OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part Seven

[brave_kreyu]

It turns out that 'guarding the lair' involves more than just staying in one place. Kreyu has a goal today of scouting outside their borders, looking for possible trouble.

Given that Skellig can't speak the local language, yet, they're not trying to pass as locals. Skellig is just wearing a kilt as they stalk through the forest.

The wilderness is truly wild here, only barely touched by humans. Beasts of all kinds live in these woods, wolves, deer, boars, birds, rabbits, and more.

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[brave_kreyu]

"I know," she whispers. "It is a clever plan, my heart." That such lies about them have spread worries her, but there may not be anything she can DO about it.

Riding a horse strains muscles neither of them are used to using in this way, so Kreyu is VERY glad when they reach the part of this ruse where she gets to dismount. "Please be careful," she tells Skellig. It's only partly an act, she doesn't want him to get hurt.

[27_53]

"Of course, my love."

He offers her a smile, then turns the horse to rejoin the rest of the pack - they will need to gain some speed, catch up with the hounds who have still been hot on the 'trail', their excited barks growing softer as the distance increases. It feels strange to be leaving her 'behind' in such a manner, even through he knows that it is all a ploy.

Once they have resumed the 'chase' (and Gods, does Skellig want to be off this horse, every muscle in his body is already screaming in protest and the increased speed does not help) his focus is attuned to her heartbeat in his ears, listening.

"There is a meadow we must cross soon," he calls to the prince. "It is the only place along this trail where we may be exposed, so we should use caution. I have never seen sign of the beast there, but it is lush with prey - most excellent for hunting deer at this time of evening."

[brave_kreyu]

The prince is not happy to hear about the meadow, but he grunts in acknowledgment. "We will just have to trust the gods to protect us," he calls back.

Skellig can hear the heart of her dragon shape, hear the sound of her wings, LONG before anyone else. That should give him time to prepare, before they hit the meadow and things get....exciting.

They are roughly in the middle of the meadow when Kreyu dives down out of the sky, roaring in anger! The horses are well trained, but NOTHING could have prepared the horses for this. The first of the hunters to die is thrown from his panicking horse, trampled to death as the horses flee in a panic. The hounds head for the trees at speed, yelping and howling in terror!

[27_53]

The hounds are the lucky ones - they are simply dogs, and have better sense than to be making an effort to capture and kill a dragon! Running in terror is truly the best choice!

Skellig was mostly prepared for the horses to panic; perhaps not quite this much panic, his horse frantically rearing and making an effort to shed the weight of the rider (him) in an effort to flee. Even with using his wings to correct his 'flightpath' as he is unceremoniously booted off the rear of the animal, he rolls quickly to his stomach on the grass to avoid getting kicked or trampled, nudging both the animals and other hunters HARD to avoid him.

Definitely not the most graceful dismount.

Grunting, he pushes himself up to his feet, then uses his wings to make haste for the nearest edge of the meadow, ducking into the trees - knowing it is probably wisest if he simply stays out of the way and allows her to take care of things. The hunters are no match for her, even with their bows, arrows, and spears.

(But even as he leans against the trunk of a tree and watches her handle things, he can feel fear and the sick taste of his anxiety rising up in the back of his throat as he sees arrows fly through the sky - they bounce harmlessly off of her scales, but the memories are still too vivid in his mind to ignore entirely.)

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu can sense his distress at the arrows, so she goes for the archers first. She swings her tail around, flicks it at them. Against another dragon, it would do little more than sting. Against a human, things are far, far messier.

The prince and his closest companion just have spears, and they've realized just how BIG she really is. They try to stab her anyway, aiming for an eye. but her talons are longer than their spears and she swats at them as though they were annoying insects. She doesn't even really have to AIM as even the most glancing of blows is deadly with her mass.

"Ugh, such a mess. And such a waste," she rumbles. "Such lies they had been told."

[27_53]

Skellig's anxiety level lowers slightly once the last of the hunting party has been swatted away into (literal) oblivion and she speaks to him - but it is obvious from his response that he is still a bit nervous.

"I knew they were truly no match for you," he allows more of his weight to lean against the tree trunk, exhaling heavily. There is a faint tremble in his legs, and it is not all from having been on horseback (or kicked off as awkwardly he was) to blame. "Fools, thinking their weapons could harm you. They were no match for you..." He pauses only briefly, concern creeping into his voice as he looks over her shape. "...you are not injured, are you love?"

There is nothing visible he can see, except for the 'mess' on her scales from her dispatching the group. He is certain she is fine, he witnessed the ease with which she got rid of them all. And yet...

[brave_kreyu]

"I am not injured," she assures him. "You were not hurt, were you?" she asks, concerned. There's so much blood and viscera that she can't tell by scent if he's bleeding or not.

[27_53]

"No, I am fine." Skellig shifts his feet, stretching his arms over his head and allowing his wings to flare open just to be certain. What he feels is simply soreness - especially below the waist. "I landed a bit...awkwardly, but it is nothing serious."

Plus, his body is still very glad to no longer be on horseback, for many reasons!

[brave_kreyu]

She sighs in relief. "I am glad."

"They must have had a camp somewhere. I hope the horses and the dogs make it back there safely, poor things. They do not deserve to suffer because of human foolishness." She lashes her tail irritably.

"They would have had servants with them, I'm sure, to care for the beasts."

[27_53]

"Dogs will wish to find a meal," he offers. "Once they have lost the scent of what they have been tracking, they will likely return to the camp. Or at least, this meadow, where they will likely be found."

Along with what is left (not much) of the hunting party and their gear.

