Rolling Thunder in a Clear Blue Sky {{ Jack && Open }}

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

Her field of vision was clouded, blurred, and distorted; a whirling storm of colors, numerous flashes of light, and a chorus of chaotic sounds clashed throughout the scene. She could feel tremendous pain, terror gripping her soul, and misery tearing at her heart. It was a vivid, profound, authentic nightmare that she couldn’t seem to wake from. A roar escaped her chest, pure fury and loathing pouring from her mouth in the form of seething, scalding water. And suddenly, she was falling. The scene before her melted away as she plummeted through time and space, landing viciously upon a solid surface. Her body bolted upright, eyes wide with fright, her mouth gaping, emitting a silent scream as if her mind was still trapped within the dream. Sweat poured from her body, her heart pounded violently in her chest, and her breathing was rapid, panicked. The Draconian Nina Foster quickly understood that Esmeralda, her Dragon companion, had awoken in the same fashion; the difference being her terrified roar was far from silent. The sound echoed over the precipice of the rise they had camped upon, rolling over the tree-filled valley below like some ominous thunder rumbling through the sky. Birds scattered, and the surrounding ground shook considerably.

“ESSIE! ESSIE!” Nina called to her both telepathically and with her physical voice in an attempt to bring reality to focus. It dawned on Nina that the dream she felt was not her own, but Esmeralda’s -- some traumatic memory or a relentless reel of cruel recollections from a very harrowing past. Essie’s yellow eyes turned towards her. For a moment, Essie didn’t recognize her Draconian. She saw only another human, another murderous fiend that hunted her dragon-kind for mere sport, seeking glory or fame or fortune. But when Essie’s eyes met Nina’s, she realized Nina had seen the very same nightmare. Together, their hearts stopped racing, their breath steadied, and their fear subsided.

‘Nina…’ Esmeralda spoke to Nina’s mind, but she couldn’t seem to gather anymore thoughts together. She lowered her head, eyes downcast, ashamed of her fear, of a simple dream, a memory, that had long ago passed. Her large wings once again rested at ease upon her back, still and quiet. The ground beneath her claws had been torn mercilessly, mutilated by her frantic movements moments before. Shredded grass and large chunks of dirt and rock littered the area; even an unfortunate tree had been uprooted by her long tail. Essie was surprised at the warm and gentle touch of Nina’s hand upon her snout and shuddered slightly with a frustrated sigh. ‘I can’t even begin to tell you what that was…’

‘We share the same mind, Essie. You don’t have to tell me anything,’ Nina whispered.

‘I know, I know. I’m good now,’ Essie reassured her. She lifted her head and met Nina’s eyes once more. ‘It was only a dream after all. I’m going to find a deer or two for breakfast.’ It was clear to Nina that she was changing the subject, not quite willing to discuss the nightmare further. 

Nina shrugged in surrender, ‘Good luck. You’ve scared off all the game in this area.’

As Essie flew over the valley, Nina searched the surrounding cliffside for her belongings, having been knocked around by their midnight thrashings. She spotted her backpack and one boot off to her left, haphazardly buried beneath some scattered earth. She delicately made her way across the rocky soil, only socks keeping her bare feet protected. Upon reaching her things, Nina dropped down next to them, slipping the one boot over the left log of the brown cargo pants she slept in. She also wore a black, spaghetti-strapped top, usually covered with a thick jacket she hadn’t yet located. Her long, brunette curls were secured over her right shoulder, tied in a loose braid that was on the verge of coming undone. Nina surveyed the surrounding area trying to spot her missing jacket and boot. Nina wasn’t even sure where they had landed during the night. The surrounding trees were tall, evergreen pines, dotted with the occasional bare shrub that had yet to re-grow its leaves. The air was crisp, cool with the passing breeze, but warmed by the unobscured sun in a radiant blue sky. Nina could still see Essie vanishing in the distance as she searched for fresh meat to fill her belly. Nina herself was happy with a couple protein bars buried in her backpack. She fished one out now, munching happily as she awaited Essie’s return. And maybe she’d look a bit harder for her missing things once the rumble in her stomach ceased.

