Bond of Power (Private with Athena)

Storm felt the beat of his heart in his chest as he walked. The desert sand felt unpleasant underneath his talons. It suck in between his talons and bugged him. Why did he even join the Ki'Sha in the first place? He had that thought a lot. It was in the literal worst place in all of Nuira. The desert. It was TOO HOT and made everything feel as dry as a bone. He just had to keep in mind that this MIGHT be temporary. He had to figure that part out once Daydris was gone and he had Sarah again.

Oh, his beautiful daughter. How he missed her. He tried not to think about her, but it was inevitable. It felt like a piece of his heart was missing that nobody could fill. He shoved the thoughts away that maybe she wasn't alive and kept walking. He searched the faces of the dragons in the tribe, trying to swallow his hope in case it was false.

There were rumors that a new dragon had joined the tribe. A pure white dragon. An ice dragon. Why would she join a tribe in the desert,
though? his mind nagged. She's more vulnerable to heat, since she is an ice dragon. He pushed his legs forward, wondering where she would be.

There. A flash of white. Was it her?

"Athena!" he called out, knowing that he would probably look like an idiot if it wasn't her. By this time his heart beat wildly as he tried to find her.

Her feathers flared slightly as the light breeze wafted between them, showing off their brilliant cyan. As she moved through the streets, Athene became aware of the stares, the quiet insults muttered under superstitious breaths. Had she been anywhere else, she'd have turned around and attacked for their insolence, but Athena was in no place to make any arguments against the accusations of being a spy for the moment. Still, at their stares, she raised her head slightly and met their eyes. A couple quickly looked away.

The sand stuck to her hooks and dug into the soft flesh behind them, making her wince as the heat charred her skin. She hated heat. She hated sand. She hated everything about Ki'Sha lands, so why did she join? Well, it was the fact that this was the toughest tribe in Nuira, and fighting was their 'thing,' their 'niche.' Athena could fight, and she could fight well. She wasn't looking to prove herself to anyone, just learn to fight better.


Blue eyes scanned the crowd, meeting the stares of the aggressive dragons that seemed to loathe her. For a moment, Athena felt small, but then she remembered, she was in no way inferior to these clan members. She met their stares with stormy eyes, and they adverted their gazes. Athena wasn't looking for trouble, but she wasn't going to roll over and show her belly for dragons that looked down upon her because she was the newcomer.


"Athena!" Several dragons glanced upwards as the name bounced off the buildings, filling the general silence like water an empty tank. As the voice entered her head, Athena felt her world melt away for a moment, stiffening out of half wariness, half shock. She knew that voice. Her head snapped around, eyes narrowing in case it was a trick, a prank, and prepared to spill a dragon's blood over the sandy streets. Royal blue eyes met emerald green, and her brandished tail lowered.

Storm.

Athena briskly strode over to him, not caring for their stares any longer. She allowed a smile to appear, a real smile, rare as diamond to appear on her face. She pushed back the urge to call out, lest she attracted more attention to herself and her friend. Her talons and wicked hooks scraped against the stone pavement, creating a hurried rhythm that grew more frantic as she approached Storm.

The amulet that hung 'round his neck, winked in the sunlight, flashing so she had to squint slightly. As she came within whispering distance, she stopped, wings tucked loosely into her sides. Hey. she said softly, eyes shining.

His heart filled with desperate happiness as Storm saw her. It was indeed Athena. He saw her walk toward him, her walking becoming faster as she approached. She stopped in front of him.

"Hey," she said to him. She tried to stay calm but her eyes told how happy she was to see him.

"Hey," he returned her reply. His wings twitched slightly as he resisted the urge to jump into her and embrace her with his wings. His eyes shone like stars that twinkled with new brightness. Whenever he got back to her, it always felt the same. Extreme joy, like the world felt right as long as he was alongside her.

He tried not to burst out with millions of questions. Instead, he said, as calmly as he could,"Can we go somewhere private?" he asked, tentatively glancing at all the dragons around. "I know where we can go."

He hadn't changed a bit. Shining amethyst scales, a smile forged in starlight, eyes that gleamed like old gold. He was so out of place amongst the hostile, darker dragons that surrounded him like flies a perfect spider web. He's a Stormcaller, not a Ki'Shan, she thought to herself. And even then, he's alien. A light in a starless sky.

