Fantasy Come Fly with Me (AronTheAron and TifftheOdd)

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark waited outside for the dragon, barely able to see the large creature. Well, she couldn’t see him really at all. She had just seen the flash of his runes which told her that he had most likely done that shadow trick again that helped him pass through the door. She opened her mouth to say something when she heard footsteps. Her eyes going wide.”Stay hidden...”She told the dragon.

She had a feeling, a very bad feeling. She turned around and there were two men standing infront of her. One of the men was old and wearing brown and green robes while the other was taller and had the same red hair as her.”Grandfather, Uncle!”She greeted, though she looked nervous.

Roots sprang from the ground, grabbing Lark’s feet. She nearly fell over but managed to keep herself from falling. It was smart, Lark was known for running off when she was in trouble.”Did you go in the temple?”Her Uncle looked furious. Lark held her gaze with her Uncle.”I am protected by the forest too, I have a right to thank the God and Goddess.”She tried to keep her tone even.

The old man gave her a sharp look.”You can do that from the shrine in the village. This place is off limits to you.”He spoke in a stern voice, oozing authority and Lark seemed hesitant to argue back to him.”I’m a Druid of the Tutelary Forest, no where is off limits.”Her words were even and her gaze held steady.

“You little mutt. How dare you disrespect our ways-...”He was silenced by the old man.”Peace, Crow.”He then turned to Lark.”You are my only daughter’s child. You are my blood and so, let’s see if you back your claims.”He reached into his robe pocket and took out a seed, handing it to Lark.”Make it grow. Young Druids your age learn this trick and master it quickly.”He told her.

Lark stared at the seed, closing her eyes and trying to do...something. Anything. It had taken her weeks to master the spell with the leaf. She would take even the tiniest of green sprouting but nothing.”I can’t. You know I can’t.”She threw the seed to the ground.

“Lesser.”The old man said.”Lesser than a Druid. That’s what you are. Do not enter this temple again.”His words were cold and sent a cold feeling to her heart. The roots released her and the two men turned their backs to her.”Lark, I allow you and your father to stay because of Wren. But, even my patience wears thin.”The two of them walked into the forest, disappearing into the trees as two birds suddenly shot from the branches. A crow and a hawk. She watched them fly away with a strange expression on her face.

“Let’s go.”She didn’t stop to see if the dragon was still there or if he was even following her. She turned and started to walk. There was a lake nearby with plenty of fish, it was a good place for the dragon to stay the night.

 

[Aron the Aron]

It wasn't the first time Necroa was thankful for his access to Dark Magic; the ability to ignore sight and surface was invaluable to a creature stuck in unknown lands. As Lark was confronted by her elders, he made himself scarce by keeping out of direct sight of anybody. His outline could be seen with a keen eye if someone was intently searching for him, but being unknown to all but little Lark meant he easily avoided grabbing attention as he slipped into the shadows of the forest.

The old man gave Lark a sharp look.”You can do that from the shrine in the village. This place is off limits to you.”

“You little mutt. How dare you disrespect our ways-...”He was silenced by the old man.”Peace, Crow.”He then turned to Lark.”You are my only daughter’s child. You are my blood and so, let’s see if you back your claims.”He reached into his robe pocket and took out a seed, handing it to Lark.”Make it grow. Young Druids your age learn this trick and master it quickly.”He told her.

Lark stared at the seed, closing her eyes and trying to do...something. Anything. It had taken her weeks to master the spell with the leaf. She would take even the tiniest of green sprouting but nothing.”I can’t. You know I can’t.”She threw the seed to the ground.

“Lesser.”The old man said.”Lesser than a Druid. That’s what you are. Do not enter this temple again.”His words were cold and sent a cold feeling to her heart. The roots released her and the two men turned their backs to her.”Lark, I allow you and your father to stay because of Wren. But, even my patience wears thin.”The two of them walked into the forest, disappearing into the trees as two birds suddenly shot from the branches. A crow and a hawk.