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    Sitting down on a large boulder a few feet away from a small pond, the young man kicked off his shoes and proceeded to pull of his socks. Balancing his lunch on his lap, Jack stuck his feet in the water, sighing with relief. He'd been wandering for some time, just taking in the sights. The cool water did wonders for his tired soles.

    Jack munched on a couple of fries, not really feeling all that hungry. As he ate, the young man glanced up, staring out over the water. On the other side, he made eye contact with a deer. Evidently, it had been drinking when he'd walked up. Jack looked away and it went back to minding it's own business as well. Nothing to see here.

    The young man stretched out and laid back on the boulder. It's rough surface was a little uncomfortable, but he didn't mind. It was cozy enough, almost as if nature had designed it as a resting place for weary travelers. Jack continued to idly shovel fries into his mouth, looking up at the sky now. It was so peaceful out there. He groped around inside the bag for a minute before realizing he was out of fries, starting on his burger. Once finished, the young man rapidly teleported to dispose of the bag and back to the rock.

    Opening a bottle of water, Jack began to wash down his small meal. He was left sputtering, coughing up water and looking around anxiously when the great roar rang out. The earth shook, the animals took off running! The young man stood his ground, though, a little water running down the front of his shirt.

    Not sensing any immediate danger, Jack pulled on his tennis shoes, stood up, and looked toward the direction the sound had emanated from. A small rise overlooking the valley he'd been chilling in, not too far away from the pond. The young man dusted off the seat of his jeans and set off to investigate. That sound hadn't come from any normal animal. Perhaps he'd discovered some rare supernatural beast! Either way, he was too curious to not check it out.

    A couple teleportations to backtrack got him a lot closer to the top of the rise. Now he was away from the trees and could see what looked like a camp ahead in the distance. Jack made his way over to it, not in any particular hurry.

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

Unfortunately, Nina was correct in assuming Esmeralda had terrified every living creature within a hundred-mile radius of the camp. Essie’s search for a living, breathing, fresh lunch proved unfruitful, and she wasn’t willing to venture too far without her Draconian along for the ride. A low rumble in the pit of her stomach had Essie snorting in frustration, steam escaping her flaring nostrils and vanishing into the wind. She made a wide circle over the valley, and headed back for now. The afternoon weather was so still that Essie could almost glide continuously over the valley without a single flap of her great leather wings. She did keep an eye on the ground, just in case some careless prey decided it wasn’t scared and stuck around. As she passed over a clearing surrounding a small pond, she caught sight of a human sized outline near the water, but the shadow vanished so suddenly and unexpectedly, Esmeralda almost thought she had imagined the figure. Usually, her keen eyes didn’t make mistakes such as these, but she still felt somewhat irregular from the vivid dream earlier. It continued to haunt her. 

Nina could sense Essie’s sudden change in thought. From the thrill of the hunt to a flicker of fear and then doubt, Essie’s manner was suddenly insecure. It was an odd emotion for the Dragon, as Esmeralda was usually confident, decisive, and intrepid. ‘I know I’m being stupid,’ Essie told her. ‘Just not sure why this dream came at me so. It’s been a long time since I’ve really thought about my early years…’ 

‘Is that what the dream was about?’ Nina questioned hopefully. While Essie answered questions about her life story to Nina on occasion, there were still many parts of the Dragon’s past that she’d buried so deep, even their connection couldn’t reach and Essie was unwilling to divulge them. It bothered Nina that even after the years they had been connected, there were things she couldn’t know, that she wasn’t allowed to know.  

‘More or less. Another time,’ Essie shut down the inquiry. Of course Nina couldn’t understand Essie’s hesitation. There was nothing her past that she was actually ashamed of. Nina didn’t question further, but Essie felt her disappointment. 

Back at camp, Nina stuffed the wrappers from her recent snack into her backpack and then pulled the pack over her left shoulder. She stood, still one boot short, and picked her way though the debris searching for its missing partner. She had kicked over a couple of large rocks when a sudden rustling of leaves across the camp caught her attention. Footsteps. Nina froze narrowing her eyes though the trees, a frown clear upon her face, “Who’s there?” She called sharply. Her voice echoed between the foliage. Many thoughts were racing through her mind. While almost all the animals had been frightened away by Esmeralda’s roar, what kind of creature would be drawn to it? A careless animal? A clueless hiker? A treacherous Hunter? Some other dangerous beast? Both of Nina’s glocks were buried in her bag, and her hunting knife was far from useful in a hostile conflict. She cursed silently, but was glad to know Essie would be along shortly.

