Scarlet snorted "Well that's just perfect!" she said angrily. She sighed to calm herself down. It wasn't the human's fault and he seemed to be just about annoyed with the whole situation as she was. Plus, she had a feeling he was right about people knowing. This kind of thing didn't happen often and she had heard rumors on her travels about villages and cities getting attacked by strange humans and creatures.

Well, if she had to stay with him, she might as well get to know him. "So, what is your name human?"

Sorel pinched the bridge of his nose and fought the losing battle against his nerves. He looked into her eyes as she asked for his name. "I would say aren't you supposed to give your own name first," he said, "but I don't much care for formailities. Name's Sorel. Although you'll hear some people call me Blaze. It's my guild name so you can disregard it. I suppose I'll have to ditch it myself soon." He paused as things started to sink in. "Well that's a bummer. It was a decent guild too. I doubt I'll get off without paying my last dues though." He had a feeling the guild master could be easily as scary as any dark lord or whatever it was he'd have to deal with now. He'd probably have hell to pay as it was for running out on the guild now, so there was no way he'd skip payment as well. "I don't suppose you carry any money around on you?" he asked skeptically.

She gave him an amused smile "My name is Scarlet and no, I have no need for such trivial things like human money. Though sometimes humans are interested in my shed scales. Apparently, they use them to make jewelry or something."

She looked up as the sun rose higher into the sky. More and more humans were awake and wandering the city now and she wasn't interested in having anymore encounters. "If you have no problems leaving your guild then I suggest we get on our way. Unless you have some unfinished business you have to take care of?"

(( ))

Aquilo bowed his head to let Aze mount his neck, and grinned cheekily. "As you wish, milady. Your noble steed awaits," he teased, throwing in a wink for good measure. Once the girl had settled on his neck, he took off, maneuvering smoothly through the inky night sky.

Some hours later found them finally out of the Air Country and in the arctic Ice Country, flying over some forest. Dawn was fast approaching, and they were looking for a place to sleep for the day, when a sudden roar pierced the air behind them.

Oh please, no... flashed worriedly in his head, before looking behind him and confirming his worries as true. They were being followed by more of those strange dragons that had attacked them before.

Masking any worry with affable cheer, he focused his thoughts toward the girl on his back. Aze, I'm going to fly into the forest so that I blend in more with the snow, and so the trees can give us some cover, he told her telepathically. I'll need to concentrate on flying, though, so I don't run into any trees; think you can handle these freaks yourself?

((They're over the same forest as Corin and Osmund are in, just so you guys know.))

Corin stood frozen in shock at the sight of the huge dragon that just protected him from the bear. After the bear ran off he turned its pale gray eyes on him; all ferocity that was on his face moments before gone as he looked him up and down "Are you ok?" he asked. Corin nodded "I'm fine. Thanks for your help." he said, still shocked. He had only seen a few dragons in his life and the sudden appearance of this one had him reeling. He shook off his surprise, though, not wanting to look like an idiot in front of the dragon. The dragon brought its head down to his level "My name is Osmund. And you are...?" "Oh uh my name is Corin" said corin, taking a step back from the dragon's close proximity.

In the distance another loud roar was heard, causing both males to turn in that direction. "What was that?" asked Corin. Osmund shook his head and sniffed the air "I don't know but I smell strange creatures. Come on, we should go see what they are and why they are so far north." he said before picking up Corin and placing him on his back. Before Corin could say anything in protest, Osmund took off; Corin having no choice but to cling on for dear life.

Cyril grunted in annoyance and pulled himself to his feet, regathering the contents of his bag and muttering about the sheer rudeness of people. He got up and made to follow the little git and tell him off, but he was nowhere to be found. Cyril grit his teeth in annoyance.

He needed to calm down or something would go foul. With a sigh, he restarted his walk, albeit with a bit more twitching.

--

Not all that far off, a silvery menace was brushing the tops of the clouds with her feet. A heinous buzzing in her head was guiding her to whatever it was she was supposed to be finding. She huffed; a cloud of black erupted from her nostrils. Her wings slit it in two.

'Nothing but trouble, this legend' she thought. She took a sudden dive, because impulse told her she should. She saw a city, where there had only been forest the last time she checked. She dove, then flattened out with only a few feet between her and the roof tops. Behalt scanned the people, though none of them looked all that interesting. Some looked slightly tasty, but her mind was elsewhere.

OOC:// I apologize for my absence most of yesterday. I've been at a friends house.

