Post by Jade-ness on Dec 2, 2004 13:35:44 GMT -5
High atop the plateau built into the side of one of Ulster's highest mountains the great scaled beast sat, pondering. The mountain he had made his home had actually once been an active volcano that had long since been dormant even since he had hatched many centuries ago. The plateau had been formed when the final explosion of the natural wonder had sent the side of the mountain tumbling into the valley below leaving behind a cave and a rock shelf extending from it, and a very steep and arduous path to the civilizations of the Valley.
It served as a rather effective barrier between the mountains and the fertile plains below the steppes. The giant lizard who now called the steppes his home was glad for the fact, actually, he had chosen this piece of prime real estate for that very reason. Here he knew he would not be bothered.
Though he had been wrong in that regard. The little girl he had found many years ago playing by the side of his favorite fishing pond with the bright smile and the little orange-red curls had made him reel in disgust at first. However, upon sensing her true nature - and power which he was rather thankful she was still unaware of - he had gone from contemptuous of her presence to rather warm and accepting. He had, however, never stopped to think that perhaps he would grow to even care for his young apprentice at all. Yet he did.
A loud, dragonly yawn echoed over the chasm below him as green scales shimmered in the early morning sun. He did so love this spot- the trees were lush and green, even in the winter the pines matched the luster of his deep jade skin and emerald eyes well. He couldn't have decorated better if he had tried. He slid a forked tongue between his long ivory teeth and let it hang, tasting the winds as his lips pulled back into a tight smile. No doubt the plebian masses below him in the villages were scattering in fear of the roaring yawn they had just heard. Ah, he could hear them now- Run! Take cover! Raziel is awake! Raziel is awake!
He would be lying if he said he didn't like the feeling of absolute power he had over this area. All he had to do was slake his thirst for blood and human flesh once a month and the hackneyed residents of the county of Aberdeen went crying and simpering back to their homes cursing his name under their breath in fear he might hear them and return. Raziel, like all dragons of his ilk, was cold to the core when it came to the affairs of the weak and warm blooded mammalia of his realm. Yes, that was right. HIS realm.
There were others in the area, of course. There was one ruby colored female, a terrible eyesore in her current state, trapped within human-form skin, and with a disposition to match her current appearance. Raziel avoided her when he could, but she was not even as big of a problem as the large silver male that lived to the east in the mountains by the coast. Halar was his name, the philanthropic idiot who wasted his time and tarnished the draconic name by associating himself with the humans and, even more blashphemously, the royal court. If there was one thing that Raziel could not stand, it was a sycophant. There was no need for such flattery on the humans. They were... not worth such prestige.
And it was rumored that even the Queen herself was of some draconic heritage, though Raziel held his own opinions about such things as half-breeds. Her blood and mannerisms may be like that of a dragon, but in his eyes she was far from kin. Within draconic social order she would not even be recognized and have no rights to land or feeding grounds whatsoever. Raziel held them in a disdainful light. They were nothing more than mistakes to him, some pitiful bastardization made by some dragon of old with very little foresight. He had no time nor dignity to suffer such mamzers as the half-bloods.
Though it was not as though Raziel was above taking on a charge of his own. It was not unusual for his kind to hand select one of the more intelligent mammals to become a disciple. Raziel was very picky in this regard, however. Aranyaka was... special. She intrigued him, and her ability to learn from him was astounding for one of her kind, not to mention her... malleable... genetic structure. Already she was beginning to fill the mold he had made for her, and, as a consequence of raising her himself she was completely loyal to the one she called 'Master'. Of course there was more affection between them than the title implied, but there would always be a gap to bridge between teaching and student, mentor and prodigy that he doubted she would ever overcome.
However her latent human tendencies came out once in a while. He knew how badly she yearned to make contact with one of her own kind. To allow such a thing, especially in this part of the world, might be suicide for him. His name was known, even as far as the capital, though it was used less in common conversations there than in Aberdeen. Should she wander there, she would know of his wrongs against the people of the countryside, and that, he expounded, would not be good for his future plans for her. He needed no wrenches in his gears, especially not now.
He knew that there were humans that lived on the steppe, mostly exiles from the Valley. Often times they were criminals whose punishment it was to roam the mountainside to try to survive. There was nothing but barren highland wasteland on the western side of the Valley, and to the east was Raziel's mountains. It was a sentance of slow death to be cast out to the steppe, after all everyone knew that if the beasts did not end you Raziel himself surely would. The great green dragon could only hope that Aranyaka's contact with these men was as limited as possible.
Was it any wonder he told her such stories about her human brethern? That wasn't wholly fair, he reconsidered, as they were not like her. Rather, she was not like them. Aranyaka was indeed very special. He did want her mingling with them, and so he told her of their evils. The manner in which they brutalized and enslaved the animals she loved, how they made a mess of their politics and even ventured to such follies as self-destruction through war. He portrayed them to her as nothing more than simple-minded, power hungry barbarians, and she believed him. Even when Raziel was not there to warn her of the danger they would be to her, his words were, and they contained her, a fact of which Raziel placed heavy pride on.