Necroa couldn't help but snort at the words of the Druids; how ironic that they would call the whelp a Lesser when they as a whole were Lessers. "Hmph, they believe the right to control who can and cannot enter a hallowed tomb of my Ancestors. How demoralizing it will be if they learn of their precious 'temple's' true nature."

Once the two Lessers and Lark had disappeared, Necroa finally stepped back into the realm of light. So the Lesser Whelp was an outcast of her society, only saved having a progenitor of high-standing. He couldn't claim to have similar experience; the bones within made him an Ancient Dragon by technicality, yet his lack of parentage equalled a lack of influence and patronage. While Dragons had concepts and standards that produced similar dregs of their civilization, their perilous state of existence meant that discrimination had to be set aside until after resettling the mainland.

Picking up the seed Lark had thrown, it was readily apparent just how little she had in the realms of Life Magic. The two Lessers were well-practiced in Life Magic, being able to transform into other creatures. Lark's effort had produced nothing, not even the beginnings of a sprout under the hard shell squeezed between his claws.

Closing his eyes, he let his own magic flow again into the seed. His runes glowed an emerald green as he made the seed sprout the littlest, greenest leaf through the cracks in the seed's shell. Then without a second thought, he smothered the sprout and flicked it aside with a claw. "May your false gods grant you mercy Lessers, for Asherah and her children will not!"

 

[Tiff the Odd]

“What are you talking about? Stop calling them “Lessers”. Grandfather is the most powerful Druid in our tribe and Uncle Crow is his successor. We are all Lessers. Asherah, right? Is that your Goddess? You are Lesser than her so technically I’m Lesser of the Lesser. If you are going to call me something other than my name then at least be accurate...”Lark’s tone came across as light and cheerful even though she was feeling anything but that.

They didn’t care how hard she worked. She had to work twice as hard for any spell to work and she was tired of having nothing to show for it.”I suppose that I would be grouchy too if I were you. There aren’t any dragons around here so I imagine you must have been alone for awhile.”She had hopped on a log and was now walking along it as she hummed softly. She didn’t like the dragon had seen that little encounter with her family, it was personal and she mainly didn’t want him to think she was actually lesser than her tribe.

It was long until the pair came to a small lake or maybe it was a large pond? Lark wasn’t sure but there were many fish and plenty of trees to provide shade. She liked swimming in the lake, she wasn’t a huge fan of huge bodies of water. She hated not being able to see land.”We can stay here for the night. I’m known to wander so I’m sure they won’t miss me.”She had begun to take off her shoes and then her cloak. She lifted her shirt over her head so she was left in a tank top like undershirt.

“Do you wanna see me catch fish with my bare hands? It’s pretty easy if you learn how to throw them to shore.”She explained with a grin.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Necroa rolled his eyes as he settled down by the waters of the underwhelming lake. It was far from the majesty of the Southern Oceans, and life was limited to smaller fishes and the odd trout unlike the wildly varying sealife. The vast expanses of sapphire and jade teemed with all manners of sealife, and the skies rarely showed no more than the odd cloud to taint its sunlight; it was far and away more colorful than the muted navy of the lake.

Likewise, the Dragon was similarly unimpressed with Lark's little offer of catching fish. "If you think to liken me with my more uncivilized kin, you are sorely mistaken." Sure, his fellow Dragons were utter brutes when it came to hunting, but he liked to believe he had more... tasteful ways of hunting. Nestled by the lake's edge with one of his claws lightly immersed in the water, he began to quietly cast another spell. His runes glowed a mesmerizing azure as he reached out into the waters with his magic, feeling the gentle currents... There! Swimming deep near the floor!

Ever slowly, a small spheroid of water emerged from the center of the lake, two or three large trouts(?) trapped in the floating blob as it drew towards its manipulator. Who needed to actually fish when you could pull your catch out with magic?