Her tail swished from side to side, spraying side over the sides of the buildings that encircled them, eyes far brighter then what they had been seconds before. She saw his wings twitched, and knew what he was thinking. "Can we go somewhere private?" Storm asked, eyes darting to the strangers that stared at them with accusing yes. "I know where we can go." Athena's feathers twitched in interest at this, eyes narrowing slightly.

The larger wyvern gave a nod. Lead the way, she said quietly. Suddenly, she heard a voice, next to them. Newt, he mumbled. Immediately, her head turned, shooting him a look that would have made human men quake in their boots as she followed Storm.

Athena seemed to be in good shape still, to Storm's relief. He was always worried about her when they were apart. She always got herself into fights and trouble. Her and Storm were like yin yang. They kept each other in line and always balanced each other out. They capitalized on each other's weaknesses and helped each other out. Whenever he reunited with her, he wondered how he made it in the time without her.

Storm watched her nod. "Follow me," he whispered apprehensively, starting to walk through the town. He heard someone nearby call him a newt. He didn't pay any attention to it, but he saw out of the corner of his eye that Athena shot him a glare. He was used to those remarks by now, but it comforted him to know that he had someone by his side and defend him. He would do the same for her in a heartbeat.

He kept walking until they were just outside of the tribe. He led Athena behind a sand dune. There were lots of rocks and boulders. There was a really small house made of the boulders that were scattered about. It was very crude looking, but it was large enough for Athena to fit comfortably in, though. "I have another house in the tribe, I just come here when I want privacy," he explained, going inside.

As soon as both of them were in, he jumped into Athena with his wings wrapped around her. "I've missed you so much." He stayed there for a moment, not wanting to let go. "So what happened? How did you end up here?"
He let go and looked up at her eyes.

As she followed Storm, Athena became aware of the heat once again, wafting through the air to seep beneath her scales and heat her to boiling point. She knew she would eventually need to adapt to such a temperature, or she wouldn't last a month in the Ki'Sha tribe. Letting out a shaky breath, she raised her head slightly, once vibrant cyan feathers now plastered to her back from sweat lifting subtly as a soft breeze cooled her a tiny amount. As the buildings that were packed together grew sparse, Athena realised they were approaching the edge of town, and eventually, the borders.

As they passed over a dune, Athena's right hook sunk into the sand and she slipped. Sliding down a few feet, she huffed and cursed, shaking the sand from her wing, the skin now singed black from the heat. Her royal blue eyes lifted and widened slightly as they made out the shape of a basic 'house,' nestled into he rocks buried in the sand, hidden from the naked eye. Clever. She nodded at his explanation for building such a place, passing into the building with surprising ease.

As soon as she was comfortable, Athena was assaulted by a purple ball of affection. She jumped slightly, and then a small smile appeared on her face as she returned the hug, embracing Storm with her massive wings. "I missed you too," she buried her head into his shoulder for a moment, glad to have her brother back.

When he pulled away, she drew her head back, forming a snake-like 'S' curve as she towered above her friend. [color=#00ffff]"It's a bit of a long story. However, long story cut short, I was gently coaxed into the tribe by a brash, arrogant male that demanded I join during a sandstorm of all times,["/color] she huffed towards the end of the sentence, tone shifting into one of annoyance, but if one knew her as well as Storm, they'd detect a hint of affection hidden somewhere in there.

Her tail swished, the blade winking in the dim light, flashing like a star and reflecting into her blue eye. "And you? How'd you end up stuck here?" she asked, settling down onto her haunches with a grunt.

Storm listened to Athena's explanation of how she joined the Ki'Sha. The male she described seemed to annoy her, but a slight tone in her voice hinted to him that she liked him more than what her words said. The Athena Storm knew wouldn't join a tribe just because someone told her to. A small smirk appeared on his face as he looked at her. "Who is this handsome male you seem to think so highly of?" he said, putting the pieces together that she might just like this male.

To her next question, he thought for a moment before answering. "I just needed to be part of a tribe to take refuge in while I sorted things out. Little did I know at the time, though, that I picked the worst tribe in all of Nuira." That word still felt weird on his tongue. Nuira.

"Their so unfriendly, not to mention this BLASTED HEAT AND STUPID SAND!" he yelled with twisted humor. "As soon as I get my life together and we figure out what we are going to do about your uncle hunting us, I am going to get out of here. I'll probably join the Stormcallers, as ironic as that is." He let out a little chuckle. "I have heard that they are very peaceful and are allowed to explore and leave the territories as they please, which will let me adventure whenever I want," he explained.

