Flying High! (Elly!)

[Nayeli]

(( S U N G L O W ))

”You need to make your dive steeper.”

[/color] Elisedd said to me as I nodded. I was getting it, but it was taking time and I hated time! It meant I was out of control and I told myself I would be doe with this today, that I would do it perfect. ”Okay, one more time and you should have it perfect. You are already doing great.”[/color] I smiled slightly, let out a snort of smoke and then went high, gaining speed as I went higher and higher until I dropped, my nose was pointed to the ground, my wings were tight to my side and I was gaining speed. I felt the air rushing past my ears, the wind rushing into my eyes! I waited for the signal to pop up into the air and stop myself from hitting the ground. ”Now!”[/color] I opened my wings, my body doing a beautiful backflip before I was floating close by Elisedd.

He nodded and I tossed my head up before looking over at Arashi and Salien, both were good dragons, but Arashi barely spoke and I had barely gotten to know Salien. ”So, I did good?”[/color] He smiled and nodded to me quickly. We were far from Ilirea, in order to allow Tasia and Niko to train with Salien’s Rider, along with Anslem, since they needed time away from us. We were not always going to be together and we needed to get us to that some now. We were young, but once we finished our training, I was not letting Tasia get to far from me. We had already planned to travel to the Boer Mountains one day and to the other side of the desert. We want to so badly, but we knew it would be a long time and we both had to be stronger and wiser. We had spent countless night’s in the villa planning our trip across the desert, planning everything and enjoying everything at that.

Elisedd moved closer to the other two, mostly wondering what they were doing and wanted to see how they were doing. I knew I had to go over everything with Tasia, she would have to learn how to ride on me when I was going so fast, how to lay against my neck so she would not hit my spikes and how to be safe. I knew that she would want the saddle, but I hated the thing more then anything.

[/blockquote]
( WORD COUNT )[/color] four. one. zero.
( TAGGED )[/color] arashi
( STATUS )[/color] finished
( COMMENTS )[/color] You can of course control both NPCs
[/size][/blockquote]

[Elloria]

Arashi eyes Salien critically as they float on the air currents. Today is one of those rarer days when he and Niko do not train together. The elder Riders and dragons wished to acclimate the two of them to the idea of separation. It is not possible for Rider and dragon to be perpetually near one another. Sometimes, duty demanded that they be apart. So here he is, far from Ilirea and far from Niko. It is nothing but disconcerting to not be able to feel Niko's presence, to be unable to fill his Rider's mind with the delightful thoughts of what they can do once they are stronger. He knows that Niko will begin brooding about many things - the Addison-two-legs' disappearance, brood-mate Josk's current state of affairs, that Mali-two-or-four-legs they have befriended. Why did he pick a worrier for a Rider?

Arashi suddenly snaps his wings shut and dives as Salien barrels towards him. He twists in midair, lashing at the older dragon with his sharp tail spikes. Completing his twisting turn, he snaps his wings wide open and with powerful beats gains altitude. His eyes dart around searching for Salien before feeling a crushing weight barrel into him. He tries to twist around, feeling Salien's claws on his shoulders and fangs at his neck. He hears/feels only his wing beat and so snaps his wings shut as he finally manages to break his neck loose and swing his head around to snap and bite at Salien's. They begin to free-fall towards the lake below them. Distantly, he feels/hears the elder dragon Elisedd coaching Sunglow. He's not sure what she is doing, but he recalls Sunglow being irritable about not getting the hang of ground-diving. He would not mind being back to the ground-diving lesson right now.

When the lake is barely a dozen feet below them, Salien suddenly releases Arashi and soars gracefully away. Arashi, on the other hand, crashes head first into the water. He twists and turns under the water, trying to right himself. After some frantic scrambling, he manages it and gains speed under water before striking for the surface and propelling himself into the air. His wings extend and begin flapping as he tries to regain altitude. After a few moments, he is back in front of Salien growling irritably. Salien chuckles. The silvery elder turns his head slightly to inspect his side. ‘You have improved. I do believe you scratched me.’ Arashi snorts and blows smoke at Salien. Scratches would not win battles. He makes a mental note to talk with Niko about how they will need to handle crashing into lakes during battles. He is unsure if his Rider would be able to survive the impact. As Sunglow and Elisedd fly towards them, Salien asks, ‘Now where did you go wrong, hatchling?’

