New World...Same Problems: Part 2

Story by Starlight Nova on SoFurry

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#7 of Role Plays

Welcome back everyone to another.....Ok, I know this is not the story I promised but it is better than nothing, right? Well, I will be posting it before college comes and hogs what I do everyday. I am almost done of it, I only have two scenes left to do. And for the Inherited Wish chapter I also said I was going to do? You can blame everything on the new games I got for christmas. They are fun. So, this is part two of the RolePlay story I have been doing with Madam Poodle, and because of games and the next semester of college, it has been on pause for quite awhile, but I thank Madam for being very patient.

Anyway, this chapter does have some dragon fun in it, although it is solo, as well as some gryphon mating too. With all these People on Elpitha, things can only get more complicated, and the third part has more battle scenes with the Black Knight. You will also get to see a couple more of my characters, well, many more, but three of them who have been with Colby for quite some time. I can say it has been fun RP'ing with Madam Poodle and I cannot wait until we get further into the story and plot. A lot more is going to happen that will shake the foundation of what Colby has made to make this planet peaceful, but, you can never have peace with some trouble. Evil never wants to go away.

At that note, part three will be up within a week or two, depending on whether my next post completes the fifty pages that I have for each part. The picture down below is the map I drew of Elpitha to keep my thoughts organized along with where everyone is. These other links I am posting will also help visualize the surrounding area. http://www.sofurry.com/view/743633, http://www.sofurry.com/view/748427, http://www.sofurry.com/view/742818. So, until next time, or when I have finished Colby and Calin's story, have a nice day!


*StarLight Nova: *

** ** Landing on the soft grass near my home, my wings sag partly out of exhaustion, part annoyance. Whatever that Knight was doing could not be good. If his cryptic saying was anything to go by, there are a few people on my planet who wish the inhabitants harm and I won't allow that. But first, I have to get back to Cavynthra. Something that I did not know was that she was nervously pacing back and forth in our nest, wondering where I was. Her mate said he was not going to be gone long, but it was nearly daylight now.

For me, maybe it was not such a good idea to transform back into my human form when I get into the house, for the moment I open the wide door to our room, Cavynthra looks at me and pounces. She drives the wind from my lunges and hisses with her snout just mere inches from my face. I know she will not do anything to hurt me, but having an almost full sized young adult dragoness trapping you on the floor where I barely reach her elbow is terrifying.

"Where have you been?!" She shouts in my mind hysterically with teeth bared. I only look back at her with eyes as wide as discs and body as still as cardboard before regaining myself. She spreads her wings wide, thrashing her tail angrily as I come back home much later than intended.

"Ther-There was...There was a problem that has arisen. If I don't deal with it soon, this world may see violence and death instead of peace and love." I answer hesitantly but calmly back into her mind.

Cavynthra stares at me, lowering her aggressive posture but putting all her weight into holding me down anyway. It is hard to breathe with a few hundred ton dragon hovering over you, pissed off at what you promised you would do. I can see her thinking, knowing what I do and many times having accepted it for what needs to be done. But now, I don't think she is willing to do that at finally having a chance for peace with no war, no fighting, no blood, no death. Her wings slowly retract and her tail steadies, swishing over the hard floor.

"No," She says, making me tilt my head in confusion before continuing. "If you are going to look for anyone who wants to put this world into violence, I am coming with you. You have trained me well my mate," Cavynthra says, leaning forward to gently lick my face in which I smile back. "I am sure I could handle myself, besides, you will be doing most of the fighting, and I just want to be with you." She responds, pulling back her right foreleg and allowing me to get up from the ground.

"I sure you do Cavynthra, but I can't be positive that the situation will be safe for you or not." I reply, standing up before walking forward and putting a caring hand on her chest near her green crystal. For me I have to look up to her as she has to look down on me. Cavynthra rumbles deep in her throat, purring as my touch radiates the love and passion between us.

"I can accept that, but first I want to get some sleep with you before we have to do anything else. I won't be accepting no as an answer. You can either come willingly, or I can drag you into the nest, your choice." Cavynthra says, padding into the nest, lying on her right flank and raising a questioning wing.

I gaze upon her beautiful form, the curve of her body and the shine of her scales. Sighing, I start to walk forward but I am interrupted by Calemvir in Dragon Valley, saying that Erik and his dragon companion Kur'si have found a threat in Hen'lai. Cavynthra sees me pause mid-step, frowning as only a dragon could frown and folds her wing against her side again, no doubt listening in on what he is saying.

"Colby, there has been a disruption in the town of Hen'lai. Erik and his dragon found the water fountain chipped, and you no doubt can figure out that it takes a lot of force to even crack that material. They have the area secure for now, but come as soon as you can." Calemvir inclined, mental voice a deep baritone from decades of growth.

_ _ I curse, putting my foot down and clenching my hands into fists. The tension in my mouth is high as my teeth threaten to crack under the pressure I exert but calm down when Cavynthra quickly comes to my side. "Come Colby, you heard him, Erik and Kur'si can take care of the town on their own for now. Lie with me; think about what you are going to do. Just be with me until noon, then you can go, and I will follow." Cavynthra said, lowering her chest to the ground and carefully nuzzling my back.

My anger dissipates quickly, but does not fade. I look up to gaze into Cavynthra's sparkling eyes, captivated by the colors they hold. She always does know how to calm me down, even when I am raging mad at times. I take a few deep breaths, unclenching my hands and raising my right arm to lay it on her snout. Caynthra thrums with happiness before moving into the nest again in which I follow her complacently while turning into my dragon form. I cuddle up to her, chest to chest and wrap my right wing over her beautiful form.

Cavynthra, seeing me calming down, rests her head near my fore-paws and closes her eyes, content to know I will not leave her, for now. I look out a nearby window, seeing the sunrise gradually come over the horizon to brighten a new day, a day filled with new problems and issues. Resigned to my fate next to my mate, I lay my head down on top of her neck, purring as I drift off into an uneasy sleep.

While Lish'ua was sleeping heavily in her nest in the barn, Maurel had to deal with an infestation. No sooner had he reached the farm and started to prepare his magic to douse the flames and re-grow the lost corn did small, rat bombs start exploding, making him jump in alarm. "What the flim flam!" He exclaimed randomly before cursing his luck. "Damn rats." He muttered, twirling his staff overhead before bringing it down with a thump.

The shockwave diminished the explosive radius of the rats, but did not stop them. Sighing with frustration, he began the long arduous task of cleaning his field and rebuilding the lost silo that he had used the spell on. Looking over to the barn, he could see remnants of a powerful spell that his friend had activated, the large vines partially exposed above the earth. That must be the reason she did not come and find him, that spell always takes a lot out of her.

Back on the river near the house and watermill, Kuroda smiled happily, seeing his little friend try and comfort their guest as best he can. After stretching and waking up, he went downstairs to prepare some breakfast for himself, his friend, and their new guest. Hopefully they could rustle out where she came from and what to do after that. If she did not have the motivation to do anything in a strange environment, then he was more than happy to take her in.

Madam Poodle:

** ** In town, Tanuki would keep to walking on, passing on through each home with barely anyone awake and about, it'd make his path clear, and unhindered. He walks a relatively straight path, trying to seek the quickest way out of town even with his true destination unknown. He'd not bother to look at anything, or the few people outside, simply walking, with his head forward. His pace was constant, and his trajectory in the exact middle of the road as time passed, and his shadow pivoted. For now, his path was clear and wide: an ideal one to have.

With Panic! flown far from there, the little copycat tried to keep its glowing eyes close, but alas, this proved a very tedious task. Its eyes opened ever few moments or so, seeing the sun only rising very miniscule distances each time, not to mention, no one came in yet. It was quite silent in there, the only sound being the loud ticking of the clock. Minutes passed, and the cat got rather unfathomably bored, there wasn't anything much to do in hiding. Figuring no one was coming in for a while, it dropped down, and surfaced from behind the clock to find things to do. Padding around curiously, everything was rather large, ideal environment for most cats.

As morning advanced a little by little bit, Render had begun to open an eye to the now light skyline as the orange sun peered just above the horizon. He'd coast for a little while, awake, but not active at the moment. He still sat, until he was fit enough to rise again.

With Foxy, the morning passed by here, and as the sun rose, her conscious started to come back to her. Slowly opening her eyes to the ground, she felt something covering her. As such, she instantly started to slowly arise from her laying position to get a hold on things, perhaps move around a little, and gather some morning sun. The night left her body in a mild soreness from sleeping on a hard surface.

StarLight Nova:

** ** While Colby and Cavynthra slept together for a few hours with Erik and Kur'si keeping tabs on the town after waking up some time ago, Maurel finally finished the re-growing spell for his crops and opened the door to his home to get something to eat. That battle surely wore him out and he was more than aggravated for having been woken up so suddenly by Lish'ua. Sure, she did really well in battle but that damn sorcerer flew off to heavens knows where. Hopefully he won't be bothering us anytime soon.

One thing he did not notice right away was a midnight black cat walking around his house, his only concern was to eat and then begin his work on the farm. Lish'ua would be taking the day off so he would have to call for her mate, which is if he knew what was good for him. Only when he went into the backroom to take off his hat and put his staff away did he freeze. A black cat was in his home and prowling around. Maurel did not know where the cat came from, but as long as he, or she did not cause any trouble or damage anything, then he/she could stay, for now.

"I am keeping my eye on you cat, whoever you are." Maurel said, turning around to go outside and begin another day's work.

As the morning sun peaked over the horizon, Vaxil began to wake up, yawning widely and stretching his wings before blinking his eyes. Shaking his head, he flicked his tail and gazed at the low fire, still crackling with a few flames escaping the remaining logs. After a few minutes to wake up, Vaxil stood up, shaking his body and wings to loosen up his joints before stretching again like a cat. Once he was done, he looks over to see Render awake but not doing anything yet.

Not wanting to be rude and force him to continue so suddenly, I sit down on my haunches and begin to groom myself, not that I need to, but I wanted to clean my scales of any dirt that got attached to me. "If you are hungry you can get some fish from the lake or I could assist you, if you want. Otherwise, we should reach Dragon Valley before noon." I say, not knowing if Render is listening or not while I finish cleaning my scales.

The first thing that disturbed Rintaru was a slight bump against his wing. Grumbling low in his throat, he twitched before slowly waking up. His dark blue wings dimmed the morning sun while his breathing quickened and his eyes fluttered open. The feeling of someone under his wing got him out of his sleepy state faster as he gradually yawned then stood up, stretching like an overgrown cat and sitting down on his haunches, looking up at the visitor that came yesterday.

"Good morning ma'am. I hope you had a nice sleep," Rintaru said respectfully; spreading his wings out before folding them against his side, still the size he was when he came outside. "Kuroda is willing to help you find your way back home if that is what you wish? Otherwise you could always stay with us, or we could show you a town where you could stay." The not so small dragon offered, watching as the fox got up from sleeping under his wing, showing some stiffness in her movements from lying on the ground no doubt.

Cedric woke up to a calm morning, the salty sea breeze flowing in, making him take in a deep breath as he gradually opened his eyes. Instead of the night sky and sparkling stars was a light blue sky with bright red and orange from the sun cresting the peak of the horizon. The sunrise was always beautiful to watch, no matter where you were. His breathing steadied as he raised his arms and stretched, getting the kinks out of his body and readying himself on trying to find out where these people came from.

Looking to his left with his head still on the ground, the fire almost sizzled out; on the other side someone was awake. He appeared to be the one who was unconscious when he had got here and it looked like his healing had helped him out more than he thought. "I am glad to see you up. You and your friend were gravely wounded and I came here to heal you from walking peacefully near the ocean. I will answer any questions you might have, as seeing me might be confusing to you after waking up." I say to him, rising up to sit with my left leg bent and my right leg on the ground in the same position with my left arm resting on my left knee.

Madam Poodle:

** ** Having heard the door, the copycat quickly dropped in altitude, legs widespread in a low stance. It would see that the man was coming in from tending to the farm outside, but also noticing he sort of passed right by it quite a few times. While it still held a lowly standing position, the cat looked for a reaction from the man, eventually thinking he wouldn't, or doesn't notice, it further dropped, and trembled when it saw his subtle pause, and turn back his head. Hearing his voice like that in saying those words caused the cat to growl, and creep low to the ground in clear fright, going for anything nearby it could fit its petite form into. It did not surface for a long time afterward.

With the sun up and about, the upright-sitting Render soon heard the sounds of a rising dragon, so to stretch and flap and spread in a waking episode of movement. Hearing him talking, he didn't open his mouth, eyes, or even change his expression until he'd got word of this "Dragon Valley" place.

"Fine then... when can we depart?" He'd ask, not moving a single muscle yet as time still pressed on. His tail would switch to the other side after he's ask, and his ears were open as the calm wind barely disturbed his blond locks in his still posture of sitting.

With Foxy up and about the morning, he'd hear the dragon talk, but only hummed glumly in her response. With a rather sore side, she mustered to perhaps walk back inside the home. Slumping at the table somewhere in the room, she merely coasted there, perhaps waiting for something to be done, or present itself to her. Her head wasn't too down from yesterday, and her hat and whip weren't gone from yesterday. With her tail lowly and still, and her body stagnate; she just sort of seemed like a rather cute ornament that walked around the house. She only let loose a sigh of breathe as she sat.

With Kyo up and about, he flicked his bangs as he looked to see who was talking to him, looking around and seeing he was for awhile now, he shocked in a bit of unexpected chamber at Cedric had been standing there. As such, he quickly shifted his still very slightly sore body to Klin beside himself, and tried to shake him awake in a bit of a frantic episode.

"Hey, Klin, c'mon, wake up, man." He said frantically in a silent tone, taking his hand off of him, as he looked to Cedric, waiting for his friend to wake up. Klin stoned awake after successive shaking, sound clearly cranky, as is usual in his adolescent youth.

"Ahh, w-what the hell man, don't wake me up like that!" Klin said in a bit of an irritated tone as he rose a little, eyes still stubbornly closed, and his teeth clenched a little with a hand on his white, furry forehead.

StarLight Nova:

** ** Back outside at the farm, Maurel was sitting cross-legged on a patch of grass a ways away from the farm. He had been concentrating for a while now and the long distance telepathic spell was ready. _"Venro!"_I shout mentally, trying to get his attention as soon as possible. Deep in the mountains near the gate, a midnight blue/black gryphon tripped while walking out of his temporary room.

"Ack! Who? Wha- Maurel?" Venro replied, shaking himself and getting to his feet, or paws while looking around to see if anyone was near to have seen his stunt.

"Who else do you think it is? Your mate?" I respond, mental expression half sarcastic, half in anger.

"I can tell that,"_Venro replied not realizing what he had done. _"What is this about anyway Maurel? I was just about to help Kharum and Guddros with reinforcing the weaponry." Venro said, flicking his midnight blue tail with just the tip black maroon before standing up to go back into his room and close the door so he is not disturbed.

"Well, because you are not here, a sorcerer tried to burn your mate and then run her down with a hellish sleigh with a skeleton as a rider. She had to use her signature move to get rid of a large beast that was battling my Iron Golem, and she had to use earth Impale to escape from said sleigh led by hellhounds. Why else do you think I called you? Just to chat? No, I need you here right now to help me make another silo and re-grow my corn field." I rant, mentally berating the gryphon for choosing this time to go off to see his dwarvern friends.

Venro was silent after that for some time, either having stopped listening or he was thinking on what to say. The news certainly startled him, as he and his mate Lish'ua were going to try for gryphonettes once he got back, after some time...maybe. But after hearing this news, he knew he could not be away any longer.

_"Ok, I am coming back. I am sorry about that, and tell my mate to hang on. Is she hurt, I really don't know what I would do if I lost her. Just, let me tell my friends, I know they will understand. I will be there before supper. No, make that noon."_Venro declared, opening his door again after gathering a few things into a satchel to carry. He shuffled his wings and twitched his tail in anticipation of seeing his mate again.

I chuckle a little as Venro immediately complies, more worried about his mate than what I would, or will do to him once he gets back. I am sure Lish'ua is fine, exhausted, but fine. "No, she is not hurt, only tired from the battle. She is sleeping right now and I would not want to wake her. I am giving her the day off; unlike YOU who will be working until I think you have paid your debt for being away at a time like this. Yes, I know we could not predict this, but still." I interrupt him before he can say I was being unfair, but he keeps his beak shut when he knows that I am the one that gives him and his mate food and shelter, not that I would not do that already because of the peacefulness of the planet.

"Thank you Maurel,"_Venro responds before heading off to tell his friends. _"I will be there to help you as soon as I am able to." Once Venro breaks the connection, I open my eyes and sigh; I have a lot of work to do to get this farm the way it was before.

