-A Dragon Among Humans- (Thea, Orlo)

[Desperanza]

The day was dawning once again and the dragon was once again ready to travel. He had not really chosen what he would prefer to travel as but thinking of traveling as a human gave him a rather sore spot. One, the traveling would take a hell of a lot longer when he could simply fly there in only a fraction of the time and two, what did humans serve to give back to him? His heart was laced in ice at the moment and he was frustrated beyond belief. That damn woman, Artemisia. She had tugged and pulled him around and yet for what? He huffed, smoke curling from his nostrils for a moment as he felt that typical boil within his stomach and yet for now he rather kept his flames and acid within his system where he figured they belonged for now. There was no living thing in his path to char anyways. He had yet to run into a living thing as he prepared to leave his home.

Apparently the party had traveled to Ellsinora and so that was his next destination. His horde of treasure was buried at the base of the swamp as it always was. There was no way that anyone would ever be able to lay hands on it and that was the way that he liked it. He had nothing to leave behind here but bitter memories. One time he had trusted a human woman and she had tossed it aside. It would be hard to win the dragon over again and when he thought of it, he felt that familiar boil within his body. Shifting, he stood from the ground and padded forward once more. He would travel within his dragon form.

Pausing, the ebony horned beast glanced around himself. He did not let his spines lie flat for at the moment he was irritated against all human life. He had no reason to flatten them and offer a sleeker look. Any that approached could suffer the wrath of the spines. What did he have to give back to the human race that had done nothing but deceive him? He huffed sharply and steam escaped his jaws as he parted his mouth for a brief moment and inhaled slowly. Cooler air swirled with the steaming heat and a soft hiss lifted into the air. Orlonox growled softly and glanced towards Ohanzee before he turned his gaze back towards the cavern once more that at the moment laid empty. With a lash of his tail he glanced among the shadows before he turned on his heel and quite suddenly lifted into the air.

With a few flicks of his wings he was gliding rather swiftly a few feet above the leafless trees that stretched skyward below. The forest was barren and not many trees were left standing after the burning. The dragon was curious of what had happened to the beauty of Ellsinora. He knew of the Lord Dragon that lingered in the mountains and he pondered what the fellow reptilian might feel at the loss of his landscape. The beauty and life that had once lingered within the lands was gone. The world was ugly just as Murate was. At the moment, it seemed that no where satisfied the dragon. Everywhere he went there were dreadful humans, all trying to seek his head as a prize, all eager to seduce and betray him. Wasn’t that what they were all about? He hissed and his tail lashed, slicing the tops off of a few of the dead trees but he felt no remorse. Had that woman ever felt remorse for playing with a dragon’s emotions? For toying with the dragon’s life.

He was furious and he slowed his pace for a moment, unsure what had encouraged him to Ellsinora at this point but what did it matter? The dragon had a home and yet he wasn’t sure what had happened to the world. It had been wiped clean of anything appealing in life. There were beautiful humans, but how could he trust a beautiful face again? Why had he bothered walking in human form? When he wandered in human form sure he was a beautiful human as well. But what did beauty have over a heart that was wicked and evil and lived only to betray? The dragon sighed, closing his eyes as he coasted. Taking a breath, he finished his journey.

A short time passed before the dragon had finally brought Ellsinora into view. The town as well had been reduced down to a pitiful place much like Ohanzee. There were not many buildings standing and what was standing was pitiful and built haphazardly with materials that were not so sturdy. There it was, a shadow of what the town had previously been, a shadow of its former glory. The dragon huffed once more, his wild green eyes flaring as he prepared to land in the middle of town of all places. The town square provided for a perfect place to land and so he prepared himself, his wings fluttering as he angled his body.

A few people that had been about town, moving for their rations of food or some other form of depressive behavior surely, screamed, intimidated by the dragon. Within minutes there were seedy eyes of black clad Murate soldiers who came to stare at the dragon wide eyed and both shocked and interested. Dragons never traveled right into town. And most of the selfish soldiers had one thing in mind, Dragon’s head as a prize. As the beast came to land, his tail lashed, knocking a few people out of his way as he settled with a soft growl and made his way around, turning towards the castle as he came to glance up at the building for a moment before he came to glance out towards town again.

Within moments he spotted the site of a fleet of Murate soldiers working their way towards him. He gave a low growl and rolled his eyes, not expecting much out of them for he lived in Murate indeed. He had seen these creatures before. Towns people were slowly trickling out of their homes to glance up at the beast and study him. Some feared that he was Magrej’s newest weapon, for what other reason would there be for a dragon to come to Ellsinora? Well that question unfortunately could not even be answered by the dragon himself.

When the soldiers reached him, he tilted his head to glance over them thoughtfully for a moment before raising his head once more with a roll of his eyes, “Step away you ridiculous creatures.” He muttered with a growl. The soldiers however began to circle him with strange looks of longing at the dragon’s rather enormous frame. The dragon in turn lifted a paw threateningly and all at once, the courtyard was ablaze with movement. The soldiers began to scream for more soldiers and within moments the entire army of Murate seemed to be at his back. Ropes with four pronged hooks lashed out at him to tug his paws to his chest, pin his tail to the ground and clamp his muzzle shut before he could manage to allow anything to escape his mouth.

The stress of the fight caused his nerves to tremor for some strange reason and all of a sudden, the soldiers began to grow closer to him with a sudden roar of fury as the towns square buzzed with black soldiers as he swiveled and fell to the ground at his back. All of a sudden the world seemed to mist over with haze and he felt rather dizzy. His limbs seemed to grow thinner, weaker. Though the fire in his belly remained, he was much smaller now and the soldiers gasped, quite shocked. Instead of the ebony dragon that they had pinned with their ropes there now lay a man upon the stone. He had lengthy and rich black hair that reached down around his hips and now flared around his head. Muscle rippled through out his body but he had arms, legs, feet, and hands just like any human. He was solely human. However when his eyes fluttered open again, they were the eyes of a dragon. Fiercely green and with the same slit that remained through either form, his eyes clouded over as the world seemed to spin. Blood began to ooze slowly from the back of his head and he groaned, confused as to what the hell had just happened.

He did not recall making any conscious decision to shift at the moment and he hissed, expecting to still be as a dragon and yet now that town’s folk were beginning to puncture and permeate the crowd, a woman suddenly screamed as a soldier approached with his sword unsheathed, “Don’t! This man has done nothing! You can not kill an innocent!” the woman screamed in terror and the soldier paused. Each soldier in turn succumbed to a face of confusion as they stared at the man pinned to the ground beneath the ropes. What the hell would they do? Their morale and respect would fall for killing a man as so before the eyes of the public and yet, just a moment ago there had been a dragon caught in the courtyard of towns square.