There was a soft sigh and a pressure on his tail, and lazily he turned his head to see his young apprentice leaning her elbows on his posterior. She smiled, still adjusting to the morning. "Good morning, my dear. I trust you're ready to start today's lesson?" She nodded and let out a yawn of her own, yet somehow it was not so imposing as that of her master's. "Yes Master." The dragon flicked his forked tongue back and forth with a wry grin, baring a row of wicked looking teeth. "Excellent. Excellent indeed."
It served as a rather effective barrier between the mountains and the fertile plains below the steppes. The giant lizard who now called the steppes his home was glad for the fact, actually, he had chosen this piece of prime real estate for that very reason. Here he knew he would not be bothered.
Though he had been wrong in that regard. The little girl he had found many years ago playing by the side of his favorite fishing pond with the bright smile and the little orange-red curls had made him reel in disgust at first. However, upon sensing her true nature - and power which he was rather thankful she was still unaware of - he had gone from contemptuous of her presence to rather warm and accepting. He had, however, never stopped to think that perhaps he would grow to even care for his young apprentice at all. Yet he did.
A loud, dragonly yawn echoed over the chasm below him as green scales shimmered in the early morning sun. He did so love this spot- the trees were lush and green, even in the winter the pines matched the luster of his deep jade skin and emerald eyes well. He couldn't have decorated better if he had tried. He slid a forked tongue between his long ivory teeth and let it hang, tasting the winds as his lips pulled back into a tight smile. No doubt the plebian masses below him in the villages were scattering in fear of the roaring yawn they had just heard. Ah, he could hear them now- Run! Take cover! Raziel is awake! Raziel is awake!
He would be lying if he said he didn't like the feeling of absolute power he had over this area. All he had to do was slake his thirst for blood and human flesh once a month and the hackneyed residents of the county of Aberdeen went crying and simpering back to their homes cursing his name under their breath in fear he might hear them and return. Raziel, like all dragons of his ilk, was cold to the core when it came to the affairs of the weak and warm blooded mammalia of his realm. Yes, that was right. HIS realm.
There were others in the area, of course. There was one ruby colored female, a terrible eyesore in her current state, trapped within human-form skin, and with a disposition to match her current appearance. Raziel avoided her when he could, but she was not even as big of a problem as the large silver male that lived to the east in the mountains by the coast. Halar was his name, the philanthropic idiot who wasted his time and tarnished the draconic name by associating himself with the humans and, even more blashphemously, the royal court. If there was one thing that Raziel could not stand, it was a sycophant. There was no need for such flattery on the humans. They were... not worth such prestige.
And it was rumored that even the Queen herself was of some draconic heritage, though Raziel held his own opinions about such things as half-breeds. Her blood and mannerisms may be like that of a dragon, but in his eyes she was far from kin. Within draconic social order she would not even be recognized and have no rights to land or feeding grounds whatsoever. Raziel held them in a disdainful light. They were nothing more than mistakes to him, some pitiful bastardization made by some dragon of old with very little foresight. He had no time nor dignity to suffer such mamzers as the half-bloods.
Though it was not as though Raziel was above taking on a charge of his own. It was not unusual for his kind to hand select one of the more intelligent mammals to become a disciple. Raziel was very picky in this regard, however. Aranyaka was... special. She intrigued him, and her ability to learn from him was astounding for one of her kind, not to mention her... malleable... genetic structure. Already she was beginning to fill the mold he had made for her, and, as a consequence of raising her himself she was completely loyal to the one she called 'Master'. Of course there was more affection between them than the title implied, but there would always be a gap to bridge between teaching and student, mentor and prodigy that he doubted she would ever overcome.
However her latent human tendencies came out once in a while. He knew how badly she yearned to make contact with one of her own kind. To allow such a thing, especially in this part of the world, might be suicide for him. His name was known, even as far as the capital, though it was used less in common conversations there than in Aberdeen. Should she wander there, she would know of his wrongs against the people of the countryside, and that, he expounded, would not be good for his future plans for her. He needed no wrenches in his gears, especially not now.
He knew that there were humans that lived on the steppe, mostly exiles from the Valley. Often times they were criminals whose punishment it was to roam the mountainside to try to survive. There was nothing but barren highland wasteland on the western side of the Valley, and to the east was Raziel's mountains. It was a sentance of slow death to be cast out to the steppe, after all everyone knew that if the beasts did not end you Raziel himself surely would. The great green dragon could only hope that Aranyaka's contact with these men was as limited as possible.
Was it any wonder he told her such stories about her human brethern? That wasn't wholly fair, he reconsidered, as they were not like her. Rather, she was not like them. Aranyaka was indeed very special. He did want her mingling with them, and so he told her of their evils. The manner in which they brutalized and enslaved the animals she loved, how they made a mess of their politics and even ventured to such follies as self-destruction through war. He portrayed them to her as nothing more than simple-minded, power hungry barbarians, and she believed him. Even when Raziel was not there to warn her of the danger they would be to her, his words were, and they contained her, a fact of which Raziel placed heavy pride on.
There was a soft sigh and a pressure on his tail, and lazily he turned his head to see his young apprentice leaning her elbows on his posterior. She smiled, still adjusting to the morning. "Good morning, my dear. I trust you're ready to start today's lesson?" She nodded and let out a yawn of her own, yet somehow it was not so imposing as that of her master's. "Yes Master." The dragon flicked his forked tongue back and forth with a wry grin, baring a row of wicked looking teeth. "Excellent. Excellent indeed."