‘I dived and did not take into account that you would then possess the advantage of altitude. I should have continued the dive so that you would give chase.’ His words are clearly articulated and matter-of-fact. His voice is slightly deeper than even when he was a hatchling, yet just as soft and velvety. He sometimes wonders where his voice came from. He remembers little of his dam, but knows that she spoke in images and emotions - his usual mode of communication, in fact. He knows more about his sire, for he has seen him around the Citadel and Ilirea. But even his sire does not have a voice that sounds quite like his. It is quite a mystery, but not one that Arashi needs to focus on right now. Salien nods in approval before jerking his head to gesture Elisedd closer. Arashi hovers on an air current, occasionally flapping his wings gently to maintain his stationary position as Salien and Elisedd confer with one another. He looks at Sunglow. ‘What are you learning today?’ he inquires. Admittedly, he's not that curious. But Niko is always harping on him to be more sociable, so he will make some attempt for the time being.

[Nayeli]

(( S U N G L O W ))

A fight? Well, this was bound to be interesting as I watched the two tumble at each other. Elisedd and I had fought only a few days prior, but it was a two on two match with Tasia and Anslem. I could not help but think about Tasia, wondering what she was doing. She was possible eating lunch about now, which caused my own stomach to growl and I gained a rather light chuckle from my Elder as we moved closer towards the warring couple. Elisedd watched with little interest, but I watched with great interest. Fighting was something I had come to learn quickly about fighting, but she had yet to beat the bulky Elisedd.

Arashi was still for only a moment and then he was going down, diving fast and steep. I watched with a trained eye, watching as Salien dodged the spike tails of his fellow hatchling. Soon though, he was stationary slightly, but not long, because soon, the large silver dragon had hit him and they were both going down and fast. I smiled, the big dragon had him perfectly, since Arashi had not continued the dive, but was trying to twist around to get him. As they got close to the lake, the large dragon released and soon, I heard the splash and saw Arashi disappear into the water. Salien moved closer towards us and then Elisedd and I moved closer, soon joined by the purple dragon Arashi.

Elisedd had told me that I still had work to be done on my flying ability, but soon, I would be very good. My smaller body would allow for fast movements and agility that not many dragons had. It was not rare to see a fast dragon, but he always said I was going to be the fastest. As Salien spoke to Arashi, we got close enough to hear. ”You have improved. I do believe you scratched me.” Arashi, I could tell was not happy about that, mostly because scratches were just making a dent into things. ”Now where did you go wrong, hatchling?”

”I dived and did not take into account that you would then possess the advantage of altitude. I should have continued the dive so that you would give chase.” Elisedd nodded in agreement with the young hatchling before he left us to speak with Salien alone. I moved in a little closer to Arashi and watched the two. I could not wait to be as strong and as smart as Elisedd. He was mighty, one of the best dragons! ”What are you learning today?” I looked at Arashi, surprised he was speaking to me, but I gave a dragon smile and shrugged. ”Had to work on my dive some and he wants to fight me… We had a fight a few days ago, but that was in the arena with Tasia and Master Anslem.”

[/color] I said, taking into account everything about that day. It would come in handy in today fight.
[/blockquote]
( WORD COUNT )[/color] four. nine. eight.
( TAGGED )[/color] arashi
( STATUS )[/color] finished
( COMMENTS )[/color] ^_^[/size][/blockquote]

[Elloria]

(OOC: Short post is short and uninspired, but a post.)

Arashi does not return Sunglow's smile. Rather, he blinks slowly as she explains what the goal of today’s lesson is. So yes, her purpose is to work on her dive. Truth be told, he has never paid particular attention to the other hatchlings during training. They all seem to be advancing well enough, but he feels there is little purpose in knowing where others' training stands in relation to his own. Unless they prove to be a more skilled opponent than he. His mind wanders slightly before catching all of what Sunglow has said. ‘You have fought Elisedd-ebrithil previously? And intend to do so today?’ The faintest glimmer of excitement brightens Arashi's voice. Though Sunglow had always struck him as a perfectionist, he has never considered her to be a fighter. She talks more than he can generally stand, making her better suited - in his mind - to the political games many of the elder Riders and dragons seemed to wallow in. This, therefore, is something quite interesting. ‘What did you think of your battle? Are you eager for more?’