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[Thea Lestrange]

The morning had not been nearly as bad as she had feared it would be. Though the beautiful city of Ellsinora was suffering the lost of their King, the loss of most of its natural attraction even, Thea had found time to discover the small things that were still a wonder to see. She had awaken to the faint chirps of birds and once she had slipped into a robe, she found outside of her small window a nest with new baby birds crying for their mother. While Ellsinora had taken a toil recently, had been hit pretty hard in fact, there was still hope and she continued to reminde herself that as she dressed for the morning. Her hair was decidely a mess, but she could deal with it since the breeze was fairly nice today. But for some reason, her lips had a twinge of redness to them and she wondered if it were from the position she had slept in last night. At one point she had awaken in the night and read some, then eventually found sleep within the hour. Today she was restless she supposed, her need to get outside and breathe almost causing her a rather nervousness and anxiety as she roamed the house.

Finally she finished her few chores and practically flew out the door into her family stables to feed the horses and treat them to a few sweets while she was about in the stalls. She loved being outside, out of the house, and in the fresh air. It was good for her, she hated being cooped up inside that stiffling house under the hard eye of her mother. She was just fine the way she was, but according to the Mrs. Lestrange, Thea was not prissy enough. She enjoyed pants and boots too much; horses and tree climbing. It was "unnatrual" for a young woman her age. Thea thought nothing wrong of herself, and continued to be just as rough and tumble as she had always been.

After spending some time with her father's horses, the new colt that had been born actually, Thea decided it was time for a good walk. The day was still early and she was in need of a good hike. Grabbing a ribbon from inside, she tied her hair back and threw on her boots that were fairly worn and well used from all her rock climbing and tree climbing. Perhaps she could go to the Falls today for a quick swim or a good climb. The scenery was gorgeous and she needed a good sun bathing to relax and enjoy the day. After bidding her mother and few siblings goodbye, Thea quickly made her way into town in order to cross into the Falls. The hustle and bustle she was used to had died down a lot since the King's passing and the fact that Murate soldiers were everywhere did not help the fact either. People were afraid to be happy with them stalking around Ellsinora. Thea herself made sure to stay well hidden because being who she was, she seemed to draw attention and trouble.

Her eyes caught the rays of the sun and she felt them sting a little as she threw her hand over them. While it was bright now, the shine of the sun should not have hit her at that angle. Whatever was it in the sky up so high, she wondered. Ignoring it, Thea purchased a red apple and bit into the fruit while the juice ran down her chin. Wiping it off with the back of her sleeve, she paused for a moment as she caught a glint of something in the sky again. Surely she was not just seeing things? Squinting, the dark beauty thought perhaps it was nothing more than a large hawk in the sky and shrugged to herself as she continued on her way, her boots heels clicking on the ground of Ellsinora. There was nothing abnormal about a hawk in the sky. In fact, Thea found the creatures beautiful and respected their cunning nature.


Her dark eyes glittered as she watched the familes of Ellsinora walk about with a depressed and grim look to them. Would they ever be able to gain back the shining glory they once knew? Perhaps if they fought enough, if they banned together against the oppression they were under, they could find that Ellsinora was still the lovely city they all had loved and cared for so tenderly. Right now it was as dark as Ohanzee from what she had heard in the whispers spoken amongst the men and that broke the young woman's heart. Wasn't it enough that there was already one horrible place in the world? There should not be two of them; yet it seemed that now Ellsinora had taken that role as well and it worried her greatly when she laid her head down at night. Never had she thought her city would befall such a thing.

She drew short as a gust of air blew back her hair and twisted her clothes tightly about her body. Whatever in the name of the Heavens was that? Thea's dark eyes narrowed as she pushed her way through the crowd and looked up as she felt a thunderous beat of powerful black wings shake the air around the people in town. Lifting her head up, her mouth dropped as a glorious black dragon flapped his massive wings about the screaming crowd. She watched dumbfounded as the creature whipped his slashing tail around, knocking over people as he landed on his powerful legs. Everyone seemed to be running away from the stunning creature, but Thea could only stand with her lips parted in wonder as the black dragon landed in the middle of Ellsinora's town square growling at the Murate soldiers who crowded him.

Soldiers dashed to the giant creature, knocking into people and thundering pass Thea, bumping into her so hard she nearly fell. The low growl she heard emmitted from the dragon caused goosebumps to rise over her flesh while she found her footing and looked again to the beast. People cautiously stepped out of their homes to gap at the enormous black dragon in wonder and fear. Could this be what Magrej was going to use against them to control them forever? Thea feared that the speculation could be correct, but with the way the Murate soldiers were gathering for an attack, she had to rethink the idea. It seemed he was in no league with Magrej at all.

Thea found herself tiptoeing to see over the taller men of the crowd and watched in awe as the dragon roared, warning the men to leave him be. Dragons could speak? She had believed that was nothing more than a tall tale until she heard this black dragon's deep purr of a voice. Stupidly, the soliders crept closer and Thea could have guessed what the dragon would do and did not blame him as a giant hand swept across them. Screams for help soon rang out loud in the town and once more, she felt herself being knocked around as everyone scrambled for cover. Thea was amazed at the strength of such a creature and for a moment had to wonder why in the world the soldiers were attacking him. Then the thought hit her; they were attacking for the prize of the dragon's head.

She covered a hand to her mouth as ropes and prongs dug into the creature's skin in horror. When the black dragon fell to his back from the stress of the ropes's weight, Thea found herself flat on her plump bottom looking at the fight in terror. The creature had done nothing at all wrong, and perhaps he would have been friendly if they had not attacked him for the prize of his head. The injustice was enough to make her stomach churn as she watched the creature squirm beneath the pressure of the fight. Suddenly the dragon looked as if he were shrinking; his limbs growing thinner and his body resizing into something much smaller than the beauty of his scales and talons. Surely he was not becoming a man like her father's stories said he should be able to? Standing up, Thea pressed her way to the front of the crowd and gasped in wonder as she gazed upon the man who had just been an enormous black dragon seconds before. He was simply beautiful; a man who had strength in the rippling muscles of his body that any human male would kill for, and a head of coal black hair she could no doubt imagine running her fingers through in admiration. Blood covered the ground and with a cry, she moved pass the men who were blocking her.

The hiss that passed through the man's...or dragon's, mouth caused Thea to stop short, but as the people around her began to gather around him to gander, she stepped pass them and stood looking upon the dragon man. As the glint of a sword caught her eyes, she dashed across the soldiers and cried out in horror at the thought of the action they had chosen to take against the dragon. "You cannot kill an innocent man, be he human or be he dragon. He has done nothing wrong!" Her dark eyes pleaded with the soldiers, looking between them for some sign of realization that the dragon was indeed innocent. They stared at her stupidly, just as the rest of the town did, and she took her chance to stoop down and look upon the dragon. "Can you hear me?" Blood was everywhere and in pain she realized that it was from his fall as a creature and now as a man, he was feeling the pain and confusion. "If you can find a way out of the ropes, I can promise you safety, dragon." Her dark eyes looked upon the beautiful man in pity as the people around her whispered that little Thea Lestrange had to be touched by the sun and quite mad for promising help to a dragon.

