Down by the shore, a funny foal,

There wasn't many times did Vendrussel arrive to the island late at night. She trutched against the beach, her paws grazing at the bleak sand while a fog started to settle in. She couldn't see the sky above, yet felt so dark that surely it was midnight. Close to the coast, blue heels slipping into the light shore of the water, daintly drenched as she clung to, a blue eye scavenging for the road to the leviathians sepulcher.

Though she paused, ears flickered and narrowing a look, as within the vale was a movement.. Her head tucked lower, a tail raised in an aggression, hackled at the sound of a beastly calling. A moaning, giving the northern dragon a cautious look around. All that she could smell was the sea salt and her lonely appearance along the beach, and yet the shadows moved in the ocean distance.

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Belial had been a supernatural creature, of which he had many forms. The dragon and the barn owl had been among his favorites. The wolf, however, not so much; he enjoyed flight too much to care about walking on ground level. The only time he liked ground level was when he was human, drinking all the rum they had to offer.

He did not remember his death, if there had been one; he did not remember how in the heck that he’d got here, though this was… sadly not abnormal. At least it wasn’t another den of some other creature that he’d gotten intimate with.

So he’d assumed that it was another alcoholic adventure. An adventure that left him without a memory of the previous night, and… with his shifting abilities somehow blocked? He wiggled his bum, and leapt in the air.

It was a mighty leap! A leap that usually resulted in the magic of wings forming, either into his dragon or owl figure. Instead, there was nothing, and Belial landed with a very heavy thud. He grunted, throwing his head back to scream in frustration, and suddenly… there was this captivating sound that he’d never heard before.

What the heck? Where was it coming from?

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There was something always unsettling about the beach. Though it held a ambient forest of rich prey, as per most forests usually do. She could occasionally spot a boar or elk roaming in its depth, and when finally breaching to the sea, the obvious crustaceans and fish by the shore there. Occasionally, if lucky, a seal could be spotted — yet was what so peculiar is it always was held be a dense fog, growing thicker as the day passes. She could hear the sounds coming by the sea, but never truly heard it in this depths till the moment.

Vendrussel was cautious, she could see a large shadow, but as quickly as it came ; so did it go when the sound of a frustration came. Almost like it was scared off by the noise. When such sounds and images had gradually disappeared, leaving but the faint sound of the waves riding to the brim's coast, she stood up, ears flickering and an ocean gaze cautiously looking around. Though it stopped, there was someone else out there.

"Who is there?" the northern wolf called out.

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^^

His wings did not sprout and he did not take off into the sky like he normally would have. No, instead, the bard took a leap and landed in the sand with a grunt and a heavy thud. There was the familiar metallic taste of blood in his mouth from biting down on his tongue.

He laid there for several moments, growling low in his throat. He was angry and confused as to why he could not shift; why he could not sprout wings and fly off into the distance, like he normally could.

He inhaled deep; inhaled the salts and scents of the beach and sand. He took several deep inhales, breathing the air into his lungs while he listened to the sounds of moaning in the distance, from creatures he could not see. And then he opened his jaws to breathe fire and roar in frustration..

But no fire came. No roars emitted from his mouth, but instead, a series of snarls. Oh, so he was in a canine form, was he? He stood with the shake of his coat, stepping forward all of one step. It was no use looking at his reflection in the beach; the moving waves would prevent him from seeing a reflection to know what sort of canine form this was.. He supposed he’d just have to ask around and see what was blocking his magic.

And then, came the voice of another. He turned his head, spying the other nearby. Had she been there this entire time, then? He frowned again, sighing. Of course there was a witness to his foolery. This was fine. He would just have to make do, like he always did.

“Oh! Hello! Good day! How long.. have you been standing there?”^^

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She watched curiously, emerging from the shadows of the mist further to the figurine, and could see their.. Strange attempts, breathing deeply, almost like they were trying to scream yet nothing came. She would think that it may be a mute if it were not for the disgruntled noises she had heard earlier. Though, as all were to be, she was rather suspicious of someone who made so much noise amongst the mist to be here ; friendly in voice and appearance.

Vendrussel threw on a smile, "Since your screaming."

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^^Perhaps she hadn’t seen his very confused display of raw emotion, as he had tried to breathe fire, only to find that he could not shift; he could not even roar, or breathe fire, or anything even remotely… draconic.

And then, of course, she smiled and spoke words that somehow made his gut twist and turn. Since your screaming. Yet she had sat back and watched? Did not even bother to run, or to assist? Not that Belial would take the assistance of a mere canine.

He cocked his head to the side, trying for a swift recovery. “You are still here, so I assume you enjoyed watching me struggle?”

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Her head tilted to the side for a moment, a slight hum coming from Vendrussel, before rotating back up evenly, "I do not see a foe or a prey, nor' captured within the kelp. You look alright." She wasn't sure what there was anything she could do in such situation, he was only but a strange man screaming into the air in frustration. Perhaps it would be different if she saw such a stranger within a true struggle, but he seemed alright.

