A Bright Era

A seemingly middle-aged man wipes sweat off his brow after spending the twilight hours chopping wood for the next few days, he sits his ax down and leans on the handle as he watches the sunrise. He smiled for all of his years he still loves to watch the colors of the morning sun. It was not long before the ever present presence of a dragon's mind woke and greeted him. The man turned just as a pure white mound of scales rose from the land and joined the man.

^Great morning, isn't it, pal?^
^Sure is, Thor, sure is.^

They spoke through a mental link between them due to a spiritual bond they forged to save Thor's life years ago. The dragon, Jacuel the Dark, had been banished from his clan because he felt it was right to break the common laws of the dragon's and save the man he now deemed his Life Partner for if either one died the other would soon follow. Jacuel chuckled as Thor's stomach growled and he tried to cover it with a cough. He nuzzled the man then jumped into the air and went into flight to hunt for them both.

"Oh, blue sky and warm winds, when shall we ever be accepted into both of our worlds again?" He said quietly not really paying attention to the axe handle and nearly let it drop on his foot. "Hurry back, my dear friend, I am lonely without you."

(sexy!)

Jacuel came back an hour later with two young bucks, it did not take the dragon long to land and start stripping the hide of the bucks and splaying the pelts across the land to dry. For this was their only source of income, fur trading, this is why Thor prayed to both the Dragon Council of gods and his own. They joined their lives unblessed and thus banished from the dragon clans. Thor was banished only for the reason he wanted to protect his only friend... and family.

He did have a wife and child, but he was one that the humans deemed disgusting, for they were of a goblin clan and they had wed and birthed secretly. Thor cut up his morning share then laid it on a flat stone they used for cooking on. Jacuel stepped in and blew his flame breath over the meats and quickly cooked them both. He stepped back and lay down before he gave a silent prayer to his gods while Thor did the same. They were only religious for they have seen many miracles happen before them and tried to spread word of them.

Thor sighed, "Jac, do you think we will ever have more than acquaintances? I mean, I would rather have permanent travel partners than one who only stays with us for a moon cycle."
^The word of all gods say that their time is their own. We cannot change that, friends will come eventually, our lives are long their's are short.^ Jacuel was too busy munching on his buck to speak his own langauge. ^Besides, some friends we may already have and not know it. Remember the one called Salvio? He deemed to always let us sell our goods there just because we saved him from the Night Hunters.^
"Night Hunters....they were just weak vampires, Jac, and he like to stretch the truth a bit too much. Maybe, with any luck, someone will find us soon and want to meal with us."

(Yay! storytime with Thor!)

(^.^ plz keep OOC in the parentheses and thankies, tho i would like it better if someone would join me and would stick with it )

^Soon, but not likely.^ Jacuel swallowed a large bite of meat then looked at his Partner. ^Sometimes I do wonder about your logic, shall I bring up the cart so we can load it?^
"After we eat and rest, the prey will hold for a while, you know that. Besides, it's good to bathe in the light every now and then."
^Aye, true that is. But prey will only stay their ground while it is still cool.^
"Fine... go get it if you want, but I am staying here for a while." Thor sighed and looked away.

Jacuel flew off and landed next to a large bush, he tore the covering off and revealed the wagon they hid. He slipped on the harness they made to fit him. For public cover, Jacuel was nothing more than a beast of burden to a hunter, little questioned that logic. He returned after hooking up the chains and ropes to the harness then slowly unhooked himself. His wings barely got in the way but then again he was also used to the human devices after one era go by and living in this one.

^You are sure you want to rest today?^ He asked as he flexed his wings out showing his full span of one wing as twice the size of full grown men.
^Yes, please just do the same for once. We have all eternity, so it seems.^ Thor sighed and drew his knees to his chest and closed off the 'Spirit Link' so he could think in peace for a while.

The princess wandered aimlessly around the forest. She had been 'on the lamb' for days and no idea where she was or where she was headed. Her kingdom was getting destroyed, and she had no where else to go. She had watched from her hiding place as her mother, step-father, and husband were killed. The goblins hated her fairy kind, and showed it powerfully that day. She had left through secret tunnels shortly after their deaths. Her purple hair waved in the breeze, and her purple eyes glittered in the sunlight. Thoughts of the deaths brought out her secret evil side. Her mother had been attacked by a vampire demon, and anger brought forth fangs, and blood thirst. She could usually contain her anger, and only used her powers when she needed them. She continued walking, her lavender dress blowing with the wind. With the wind shift, she begins to smell cooking meat. ^Maybe someone lives way out here, or maybe I'm close to a town!^ She walks on to the smell, her belly rumbling.

^Thor, there is something odd... I am going to hide in the land bends.^
"Do wha?" Thor turned a moment too late and only saw the tail slipping over the grass like melting snow. He sighed and stood, watching for whatever was 'odd' to the dragon.

The princess came to a clearing that revealed a small cottage on its far end. Not wanting to disturb anyone, she walks slowly and quietly. She smells the food even stronger now, and her stomach urges her to run as fast as she can. She slaps it gently as if to try to quiet it. She looks closely and notices that there is a small column of smoke coming from the other side of the house.

