Glittering Eyes

[BlackWind]

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn slowed to a walk, unsure in this strange land. She had known she was in packlands for some time now. However she didn't know who's or if they were friendly or not. Still she was not going back. She narrowed her motionless white eyes, no pupil and no iris, at nothing in particular. No, she wasn't going back.
Something glittered on the side of a gently sloping volcano and Kellyn moved in inspect it. The crystals were dull opaque in the shadow but they glittered brightly in the setting sun's light. It would do nothing to attract food, and was far from edible. She turned to gaze back at the treeline though her eyes never moved. There was no way to tell her gaze was on you even when she looked directly at you except by a certain feeling.
Kellyn sat down and watched the hundreds of futures glint across her sight. Rabbits and mice wondering in and out of the brush and birds flittering in the trees. Snakes and lizards making their way up the side of the volcano to the warmer rocks and even deer moving just inside the trees. She saw all of this and the hundreds of possible moves they would make all at once. Years ago it would have made her sick to her stomach. Now she simply saw possibilities.
Once upon a time she had used it to her advantage to help protect her pack. Her vision had failed her and she had the scars to prove it. One thing was for sure though, she found her sight endlessly entertaining.[/glow]

[Niphanos]

((Yeah, I think that'll do... ;-) ))

Exploring an area he hadn't been to in quite some time, Niphanos surveyed the landscape below him. I haven't been in this area for... hmm, almost a century. Surely something has turned up... He sends out two brief pings of magic, and is shocked to see a large crystal formation on the side of the mountain. He suspects someone may be trying to trick him, but who would do that? Few people even know how his power works... still, it is worth investigating, and he glides over to the other side of the mountain. As he flies by one of the volcano's vents, he admires the way the red light glints off of the metal adornments he's made for himself. While he is by no means vain, he still loves the angular beauty of the flat surfaces reflecting the light, and is still amazed he can create such amazing things. As he comes out of his reverie, Niphanos looks down and sees the crystals. From here, he can tell that they're a type of ruby. He expected as much by it's location.

As he was passingly appraising the gems, a shining white coat of fur caught his eye amongst the obsidian and basalt. Hmm? What manner of creature would be so brilliantly colored in such a location? Niphanos flies in closer, careful to avoid the stronger thermal pockets above the vents, until he sees the fur belongs to a wolf. Ah. It is to be expected. he thinks of it. Dismissing it and gliding back up to the crystal formation, he removes one of his simple bangles and reshapes it, making it into a sort of claw-bound spade. Using this to carefully dig the crystal out, he notices, too late, a chunk of it loosely laying on top, which falls and rolls down the volcano, coming to rest at the foot of the wolf. What an interesting coincidence...

((Sorry for taking so long to post it. I had... interruptions.))

[BlackWind]

ooc: it doesn't hurt my feelings any. We all have lives.

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn heard the rock roll down before she actually saw it and was a little surprised to see a large dragon above her. Though he was not exactly close, Kellyn should have seen him. She had been too lost in her own musings to pay attention. That was dangerous in a land like this.
She turned and looked up at the dragon with interest again. She had never seen a dragon, had heard about them, but never seen them. This one was blue and green, a very beautiful creature, and she supposed he should look somewhat menacing, but he didn't to her. The last rays of the sun flashed over him as it finally sank below the horizon and made his baubles and trinkets glitter brightly.
Kellyn had seen some wolves wear such things but her pack had no one with skills related to the earth. Not to mention it would have made them stand out when they spent their time trying to blend in to avoid trouble. To Kellyn it didn't really matter, she had always stood out. She was the only one in her old pack that had been part demon and no one knew where it came from. She always believed that her mother had been faithful to her father.
Kellyn glared at herself. She was doing it again, failing to pay attention to the possibly dangerous creature above her. He seemed to be after the rocks that had attracted her attention earlier. Curious she peered up at him once more.
"What are you going to do with those, dragon?" Kellyn's voice was feminine and it had often caused her grief but she couldn't change who or what she was. Her manner was more curious than anything, she had been alone for some time and had no idea why any predator would want the useless crystals. But then she was a young wolf who had spent her life hunting and fighting.[/glow]