He shook his head quickly. "Sorry, I'm going off onto bunny trails now. I just haven't had you or anyone else to talk to for a couple months now. As a result I find myself talking to myself a lot and wonder if I'm going crazy with all of this sand and heat."

He looked down, slightly ashamed. He knew he should be stronger. For Athena. For Sarah. He knew they would want him to stay strong. So he stayed, hoping being in the Ki'Sha would toughen him. He wondered sometimes how long he would last here with the. In fact, he was just planning to escape and leave the tribe soon, that's how much he despised it.

It just wasn't him. He was a peacemaker, not a hardened warrior. Sure, he would fight to no end and die for Athena, Sarah, or anyone else close to him without thinking, but a tough, fight-lover, he was not. Though he was good at fighting. After all, he had beaten Athena once when she wore the evil armor, and that is no small feat.

Storm realized after a moment that he had zoned out into his own little world for a minute, as he often did. He shook his head again, returning to the moment at hand. "So," he said next, looking back up at his icy friend, "Any news on your uncle? I never feel safe anymore, knowing he's after me- I mean us... We need to take him down. I need to know if Sarah's still alive." His voice was shaky as he said his last sentence.

Did Daydris even know about Sarah? That was the only hope he had left. If he didn't know about her, she was probably okay. She would have went to the SkyWings and taken refuge there. They would have taken her in. It was almost too much to bear knowing that even if that were true, he would never see her again. But it was one hundred times better than her being taken captive by Daydris. Because Storm knew that if Daydris had her, he would give Daydris anything he wanted to assure Sarah's safety.

And that scared Storm mightily.

It felt so good to be in Storm's company once again. He was a part of her nobody could replace or fill. Their relationship, ran deeper than typical friendships, deeper then romance, even. He was among her first friends, and the only dragon she would trust with her life.  He'd stuck with her, and would till the end, she knew. As she gazed at him, this small one with green eyes, Athena felt whole again.

However, Storm knew how to irritate. At his questions, and what he was implying, Athena snorted, mist billowing from her nostrils to form a cloud as she rolled her eyes, attempting to break eye contact. "His name's Ayato. He's one of the Aliugaans here." Her tail swished, twitching from embarrassment. "Hes.. Interesting."

She nodded at his explanation, and chuckled at his misfortune at having picked, as he put it, 'the worst tribe in all of Nuira.' She had to somewhat agree, the only comforts they had were each other, and her only other comfort was.. Well, Ayato. She didn't see him romantically, no, not at all. She enjoyed his company, however.

She listened to him rant, her feathers pinning back tightly as he released his pent up frustration. Her tail twitched, this time with anxiety. How are you doing in there? She asked, referring to his head. She shook her head at his apology. "Its not your fault, don't apologise." She watched as Storm went quiet, his pupils thinning slightly as he went into his own little dream world. As she sat there, awaiting his return to reality, she glanced at the entrance. No one was there, thankfully.

Storm spoke again, and Athena's eyes narrowed at the question. At his mention of Sarah, she closed her eyes for a moment. She hoped his daughter was alright, for her sake and for Storm's. "Turns out, I know where he is." she said, nodding.

"Hes up near the Etcan mountains."

Storm let amusement show in his face when Athena rolled her eyes at him, letting out a cloud of mist. "Well I'll have to meet this 'Ayato' that you tooooootally don't have a crush on," he replied sarcastically, grinning at his icy friend. He watched her tail twitch with embarrassment, which amused him all the more.

She then asked Storm how he was doing mentally. "Like I said," he started, "It gets kind of hard keeping thoughts all to yourself. It kind of makes you want to go crazy. Not to mention that the heat muddles your thoughts and makes it hard to think straight sometimes." Storm thought of how badly he wanted to jump up and fly all the way out of the desert and somewhere cool. Or take a bath in a nice, cold stream and wash of the sand out of his scales. Or feel a nice breeze as it rustled through the trees.

He looked up quickly, eyes wide, at Athena's next words, suddenly feeling energy surge through his body like a flood. "This is great!" he exclaimed. "How did you figure out where he was? When are we going to go stop him?"

His heart beat faster. If they could take him out, no more wondering if you are going to make it through the day, or if anyone standing around you is an assassin for Daydris that is going to try to kill you at any second.

No more running.