Aze looked behind her. No problem She thought confidently to him. She leaned down close to his neck in a way so she could still see the dragons behind them. Swallowing hard she pushed her legs up and slowly brought her self. Now balancing with the help of her moving the air around her she faced the dragons. A fire ball came at them but she was already ready for that. Holding her stick like a bat she swung hard. An air current swirled around it then burst out sending the ball in a 90 degree turn. So much air enveloped it it spurted out before it hit something.

The air shifted around her making her tip in the slightest with out her noticing. Taking a deep breath and focusing she sharpened the wind to that of needles. With a wave of her air they shot out hitting the dragons in various places. They turned and left screeching back at her and Aquilo. I wasn't able to finnish them... She thought a little disappointed. When the air shifted again she teetered over falling through trees. She let go of her pole so she could use both hands to protect her head. Not because she wanted it to but the wind began to soften her fall but not soon enough. She landed in a pile of snow. When she hit it created a hole that made snow fluff up.

"Scarlet, huh?" he said repeating name, "It's fitting I suppose." His spirits rose as she mentioned her scales. As he examined them, he could appreciate the vibrant shade of red they were. More importantly than that, craftsmen would appreciate their coloration. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with a few?" He asked, "I'd prefer that corrupted beasts be our only foes." If he could pay off the guild master and come up with a decent explanation he figured he should be able to get off scott-free. It would definitely be better than fleeing into different regions to avoid the leaders wrath. he was running out of countries to hide in. He would have to make another mental note to himself to stop making enemies.

"If it decreases our problems then I don't see why not" she said turning around and plucking a good amount of loose scales from her sides and held them out for Sorel to take.

She looked up at the sky when she thought she saw something silver reflecting amongst the clouds. When she saw nothing she shrugged 'Probably just my imagination'

Corin gasped when he saw a group of dragons attacking another white dragon with what looked like a human girl riding on its back. The two were able to fight them off but not before the girl lost her balance and fell off of her dragon companion. "Osmund go down there! We have to see if she is ok!" Osmund nodded and dove down through the trees to land a few feet next to where the girl landed in the snow. Corin shakily jumped off Osmund and stumbled over to the girl. "Hey are you alright?" he asked her

Sorel heaved a sigh of relief. This would halp make things simpler. "Thank you," he said, accepting the token with gratitude. He followed her gaze for a moment. He thought he caught sight of another dragon but he couldn't be sure through all of the cloud cover. "I need to head for the guild. You an either wait here or follow if you want." He didn't wait to hear her decision before he exitted the alley and began to make his way for the outermost parts of the city. Once on the outskirts he scanned for the mark on the road. He walked over to it and stomped his foot on it in a rythmic pattern. "Who is it?" a voice echoed up. "It's me Blaze," he shouted down, "now let me in Wraith, you little brat." He stepped off and Wraith pushed up the slap of the street to reveal an underground passage.

Scarlet hesitated for a moment as she watched him walking away; not sure if she should follow him or not. Decided, she quickly slinked after him, head down, and keeping a watchful eye at the crowded streets. They went to the outskirts of the city and she stopped when he did looking at the ground, confused when he started stomping on the ground.

She was about to ask him what he was doing when a voice shouted up from beneath him. A few words were exchanged and a slab of street was pushed up by another boy. "Is this where you live?" she asked Sorel

Sorel turned to her. "Sort of," he told her. He looked at Wraith who was now looking at Scarlet with wide eyed terror. "Please calm down. I'll explain later," he said, "she's with me." Wraith forced herslf to become calm and motioned for them to move inside. "It's a bit of a tight sqeeze at first, but it'll get wider pretty quickly." The passage was dully lit and had a dank smell. "This is where all the guild members come to stay when they can't find anywhere else." He hoped she had the common knowledge of what guilds were. They were little organizations that were headed by a guild master. One had to pass a test to join and in order to stay you had to pay dues. In return you got provided with work and a place to stay. They were generally composed of thieves, mercenaries, assassins and the like.

Scarlet gave a little nod at the nervous girl, now known as wraith, as she followed Sorel down into the hole. She had to tuck her wings close to her body to squeeze into the hole. It was a tight fit but she made it through and into a semi-dark hallway. She followed along after the two humans as they began walking down the hall.

She listened as he explained this place and tilted her head to the side before she asked curiously "So how did you come to join this guild?"

Sorel glanced back briefly, "Wraith's a bit jumpy, but she's not bad. Her paranoia makes her a good entry watcher." He headed straight for the heart of the guild. "I came here in search of work and shelter after I got kicked out my last one. I'd been doing pretty well here actually. My only complaint was the weather. I prefer warmer weather." The main chamber was visible now. Inside would Redic, the guild master, and most likely his right hand man, Toreth. He was already forming explanations in his mind so that he could make things cleared with their leader.