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    A crisp wind blew past Jack, flattening grass and giving the young man slight goosebumps. He didn't mind the chill, glancing up at the sky for a brief moment, a slight smile on his face as he inhaled deeply. This was the sort of thing Jack liked to leave the city for. He'd always enjoyed the fresh air that was to be found in a place as wild as this. It always made the hike worth it.

    From the pocket of his jeans, the young man removed a strip of gum. He popped it into his mouth and began chewing. Jack wondered who'd made the camp. He hoped they were nice. He'd been having a pretty good time and would hate for it to be ruined if somehow he'd managed to steal away from all the bullies in the city only to stumble into one out here. That would suck. Jack crumpled up the wrapper and dropped it onto the ground, giving it a slight kick before continuing on.

    "Who's there?" Echoed out from the camp. A woman's voice. Apparently the camp was occupied after all. Jack was relieved. He'd been partly worried that he was about to stumble upon the grisly scene of some butchered hikers, partly worried that he'd reach the camp and be greeted with a load of buckshot from some startled campers. Luckily, neither of those seemed to be the case.

    "My name is Jack. I heard a roar of some kind coming from over here. Is everyone ok?" He paused briefly before continuing. "Did ya see the beastie that made the noise?"

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

However brief the pause between Nina’s question and a male’s voice in response, the silence put Nina on edge. A breeze picking up loose leaves and grass was the only sound to touch her ears before the soft crunch of the stranger’s shoes asserted his presence. He was speaking at he appeared between the trees across the small clearing, only a few yards from where Nina was standing. He was a young male with a solid build, average height, dark complexion, and a heavy brow. He seemed an ordinary human; and without the burden of a typical Hunter’s gear, the male’s appearance was less threatening than Nina had originally intended. She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, her body visibly relaxing, but still reasonably guarded.  

Jack, he called himself, was seeking the source of what Nina knew to be Esmeralda’s panicked roar from earlier. His inquiry struck Nina oddly, for what human runs towards the earth-shaking roar while every other living thing in the area is running away from it? Perhaps there was more to Jack than meets the eye. Nina thought for a moment he might be another Draconian, but quickly dismissed it. He’d have known what made the sound had that been the case. No, Nina concluded, he was simply exceedingly curious, maybe a bit foolish, but undoubtedly lucky that this particular venture would not result in lasting harm. Essie only attacked people who threatened her or Nina, at least that was the case in the last couple of decades. 

Nina opened her mouth to answer him when she spotted her missing boot out of the corner of her eye. It lay among some scattered leaves and twigs, only its toe poking through the pile to reveal itself. With an abrupt 'Oh!' Nina hurried towards it, tired of feeling lopsided and irritated by the grime that had begun to accumulate on her sock. As she bent over to retrieve the boot, she stated clearly, “That was a dragon.” She leaned against a nearby tree as she hiked the boot up her leg. Nina was watching him with an inquisitive eye, gauging the emotions crossing his handsome features.  

As if she was waiting for the right moment, Esmeralda suddenly made her appearance at the precipice of the hillside, flying boldly over the ledge, and landing in the center of the clearing. Her wings sent a shock wave of wind over the vicinity, and came to rest tucked-in at her sides. Having already felt Nina’s relief and calm, Essie was hardily hostile, although her yellow eyes peered forebodingly at the stranger. 

'The dramatic entrance was hardly necessary, Essie,' Nina chided her teasingly. A knowing smiled played on her lips as she turned towards the Dragon.

'How often do I get to be impressive around strangers?' Essie laughed inwardly. At the same time, she sense more than realized that the stranger was the source of the flicker of shadow she had spotted by the pond a moment ago. The speed at which he came to be at the camp was troubling, and Essie wondered just who Jack really was.

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    "A dragon?" The young man asked, not sure if he'd heard her correctly. Jack exhaled, staring up at the sky as if expecting the creature to come swooping down on him at any moment. He'd never met a dragon before. There were a lot of old stories about hunting dragons but Jack knew that dragons weren't so bad. Some could be, but most probably just wanted to live their lives just like anybody else. The young man was pretty eager to meet such a creature.

