Beginning Again (Cont.) }{ {Meeting a Night Elf}

[Reixou]

Reixou chuckled at Faolán, and turned to Ainutsa as she questioned her weight.

"Well..." He looked down a moment, thinking. He didn't want to put it into words that would sound vain. "That's kind of another thing that I suppose comes with everything else that's not naturally Elvish about me." He explained, with a crooked smile, scratching his head nervously.

"Anyway," He continued, watching Faolán disappear out of sight into the darkness. "Would you like to see things from the stars' point of view?"

Reixou offered his hands, scarlet palms revealed.

[Summerchika]

Noticing he didn't really answer the question, for a second Ainutsa worried that she was in fact heavy. However, from the way Reixou phrased his not so specific answer, Ainutsa understood that it was not a problem for him.

Thinking a little on that, comprehension finally dawned on her face. She almost giggled at how nervous he was, but thought it rude, so instead she smiled.

"I would absolutely love to see what the stars see!" Ainutsa exclaimed, no longer worried that she would tire him. Laughing in anticipation, she placed her pale hands on his scarlet ones. She waited for him to do something, still unsure on how to prepare for flight.

[Reixou]

Reixou took her hands with much delight, scooping her up in his arms; this time with one hand behind her knees, the other supporting her back. With no pause between, they were rising in the air. If it wasn't for the treetops passing natural line of sight, one would have thought they had not left the ground for the effortlessness of it.

Once Reixou knew she was settled and secure; he sped up, soaring into the sky. A few patches of fog were beginning to settle on the forest, which he skimmed the top of, dove into, then burst through into the sky.

Once they were high above the fog, treetops peeking through, and the lake beyond reflecting the moonlight, Reixou slowed. They drifted through the sky, the occasional beat of black wings the only disturbance of a perfectly silent night. His eyes were fixed upon the sight that never ceased to amaze him; even after hundreds of years of having this ability. The sight of the nightscape; land bathed in moonlight.

For a moment, he almost forgot that he had company this time around. Actually, it was the first time he had had company. He turned his eyes to her again, and spoke softly, as if sound waves would distort the beauty of the scene. "What do you think?"

[Summerchika]

Again, the flight surprised her, though not as much as it had the first time. Still, she could not keep herself from holding on to Reixou somehow; the feeling of flying was stomach fluttering. She trusted Reixou to not drop her, but she could not tell her mind that it did not have to worry.

Despite the butterflies, the feeling of flying was exhilarating. She made a small exclamation and her grip tightened on Reixou as he sped up and they burst through a fog and into the night sky.

As Reixou slowed, Ainutsa felt herself melt at what she saw. The sight was breathtakingly gorgeous and unbelievably peaceful. Her mind forgot that they were up so high above ground and simply enjoyed what was happening. In response, her body relaxed itself, feeling the peaceful silence of the night.

When Reixou asked softly what she thought, Ainutsa turned her head to look up at him. Searching for words to describe what she thought, she found none. Feeling the need to whisper, Ainutsa told him her dilemma. "I cannot begin to explain what I think." she said, hoping that her eyes said it all.

Looking again to the scenery below her, she wondered at the largeness of the world that she had not even begun to explore. Inspired and put at peace at the same time, she felt very humbled. "Thank you." she whispered, in awe of the beauty.

"And you see this when ever you want..." she mused softly. She looked back up at him, wondering if she was not the only one to be so affected by the view. After all, he had probably seen this many times before. Even so, she could not fathom ever growing tired of feeling this peace.

[Reixou]

Reixou knew that she was more than fascinated with it, just as he had been, when she looked back at him. Her eyes told him so; and he realized that he had not had to explain the feeling to anyone. He also understood how it was fairly inexplicable.

He smiled; glad that he was able to share the awe that he had always felt with another being.

"Yes...it never ceases to take my breath away..." he replied, still whispering.

"Is there anything you would like to see closer?" He asked, not sure what she had or had not seen of her domain; though he was quite sure she would find something new she had never discovered before seeing it as she did now.

[Summerchika]

Looking down at the forest once more, she noted where they were. She had seen the forest from the tops of the trees, but never from a height this high above. She could see the mountains in the distance and perhaps a small light far away that was Tamasha Village.

These places she was more familiar with. She had traveled deeper into the forest on occasion, but she mostly kept to the Western area around Lonea Lake. Her grandmother had said to stay in the areas she had known. Since her grandmother's death, she had not ventured too far away.

