.^^ Feather's Edge ^^

— Devon —

Walking through the portal was paradoxically harder, when you knew it was coming. Falling through, there was a cold sense, then you were somewhere else, but stepping through on your own was difficult.

Rune stepped through easily, and began looking around the jungle on the other side. He noticed me hesitating, and raised an eyebrow. "You waiting for an invitation?"

I stepped through, covering my face, and shivered as the temperature rose suddenly, to summer temperatures on Forenzia. "Whoa... that was a shock." I shook myself off.

"The temperature change? Yes, I will have to work on that in the future. Your foot should heat the rest of your body through sheer induction, but the reverse can become dangerous." He hummed, and then measured the sun casually, nodding. "Perfect, we have enough time. You ready?" He looked at me, still standing where I'd stepped through.

I nodded and stepped up next to him, up the steep incline. "Yes... is this all uphill?" I asked.

"No, it shifts. We are headed up a small mountain, though. This was intended as an obstacle course for your foot, to see if you could handle it, but now it's just a fun little challenge! Keep up if you can!" He laughed, and darted up into the trees easily, like a monkey or a cat.

I grinned and dug my feet in, gritting my teeth through my muscle fatigue from my earlier workout, and raced off after him, up the slope. He kept about twenty yards ahead of me at all times, visibly slowing and waiting for me when I got too far behind, which would have made me angry, if I hadn't realized what he was doing: he wanted to make sure my foot really was healed, and I wasn't just faking it to look tough.

The man had seen through my attitude in a single meeting, and was already peeling back layers of my personality to get a look at the core. Impressive, unnerving... and kind of cute. I always did like a mixture of athleticism and brains; and seeing as he was thrashing me in this race, it was clear he had both in spades.

I dig deeper, bolting forward, to try to gain some ground, and he laughed softly, dropping to the ground next to me, and keeping pace, like this was a team event, instead of a race.

"You're right, it's your right foot that's hitching a little... you've improved in a short time, but you'll need a bit more work before you're back in sync. Swimming will help." He nodded casually.

"Swimming?" I asked.

"Uses all the muscles at the same time. Very synchronizing activity, swimming." He replied, casually pushing a boulder out of the path with one hand, his stride uninterrupted.

I noticed the trees were a different color, here, and hummed, slowing to a comfortable stride. "What type of trees are these? Not Redwoods."

"No, they're Greenwood's, but a very poisonous variety. You'll find that everything on this continent is either poisonous or carnivorous, and the few exceptions are the prey animals, the veggies, and the fruit, all of which are left alone by the Redwood because of their uses." He hummed, and slowed to a walk, as the incline began to level out.

I slowed down next to him, and hummed. "The redwood eats what they kill, right? That's what use they have? The poisonous mushrooms get left alone because if the Redwoods eat them, they die, but the veggies get left alone because they attract Roe and other prey, right?"

He smiled. "Exactly. Also, the Redwood is Sentient, but it doesn't have eyes or ears, so it relies on the smells of the forest to hunt. One very pungent smell is poison."

We stopped walking in front of a huge lake, and the waterfall that fed it, all 50 feet of it. As waterfalls went, it wasn't very impressive, but it was pretty, the river framed like a tunnel by the canyon that molded its banks, and the long limbs of the trees at the top, dropping down into the way like curtains.

I looked around. "There's no exiting river. Where's the water going?"

"Underground. There's a massive water cavern system in this mountain. If you could breath underwater, I would take you on a tour, but drowning isn't really worth the beauty. Unless you think you could hold your breath for twenty minutes." He grinned facetiously.

"No... Maybe 8, that's my record, but not 20." I shrugged.

He looked up, and grinned widely, ushering me over to a portion of the bank that was directly in front of the mouth of the waterfall. "Perfect, just watch, and don't move or make a sound. I swear it's all worth it." He sat down, looking at me expectantly.

I hummed, and set next to him. "What are we waiting for?"

He shushed me gently, and I picked up a slight whistling sound, like a thousand arrows, hurtling towards us at high speeds. Before I could react, a massive red dragon burst through the curtain of leaves, the water turning to mist around him from the sheer speed of his collision with it, as he opened his wings up to their full 200ft span with a leathery echoing sound.

The mist caught the light glinting off the sunset, and it all turned a myriad of beautiful sunset colors, framing his body magnificently, before he dropped like a stones, in a perfect swan dive, his wings folding up as he hit the water, disappearing entirely.

I gasped, and held my heart, which was beating swiftly from the shock of his sudden appearance. "Whoa..." I grinned suddenly, realizing something. "You weren't checking up on him at all, were you? This was a date. That's why you wanted a picnic!"

He grinned. "Actually, she's a She. Her name is BriarFang, and I've known her for a long time. I hadn't spoken to her in a while, so I did need to check up on her... but, yes, this was supposed to be a... fun outing. I barely know you, though, so I figured blending work with fun would be a good way to not only check up on you as my patient, and her as an ally, but also to get to know you better. So no, not a Date, per se... it was, in fact, an exploratory mission." He smirked at the successful technicality.