Back with Render and Vaxil. "Now if you want, it won't take much longer to get there." I reply, rising onto my forelegs only to crouch down so Render could climb back onto me. I turn my head to look at him sitting, waiting for him to move, but eventually he does with his plain expression.

I help him by further lowering my left foreleg so he can get on, warning him to be careful of my wings again before he settles himself and I set the spell so he won't fall off. Nodding my head once, I stand up on all fours, briefly spreading my wings and taking slow deep breathes to take in the cool air while closing my eyes. I tense up my appropriate muscles and open my eyes again, gazing into the distance. I tilt my head towards the fire, sending a sliver of magic to extinguish it before flapping my wings a few times.

I take up a slow walk that gradually turns into a trot and then a run. Knowing this motion is jarring Render on my back, I quickly spread my wings to their full extent and then push off with my powerful hind legs, flapping my wings to rise into the air. This time the transition from earth to sky is much smoother as I can take my time to leisurely fly through the air and still arrive at Dragon Valley before noon.

Once I get up a few hundred feet I level my flight, going to a smooth glide to give Render some time to relax. The wind is still strong, but light enough for conversation to be taken on the wing. Turning my head to look back at Render to see how he is doing, I bring my limps against my body to make me more aerodynamic. "Is there anything you want to ask me about the dragons or Calemvir in Dragon Valley before we get there?" I ask tentatively, knowing he might not take too well by seeing a hoard of dragons in one place.

Back at the watermill, I look on as the female fox grumbled and shuffled back into the house. My smile disappears as I see her emotionless expression, seeming to just move instinctively. A small curious growl leaves my throat as she opens the door and heads in. I shake my head, confused as to what to do but stand up and walk back towards the house as well. I retain my size, preferring to wait until I am inside before shrinking down again.

Kuroda on the other hand heard the door open silently and sees a depressed looking fox sit down at the table. Breakfast was nearly ready, a full plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast with jelly and orange juice. The old man did not speak to the fox, allowing her some time alone until the food was ready. Shortly after, the door opened again and I strode in to find my friend cooking breakfast and the female fox whose name is still not known sitting at the table.

"Why is she acting like that Kuro?" I ask, jumping up with a flap of my wings while shrinking down to land on one of my perches before gliding to the countertop to sniff at the food.

"Maybe the shock of finding you're on a different planet or somewhere where you do not know where you are is setting in. I bet she will relax soon enough." Kuroda replied.

"We still don't know her name." I respond, looking over at the fox to see her looking vaguely at the floor.

"Give her time Rin, she will come around. Why don't you accompany her for breakfast, maybe she will open up to you, seeing how you greeted her." Kuroda replied, setting the finished plates down on her counter before moving to get the drinks. "Ask her what she wants to drink."

I stand still for a few seconds, thinking over on some matters involving how we met. But, there is someone who is in unfamiliar territory, who better than to comfort her than a dragon who knows a lot about the land and surrounding area. Giving a semi reluctant chirp, I hop/glide over to the table as Kuroda prepares the last of the food.

I look at her with a hesitant frame; tail swishing back and forth while my wings are halfway extended. "Would you...What would you like to drink ma'am?" I ask tentatively, not knowing if she will respond or not.

Near the ocean with Klin, Kyo, and Cedric, I chuckle as I watch him frantically shake his friend to wake him up. Not the best way to wake up to, I think to myself. After a few seconds the other one wakes up albeit not in the best mood. "I am glad you are awake. I was worried you might not make it for a while." I say, causing Kyo to pause in his current position with Klin looking at me skeptically.

"Don't worry; I will not hurt you or your friend. It was me who healed you after I found your friend there in pain. I did what I could; most of your injuries should be healed but you will be sore for some time after. May I know your names please?" I ask, a light morning breeze ruffling my hair and robes.

Madam Poodle:

** **"Well... I'd say it was a nice start here, granted it was a bit longer than I would like. Perhaps I should pack a little more heat next time..." Said Panic! as he flew on, not sure where he was going, not caring where he was going, as long as he made a move on. He'd felt rather accomplished by his feat, but also knew he was going to need a lot more than he had to compete with whatever lurks further into the new world. He'd scoped the area numerous times, but found not much to go on besides the fact the world inhabits gryphon's, dragons, and humans with the capability to use magic, powerful magic at that.

Figuring updating his spell book would be the most immediate improvement to make, he continually scanned around, but still found nothing notable to catch that's within his range of effort. Everything was quite tranquil here, thus nothing stood to his attention right away, nothing stood out, and nothing looked strong, yet wild. Everything he saw for long miles was tame and civilized, which put him in a rather difficult spot as far as his arsenal of summons was concerned. This left him some time to start thinking about what he was going to do about it.

In the meantime, the copycat remained under the crevices of the bed in Maurel's bedroom; coasting there in the dimly illuminated, cover, hidden under bed. With a tail as fluffy as a feather duster, and a laying position lower than a racing prototype in comparison, it merely did just that for a long, long time. Yes, there wasn't much to do, but when cats are in unfamiliar areas, or are scared out of their senses; they tend to just forget about everything at the moment. Farmers often spend long amounts of time in the field, and as far as anyone's concerned, it would be a rather long wait before anything came its way again as far as people go. But kittens are kittens, and even with this amount of fear and need to hide in someplace interpreted as safe, cats get curious.

With Render and Vaxil off once more, Render had indeed been pretty jarred as he ran, it getting pretty tense, as he had some fear of the explosive devises in his cargo pre-igniting on him, clearly not the most pleasant of thoughts. Granted, these devises aren't terrifyingly lethal, but can induce serious injury to normal human/equivalent subjects. Also, he had multiple, so it would have spelled disaster. For the dragon, these devises were probably next to harmless if used in smaller quantities at which Render had been carrying. That aside, It'd come to the two gaining high altitude. Despite the steady, yet still head-snapping air resistance, it was rather high up, really high up. Even for a monkey, this was a terrifying height to be at. Looking down surely made him cringe each time, and falling was certainly a man's death. Barely over nature's roar of passing air, voices began to emanate from in front of him. Barely enough to hear, he made only a simple response, though he is rather unsure on rather it reached him, the Doppler Effect surely making his voice hard to hear.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He made a simple reply, trying his very best to hold himself down, as well as not look down.

Foxy had merely sat there how she was, blue and depressing as she had. Food didn't appeal to her senses right then, or did the morning sun, beautiful as it was. A massive dose of culture shock and burn had hit her so. Wherever she was, it surely wasn't home. She had no job, money that was worthless, no idea of where she was in the world; let alone what happened to have gotten her here. The lack of communications magic in the air meant her communicator was also next to worthless without another officer to engage it via 2-way signaling. Everything she was doing was now distant plans and she had no information on anything in this area. Even if she had to abandon her job life, she didn't seem to have much choice in living a more casual life either. Everything around her just in this house alone seemed contemporary to eras passed a long time ago. Though, there being only her, and elderly man, and an unusual creature one might take for a dragon, it just wasn't possible they be the only ones here, but looking outside, there were nothing but trees for some ways in each direction. The sky was clear of all but clouds, sky, and terrain; there was not a trace of architecture about anywhere but where she was. The river flowing nearby seemed to be the only thing that brought her any amount of ease whatsoever and there'd be something coming down it just as no one spotted.

Down from the river rowed by a black-eared white rabbit dressed neatly in blue, oar in hand and looking by at nature. With only her standing in her small wood boat, the river kept her moving along very steadily, her only having to push with the oar every once in a while to maintain an ideal pace. Soon enough, she passed beyond view further down the waters.

Back with the vixen, there comes by her the same little dragon that attempted comfort to her earlier, aside from her notice. Hearing as the offer for drinks was offered; she mustered up enough of a conscious to actually answer.

"If it were right now, I'd be wasted at this point." She remarked. She did not have said much else than that. Even as food was laid upon the table, her head had not moved. Her tail was motionless, as was her body.

With Kyo still a little in shock, Klin stumbles himself awake finally. Klin looked to Cedric, then all around then around some more. "I'm still in the same place of course. Why couldn't this one ACTUALLY be a dream?" Klin muttered mostly to himself. Now up with the sun, the trees and a blood-stained shirt, he told his friend everything was safe, not necessarily alright, but safe.

"See? Everything is SAFE, it's far from alright, but we are safe. I would like to know how the hell we got here from a hospital, mind you, without even the slightest of notice!" He ranted a little to, well, anyone who'd listen even if that person was no one. Kyo only scoped around as well, gathering the same inference.

"... I guess." He'd say, as he'd hear Cedric call for his name. This got him rather, interrogative.

"... I haven't heard your name." Kyo stated bluntly when then Klin interjected, faced away as he was looking around some more.

"The guy's name is... uhm... 'Cedric', or whatever." He'd say, Kyo then looking to Cedric again.

"Is this true?" Kyo asked, cocking his head to the side, a hand on his hip.

StarLight Nova:

** ** As the sun rises further into the sky, two dragons slowly wake up from a peaceful sleep inside of their home. The silver dragon wakes up first, stretching before nudging his mate awake. The dragoness only curls up tighter but her mate is persistent.

"Come on Cavynthra, get up, it's time to go. If we waste any more time then we might not be able to find the one who was in Hen'lai." I say, standing up to gently nibble on her left ear frill.

I pull back as she shakes her head, grumbling about wanting to sleep more with her mate and not worry about anything. I chuckle deep within my chest, walking backwards so that Cavynthra can get up. I sit back on my hind legs and clean my scales as I wait for her to wake up. It does not take long as I feel her rubbing up against my before whispering in my ear.

"You're such a bore Colby," She says laughing slightly in which I frown. "Come on, the faster we get this done the faster we can go back to the tree for some fun." Cavynthra teases, going past me and flicking her tail lightly on my snout.

I smile, standing up and turning around to follow my mate out of our home and into the open air. Our course is set North-West, were we go to the town of Hen'lai first to check with Erik and his partner as well as the Protector there to see what else they can tell us. Since I was the one to shape Elpitha, creating Gudon's mountain and The Tree of Life with the life crystal deep underground, I know how to get somewhere fast when I am needed. The residual magic that hangs in the air can only be sensed by those who know how to find it, and consequently use it.

It does not take until an hour before noon until we arrive at Hen'lai, in which we go to see Erik and Kur'si along with Jacen. The people of the town smile and wave happily at me, seeing as I am visiting, but for a different reason. Cavynthra and I soon find Erik and Jacen, Kur'si having gone off to scout the surrounding forest and mountain range.

"Erik, Jacen, how are you doing." I say, walking up to each to greet them with a handshake.

"Fine." Erik replies.

"Making do." Jacen responds.

I nod in acceptance before getting down to the more important matter. "Did any of you see who cracked the fountain?" I ask, our meeting residing in an open field so that Cavynthra can take part in it too.

"No, but as Calemvir no doubt told, or if he has not, we detected a rather interesting wave of magic coming from around where he was, but we can't find him right now." Erik said, sitting on the ground while Jacen stood up with his arms crossed.

"I see. Well, I will use my powers to locate him and put everyone at rest, but there is something else I have to warn you about." I say, leaning against Cavynthra's chest, hearing her deep steady breathing.

"And what would that be." Erik replies, bringing his left leg up against his chest.

"It seems, as it is still a theory, but it seems some people have fallen, or arrived at our world from another, as I saw and battled a Black Knight who had killed two people. I just want you to make sure that the citizens of this town and wherever you can stay within their house once darkness sets. Do not scare them, just be cautious." I explain, receiving affirmative nods.

"It will be done. I will send Kur'si to Dragon Valley to gather a few other dragons to spread the word, as well as a gryphon or two." Erik replies.

"Good, then I can leave it in your hands Erik, Jacen, I know you will be more than capable of defending should anything happen." I say while standing up, Cavynthra doing the same. "Be sure to say congrats to the two lucky dragons for me and wish them good tidings."

"They will be happy to know you thought of them." Jacen said, nodding his head before walking away. Erik and I share a few more minutes of idle conversation while Kur'si returns, in which they both head of to complete their duties as I turn back to face Cavynthra.

"Now what will we do?" Cavynthra says, tilting her head inquisitively, seeing if I will search for him myself or head back home until more information has been found.

"We go to Harnsey and see if he went that way, otherwise I can tell Calemvir to send some dragons to be on the lookout for two or more people that were not here when this planet was first settled." I respond, causing Cavynthra to snort in irritation.

I look at her and shake my head, laughing until I hear a whistling sound and duck, narrowly avoiding her spade tipped tail. "Hey!" I shout, putting my hands on my hips.

She jerks her head up once, huffing as if to prove a point before padding forward and nuzzling me in the chest. "We will figure this out soon enough my mate. No need to worry. The Darkness is gone for now, so it can't be him." I whisper, soothing Cavynthra while rubbing her neck scales softly, making her purr. Instead of immediately traveling to Harnsey, we visit the two newly mated dragons to see them myself before we head off, the sun high in the sky and the town in good spirits.

Vaxil heard Render loud and clear, having moved his mind to the edge of the monkeys own consciousness. Seeing his predicament, he switched to telepathy, already sure he had been doing that from the very beginning. Anything he said should have arrived crisp and clear inside of his head. So, he says it again, adding something else so he does not freak out.

_ "Is there anything you want to ask me about the dragons or Calemvir in Dragon Valley before we get there? If you're wondering how you can hear me so clearly, it is because I can speak telepathically."_ I ask again, turning my head around to concentrate on flying.

I angle downwards so that the ground is more comfortably in sight for Render, probably a hundred feet or so. The way to the main home of the dragons on this planet is now within sight, large mountains towering high into the sky, riddled with many caves that the dragons call home. Of course, the mountain range branches off a few times, one part of it being home to gryphon's, with the surrounding forest containing more magical creatures. A large lake with a river meandering off to somewhere else can be spotted in the hazy distance.

At the river with the watermill, Rintaru tilted his head to the side, confused as to what she meant. A small growl left his throat, neither menacing nor consoling. Kuroda looked over at him while he poured some milk for himself and grabbed a large bowl that he filled with water for his friend.

"Don't worry about it Rin. Why don't you go outside and get a few fish while I prepare your breakfast." Kuroda said, going out of the kitchen to head upstairs to get something. The slow breathing of the small dragon and Fox were the only things that could be heard in the house.

Rintaru watched his friend go, redirecting his attention to the still complacent looking Fox. "Well, if you don't want something to drink, maybe you want to eat? I know whatever situation you found yourself in might not be what you like, or are familiar with, but it is never good to neglect the needs of your body if you want to survive." Rintaru said wisely, looking over his shoulder and out the window for a second before turning back.

"Or, when you're done or if you don't want to eat, come outside for some fresh air, watch me catch some fish if you want. I am not used to anyone acting this way, so sorry if I do not know exactly what to do." The small dragon said truthfully, flicking his tail before hopping over to the edge of the table and glide down to the front door. Using his innate magic, he opened it to head outside; growing to the same size he was last night when he tried to comfort the Female fox.

"Yes, my name is Cedric, and I suppose you two really don't know where you are right?" I reply, watching as they look around. Sighing, I stand up, brushing my robes off while straightening them. I turn to face them, trying to look friendly and not threatening with my hands by my sides. "You are on the Elpitha, the planet of hope. If what you said about being in a hospital before, then I can be sure something transported you here. What it is, I don't know. I can take you to someone who can get you home if you want, I am friends with him and I am sure he would not mind helping you guys." Whatever they are, I say privately to myself.

I turn around to look at the rising sun, breathing in deeply to revel in the morning air and crisp breeze flowing by. My thoughts drift freely, going from one thing to the next while I let the two boys behind me settle down. I could take them to Colby, who could then take them home, or I could head north to see Gudon and he could help them. Hmmmmm, troubles never seem to end when one evil is defeated, I think to myself absently, taking in the scents and sounds of the new day.

"Come on Balendin! Concentrate! That's it, just like that! Hahaha." A large white dragon with gold patterns over his scales cheered on his son as he demolished his knight with a bishop at C5. The pair of father and son was having a great time outside near the serene lake in their private mountain range.

The game was not an ordinary board game, not even to dragon standards. The son, Balendin breathed heavily as his bishop lost its form slightly, the water held by magic threatening to splash back into the lake they were playing on. The dragons themselves were far from ordinary; created to restore and repopulate any decimated dragon population that was near extinction or already at that point.

"Did you just decide to go hard on me now that I am older father?" The son asked, panting as he eventually regained his breathe and concentration, the water holding the shape of his white bishop regaining the stunning detail etched into the nine pieces he had left. Balendin, the son, was also a dazzling white, slightly darker than his father but destined to grow lighter as he aged except without those golden patterns all over his scales.

