AN: I am very much aware of the new Monster Hunter Movie. Its coming out on Netflix on the 12th, so let's hope its at least decent. Just add some thing, before the chapter actually starts: I made up something in this chapter, it will be pretty obvious what it is, but I hope I justified it enough to make sense. I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but I hope you guys enjoy it regardless.
Tale of the Five
Once there was a world without time. The world was nothing but white light, inhabited by one people and five dragons.
In that world, there was only eternity, and a sun that burned without beginning or end.
And because there was only timeless eternity, nothing was ever lost, yet nothing was ever gained.
One day, the people began to wonder why their world had no beginning or end, so they asked the dragons.
The dragons opened their mouths as if to answer, but from their mouths poured water instead of words. It rushed out in streams to create the sky and the oceans, and the dragons swam away.
The dragons swam to the center of the ocean, and there they began to transform into an island.
One dragon sank into the sea and became the land.
One dragon lifted its gaze to the sky and became the mountains.
One dragon stooped low and became the lakes, and scattered its scales to create the rain.
One dragon fell into a deep slumber and became the forests.
The last dragon climbed far into the sky to become a star of sapphire blue, shining brightly above the island.
The people could not understand why the dragons had left, or why they had transformed.
Eventually, a lone youth decided to go to the island to seek the answers from the dragons themselves. He donned a simple cloak, climbed into a simple boat, and cast off alone into the murky seas.
At last, guided by the sapphire star, he reached the Island of the Five.
Some time passed, and the youth returned.
"Did you speak with the dragons?" the people asked.
"Yes, I spoke with them," he replied.
"Then tell us, why did they create the island?"
But the youth did not answer. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out five dragons scales, which he gave to the people.
And then, before anyone realized, the youth disappeared.
The people left their white world and sailed across the ocean.
Using the five scales, they created their own lands, their own mountains, their own lakes, and their own forests.
Last of all they created a bright moon, so that the sapphire star, which guided the youth during his voyage to seek the dragons, would no longer shine alone in the sky.
The land grew large enough to obscure the sun, and day and night were born.
The mountains, lakes, and forests breathed together, and the seasons were born.
The moon casts its light on the ocean, and waves were born.
And thus, time was born also.
Swept up in the almighty current of time, the people came to know death. But the people also came to know life.
Countless days and countless nights have passed since people first came to live on the lands they had created.
As time passed, they lost their memory of the Five Dragons, and even the memory of how time itself had been born.
But deep inside their hearts there dwelt a quiet knowledge of the Island of the Five, the most sacred place in the world, which to this day sleeps in the middle of the ocean, uninhabited by people, and unchanged even by the relentless flow of time.
-0-
The flood of wind into his vents brought him out of his panic, and the surge of his blood from his mouth brought him back to reality. Pluck took great gulps of air from both his vents and his mouth; his lifeblood dripped from both, but he could quite clearly tell his breathing had returned to him. On all fours, he brought a claw to his chest and then to his face. His claw gleamed a glossy crimson that paired well with the scarlet static arcing through each drop.
Kushala, the odd kin surrounding him, and Lowen stood before him. Falling back onto his knees, he saw what he could only describe as a predatory look in their eyes, he saw the winds flow from Kushala and into his chest, with the faint figure of Lowen reaching out to touch his ruptured carapace. As she made contact, that was when darkness consumed everything, and he was left in limbo.
Alone, the figures of Kushala, the dragon mamono, and Lowen faded from sight. He was faced with a growing star in the dimming daylight. He tried to move, but was left stuck in place to face the slowly growing sun. He could hear the flap of mighty wings, he could feel the crumbling of the earth beneath his very talons, and the true sun behind the growing star was eclipsed. The blue sky turned from a gentle turquoise into a violent blackhole that swallowed the light that dared to remain in the star's presence.
Staring into the bleak emptiness, a speck of brilliant white light shook the sky, and brought mortal fear to his already quaking heart. The sensation of dread was not new to him; he had faced challenges before that gave made him fear for his life. But this dreadful light was new, it was old, it was unnatural, yet entirely pure. It filled him with such horror that he couldn't bare the weight it placed on his
Forcing his gaze away from the all-consuming light; he saw a boiling sea, he heard the voices of thousands screaming out in agony as the once clear water turn a sickly red, and he felt the heat of the beast's burning blood infiltrate his very being. That same fear ate away at his mind, and all he could do was force himself to look away from the burning waters.
