eslakon. She took an even deeper breath, and quickly asked all her questions. "Where do you get magical orbs? Where do the people who give them to you get them? Why do the orbs have names? Do you have to have a divine and a demonic orb? What happens if you only get one, or have two orbs of the same kind? Who -or what- is the council? Do they make the orbs, or do they just hand them out? Why haven't I heard about them?"

Sitting a bit further back, Licasteria rubbed her eyes. She was getting tired, and if she stayed up much later, she might not be able to get up in time for work. Midnight Star wasn't at all tired, for she had slept almost all day, and intended to play with Chara later. Midnight Star wanted to learn almost as much about being a dragon as Licasteria wanted to know about being a rider.

With a squirm, Midnight Star inched her way out of Licasteria's arms, onto the floor, and over to Chara. The little silver she-dragon looked over the other dragon, and thingyed her head in curious interest. "Hiya, Chara," Midnight Star said, and did something that looked like a smile, showing her small teeth-stubs, "How're ya?"

[Eslakon]

Eslakon paused as the questions grew, wondering if he would be able to answer them all. He had thought that he had covered a lot, but he had been wrong. He rocked back and forth and hugged his knees as he found an answer for all of the questions. “You get orbs from the council, and they from the dwarves. The dwarves name them in a way similar to their properties. Like Feya sounds happy compared to Flare.” He stopped for a moment, biting his nails. “Its really rare to get both types from the council, and they only give it to dragon riders and elves.” He froze, forgetting the next question.

”What happens if you only have one, or two of the same type.” Chara reminded him, causing him to stop his rocking for a moment.

“Ah, yes.” He said, and then thanked Chara. “You have to have two, otherwise your left side would become paralyzed. Say you have an orb in your right arm, it can be any type, and nothing in the other. It would pull energy from your left side instead of sending it to it; Therefore your other arm would have no energy while the other functioned unnaturally.” He scratched his chin as he pondered the next part of the question. “You would be very skilled in the form of magic the orb contained, but it would almost be impossible to cast the other form. Umm . . . Would you mind answering some Chara?”

”Not at all.” She nodded, pulling several more splinters out of the floor. ”The council is a gathering of five beings, two dragons and three elves. The dragons’ names are Belar and Clot, and the elves’ are Talish, Selena, and Kavar. They live within this city, but they hold their council in the forest.” She scratched at the scales behind her jaw, making it seem as if she wasn’t thinking of what to say next. ”They do not make to orbs, Drania does. In a sense, they hand them out, but only to those they choose.”

The last question slightly confused Chara, why didn’t Licasteria know about the council, for she was an elf. It seemed that all elves knew about the council, for its importance and that it contained three of their own. She was an elf, but she was a new face to the city. ”It seems where you stayed before here had a lack of information, or some that you chose to neglect. You should already know the answer.”

As she finished, Chara watched Midnight star squirm out of Licasteria’s grip and make her way over to her and Eslakon. As she greeted Chara, Eslakon looked up at Licasteria, who looked tired. He leaned back on his arm like he did earlier, but this time to look at the moon. By its position, he could tell it was late. The ground under his fingers was still cold, and it led him to wonder if it would ever warm up again. He yawned as he pulled himself back inside, feeling the lack of enthusiasm to stay awake.

”Hello, hatchling.” The dragon’s teeth led her to wonder how the hatchling had chewed on the mouse earlier. ”I am fine, how are you? She clamped her jaw shut, flexing the muscles that lined her jaw. As she shook her head, she accidentally hit Eslakon’s head, but got no response when she would have any other time. He must be tired.

[Licasteria]

[Not much action... I'm out of ideas. I might think of something later.]

The elf maiden dropped onto her bed as Chara answered her last question. Her eyebrows creased as she tried to remember something about the council. Seconds passed, and she still remembered nothing. She was tempted to ask when the council was formed, but decided not to. All well, Licasteria thought, shrugging it off, I know about them now.

Licasteria stretched, popping a few restless spinal bones. Licasteria parted her tiny lips into a small yawn as her eyelids grew even heavier. She looked around the room sleepily, and slowly slid further into bed. Licasteria propped her head up on one arm as she lay on her side.

"I think I'm going to go to sleep now, Eslakon," Licasteria said, "I don't have any more questions for tonight." With another yawn, she tossed Eslakon one of her pillows, and a large, warm blanket. Not waiting to see weather he caught them or not, Licasteria settled deep within her sheets, snuggled against her fluffy mattress and pillow.