[Desperanza]

Orlonox’s eyes glanced around himself wildly. There were soldiers murmuring among themselves about the dragon, hardly believing that it was possible that a dragon that at one moment had been an enormous and powerful beast now lay at their feet as an injured man. It seemed to take quite some time for them to contemplate what to do with the man. The soldier closest to Thea and Orlonox glanced into the face of the dragon that would most likely hold rage if he had done this by choice but somehow he had shifted before he had known what was happening. There were a few puncture marks along his body. One at the base of his jaw to either side, and a few puncture marks along his arms and legs where the hooks had pierced to hold the ropes tight. He winced, sighing. A wave of dizziness washed over himself once again for naturally shifting took quite a bit of energy out of him and since he had not meant to, he couldn’t afford to shift back at the moment because if he did he would be so weak that he would black out and then surely his life would be on the line.

So instead of opening his eyes right away, he took a few moments to calm his thundering heart a bit as he took a few steadying breaths before rather suddenly, a rather angelic voice reached him. She too was fighting for his freedom and for a moment, he refused to look at the creature. Some human that promised him safety if he could get himself out of the ropes. He felt the pain that radiated from the back of his head and winced, sighing. His eyes finally fluttered open to indeed glance into the face of an angel. A dark beauty with kind words no doubt but as he gazed into the face of the woman above him, he felt that familiar lancing pain at his heart and he huffed and closed his eyes again. He didn’t reply to her just yet as he fell silent once more, his body still beneath the ropes that held him to the ground before finally, he sighed.

The soldier frowned and drifted a bit closer to Thea as he peered at the dragon carefully, satisfied that the creature would not be shifting again. There was no doubt that a dragon’s head was indeed a prize but this man was no dragon anymore. The soldiers would come back with the head of a man if they killed him now. He thought of imprisoning the creature that way if the dragon wound up shifting again they would be right there to kill him but finally, the soldier rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword, “Take this insolent creature before I send him to the dungeons.” He muttered with a roll of his eyes as he turned and stepped away from the dragon once more. Motioning to the rest of the Murate soldiers, the gathered crowd began to disperse a bit though a few still lingered, curious of the dark haired stranger that now laid stuck within the town square.

Orlonox however let his wild green eyes drift closed once more with a sigh. His conscious state was waning with the blood that leaked from his head. He couldn’t handle it. The shift had drawn out its typical large draw of his strength and now it was threatening to pull him under but quite suddenly, his fighting spirit returned once again as he suddenly gasped with a wheezing hiss as his eyes fluttered open again, staring skyward as his fingers clenched before spreading as his wicked talons extended from the tips of his fingers and suddenly, he slashed his hands out at the ropes to cut the ropes away, sitting up a bit before he winced and sank back again with a sigh. His talons disappeared once again and he came to lay against the cobbled stones for a moment again with a vague breath as he glanced around the crowd for a brief moment, the edges of his vision growing blurry as he growled softly and came to gaze upon the sight of Thea once again.

He didn’t want to trust her. He didn’t want to go anywhere with this beautiful creature. She had lovely black locks that were currently tied back a bit. Her dark eyes held a genuine stare as she gazed down at him it seemed. The way her lips curved, the way her face angled and her skin seemed to radiate along with the kind words that she spoke that had promised him safety. He felt himself softening slightly again though hesitantly, “Help me.” He muttered vaguely to the woman before he closed his eyes slowly again. He was exhausted and injured and he doubted that he could make his way from the courtyard easily. His long ebony tresses fluttered about his shoulders and back catching the rays of the sun and offering the dragon warmth. As he laid there, he carefully picked up on Thea’s scent so when he awoke, if she had harmed him he would be able to distinguish her scent at least if he needed to kill her later but at the moment he thought not to. If she truly helped him and did not do something strange to him while he recovered, then she would be spared her life indeed. However now that the dragon suffered and his body was worn, the blackness finally came in to claim him as his body quite suddenly relaxed and his features simply became serene as the blackness folded in around him.

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[Thea Lestrange]

How could a dragon become a man? Yes, she had heard stories of such things happening when she was a little girl on her father's name, but at the age of twenty and three, Thea really did not think those things were true. The soldiers seemed to be thinking the same thing as well as they looked between each other and back to the dragon who was now struggling on the ground as a man. He was hurt, she could see it in the way his body tensed and she feared that he would not be able to help himself if the Murate soldiers decided to hurt him. Thea's dark eyes ran over his body and she stiffled another gasp. He would bleed out on the streets if they did not help him! She heard him sigh and saw the flinch; he was incredibly hurt despite the fact that he was in fact a dragon. If he stayed still, perhaps he would not black out and she could get him somewhere safe before he turned back into a dragon and they once again decided they wanted to take his head as a prize. If she could just get the soldiers to leave him be, she could find something to carry him in and she could take him home. Or could she? Yes, she would, she would help him.


Oh she wished he could hear her and respond, but she feared he would not be able to. "I swear, dragon, I will not hurt you. I want to help," she murmured softly to the dragon, hoping to sooth his nerves and stress as she glanced up at the soldiers who looked upon them in confusion. Thea's heart was probably pounding loud enough for half the town to hear, and the dragon himself since he was a creature of magick, but she cared not. He was a man, a creature if one wanted to go that far, who was in pain and completely innocent. Thea could not just stand by and let something happen to the dragon when all he had done was land in the city. That was not a crime the last time she had checked so why hurt him? And even though there could be a prize reward for the head of the dragon, it was selfish and cruel for any man to dare think he could kill the dragon in her eyes. She saw the dragon wince again and cringed. The blood flowing from the back of his dark head was thick and he had to be awfully dizzy from the loss. Finally he opened his eyes to look up at her and Thea offered a friendly smile that promised all that she said was true "I won't let them hurt you." And she truly meant that, though she had no idea how to stop the stronger soldiers. But she would find a way if it came down to that


As the soldier came closer, Thea took a step back closer to the dragon and stared down the man who dared threaten an innocent. She was not a very strong looking woman, but when she felt this firecely about something, she found that she could hold her own with anyone. The creature was no longer in his dragon form, no he was now a man hurt by the ropes and bloodied by the fall. He would be nothing more than a human head if they tried to take him now and she hoped that they realized that he was more or less worthless to them like this. "Please, he has done nothing wrong," she pleaded once more and smiled when the soldier sheathed his shining sword and told her to take him away. As they left, Thea heard a few neighbors whisper that she was insane, but ignored them and bent down to the dragon to tell him he was safe.


Hopefully the dragon would be able to stand once she got the ropes and the forked prongs off of him. As long as she could get him to stand, she would borrow a cart of hay from the baker since he was always nice and take him home where she could tend to him. Thea knew he was not a hurt puppy dog to take home and clean up, but right now he needed someone to help him and she was the only one willing to. Suddenly he jerked and a loud hiss passed through his lips as talons shot out from his fingers. The ropes slid away as he cut through them and as he sat up, she saw his color drain again and tried to grab him before he fell over once more. "Oh no you don't, you have to stay awake sir dragon. No going to sleep, I mean it," she muttered as he sank down onto the cool ground and looked about him dazzedly. Thea stared down at him in worry, her lip nearly torn off from her biting it so hard in her worry. Turning to a neighbor, she begged the young boy to find her a cart and a horse she could carry the dragon in and sighed in relief as the child did as he was asked.