[Nayeli]

(( S U N G L O W ))

I had grown accustomed to Arashi not returning my own smiled, he just blinked. I knew he did not like me much, mostly because I talked to much is what Tasia told me half the time. He also never paid attention to his fellow hatchlings when they were training, which I did a lot of, mostly so I would know who I could count on. I could count on Arashi, he was very good in fighting and such, but I considered myself just as Good. Elisedd had been training with me for a while, but I had yet to win.

”You have fought Elisedd-ebrithil previously? And intend to do so today?” I looked at him for a moment and nodded, a bit of excitement in my own eye. ”Yea… Tasia was able to beat Anselm for the first time, but he stopped our battle before I had a chance to beat Master Elisedd, but he wanted a bigger space for you to train today.”

[/color] I said to him, looking over at the two older dragons with admiration and also wondering what they were disgusting. The two seemed to have a amused look on their face for a moment. I was confused, I wanted to know what was going on, but I focused back on Arashi as he spoke again. ”What did you think of your battle? Are you eager for more?” I smiled at him.

”I thought it went well, but since it was stopped, I don’t know who would have won… I am eager to get going, Master Elisedd says I am a formidable opponent at my age.”[/color] I said, just as Elisedd mind reached out to ours. I looked towards him and he motioned us to come towards them. I turned quickly, my small body giving me agility and soon, I was beside him. The large, green dragon flapped his wings only inches from my own and I had to hold strong to keep from being batted away by the power of his wind he was creating.

”We have thought of something else… After your battle with me Sunglow, we want to see how you two hold up together.” I was slightly surprised, but I gave a quick nod and he motioned for me to head out into the open space. I moved quickly, turning as soon as I got to my place. I was steady, looking into his green eyes without a problem. After a moment or two of silence, I felt his presence in my mind as he counted down slowly towards when we would be fighting. I heard each count… three… two… one… He came at me with quick speed, I held still, but soon, I was going downward, moving away from him, going tight circles. His bulk prevented such circles, but he was still fast. I glanced back, seeing him going up, I went down and did a loop up, chasing after him. I was right on his tail when he dove downward and I followed…
[/blockquote]
( WORD COUNT )[/color] five. zero. one.
( TAGGED )[/color] arashi
( STATUS )[/color] finished
( COMMENTS )[/color] no problem hon
[/size][/blockquote]

[Elloria]

Arashi is unsurprised to hear that Tasia is doing well. As he recalls, she fought in the war that Ilireans call the Blue Divide. He deflates a bit as Sunglow continues, saying the battle was stopped by Anselm-ebrithil. He sometimes wonders if that is a common theme in all training. He knows his own mock-battles have been halted on more than one occasion. It is frustrating every time it occurs. ‘I thought it went well, but since it was stopped, I don’t know who would have won…’ Arashi refocuses on Sunglow. His attention is so scattered of late. He cannot understand why. ‘I am eager to get going, Master Elisedd says I am a formidable opponent at my age.’ He was about to reply when Elisedd-ebrithil's voice entered his mind. He glances at the masters. He twists and follows the agile Sunglow at a more sedate pace. He flaps his wings slowly once he reaches the two larger dragons, trying to match his wingbeats with theirs so that he is not so badly buffeted by the wind they create. ‘We have thought of something else… After your battle with me Sunglow, we want to see how you two hold up together.’ Arashi blinks before looking critically at Salien-ebrithil. His mentor merely chuckles at him and he huffs as Sunglow and Elisedd-ebrithil fly some distance away, ensuring plenty of room between the two pairs of students and masters. He turns again to watch the mock-battle. He keeps tabs on them both, but mainly he watches Sunglow. She is fast and fluid in her movements. She wastes little energy or movement, yet Elisedd-ebrithil has little trouble keeping up with her. Though that shouldn't have surprised Arashi. Elisedd is, after all, older and more experienced. This would prove an interesting and, perhaps, illuminating battle.