Midnight Star had swiveled her head around to watch Licasteria climb into bed when Chara replied, and she now turned it back to Chara. "I'm fine," She said, and settled into a sitting position. Midnight Star wasn't tired. She looked around, and saw a small down feather floating around. With mild interest, she battered it around.

[Eslakon]

Eslakon barely managed to catch the pillow, but the blanket floated and covered his head. Chara chuckled, and when he pulled the thick blanked off of his head, he noticed that Licasteria had already lied down and was preparing to go to sleep. With a short moment of concentration, he drew the air around the candles and suffocated them.

Though this shouldn’t bother Chara and Midnight Star much, for dragons could see perfectly in the dark, and he could to an extent, but only with magic. As he cast the minor spell to direct more light into his eyes, the room lit up with a wave, but seemed to have lost most of its color.

He and Chara watched as the hatchling slapped a feather around, which was slightly amusing. Chara never told Eslakon that she used to get bored and play with deer the way a cat would with a mouse, mainly because he would despise such an action. Eslakon stood, tossed the pillow into the chair, and then folded the blanket until it was a similar size to the pillow and set it on top of it.

He needed to get used to sleeping without a pillow and blanket, for it was common in his life, for where he bedded down there was no mattress or cover. Though Chara’s body provided enough heat for him to stay warm. With a tired yawn, he slowly staggered over to Chara, the weight of his eyelids growing, and then lied down beside her, his back pressing against her neck.

Not wanting to take off his boots, he lied out as flat as he could, except for his back, which was propped up against Chara’s warm neck. Severing the spell that allowed him to see, the room grew dark with a flash, which slightly eased his exhaustion and allowed him to go to sleep easily.

”That is good.” Chara replied to the young dragon. ”What did you do today?” She asked curiously, wanting to remember what her younger years were like.

[Licasteria]

Midnight Star stopped playing with the feather for a second, and giggled. Yes, she giggled aloud which was simply the cutest sound coming from a dragon. "I slept mostly," she managed, recovering from her small fit of laughter.

The little dragoness gazed at Chara, and her tiny, black eyes gleamed in the darkness. As she studied the larger, jet-black dragon, a feeling of envy crept over her. Little Midnight Star wanted to be big, strong Midnight Star. The hatchling wanted to grow up, learn how to fly, and protect Licasteria.

But Midnight Star wasn't going to grow up anytime soon. She was going to have to wait. Ugh, she groaned in her mind, but kept it to herself. All Midnight Star could do at the moment was be a cute little baby dragon, and be petted like a kitten.

"I want to grow up. I want to learn to fly." The question flowed from Midnight Star's mind without warning, and the hatchling silently scolded herself. An uncertain dullness spread across her face as she looked up at Chara, like a toddler expecting punishment.

-~=#=~-~=#=~-

Meanwhile, Licasteria had begun to dream. Random images flickered through her mind. It was like everything she had every seen flashing around her like whip-lashes. Strangely, Licasteria wasn't overwhelmed by any of it.

Yes, most people would be overwhelmed. Most people would double over and cover their ears, begging their minds to stop playing evil tricks on them. But Licasteria wasn't in the category for 'most people' was she? No.

Licasteria took in every detail of every picture. Every color, every scent, every sound, every taste, every texture; nothing sped by her without Licasteria's knowing. In fact, Licasteria liked it; it was a challenge, and Licasteria loved challenges.

As she dove deeper into her dreams the images slowed. Within time, an image stayed, and Licasteria was sent into her own mind. Immediately, she knew where she was; the Veldon Forest. Massive trees towered above, and birds sang tunes of happiness.

For some reason, Licasteria became thirsty. The maiden wandered the forest, trying to find water. She searched, and searched for a very long time. Finally, Licasteria heard the trickle of a stream. With pride in her accomplishment, she ran toward the sound.

When she reached the stream, she noticed Midnight Star kneeling by the waters' edge. Licasteria rushed to hug her dragon when Midnight Star turned, snarling. The elf backed away in confusion. Why would Midnight Star be mad at me?

The question would have to go unanswered, because in a sudden movement, Midnight Star killed and devoured Licasteria. It wasn't until many hours later that Licasteria woke up screaming.

[Eslakon]

Chara closed her eyes momentarily as she listened to the young dragon’s giggle. A sudden wind that rushed over her wings and back caused her to open her eyes as a potent smell entered her nostrils. It was merely a squirrel off in the woods nearby, most likely disturbed by the jolt of energy Eslakon had released into the ground. She rolled her wing’s shoulders, slightly hungry, as she looked down at Eslakon.

