Hunter's vs the Hunted(Yoshie and Raizu)

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi in her fighting outfit

Kairi with her bow

As morning rose over the large city of New York, many people scattered the streets, most heading to work while others were off to school. Some even just walked around for the exercise and enjoyment. Despite how rumors spread about an ancient creature rising from a long lifetime of extinction, it not once disturbed the peaceful, consistent routine everyone followed.

But for a generation of descendants to the hunters of these ancient beings had no routine at all. They simply went about their lives, waiting until the day their duty was called into action, to once again defend the world against the dangerous creatures.

Dragons they were called, dragons were the creatures legends talked about. Though in truth, they were never harmful to anyone, they actually sought to live with humans, so long as they were left unharmed in their natural habitats in the mountains. But of course that didn't happen. Little did everyone know, the legend they ignored would soon become a reality.

Kairi stood perched on th statue that was placed on a high place of one of the tall building in the center of the city. She sat here every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything to prove the creatures she heard about exist. But nothing more than simple criminals and thieves ran around the place.

 

[Yoshie]

​

Dragons or Draic Kin (Dry-ya-kin) as the Elders called them are beautiful creatures, majestic that only wanted to live in peace and some were even charged with being the protectors of humans. These giant lizard like creatures seemingly went extinct because humans captured them, tried to train them, keep them as pets or hunt and kill them for their skin to make weapons or shields. The remaining dragons realized that they could not live amongst the humans for they were greedy and immoral, not all but one bad apple…

They remained in seclusion high in mountaintops for some time. Humans just presumed that they had all died off. But do some legends really truly die? Now and again rumors of dragons reached the towns and cities and eventually New York. Unfortunate due to modern times and the invention of technology humans became obsolete to the fairy tales and clamor of so called dragons. They went down in History as folklore, stories and legends. This gave the remaining Draic Kin a breather to adapt with the changing times. With adaptation came metamorphosis and breeding with humans were now possible.

As a result they now had a Dragon/human breed. A dragon able to shift from human to dragon at will. The Dry-ya-kin figured that with their new abilities they were now truly able to live amongst the humans without fear of being discovered. Among those bred was a human/dragon Named Winry Seduction. Her dragon name was Na’ane. (Na-an-nay) she was not afraid to go out as a human and discover their traits. In fact she took very well to the modern world. With her new found powers of the laptop, the Ipod, and the best invention that she thought ever… cheesecake, she fit in very well. There was still the threat of Hunters and people wanting to have dragons as their pets.

Today though was a very nice day and she wanted so bad to spread her wings and see how the wind felt under them. She stood on top of the watchtower, it was the highest tower in New York, and the twin towers would have rivaled it. Taking in a deep breath she shifted from her womanly form to her Draic Kin form and dived straight down and then swirled back up into the air flying past the center of the city. It had felt so good but she saw something in the corner of her red eyes and she panicked, so much so that she tried to shift out of form past a building that was shorter than she was used to. When this was done in human form she hit a water pipe on the top of the building and lay there unconscious.

 

[raizu kagurai]

Because she was a descendant of the hunters, Kairi didn't have much of a personal experience with the creatures. She had no idea of the nature the dragon's possessed, whether it was an intent to harm or to live amongst the humans. She had many questions to ask, all of which were shot down each time. So while she kept true to her word to fight the dragons, she still questioned their purpose, why they needed to wait and hunt these mythic creatures who in truth looked like stunning, majestic beings.

As she sat in her normal position for patrol she was lost in thought, thinking over all the stories she read outside the sanctuary of her own home. She wanted to find answers out from something that had nothing to do with her family, but came to no real conclusion other than more details about the dragons. Some could say it made her a bit smarter when fighting the creatures, but she thought of it as a way to understand them. Still, her occupation was the only thing forcing her to take her curiosity no further.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she saw a strange creature larger than any bird native to this area flying through the sky. Finally it had been time for the dragon's to rise again, unaware of the mountains holding the same creatures for centuries. Kairi made her way off her perched and followed the trail of the creature, hoping to confirm her own suspicions. Was it a dragon? or was her own fantasies of the truth finally getting to her. With her weapons on hand, Kairi used ziplines she installed over the years to make travel much easier in case of battles with the dragons.

After taking a good ten minutes to track where the beast went, Kairi turned the corner on a rooftop of the smaller building, only to find a woman laying unconscious on the ground. Kairi kneeled down beside the woman, her eyes scanning the area with a sigh, looking to the ground."Of course..I lost it.."She mumbled to herself, moving her hands away from her sword, finding no reason to find the human girl an enemy. After all, dragons couldn't turn into humans right?