    The woman bent to retrieve something. A boot? Jack thought that was weird before he finally noticed that she'd been missing a boot. How she'd managed to lose it, he didn't know. Perhaps, after meeting the dragon, he would ask about it later.

    Jack attempted to keep his posture relaxed, still maintaining a friendly smile. Underneath, he was itching to get up and go looking for the dragon. But he got the feeling that the dragon would find him soon enough. Not wanting to alarm the woman, the young man didn't do much besides allow his eyes to widen with genuine surprise and awe once Essie appeared, landing nearby.

    "A dragon," Jack said, breathless. "She's magnificent! If she's your dragon, does that make you her draconian? That's so cool. What's her name? Do you fly on her back a lot? Why was she roaring earlier? What does she eat? Can I touch her scales? What does she breathe? Can she change her shape?"

    The young man bounced about a bit, wanting to move closer but worried that he might upset one of them. Jack stopped, his face flushing with embarrassment all of a sudden.

    "I forgot to ask! What's your name?" The young man asked Nina once he'd remembered his manners.

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

The emotions that crossed Jack’s features were not hunger or greed, not fear or repulsion, not even disbelief or confusion, but anticipation, excitement, like he was about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event. Nina was both relieved and curious. Seriously, what are the odds she’d cross paths with someone who just thinks dragons are cool rather than profitable or dangerous? Essie was just as surprised. Her experience with humans was less than pleasant. 

Jack’s excitement and the barrage of questions had Nina laughing, the sound echoing around the clearing and the effort leaving her breathless. His anticipation was like a small child at Christmas. His afterthought to ask her name caught her off guard as well. Her laughter lessened. As she caught her breath, she wiped tears from her eyes. Looking at Jack with a smile, she said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I’m more relieved than anything. Essie was ready to boil you.” 

Nina walked across the clearing toward her Dragon. She placed a comforting hand on Essie’s neck. Her scales were cool to the touch. ‘What do you think, Essie?’ Nina asked her. ‘Want to give him the grand tour?’ 

Still unsure of his motives, Essie continued to eye Jack suspiciously. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of deception he was hiding. Nina seemed to accept him at face value well enough, and she was usually a good judge of character, at least when she’s sober. Essie hesitantly agreed with her, but she wasn’t ready to let her guard down just yet. 

Nina decided to answer a few of Jack’s questions. “Okay, so I’m Nina. Yes, I’m a Draconian. Esmeralda, or Essie as I call her, is my Dragon companion. She spews boiling water, hence my saying she was ready to boil you earlier. She doesn’t trust other people.” 

She paused, interrupted by a thought from Essie. ‘I’m sure he was the one I saw by the lake. Ask him about it.’ Nina rolled her eyes at Essie’s impatience.  

“Essie wants to know how you arrived at our camp so fast. I think it would help her trust you if you told the truth,” Nina bluntly told him.

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    When Nina started laughing, Jack's dusky skin immediately became flushed with embarrassment. Naturally, the young man assumed she was laughing at him. He knew it was unlikely but couldn't help but wonder if he had spiderwebs in his hair or something else about his appearance that other people seemed to find comical. Jack often found people laughing at him. His face brightened somewhat. Maybe that just meant he was a funny guy! Girls liked guys who could make them laugh, or so he'd been told.

    "B-boil me?" Jack said, mouth slightly ajar. He imagined himself being boiled alive like a chicken breast. The young man shook slightly at the thought. "T-that won't be necessary! Essie and Nina, you said? Nice to meet you!" He peered at the dragon, scratching his chin, relieved that the attractive woman hadn't been laughing at him. She did look kind of like an Essie, when he thought about it.

    Jack couldn't help but get the feeling that Essie was giving him the stink eye. It almost made him uncomfortable. Almost. Nina asked him how he'd reached their camp so fast. The young man laughed.

    "Teleportation, of course! How else?" He cocked his head slightly to the side, smiling. Despite the dragon's apparent suspicion, Jack was enjoying himself. He always liked to meet new people and it wasn't every day that one got to meet a dragon!

