Lemon Cake

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] The soft sound of lapping waves accompanied the few figures scurrying along the boards of the wharf. The water was slightly dingy and today the sky was joining it in its green color. On a day like today one would think that a few ships would be rushing to port but the horizon stayed flat. The imminence of a storm was causing the dock hands to rush about, hurriedly securing all ropes and buoys. Every now and then a new worker would come running out of the dock headquarters, a large building about fifty feet from the shore. Kendryek leaned against the rough plaster walls as he watched everyone. His eyebrows were knit together in concern. A woman ran from a nearby house and grabbed a small dog before rushing back inside to her children. He turned from the sea and headed towards a cafe situated conspicuously close to the docks. As he reached the door a strong gust of wind blew down the streets and caused his brown coat to blow back so that he was exposed to the chilling air. Wrapping it more tightly around him than before, he pushed open the glass door and walked inside. Sitting at one of the small round tables near a window he stared at the sky. He’d seen much worse but it still unsettled him. Well, there was only one thing to do now; wait. Peeling off his coat, he looked around the well-heated room. He couldn’t say that the room was empty, there were at least five other customers, but it felt empty. Probably cause there weren’t really any friendly faces… The feeling of eyes staring at him caused him to turn and look at the door. A cat sat there, its green eyes slowly moving from one customer to the next. Its mouth opened in a silent meow, the glass stopping the sound. With a sigh he stood up and walked towards the door. The animal rushed inside the second the door was open. Kendryek smiled as he watched it run under a corner table. He shrugged at the glaring waitress and walked back to his table. A few minutes later she came over to his table and asked for his order and then promptly left. He couldn’t help but smile as she warmed up a small amount of milk and sat it on the table. He looked back at the sky and sighed. Now what?

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] Dark skies, rough winds, and a feeling of imminent doom being carried by the waves. Quite simply, the weather was beautiful. So why then did everyone run? They must not know true art when they see it. Weather like this - the calm before the storm and, even better, the storm itself - was to be cherished, not feared. The people here would certainly learn that soon enough. If he had his way, the entire island would be trapped in a perpetual storm. However, that was for another time. A time when he was feeling more inspired. Now, as Argus stood at the edge of the dock, he decided that now was the time to enjoy the weather while it lasted. It was like he had the entire outside all to himself too! He could do absolutely anything he wanted... Although, at the moment, all that he had thought to do was to walk all along the shore, humming a song that had nothing whatsoever to do with the current situation. Well, that was no good. He needed to do something more. Maybe something sick and twisted like decapitating a person and pouring all of their blood into the water... Or maybe going swimming. Yes! Swimming it is! Celebrate the delightful change in weather by swimming around the island!.. Or maybe just the docks. If only he swam half as well as he sang, though that wouldn't stop him from having a good time and defeating the stretch of land that held the docks that was suspiciously long even though he hadn't seen more than one boat here at a time. By the time he made it to the cafe, soaking wet, he wore a smile that betrayed his satisfaction at his accomplishments. The island was next. Then the world. As soon as he had entered the building, he pulled off his wet and uncomfortable itchy shirt and tossed it carelessly in a corner, returning whatever glares he received with a cheerful smile. He hadn't even bothered with shoes that morning, and so he was fully aware that he brazenly disregarding that whole "no shirt, no shoes, no service" rule. That was just fine with him, though. He wasn't here for whatever service they offered. He was here for the conversation. His life could get pretty lonely pretty quickly. Unfortunately for him, the people who were here already looked pretty boring. Except for that one... Looking out at the sky. Why, it must be enjoying the lovely weather! Why else would it be staring and sighing like that? Argus strode up to the table and took a seat directly across from the mortal-with-good-taste-in-weather. For awhile after he had sat down, he didn't say anything, but only smiled at the mortal. Then, he too turned his attention toward the sky. "Beautiful, isn't it? A scene like this really makes a guy think..." Another pause, followed by a gesture toward the darkening sky and the proud statement: "I did that, ya know. Yes, hold your applause; I know I do good work." Having established his place in the power hierarchy, he said no more for the time being. Instead, he only picked up a fork from the table and leaned back, chewing on the tines and looking out the window again. Freakin' beautiful.