Laika Herriman || New Rider || Dragon: Beollan || M: Everyone Present (ind)

This was the last place she had expected to find herself. Never had she ever really had any interest in attending a Choosing Ceremony; she'd always been busy or otherwise preoccupied, and she was content to view dragons from the ground as they soared through the skies or burst out of distant mountains. There was never the hopeful feeling for her that so many other children seemed to possess, but something had... changed in the past few days.

At first, she had dismissed the sick feelings. Nausea was bound to come occasionally; there was nothing special about it. But it hadn't gone away, and then it had worsened to waking up with chills and memories that were not hers. Blood and carnage, a pain in her side, the feeling of drowning, drowning, unable to breathe even though she was surrounded by air -- and then she would wake up with a hole in her heart that she could not fill. It wasn't her father's death replaying, but she herself had had no war experience or anything of the sort. Laika had never heard of dragon bonds feeling this way, either.

She'd gone to the village shaman at the behest of her mother. He had explained bonds once again -- how a dragon and rider had shared emotions and a sort of telepathic connection -- but not until after a bond had been completed. He had seemed just as confused as she was, if not a little worried that she was possessed by some trapped spirit from a time past. But, to ease the nerves of everyone, he had insisted she attend the ceremony. Just in case.

If this was what a bond was like, Laika was concerned for the mental stability of herself and whatever poor dragon fate had chosen to find her. She was more nervous that it would not be a bond, though. If it wasn't that, what was causing her nightmares? So vivid she could smell them, waking up with the acrid tang of blood and smoke in her mouth, and the pain... Her chest physically ached after the visions - dreams - whatever they were - ended.

Well, she would find out soon enough. She had wandered partway into the field from her starting point near the lake. Laika's dark eyes moved over the dragons already there, but nothing stirred inside her. She studied the other humans there, noticing the apprehension between some and the affinity with others. Such strange creatures, humans. What? Laika frowned and shook her head. She literally was one; what was going on with her?

She scowled and crossed her arms, praying for the first time that one of the majestic, reptilian creatures would claim her and ease the fears of impending insanity. Please, please, please... I can't be like Father.

A low growl, rolling through his chest like thunder, erupted from the male as he flew, large wings stretched out. Against the bright blue sky and white clouds, the dark grey reptile showed like a bruise, a dark blemish moving swiftly towards the valley. The valley that had his bones murmuring, his flesh tingling, his blood vibrating, his heart and soul tugging, dragging his unwilling self closer and closer.

Irritation pulsed down the males spine, eyes narrowed in his anger at whatever God decided to curse him with being stuck with a human for however long the horrible little creature lived. To make matters worse, as he neared the valley, Rhyhor could see other dragons already there. The large storm dragon struggled to get along with others of his species at the best of times, territorial and aggressive by nature. The idea of the closeness he would be forced into with other dragons had his growl returning.

The dark dragon angled his wings to begin his descent into the valley, refusing to do a flashy display to announce his presence. Instead, he let himself land heavily, his tail hitting the ground, his hind legs thudding against the earth. When he tipped forward, Rhyhor settled his weight on his wings, like a wyvern, rather than his forelegs, instead allowing them to dangle beneath him, wicked claws scraping the dirt with every step.

His large head did not lift nor drop, vibrant eyes scanning the crowd for a few heartbeats. He could feel the electricity beneath his scarred scales wanting to escape, to make it impossible for any to touch him or be near him, but he pushed it down, buried it beneath his flesh. The male didn't bother swallowing his growl, though, nor did he bother pulling his lips back over his teeth.

Of the few dragons that had already appeared, the male found most settling and seeming to wait. Wait for what? He didn't know, nor did he care. Perhaps some were waiting for some kind of official announcement, perhaps some simply didn't want to be the first. Rather than sit and force his heart to fester with the tugging any longer, Rhyhor began moving towards the humans, uncaring of who was forced to move out of his way as he searched for his horrid little beast of a companion.