His two horns were neat and sharp, mirrored by his father. His wings were wide and muscles strong, powerful enough to lift him into the sky seamlessly for hours on end. The other thing they both shared was their build. Both had strong, firm muscle, a lithe and agile tail while their general form was curvy, representing that of a dragoness and also a drakes. Their magic was powerful, rival that to a high level Protector, more so the father than son. Right now, Gudon was teaching his son how to focus, maintaining his magic at a constant, if yet depleting rate as each of his pieces slowly sloshed into the lake below.

"If you are to become as strong as me, then yes. Always test your limits, never stop or you will become lazy and ignorant of what potential you could have. I think that is enough for now," Gudon said, dropping his magic so his remaining twelve pieces neatly slipped back into the lake below. Balendin on the other hand dropped his head as well as his magic, not out of defeat but out of exhaustion.

"Easy for you to say, you have had millennium of practice in battles with Colby and his friends, while I have just spared with you," The son replied, spreading his wings out to their full length, the sinew and tissue holding the limbs to his body contracting with ease as he refolds them comfortably on his back before standing up. "I will defeat you someday dad, I know I will." Balendin said telepathically since they were at opposite ends of the large lake. Padding over to his father, they returned to the air to hunt something to eat before heading to their cave to rest until further lessons were called for.

Madam Poodle:

** ** Having been several hours, Tanuki had begged enough time to pass through the town gate by the time the sun nearly reached the middle of the day. By the time searchers began perusing the town; Tanuki had already been some 200m from the western front of the town's outer limits. Despite having walked for about 4 hours straight, exhaustion was minimal. As usual, no one took any significant notice to him on his way out, aside from occasional glances from onlookers. In the outside world, nothing was at his back, but the only thing that was ever in his life, this being inside of him. He continued on undeterred, making satisfiable progress. Alone he stood, for now, unopposed.

With Render and Vaxil, it was a hard-tossed ride still for the monkey, and riding atop the dragon's back still struck both unfamiliar, and rather unsettling. This feature grew with the onset of a telepathic message. His face grew shocked, and his posture stiffened. His spine felt chills, everything seemed ambient to him right just then. He then thought.

"...telepathy? I...I-I always knew dragons were capable of incredible feats, not like this. H-How?" Everything seemed to have frozen in him. He was entirely stiff, and not a single movement from him stirred naturally. Not surprisingly, the question still went without answer.

"H-How did a dragon like you, come across telepathy!?" He muttered out loud. His voice sounded escalated, and a little growled. He continued forth from then. His hands seemed to grab tighter, and a cold fear was starting to douse a bit of heat in his heart.

"That's insane! D-do all of you have this kind of ability!?" He questioned.

In the mind of nearly every head in his time of kings and empires, telepathy was a taboo magic, and such still is an applicable inference into the latter years. Telepathy was often sourced as a staple skill attributed to witches. However, as the studies of magic's grew on over the years into the presents and future years, various kinds of magic's, sources and manipulations began to become more widely accepted in contemporary life. Even so, telepathy remains a far unused skill, for in the past, it was taboo, and in the present and future years because of its difficulty to learn and perform. He'd then question.

"... Just what are you?"

On back to Foxy at the watermill, after hearing what the dragon said, she still hadn't moved. As he left, she only popped a sliver of food into her maw, and pushed her locks over her eyes. Once more, she remained stagnant for a long while. She still wondered what she was going to do with herself... aside from what the others had advised. She pushed out a breath, as she got up right then.

"I'm... going to be alone." She said, getting up, and shoved herself into the other room to indeed sit alone.

With Klin and Kyo now receiving all the information they need to know, they now seek to confirm, and speak on about their predicament, having a rather unique sync. Klin would speak the first fragment, and then Kyo would come to finish the sentence.

"So what you're saying is..."

"We are on a planet called 'Elpitha'..."

"Which..."

"Isn't really our home at all, or a planet I've ever heard of...?"

"And you..."

"Healed me?"

"In the middle of nowhere, mind you..."

"So then..."

"What are you doing here?"

They continued. Their rather cooperative thought and speaking order was uncanny. They thought while waiting for an answer. Moving from one planet to another overnight is far beyond far-fetched. What happened, neither is sure, even with as much thinking as well as lack thereof.

*StarLight Nova: *

Vaxil curled his neck back around while maintaining a smooth glide to answer Render. _"All dragons have telepathy; it is the only way we can communicate to other people and races outside of our own. We lack the jaw structure to talk verbally, although a few species of dragons can."_I explain, uncurling my neck to focus on flying with a few flaps while trying to alleviate his fear.

The distant mountains start to come into a clear view as we rapidly approach Dragon Valley. If I don't assure Render that no dragon will hurt him, then I might have to think of something else. Just as I think of it a few blurry silhouettes of dragons take shape in the air, swirling, diving and playing with each other. To a person who has not met a dragon, they would look like a flock of birds, but I know otherwise, and no doubt Render will see them soon.

The mountain range is large, spanning many thousands of miles in either direction, home to hundreds, if not a few thousand dragons in many caves. The opening is wide with a decent sized lake in the Valley where dragons can bath and soak in. Calemvir being the unanimous leader, not because he is Colby's dragon but because he is wise and has learned a lot of things over his adventures with him.

Of course, there are multiple ways that Render can go back home. One of them is a big portal built in the back of Calmvir's mountain, aptly named after him, created when Colby and Balendin were zapped somewhere else with a strange beam of light that came down from the sky. The portal can be locked on to their position on a far away planet and create a doorway to come back. Thankfully, Balendin was unharmed, or so he was when he returned home, as was Colby too. Gudon was thankful to him for saving his son, and so another portal was created at Colby's home so he can travel someplace if he needs too.

At the watermill, Rintaru was desperately trying to catch some fish, any fish! Honestly! It was hard when the river was flowing fast and the fish flew by just as quickly. If I went down or up the river some ways to find a calmer stretch, maybe I would not have been so frustrated, but having increased my size several times to try and catch one damn fish was near impossible. My ability to grow smaller was invaluable sometimes, but even at a full size of 5'7 from feet to shoulder and 8'11 from feet to head in my colorful scales, I did not know if it was harder or if the fish were taunting me.

No matter what, I WAS going to catch some fish for my friend Kuroda, and I was NOT going to starve, he would not allow it. Then, why was it so hard to catch one damn fish this time? It was not as if I am losing my touch, no, far from it, I had been fishing for many decades, even when I was just a hatchling. Although, my attempts back then were understandable.

I had caught many fish from this river, delicious fish too, fat fish and juicy fish and many varieties near the watermill next to the river. As hard as I tried, every one of them would just wiggle right out of my scaly grasp. I was certainly getting worked up, pacing back and forth in contemplation in what to do before I stopped with my head raised and eyes wide parallel to the river. _Maybe, the Fox is having an influence on me?_Blinking my eyes, I shake my head vigorously, spreading my large wings momentarily before resettling them.

No! That fox is not doing this to me. Yes I worry for her, but I do not find her in any way attractive. All I want to do is be friends with her and possibly help her find her way ho-... My thoughts halt as I feel a small breeze blow gently beneath me, causing me to shiver at the soft pleasure created by the wind. Am I...aroused by this? Are my thoughts taking control of my body when I think of her in a different way? I wonder, swishing my tail back and forth in thought.

In a flash I drop down and roll onto my back, tucking my wings in tight so they are not damaged. I spread my wings for balance while curling my neck to look down between my hind legs to see what I feared, my slit swelling as my member engorges with blood. It is just peaking out of my slit a few inches, enough so that I can feel a breeze wafting under me to further arouse me. My mind runs in many different directions on what to do while my member slowly emerges from its safe place, the crimson red flush and the glint of lubricant on my cock tip make me shiver some more.

Before it can escalate any further, I pull my wings back against me and get onto my feet and turn to face the fast flowing river. With a confident breath I pad forward to plunge my body into the cold water in hopes of making my erection go away. The sudden loss of warmth freezes me in place momentarily as my shaft pulses eagerly before continuing to grow once it touches the turbulent water, the many delectable ridges that line the bottom sliding out from my slit as my cock tip squirts some pre-cum into the river.

I surge forward, bending my shaft backwards and to the right a bit under the river as I paddle to the center, using my tail, wings and legs to steady myself while I turn to face upriver. The cold seems to be working as my now fully exposed member starts to lose its warmth and begins to sink back into my slit, which is until something wraps around it tightly. I bite my lip in surprise while my eyes go wide, any and all motion stopping as tiny pricks dig into my sensitive flesh near my knot while whatever it is flexes and pulses around the body of my shaft.

It only takes a few seconds before I realize that the current is carrying my away downstream, and before I can pass the house without panicking I extend my legs and grip the rocky bottom to stop moving. The water comes up to my neck some ways, leaving a good portion of it and my head above the water. I wince when the tiny pricks dig in again, the motion of something behind it wiggling back and forth.

I blink a couple of times before taking a deep breath and lidding my eyes, putting my head underwater to see who the perpetrator is. To my shock, a large fish is wrapped tightly around my once deflating shaft, causing it to become erect again and throb in anticipation. I squint at it, watching as it desperately uses its tail to try and impale itself on my shaft to eat it. Like hell am I going allow it to eat my most precious organ! I fume, gathering my magic to get it off safely before it can cause any harm it my member.

My body brims with power, expanding and waiting my command, at which I aim it at the fish and fire a bolt of low energy lightning at it, causing it to flap and spasm frantically, it's not-very-sharp-but-annoying-teeth scrapping and drawing painful lines into my member. Snorting under water indignantly, I open my mouth and carefully place the fish's tail into my mouth, using my tail and wings to balance in the flowing current.

Using more of my magic, I stun the fish and extricate it from my erection, quickly pulling it off and flipping my head out of the water to fling the fish onto the shore next to the house to my left, the side near the extra room. I shake my head in relief, flapping my wet wings before swimming to shore and inspect my highly odd catch.

The fish is large of course with powerful muscle to swim in the fast current of this river. The color is a dull brown with some streaks of orange and red across it. Its teeth are inconsequential, meaning it could never have bitten my shaft off, but it was very annoying nonetheless. I place my right paw dominantly on the fish, claiming that I am the better hunter. "Not in this life cock stealer." I growl, grinding it into the ground to show it who is boss, but by now it has been dead for awhile.

Lifting my paw off the fish, I scowl at it for some time before picking it back up firmly in my teeth and carry it to the river to clean it off. Well, can't let a good fish go to waste...and certainly not an erection. Besides, I don't think Kuroda would...well, knowing him I bet he would find this hilarious. I figure, padding away from the river before settling down on a nice patch of soft grass and proceed to eat the fish in question that tried to take something from me.

The fish is gone in a few bites, the effort useless to try and savor the conquest over it, as it was only partially bigger than my member, which has only gone down slightly from the time of encounter with the fish. The tiny punctures left behind by the fish have stopped hurting, but the marks will be there for a while at least. Licking my lips, wiping the slippery scales off my own, I clean my forepaws before leaning on my left flank with my wings tucked comfortably on my back and raise my right hind leg to see my semi-erect member.

The weight of it dangles to the ground, pressing against my left thigh as it shrinks back. The desire is still there, it would be cruel to have it go to waste now that it is here. I tuck my wings in more before rolling onto my back once more, resting my hind legs on the ground and spreading my wings while placing my forepaws on my chest. My fleeting member glistens in my natural lubricant produced inside my slit to keep it from going dry and raw.

I arch my back, reaching both my forelegs out to grasp my member before it can retreat back into hiding. I hiss as my shaft comes into contact with my soft scales, causing me to instinctively buck my hips forward in lust and pleasure, my tail thumping lightly on the ground. My shaft quickly emerges again, growing to its full length in a few seconds with both of my forepaws firmly grasping it, able to hold it with both paws.

My member reaches a fair bit along my body, not reaching my torso but allowing for some deep penetration; being 2'4" long. My girth is a good 5" or so, with the knot substantially bigger when fully engorged with blood. Relaxing a bit as to not overexert myself so early, I remove my right paw and trail my left claw tantalizingly up and down the back of my shaft to play with my sensitive ridges. Each one sends my pleasure higher and higher while my wings shake and tail thrashes from side to side at the intensity. I give it a firm squeeze every so often, making my hips thrust instinctively while I grunt and hiss from the sensations. Before I realize it, a unique pressure steadily grows within my loins, signaling my oncoming climax.

I open my eyes, which I did not know I had closed, and bring my left paw away from my throbbing erection that drips a steady stream of pre-cum. My breathing is somewhat heavy as I catch my breath; my chest rising and falling rapidly while watching as my knot gradually swells; waiting to lock into something to ensure my sperm reaches its mark. After a few seconds, I bring my right paw up to gently stroke my whole shaft from knot to tip, causing my to shiver in pleasure.

I go along like this for awhile, gripping the earth tightly with my left paw while stroking myself slowly with my right, letting the sensation build up before I let go to feel it fade, only to start it over again. All the while I grunt and growl, hiss and shudder as my ridges grow more prominent and my knot swells out even further, pulsing to my heartbeat as my inevitable climax comes even closer to fruition.

It only takes a firm squeeze around my fully inflated knot to set me off, making me throw my head back and roar uninhibited to anyone else who might be listening in the vicinity. My mind goes blank as my shaft stiffens before firing off volley after volley of highly potent semen into the air that lands on my shiny and smooth scales. My grip on my knot tightens as the pleasure courses through my veins, my shaft throbbing every few seconds to let out another wad of sperm to land on my chest scales.

It takes five minutes before my low growling ceases and my wings and tail stop shaking. Instead of launching sperm into the air, a slow and steady stream of semen runs down my twitching shaft and over my paw to rest onto my belly and crotch scales. I pant heavily, enjoying the continuous afterglow of my pleasurable climax, turning my head to the left and close my eyes as my right paw is still gripping my knot, allowing for the continuous stream of semen to flow out for about fifteen minutes before my knot starts to deflate.

Inside the house, Kuroda had come down to find the fox gone, a single piece of food gone from her plate. Sighing internally, the old man went to the kitchen to prepare his own meal and Rintaru's whenever he came back with the fish. It seemed to take him a lot longer to procure the needed ingredients for his favorite dish, but that would be understandable when he probably had that fox on his mind.

Kuroda chuckled, imagining what he might be doing right now, and so decided to check on their friend. Peering into the room, he saw the fox sitting in a chair looking the same way she did yesterday. Moving a bit further into the room, he went to sit down on the bed to try and figure out why she felt this way.

"How are you doing...?" He asked, waiting for a few seconds. "What might be troubling you ma'am? Is there anything I can do to help?" Kuroda sat there for a while, staring out the window to the front of the house when a roar sounded right next to them on the other side of the wall. His eyes flew wide open for one second before knowing whom it was and chuckled again. "I will leave you alone now if you want." Kuroda said, standing up to go upstairs to do something.

With Cedric along with Klin and Kyo, he listened to their synchronized questions, asking to confirm where they were and why he was here while he stared at the horizon and watched the sun rise higher into the sky. Dipping his head down briefly before turning around and nodded once before answering.

"Yes, this is Elpitha, where everyone and anyone who wants peace and quiet to come and live along," Cedric explained, raising his arms to cross them. "And for me healing you, that is my power; I excel at healing and can hold my own in most sword fights. I am here because I live here; this is my home as well as everyone else's who you might see. You are happy to stay here as long as you do not disrupt the peace." He finishes, lowering his arms, awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, Colby and Cavynthra traveled to Harnsey to gather any information they could find as to where the mysterious person could be. They arrived in good time, but all they found were people whispering about a high pitched screech sounding far off to the North-East. Hearing that, he knew that something must be happening at the farm there, and he knew it was there because the gryphoness and her mate as well as the farmer were friends of his.

Thanking the people who told him this, Colby and his mate headed straight to the farm to see if they could catch whoever cracked the fountain in Hen'lai and see if they headed there. As they searched for the man, Kur'si was heading for Dragon Valley in good time to inform Calemvir to send out some scouts to search for anyone suspicious while Erik stayed behind to help Jacen guard the town while he was gone.

Madam Poodle:

** ** Again, Render could only think upon his own behalf, astounded by the scenery and the apparent fact of the matter of his predicament. Peering upon Dragon Valley and the strange flying creatures about to him, he could only think, and little else. His mind was still pejorative, but he has little choice, if he has a chance at getting home at all.

"This...all of this... are where dragons... live!?"

Render thought, himself shocked to come to even the idea in person. One would think in his mind, it's without saying that this is crazy. Given past morals and paradigms, this was a total shock. A place where dragons roosted and cultivated in larger than normal numbers was uncanny. He wasn't certain of this place, or even his own safety for the fact of matters ahead and current. Though, it's not like ditching after giving word is noble at all, nor can he really go anywhere this high up in the sky, he'd surely die if he even did so much as try.