[Niphanos]

Niphanos heard the wolf's voice drift up to him shortly after the crystal had rolled down. Looking carefully and inquisitively at her, he simply says, "Craft them." He has found it is better not to reveal too much of oneself too quickly. He was also lucky that a significant amount of in-ground metal was nearby. He had found this vein long ago, but didn't take it because it was a simpler metal. He used it to pull a layer of metal to just below the spot where he intended to land. It was imperceptible, but should he be required to use it, it would be that much quicker to call upon. Luck favors the prepared, they say. It was mildly tiring to move it from so far to there, but Niphanos could handle it, especially with the research he started...

All the while, he had been watching the wolf to see her response, and after she says something, he places the larger pieces of the crystal in a pouch attached to his thigh and glides down to her, landing with the dropped crystal between them, and his hidden plate of metal directly below him. He then introduces himself with a bemused grin, "I am Niphanos, a Loka dragon of the Azano clan. I am a metalworker and a jeweler." He says this with his hand on his chest and his tail wrapped around him.

[BlackWind]

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn noticed the dragon was proud of himself but he didn't seem self centered. Crafting meant little enough to her, she was an outland wolf. Still she was curious and didn't move away when the dragon moved close to introduce himself.
Kellyn smiled wolfishly, "I'm Kellyn Selia of no clan, part demon, though between you and me, I haven't the faintest idea where it comes from since none of my pack was demon, and I am a Seer." Kellyn's tone was light and only partly joking. She figured since Niphanos had explained his past, then she should as well. Difference being that Kellyn was not as fond of her past.
Eying the crystal between her and the giant beast Kellyn moved her gaze up to Niphanos, "How does it work? I've only seen crude baubles and heard of such things. I'm curious.
Kellyn was uncertain if the dragon would show her. Sure she could see it but she could also see him turning her down in more ways then she could count. Beings with higher level thinking, such as wolves and dragons, had a bad habit of changing their minds constantly. It made her slightly seasick to try and watch all of the possibilities so she simply focused the attention of her sight on what she herself was going to do because she knew her own mind.[/glow]

[Niphanos]

((I forgot to mention he has a faintly British accent... I should go add that to his character sheet. He's also fairly predictable, I'm just not always in his mindset properly, lol.))

Detecting no overt anger in the wolf, Niphanos steps forward and grabs the crystal, placing it in the leather pouch with the rest of the jewel. Looking back at her, he says, "It takes far too long for an open demonstration, though I would be happy to give you a rudimentary explanation of some of my techniques." Sitting back down facing her, he looks to his digging implement, still attached to his claw. "Oh, I forgot all about this when I dropped that crystal," he says, making its shape melt and flow into a simple bangle once more.

As he puts the bangle back on his arm, he looks back to Kellyn. "You have a surname? Most of the wolves I have met merely have one name. Then again, most of the wolves I have met were not as uniquely distracted." He gave her an inquisitive look, one all too common for his countenance. He could sense some sort of strain. He didn't sense it in any magical way, he just had a knack for reading others. He saw she was distracted, but focused. Very curious.

[BlackWind]

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn watch the tiny demonstration with a curiousity born fron knowledge. Knowledge, more than anything else in the world, was power. She had learned that growing up. For all of her sight she could not face a opponent without trying to learn as much about them as she could. You could fight what you could see coming or you could run from it but you had to know it was there. She learned more from Niphanos' demonstration than she believed he intended.
"Actually it's not a surname, more like a single name. Selia was my first name. It means blind. My mother thought I was blind when I was born because of my eyes. Later when I proved I could see more than the others and that I was quite capable my father gave me the name of Kellyn which means powerful." Kellyn's eyes sadened slightly. "But I was not powerful enough to save my own family." The scars on her face proved that.
Kellyn shrugged. "It's in the past."
Curiously she glanced up again. "You know, I have nothing but time. I have no pack, no commitments, except to my stomach maybe. Unless you would rather not show me and be on your way. It doesn't matter too much to me."
Kellyn knew she was pushing, but she really didn't want to be alone again. At least no yet. Still she knew nothing about dragons or their temperments. She could very well provoke this creature's anger and there was nothing she could do really to protect herself.[/glow]

[Niphanos]

((We all have lives, but mine sucks right now. I know it could be worse, but still. It sucks.))

