Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 5, 2012 10:18:54 GMT -5
Craig woke early on a fesh day. The fire had burned out, though slight embers were visible, glowing faintly in the chilly air. He sat up and stretched, twisting his body to pop his back in either direction. He smiled, remembering the night before. What were the odds that this little trip would end up with him finding out that dragons really did exist. Not only that, he'd collected a blood sample of it and it's supposedly non-Human rider. He grabbed his pillow, picking it up as he stood from the ground and stretched yet again, breathing deeply as he did so. He looked over at the dragon and judged that it was still sleeping. Perhaps it was best not to try and wake such a creature. Yes, better to leave that to Red. Speaking of which, he wondered if she was awake. He turned to the flap and almost opened it before reconsidering. Perhaps she slept naked. Chuckling to himself over the temptation, he decided that, while he had plausible deniability, it might be a good idea not to risk angering the dragon-whisperer lest she use her friendship with her dragon to put a quick end to Craig.
Instead, he called to her loudly enough that if she was awake she would hear but not so loudly that she would be woken if she was still sleeping. "Red? Are you awake?" he inquired. "I think I would probably like to be going. I've got to get back to the coast in time for my last meeting and flight."
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 5, 2012 10:26:00 GMT -5
Slipping her shirt over her head just as he called into her tent, she turned around to the open flap, crawling out wearing her fresh clean clothes. It looked as if she had slept quite well, any signs of fatigue gone from her eyes. "No worries, I've got to head back to town today anyways." She explained, glancing around at her belongings. It likely wouldn't take too much to get the camp site taken down, and the walk back to town could be quite lonesome.
"If you want, I could go with you." she offered, standing as she got out of the tent and stretched. "I'd just need a minute to pack everything up. It won't take too long." Of course, the question of his attacker from last night was completely gone from her mind, wiped away by the power of rest. Unless she was reminded of such danger, she would never have remembered, mainly because they hadn't figured out who or what had thrown that rock the previous day.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 5, 2012 10:39:50 GMT -5
Craig rubbed the sleep from his eyes as she spoke and nodded enthusiastically after she'd finished. "Yeah, I'd been hoping you would since I have no idea where we are any more." He looked around at the campsite, taking inventory. Tent, pot, table, bowls, utensils... He counted off as he reviewed all of the things there. After tallying everything, he frowned, realizing he had no idea how to deal with a campsite. He'd never gone camping before and had no idea how to set up or take down a tent. He wasn't sure if they should put out the embers or not (though he suspected so) and even less of an idea as to how. Perhaps just dumping water on it... though he vaguely remembered hearing something about throwing dirt on a fire in case you were trying to.... he couldn't remember. Maybe this was a time he was supposed to use dirt? Or was water ideal? Where was water? He looked around, uncertain. How were they going to wash up the dishes from last night? Scrub them with bark and rinse them in a river? What about the grass the dragon was sure to have matted down with it's considerable weight? Shouldn't they do something about that? What about the table? Was that hers or did she just find a plank of wood out here?
Sighing resignedly, he sat back down on a log. "I'm afraid you'll have to do this as I have no idea how this camping thing works out." He explained. Craig looked up at Red, apologetically. "Sorry..." he said sincerely, feeling a bit useless.
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 5, 2012 10:45:11 GMT -5
Upon seeing the expression on his face, Red wasn't able to help but smile a bit. "It's okay, I can take care of things." she told him, in an attempt to try and make him feel better. With that, she began to gather up her things, taking them down toward the beach to clean out any residue from their meal. Though it wouldn't make them usable (what with the salt water), it did ensure that no food particles would create a stench.
Meanwhile, Ancaladar was roused from his slumber, seeing Red begin to pack up. Using his strong tail, he swept some of the trailing sand into the fire pit, filling it all the way up with sand, to ensure that a fire couldn't start from the embers left behind. As Red returned with the dishes, she packed them into a large bag, before heading into her tent to gather everything left inside and drag them out. Before long, the tent was all packed away, and apart from a few logs that had been used as furniture, they were all set to go.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 5, 2012 10:51:25 GMT -5
If Craig felt bad before they started packing up, he felt awful watching the process occur. The woman was sweet and graceful in her response and seemed genuinely okay with the fact that Craig didn't help at all. It was true that he didn't know what he was supposed to do, but that was no solace as he watched her and the dragon tidy up. The most impressive part was the dragon's use of his tail to scoop sand into the pit, filling it in a quick, effective fashion. Creative. Clever. This species was definitely intelligent and it was with this action that Craig defined them as a legitimately sentient, intelligent species. He watched as Red dismantled the tent and when they were all set to go, he nodded at the Dragon and Red. "Alright, then," he said, picking his bag from the ground. "I'm ready. Which direction do we go from here?" He was still genuinely lost and hadn't the slightest idea out of this maze of a jungle.