Gritting his teeth, he turned to the horizon to see a whirling maelstrom. A wreath of fire clutched the sky, before being replaced by sheets of ice, and then a thundering that would put a Kirin to shame. The fear that gripped him seemed to change from the sea to the horizon as arcs of unknown power shot forth from the figure at the center of it all.
The beating of radiant wings, the bursting of scalding water, and the crackling of the elements was too much for the young Elder. Pluck's crest receded into his peripheral horns, revealing his short black hair, and pointed ears. He clasped both claws on the sides of his head and shut his eyes in an attempt to silence the horrible noise.
"Do not look away," a deep yet gentle voice rattled through his mind, "behold our glory if you'd like…"
"This isn't real!", Pluck roared, squeezing his eyes tighter as the sensation of burning claws pressed against his skin.
"It's very much real… Pluck," a pair of burning clawed fingers began forcing his eyes open, "behold young Elder… behold destruction… behold resurrection… behold your greatest ancestor… and look upon the face of your god."
Pluck woke with a start, pushing Lowen away from him, and fumbling into a somewhat concerned Kushala. The dragons were watching him from beside a campfire, while the mamono he fought slept beside them. Sweat dripped from his brow, until his crest returned to its original state. He looked down at his vents and saw that a long tear had formed along his breathing vents. Though, like his female kin, he appeared mostly unharmed from the last battle, he would even hazard to say he felt refreshed.
"Kushala, what's going on?", Pluck's throat rumbled with hostility, "Who are these mamono…? Where are we?!"
"Quite down, Pluck!", The old dragon reprimanded, "I spoke with our otherworldly kin, and they offered to save your life in exchange that you, Lowen, and myself came with them to Dragonia. We're currently… about quarter of a day's travel away from Lowen's mountain… We would have gone farther without the dead weight… that being you and that dragon over there."
"What do they want with us?", Pluck ran his claw along his newest scar.
Kushala smirked, letting off a hint of irritation with the young Valstrax, and allowed Lowen to explain for him. Said griffon, pushed Pluck off of the steel dragon, and growled out, "You're killing spree came back to bite you… you stupid, stupid dragon."
Pluck recoiled from the sudden aggression, and began scooting back as Lowen continued to push him until he began to ride up against a tree. She said, "I told you, again and again and again, but nooooo you stupid Elders can't help but ignore the ONE NATIVE that gives a shit about you!"
She continued to push Pluck, even as his back spikes gouged the bark from the tree, "Don't kill the humans, don't kill the mamono, and what do you do?! You kill the humans, you kill the mamono… FUCK, you nearly killed yourself! And now look what happened…"
She gestured wildly at the dragon and wyverns awkwardly sitting at the fire, and to the scar on his chest, "Dragonian Knights come for you and Kushala, and you nearly die because you picked a fight even when your vents are busted to shit! Are you trying to get yourself killed you stupid DRAGON!"
Pluck was struck silent, his confused gaze moving from furious griffon to the uncomfortable dragon mamono, and then to Kushala. An argument formed, "Kushala picked the fight with the dragons, right?"
The realization hit Lowen immediately, and she turned to scream at Kushala. However, another thought hit her before she said anything, and she turned back to Pluck with renewed fury. Forcing him against the tree with another shove, "That doesn't change the fact that you're responsible for what happened in Lescatie! Kushala agreed to spare the humans, but you went… fucking berserk out of nowhere!"
"I couldn't control myself.", Pluck weakly argued.
"THAT IS NOT AN EXUSE, PLUCK!"
Kushala separated the two with a snap of his claws, startling the dragon mamono sitting near him. While the Elder wasn't exactly bothered by the screaming, but he did want to move on from Pluck's verbal beating; that, and he was starting to feel guilty, "That's enough, Lowen. Pluck's is not entirely at fault... You can scream at him, later."
Seething, Lowen brushed herself off before pulling Pluck back to the campfire by his tailfins, "Sit down, idiot, these dragons have some explaining to do."
Scrambling into a seat beside Kushala, Pluck grabbed onto his arm. The old dragon was about to blast him, but once he saw the look of terror in the fledgling's eyes, he decided to hear him out, "Kushala, I need to tell you something… I don't know what I saw, but it was… I…"
"We'll talk about it later, Pluck.", He gestured to the mamono watching them, "We have other things to attend to first."