"It's okay, you will be fine soon enough," she spoke and found her tongue tied as his eyes came open and focused on her. He had the most greenest eyes she had ever seen in her lifetime. They were not the eyes of a man, but those of a dragon with the slits that seemed to focus in and out with the amount of light needed. She had dark hair herself, but his hair was ebony black, silky and if she did not know better, she would swear that if he stood up, it would hang well past his hips. He was a rather handsome man just as he had been a beautiful dragon. "I promise, I will help you," she responded and turned to see that the cart and a horse had been brought over to her. He was lying down again, his color still rather pale even though she presumed he had alabaster skin anyway. As she drew the cart near, she looked down to realize he had in fact fell unconscience and groaned. He looked to be rather heavy, but surely she could get him into the cart and get him home quickly enough? "Help me lift him," she muttered to the driver and was happy that in the next minuet, the dragon was safely settled. Climbing onto the back of the horse she took off at an easy, but quick pace in the direcition of her home and prayed her family was too busy to see her with a man in a cart.

Soon she was home and in a flash, she was at the back of the cart looking down at the dragon. "Oh you poor thing," she mumbled as she lifted his head and slowly sat him up against the sides of the wooden cart. Biting her lip, Thea looked at him trying how best to lift him out and set him in the barn where she could tend to him without her family gawking at him. "You just had to be bigger than me, didn't you?" Thea sighed and decided that if she lifted one arm over her shoulder and wrapped her other around his waist, she could drag him inside. Doing just that, she nearly stumbled with him into the ground and let a hysterical laugh loose. Thea Lestrange taking a dragon into her barn? What was not funny about that. Slowly she took him inside and sat him down in a pile of hay and quickly began cleaning him up. "You're safe here, I promise." Hopefully he would wake soon, and then she could figure out what to do with him. Until then, she cleaned him and made sure that the back of his head was not bleeding any longer and prayed that he was alright.

[Desperanza]

Orlonox remained unconscious for a few solid hours. He would stir here and there before drifting once again but the rest was the absolute best thing for him at the moment. The rest was allowing the creature to recover and here in the barn it was much more quiet and less excitable then it had been in town in the square where his death could have been evident, had Thea not stepped in to save him. However after a few hours he began to come around, his vibrant green eyes fluttered open to glance around himself briefly for a moment as he inhaled slowly before releasing it once again as he shifted himself to slowly sit up. He felt a dull ache start at the back of his head and he went on the alert for a moment with a sharp hiss. His hand slowly lifted to investigate the lump at the back of his neck, his eyes steadily flicking here and there to investigate the area a few moments before he sighed and settled back within the hay again and relaxed.

The scent of that woman was here, close by. She had been flitting about for a while caring for him, this much was evident. His stomach growled and he winced, sighing. He was shirtless as he usually was but he had no robe to throw over his shoulders at the moment and he wore a simple pair of black cotton pants. As he inspected the barn for a few moments he glanced down the aisle to the horses. Each one could serve as a meal, but he turned his head away instead. He would leave them be. The fact of the matter was that the woman had saved his life, this much he knew. He was not stupid. He remembered that angelic face, that beautiful creature that had hovered over him when she had promised him safety.

She had indeed kept to her word, and he was pleased. Not only was the womanly wickedly beautiful but she was kind and honest as well. They were features that he did not often find in humans and yet, he could not let himself be fooled. It would take a hell of a lot more to prove to him that she would not later turn on him as well like the last woman he had bothered to let in had. The dragon huffed, watching spirals of smoke lift into the air and as he sat there he watched the climbing spirals in amusement as his hands lifted to slice through the curls of smoke, attempting to make designs before he gave up eventually and a sound rather startled him.

The woman was still there. As he turned his head, he rather suddenly straightened a bit in his bed of hay, not wanting to be left vulnerable. He really didn’t worry that the woman would hurt him or kill him. She had brought him here in the first place to what he assumed was her home, or her barn at least and she had obviously taken care of the injury at the back of his head and let him rest here. Here where he had not been attacked or bothered for quite a few hours and finally, his strength was returning from his shift. It was the one thing that he hated about his shifting, the fact that it took so much energy to perform.

With a huff, the dragon kept silent, watching the woman thoughtfully now as he took the moment to let his eyes wander over her entire frame now. Her clothes covered a bit of the feminine body beneath the cloths but that face, oh that angelic face was enough to make a grown human man drunk without a drop of liquor. He hissed softly, this time the sound was not aggressive and it slowly shifted into a soft rumble that emanated from deep within his chest much like a purr. Realizing that he was producing such a sound, he rather quenched it and tucked his chin a bit. Black tresses tumbled down over his shoulders and he came to study the tendrils of his own hair for a brief moment before glancing back to the woman again.

Perhaps it was true that an angel indeed had fallen to care for him. The thought made him smile a bit, that charm that stirred up naturally with him was beginning to show despite the fact that he had been injured. He rather did not appreciate being injured. He was a dragon after all, how ridiculous was it that he had been stuck like this? He frowned at the thought and turned his gaze to the women briefly through a light curtain of ebony hair. He eyed her thoughtfully for a few moments before finally, he spoke while he summoned the most commanding and intelligent tone that he could manage, “Now now miss, tell me where I am.” He stated, almost demanding but his tone did not leave a simple and almost quiet command because for some reason he could not bring himself to order her around much. He huffed at himself and watched her thoughtfully now as he gazed across at her, feasting his eyes upon the wild and undeniable beauty of the human once again as he fell silent once more.

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[Thea Lestrange]

Thea waited patiently as the sun sank lower in the sky and the dragon continued to sleep heavily throughtout the day. Every once in awhile she would hear him move, see him stir in his sleep, and wonder if he was okay. The barn was silent save for the few huffs of the horses and the natural breeze that floated through to cause creaks in the old wood, but surely that would not bother him while he regained his strength. For the past few hours the dragon slept soundly, Thea busied herself inside the house making sure that her family did not wander outside lest they come across the dragon and awake him with their surprise. So far she had done an excellent job of keeping him hidden in the barn, lying upon a fresh pile of hay that would leave him smelling like clean cut grass once he awakened. The horror of what could have happened to him had haunted her all day and sent chills down her back frequently. Yes he was a fairy tale creature, but why did they have to kill him in order to gain a reward? Could they not benefit from having a dragon or two around? Thea could only shake her head and sigh as she returned to the barn with food and water.

Surely a piece of meat, though it was rather small by men's standards, and fresh bread would be okay for a dragon? She had made sure the water was fresh from the well when she gathered it in her bucket and slung it over her arm tucked away in the crook of her elbow. After setting the food and water down on a low table that held a few knick knacks of hers and her father's, Thea went back into the house to thrift through her brother's things, hoping that he would have a shirt that would fit across the dragon's chest. He surely would not be too please to be shirtless and hungry and considering that he could actually turn into a dragon, Thea thought it best if she kept him please just in case he decided not to be overly friendly to his helper. Thea doubted that highly while remembering the plead for help in his wild green eyes and brush off any ill thoughts against his nature.