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] After a few minutes sitting alone in the café he noticed the cat walking over to him. It shook the last of the milk off the tips of its whiskers and then looked at him with its big green eyes. He smiled at it and chuckled as it sniffed his dangling hand. The smile lingered as he turned to the sky again. It was a shame he had to come inside. He rather liked this kind of cold, though he tended to wear a jacket so that any mortals wouldn't become suspicious. Unlike many creatures, Kendryek was careful of who found out what he was. He had found that most if not all of the people here in Aravis weren't simple oblivious persons, but this was only more a reason to conceal his nature. The door to the café opened, a bell at the top ringing, and a cold gust of wind blew in. Most of the customers shifted and pulled their coats tighter. Even the cat seemed to cringe at the cold. The new customer, though, seemed very nonchalant and apathetic towards the cold. In fact, he was soaking wet, shoeless, now shirtless, and not shivering. Definitely not a human. The creature, whatever he was, received the same welcome Kendryek had gotten: a thousand glares penetrating his back. That too didn’t seem to bother him seeing as he was smiling back at them. Whoever he was he seemed to have a good personality. Kendryek looked at the creature as he headed towards his table. A sudden hiss caused Kendryek to flinch and quickly recoil his hand from the cat. He watched as it ran off to the same corner table before looking back at the man now sitting adjacent to him. Probably a dog… Heaving a sigh he stood and walked over to where the cat was. It took a second but it soon let him pick it up. It was tempting to drag it back to the table but he instead walked behind the counter, opened the door to the back room, and dropped the cat on the other side. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about the poor thing. That waitress from before would watch after it. Speaking of the girl, she walked out of the same door, carrying his order, just in time to see him sitting back down by the soaking dog. She let out an annoyed sight and proceeded to his table. ”Your hot chocolate and lemon cake,” she said as she forced a smile. The shirtless man across from him was definitely unsettling her. She wanted to say something but in this weather she didn’t dare tell him to leave. Kendryek smiled at her as he picked up the paper cup. “Thank you,” he told her just as she turned to leave. He sipped the hot chocolate as he gestured towards the cake. ”You can have some,” he told the man. It wasn’t likely that any of the waitresses would be bold enough to offer him anything. There were no exceptions to company rules, even in these situations. Slowly nodding, he contemplated what the man had just said. The sky did have an awesome beauty of its own, as did every other aspect of the weather right now. He chuckled at the claim the man made on who was responsible for everyone’s worry. He seemed happy about it, which probably wasn’t too far from the truth. It seemed normal, though, that he would be proud of making such a storm. It was a good hour away from hitting the shore but it was still a quite awesome sight. “You do have good work.” He sat quiet for a few seconds before adding, ”And such work should not be there for no one to enjoy! Care to walk the dock with me?” Standing, he dug out a few dollars and dropped them on the table. ”You coming?”

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] Though he continued to glance out the window, he also took this as an opportunity to steal glances at the person who had invited him to sit with them. Okay, not so much "invited" as "tolerated how he had invited himself to sit down" which was really just as good as an invitation. Unfortunately, mortals also had this problem with being stared at. It was considered "rude" or "creepy" or something ridiculous like that. Normally, he would be content to ignore such a social norm, but he was trying to make a good impression here. Luckily for him, he was able to get a good, long look at his new friend as they got up to tend to that poor, frightened cat. He smiled all the while as the mortal returned to its seat and as the server set its order in front of it before leaving without a word