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark was impressed by his magic, she wondered how long he had studied. She had seen the dragon pull off so many different types of magic. It was amazing and yet, she didn’t start bursting out into a ball of endless questions as she watched him pull the trout out with his magic. Her blue eyes following the orb of water as she sat down next to the dragon, pulling her tunic on over her head since she didn’t need to go on the water now.”Yeah, that’s the boring way to catch fish. Also, you owe me like half of one of those fish because I led you to the temple.”

“You remind me of them, you know? Don’t worry, you are more talented in magic still.”She added the last part in almost a teasing way, clearly making fun of his snobbish attitude. She was smiling though it didn’t stay on her face long.”I can feel all the magic in the trees and roots. Druids can communicate with plants and animals though it’s more like reading energy with plants, it’s probably how Grandfather knew where I was. The trees told him. I can’t do that but I can do it with animals. They don’t really talk to me, I just know things about them.”She told him.

Lark then snapped her head towards him.”Speaking of knowing things, what’s your name? You haven’t told me and I will come up with something to call you if you don’t give me something to call you. I caught a snake and named it Worm so I’m not great at coming up with names.”She was smirking again, moving to dip her bare feet into the cool water.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Necroa casually wrung out the fish he gathered from the spheroid of water in front of him, dropping one by Lark and letting the rest settle by his claws before flinging the watery orb back into the lake. Once the water had been returned to its source, he relinquished his Water Magic and craned his head down into an empty patch of dirt and sand. He might've been perfectly capable of eating raw fish bones-and-all, but that would've been barbaric of him.

Gently gouging a small pit with a singular swipe of his claws, his glowing runes then changed tones from a deep navy to a fiery crimson. Despite nature demanding a fuel source for a steady flame, Necroa openly spat on those rules by conjuring an open flame within the dirt pit. With only the open air to feed off, the magic-made flame burned inexplicably as its maker placed his catch by the fire to cook.

"To your kind, I am Necroa: 'one without life.' Si mi vucat lae wer ir ios tobor, Nurilt."

 

[Tiff the Odd]

“You can do so many different kinds of magic.”Lark observed, putting her fish on a stick then using the stick to keep the fish over the fire. She sat closer to the fire, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched the flames dance around. She did glance at the dragon as he gave his name, Necroa. She tilted her head as she explained the origin of his name, it didn’t seem very accurate. She thought he looked very much alive.

“You look like you have plenty of life to me.”Lark told him, resting her chin on the top of her knees.”I mean, you can fly! I can’t imagine feeling anymore alive then that.”She looked up at the sky, which had started to darken as the day got later and later. Most druids can change their form at least once a day. Her grab shatter and uncle can do it more often since they have more magical energy.

“I’m not going to tell them about the tomb. I don’t see the point and beside, today was probably the most exciting day of my life.”Lark then perked up and turned to the dragon.”You know, I could help you. You don’t seem to know much about this land, I was born here so I could help you! I could be your guide for the land and if we come across other humans!”Lark stood up, pacing excitedly. She had been trying to find a way to leave the Tutelary Woods for ages.

Necroa may be a powerful magic using dragon but he also wasn’t very well versed in the traditions of the land though Lark knew she was overestimating how useful she could be.

 

[Aron the Aron]

“You look like you have plenty of life to me.” Lark told him, resting her chin on the top of her knees. ”I mean, you can fly! I can’t imagine feeling anymore alive then that.”

Necroa let out a puff through his nose as he quietly scraped the scales off one fish with his claws. "I would be surprised if you understood. You need to be born to be alive; no living creature aside from the Goddess above could live without being born to two parents... But enough about me."

”Lark then perked up and turned to the dragon.”You know, I could help you. You don’t seem to know much about this land, I was born here so I could help you! I could be your guide for the land and if we come across other humans!”Lark stood up, pacing excitedly. She had been trying to find a way to leave the Tutelary Woods for ages.

Lark's offer was tantalizing to the Dragon for all the obvious reasons. He wasn't remotely familiar with the land he stood on; if he had a guide to steer him away from any potential dangers, or Goddess forbid: a large settlement of Lessers...

