Where we travel

[yakura]

Nebet glanced around, edging from side to side fearfully. It was unnaturally dark-she had never been in a forest and found the trees to be scary. She had the feeling of being crowded and jostled and fidgeted at every slightest noise. She glanced at her sister, who was staring up at the trees with a slight interest. Lust clung to her shoulder in his awkward manner, his eyes resting on the same place hers did. She swallowed her fear, putting on a brave farce. "Kem? How deep into the forest are we?"

Kem glanced over at her, eyes glinting in the dull light. "Almost to the center." She turned to gaze out into the forest, but Lust was now watching Nebet intently. It had been quite a few days since they'd left the town and Kem had been acting strange. At times, she had seemed like she'd wanted to talk but had said nothing. Nebet dismissed this as her sister being strange, as usual. But it wasn't usual, she thought nervously.

"Nebet, if you're going to use that whistle of yours, I suggest you do now," she said, shuffling over to a tree with a mass of thick, low-hanging branches and began to climb.

"What are you doing?" Nebet asked, scampering towards her. Lust had fluttered off his perch and was now circling the tiny clearing. Kem motioned with her hand and continued climbing awkwardly up the tree. Nebet followed her swiftly.

"Blow," Kem murmured, leaning forward on her perch as Nebet rose to her side. Nebet obeyed, raising the whistle to her lips and blowing a single eerie note that rose and fell, making her spine shiver. Nebet continued to look down at the forest floor, appearing somewhat relieved. Nebet was about to ask her why, but was swiftly shushed with a finger.

Ooc; Yes, I meant to say farce and not face. xp

[Cherry]

A rustling came from bushes not far ahead, and out poked a small, scaley maw.

What is that sound? Wondered the baby green dragon curiously, bright green glowing orbs blinking as she looked around. She gazed up into the trees, and saw the trio sitting in it. The small wyrmling dragon narrowed her eyes.

Humans! I must tell Lys'ifirit! But that whistle... The baby green dragon shook her head, and turned around, allowing herself to be seen briefly enough to get their attention, while being descreet enough to pass as a large lizard.

She scrambled through the thick tree and shubbery, her tail waving as she scampered on, not caring if the humans spotted or follower her. Lys'ifirit would soon know of the tresspassers... If she didn't already know. It would be unlikely that she didn't already know. Maybe this why she sent me out.

[yakura]

Lust let out a hoarse shriek and Nebet jerked back into the waking world. She rubbed her eyes blearily and looked down at the forest floor. Something green shifted. She leaned forward off the branch, almost falling off in her attempt to see what it was. Her eyes widened. It was a dragon! She turned around to tell her sister, who was strangely not there. She was already half-way down the tree. With a small exclamation, Nebet scampered down after her, making better time with the aid of two arms, not one.

They landed on the forest floor at about the same time. Lust sweapt down and landed on Kem's shoulder and Kem handed him something to eat that was probably alive. Nebet shivered and looked over towards the dragon, unwilling to let it escape. She was about to cry out when Kem silenced her, steely eyes flashing.

"That is a chromatic dragon, sister. Do you remember what I told you?" Nebet nodded uneasily. "We'll follow it," Kem stated, padding slowly towards it.

[Cherry]

She dragon didn't bother to look behind her. She knew they were following her. Lys'ifirit has been training her for the past couple of years in hunting and such. She flicked her tail, and scampered on.

Soon, she stopped, and peered into a heavily guarded brair. A mess of brambles, making a sort of shurbbered cave. She let out a low growl, and an even louder rumble followed.

"I know, Tanania." Rumbled a low voice, and a pair of deep, forest green eyes appeared from the dark of the brambles. "What now, dear little one?"

The baby green dragon thought for a moment, then grinned wryly, and turned about, tensing her body up and waiting for the humans.

[yakura]

Kem drew to an abrupt halt, slender hand twisting around the hilt of her sword, words of magic sliding through her mind. Above her, Lust let out a fearsome shriek and eyed the dragonling with hunger. Nebet, on the other hand, looked blank and it took her awhile to stop. The small green dragon was silhoutted against a patch of brambles, brambles that were apparently growling.

"Where are we?" Nebet asked, the Dragonfang Amulet activating on it's own. Kem shifted behind her, eyes narrowing and Lust swept closer, let out a terrible scream.

[Cherry]

The green wyrmling bared her teeth at the arrowhawk, her tail lashing in warning. She turned her head towards Nebet, shifting her dark green body slightly before snorting.

"Not where you're supposed to be." She took a step forwards, her tail curling and uncurling. True, she was only the size of a large dog at the current, but she looked imposing none the less.

Lys'ifirit had taught her to immediately kill humans, or anything else intelligent, should they come onto her territory... unless you want to interrogate them for treasure or something of the sorts. The Elves were the only exception. Some few centuries ago, Lys'ifirit had made a pact with the elves, out of desperation. She may be cruel and twisting, but she is one of the few of her kin that'll keep to her word.

But Tanania is different. She is young. She has her own views to begin forming. Her lips curled back, and she puffed out her chest. The brambles behind her had stopped growling quite awhile ago...

