Enter the Dragon

"340 years?!"

She had to chuckle, albeit rather sadly, at his exclamation. Yes, she had been here for that long. She had seen births, deaths and wars rage in her new home. And not once had she figured out how to get people home. She sighed.

"So then, Just what are you? I mean, I know you're not normal, but then again, neither am I."

She suddenly tensed up. This was always the most difficult part when meeting an new Valian. Not even waking up and finding out they were in a different world, different body and abilities and that they could not go home was as difficult as explaining just what their host really was.

"How much of Earth do you remember?" she asked softly. She sat up a little straighter as he looked at her, "Do you remember what a 'Vampire' is?"

That should be enough of an answer for him. If not, then she would of course, elaborate with a demonstration.

GoldenDrakon blinked.

"A Vampire?" he asked quizzically. "You mean like 'Queen of the Damned, Ann Rice-LeStat kind of vampire?"

His head bowed down lower to her. "I really don't know... I mean, stories and stuff. Vampires are supposed to be bad nasties and all that, but then again considering I'm supposed to be a fire breathing dragon, you don't seem to be worried that I'll steal you away and eat you or anything."

"I think it best that I just play it by ear if you don't mind."

She laughed out loud then, her eyes twinkling with amusement, even in the night's gloom. "Aye, Anne Rice would be right. Though not so much Queen of the Damned,"

Yes, he had come from her time, from her Earth. She knew it now and she was warmed by the knowledge. It had been a good long while since anybody could relate to her in such a way.

"I'm not a big bad. But I can be, make no mistake. I have a heart, as far as I'm aware of... as to a soul. I like to think I have one, but who is to say that anbody here does?" she shrugged, not willing to go into philosophics.

"Believe me, I've been playing it by ear for nigh on 300 years now..." she chuckled. "Are you hungry?"

"Believe me, I've been playing it by ear for nigh on 300 years now..." she chuckled. "Are you hungry?"

"Oy." GD sighed. "300 years... vampires... looks like it's gonna be a brave new world...although our current conversation has not really filled me with confidence.." he added that last as a near whisper. "Still, I could eat. so lets get going."

Drakon unfurrled his massive wings, for the first time streching them wide. The membrane of those wings was a darker, red-gold color than that of his body and their wingspan was well over 200 foot from tip-to-tip. They almost literally blotted out the horizon behind them, yet the light from the dual rising moons shone through them, bathing the ledge around GD and Wraith with a translucent, golden glow. Drakon watched with near amazement at his own wings, as if seeing them for the very first time. He flexed them a few times, experimentally, causing small gusts of wind to swirl around Wraith.

His lips slowly curled upwards into a wry smile.
"Kick ass..." he muttered.
Turning slowly, GD lowered himself down, lying nearly at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the vale beyond. His wings lay flat on the rock, almost like a ramp to his back.

"Ready to roll?" he asked.

Wraith gave an uncharacteritic delighted grin and clapped her tiny hands in excitement, "Are you for real?" her eyes were wide and it seemed that she was suddenly so much younger than before, "You're going to give me a ride?" her voice was hushed, but clearly excited.

Without waiting for a reply, she gently gripped one side of his wing and stepped onto him. She was a light creature, it seemed that she made not a dent on his sensitive membranes. She was quick too, and was onto his back, settling between his neck spikes within seconds.

"Woah...." she whispered in awe at the view.

Then she pointed to the east, "Vale city's that way..." she waved her arm near his eyes, flapping quite hard so that he would see her tiny figure on his back.

Suddenly, she invaded his mind. It was not painful, rather kind of pleasant, and curious - "There is some good hunting ground along the way too. I found it coming up here."

"I'm as real as you are." GD said, smirking at the irony of what might have been considered very unreal once upon a time.

"Hold on tight." he said after Wraith had settled herself. He stood and leaned out over the edge of the cliff, letting the steep drop become all that more apparent. "After all, it's not like I've ever really done this before..."

With a great leap, GoldenDrakon lept over the edge before Wraith could comment. Physics asserted itself immeadiatly however, and the two plumetted towards the valley floor. As they fell, Drakon once more stretched his wings out wide. The membrane caught the wind as they rushed downward, filling and redirecting the air currents like giant sails. With a WHOOSH!, the dragon and his passenger pulled up and out of the dive, instead soaring out over the earth in the direction Wraith had indicated, letting the mountain fall away in the distance.

"DAMN!" the dragon shouted out in his mind even as he roared his triumph to the stars above. "Now THAT was a fk'n rush!"

Wraith held in a scream as they plumetted to the ground. At what looked like the last moment, however, the great dragon filled his wings and shot into the sky, gliding gently over the valley below.

Wraith blinked, her hands gripping his scale plates so hard that her white skin was that much paler. She let out a pent up breath and grinned with exhiliration. Now this was the way to travel!

She patted GD's neck absently as she watched the scenery fly by beneath them. Her eyesight was as sharp as it usually was and she kept a wary eye out for the ever present Flaringales.

The beauty of the landscape below took her breath away and for a mere moment, she could have sworn that she had felt her heart beat.