Hakidonmuya
Lunar Dragon | New Dragon | Female | Mentions: Other Dragons, Rhyhor [ind.], Callahan

The sun was blinding and it was particularly a nuisance. The young female had to suppress the urge to hiss at the sun for put its heat on her scales. She was a creature of the night, not some daytime creature - she should be in a cave with a bed of soft moss, sleeping and recharging her powers. Not out in the open, feeling like the power was getting sucked out of her. The dragon had finally made it to the Valley and she could only hope that this miserable Ceremony would be over quicker than she hoped for. Maybe if the clouds gathered into the sky and blocked the sun, then maybe she'd feel less homicidal. But her temper couldn't help but flare at being out at the day, and she beat her wings faster - hoping to at least be early to find her human amongst these others. And she found a spot to land, she didn't care for a showy display - it wouldn't do her no good at the moment, and so she decided to just land gracefully and then give a slight pause for those admiring her to get a good look. And the a slight clicking noise escaped her, a warning, and she watched as those who weren't her human scattered like mice around her feet.

It seems another dragon found it more useful to find their human or at least make their presence known. He was a Storm Dragon, and she tilted her head - the spikes adorning them, fanning out in a gentle curiosity as she observed the male. She found him rather interesting to look at ,maybe all the dragons here wouldn't be so boring after all. And she returned her focus on finding her human. They had to be here, after all she could feel a faint tug, indicating that they were somewhere around these parts. That's when she felt something touch her, no, it had the audacity to poke at her. It took every fiber in her being to not bite off the hand of the offender. However, humans were so fragile, and she had to okay nice with them. A low growl graced her lips as she curled them back, parting slightly to reveal the sharp, jagged teeth within them. And her eyes settled on the person that had the brass to do such a very stupid thing.

"Human," she spoke out loud, her voice audible for anyone in the vicinity to hear - her voice sounded ethereal, as if she was from an entirely different plane of existence, her voice airy and pleasant to the ears with a slight softness to it - yet there was an underlying danger as well, "do you have a death wish? I would hate to make another dragon lose out on their rider. So if you even dare to poke me again, I won't think twice of taking off the offending limb from you." Her voice was honeyed and sweet, but one could clearly hear the venom within it - no matter the tone.

The girl that had done this - looked at her with an offended look, as of the dragon had said something wrong. She could see the lips of the little thing moving, but she couldn't make out the words because she was too far to hear such words. But from the red face, and puffy cheeks - they were meant to be threatening, and so the female only used her tail to gently swipe at the girls feet. Causing her fo ruin that frilled dress of her. "Oops" the Lunar Dragon said rather unapologetically.

Now, everything would be perfect if she could find her human.

Desmodus Draculae

Male Primal Dragon || Rider: Anatolious Rosenberg || M: (Dir) Illithyia. (Dir/Ind) Sevo Archemoros. (Ind) Anatolious. K'issuk Ran.

~

Desmodus Draculae was too proud of his wonderful style that he didn't even notice the amount of dragons that had begun to pile up in the valley. His crimson eyes were narrowed to block out the bright rays of morning sunlight as he waited, and waited, for his rider to finally arrive. He could feel the rope between him and Anatolious, and it was not moving at all. If the stupid human forgot, then at least I can bite his head off and have an excuse for doing it. The time seemed to be going by slow and steady, yet every second was only feasting his feelings of annoyance. He could've gotten any other human when it was his choosing day, but no, he had to get this incompetent, stupid, annoying human. His foot thumped on the ground as he tapped it with boredom, watching over the crowd of humans to ensure no dragons ate anyone. It was his job as a mentor now, to watch these frail snacks and whimpy dragons and make sure no one got hurt until they were fully capable of taking care of themselves. He really didn't want to be taking care of other dragons and making sure they didn't eat their riders, but he knew that if he didn't, every human would probably get eaten by some dragon here.

Desmodus' gaze swapped to a dragon in the distance. A dragon that was an utterly horrifying thing, not to include the disgusting part. The thing seemed cryptic, with an aura of fear surrounding him. His scales looked covered in something slimy and wet, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Does he even take a bath? The longer he stared, the more creeped out he felt. He felt like the moment he turned away, that dragon would be eating someone here, but he was not going to go over there and stop him if he did, because he didn't want to risk getting that gross mucus all over himself in his feeble attempts. There's definitely something wrong with that dragon. His crimson gaze was locked on the dragon, and he couldn't stop it. He looks like a fly's nest, and I'm not gonna tell myself to think otherwise this time.

