“Once there were dragons, in the snow, in the storms, in the sea, in the earth…."

Valia traced her fingers over the writing lightly as she rested her back against the wall of the city looming behind her. Her lips moving to recite those words silently as her eyes wavered and moved to the illustration beside it. It wasn't the sorts of copies that she saw for sale in the Lotus Market, not illuminated with colors that pulsed upon the page and were too fine for her to touch. They were dull and likely copied by some apprentice struggling to earn a few bits for themselves. And from a poor man's copy at that, but she still loved the pictures that were found in the book.

It didn't matter that the dragon that had been drawn looked more like a lumpy lizard, when she tilted her head just right it took on the elegant lines of a storm grey dragon she knew it was meant to be. There was a larger wyrm behind the dragon, but beyond that, the rest was just suggestions, but she had once seen one of the better illustrations and she used that to layer her memory over the picture. She flipped the page, the well-worn edges dog eared and some torn from where they had been roughly handled, but she was able to find the last point she had left off on.

The page she turned to had an illustration of a gryphon done in dynamic style with wings flared open wide and it was supposed to be fierce, but it looked more like an overstuffed pigeon. It wasn't the illustration that had her attention, though, it was the writing beside it outlining the treatises between the gryphons and the rest of the human tribes. She drew out the silver graphite stick and sighed a little bit as she returned to looking over the outlined territory exchanges and establishment of the Five Pillar Cities. This was what she was supposed to be working on today, not dragons.

-Is that supposed to be a gryphon?- _ The disgusted voice in her mind came with a rasp of talons on rock as the lump beside her raised his head up and turned two multi-hued eyes towards the book. _-It looks like something I might eat if I were on a two month fast.-

_ _

“Hush, you can see the wings here, the beak and the talons…" Valia said and touched the picture with her finger tip, turning it so that Frostscale could get an even better look. “I'm glad you didn't see the dragon illustration."

-Whoever drew that should be dragged through the street and whipped.- _ The young drake snapped out and snorted, lifting his elegant head up higher. _Maybe I should take it to show a gryphon, see what they think.-

The storm dragon's eyes were spinning, flashing hints of irritated reds in the midst of his normal pale purple eyes. There was always a thrill looking into those strange eyes, utterly unlike anything else in the world, but Frostscale had always been unique. He was currently stretched out against a worn rock, his wings spread open and the white of his quilled crest pulled back to relax along the line of his neck. He was just old enough to have grown into his body, his proportions smoothing out to hint at what he would be as an adult, but his wings still looked rather ridiculously large as they hung to either side of his body.

Where as adult dragons were the size of small buildings, he was just the size of a draft horse, which was still big enough to make people take pause when they looked at him. Valia had never really imagined what a young dragon would look like, no one had ever seen a hatchling, the dragons were secretive in that way. Before this, she had been told that the only dragons that ever passed the city were at least near adult size, nothing like Frostscale, who still had a hatchling name.

He was a bit of an oddity in the Diurnal Pillar, it wasn't often that the storm dragons came this far to the west, they preferred the northern mountains and even the southern deserts. The few that remained within the Pillar city were diplomats or were seeking quiet as they grew older, they were all full adults, but Frostscale had shown up a year ago. The sub-adult hadn't said why, but Valia had begun to piece together that he had fled his family and certainly he was a pleasant friend to have around. Although, rather odd in his own way, especially given that most of the storm dragons held themselves aloof from humans beyond the need for diplomats.

They had a mated pair here that she had seen half a dozen times since they were at the council meetings. They were elegant and older, but they rarely spoke to anyone except those chosen to meet with them. She had been excited to be able to hear them when they spoke, one of the few humans to manage it, but the moment she had attempted to talk to them, she had been shunned. They had looked at her as if she were a rat trying to scurry up to them, the disgust on their face making her feel tiny and small, her dreams of having a dragon friend destroyed… at least, she had thought they were.

He was outgoing and genial, he enjoyed company and invited it in a manner that she found puzzling when she compared to adults who only dealt with those that they needed to. When she had been little more than five years old she had seen one up close and been fascinated, but the full adult had been at a distance walking through the city. The gryphons were more approachable and plentiful, the brightly colored ones quite genial to anyone that wanted to chatter. It was pleasant and exciting to have a friend such as Frostscale that acted a if he were a chatty Psitticane gryphon.

“You try and draw better." She retorted and leaned her back a bit further against the rockwork. “Besides, I can't afford a nicer book than this one. It's been a lean year, you know that."

-Such an expense for drawings…- _ Frostscale hissed out and gave his head a shake before yawning, extending out a spill of deep red-black tongue. _-Why don't you just ask someone to tell you the stories-

“Because humans don't remember that way, it's easier with books." She retorted. “You'd do better if you tried to manage an education yourself instead of stuffing your gullet out here."