 

[Yoshie]

“They cannot coexist with us! They have no compassion for us… They are the enemy. They killed your father! They imprisoned your Mother and now she is used as a birthing device for gene splicing experiments. How can you want to live amongst them? You should loath them and everything they do! Hate their existence!”


The flashback was of one of the Elders trying to reason with Winry about living with the humans. As Winry stirred in her dream her back formed black wings in a desperate form to escape whatever was binding her to her human state. Her face expressed pain and discontent and her hands for a second clawed at the Earth under her. If the woman standing over was any closer she probably would get slapped by the giant arm like wing. The flashback continued with Winry turning her back on the Elder and the elder yelling her name.

“Na`ane! You are my kin! You are Draic Kin! You dare desert your people for these wingless creatures? They want to use you; they see you as a toy, a pet! a mere source for financial gain. We are more than this. We are close to the Gods, we can touch the heavens without even trying. They are envious creatures blinded by their own greed. They destroy everything they touch and you wish to live amongst this and not take your place as Queen of the Draic Kin?"

Winry moaned and growled as these horrid images plagued her mind. Her hand reached out this time as a human hand and touched the woman’s foot unknowingly.

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi watched in shock as the woman started moving and groaning while unconscious. Her eyes simply watched, wondering just how hard she fell or hit her head to cause this. But when the wings formed from her back, the hunter looked on with wide, fearful eyes, knowing the wings she held were those of a dragon, based on the pictures shes seen. But how could that be? have dragons really found a way to turn into a human? Or was she just imagining it, hoping to find her answers?

But her question was answered when she was nearly slapped in the face by the wing, just missing her by an inch or so. Kairi stood frozen, unable to believe what was happening before her. But when she felt a hand grab her foot, she shrieked a bit, taking her sword and holding it to the woman as she fell onto her rear."T-There's no way she could be a dragon.."

 

[Yoshie]

Finally, after much time Winry opened her eyes. She sat up slowly, her back facing the woman and her hand touching the spot where she hit her head. A low growl escaped her lips and then she winced.
“I should not have flown so low to the ground. Ah but to stretch my wings… what a wondrous feeling, the wind caressing my scales...Truly a nostalgic moment.” She said as she stretched her wings outward full length this time to make sure they were not injured in her little escapade. Because she was on the roof of a seemingly tall building she was not afraid that anyone would see her half-shifted into her true form. She yawned as she flapped her right wing and then her left one making sure there were no cuts or bruises on either side. A dragon’s pride and joy is his or her wings and daily grooming showed her leathery black wings as being taken well cared of. When she fell, she landed head first into the water pipe so nothing seemed to be hurting except for her head. She touched her head again and winced. Yup the pain was right there at her forehead. “This is going to hurt all the way till morrow.”
Still not turning around she touched her face to make sure that there was no blood on her nose or anywhere for that matter. Dragons could be quite vain sometimes and Winry was one to not mess up her dollish figure and beautiful mesmerizing face.

 

[raizu kagurai]

By this time Kairi was to her feet, her shock and nervousness fading as she lowered her arm that held the sword. She simply watched and listened as the being rose to their feet and seeming to check themselves for injury. For a 'dangerous' creature, Kairi saw nothing of the sort, but still watched with caution. It would only take a moment for the situation to go into chaos. And Kairi had to make sure she was ready for that.

She stood in silence, refusing to speak a sound as the woman spoke to herself. It would seem the creature or person hit their head on something when trying to shift back into a human. That would explain the dent in the pipe slightly to the right of her. She could tell the person was in pain by the way they winced after touching their forehead. There was still one thing that dawned on Kairi's mind as she heaved a soft heavy breath. Something she had never read up about nor never thought would happen."W-What are you?"She asked, still not believing what seemed to be true."Dragon's aren't able to turn human..s-so..what kind of creature are you?"

 

[Yoshie]

Winry jumped in surprised as she heard a voice. She turned and moved to the fence that was adjacent to the metal pipe to the right of the intruder. Seduction’s blazing red eyes gazed up to a wondrous female dressed in armor, dryyakin hunter armor. She panicked but her wings were out, she was mid shifted, and she was injured and could not properly shift to either form at the moment. So there she was human with Dragon wings and blazing red eyes. Fear swept her face as she opened her mouth to start a sentence.