"I will take up your offer, but first I must return to the southern reaches." He had finished scaling his catch and was midway through gutting and removing the bones from the desirable flesh. "For now, I have no business in this forest. The Elders will be displeased by my lack of possession, but the revelation of an Ancient Dragon's tomb will be enough. Those remains may be a key we need."

With guts and bones removed, the aroma of cooked fish was too irresistible to ignore any longer. He threw the morsel into his mouth, not even needing to chew since the fish was so small. "To think the Lesser Races know the secret of magic..."

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark was going to ignore how patronizing the dragon was being. It was clear that Necroa was going to continue to think of humans as “Lesser” but she was starting to realize that he meant no real offense by it. That didn’t make it any less obnoxious. She reached over to grab her fish. She took a knife from her bag, using it to clean the fish up before she took a bite.”You don’t have a family?”She asked. That would explain a lot.

She took a bite and though she soon found herself grinning when Necroa agreed to her offer.”Really? You can take me with you, I’ll just need to go tell my...father....”She trailed off. Should she tell her father that she was leaving? Lark loved her father but her mother’s death had been particularly hard on the man. He spent his days working and his nights drinking.”Oh, and Mama. You should come with me to see her. She helps keep the forest rich with magic.”Her smile died down though when Necroa spoke about the dragon tomb.

“Are you going to do something to the temple? That place means a lot to my people and you don’t know how it will effect the forest. The tomb is now part of the forest and I think the forest wanted to keep it. It’s probably why you couldn’t find it.”Lark told him, taking another bite of the fish.

 

[Aron the Aron]

"Hmph, that tomb means much more to my kind than you think. Retracing every remnant of the Ancient Dragons leads to breakthroughs in our research; the further I can progress my knowledge and powers in magic, the closer my kind comes to restoring our former glory." Necroa bit back, scarfing down another fish after tossing the guts and bones to be reclaimed by the wild. "The forest claims dominion over the tomb, yet the forest forgets who built the tomb, and what lies within it. I would find it one way or another."

With the last of the sun's warmth sinking below the horizon, Necroa became hard to see against the backdrop of darkness. Had he not been in the glow of his conjured campfire, his presence would've only been marked by his amber eyes and still-glowing runes.

"See to your personal matters while you have the time; I will have to wait until the sunrise to make the journey south to the coast." Admittedly, Necroa partially lying to Lark; decades of study in topics of academia made him adept at unusual trades such as astronomy. Studying the stars and their positions would've been enough to guide his way, but he wanted an excuse to rest after wandering the forest for three days straight. The Goddess' Realm may have been forever out of reach, but its beauty still had its uses...

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark didn’t say anything for a long time as she stared into the fire.”When a Sage or their successor dies, they pass all their power and knowledge to their successor. Mama died and none of her power or anything came to me. Anyway, Druids don’t have graveyards. We plant seeds in the bodies of our dead and bury them in the forest. We don’t mark them because we know. I could find Mama’s tree in this whole forest.”She then chuckled as Necroa spoke about the forest “claiming” anything.

“The forest doesn’t take. It’s not like us. It doesn’t crave power. The magic in the tomb and the magic in the forest work together. It gave you that fish you are eating.”Lark told him. Necroa just didn’t understand the forest and that was fine, she would make him understand one day. For now, she wanted to focus. She sat closer to Necroa.”How long will you be?”She didn’t really think that he would come back.

She had been skeptical when he agreed so quickly that surely he must be using this as an excuse to leave her behind because nobody really wanted to do anything with her. Her father had all but stopped talking to her and her village treats her like some Leper.

 

[Aron the Aron]

She sat closer to Necroa.”How long will you be?”She didn’t really think that he would come back.