-You're just jealous you aren't born intelligent. Like me.- _ Frostscale teased lightly and gave his head a shake, the quills rattling slightly back and forth as he lifted his head up high. _-And why do you need to know about the Pillars' foundings? You live in one! It's not like you humans don't chatter all the time about having the luck of being born in one-

_ _

“Because I'm not going to be spending my life drying herbs and making candles." Valia said and sighed ever so slightly. “It makes for dull reading once you get past the wars though, but that's where I can educate myself about how I can advance."

-Of course, war is exciting. Peace? Not so much.- _ Her companion answered and tipped his head back so that he could begin scratching his chin with one large hind paw. _-You're not thinking you're going to turn into one of those puffed up 'diplomats' are you?-

_ _

“God no, but there's money to be made being a merchant, especially on the caravan routes and that means knowing the way the Pillars were formed and what treaties are in place." She responded lightly. “And of course you'd find war exciting."

The wars were so strange and exciting, a moment in time that had gone far beyond that of simply shifting the borders between one another. It had been a time when mankind had finally recognized that there was more than one sentient species in the world. There were creatures that could think and reason, creatures that deserved to be recognized, and not only that, they were the ones that were in control of the way the tide of the war went. She had spent most of her youth hearing stories of Sithen and how he had rescued his mate, who hadn't?

After the wars, things had become boring and jumbled, hundreds upon hundreds of years of small battles and diplomacy. The civil wars weren't even that interesting, not like the battle that had once defeated an empire and helped forge kingdoms that were united beneath Pillars that were designed to keep the peace not only between tribes and cities of humans, but between species. It was also so boring that she wanted to go back to staring at the illustrations instead. Sithen had died more than five hundred years ago, and she wondered if he had been as bored with the formation of their country as she found it.

Growing up in a Pillar city, she had grown up around many species', which should have made this easy. The basic classes that any person wanted to attend in order to apply for higher education were mostly a mixture of history, mathematics and science, proving an adept mind that was willing to learn and retain that knowledge. It was one of the founding principles of a Pillar city that any could move on to higher learning as long as they applied themselves, wealthy or poor, it just required dedication. Even books were available to any class, though the quality was of debatable quality.

They were designed to make sure that anyone with a bright mind could be elevated with it. They could rise to the ruling council if they wanted or become inventors, the Pillar Cities would always see that they were improved upon. She knew that she wanted to move onto high education, a place in the University that would soon open for the next batch of candidates. And there was no buying your way in there, it required blind testing alone to achieve a place there, and she was confident she could make it there.

She was finally just entering her teens, old enough to know what she wanted and a whole new world had opened up the moment she had begun to study in earnest. It wasn't just what she had learned growing up in the Pillar city, it was a glimpse into the rest of the world. No matter how much she learned, she had begun to feel as if there were so much more that she had to figure out, piece together. She had barely scratched the surface of the intricate ins and outs of just the human cultures, let alone the non-human species'.

The Pillars were the lifeblood of the country, the only way that many different species were able to live with some level of civility that allowed for them to flourish rather than resort to war. Ever since The Great War, it had been set up that no single species would be allowed to rule over another or even have a battle without the support of each of the Pillar Cities. It made sure that there wouldn't be any clan battles or wasted lives, but it also meant that things were incredibly complicated as there were so many different treaties signed to make sure peace would continue seamlessly.

She wondered if Sithen and Anara had known what they had begun when they had made their agreements with the various groups of men in that final war. Legend had it that they had personally began them, outlined their use, told others what they were made for and how they should continue. But legend had also attributed the founding of the other species' that had moved into the country, the building of the Goyza Wall that separated the southern countries and had them set up as if they were a god and goddess rather than flesh and blood dragons.

_Their legends are starting to get muddied with facts, the only reason it isn't worse is that there are still a few of their grandchildren alive. _ She thought, marveling at the long lives of draconic kind.

“You're lucky, you can probably move to any of the cities up north and be treated as if you were Sithen himself coming down from the thunder." She said and rubbed her eyes a little, closing her worn book. “Some of us have to work for it."

-And deal with humans that have only seen a dragon from a distance? You know some of the tribes think they can make magic from our bones!- _ Frostscale said with a snort, giving his head a little shake. _-Besides, I like stirring things up around here.-

_ _

“They don't want your bones for magic. Your people don't let us mere humans play with magic anymore." She said and stuck her foot out to give him a push. “They just tell you that so you don't go setting yourself up like some sort of god."

-Oh you know humans still muck about in it.- _ He said with a little hiss, showing a slight edge to his teeth. _-Most of your kind can't even hear me. Why wouldn't they decide to take a bone or two?-

_ _

“Paranoid!" She laughed and slipped her book back into her bag with a slow stretch. “If you really believed that, you wouldn't have flown all the way out here when I know you had to have seen some of those small villages and been safe."