Stewing in his own shock, he settled into a somewhat comfortable position, and directed his full attention to the dragon and wyverns in front of him. The green scaled dragon blushed when his gaze fell on her, and the other two weren't fairing any better when his attention moved to them
"I suppose we could have gone about this in another way," the blonde, green-scaled wyvern grimaced, "I'm Litia, this is Shirtiya, she's Leia, and Alti the girl you pummeled into the ground.", She pointed to herself first, then to the black-scaled wyvern with silver hair, then to the blonde, green-scaled dragon, and lastly towards the sleeping blonde, black-scaled dragon.
Kushala and Pluck nodded with each name, as if they were making note of these specific mamono. The attention only made the girls more nervous, though Kushala's curious tone alleviate some of their anxiety, "My name is Kushala, my species is known by the exact name, but I doubt you three have ever met any Elder Dragons, before."
Nodding, Litia gave him an enthusiastic reply, "Oh, you are dragons! That's wonderful, we've only met some of the wyverns from your world, and they have been uh… odd to say the least."
Huffing a breath of wind, Kushala continued, "This is Pluck," the attention moved to the young Elder, and the girls were more than happy to study the presented uncanna, "he is a Valstrax, a young one at that…"
Kushala paused as the dragons and wyverns practically salivated over Pluck. Leia, in particular, took great interest in the Elder, and was the first to come out of her stupor, "Um, Pluck… do you happen to have… forget it… no, do you…"
Seeing that Leia was having trouble, Shirtiya decided to direct the conversation back to the introductions, "And you're Lowen, right… What are you doing with these uncanna, griffon? Don't your kind hate us dragons?"
Snorting, Lowen brushed her off with an irritated flick of the wrist and said, "Oh, you're hardly a dragon," the insult alone was enough to get the wyvern fuming, "you wyverns are nothing but pest, and these two are too weird to be actual dragons…"
"What are you talking about?", Litia questioned, seemingly ignoring the jab at her and her fellow wyvern, "Pluck and Kushala are more than just powerful… Heck, Pluck there beat Alti to a pulp, and she's the head commander of the Dragon Knights!"
"You'd think dragons would know more about themselves, but no they're too… why do I even bother?", Lowen grumbled to herself, "Kushala and Pluck lack the greed that consumes your kind, wyvern. And Pluck here," Lowen slapped the Elder on the back, "he's in his fifties and Kushala still calls him a fledgling. Does that sound like a dragon to you? Because it doesn't to me... Should I even have to mention his wings, or the fact he breaths through his chest, or the spooky red stuff that comes out of his… everything?"
"Yeah, these two are odd, odder than the other uncanna, but it's clear that they're dragons.", Litia reasoned, "You guys are dragons, right?"
"We are Elder Dragons.", Kushala clarified, clear satisfaction in his tone at the confusion on the mamono faces, "At least, that is the name the humans gave us. This form is new however," he idly flexed the tendons beneath his scales with interest, "but that is a discussion we can have at another time. Now, what are these uncanna you speak of?"
"They're monsters from the other world.", Leia answered, "They're like you, but savage… and cruel."
Kushala's smug smile fell, and in its stead grew a scornful glare, "What do you mean by cruel? The beasts of my world, unlike humanity, act according to their nature, savage as it may be. But to call them cruel is… is… its beyond insulting!"
"I mean no offense!", Leia brought her claws up in defense, "The uncanna are plenty intelligent; smarter than most people even! It's just that they tend to fight amongst themselves for no reason at all, they even kill one another upon their first meeting, and there have even been reports of uncanna devouring one another. When enraged, they're known to actively destroy everything around them, it's monstrous!"
"Monstrous?", Pluck questioned, "Aren't we all monsters? And what was that about fighting amongst themselves? You're talking about it like killing a rival is a bad thing."
The mamono, including Lowen, stared at the young Elder in utter shock. The griffon grabbed his shoulder, and forced him to focus on her. She said, "Pluck, I know you and Kushala see the world… differently from, pretty everyone, but… please tell me you understand that it's wrong to kill people."
-0-
Tatsuo felt a tug on his sleeve as he puffed another draw of his pipe, "Tatsuo, Sasha can't read this. Can you read it for her?"
The young hero, or little girl if he were the one to describe her, tugged on his sleeve with an almost vacant expression. Tears still stained her cheeks, and her eyes were puffy red from the night before. The book she held in her hand was Ace's. Why the palico kept a book of fables, he didn't know, but he supposed that even arrogant felynes were capable of loving literature.
