Etoliea Uneam - New Beginnings

Vogor tried to let slumber take over him but he could feel so many creatures watching him from a distance. He could feel them all watching him either with fear or curiosity. He could hear the water creatures scurrying away to hide. Some of the younger creatures were poking him and playing on top of his body. He could hear some of them walk up to him and start chattering. All of it was annoying him. He came to the great lake in Uneam to find peaceful rest, not restless annoyance. He growled though his eyes were still closed. He opened his eyes, lifted his head high above the lake and he let his deep voice be heard by every creature present at the lake. "Can everyone, please...Just let me have some rest? I do not wish to hurt any one of you, nor do I wish to make you my lunch. Just leave me alone and I'll be gone in a few hours. Children, stay away, adults, stop giving me looks and mind your own business. If you haven't been paying attention to me at all, then good for you. Everyone else...Just leave me be," Vogor's voice was powerful and full of authority, yet soothing and calming. He looked around him before resting his head down on the Sande once again and letting his eyelids grow heavy. Under his breath in a whisper, he says, "have none of you seen a dragon before..."
 
Staring at the Sharokhta with its head held up, Reloros was not any less concerned after hearing its request. Reloros in particular was not a fan of the Firiost Sharokhta, since he's had a less-than-pleasant interaction with them in the past. Long story short, if he wasn't a healer he would be dead. He learned later that they mistook him for wild game amidst the blizzard that day, but that did little to abate his anger, and he was still skeptical about the truthfulness of that explanation. Entering the clearing, Reloros stared at the dragon laying in the sand with cold eyes. "Firiost." He said, hostility evident in his voice.
 
Malini cocked her head, confused. It seemed that Reloros wasn't too happy with the dragon, or Firiost, as he called it. She called out to him "What's the big commotion? He's just sleeping!", hoping he'd give her reason for his sour mood and sudden departure. The icy man had been nice, and she wanted to have him as a friend. But the creature certainly meant no harm, he wasn't hunting like the large bird that had been here earlier. She stared at him with her large eyes, her slender body elegantly raised off the ground in an attempt to catch his attention.
 
Turning his head to the Selvi, Reloros' scowl lightened, but his voice retained its cold edge. "I have a bad history with his kind." He stated, trying to keep his growing rage in check. Returning his attention to the Sharokhta, Reloros awaited its response.
 
It seemed like Vogor's announcement had worked. He didn't feel uneasy anymore and the children quickly ran off to god-knows-where. No one was disturbing his rest and that was how he liked it. He let out a nice sigh, relieved to be able to finally have his rest.

Suddenly, he hears someone call him out by species. He lets out another growl and opens one eye to see the poor soul who dared to disturb him after what he just said aloud. It was a Ferran species, that he knew although he doesn't know who this one was in particular. Vogor didn't bother getting up, seeing as the man was barely the size of his tooth. Vogor noticed the odd-looking creature behind the Galorai but quickly gave it no attention. His open eye fell on the Galorai. "Do you wish to die, Galorai?" Vogor said calmly but strongly. Vogor's patience was slowly dissipating.
 
"Tch." Not the response Reloros was hoping for, but he expected this reception. Still, it was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress his anger. "It wouldn't be the first time your people tried to kill me." He said coldly, his hand hovering near his shortsword.
 
Glancing between the two the Selvi felt uneasy. She didn't want a fight to break out, and she didn't know how to diffuse the situation. Looking to see if the situation escalated, she kept herself away for fear of being caught in the crossfire. Still, she whispered quietly in hopes that they could hear, "Please, don't argue..."
 
Vogor sees the Galorai's shortsword and his hand that hovers above it. "Are you looking for a fight? Really?" Vogor opens both eyes and raises his head ever so slightly to challenge the man in front of him. "of all the creatures here today, you choose to pick a fight with a dragon?"

Vogor came here with no ill-intent whatsoever. He came to Uneam for a drink and some rest. Did he not make that clear enough before? Was this guy just looking to die? Vogor looks him straight in the eye and says, "just leave me alone," before resting his head once more and closing his eyes. Vogor hears someone say, "please don't argue," and Vogor only prays that the Galorai listens. Vogor doesn't plan on turning Uneam into a battlefield. This was his attmept to maintain his patience.
 
As the dragon turned away, Reloros' rage was replaced by surprise. Did it really just want peace? He had been sure it had some form of bad intention, but now he was questioning how righteously he had acted towards the Firiost.

Then, he heard the quiet plea, "please don't argue." Recognizing the voice of Malini, his heart shattered. Somehow, her gentleness struck him harder than anything the Sharokhta could have said. Letting his head droop a bit, he let out a sigh. With a bit of effort, he pushed out a word. "...Sorry."
 
Vogor hears the Galorai's voice puff out the word "sorry," and he puffs out a gust of cold air from his nostrils and gives out a small, low growl before adjusting himself for a more comfortable sleep. He really didn't understand the Galorai's hostility towards him. Did he know Vogor? What has Vogor done to him, even? Or could it be that the man had a grudge against the Firiost? He would love to ask the Galorai these questions himself but he just wants to sleep.

"That sorry had better be for me," he voices out before opening one of his eyes again to see the Galorai with his head down and looking kinda sad. This amused Vogor and he lets out a few chuckles before continuing his rest.
 
And now it's laughing at him. Great. Reloros looked back up to the dragon with an expression somewhere between apologetic and annoyed.

"Look, can we talk?" Reloros asked the Firiost. "I know you're trying to sleep, but I think there are a few questions that need answering on both sides."
 
