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One x One The Dragon and the Druid

Duzzel pulled the bear pelt closer around her as she stroked the fire to help it build. On long lonely nights like this she missed her spirit brother's warmth and company. Having his heavy pelt helped, but it just wasn't the same. Looking up at the sky it seemed like it would be storming by tomorrow morning.

She hadn't been able to find any game or shelter in the area. A bad omen if you asked any spirit. She looked up at the base of the cliff side she was taking shelter against the bottom of. The cliff was long with jagged rocks, probably impossible to climb and the only cave entrance she had seen was quite high up so useless for her to use for shelter. Getting up she started gathering up sticks and such to start improving her makeshift shelter before it would be too late.
 
"Well, well, what have we here?" Orion chuckled, looking down from his perch. In the darkness, he was all but invisible to the person resting at the base of the mountain. HIS mountain. He flicked his tail lazily, a bored expression on his scaled face. His scales were jet black, and gleamed as the moonlight reflected off of them. They shone an odd, purple color, and the webbed spines that ran down his back were a dark purple color as well, tinged green at the tips. He chuckled lowly as he pondered what to do about this little intruder. Most humans, and well, any other race, knew better than to dwell here after dark. The mountain was his domain, as was the forest that surrounded it.

Orion stood, and stretched, in a distinctly cat like manner. The dragon looked down again, before a breeze came by, and he seemingly disappeared. Reappearing at the edge of the forest, in a human guise, Orion smirked. He figured he'd toy with the little person before feasting on their flesh. He had been rather bored prior to their showing up, so he supposed he should've been thankful for the bit of entertainment. Looking down, he straightened out his clothes, he wore simple travelers attire, breeches, boots and a tunic. Over his shoulders, he wore a tattered cape, with the forgotten symbol of his clan. The worn fabric was a staple in any human outfit he adorned. Orion took a breath, before stepping out of the shadows. He put on his best, lost face, as he cautiously approached the woman by the fire.

The woman, with a bear belt over her shoulders. "H-hello...I'm afraid I'm lost...". He said as he approached the woman. "You wouldn't by chance know where we are...would you?"
The Forlorn Woods, as they were called bordered on his mighty mountain stronghold. Nearby settlements told tale of the trickster serpent living within the mountain, and how people who ventured to close were never seen or heard from again. Occasionally, their bones would be found though, discarded somewhere near the base of the mountain.
 
Too say his sudden appearance was unsettling to the woman would have been an understatement. Jumping to her feet she pointed her bone tipped spear at the new comer with narrowed eyes. "That's far enough." she spat out at him. She had come from a tribe of hunters and the fact she hadn't heard this man approach thru the forest was greatly unsettling to her. Her eyes nervously shifted from him to the surrounding tree line, worried this man might be part of the group of soldier that had chased her to the forest treeline finally catching up with her. He didn't look like the other men, but she had been through enough these past few years to make her weary of anyone she didn't or did knows intentions.

"If you think this ruse is going to work you're a fool." she said still believing him to be a soldier trying to catch her off guard. "I know what you are." she told him and shifted into a better defensive position with her spear as her eyes peered into the tree line again looking for any sign of movement.
 
Orion blinked, and put his hands on his hips. "Oh, really, you know who I am?" he said with a frown. "Well, that takes all the fun out of this, little human". He smirked, and looked the now on guard woman over carefully. Judging from the bone spear and pelt, he guessed she was some sort of savage, most townies used metal spears. They occasionally proved more effective again the scales of dragons. She was looking to the trees, perhaps she was expecting some sort of ambush? Orion grinned, and chuckled. "I don't think you know who I really am, you silly little girl".
His purple eyes glowed bright in the night, as he took a step backward, a sheen, purple black mist surrounded his human form. His body grew larger, skin turned to scales, arms turned to wings. Two feet went to four, and as it cleared, Orion loomed over the woman in his dragon form.

"So, little girl, allow me to introduce myself". He glowered down at the woman, laughing at her meager spear. "I am Orion, the dragon of the stars. And you, little worm, are in my territory".
He hissed lowly. "So, how about we skip the formalities, and the battle, and skip to the part where I flay you, alive?". This little woman had no idea what she'd gotten herself into, such a foolish little creature. She must not have been from the area, else wise, she would've know who the hell he was.
 
As the dragon appeared before her she was struck speechless for a moment. Gone was the thought of ambushes in the trees. Instead was all the warnings her grandmother had told her of the fierce dragon spirits of the ancient times. The second felt like an eternity before survival instincts kicked in and she darted for the tree line. The dragon would have a harder time getting to her in it's large form thru the dense foliage and trees. It was her best hope till she could figure out a place to hide. She had always prided herself on being a warrior that refused to stand down to any mortal opponent, but from the old stories a dragon was not something for any mortal such as herself to mettle with.

All the signs of the animals not being in the area as well as why the soldiers had refused to follow her into the forest now made perfect sense. They had known what was in these woods and had been smart enough to just leave her to her foolish fate.
 