“I have heard of your kind… you are a Dryyakin hunter. You are the one the Elders warned me about. You, for centuries have caused us pain and misery. If I have to defend myself I will…for the good of our race!” She tried to shift into her dragon form, to no avail. “My head… dammit!” She groaned. When she heard the women say something about human and dragon she glared at the armored girl. “Naive human, twas your kind that made us this way, made us what we are today and we didn’t have a choice in the manner… well some of us. What is your purpose for hunting us? Why does thou wish to kill something that wants nothing but to be left alone?” She said trying to stall her apparent imminent death.

The look in Winry’s fiery red eyes was a mixture of pain, anguish and anger yet part confused. In her heart she knew she was not a killer. Her only kills were so that she could eat, and those were nowhere near human. In fact she rarely ate meat, not raw anyway. She was spoiled in her human ways so she actually cooked and cleaned like a normal person. Her claws were for tearing into the earth so that she could land easily, she was not the best smooth lander. The sharp end of her tail was used to open shelled objects to eat or to see if there was actually a clam that had a pearl in it. So she was not a dragon used to strike fear in the hearts of man.

 

[raizu kagurai]

When the woman turned to her, Kairi watched with a slow, deep breath. Her stance did not falter by the appearance of the being. But she did feel a bit scared, considering she had never actually fought a dragon before. So this was something new for her, but would still take it head on. Then the creature yet again held her head in pain, making the hunter raise her brow. For a dragon, this woman seemed kind of strange. She was nothing like the beings she heard of in stories. Fierce, proud creatures the book said. This one however looked as though she wasn't one to fight.

Humans made them that way? It couldn't be possible. How could such a thing happen where a dragon was born a human? Perhaps there was more to the legends than anyone could have imagined. Or quite possibly, SHE was just kept out of the loop. With more and more of these questions assaulting her brain, Kairi moved closer to the dragon woman. Her blade remained raised, just in case the creature attacked her.

"I am simply doing as my father and grandfather told me to do...I am simply trying to protect the human race against violent..dangerous creatures like you.."She stated, her eyes soon filled with anger as her job was put into question. But as the dragon whined about wanting left alone, Kairi tilted her head some, slightly pulling back her blade."What do you mean be left alone...?"

 

[Yoshie]

Winry hissed in anger at the women for getting close. Her wings spread out more as if to make herself look bigger, to no avail as she just seemed to spread out width wise and not height wise. She listened to the women as she blamed her career choice in life on her grandfather and father.

“So I take it if they told you to jump off the Empire State Building because they did it you’d do that as well?” She said with venom on her tongue. “You humans amaze me. My Elders however are not surprised; they see you as a plague upon nature and a threat to yourself. Maybe they were not too far from the truth.” She stuck her fork like tongue out and then hissed at her words. “Us a threat to the human race? You are a threat to yourselves. Everything you touch you destroy and you try to control everything. If something is not your way or doesn’t follow your rules you don’t like it, you find it different and either you bend it to your will or you kill it.” She then frowned upon herself seeing as though she sounded just like the Elder that warned her of the interactions with humans.

Once this was said she tried shifting again. This time her tail protruded out from under her. It was a very long scaly tail with a black and purple tint to it. In the dark you’d swear it was black but in the light it shown purple. It was a slow transformation and she’d figure if she could stall just a little bit more she’d be able to transform fully and fly away. But it would take a whole conversation to keep this Hunter busy. “You hate what you don’t understand and you fear what you don’t know. Your mind is closed…the stories that your people tell you are just that, stories. Have you ever seen one of my kind actually kill a human? Have you ever laid eyes on one of us other than that of a page out of Harry Potter or World of Warcraft?” Her body elongated and her skin went from skin to beautiful black and purple scales. Soon there were claws where hands once were.

Winry was not trying to show the Hunter what she looked like but it was funny that she was transforming so slowly. Usually she could just think about flying and take to the skies with little to no hesitation. But this time… it was different. Something was distracting her from focusing. Did she honestly want to know what the Hunter thought about her people? What were the humans so afraid of? Sure she was a dragon, sure she had claws and teeth that could crush rock but just because an eel is electric it does not mean it will shock you.

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi only listened as the dragon mocked her, judged her by what her own kind had done over the centuries. but the first thing that really got to her was the fact of her mockery of her family's teachings. Though she remained silent, listening to what Winry had to say. Since the creature made no real movements to attack, she saw no reason to disrespect her in talking, for now at least. With each word the dragon spoke, making a mockery of her kind, Kairi looked down a bit, knowing full well the ignorance of humans. The fact that they sought to rule everything of this planet was something she only noticed recently.