Niphanos smiles at her calmly, in an almost sagely way, and looks back up the mountain. "Have you ever wished to fly? To be free with no limitations? To go anywhere, see anything?" With this, he looks back down at her with that same, aged smile on his face. Then, with a frown, he says, "Many do. It it not a life for the weak of spirit, that is certain. I had the good fortune of meeting a group of winged wolves once. They were quite majestic." He looks back at the clouds with an almost longing look on his face, then appears to realize he is showing it and locks it back to a smile, though it does not quite reach his eyes. "If you have the patience, and the mind, I can show you my craft and its wonders," he says as he looks back at her once more.

[BlackWind]

ooc: Sure it can always be worse but I've always found that when someone tells me that it just makes me mad at them too.

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn looked at the sky as Niphanos had but felt no longing, simply a curiousity. "I wished I could escape once, but no more. As for flying," Kellyn shrugged."It's hard to miss what you've never had to lose."
Kellyn had no where else to go though she was curious as to what the dragon meant by his question. "It will do you no good to show me for I will never be able to do the things you do. I have no power save my sight." She stood, not even half the size of Niphanos, and shook herself, resettling her fur back into position. "But if you wish for company, and mine will not offend you, then I will gladly find the patience if I do not already have it."
Kellyn looked up the dragon though her eyes never moved. It had always bothered her mother, her eyes. Never moving, never really alive, so her mother had said. Kellyn had never known if it was a result of her sight or if her sight was a result of her eyes,. She knew one or the other was because of her demon blood. The normal wolves of other packs had never liked her, always fearing her because of what she was and never bothering to get to know who she was.
Now here was a dragon, a creature she had only heard about, offering her his company and to show her a craft she believed to be very important to him. He didn't know her, didn't know who she was or what she was like, and he didn't seem to care one way or the other. Kellyn would find his company very refreshing.[/glow]

[Niphanos]

((It's better when you realize it yourself. On a side-note, I am learning more and more about your character, I did not expect that response, hahah.))

With her remark on having no powers, the smile became a good-natured chuckle, "I do not use my powers to make my better pieces, merely to gather the materials." Being more focused on pinging for crystals, Niphanos hadn't noticed Kellyn's eyes. He looked at them with curiosity, then broke eye contact not only for the sake of propriety, but because he could learn no more by staring. "I mentioned flying earlier because all of my tools and crafting metals are in my lair. I would show you some of my knowledge of metalcraft elsewhere but for that. Would you accompany me in flight to my lair?" He says this with an inquisitive look on his face, though this time the feathers on the back of his head stand out a bit, inadvertently making his head look bigger. He understands this is somewhat of an awkward proposition, however. He has never shown anyone his processes before, much less a white-eyed wolf he has only just met, and that because of a rolling gemstone. Still, he senses she is lonely, and wolves like food. He doesn't quite know why, but he feels compelled to help this wolf in those regards.