"Whoa now, where do you thin your going love?" Orion cackled, and snapped at the fleeing woman's heels as she made a beeline for the forest. She wasn't as dumb as she'd looked, she knew that hiding in the forest was her best bet to survive. Although, it was a tiny, foolish hope, as Orion could easily keep up with the fleeing woman. As she darted to the trees, Orion opened his mouth, and pat a column of flames, as black as night with just a tinge of dark purple, at the woman. The flames cut off her escape to the forest, as Orion slowly approached. "You know, I wondered what sort of moron would dare venture so close to my mountain, but now I see, it's just a silly little girl".

He chased after the woman, he had no intention to allow her to escape. No one was permitted to venture so close to his territory and escape alive. Maybe he'd take her back to his cave and keep her as a pet for a bit. Yes, that sounded like fun. Orion jumped, and landed in front of the woman, cutting off the only path left by his flames. "Where will you run now, little rabbit?"
 
Duzzel pivoted on her heels to avoid going head first into the magic flames in front of her. Looking back at the dragon she glared at it, refusing to show how despite the flames she was cold sweating in fear of the situation. Magic fueled by panic was powerful, very powerful, but the more powerful the magic the more one needed to focus to control it. Focus was something Duzzel didn't have at the moment. She had just wanted to clear a path of dirt to smother the flames enough for herself to run into the forest, but instead the ground cracked as it started a minor earthquake, disturbing the cliff side above and sending large rocks falling their way.

One said boulders fell on the flames and gave her an escape. Nimbling jumping the cliff side she climbed up the foot holds she saw before launching herself to the top of the bolder and into the flaming forest. Hitting the ground with a somersault she kicked out of it and took off like the rabbit that the dragon claimed her to be into the forest.
 
Orion was surprised by the rabbit's ingenuity, however, she wasn't getting away so easily. And sadly for her, she wasn't going to outrun him in the forest. Sure, she could run, but he, could fly. And fly he did. With a beat of his mighty wings, Orion took to the sky, and bolted after the woman, who seemed to be quite adept at magic. She'd made an intriguing pet after all. The forest ended at a cliff, and the woman was heading straight for it. He could corner her at the clearing, or roast her alive among the trees. He liked the latter option, and spat fireballs in her direction, carefully corralling her toward the cliff. If she lived, she'd be cornered, and more than likely, forced to jump.
If she failed to dodge, she'd be barbecued, and the chase would be over. This wasn't nearly as fun, but it would still be a victory for the dragon, who chuckled at the pointlessness of it all. She wasn't going to outrun him, eventually she'd tire.

Eventually, she'd run out of spells...in theory. Some humans were limited in their casting, others weren't, and Orion never bothered to keep track of what limited who, it was beneath him. He loathed humanity, and the majority of the other races as well. They were ungrateful, treacherous beings, only thing they were good for was decorating his lair with their charred bones.
 
She could hear the crashing of the fire balls as they would start breaking thru the tree tops, giving her just enough warning to get out of the way before the surrounding area was burst into dark purple flames. Gritting her teeth she had hunted enough prey to know what was happening to her. Seeing the cliff up ahead she ducked behind on the larger trees and took a second to breath. She knew she couldn't out run him at this point, so she would have to try and out smart it she decided.

Focusing her magic she opened a hole in the ground six feet deep and jumped into it. Covering the top of the hole again to make a tiny makeshift cave. She wouldn't be able to stay in here long, the oxygen would run out. But if she could hold out just long enough the dragon might not realize she was still in the area and look somewhere else, giving her a chance to escape. Not wanting to rely on that alone, she started blindly heading towards the cliff side, moving the dirt as she went. What she was doing reminded her of a groundhog like in the plains back home.
 
Orion blinked, he saw the woman dart behind a tree, and then, she didn't run back out. "What in the world...?" The dragon flew closer to the treeline, and burned himself a place where he could land safely. Now that he was on the ground, he could easily clear out the trees as he chased the woman. "Where are you my pet?" he chuckled softly. She couldn't have gotten far, not unless she'd cast some sort on invisibility spell on herself. He doubted that, this woman didn't strike him as that sort of caster....however. He looked down, and spotted a patch of dirt that had been freshly turned.
Such a clever little mouse.

He wondered what she must be thinking at the moment. Perhaps she thought she could wait him out, and not suffocate in her little makeshift cave. Maybe she was tunneling her way to freedom? Which way would she go though...? Perhaps back the way she'd come...or maybe towards the cliff. The dragon chuckled to himself and closed his eyes. His form seemed to shimmer before it seemingly dissolved, into a fine black mist that spread out through the forest. He'd know where the girl popped up, and he'd swarm her before she got a chance to realize what was happening.
None escaped these lands alive, but he'd be sure to scatter her bones at the steps of the nearest village.
 
It was hard to know just how far she had actually tunneled. And using her magic to this extent was exhausting. She was just about out of air when she felt the last of the dirt start shifting away to reveal the drop from fourteen feet below the cliff top. New air flooded the small cave and she breathed it in greedily. The opening wasn't large enough to get out of yet, but the cool breeze it let it was refreshing. Closing her eyes she knew she was going to have to rest a bit before trying to use her druid magic to climb down the cliff side. If she was lucky, the dragon had already grown bored and left. If she was REALLY lucky, the dragon had decided to go burn that small town to the ground so she wouldn't have to worry about that later.