With Foxy by her lonesome self, it'd been only a bit, sitting in relative dark shade within the other room. She'd done, as has been shown since her arrival, nothing. Nothing for the longest of time. She needed time to grieve a little, and did just that, and as a trooper would do it, in silence. However, after a while, noises of hissing sounded faintly from outside, having keen hearing helped with that. It sounded again sometime after that, but she pushed it off as nothing, sure that whatever it was, it was just something trivial. When she was paid a visit by Mr. Kuroda, she, as he'd likely thought would sound, said nothing, but her head jumped up after hearing a rather loud roar, tempted to go investigate, but lost interest after hearing the old geezer laugh. By this effect, it gave her the presumption that this was normal. With her tail blanketing over her side, she kept to her devises for the time being, probably shunned to sit there for hours.

With the sun high in the morning sky, Klin and Kyo both awaited a response if one were to be given, both waiting only a very short sliver. Once the answer was given, again, both would look on behalf of their own, and gather from their devises yet once more.

"... I'm looking at him, and I don't think he lives here." Said Kyo unto Cedric, Klin elbowing him in the arm softly, but harshly enough to give the point.

"Smartass" Klin remarked under his breath, Kyo rubbing around the spot Klin bumped his elbow into. He then looked upon the water, and, calming as it was, brought him yet to strife.

"N-no! This...this isn't right! I don't belong here! This not my time, and sure as hell not my place! Hell, it's not even in the same world, dammit!"

He blared, clearly voicing his discontent with this phenomenon, and where he was. To him, this wasn't getting any worse. First, he was lethally attacked and hospitalized for days, the next second, he's in a place and/or time he does not know, or is supposed to live in with a stranger he's only just met. Kyo thought the same, though his main priority was particularly placed of survival if needed, and regrouping somewhere civilized, and otherwise safe. Something then hit Kyo that they probably should have noticed earlier, but didn't.

"Yo, Klin...where's May, and Megumi?"

He asked simply to Klin. Klin's reaction was less than pleased, as expected, slumping down, and holding a hand to his forehead in agitation, frustration, and forgetful ailment.

"... Son of a bitch." He said rather quietly, but not inaudibly. He hadn't noticed it much until Kyo brought it up, this now leaving him with one more thing to worry about.

Panic, nearing a slight clearing to where he was flying, noticed quite afar a pair playing with the water, thus perking his interest as he picked up its magic signature. It was flaring with vital energy that screamed power, and fueled his lust for it thusly. But having just dealt with a confrontation that was tedious call it so, he wasn't willing to risk it again right this minute. Instead, he simply changed his flight direction, heading toward the drakes as they seemingly finished their activity. He flew post-haste, but silently and low to avoid any detection possible.

Tanuki, as morning began to near noon, so left the sight of Hen'lai, walking still yet steadily. His tail flicked with each step, and his weapon bobbed and pivoted upon his back. The flapping tail of his blue scarf hung around his neck blew with the calm winds and body disruptions caused by his walking. The sun glaring off of objects into his eyes was ideally low, the black mask about his eyes helping absorb sunlight. He had no one now. The journey was long, and he took what the entity inside said to heart. He didn't want to see more people get killed, or lose their way of life because of it. Driving himself from people seemed to be his closest option to keep people safe. When it decides to make a go is always an unknown constant, he can only wait for the inevitable.

StarLight Nova:

** ** Vaxil could not waste any more time assuring Render of good intentions, as he had to inform Calemvir that he was coming. His mother would probably be out with her new mate, as her old one had died valiantly trying to protect her while she was gravid before Colby came to their world and helped her lay. Therefore he knew him very well, and he was a great friend to have, lest you get on his bad side.But pleasant thoughts can wait; I have to tell Calemvir of Render.

Flying and communicating telepathically were both second nature to dragons, even over long distances, for some anyways. With the steady downward thrust of my wings, we travel closer to the large mountains of Dragon Valley; the shapes of many different sizes, colors and kinds of dragons grow larger. Of course, there are wyverns and a few gryphon's who live in Dragon Valley too. With my mind extended to who I want to contact, I hope Render is welcomed without argument, and I can predict it will go well since Calemvir is like a mirror of Colby in personality, except in some areas.

"Calemvir," I say, flying with ease ever closer to the entrance of Dragon Valley.

"Vax? Is that you? Weren't you supposed to visit a friend in Calchester?" Calemvir replied from somewhere within the Valley.

"Y-yes I was,"_I answer a bit nervously. Even though he is a good friend, he can intimidate those who do not know him or are his enemies. _"But I found someone who seems to not be from here. I thought it would be best to bring him to you so you could maybe talk with Colby to decide what to do. I think he just wants to go home. And I should warn you, he does not trust anyone that much." I explain. Calemvir is silent for a while before he speaks up again.

"Where are you right now?" He asks.

"Just outside the Valley, I think he is getting uneasy on how we can communicate telepathically as it seems to me it was not widely accepted from wherever he was." I respond as I let loose my grip on the world's inner energy. At the height I am flying, we are about halfway up from the base of the mountains.

"I see..."_Calemvir says. _"Bring him up to my cave and I will speak with him and I will see what I can do."

"Thank you, and, I should add...he is not a normal human, he seems to be a monkey to me." I say.

"Oh? Well, bring him anyway; I would definitely like to see him now." Calemvir replies. I nod my head in compliance, not that he could see me that is. Curling my neck around slightly, I check on Render and tell him what is going to happen.

"Render, I have spoken to Calemvir, and he will talk to you and see if he can't find a way to bring you home. Please, and I mean this with honesty; do not move to attack him, as he will in no way attack you. I will be flying to his cave, and he will be a black dragon, much bigger than me." I request, not quite sure on how he will act as we pass through the mountains and many more dragons come into view, some splashing in the lake or playing games through the air or racing.

The afterglow inevitably fades and my knot deflates while my shaft slips free of my grasp and retreats back into my slit. My breathing is heavy as I lay in the morning sun with my wings and legs spread out. The semen on my chest scales seep into the crevices and start to become itchy while the load on my stomach and around my slit roll off onto the ground. I really need a bath now, and maybe I can catch some fish with more success while I am at it, I think to myself.

With a heave I tuck my wings in and lean onto my left side before standing up again. I shake my head briefly before padding into the water to wash off the semen on my scales. I take short breaths and dive underwater to roll around vigorously against the rocks and sediment. Loud splashes can be heard anywhere from within the house as I eventually clean my scales so they shine just like before.

Now that I am in the water, I continue on my attempts to catch some fish, except for the one that latched onto my member. I feel a small shudder running through my body as the recent memory starts to resurface as well as something else. Dammit! Why can't I get my mind off of her? Sure, her fur looks soft and she looks beautiful, but I have no idea what Kuroda will think, I beret myself, standing on the shore and pounding my head into the ground in frustration. Even before I can get back to fishing, the same problem emerges again. Maybe I just need to blow off more steam to get back to focusing on catching fish for breakfast, and I am starting to get hungry. That fish earlier was nothing but a snack to me.

Puffing out a stream of smoke, I raise my head and pad out of the river to lie down on my back once again with my member starting to poke through. I do not go to grab it and try to achieve release again, but spread my hind legs and wings, place my forelegs on my recently clean chest and rest my head and neck on the ground staring up into the sky. A few clouds drift by, slowly as I breathe in and out lost in thought. My slit is still swollen but the need for now has gone down.

Hearing Klin shout in defiance confirms what he first thought of them having come from a different world. The evidence spoke itself when Kyo asked Klin where their friends were. Giving a small sigh, he walked up closer to them so that they both looked at him. "I can get you both back home if you want? Or you can stay here where you will be safe from whoever hurt you guys so bad. I can ask a friend of mine to bring your friends over here so you won't be lonely, but it is your choice. I am just wondering around seeing what this land has to offer." Cedric announced, knowing how it feels to be on a different planet, although deliberately since he has become a Defender.

North of Goulcrest at the tip of the mountain range near Veran'ki forest were two dragons flying around each other in spirals and twists, occasionally calling to one another in play. The white dragon has smooth scales with a hint of red as well as two horns and a small row of spikes down its back. The other dragon was a vibrant blue with horns that curled upwards and larger spikes, a sign of wisdom and growth in adulthood. They were a mated pair, and were quite happy with each other even though the white one grew sad although it was not often.

The dragoness, the one with white scales dove down to the ground near the edge of the forest while the sky blue drake sprang after his mate. With peace on the planet and time away from her now grown hatchlings, she could have fun again with another dragon, even if the death of her first lover still comes back to her mind. They were happy and that was all that counted while they landed and came up to each other, rubbing up against each other's sides as both their scents increased.

"You look as beautiful as ever Floura." The drake said to his mate. Said dragoness chuckled before turning around to face him head on with her wings spread out.

"And you look as handsome as when I first met you." She replied to her lover who spread out his wings and dipped his head in a bow.

"As I should. I would not want to stop pleasing you now would I? Weren't we going to begin something? It had something to do with the time of month did it not?" The drake said humbly.

"Oh? Is that so Galeril? Then I suppose you will have to catch me first." Floura said, lowering her chest marginally before leaping forward to give a quick nip to her mate's shoulder and then running towards the forest. Galeril flinches back at the speed of the attack, letting loose a startled chirp, but growls lustfully and runs after Floura.

Colby landed with ease with Cavynthra alighting beside him just as softly before shifting back into his human form. Looking around, it looked like the farm was intact and nothing had happened, but by the descriptions of the sound and the pitch by a resident gryphon in Harnsey, he could not deny the need for help. Giving a quick look at Cavynthra who just tilted her head, he began to walk forth to see what he could find; if anything unordinary or something happened.

In the distance, Maurel was working endlessly to repair the damage that sorcerer did to his crops, so he did not hear the flapping of dragon wings near his farm. Lish'ua was still sleeping heavily and Venro was flying over the forest between Goulcrest and the farm, so it would take some time before he arrived. In the meantime, Colby and Cavynthra were near the barn and saw that something was indeed wrong; there were large roots coming out of the ground and one silo was missing with fire damage and sticky stuff on the front of the barn.

Using his energy to efficiently remove the large vines and clean the barn, he opened the two front doors so that Cavynthra could see in too. The area was dark and there was evidence that an intense fire had been burning but was put out shortly after. "She should be here." Colby muttered, slowly walking in and look around the barn to see if anything else was out of order.

"Maybe she is outside helping Maurel?" Cavynthra asked, lying on her stomach partially inside the large barn.

Colby shook his head, dismissing the thought. "No, I can sense her magic, as dim as it is, in here. It looks like a battle was fought here not too long ago..." Colby replied, looking up at the upper rafter to see the ash blue and mottled red of the gryphoness resting in her nest.

Cavynthra also looked at the spot where her mate was looking, able to see a good bit of her plumage and the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept from her elevated advantage point. "I can see her. She is sleeping it seems." Cavynthra responded.

Colby nodded his head and stepped back a few feet before running and jumping onto the upper rafter where the exhausted gryphoness slept. Doing one flip in the air, he landed on his knee silently, observing the sleeping gryphon as her limps were tightly folded against her body. With a smile on his face, Colby extended his mind to wake up the gryphoness, wanting to know what happened here. Sure, finding Maurel would have been faster, but the rumor was that the desperate call of a gryphon was what they had heard.

The gryphoness twitched for a second before curling into a tighter ball, wrapping her tail around to meet up with her forelegs. Colby only pushed harder; insistent that she wakes up while giving her some much needed magical power as well. This time the gryphoness let out a small warble and shook her head. Colby sighed before walking forward to lay a hand on the gryphoness's left shoulder. "Lish'ua, wake up, I need to talk to you. It's me, Colby." He said both mentally and verbally.

Lish'ua certainly heard him that time and gradually opened her eyes and lifted her head while yawning and clacking her beak. Colby backed up to give her some room to stretch and gave her time to wake up. The young gryphoness spread her wings and swished her tail before responding tiredly even though he had given her a generous amount of magical power to replenish her reserves.

"C-Colby? What are you doing here?" She asks, folding her wings limply against her back while shifting to see him better.

"I am here because I heard a rumor in Harnsey that they had heard a distressed gryphon call in this direction." Colby answered, placing his hands on his hips.

Lish'ua took a few moments to gather herself before looking around. "Is...Is Venro here?" She asked, tilting her head.

"No, I have not seen him, me and Cavynthra just got here." He replied, crossing his arms and leaning on his left leg.

Peering past the human, Lish'ua looked at Cavynthra as she smiled back at her and gave a respectful hello. Her eyes went wide and she bolted up, unsteady on her legs but the sudden fear gripping her gave her the energy to search. "Not here? Is Maurel ok? Where is the sorcerer? I will kill him if he hurt him or my mate!" She snapped, turning in circles and occasionally looking out the barn past Cavynthra.

"Hey hey hey!" Colby shouted, putting his hands up and backing away so as not to get hit by the stressed gryphoness. "I am sure Maurel is fine, I felt his magic somewhere in the fields and as for Venro, I do not know where he is. As for that sorcerer, what did he look like? What did he do here?" Colby asked, crossing his left arm and raising his right hand to his chin.

"I have to know he is ok, that sorcerer set fire to the entrance to this barn. He, he could summon, big, scary things..." Lish'ua ranted, the tension steadily leaving as she sat down on her haunches but still looked around. "Maurel used his Iron Golem to battle a giant beast as I was being chased by a demonic slay with hell hounds and a skeleton. I...I had to use my sand trap." Lish'ua stuttered, remembering the glaring eyes of the skeleton and her fright at the sudden confrontation with the summoner.

"Ok, I will see if I can find him. I am actually looking for someone who had cracked the fountain in Hen'lai, but I have not been able to find him yet. I will give you more magic to recover so you can go see Maurel. Do not worry, I will find him Lish'ua, I promise you that." Colby said, walking up to lay a reassuring hand on the gryphoness's head.

Her frantic motion stopped, and she relaxed. Colby seemed to calm anyone down with a few words and a gentle touch. Lish'ua nodded slowly and swallowed. "Wi-Will you stay here?" She asked.

"I can, as I need to speak with Maurel to see what happened on his part." Colby responded, letting his energy change into magic and flow into Lish'ua, easing her breathing and releasing her exhaustion.

"Thank you." She replied, lowering her head into his touch in gratitude before he lifted his hand and gave one last look at her before jumping down to the floor and walking out with Cavynthra backing out to give him room. Lish'ua looked on and dropped her head to rest some more, even with most of her magic regained, she was tired from having to fight at night.

The large white dragon dove, eye focused on his target with forelegs stretched out in preparation for the kill. Nothing else was on his mind as he flared his wings and twisted to the left, opening his jaws and striking out to snap onto the fleeing elk, killing it instantly before pumping his wings while gaining altitude. With the elk in his jaws, he turned to land on a mountain ledge to enjoy his kill.

The dragon was not very big or an adult yet, probably about 10' from feet to shoulder and 12'7 from feet to head. His scales however were hard enough to deflect most projectiles save a lucky arrow or a high-speed bullet that hit his softer scales around his armpits and hind legs. As he was tearing into the meat, sating his hunger from a tiring game of water chest, his father had veered off to catch his own kill deep in the mountain at the tip of the Vralm woodland. Both dragons had the same purpose, repopulate the dragon race where it was needed, but here, that was not necessary as there were thousands of dragons living all around the planet.

The juvenile dragon at about forty years old still had a lot of learning to do if he was ever going to be able to replace his father as Dragon Ambassador to the dragon God. The good thing was that he caught on fast and had an affinity for water, although having manipulated it for a few hours straight exhausted him, he was getting there.

Gudon, the current Dragon Ambassador to the dragon God, was eating his own kill of a large cougar and OX. His scales were harder than his sons, and only very concentrated attacks would be able to penetrate them. His chest scales were nearly impenetrable except for maybe a well-aimed attack that had armor piercing magic. Even then it was not guaranteed to cause any damage, stun or disorient, likely, but not injure. Once he was done eating, he flew to meet up with his son to fly back to their cave on the biggest mountain on the planet, easily in comparison to the Tree of Life, reaching up past the clouds.

Madam Poodle:

** ** Despite Vaxil's words, Render stopped everything, hearing the words "black dragon" it caused him to stop right in his tracks. He shuttered, clenched and then even against the wind, stood up. He seemed too uneasy; his blonde locks flowing in the wind. He seemed to have reached a tipping point.

"No.... stop... let me down right now! I don't... care, intentions good or bad. I'm not coming face to face with such beast! I could... no, will most certainly be its victim!"

He had said with utmost self-concern in mind. Not even a person such as Render could handle the thought of facing a... rather "the" black dragon.

