Post by Spiffy on Jul 25, 2011 15:13:05 GMT -5
Kailin was feeling... rather proud of herself actually. This was the first time that she'd dared venture outside the confines of the caverns since Impressing Dazanth, but the need for food, the desire to fish once again and the discomfort of her (rapidly) growing dragonet had driven the young Outlaw out into the jungle again.
If Kailin had been glad to once again escape the caverns (closed in, stuffy and full of crazy people, who would want to spend too long in there...), Daz could have been said to be ecstatic. The little dragonet's wonder when she had first peered through the treetops (and once she'd gotten past her immediate fascination with trees and plants and other such novelties that weren't made of rock or water) and realised that there was nothing above them had almost brought her to a stop, for once speechless, before it sent her into a whirlwind of hyperactivity that had left the little dragon and her new rider practically exhausted.
A quick nap about a mile from the caves soon solved that.
The rest of the journey to the river had been at once slow and frantic. Slow because it took longer to get there than usual, and frantic because Dazanth simply had to stop and investigate. Kailin had to carry her the last half mile because Daz'd fallen asleep on her feet. At least Kailin had had a chance to get a few fish into her net before the yellow woke up.
Then the fun could start. From there Kailin had begun her experimenting to find the oiliest in the river and thence how best to extract said oil. She'd also collected some coconut-like shells from a nearby tree to collect the oil in and hopefully transport it back to the caves. The shell bowls were probably the most successful part of the mission, proving to have sanded down rather well on the inside and become waterproof as a result of its oily contents. The oils were... debatable. Her experimenting had thrown up three promising looking results after a day and night of toil, which had each been liberally applied to various itchy parts of Dazanth's yellow hide, the young dragonet under instructions to tell her rider which areas started to itch first or, even better, which took longest to begin to itch again.
So, with dragon and rider fed, dragon oiled, a net full of fish and some grass-stoppered whole nut shells filled with the different oils, the pair set out for the caves.
In contrast to the journey out, the journey back was... surprisingly easy. Usually Kailin would have to spend several hours searching for the cave entrance, but this time she seemed to just walk right up to it. Past a familiar looking vine and BAM, there it was in front of her. Disturbing.
Tromping through the entrance, footsore Kailin tripped on a rock, the rather large pack on her shoulder slipping slightly. Out from the pack fell a fish and a nut shell. Huffing, she leaned over to pick them up as Dazanth pranced through the entrance behind her. She heard the dragon pause amongst her own mutterings.
Mine, the yellow began.
"Hmm?"
There's a bug on your back.
"A what?" asked Kailin mildly, not quite taking in what Dazanth had said and peering over her shoulder.
It's... flashing. Why is it--
"Whoa!" Kailin exclaimed, cutting her off as she caught sight of the thing that was crawling up from her nutshells to her shoulder, flashing in a variety of red green and purplish tones. She reached back to brush it off, but couldn't reach, flapping uselessly at her back. "Dazanth, get it off," she said warily, dropping the rest of her load on the ground and bending her shoulder down to Dazanth's level.
I don't know, Mine, I wouldn't want to hurt it. I like it though. It's very colourful, isn't it Mine?! Though I don't think you've made it very happy, she added, Kailin only then becoming aware of a distinctly unimpressed presence in the far reaches of her mind. As if aware of this sudden contact, the little bug began to flash brighter, before dimming slightly.
Drop! a voice said indignantly into her mind.
"Well, sorry," Kailin replied, abashed, before it even occurred to her that she'd heard that voice in her mind and only Dazanth spoke to her like that an that was because Dazanth had Impressed to her but that was not Dazanth's voice and so that meant...
Great, she'd Impressed a bug.
It was a rather nice bug though, she had to admit. Striped with a variety of red, green and purple tones, it was really quite attractive. And it glowed, now how awesome was that?
Mine, I don't think it heard you. Now that was definitely Dazanth.
"Oh." Sorry? she said, seeing if it could hear her through her apparent mindlink with the thing. Seeming to accept her apology, the bug stopped flashing and instead settled to glow brightly, lighting up the rocks around them and allowing Kailin to get a better look at it's markings. It crawled up the rest of the way to the top of her shoulder, settling where the collar of her jumpsuit gave way to the skin of her neck. She winced. Uh, would you mind not tickling my neck like that? she asked.
Tickle. Want. Sleep.