If she moved, he would wake up, and she did not wish to do that. Though Chara would have to move soon, for she wasn’t about to sleep with her head in the doorway. A stranger could walk up and strip her wing membrane off of her wings with a knife while she slept.

She was about to move when Midnight Star spoke, causing her to pause and listen to the young dragon’s words. The hatchling had a slightly dull expression, as if she had not meant to say that. “You will grow, in time, and fly before that. I suggest you savor your time on the ground while you are bound to it, for it slightly loses its enthusiasm when you begin to fly.” Lifting her head, she pushed herself onto he front paws as softly as she could, but Eslakon still groaned in his sleep. “I barely want to land every time to take flight, though it seems that Eslakon is my anchor to the ground. I despise large cities such as Leosta, the human kingdom, for the havoc they brought on the land to build it.” A sudden agitated feeling in her gut caused her to drop the subject, and then return to what she was doing before Midnight Star had spoken.

Eslakon’s boots skidded across the floor as she pushed him forward, causing him to suddenly open his eyes and looked around, but he calmed down when he realized what had happened, and then lied his head on Chara’s paw. With a soft growl, she picked up the pillow Licasteria had given them and switched out her paw with it.

As she slowly pulled her head from the doorway, she whispered. ”Farewell, and goodnight hatchling, I will return in a short while.” Even though she had eaten a few hours before, Eslakon preferred that she eat small amounts throughout the day, so that when she did hunt, she wouldn’t return coated in blood, which took the fun out of it. She sniffed Eslakon’s hair, and then pressed her snout on his forehead, ”Goodnight, Eslakon. Said she as she stepped back, turned, and then leaped into flight with several soft hops.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eslakon bolted up right as a scream filled the room, startling him and Chara, who had the stench of blood on her breath, from their sleep. The metallic sound of his sword scraping against its sheathe filled the air. His eyes were wide open, despite having just woken up from a deep sleep, trying to find the cause and whereabouts of what had caused such a disturbance. His knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping the hilt of his sword, and he was slightly dizzy for he had stood so quickly.

“What is wrong!” Eslakon asked quickly, his knuckles turning whiter. As he realized that there was no significant threat, and that Licasteria seemed to have had a nightmare, he released his grip on the blade, a hot flash covered his hands as the blood rushed back into them.

Chara had taken much of the wood off of the side of the tree when she woke, for she had scraped her horns along the side of it, causing everyone nearby to freeze and look her direction. Some cursed, for they had not heard the scream, but merely saw the long gash in the tree. Others rushed to help, but stopped when Eslakon told them that nothing was wrong.

Dawn’s first light shined through the window, warming Eslakon as he set the tip of his sword in its sheathe, and then pushed it the rest of the way in. He stumbled, and then sat roughly on the floor, massaging his temples. Flare pulsed with energy from the sudden fear that had struck him, which trailed a faint aura, which resembled a tuft of smoke, close to a foot into the air in front of him.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria looked around, slightly confused. She had still been dreaming while she was screaming, and was wondering why she was sitting up and out of breath. Midnight Star was nuzzling her shoulder, and Eslakon was already up, with sword in hand. Shaking her head, she remembered her dream and sighed in relief. It was only a bad dream, she told herself, everything's okay.

But was everything really okay? She had just woken up from one of the worst dreams she had ever had; her cheeks were red, and her golden hair was sticking out in a few odd angles. But, then again, a rider and his dragon, in her home, had jumped to their feet at the mere hint of danger, and her own dragon was lovingly comforting her when she was scared. Licasteria was safe, and that made her feel better.

Eslakon's question bubbled back into her mind, and pushed away all her other thoughts. Licasteria was almost embarrassed when she thought about it now. She probably looked ridiculous, and she had woken her guests with a startling false-alarm. The elf maiden looked at Eslakon, and an 'I-owe-you-one' smile crossed her face. "Just a nightmare." She shrugged, and then apologized. "I'm so sorry I aroused you at this early hour."

Licasteria should have promised It wouldn't happen again, but she wasn't so sure about that. What if it did happen again? Nightmares were one of her many small weaknesses. She absolutely loathed nightmares. Licasteria thought that if you are going to be surrendered into your own mind, you could at least control what you saw. She brought the covers closer around her body and shivered, the nightmare was still sending chills down her spine.