"That's Ace's book, you should ask him if it's okay to read it.", He tried to gently decline.
Mimil's face scrunched up into a look of annoyance, "I already asked him, he said he was busy, and that you could read it to us. Now are you going to read the book or not?"
'Greatest felyne to ever live, my butt.', Tatsuo sighed, "I'll read it," the chef hopped off of the hammock and took the book from Mimil, "I didn't take you for someone who reads fables? Is Sasha trying to read this to you to help you sleep?"
"No," she grumbled, "I'm not a child, who needs a bedtime story to settle down! There are messages in fables, ones that could help me better understand whatever I'm looking into at the moment. Currently speaking, my interest lies with your world's culture and beliefs."
They sat down beside the veteran hero, the older woman gave the chef a warm smile, and made room for the two of them. Sitting down beside her, he opened up the book and began flipping through the pages. The two natives watched on in interest as symbols of otherworldly origins flicked by.
Sasha peered at the pages, looking for something she vaguely recognized, but found nothing even remotely legible. She watched him stare at the page and asked, "Mimil said this was a book of stories, are they religious, or will this just be a nice couple of fairytales?"
"This is the 'Tale of the Five' it's a relatively small book on some of the many creation myths from our world.", Tatsuo ran a claw down the table's text, "The first story is the actual tale, while everything after that are myths and legends on how the world was created and eventual end."
Sasha pulled Mimil close to her, plugging her ears with the side of her breast and the palm of her hand. She gave Tatsuo a nervous smile and asked, "Is it suitable for children? I have read my fair share of… less than wholesome recollections of history, and I wouldn't consider them appropriate for… younger audiences."
"Oh no, it's quite family friendly for a book on myths and fables.", Tatsuo wagged a claw, before switching to a whisper, "I'm surprised Ace owns this thing at all! I thought he was completely illiterate for the longest time. Why he brought this book with him is beyond me."
Mimil pushed off of Sasha's chest, and gave her mentor a glare before turning to the felyne, "Just read the book already! I can handle any gruesome narrative you throw at me. Try me!"
Tatsuo sighed, "Alrighty then… I came to this world to learn new recipes, and now I'm reading fables to warriors," the angry glare and apologetic grimace Mimil and Sasha gave him was enough to get him to shift gears, "but I don't mind that at all! Let's begin…"
-0-
"So, you saw them," Kushala nodded as Pluck explained his nightmare, "that's unexpected."
"You know them?", Pluck's question, drew a sideways look from the Elder, "Or at least know of them. What does it mean? Why was I so… scared? I've never been that terrified before. I felt like I was going to die, like I was nothing more than some braindead insect before Elders. Is this what I'm supposed to feel, total helplessness?"
Kushala gave him a surprisingly sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "Yes, what you felt is entirely natural. If you can take away one thing away from what I'm about to tell you, it's this: Understand your fear, understand that it is your instinct telling you that you're in danger, and that you must trust that fear, that instinct. It will guide you, it will save you, and it will protect you. Never, and I mean NEVER, betray your instinct."
Pluck nodded, drilling Kushala's words into his mind, before turning back to the old dragon, "What else is there? I need to know more. Who are them…? Sorry I mean, who are they?"
Kushala glanced over at the mamono over at the campfire. Lowen had joined their otherworldly kin after their mutual introductions. It perplexed him as to why the griffon, who had only shown hostility towards these native dragons, would actively pursue them over her current companions. He supposed it didn't truly matter at the moment, "They are known simply as the Black Dragons."
"Like the sleeping female?"
"No," Kushala's patting turned into a flick to Pluck's horns and back again, "she is but a dragon with scales colored black. No, the Black Dragons are monsters above us Elders, so far above that we instinctually flee from their presence alone. They are beast of incredible power, monsters that defy the laws of nature, and the only creatures that can truly claim the title: immortal. They are beyond us in every way, and they are very much aware of it."
"Do they really have to power to boil oceans, and blot out the sun?", Pluck could hardly believe what he saw let alone what he was hearing.
The old Elder nodded and pointed towards the setting sun, "These beasts change the world around them. The Dire Miralis boils oceans if the given time, the Alatreon are elementally unstable and will destroy everything that even steps into their domain, and the Fatalis…"
"Is the one that stands even above them... He would devour the sun itself, and cast the world into darkness if it pleases him.", Pluck trailed off as his nightmare resurfaced. The grinding sound his claws made brought him back, "Where did they come from?"