Desmodus finally managed to turn his gaze away, and focus on the human crowd again. His eyes glared in a way that made it seem like he was going to bite someone, which actually did sound like a good idea, but K'issuk Ran might yell if she found out, which was what he feared most. The wrath of K'issuk wasn't pleasant to deal with. He didn't know if Illithyia might yell or not, but K'issuk is scary enough. I think that slime dragon is scarier than K'issuk. They both look disturbing in their own way, but that mucus-covered dragon is just disturbing to a whole new level. Actually, speaking of those two... His head began to swivel around the valley as he scanned the place for the two other dragon that were supposed to be helping him teach these dragons and humans. They weren't hard to point out when they were actually there, but it seemed, he was the only one who ever arrived on time, since they were no where in sight.

Desmodus was about to turn his attention back to the crowd when a familiar red color glinted in the corner of his eye. Illithyia! He turned and watched the female dragon aggressively flap her wings as she propelled herself towards the ceremony. He was hoping that she'd come over and greet him, but instead, she decided to land on a ledge next to the crowd of humans. A huffy growl came from his nose as he watched her sit there, seeming just as annoyed as he was. Maybe I should approach? Without a second thought he immediately sat up and began to squeeze through the crowd in the direction of Illithyia. His wings were held tightly against his sides so he didn't brush them against anyone by accident, especially since he had to get closer to mucus-lover over there. This was the first time he felt nervous in a really long time. He absolutely didn't want to get any of that mucus on himself, especially now that he was the one approaching someone this time. The smell of the mucus was horrible too, even though he wasn't even close to the dragon yet. He didn't want to gag right now, but it was becoming increasingly hard not to. I could fly over him... meh, I'm too lazy to do that. I'd rather deal with the smell.

Desmodus nodded at the dragon in greeting as he approached with a swift gait. He knew that he could've gone around through the crowd, but he didn't want the dragon to notice and get upset, especially if he was going to have to help him learn. Even though being polite was so hard to do, he had to at least be polite to them while they're going through their choosing ceremony. He carefully walked behind the dragon to make sure he didn't get anything on himself. Now he wasn't afraid about hurting him, he just didn't want to smell that bad. That's when he noticed the dragon's empty eye sockets, adding another bit of fear of the dragon to him. They're just so empty... it looks creepy. I'm literally starting to want to go back home. He sped up his pace when he was away from the dragon, heading straight towards Illithyia.

"Hey, Illithyia!" Desmodus called to her, not even noticing her rider next to her. "Have you seen Kaia and K'issuk? I can't find them." He took a spot to sit down that was a good distance away from her to make sure he didn't interfere with her personal space.

Dirt and rock gave way beneath the reptiles adept claws, forelegs loosening the dirt and throwing it back, his middle and hind paws pushing and pulling his long body through the tunnel. Already, the thrumming of many feet on the ground pulsed through his paws, pressed down on his spine and ribs like a thousand rockslides. From far beneath the earth, Ananth could feel when dragons landed, their footfalls much heavier then that of the humans, thumping through his skill like he was being curb stomped.

In his youth, the earth dragon had been overjoyed by his constant power, his 'earth sense'. He'd loved knowing where all the tunnels were, where enemies and prey alike were at all times. As he got older, and had the occasional interaction with groups, he found it to be something of both a blessing and a curse. Being a power he couldn't turn off, Ananth was stuck feeling every miniscule movement as if it were pulsing through his body, as if it were smacking against him like a hammer. The larger the crowds, the worse the feeling.

Ananth had a feeling he wouldn't know peace for quite a while after bonding.

