I told you twice, I was only trying to be nice...

Morning. The pale light of a warm Orangemoon sun brought out the golden points of the boy's bodice, glowing out bright and proud. The dew drops on the grass dropped onto his pillars he stalked his way through the new land, his senses burning with the new sights and smells of a foreign place. Iye had never stepped foot here before, but something had already given him a tingle through his spine as he realised that this place was real. The seal brown could feel the intensity of the life here, with his silver pools scouring over the large trees and aging foliage for the signs of life that he felt.

He had run for too long. It was time to stop running.

Iye had never imagined that he would be far away from the law-abiders that sought to destroy him in his homeland, for his petty crimes. His mischevious ways had gotten him into enough trouble for one lifetime, but the boy inside him felt the need to play just that little bit more. And could this be his playground?

He swished at the grass with his double-sided tail with the hairs brushing more of the wet dew onto his bodice. He sighed in frustration at the lack of life, needing to meet the inhabitants of this place but he continued to prance his lithe body like he was already home. Now that he had stopped running, the stag hoped that he would be able to call somewhere home, and with its attractive opening, this land was already one he looked on in favour.

His smooth, sweet voice rang through the empty forest, calling for any soul to come find him,
"Anybody here?" he paused, "there must be somebody here..."

lye

I told you twice, I was only trying to be nice...

The young stag couldn't believe his luck; through calling out through the morning's pale light he had summoned not one creature but two to explain where he was. They both seemed to come with their own purposes, the first a fae with a soft silver pelt that was alarmingly moulded into the body of a dragon. Her scales and wings tore shivers into his own bodice as he thought what manner of wraith she could inflict on him, but her words were kind. The tone of them invited him in with a friendliness that even her stirring appearance could not destroy. The second, a tiny stag with a steel bodice lowering into mudded points and horns.

As he stood there, with his stature remaining proud and handsome, he listened to what they both said. The fae spoke of this land as a place called Helovia. There is a name for this place he thought with a silent sigh of relief. His pools fixated on her glowing scales as she spoke, wondering what she may have meant by her emphasis on the words 'somebody' and 'anybody', whether this was an indication into the level of the heirarchy this creature belonged to. The silence had gone on for too long before he turned his cranium to look at her with politeness but also with that mischevious glint in his eye as he spoke,
"I would like to know if you believe are a somebody or anybody, but as you told me the name of this place I think I can see you as being a somebody," he chuckled slightly before pausing, realising that perhaps he best make haste and remain friendly, "My name is Iye, I am not from around here. Is Helovia a place many call home?"

His attentions then turned to the smaller of the pair, the one who named himself Pippigrin. It was all very overwhelming but the rush of excitement Iye felt at the thought of learning so much of this new place even outweighed the value of what he could take from it. Another name came up, the Dragon's Throat. The way he spoke, Pippigrin made it sound as if this was some sort of faction within Helovia, and he was intrigued. With a cock in his cranium, now turned to face the steely little stag, he listened closer at the invitation offered out to him, "A pleasure, Pippigrin. What is of the Dragon's Throat? What do you do there? I have so many questions, I'm sure you may understand... Do you both reside in the Dragon's Throat?" he asked both creatures who had come to his lonely aid. Pausing, Iye smiled with a cheeky boyish grin as he spoke once more to the stag, "I certainly can handle myself, but I'm afraid I am no full-time warrior. But I am interested in using my skills here should they be needed."

To finish his little speech, Pippigrin then turned to the dame, who with all her qualities was more of a dragon than anything Iye had ever seen. The seal brown listened intently as the small one had the audacity to provoke her based on these qualities. However, it did sound quite fitting what he was offering. A dragon-like creature living in a place of the Dragon's Throat. Oh so they don't reside together in this Throat place, the young stag realised. He cursed his own mistake for asking, but waited nonetheless for the information to come pouring to him by both other participants of this conversation.

lye

I told you twice, I was only trying to be nice...

It was only now that the young stag saw his acquaintances in their full light as the sun rose slightly more. He had been so engrossed in staring at their coats he had not realised that they had bonded companions each, one dragon dripped in golden hues and the other a wolverine, a creature that Iye had only ever heard of in stories. In his own homeland, he was not even used to seeing other creatures, nevermind those of a mythical nature.

The conversation continued on the same path as it had when the small Pippigrin dared to invite the fierce looking Amaris to this Dragon's Throat place, and Iye listened as an onlooker, his pools wide and his mouth open as he was still getting over the overwhelming circumstances he found himself in. The handsome brute thought of what Amaris said to Pippigrin about said invitation, watching intently as she smiled but declined, stating that the World's Edge claimed her heart.