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

With Jack’s answer, Nina crossed her arms and look up at Essie as if to say ‘Satisfied?’ Nina was relatively certain Jack was just a curious person as opposed to a hunter or some other being that meant them harm. She guessed him to be younger than she was, and Nina always had a rude habit of addressing younger people as ‘kid’ rather than their name. Between his physique, his voice, and the general way in which he carried himself, Jack was obviously an adult; perhaps it was merely his excitable attitude that gave him his childlike quality. Nina tried to shake off her prejudice, certain she’d offend him or hurt his pride if the word ‘kid’ slipped in conversation. “Teleportation. Very cool,” Nina stated nonchalantly. “You don’t have to fear aggression from Essie unless you threaten us. So don’t worry.” 

As excited as he was seeing and meeting a dragon, Nina didn’t miss the shadow of fear the crossed Jack’s face. It was quick; in a blink the shadow was gone. Nina turned back to Essie and spoke out loud for Jack’s sake, “You can stop looking at the ki-… at him like you’re ready to eat him.” Essie looked taken aback by this, as if the thought of eating Jack disgusted her. Human flesh was far from appetizing. She’d rather have a deer, an elephant, or a jungle cat any day. ‘That’s just the kind of thing that gives Dragon’s a bad name. You know good and well Human’s are the last thing I’d eat.’ Essie chided her, but dropped her gaze anyway. As long as he didn’t make a crazy move, Essie had no reason to harm him. Trust was another story. 

Nina laughed and spoke to Jack in order to explain the exchange, “I’m just joking of course. Human’s don’t taste good… even boiled.” Meeting new people isn’t exactly one of Nina’s strengths. Like Essie, Nina trusted few people. While she was generally friendly with most strangers, she hardly cared to get to know them, and almost never volunteered information about herself. However, Jack’s naturally curiosity seemed to lower Nina’s guard. She could feel Essie relax next to her, and she eased down on her haunches, her tail wrapping gracefully around her body, and her wings nestling comfortably on her back. 

“Here. Come sit, if only for a little bit,” Nina motioned at Jack. She plopped down next to Essie, crossing her legs comfortably. She assumed Jack wanted to know more about Essie. He seemed almost ready to burst with questions. But she didn’t want to leave the kid standing at the edge of the wood like an unwanted beggar at one’s front door. 

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    "It's pretty cool," Jack agreed. He liked being able to move instantaneously from one place the next. It was very convenient, though some might argue it had made him lazy. The young man had yet to master the skill but he wasn't feeling to motivated. His present skill level was good enough for his purposes and Jack didn't feel it worth the time and energy he would need to expend to willfully unlock the next tier. He preferred to let the spells come to him, as his nature dictated.

    "I'm sure I'll be fine. Essie's big but I'm sure she's just a big ole softie, huh?" Jack said jokingly, with a smile. It hadn't been fear of bodily harm that had bothered him earlier, so much as the mental image of imagining himself boiled alive. He had a very vivid imagination and didn't find the imagined experience to be all the pleasant.

    At the mention of Essie possibly maybe looking as though she was going to eat him, the young man looked hurt. "I'm a person, not a snack. That would be awfully rude." Nina explained a moment later and Jack nodded, understanding. He didn't necessarily agree that people weren't tasty, but he understood that some people probably didn't enjoy it all that much.

    "Don't mind if I do," Jack said happily, plopping down a little ways in front of the duo. The ground wasn't super comfortable, but he was alright with that. Normally the young man preferred to slouch or recline. But it seemed more polite to sit and face the people he was talking to, so that's what he did.

    Sensing an opening, he resumed his bombardment. "So why was Essie roaring earlier? She darn near woke up the whole neighborhood! Also, can she change her shape? I've read some stories about dragons who could shapeshift. Always seemed pretty fascinating to me. Like what if the stranger standing in line with me at Starbucks was really a dragon in disguise? That would be cool. I wish I could tell but that would ruin the fun, right? The fun of asking questions?"