When the roots stopped reaching for his skull through the dirt, the brown-hued dragon abruptly turned skyward, digging through the earth until his claws and snout brush the air. There, he stilled, but only for a moment before pulling his long body out of his tunnel. His wide eyes scanned the crowd from where he stood, legs bent to keep him low to the ground out of habit, barely on the edge of the forest.

From the vibrations echoing through the ground, Ananth was acutely aware of every dragon around him, even without turning his head to face them. His heart tugged him in another direction, towards the edge of the crowd. His head, broad and relatively flat, tilted as he scanned the humans in that direction. Two were near a boulder, one on top and the other beside it.

However, a large, roughly-stepping storm dragon also seemed to be heading in that direction. The scars on the dark grey scales of the male made him wary, even more than the snarl muscular figure did. If that male lost his temper, Ananth didn't doubt everyone would certainly know about it. The knowledge that they were headed in the same direction made the earth dragon keep his body consciously low, slithering along the edge of the trees in that general direction, careful to avoid other dragons as they emerged and landed as he took the longer route to where his heart led him.

The female soared through the sky, drifting between clouds and the clear blue fluidly. While many dragons may have found the idea of a bond excrutiating, may have found their humans bothersome or in some way a weakness, even despised the act of the bonding, Aalis had always found the idea fascinating. A lifelong companion, one to be by her side and her by theirs, until their dying breaths. While not a romantic connection, the light dragon believed it to be a deep bond that was snapped into place by fate.

And so, when she had felt the first tug, the first pull, as grieved as she was to leave her home beneath the Northern Lights behind, the pale dragoness found herself overjoyed, excited enough to play in the air as she flew. Her large wings carried her to the valley she'd only heard whispers about, a place so very, very far from her frigid home. And, as an added bonus, she was likely to run into an old friend once she'd found her human in the academy.

The thin dragon's scales shifted and changed hue, due to their iridescent quality, as she flew and practically danced in the air. She couldn't quite surpress the slight glow that tinged her body, her excitement so vivid it had to manifest physically upon her body as she approached the valley. She approached from the side that held a large lake, floating down out of the clouds after soaring over the mountains that bordered it, and spotted the dragon she was most excited to see.

Aalis angled her wings in a way that had her altitude dropping quickly, although not quite a dive, as she made a trilling, almsot cooing noise at her friend, scales flashing brighter in her spike in happiness. Nowhere near enough to blind someone, of course, but more than enough to mark her as the light dragon she was.

The dragoness lingered for only a few moments above her friend, spying the male human upon the sea dragons back, before she flapped her wings and pushed her body further towards the valley. She landed nearby the lake, and took a moment to stretch her wings before settling them onto her back, blinking her large, glowing eyes at the humans. Her soul seemed to tug on her heart strings, pulling her in a certain direction, but she lingered for a moment, watching the dragons and humans alike.

Kaia hummed softly, a tune filtering in and out of his thoughts like the flowing of waves, in time with the sound of the lapping water on the scales of his dragon. K'issuk had allowed them to linger in the water, resting and enjoying each others presence, before they made any official appearance at the ceremony. He knew their time was limited, the sea dragoness didn't want to be gone for long, but he enjoyed having her company to himself for a little while.

'Sedna is going to be here today,' Kaia said through their link, his tone fond but mildly exasperated when speaking of his brother. K'issuk had met the younger Seelen brother, of course. One of the first things Kaia had done when he was able to was visit his home, and bring his new lifelong companion home with him. His parents had been overjoyed, Sedna had been.. receptive to K'issuk, but cold to Kaia for a while. 'I wonder how he'll react when he finds out we're mentors now. You think a congratulations this time?' The man joked, expecting some kind of soft reprimand for it.

He craned his neck and head in a way that let him look at K'issuk, as well as at the dragons and people coming to the ceremony. 'That storm dragon looks like a nasty one, look at how he's snarling at the people,' he commented, raising an eyebrow. 'The earth dragon near him seems more timid though. That's a beautiful lunar dragon, too. And is that an ice dragon? Oh, and there's an air dragon over there. They seem a little less.. social. And there's that creepy dragon over there, reckon it's a dark dragon?' The man glanced at K'issuk, grinning slightly. The excitement was obvious in his tone, both honoured and overjoyed to have been chosen as a mentor for this group.