At Storm's further taunting, Athena huffed again, this time producing a burst of mist that faded as soon as it appeared, evaporating almost immedaitely in the heat. "I am not attracted to Ayato in any shape of form," she retorted, tail tapping on the floor and creating a low clinking sound like a mug against a wooden table. "He's merely an ally, nothing more." Coming from her, the words were harsh, but laced with such neutralism one would think she was talking about the weather. She knew she was lying. Ayato intrigued her. To no end, dare she say. She thought about the storm, the swirling sands stinging her eyes like a thousand bees, and the feeling of his scarf flapping in the wind but pressed against her scales, protecting her.

You were a potential member, he had said. Of course I came back. Risking his life in a sandstorm? For a stranger? Even if she had been a potential member to him, Athena knew it went deeper then that. Not attraction, obviously, but was he as intrigued by her as she was by him? She knew she wouldn't have gone back for him, left him to fend for himself in the storm, so why didn't he?

She was brought back from the thinking world by Storm's answer to her question. She nodded, somewhat understanding his situation. She herself had felt like that, in the beginning of her life as a warrior, when she was just a sapling, but, well, you get used to the loneliness. Now that she had Storm in her life, it was hard to push it down now.

At her mentioning of Daydris -even thinking his name made her shiver despite the heat- Storm's eyes brightened, life returning to his form as if he'd just found out Sarah was just outside the cave. A part of her wished that was true. At his question, Athena raised a brow. Patience, she said gently.

She dragged her tail across the ground, producing a low scraping sound like a sword on a grindstone. As for how I found out, well.. she hesitated. Just before I came to the Ki'Sha, I was attacked by a dragon from the Sikka Clan. That's my uncle's clan. I defeated her, with ease may I add, she puffed out her chest a small bit, a smirk on her face. And well, terrified her into giving me the information I needed.

She tilted her head. We'll need to find out where he is, personally, before we attack. I'll need a few weeks to sneak out and assess their militia prowess, and the layout of their camp, if they have one. Her eyes darkened. Remember, it's just the two of us against all of them. Then, they softened, and she allowed a small smile to appear on her face. But together, and this sounds cliche, we're unstoppable.

Storm just smirked as she said that she wasn't attracted to Ayato. "If you say so," he commented with an obvious hint of sarcasm in his voice. He made a mental note to make it awkward for Athena when she was with Ayato. After all, she had done it to him when he had an interest in female dragons. He loved their playful rivalry.

Now it was Storm's turn to watch as Athy zoned out for a minute, obviously recalling some memory of Ayato. He just laughed.

Then his eyes widened as he heard that she was attacked by someone of Daydris' clan. He was too intent on hearing what she had to say to remark on her pride on defeating the opponent. "We'll need to find out where he is, personally, before we attack. I'll need a few weeks to sneak out and assess their militia prowess, and the layout of their camp, if they have one," she said.

"Well I am coming with you, no matter what you say," he replied before she could say anything otherwise. "Not only because we need to do this together, but also because I need to get out of here before I burn to a crisp." He tapped the floor with one of his front talons, excited and impatient. He had wanted to get this done for what seemed like forever now. He had quite literally been sucked into a whole new world, confused, sad, and not knowing what to do. But now he had a goal again. With his best friend right next to him.

After they took down Daydris? Storm would probably just join the Stormcallers and live a somewhat peaceful life. Though he would still explore and have adventures with Athena whenever he could. It added excitement to his life and he loved spending time with his partner. Even if it was taking down her evil uncle and could quite possibly die doing so.

Athena's next words filled him with hope. "... together, and this sounds cliche, we're unstoppable."

Storm nodded and you could see the determination fill his eyes. "So. When do we leave?" He said with a small, confident smile.

Athena found herself bristling at Storm's determination to embarras her. She knew what this was about. Athena knew she herself hadn't been the kindest to Storm when he was around his objects of.. affection, and highly doubted Storm would show mercy. She was hardly attracted to Ayato, she insisted, merely intrigued. He was a mysterious dragon, and Athena liked solving mysteries. However, she had a funny feeling Ayato was a puzzle she'd never figure out. For now, she shot Storm a less-then-playful glare and moved on to the more important topic at hand. Or.. talon.

She had to sigh at his words. "I was afraid you were gonna say that," The ice dragon muttered, rubbing her forehead with a pale wing which was blackened at the edges. As he mentioned the 'burn to a crisp' part, a snowy white brow was arched. You're telling me, she said, spreading her wings to show the new scars forming from the burns. Folding them back to place on the ground, she spoke again. You'll be coming with me, yes, I need you to sneak into smaller spaces then I can fit. She hesitated. That and, well.. I don't think I can do this alone. The emotion was hidden, tucked away since she was a hatchling, but now it was resurfacing, disguised as a necessity for company out of the need for a sneaky, smaller dragon.