Running a delicate, but calloused hand over hair, Thea sighed and petted one of her favorite mares. To think that this morning she was worried that the day held nothing for her. Now she had a dragon, a huge dragon who had turned into a handsome man, in her barn unconscious. If she were to tell any of her friends, of course they probably already knew thanks to the show she had provided in the town's square, they would have laughed at her and told her she was spending too much time reading her fairy books. Didn't they know that fairies were real? Thea knew for a fact that had to be real now, but they refused to believe her. Whatever, she knew that there was a handsome dragon in her barn and in a distant land there had to be fairies. Had her father not seen and told her so himself? Yes, he had and Thea believed him even more now.

The dragon would surely heal quickly. He was a creature who was not wholly human and therefore had to possess magickal traits that would help him while he rested. Thea wished that she knew more, but she was sad to say that all she could do was clean his wounds and make sure that they were bandaged. As long as he did not get infected, he should be perfectly fine. No, she was no healer, but she did know a few things thanks her grandmother and her mother, who had to constantly fix Thea's knees and any other places that would more than likely scar if they had not tended to her.

Leaning against the door of a stall, she stroked the mare's chestnut nose and sighed. What would it be like to fly as he had before the landing? He probably adore soaring high in the sky, as it was obviously his nature to do so, and she could only daydream about how wonderful that freedom must feel. With the Murate soldiers so near, Thea had to be careful where she wandered off to, and had not been allowed to go out and about nearly as much as she longed to. She felt so cooped up inside with her mother and her sisters gibbering about boys and dresses. Yes, she enjoyed dressing nicely on occassion, but she would much rather be wearing her boots and a borrowed shirt from her youngest brother that allowed her to move without care.

Thea's head tilted to the side as she thought she heard a low rumble from the dragon's direction. He must be dreaming, or the like, she mused and continued on petting the mare with a smile on her lips. It was a nice rumbling sound, a touch like the sound of thunder during a rainstorm, and she wondered if he were dreaming of something good. She surely hoped so since he had a rather rough morning and did not deserve more stress upon himself. Perhaps the rumble meant that he was waking up and hungry. It was a good thing she brought what she did for him just in time. Upon hearing a deep voice, Thea stood ramrod still and froze in her place. Turning slightly, she caught herself looking straight into the dragon's green slitted eyes and felt her lips part in surprise. "You're awake!" Thea exclaimed before a bright smile curled her lips up and she crossed the barn over to him.

Being who she was, Thea had no fear of the dragon and found herself grinning broadly at him while she giggled. "I was worrired I would have to get a healer to tend to you. I'm glad you're awake. You're in my barn right outside of Ellsinora to answer your question, sir dragon." Grabbing the bucket of water and the plate of food, Thea walked over to him and sat down in front of him. "I hope that this is enough. There's not much to be had. My name is Theodora, by the way. But everyone calls me Thea." Looking up into his green eyes, Thea realized that she was rambling on like a chattering bird and blushed heavily as her dark eyes hid behind her thick black lashes. Her excitement was evident upon her face as she scooted away from him to give him space and not crowd him since he was a dragon afterall. "I am very sorry about your head. The Murate soldiers are less than....kind," she mumbled softly as her nails picked at her worn cotton pants she had stolen from her brother's old clothes.

[Desperanza]

Orlonox arched a brow as he gazed at the dark haired woman curiously for a moment. Her exclamation surprised him and he held his breath for a brief moment before offering a coy smile to her as he glanced around himself thoughtfully, nodding slowly in reply as he sighed and settled a bit amongst the hay with a soft sigh, “Curious as it is that you would dare to help a dragon.” He stated thoughtfully with a nod as he glanced back to the fellow young woman once again. His eyes scanned over Thea thoughtfully for a moment before swiftly shifting to the food that she offered as his stomach growled once more. The meat was easily scented and caused his stomach to growl mercilessly and he reached out and accepted both from her, thanking her quietly as he eyed her thoughtfully before carefully sniffing each item, checking for any tainted scents that he could detect. She certainly seemed kind enough, not like a woman with intentions of poisoning him but he had to be careful. Sighing softly, he rather swiftly swallowed the meat with a few chews and soon after the bread. He primarily enjoyed his meat but the bread would help to fill him up as well. Satisfied, he sighed and thanked her quietly once again before he shifted and glanced along the row of horses thoughtfully with a thoughtful smile once again.

The dragon remained silent for a few moments, sitting a bit straighter on his seat of hay as he turned his gaze back to Thea once again. He rather felt like leaning in closer to her and stroking that skin, those calloused hands he wanted to inspect and he wanted to look at this human closer. Her beauty made his breath jagged now and again and he huffed, “Stupid humans.” He muttered with a roll of his eyes. He shifted and gathered himself a bit as he folded his legs in front of himself before catching sight of the shirt that she had brought for him to wear. He gave a satisfied smile and tugged it over his form with a sigh, growling softly. Closing his eyes slowly for a moment before he opened them once again, he glanced back to Thea. He furrowed his brow and huffed as he eyed her silently for a moment before a trickle of a grin reached him once again, “Now tell me, girl-“ he paused at her name, arching a brow at her before he smiled slightly and nodded a bit, “Thea then.” He added this time with a thoughtful glance around himself for a moment before looking back to her again as he nodded curtly and shifted forward a bit closer to her this time though he remained hesitant, the thoughts of the woman before him still burning in his mind. That ridiculous, lying little cheat that had thought it fun to play him, “Why did you take pity on me? Why did you save me?” he asked her. His tone was silken and smooth and yet curious for he truly wanted to know what had enticed her to help him after all.

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[Thea Lestrange]

He seemed to be rather dumbfouned, or perhaps just oddly surprised, when she exclaimed her happiness that he had awakened. She was incredibly happy to see that he had in fact slept deeply and that sleep now produced a dragon...or well man now, who was feeling much better and who looked bettter. "There's nothing wrong with being a dragon," Thea answered with a shrug as he looked over her as if he were inspecting her. Thea tried a smile, but felt her nerves were a little off thanks to the green eyes that continued to roam over her. She was pleased that the food seemed to help since his stomach had growled so loudly and sat down to happily chatter away aimlessly. A slight grin began to curl her lips up into a smile slowly as he sniffed the food she handed over and she had to hold back a chuckle. Oh, she knew exactly why he was scenting his food and mentally nodded her approval. Most would have been offended, but she was not. No, Thea understood the need to be catious in these days. Sitting back, she watched him eat both the meat and the bread with a satisifed smile and sat the plate down on the table while coming back with the shirt.