Frostscale snorted and dropped his head back to his forelegs as she drew out her notebook and began to work over the notations, a small smile on her face as she heard him settling himself as if for a nap. She used to prefer to do her studying in her father's shop, but that had been before she found that the dragon spent his evenings here. She couldn't stop herself from wanting to be closer to him, he was fascinating and there was something magical about dragons when compared to the other species' that inhabited the city.

She had grown up with the legend of the sire of their race, seen the forms of the dragons in the city. They had a massive statue right in the square that was supposed to be a carving depicting Sithen and his mate Anara. It was lifelike, but she always thought that whoever had carved it had thought of them as war-like beasts since instead of a pose of devotion and love, it was a pose of ferocity with teeth bared and wings flared wide, the female crouched above a nest of eggs as if ready to kill anyone that came near them. It gave her an insight into how some still thought of dragons even after so many centuries of being beside of them.

Her eyes ran along the drake that was sprawled beside her, the magic of him always thrilled her. Perhaps that's why he worried about someone wanting his bones or scales. It wasn't as if that was unheard of, there was always a rumor of such barbaric practices, especially in parts of the world that hadn't ever accepted any race besides their own particular chosen one. They occasionally had merchants come here and act as if they were living in the middle of a dog kennel or stable with their mixed races. How could they be around gryphons and dragons? Drakes and wyrms? And think that they were animals.

_-Well yes, I suppose so, but you can't blame me for being a bit worried.- _ He confessed and gave her a playful flick of his tail to hit against the curve of his hip.

“I somehow think you'd be able to take care of anything short of an army." Valia answered playfully and he rewarded her with a pleased deep throated purr.

She didn't know how he felt about her, she was always finding it hard to read his emotions. He was pleasant and genial, but there was a distance he had placed firmly between them and didn't breach it. It made her want to push for more, but she had steadily learned not to entertain those ideas. The few times she had tried to be stubborn, he made an excuse to simply leave and sometimes stayed away for a few days. Frustrating to the extreme.

-Maybe, but this city is far nicer. Besides, they've got erral _here and they're such talented scale polishers.- _ He responded in a mock lazy tone that caused her to roll her eyes.

The bird-like race was one of the newer come to the Pillar cities, an offshoot of some gryphon line, though they walked on two legs. Unlike the gryphon, they were strictly one like-species, all of them the same similar color of a deep reddish hue, though the males had a bit showier plumage. She found them interesting, but they seemed to be wholly disgusted by humans and instead remained with the rest of the non-human species by preference. Frostscale had taken up with a small flock of them that rather enjoyed grooming him.

“Hedonist." Valia teased and then gave a bit of a stretch and sighed. “I need to get back to the shop, though, it's getting time for me to help with the candles."

Her family had never been wealthy, her father had started early drying and collecting herbs and then moved on to candles to add another stream of income. Since her mother had passed away, it had fallen to her to handle the candle side of business, but she didn't mind, it allowed her to study and read as she worked anyway. Frostscale even offered to snatch up bits of herbs that were unique for her to scent her candles with when he had understood what she did.

It gave her some hope that he did enjoy her company, she wanted to be special to him. She wasn't entirely sure why, the urge was something that teased the back of her mind. It went beyond the fact that he was a dragon, it was something different, but he never gave her any real sign that she was special in any way. He was pleased to see her, but she was aware he talked to others. The mixed signals frequently pulling at the back of her thoughts and distracting her.

-Probably for the best.- He answered and gave a small twitch of his long tail. You'll be back here tomorrow? I was thinking I might spend the morning hunting, but the afternoon I'll be getting groomed.-

_ _

“I'd like that." She perked up a bit at the offer. “I've been wanting to ask some f the erral some questions since they're still working on their own treaty."

_-I figured.- _ He responded and gave her a little bump of the head against her before he spread his large grey wings, flashing the pale underside as he threw himself into the air.

She was left grabbing at her book to keep it from blowing away with any of her papers, but her eyes were on the graceful form leaping into the sky. She would never get tired of watching him on the wing, never tire of seeing the miracle of the fact he simply existed. He was a strange friend, but she valued his friendship more and more with each day, since every day she worried that he would eventually leave her, go on to find another adventure or back to the mountains he came from.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Frostscale pumped his wings up higher in the air, sweeping downwards with wind beating down towards the ground as he neatly spiraled above the city and swept along the towers. He knew that people hated it when he flew so close to them, but they gave him a thrill to feel his belly scales nearly scrape along one side of the tower before he was surging up higher. His nostrils flared open wider, gulping down another breath before he lifted himself higher in the air, helping to clear his head a little from the scent of Valia that still clung to him.

