[J] The Time Of The Dragons. - [Pa][F][M][Pw]

[SirBlaziken]

After putting the fire on his arm out, Lux vowed to never run into a burning anything ever again. "Well that was interesting, and the fires are handled, it looks. he said to himself

Myrsky. There's a few more fires left, take care of that when I find you?

Alright. You are not that far from me

Lux eventually found his way out to his dragon, while his arm was still smoking from jumping into the flames. "Well after that, I hope the next mission is somewhere with snow. Lux said.

I'll go now, don't burn yourself any more Myrsky chuckled at his own joke as he flew up, looking at the flames and deciding what to put out or destroy first.

[Awkward Squirtle]

"You reckon they'd hide somewhere as obvious as the woods?" asked the other rider. Kamren stared, surprised at her response
"Well, if they're in the woods then they're probably watching us. We should take off on our Dragons as if we were going for more water but then travel to the back of the woods and spy on them from behind... unless you have a better idea."
He had been about to explain condescendingly that if the firestarters could see them, they had to be either in the woods, visible on open ground, or in a burning building, but the elf-girl had already taken off. Irritated at not being given the opportunity to discuss this approach, or even agree, he and Leigarth took to the air once more, following the white dragon.
Great idea, let's be subtle and use the girl with a white dragon to sneak up behind, nobody will notice that. It's practically glowing, Kamren remarked to his dragon sarcastically.
Isn't this pretty much what you were going to do anyway? I'm a dragon too, remember. A dragon's pretty visible if it's brightly coloured or not; they've as much chance of seeing me while we fly as her.
I suppose so. We'll just have to make sure they don't notice us. I'll keep my eyes open just in case.

[Wolstenholme]

Katya stopped to wait for the other rider and to survey the scene before her just above where the Dragons were collecting water. Asael turned back towards the city to look at it. There was no sign of any trouble makers  on open ground, Katya supposed that they were either hiding in the woods or were undercover trying to pretend that they were helping as she'd seen no one take off and fly away. Asael confirmed this.
The trees were definitely tall enough to give cover to Dragons at their largest size, but how many of them? she wondered, this particular forest covered about a square mile of the island and was secluded on one side by a rocky outcrop so she guessed that there could be as many as 30 Dragons but Katya doubted there were that many, if there was they would have surely been trying to fight against the dousing attempts.

Katya planned out what she would say to the other rider when he got to where she was. She got the impression that he didn't really like her very much and wanted to amend this. Not many people immediately took to her but she always made an effort to change that.
She decided that the best place to start would be to tell him hers and Asael's names and then to ask his. After that she was at a loss. She supposed she would make it up.

[SirBlaziken]

As Myrsky went out to extinguish the flames and possibly destroy something, Lux looked around. No one was around. Then, someone stepped out of the shadows.

"What the hell was that? You helped those accursed riders!" the man said, taking out a knife, readying to use it on Lux, who responded, "Relax, it's all in the plan. I'll go in and gather information on the riders, gain their trust and learn their weaknesses. Then, we'll crush them." The man considered this, but wasn't convinced. "You had better not be going soft on us. We will make you regret it." Lux was unfazed by this and simply responded, "Don't worry, i'm far from their side. Our plans will succeed. Although, the elf girl could be a problem. She's fairly smart and a great leader. Everyone seems to rally around her. This elf girl, I think I have her trust. That could be a key role." The man threw the knife, which Lux parried using his sword. The attacker then responded, "Fine, but if I find out you have joined them, you will be sorry."

Lux then said one last thing as the man retreated, "Please, why join them? They killed my parents without reason, then left me to die. If that's what the riders stand for, we're doing these commoners a favor by ridding ourselves of them."

[The Macintosh Ninja: SOH CAH TOA]

The fires were beginning to die down thanks to the raining of seawater by dragons and efforts by those on the ground to limit the spread of flames. Many of the civilians were in the city limits, looking at the destruction the burning caused and murmuring among themselves. Grigori helped a few people out of buildings, noticing some other riders helping just like he was.
The flames were hot, and Grigori's face was covered in soot and sweat from the heat. He was tired and had some trouble breathing, resorting to pounding on his chest in an effort to clear his lungs. He was walking with the last of the evacuees towards where many were gathered. Their murmurs were louder now, and carried a tinge of anger and frustration.
"I heard it was Dragon Riders that did this!" came one's voice.
"After everything we did for them, they set fire to our homes!?" cried another.
"But they helped us. Maybe not all of them a–" an old man began, only to be cut off.
"THEY'VE TURNED ON US!" shouted a middle-aged woman.
"THEY'RE ALL MONSTERS!" screamed another; a young man yelled.
The crowd erupted into shouts and accusations.