"Like I said: I leave in the morning, with or without you. Go do whatever it is you want or need to do and return here by then, unless you fancy waiting for until I return." He didn't necessarily need Lark for his trip southward, since going south until he saw the sea was easy enough for someone like him. The coastline had become a haven of temporary beachheads the Dragons had hastily founded, and his clansmen were notoriously omnipresent; finding his kin would be easy.

Necroa felt one of his eyes twitch when Lark shuffled that tiny bit closer to him, tossing the scraps of his last fish deep into the lake for bottomfeeders to feast on. "Were I to fly without rest, the south I can reach in a week's time, maybe six days if I have a prevalent tailwind." He was not looking forward to the long trip ahead. He already hated being outdoors, and while the southern reaches of the continent typically devoid of unpleasant weather, the journey was both monotonous and a massive strain on his wings. Oh how he wished he could just crawl up somewhere quiet and cozy to nap and practice his magic...

"Camping out in unknown lands with Lessers everywhere. Feh, Katroi would get a kick out of my plight..."

 

[Tiff the Odd]

“I wanna come with you tomorrow! I’ll go back to my village and...”She trailed off. Lark had never been outside Tutelary but she really didn’t want Necroa knowing that until she had proved herself useful. She supposed that either way, she knew more about the cultures here than he did. If they ran across any other humans then she would probably be able to talk people from attacking him.

There was then the matter of going back to the village. Everyone was most likely gathered for the nightly bonfire. Everyone would eat dinner, dance, and sing. It was suppose to be a joyous occasion but Lark had often felt like a stranger to the village. She also knew that she would be in trouble when she got back so she couldn’t risk being caught. She had to grab some stuff though she needed to risk it.”I’m going now, okay? I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Lark gave the dragon one last look before running through the trees. Her village wasn’t very far from the small lake, about 30 minutes. She was right about everyone being at the bonfire, it made it easy for her to sneak around the back of the houses which were made from wood and vines. Her home was at the far end of the village.

She slowly opened the door to the single room hut. Druids didn’t really believe in material wealth after all. Her father had already gone to sleep after working all day. She slowly started pack some extra clothes, some food, and a few personal items into a bag before walking over to her sleeping father. His hair was red like Lark’s and she had many of the same facial features.”Bye, Papa.”She whispered, feeling her eyes start turning burn. She wrote a note simply stating that she would be back someday then slipped away from the only home she had ever known.

Her last stop was a medium sized oak tree. It was pretty close to the small lake though not close enough to be seen. It seemed like any other tree in the forest but Lark sat down infront of it, placing her hand on the trunk of the tree.”I’m going now, Mama. I bet you must think I’m a little mad to be going with Necroa. I feel good about this though so I hope you aren’t too mad...”She then felt something hit the top of her head. An acorn had fallen from the tree. Lark smiled, she could feel the tiniest amount of magical energy coming from it. She stood up and took one last look at the tree.

The walk back was a lot less spirited but she was sleepy. The flame was still going and she simply laid down, using her bag as a pillow. She had been gone for about 3 hours so she assumed the dragon was asleep and it wasn’t long until she was too.

 

[Aron the Aron]

In the three hours Lark had been gone, Necroa quietly pondered and practiced his magic in peace. He was a poor sleeper with an erratic sleep-schedule, so his internal clock didn't mind an additional few hours lost. Despite being a vessel created to conquer every branch of magic possible, the lack of any teachers to guide his way was frustrating to deal with. Much had to be learned through scavenging what texts had been carried, with an unhealthy dose of trial and error that ended with some... unsavory effects. With Lark gone he had the perfect excuse to cast some of the more potent spells he had been studying before he departed for the mainland, spells that in the past had frustratingly evaded his success.

Of the many schools of magic that could be learned by mere mortals, the secrets of Mana were the toughest to master, being so dangerously unstable if improperly handled. Necroa could testify to the chaotic traits with the innumerable times he had borne the brunt of backfired spells; pain was a common symptom of Mana Burns.