Tale time: The Black Knight and the Black Dragon

Some time ago even from Render's own, there was once a fearsome, hellish beast of pure darkness roaming about the blue, once peaceful skies. This creature was known simply as "The Black Dragon", and its powers were too much for people to overcome. The dragon often feasted on people, as well as destroyed their homes, kill their offspring, and burned them alive with its beyond searing flames. Not even the most advanced warriors or units could take down the Black Dragon, and more often than not, armies were devastated to the point of eradication. Many vain sacrifices were made trying to stop this beast.

But on a lone day were the dragon was to strike again, a night of equally blackened armor rode up to the town where the dragon had already begun its attack. Known as the otherwise infamous "Black Knight", whom is roaming around what is for now Elpitha, this figure had challenged the dragon, to which it made quick work. As blade and claw clashed, searing flames and borrowed souls battled, the knight eventually overcame the drake after several tedious bouts of battle. In the dragon's most worn moments, the knight dealt the final blow by using the power of his Gatekeeper, and sealing it inside a mountain. The knight rode off, and the Black Dragon has since never roamed the earth again.

To this day, the mountain where the dragon was sealed remains untouched, going by a common name "Blackdrake Mountain." The seal that keeps the dragon in the mountain is said to be buried under the ice atop the mountain, to which no one has ever tread or seen in person. Many mountain climbers say the mountain has a "cursed" feel to it, and many climbers who have tried reaching the top never made it that far. A handful of climbers were even said to have gone insane from being up on the mountain. As well, because the seal is said to be buried under ice at the top of the mountain, many disbelieve the validity of the tale, thinking that the event of the dragon being seal is just a tall tale or myth. This subsequently led to an alteration to the tale, where the dragon is killed instead of sealed into the mountain. In 2140, a road going across the mountain was planned, but scraped mainly because of a lack of practicality, considering mankind was under siege from the A.L.B.A.T.R.O.S.S.

Back to the story:

With Render on his feet, he started to tread forward, maybe thinking Vaxil didn't quite hear him clearly, considering wind resistance blowing in his ears. Recklessly, he advanced, even when his own senses were peaked over fear. He advanced amazingly far up, getting to Vaxil's neck with little incident. Latching what he could to it, he soon would close up and speak again loudly so he could hear him over the moving air. As he'd done this, his struggles to stand diminished quite a bit.

"I'm... Not sure you're aware of what a creature such as that.... makes out of a person like me! I... request you... set me to ground!"

He had warned under a somewhat false pretense. He had clung onto the drakes neck, given he just waltzed his way over his back to get there, Dangerous, and much likely a very unwise move to make on his part. It probably wasn't the best place to plant either, ridges in the drake's skin poking at him a bit, irritating his skin.

As Foxy continued to lie, she further heard more splashing, only for it to suddenly stop again. This seemed to follow some sort of irregular pattern. She began to calm down a little much, her tail sweeping the surface behind her. During her rest period, she began to snap back her memories and thoughts about Tanuki Take'ichi. Her memories of each time she tried to catch him... and the subsequent failures that followed. If she was here, he also had to be. She still dreamed of the day she'd be able to hand him his ass, and make him eat it too. But having this in mind faded quickly. A very brief glimpse of thought towards the dragon fishing outside stirred for only that little bit, before turning to her... hygiene... no offense to 'em, but she smelled like a dirty pig... or she would think, this being common to exaggerate and make figures of speech to describe things. In turn she just smelled of fox dander and natural odor a tiny bit. However... she wasn't feeling up to finding where the bathing facilities were at the moment, lacking the spirits to move at the time. Instead, she's just lie her head down on her arms... and coast away the time until it became unbearable. As she lay, she eventually kicked off her boots, it being rather unhealthy to leave one's footwear on too long.

On Klin's end, as his adolescence and already confused person would show a bit of rebellion and interrogance. He didn't hesitate with his little rant.

"Well, alright then, we can just go do this and that, and I'll just be safe, have my friends and all that crud, oh, wait; we don't know where any of that is! In that case, how are you going to do all that when we have no idea where anyone is, where we're supposed to go, and how in the name of hell we're supposed to be safe? Let's not forget, I nearly got murdered by that insane freak, Panic! Gods know if I'm here, he's probably finagled his psychotic self here too! One of these days, I'm going to kick that son of a bitch right in the ass just to show him."

He ranted on, clearly with fury in his heart. He knows how he's being, and that he's probably being rather irrational, but he can't help it. He never asked for any of this, but it came to him anyway. He just snapped a bit. It took him awhile before speaking again.

".... Alright, I'm sorry. I lost some of my temper there." He said, giving a rather stubborn apology. Kyo remained silent, just simply scanning around the environment. Although, after awhile, he spoke.

"I... think we should just head for the nearest town and go from there."

He said whist straightening out his jacket. The sore spot from the bruising made him ache, but now not as severely.

At the farm, the flapping wings, although loud got the best of the cat, soon enough retreating from its hiding place under a bed, now hopping up into the windowsill, to its shock, more big creatures. Low standing, it would observe from the windowsill the pair of dragons, sooner lone dragon, and see what they do. So far, the only thing it sees is what is Cavynthra peaking her head into the barn. Cautiously, it would watch the two as they made their errands.

With Panic flying closer, he eventually crosses trees, seeing the clearing upon the horizon. Keeping true to his plans, he sped up to reach the edge of the forest faster. After flying straight and fast for several minutes, he finally ditched the bird, and dropped into the shrubbery below. With his landing next to stellar, on his feet and scratchless, he walked just before where the trees clear, watching the duo of dragons from the shade, but by the time he was there, only one was there, and even it was barely in sight. Damn tree in the way blocking his view. However, if he stayed there long enough, he might be able to see the other one surface from somewhere; it was just a matter of time and the wait to continue.

The bird he left flew over, wings still and flat, squawking as he flew over, and into the sky, now free for the most part.

As the raccoon dog walked on, against his intention, he started to buckle and weaken at his joints. His legs were starting to lose energy, with some minor inconsistencies in the terrain causing his legs to give a little at times. Common, but a stubborn fix, Tanuki's muscles were reaching a personal limit. He was starting to become exhausted, but didn't notice. He picked up on it a little when the stammering and giving became rather consistent as he tread. He would stubbornly bypass it as he notice, but didn't get far. A couple hundred yards later, and his leg completely gave up, and fell him to the ground, where he sat up on his knees and paws, even having tension shaking as he did this. He had well exhausted his muscles, having walked for over 4 hours. What's more, the morning sun was starting to heat up his back, now having to find shade as well as a resting place. After scrolling around, he made way for under a tree, having to rest there for a long while, for his muscles seem to be tired out beyond their advised use.

StarLight Nova:

** ** Vaxil hears Render shout, ordering him to land right now. He gave a snarl when Render called Calemvir a beast but controlled his emotions for now. Before he knew it, the monkey had stood up and was walking on his back to his neck, probably trying to get his voice to be heard. A dragons hearing is excellent, able to hear when flying through wind as weak as this. Upon hearing Render speak again, he grumbled and prepared to descend. Even with walking on his back, the monkey would not have fallen if he had lost his balance as the spell he had placed before they had began would act like gravity boots, as long as his shoes or a part of his body were in contact with his scales.

He did not reply to any of the things Render had said, but retracted his wings halfway and dipped down to descend. Of course, the wind increased, meaning Render would not be able to speak anymore. A little less than halfway to the deep part of the valley where Calemvir resided, Vaxil touched down between the mountain and the lake. Any dragon or gryphon watching them would be confused but would not approach. Vaxil crouched down onto his stomach and lowered his neck to the ground so that Render could get off.

Once the monkey had set foot on the ground, he straightened his neck and shook his head a bit in irritation, spreading his wings before resettling them comfortably on his back. "I would not go anywhere if you still want to go home," Vaxil said, his head looking out to the lake passively while he rested on his left flank, breathing slightly heavy. "If you do not want to meet Calemvir, then we will have to find some other way to bring you home," He said, turning to look at Render, barely suppressing a growl. "And Calemvir is not a beast, black as he may be. Whatever creature was on 'your' world is not on ours. Calemvir is not evil and would never hurt you. If there is anything I could do to prove that to you, tell me now or getting home will only take that much longer." Vaxil said telepathically as some of their onlookers lost interest and went back to playing.

Once in Dragon Valley, one could see an almost unending number of dragons of a wide variety of colors; red, orange, blue, gray, yellow, purple and every color in between. It hosted many different species of dragons as well, magical and non-magical, exotic or just plain. The mountains towered high above their heads with just as many if not more caves, dragons playing games in the air, chasing and having fun. Now, he must tell Calemvir of what is happening, after Render says what he wants to.

While Kuroda was inside doing some work while waiting for the fish Rintaru was suppose to get, he had unexpectedly drifted off to sleep, his arousal vanishing under the sun like a small puddle of water. There was the occasional twitch of his tail that provoked his dreams into lustful pictures, but it did not last long either. After an hour or so asleep, he suddenly woke up.

Spreading his wings to keep balance, he looked around from his position on the ground. His breathing slowed as he remembered where he was, and soon stood up on his paws to look at the river. That's right, I was fishing to get food for Kuroda so he could make my favorite dish, he thought, maw salivating at the thought. For now, the thoughts of the female fox were gone, but were surely to return when least expected. The sun was high as Rintaru successfully caught six fish, three small ones, a medium and two large ones. Whatever had bothered him before was off his mind as he shrank down in size to that of a dog and came into the house, six fish of varying size floating above him by his magic.

"Kuroda!" Rintaru called out, closing the door behind him while padding towards the kitchen to drop off the fish he had caught.

The old man soon came down to see his scaly friend on the table wagging his tail happily in triumph. "Well, it seems you did well out there. I was wondering what was taking you so long though." Kuroda said, picking up the fish, moving to wash them off.

Rintaru tilted his head in confusion, not sure what he meant, but shrugged and fluttered onto a high post to look down upon. _"When will it be ready, I am hungry."_Rintaru said, swishing his tail impatiently.

Kuroda laughed, opening the refrigerator to pull out some special spices. "Soon my friend. I will call you when it is ready, don't worry. Do what you want until it is, maybe check on the fox." Kuroda responds, chopping and slicing up the fish while sprinkling spices on them. Turning to the stove, he sparked the fire and grabbed a plate to put the fish on.

While Kuroda was working, Rintaru chirped and then flapped back down onto the table and then down the corridor and up the stairs to their room. Landing on the windowsill, he sat to think about what could have happened before he caught the fish and brought them inside the house. A dragon's memory was perfect; he was able to remember back to the time his mother had died and Kuroda had found him, and then Colby brought them both to this planet to live in peace.

If only I can remember what I was..._He froze, eyes wide as he went back to Kuroda saying maybe he could check up on the fox that had arrived at their house. _Of course...That...fox, He thought to himself. And it was that thought of her that aroused him again, his slit engorging as his member peaked out, but he did not pay any attention to it as he closed his eyes and just let the pictures come to him. Soft fur, tail, curvy figure, commanding attitude, well, not anymore. All of that just seems to be so, wonderful to me. Without even knowing it, his right paw had risen to slowly kneed and rub his slit to arouse himself further. Yeah, fox fur, He thought to himself, his member shrunken to the size he is now respectively but still retaining the same knot, ridges and cock head.

Cedric took a step back when Klin started shouted, spreading his arms out to balance himself, not believing he could do what he had suggested. When he calmed down a bit, Cedric nodded his head, saying it was perfectly understandable when someone was in a place they had no idea of or where they were, so he listened to Kyo say they should go to the nearest town. "And what will you do when you get to that town. You don't know what direction it is do you? I could lead you there, but what is to say the citizens will know how to help you; I am the best chance you got at going home. And if you say Panic, the guy who injured both of you is here, then Colby will search for him and kill or either transport him to a different planet," Cedric explained, crossing his arms calmly.

"But if you still want to go to the nearest town, you better follow me, or if you believe I am not from here, then by all means, do whatever you want." Cedric said as he began to turn to his right, flicking his right hand up in arrogance. He began walking, between the Vralm Woodland and the Vlarc gulf towards where they came closest. He did not look back, knowing they would depend on him to get them home. Cedric took a deep breath and let it out, closing his eyes and looking down at the ground while rubbing his neck. After a while he opens his eyes and continues walking to the city he knows as Grasmere with his arms by his side, the closest settlement near Gudon's home.

Colby with Cavynthra behind him walked out of the barn and towards the closest wheat field. Now that he had calmed Lish'ua down, it was time to look for Maurel and see what happened on his part. Maurel was a good friend of his before the war with the Darkness, and had exceptional talent in laying traps and a few summoning spells as well as holy magic. He was sure Maurel could handle what the sorcerer threw at him, but it did not hurt to check.

The farm he had started was large, stretching from the nearby forest to the Vlarc gulf. It did not take long for them to reach the first wheat field, and the damage caused by something was visible, though Maurel was nowhere to be seen. "Well," Colby said. "Time to get his attention." Turning to Cavynthra, he patted her left foreleg and nodded once. The dragoness smiled and breathed in deeply before letting out a loud roar. All they needed to do was wait.

Lish'ua stirred in her sleep but did not awaken; meanwhile Maurel shot his head up suddenly in fear. Deep within the wheat field, he was painstakingly re-growing the stalks that the sorcerer had blown up. That loud roar had caught him off guard and he was unsure of who it was, though he could have sworn it sounded familiar. Brushing off his robes, he stood up and started walking to the barn to see who it could be. A cautious sweep of his mind let him know that there was a dragon, a female dragon and a male human standing outside the wheat field he was in. Frowning, he tried to think of who it could be, but got his answer soon when he exited the field and came to look on Colby Daniels and his mate Cavynthra.

"It is nice to see you again Maurel," Colby said nodding his head while Cavynthra lay down on her stomach. The person in question only gaped, switching between the two as if he had never seen them before. "Well? Aren't you going to greet me?" Colby said again.

This time Maurel shook his head and sprinted forth to stop in front of his friend, extending and arm to shake his hand. "Of couse! Of course! I am sorry. I am busy re-growing my field after an attack by a completely insane sorcerer." Maurel replied, nodding his head fervently in apology.

"So you were attacked." Colby said, stepping back after a while as Maurel let go and regained his composure.

"Oh, ah...Where did you hear about that?" Maurel questioned, wringing his hands nervously.

"I was following someone else who had damaged the fountain in Han'lai and came to Harnsey to look for him. But instead I heard a rumor of people hearing a desperate screech for plea in this direction. My only thought was something had happened." Colby answered.

"An...and Lish'ua, is she ok?" He asked nervously.

"Yes, she is fine, worried about you and her mate nonetheless, but resting peacefully with the magic I gave her to help her sleep." Colby responded.

"Ah, good, good. I did contact Venro to tell him to come back. He should be here sometime soon. Figures something would happen when he is out having fun with the dwarves in Goulcrest." Maurel replied.

"That's good to hear. You would not happen to know where the sorcerer went off to, would you?" Colby asked, crossing his arms and leaning on Cavynthra's scaly arm.

"Somewhere North, North-East I think. Not quite sure since I was more concerned about the damage he did to my field." Maurel said.

Colby nodded, raising his arm to shake hands with his friend once more. "Thank you for the information. We need to leave as soon as possible to try and catch him. Good luck my friend, I hope you have a-." Colby stopped mid sentence when something dipped out of the air in front of him, behind Maurel and into his wheat field.

Traveling as fast as his wings could carry him, Venro soared over the Srewyz woodland as fast as he could go. His only concern was to see if his mate, Lish'ua was alright. Having heard from Maurel that a crazy sorcerer had attacked her first made him all the angrier. _If I ever get my paws on him, I will make him regret attacking my mate,_the gryphon chattered to himself, pumping his wings even out of exhaustion.

The long track from Goulcrest to Maurels farm was surely taking a toll on him, only by sheer will he continued until he could not go any longer. As luck would have it, he had drifted off into a world of thinking with only one goal and mind, and had arrived at the farm sooner than he had expected himself too. Colby saw his arrival as he was talking to Maurel; no doubt he would get yelled at for crushing his wheat field after his hard work.

"I, uh, think he is here." Colby said, pointing past Maurel towards the wheat field, Cavynthra raising her head to try and see the fallen gryphon. In daytime the gryphon could be seen like a sore thumb, his dark blue navy feathers contrasting with the bright yellow of the field gave him away.

The gryphon wiggled, squirming to stand upright after his crash while shaking his head, having barreled through a good deal of the wheat. Maurel turned around after hearing the crash and Colby pointing it out. He lowered his head and slapped his forehead in frustration. "Oh, what I will do to him once he shows himself. Forgive me, I must go and...deal with him." Maurel apologized, walking straight into the wheat field to confront Venro.