When the dragon silence for a brief moment from her speech, Kairi took that time to speak."I know full well what my kind has done. But it is something one person or being cannot change. So why try if nothing can be done about it?" By now she saw the woman's figure halfway into her dragon form. Kairi took note of this and figured she was trying to escape. This was certain, Winry was just stalling for time. Which she could understand..her family had practically hunted down almost all of the dragons.

"Yu are not so different than us dragon..you yourselves are quick to judge us as a whole. failing to understand that just because we are human, doesn't mean we don't have flaws. That MAYBE some of us don't agree on the same beliefs.." Now it was her turn to do the talking. She was going to tell off this woman, make her understand that she isn't doing this because she wanted to." I only do this because I have to..To protect my family from any threats. Whether you are a threat or not I still don't know." She surprisingly ran out of words to say. She had so many things to ask the dragon, but thought it wasn't the right situation or place for it.

While she heard so many things from her family and books, Kairi still didn't feel the same, fearful, destructive presence from the being that her family described the beings gave off. This was only proven with the dragons attempts to transform and flee. But there was one last thing she had to say to this beast."Just because I do as my family tells me..doesn't mean I agree with them so easily."

 

[Yoshie]

“No human you misinterpret our intentions. We were placed here as guardians Human. So that when you tried to destroy we were there to repair and replace and make better. We tried to show you the error of your ways. We tried to step in when you almost destroyed the planet with your cutting down trees, and your nuclear weaponry but then you decided to destroy yourselves instead. That is when it’s out of our hands mortal. You and your kind are beyond help, your kind was doomed from the start. There is nothing more I or anyone can do for you.”

Winry sounded almost apologetic with that last sentence. She knew that humans were destructive and dogmatic but still there was something that humans had that no other kin among her had. Hope. They had the ability to restart and rebuild where others would have given up they somehow keep going, keep trying and this in turn made her want to know more about them. She knew the negatives about humans now it was time to learn the good side.

Winry was now full dragon. She had the chance to fly away. But there was one thing that she wanted to know before she flew away. She peered at Kairi with those burning red eyes, seemingly into her soul. But dragons don’t have lips so they cannot talk. Winry would have to telepathically talk to Kairi. The thing about that is not all humans have the mind power to comprehend telepathy. Some think of it as just a small voice in the back of your head that tells you what to do. Others think that it has something to do with them being crazy, hearing voices and what not. But if Kairi was a true Dryyakin hunter she would be able to hear Winry inside her head.

“You are a true Dryyakin Hunter… Can you hear me? I see that you are not afraid. You have yet to draw your weapon mortal. Then again, you know that I won’t hurt you. Is this not proof enough that we are not your enemy? Alas as they say one bad apple… In my Drayyakin form I am called Na`ane. Yes, if you are wondering we do have powers, powers given to us by the Elders. Each one of us has a unique power based on what flight we come from, but again you being a Dryyakin hunter should know that… and you should know the flights and their names. A dragon hunter should have research and data on all of us. But as a Drayykin hunter he must also know that in killing us he also kills apart of himself.”​

She finished her statement and batted her wings to fly off. She was still wounded and shifting from human to dragon on a building was a bad idea considering there was not a lot of space for liftoff. So getting airtime was hard. Would this give Kairi the time she needed to kill her? Would Kairi take this opportunity? These questions plagued Winry’s mind as she now was caught between a rock and a hard place.

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi shook her head when told she should know about the flights and names of dragons and their uniqu abilities. In fact, this was something Kairi had yet to be taught about, something she was to learn in the next few weeks. She was at a loss for words, The fact that this dragon had no intention of harming her obvious now that the being was trying to fly off. And seeing Winry in her elegant beast form was a sight she never expected to see, let alone talk to.

Whether she was to kill the dragon or not, she wasn't going to try when the being was not at 100%. It went against all she stood for, if she was to fight, she wanted her opponent at their best. So when the dragon tried to fly, Kairi waked closer, pushing from behind as she tried to help. Were the humans really any different from the dragons? the dragons did just as much damage as the humans. I was just the humans seemed to have dark methods of annihilation.

"How can you change something if only one person steps up? how can one person change the ways and destruction of an entire race? While I am a Dryyakin Hunter...It isn't a choice I made on my own. I and dfferent from them, I adore the dragons. But disobeying what I'm told and breaking from the family order..I won't have anything, I don't have any choice."Kairi's voice rang with depression as she gave one final push to try and assist the dragon in flying off.

 

[Yoshie]

The human did the strangest thing. She tried to help Winry fly off. It was she that Winry was escaping from. But now she had no reason to flee. Winry looked puzzled for a minute and then spoke to the mortal via telepathy.