to him, as usual. Well that was just fine. After all, he had his fork and he had already spread apart the tines, and had just begun to use them like a pick ax, digging into the flesh of his gums surrounding one particular tooth. When it offered some of its food to him, he nodded politely, but made no other movements. "You are too kind." Continuing to chew on his fork, he broke off the tines one by one before dropping what was left of the fork on the ground. Picking up another fork from the table, he pulled the plate toward himself. He wasn't one to pass up sweets, even if it was for the sake of being polite. Besides, it was cake mixed with blood. It didn't get much better than that. "They don't like me much around here. No idea why," He mused, sounding awfully dejected about the subject, "I like to think I'm a likable guy." The seeming depression only lasted for a few seconds, however, as she then proceeded to compliment him on his fine work. Everyone needed their ego stroked once in awhile. He was no different. So he leaned back again, reveling in his accomplishment just as another word caught his attention. "Walk?" He was on his feet before she could finish her sentence. It didn't matter, really. She could have said that she wanted to walk around a lamp post and he'd have gone happily. Oh, but this was better than a lamp post. It seemed as though she wanted more of this lovely weather. Of his lovely weather. At last someone finally appreciated such fine work. He appreciated it too, of course. Very dearly. "I would love to walk with you." As tempting as it was to release his skin and bolt outside, common courtesy forced him to remain human formed and walk with a more modest pace. It would be terribly rude, after all, to race off without her. Ooh, maybe she enjoyed playing fetch too.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] Even when the dog-like creature accepted his offer of food and did not take the cake Kendryek did not move to eat it. Sweetened Lemon was quite tasty, but in the advent of a visitor, a new friend as it were, food meant little if the other person wanted it. It helped immensely that eating while a cold and wet guest sat watching was extremely rude. Ah, but rude did not seem to register with this man. He had definitely been watching Kendryek closely and he hadn’t failed to notice the slight interest portrayed in the eyes of this stranger. No matter where he went he always seemed to catch someone’s attention. Originally he had blamed it on his being Oriental, but lately he got the feeling it was his personality… He chuckled to himself as he watched the creature across from him eat. What exactly had piqued his interest? Why had he decided to sit across from him, of all the people in the store? A crashing realization hit him as he saw his reflection in the window from the corner of his eye. Oh, God forbid that that be the reason this visitor was here!! His small smile had not wavered but the look in his eyes had grown slightly worried. If that was the case… he didn’t want to think of the ramifications of such an assumption… He’d had it happen before but he was never used to the idea of people mistaking him for a girl. He responded unconsciously to the man’s sorrowful words, “You’re likeable, I think.” He suppressed a wince as he hoped the man didn’t take that to heart. He hadn’t really meant it, just petty conversation, a reaction to ignored and unimportant words. Hmm… he’d have to watch himself more. It seemed slightly uncharacteristic of him to ignore someone and then actually respond to them. The speed at which the man perked up at the mention of walking caused Kendryek to smile. Definitely a dog. Picking up his brown bag he walked to the door, nodding to the waitress as he went. He swung the door open and walked out, holding it briefly for the dog. Out on the street he walked back toward the docks where he was sure the men were now inside. He could almost see himself walked toward the store as he retraced his steps. After a few seconds of ignoring his new friend’s eagerness to be outside, he turned and looked at him. ”Would you like to run with me?” Kendryek wasn’t sure how fast this guy was but he sure couldn’t be slow, and while he himself wasn’t extremely fast on foot he could fly relatively close to the ground and he could fly fast. With that thought he turned into his true form, about the size of a komodo dragon. He supposed he would look rather odd being this small and looking so old at the same time, but it couldn’t be helped. He was this old and he could be this small. It couldn’t have mattered too much to the dog, though, because appearances seemed to not disturb him, as they shouldn’t. In this world too many creatures could be in too many different forms to allow one’s self to be disturbed or surprised by any of it.

