Private Tales Dragons Bound in Ice and Blood

[Iliris]

Iliris listened, Iliris thought and with each new word from the shifter her frown deepened. If what it was saying was true, all was good. Rather splendid even, when compared to fighting with the creature, no matter how easy or hard the victory might be for them. But there was an issue, the greatest catch of them all: how were they to know that what the shifter saying was true?
Maybe Ash and Freya knew more, but Iliris had no clue whether the creature's words were true or not. Was it really showing trust to them, putting its life in their hands? Or was it merely trying to distract them, trick them as his kind was told to do so often?

Iliris gripped her sword tighter. "You aren't wrong," she admitted, turning to Ashieron, while still leaving the shifter in her field of vision, "But how can we really ever determine if it's trustworthy or just scheming aginst us?" she voiced her worries, face full of concern.
Yet, when the creature made its transformation to feed, Iliris didn't move from her place, even though her blade was still ready for a fight. "I will trust your judgement," she finally said, voice low, "If you want to spare it and allow it to help, so be it." Her gaze turned more to Freya and Oris this time, questioning. Ash had already spoken his mind, but it was for the other woman and the dragon to have the final say.

After all, Freya had known the kind of the creature first. Therefore Iliris thought that it was safe to assume, that she might posses some knowledge she herself might not have.
And she wasn't one for blind judgement. Some could say, that her giving in like this was exactly that. And perhaps they would be true, but if they had the debate about trust in the first place, then Iliris was ready to admit, that she trusted Ashieron, Freya and Oris. She had no way back from it now.

 

[Jormodo]

Whispers carried far, words born across the land by wing and paw. They brought news, word that something was amiss, news of the death of a dragon and possible looters after her abandoned offspring. This word traveled quickly along, finally reaching the depths of a massive cave in the Rocky spires of the spine.
Whatever received the word caused the mountain to shake from the depth of his roar, righteous anger burned the snowy trees away from the mountain side, lighting up like torches.

The massive beast took to the sky on wings as big as ships, the white scales glowed in the sunlight as a few mighty strokes of those massive wings brought the behemoth above the clouds. Bright golden reptilian eyes pierced the cover and soon found out the location of the dead dragons lair.

He will remain hidden for now to see who would exit from the cave, so he circled above the clouds and out of sight.

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Outside the mouth of the cave a stiff wind blew and howled across the entrance, as if a storm had suddenly come up out of the spine and bashed itself against the mountain itself.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya grit her teeth with each word that slithered out of the shifter's tongue, her mind racing with possibilities. It could be a trap, a clever one at that. After all, the fact it was here at all meant it had somehow gleaned knowledge of the venture from somebody, hearing tell of easy pickings. However, there was one possibility left unconsidered in her thoughts: It was telling the truth.

She could feel the simmering repulsion at the idea emanate from Oris' bond, averse to the idea of cooperating with a thing so infamous for its lies and deceit. Her head shifted towards her companions, listening intently to their own views on it. "We can't," she answered Iliris, her eyes still as focused on the beast as her spear.

As the creature shifted to feed, there was a tense stillness to her and the dragon's form, as though their limbs were held back by chains before they could attack. Listening to Iliris, her muscles began to relax as her spear was slowly lowered. "Very well, shapechanger. Perhaps you are being truthful, more than could be said for the rest of your kind. Come with us, though only take a few of the eggs. We can return once we're ready to handle more, as Ashieron said, and when you've proved yourself as an ally." She glanced at Iliris and Ashieron, nodding to each.

Oris continued to eye the creature, taking a step forward with its maw lowered close, growling, "Know this: If any of those eggs go missing, or I have any reason to think you're the same as the rest of your kind, there will be no remains to grow back from." The threat now made clear, the dragon returned to the side of Freya.

A howling wind soon emanated from the cavern entrance, the cold air encroaching upon their skin. "We should get going, it sounds like a storm is brewing." The tundra was an unforgiving place, as she knew from her years spent there. An egg left unprotected was sure to fall victim to its chilling embrace.