Gingerly, he steps away from the treeline and 'hops' into the air, using his wings to lift himself above the grass (and mess) to survey the scene. "Is there anything you would have me gather?" He is unsure if she wishes to shift 'down' again while still covered in blood and flesh.

[brave_kreyu]

"I left my dress just inside the tree line over there, if you wouldn't mind," she rumbles, pointing with her head.

"I plan to wash off in the ocean, and then we can both soak in a hot spring near here."

[27_53]

"A soak sounds lovely."

Following her direction, he gathers her dress from where she had stashed it in the edge of the tree line, rolling it up and tucking it into her bag. And then something shiny catches his attention in the grass a few feet away, so he goes to investigate.

It is a lovely golden and jewel encrusted piece of forearm 'armor', likely worn by the prince. Technically, it is still being worn by the prince - or at the least what remains of his left arm.

Skellig grunts audibly in disgust, before leaning over and doing something with his hands that she will not be able to see through the grass - but after just a brief moment of 'disassembly' he lifts the piece of armor (minus the arm) victoriously above his head.

[brave_kreyu]

"And I may be able to rub some of your aches away while we are there."

"A fine piece for your hoard," Kreyu rumbles. "A trophy from an enemy slain by your cunning." She may be thinking of Skellig as if he were a dragon, here.

[27_53]

"Slain with the assistance of my most powerful and agile partner," he adds, before smirking as he moves to take to the air once again, closing the distance between them. "The gray one."

Clearly from his tone as he says it, he is still amused at just how stupid the prince and the entire party was. Obviously, there was a reason he was not fit to be the next King in line for the throne, if he thought hunting down a legitimate dragon was a good plan!

"Would you like me to go with you to the ocean?" He eyes her back, the spot where he usually chooses to hold on to at the base of her neck is still relatively untouched by viscera, so he would not get too gross by settling there.

[brave_kreyu]

She snorts in contempt when he says the 'the gray one'. "Foolish, although I wonder if the rumors confused me with Heka. His scales are gray, mottled like stone, and he DOES prefer human flesh."

"I would like that, yes," she replies. She's still a bit hesitant about letting him out of her sight, after the pirate ship.

[27_53]

Without hesitation, he allows himself to alight upon her body, positioning himself for what will be a relatively 'quick' trip compared to their other flights they have take.

"Your tastes for flesh are much less violent," he says, playfully pressing his lips against one of her scales with a 'kiss'. "At least so far as consumption goes. Which I am grateful for."

[brave_kreyu]

She speaks the spell to carry their words to one another, then takes off.

"I could barely keep it together when you started talking about the preferences of the 'gray one', she tells him. "I nearly spoiled your whole plan by bursting out laughing." He can tell it amused her, from her tone.

[27_53]

"You hid your laughter well," he praises her, while laughing himself at the same time. "Had you not, I was prepared to just make some comment regarding your behavior. They seemed to take my explanation for why I had chosen such an outspoken woman for a mate without much question...I would have thought of something."

It is a good thing that he does not have to truly 'hold on' to her as she flies them towards the sea - his arms are quite tired and sore, as are the muscles in his abdomen and his thighs. Horses are not a thing to be trifled with!

[brave_kreyu]

"Of course, you are most clever," she replies, her praise completely sincere. It doesn't take long to arrive at the ocean, and she slows only long enough for him to leap off of her back with their bag before diving into the sea.

She definitely has to rub on some of the rocks to clean up the mess, which is still a ridiculous looking sight, a massive dragon rolling around on the ground.

[27_53]

Briefly as they arrive at the beach, Skellig considers if he should take the opportunity to rinse himself off as well - but the waters here are definitely not as calm as some of the other coves they have passed along their flight, and he has no desire to need a 'rescue' from the waves - plus she is making a proper mess of the rocks and sand along the shoreline as she flops and rolls along the ground trying to rid her scales of the viscera and debris.

So instead, he finds himself a large, flat rock to sprawl out upon, lying on his stomach with his arms folded beneath his chin, watching her with amusement. He takes the opportunity also to remove the amulet and fully spread his wings, the breeze from the sea ruffling through his feathers. It is a welcome feeling.

(If he closes his eyes a moment, it almost feels as if he is flying.)

He does not mean to fall asleep, but the heat of the rock and the sun is enough to push him into an accidental nap as he watches her swim.

[brave_kreyu]

When he wakes, she is sprawled beside him on the warm stone in the winged shape he loves so well. The sun and the sea water give her a lovely glow. She could almost be some siren from a tale, or a sea born goddess come to land.

"How are you feeling, love?"

[27_53]

"Better rested," he sighs, content. "I did not mean to drift off, but with the sun and the sound of the waves, this rock..."

He is certain she will understand. He stretches his body and cringes slightly at the soreness that pulls at his muscles - though at least the pain in his groin from falling off the horse has mostly eased - and grunts.

"I think the only creature I would like to ride in the future is you," he drawls.

[brave_kreyu]

That makes her laugh out loud. "I understand the feeling, I am a bit sore myself."

She grins, impish. "I believe I also desire to ride no other creature than you, if I can avoid it.

She stretches. "I thought about last night, when you mentioned someone bound to an altar and devoured in a single bite," she confesses.

[27_53]

Slightly smug, he drops his voice tone a bit lower.

"I have not stopped thinking about last night since I woke up this morning," he admits, as he moves to shift his body upon the rock and settle himself closer to her, his wing feathers brushing against hers.

(The idea that he does not have to HIDE himself out in the open is still foreign and strange for some reason.)

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu is clearly quite pleased with herself at his admission. She shifts ever so slightly closer to him.

"Shall I tie you to our bed tonight, see if I can swallow your sword more than once?" she asks, tone only slightly teasing.