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] He liked his new friend, though he didn't exactly know why. Maybe it was because she could appreciate a good storm, or because she enjoyed going on walks as well. Or maybe it was because she thought that he was likable too. Finally! Someone understood him! Now he didn't have to go and hide in an unused shed out in the forest where he could cry his eyes out and cut himself. Ah, it felt good to be accepted. Once they were outside, he inhaled the fresh air hungrily, as if it had been months since he'd been outside when, in actuality, it had only been a matter of minutes. Still, it was the outside! The outside was awesome! Air was awesome! Weather was awesome! Each... Individual blade of grass was awesome! So then of course the outside as a whole would be awesome as well! "I love it," He tilted his head skyward, extending his arms to the sides as he turned slowly in a small circle, "This is wonderful. I love it out here." Turning back to his new friend, he trotted over to her just as another of her favorite words caught his attention. "Run?" He almost missed his friends transformation into a giant lizard as he himself changed forms, dropping to the ground as a scraggly, black dog, barely more than 2 and a half feet tall. Out of courtesy, he declined to look her in the eyes so that she wouldn't be unnecessarily frightened. Instead, he loped around her, displaying his enthusiasm with actions rather than words. Still, words were kinda nice. "Run... Running is fun. Hey, let's make it a game." He stopped dead in his tracks, looking down past the many piers. "You seem to be a pretty smart person. The type to really value their knowledge. Well, I'm a pretty knowledgeable guy. I know everything there is to know about this island and those who created and protect it. Stuff that you may find interesting to learn. Of course, my knowledge extends far beyond that. Just about anything you could ever hope to know, I can tell you. So what I propose is this," He nodded toward the piers, "Whoever makes it to the other side of the docks first, gets to ask the other a question. Any question. And we will be obligated to answer. Deal?" Smiling as well as a dog could smile, he turned toward her, though he looked at her feet, rather than her eyes. He hoped she found the game to be as much fun as he did, and the prize would be well worth it. After all, who wouldn't want to learn some things from a god? That was only if she managed to win, of course, and he considered himself to be pretty fast. He ran faster than he swam at least.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] Kendryek laughed at Argus as he spun in a slow circle. He rather liked this creature. He had a love for nature that was rarely seen in this “modern” time. It was refreshing, in the least. Turning his face toward the sky he smiled. Oh, how great it would be to fly up there in that grey sky before those green clouds hit the shore. Of course, he’d have to be much larger than he was now to be able to do that. No small creature in its right mind would dare to soar that high. There would be way too much too much headwind. Even larger creatures like Kendryek had trouble, mainly because their wings caught more wind. On the up side, they were stronger so the wind didn’t see as harsh. Looking back down at Argus, his eyebrows raised. A game? It had been a very long time since he’d played a game. Though he supposed it was only natural for two people running to turn it into a game. Oh, but this game was different, was it? This was a game and the prize was knowledge? That was new. Most games tested one’s knowledge. And if he won, he knew just what he’d ask. Hopefully this dog knew as much as he claimed. If not… ah well, it’s just a race. And before he could ask the question he had to win. ”That sounds like fun.” His wings flashed up as he said, ”Ready? Get set! Go!” The second the word go rolled off his tongue his powerful legs shot him into the air and his wings pumped downwards, pushing him higher. He wasn’t going to fly too high, of course. That would be going against his own advice, not to mention common sense. The air was unusually heavy. At normal speed one would barely notice but when being suspended in the air and trying to fly it was very noticeable. This was because of the storm. The storm was approaching faster than before. It would be here sooner than he had thought. Was this because of Argus or was the storm simply picking up speed and power? Was his excitement fueling the storm because he had created it or was it simply the aftermath of his previous work? He supposed he could ask that if he won, but Argus would probably answer that anyway. He liked his storms too much to not talk about them whenever possible. No, he would ask something else: something that had been nagging away at the back of his mind since the destruction of the chimera’s academy.

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] When she agreed to his very fun game, he gave a short bark of excitement and ran in a circle for a little while, as if he were chasing his tail. Once his happiness was adequately expressed, he stood at the ready, prepared to bolt forward as soon as she gave the signal. This would be so much fun. Games were so much fun. And this game had a neat prize, so it was very important to do his best here. Even more fun was riding on the outcome of this race. As soon as the word “Go!” was uttered, his back legs propelled him forward and he sped off down past the docks. His short legs had to move quickly to maintain a good speed, though luckily there was no hope of him getting too tired or hurt to continue. On the contrary, getting hurt would have the opposite effect on him. So then perhaps he should have chewed at one of his paws before the race began. Or perhaps not. At about the halfway point, he looked about to locate where his lizard friend had gotten to. After a second or two, he found her, flying. She wasn't flying very high, probably due to the effects of that storm... Of his storm. Still, she was flying, and it was fun to watch her fly. Flying was one thing that he, despite all his awesomeness, was unable to do without help. Someone had neglected to give any of his forms wings, and he was still kind of bitter about that, but now wasn't the time to dwell on anything. Now was the time to focus on the path in front of him to make sure he didn't trip... Oh wait. Too late. He yelped in surprise as he stumbled slightly, though he quickly recovered, just in time to see that he was approaching the finish line and in time to see the lizard land just past the line before he did. He slowed down and trotted around her, sitting on the ground as he panted heavily despite his lack of fatigue. ”Nice job. You won.” Well that was something he never got to say too often. This dragon was special, though. He knew that from the moment he first laid eyes on it. Well, maybe he didn't know it right then, but as soon as he heard it speak, he definitely knew it. He expected the dragon to accomplish some great things, and he would be more than happy to aid it in his quest. It seemed as if both of their quests were destined to intertwine anyway. ”Too bad. I had an important question to ask,” A lie, but what else was new, ”But I am a man of my word. Your question?”