He wasn't sure why he enjoyed her scent so much, but there was something pleasurable about being around her, though he couldn't put his claw on it. It was the first human that he had been around that he enjoyed, most of them were so grubby, grabbing at him or talking to him, or demanding questions or worse, wanting to try and ride him like a horse. They would never suggest that from one of the adults, but he was just the right size that they thought they could get away with it. It was enough to make him think to that his mother was truthful with how short minded they could be.

Valia wasn't like that, if anything, she intrigued him in a way that kept him looking forward to their moments together. In the last month or so he had found himself starting to notice a change in her scent, a warm mixture that he drew in deeply at times. He had begun to find excuses to be closer to her, finding reasons for them to meet and even going so far as to sometimes stretch out and rolled, making the scent carry on his hide for some time, which brought up hazy memories of a conversation he had heard his father say about drakes and humans. He couldn't recall exactly what, but it was an odd warning that sometimes came to him at those moments.

_It's not as if there's anything wrong with enjoying her scent, she works with herbs, those are always lovely to smell. _ He dismissed easily and swooped down again.

Still, he had never really enjoyed being in the mountains with the rest of his kind, though he had been assured from the first few days he had learned to fly that he was supposed to stay secure in the mountains. They had nearly gone extinct once and now they were creating an all new empire. As a male it was his responsibility to grow and to find a mate, and until then he was supposed to help guard the clutches of other females, to secure their territory and safety. He was raised on the stories of Sithen and Anara, of the great wars and how they had fought for their freedom.

_And they expect every one of us to fall in line to spend our days being meek little servants of the Empire. _ He thought with irritation, remembering the days upon days of lessons, of being pushed into the early grouping of young drakes that would serve of scouts and spies.

Frostscale loved the stories of the old days, not just the days of the war and Sithen, but about the days even earlier than that. When they had been founded as one of the four great races, when they had been able to be truly supreme and went where they wanted. He loved the idea of fighting and battle, real battle, not just mock sparring with other young drakes. He loved the idea of exploration and what was out there. Even the storm-dances weren't that interesting towards the end. There was little wonder why he hadn't found his adult name yet, not when he was cramped and stuffed into a box that he didn't want to be in.

This is better, this is real. He thought joyously and skimmed his way about. This is where I can find my real name, grow into a dragon to be proud of. We have a better heritage than what my mother made us out to have.

_ _

He skimmed and circled the city, enjoying the caress of the wind around him, hope surging in his chest. He had found a place here, this Pillar had so many species' and types of people that he knew that he could find his place. It was thrilling and his adventures had already made him feel more alive, more vital than he had ever felt in the mountains. There he had been so bored, not really feeling like anything more than a cog in a machine with the single goal to survive, to propagate.

There it had all been organized by a group of females, their cooler heads making sure that they made the right decisions, but how could any real drake grow up with females being the ones controlling everything. Not letting them duel and battle, no fighting over prospective mates, no real… being a dragon. Not like out in the real world. He could be wild here, take risks, give into he instincts that allowed him to dance on the wind or take his prey live and devour it rather than having it cooked. _Cooked! _

_ _

It's strange what sort of habits we picked up from humans, while still acting like we're pure dragons. _ He thought irritably. _Why did we start cooking our meat? It's ridiculous!

He was in the process of making a turn down towards the outer banks of the river, his eyes searching out for a hint of the erral that liked to groom him. They were so complimentary about him, he could get used to having the feathery creatures around calling him sir and master. He started to tip his wings back when a shadow overflew him, a very large shadow, one big enough that all he could manage was an outraged squawk before a set of large grey paws clapped down to either side of his body and the fully adult storm dragon captured him.

_-LET GO!- _ He blasted with his mind voice, shrieking the words out threateningly as Tarrbin's broad wedged shaped head leaned down towards him with a hot snort.

_-There you are, you little wretch, Ushara has been trying to pin you down for ages!- _

Tarrbin growled, the diplomat pumping his wings a few times as he used

his hind paws to catch ahold of Frostscale's haunches as well. -You can't keep ducking away.-

_ _

The male dragon was so old that most of his body colors were so dark that they were nearly black, his neck thickened up and heavy rather than sinuous and his crest completely black. As his wings beat, he could see the trail of silver and cold chain that ran along the neck and chest, jewels that were the color of a sapphire sky caught the light as they showed his rank among the dragons, creating a handsome appearance to detract from his pale white muzzle. He had seen the diplomat a few times since he'd come to the city, but had always been careful to avoid their eyes and attention. Unsuccessfully it appeared.

_ _

_-It's a free world!- _ He snapped out while the larger dragon turned towards the caves that he called home with his mate.