A grin spread across the features of the Selvi, and Malini was feeling proud of herself. She moved off her rock, which was no longer swarming with the small fish thanks to the dragons, or Firiost, as RElores called it, warning. Assituating herself to be in a sunny spot, but close enough to her, she lowered herself into the water to listen in on the conversation in case she needed to intervene again, something she hoped wouldn't be necessary.
 
Vogor opens both eyes and adjusts the position of his head to properly face the Galorai. "Hm, yes. I do have questions of my own to ask you. Although, what is it that you might want to know about me? Also, let's try to make this quick, yes? I'd like to have my rest,"
 
"Sure." Reloros sat down before the Firiost. "Really, I only have one question. What brings you away from Ferra? I don't think I've ever heard of a Sharokhta leaving before." He paused for a second, then chuckled. "I suppose you'll ask the same of me."
 
"I wouldn't say that I left the place. I just came here for a drink and rest. Some things are happening back in Ferra that I don't want to get myself involved in. And as for you, why leave Ferra? And why the hostility towards me? I've lived for over 20 thousand years and I'm pretty sure I have never seen you in my life,"
 
Reloros nodded when received the answer. Then, he looked the Firiost in the eye, a slightly somber expression on his face.

"I left because I wanted something new. I didn't want to pass my life staring out over that endless blanket of snow we call home, wondering 'what's out there?'" His head dipped downwards. "Still, I do miss the sight of my own species every once and a while." Taking a more solemn tone, he looked back up at the Sharohkta.

"As for your other question, it's a bit of a story. If you aren't up for listening, I don't know how else to explain."
 
"hmm. I understand the want to see the rest of what's out there. To discover what's beyond the land that we know and live in. Ferra, as much as I love it, isn't exactly a beauty to behold. It's nice and I like the weather, but down here it's different. The warmth hugs me gently and the breeze of the wind freshens my mind and soul. I come down here quite often to relax like what I'm doing now," Vogor looks up at the sky and reminisces on his past.

"I remember when I was younger, I think I was around 700 years old at the time. I looked down from the peak of mountain and just wondered what was out there. At the time, I hadn't mastered shifting into a dragon yet. First time I tried, it hurt so much I could barely make it a quarter through. Even now, it hurts a lot. That's why I only ever come here once in a while. When I could finally shift into a dragon, I spent months away from home just flying everywhere and seeing the sights and places. It was wondrous and magnificent. You have much left to see, Galorai,"

Vogor looks back down at him when he hears him speak. "Well, might as well just tell me. My name is Vogor, by the way. Vogor Novisikar,"
 
"Reloros." He gave Vogor a small smile. It seems he had misjudged the Firiost. His somber expression returning, however, he began to recall the origin of his hostility towards the Firiost Sharokhta.

"Twenty-three years ago, I was sent out with a friend of mine to search for a hunter that had gone missing in the blizzard that day. The wind was howling, and the snow was so heavy you could barely see. It was about and hour and a half after we left when it happened." Reloros paused to recompose himself, for the thought of that day was far from painless. "I heard a small whistle, a grunt, and a thump. When I turned around, my friend was on the ground, blood pouring from a wound in his throat." Reloros choked. "Before I knew what was happening, something pierced my chest, knocking my onto my back. I placed a hand on my chest to heal it. Thankfully, whatever it was missed anything vital. I quickly rolled over to search for our attacker." Reloros' face held a mixture of burning rage and great sorrow. "What I saw was a pair of Firiost Sharokhta running towards me and my fallen friend. When they got close, their surprise was evident, and I assumed it was because I was alive. Using what little energy I had left, I took the surrounding snow and turned it to spikes of ice, firing them in volleys at the two. Because I caught them by surprise, they fled. I stumbled over to my friend, exhausted, in an attempt to save him, but..." Reloros no longer tried to contain his emotions, letting his tears flow freely. "he was gone. I was too late."

Reloros' gaze grew more intense as he concluded his tale. "Since that day, I never forgave the Firiost. I assumed all of them were bloodthirsty beasts," he said. Reloros paused and looked down for a few seconds in an attempt to stop the tears, with little success. He again made eye contact. "Now you know of my failure, both as a friend, and as a healer. Judge me as you will. I will not argue."
 
Malini felt touched by the story she heard Relorostell the dragon. She felt she was intruding, so she decided to leave in an attempt to give them more privacy. She swiftly went under the water, a small splash marking her absence. Though as she swam down to go play with the other Selvis, something grabbed her tail. When she tried to get out, the thing only got worse, biting down on her tail. Looking for the cause of the sudden halt, she found a large clam had grabbed her tail and was trying to pull her in. It was brightly colored with spots, and she almost found it beautiful, but since the thing may be trying to eat her, she found it less so. No one else seemed to want to help and stayed away from her. Frightened, she attempted to lift her head out of the water to find anyone to help but kept being pulled down. Soon she couldn't manage to get her head out of the water, left to hope someone noticed and came to help her.
 
Waiting for Vogor's reply, Reloros looked out over the crystal clear waters of the lake. Then, he noticed Malini nearby, trying to swim up out of the water, but something was holding her back. Following her body down, he snapped back to reality as he saw the cause of her struggle, a surprisingly large clam clamped down on the end of her.

Thinking quickly, he placed his hand on the surface of the water, turning the water to ice in a jet towards the clam, causing the ice to wedge itself into the clam's lips. Using this as leverage, Reloros turned the water that was filling the gap to ice as well, prying the mouth open bit by bit.
 
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