Colby looked over at Cavynthra, who only shrugged, turning back to watch what will happen. Soon enough, there was a loud squawk and a lot of shouting, mostly indistinguishable from the natural soundproofing and distance between them and the wheat field. "You don't think!....You will go!...Even if I have to!....So....if you want....!" Was all that could be heard between the loud cries of the gryphon.

It did not take long before Colby and Cavynthra could see Maurel dragging Venro by his right ear, muttering to himself as the gryphon pleaded with him to let go. The gryphon had dark obsidian gray feathers from his waist down. His tail tip had the same crimson red of his mate, but it did not cover it all and was only on the end in a dulled gray. The gryphon was only slightly bigger than Maurel but still had to tilt his head so as to lessen the pain. Lish'ua was the same size, being a few years older than him.

Looking up, he stopped, apologizing to Colby and Cavynthra for this before heading towards the barn where Venro's mate was. "It's all right, I will see you later Maurel." Colby said, giving a wink to Venro as they passed by. He could only see a desperate pleading, yet slightly playful expression on his furry face as he was hauled off.

Laughing when they were gone, Colby turned to Cavynthra to rub her neck. "It seems we head north now towards Grasmere to see if we can find anything there. If not, then we head to Gudons home." Colby said, leaning forward to kiss her on the snout.

With a huff, Cavynthra got up and turned around, Colby trailing a hand down her right flank as she did so. "The faster we can finish this, the sooner we can go home so I can rest," Cavynthra said, lying back down on her stomach. "Would you like to fly beside me, or on me?" She asked, turning her head to smirk at him.

"Besides." Colby replied simply, walking away to change into his silver dragon form. Cavynthra stood up and they soon were flying through the air, heading to Grasmere to find out where the sorcerer that attacked Lish'ua and Maurel was.

Once Gudon and his son Balendin were back in their enormous cave, they proceeded to groom each other of the blood from their kills. It did not matter that Balendin was now a young juvenile; Gudon would protect him no matter what danger came their way. Being hermaphrodites, they were different than other dragons in that they both had working genitalia of a male and female's reproductive organs. Gudon, being created by the Dragon god to repopulate the dragon population, had given him numerous skills and abilities to survive.

One was the ability to allow a very close friend to view their life, having a unique symbol on their forehead that glowed gold when it was active. Another one was the ability to separate into two dragons with their reproductive organs split too. It was tradition that a new Dragon Ambassador sire a clutch from mating this way like normal dragons. Once they had practiced being separated long enough, the concentration required of that of walking or flying, then they would be able to mate in the air. The bonus was that since the minds of the separated dragons were the same, they, or shi felt intensified pleasure from both areas.

Of course, one could reproduce by not separating, masturbating and climaxing with both parts at the same time, where a valve would open to direct the semen into the dragons egg chamber instead of ejaculating. Another unique ability to them was that they could design the DNA of the dragons they created, focusing their minds to alter the strand to however they wanted them to be. One of the requirements was that they be empty beforehand of sperm so that the DNA before would not mix with the new strands.

After the cleaning was done, Gudon then proceeded to teach Balendin more about fighting techniques with tooth and claw. There was plenty of room even inside their cave. Even as large as Gudon was, towering forty or so feet so that a human would only be a tall as to his ankle, able to be squished by him easily. Another ability he had was that he could shrink his size down to as small as her wanted to, but not bigger than he was. Given how long he had lived, he was the size of a mountain, but chose to be smaller so to teach his son comfortably in a cave. The cave was able to fit about five or six of him that size, a bit longer than half a football field and higher than a baseball stadium, saying the mountain itself was huge was an understatement.

Madam Poodle:

** ** Now on the ground, the monkey would walk a bit away, stopping shortly before far. Flicking his tail of any dust and shed fur, and taking a moment to breathe. After his hands were dry, and he came to a cold stand, he grabbed for a larger pouch on his belt, removing, and opening it as he basically had to listen to Vaxil go on about things he would still shrug off. As he would open this cargo pouch, he'd turn back to speak as the dragon finished. In this pouch were his other gadgetry weapons, but unknown to both of them right then, black powder and bomb powder had leaked within it, sprinkled all over each compartment within it.

"All dragons are beasts compared to a man. Regardless of that, do what you will. No one needs to ask to be convinced. Aside from that, I need a break from flying."

He said, not generally concerned for this moment of much besides being in a valley of dragons, and other such obsessions. Peaking into his pouch, there was a fairly big pause from Render as he checked around, Vaxil probably able to sneak some words in if he should. After the pause, he'd then turn back and warn.

"... Unless you want to be breathing in deadly, powdered chemicals, you might want to clear yourself away a bit." He warned, closing his pouch, and tipping it upside down, his hand firmly placed on the closed flap to keep the powders contained.

Continuing to lay in her bed as usual, it'd now gone a couple hours of the day, pretty much doing nothing. This bit hadn't actually hit her yet, given her condition. However, change soon made its way from one simple thing; lying on her belly side, she'd begin to become physically irritated by something. While she lay, it became harder to tolerate, gradually slumping out of her clear depression.

Soon enough, her belly and diaphragm irritated her enough, causing her face to stern up a little, and her frame to shift every now again, trying to wiggle it out. It hadn't stumbled into her mind yet why her body was this uncomfortable this much, until it snapped into her brain realizing she was still in uniform or at least as much of it as she had left to wear, having shed her boots and hat quite some time ago these were perhaps two major constitutes of said uniform.

Back to the issue, shifting subtly here and there, out and about, and eventually, she broke, and had enough. With a big "Ugh." she lazily rose onto her knees, instantly reaching for each rectangular, horizontally opposed badge, her insignia badges, mind you and removed those as well, tossing them aside quite mindlessly.

"Rrmmm! I forget how uncomfortable these things are." She had said strangely, much higher, and perkier than before. And just as they hit the floor and bed edge, she plopped back down onto the bed, and then sighed in relief. A leg bent up as she hit the bed, and her large tail curled up with it.

"Ooohhh, ya, that's better. Muuuuuuch better."

She muttered in relief, not enthusiastic, but sincere. A couple more minutes pass, and she got back on thought with her little problem, but only momentarily, only getting as far as realizing she had pretty much nothing, and to wonder what she's going to do. What cut off her question, besides the sheets she were laying in, was the fact that, yet again, she noticed she smelled musky.

Now to an ordinary human, let alone an animal, or dragon, this would simply smell like the musk of any other fox... weak, and scented of fur, and minimal body smells, for most furred animals lack bodily functions and chemicals that make such odors simply labeled as "body odor" by humans.

Back to her issues, she wasn't appeased by this scent, having noted this before, she knew she needed to bath or shower, perhaps later in the day, she would plan, for now, she didn't know. But at that she had no idea where any of the facilities were or where any more than 3 rooms were in this humble abode. After that bothered her for a bit she perked her head up for the first time today, and looked around, hearing virtually nothing, but knowing the old man downstairs was doing stuff down there. Having no idea what their names were, and not bothering with them right then, she would look at the door, tempted to sneak around and find where she needed to be. The wait was longer than needed perhaps, also nervous to go out, knowing a certain dragon could be where she doesn't expect him to be. She probably didn't need to be sneaky about it, but she'd rather find it herself.

Kyo, shocked at the more sudden leave, staggered forward to catch him, Klin seeing this, and just stubbornly following along, since that's the plan. Kyo then saw need to try and give just reasoning behind his action to go for the nearest town, feeling Cedric didn't quite catch why, and what they'd be there for.

"Ah, l-look, Mr... Cedric, was it? We aren't... well, I'm not; I can't speak for him, personally, but to my point; we aren't looking for that kind of treatment or actions by it. I, personally, think standing there and moping about what happened wasn't getting us anywhere. We just need a place to hunker down, lay low, and just think about how to go about this, that's all, nothing more."

He concluded, trying his best to use intellectual reasoning to sort out this mode of action. Klin, on the other hand, thought differently of this scenario as usual, to only himself as he trailed somewhat further behind them, he'd mutter his own thoughts to the only one who he wants to hear it: himself.

"Yeah, Kyo... I really don't think that's helping anyone by saying that. Hell, if I could input something, I'd be thinking he doesn't care about what reason you chose to go to the nearest town." He'd think and inquire only that little bit. Despite all that, they soldiered on.

As Colby interacted with Maurel, the cat sitting in the windowsill only did what Colby was doing... seeming to copy everything he was doing. The handshake, the standing gestures, his head positions, and even the movements he used in petting Cavynthra. However, when all this came to a stop it, too, stopped, and simply went back to walking on all fours, looking out with those glowing eyes. However, it jumped down from the windowsill when Colby morphed back into dragon form, intending to go back into the house... but clumsily slipping, trying to claw its way back up as it stammered, but fail, and tumbled to the wood deck, were it would run down the stairs and below the porch deck to hid there, deep into it so as to keep things safer in its own feel.

Knowing they're moving, Panic! once more prowled on the move to simply following them. He knew they must be very powerful, and probably had no chance of taking either of them on directly, he had a bad enough time going through that gryphon-magician pair he encountered earlier. However, one thing is certain in his mind, besides him being potential target to his thwarting plans, he probably needed to cover his magic signature, knowing that most large creatures around here like dragons and gryphon rely on magic as well, he probably stood out like a sore thumb as far as his magic presence goes.

In this, he simply got to moving away deeper into the forest to follow their tracks, even though they were flying. He'd gather they were far out of reach by now for him to simply physically trail by running on through the trees. After about 5 minutes of running, he'd suppose to think about making a leap above to trees to start flying himself. About one-third a mile into the forest, he'd stop and look up, the sky blue as usual and things around the tree as normal, time to split.

With a leap-by-leap move out of the foliage, he would hold his position up in the air just above the tree as he leaped up. In mid-air, he'd take his book, and make another simple summon. Another shadow bird summon, this one was perhaps bigger than the one he'd been flying on previously and for good reason. While it was physically body-wise little bigger than the one he'd been flying earlier, this bird had a longer wingspan, and a more applicable form, having a large chest, forming a slightly teardrop-shaped body, and strong muscles ideal for faster flying. This bird had a grayer motif, with a black beak with a white stripe across the base of the beak, and the width of its chest.

As he summoned such a high-pedigree flying bird, he would then start to fall, feeling it as the air now contrasted his back, and everything was coming closer to the ground. However, before he got too far and too fast, his bird had swung around its path, and flew around to catch him upon its back, where he now sat, flying forward toward that mountain even if Panic! doesn't plan on fighting, he would see he's in for surprises, sure to see many interesting things from the dragon pair with that, he did what he advised, and began to hide his magic signature.

Holding out his own hand for the other one, Panic! would hover his right hand above his left, and slowly, a light resonated from said hand. Smiling, he'd quickly finish the procedure, the light puffing and making a very slight resonating sound. Upon his hand then sat a blackened crest, almost reminiscent of a tattoo. This, in actuality, was a power capping seal Panic! managed to conjure up in his years of sorcery. At the cost of limiting how powerful he is, his own magic signature was heavily diluted, and masked. To be honest, this wasn't the first time he's used this technique, and while his presence is still distinguishable, it was perhaps no more than slightly above an average person. With that taken care of, he was as ready as he could be, and flew on, setting off for where those dragons were flying, keeping eyes on where they were going, based on the magic signatures he was picking up himself from the two.

With Tanuki stopped out in the middle of nowhere, he'd suppose it was a nice point in which to stop. Perhaps he was far enough, and despite the location under a tree in which he was, he would notice that this side of the land began to become dry. Given his perception of the feeling of moisture was limited, he could tell by breathing in the air that it was quite becoming dryer as he looked on, he wasn't going to move for awhile but he had a feeling a desert was up ahead and that has always been a difficult trek to make.

StarLight Nova:

** ** Vaxil almost wanted to rake his claws across that monkey's chest for his lax comment but he held himself, digging his claws into the earth to stop himself. He definitely had to tell Calemvir about this and what they are supposed to do now. "They are seen as beasts because humans see them as savages and animals that eat humans and do whatever they want. We have rules within our own kind. Every dragon is different. Humans fear what they cannot explain and attack the things that pose a threat to them."_He said as calmly as he could, breathing deeply while looking out to the lake. He then closed his eyes and swished his tail closer to his body. _"Humans just don't want to admit when they might be defeated or when there is someone, a species that is better than them. Here," He says, raising his head into the sky. "This is where everyone can live in peace."

As he finished, he heard Render warn him about the contents of one of his pouches. Vaxil turned his head, looking to see Render tip it upside down while keeping the contents inside. "That would most likely not kill me. But anyway," Vaxil said, lifting his left paw to twirl it in the air, forming a simple gesture to put a minor ward to keep dust from reaching him. After a pause, he did it again to place one on Render before looking away and closing his eyes to converse with Calemvir.

"My apologies Calemvir, but there is something I must tell you." Vaxil said after extending his mind to connect with the black dragons.

He felt the dragon's mind stir, opening up a few seconds later to respond. "And what would that be Vaxil? I thought you would have reached my cave by now." Calemvir replied, his deep voice echoing between the telepathic connection.

"Umm," He hesitated before saying what the problem was. "It seems that Render is afraid...no, appears to want nothing to do with a black dragon. I could only guess there was one who invoked fear into the lives of people wherever he came from. We are going to have to find another way to do this." Vaxil answered, opening his left eye to check on Render before closing it again.

"That does seem to be a problem. No doubt he called us beasts?" Calemvir responded. I tense up, pausing as Calemvir rumbles. "Very well. I will find another dragon and tell him where Colby is."

"Thank you Calemvir." I reply, opening my eyes back open to just catch a blur of a dragon flying past as I shake my head. I look over to Render for one second before focusing my gaze on who that dragon could be. From my position on the ground and his position in the sky, it seems he is a brilliant mix of white, blue and green. The undersides of his wings have swirls of blue while mixing with the green. The majority of his body is white with streaks of green with his tail being a dazzling navy blue. He is flying at a good elevation while being a couple hundred feet away from us.

If my memory is correct, then that dragon has a partner called Ilor? No, Edan, no, Erik? Yes! That was it! Erik. The only thing that confuses me is why he would be here without his partner. That should not be my concern right now as I return my attention to Render.

At the watermill near the river, while Kuroda was fixing Rintaru his favorite food, he was pleasing himself with erotic thoughts of the fox downstairs. It did not come to mind not to stop what he was doing, it was his failures earlier that spurred him on, moving his right paw slowly up and down his throbbing shaft, playing with his ridges and gently squeezing his knot. He took the time to let himself come to the edge before letting it fall, enjoying the sensation and pull within his loins.

Rintaru spread his wings open and swished his tail to balance himself, grunting and moaning as his knot fully engorged and his ridges extended outward, causing every brush to threaten to send him over in a large climax. Not that having a smaller shaft diminished his pleasure, no, it felt just as good as when he had done it outside, but then it was out of frustration of not having caught any fish, and the one that had latched onto his sensitive organ.

Rintaru began to speed up, his member leaking pre-cum continuously as he flew over his ridges, causing him to scrunch his face up in pleasure, going over his knot and giving it a few good squeezes as the pressure in his loins built up once again. His cock tip flared as his knot started to pulse; there was no backing down from this one. The all too familiar sensation began welling up at the base of his shaft, his internal balls rising as they prepared to eject their contents. Rintaru's grunts and squeals became louder, not quite able to be heard from downstairs. He clenched his jaw and bared his teeth, closing his eyes as he moved his paw down to his knot and hovered over it.

For a few seconds it seemed like it was going to fade, but then he squeezed hard, simulating that locking mechanism when a dragon knotted with his mate and he came hard. Rintaru roared out, a high pitched sound considering his size while his shaft throbbed a few more times before becoming painfully rigid. The next pulse sent the first pleasure-inducing wave of sperm out of his shaft and up against the window. He teetered on his hind legs, fluttering his wings to keep himself balanced as a second; third, fourth and fifth spurt of semen was ejaculated out to splash onto the window as his pelvic muscles contracted.

He did not know when it would end, but soon enough it did, distance falling until only a river of sperm dribbled down his shaft and around his clenched paw to pool on the sill. Rintaru shivered, vastly enjoying the afterglow of the climax he had. His knot would last for thirty minutes this time, while Kuroda was preparing his food. The sound he made when he reached orgasm was certainly heard from downstairs, but Kuroda paid it no mind. The mess Rintaru had made was drearily cleaned up once his knot had deflated and a nice glow had settled in.

Rintaru would flitter over to curl up on Kuroda's bed, waiting until he was called. After a few hours it was ready. "Rin!" The old man said, hanging onto the frame of the door leading up to where he was. The dog sized dragon, having had a content sleep, opened his eyes and flew downstairs to land on Kuroda's shoulder.