Frostscale writhed and twisted himself around, kicking with hind legs while huffing out a burst of pure anger. Tarrbin was old enough that had the weight to hold the young drake in his grasp and swung down, his wings beating a few times rapidly before coming to the ledge that he had staked out for himself and his aging mate. Frostscale thrashed and kicked his hind legs rapidly, snarling with his eyes spinning, red flaring to light in them as the older drake actually gave him a toss that sent him tumbling across the ground into the darkness of the cavern.

A female moved in the darkness, her eyes fixating him with the same expression that his mother had used on him half a dozen times in the past. It made him want to lower his head guiltily, to flatten his crest and spread his wings in submission, but he resisted the urge, instead he glared up at her defiantly as the bulk of the older male formed a barrier between himself and the outside world. Ushara walked forward and let out a snort as she lowered her triangular head to him and her eyes roved up and down his body.

She was a lovely old female, though her sides had become thinner with age and her coloring was washed out until she was nearly white. She still had a long neck and elegant tail, her face kind looking as she lowered her head towards him and tipped it to one side. She looked a bit like her mother with the way she positioned herself, the ridge of her cheeks and brow. There were solid gold rings wrapped around the base of her curled ram-like horns and a trail of gold leaf was set along the outer edges. His mother never would have worn gold.

-You are barely out of the egg! What are you doing in Diurnal?- _ She demanded, her mind voice flush with irritation, worry, and even some amusement. _Surely your dam wouldn't let you out on the wing.-

_ _

-I've been out of the egg for twenty years!- _ He said stiffly and gave himself a shake, his wings folding back neatly. _-I don't need permission to set out on my own life.-

_ _

-You're supposed to be in the Storm Reaches.- Tarrbin growled out, the mind voice echoed with a snarl that caused the big male's teeth to come into view. _-Who is your sire and dam? What line are you of?- _

_ _

Frostscale stiffened up with outrage and glared up at them both, trying to ignore every surge of instinct that he felt. He had no reason to grovel in front of these two just because they were older. He was a free drake, he had left the Storm Reaches behind, that meant that he was on equal ground with these pair. They had no right to grab him from the sky, nor did they have any right to drag him here and question him. He swelled out his chest and settled down on his haunches, insolently curling his tail about and making a show of twitching the end so that the spikes raked across the floor.

_-My line doesn't matter at all. I'm Frostscale, and I'm not forbidden from coming to a Pillar City. Aren't they designed to welcome all species?- _ He asked and kept his voice calm, but he couldn't help but feel smug.

-They are, but you are a storm dragon, you haven't even found your adult name.- _ Ushara responded, her eyes flashing with a hint of real irritation as she shifted. _-Do you have no aunts? No older sisters with clutches? You should be helping with them. That is the role of an un-named drake.-

_ _

-I have three brothers and they're all thrilled to be of service.- _ Frostscale said and then parted his lips in a smile, a human affectation that he had picked up. _And I'm not causing any problems here. I haven't eaten any of the herds or broken any city laws-

_ _

-Do you think our survival is a joke? Tarrbin will take you back to the Storm

_Reaches and find your proper family. When you're more mature, than you-- - _ Ushara began to say, but the young drake let out a short irritated hiss at the very idea.

How dare a pair of dragons so old that they were white around the muzzle act as if they were his parents and able to tell him what to do? He spread his wings in a slight challenge between the pair of them at acting as if he would allow them to take him back to the storm reaches like some sort of whelp. He lashed his tail harder behind him, cracking against the ground firmly while the larger of the pair actually opened his jaws and let out a sharp loud snarl. There was a crackle of electricity on the large hooked teeth, threatening looking so that he should have backed off. Instead, he hissed out defiantly at the diplomat.

-When I was your age I was aware of just how damn important it was to put the good of my clan and species ahead of all others.- _ Tarrbin snarled out in his face and showed his teeth, a snap of lightning crackling out to nearly strike the young drake on the nose. _-You are young, you are small, besides the fact that you're important to our species, you have a duty to your family.-

_ _

The rage in the older dragon's voice was almost terrifying as there was a strike and the large paw pushed down against his side and knocked him off his feet. He squealed out and tried to spark a bit of lightning back, but he wasn't large enough or practiced enough to do more than cast back a few small sparks rushing across the paw. The male looked incensed, his aging face writhed with edges of real fury as his eyes blazed a maddening red and orange color before Ushara purred a soft soothing noise to her mate.

_ _

-Our own hatchlings chafed, Tarrbin, you remember how they were. Especially

Oshir.- Ushara purred softly to her mate as he began to loom higher above

Frostscale. -He's simply lost his way, no need to bully him.-

_ _

Submit. Submit. Display your throat, submit! The urge was overwhelming, but he fought it off, leaving his body trembling and his tongue darted out as he panted heavily. His world was narrowed down to the fear that came with the dragon holding him down, but Ushara pushed her mate gently to one side. Her seemingly fragile body large enough to lean and push him off of Frostscale so that the young drake could get back up, his heart pounding wildly in his ears. He wasn't hurt, but his pride was stung and his mind was racing.