 

[Cra'ull]

the life of the moss was small and as my feeding commenced i began to form into the large snake i had been previously. the dragons threat fell on an uncaring form but i pretended to look worried. i slithered to a group of five eggs it would take 1 solid to safely transport but only one

i unlock my jaw and cobble each of the eggs. the inside of this form is a a watery goop like substance to say my illusion is only skin deep would be an understatement i thicken my skin just a bit so that the eggs are safe. they float within me just as though they were in the belly of there mother once more. i could feel there power and there life force it was soothing.

"shall i transport more?" i hiss questioningly to the dragon.

 

[Ashieron]

Ash watches the serpent start to carry the eggs in its own and only way. He nodded to Oris, trusting him to keep an eye on the serpent. The dragon probably had better instincts than him after all. He starts to move a few more eggs over to his thawed out stone. Setting them down gently he reaches into a pouch and dips his finger into some wet paint and paints a small mark onto the shell of the egg. Whispering a few words in elvish the eggs begin to warmup and start to thaw a small bit more before the elf. “Okay guys gather up what we can carry within reason, we got a good bit of traveling to get through kn the coming weeks.” He tells the others before heading outside, “We might want we can also set up a camp here,” he yells back, “There does seem to be a blizzard coming in!”

The high winds flowing his hair into a complete mess, ice crystals hitting his check making them sting. “Do not come up here, Im going to cast a spell to ease this bloody wind!” He yells to them. “It’ll be safer if no one was around me!” The spells Ash had in mind was one that would simply stop the wind but it would also cause the wind around him to be sucked out into the outside of the cavern. Accidentally having anyone to get hurt and blown out to gods know where was something he did not need. The snow went up to his knees as he started to whisper an enchantment.

 

[Iliris]

Iliris didn't let her eyes wander away from the shifter as it consumed the eggs, the very action of it making her gut twist and hand itch for her sword. Yes she remained in her place, face stone hard and eyes sharp, following every motion made in front of her. They had made their choice. To trust, to make an ally rather than foe, and she simply had to hope that it had been the right one, to believe so until it was proven otherwise, or there would be no point in that. Trust wasn't built on suspicion.

"Very well," she nodded to Ashieron as he told them to gather the eggs. Of course, she couldn't carry many, not while making sure that they were safe at the same time, but she still could do something. And so Iliris did, making good use of the equipment she had, securing a couple of them on herself. This had to do for now.
She felt the harsh wind approaching before she heard it, and even before the first real touch of cold reached her skin. Iliris cocked her head to that, listening closer to the sudden change in the weather outside. Of course, wind raising in an instant wasn't unusual here, but it still made her wary enough.
Today Iliris wasn't prone to believe that accidents really could be accidental.

"Storm seems like an awfully bad omen right now," she mused, more to herself than the others, watching Ashieron go about with whatever he was about to do. Cast some magic probably.
While he did that, Iliris listened closer. There was something in the sharp blows of the wind that wasn't quite right. Some faint grumbling behind them, something she couldn't put her finger on, but which made her skin tingle.
There was something not quite right with it.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya and Oris' eyes alike remained locked on the shapeshifter, the tenseness remaining in her muscles despite their truce as her grip continued to hold onto the spear. The stories pressed against her mind, rising within her memories like an abrupt icy wave on rocky shores. The Nord, however, did not act on them, regardless of the instincts which yearned for her to do so. They shall trust the creature for now. If the creature continues to remain trustworthy, then they shall continue to do so. If it proves to be as deceitful as the rest of its kind, then it would become ashes. The choice was theirs.

Oris watched the shapeshifter consume the eggs, answering, "That is enough. Keep them safe and away from harm." The dragon then set out to carry his own collection, cradling a set of five eggs within one arm. Freya stowed her spear on her back before picking up two of the eggs. They were heavy, incredibly so. and she could feel ice flake off of its surface at her touch.

Freya nodded to Iliris' sentiment, taking a step back as Ashieron prepared his magic. The wind continued to howl, the sound as though a pack of wolves had just found the scent of prey. She knew the Tundra, and though sudden bursts of blasting winds were not uncommon, this seemed different from those she had experienced before. It wasn't a single, flowing gust. This was staggered, a single blast of air followed by another. "Especially when this doesn't seem to be a storm," she replied.