"I don't know," Kushala growled, "not even the Hunter's Guild know how they came to be. Blasted hunters aren't even good for that."
Pluck gave him an odd look, "You talk about the Hunter's Guild like you're familiar with it."
"Nonsense," Kushala flicked him again, "the Guild is old, not as old as I, but old none the less. The Wyvernians that lead it are far from naïve, despite their age. They would scour the darkest depths of the world to learn our secrets. You'd be surprised how many times I caught them stalking us Elders."
Pluck nodded, seemingly ignoring Kushala's prattling, as concepts of power beyond his imagination filled his mind, concepts that made his heart tremble with primal fear of the Dragons that conquered the world. Yet, there was one question that nagged at the young Elder, "Then, why did I see them?"
"You saw them, because you have reached maturity," that statement alone gave Pluck pause, "all Elders come to know the Black Dragons either one way or another. Those of us, who have never witnessed those beasts in person will see them in visions. The problem is…"
"I'm not mature," Pluck finished again, "I still have a century to go before I reach adulthood. How am I mature enough to see them?"
"That, I don't know," Kushala glanced over at the mamono staring at them, "but I believe they might."
Pluck looked their way, and saw that caution replaced whatever lust they once had. As Kushala got to his feet, he followed with a sense of tension running up his back, "We should be careful, they don't look like they want us near them."
"They were lusting after you from the beginning, Pluck.", He snarked, "Just take a seat and try not to say anything foolish or vaguely murderous. That scar of yours is new, it can open again if you stress it, and I don't think you could fight as you are without losing a claw or two."
"I don't think they would tear my arm off though," Pluck sat down beside Lowen, completely oblivious to the fact that he was thinking aloud, "they seem pretty harmless."
The griffon smacked him across the horns, "Everyone can hear you dumbass!"
"And we're not harmless you uncanna fool!", He received another smack from Shirtiya.
Kushala sat down beside Pluck, and gave his younger an annoyed glare, "Pluck and I discussed a couple of things, and we have some questions for you mamono."
Lowen and the dragons turned their annoyance from the Valstrax to Kushala. Settling into a circle with Lowen acting as the mediator between the two types of dragons. Leia shifted in her armor, uncomfortable with the oddly curious gaze both of the Elders gave her. She started with a cough, "As the only, conscious, dragon. I will answer whatever question you have… as long as all of our questions are answered first."
Kushala and Pluck exchanged weary looks, but nodded anyways. The elder of the two gave the dragons a halfhearted wave, "As long as they aren't too personal, we don't see any reason to disagree."
The green dragon nodded, before elbowing Litia to ask the first question, "Oh, okay… you two are called Elder Dragons, what does that really mean?"
"It means many things, but to put it simply," Kushala wagged his claws, twirling currents of wind between each digit and calling forth a drizzle from the clouds above, "it refers to monsters with abilities that humans cannot properly explain. My winds for example."
They nodded, fully aware of the Elder's power over the winds. Shirtiya came forward with another question, "What about your fire?"
"There is no fire," Kushala placed his claw over the flames. His talons turned searing hot after a moment, but the only reaction the old Elder gave was mild discomfort as he presented the limb, "not for me at least. Though, some Elder Dragons do have power over the Fire Element, I would say that specific ability is an exception and not the rule.", He called forth freezing winds to put out the flames, "I myself, have an affinity for ice, and Pluck naturally generates Dragon from within his body."
"That's the other thing!", Shirtiya leaned forward and pointed to Pluck, "What's that red stuff that comes out of him? Because Dragon Energy doesn't look like that."
Pluck leaned forward, adjusting his wings so that they pointed towards the mamono. Lowen actually leaned forward with the dragons to get a better look at the exhaust ports. His lance-like wings were sharp and, from what they could see, somewhat hollow. There were faint wisps of both Dragon and Demonic Energies emanating from the ports, which gave the dragons an uncomfortable writhing feeling in the back of their mind.
Litia moved to touch the wing, but was repulsed by the element flowing from the tips. Tempted as well, Lowen laid her claw on the red substance coating his wings, before bringing it back, "It feels wrong. What is it?"