Dropping his hold on the campfire he had been feeding with his magic, the campfire quickly sputtered and began to fade without his notice. The Dragon gave himself a moment to recuperate before refocusing, this time letting his restraints fall to the wayside as magic gathered under his scales. His runes became magenta with sheer magic, but things almost instantly went sideways when crystals of solidified Mana started to grow uncontrolled atop his scales. Wisely deciding not to press his luck, he dropped the spell and faced the backlash of Mana rather than blow a crater in the middle of a forest. Thankfully nobody had been present to see the debacle, with Lark returning a scant half-hour after and dropping to sleep.

---

A new sunrise hung low through the dense forest canopy, filtering little beams of light all into Necroa's eyes that morning. Equal parts groggy and grumpy, the few hours he managed to sleep did ease the light buzz of numbness his legs and eyes felt during his stay in the forest.

Hopefully Lark didn't notice how he grew a few new blackened crystals along his back and wing joints...

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Sorry! I got busy and I totally forgot! I will be busy tomorrow during the day but I will try reply that’s night.

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark had managed to wake up before Necroa, the perks of being a young girl was having a limitless supply of energy. She had thought that there was something different about the dragon. She thought that maybe that there were more crystals, she moved closer but she couldn’t tell. She didn’t dwell too long as she walked over to the lake, splashing water in her face. The water was cold and it washed away whatever grogginess that might have been left.

She sat down with a seed in her hand to practice her magic, something she tried to do at least once a day. Her tongue stuck out in focus, she had seen Druid children younger than her manage to sprout something from a seed. She held it in her hand, trying to visualize the sprout popping up from the little seed. She imagined her own magical energy flowing through her into the seed. She must have enough magical energy to do this simple spell.

Lark spent a few more minutes on it before a small little green leaf sprouted from the seed. The young girl let out an excited squeal, forgetting about her draconic companion sleeping beside her.”Yes! I got something!”She shouted as she lept up with her fist in the air joyously. It was a far cry from the tomato plant that the seed was suppose to grow into but it was a starting point.

“Necroa, look! I made something grow!”Lark placed her hands on his front legs, shaking the limb excitedly.”I knew this trip would be good for me! It’s already strengthening my magic!”She sounded pretty pleased with herself.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Necroa would never claim to be a morning sort of Dragon; it was one of the many things in his long list of "Things to Hate" alongside "being awoken in the morning" and "terrible jokes". He was close to adding Lark to that list though when she refused to stop shaking his leg, in fact he was enticed to add the entirety of the Lesser Races.

"Yes yes, very impressive; thanks for waking me when the sun's still rising." He grumbled sourly, not having heard a single word that came out of Lark in favor of stringing together some colorful words in his own language. The deadpan in his voice mirrored his irritated face as he scooted the Half-Druid aside with a free claw. He could feel the creak in his bones as he half-heartedly stretched his limbs, though he supposed that his skeleton did spend centuries unused before he came about. He really needed a cold chill to wake up...

He gave his wings a cursory wingbeat as he approached the lakeside, apparently satisfied that he was still in good enough shape for the long flight south. That done, he then carefully took a step into the water... Then another... and another... and before he knew it he had completely submerged himself, chilling his scales and giving himself a rudimentary wash.

Hey, Dragons needed a way to clean themselves off too...

 

[Tiff the Odd]

His dismissal gave her a familiar pang of hurt. Lark was use to it and she looked at the seed in her hand before looking back at Necroa.”So, you aren’t a morning person.”She commented. She watched as he stretched, he did seem tired and maybe adult dragons were the same as human adults. Both were grumpy in the morning. She watched as the dragon started to walk into the lake, making the young girl grin.

She put the seed in her bag and proceeded to take off her shirt then her trousers before backing away from the water. She took a running start and flung herself into the water. The cold water engulfed her, making her squeal as she popped her head out of the water.”It’s cold!”She exclaimed though she was grinning as she swam over to Necroa.