[Danatales]

Trezarex stayed in the shadows of the cliffs and ocean for a good while, Stella keenly looking about to ensure no goody two-shoes riders had spied them and given chase. Finally, the large teal dragon had drifted back skywards, spiraling in the air and landing back on solid ground, amidst a thicket of trees. Her rider looked up at the sky, found the billowing smoke that had once flooded the air was no barely visible at all.
"They...they were putting out the fires, weren't they?" Stella huffed to herself, fists balling from her spot on her dragon's back. Trezarex craned her long neck up to the sky, took a deep breath, smelled the lack of smoke in the air. She huffed.
Seems like it, She replied, Maybe they used seawater? I suppose they had plenty of supply.
Of course that's probably what they did! We should have noticed them when we were down there! Stella thought back, staring furiously ahead at nothing, mental gears turning, We need to do something else now, since our fires were so kindly put out.
Trezarex looked down at her, Do you think so? We could just as well hang back here, wait for the other Riders to leave, attack then...
No, Stella gritted her teeth, We have to give them a bang, something to further our influences Especially now....if people have been driven from their homes and are right outside just waiting to be blown away! She began to grin slow, teeth still clenched tight. An idea was formulating.
What do you suggest?
The trees. We'll set them alight, any ones we can find near the village we can hit. It'll cause a frenzy, and we can duck out without being seen. Mm?
...It might just work. Hang on.
With a snort Treza took off, shooting through the forest carefully as they headed back to the village. Within a short stretch of time they could spy the glowing embers of destroyed buildings some ways away, crowds of people standing around after their homes were unfortunately displaced. Stella looked at the large trees she could spy, including the ones they had hidden behind.
Now. Do it now! She thought fiercely to her dragon. Trezarex snorted, opened her jaws and took in a mighty inhale. A moment later she launched her stream of flame, sending a massive tree nearby alight. Stella looked up and cackled as the dragon whirled and did it too much times, three trees lighting up with rapidly growing flames. Nudging Treza, Stella grinned. Now, we fly!
Let's see them react to this, the dragon replied, taking off and launching into the sky just above the treeline, sending up a blast of leaves. Sure, it was risky to attack again near so many Riders.
But that risk was what made it all the more fun.

[Awkward Squirtle]

The girl with the white dragon had stopped to wait for Kamren above the water. She looked like she wanted to talk. Hopefully not an attempt to make friends. Suddenly there was a flash in the corner of Kamren's eye.
The woods were burning.
Though it wasn't a large fire yet, with trees so densely packed it would spread fast. A dragon burst up from among the forest, its teal scales illuminated by the blaze below it.
"Still think they wouldn't choose the 'obvious place?' I told you there was someone there." he said, grinning smugly, before sending Leigarth shooting high into the sky. Now they had a far better position for the hunt. Chase her down Kamren told Leigarth, who was happy to oblige.

Naturally, he hadn't bothered waiting for the elf-girl.

[Wolstenholme]

The other rider came shooting up to her on his Dragon just as the woods burst into flames. Asael cursed in frustration. The Dragons had all been working hard enough to put out the flames on the town and now they had to douse the bushes as well. "Still think they wouldn't choose the 'obvious place?' I told you there was someone there." The other rider said, smiling as if to say I-told-you-so. Katya almost wanted to laugh, this was something she did to others a lot when she got things right and they didn't. Asael snorted at him loudly and the other rider flew off, without notifying Katya, to give chase to the teal Dragon who had emerged from the trees. Katya liked the other rider. She saw herself in him a tiny bit. Maybe that was why they didn't get along.
Asael instinctively flew down towards the water and waited for the next Dragon that emerged. She stopped them and yelled to the rider: "Some idiot had set the woods on fire too, get a couple of Dragons to douse those flames quickly otherwise we're in deep trouble."
Asael shot back up the cliff face to see the other rider and his Dragon far in front. The teal Dragon was bigger than his own and Katya assumed that if he were to fight it he would need a little back-up.
You really want to follow that numbskull? Asael said to her.
I have a feeling he wants us to play to his tune now. She replied.
Asael began to beat his wings tremendously in order to catch up with the rider.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Osette had been sat in the mouth of the cave for quite a while when the trees set on fire. Well done. She thought, give away everyone's position so that the 'good' riders can find us. She rolled her eyes as she saw a teal Dragon take to the sky and then two others follow it at a distance, one of which was that white Dragon with the stupid elf rider. Not her again. Fyrn groaned. He left the cage and Oz climbed on to his back. He took off after the other Dragons just for something to do, he also wanted to give that white Dragon and it's elf rider their comeuppance. They were tantalizingly annoying and Fyrn wanted to fry them.

[SirBlaziken]

Lux looked up, the woods were ablaze. "Damn."

Myrsky, reload
Got it.