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] His feet hit the ground and he looked back just as his new friend crossed the finish line. He smiled, the exhilaration of flying making him more excited than he usually was. So he had won! He had figured he might since he could fly, though he was very satisfied that he hadn’t won by much! The dog was fast, to be sure! He had kept up with a flying dragon, after all. Maybe he was special, this dog. Maybe he did know quite a bit, though he wasn’t sure what he would want to know… Well, that would be a nice little tidbit to know sometime… could become useful. Yes, he’d ask that. ”You did pretty good! Not many people can keep up with something that flies!” He looked up at the sky once more, just to check how close the storm was. Oh, good, it wasn’t too very close! Maybe he’d take a spin after he’d asked his question! It sure would be refreshing! He hadn’t flown in a storm, really flown, in a very long while!! Oh, those dark clouds would be thick, almost like flying through water! Oh, he loved to fly, and he’d been doing more of that since he mastered his sizes, but it was always nice to be able to let go and freely fly, not worrying about who he was going to hit or who was going to see him. After all, right now everyone was inside. No one would see him, and if they did they would think he was lightning. ”My question… hm… Well,” he stopped. A bright idea hit him and his smile widened. ”Here, I have an idea. I would like to treat you to something, and afterward I will ask my question. You see, this is a marvelous storm, and it would be a shame to not enjoy it thoroughly. I was going to take a little trip up there later, after we were done, but I think I would like it if you would come along.” He didn’t very often offer for newly-made friends to ride on his back. The last time he had, however, it had turned out quite badly… though Le Cyll couldn’t be really counted as a normal case. He still had some unfinished business with that kludde… Anyway! Now he would focus on the flight to come. Le Cyll would come later… For now, the clouds!

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] He lifted his paw so that he was able to lick along the bottom as he waited for the question. There was no need to worry about not knowing the answer, of course. Whatever the lizard wanted to know, she'd get an answer. That made him smile as he began gnawing on his paw, drawing a bit of blood, much to his delight. "You flatter me, my friend," He said with his mouth still full. The lizard was a dragon, after all, and she was correct in saying that it was difficult to beat something that could fly. This dragon seemed to be quite old too. It only made sense that he should lose then. It wasn't as if he was some amazing god with a plethora of incredible powers at his disposal and stats like strength and agility that would trump most mortals... Oh wait. Looking over at the dragon, he listened as she gave him a proposal rather than a question. An exciting proposal, one that made him jump to his feet and run circles around the dragon, though right now he was more limping than running. He could already feel his paw begin to heal though, and by the time he stopped at her side, the wound had completely closed. "You would let me ride you?" He let the words roll of his tongue, forgoing the desire to make a joke out of that statement. He made a little, excited jump into the air, unable to display his enthusiasm properly with words alone. "I love to fly. And as you can see, I am unable to do it often." In the past, he would have to catch a flying creature off guard and force it to give him a ride whenever he wanted to. It was rare when someone actually offered to give him a ride, and who was he to decline such an offer? Especially since - as she said - it would give them a better opportunity to enjoy his marvelous storm.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] If he could have, Kendryek would have frowned as the dog limped around him. He had hurt himself? Before he could question it much more, though, the limping stopped. He was probably a fast healer. Kendryek couldn’t even express how much he wished he had that ability. Just like most others, he was a slow healer, comparatively. Lucky guy… being able to get into a scuff and be fine the next day. But, then again, fights weren’t all that great anyway and best to be avoided. Still… ”Yes, I would let you ride me. I do believe I like you enough to give you that pleasure. And as I said, it is your storm.” Unfolding his wings, he laid them down onto the boards, nodding for the dog to go ahead and get on. The faster they were up in the clouds the better! The storm was still moving faster than it had been before and the only reason he was going up still was because once he was in the air he could always fly above the clouds. That was, if the dog hadn’t made the storm so big it went through most of the breathable atmosphere… With the dog on his back, he crouched and then launched into the air. The extra weight made it harder to gain height, but after a little bit they were a decent ways up and even further out to sea. After a quick look around (very quick to not lose balance with the dog on his back), he decided he was high enough. His tail might tip the waves but that would be of little consequence. As soon as he was changed, getting to the clouds wouldn’t be a problem. Alright! Hold on tight to something, anything! Try not to fall! With that warning, he transformed into his next largest form, his truest form. His gigantic wings pumped the air and they both shot shy-ward. With what was now very little extra weight, he didn’t have to strive to reach the clouds. A few powerful strokes of his wings and they were both into the clouds. There wasn’t any rain. Yet.