[Eslakon]

He sighed, looking up from his hands before pushing himself onto his knees. His heart was in his throat, and he was jumping at the slightest movement. He felt at ease when Chara’s massive eye came through the doorway, though she kept her horns outside just in case she had to turn quickly. “A nightmare.” He said softly, directed at himself more than anyone else, “That is fine, I was needing to get up early anyway, and now I don’t think that I could go asleep until tomorrow night.”

Eslakon did not know what the nightmare was about, but it was very common in dragon riders, for all of the havoc they have created to protect others and themselves. If blood were visible after being wiped off, he would be covered from head to toe, as would Chara, though she had no nightmares. There was hardly anything for her to fear.

Pushing himself back onto his feet, he sidestepped so that he was beside Chara, and then started to pat her on the jaw. As he placed his hand on her snout, it flaked off several patches of dried blood, which let him know why he could smell blood. He put up a fake smile as he set his hand on her forehead, hoping that she would ease his tension.

His entire hand set in the middle of her forehead, and looked small compared to it. The rough, small scales on her head felt like tiny bumps as he ran his hand over it. Eslakon paused, and then turned to Licasteria, who looked like she had just seen a ghost.

”What was the dream about?” Chara asked, beating Eslakon to the question. She wrapped her rough tongue around one of her canines, and then with a swift pull, licked all of the blood off of it.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria thought for a moment. The dream was already fading away, but she could still remember the scary part. It wasn't as frightening anymore, now that she knew nothing had really happened to her. It was just... creepy, now.

Midnight Star stopped nuzzling Licasteria, and stepped onto her lap, which was tightly cocooned in two layers of blankets. Wrapping her silvery tail around her rear, the hatchling curled up into a ball, and lay there. Midnight Star knew she didn't have to speak to make Licasteria feel better, Midnight Star just had to be there for her.

Licasteria reached out to Midnight Star, and stoked the dragon gently. Even though the scary part of the nightmare was Midnight Star, Licasteria couldn't be afraid of the cute bundle of scales in the real world. Midnight Star was just too comforting.

The elf looked up with her large, sapphire eyes on Eslakon. Her rosy lips curved into a humorous smile, it was somewhat forced, although it didn't look forced at all. Licasteria slowly raised her hands to fix her golden hair as best she could without a brush, and she said, "It was about Midnight Star trying to eat me. Funny, huh?"

The maiden made herself giggle, so that Eslakon didn't think she was still afraid of her own dragon. She really wasn't afraid of Midnight Star at all. It was just the dream she was afraid of. It was almost as if her mind wanted her to abandon the dragon out of fear, which scared her more than the dream itself.

Which brought her to yet another question; can your mind have a mind of its own? If so, shouldn't you be able to control it too? If not, what decided which dreams you were to have? Your mind's mind, or was it chosen at random? Also, why did she have so many questions on something that probably didn't exist?

[Eslakon]

Eslakon scratched his chin, forgetting that there was blood crust underneath his fingernails, therefore leaving a spot of the crimson liquid in the middle of his chin. It wasn’t a rare dream, or a common one, though he doubted that there was any reason to be afraid of Midnight Star, even in a dream. For the hatchlings’ size prevented it from being capable of killing a human, much less an elf.

Though in many of his dreams, he can feel the pain that would be inflicted upon him as if it were real, and not be able to move, like his legs were caught in quicksand. At his speed, he could be easily hit by an arrow or be killed by even the smallest of dragons. Though many times he relived previous battles he had had, which highlighted the mistakes he made, but he could never remedy them. Some times he dreamed that he was casting magic and woke up very tired, as if the energy in his body was actually being used.

”Was there wild dragons where you lived before Spirda? Chara asked curiously, leaving Eslakon to his own silent thoughts. ”The ones who hate humans and elves. Perhaps your fear of them caused you to question having a dragon of your own? She noticed the patch of blood on Eslakon’s face, but ignored it. ”If not, perhaps its because of a sudden change in your life. I’m not sure if Eslakon had similar dreams. If he did, he never told me.”

“I never did,” Eslakon reassured her. “Do you usually have nightmares?” He asked, drawling at the end for he leaned back and glanced out of the doorway. It seemed that everything had returned to normal, other than the elves pausing to examine the large gash in the tree’s trunk. “I haven’t had any dreams lately, and I’m glad of it. Though on several occasions I have had good dreams, but not recently.”

The stench of blood was very potent, though he couldn’t find the source other than Chara’s sharp teeth.