There had been a saying ins his village - it came to mind suddenly and unbidden. There need be no greater purpose in friendship but that. It is better to have spoken well, and listened better then for all the words of the world to have come forth from your lips.
... But still he wished for the ability to speak as she did. No - he would learn it, or try to; for one, speaking through voice alone felt suddenly clumsy, as clumsy as the first steps one makes on feet barely steady enough to walk. One cannot stay bound to their cradle forever. Pursing his lips as he smiled, he wondered if it meant the same thing to the Dragon - though no doubt flickered across his face any longer. "You speak with a wisdom I should try to emulate. In my village - Among most settlements of my kind, it is customary to assume no-one does a thing without having something to trade, or to pay. Perhaps I have forgotten what it is like to have friends, in this day and age."
His smile softened as he realized - was the Dragon staring at his scars? Once again, he felt a little self-conscious. They must look like mild bruises to a dragon; the scrawlings of a tiny species. Some had come from Elysia's touch, and others from the wildness of the hunt - but he tried to wear them as well she made the snow and sky her own.
Still, what was that she had said about her clan..? Of burdens and things. He knew not what the word meant, to her - so he asked cautiously, pausing enough that she might choose to interrupt should she not desire the topic. As he did so, he occasionally glanced to the coals, stirring them with a fallen branch that grew as dark as the little fire danced."By what manner are you considered a burden, Dragon? To my eyes you seem free - though I must admit some of it that must be my jealousy for the freedom that only wings can grant."
Laughing a little, he motioned to the great expanse of her wings - clearly admiring their breadth even as their was a hint of sadness reflected in his as he stared at them, tucked to her sides."Where I hail from, we attempt to take care of those younger than ourselves - it is our burden, as they are still growing. Is your burden one of choice, or one that others have placed upon you..? As for the jewelery yourself - though it is not my place to say, I feel your choice was well made."
Splitting into a toothy grin that only grew wider as a thought occurred to him, Aldwine removed the stick he had been stirring from the fire - and began to draw in the freshly fallen snow, staring up at the Dragon with an excitement that perhaps matched her own - or to her might seem infinitely childish, he could not tell. He drew shapes - rooks, their wings wide - rivers, and trees whose branches had long since collapsed around them."Should I succeed in my mission - I had hoped that I might return home, and tattoo my skin to show that I have become a guide that others could trust to tell stories, and remember our past."
He paused through one drawing - halfway complete - and let the stick fall to the ground as a sudden thought struck him and his expression grew more serious."I suppose - I am not yet considered an adult yet; not in spirit. Is it like that with you and your own kind, Dragon?.."
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:52 pm