Lux walked over to a seaside cliff and jumped, plummeted 5 feet onto Myrsky. They rode off to put out the fire and Lux spotted the teal dragon flying off. "That fool! She shouldn't have done that to get away." he whispered under his breath. "SOMEONE FLAG HER DOWN!" yelled Lux as Myrsky put out the small fire with the seawater.

Shall we give chase?
Wait, there's someone else.

Lux looks to see Oz take off after the other 3.

Let's go.

[The Macintosh Ninja: SOH CAH TOA]

Another fire, this time the attacker was close. Trees set ablaze; they were closer together than houses, but given the weather wasn't very dry they would take a bit longer to burn as the fire had to dry them out first.
"Another attack!" shouted one of the townspeople.
"They're trying to kill us all!" came a shout. The citizens were growing angry.
Grigori looked up in time to see a flash of teal in the sky and the outline of some flying creature. He pressed a finger to his temple.
"Xel'lotath, evac has gone well but the trees are on fire now. Help the others with extinguishing them. Look out for a teal dragon. Do not engage, just confirm if you see it.". He spoke to her through their link. But she didn't respond as quickly as he expected. The sound of water crashing down made Grigori turn.
"Evac was getting boring. I wanted to help. Good timing, huh?" the emerald dragon replied with what would be a smile had she been human. The fire was still young and Xel'lotath's attack was effective in extinguishing a good deal of it. They'd still need backup.

"There's one now! I saw him jump off his dragon!" yelled one of the citizens, throwing a stone at Grigori. The rock hit him, but his armor absorbed the impact. The crowd was restless and beginning to mob. Grigori turned back to them and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath and began speaking.
"I apologize for the actions of my former comrades. Don't think for a moment that those of us loyal to the Dragon Riders would ever attack you fine people. This city is absolutely vital to the roots of the Dragon Riders, and to the health and prosperity of the land. But don't forget that you, yourselves, are no less valuable a resource to the land. I hold your work -and yourselves- to the highest regard. Those who attacked today are the enemy we seek. They are the 'Foresworn', Riders who seek to destroy that which made them. We are your allies. We will protect you from the threat of war."
His voice was strong and crisp, like a seasoned orator's. The townspeople listened as if enchanted, but this wasn't trickery or deception. Grigori spoke to their hearts and their wills, bringing to surface the small thought that the Dragon Riders were framed in this attack and it was the work of a rogue group. The once mob quieted down as the townspeople began speaking with softer tones. Some even shouted their thanks.

[Danatales]

Trezarez tilted her head back as bit as she zoomed over the trees, claws grazing through sticks and leaves. We're being followed, she remarked, looking back to focus on her flight, There's two of them.
Of course we're being followed! We couldn't have struck any closer if we'd lit them on fire! Stella replied, grinning a bit wildly. She looked back, spied the dark red dragon cutting through the air after them, an icy white dragon not far behind. She cackled, holding on tight to Trezarex, "Let the games begin then, mm?"
Clutching he dragon's back she let out another wild laugh. This was it, the nefarious havoc she had yearned to wreak. Lighting fires had been one thing. Lighting them before an audience, an angered audience who could put up a fight, that was quite another.
I'm heading for the cliffs, Trezarex rumbled suddenly, turning sharply on the wind and flapping downward as the seaside cliffs appeared on the horizon, We'll both be in our element there.
Right, Stella thought back, glancing every few seconds to get a look at her adversaries. She wasn't worried. there were two chasing after her, but the red dragon looked downright petite compared to Treza's large, lithe form, and she could bet neither of her hunters had much experience being face to face with a Forsworn or any real antagonistic being.
She licked her lips and whistled as her dragon dove down for the cliffs, tucking wings in a bit.
Hopefully by now her flaming trees had done some damage too. That'd be icing on the cake.

[Awkward Squirtle]

Leigarth banked steeply as the teal dragon they were now pursuing veered off towards the water. Kamren gripped the great crimson beast's neck tightly with his legs, drawing his bow as he did.
"Trying to get away, are we?" he muttered to himself. "Let's see about that." With his excellent vision, he could see the rider clearly. She had pale brown skin with brown hair, was clothed in black armour covered in slashes of teal, and kept looking over her shoulder at them.
Let's give them something to think about he told Leigarth silently, Aim a fireball to their right, close enough to scare them off.
As his dragon obliged, Kamren readied an arrow in a flash, and pausing momentarily to aim, fired where he judged the rider would move to on her left.

[SirBlaziken]

Lux was flying towards Oz, then he saw the teal dragon.

Let's try and cut her off.
Sounds like fun. Let's mess with their minds more.

Myrsky sped up and veered left, then Lux saw someone aiming an arrow. An archer. The archer was trying to aim at the teal dragon. Said dragon and Mursky veered towards the cliffs. Suddenly, Lux's dragon screeched.