(( ))

Aquilo grinned at the girl's confident response before turning his focus to the task at hand. Diving into the forest, he darted through the trees while avoiding any attacks thrown his way with an reflexes that could only come from years of practice. Indeed, his father had taught him that one of the most important skills to have in any battle was agility; you can't beat what you can't hit.

At last, he heard their enemies retreating behind them, as well as Aze's disappointed words in his head. Don't worry, he consoled her as he slowed to a less frenzied pace. As long as they're go-Aze! he exclaimed, for the girl had just tumbled off of his back.

As Aquilo dove towards the spot where she landed, he noted that she appeared to be unhurt. Thankful that they were near the ground to begin with and that the air and snow had cushioned her fall, he still asked the customary, "Are you all right?" He was surprised, however, to hear the question come from another voice as well, and immediately noticed two figures, a human and a dragon approach. Who are they? he wondered. Are they with the freaks from before? They seem friendly enough, but you never know...

His suspicions were hidden carefully behind a poker face, however, and his tones were cordial as he gave a greeting to the strangers. "Hello, I am Aquilo. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Might I ask who you are?"

When they entered the larger room, Scarlet stretched out her wings, happy to be back in a more open space. She folded them back neatly at her sides, a little nervous at meeting the leader of the guild. She heard on her travels that Guild masters were very tough since they have to keep the rest of their members in check.

She held her head high and tried to look as confident as possible. She didn't know what the man was going to be like and she didn't want to appear weak in front of him. Silently, she followed after Sorel into the main chamber, ready for anything.

Aze shivered as she sat up brushing the freezing ice from her shoulders and head. She smiled her teeth chattering. "Y..yah, I... I ...I'm f...f...Fine" She stated quiet happily. The fall wasn't frightening like it would have been to most people, but it was enjoyable. For an odd reason she loved the rush it had given her but then again if she had been higher up then it could have been really bad and she decided to pay more attention to shifting winds from not on. She looked over seeing the boy and another dragon. She stayed silent not just because she was some what shocked but she couldn't get her lower jaw to stop clattering against her upper one.

She folded her arms across her chest as she tried to move air around her to make it just a bit warmer. Who are they? She asked Aquilo unable to speak. Slowly she stood some of her joints popping. She was glad she was wearing pants and a t-shirt like shirt and not her usual shorts and a tank. Still shivering she went and walked so she stood next to Aquilo. "W......Wh...W...." She started but stopped as she gave up speaking leaving it to Aquilo. Snow still hung on her pants so she busied her self with getting the ice off. She didn't mind the cold but she preferred the nice climates of air country.

Upon entering Sorel's demeanor immediately changed. His relaxed almost easy going posture shifted into a straight backed, well disciplined figure. He locked eyes with the guild master who met his gaze with a grin. "Blaze," the man said heartily, "How have you been getting by? Do you have your dues?" He had noticed the dragon enter the room and masked his surprise. Sorel walked forward and offered him the handful of scales. "I think this should cover it," he said level toned. "I'm guessing you got these from her," Redic said raising his eyes to the dragon. "Care to explain?" He looked over at Torreth, who despite his best efforts, looked a bit unnerved by its presence and had his hand resting on his short sword. He motioned for him to relax, which he did so grudgingly. "Guild master," Sorel began, bt he was instantly corrected. "Redic," he said cutting in. "Redic," he said slowly, "I'm afraid I need to leave the guild." He paused and waited to be questioned, but he wasn't. "This dragon here, Scarlet," he continued, "Is a sort of destined partner I suppose you could say. We're the emissaries of flame chosen by Photios." That was it. He'd finally accepted a fact he'd been fighting for years. The guild master's reaction baffled him. Redic broke out laughing. "About time boy!" he was saying, "I recognized that mark of yours years ago. I may be an unlearned fellow, but I'm no fool. It's about time you found your dragon. You're an idiot for not looking for her. She's quite a splendid creature." Sorel looked at Redic dumbfounded and turned to look at Scarlet.

Osmund looked the younger dragon and the girl up and down before he bowed his head slightly "My name is Osmund. It is a pleasure to meet you I'm sure." He nodded towards Corin "And this is Corin. As you can see, he hasn't met many dragons in his life." he said, chuckling at Corin's wided eyed expression as he looked up at the other dragon. Corin frowned and looked up at Osmund "How do you know my name?" he asked. Osmund gave him a mysterious smile and said in his mind 'I know a lot of things about you now Corin.' Corin gaped at him but then shook himself, tired of being caught by surprise so many times in one day. He made a mental note to himself to talk with Osmund about boundaries later. Keeping his face neutral, he looked between the girl and the dragon. "So why were you being attacked by those other dragons?" he asked, hoping he wasn't dealing with criminals