Glimpsing a rather familiar place to the southeast, she blinked. Familiar as it may be, she had not seen it in three years and it most definitely looked different from above. Deciding she did not want to revisit the place, not now that she had decided to move on, she moved her eyes to the East, the unfamiliar territory.

"That!" she exclaimed. Catching sight of something she had absolutely never seen before, her eyes widened in surprise. "Do you see that?" she asked Reixou, pointing. She thought she saw a body of water that she had never seen before and... was that fog coming off of it? Steam? Unsure as to exactly what she saw, she wondered if Reixou would know.

[Reixou]

Looking in the direction she was pointing, Reixou did not speak. He simply gave a great beat of his black wings and began to descend, building up speed. He tightened his grip on Ainutsa, being cautious not to hurt her; but not wanting her to feel like she may fall.

Descending upon the place where there was much steam, Reixou only tilted his wings upward just before they landed; bringing them as lightly back to the earth as if they had been a feather drifting down lightly. But in reality, they had been diving, falling faster and faster, and to some it may have felt like he was going to dive into the ground. Reixou loved the rush of it, because he was in control the entire time. After landing, he realized that it may have startled Ainutsa.

But just as he was about to apologize, his eye was caught by the steaming lake. Its waters were dark, but something beneath them shimmered. He set Ainutsa down gently, and walked over to the water's edge, as his wings folded back and disappeared into his shoulders again.

It was not anything of plant origin; nor was it many things animal. It was one. One form; coiled in all its' shining glory, waiting to emerge one day from the steaming pool that served as an incubator. Reixou smiled, and turned to Ainutsa, motioning for her to approach.

[Summerchika]

As they moved again and picked up speed, Ainutsa was grateful for Reixou's strength. Flying was exhilarating, but startling. They descended at an increasingly fast pace, and Ainutsa began to wonder if they would crash into the ground, despite her trust in Reixou's abilities. Holding on tighter, she tensed. Again, it was quite the experience; Ainutsa did love speed. However, when it was into the ground from a very high place, Ainutsa could not help but be startled.

At the last second it seemed, Reixou tilted his wings and they were suddenly floating to the ground. This startled Ainutsa more than anything, but in a good way. She laughed in surprise; what a fun trick!

Feeling as if she might fall once Reixou put her down, however gently, she sank to her knees to the Earth to feel its solidness. She watched as Reixou moved to the steaming, yes steaming, pool of water. There was something shimmering beneath its dark waters, but Ainutsa could not make out what it was.

Getting up from the ground when Reixou motioned for her to join him, she came silently, wondering what he saw that was making him smile so. "What..." she whispered, studying the shimmering shape beneath the surface. "What is it?"

[Reixou]

Reixou leaned towards her, and whispered.

"A beast...one that you have probably never laid eyes on; and perhaps never will again. A dragon. And it looks as if we just might get to see it emerge."

The shining blue and silver scales cast reflections on their faces. Reixou drew in a sharp breath when it began to shift, "Step back!" He grabbed Ainutsa and backed up quickly; sheltering her from the steaming water with his cloak.

The dragon rose, head first out of the steaming pool, sending drops of it all around, showering the surrounding area. Reixou had blocked it from hitting Ainutsa, but it had practically drenched his back. He laughed, and turned back to watch the young beast with curious eyes.

He let it know that they were not a threat, and that they wished to help. Marveling at the great beast, Reixou approached its' silver-shrouded face; that appeared as a great knight's new armor. Its' eyes as blue as the turquoise Remidian ocean, it gazed at the two small beings; its' first sight of life.

[Summerchika]

A dragon! Suddenly, Ainutsa grew quite excited. Reixou was right; she had never seen one before. The reflection the scales cast were a gift to see. She could not imagine how an artist would begin to paint such beauty.

Quite intrigued, Ainutsa leaned forward, but as it began to move, Reixou pulled her back, shielding her from the rain of steaming water that fell as the dragon emerged. As Reixou turned back to the dragon, Ainutsa saw that the water had drenched his back. Laughing it off, Reixou looked up at the dragon, communicating with it somehow.

With a full view of the exquisite silver and blue dragon, Ainutsa's eyes sparkled with awe and, of course, curiosity. She wondered if she should communicate with it as she did with the animals of the forest. Somehow, the dragon seemed kingly and proud, making Ainutsa shy to try.

Stepping up beside Reixou, she decided to let him deal with the dragon as he had the previous experience. Taken in by the depth of the dragon's incredibly blue eyes, Ainutsa asked Reixou quietly, "A water dragon?"

[Reixou]

Reixou decided to try communicating with the dragon like Ainutsa had with her animals.

