Licasteria - Ohh... Shiny.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria looked around the room. The hollow was dimly lit by the first rays of the early morning sun, and the soft chirps of birds could be heard from where she was. She was trying to remember if there were any dragons in the Veldon Forest. Of course, there were loads of them, but no matter how much Licasteria tried, she couldn't remember a bad encounter with one of the wild beasts.

What Chara said really made Licasteria wonder, but she eventually gave up. Never in her life had she been attacked or even scared by a wild dragon (or a tame one for that matter). Licasteria took a deep breath and shook her head to clear her mind. She looked up at Chara and said, "I don't think I've ever been afraid of dragons," and Licasteria quickly added, "and I'm still not."

Turning to Eslakon, Licasteria considered his question. Every once in a while she had a nightmare. None of them were usually very frightening, except for a few. Thinking back, Licasteria realized that this wasn't even in her top scariest dreams. Nothing compared to the one dream she had once had in the Veldon Forest.

The dream was okay at first. She was hiking in an unknown mountain range with a small brown-haired girl. For some odd reason, Licasteria thought she was supposed to guard the child with her life, but somehow, she couldn't move or call out to the little one when Licasteria noticed a savage grizzly in the shadows. The dream ended when the grizzly ate the kid and walked away.

What a nice dream that had been, Licasteria thought sarcastically, and shuddered at the memory. Suddenly, Licasteria remembered Eslakon standing there, and answered his question quickly, "No, no. I don't have that many nightmares," and she added, more to herself, "or at least not in proportion to most people."

It was then Midnight Star slipped out of Licasteria's lap, and back onto the floor. The little dragon wandered around, looking for something interesting to play with. A small sparkle caught her eye, and Licasteria smiled as Midnight Star attacked what seemed to be a simple silver ring. Curious, the maiden followed Midnight Star, and took a closer look at the ring.

There was nothing special about the gleaming band. It didn't look new at all - in fact, it looked rather old; the silver was faded, and the beginning of rust could be seen around the rim. When Midnight Star left the ring to play with something else, Licasteria it picked up. There were no engravings, and it didn't have very much luster left after however many years of being forgotten in an old tree.

Somehow, there was something beautiful about the artifact. Something wise and mysterious about it... With that curious gleam still in her eye, Licasteria set it on her vanity, along with the very few other beauty items, and retreated to the foot of her bed, where she sat down. Midnight Star had found a dust-ball and was now contently tearing it apart.

[Eslakon]

”Very well.” Chara replied. ”I have no more questions. Eslakon, you have blood on your chin.” She said, wanting to end his frantic search for the source of that blood smell. Her forked tongue ran over her own chin as well, dislodging several chunks of blood and pulling them into her maw.

“Oh.” Eslakon said, and then wiped his hand over his chin, and then examined the long streak of blood that ran down his palm. After he removed the rest of the blood with his shirt, he turned his attention back onto Licasteria. “I see, that perhaps it was just an odd occurrence without much reason. Yet I doubted that there was much reason to dwell upon it in the first place.” He paused as Midnight Star found interest in a ring on the floor, and attacked it as if it were alive.

He tried to examine the ring from his current location, but noticed no signs of interest other then the fact that it was a silver ring. Eslakon could see it much more clearly when Licasteria picked it up and set it on the vanity and then set on the end of her bed. The ring seemed to hold no interest to Chara, who watched Midnight Star tear apart a dust-ball.

Pulling her head from the doorway, Chara looked at the sun’s location in the sky, trying to decipher what time it was. When do you have to work? She asked as she poked her head back through the door.

“Yes, we don’t want you to be late, but couldn’t you ask for a day off? I’m sure bonding with your dragon is a good enough reason, if not.” He said, stepping closer to her as he spoke, but Chara cut him off.

”If not, I’ll ask.” Chara said, shifting her weight so that she could sit more comfortably in the doorway, though every now and then her neck scraped against the doorframe, taking some of the wood off.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria nodded at Eslakon's conclusion. It was the most reasonable suggestion, and Licasteria agreed with him. The nightmare was most likely just an odd occurrence; nothing more.

Midnight Star was still playing with that little piece of dust. Licasteria made a disgusted face as she thought about what that bit of garbage was made of, and where it has been.

After Chara spoke, Licasteria's eyes grew; she had completely forgotten work. Licasteria grabbed her dragon, and, looking apologetically at her guests, she said, "I'm gonna go ask for the day off, you can stay here if you like. I'll be back in a minute."