-He needs to go back to Storm Reaches, we can escort him there, my love.- _ Tarrbin said grudgingly, flipping his wings to calm himself. _-He's got too much spirit for his own good, though. Sithen save his mother for raising him.-

_ _

_I don't want to go home! I don't want to be trapped there! _ He thought, his mind working furiously on how he could stop this from happening.

He didn't want to be trapped back at home again, forced into boredom, swallowing down his instincts. He wanted to learn how to fight on the wing, he wanted to learn how to be a warrior like Sithen had been. He didn't want to be protected from even the chance of danger, he wanted to soar into it with his talons out and bringing the crackle of lightning with him. If he was sent home he'd be guarding nests and hatchlings, he'd be taught a history he would never be able to participate in and then be matched with a dragoness to begin all over again. He couldn't let that be his life, he just couldn't!

_ _

-In the Pillar Cities, anyone that wishes to can learn, to get an education. They can become something more!- _ He burst out finally, putting a plea into his mind voice. _-Am I going to be denied the right that they give to even the lowliest human?-

_ _

-You want… to go to that University?- _ Tarrbin mental voice was painted with shock and his eyes actually flashed a baffling looking silver. _-Do you even know how to read?-

_ _

-Well, no.. but I have a human that I speak with, she can read, she will help me.- _ He said boldly and tipped his head up. _-Diurnal has it written in the charter that any who wish to seek an education may do so as long as they prove they are able to have the basics down.-

_ _

-We've never had a dragon enter any of the human education systems…- _ Ushara said, her amusement warming Fire-fell a great deal. _-They've had nearly every other species in there.-

_ _

The old drake grunted and Frostscale felt a little thrill run through him, making him lift his head up higher as he twitched his tail back and forth rapidly. He wasn't going to go back to the mountains, and this was a chance to avoid it. He had little interest in going to any sort of school, but if he could get the diplomats off his back, he would be able to continue seeking other options for his life. Or at least get to the size that they wouldn't be able to justify driving him back home.

It might even be interesting to go to the university for a little bit, there were so many races that he found them fascinating. And it would give him a reason to be closer to Valia. The thought sent an odd thrill through him, he wasn't sure why, but it made him draw in a deeper breath. He couldn't pick up her scent anymore, all he could pick up was the harsh metallic scent of dragon on the air which was far less pleasurable than what he really wanted.

_-I'd like a chance. Why shouldn't I be allowed to have the same chances others take?- _ He demanded and kept a tight hold on his own thoughts.

-Because we don't need schooling.- _ Tarrbin offered, but he sounded as if he were relenting slightly more. _-But, it would look quite well to have one of our young drakes take up at the university, a mark more in our honor.-

_ _

_-And it has been a while since we've had younglings around the cave, my love.- _

Ushara commented and her eyes moved towards Frostscale with a fondness that surprised him a bit.

Well that won't do at all. _ He thought, but did his best to maintain a pleading expression on his face. _I'll figure it out, there are other Pillar Cities I can go to if I really need to. But I'm not going to end up squatting in this cave with a pair of stuffed up dragons.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Valia dipped the wicks down into the mixture of wax, the scent of herbs on the air sweet and familiar, comforting as she worked the wicks up and down smoothly. Her eyes were less on the work of the candle that she was dipping in the wax, instead she was looking up at the book she had spread open on the counter in front of her. This was one of her favorite parts of the day when she was able to relax and learn, today's book dealt with the way the minx had come to the city and their original clan set up. It was about the early challenges as well as the outlining of what villages and towns that they had been allowed to claim as their own.

Minx had been one of the first two legged non-hominid species that had joined the alliance, and one that had caused the most drama. They were a lean species, with dark brown fur that covered their bodies in the summer months with whiter underbellies and they shed the fur to turn snowy white in the winter months. They had an early reputation of being thieves and charlatans, travelling in their original clans in large carriages from town to town. It had been quite dramatic when they had come forward and offered to be a part of the way the country and the Five Pillars.

Most of the minx were quite honest and trustworthy, actually becoming the backbone of the military thanks to the fact that they were larger and had more speed. But the book told a different story of the start, the distrust, the debates that had raged on turning them away. They had wanted the minx to be exiled, but since it was the first outside race that had wanted to join them, it became something far more pressing. It had been a defining point of their country, and an important one, and knowing the minx know they had made the right decision.

Crrrrrrrrrrrreak….

_ _

The sound of the roof straining made her give a bit of a jump before the windows rattled in place. The movement hit the shudders roughly, bouncing them back and forth wildly so that she jumped up and nearly pulled the wax over. She managed to right it again, swinging around as there was another creak and then a loud noise as something hit the ground and she rushed to the window, pushing it open and expecting to see a gryphon strolling away after having using her house as a landing platform instead of the ones built for that use.