"That is the Dragon Element," Kushala pointed out, but refused to touch it himself, "it is toxic to most life, though some have adapted to make use of its volatile nature."
Leia accidently took a whiff of the element as she leaned in, and immediately recoiled in shock. She held her nose with watering eyes, "Gods, that burns!", She showed her nose to the wyverns and asked, "Am I okay?!"
Litia did her best to calm the dragon, while Shirtiya went back to questioning the Elders, "You say its toxic… is it supposed to be some kind of venom, or natural defense for your kind?"
"No," Kushala corrected, "it is actually most effective on us Elders. Dragon is a nullifying element; it is most effective on Elders and Wyverns species that are particularly aged; usually those of us that have control of the more common elements. In fact, the lesser races of humans and their beastmen companions are quite resilient to it. Considering your reaction to but a drop, I would suggest you keep away from Dragonfell Berries and uncanna that glow red."
Rubbing her nose in pain, Leia gave the Elder a nod, "Your advice is duly noted, but why are humans so resilient to it? The humans of our world are very vulnerable to our Dragon Energy."
"It might be the reason why Lowen isn't as affected.", Kushala ruffled the griffons hair, much to her annoyance, "How young is your race, little-Lowen?"
The other mamono snickered at the nickname, but quickly looked away when the griffon sent a glare their way, "How would I know? We griffons don't live as long as you dragons."
He ruffled her hair with another rustle, "Then, take a guess."
Lowen growled and swiped at the claw, "Damn you, stop that!", Kushala released her with a smug grin plastering his metallic features, "You are the worst kind of dragon… Fine, I would say griffons came to be during the reign of the first Demon Lord."
"And, how long ago would that be?", Pluck questioned.
"Since the dawn of time," Leia answered, "there have always been Demon Lords… Based on your silence, I'm guessing your world doesn't have one."
Kushala tapped his chin, ignoring the Demon Lord conversation, "Since the dawn of time? Then griffons would be just as old as dragons…"
"Maybe it's that new Demon Lord you've been talking to.", Pluck's interruption causing the dragons to focus solely on the old Elder, "She seems to know a lot, maybe she can tell us why."
"Shut it, Pluck."
All four mamono stared at Kushala with an intensity he thought impossible for them, while Pluck shuffled away after realizing what he had accidentally done. Litia was the first to beg the question, "Are you really speaking with Lilith?!"
"That's impossible, the Demon Lord's been holed up in her kingdom for centuries!", Came the black wyvern.
"I have only seen her once since the beginning of her reign… What is she like?", Questioned the surprisingly calm green dragon.
"Has she made a breakthrough?!"
"Why would Lilith reach out to you?!"
"This is incredible! After centuries of silence the Demon Lord is finally doing something!"
"Please tell us everything."
Lowen stalked over to Pluck, and pushed him back, "Why haven't you told me about this!"
"I thought you knew.", He shrugged.
"Enough!", Kushala roared, forcing the mamono away from him with an unconscious gust. Pluck edged away from Lowen, his claws carefully pushing himself away from her, until his claws rubbed up against something he wasn't entirely familiar with.
"We have answered your questions.", Kushala huffed, forcing the growing storm back, "Now, you will answer ours.", The dragons settled, though their fascination was still urging them to demand a proper explanation. While Pluck turned to find that he had laid his claw on the face and thigh of a very much awake Alto-Eris.
"Pluck is a juvenile," Kushala began, "he was supposed to reach maturity after another century of life, however," Pluck suddenly found himself pushed onto his, while everyone else was enthralled by the old Elder's speech, "he has undergone a ritual for my kin that transitions fledglings to their adulthood."
The black scaled dragon flipped him onto his back without a sound, covered his mouth, and slid a dagger next to the fleshy parts of his neck. Her dual-colored eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Tell me how a fledgling Valstrax could have possibly aged a century's worth of time in but a couple of days."
"Where'd that idiot dragon go?", Lowen growled.
"Right behind you."
Lowen, the dragons, and Kushala turned their gazes to the sight of Alto-Eris straddling the hips of Pluck with a dagger in claw, and a very confused expression on her face. She eased the dagger away from his throat, but forced the Elder to stay put as she surveyed their camp.
"I'm out for an hour, and you girls make friends with the wanted uncanna?", Alto-Eris turned her gaze to the male beneath her, "No wonder her highness sent us.", She peered at his features, "By Queen Deonora's flames, you're pretty."