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] With a small, excited yelp, he had jumped on her back before she had completely lowered her wings. He didn't want to waste any time. How often did he have the opportunity to fly, much less enjoy his oh, so lovely storm from such an angle. He should make more winged friends. Or at least not be so quick to **** them off. He crouched down close to the lizard, grasping her scales tightly as they took flight, wincing as the pressure being place on him forced him almost flat against her. That was one of the problems with having such a small form; he was a pushover. Literally. As soon as he was able to stand up straight again, he moved up her back, still clutching her scales, just as she changed her form to that of an even bigger lizard. She was starting to look even more like a dragon now, and he didn't mind one bit. He liked dragons very much, and he was ecstatic about actually being able to ride on one. Feeling the wind rushing past them, he let his tongue loll out of his mouth in typical dog fashion. He had very quickly forgotten why they were in the air in the first place. Something about admiring something or other. Yeah... yeah something like that, but now he was far too distracted by the actual act of flying to- oh, maybe it was the dragon that he had meant to admire. Yes, that must have been it. Moving to lay down upon her, he let his head rest upon the great lizard's shoulder, looking at the sky around them. ”A scene like this really makes a guy think, ya know?” He was hit with a sudden sense of déjà vu that he promptly shrugged off as he nuzzled up closer to the dragon. With a sigh, he dipped one paw down into the sea of clouds, making patterns that, of course, no one could see, but he knew they were there, and that was good enough. It was a most poetic scene, and it made him feel more than a little romantic. ”So, so much, but no one to share it with,” he muttered dreamily, ”Oh, but I'm sure you have someone, don't you?” Probably not, really. Otherwise she wouldn't have been out on the docks all by herself. Oh, yes. She was all alone and he had just happened to find her. It was like fate. That is, if he was actually one to believe in fate. If anything, he shaped other people's fates.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] With nary a sound they shot up above the small layer of clouds. It was peaceful but he could see the clouds to come that stretched much higher than he was now. He had been lucky to find a place where he could break out of the clouds. Or should he say experience? Whether it was one, the other, or both did not matter much now, though. It was far too beautiful to worry about anything. He flew along the top of the clouds, half in half out. Looking back at the trail he had left, he smiled to himself (he couldn’t actually smile in this form). He also noticed the dog’s own drawings. It was amusing to see the mixture, a dragon’s wings and a dog’s dragging paw, in the white clouds. He kind of nodded at the dog’s words. Again, he couldn’t really nod in this for while flying. Otherwise, they would go up and down quite rapidly. It was sort of like sticking one’s hand out of a car window. If you angled your hand up your whole arm would move up. If you angled your hand down your whole arm would go down. Then the dog’s question ruined the beautiful moment. He immediately thought of Aisha. She had been his mate for three years before she had been killed. They had never had children. If they had he probably wouldn’t be here, he would be with them. I did, a long time ago. His thoughts were drawn to the first time they had flown together. They had met the day before and he had come to her asking if she wanted to fly around the mountain. It had been a cloudy day and the very top of the mountain just barely peaked out of the clouds. She was murdered, along with my child. He could still feel the blood running down his claws and dripping from his teeth as he shredded those men apart, the bloodied snow slowly mixing with the dirt below as more men tried to avenge their comrades. It had not been the first time he killed, nor was it the last, but it was the only time he had killed that many out of pure rage. Even worse, it hadn’t helped the pain at all. What about you? Have you have anyone?