The man lazily blinked his eyes, his hands pillowed beneath his head on his dragons back. His humming died off, however, when he opened his eyes and spotted a pale figure heading very quickly for the valley, the distinctive glow from the reptile revealing its class. 'Holy shit, a light dragon,' was all he said, moving his hands to rest his weight on his elbows.

Kaia watched, stunned, as the dragon made a cooing sound at them, its descent seeming to slow until it was almost still in the air above them, no hint of aggression or malice in its actions, before it lifted away from them again and landed nearby the lake, staring at the gathered people. 'A friendly light dragon, too,' he added after a moment.

Anatolious Rosenberg
Experienced Dragon Rider / Mentor | 19 | Mentions : NPC Riders, NPC Instructor, Desmodus

"Focus Mr. Rosenberg, get your head out of the clouds." Came the gruff voice of his instructor, Mr. Eclavious Rembrandt. And the young man grit his teeth in annoyance. He was focused, he wanted to snap at his teacher, but that would do him no good - it would only prove his superior's point. He took a breath and cleared his mind, and then focused on the person before him. His opponent, Percival Attwater - a smug bastard that seemed to always have a problem with him, but now these two had been put together in a sparring match. So far, he was off his game as if it was anyone else - they would've been on the floor by now, but his moves were sloppy, and he knew it.

You need to calm down, came a voice in his mind. And he agreed with it, and so with a newfound vigor he decided to make his move against his opponent. And he charged the male, with a clear intent to give him a right hook - and the boy with a grin prepared for impact, but that mean his guard was down, so quickly Anatolious shifted his body weight and positioned his arm in a way that his elbow would sharply jab into the exposed midsection of his opponent. And while he heard the grunt at the force of impact, he swiftly used his left leg to sweep feet of the male. And watched in satisfaction as his opponent hit the mat without question.

"Alright Riders, that's enough for today. Get cleaned up and head to the barracks - Mr. Rosenberg, please come to my office once you have freshened up - young man." Their instructor informed them, and he got concerned glances from his fellow students, and he himself frowned. He was probably going to get chewed out for his lack of focus in this drill. And he went and quickly washed up and changed out into a fresh uniform before making his way to the office.

"Mr. Rembrandt, you wanted to see me?" He said as he knocked on the door in which he got a reply to come in, and so he did, and he sat at the available chair. There was an uneasy quiet in the room and he fidgeted with his fingers, and he watched as the older man simply slid him a piece of paper with a smile - the crow's feet in his eyes visible.

Anatolious tentatively took the paper, "What's this?" He murmured as he opened it, once he saw it was addressed to him. He felt his blood run cold at the official seal on the paper. That always meant a good or bad thing when you were in his station. And he fervently read over the words stated in the letter.

To Anatolious Rosenberg,

The Association has been keeping tabs on you since you were chosen as a Rider. You have proven yourself worthy as a Rider for the Nation. Your intelligence is to be credited, as is your tactical wisdom and knowledge - as are your accomplishments in a short time. You are credited with saving a small village ; you courageously leading the charge when you were vastly outnumbered and holding the line until your superiors came. You were greatly injured, but the village was saved, and those who were involved in the attempted destruction were prosecuted by law. Also, your leadership and comradeship with your group is also be noted ; when your senior had been trapped in a burning building due to mission gone wrong, it's said that you doused yourself with water and covered your mouth with a rag before going back inside and saving your comrade. This is why, the decision was unanimous in this regard ; Anatolious Cymbeline-Sol Rosenberg, you have been given the privilege of becoming a Mentor to the incoming youth - effective immediately, once you have received this lette, clean out your barracks and proceed to the Ceremony ; there you will find your Squad Leader and fellow Mentor. We look forward to seeing you grow and thrive in your new role.

To say that tears weren't streaming down Anatolious face would be a lie. He rarely if ever cried, but he was anything if not shocked by these turn of events. And he looked at the letter again, and he had to give a watery laugh, oh this was interesting, this was going to be a very interesting year. He had to give an exasperated yet fond sigh at his teacher.