Licasteria was true to her word. She was back in less than a minute because she had run there and back as fast as she could, and Licasteria could run pretty fast.

Mrs. Marslie agreed to give Licasteria the day off, and Licasteria had surprised her with a hug. With a very bright smile, Licasteria entered her tree house with Midnight Star in her arms.

[Eslakon]

“Okay.” Said Eslakon, stepping out of the way so Licasteria could make it through the doorway. Chara quickly pulled her head from the elf’s path, careful not to rip several chunks of wood out of the tree in the process.

Chara was about to offer to fly her there, but the elf was gone before she could ask. Perhaps it was faster that way. With Licasteria gone, they felt deficient of a conversation, which was quickly broken.

“What do you think of Midnight Star?” Asked Eslakon curiously, interested in what her response would be.

”She is a hyper dragon, and from what I’ve seen, she likes using that energy to tear things apart.” She motioned to the dust ball with her head, a long shadow stretched across the floor, which had the shape of a large fork, for her horns and one of her neck spikes resembled three prongs of the eating utensil, which was very large.

“You were like that too.”

”Yes, but I had leaves to toy with, not rings and dust balls.”

Eslakon’s gaze flicked over to the ring, there was nothing significant about it, but curiosity led him to wonder how it got on the floor. Though the answer was obvious, either someone lost it while visiting this home, or a previous occupant lost it before they left. With a soft sigh, he placed his hands on his hips and looked to the ceiling in thought, waiting for a response to come to mind.

“And occasionally my leg,” He lifted his foot off of the ground. “I still have scars from that.”

”I’m sorry, at least I’ve broken myself of that habit.” Chara said with a hint of sarcasm.

The thought of Chara gnawing on his leg now was almost horrifying. “At least.” He muttered.

Chara sniffed the air, breaking the pleasant conversation they were having, ”She is coming.” She pulled her head from the doorway before Eslakon could respond, leaving him in a half-step for he attempted to follow her out of the doorway, but Licasteria entered before he could exit.

“Well?” Eslakon asked her. “How did it go?”

[Licasteria]

Licasteria bent over, and loosened her grip on Midnight Star. The dragon, reluctantly, stepped away from Licasteria. She straightened back up, and gathered her hair into her delicate fingers. She made sure no strands were out of place, then released her wavy blonde locks down her back. They bounced slightly before settling into a comfortable position.

Her clothes were slightly ruffled from the run, and Licasteria fixed them with a few swipes of her hand. It was then she realized she had forgotten to put on boots when she left her tree house, and the bottoms of her small, pale feet were covered in a thin veil of brown dirt. All well, she thought, no point in putting my boots on now.

Licasteria had walked over to her bed and began smoothing over the surface when Eslakon asked how it had gone. She beamed to herself, her face was now intent on fixing her pillows just right on the bed. Relaxing significantly, Licasteria stated proudly, "Mrs. Marslie let me have the day off."

"That's great, now we can play," said a squeaking voice from behind Licasteria. She didn't need to turn and look to know it was her dragon. The silver hatchling was clumsily waddling around on her short legs, but Midnight Star seemed not to even realized she had fallen every time she tripped. The dragoness was too set on getting to Licasteria.

When Midnight Star was a foot from Licasteria, the elf picked her up and cradled her in the crook of one arm as she finished up the pillows. She smiled as she told Midnight Star, "If you make me carry you around all the time, you'll never learn to fly." But Midnight Star didn't move, so Licasteria smoothed out the remaining wrinkles in the bed, dragon in hand.

Once done with the bed, she walked over to the window of the tree house and gazed outside. It was beautiful. Dragons flew carelessly and daringly through the skies, and almost any other creature maneuvered below. Licasteria drew in a deep breath, and let it out with a sigh.

"Eslakon, Chara, Midnight Star; do any of you want to go for a walk outside?" She asked, and added, "it's amazing out today."

Of course, Midnight Star was first to speak, "Sure, I'd love to!"

[Eslakon]

Chara watched as Licasteria set Midnight Star on the floor, and then let her hair down, waiting for her answer. Even there the answer was obvious. Either she got fired, or her employer let her have the day off. That or she was told to come in at a later time.

“That’s great!” Eslakon replied quickly, “Now you can spend some quality time with your dragon.” He watched the hatchling trip and stumble, almost striving forward every time to help the young dragon., but that was the only way for her to learn.

The long shadow that stretched across the floor vanished as Chara pulled her head from the doorway, tired of holding her neck at such an odd angle, and then lied down beside the door, looking in from top of the entrance. She sniffed the air, licked one of her talons, and then snorted a wisp of flame; She was rather bored.