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

Esmeralda’s yellow eyes followed Jack as he ambled closer and sat across from them. Her gaze didn’t stay on him, having already made him uncomfortable once, especially after Nina’s comment about her eating him. How ridiculous. Her stare lazily wandered about the clearing, taking in the rough patches of grass and dirt that she had clawed up during her nightmare-induced thrashings. The vivid dream had taken its toll on her psyche. So much violence and death been present in her younger years; she wanted nothing more than to keep most of the emotional toll shoved into the distant recesses of her mind. Was it coincidence that after a dream reminding her of all the terrible people who plagued her past and the destruction Essie had wrought in retaliation, she and Nina were to come upon a stranger who wanted nothing more than to sit, talk, and ask questions? Jack had referred to her by CheapCoupon" style="z-index: 2147483647;"> playfully as a ‘big ole softie’ – a comment that Essie stubbornly ignored – but there was a time in Esmeralda’s life when she wouldn’t so much as look at another human without the intention of killing them on the spot.  

Essie suddenly felt Nina’s mental presence brushed gently against her thoughts. It was comfort, reassurance. ‘You’re not the same Dragon you once were. It was a long time ago,’ she whispered. Nina was startled and confused by the waves of guilt she could feel radiating from Essie’s psyche. She was aware of most of her past, and believed most of Essie’s actions understandable if not completely justified. Nina was sure the earlier dream was still upsetting the Dragon, but she had no way of consoling her. 

‘I’m fine. Really. I promise,’ Esmeralda told her sharply. Her gaze had shifted back to the pair as her mind came back to the present. The fact that she was fine was a half-truth. After today, Essie would manage to seal those pesky memories away once again. Nina was hardly satisfied with that answer, but turned away once again to face Jack. She had twisted around to face the Dragon as she spoke to her telepathically, a silly gesture seeing how telepathy worked even over a distance, not to mention whether or not they were facing each other. Looking back at him, Nina realized Jack’s questions had gone answered during the exchange. 

“Sorry ‘bout that. It’s been a rough day,” Nina stated. She put a finger to her lips, eye upturned as she was trying to remember what questions had been asked and which one she would rather answer first. “Let’s see… Essie is far too fond of her claws, teeth, and wings to have a desire to shapeshift. But you’re right. There are many who can. It’s a convenient gift seeing how Dragon’s are huge and difficult to keep hidden, especially when there are people out there who would do them harm. But besides hiding in plain sight via shapeshift, most human’s hardly look up from their phones long enough to take notice of anything anymore, even a Dragon. Essie makes fun of the fact it’s so much easier to hide now than it was when she was growing up.” 

Esmeralda snorted in acknowledgement. Inwardly laughing at how true Nina’s statement was. Essie avoided large cities, but she’d been within range of human settlements many times only to go unnoticed because they were paying so little attention to their surroundings. 

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    "People are awfully silly nowsadays," The young man agreed. "They don't care for any of the important things. It's celebrities this, trifles that." Jack didn't have very much respect for the intelligence of sentients as a whole. Didn't like them very much. But he liked individuals.

    Nina and Esmerelda seemed ok so far. Potential friends, the young man hoped. But they were also kind of weird and didn't seem too chatty. They seemed to be having some sort of telepathic conversation. It made him super curious, but the young man decided not to bug them about it. It probably wasn't any of his business.

    Jack looked around, noticing all the damage for the first time. The earth was torn up like two great beasties had done battle. Did this have anything to do with Essie's loud roar earlier? The young man wondered to himself. He looked at the two. Neither appeared as though they'd been in a battle recently. Unable to figure it out himself, or unwilling to jump to conclusions, at least, Jack figured that's what the question he would ask next.

    "So, I was wondering. What was up with the load roar and the, uh, well.." Jack's face flushed and he simply gestured to their surroundings. The rough patches of grass, the upturned dirt. The whole general torn upedness of it. "Not to pry or anything, but it was very loud and I'm sure some old chipmunk out there had a heart attack or something. Very startling. Is everything ok? This place looks like a battlefield!" Ok. Maybe that last part was a teensy bit of an exaggeration, but it made his point, he hoped.

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

Nina nodded her head as Jack by CheapCoupon" style="z-index: 2147483647;"> agreed with her statement. At his next inquiry, Nina couldn’t help but laugh. Esmeralda did make quite a mess of their surroundings. Essie rolled her eyes, half embarrassed by her obvious discomfort earlier. 