The group of dragons had claimed the beach as their hunting ground - but without proper formation and marking of scents, she could not truthfully claim the border as her own. For the time being, Vendrussel remained silent on the matter. Her land hidden away within the serpentine rocks, was not a worry to be discovered.

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^^The dragon blinked with the tilt of his head, pondering just how that might have looked to the likes of a canine, who had not known his struggles. He blinked back a moment, supposing that this was true, but how often did wolves scream in frustration?

“Right, I suppose I did look fine to you.” Belial mused with the roll of his shoulders and a deep sigh. “I did not mean to disturb your night with, erm, my… screaming. It would have been more… impressive, if I could shift.” He grumbled, shaking his head.

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"Shift?" As Vendrussel questioned she stepped closer to the man, her mind drifting away from the eerie sound that dwelved in the air. The fog made it difficult to fully sea who he was and what he looked like, though she could relatively smell him even if the sea salt hung heavily in the air. Her paws trenched over the heavy sands, waves gently within the distance of them, with an occasional gull be sounded in the air. Yet a silence, that disturbed any who wasn't used to.

When she saw him he was drenched in fine rubies and sapphires, like they were dusted by the sands itself as he carried tans. An unusual coloration, the northern dragon would think, as she was not prone to seeing such a mixture of strong colors clash together so. Though he was tall like herself, seemingly average in looks - yet he spoke and screamed unusually so, she didn't understand his predicament.

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^^And suddenly, there she was; closer to him now. The dragon was unsure what to make of this, eyeing her gently with a raised brow and the curious tilt of his head. He was but a strange creature to her, yet she had come closer. Likely to see him, as it was hard to see anything in this fog.

His coat, which was made of her now, would have likely looked more impressive under the scaly texture that he normally had, in his original form of a dragon, but alas, she was stuck with boring fur.

“Oi, yesss. It depends on just how open minded you are, friend.” Belial amused softly with the lick of her lips in wonder if she’d be able to wrap her head around the idea of dragons, and shifting..

His green eyes lingered over her slender frame; deep slates in color, like himself, though she was more neutral colored whereas his oranges and beiges stood out. She had striking whites around her collar, and brilliant blue eyes that might have looked good under a scaly textured body… though Belial doubted that there were others like him out there.
 

“What do you know about dragons?”

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She couldn't help but be caught by surprise, and it showed upon her face before cooling down to a more neutral look. Ocean eyes glided across his body, he wasn't a man that she knew from her home land, though after meeting @The Whisperer, some part of her wondered now if there was branches that had lost each other. The the same comfort to the other wasn't brought forth to this one, there was some of reluctantly to reveal too much..

For a moment she thought to try and dabble into the language, and instead continued onwards in English, "Go on."

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^^The look of surprise on her features caused him to narrow his eyes. Not in suspicion, but in wonder. She did not shy away; she did not ask what a dragon was. His head tilted and he arched his brows, noting that her next set of words was not really an answer to his question.

“You are not unfamiliar.. ” Belial made an observation, nodding his head, though such an occurrence was… unheard of, unless they were like him or similar. He glanced over her features again, in wonder, if beneath the shady blues, would he find scales?

He stepped forward, in an attempt to see for himself, but caught himself. He couldn’t just run and poke his nose against anyone he wanted. And for a moment, he thought of other ways to see what sort of texture was beneath that cool coat of hers.
 

“I wasn’t screaming. I was trying to breathe fire.”

Would that sum things up for her, or did he need to spit it out in plain english?

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She couldn't help but chuckle. For a moment Vendrussel was waiting for a 'sike!' yet the time never came, rather he stepped closer, and inspection of herself as she too looked at him in a wonder. He smelled of wolf, he looked of so, yet claimed he tried to breath fire, akin to the dragons themselves - so the legends were told through generations, as lore would foretell they could breath what no one else could, elements to control that is simply unfathomable to those of the mortal, lower realm.

She opened her mouth before closing, the northern woman needed to think for a moment before responding. She thought to call him but a loon, and yet remember faintly of stories passed around of wolves being of the two ; descendants of them, or dragons who hid among them. Some part of her wanted to believe, especially since she held a dream of such a calling.. Everything that had happened so far seemed exactly like fate itself, meeting others, the calling, familiarity, and now, the appearance of a dragon?

"Stories have told of so beasts.. Yet before I believe, what proof is to that claim?"

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^^There was a chuckle, and Belial immediately regretted opening this mouth. He should have steered the conversation down a different direction, for she thought this was a joke and was now asking for proof. His ears flickered and Belial looked to the ground.