“So, are we just going to fly straight to your next destination or do we need to stop? I have a map and we can see which villages are on the way. Though, I don’t suppose you could just walk in. People would be scared and then-...”She pretended that she was holding a sword and swinging it at an invisible enemy.”You could get hurt and I don’t want you to get hurt...”She had swam around to where his head was.”Though, fair warning, I get hurt a lot! Look at my arm, I have a scar from climbing a tree and falling out of it...”She then went on to ramble about all the scars on her body and it seemed the young girl had no intention of stopping.”Oh! This one on my cheek is from a mud fight with my cousin Rowan and the rest of his friends. They had accidentally put rocks in the mud they threw and it cut my cheek. I was a big crier back then so I ran home crying and I cried for hours while Mama cleaned it!”She was floating on her back now, her chest rising and falling because somehow she was managing to breath between all those words.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Necroa had tuned Lark out after her first three sentences, largely in favor of quiet brooding as he ducked his head below water. The dampening of his senses underwater made it easy to relax - odd it might've been, - and find solace in his temporary isolation. The muted noises of the world passed by as he quietly admired the sight the partially-clear water afforded him; it mirrored the times he would gaze out into the sea from his old home, completely shut off from the world save his clansmen. It was lonely seeing vast amounts of nothing, a void of sea and sky stretching well beyond the horizon.

Unfortunately, he was far from home, and if his kind we're serious about fulfilling the dead dreams of their ancestors, he supposed that the land he stood upon was going to be his new home... soon.

After another minute in relative silence, the greyscale Dragon reemerged from the lake, droplets of water smoothly sliding off his scales back into the water with some minor assistance from a simple flick of magic. Now that he was clean of dirt and dust, he considered himself much more presentable and comfortable for the long journey ahead. As for the Lesser... well, she'd dry out after a few minutes in the open skies.

"Get out and dry yourself; I'd rather leave and be back in sight of the ocean than be here." The Dragon grumbled, raising his head and looking southward into the sky. Thoughts and notes were raised and dismissed a mile a minute, and while he quickly noted and lamented the lack of updrafts around the vast Tutelary Forest, he supposed it was better a clear day than one marked with rain...

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark followed Necroa out of the lake, only mildly annoyed that he had been ignoring her. She got out and shook her arms off so that little water droplets were flung in every direction.”You know that you don’t need magic for everything.”She was starting to notice that the dragon didn’t miss an opportunity to use his magic. She walked over to her clothes, slipping them on and then working on her shoes.

She found his disdain of the forest humorous. She supposed that he had been lost for a few days.”You know, the forest knows what’s good and what’s bad for it. If you have good intentions then it favors you.”She left the other side of that coin unsaid. He had seen what happens when you aren’t respectful of the forest. Her mind quickly shifted from thoughts on the forest to thoughts of the sky. She had never been up that high before but she found herself more excited than nervous.

She picked up her back and slung it around onto her back.”So, are we going to see other dragons?”Lark asked.

 

[Aron the Aron]

She picked up her back and slung it around onto her back.”So, are we going to see other dragons?”Lark asked.

"Unfortunately for me, yes." Necroa deadpanned, his flat tone betraying how much he looked forward to reuniting with his own kind. "Updrafts are far and few above this forest from what I've seen; conjuring an updraft would almost require me to completely overwrite the weather here, something I have yet to perfect. And considering I have few options bringing you along aside in my claws..." (because carrying Lark on his back was something she'd really need to convince him to be on-board with) "... I will have to rest somewhere after leaving the forest." He would never claim to have the greatest stamina in the world, in fact he would be the first to point out that he did not enjoy flying. It was a tiresome exercise that he'd rather avoid, saved only by how much worse running was in comparison.

"If I were you, I would refrain from introducing myself to any creature vaguely resembling myself. The Clans already hate eachother; I prefer not painting a larger target on my scales as being associated with a Lesser Whelp." With that out of the way, Necroa unceremoniously scooped up Lark in one of his claws before stretching out his wings.