Ok, well the meaning of that was fairly clear. Kailin gritted her teeth against the sensation, shooting a glare at Dazanth as the dragonet giggled into her mind.
If Kailin had been glad to once again escape the caverns (closed in, stuffy and full of crazy people, who would want to spend too long in there...), Daz could have been said to be ecstatic. The little dragonet's wonder when she had first peered through the treetops (and once she'd gotten past her immediate fascination with trees and plants and other such novelties that weren't made of rock or water) and realised that there was nothing above them had almost brought her to a stop, for once speechless, before it sent her into a whirlwind of hyperactivity that had left the little dragon and her new rider practically exhausted.
A quick nap about a mile from the caves soon solved that.
The rest of the journey to the river had been at once slow and frantic. Slow because it took longer to get there than usual, and frantic because Dazanth simply had to stop and investigate. Kailin had to carry her the last half mile because Daz'd fallen asleep on her feet. At least Kailin had had a chance to get a few fish into her net before the yellow woke up.
Then the fun could start. From there Kailin had begun her experimenting to find the oiliest in the river and thence how best to extract said oil. She'd also collected some coconut-like shells from a nearby tree to collect the oil in and hopefully transport it back to the caves. The shell bowls were probably the most successful part of the mission, proving to have sanded down rather well on the inside and become waterproof as a result of its oily contents. The oils were... debatable. Her experimenting had thrown up three promising looking results after a day and night of toil, which had each been liberally applied to various itchy parts of Dazanth's yellow hide, the young dragonet under instructions to tell her rider which areas started to itch first or, even better, which took longest to begin to itch again.
So, with dragon and rider fed, dragon oiled, a net full of fish and some grass-stoppered whole nut shells filled with the different oils, the pair set out for the caves.
In contrast to the journey out, the journey back was... surprisingly easy. Usually Kailin would have to spend several hours searching for the cave entrance, but this time she seemed to just walk right up to it. Past a familiar looking vine and BAM, there it was in front of her. Disturbing.
Tromping through the entrance, footsore Kailin tripped on a rock, the rather large pack on her shoulder slipping slightly. Out from the pack fell a fish and a nut shell. Huffing, she leaned over to pick them up as Dazanth pranced through the entrance behind her. She heard the dragon pause amongst her own mutterings.
Mine, the yellow began.
"Hmm?"
There's a bug on your back.
"A what?" asked Kailin mildly, not quite taking in what Dazanth had said and peering over her shoulder.
It's... flashing. Why is it--
"Whoa!" Kailin exclaimed, cutting her off as she caught sight of the thing that was crawling up from her nutshells to her shoulder, flashing in a variety of red green and purplish tones. She reached back to brush it off, but couldn't reach, flapping uselessly at her back. "Dazanth, get it off," she said warily, dropping the rest of her load on the ground and bending her shoulder down to Dazanth's level.
I don't know, Mine, I wouldn't want to hurt it. I like it though. It's very colourful, isn't it Mine?! Though I don't think you've made it very happy, she added, Kailin only then becoming aware of a distinctly unimpressed presence in the far reaches of her mind. As if aware of this sudden contact, the little bug began to flash brighter, before dimming slightly.
Drop! a voice said indignantly into her mind.
"Well, sorry," Kailin replied, abashed, before it even occurred to her that she'd heard that voice in her mind and only Dazanth spoke to her like that an that was because Dazanth had Impressed to her but that was not Dazanth's voice and so that meant...
Great, she'd Impressed a bug.
It was a rather nice bug though, she had to admit. Striped with a variety of red, green and purple tones, it was really quite attractive. And it glowed, now how awesome was that?
Mine, I don't think it heard you. Now that was definitely Dazanth.
"Oh." Sorry? she said, seeing if it could hear her through her apparent mindlink with the thing. Seeming to accept her apology, the bug stopped flashing and instead settled to glow brightly, lighting up the rocks around them and allowing Kailin to get a better look at it's markings. It crawled up the rest of the way to the top of her shoulder, settling where the collar of her jumpsuit gave way to the skin of her neck. She winced. Uh, would you mind not tickling my neck like that? she asked.
Tickle. Want. Sleep.
Ok, well the meaning of that was fairly clear. Kailin gritted her teeth against the sensation, shooting a glare at Dazanth as the dragonet giggled into her mind.