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 5, 2012 10:55:32 GMT -5
"I left a few subtle markings to help myself get back, but from here I know its a clear northwest cut through the forest to the closest town." Red explained, patting the Dragon's snout in thanks for his help, watching as he made his way back toward the water, vanishing underneath of its surface. She knew that he couldn't follow them back to town, as he could easily be spotted with his different colour.
Hoisting up her fairly large bag, she proceeded to lead the way into the forest, appearing to be quite alert as she looked for the markings she had left a few days ago. Coming across one particular tree, she stopped and took a second glance at it, noticing the small gash she had placed on it, marking the direction to and from their destination. "I put a gash in a few trees that would mark which way to go." she explained to him, following the line that it would create visually.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 5, 2012 12:21:09 GMT -5
Craig nodded, indicating his understanding of the new information. There was little he could do but follow and be on the lookout for more notches in the forest. His eyes widen as he realized he still had her knife in his pants pocket. Slapping himself mentally, he removed the knife. He was about to walk over to her to hand it over when a thought struck his path. Relying again on those scientific approaches to things, he decided suddenly that he should test her reflexes to gain more information about the species. If Draconians were truly different, wouldn't it be logical that their reflexes might not be the same as a Human's? He had to experiment.
"Blair," he called her by her proper name as he did all test studies. It was a proper respect for the thing you were weighing. A sort of significant nod at the assisting material or creature that lended you the chance to learn. Nothing could be better for one's being than to gain knowledge. With that in his mind he tossed the knife to her so that the hilt would be facing her. A simple, safe way to see how she handled the situation. Craig was all eyes.
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 5, 2012 12:29:57 GMT -5
Tearing herself away from her examination of one of the trees she had marked with her knife, Red turned her head to face her companion, seeing the knife she had given him in his hand. It was then that she remembered she gave him her only form of a weapon, as her gesture of trust toward him. He had accused him of being aligned with some man that she had never heard of, not having fully figured out who this man had been.
She then watched as he tossed the knife toward her, Red's immediate action was to try and reach out and catch the blade, her mind trying to judge where the blade would fall, to augment where to place her hand to catch the weapon. Her mind worked quite quickly, and so she was able to catch the knife by its hilt with relative ease. Looking at the knife, she smiled. "Thanks, I almost forgot I gave this to you." she replied, closing up the blade and sticking it in her pocket, almost oblivious to the fact that she was smarter now than she ever had been.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 5, 2012 12:57:54 GMT -5
Impressive. Her reflexes were quick. Behind a quick body oft lies a stout mind. He tipped his head as a smile crossed his face. "Not at all. Sorry for the misunderstanding earlier." He turned his head and translated the information. Draconians were likely a fleet species. He noticed she didn't pretend like she didn't live in isolation, so it was worth noting they were a more nomadic species, valuing their independence and freedom highly. Their sole companion may well be the dragons they kept with them. She was adept at living in the wilderness, showing a knack for having tricks up her sleeves. He glanced back at the Dragon that towered over him. Very large tricks, he mused.
"I never did get around to asking... is Ancaladar, a male or female? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the particular anatomies of Dragons." Useful information pertaining to the relationship between the two, seemingly innocuous. It wasn't that he gained it with harmful intentions, it was just good to know in case of the need arising. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, as he'd always said.
Another notch drifted by and yet another. She'd done well spacing them and he was able to walk beside her, rather than follow like a lost, confused Human at her heels. The notches sort of blended together after a while and he walked, chatting merrily with the female whose very existence was earth-shattering.
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 5, 2012 13:41:11 GMT -5
Unaware of his thought process, Red continued to follow the trail she had marked, keeping in mind their surroundings, and the dangers they maintained. It could have been very likely that something would jump out at them if they were alone, but with the draconic company that they kept, the wilderness seemed to be smart enough to keep out of their way.
"Ancaladar is male." Red replied, looking over at the dragon with a smile. They hadn't spent much time together at all, though she couldn't help but feel more like an expert on the subject the more time they had. Since she could only imagine that there were so few Draconians on the face of the earth, it gave her some form of leverage over others, who likely spent twice or three times as much time on the same subject.