He smiled at what Licasteria said to her dragon, glancing out of the doorway, his gaze flicked down to the patch of earth he had shocked with energy, and wondered if it was still cold. The sun should have heated it back up by now, though all of the grass that had inhabited the small area had withered and died, which made him feel repentant for killing them.

The sound of footsteps drew his attention back inside, which had been caused by Licasteria walked to the window and gazing outside. He nodded to her question. “That would be great.” He replied quickly, and then stepped out of the tree house, for her was the closest to it.

The sun warmed him as soon as he stepped into it, shining intensely on his chest and face. Closing his eyes for a moment, he stared at the red skin within his eyelid, wanting to bask in the sun’s rays for as long as he could, but the sound of Chara shifting her weight back onto her paws made him open his eyes once more.

“Where will we be going?” The black dragon asked, her eyes studying Eslakon, though the question was directed at Licasteria.

“Probably not the market, because she works there and is probably tired of seeing the crowded streets. But . . . We should let her decide.” Eslakon replied, and then turned to Licasteria. “Where do you want to go?”

[Licasteria]

Licasteria smiled quickly, and followed Eslakon out the door. She breathed deeply the moment she landed on the soft grass. Fresh air filled her lungs; the scents of earth and wood swirled around her, and a portion of the vast amount filled her nostril. She exhaled in pleasure, and a large blue butterfly fluttered in front of her, taking its time passing by.

For some reason, the butterfly intrigued her; as did almost every other little thing in the world. She let her gaze follow the butterfly. Licasteria smiled as it preformed a few tricks in the air, showing off its amazing ability to fly. The butterfly knew it was lucky, and wasn't afraid to show off. Looking down at Midnight Star, Licasteria thought of what it would feel like to ride through the clouds without a care in the world, on her little dragon's back.

Right now, the thought of riding the little hatchling seemed ridiculous, but Licasteria knew, in time, Midnight Star would grow. She is and would always be Licasteria's best friend, the one who would fight along side her 'till the end, the one who would make her happy in her saddest days, the one who would understand her without the slightest word. Midnight Star and Licasteria were close already, and Licasteria wondered in pleasure how much closer they would become as they grew.

Eslakon's question distracted her from her thoughts, but now she had new ones. Where did she want to go? Today was a day to bond with her dragon, so that place had to be quiet and calming. The forest, she thought immediately. Weather or not it was a good idea didn't matter to her at the moment. For some reason she had a sudden urge to visit the natural beauty of the forest.

"How about the Veldon forest?" She asked suddenly. "Not too deep into the forest; just far enough to be rid of the crowded city." A nice walk in the forest sounded like the perfect idea to her. An elf, a hatchling, a human, and a dragon together in the calming Veldon forest. She smiled at the thought of the four treading through the trees.

[Eslakon]

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I know a good spot, and its not that deep past the gardens.” Eslakon smiled, and then mentally made a map to the location he spoke of. “To get there we need to go past the fountain in the middle of the garden, and then follow the fruit trees until we make it to the woods. Its not that far, since the garden is just over there.” He pointed behind him with a thumb at a path which led off through the city, which forked off to the garden.

”Try to ignore the bones on the way there.” Chara added, ”I hunt there commonly, for my prey like to linger near the garden, making it almost perfect for us dragons. I’m sure Midnight Star will enjoy hunting there as well. There is much joy in spotting a doe or buck, as your kind calls them, and then diving down to claim your kill.”

Chara looked up to the sky, spotting a young red dragon playing with several others smaller than he, tucking one wing to his side to spin around them before opening it once more; He was very agile. She lost track of him as he passed over the Melar tree’s canopy.

“Yes, hopefully we can pick a path that isn’t laden with the gruesome remains, though most dragons tend to eat the bones.” He grimaced at the thought of the corpses scattered deep into the forest, even though there was hardly any meat left on them. Dragons seemed to enjoy stripping every chunk of meat off of the bone.

He liked the idea of walking through the forest at this time of day, when the sun was just making it ascent into the sky, warming those who stepped out into its light. It was a beautiful day indeed.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria was barely listening to Eslakon as she made her way toward the fountain. When Chara said something about bones, Licasteria started paying attention. She shivered at the thought of going into a popular wild dragon hunting ground without a nice dragon like Chara to protect her.

When Licasteria was a little past the fountain, Midnight Star started to get heavy, so Licasteria set the little dragon down. Midnight Star immediately ran to Chara and started walking beside her. With a grin, the hatchling asked, "Do you really think I could catch a deer? A really big buck, even?"

