Roleplay

@ElementPaws

Ursus looked down at the map again, pausing for a moment before he turned it around and stared at it again. He had absolutely no idea where he was, where he was going, or if he was even on this part of the map anymore. He wasn't a dragon that was very good with directions, normally allowing himself to go where the wind wished him to be. But in this case Ursus was on a mission -- a mission for gold and fame. In order to achieve this, however, Ursus needed to find something interesting, and hopefully not get killed in the process.

Rolling up the map with a sigh, Ursus shifted from his human form to his true form -- that of a dragon (a Ridgeback to be exact, and a handsome one at that, with a glittering white body covered in black crackle and a nose that would make lesser dragoness' faint). Human forms were...useful, to their own degree, but Ursus enjoyed his natural skin all the better like most would expect. Besides, it did a little better to scare off the monsters in the area. Hard scales weren't nearly as appealing as soft human flesh.

The dragon had been traveling for a good half-month now, looking for the supposed treasure in the deserted area that was supposed to be more precious than any shiny stone or delicious gold. But the area was also known for it's blood-thirsty monsters, each more vicious than the last and hungry. No sane dragon would venture here; then again, Ursus wasn't exactly the brightest bulb of the bunch, driven more by his lust for gold and fame and attention. He had hoped to find some other travelers, but they had all -- thus far -- been dead in the sand. Whatever was out there was something nastier than Ursus originally thought...now all he had to do was find someone strong enough to still be alive in this hellhole.

@HeadCrow

Haku was on a journey. To the dark lands, through monster infested forests and past tundras with the most bitter winters, where no dragon or ordinary beast dare venture. He needed to break the curse placed upon him, its dark snaking swirls imprinted on his neck. A year ago, his town was attacked by an Emperor dragon, a ghastly chimera of deceased Imperials hungry for elemental energy. It tore through every defence, consuming hundreds of dragons that had tried to stop it. They were down to the last handful of able bodied dragons, Haku being one of them. Though battered and exhausted, they bravely soared through the skies, swooping at the Emperor's weaker spots while deftly avoiding its attacks. They were the only survivors for good reason, after all.

But they could not find its Achilles heel, a dark core leftover from the age of the Shade that held the Emperor's body together. As long as it was still within the monster, it would not cease to exist. It was a long drawn battle and the dragons were on the verge of collapse. A shrill cry suddenly rang through the air, and everyone turned to see a Skydancer shrieking as she was slowly absorbed deeper into the jaw of one of the heads. Haku sped straight toward her without a second thought. He was tired of seeing his comrades fall to the beast, one after another, endlessly until no one was left. He had to do something. Anything. Even if it cost him his life in that moment. As he bit down and tore away at the pale, rotting flesh, he ripped a small jewel from within. In that moment the Emperor dragon gave a mighty roar, shuddering as its legs gave way. With a deafening crash, its cadaver scattered across the land, painting the landscape an ominous red. It was finally over, or so everyone thought. The dragons saw Haku struggle in the air, snarling and convulsing violently, as a faint purple illumination burrowed into him. All movement suddenly stopped, and he free-fell down into the earth. Dark spirals crawled across his neck, settling into his skin like ink.

That was the curse of the Emperor. It doomed the one who removed its life source to become one himself upon death, as punishment for going against it. Haku knew he could not stay any longer with the curse he bore. The town mystic told him of a cruel land far away, where a hateful Shadow dragon practiced the dark arts in her lair. Only there did Haku stand a chance in having the curse lifted, albeit a slim one. But it was a sliver of hope nonetheless amidst the bleak situation, so the young dragon packed and made his way to his destination.

---

Sitting atop a stone cliff overlooking the area, a cool breeze blew against Haku's face. His long lavender hair was tied neatly to the side with a black bow, sharp ice blue eyes carefully watching the surroundings. Haku tore the thigh of the Marbled Jester he caught and savoured its soft meat.

Marbled indeed, he thought to himself, amused. Despite the many killer beasts on this land, one could find lesser creatures hidden within the messy foliage with enough effort. The changing form below caught his attention, surprised to see a fellow dragon in these parts. Alive too, to boot. Haku paused for a moment, deep in thought. He wolfed down the rest of his meal and leapt off the edge, large platinum wings appearing as he smoothly shifted into his Imperial form. He needed a partner if he ever hoped of reaching the Shadow dragon without missing limbs. A dragon skilled enough to survive this place would be perfect and if he was here, he must have a very good reason to be in such an area.

Haku circled the Ridgeback and gently landed before him, giving a polite bow in greeting.

"Good day. I see you're headed somewhere?" Haku inquired, doing his best to show a friendly smile.

Ursus nearly let loose a blast of fire on the new dragon, used more to having monsters burst out of the brush instead of dragons. And friendly ones, at that, as well as alive. "You scared me!" He snapped, tail lashing as he settled back on the ground, feet clawing the ground as he fought to calm his heart. Now that he was less surprised, Ursus raised his head haughtily, staring off over his long nose. Showing off already? Somehow that was completely him.