“You… are going against the Dryyakin Hunter code by even being in my presence and not killing me. You are touching me with your hands, and not your blade?”​

She said quizzically. This display of affection had Na`ane baffled. How could one swear by the code of the Enemy and then be friend to foe? When Winry spoke of the dryyakin and their traits she noticed that the young mortal looked on in disbelief. The dragon’s brows raised and her tail twitched.


“You mean to tell me that you do not know the traits of the Dragons?” When Kairi pushed one final time she took her tail and lifted Kairi up and onto her back. She whispered to Kairi. “Now, I will show you something if you promise not to kill me at least… not until I can put up the proper fight. Hold on!” Winry flapped her wings and went high into the air, a little wobbly at first trying to get used to the extra weight that was now on her back. The sun was starting to set now so there would not be a lot of people that she needed to hide from being in her dragon form. Because she was a dark color she would not be noticed as much, unlike if she were to fly mid morning.

“What I am about to tell you is information one, that you should already know from your Elders and two, strictly between you and I, if the Elders found out that I let you even remotely close to me they would have my hide… literally. But alas, Hunter you did not draw your blade today so, at least for today we call truce. We were not always enemies Mortal. The term Dryyakin Hunter in our Native language translates as ‘He who hunts with the Dragon’ We were transportation for you before the year of the Horse. We were friend, helpers, and companions. We, young mortal were one.”
​

 

[raizu kagurai]

(I'm sensing a bit of eragon premises hidden here^^)

Kairi jumped a bit when she was suddenly hiked up onto the dragon's back, her breathing a bi hesitant when she saw the beast was about to fly off. For now she relaxed, trying to keep calm before being spoke to again."I do not fight beings who aren't at their best..it isn' a fair fight if one is at a physical disadvantage.." Kairi stuck with her own beliefs. She didn't care much of her lessons about disregarding such things, as it removes any sense of courage. It only showed that she would have been a coward to attack.

"Have you not been listening to the way I speak Drayyakin? I do not agree to the code, I know there was a time before the age of killing all dragons. Unlike my family, I believe in MY own choices and beliefs.. But I only rely on them when on my own. I'm not brave enough or important enough to change the way things are. So I do as I'm told when being watched to avoid having my father lash out at me.." Her voice filled with a bit of sorrow as she explained herself, her hand gliding over her shoulders, scars hidden over her body from her father's harsh punishments for disobeying and questioning his lessons.

with the darkness of night hiding them, Kairi relaxed a bit more, knowing they couldn't been seen so easily. Something about the dragon's words intrigued her. Dragons and mortals worked as one." What do you mean by one?"She asked, not understanding the concept, wondering just how that worked.

 

[Yoshie]

Darkness, the one time that Na`ane could relax. It was also when her special place was the most luminous. There was a full moon out tonight, and Winry soared past it giving a glimpse of what it would be like to fly to the moon. Gliding now, they were reaching their destination.

“Down there…” She whispered to Kairi. Words could not express what Kairi was exposed to. Above the place surrounded by trees there was the big white moon shining down seemingly highlighting the place where they were to land. There in the middle of the place was a waterfall that ran quietly; the water ran into a stream. The water was a beautiful clear blue, seemingly sparkling in the moonlight and it reflected the moon and everything on its surface, however you could see into the water with no problem. The greenery around the waterfall and it’s stream seemed properly well kept and the flowers were of various kinds. They landed and the dragon walked over to the waterfall and dipped her claws in the water and pulled up various gems and beautiful stones that were at the bottom. She passed them to Kairi.

“Before we were enemies, we were partners. There are five Dryyakin Aspects. One for each of the five elements, they are Red, blue, black, green, and gold. The red flight is the Aspect of Life, the Blue is the Aspect of Knowledge and Magic, the Black is the Aspect of Earth, Green is the Aspect that watches over Nature and the Gold or bronze is the Aspect that controls Time. Together these aspects are the guardians of your world. We protect and watch over all that you do. In the time of the Elders the Red flight gave birth to all life on your planet as you know it. This means you are descendents of Dryyakin Mortal.” Na`ane moved the tree vines with her tail gently exposing the rock statues that were carved in memory of the five Aspects. The statues were almost as tall as Na`ane herself, and each statue had unique differences.