[Nayeli]

(( S U N G L O W ))

I had become use to Arashi’s own unsurprised when I told him something, he was always thinking of other things, especially wild dragons it seemed, which was normal for a few others dragons within’ the Ilirea. I myself liked being a rider’s Dragon, I liked being a part of something that wanted peace and also to be bounded with my own sister. Tasia was so much to me, I could not bare the idea of losing her, but then again, I had remembered something Tasia had allowed to slip into her mind… One of the elders were sick, was dying of illness and her dragon… He would be living without her…

It was a thought I could not bare to think about, knowing that if it ever happened to Tasia, I would go on a rampage, I would fly away, get as far away as I could yet, there was nothing really I could do if it did in fact happen. I would either learn to live without her… Or die… And neither sounded very good to me.

As Master Elisedd came towards me, my body turned and we joined them quickly. It was my turn to fight, I was ready for this… ”We have thought of something else… After your battle with me Sunglow, we want to see how you two hold up together.” What? A fight between myself and Arashi. I looked over at him and he seemed slightly surprised himself, but I turned my head and nodded. I flew out to start out own fight…

I was in the dive, going right towards the lake that Arashi had gone into and Elisedd was not pulling up. I watched as the water got closer and closer and last minute I closed my wings tigher and as he pulled up, I went in and deep… I felt the water absorb me, my body covered in the moist stuff as I looked around, grabbing a fishy snack while I was down there. I looked up into the sky, my body hidden in the reeds of the lake, my feet touching the muddy bottom as I watched. I saw his green body hover above the lake, but water was always a bit tricky…

I moved through the dark water, I had been there for a while and I could hear Elisedd’s own mind chuckling at me as he waited. He could not see me, that much I could tell, but I had cut my mental link with him slightly… He could not see through my eyes… I looked around the area and slowly moved among the reeds and fresh water kelp, getting close enough to the surface to pin point him before going deep again. I turned back to the surface and this time, my tail powered me upwards, as did my wings on the last few inches…

I nailed him, my talons went into his side, my tail wrapped around his neck as he chuckled and started to go down again. I held my wings in, learning the mistake from Arashi when I had seen him plummet. He smiled, using his own talons to try and move me off, but I was stuck to him, my body moved around to his back, my legs crushing down on his wings as he went down. He was surprised by his move and as we got closer to the ground again, I did not let go and soon… He hit the ground and I went up into the sky as far as I could. He followed, but he had been injured, I could fell, for I smelt blood and I turned back to see that his wing had been torn slightly and he was having to beat harder. ”Well done, Sunglow… But we are done… I do not need to be injured in case of a true emergency.” I had injured him and all of the sudden I felt bad… He was my master and though this was a fight to the point of injury, I did not want to cause it when he was more important then I and more needed.

He motioned for Arashi to go and get ready out towards the lake area and I followed. I would wait for his move and I was far enough away to move.

( WORD COUNT )[/color] seven. one. nine.
( TAGGED )[/color] arashi
( STATUS )[/color] finished
( COMMENTS )[/color] sorry for the wait.
[/size][/blockquote]

[Elloria]

Arashi watches curiously as Tasia dives deep into the lake. It does not, at first, make sense to him. She seems to be sacrificing visibility without really gaining anything. But when she launches herself at Elisedd-ebrithil, it suddenly clicks. She sacrificed nothing. She is simply using everything that is at her disposal. But why had Elisedd-ebrithil not followed her in? He had given her the upper-hand the moment he had flown away from the lake. From what he has seen, Sunglow is built for speed and agility. Giving her the time and room to use it is unwise. He stores this new information away as Sunglow and Elisedd-ebrithil fly over to him and Salien-ebrithil. She has managed to injure Elisedd-ebrithil...a great deal moreso than he had harmed his own mentor. Arashi feels a flash of irritation before determination sweeps it aside.

He flies out towards the lake, knowing/feeling that Sunglow is just behind him. He makes a graceful curve over the water until he faces Sunglow. She hovers just beyond the range of a rapid attack, waiting for him. So she was not going to initiate. That is all right by him. He drifts for a few moments, allowing himself to steadily but slowly close the distance between them. Though still out of range, he suddenly twists and flails his tail at her before beating his wings powerfully. He gains altitude and aims for the clouds above them, wondering if Sunglow is following him. Just as he enters the cloud cover, he flips in the air and pulls his wings in. He dives towards her, wings in tight and talons outstretched, hoping to collide with her.