"Didn't expect to see a live dragon while I was out here, that's for sure. I'm headed out to find treasure and loot like all the others before me. You happen to be headed in the same direction?" Ursus finally turned his great big head back towards the Imperial, neatly folding his wings against his body. Ursus even cracked a smile, though those sharp pearly whites looked as friendly as a shark's.

@ElementPaws

@HeadCrow
((SORRY FOR REPLYING SO LATE I just finished my finals, crazy week ;_;))

While expecting a certain level of shock from the dragon, Haku did not think he would respond to that extent. He took a cautious step back as the Ridgeback thrashed about, wings readied to lift him off in an instant. Haku watched the animated dragon calm down, only then relaxing his posture a little. The Ridgeback's flashing of his jaw of razors was a little unsettling, but a good sign of a strong fighter at the very least, Haku thought. A friendly dragon was always welcomed on a journey.

"I'm sorry if I alarmed you." Haku apologized, long lavender ears pressed against his head to show his sincerity. "I am indeed headed in the same direction, where the wastelands lie. Might you be interested in a...partnership?" he asked carefully, chiselled face tilted at a slight angle. Though he was not known for being much of a social character back in his town, Haku knew he had to be proactive this time if he ever hoped of having a partner to travel with.

@ElementPaws
(Oops, my turn to apologize!!)

"Just used to monsters jumping out at me more than friendly dragons." Ursus rumbled, clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment. A partnership sounded great to be honest, but how did Ursus know this newfound dragon was to be trusted? He could very well turn on him at the last moment and steal all the glory for himself -- just like Ursus was now planning to do. Well, if it happened, at least it would be mutual.

"A partnership, eh? Sounds like a good way to survive through these wastelands." The Ridgeback gave a nod, noting the traces of blood on the Imperial's maw. So he could kill at least. "Don't slow me down, you hear? By the way...m'name's Ursus. Nice to meet you."

@HeadCrow

"Splendid. I am Haku, pleased to make your acquaintance. I assure you, I will not slow you down," the stiff Imperial replied. He had grown up in a traditional Imperial family, so his mannerisms and speech were a little overtly polite.

While he was aware of the dangers of travelling with strange companions, Haku knew he had little other choice. He would just have to be careful around this new partner. A slip-up could mean death, as with any other interaction out in this wilderness. Stretching his wide wings to full length, he turned to Ursus.

"Well then, shall we take to the skies? If all goes well, we ought be able to reach the next forest over by dusk," Haku asked. Any travel beyond the setting of the sun would be too dangerous, they had to make as much headway as they could while there was light.

@ElementPaws

Ursus 'pssh'ed at Haku and spread his wings. "'Splendid'? What, did you grow up with a book for a brain? Loosen up, big man." He cackled and pumped his wings, slowly ascending into the sky. The next forest, eh? With how vast the desert was, Ursus was surprised to hear there was another forest awaiting them. Creatures born in the desert were no doubt born cruel and twisted...present self being the sole exception, of course. "Let's go, then!" Ursus roared over the wind, awaiting Haku's directions.

The Ridgeback wasn't sure what to make of his new companion. First impression was that he was a pretty sort of fella, all whites and soft purples, whereas Ursus was a clash of white and ragged black. He'd blend in nice enough during the day, Ursus thought.

@HeadCrow

Haku paused for a moment, muddled in his thoughts as he lifted off into the clear skies. A...book for a brain? Was he that out of touch with the new fangled lingo dragons were using these days? Haku thought to himself, sincere in his attempt to identify the problem. Perhaps the journey with this odd "fella", as they called it, would help alleviate his outdated vocabulary.

As they sailed on the winds with the bright yolk in the sky glistening off the scales on their backs, the atmosphere lightened. Haku studied the seemingly carefree Ridgeback from the corner of his eye. On first sight he was quite daunting, what with those sharp features from tip of the nose to end of his tail. His eyes however, glowed a soft yellow against the dark scales, which added a nice touch of warmth to his otherwise monochrome palette. Initially Haku thought he looked like a tangled mess, much like his personality perhaps, but he could see the charm in the patterns with time. It gave the Ridgeback a charismatic rugged appearance. A strange development, but Haku did not mind it.

Looking across the horizon, he noticed several shadowy figures and gave a low growl in warning to his new partner. They had unwelcome company.

@ElementPaws

"Watch out for the Clouddancers!" Ursus called, pumping his wings to climb higher in the air. The sun was too low to use as an advantage, but the height was more than enough with Ursus' type of build. He crashed head-first into the line of Clouddancers, tangling with one and dragging it down to the surface, ripping into the neck as it shrieked. The Clouddancer managed a few good scratches but Ursus was too strong for it, soon letting the limp body drop down to the ground, Ursus landing next to it to only push off back into the air.

Already splattered with blood and gore, Ursus went for the second, and third, until the blood blinded him. The dragon didn't even really seem to know how Haku was faring, more concerned with his own scaly hide.