“This place is called the Dryyakin Sanctuary. Humans would come here and pray to us or sometimes just to talk. Others would swear they were healed by the magical powers of the Dryyakin Temple that is hidden inside the waterfall. This place is sacred; I beg you treat it as such. No mortal since the war has set foot in this place anymore, mostly because you cannot reach it without the help of a Dryyakin. Each tree has its own fruit, go ahead taste it. That one with the orange fire is my favorite. It’s called Dragon fruit.” She said pointing to the tree that was next to the passion fruit. “We get just enough rain here for the trees to flourish. The water here is pure and the flowers here change according to the seasons. Each Aspect gave their blessing so that this place would be a haven, a sanctuary to whomever stepped foot here.”

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi stayed on the dragon's back as she landed on the ground and dug into the stream, digging out a few gem and stones, handing them to the girl. Kairi happily took them and admired them while listening to Na`ane. And when she turned her eyes away from the jewels to hear the dragon explain how humans used to come here to speak with the drayyakin or even just pray. Without ever intending on it, Kairi was finding out the answers to all the questions she had in her mind. And when offered to taste one of the fruits from a tree, Kairi smiled and hopped down.

Since the Dragon Fruit was Na`ane's favorite, Kairi picked it from the tree and slowly took a bite out of the fruit. Who would know more about good foods than Winry, since she enjoys the thing. While she snacked on the fruit, Kairi's eyes roamed around them, taking in the true beauty of the Sanctuary. Everything about the place seemed perfect, almost as though this place was created in the eyes of both man and dragon. The girl still smiled, enjoying the view as she sighed and sat on the ground.

"So why fight back against the humans..rather than find a way to reason with them or make hem understand??" She asked, wanting to know just why the war has continued on so much without an attempt at peace.

 

[Yoshie]

Winry knew that this question would arise and just the simple mention of the subject made the dragon wince. In the blink of an eye Winry had reverted back to her human form. She thought that it would be better to explain this way anyway. When she reverted back to human her eyes were full of hurt and she pointed to the tallest statue.

“Nelthraku. (Nel-tha-ra-ku) His name means Lucifer in Dryyakin language. He was king of the Black dragonflight and he was the most beautiful, most charismatic, most loved and most envied Dragon amongst us. I loved him… I loved him more than life itself. He taught me everything I knew and in turn let me see what the world was for what it was. He was intelligent, he was witty and he always knew what to say when you needed comforting.” Her face grew uneasy with fear and worry. She walked over to his statue and hugged it.

“He was everything you would imagine a kind and gentle human to be… But there was a spot in his heart that none of us could control, it was a very dark place, as black as the Earthen soil he was charged with protecting. When he went insane… it hurt us all, but it maimed me the most.” She pulled down her black dress to expose three long, singed, burned, scars on her back in the shape of claw marks. The marks extended from the start of her shoulder to the bottom of her lower back. Winry turned to look at Kairi with tears in her eyes. “Just like your kind betrays you… we got betrayed. I was betrayed by the one I loved. He started this war. The war between Dryyakin and human, he was the one to attack your village and kill your people.”

She stopped and wiped her face and then touched the statues face. “He didn’t believe in what we did. He had his own demons and could not accept the new order. We were issued to your kind not as Gods, but as companions. He could not accept this change. He adored being worshipped and to go from Gods to mere… pets as he put it. Well, he rebelled. The Elders were against it to but… with time comes change, unfortunately your kind didn’t make this transition any smoother. Once your kind starting conquests they came back with treasures that were precious and rare. This bred trading in new countries but with rare items comes a price and with money… comes greed. Once this sin was born more came, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy and the most dangerous of them all, Wrath.”

She looked to Kairi as if she held hope in her eyes. Winry examined her armor closely and noticed there was a symbol on her chestpiece. She pointed to it and then asked. “That symbol… what is it for?”

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi took a seat in the grass and looked to Winry, her eyes watching the woman point out and speak about the statue. The being that started this entire war, something that apparently didn't need to happen. She only listened as the being told her how one of her own kind betrayed them because of a disagreement about the way dragons were seen to humans. While in her own opinion it seemed the dragon loved the feeling of power when seen as a god, thus embedding the feeling into him, refusing to let him see things any other way.

Winry then explained to her how the human race soon fell into the same boat, thought their cause was from the gain of riches and rare artifacts. This was because unlike dragon's who have lived here longer than humans, the human race did not have the wisdom and ability to resist such temptations. This she had seen apparent in the world today as she grew up, people refusing to help others if they did not gain from it. It took the art of survival, and adapted it to everything in life. With the dragon' wisdom, Kairi had nothing more to ask for the moment.

But it seemed he dragon had a question of her own to ask."What symbol?"She asked, looking over herself for the symbol the dragon spoke off, wondering what she was talking about.