"Magnificent...I have never met a real dragon; only a water dragon when I was young. It is an honor." He bowed his head slightly.

It replied. "I have never laid eyes on the world...but it is truly an honor to meet such a creature first thing."

Turning to Ainutsa, Reixou spoke. "No, actually...there are several different kinds of dragons that bring their eggs to pools like this. Warm springs that provide the perfect place for them to mature. I believe this is what is called a silver dragon. Pretty fancy name, eh?" He said sarcastically.

"Go ahead and talk to him. What amazes me is that beasts are born with the ability to comprehend most anything...Dragons being the highest intellect of the lot of them."

[Summerchika]

Giggling at Reixou's sarcastic comment, Ainutsa continued to gaze up at the dragon. When Reixou urged to talk to the dragon, Ainutsa's stomach fluttered in nervousness. But, smiling, she took his advice and listened to her curiosity's urging.

"Silver dragon..." she addressed the dragon uncertainly. Seeing Reixou's reverence before the dragon, Ainutsa followed suit and bowed her head slightly, as he had done. "Your presence is strong. I am honored to meet you." she said, making it so her words were not only heard by the dragon, but by Reixou as well, as if this were a normal conversation.

"The honor is mine, surely." Its voice rang through her mind, the strength, pride and gentle fierceness of its kind present behind its words. She wondered if its words were heard by Reixou as well.

Looking up, curiosity strong in her eyes, she grinned, encouraged by the first communication. "I am Ainutsa, Elf of this forest. Do you have a name that we can call you?" she asked, wondering if Dragons were born with their names or if they were named by others. She glanced at Reixou with joy on her face; this was an absolutely fascinating experience.

[Reixou]

As Ainutsa marveled at her first sight of a dragon, Reixou smiled back; listening to her appeal and its' response. Though he had met a sea dragon, this dragon had a much more regal disposition. Whereas the sea dragon had more of a playful personality.

"I have no name...not yet." The dragon replied. Krade had had a name before Reixou had known him, so he couldn't help but wonder why this dragon did not have a name. Perhaps they got their names a while after they were born.

Reixou asked. "Perhaps you get a name from somewhere else...? Other dragons, maybe?" The great beast nodded its' shining head. Its silver wings unfolded from its' back, steam rising into in the moonlight. "So...what shall we call you, for the mean time?"

The dragon looked around thoughtfully. After surveying the sky and stars, he rested his eyes on the two beings again.

"You may call me Night. And what shall I call you?"

Reixou nodded to Ainutsa, smiling in awe of what was happening. They were a dragon's first allies, a dragon that was most likely going to be around for the next thousand or more years.

[Summerchika]

Taking the nod from Reixou has a cue to speak, she grinned. "Night." Ainutsa repeated, wanting to giggle at the thought, but thinking it suitable. Just like the inexplicable power and peace of the night she had seen from above, this dragon gave off the same magnificent feeling. "Please, call me Ainutsa."

Feeling her stomach turn from the thrill of this night, she realized the implications of being the first beings a dragon meets. Looking at Reixou with wide eyes, as if to say 'Is this really happening?', she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet in excitement.

"Ainutsa. A fitting name for one so lovely." Night responded, making Ainutsa blush at being complimented by such a regal dragon. Was that a smile on Night's face? She could not read the dragon's features well, but she thought she saw the glint in its eyes of a smile.

"Amazing." she whispered, unable to hold back.

"And what may I call you?" asked Night, turning its silver head to meet Reixou's gaze with its oceanic blue ones.

[Reixou]

"I am Reixou." He placed a fist across his heart, bowing again. "I shall forever be allied to you. Do not hesitate to call me to any cause you see fit. I have no other purposes in life any longer; and I just may live as long as you do." He vowed his allegiance to the great creature.

"It is an honor to see such loyalty. I will keep you in mind if ever I am in need of assistance; but do you really have no purpose in life?" Night brought his head down almost touching Reixou, and continued. "There is no such thing for one as trustworthy as you. You are needed by many." Reixou was taken aback by this notion, and frowned.

"They do not trust me-" "Then earn their trust." The dragon broke in. "Ainutsa seems to have come to trust you, to an extent, she is standing face to face with a dragon, by your work." He seemed to have some telepathic ability, as he knew each of them better than he should, as he just met them.

"And you, my beautiful lady, have no reason not to trust this man. He has an honest heart and kind motives; and is a true honor to have as a friend." With that, he stepped out of the water, walking towards the woods. "I will see you again, sooner than you think." With a great flap of his wings, sending an air current over Reixou and Ainutsa, he ascended into the sky.