With that matter they both turned to the seal brown who continued to listen intently to their information. It poured into him thick and fast, talk of all those with horns, wings and nothing at all lived in harmony. Nobody in harmony... he thought cynically, but kept this thought to himself. Amaris continued her speech, allowing him to delve deeper into the culture of Helovia. There were gods of the realms, and it sounded frightfully interesting. He nodded in understanding, the thrill of where he could end up in this world exciting him to the core. He shook his tassles out behind him, letting both locks of hair on his lion's tail flow into the faint warm breeze.

"Each of the herds exist under a governmental rule, with leaders who guide their ranked members towards survival... There are many opportunities for contributing to the herd, but I believe Pippigrin might be better at explaining than I."

Amaris finished her persuasive tones and allowed the steel grey brute to continue. Iye grunted slightly to remove the slight lump in his throat that had started to form with his lack of vocal chords being used. Shifting his weight from one pillar to the other, he then turned his handsome cranium over Pippigrin's way, who spoke with vigor and enthusiasm. He evidently focussed on the Dragon's Throat whilst Amaris had said little of the World's Edge. It was difficult to decide which way he felt swayed, and continued to listen with the thought that by the end of today he would have a place to call home. Even if it was temporary. Iye had never been able to hold down a permanent dwelling...

Pippigrin again seemed fixated on the dragon-like bodice of Amaris, pushing her in his direction to join the Throat. Silently Iye rolled his eyes over to one side of his skull in an inner-protest at his advances.

Everything the tiny stag said invited Iye in with open arms, but there were still too many questions left unanswered. The seal brown and golden brute felt like he was going to be left alone and unknowing of his surroundings, and that was something that sent a shiver to his core. He could not just jump into something because it stopped him running from his past, no matter how persuasive a creature could be. And so he cleared his throat once more and turned his attention to Amaris first of all,
"Helovia sounds like the place for me!" he smiled a smile oozing in charm, his silver pools glittering in the sunlight as he let his nice side shine through, "Before I do come with anybody though, I do have some questions... I have no knowledge of the kinds of these places besides what you have said, Pippigrin," Iye dipped his head in the steely stag's direction, "I understand that you are made of fearsome warriors but I would love to know of the ones who do not have a place within the fighting ranks. You see, I am no fighter, but I do have other... skills that could be useful? What of the climates?"

All valid questions, Iye thought with curiosity. It had to be right before he stepped in, even if it made the pair of recruiters impatient. The seal brown horned was not going to just go anywhere...

lye

I told you twice, I was only trying to be nice...

In contrast to the small stag's prescence, Amaris appeared to drip with the knowledge that he was keen to soak up. Her polite and calm manner rubbed off on his own young bodice, with the golden points on all corners glowing within the weak sun's rays as his mischevious pools glinted with it. He felt like knowledge was power, as much as having the knack to acquire things. And that was just the reason why he was in trouble and now searching for a new home. But the dragon-like dame knew nothing of this, and her deep smile pierced his soul with an innocence and a feeling that he was making a good impression. So easy to fool, he thought with a wry sense of guilt at the thought.
Iye may not have been an entirely innocent or abiding creature, but he did not have a bad heart.

And so her voice tumbled over his lobes, and Iye listened intently. There were ranks and a heirarchy worthy of being noted within a herd, with particular skills that he had giving the stag a sense of potential purpose within one of these herds of Helovia. Could he really make this his home? It was very possible.
And Amaris spoke of the World's Edge, a place of varied terrain with cliffs, sea and trees. It sounded like a place to lay low and become settled. The seal brown brute did not know if this was what he truly wanted, but he knew that this was what he needed...
And so her invitation was a welcome with open arms, and Iye felt the instant need to take it. Pippigrin had talked the talk and really motivated him to find out what the Dragon's Throat was like, but unfortunately for the small steely grey he was no warrior, and Iye was not going to be led down that path. He felt as if his other companion could give him what he needed, something that allowed him to flourish. And so Iye breathed back into like from hearing the speech and with his smooth voice, he replied with an eagerness and a handsome smile,
"Your invitation is one that I am willing to accept. I would like to know so much more about Helovia if I am to make this my home, but I am even more willing to become a part of something that you have made me feel I could have cause in. Thank you Amaris, and please do lead the way."

Tipping his cranium to Pippigrin in acknowledgement and a smile on his face for his efforts to welcome him, he then turned to face the dragon with whom he hoped now to accompany back to her homeland... And now, his.

lye