Up All Night (Open to all)

First topic message reminder :

Fate flew higher into the night sky in a spiral and roared with happiness. He was free in the night sky and the stars swirled around him. This is where he belonged. He laughed and flipped in the air. The only thing that could make his time better was if someone was there to enjoy it with him. He couldn't ask Neru to go with him, unfortunately. She was asleep and he knew she had a tribe to lead and didn't want to wake her. So he went on his own. He enjoyed his long flights at night, the sky felt so alive.

[Thank you c:]

Iwaizumi had been trailing the two for quite a while; the cool night breeze blowing into his stuffy home had lured him out into the night, but what had drawn his attention the moment he was out was the two dragons. Both he had nearly missed, for they camouflaged well against the pitch-black sky. One was a nebula wyvern, the same species as Neru, and nebula wyverns were known for their ability to blend into the night sky. The other had midnight black scales which matched the colour of the dark night, helping to camouflage him as well, but the sound of wingbeats had alerted him to their presence, and, squinting his eyes, he'd noticed the two, heading to a mountain, the one where the Vuari Chieftain resided. Curiosity had made him switch directions and fly after them. His wingbeats were silent, but his red scales would give him away; if any of them looked back, they'd see him almost immediately.

In an attempt to remain unnoticed, Iwaizumi dropped back, slowing down and pretending to gaze at the star-speckled sky. None of them looked back though, and Iwaizumi continued after them, hesitation slowing him down when the two dragons sank lower into the air and gliding into the tunnels. He hovered there uncertainly for a few minutes, the urge to go back and give them their privacy and the urge to stay and listen warring against each other in his chest, and Iwaizumi couldn't pick between the two. Eventually he decided to fly closer, lingering at the entrance and straining his ears to listen on the conversation, hoping that none of them would come out, or peer out. Hovering there tired him, though, and he was forced to glide into the tunnels, managing to land without faceplanting. Bowing low to Neru, he hoped - prayed - that he wouldn't be reprimanded for listening in, and for a moment, felt foolish for even following them in the first place, wondering if his behaviour was as bad as a hatchling's.

A slight tremor of relief went through Neru at the admittance that he didn't know of Zalamoro. He didn't seem as though he was lying, and that worked in his favor. "Good," she said shortly, unwilling to elaborate on the identity behind the name. Tipping her head, she looked at Fate. "I'll allow him to stay here. You're to stay with him; the tunnels are confusing enough without having not grown up in them. I'd rather not find his body in a couple hundred years simply because he got lost."

Spotting Iwazumi, she smiled, returning the bow. "Good evening, Iwa. What brings you to this section of the tunnels? Interested in Vortex as well?"

Fate looked at Neru in confusion as she asked Vortex if he knew someone named Zalamoro. He watched her sigh in relief as Vortex replied that he didn't. He didn't dare ask more now, but he would elaborate on it later when he had a chance to talk to her alone.

Fate jumped back in surprise as a red dragon landed beside where they were talking. He got defensive of Neru and almost got ready to fight to protect his leader, but then he realized that it was just a dragon from their tribe. Why am I so... Protective? he wondered, not knowing the exact words on how to explain his actions for that.

Composing himself quickly, Fate heard Neru tell him that Vortex could stay, under his supervision. Thinking that he should probably act more formal than he usually would around her, he bowed his head. "Thank you, I will make sure that he doesn't get lost." He gave her a quick smile.

Iwaizumi tried not to let his surprise at Neru returning his bow show on his face; weren't Tribe leader supposed to accept the bow without returning it? But oh well, Neru was known for being friendly and not one bit ... arrogant or too demanding of respect, so he wasn't too thrown off his feet. Her words again took him by surprise, the friendly manner with which she greeted him, and the casually thrown in nickname. Still he smiled, allowing some warmth to creep in, to replace the politeness that would have been the reason of his smile. Embarrassment tinged his cheeks slightly pink, though, and he said, "Yes, I saw them while out for a nighttime flight." So that's his name, Iwaizumi thought. Vortex. Glancing over, he saw in detail the mask of this so-called 'Vortex', and raised an eye ridge, intrigued but not brave enough to ask about it. "Are you going to be showing Vortex around?"

Vortex did not move at all from Iwaizumi's appearance, as he automatically assumed it was another Vuari. He bowed his head as well, happy that his answer was not taken as offensive. "Thank you." Was all he could say, raising his head. He still didn't know whether or not this was a good idea, but he decided to play along. Sure, he had plenty of questions, but he suppressed them for later.

Turning his gaze to Fate, he said nothing, only nodding in affirmation. He would probably be seeing a lot of this wyvern, knowing that he was his guide of the 'tunnels'.

Fate's slight bristling at the appearance of Iwa confused Neru, to say the least. After all, Vortex was much more of a threat than sweet Iwazumi. She said nothing, however, and simply nodded at his acceptance to her request. "Oh, the stars must be beautiful tonight if so many dragons are out and about. Perhaps I'll take my own look."

"Be sure to stick close to Fate," she told Vortex, smiling an acceptance of his thanks. "It's easy to get lost in here." Neru'd gotten lost herself a couple times as a hatchling, and it was by no means easy for one to find their way back.

"The stars are beautiful tonight," Iwaizumi confessed. "They were what led me out into the night." He briefly turned his gaze to the entrance some steps behind him, and could see a bit of the night sky, littered with stars. His attention flicked back to Neru when she spoke again, and nodded, not saying anything else, but it was clear from the gratitude in his eyes that he was grateful not to have been scolded, or kicked out. He would've taken the lead if it were not for two things: One, his own unfamiliarity with the winding tunnels, and two, the fact that Fate had found Vortex first. He bent a smile upon Vortex, inclining his head in a silent greeting, but otherwise ignored Fate, thinking that it would be best to avoid him if his presence would trigger such an aggressive response.

// Sorry I haven't been active. I will do a post later today when I have a few minutes. Thank you for waiting. ^.^

// Hey I'm so sorry

Fate listened to the other dragons. "Why yes, I was just going to take Vortex around," he told Iwaizumi. He listened to Neru tell Vortex to stay close to Fate. "The night IS beautiful tonight... It's amazing," he replied to Iwaizumi, looking up at the stars almost dreamily.

"Anyways," he began more formally, "I guess I will go show Vortex around now. I'm so sorry again for waking you, Neru." He apologized to his leader.