I laughed. "Well that was well worth the hike, so you're forgiven... why does she do that, though?"

"It's a mating ritual, or so I'm told... secretly, I think she just enjoys the challenge of flying through that ravine. There's quite a few sharp turns and curves, and it goes entirely underground at one point. Anyway! Food!" He grinned and pulled out a covered cauldron from his bag, and built a fire with speedy practice, setting the cauldron on it to heat up.

I sniffed it curiously. "What's that supposed to be?"

"One of the few meals I cook, or used to. Stew, with Weizenbeast meat, vegetables, and grains of a small plant I've found sporadically, called 'wild rice' in the West, where it originates from, apparently. It comes together rather well." He explained, and then pulled out two bowls, filling them to the brim.

I hummed and accepted the bowl he handed me, waiting to eat it until he had swallowed a few bites. The Weizenbeast meat was tender, which was a surprise, and the vegetables still had a crunch to them, oddly enough. "This is pretty good!" I commented, finishing the bowl quickly and holding it out with a grin.

He laughed and refilled both bowls, handing me mine back. "Good, you have an appetite. The rest is for BriarFang, though."

I raised an eyebrow slowly. "Seriously?"

"She loves the stuff." He nodded. "Rule one of dealing with dragons: give them presents, now and again, usually food. If you give them gold, it might go badly, because they get greedy about that kind of thing. Food is safe, so long as it's never on a schedule. Don't let them get used to you bringing something on a specific time table."

I hummed. "That does make sense... why do you give them food in the first place?"

"So they leave me alone, and continue hunting large prey, predators whose populations I would be hard pressed to keep in control?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

I nodded. "Ahh... right. Food chain. So how are you going to give it to her? Toss it into the lake?" I looked wistfully at the pot.

"No, no. We're waiting for her to return. Like I said, this is all an obstacle course for her, including the caverns. In about three minutes, she'll be back. Her cave is under the waterfall. It used to be in the Baked Plains, but that one was shattered during an eruption, about a month ago. She's been coming here for years, though. I had Raava build her the cave." He hummed, and looked at a small time piece.

"She's late?" I asked.

"By about four seconds. Odd... is she pregnant again?" He mused.

"Am I that predictable, Small One?" A deep, echoing voice came from behind us, and a naked woman entered the clearing, lounging on the bank next to me.

He smiled. "BriarFang! So good to see you! I met your son recently, did I tell you about that? EmberFang. Intelligent fellow, already mastered a human transformation!"

She purred, her eyes turning a deep crimson with gold streaks. "Yes... I had heard... I am very proud of my Spawn. And who is this? Your mate? Or an offering...?" She trailed her nails down my cheek.

I smiled. "My name is Devon. I am neither, not yet. He brought me here to watch your magnificent display, earlier. You were quite astonishing."

She purred again, and leaned against me, kissing my cheek slowly. "So cordial... I like her... now I smell food? Is it mine?"

"You may have it, yes, we have eaten our share." He nodded.

She smiled and dove into the lake, and a few seconds passed before a small eruption halted my question. Her dragon form emerged partially, lounging in the shallows, and her claws reached forward, gently plucking the pot from the fire, and dropping the entire thing into her mouth.

She chewed once, swallowing, and purred again, louder this time. "I do love your recipe... Weizenbeast's are never as tasty as you make them when I eat them raw..."

He chuckled, and spoke in a loud, bassy timbre. "I appreciate the compliment, my dear. Would you like company, or would you like us to leave your territory?"

She raised her lips over her teeth in a smile, and slithered into her cave, parting the entire waterfall with her body. "Play in my pool if you like, Small One, so long as you cleanse it, like before. It does Wonders for my Hide." She laid in the opening, her eyes and mouth the only thing visible, looking not unlike a boulder at first glance.

He nodded and poured his flask into the water, and I gasped as the entire lake, and then the waterfall and river above it, glowed a bright blue, before fading, with steam rising off of it. The dragon groaned happily, rolling over to let the water wash over her throat and stomach, then rested like that, apparently fine with the water hitting her face.

He then smirked at me, and shedded his armor in a wink, diving into the water like a fish. "Scared of a little dragon?" He asked, but that voice was gone, returned to his normal one.

I grinned at the challenge, and threw off my armor, leaving myself standing in a breast band and shorts, jumping in so I landed directly on top of him.

He caught me with no issue, as I saw my mistake, remembering him slapping aside a boulder ten times my size and weight. "Is that how it is? Alright." He asked, and swam over to the other end of the lake with me on his back.

"What are you doing?" I laughed, as he climbed up the sides with no visible effort, and hopped out over a small set of rocks, to the center, and then held my arms, and then bent his legs, red chains appearing around his body for a moment, before he launched himself up into the air at a slight angle, ending up about thirty feet out over the lake.

I screamed a little at the elevation we achieved, and then laughed as he dove down towards the water. As we arced down, I pushed off, and began my own swan dive, in front of him. We hit the water a few seconds later, our hands breaking the surface roughly, and I hissed a little at the sting, before looking around.