"Is it ready?" The eager dragon asked, spreading his wings out and wrapping his tail around his arm for balance.

"Yes it is." Kuroda replied, walking into the kitchen to present his scaly friend with a large dish made up of various spices, garlic and of course the two big fish he had caught and the one medium one. The smaller fish had been cut up and prepared to give to their friend in the other room.

Rintaru chirped his thanks and started eating on the table as Kuroda picked up the plate of the three smaller fish and brought them into the room their guest was in. Looking inside, he saw the fox lying on the bed with one leg out and one leg raised with her tail curled around. "Ummm, miss, would you like anything to eat? I brought you some more fish if you want?" Kuroda asked, walking in to place the plate on a nearby table. He stayed for a few seconds to see if she wanted to talk or say anything back.

Cedric kept walking while Kyo and Klin followed to catch up, explaining their reason for wanting to go to a town. He knew they would have to at some point know that complaining about their situation would be meaningless, and so smiled when Kyo said they just wanted some place to stay, as simple as he had said earlier. "I know you would have wanted to think about this someplace," Cedric said calmly. "There is a city at the end of this peninsula over there," He said, pointing off to his right to the far off land as the ground they were walking on rose higher above the sea while the forest closed in to their left.

"And for your friend behind you," Cedric resumed, lowering his arm and turning to look behind Kyo. "I do care because everyone on this planet cares for one another's well being. If someone hurt you, then he will eventually be found and dealt with. This planet is still just a few decades old, not in having been found and cultivated by many different species, but terraformed by Colby after the end of the war." Cedric explained, looking back ahead to focus on where he was walking, cape flowing behind him in the breeze, his stature straight and calm.

Maurel, dragging the complaining dark colored gryphon away, heard Cavynthra and Colby set off to their next destination. Hopefully they will be able to surely find and capture that scandalous sorcerer for what he did. "Oh, will you stop whining! I am only taking you to see your mate. I will deal with you later!" Maurel shouted, making Venro lower but not stop his squawking. The two were lovebirds basically, so he couldn't do anything too harsh on him, or he could potentially lose two hard workers, that is when Venro was not having fun with the dwarves.

Reaching the enlarged barn where Lish'ua slept, Maurel let go of his fluffy ear and opened the pair of doors, walking inside impatiently while motioning for Venro to follow. The dark colored gryphon pawed at his ear a few times before trotting inside, looking up at where they had built their nest. "Well?" Maurel said, standing off to one side. "Are you not going to see how she is?" He said, shaking his head before walking out, going back to tend to his farm. "Today Gryphon. Tomorrow you will listen to what I have to say." Maurel said, not looking back as he shut the doors behind him.

Venro flinched when he heard the doors rattle but shook it off and looked back up at the rafters. Up there was his mate he had chosen years ago, the love of his life. They had not sired any children yet, but they were planning to, some day. Without wasting any more time, he backed up a few paces before sprinting forward and launching himself up, giving a quick beat or two of his feathery wings to land gently on the second floor. There, he settled down onto his chest to watch his mate Lish'ua sleep. It felt like she had never been in a battle before, but he had to guess Colby had restored her magic when he had come here, and he would have to thank him for that, next time he saw him.

As Venro admired his mate, he did not see her breathing increase as she opened her eyes. Blinking in the dim light, she raised her head, tilting it before jumping up, sprinting forward to crash into Venro, almost causing them to fall off the top rafter. Venro, startled, squawked in surprise but quickly steadied himself so she rolled him onto his back to the right as she rested on top of him. Lish'ua immediately started nuzzling and cooing at her mate, wrapping her wings around him in a tight embrace.

"I've missed you." She said, purring against him as she buried herself in his plumage. Venro relaxed and returned the hold, extending his mind to show her what she meant to him. Lish'ua grabbed on, tears sprouting from her eyes as her tail curled around his.

"And I've missed you too." Venro said as the two enjoyed the love they shared. Eventually, they separated but only long enough for both of them to walk to their nest, cuddling up with Venro against Lish'ua's back. He then started to groom her feathers, laying his left wing over her in protection as she welcomed the intimate embrace.

Gudon and his son Balendin had been sparing against each other for a few hours and now the sun had almost reached its peak. Balendin was in a defensive position, breathing heavily while his father, who had shrunken down to let his son stand a better chance, was also breathing but not as much. Both tails lashed through the air, Balendin having his spread his wings to try and cool himself off as he positioned himself sideways while his father turned so that their heads were near their tails but at a distance.

Each had scratches on their bodies but they weren't deep, Balendin more so than Gudon, but he was still learning. After the years, he had gotten his father to play a little more defensively, but sometimes willingly took that role so his son could learn some attack skills. Their cave was relatively bare except for their shared nest at the back and some bookshelves of history on thousands of different species of dragons that Balendin had to learn. He liked to learn, especially the times he got to separate and fly in the air in two different bodies but of the same mind.

Gudon now looked down on his son's exhausted form and decided to call an end to it for today. "That's enough Balendin, you may rest now," Gudon praised his son as he rose from his stance, relaxing his tail and wings. "You have fought well today. I am proud of you."

Balendin stopped circling and raised his head when his father called a halt, glad to be done with training. "Thank you father." Balendin replied gratefully, dipping his head while lowering his wings before padding to the back of the cave. Even after imagining how big it was on the mountain, there was still room for a large pond so that the dragons could quench their thirst.

Gudon always liked it when they spent time together, not that they did not do that every day. He had grown extra protective of his son after he had him taken away from him about thirty years ago; no doubt the work of the Darkness. That was behind him now, and as his son travelled back to slake his thirst, he turned to the cave entrance to gaze out at the sky, watching as the clouds rolled past the seemingly endless mountain range around them. This place was solitary from everywhere else, only a few people knew where his home was, and only one city was established close by.

So, turning around, he padded deeper into the cave to join his son in getting a drink. Soon the two were talking over various things from techniques to the next species of dragons they could create either here or on another planet. Sitting next to one another in their nest with both dragons being white, one darker than the other, it was hard to tell where one body ended and another began, were it not for Gudon's golden markings over his body.

Madam Poodle:

** ** As powders poured and spread about over the air and ground, Render would hear out Vaxil only to observe indiscrepancies in his points. As the powders poured out completely, he started to think to himself, no longer speaking physically at this point. His thoughts began in his head as he prepared a fire-starter to defuse the powders all over the ground, holding it in his hand for a while.

"Hmm, he made a slight error in his plight. He forgets that it is that people, not just humans that fear what they cannot 'control', not what they cannot explain. Not being able to explain something peaks something else, possibly an array of things, more over, more so curiosity over anything else. He would also forget that anyone is technically entitled to do as they please, naturally, this is always the case, and it's everywhere else where they go blind."

He would pause his thoughts, and drop the starter onto the ground, igniting the black and bomb powders on the ground, generating many sparks, cracks and pops, but only in mild amounts. It singed away after only a brief period, the starter soon meeting the metal of the monkey's boot. At this point, thoughts continued.

"... In this sense, that of which he is speaking of this "species" that supposedly surpasses a man is thus something like a dragon. Interesting, being larger, more powerful, possessing the ability to communicate language without talking, and living a longer lifespan makes a dragon more sophisticated than a man."

Render was quite the deep thinker, and on this issue, he tried comprehending this inference and all else considered. While Render was on the notion of indifference in terms of biological and intellectual sophistication, it is of note that Render is not accustomed to this world's ways, the relation of rider and dragon/gryphon as one unit, or even the roots of any of the world. And in the other's case, they'd know only just as much, and gather the same. Even so, neither seemed to realize that into their thoughts quite so much, so things remained quiet, and tense. Render wasn't sorry either, but if they soon were to part, it's made little difference if he were to be. Sadly, both were going to be in quite some surprises over the course of a distorted time or time to be, rather, this hitting the planet of Elpitha fairly slowly and consistently.

Foxy would stammer a little as the door open, not expecting it to, and would see that it was the gentleman once again, offering fish this time. She didn't seem so excited to see him, and probably not the best way to be postured for him, but she would see to what he wanted.

"... Thanks." She muttered simply, plopping her upper body back down on the bed, flat for the most part.

She supposed to wait for him to leave, but had no hard feelings if he decided to stay. The smell of fish entered the room, and while it smelled nice, fish wasn't her most prized dish. The roar she heard earlier really made her wonder just what the dragon member of the household was doing when he did that. But such wasn't particularly her priority right now. But, since he was here, she had to ask.

"U... u-uhm... h-hey, Mr... uhh... pardon me, hehe... but... uhh... do you... uhm." She took a second to collect herself, soon turning around a tiny bit, an embarrassed, smiling expression on her face and a paw bouncing up and down a time or two from a cat-ish position of the arm as she tried to ask.

"Do you happen to know where the bathroom is and some towels?" She asked, the pace of her quest a little scattered at certain parts, namely the first third of the question where it was slow, and the rest a little quick. She kept on for only a little while with this expression and motion, awaiting the answer of Kuroda while he was probably standing there.

Klin and Kyo both seemed a bit confused, Klin having a more surprised and irritated look on his face, Kyo more confused than anything else.

"D-did he read my mind, or does he have eyes in the back of his head or something? I swear I didn't even open my mouth to talk! What the hell!?"

So thought Klin, obviously not welcoming of the currents around him. Kyo was speechless, not sure where the words Cedric spoke came from exactly. Despite the situation, Klin struggled, but held his thoughts from leaving his head, for sure that they remained in his head, while Kyo awkwardly continued on.

"... Right... uhm, anyway, yes, we would like to head there... if there isn't another nearby town or village. Boy... not sure where exactly... that came from... OK... onward." Kyo said aloud, that second sentence quieter, and intended for himself, mostly.

As such, they both kept on once more, Klin's lazily steps keeping up behind the two, while Kyo kept close. The wind flapped and fwupped Kyo's as well, although the motions seemed a little slower than Cedrics, being weighed down by the various rounds and magazines in Kyo's jacket. Standing behind both of them, Klin almost saw them to be quite similar in the way they were walking, it almost brought him to bother, but he too, soldiered on without voice, just thought.

With Maurel back to his devises, and the large creatures still in a status of coming and going, the cat stayed down below the porch of Maurel's home, setting in the back where it was darker. It was again, quite a long wait and the kitten ended up sitting there for hours, no small feat for a cat. Though, cats have a natural tendency to do silly things to entertain themselves, as well as a rather overwhelming sense of curiosity and need to explore and exploit. And, after a couple hours, more like a few, tummy problems. A strange, rumbly growl sounded, a shaking vibration from the stomach, and an unsettling feeling from above the intestinal region was felt. It was so strange; the cat stood up on its hind paws, and looked down.

It stopped, but the feeling was still there. Trying to solve it, the cat, in a silly way, tried everything... mimicking the handshake gesture first, then the standing gestures second and then the ear-holding posture Maurel used earlier to carry Venro around, nothing obviously worked. Whatever it was, the feeling grew strong, and it wasn't a nice feeling. This feeling, hunger, was getting quite so unbearable, eventually, it got a little desperate, and started a little kitten mischief, it used its own devises, namely: the claws, to simply claw up the ground underneath the porch, only to find lots dirt, dead foliage, a few worms and bugs, and a rock, none of which cats find edible. Eventually yet again, it arose from its hiding spot unmolested, crept back up the stairs, and hopped back in the window, barely, with a great stagger in the windowsill to prove the point, and once again, began the investigation of Maurel's house, this time in the namely search of sustenance, sniffing all about and around.

Throughout the rest of the daylight, Panic! stood to fly about and follow the two dragon's magic signatures. The whole time, he remained on the bird, finding a way to get as close as he practically could. Most of it was simply getting to a point where he was close to the mountain they were in. The fact he could sense two magic signatures as if they were only a hundred meters away was quite interesting, and he knew they had to be powerful to have them this strong. For a lasting period, he felt a spike in this signature, being the time The father-son duo were sparring in their cave and afterward, it dropped heavily, a little spoil to his fun, and not to mention the lack of direct sight or close proximity ruined the fun quite a bit, but the power levels he got were information enough. In a desperate attempt to get close enough, Panic! actually waved through just a few mountain just to get to the other end of the woodland, and closer to the mountain.

It was then that not only was nighttime coming once again, but he started to notice the altitude Gudon and his son were sitting at was, drattingly, very, very high, too high for humans to withstand, barring in mind barometric pressure, temperature, and the lack of air that results from such high altitude. Even Panic! would have gone through some devastating side-effects, most prominent of which would be lack of blood pressure, shortness of breath, hypothermia, and a lack of blood oxygen after too long. Being that high would have very weakening effects on him and right now, that's something he'd rather not handicap to himself, considering he's already covered that, having what he needed, he knew he could go that high, so, he circled around for just a bit longer, considering leaving for an eventual return. He was now simply circling the woodland's east section in a short radius near the mountains.

Earlier on in the Day, Tanuki supposed he'd rested long enough. Because the area ahead of him he could feel was dessert, but to his sides only laid sea, he had to assume crossing the dessert risky, considering he only has a water canteen and many clothes. He couldn't go back to Hen'Lai; no, the heat was too high, but the fountain there was the freshest source of fresh water around him. At that, one canteen isn't enough to travel a dessert and the only place likely to get one is through the town he just left, without time to waste, the raccoon dog stood up, and parted back the other way once again for the fountain back in Hen'Lai to which he spent all his afternoon and part way into his night walking to by foot, by complete sundown, having town gate within an eyesight and taking caution to his approach.

Somewhere near the Tree of Life on a knoll just nearby there laid motionless and almost lifeless a certain white-furred, blue-haired girl, unconscious and comatose in the backdrop of a very large, green tree.

StarLight Nova:

** ** Vaxil watched as Render poured out the contents of the pouch and ignite the powders. Other than that he stayed quiet and returned to gazing out over towards the lake while Kur'si made his way up to where Calemvir was to report from the town of Hen'Lai. The blue green and white dragon alighted in front of the leaders cave, folding his wings onto his back before looking inside. Calemvir noticed the arrival and went to greet him.

"What brings you here Kur'si?" Calemvir said, easily towering over the young dragon in front of him.

"Well..." He stuttered, turning his head to the side before sitting down on his hind legs in which Calemvir followed. "I bring news from Hen'Lai that someone has cracked the fountain and to request some dragons and gryphon's be sent out to warn the other towns." Kur'si answered, bowing his head in respect to the wise and old dragon.

"Indeed. I have already received word from your rider and the protector. You may gather a few dragons and gryphon's to spread the news." Calemvir replied.

"You did?" He said, tilting his head. "Oh, and Colby was there earlier today and said he encountered a Black Knight."

"A Black Knight?"_Calemvir repeated and Kur'si dipped in head in confirmation. _"That sure changes things." Calemvir said, pausing to look out past the cave to see the other dragons flying through the air. He then closed his eyes to see where Colby was currently to find him near Grasmere up North. _"Kur'si,"_Calemvir said as he opened his eyes again.

"Yes sir?" The young dragon replied.

_"We are going to be having some new visitors to this planet who are from somewhere else,"_Calemvir said.

"And you want me to greet them?" Kur'si replied.

_"No, not exactly. You see, Vaxil is here right now with a monkey called Render. I want you to go to him and bring Render up North to Grasmere so Colby can bring him home."_Calemvir explained.

_"That's it?"_Kur'si questioned.

"Yes, though from what Vaxil has told me, Render is afraid of black dragons, and so refuses to come near me. Your smaller size should do well to help calm him down. Just, bring him there as quick as you can. Don't start any fights ok?" Calemvir said.

Kur'si nodded again. "And about the dragons? And gryphon's?" He asked.

"I will have Vaxil be one of them and I will inform some others." Calemvir said.

Kur'si nodded his head again and backed out, flying out of the cave to find Vaxil, who, was not that hard to trace by talking to a few dragons on the wing. He could see Vaxil staring out to the lake with the monkey called Render close by. He flared his wings a good fifteen feet from the ground a good distance away before walking up to greet them. By now Vaxil had turned his attention onto the approaching dragon as he said hello.

"Ah, how are you doing Kur'si?" The forest green dragon asked.

"Good. Calemvir said for me to tell you to fetch some dragons and gryphon's to spread the word about someone who cracked the fountain at Hen'Lai." Kur'si said.

Vaxil straightened his neck a bit and looked at Render who stood uneasy among the other dragon. "And what am I to do with him?" he asked, turning his attention back to Kur'si.

"Calemvir told me where Colby is and said for me to take him to Grasmere while you spread the news for people to stay indoors after dark." The smaller dragon replied.

"I guess I can do that. And look out for any threats on the way as well as anyone else that could have popped up like him right?" Vaxil said, nodding his head towards Render.