Athena was afraid. She was afraid of them.. and she hated them for it.

She had to grin, however, at his question. We have a couple of hours before sundown. I want to be in and out of there by the time the moon's lifted off the horizon.

Storm's tail swished back and forth along the ground as he listened to Athena. He had a sigh of relief when she said he was coming. He didn't want to argue with her on it, since he wouldn't change his mind. When she spread her wings, he winced as he saw her burns. That looked like it hurt. She said that she needed him with him so that he could fit into small places and sneak around. She also noted that she didn't do it alone. Storm knew that she really also wanted him for company and that she cared about him.

Though he couldn't recall any times where she had said anything close to it, he knew that she loved him. In the most platonic way of course. Almost like siblings. Best friends. And he loved her back, obviously. He would do anything for her or to keep her safe.

He listened to her next words eagerly. "What do you mean by you want to be in and out of there before the moon lifts from the horizon? The ectan mountains is a while away.
On a whole different continent!" Storm exclaimed. "I am guessing that it will take quite a while to get there!" Not that he wanted to come back here any time soon. He could spend his whole life away from here and not miss it for a second. He was itching to get out of this putrid desert and breathe cool air where trees grow and everything is fresh. He wanted to take naps in grassy fields and watch the clouds as they gracefully soar by. And never have to sink my feet in this awful desert sand again, he thought.

As the wind howled outside the door, Athena felt her feathers prick in anxiety. The memories of the swirling sand, screaming winds and the inability to see the sky was an image she'd rather forget. Her cat-like eyes narrowed slightly, pupils thinning to form crevices in an ocean of blue. For a moment, she listened, paying attention to the muffled howls of the gales, but then, after a few moments of tense waiting, they died down to whispers, and she relaxed.

She focused on Storm again, arching a brow at his words. You're a fast flyer, aren't you? she tilted her head. And do you think no one will notice we're missing before long?We need to hurry, before Scortia severs our heads from our bodies. She knew Storm well enough to understand that he'd rather be out of the humid climate anyway, and besides, a little pushing of the wings wouldn't do them any harm.

Athena thought she heard a breath coming from outside the door and twisted her head around, releasing a low growl that shook the small house. She stalked like a panther to the door and peered through a gap. Nobody was there. She huffed, releasing a weak puff of mist, before returning to Storm. Can't be too careful, was all she said, sitting down again, this time facing sideways, keeping one eye on him, and the other flickering to the door every two seconds.

For a moment, her eyes drifted to the amulet. In the years she'd known him, she'd never thought to ask him what it was for. A gift from a friend or family member? A magical stone that gave him magic? If that was the case, she'd be surprised. She had never seen Storm use magic apart from his breath attacks. If it was a gift, who from? His parents? Another thing she'd never thought to ask about; his origins. She couldn't care less about his heritage, whether he was royal or 'peasant.' She judged dragons, personally, by their heart, and their smarts, and he had proved himself strong in both. Still, she was curious, but decided such questions could be asked later at an appropriate time.

// Remember Storm got the amulet when he was with Athena when the queen of wherever that was gave them all gifts from her treasury? It was with Ender I believe.

Storm watched Athena as she tensed when the wind roared outside. Seems like a sandstorm might be hitting us, he thought to himself, hoping it would end soon so that they could be on their way. Though, fortunately, it gave them more time to talk.

He nodded to Athena with a hint of pride in his eyes. "Yeah, I am a fast flyer.
Who knows how long it will take us to defeat Daydris, though. Like I said, it's on a different continent." He growled slightly, frustrated. "I know you can't be gone for too long. But Athy," he hesitated. "I think I'm going to leave the Ki'Sha behind as soon as this is over. We'll have to go separate ways for a time. I'm going to go to the Twilight Palace and join the Stormcallers. I really wish that I could stay with you in the Ki'Sha, but this isn't the place for me." He looked down, wishing things could be different.

After a moment, Storm looked back up at her. "Maybe you could still come visit me? When you can?" he tried not to get his hopes up. He knew how strict the Ki'Sha could be.

Once they defeated Daydris, things could be different, though. He didn't have to be as cautious around other dragons. For the past months, he had been on guard every second, thinking a mercenary could be any of the dragons around him and might lunge at him before he could do anything. And once he joined the Stormcallers, he thought that he could find peace. Finally things could feel somewhat normal to him.