Wherever did he gain those green eyes? As Thea watched him closely from behind her thick lashes, she had to wonder just how a dragon became a man. A very handsome one who happened to have a deep purr of a voice and a head of ebony hair many a woman would have envied just as she had to admit she did. Thea leaned closer for a second, thinking that she had heard him utter something under his breath, but shrugged it off. It was probably something he would either keep to himself or bring to light later. She grinned happily as he tugged the shirt over his head with a growl, but had to admit that she would miss seeing the smooth skin that seemed to glow. Was that because he was a dragon? The huffs and puffs he gave made her want to giggle, but she knew that they were probably part of his dragon nature. At least he had smiled and grinned as well, she thought to herself as he began to speak. His reactions were somewhat different than the average human males, the way he looked about him as if he were thinking of precisley what he wanted to say before speaking. As he leaned forward, Thea's eyes grew rounder from curiosity and she nodded when he spoke her name. Did all dragons have those color eyes, or just him?

Thea adjusted herself on the worn floor that had hay strewn across it and bit her lip at his questions. "I took pity upon you because it is not a crime to be a dragon. You're a magickal creature, but why should anyone hurt you? You didn't do anything wrong. And when I saw you...as a dragon... I felt akinned somehow." She shrugged, pulling a lock of a dark curl around and fiddled with it as she looked around the barn. Thea was always an outsider to the girls she grew up with; none of them understanding her wild ways just as he was probably not understood for his nature. "I use to hear tales of your kind as a child. I know a lot about dragons from that. I...I find your kind entrancing and y-you as well." Her color had risen into her cheeks, a bright pink that made her feel ashamed that she could not look him in the eye without it happening.

[Desperanza]

The dragon eyed the woman thoughtfully for a few moments before he grinned, chuckling quietly as he watched her thoughtfully for a few moments before he sighed softly and sat a bit straighter before he folded his legs as he glanced around himself once more, rather curious. Standing from the hay, he nodded slowly to her words as he turned and made his way along the aisle. He brushed his fingers along the nose of a few horses here and there as he made his way along the aisle before he paused, turning on his heel to glance back at Thea once again with a slight smile, “Hmmph, humans often find my kind enchanting, and great for serving as trophies.” He muttered with a frown as he shifted himself slightly before he made his way forward again, coming to kneel in the hay before her this time as he came to meet her dark gaze once again with a thoughtful nod as he watched her thoughtfully for a few moments before sighing vaguely. “I am curious however what your little fairy tales tell of my kind.” He stated thoughtfully to her as he gazed at her facial features for a few long moments before a slight flicker lit within his eyes this time.

“Your kind, you two leggeds who hold no magic or special features indeed can be entrancing as well. From your strange ways of life to the fact that you walk on two legs and the fact that you small creatures could be rather beautiful as well and yet unfortunately it seems that most of you have ugly hearts with poison in your veins. Your kind find it funny to play with the magic kin and drag us in circles. Your kind likes to pose as a friend and later an enemy and you people wonder why we do not trust you.” He huffed, hissing softly as he reached a hand out while he spoke to stroke her cheek. Her skin was kissed by the sun and radiant and yet years in the sun had done nothing to deny the fact that it was soft and melded with the rest of her features that brought her to be so beautiful. Each arch of her cheek and dark eye, her softly pouting lips that allowed that beautiful tone to drift forward and that elegant neck that led into the rest of her body that was no doubt just as beautiful as that of which he could see.

He pulled away however as his words finished, finding himself giving into the woman a bit. Her kindness enticed him and her beauty drew him in but he felt that sting of betrayal. That burn of the selfish human kind flaring within his mind. He offered a low growl and turned his head from her with a sigh as he folded his arms across his chest and came to lean against the barn wall as he tucked his knees upwards a bit and glanced around himself thoughtfully now as he fell silent for a brief moment before he finally came to glance back to her again with a slight nod this time, “Tell me, what is happening with the wicked king and who else is it that lives here with you? Most of you humans live in groups. Who else is here?” he asked her, not that he would completely understand. Dragon’s lived differently than humans and he could not claim to understand the stretching lines and names that they put to members of their family. Whereas Dragon’s had their kin, humans had families, aunts, uncles, sisters, cousins, he didn’t know exactly what this all meant and he certainly did not understand much of the human life but at the moment it looked as if he would have to be posing as a man for some time now with Muration soldiers patrolling everywhere and the head of the dragon viewed as a rather high prize at the moment he rather did not look forward to dying anytime soon and posing as a human for a while wouldn’t kill him.

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[Thea Lestrange]

The dragon continued to watch Thea, not that she cared at all since everyone seemed to stare at her for some reason. Her mother told her it was because she was a pretty fair looking woman, but Thea was sure it was because everyone knew she was a touch wild and could not help it. Dark eyes followed him as he stood and proceeded to walk around the barn, petting the nose of a horse here and there. Thea wondered if he knew he was graceful in his movement, just as he must be when he flew before he turned around and smiled once more. "Some do, yes. But not all of us believe that way." Or at least she did not. If a dragon was not causing harm, then there was no point in attacking it. The frown apon his face caused her own lips to pull down as he kneeled in the hay before her, his green dragon eyes meeting her dark thick lashed ones. "They are just child's tales my father told me as a little girl about mystical dragons who had secret treasures and were incredible creatures. Sometimes they were bad and stole maidens along with treasure, or were kind and lived happily among humans in the mountains." Thea shrugged and smiled honestly, noting that a light had flicked acrosse his eyes and she wondered what that could mean.

Her brow forrowed into a frown as the dragon spoke, speaking his mind about her kind and being honest with her. "Not all of us are so bad, sir dragon. Some of us were taught to care, to love each other as you would your own flesh and blood. I will agree with you when you say that there are those out there who have ugly hearts and cause pain. But not all of us humans, two leggeds, are horrible. Just as not every dragon is bad." The hiss that poured from his mouth had her flinching slightly, but as his hand stroke her cheek, Thea stilled and watched him with wide eyes. The paleness of his skin was almost translucent, but it shone with an inner glow she could not place just as his extremely emerald green eyes sparkled with a wild green that forebodded to his more tempermental nature she guessed. "We are not all bad, just as I believe you're not bad for being a dragon. That was the way you were born, and being a 'two legged' was the way I was born," a smile drifted up to her lips as looked at him with her eyes shining with friendship and honest.

Something had seriously caused this dragon to dislike her race, and Thea suspected that it was either someone very close to him as a friend, or a woman. She felt pity for him, but knew that he would not want to see such in her face, so she concealed it as he growled and hiss at that pain she knew was caused by a human. Her brother had once said that a man, no matter how strong, could be taken down by a woman easily. That seemed to be the situation this dragon had and she sighed as she watched him fold his arms across his chest and lean against the barn. "Magrej, the evil king you ask about, is marrying to a Queen Abigail very soon. They have more or less taken over as you saw today. Muratian soldiers cover Ellsinora everywhere and the countryside has been burned into nothing more than a scar upon the land. Nothing is what it was or should be. We're nearly as bad as Ohanzee. " Which obvioiusly broke the young woman's heart for her city, but she brushed it off and continued talking. "I live with my family here in a small cottage. I have seven brothers and sisters, me making the eight. We're a big family, it's crowded, but I love it." Dragon's lived solitary lives, completely alone from what she remembered and Thea had to wonder if he would understand what it was like to have no privacy at all. "I'm the second oldest, my brother Torin being the first. Mama and Papa wanted a large family. I'm sure that you have family, but that you also live secluded. It must be nice to have that kind of privacy; I can't do much without a sibling underfoot." A small smile appeared on her face, but it was forced as she glanced back at him thoughtfully.