Camouflage at night has its disadvantages.
Hey! You weren't just shot with an arrow!

Lux whispered a curse under his breath. "Hey! A little more to the right please!" he finally said.

I think we have to back out.
Nonsense! I'm fine
If you're sure.
Like one puny arrow can bring me down.

[Danatales]

"Something feels warm.." Stella mumbled quietly as Trezarex headed for the cliffs. Seeing something light up her vision on the right, she glanced back, only to find one of the dragons had the nerve to launch a fireball at her! "Whoa!"
Hang on! Trezarex roared in her mind, clamping wings together tight and spiraling down towards the left to avoid being struck. At that moment both dragon and rider heard a screech, and collectively turned their head towards the noise.
There, after a brief moment, they saw it, the distinct solid outline of a dragon, one as dark midnight blue s the night around them. Almost invisible, and Stella was certain if they had been further away they wouldn't have even spotted it.
Is that..?
Another dragon. One of our comrades, I think. Treza sounded out of breath, focusing on glancing around to ensure no other fireballs were coming. She hadn't quite stopped flying, but the appearance of this midnight blue dragon had caught her off guard, and she was attempting to reconfigure her flight path down to the ocean.
Oh, yes, right. Stella remembered there was another Forsworn with such a colored-dragon. Squinting, she thought she could see him on the dragon's back, presumably lured over by her tree-firing as well. Well, if he was going to take arrows for her, he was at least welcome. You think he wants something?
Well, if he does, he can wait until we hit the water, Trezarex growled, still descending, now past the cliffs and aiming for the ocean below. The dragon was a bit shaken, from being hit almost both by fireball and arrow, and at this point just wanted to be out of the line of fire, one way or another.
Stella sensed her dragon's apprehension, and sighed out a little, petting her smooth scales. She looked back up at her pursuers, and licked her lips.

[Wolstenholme]

Osette followed the scuffle up front with her eyes, a blue Dragon that had joined the hunt had darted forward ridiculously and been hit by an arrow from one of the two loyal riders. Oz knew that the blue Dragon and his rider were forsworn because she had seen him before.
The teal Dragon up front seemed shaken and Oz thought it was time to intervene.Pull up next to the girl with the white Dragon, put some fire in their path, make them turn back. Then, we'll join the others and sort out the red Dragon. The elf can wait for her turn. Oz spat the last sentence a little, she was annoyed that the only truly viable path of action involved letting the white Dragon slip away.
Obediently, Fyrn sped up so that he was level with the white Dragon who dwarfed his olive coloured figure in the dark night. The elf girl gave a look of recognition and Oz sneered. Do it now. She calmly spoke to Fyrn. He turned his head and roared fire into the path of the white Dragon and then darted off toward their 'comrades.'
___________________________________________________________________

Asael was gliding along through the night swiftly, conserving some of his speed for emergencies. If something happened, which it inevitably would, Asael would have to able to move quicker than he already was. His flying, speed and control of pace were his top qualities.
While they were gaining on the two Dragons in front, Katya took time to whirl her head around to look behind her. She had thought she heard more Dragons behind her and she was right. There were two of them, one the Olive Dragon she had seen before and another a midnight blue Dragon who she had seen dousing the flames. She told Asael what she had seen: one loyal rider and one forsworn rider. He snorted and was about to reply when the loyal rider darted out towards the teal Dragon at a speed that almost matched Asael's top speed. Then, he was hit by her friend with the red Dragon's arrow. Friendly fire she thought. It was a shame really. Asael slowed down a bit so that the two could watch the scene play out further. The teal Dragon, understandably didn't stop although she seemed shakes by the fireball that was hurled at her next. Katya was about to dart to the aid of the blue dragon when the olive Dragon levelled it's head just in front of Asael and it's rider sneered at her. Then the Dragon bellowed fire into Asael's face and he instinctively threw a defensive flight shape which forced them to turn back. Unfortunately, Asael hadn't been able to avoid going through the fire and his whole head had passed through it, granting him burns. Asael! Katya moaned in a worried and sympathetic way. The fire had shaken her but Asael knew where he was going. The cove that he had washed himself in earlier. He needed water on those wounds. When he landed Katya slid down his leg and to his burnt face. In places the white scaled had been completely infiltrated leaving pinky flesh underneath. Without speaking she lowered his head under the water, his eyes closed. Katya cupped water onto the severest of the wounds and then decided that magic was the better course of action. She placed one hand on the bridge of his snout and one on the gem in her sword, Scaro. She spoke the words for the healing spell under her breath. Gently. Slowly the wounds began to close. When she had done the best she could, she and Asael simultaneously opened their eyes. Some his scales looked slightly singed but that would wash out. Asael told her he felt no more pain and he curled his neck around her lovingly. She embraced as much of him as she could. They both knew that they were not going back to that fight.