There was a flash of grey and she jerked her head back as Frostscale stuffed his head into the door with a little push. He pushed the windows open to either side boldly and left her gaping at him as he reared up and placed his forelegs directly onto the ledge of her window with a wider smile on his face. His eyes were spinning with merriment at having frightened her and his crest was up, the white pattern of it rattling together while he stretched his long neck out and pushed it further into her room before taking a deep huff of air.

“What are you doing here?" She hissed out, moving the window open wider as one of his shoulders threatened to break it off.

-Just coming for a visit.- _ He said casually and parted his jaws in something like a smile. _-I think I can fit in here.-

_ _

“Wait… what?!" Valia yelped as he pulled himself upwards and his shoulders stuffed and wedged into the window. “Stop, you're going to knock everything over."

_-Well move it a bit, you have plenty of space.- _ He answered confidently, making it sound as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

“Hold on! You're going to spill the wax!" She squeaked out as his head brushed by her and actually hit against her side to edge her out of the way.

The storm grey dragon wasn't an easy fit through the window, he started to push a little harder and his scales scraped to either side. It left her grabbing the metal pot of wax she had been using and dragged it into the fire again so it was out of the way. She splashed water on the fire to keep from burning the wax, sending up a rush of smoke on the air while the storm drake jerked and wriggled a few times. He got his hind paws up as his forebody stuffed into her room and crowded her. Her chair was knocked over and he ended up pushing himself to one side to leave her jumping on the bed rather than risk getting stepped on as he slithered his tail in as well.

He had to clamp his wings down tight against his sides, but they still brushed the edges and he swung his head around with interest. When he shifted his weight to one side there was a crash and one of her stools was knocked over against the wall and a small shelf was knocked down causing him to grunt out. He moved his paw to swat the items in an attempt to clean it up, but it was half hearted at best.

_-See? I told you.- _ He said smugly and his eyes were a bright purple as he lowered his head, churring warmly.

“What are you doing in here? I thought you were going to go get groomed!" She hissed, trying to still her beating heart as the large tooth filled muzzle was turned towards her.

Her heart was beating faster, this was very unlike when she had been out with him just outside of the city, the easy way that they had been chatting. There she could have easily moved away from him, in her room, the draft sized dragon took up nearly every last inch of space and was looming above her with his head angled at her. The sharp metallic scent of the dragon filled her nose while he tried his best to curl his tail around his haunches so that it didn't knock anything over.

-Tarrbin and Ushara caught up to me.- _ He responded with what sounded like disgust. _-They wanted me to go back home. I convinced them otherwise.-

_ _

“By stuffing yourself into my room?" Valia joked just a touch nervously to the dragon. “They're going to rip my roof off."

~ ~ * ~ ~

Frostclaw drew in a deeper breath, his chest swelling open wide to draw in the warmth of the human scent and he enjoyed it. He wanted to roll in it, and he wasn't sure why, but he found himself settling into her room in such a way that he knew that he would be able to carry the scent with him. Ushara had finally convinced Tarrbin to release him rather than make him stay in their lair, especially since he had pointed out he had a young human that was willing to help make sure that he was going to catch up enough to join the university.

The old drake had given him a long look, one that had made him want to shrink backwards in on himself, but it had passed. What mattered was that for now he had time to figure out what he was going to do, and if that meant acting as if he were going to try and get into one of the Pillar Universities. At the very least, he was going to be around Valia, something that made him feel a little shiver of delight rush over his hide as he looked at her on her little bed and he drew in an even deeper breath and relaxing into the warmth.

-I'm going to try and go to the university with you.- _ He said easily enough and saw her eyes widen a little bit. _-They've never had a storm-dragon in their school, so why shouldn't I be the first?"

_ _

“But.. can you even hold a book?" Valia asked and gave a little poke of one finger against his side. “I didn't think dragons learned to read?"

-Some of us can- _ He responded defensively, bristling just a little bit while he reached out to catch the book she had been reading. _-And it can't be all that hard to read, no harder than reading the winds.-

_ _

“You aren't interested in it, though." Valia persisted, and he parted his jaws a little in a slow smile.

-I'm interested in staying here. If I don't, they're just going to make me go back. And can you imagine, me trapped watching yowling hatchlings?- _ He gave his head a slight shake of disgust. _-I'd be wasted!-

_ _

“Uh-huh.." She answered with a roll of her eyes and took her book back from him, pulling it into her lap. “I guess it wouldn't matter if you can read so much, I know a lot of the gryphons that join up can't read well."

_-See? Not a problem. And you'll be able to help me, won't you?- _ He put a wheedling edge to his mind voice while leaning downwards towards her.