 

[Yoshie]

Winry pointed to the rope that was tied around the young girl’s waist and the surrounding area that had print of some sort. Winry didn’t want to touch the girl for fear of how she would react.

“As much time as we have spent here on this planet I have never seen anything like those symbols, do they come from something in your lineage? Are they crafted into your skin around your stomach? Do they come off?” Winry was very curious about the rope tied around Kairi’s belly and the symbols around it. So she continued her questions, she didn’t mean to be so fast with each question but that is what happens when she gets excited. She pointed to the dragon statue the one with the red letters indicating the Red Flight and spoke.

“Our species has symbols but those are markings of our power. Speaking of hereditary traits, do you have any powers?” She stopped and then remembered that she did not even know the girl’s name. Winry didn’t want to just peer into the girls’ head to figure it out, so she decided to ask. “My apologies mortal but I don’t seem to recall giving you my name. I am Winry in human form. Winry Seduction, and in dragon form I am known as Na`ane. What’s your name, although we should have done introductions in the beginning of our journey.” She giggled.

Sighing she looked back up at the statue. “It was not his fault entirely. You see we dragons are not perfect, and we share some of the same traits you do, since we are Kin everything is passed down. We are just taught to suppress emotions and things like greed and gluttony. Although have you ever seen a dragon eat? Yes there is much gluttonous behavior there. I guess that mean there had to be pride somewhere deep down. But you have to see it from both standpoints… there is always two sides to a story and my version is only what the Elders told me and what I saw from the outside looking in. No one really knows his side…he was always quiet about the way he felt.”

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi looked down at the designs she had on the covering over her stomach, smiling a bit as she shook her head. She was surprised to see such a creature so curious about her. Enough so that she too realized they were asking so many things, but never once had their names come up.

"Well it's a piece of clothing I wear to cover me. It helps to keep parts of me safe by deflecting projectiles like arrows. but mainly I wear it because it looks nice. My mother gave it to me as a gift."Kairi wondered what else there was to know about these creatures, what else made them so much like humans as far as behaviors and personalities went. Though her thoughts rambled on and faded when asked for a name to be called by. So with another smile she spoke."My name is Kairi. And I understand the idea of knowing both sides of the story..that's why I disagree with killing all dragons..I don't believe all dragons are dangerous unless provoked..That's how all animals are. At least in my opinion anyway..."

Now that she was comfortable and safe from harm at the time, Kairi looked over the statues, thinking to herself before laying on her back."I just wish there was a way to fix this..to make it right and bring that connection between human and dragon back to the way it was..there's no need to kill such elegant, beautiful creatures."

 

[Yoshie]

Winry marveled at the cloth and smiled. She touched it gently and wanted to compare it to what she was wearing. Her armor was beautiful, much like the young girl.

“So you all wear cloth to protect you? We have scales that we were born with to protect us. So does everyone that is your kin wear the same things or are you like us and have different markings to separate you? Like Neltharaku, his tail was red and black instead of all black, like the rest of the flight. This could have been because his mother was of Red Flight decent and his father, black. My mother has blue and red scales and my father black and blue scales. So we are all different and can tell each other apart by color, smell, and some of the flights color changes depending on the mood they are in. It’s quite extraordinary really, instead of the things you were we have natural protection. However, your kin have very smooth skin might I add. It’s not bumpy and coarse as ours. I guess that’s why I favor my human façade over my dryyakin. I just feel a little more comfortable and …well I fit through doors easier.”

When Kairi mentioned the beauty of dragons Winry blushed and looked away. There was only one who told her she was beautiful. Winry touched her own arm as she spoke. “I… well, it was bound to happen. The tyranny on both our parts dragon and human, no one wanted to be the others slave and neither wanted to submit. That’s usually how wars are dragged out. Especially by turning one another against each other, honestly…I see no need for it, the seclusion I feel, having to hide from society, having the pleasure to only fly in the cloak of darkness and not being able to seek friends in the human world. To be frank we are sisters. Kin in arms. Why must we battle if we don’t want to? It all confuses me. As a Dragon even I don’t have all the answers, at least, not when it comes to this war. But…” She stopped and headed over to the stream. Her eyes peered into the clear water and she dug her hand in once more.
“This…” She began. “This is another culprit. Rare gems like this…” She hugged it and at the base of her back you could see her tail emerge and seemingly begin wagging like a puppy. “We dryyakin love gemstones! We love things that are shiny. As silly as it may seem we sleep on them, not as comfortable in human form but the sharp edges relieve much of the itch from our scales. They are also very good for toothpicks when we have something stuck in our teeth. They hold no value to us money wise but to your Kin… well you kill each other over them. You cut them up, you alter them and then you sell them to the highest bidder. This one here is a very rare gem. We call it Dragonite but in your language it is called Blue Garnet and it is one of the ten most expensive gems on the market selling for one million of your dollars a carat.”