[BlackWind]

((I do my best to please ^.^ sorry this one is so short))

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn wagged her tail once and decided she liked the dragon. "I'm afraid I cannot fly."
She couldn't fly and the prospect of what Niphanos proposed had her slightly nervous. It was a feeling she didn't like yet she was fairly certain her nervousness was not his intention. Her world was firmly planted on the ground but Kellyn already knew this creature was going to change that perception. It was not often she was caught by surprise and even less often she found herself wishing to keep the company of another.
Still, she would have to trust Niphanos with her very life. An interesting way to start out a possible friendship. "Perhaps I can run? Where do you live?"[/glow]

[Niphanos]

With an outright guffaw, Niphanos says, "No, I will carry you... I am sorry for laughing, I suppose my words do sometimes mislead others... It has just never been so terribly amusing." This time he looks down to her with more of an amused smile, rather than the thoughtful one that had been so often seen as of yet. Seeing her nervousness, he attempts to comfort her, "Do not worry, I have strong arms thanks to my craft. I will not let you fall... Plus it would be folly to travel to my cave on paw, there is a range between here and there." A pause. "Oh! I almost forgot." With that last statement, he makes a very thin, needle-like spike lash out of the hidden puddle of metal below him, impaling a rabbit he saw in the bush. The spike, still attached to the puddle, had hit the rabbit so hard that it was hanging in the air by that needle alone. Retrieving the small corpse, Niphanos whispers a few words into its ear, inaudible to anyone but him and the rabbit. Then looking back up to Kellyn, he says, "You can either eat this now, or I can save it for when we land. I suggest you wait, flying can be mildly disorienting the first time. It is also quite exhilarating, I remember the day I learned to fly..." He gazes past her, not really seeing anything. Caught in his own mind. Snapping out of his reverie, he shakes his head slightly. "Terribly sorry. There are many memories, I have difficulties recalling them. I savor those that I can." He then smiles at her, awaiting her response.

[BlackWind]

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn laughed when he told her to wait and shook her head. "When you can constantly see hundreds of possible furtures of every mouse and creature near you all at once, nothing will disorient you." She was not mean about it but it was the truth. She saw movement all the time and lots of it. She was used to it by now.
Yet she consented, eying his arms as if looking for proof of her own though it would be impossible for him to tell she moved her gaze from his face. She took no offense to his laughing at her, she had guessed he had meant as much but a tiny part of her had hoped he hadn't. Kellyn nodded, "Alright. And thank you for dinner."
Looking into the distant, now dark, horizon Kellyn's features took on a quizzical look. "You still have not answer one of my questions though." Her head turned to look at Niphanos once more. "Where do you live?"
As if an afterthought Kellyn's eyes widened and she perked her ears up. "And just how are you planning on carrying me? I'm not a pup to be carried by the scruff of my neck." Her voice held a hint of amusement as she asked, letting Niphanos know through her tone she was playing with him.[/glow]

[Niphanos]

((Trying a new color, #008AAD. I think it is better than "color=teal"))

"I live in the mountains far to the east. They used to have plentiful metal, but as you can see," Niphanos says with a chuckle, "I have pulled all of it from the area. I left enough for it to be natural, of course. Too much and the mountain would either collapse or some other, unforeseen and likely unfortunate geological event could ensue." He looks down and furrows his draconic brow in troubled thought. Looking back up to her with a more thoughtful look, he says, "As for how I shall carry you, I have carried wolves in the past, though most were injured so I just carried them to a cave for safety. I remember one in particular, somewhat recently... No force,* I will be gentle. Control is very important in my craft." Although he cannot help but worry, he does not let it show. He always worries something will go wrong, it is an inherent flaw in his nature. He has learned to mask it quite well.

((*Archaic term for "no matter". Also, he doesn't say how he carries her, but you know how you hold a dachshund or other small dog in real life? It's kind of like that. One hand/arm under the rump, the other supporting the chest and front legs. Additionally, since she can't be picked up by him without your permission and he can't pick her up without my permission, I'm letting you take control of the picking up, hahah. Powerplaying workaround. n_n))

[BlackWind]

[glow=blue,2,300]Kellyn consented and let the giant pick her up. Despite his reassurance, all she could see was herself plummeting to her death. This thought made her smirk, though she doubted Niphanos could see it as she was held against his chest. Surprisingly, he was warm. Kellyn had thought he would be cool to the touch, like a snake or lizard.[/glow]

ooc: so we could either move it to another forum or we could continue to make fun of Kellyn and her fear of falling to her death. ^.^