Of the Earth

[Shugo]

"Hey Mr are you alright", asked Shugo as he held his precious Dragonspear close. The young boy had no idea that Jabal was a dragon or that dragons even truly existed. The closes thing to a dragon Shugo had ever seen was Luna. The big man seemed to alright. He had stopped his bleeding before Shugo could offer to and seemed a bit more lively. Shugo was overjoyed to see him make such a recovery, but Luna on the other hand despised him.

As Shugo stared with a grin on his face Luna growled with suspicion. She did not like the way Jabal smelled and did not trust him. The Wyvern showed her fangs letting the dragon know the result if he attacked Shugo. Luna thought of Shugo more like her cub than her master and anybody who threatened her young would receive her fangs.

"Water", spoke Shugo when Jabal demanded it. The young boy open his bag with the intention of pulling out his water canteen. The young rider discovered that that it was empty. "What", spoke Shugo when his memory kicked back in. "Oh I forgot", he shouted. "I used the last of it when I was cleaning my wound before I bound it", spoke Shugo as he face palmed his head. "Oh wait", spoke Shugo as he reached into his bag and pulled out a apple. He had forgotten he had that. He was saving it for a rainy day. In order to fool his own self from eating it on habit he has stored it in his back toward the back. "Here this should have some", spoke Shugo ,but he was interrupted by Luna who did not like how the young rider was getting close.

Luna suddenly rose up without warning and bit down on Shugo's collar. She lifted him off the ground as she stood up. "Hey Luna", spoke Shugo with surprise as his Wyvern acted out of her normal behavior. With Shugo in her mouth she walked back a few paces and then dropped him to the ground. She then pined him to the ground with her arms and hissed at Jabal.

"Luna what are you doing", spoke Shugo as he struggled with his Wyvern. Shugo pushed against her arms trying to break free, but his strength was far too low to break from her grasp.

[Asri]

Asri frowned when Jabal chose to use her cloak to wrap his wound, not his.....lower body. Maybe this man took pleasure in nudity, or maybe he was a dumb who felt proud of his big, muscled, and toned body. The thief agreed wholeheartedly that if it was in a bar or something she would have flirted with him but for now....she couldn't do it in front of a boy and his drake. "I gave it to you so you could use it to cover yourself. I don't know you hate clothes that much," she remarked, taking a few steps back in case he didn't like her joke and decide to punch her. "Well i guess you could use tat to wrap whatever you want....but I don't have more spare clothes for someone very big..."

The wyvern seemed to not like Jabal very much, proved by how it didn't allow Shugo to get near the earth dragon. It was funny to watch how the boy was easily lifted by its mount and taken away. She wondered if he couldn't tame it or something, or the wyvern was smarter than it looked and sensed danger from the suspicious man. Well, a naked big man in a big crater. Was there any reason to get suspicious at all? Asri scratched the back of her head as she wondered if she stepped into dangerous thing, danger sounded fun, though. "Eat that apple and if you want I have some brandy," she said as she pulled out her waterskin, which was filled by Etruria finest brew. "I am feeling so generous today," she thought.

Still maintain her calm, Asri slowly drew her short sword but made sure the wyvern wouldn't notice it, otherwise it might consider her as threat too. The crimson-haired thief didn't plan to fight the wyvern but she wanted to be ready if it went wild or something. After all, wyverns were one of the most unpredictable beasts she had ever countered. "Easy, easy, big fella. No need for such hostility..." she said to the wyvern, grinning.

[Jabal]

Jabal glowered at the wyvern as it “protected” the boy, preventing the dragon from being given the water that he so currently craved. Stupid overgrown lizard. What did it think he was going to do, eat the little human? Ha! Even if he had been capable of taking his true form, such a small person would be more bone than flesh, hardly worth the effort it would take to chew him. Plus, Jabal wasn’t much for eating the humans. Hated or no, there was something off-putting about eating something you could have a conversation with. Not that there weren’t dragons that did eat humans, no, there definitely were, Jabal just wasn’t one of them.