A large shadow loomed over the two humans suddenly, and a loud, although low-toned, growl accompanied that. The very much larger adult green dragon twisted her head from the trees, staring down at them. "And why, may I ask, are you following my hatchling?" Her smile was mocking - Tanania knew that her mother had various entrances from her cave of brambles. It was much bigger then anyone would ever suspect. And that she a master of stealth, as are all green dragons when it comes to stalking prey. But Lys'ifirit made it quite apparent that she didn't think Nebet and Kem were 'worthy' enough to be stalked, and simply showed herself in her lurid glory.

[yakura]

Even though she knew that the charm worked, Nebet was still stunned when Tanania spoke. She was even more surprised when Kem was suddenly at her side, her eyes fixed behind them. Nebet let out a loud squeak at the sudden, imposing presence of Lys'ifirit. Her eyes widened at the awesome and fearsome sight of a the huge green wyrm.

Kem bowed, keeping her eyes fixed on the huge serpent. Lust dove down to cling to her shoulder, his own twisted head dipping before the green. Nebet seemed too stunned to do anything but stare until she was startled into reality by a stomp on her foot. Kem motioned with her head, face hidden beneath her cowl, clearly telling Nebet to speak.

"P-please, w-we were j-just looking for a d-dra-dragonling. I'm a-a rider," she mumbled, bowing swiftly before the mighty serpent. She seemed to gain confidence by Lust's flippant cry, during which he introduced himself. "I am Nebet, and this is my sister Kem. I'm a circus performer, and she's a necromancer," she added with a blush.

[Cherry]

The great green wyrm snorted, her tail curling. "Well, my hatchling is already feral."

Tanania followed this fact with a wild growl.

"And humans should know not to go wandering around so deep in the woods..." She bent her neck, her coy smile still on her scaled maw. She looked like she'd snap the three up at any moment.

"However," she pulled back up, "I'll excuse on this intrusion... on one condition."

Tanania's head snapped up, and she cocked her head to the side. Was her mother negotiating? That was highly odd. Usually, the intruders would be sitting in her stomach at this point. She narrowed her eyes, and she knew her mother was up to something.

[yakura]

"O-of course," Nebet stuttered, surprised. The dragon was now so close she could see the individual shadows on the scales. Kem cast her a glance and Lust let out a tiny shriek. Deals with a chromatic dragon were not always wise...

[Cherry]

Lys'ifirit let a low sound from her throat escape. It sounded like boulders grinding against each other. "Well, Tanania here as always wanted to travel away from the forest..."

The wyrmling lifted her head, her eyes sparkling excitedly.

"And... theres an artifact I want. The Lamia tribe - the Frozen Claw Tribe - have an ancient artifact I want. Bring me this artifact, and take Tanania with you to the desert... The artifact I want is the Sceptre of Sun."

The green dragon grinned. If Tanania went with them, she would make sure that the humans either went to the desert and made sure they would attempt to retrieve the object, or she would, and could, easily kill them, or merely come back after the Lamia killed the humans. If the Lamia killed them.

[yakura]

Nebet turned quickly to confer with her sister. "A tribe called the Lamb, I think, no, Lamia or Frozen Claw Tribe. She wants the Sceptre of the Sun from them, but we're to take Tanania with us to the desert. Think, Kem! The desert! We can finally go home!"

Kem's face wrinkled for a moment, a horrible grin sliding over her face. It lasted only for a few seconds, but was soon replaced by a slight smile. "Yes...home," she murmured absently, reaching up to stroke Lust. The arrowhawk was watching Tanania with greedy eyes.

"Kem, have you heard of the Lamia?" Nebet asked, but her sister was already turning away, whispering in a strange language to Lust. The beast was watching her intently, dark eyes glinting in the same way Kem's sometimes did. Nebet turned to look up at Lys'ifirit. "We'll go," she said a bit proudly, glancing over at Tanania.

[Cherry]

The little green wyrmling yipped in excitement, and Lys'ifirit laughed heartily. "Little flesh creatures," she muttered in a tongue they could all understand - common -, "the Lamia are a vicious race of half-men half-lion."

Her lurid grin widened. "They are even more vicious and evil when it comes down to it then we dragons are."

Tanania stopped her gleeing with a blank stare, and mouthed the Common word for Lamia. She cocked her head to the side, and Lys'ifirit nodded to her. "Don't worry, Tanania," she said in a language that the others couldnt understand, "The Lamia won't mess with a dragon, no matter how evil and...stupid...they are. If they kill these three, just come back to the forest."

Tanania nodded, and whipped her tail.

[yakura]

Kem had already disappeared behind the trees, still whispering hushedly to Lust in a language only they understood.

Nebet bowed low, golden hair spilling over her shoulders, blues eyes glittering. "I will take good care of Tanania, Your Magnificence," Nebet said. "My sister wishes to gather supplise from town before we go, though. May we please be off now?"

[Cherry]

The dragon grunted, "Just tell those elves to keep those gnolls away from me, and there won't be bloodshed. Tanania will meet you at the edge of the forest in three hours." She pulled her upper lip and growled low, "And should there be a scale harmed on Tanania due to careless watching, then your ghosts won't even find peace for the next century."

[yakura]

"Of course. Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to her," Nebet murmured, bowing again. She turned and scampered off after her sister, hoping to find her before she went too far.