She then took her tail and hit the gem with much force. There was a small vibration where Kairi stood when she did this and it caused the gem to split into at least four pieces. Three of the pieces she placed back into the water and the one piece she placed aside. Taking some fragments of titanium she pulled them out of the water, but to do this part she had to transform back into a dragon. “I am not allowed to use any of my powers in my Mortal disguise and if I am in too much pain I cannot transform to my dryyakin form. That was the problem I had when you met me.” She took a deep breath and a small controlled fire came out when she exhaled. This melted the metal down to where she could easily bend it. Grabbing the blue garnet gemstone she welded it down into the titanium and then bent the metal to a circle. She had created a necklace for Kairi. Winry then fell silent. She was ashamed. “Dragons have a problem with speaking too much. I just told you my weakness, and I feel quite vulnerable now.”

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi looked herself over and smiled, not so much fascinated by the get up as Winry was since she wore this every day. Though from her side, she loved how Winry looked in her dragon form, proving and showing her fascination for the female's kind."Unlike you..we don't have the ability to block or defend ourselves with merely our skin and muscles..so many things we find we reuse for protective clothing. The only thing separating us from one another was the metal bands holding the clothing together.."

Kairi could sense the feelings Winry had about all this, her beliefs much more similar to the humans than she would have figured. But not once did she mentioned this as she listened, keeping her smile the whole time as she relaxed. It wasn't until she took out a shiny, elegant gemstone that Kairi rose to her feet and moved a bit closer. She could only watch as the dragon held it in her hand, explaining the riches it could bring in the world of the human race. Only to shatter it into pieces and use one of the four to create a necklace. Never had Kairi seen such a beautiful gem, let alone have the chance to have one of her own. So she wasn't expecting it to be made for her as she watched the process of creating the jewelry.

Kairi shifted her gaze to the dragon, her soft eyes peering at the being, looking into her eyes before giving the creature a reassuring smile."No worries..I will not harm you. I will not attempt such a thing so long as my family is not around to watch."With that she took her weapons from her body and tossed them aside. Such a sacred place was not meant to be stained by the blood of either her or Winry. And away from peering eyes finally allowed her to show just how different she really was.

 

[Yoshie]

Na`ane, since she was now in dragon form, then took the necklace and gave it to Kairi. “Hold it up straight and do not move.” She said as she breathed blue fire onto the necklace to make it cool off and stay together. Once that was done she started to chant. The blue fire surrounding it turned purple and blue hieroglyphic dryyakin symbols were present in the titanium surrounding the gem. It was now an enchanted expensive necklace.
“Put it on… I enchanted it so that you can know where I am if you need me. If I am close or if any dragon is close to where you are you will be able to know because the symbols around it will glow a bright blue color. Because I have blessed it with my power it also serves as a warning of respect. This means that if a dragon sees you they will notice the necklace and acknowledge that you will not harm them… unless they are unfriendly, but I am not sure if that is likely.” She paused and nodded her head. Looking up into the sky she sighed. It will be light soon. I have to get you home, and I back to my Kin I have been gone too long already and I have to answer back.” She frowned and then looked at Kairi as if she would give her permission.

 

[raizu kagurai]

Kairi stared at the beautiful item given to her, observing in amazement for a short while after receiving it until she was told what to do. So with a slow nod Kairi kept herself and the necklace motionless, making sure she did it right while Na'ane did her magic. The cool air flowing from her breath forced the girl to fight the urge to shake and shiver, a deep breath escaping her as a result. She listened to the dragon speaking in her native tongue, forcing small characters to appear on the necklace, enchanting it with her powers. Such an amazing skill and power these creatures had. But some were not as bad as she was left to believe. Na'ane was a beautiful, caring Dragon, but still, Kairi had no idea what would come of this newly formed friendship.

As she placed the jewelry around her neck, Kairi smiled happily, her eyes staring intently at the item. But the idea behind the necklace made her frown, meaning she wouldn't be able to wear this around her parents, let alone anyone in her family. But it did mean during the night or her solo patrols, she could freely find her friend while making sure to know she was safe ."Thank you so much Na'ane..But I ish I had something I could give you in return as a gift.."