So the giant man snorted at the flying beast, expressing his disapproval while dealing with the internal embarrassment that if he did piss the wyvern off he’d most likely be the one left dead. Instead he turned his head towards the red-haired woman that was not-so-subtly expressing her disapproval of his use of her cloak. He’d expected her to say something about getting blood all over it, since humans were particularly picky about that sort of thing, but she seemed more off put by his own lack of clothing. The Mountian snorted again, this time with a more scornful laughter behind it. Jabal never did understand what the human fascination with clothes was. Yes, humans needed them to survive the elements, as weak and frail as they were, and many used them as a status symbol, something Jabal did do as well the few times when he adopted human form, but every human he had met seemed to be almost disgusted by other naked humans, as if they were made uncomfortable by their own form.

It was a laughable concept to the dragon. Not only was it ridiculous to be ashamed of your own body, but of all human forms, Jabal’s was one of the most impressive. His frame was large, powerful, and muscled. Most every human could only dream to look as magnificent as he did. They should be in awe of his physique, staring at it and admiring it, not asking it to cover it up. But then humans were odd creatures, and Jabal didn’t waste much time trying to understand them.

“Give me the apple and the brandy,” he said, stretching out his arm towards the red-haired woman. He made no effort to get up. He just wanted to eat, regather is strength, and get out of here. He might ask a few questions, but he didn’t want to talk, and he didn’t care for the temperamental flying lizard that was currently throwing a hissy fit.

[Shugo]

Finally worming his way out from under the Wyverns paw Shugo was able to take back control of the situation. "Hey Luna cut it out", he spoke. The wyvern gave him a look of concern, but Shugo ignored it. Luna was acting strange. Shugo kind of wondered why. Then again Luna was never one to warm up to new people. She usually avoided the city and would always growl at people. Still this time she had moved him away. It was almost as if she was afraid of something. Sure the man standing in front of them was huge, but he was not that big of a threat. He was injured and hungry.

"Here you go", spoke Shugo as he tossed his apple to the big man. Since Luna was not going to let him get close he figured it would be best to simply toss it. "Oh no you don't have to worry about Luna", spoke Shugo as he looked at Asri. Luna won't bite. She only attacks people who attack her or me. Well that is not completely true. She does sometimes attack people I tell her to attack, but if you don't bother her she won't bother you." The wvyern gave a low growl as it turned her attention to Asri. Its blue eyes scanned the woman looking for any sign of hostility. As a final warning the wyvern showed its fangs and then turned it attention back to Jabal. Luna really did not like the big man. She saw him as a major threat. It was almost as if she could sense the power of the Dragon. She knew his strength, but not his attention. Thus she stayed vigilant and watchful.

[Asri]

"What's wrong with that creature?" Asri thought as the wyvern gave her a warning too. "That boy should learn how to control his pet..." Did it see her drawing sword? Hmm...probably not. The thief had been careful enough not to provoke the wyvern, she didn't even leak any killing intent, suppressing it with her willpower. Well, as long as it didn't attack Asri would ignore its constant growling. The real problem was this weird man. Jabal had responded her with another snort. What did he find amusing anyway? The crimson-haired thief was confused. She usually could read through a person mind easily but it seemed it didn't work with Jabal. Of course she jokingly mentioned to herself that this man liked being naked. Nah, impossible! There wouldn't be any human who was that shameless...right? "Still, you aren't a good example for children..." she remarked.

The thief boldly stared at his body. Yes, STARING. Well, she did question his sense of fashion and maybe a little surprised to meet someone so daring like him but Asri had seen enough naked man in her life, she wouldn't be blushing like a pure maiden. If he didn't mind expose his manliness to public then she was going enjoy the sight.

Suddenly, giving him her precious brandy didn't seem like a good idea. He was pretty rude too but Asri only gave it a chuckle. She purposely gave him silent reply for a few seconds, only smirking and playfully dangling the waterskin in front of his face. "Say pleeease....." she said as she teased him, smiling. Although the thief was toying with him, she wouldn't mind if he forcibly snatched the drink. "Okay, big guy. Say "Please give your humble servant the brandy oh my beautiful princess....""