“Yes, I mean… obviously I will.." Valia said softly and then let out a slightly nervous laugh. “At least you're going to make things interesting, but you're going to have to really work to catch up."

-Easily done, we can even start tonight.- _ Frostscale declared easily enough, his eyes spinning slightly faster with interest. _-No time like the present to get me caught up.-

_ _

“And I'm going to end up late getting those candles done." She said, but he only huffed out at her firmly, sending out a blast of hot air against her shoulder.

She was nervous, not quite afraid, but there was a change in her scent that interested him and caused him to lean in a little closer so that he was able to lift his forelegs up and onto the bed. It creaked loudly as she moved to one side and he nudged the book with one of his talons lightly. He flipped it over until she had to catch it and open it back up again, relaxing a bit further as she showed off the fading text.

For now he'd let her teach her, try and catch up, he might even enjoy it. But his thoughts were surging closer to his own personal future. He could feel that it held more than what other dragons wanted, and he was going to claim it somehow, even if it required a sideways way of going about it. Besides, there were worse places to be than in a room with Valia and listening to her as she began reading the book she had been going over before he had interrupted her. She did have such a lovely voice.

“Well, for now it's about the minx, the first year that they began hammering in a treaty that would allow them to be citizens.." She began and he lowered his head onto her bed. “They're the first non-original species that was entered into the Pillar Country and the cities themselves-“

Frostscale closed his eyes almost the entire way and simply relaxed as he listened to the sound of her voice. Some strange part of him relaxing entirely as he listened to the sound of her voice and drew in the scent of her on the air. He relaxed into the warmth of it and some part of him began to thrum with a little thrill of contentment, and a tendril of possessiveness started to weave through his mind, his thoughts.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Tarrbin settled his wings upon his back as he relaxed on the edge of his lair, watching at the flash of grey wings down in the city below. They were going directly towards the main spread of the university that took up nearly three city blocks. It was a center that was used for education as well as diplomacy, as such he had been there several times in the past when they had problems that required engineers to end up fixing a possible issues. It hadn't been one of Sithen's ideas, but despite that, it had benefited them a great deal, especially since their own race had challenges of their own.

They had been the ones to make sure that their blood was mixed enough to not show any problems that came up from having a limited genetic pool to draw upon. They worked towards long term goals and were always improving, and the things they built were both baffling and astounding. It was a good idea to see one of their kind take a step to going into the school to see how it might work out, and the youngster obviously had too much fire in his blood to want to remain in a role such as caring for eggs and youngsters. It happened occasionally, sometimes causing enough problems that they were actually driven out.

_Not that we have driven out anyone in the last fifty years or so. _ He thought, grimacing a touch. Their numbers were on the lower end lately, not dangerously so, but there were fewer eggs being hatched out.

He curled his tail just a little bit and felt Urasha settling beside him, the older female purring up at him as she leaned her head against the line of his shoulder as he kept his eyes on the young drake. He knew that there was every chance this would be a very fine idea, and if he hadn't had searchers sent out after him yet, he was likely from one of the less influential lines of the storm dragons. Why not allow him to have his chance, but his eyes were sharply following the girl that he was flying above, sometimes darting down towards her and then sliding back up into the air again.

-Wishing you were young enough for school?- _ Urasha asked with a slight tinge of amusement in her mind voice. _-Or thinking that you might end up being a teacher and see where that gets you.-

_ _

-Teaching whelps and younglings? I could barely get our clutch to fly!- _ He retorted and shifted on his haunches a little bit. _-I'm thinking that he's staying here for a human.-

_ _

-A human?- _ Urasha's tone sharpened and her mind voice came with a sudden feel of alarm. _-What sort of human?-

_ _

_-I don't know, but… it is most certainly a female human.- _ Tarrbin answered meaningfully and gave his wings another flex, leaning into his mate.

_-Ahhh that is… It has been centuries, love, I'm sure it's little to worry about.- _ Urasha murmured soothingly into his mind, breathing a soft puff of air against the curve of his neck.

There was never anything good with a young drake fixating on a human female, not anymore. Once upon a time a handful of human females had been brought on, volunteers that had willingly become dragons with a mixture of magic and alchemy, not many, but enough to make sure that their bloodlines weren't going to be too intermingled. It had been a good idea, a fine idea, but there were things that had gone wrong with it. The lingering aftereffects didn't come up very often and only in certain circumstances, but now he felt his heart grow chill as the young drake came to a landing outside of the university.

He would keep an eye on them, if it was nothing more than a bit of innocent interest being shared between them, it wouldn't harm anything. If it were something different… if it were something different, they were going to have to do something about it. It would be dangerous, not just for young Frostclaw, but for the human girl as well. Magic didn't just disappear, after all, magic lingered, magic evolved, magic changed… And after all this time, who knew what would happen.