_"Exactly,"_Kur'si said.

"Ok. Just let me tell him," Vaxil said before turning his head to address Render while Kur'si sat down on his stomach to wait. "Render, I have something I must do now. Kur'si here is going to take you to Colby up North near Grasmere who will take you home." Vaxil explained.

Kuroda raised an eyebrow when the fox started speaking, asking where the bathroom was. "Head out this door and go straight to the wall before turning right. Walk towards the back door and there will be another one to your left, which is the bathroom." Kuroda answered politely, getting ready to leave to head upstairs. Before he left, as she was talking, he thought he would find what her name was. "If it is not too much trouble," He said at the door. "What would your name be miss? Mine is Kuroda, and my dragon friend you met before I came home is Rintaru." Kuroda said, looking into the other room to see him eating his lunch.

Cedric smiled as Kyo asked if there was another town or village nearby. "This is the closest one to where we are, unless you want to travel many more miles?" Cedric said, walking on with the river to their right and the forest to their left. "Grasmere is a port city near a large river with very nice inns you can stay in. There is no currency needed here whatsoever so don't worry about that. That goes for food, drinks and anything else as well. We live in a community where we support each other without the need of money and what follows." Cedric explained.

Venro loved the feel of his mate against him, her soft feathers tickling his underbelly while he groomed her fur. Lish'ua was purring loudly as her mate gave her all the attention she wanted. His affection was making her sex start to swell and engorge with need, her scent increasing to tell him of her situation. Venro knew what his mate wanted, but chose to prolong this calm time together. He gripped her right paw with his, holding her tight as his shaft reacted to her scent, breathing it in like a drug.

Lish'ua began to squirm as her mate continued to lavish her with soothing licks of his tongue, causing her to get antsy. She leaned back within his embrace, curling her tail around his more firmly as she connected her mind to his to show him her love. He reciprocated it without hesitation, letting her feel his shaft poke her in the back as it started to emerge. Lish'ua pulled away, turning her head and body so they were lying chest to chest. Venro raised his wing as she moved before laying it down again on her side.

He could feel the heat of her sex emanating out towards his member, enticing it to come closer. Lish'ua knew she was not in heat and would not likely produce any offspring but it was still possible although low. They closed in on one another, licking, purring, cooing and rubbing themselves against each other's body in affection and love. A glint shown in Venros eyes as he reached forward and grabbed a hold of her scruff, pushing forward until she was on her back. Lish'ua cried out in surprise but wrapped her wings and legs around him as he abruptly pushed inside of her.

They had mated many times before and so it became second nature to them. Venro thrust in and out steadily, his barbs scrapping across Lish'ua's walls as she cried out in pleasure, spreading her hind legs apart so he could have better access to her. Venro mated with her roughly, just how she liked it while he held her close to him. He let go of her neck, only to change position and increase his speed. Now that most of his shaft was out, he began thrusting in and out with vigor, rocking her back and forth inside their nest.

Their mating lasted for some time until Venro's knot swelled and his barbs dug into his mate's silky walls. He stopped thrusting, pushing in one last time to just partially enter her cervix before spilling his seed into her egg chamber. They lay there panting, Venro resting on top of Lish'ua who gladly accepted his weight, snuggling against him as he continued to spurt his semen inside of her. Having climaxed at the same time, both of them rested until they could separate thirty minutes later. After a brief cleaning and more licking, they went to sleep as the sun began to fall.

While the gryphon's mated, Maurel was outside walking towards his home. He had been strolling around to just enjoy the weather and peace and quiet when he found a pile of big black feathers. He looked back the way he came and thought of who must have left them here. His eyes widened as he remembered the bird that sorcerer rode and decided to pick up a couple of them. Walking back home took some time, but once he arrived he opened the door and went upstairs, not bothering to see where the cat was as he took out his staff and laid it against the wall. Maurel then began to experiment with the feathers to see what their origin was and if he could learn more about this sorcerer that had attacked them.

As the sun went down, Colby and his mate Cavynthra began crossing the river that lead to Grasmere, a large town with elves, humans, some dragons and animal companions. The distance from there from where they were was shorter than Hen'Lai to Harnsey but longer than from Harnsey to the farm. To pass the time Colby and Cavynthra would play in the air, rolling around each other, chasing their tails for fun. Every so often they latched onto each other and flew locked together, alternating wing strokes before falling away to play another game.

Before they knew it they had arrived at the town of Grasmere, well designed by the elves and humans with help from their companions. Grasmere also had a big fishing port that was thriving, providing them with fish, crabs, shrimp, and many other marine foods. The children and some adults saw the two dragons from awhile away. Everyone knew who Colby and Cavynthra were, and they were always welcomed in their town whenever they wanted. There was a rise in the earth before it dropped off steeply into sheer cliffs before the river.

That is where Colby and Cavynthra go to land while some children run out to meet them. Even before the beginning of the war, children loved to be around Colby for he often brought gifts and wishes for those who were good. It was uncommon to receive something from a protector, even more from a defender. Multiply that and it was rare to get a gift from a guardian, and even more for a forgotten. Colby was kind and liked to create things out of the elements, ice sculptures, earth statues, water rings that never broke.

So when Colby and Cavynthra landed, they were greeted by about a dozen or so children from a mix of Elvin, human and a few tag along animal companions. Cavynthra chuckled as she saw her mate change into a human, seeing the reactions from the children stop in the tracks. Colby knelt down, gesturing for them to come closer. They knew he would not hurt them, so they walked up to him and told him their names. Each child got something special that day, a crystal to train with for spells, a stature of a dragon in a fierce pose or a necklace that looked nice.

By the time the children had run back to the city, the sky was losing its blue coloration to the dark purples and oranges of night. "Now that that is over, we might have to stay here and continue our search in the morning. That does not mean we can't see some old friends in the city. Right Cavynthra?" Colby said, looking over his shoulder as his mate slowly got up from sitting down.

"I am fine with that." Cavynthra replied as they started walking towards the city of Grasmere. It was not that far from where they were and the sound and scent of the river flowing on the breeze was soothing as they travelled. The tips of buildings in the distance with a few dragons flying around brought a smile to Colby's face.

Back at the large cave with Gudon and Balendin, the two dragons had fallen asleep together, Balendin under his father's wings curled in tight. This was usually the routine for them, wake up, practice magic at the lake, grab something to eat if they were hungry, then Gudon would teach Balendin other things within the cave as the sun set. He sure had a long way to go, but he also had a lot of time to learn it in. Within eight years Colby would host another celebration at the defeat of the Darkness, which meant a week long party with songs, endless food and drinks, getting to meet his first son and daughter he had clutched when he was about twenty or so as well.

It would take place in the area outside of Dragon Valley where everyone on the planet would gather. Expecting mothers would stay at home to either birth or lay their children or hatchlings or take care of them. It was fun for everyone, especially when Colby always came up with a few more songs each time to add to the festival. But this time it was going to be different. The fiftieth anniversary would mark the first opening of the friendly competition, where everyone could show off their powers, strengths and skills against each other in a tournament. There would be three or four huge stadiums, one for Protectors to fight together, one for Defenders, and another for lower level warriors.

Up high in a very unique tree rested a unique bird. She had seen many events in her life and almost lost it as well. Right now she was the resident phoenix of the Tree of Life, a bird of fire that was basically immortal. Her vibrant plumage of white, red, orange and blue stood out against the meandering brown branches of the tree and the green enclave of the leaves. She sat up high, watching over the landscape with a passive eye. She was still very young in this body, but very, very old in mind and knowledge. She knew a lot of secrets that Colby knew, having been friends with him for quite some time. Seeing something new did not exactly faze her, but entice curiosity in the old but young bird.

Looking down from her nest among many of the strong tree branches, she spotted a dozing figure on top of a knoll. It intrigued her that she had not noticed it before, but she was bored with only the company of the sentient tree for conversation. Colby, of course, had created the Tree of Life after the war with the Darkness was over, doing so so it could watch over the inhabitants of the planet. Neither Colby nor she knew what it could do, but she knew there was a lot of potential held within the roots of the large tree. The branches shadowed over a good portion of the land, providing fertile soil and plants where animals could graze. The entrance to the tree was wide enough so that even a titanic could sail into it with many feet to spare. It towered so high it rose into the clouds where other unique birds made their nests.

Madam Poodle:

** ** In wait, Render still remained quite silent. Hearing as wings approached the location; he simply remained put, and would wait for the two drakes to finish their banter. Not worrying too much more over the situation, Render had seemed to calm down considerably, but his lip was shut, and his mind at heavy work. Render, no doubt a heavy thinker. He thought about just anything he felt was worth thinking about, even what was in front of him. The lake, its water, the grass he was standing right on. Eyes closed, Render soon slowly, and yes, it was very slowly, grabbed for the grip of his sword and kept it there.

After that while passed: about the time Vaxil and Kur'si parted their conversation, Render had drawn his sword from its sheathe, and held it high. After another short while pause, the blond-locked monkey took a diagonally downward slash toward the waters just before and below his feet. It stopped once his blade was fully pointed down just above the freshwater after quite the rapid stop from a full-force slash. This was thought of by no one else but himself as something of proof of one of his philosophical properties. In his mind, he'd utter this assassin's preach.

"A true swordsman keeps his blade as sharp as himself. A sharp blade is a gentle blade; a gentle blade never pushes the air: only moves through it. A slash should never, distort the water."

At rest though as one particular dragon spoke up to him, the monkey only gestured a passive wave, sword in hand at his side. Slowly, his head turned to face Kur'si narrowly. As that, he'd gather he was his next transport.

In that mean time, nearer toward Hen'lai, the sun finally made its departure under the horizon. Night had finally come about, and a particular Knight that Colby encountered about this time a night before had to embark on his nightly campaign. He'd remember Colby during their last encounter, and would make it a personal note to find that man again one day for another challenge. But such was not the time, this time; it was not his need to reap souls that rode him this night. It was a presence he felt. Two of them, one of them very powerful and very bad. While the Black Knight's job is what people often compare as being 'just as bad', the Knight has no personal motive behind what it is that he does. He only reaps for the sake of keeping the Nether replenished of souls to cycle. While the one of this world was notable very pure, yet very empty, suggesting truly innocent souls in a world where people do not die so frequently, the Knight still has an eternally-bound duty to fulfill. And he'll keep fulfilling that duty, no matter whom he runs into.

The Knight summoned up his horse with a snap of a finger, those trots audible from a good distance away. And then assembling his mythical sword, "Gatekeeper," he would again make the jump, and upon landing, reaching the saddle of his otherworldly stallion, leaving dark trails as it sped along as fast as it could. Once again, the Black Knight rode on again, charging for this soul that he needed to see for himself, and extinguish before it gets out of hand. He was coming for this soul, regardless of who he was going through to get there, and what he had to do.

In the meantime, the pour soul the Knight was coming after: Tanuki Take'ichi, who soon made his way back to the town gate where he'd just come from passing right on back through it, he was, in no time at all, back in the outskirts of the town of Hen'lai. Only here for one actual purpose and that is to grab one canteen. He walked tiredly through the dusty street ways of the town, looking about for any open shops. As usual, there weren't as many people in town during the day as there were at night, which made things much more convenient for the lone walker of outlaws. Even for a place he's not familiar with, he sees himself lucky to have even gotten the service he has gotten. Nonetheless, he kept on his path, looking only for that item, and unaware of the Knight errand coming for his head.

As Kuroda explained where the bathroom was, her earpiece catching his vocal data so she can recap his words, she'd reply a quick 'Thank you,' she'd rest back down, the same as she had before and then, she heard him ask for her name, to which she made a bit a pause before answering, her head perched up on the pillow.

"1st Major, Ms. Foxy Loxy of the Special Task Force, New X Metropolitan Police. Designated Weapon's operative, and Lady of the law. My badge is on the floor near the table, and my ID is here in my wallet."

She introduced, sounding much less formal and enthusiastic than she had earlier during her stay. She had said it as if it weren't important, her tone quite low, and without that touch she had when she first came here. Her paw was pivoting about her wrist as she talked, and gripping on her whip as she noted her position as a designated Weapon's operative. Lastly, her paw gestured for the man's said appendage, and would chuck her wallet in his direction. She then perked her head back up to confirm another thing with him.

"You did, bring me a towel, right? And, I don't suppose you have those soaps and salts you use during bathing, do you?" She asked, making the same gestures as last time she asked something of the sort. It was almost like a duplication of just a few moments ago. And she'd keep doing so until she got an answer or other response.

Kyo would hear as Cedric made his statement. He felt to have little choice but to trust his word, since he, well, lived here. Letting out a simple "Well alright," Klin had a little burning question to a bit in his statement.

"Wait, but if you don't have money, do you get everything just free? I mean, that sounds great on paper, but you just hand out things like power, heat, raw material, and crap like that no questions asked?" He asked.

He knew he was going to come up with some sort of, as he'd put it, 'joy-joy, everybody's happy' kind of response. While he believes that people are people, and that nothing is likely going to change that opinion of his, people think differently than he does, never stopped him from doing anything before, though, running his own mouth included. Klin just has a simple 'I believe what I want to believe' sort of mentality, among other typically stubborn and adolescent traits to his personality, but what else does one expect from someone who's only 16 years old?

As the cat had perused around Maurel's house for food, it sniffed and sniffed and sniffed. There were good smells, yes, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere, as all of them were inaccessible and/or packaged. This was bad news for the cat, as its tummy rumbled, and things became harder to focus on. But, just in the nick of time, the door opened. After a few hours of initially waiting, long long forgotten by the cat at this point, the cat would look, and, as strangely as it sounded, the cat soon rushed out from wherever it was, legs as quick to move as a show dog trotting with their trainers, it soon got to follow Maurel up the stairs, which it, section by section, hopped up. It took a bit, and a chunk of stamina, but the kitten eventually made it upstairs, and walked quickly toward next to where the man had been sitting, looking up, and, staring.

On the fleet of what Maurel would figure out about these birds over time, he would likely come across to know the feather of a Spearbeak: a form of shadow bird reputed for its unusually sharp, pointy, and arrowhead-like beak. They can fly at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, and close to 126 miles an hour while falling. They say that because of how sharp their beaks are, they can kill a person easily by flying at maximum speed, and can cause serious damage if they attack manually. Despite the lethality statistic, they are accustomed to latching onto their prey/attacker/prospect of attack, and pecking away at them as opposed flying into them for attacking like Panic! often does. They are capable of piercing a walnut shell with one or two pecks, and can fell a small twig in as little as 3 minutes.

While they exhibit wild animal tendencies, they do not naturally occur in the wild. Shadow birds are actually composed mainly of dark energy concentrations paired with a catalyst of a lingering soul, but may also occur from mutations cause by said high-energy concentrations affecting actual birds in the wild. Shadow birds in general come in many different shapes, sizes, forms, and types. All of which Panic! has in his book. A rough design was also roughly visible from the feathers as the man toyed along with it. Unfortunately, any information about Panic! could not be sourced from these couple of features, other than this was only one of many different devises he uses. Maurel was likely to stumble upon all of this information in due time with time and effort. But during the middle of his little experiment, there was a pitchy squeal from down below.

As Panic soon noticed things died down quite a lot in a relatively short amount of time, he grew bored, and eventually began to part from this little crevice in the mountain. It was no loss, as he gathered what he needed from what he could gather anyway; no need to stay longer than welcomed.

"Aww! Looks like they are tuckered out. Oh well. Now I know what the bar is set to in this world. And I know what I need to do now. 'Power power power,' like the business man always says. And I'm going to need a whole hell of a lot of it!"

He muttered, now parting his flying path toward another short, thin section of mountains to weave through, and planning to head east, this time hunkering much lower than he was flying before, soon to reach the mountains within time, and soar the night sky once more, however, even bad guys need their sleep once in awhile. He has been up for roughly 46 hours straight and would need to find a suitable town to hide in.

Back by the Tree, Megumi was and still is very motionless, and void of function. As she lay there, she was actually assembled in her armor, minus the visor and her weapons. Megumi, last time she was conscious was actually busy fighting off numerous subjects while in her battle-readied armored state, of which is partly visible here. Her armor, which appeared to have been made of lined notebook paper folded into shape somewhat mech-like body armor pieces, sat neatly onto her body, her forearms having arm cannons that resembled mechanical pencils on them, sizably proportionate to her arms. Despite that, her body was rather petite, and small. Her body was full of bleach white fur, and sky blue hair that was rather lengthy, and tied at the ends into two large bundles at the back. Her ears were large, blue and rhomboidally shaped, and the clothes observed with her armor were that of a schoolgirl. While she appeared lifeless, she was far from dead, her breathing quite slow.