[Jabal]

"And why should I be concerned about that?" Jabal said with a laugh as he caught the apple that was thrown to him, in response to the red-haired woman's comment about his poor example. He gestured in the purple haired child's direction as he took a bite from the fruit in his hand. Given the size of his mouth, his teeth took off about half of the apple. "The hatchling is out all alone fighting monsters with a pet lizard that treats the boy like he's her own young. Clearly he's beyond examples."

The Mountain's laugh turned into a dull roar as he amused himself with the idea. The two made an amusing pair, and the wyvern's clear discomfort at Jabal's presence only made it all the more funny. The laugh then shifted into a low chuckle as the dragon noticed the woman taking a good, long look at him. One second she was telling him to cover up, and the next she was greedily drinking in the view. Ha, what an odd creature! She constantly referred to "children" and the boy. Was she just keeping up appearances so that she could feel better about indulging in her own fascination? Hmm. Jabal looked her over. She was slender, lithe, toned, and had a long mane of healthy hair. She could also hold her own in a fight. She was a bit on the small side, but still she was attractive, at least for a human. Jabal had taken human mates before, so it wouldn't be without precedent, but he preferred dragonkin. Humans were too fragile.

Jabal tossed the rest of the apple in his mouth, core and all, and swallowed it after a few slow chews. The small fruit did little to quell his hunger and thirst, but almost as if reading his mind, the woman came over to him and began waving a bottle of brown liquid in his face. He sniffed it. Alcohol. Not his preferred drink, but humans always seemed to be carrying it around. It would have to do. Ignoring the woman's taunting, he swiped the bottle from her hand and quickly uncorked it before guzzling it down in a matter of seconds. The liquid stank as alcohol always did, but it served its purpose in filling him up just a little bit more.

But of course, the dragon still hungered. Hibernation had that effect. Jabal shot the wyvern a sly glance as it still stood there giving him an obnoxious look, before looking at the boy who rode it.
"How about we eat the wyvern?" he said, licking his lips in a joking fashion. "I could go for some lizard meat right about now."

[Shugo]

Wow he must have been really hungry, thought Shugo to himself as the man quickly finished off the apple. For some strange reason both the man was calling Shugo a hatchling and the woman did keep referring to him as boy. It was then that Shugo realized that he had not introduced himself. He had forgotten all of his manners thanks to the suddenness of the fight.

"Oh right", spoke the boy as he looked at the two of them. "Hi my name is Shugo", he spoke as a big smile crossed his face. " I am a Wyvern Knight from Bern. That means it is my job to be the shield for those who can not fight and the spear for those who can not strike for themselves. Pretty much I am a hero, patrolling the skies and protecting people from danger."

Shugo loved to introduce himself. He would always tell all the other kids he meet about his battles and adventures. He would tell them how he protected people and fought for justice. Many of them called him a hero and Shugo began to take it as his own. He was not just a knight, but rather a hero descending from the sky and saving the lives of those who needed help.

For a moment Shugo was too busy thinking about himself and how cool he looked in his armor. However his attention was turned when the naked man suddenly asked him a question that should not have been asked. He asked to eat Luna, Luna his one friend. Luna his great protector and aid in his battle for justice. The very idea angered Shugo. Here was a man he had just helped and here he was talking about killing his best friend and serving her up for dinner. The young boy's smile soon did a complete hundred and eighty. His eyes narrowed and a more serious expression crossed his face. "I am sorry, but I don't think I heard you right", spoke Shugo as he began to rub his ears. "I thought you just asked me to eat Luna", he spoke. Luna on the other hand was not happy with his comment in the slightest. The Wyvern was growling before, but now it was showing its fangs. The growl turned into a low bellowing noise that showed she meant business.

[Jabal]

"No you heard me right," Jabal replied with a devilish glare and a toothy grin as he teased Shugo. He held the look for a moment, letting his words sink in for effect, but try as he might to maintain his hungry gaze, the boy's attempt at looking angry, along with his wyvern's attempt to at looking threatening, was just too much for Jabal to handle. The dragon's lower lip began to quiver, a crack in mockingly serious visage, and he quickly broke into deep, bellowing laughter.