[Desperanza]

Inclining his head, the dragon offered a vague smile. His eyes never left her features as she spoke, allowing his mind to lazily delve among the prospects of this woman’s life and the vast beauty that she offered to him as she spoke. She seemed to have a rather large family and his mind briefly wandered back to his own life back in the swamp. He pondered what she might think of his home in the swamp with its poisonous waters and boiling temperatures with his horde of gold stashed at the bottom as well as the cavern that he lived within. The cavern with the chilled stone walls and the layer of moisture that clung about his home. The heat that swelled within the swamp around the murky boiling waters to the mask of ugly landscape that stretched around outside of the swamp. The forest that lined the back of the swamp that was now burned to the ground. The world was empty, useless. It was barren and the meals were lessening about his home. It had become much harder to obtain a meal and harder still to keep from traveling into town and snatching a few humans to munch on.

However now as he gazed across at Thea, listening to her words, he couldn’t really imagine eating her, she truly wasn’t appealing in that direction of the sense. Instead, she appealed to him otherwise. She enticed the natural reaction of the human man, those silly emotions and desires that men seemed to succumb to so quickly but he at the moment could contain them quite easily though his vibrant eyes were riveted to her features. A coy smiled touched his facial features and his head nodded slowly in reply though he said nothing for now, thinking over the fact that she had quite so many brothers and sisters. There were families even larger then her own, he knew, and there were smaller but the fact that there would be eight of them seemed rather enormous to him. There had only been him within his family and he had not known his mother long nor his father for that matter. His mother had murdered his father soon after he was born so that he may survive and there did not grow a vicious rivalry between the aggressive male dragon and his own son and his mother had abandoned him after he had reached the age of four. He had in turn wandered the world here and there searching until he had connected with his home though now it mattered little for everything had been turned upside down.

Orlonox, the longer he sat there in the hay listening to her speak the more he began to think and wonder. That stir of natural desire and interest sparked him again and he grinned as he watched her thoughtfully before he leaned forward a bit with a vague purr lifting from his chest and throat as he came to shift smoothly forward closer to her, pausing as he came to gaze into her dark eyes once again, his own bright with curiosity and further thought, “But now, here. This place is silent and it is quiet. There are none of your siblings here, Thea. What is it that you do in these rare moments when they are not around?” he inquired softly to her this time with an inquisitive purr, his eyes scanning her thoughtfully as he pondered what a human woman that lived here within the town of Ellsinora would indeed do with the time given to her without others around. With a dragon in her barn, her siblings out of site and time on her hands, what was it that this female did, he rather wanted to know. Grinning slightly, he leaned back a bit against his hand a bit within the hay as he looked up at her thoughtfully once more.

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[Thea Lestrange]

Thea could probably talk about her family all day. There were seven siblings to watch over. Too many brothers and sisters for some, but Thea had loved having a big family growing up. Except for the occassional sibling fight or rivalry, they had all had fun running around in the barn, playing tricks on their mother and father when they finished with their chores. Torin and she had a lot of responsibility as children to watch over the younger ones, but Thea believed it only made them better now as adults. Perhaps that was why she cared so much when the Murate soldiers had tried to take the dragon as a prize. Something had hit her maternly for a moment and she could not bare the thought of anyone hurt. Those dark eyes of hers turned to the dragon and wondered about his family status. Dragons were known to be solitary creatures, living in caves and caverns with hidden treasures, and only the stars knew what. Yes, they had on occassion flown off with a human to munch on, but Thea did not fear the dragon before her. No, if he had wanted her as a meal, he would have already done so. Thea wondered if the dragon had lost his home thanks to what had happened recently. He was probably out of house and home and the idea bothered her greatly.

A smile had lifted the corners of her mouth up into a picture perfect action as she spoke and looked back at the dragon. Her family would all be extremely cautious around him, but she found him interesting. If Torin knew she was sitting in the middle of the barn on hay talking to a dragon, he would have picked her up over his shoulder and locked her in her room. Thea quietly laughed to herself as she found the dragon watching her once more. What in the world could he be gazing upon her for? Whatever it was, it gave Thea a chance to look at his eyes more closely while she spoke. They were green, but they were also the slitted eyes she had heard about dragons. Could they change? She was not sure, but she did have enough curiosity to want to ask. The fact that both his dragon form and his human form were so much a like in different ways amazed her. Dragons were creatures that had many secrets, no one really knew too much about them, but Thea wanted to. He sparked within her a natural curiosity and she could not deny that his looks were also another part of that curiosity. There had never been anyone with such hair or eyes, nor the feral looks he carried from his dragon self. Did all dragons look that way? Thea would more than likely never know, but at least she had this chance to finally meet a creature from her daydreams.

She quieted down some after she explained her family, her subtle want for privacy and watched him for a moment. The grin of his that lit up his face caught her by surprise and as he leaned in, Thea held her breath as his purr drifted from his chest. He had moved closer, before she had even time to react, and their eyes met while he spoke. "I...well I, uhm." Her tongue had been caught as her dark eyes met his green ones and she found herself gulping. That purr of his was entracing, causing her to lose her train of thought as he looked upon her intently. "I usually clean things...make supper. Mend clothes and I...Sometimes I wander past Ellsinora into the Falls and swim without a care in the world. I use to have friends who went, but most of them are married now." Thea had found her voice, but it was rather breathy as he leaned back into the hay to look up at her once more. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm ever going to see the outside of Ellsinora. New places, so I explore and climb. Take in animals that need help." She licked her lips, curling her hair around her shoulder again as she smiled at him shyly with a shrug.

[Desperanza]

Orlonox gazed upon the sight of the woman, rather intrigued by her reactions to him. The sight caused him to chuckle deeply as he nodded slowly, his movements liquefied as he shifted within the hay before he glanced back to her again with a soft hum of thought as he inclined his head and cast a glance around himself thoughtfully for a few moments before returning his gaze to her thoughtfully once more. He was curious of this female before him. The woman that sat there talking to him as if she had no problem with the fact that he was a dragon and if anything, she was rather curious or interested perhaps. The thought intrigued him further. She spoke of the chores that she performed, the cooking that she did for her rather large family it seemed. He was curious, and he wanted to know more. He was indeed a dragon. A dragon with no family, and none that were close to him but this beautiful woman stirred thoughts and questions within himself that he rather never thought for any human. He often came to hate humans, wishing only to eat them or kill them for most of the humans he met were Muratian soldiers and they were ridiculously haughty and arrogant and pissed him off worse than any other creature that he had ever met and yet now, as he gazed across at Thea, he couldn’t help but smile.