[Iƪƪia]

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[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] Yawning, he stretched out on his side, eyes closed, his head right beside the dragon's. His tail was lazily swaying from side to side as he watched all the clouds roll by beneath them. He envied the creatures that could fly and still wished that he could have been created with wings. Unfortunately, other people had other ideas for him. What's more, as he would find out, you couldn't just tie a few wings that you had "found" to your back and magically gain the ability to fly. Although it should work that way. As the dragon responded to him, he opened his eyes and offered a sort of sideways glance. Naturally, he still avoided the eyes. While having eyes that could inspire an unheard of terror was fun indeed, something told him that it would be unwise to use those powers mid-flight. Not to mention terribly rude. It was such a beautiful day. He didn't want to ruin it. Unfortunately, the dragon ruined it for him. He winced at the mention of murder and sidled back along the dragon's back. She certainly knew how to ruin the mood. He was making perfectly nice conversation, but then she had to turn it to the murder of her... wife? and child? Well, there was magic in this world. Unless... she was a man. Which, now that he thought about it, made a world of sense. Still, his perception of her remained unchanged. He also opted to continue to use the feminine pronouns for the heck of it. When the dragon turned the question back on him, he had to think back. Back to the time before he had been chained down. Well... before the most recent time he had been chained down. He'd been imprisoned more times than he could remember, which was well and good, since he didn't particularly care to remember any of them. "Yeah, sure. I've been married plenty of times." He could easily remember every one of them too. It wasn't as if he would get married purely out of boredom or some similar reason. Sure, sometimes it may have started out like that, but he would always end up completely devoted. To some more so than others, but that was to be expected. Some of them were... special. "It always ends the same way though." He shrugged as best as a dog could. As much as he enjoyed his life, there were certain pitfalls that came with being a god. "She dies." Curse his immortality. No, he wouldn't trade it for anything, and he never was the type to whine about how everyone he met and every friend or wife he had would die, but he always had his moments when he would actually end up wishing he'd had more time with someone who was now long gone. Of course, those moments were few and far between. This was probably why the other gods would pair up with other gods, but mortals were a great deal more interesting despite their much shorter lives.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

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[atrb=background,http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/Orenji_Hana/Deviancy/Kendryek_Back.png] Kendryek laughed at the bluntness of the dog’s words. Yes, they always died. Kendryek knew that, and because of that he had never remarried. It wasn’t that he never liked anyone else. He had definitely found a few creatures that he would have taken as a bride, and some of them he almost had. But in the end, he still only loved Aisha. No matter who he dated, no one would take her place in his heart. The rest were simply very good friends. Of course, he could live with good friends, and even have children with good friends, but he still hadn’t. Probably because of the commitment it would be. Not that he was scared of commitment, like so many other men. Instead, he didn’t like the idea of having someone to come home to, especially children. It would be loud, and he would have to watch them, and feed them, and then he would have to be affectionate towards whoever he was married to and it all sounded very unappealing. Children were a blessing, sure, and he had considered adopting, (he still considered it every now and then) but it had never worked out. Yes, I suppose they do. As he flew out over the water, towards the center of the storm, he noticed that the wind was picking up rapidly. Hm… he needed to get farther up. Then, maybe they would be able to fly until they reached the center. If that was so, they could fly down the funnel before shooting out and heading back to the mainland. I am going to fly a little higher. If you need oxygen, tell me. Taking a deep breath, he locked his air ways to preserve his own oxygen and pumped his wings a little faster, a little harder. He had no idea how high they were, just that the dog would die if he fell. He wasn’t certain, though. If the dog had made this storm like he claimed, he was probably pretty powerful. If that was the case, he might be able to catch himself, or at least make the wind slow his descent. Then again, if he was really that powerful, he shouldn’t fall off. There was no telling the dog’s experience in the sky, or in riding dragons, but he wasn’t an idiot, nor did he seem clumsy. Judging by the way he ran, he had amazing balance. These things combined should keep him safe. And if he did fall Kendryek could probably catch him with his claws.