The bottom of the lake was a patchwork of holes and caves, some big enough for a dragon, some only big enough for a human, but all covered in bioluminescent flora, like a freshwater version of a Corral Reef habitat.

I surfaced, breathing deeply, and chuckled, shaking the pain from my hands. "Wow." I breathed, still in shock from the stuff below.

"WHEW! How about THAT, huh?" He laughed, and laid on his back, lazily letting the current move him around.

I nodded, and settled myself on my back, floating along the several competing spiral currents of the lake, likely due to the draining effect of the tunnels below. "Wow..." I repeated myself, and chuckled softly.

"So! What next? It'll be full dark, soon. You want to head back to Forenzia, or to the Sanctuary?" He asked, when the currents pulled us near enough to talk comfortably.

I shook my head. "Neither. I was due back in Lumeria soon anyway, to receive my payment for my last few missions, might as well go there... in a little while." I smiled, and relaxed in the water again, paddling into the shallows just to be safe.

He laid next to me, and chuckled, looking up as the moons began to crest, spreading cool light over the lake and surrounding forest, as they were the top of a mountain, the first places to receive light. He placed his glasses on his face, to my surprise, the Black lenses blocking the light from his eyes, and I hummed. "What's up with the dark lenses at night?" I asked casually.

"Too much light, is all. I was raised beneath the canopy. Even moonlight is difficult, if I look directly at it." He shrugged.

I blinked. "Raised beneath the canopy? You're a native of The Deeps?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am. I've been in Lumeria for a couple of months, but I was born far north, near the coast. The Temple Of Stories, to be exact. And you? Forenzia, right?"

"Yeah... Wow, I didn't expect that. I didn't think there were mages who lived here." I chuckled.

"Not many human or elf mages do. The gnomes, genaasi, Callywomps, Dwarves, And so on, though, they do." He grinned and stood up, stretching his body fully.

I hummed, watching the thick bands of muscle in his back and shoulders, and the metallic arm he hadn't bothered hiding. His hips were as keenly muscled as his shoulders, and his legs, making him look like an anatomy drawing for a Bowman, or maybe a rock-breaker or miner. The Runes down his spine were interesting, Ancient Elvish, but they were likely the birthplace of his name.

"Was this a Date, then? You said it was supposed to be fun, but you never answered... are you interested in me? I'm very direct, sorry if it ruins your plans to carefully woo me, but I don't really have patience for falsehoods." I hummed.

He chuckled, still stretching and flexing... or so I thought. His arms spread slowly, and then his muscles twitched, nearly doubling in size, then holding that as he continued his first set of stretches. "No falsehoods. I just wanted to get to know you. If you liked me once you got to know me, and visa versa, then I'd ask you on a real date. This is just a friendly outing. I also abhor lies, and those who use them to trick others regularly." He relaxed, as his muscles returned to their original state, and then he cracked his neck and spine slowly, waiting for my response.

"Wait, you're with Lady Natva, aren't you?" I frowned.

He chuckled. "No, not anymore. She wanted me to go find someone my own age, start a family, have fun, all that... I disagreed, but I would never argue the point. Now we just share a bed occasionally, and we're good friends. She also ceased even that much, in the event that you didn't like sharing my attention every once in a while. That's all."

I raised an eyebrow. "You talked extensively about me, Hmm?"

"Last night, actually, we didn't get around to much nonsense, because she was too focused on making sure I didn't screw up my second-'date'-ever. Both have involved swimming, now I think about it. Interesting." He tapped his chin, thoughtful.

"Hmm... So you're looking for a wife to make you babies? That's it?" I frowned at him slowly.

"No, I'm not looking for children for at least a decade. I'm 20, nearly 21, I want to live for a while before I introduce new responsibilities into my life. And honestly, I have never even seen a child of my own species, I have no clue what to do with them." He snorted, laying back down.

"Seriously?" I asked, incredulous.

He gestured at the forest around us, then the dragon. "This is what I've dealt with all my life. Not the best place for babies. I've helped raise baby dragons, I've helped a Callywomp give birth, (that one gave me nightmares,) and many more adventures, but never a human or an elf baby."

I chuckled. "That Sounds awesome. They're terrifying, babies. Loud, unable to speak, you never know what they want or what's wrong and why they're screaming... it's terrible, but when they get a little bit older, they're kind of adorable."

He smiled. "Yeah, So I've heard... but if we're being direct, did you have fun? Would you like to do this again sometime? Maybe an actual expedition with your Crew?"

I grinned. "That Sounds fun. I have two more expeditions scheduled for the next two weeks... you should come with."

"Sure. Let's get back to Lumeria, then." He stood, and held out a hand, casually pulling me to my feet, like a fellow knight, not some savior. I decided I liked his attitude, not treating me like some damsel, but an equal whom he respected. That was a good attitude for a lover.

"Yeah, but maybe let's get clothes on, first..." I laughed at his look of surprise, and started pulling my clothes on, holding my armor so it didn't get irrevocably wet and ruined.

He flicked his hand, and his clothes misted around his body, becoming corporeal again. "You have got to teach me that mist-clothes trick." I muttered.

"It's all in the wrist." He grinned, and opened a black mirror.