His toes wiggled in the sand. It felt so weird to have such little feet. To be unable to shift forms, and fly away at any given notice. To, even still, be asked to prove it, rather than to have this creature believe him. He could no longer breathe fire, and could no longer shift forms. She’d said something about stories. Oh, did she think he was one of those? One of those who took a story and ran with it? A crazy lunatic, who believed the stories, and became obsessed? “Mungu Belial-am. Muzu anaam?” — My name is Belial. What is your name?

Would speaking his native tongue do the trick? Though, some part of him wondered why he cared what she thought.

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The language that she was taught, held to closely, was known to long to be dead. They were told that the dragons themselves who came from origin land took it upon themselves to come to a more icy land of wolves, a coastal way of the pack and swarmed to them, intertwining the language that once was. Though writing to be dead, unknown to herself and to the others, it had looked upon like scratching from a dragons claw. Whisked away from their land, the dead language was brought to her own northern pack, and there to be taught, and born with.

Dead, she was taught, only those of true origins would know of such language, "Friend, where do you come from?"

She not help but look at him in surprise and talk the same language back, speaking to him with a less animosity as she asked curiously. Vendrussel did not know of this man, she didn't recognize him from home.. Claim to be a dragon ; could he be but a direct ancestor? Her tune had easily changed as she referred to him, a small tail wag that fell behind that not even she realized was there.

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^^Was this canine so insightful that she would know of a dead language? No, he thought; why would she be? The language of dragons was not only dead, but forgotten, too. But the words were not lost on her; he had expected to see her confused, as though he were speaking gibberish…

Yet instead, she cast a look of surprise, as if she understood the language, and then, she did something that surprised him. She spoke back, in his tongue! Though she did not offer her name. Had he been in his true form, he would have flapped his wings at her to show his shock. Instead, his shoulders awkwardly moved backward, and for a moment, Belial glanced to his side and sighed. He missed his wings.

“I hail from Havana” Belial spoke softly, ditching the english tongue for a moment as he licked over his lips. “Are you in true form or are you like me?”

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assuming some things hmu if want to change!

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A man who spoke the same language ; and claimed to be of an ancient. She couldn't help but drift color, smelling carefully and curiosily, for all that he was, he smelled like that of a wolf.. And a bit of ashes. Unusual for those who clung near the coast, and especially of her own clan, who hung near the northern waters. Those who came from her own would smell of ice and salt, and thus she was rather curious on where he came from. The name he said, was unfamiliar.

"My kin are said to be descendants of the dragons, but where I am from ; they are extinct, but just fables and rumors of once was. We call them ancients, and ask for guidance."

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^^Belial had wondered if she were a dragon like he, or something else; he had hoped that she was like he was, but alas, it appeared that somehow, wolves were descendants of dragons. Exactly how that came to pass, however, Belial wasn’t sure. She knew the dead language, and for now, that was enough.

She did not seem to know Havana, though that came as no surprise; not many did. Perhaps that was where the dragons were, in comparison to where-ever she’d been from. No matter, though. He took a deep breath and nodded his head. “Your kin? There… are more of you?”

How could that be?

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She could give him but a remorseful look and shake her head, "I came alone, I know not where the rest are. Yet, the dragon ancestors guided me to these waters and claim as my own in a dream." She came to this land, little memories of how she so gotten, and only knowledge of her identity and home. Yet faces were blurred until they showed themselves, for she knew of Kei and her cousins, and once the name came, even her adoptive sister. Vendrussel thought of homeland, to try and return so.. Yet she thirsted for exploration, before the prophecy came to be.

"I claim them as Dragonford, an isle away within the waters." Though unseen to the fog and the layers of prickly rocks, she pointed her blue snout toward the dark ocean.

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^^Belial almost immediately regretted the words the moment they’d slipped out of his mouth. So, his ancestor was alone. His ears and head lowered in silent apology as he inhaled deeply. He missed the feeling of fire in his gut; missed the ability to breathe smoke and fire.

His eyes followed her direction, towards the dark ocean with an arch of brow and tilt of his head. “Ah, so they are nearby? I would love to meet them, if you’d allow.” Belial mused, allowing his shoulders to roll back. “Is it a pack you lead, or is that just the name you’ve given yourselves? Both?” Something he could join? Would he find family there, then?

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She grinned at him, slightly giddy of the curious man and the surprising twist that took the night. Though held back such obvious appeasement, but didn't refrain from it showing upon her face. It had been so long since she spoke of natural tongue that it felt like at times she wandered in and out of it, and was thankful.. That someone else was to share such a language, for in the world it truly seemed dead. Though his past was a curiosity, for he claimed to be a dragon, and she held trouble believing - and yet, he held truth in tongue.

"If you wish to know more and join my claim.. Then follow me into the waters," without even skipping a beat though nor' allowing room to speak more, she started to disappear into the fog. A noise of splashing, as she ran into the depths of the beach, and a swim toward the ocean.

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