Private Tales Crouching Sidhe, Hidden Dragon

[Stella]

Stella gave the road a wary look both ways, unsure of where or why she had such anxiety over it. Something deep in her bones gave her alarm, and truthfully she wasn't even sure it was due to the road but she had nothing else to pinpoint for reaction. Being landbound was enough to make even a courageous dragon second guess being so close to obvious human development.

She turned her gaze after the small horse and sidhe. Stella trusted them, and trust was hard for her to come by. The idea of separating, even for a short distance while she was still incapable of flying, didn't sit well.

"Lead on," she replied meekly, "I will follow."

But Seska was right, she need not trouble herself with hiding the dragon. Moments later with nary a blink the dragon melted out of sight as the pearlescent gleam of her scales vanished her away. She stepped out quietly onto the road, the shifting of bushes and grass the only tell to her movement as her entire length shifted onto the roadway to keep at the heel of the curious pair.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

She rode astride the stallion with the ease of long familiarity, rolling with the gentle pace of the animal as he picked his way along the dusky path. The track was rutted, clearly a wagon route traveled often enough to keep the encroaching forest back. The grass sprouting in portions of the middle section between the ruts hinted that 'well traveled' in this part of the world was not the same as daily.

That suited the sidhe just fine. The memory of the demon of pandemonium were still fresh enough in her thoughts, and the chaos that gripped the wider world wherever their poisonous touch had lighted quite vivid.

The silence of the woodlands, all save the smallest sounds of night creatures taking to wing and slinking through the undergrowth, was welcome. This was her element, truly; Draedamyr might have liked the cities and the places where people gathered but she held a distinct distrust of civilization. There were too many ills in civilized domains that crept into the every day life, leeching the morality and decency of its peoples until all that was left was a hungering monster that would do anything to achieve its goals. If it were simple life, it would have been acceptable...

...fire dust lightning gold power anger fire wind blood death deciet destruction fire betrayal damnation...

She blinked back the memory, cast a glance back towards where her companion should be. The dragon blended into the world so well that she would not have known she was there if not for having accompanied her to the road in the first place. The barest shimmer in the air belied the dragoness; the ancient sorceress keen magical senses could detect nothing from her.

A useful skill, that.

The road curved gently with the land, descending towards the still waters of the lake. To her relief, there was no human habitation down here. No encamped caravan - not that she'd expected one - nor homestead nor village. The region seemed mostly deserted.

"Surely you know of a decent place to camp near the waters edge?" she asked suddenly. In the growing gloom, the faint glow in her eyes became more apparent. She looked across the landscape, that which had become shadows and deeper shadows, harder for her to see in than either the horse or - hopefully - the dragon. She could create light if they needed it, but she disliked being so obvious if it was unnecessary.