"And don't worry about before. If you have something worth defending, you defend it." Of course she wasn't entirely certain about what he was trying to hide, whether or not it stemmed from his interests as a bio-engineer. But whatever it was, it didn't matter right now.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 6, 2012 10:57:21 GMT -5
Craig appreciated her understanding. It was unusual but appreciated. He continued walking, hardly bothering paying attention to the cuts on the trees. "So tell me. What is it like?" The man turned his head to face her, "Being Draconian, I mean. Do you guys have some huge hidden city? Or would it be safe to assume that your species is scattered and hides as Humans?" He thought back to Cordoba and figured it couldn't hurt to ask. "Are any of your species extremely attractive with large, feathered wings?" He felt stupid as he spoke. It was like he was chasing some weird legend and asking questions on the wrong end of the planet. Though... perhaps it was some other species. What was to say that there weren't more species than just Human, Draconian, and Dragon? It was at least worth asking.
"Are we alone?" he inquired inadequately. "What I mean is... are there..." He peered about him, abashed at the potential stupidity of the question before continuing, "Are there others. Like other species besides Humans, Draconians, and Draconians?" His voice sounded eager as he spoke, but like he was trying hard to control it, probably for fear of sounding like a nut.
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 6, 2012 15:30:38 GMT -5
"Well..." Red began, turning to look toward the man with a smile. Never before had someone been so interested in her. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but just to be that interesting to someone, she couldn't help but feel good about it, for there to be something special about her to draw such an interest. "As far as I know, there's no such thing. At least, that I know of." she began, spotting another tree with two marks instead of one. It was odd, but she shrugged and followed it anyway.
"As for a man with feathered wings, I have not seen such a thing. Believe me, if I had met such a person I would have taken a quick sketch as soon as I saw him." Red explained, her words true. With her desire to have wings of her own, any real life example would serve to be inspiration for her dreams. As he questioned about the existence of other species, she shrugged. "I would like to think there are. I mean, if a being such as a dragon can exist in this world, there are bound to be many others. The fun part is finding out just how many there are. I can't help but think they've found a way to adapt to blend into human society."
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 6, 2012 17:30:28 GMT -5
So she didn't know of any other species. That meant that the odds were that there weren't any others. So Cordoba was an experiment. Even more interesting. "Well, the man was basically your typical male with large, white angel wings, if I had to explain him." Another couple scratches passed by and Craig barely noticed them.
"Are you sure that he doesn't know anything about anything other species?" Craig sounded hopeful for some reason. It didn't make any real sense for him to want other species to exist, but he did. "Well, what was your childhood like, Blair?" He posed, seeming genuinely interested. He was clearly trying to learn more about Red and asked yet another question. "Do Dragons really hatch from eggs like some lore suggests? Or are they live-born?" He hoped she knew so he could better categorize them and waited for her reply.
Post by Blair Von Drake / Red on Oct 6, 2012 17:39:12 GMT -5
"I've only just found out that I wasn't human almost a week ago. It's going to be awhile before I can find out anything about other species. However, I can probably try to keep an ear and an eye out for anything unusual." Red offered with a smile, continuing to follow the irregular gashes in the trees with a small bit of worry in the back of her head. There was something off about the gashes that resided on these trees, but she just couldn't put her finger on why they seemed so off.
As he asked about her childhood, Red tried hard to think back to her earlier memories. "Well as far as I can recall, I grew up like a normal human: I went to school with other kids, grew up in the capital of England, and my parents worked outside the home, just like everyone else." she began, starting to reminisce once more as her thoughts turned away from the markings on the trees. "Probably the only thing that was different between my family and other families was that we travelled quite a bit. I don't recall it being for business, so it was likely because my parents liked to explore the whole world, so I always tagged along.
When Craig questioned about how Dragons were born, she heard a light rumble from Ancaladar. "He says that they're born from eggs."
Post by Craig Jamerson on Oct 7, 2012 23:49:31 GMT -5
"I've only just found out that I wasn't human almost a week ago. It's going to be awhile before I can find out anything about other species. However, I can probably try to keep an ear and an eye out for anything unusual." Red said smiling. Craig could do nothing to hide his surprise and an expression of outright confusion widened his eyes and furrowed his brow. "How does one not realize they're not Human after all those years? Didn't you have a Dragon all along? Or is it like a coming of age thing?" Craig glanced at yet another trio of slashes in a tree as he passed it. Still on the right path, it seemed. Though, why the girl would have cut the tree three times was an enigma to him. He stopped cold as if he'd hit a wall as the realization struck his mind.
She wouldn't have. All the trees at the beginning of this little trek had only been cut once and now the gashes were three in a row? His face flushed itself of blood, leaving it pale as he turned back around and approached the tree shakily for a closer look. He glanced up at Red. "Did you make three marks on this tree? Or did Ancaladar do it to keep track?" he seemed genuinely concerned. The marks were a bit larger than any animals he knew about (though he was by no means an animal tracker or biologist). He just hoped the Dragon had done it for their safety's sakes.