"Bwahahahahahaha! Did your parents never teach you of jokes, hatchling?" Jabal slapped one of his large hands on the ground in amusement, thoroughly enjoying the "tough guy" attitude that he was getting not only from a human, but from a tiny one at that. Oh, if only the boy knew who he was talking to. Unfortunately, Jabal's loud laughing tweaked the muscles in his sore abdomen, causing the Mountain to lean forward and quiet himself so to alleviate the pain from the jerking motion.

"Or, ohohoho, were you raised by your wyvern? That would seem likely, because she clearly has no sense of humor either! Hahahaha! If that is the case, I can only marvel at how you learned man's tongue! Haha! You speak it quite well!" Jabal's chuckling at Shugo's expense continued on for a bit longer, but he was eventually forced to desist completely to keep himself from pulling a muscle. He gritted his teeth in discomfort, though a smile partially remained etched into his face. By Io's eye ridge, was he really so weak after his slumber? He'd adopted a human form hundreds, if not thousands of times in the past, but he'd never felt this abominably pathetic. Was this what humans actually felt like all the time? Great Gaea, if that was true, what a pitifully wretched existence.

Jabal had learned to nurture a special hate for these soft, fleshy apes that called themselves "human", and normally such a stupid display of self-importance by such an obnoxiously self-important race would grate on his nerves, but it was times like this that their limited perspectives of their own short existences made for good humor. It wasn't every day that he, the Great Chieftan of the Musenen Jabal, got stared down by a runt as if it actually meant something.

[Shugo]

Shugo looked at the big man with murderous eyes. He did not find it to be funny about cooking and eating his best friend since ever. However Shugo was a Wyvern Knight of Bern. He was suppose to be the spear of the weak and defender of all the good stuff. He was not a murder or a unsocial warrior. Jokes, despite how cruel they could be, were a part of everyday conversation and Shugo was just going to have to deal with it. The boy paused for a moment and put back on his social face. Luna was still angry, as anybody would if somebody offered to kill and eat you.

"I am sorry but I don't find such a joke to be funny", spoke Shugo. "Still I guess to each their own. Still Mr. do you mind telling me how you got into this situation. I mean it is kind of weird to be out here in the nude in a place known for its monsters and death. Are you perhaps lost", asked Shugo as he looked at the man. He had calmed himself down now. His eyes were back to normal. "Actually now that I think about it I have not properly introduced myself. I am Shugo a Wyvern Knight from Bern. I travel the land fighting for justice and protecting those who can not protect themselves. If you do not mind could you share your name as well sir", spoke Shugo as he looked at Jabal. He turn turned to Asari and asked the same.

[Jabal]

Jabal’s eyes narrowed in displeasure as the boy asked just how he had ended up in this ashy blemish. The truth was, although he had his ideas and suspicions, the Mountain didn’t actually know why he had woken up alone and stuck in man form. And not knowing why or where he was made the dragon less than cheery. For millennia he had been a master of his surroundings, and all who had challenged that mastery had found themselves stomped into the earth. Jabal wasn’t used to having so little control over his surroundings, much less himself, and these constant reminders of his weakness and confusion didn’t help his cheery disposition.

“Keep your curiosity to yourself, hatchling,” snapped the Mountain as he shot the boy a grumpy, skull piercing glare. His business was his own, and he wasn’t about to share it with hairless apes. Surely the name “Jabal” would inspire enough violence and ire within their vengeful little hearts that they would probably try to kill him when they knew who he was. Argh, the thought that they even could kill him if they tried was infuriating! Why in Io’s name was he even still sitting around with these humans? They’d exhausted their usefulness.

Jabal grunted loudly as he pushed himself to his feet. Pain shot through his arms and legs like tortuous fire, but the dragon ignored it. He merely shook his head and began walking away, stiff as a statue come to life.