He shifted within the hay before he shifted and stood slowly as he made his way from the hay once more as he lifted to his feet with one fluid push of his legs. He grunted softly and his hands lifted through his silken black hair to feel at the bandage and injury at the back of his head. He growled softly as he wandered forward among the barn once more. Drifting to the entrance, he paused, glancing out along the path to her home thoughtfully. His hands lowered and his fingers pressed at the entrance of the barn door, glancing at the house thoughtfully before he grinned slightly, “Your siblings, they must all be as beautiful as you, yes?” he inquired thoughtfully as he turned and glanced back at Thea once more with a slight smile as he wandered forward, drifting closer to her once again before his path changed and he once again wandered the aisle of horses, glancing in at each one with a thoughtful glance here and there before he turned to look at the woman once more. He let his fingers trail along the cloth that hung over his torso, glancing over it thoughtfully before he looked back to the woman once again with a slight nod, “You have wishes to leave Ellsinora? To explore?” he inquired as he drifted closer to her.

Coming to kneel within the hay once more, he knelt at her side and lowered a hand to brush aside a bit of the hay and trace his fingers within the light layer of hay dust on the floor as he traced a rough map, “The world outside of this place is enormous and there is truly much to see but at the moment it seems as if the world is in a churn of chaos. The trees are dead, the landscape is scarred but there is still land to be found and sought out. The Queen of Fairies could perhaps help to begin restoring the land, that is if she is in any condition to reach us.” He stated with a heavy sigh, shaking his head a bit before he glanced back towards her once more with a slight smile as his eyes suddenly lit with a vibrant spark of thought. He had lived within Murate for quite some years, living on the edge of the swamp in a cavern that he had claimed as his home. However though he had lived there that did not mean that this dragon was wicked or cruel and at the moment, he rather did not care. The world was ugly and if there was something to be done to fix it then by heavens he would do it. He too wanted to see this world restored to its former beauty. Huffing sharply, steam escaped his nostrils and the flutters of dust and hay scattered away. He gave his head a shake, scattering the long tresses of ebony before his head lifted once more and he glanced towards Thea once more with a slight grin, “You may come with me, if you would. You can travel out of here. For your kindness I would in turn offer you free passage with myself.” He stated thoughtfully to her as he rocked back on his heels, “There is a Queen out in the falls if we could get in, we could go to the Queen for help.” He stated quietly with a slight nod as he glanced back towards her again with a slight smile as he watched her inquiringly, his eyes questioning and curious as he glanced towards the woman thoughtfully now, wondering if it was even possible that this woman would bother offering to do anything to help save the earth once again.

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[Thea Lestrange]

Oh whatever was the matter with her? Thea honestly was confused by her own reactions to Orlonox and could not help wonder why she felt so horribly shy around the dragon. Such a curious and extraordinary creature he was. The long black locks that shone blue in the light, his emerald green dragon's eyes, and the smooth alabaster skin that glowed. He was something that Thea had never believed she would have the good fortune to meet, and yet here he was sitting in her barn on top of hay looking at her. And she spoke with him easily, as if he were a neighbor or a friend she had known since childhood. Her tongue loosened, spilling out words upon words as she spoke of her daily life. Her dull daily life that was. She was mostly just another set of hands for her family, she did the cooking and cleaning, mended their clothes. Oh but if she had his freedom! Yet as she told him of her family, Thea sinced that perhaps it was not so grand to be all alone. Surely he knew somewhat of his family? She could only hope that the dragon had some form of friendship in the now barren world.

Thea had to admit that she enjoyed watching him, his movements were so graceful and lithe, like a large cat. She tried to stop the smile as he touched the back of his head, secretly admiring the handy work that had stopped his blood flow. As he looked about, Thea took a strand of hair without thought and began to braid it as she watched him. His words had her blushing to the roots of her dark hair and his grin had her tongued tied for a second. "Thank you, sir dragon, but I believe you would find my sister's much more pleasing to the eyes." Her eyes were downcasted, her lashes brushing against her high cheekbones as she attempted to not look at him as he looked amongst the horses she loved so dearly. Once she had looked up, she smiled lightly as he checked the shirt she had given him. "Oh yes. I know I shouldn't since I have family here, but..." Thea looked out the small window at the back of the barn and sighed thouhgtfully. "I feel as if I don't belong here. I feel there's something more out there, and I so long to find it."

Dark eyes followed the movements of his hand as he drew her a map, pointing out what lied in the distance of her home. Her brows drew hard over her beautiful eyes as he recounted to her how horrible things had truly become. Why? Why did everything have to be destoryed for one man's greed? Thea shook her head in a sigh as she listened to him, completely understanding why his tone of voice was sad. "I know not of a Queen Fairy, but I wish very much that she could help the lands." Thea's eyes met his as she frowned heavily, sighing her emotions before her own smile responded to his. There seemed to be a gleam in his eye, a shining one that suggested to her that he was indeed contemplating something that needed to be considered. Her family would be frightened of him, most of the town was, but Thea found him nothing of the sort. He spoke as if the destruction of the lands pained him just as it did her. There was good to be found in him, she was sure of it. The huffing sound startled her, causing her to place a hand over her heart before she realized that it was a natural noise of his and chuckled. She grinned brightly at him as he shook his long hair out, watching it move as an inky wave down his front. Her mouth literally dropped open as he spoke, her eyes growing round and her mouth making a perfect "o" shape. "Y-you would let me go with you?" Thea's words were barely a whisper but in the next moment she was flying off her stool to give the dragon a bear hug before she pulled back with a blush. "Thank you, thank you so much. I want to help so badly, to do something before things get worse." Her smile was so wide she could barely contain herself as she gave him yet another hug and laughed happily.

[Desperanza]

The dragon's vibrant eyes scanned the form of Thea. A smile touched his features but his reptilian eyes grew wide for a moment as she flew forward to hug him. The breath left his body for a moment as she enveloped him in a hug. He gasped briefly, surprised at the gesture before he offered a soft sigh and grinned slightly as he lowered his hands to cup her waist gently, fearing she might throw herself off a bit as she straightened a bit. He offered a rather surprised glance before nodding slowly in reply. He was rather surprised by her reaction and for the first time since he had met her he felt his own walls disappearing a bit, feeling a piece of himself reach out to this extravagantly beautiful woman before himself.

As he glanced over her thoughtfully, his head nodded slowly as if approving a rather fine prize. He grinned a bit and shifted a bit straighter now, casting his long ebony locks back over his shoulder for a moment before he lifted his gaze to meet her own. Briefly taking a breath, he fell silent for a moment as a soft rumble escaped his chest briefly before he nodded slightly in her direction. Lifting his porcelain hands, he motioned to her thoughtfully for a moment as he gazed over her thoughtfully before lifting his gaze once more, "Now then, what is it that humans do before traveling? I find that they are slow to set off. Do you need to make erm, preparations?" he inquired with an incline of his head as his gaze remained focused upon the woman before himself. If it were his decision he would simply shift and get it over with, catch a nap and tuck her onto his back before setting out but shifting here was impossible, he would be traveling out of Ellsinora as a human but it seemed rather slow to him. He sent a brief glance to the horses, knowing that many humans traveled upon them. He gave them a rather curious glance before glancing back towards Thea once more with a slight grin as he awaited her reply now.

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