amaris

If the dragongirl expected a reply from her cousin, what happened next surprised her. It was swiftly chaotic, confusing, alarming and ever so slightly off-putting. A foal, decorated with feathers of gold and obsidian, crashed into the sandy beach not far from them, soon followed by the appearance of another, a bay with a bald face and bleached tips - suddenly there were questions raised, concern stirred, and wholly much ado about nothing significant. The foal was learning, to be certain, the ocean breeze that danced between the island of the Throat and the mainland of Helovia was surely enough to keep even his inexperienced wings aloft - Amaris was probably the least concerned of all present for his wellbeing. All foals fall down sometimes, she thought quietly, one must fall sometimes to learn how to find their way once more. The colt had attention enough, and so Amaris hung back while her cousin stepped forward, nodding her quiet agreement with Tandavi's suggestion - clearly, the purpose of Tandavi's and Amaris' arrival here was not going to be resolved by an awkward meet and greet with citizens of the Throat.

She didn't want to overlook them, to sweep their existences aside like so much unimportant dust blocking her view, but Amaris had to focus upon her cousin - Tandavi was the reason for the dragongirl's presence, she would not lose sight of that (again). So she trained her golden eyes upon her cousin's chestnut-and-gold body, reading her reactions through silent body language alone, having been given no vocal confirmation of their purpose here. Were they entering? Were they coming 'home'?

No, Tandavi said, as Ampere came and asked much the same questions in so fewer words. Amaris greeted the Gladiator with a small smile, tilting her head and proffering a polite, silent, nod in greeting to the capable warrior who had tested the dragongirl in the training arena before. Amaris wondered how she would fare against her now, with her gift from a storm wrapped around her tail - the whip she had was something she was yet to be able to use, and she supposed she should be grateful for never having cause to use it yet, though she knew she should practise more with it.

Golden eyes refocussed, as her scaled body closed in to stand beside her cousin's once more. She watched the key drop into the sand at their feet - while she didn't know this was to occur upon their arrival here, she also wasn't entirely surprised, and she would support whatever decision, whatever conclusion, Tandavi wanted to draw. Amaris leaned forward with her scaled-and-velvet maw, touching it to the side of her cousin's nape, breathing in her scent and blowing her own warm breath upon her, a subvocal purr of support rumbling within her, an attempt to offer comfort, solidarity, belonging, to something, to her. Amaris was selfish, she wanted to hold onto her cousin, to keep her to herself, though she knew that if a fire was smothered it would surely die, and Tandavi was nothing if not a fire trying to burn brightly in this world of darkness, of hate and war and rage and love.

Amaris would do everything she could to ensure it shone as bright as it could, though she didn't know if she did that for her own selfish means, or because he cousin deserved nothing less - perhaps it was a mixture as hybrid as the blood within her veins; perhaps it was both.

---

@Tandavi
@Ampere
@Amani
@Shahrokh

idk too sry