[Nayeli]

(( S U N G L O W ))

Though I did not understand why my master had not followed me in, I was sure there was a good reason, but then again, he was large, bulky and as I thought about, he would have been at a far more disadvantage in the water. The mud at the bottom of the lake was easy to stir up and with my more leaner body, I could much more easily dive in without disturbing the mud, unlike my mentor and friend could. His bulky body would have brought up so much that he would have hidden himself and his sight from anything. I had done the right thing and Elisedd had just had a disadvantage in two places. If he had gone higher, he would have probably been able to attack, where as I would have slowed.

The wing was torn bad, but I pushed that aside and went to my place for another battle and this time, with my fellow hatchling. I blew out a small puff of smoke, waiting for what he would do. He was drifting ever so slightly towards me and I watching, my tail flicking slightly like a cat as I waited to pounce… Soon, he was up in the air and I was following quickly behind him, my golden body going into the clouds just as he came down towards me. I tried moving, only to just collide with him still. I snarled, using my pointed tail like that of a scorpion to hit him as hard as I could. My wings, I brought in tightly to my body and I used my back talons to grab on. We were plummeting towards the lake and I was not letting go, not unless I had to.

If things went right, I would have gotten at least a few good hits with my tail. I learned quite a few moves to injure my opponent with and Tasia and I had learned quickly how to use it to send her flying in the air. It was not as sharp as it could be, but each month, it was getting stronger and sharper. If I was positioned correctly, I would have my talons somewhere in his back legs, or so I hoped and we would either going into the lake together or he would open his wings and try to stop us.

( WORD COUNT )[/color] 0.393
( TAGGED )[/color] arashi
( STATUS )[/color] finished
( COMMENTS )[/color] sorry for the wait.
[/size][/blockquote]

[Elloria]

The thud of their bodies colliding jars Arashi. He hisses as the sharp spikes of Sunglow’s tail score deeply into his flanks. She has managed to draw first blood, but he will not settle for that. He snaps at her snout and neck, trying to keep her jaws occupied with the effort of parrying his attacks. He digs his talons in deep to hold her close, keeping his wings shut as they plummet towards the lake. He has no intention of giving her the advantage. She is perhaps somewhat slighter of form, but his body is still long and serpentine. He shifts as he feels her back claws trying to dig into his tender belly, wriggling to and fro to prevent serious damage. He flails his tail downwards in an attempt to slash at her tail and possibly her flanks while his back claws work to cause damage as well. From the corner of his eye, he can see the lake fast approaching. In moments, they will surely crash into it unless he or Sunglow attempt to pull out of their dive.

[Nayeli]

(( S U N G L O W ))

She was going no wear, she smelt blood, it was in the air, but not thick since they were moving downward, away from the smell, but she felt it as they went down towards the lake. The momentum was still not fast enough to make all the blood lift off there bodies, it was moving down their scales. As tried moving as he snapped at her, but there was no point, he was managing a few large teeth into her snout and neck slightly, but she had managed to turn her neck so he did not get her soft under neck. She pulled her wings in tighter, catching a glimpse of the water coming towards them.

She winced as she felt talons move into her body and her own dug in deeper, with his slightly larger body, she was able to wiggle a little, allowing her to get a better grasp on him as she they fell downward into the lake. She felt his tail striking at her own, managing a few cuts and she felt a good puncture into her flank. She winced slightly, the pain moving through her body. His back claws had managed to grasp at the base of her back and also at the base of her tail. She continued to try and spare with her tail as his back and flank area, hoping to get him a few more times…

Soon, she felt water, but she felt held on, her tail tried to propel her forward, hoping to slip from his claws and into the lake kelp that would hid her body. She loved the water and sometimes she wished she was nothing more then a water dragon. She opened her mouth, hoping to get a few bites into his own neck, shoulder, or face and her tail continued to propel, hoping to push her forward. Her body wiggles to give herself speed if she got away and she readied herself to go deep into the kelp…

( WORD COUNT )[/color] 0.332
( TAGGED )[/color] arashi
( STATUS )[/color] finished
( COMMENTS )[/color] ^_^
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