| Buckling the shoulder strap that held my sword on my back, I hovered eye level with ShaTaka. "We left a friend in the forest, a bird," I told her; surprised at the deep rumble that was now my voice. The white dragon merely nodded. "Ketria, the falcon. She will see us and follow," StevDer said, sounding unconcerned and dropped back on all fours. "Human, get on," he instructed gruffly and spread his wings and locking eyes with a hovering Will. "Do you...really want me to?" he asked, a pristine white ear turning in concern. "Because if you don't, I understand--" "It is not a matter of what I want," StevDer cut him off harshly, flicking his tongue. "It is a matter of what is needed. Now get on." Will narrowed his eyes slightly but hovered over the dragon before settling down and folding his wings. "As you wish," he rumbled, adjusting his sword and looking at me. <Something about him worries me,> he thought and I merely swished my tail, not agreeing out loud but mentally. StevDer did seem unusually harsh but then again, I wasn't an expert on dragon behavior. Climbing on ShaTaka's back, I tilted my head. "What do we do now?" I asked. "Hold on," the midnight black dragon said with a smirk and took off towards the skylight in the ceiling with amazing speed, causing a pressure wave to explode around us. I pulled my wings against my back to keep from being ripped off by the wind sheer and grabbed hold of her horns that towered out of her shoulders. Another sonic boom followed behind us and I turned to see StevDer rocketing out of the skylight as well. "Enjoyed that?" "ShaTaka, are you trying to kill me before this Sayt person even gets a shot?" I breathed but managed a smirk. The dragon smirked in return and flew in a wide corkscrew that took her higher in the clouds. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it! And it's just Taka and StevDer is just Der even though it may seem like he hates it," she said, banking hard right. "I wonder if you're as agile in flight as I am?" I laughed. "You have no idea." Falling off her back, I started to free fall before opening my wings wide and catching an air flow that shot me back up towards my startled reptile friend. I adjusted my flight feathers and screamed in a tight loop around Taka before flashing across her muzzle. "Agile enough?" I called back and spun like a bullet, stopping just short of a mouth that could easily snap me in half. "Not bad," she grinned, flashing her white teeth. "And your friend isn't too bad either." Looking up, Will and Der were like a pair of white F-14 at an air show, looping, dodging, and flying past one another at huge speeds just above our heads. Sonic booms were touched off around the forest but no animals fled, most likely used to the loud noises the dragons caused. Suddenly, a small white flash shot between the dueling pair. <Excuse me but you can show off how incredible you are to the ladies another time!> Ketria yelled, opening her beak. <Meanwhile, Sleeping Panther is waiting to train these two how to fight and you guys are zooming around like yearlings!> "Chill out, Ketria," Will said, hovering next to her and wearing a smirk and showed the tips of his canines. "We're coming, just testing out the equipment a little, that's all." <Scaring the living Pun out of me isn't testing equipment,> the falcon snorted before taking off. <Come on, the rains have passed but it isn't like we have all the time in this world or the next...> |