Giving Eslakon a playful push and smiling toward the rows of fruit trees ahead, Licasteria asked, "So, we're friends right, Eslakon?" She hadn't really had a human friend in a long time. In the Veldon forest she would play with almost anything that wouldn't eat her. That included trees. Licasteria always said to herself in the forest, talking to inanimate objects is fine unless they start talking back.

Suddenly, a dragon dived from high above. It didn't do anything to Licasteria, Midnight Star, Eslakon, or Chara. Rather, it pulled up steeply as it came just a few feet from the grassy ground. It must be showing off to its friends, though Licasteria. She even thought that move was pretty cool.

Midnight Star had also looked up to see the dare-devil dragon. With a wide smile, and large, bright eyes, Midnight Star exclaimed, "I wanna do that! Chara, when am I going to fly? Will you teach me? Please, Please, Please?" The little silver dragon's scales were shimmering and her coal-black eyes were locked on the sky.

[Eslakon]

Chara looked down at the young hatchling, who appeared to be no bigger than her paw. ”Yes, hatchling, in time, you will be able to bring them down very easily. Perhaps we can hunt together, when you are older.” Chara replied, being careful not to step on the young dragon.

“Hey!” Eslakon chuckled at the push, staggering slightly, and then resumed his normal pace. He nodded, “Yeah, I suppose we are.” He motioned over to Chara and Midnight Star with a hand. “It seems that they are getting along as well, dragon rider.” The title just rolled off of his tongue, but he didn’t bother to correct himself.

She was a dragon rider now, that was a permanent title, even if something were to happen to Midnight Star, though he hoped nothing ever did. He didn’t remember when he was titled dragon rider, for he was too young to remember. Though at such a young age being called a dragon rider was like being called a hero, though now it seems to be nothing more than a title.

“Whoa!” Eslakon yelled as a dragon bolted down from the sky, holding an arm out in front of Licasteria to halt her progress as the dragon nearly collided with the ground. As the dragon pulled up from its steep dive, he let his arm drop. “You have to be careful of that.” He explained. “Sometimes I think its raining dragons. Oh, the foolishness of it.”

Pulling himself off of the subject, “So, how long do you plan on staying here?” He asked.

”You shouldn’t, though, in the city. It can be very dangerous to others as much as it is to them.” Chara smiled as the young dragon pleaded to be taught, and then responded. ”Very well, but it will have to be later.” Her tone was pleasant, with a hint of joy.

[Licasteria]

”Yay!” Exclaimed little Midnight Star. She would love to go hunting with Chara when she was ready. Although, it seemed that day were far away. Her claws dug tiny holes in the ground as she imagined sinking her teeth into a huge deer. ”Mmm… I can taste it already.” Midnight Star looked up at the other dragon, and smiled contently.

Licasteria looked around a bit disgusted. Bones were beginning to dot the surrounding area. The elf shuddered and tried to just keep looking forward, but then there was the matter of the smell. It wasn’t very strong, mainly because there was very little meat left on these bones to rot, and stink, but the little odor there was smelled foul.

When Eslakon called Licasteria ‘dragon rider,’ she smiled widely, but kept her eyes forward. She couldn’t wait until she could actually ride her dragon, which would make the title a bit more fitting. Then, another question came to her. How long does it take for a dragon to grow up? Licasteria was surprised she hadn’t asked the question yet, but then, there were a lot of questions still unasked.

Then there was Eslakon and Chara’s question. She hadn’t really thought about it all that much. How long was she planning on staying? Before Midnight Star came into her life, Licasteria was planning on living in Spirda forever, but once she got the dragon she knew she couldn’t stay here. Well, it wasn’t that she couldn’t, more like she didn’t really want to.

“I don’t know,” Licasteria said, “maybe when I can ride my dragon I’ll fly around, looking for a permanent home.” The city was nice and all, but it was much too crowded for Licasteria’s liking. The maiden looked up; dragons twisted and turned through the skies, sometimes avoiding each other by inches. If she was a dragon, she would want her own expanse of the sky to do whatever she wanted.

There were also a few more reasons, such as the very small amount of adventure. Licasteria loved a nice challenge, and Spirda didn’t have much of it. Now that she thought about all these things, she wanted to leave even more. The thought of a nice journey to nowhere sounded really good to her right about now; something exciting, and worthwhile. Maybe even with attacks from these so-called Dark Elves.