Sunrise..always the sun, playing merrily amongst the clouds in the sky. A young man shivered in his tent, crouched on his palet, looking up into where the sun would be through the fabric in yearning for days long since past. He wept silently as memories of beauty filled his mind, and he huddled against the warm air passing through the flaps. As men and women began their daily routines, he wiped his face with a piece of soft cloth and slunk out of the tent, wondering if perhaps his magic would find him again, so he could be of use to his people once more. It had failed him when she had disappeared into the night from whence she had come. He wondered now if it had all been a dream, a drape over his eyes to show him what the world in all its glory could be like, and then true to its nature, the drape was pulled away, showing him the truth of the world and living in it. He smiled sadly, and walked out into the forest to reminisce in the past, his feet knowing the woods so well that his mind could be in another time, and another place.

^Jac, you're senses has always been better, fly high and check.^

Jacuel growled but did so, he hated leaving his Partner, for if either died, the other would quickly follow, but life would last as long as time itself. He flew high and towards a forest where he had caught the scent of something. He scouted with his enhanced vision and barely spotted a large creature, but not bigger than human. He could not tell what the thing was, he just knew it was out of place.
He flew back to his Partner and reported his findings, Thor went to the wagon and weilded his quiver and bow then attached his sword to his belt before nodding to Jacuel so he could cover it once more. Then they would go for a good hunt and find this creature and possibly take it's hide.

She stops in her tracks as she sees a man walking on the front side of the cottage. She quickly hides behind a tree, and watches as he leaves followed by what she thinks is a dragon. She loved dragons, she had one as a child, but it flew away. She waited to see their mission, and just watched as they walked slowly and quietly in the other direction. She continued closer to the house, wondering if she had some time to steal a quick bite of food.

A long, scantly lit entrance hall filled his mind, the large oak doors leading to the throne. Just in front of the doorway stood a glowing statue of beauty. Moonlight filtering in through the windows seemed tallow in comparison to her skin, long brown hair swept down past her shoulderblades. He smiled softly, gazing up at her, walking down the ever stretching hall towards her, his hand outstretched as he called her name again and again. He grunted and flailed his arms when he was brought back to reality by a sudden change in scenery, as all the air exploded out of his lungs as he hit the dirt floor of the forest. "Damn roots..I was almost there again." He murmered softly and saw smoke billowing over the forest and wondered what was going on and where he was, he didn't think he had quite made it this far into the forest. He rose to his feet and started to make his way towards the smoke, seeing a clearing between the trees ahead. He pondered that thought for a moment, and wondered how he would find his way back. Nonetheless, he pushed ahead to the edge of the clearing to see a small house on the northern edge. He took a moment to gaze and his surroundings, wondering if he should investigate.

(*wonders where the cottage came in at =O oh well, I'll go with it )

The two rushed towards the tree line, Jacuel suddenly jumped up into a low flight while Thor pushed his way into the brush following the images his Partner sent to his mind's eye. He gripped the hilt of his sword readying for an unexpected battle. It was not long that Jacuel roared and the sound of breaking branches followed, Thor rushed and found something truely unexpected. A dazed man staring at what they called a temporary camp at the abandoned cottage they had claimed a few moons ago.

"Sir? Are you well?" Thor asked as he motioned to Jacuel to back away a little.

(Mysti is by a cottage she said...so I figured I'd meet at a general location. Sheesh :P)

She hears men talking in the distance and decides to take a chance. She runs to a rock that held some still smoking meat. She eats as much as she can as fast as she can, and takes a big piece for later. She looks around to see a cup with some liquid in it. She gulps it down quickly, and hurries back off, to the direction in which she came, not wanting to call attention to herself just yet.

He looked around momentarily before coming to the realization that this was indeed a man and a dragon standing in his line of sight, blocking the cottage. "Wait..what? Yes, yes I'm perfectly fine thank you.." He continues to examine his surroundings, "Except, I think I may be lost, other then that I feel good. Where is this?" He chuckled softly and gazed up at the dragon. "Don't see many of the elders taking wing these days."

Jacuel nodded his agreement.

Thor stepped up and offered his hand. "I am called Thor Battlehammer and this here snowball lump of scales is Jacuel the Dark."
Jacuel growled, all Thor replied was laughter.
"Anyway, I am sure we have some meat left if you are hungry, but for the name of the area, I am not sure myself. We just travel the lands looking for a place that will accept us for who we are." Thor looked at Jacuel and nodded as the dragon climbed up the broken trees and flew a little further away from their camp. "So, do you know the closet town of which you live at? I may be able to help you to a degree."

She finds a large hollow tree to sit in and watch the house from. She sees the 2 men coming back with the dragon flying around overhead. She loses sight of the them as they reach the front of the house. With her belly full, and the sun shining on her, she grows weary, and decides to take a nap in the safety of her hiding place.

He smiles softly, shaking the man's hand. "I'm Sheshro..and I don't actually live in a town, let alone one near here. At least..I don't think it's near here, I've never seen these trees before in my life." He pondered that thought for a while, maybe his magic hadn't failed him after all, and he was breaking down, letting the magic use him rather than the other way around. If he lost control, things could become dangerous, just not for the elder flying above. Dragons, as creatures of magic, tended not to be bothered by it much. "Perhaps I will aid you in your search, and find my own home in the process."