‘Can’t just let that go can we?’ Essie said irritably. 

‘Well, it is what brought him over here in the first place,’ Nina replied without looking away from Jack.  

Her laughter died away as she answered Jack’s question carefully. There was only so much she was willing to divulge. “Let’s just say Essie had a bad dream. One of those vivid nightmares that has you thrashing about and wakes you up with a startled yelp, and your body drenched in a cold sweat; only in her case her thrashings are much more destructive, and her startled yelp is a terrifying roar.” The contents of Esmeralda’s nightmare Nina decided to keep to herself. Hell, even she only understood about half of what she saw within the dream.  

Nina stretched behind her to pat one of Essie’s outstretched legs. “Scared the shit outta me too,” Nina confessed. “And scared most every other animal away, as Essie found out when she tried to find lunch.” 

‘Yea yea…’ Essie mumbled trying not to think about the empty pit in her stomach. 

“Which is why we were so suspicious of you,” Nina finished after a slight pause. “While most everything else had run away, you decided to go towards the sound.” She didn’t exactly ask him why, but the implication was there if he chose to answer it.  

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    The young man glanced around, again taking in the destruction of the surroundings. So this was the result of a dragon's bad dreams. "Must've been some pretty gnarly dreams," Jack commented, looking back at Essie. He wasn't much for nightmares, but he could understand how unpleasant they had to be for others. It was unfortunate, really. Nina made some comment on all the animals nearby having fled from the loud roar Essie had issued earlier.

    Jack shrugged sheepishly, smiling. "I guess I'm just a bit too curious for my own good. It'll probably catch up to me some day but so far I've been pretty lucky, I s'pose."

    At Nina's mention of food, the young man's stomach had growled slightly. He was feeling a bit peckish himself. Jack almost felt bad for the other two. A nice juicy burger was only a blink away for him but they'd have to hunt if they wanted something. Gah. When was the last time he'd eaten? Jack couldn't even remember.

    "How does Essie feed herself when there's no game around to snatch up? Do you two just keep looking.?"

[Nina Elizabeth Foster]

Esmeralda stretched out her long wings, soaking in the warm sun that still hung brightly in the sky. It had drifted slightly to the west, marking the short passing of time over the afternoon. On the horizon, Essie could see a small gathering of clouds, but in the current area, the sky remained bright and blue. She was only half listening to Nina’s and Jack’s conversation, tired of being reminded of her embarrassing episode. She folded her wings once again over her back, and closed her eyes. The couples’ voices became distance murmurs as her thoughts drifted elsewhere, mostly to the herd of deer she planned on consuming in the near future.   

Nina felt Essie’s disconnect as her mind drifted away. It always amazed Nina how fast Essie could fall asleep. She needed no down-time or a few minutes of simply resting her eyes. She simply needed to decide she wanted to snooze and she’d be gone as soon as she was comfortable. The Dragon’s behavior suited Nina just fine, as she was able to sneak the occasional cigarette when Essie was asleep. 

Nina nodded in response to Jack’s explanation of his curiosity. She’d already accepted the fact he was harmless, at least to them at this moment. Hell, she had no idea who he might be elsewhere, what other unseen supernatural talents he might possess. His question about food interrupted her short tangent thoughts. Nina was fine, as she had just eaten a couple protein bars while Essie was out hunting. She knew the Dragon hadn’t been successful, and they’d have to search a bit more whenever she awoke. 

“It’s not as dire as all that,” Nina replied casually. “It’s just a matter of getting out of the radius of frightened animals, and searching beyond that line. Essie has a powerful nose and eyes like a hawk, and I’m a decent tracker if things get tough. Not to mention that any nearby city could supply us as well. Essie just prefers fresh meat and the ‘thrill of the hunt’ y’know?” 

Nina had begun sifting through her backpack as she was talking. The pack of menthols had managed to sink all the way to the bottom, stuffed in a corner. She fished it out, thankful she’d thought to stick her lighter in the folds of the plastic surrounded the cardboard package. She flicked the lid open and held the box out across from her. “You smoke? Or mind if I do?” Nina asked. “Essie loathes this stuff, so I gotta get one in when she snoozes.”