Of course, Licasteria didn’t really know if there was something like that to be done. Was there a quest that no one had ever accomplished? Was there a stolen item that needed to be returned? Was there an innocent group of hostages that need to be rescued? All of the possibilities for something to do, and she didn’t care which one. She just wanted an adventure.

Licasteria looked at Eslakon and wondered if she should tell him all of her ideas. She trusted him completely, but she was afraid he’d laugh or something. She just wanted to go on a journey or something, and she knew it was dangerous with all the Dark Elves about, but with Licasteria, life is meaningless without doing what you enjoy. Licasteria enjoys exploring, and fighting off the bad guys.

With a sigh she decided she’d tell him about her little quest idea later. Licasteria looked over to Chara and Midnight Star, who were getting along very nicely. She didn’t expect them to be fighting or anything; Licasteria was just glad Chara hadn’t eaten the smaller dragon because it got annoying. She smiled at the thought.

[Eslakon]

”It probably tastes better than you think. I don’t see why humans and elves don’t eat it raw, dripping with blood.” Chara tasted the air with her tongue as she spoke of food, hoping to sense a nearby deer so she could eat. That is, if Eslakon allowed her to go, though she didn’t doubt that he wouldn’t. She blinked roughly when the stench of rotting meat filled her nostrils, and then looked around from one pile of bones to the other.

Eslakon grimaced the sudden change in smell, which did smell like the pleasant air of the garden as they stepped into the forest. His eyes darted around the forest, but was stifled by the top of his hand as he pinched his nose shut, trying to end the smell. It was faint, but he still didn’t want to smell it.

Hundreds of leaves slowly fell to the ground, floating on a soft breeze that washed over them. A sudden scraping noise filled the air, causing Eslakon to freeze with his shoulders raised, as Chara rubbed her neck against a nearby tree trunk, drawing it back and forth with her eyes closed.

As she met Eslakon’s stare, she bobbed her head slightly. “What? One of my scales itched.” She glanced to the now bare trunk, for most of the bark on one side had been worn off.

Eslakon looked back to Licasteria as she answered his question. He removed his hand from his nose so he could talk properly without sounding funny. “I’m sure that will be soon, because dragons can grow very fast. I like to explore, though Spirda will be my only home, no matter how far I travel. I couldn’t stand solitude nor any human settlements.” Eslakon sighed, and the frowned slightly at the thought of Licasteria leaving.

”Yes, I could not settle down anywhere else either, though many of the other dragons here are much younger than I, they are good company.” Chara spoke up, leaving Eslakon to his thoughts. ”Despite their foolish stunts.” She recalled the daredevil dragon that nearly collided with the ground.

“That choice is up to you, though.” Eslakon finally replied, stepping up on a root before falling back down to the ground. “When you can fly, where would you like to explore?” He asked, wondering if he could tell her about a certain location before she went there.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria shivered as she imagined eating a slab of meat dripping with blood. She had a hard enough time thinking about eating a regular slab of meat that had been cooked. Elves generally didn't like to eat animals unless they had to, and Licasteria was no exception. She once tried meat, when she found an already dead deer. It tasted horrible and she never ate meat again.

A scraping noise pulled Licasteria away from her thoughts, and she looked to see Chara and a very unlucky tree. It was a rather funny scene; the itchy dragon and the half-barkless tree. Licasteria wondered if having an itch when your body was covered in scales was worse than an itch when your body was covered in skin. The elf maiden decided not to think about it.

It was then she realized the smell wasn't so bad anymore, and there were much less carcasses in this area. When Eslakon and Chara spoke she took her attention off the surrounding area and back onto them. She thought about what they said and took it into consideration. From what they said, she grasped that they enjoyed to travel.

Licasteria didn't want to travel. She wanted to explore. There was a difference in her eyes. Traveling was moving from place to place, and not getting the full experience of everything the area has to offer. Exploring was getting to know a place personally; seeing every detail, surviving through thick and thin, finding every secret, all in your favorite place. That's exploring.

Licasteria needed to settle down somewhere if she really wanted to explore. It needed to be somewhere with very few people, lots of wild animals, plenty of plants, fertile soil, clean water, and open skies. How many places like that can there be? Licasteria thought finding herself the perfect place for a home would either be extremely easy or extremely hard.

She had finally come to her conclusion, it wasn't as confusing as she expected; it was actually pretty simple. "I'll know where I was always meant to be when I see it," that's all she said, because that's all she really knew. To her satisfaction, Midnight Star gave a quick nod, as if she was fine with the decision, but would probably be fine with any decision Licasteria came up with.