"You really know how to give a guy a heart attack." He said with a playful tone, "looks like I'm leaving. It was an honor to be taught by you sir, and I hope I bring you honor as your student."

"I know you will bring me pride, now make haste - you cannot be late." His teacher said, giving a fond chuckle.

Anatolious scrambled out the office, a feral smile on his face. Desmodus, Desmodus - he had called to wake up his dragon, we're gonna be mentors! This is going to be an interesting and possibly a year with actual excitement. His voice said with an unusual amount of enthusiasm, usually he was more reserved and serious when speaking. But this was the rare moments he could show joy, Could you scout out the Ceremony while I prepare my saddlebag and get you some food, did you have anything special that you wanted to eat today? He said telepathically as he made his way to his barracks and grabbed his large bag. He stuffed all his books and scrolls in it. And then his money that he had been saving, he then noticed the quality of his clothing. He was from a well off family, but he hadn't had the chance to buy himself some new civilian clothing considering what he wore most was his uniform. So he needed to get some new clothes before getting to the ceremony.

Also, Desmodus, I need to go shopping - so when we arrive in town, you're free to do as you please ; the walk to the Valley won't be far. But I'll be ready outside when you get back.

It seems his group wasn't there to see him off, but he wrote a small letter to them. And he took a breath before walking away and heading outside. And he inhaled the crisp air and let out a relaxed breath.

It was time for a change and he was ready for it

As the dragon slithered through the woods, the vibrant symphony of nature seemed to fall into an eerie, suffocating silence. The very earth itself seemed to recoil at his presence. The songs of birds ceased, and the whispers of the breeze were smothered by an unnatural stillness, as though the world held its breath, anticipating the abomination's passage.

He moved with a swift, unholy grace, his body flowing through the trees like liquid shadow. Where his eyes should be rested two black, vacant sockets, and yet they seemed to glow with a dim, sinister light. There was something unnatural about the dragon, if he could even be called such a beast. He bore no wings, no eyes, and certainly no scales. All that made up a dragon, he lacked.

Nonetheless, he pressed forward, weaving through the woods until coming to an abrupt halt. At once, he understood that he had arrived. The sound of human stench clogged the air, suffocating his lungs and making his empty eyes produce tears, which ran down his scaleless cheeks in protest. His ears, and mighty ears they were, pinned themselves against his skull, the loudness of the mob rattling his innards to the point where he had nearly begun to twitch like a dying roach.

Already here, and he dreaded the valley. His heart mourned the familiarity of his home, and while he often travelled, he knew that this was different. He would not return to his land in a very, very long time. But alas, his rider was here. Hee could feel it. So, while his heart yearned for his home, another part wished to identify the human who was to be his partner.

Before he could continue with his mission, however, through the air wafted another horrid, yet familiar smell. It was a smell so gruesome, that Vědmák couldn't put it's disgust into words. He would normally recoil at the stench, but at this very moment, he grew at ease. Such a smell could only be emitted from one creature, and so he set out to find him, knowing it could come from but a singular dark dragon.

Remaining in the woods, Vědmák proceeded to follow the stench, claws digging up tufts of grass behind him as his speed increased. Only when he grew nauseous did Vědmák realize he had successfully found his friend. Sevo stood just beyond the trees, awaiting him. Without hesitating, he hoisted himself up onto his hind legs and began to walk, wandering as if a human himself.

He made no further noise nor movement once approaching Sevo, other than allowing his gaze to wander in an attempt to locate his rider. However, he did remain upon two legs, as if mocking the humans before him. Given his ability to balance, it was clear that such a position was often used by Vědmák.

Eyes continuing to wander, he scanned the crowd before swiftly doubling back upon feeling a sudden pull towards the direction of his rider. Still silent, a sudden twisted, ugly grin began to form upon Vědmák's face, his sharp jagged teeth expanding to his sockets as his grin widened. With one arm resting to his side, his other slowly began to lift, a singular finger pointing towards a random group within the mob of people. Specifically, a random woman.

He had located his rider.