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Lark seemed to be kind of just half listening to his words, her eyes following the movement of a butterfly on a nearby flower. She barely registered the phrase “bringing you along aside in my claws”. She kind of just nodded before her eyes widened for a moment a few minutes later.”Wait, you want to carry me in your-...”She didn’t finish as she was scooped up in his claws. She had to admit it wasn’t comfortable and his claw digging into her skin didn’t feel great. Lark was also a Druid and Druids hated feeling constricted by anything. She wiggled around.”Let go, Necroa. Why can’t I ride on your back? It’ll be easy on both of us.”She was not going to do well with having to being in his claws.

“And you need to stop calling me “Lesser”. I’ve been called that my whole life. I’m sorry that I was born to human parents, trust me, but you sound like everyone in my tribe. I know I’m lesser, I got the message. My name is Lark.”She paused then glanced back at the dragon.”You should really let my ride on your back.”

 

[Aron the Aron]

Lark paused then glanced back at the dragon.”You should really let my ride on your back.”

"I am not some common animal for you to ride on Whelp!" Necroa snorted, narrowing his eyes at the little girl he held in his claws. "I will not degrade myself to that of a non-sapient creature by letting a member of the Lesser Races sit on my back. And even if you were to somehow convince me anyway, you will find the accommodations sorely lacking in comfort." He growled, curling his tail around to show Lark.

And indeed if his tail was anything to indicate, the greyscale was not what someone would call "pleasing to the eyes. His scales were a chaotic mix of "smooth glass" and "jagged stones" with particular mention to the spines along the top. What could only be described as crystal-like scales jutted out like spikes along the top of his tail and spine, some sporting those odd-looking Runes, and others ending in a fiendish point ready to impale or cut any overly-curious interloper.

Pulling his tail away to settle behind him, Necroa then dropped Lark to pinch the bridge of his snout. "Perhaps agreeing to bring you along was a mistake..."

 

[Tiff the Odd]

“I know you aren’t come common animal! I’m not an idiot! You can do all of this incredible magic! But your claws are sharp and hurt me, plus you weren’t being very gentle!”Lark snapped, she didn’t mention that his actions had hurt her feelings. Lark wouldn’t admit to that because she wasn’t a child, she could handle it.”I’m sure you could think of some magical solution, you know, cause you are so clever!”It seemed one of the things that the two have in common was their short tempers. She had mostly managed to keep it on check but then Necroa said that it was a mistake to bring her.

Her eyes began to sting but her look was fierce.”I don’t care if you hate being compared to them but you are just like my tribe! Go ahead and go! Why would I go with you when I can get the same treatment closer to my Mother’s tree but you don’t have even have a family so I can’t expect you to understand!”Lark’s eyes started to glow a deep purple and a seed left over from her practicing sprouted next to her. The tree was larger than Lark but not fully grown. Her eyes began to return to normal, blinking as tears made their way down her cheeks.”Did you do that?”She asked Necroa. She wiped away her tears, unaware of the faint purple glow coming from her pocket that she had put the acorn in.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Whatever conflict Necroa and Lark were fighting over had fallen to the wayside the instant the tree spontaneously grew before the two of them. His attention and curiosity piqued, he tentatively approached the tree and pressed a claw against the immature bark. "How strange... The flow of mana does not resemble anything I've seen. The tree's growth wasn't accelerated by Life Magic; none of the roots have developed correctly." He muttered as he clawed into the ground, revealing an unusual lack of extensive tree roots. Life Magic was centralized around manipulating life functions using Mana, accelerating growth and mending wounds being hallmark uses.

"It's like the tree was forced to grow too early, like a Whelp maturing without his scales growing to catch up..." His eyes turned to Lark, since he was not the culprit by a longshot. "My failures in magic would've ended in magical backlash, not twisted results. This is not my work, possibly yours or..." That was the precise moment he noticed the glow coming from a part of Lark's garment. "Your possessions, show them. I might be able to provide an explanation."