Feeling much safer now she had air in her cave and didn't think the dragon knew where she was her muscles started to relax as she felt the toll of her magic weighing on her.
 
Orion waited, patiently, for his mouse to reveal itself. It was only a matter of time, she couldn't remain underground forever. Well, she could, but she'd die, and if that happened, it would be over. A hell of a lot less fun, but over nonetheless. He was impressed by his little mouse, for managing to live this long, but all good things had to come to an end. And so, when the little mouse's tunnel reached the side of the cliff, Orion honed in on it. The stupid girl had no idea she'd be spotted, all she could see was the night sky. It was quiet the drop to the ground below, he imagined she was going to have to rest before attempting to scale it. But once she was out of her hole, she'd be caught. There was nowhere to run now.

Orion's misty form hovered around the small opening the woman had made, waiting patiently for her to climb out and begin the descent downward. He was all but invisible as his body floated through the air, scattered by his magic. It wasn't a trick he often had to rely on, but in this case, it was the best way to search a wide area for his prey. And now that he had her... The dragon could think of a hundred and one ways to break his little mouse before finally putting her down.
 
She wasn't sure how long she actually waited there, but once she felt she had regained enough strength she moved the rest of the rocks out of the way to start her climb down. Trying to be as silent as possible, she peered over the cliff side and started planning where she was going to need to change the rocks for better foot and hand holes.
 
As the woman stuck her head out of her little hole, Orion knew this was over. The mist that was his form combined, and a massive, clawed foot reached out and wrapped around the woman. "I found you", he smirked, as his body finished materializing. "You are quite the clever mouse, but even you have to know how dangerous it is to stick your head out of your burrow". Orion's voice rang out clear as day, as he licked his lips, and showed off the long, sharp teeth in his mouth.
 
Being grabbed from the hole took her completely by surprise and she let out a small scream. She didn't know how the dragon had been able to find her but now that he had bested her she was pissed. Duzzel looked up at the dragon with wide eyes as his claws wrapped around her. Struggling to try and get out of his grip she twisted back and forth. "Let me go!" she demanded as she looked up at him baring her own human teeth in return. "Let go!" she yelled at him and tried to reach her spear to stab the beast with it.
 
Orion chuckled. "Let you go...if...you insist" He loosened his grip, enough so the woman slid through his claws, and nearly plummeted to her death. He held fast to her arm, allowing her to dangle beneath him. "Be careful what you wish for mouse, unless you'd like a crash course in flying". he chuckled at his own joke, his wings beat slowly and steadily, holding them both aloft. "I think I've had enough of this cat and mouse game my dear, its time to head home. It'll be the last thing you ever see".

He chuckled darkly, before a powerful wing beat sent them both flying upwards, angling to the left, the two were headed back to the mountain the woman had set up camp by. The cave enterance she'd seen was Orion's primary method of entering his home.
 
She had screamed again as he had almost let her fall. Getting her barrings again she was almost able to grab her spear again. It was right within reach, she could just brush it with her fingers when suddenly they were going up and the spear was lost to her.

As they went higher and higher back to the mountain she had run from, Duzzel came to a realization. She didn't like flying. Nope. Not a bit. Being cut off from contact with the ground was disorienting to her.
 
The flight was short, Orion chuckled as his prey went silent, perhaps the little mouth was scared of heights? It hardly mattered, as the two of them shot through the entrance of the cave. Once inside, the mountain opened up, revealing it was mostly hollow. There was a clear view of the sky up above, as this was once a volcano, which went dormant thousands of years ago. Orion hovered for a moment before tucking his wings and diving downward, into the depths of the mountain which he called home. It was a massive cave, big enough for the dragon to fly inside of.

Diving downward, the two sped through the mountain, as the ground rushed up to meet them Orion's wings flared out, and they slowed. Orion landed on a large, rocky section of the cave, which rose up above the ground. Using his free hand, he opened the door to one of the cages which hung from the ceiling. He liked to keep his prey up high, so they couldn't touch any of his things. Down below, there was a sea of glittering gold, stolen from man, and other dragons as well. Some he had inherited from his clan, but this was neither here nor there. "Here, sit tight little mouse" he said with a smile as he tossed the woman into the cage and then slammed the door.
 
The ride into the cave had been, well terrifying. She had never seen such a large cave before and every time the dragon would change direction she was sure she was going to hit into the rocks around them. So despite not wanting to be near the giant reptile, she held onto him the best she could for dear life.

Seeing the cages however changed that. Squirming the best she could in his grasp she cursed at him trying to get out before getting tossed into the cage with the door slammed shut. Rolling into it she hit the back of the cage.

This wasn't her first time in a cage, and she wasn't happy about being back in one again. "Let me out of here you flea bitten oversized rodent!" she yelled at him as loud as she could. She grabbed at the bars before thinking about it and instantly regretted the decision as a wave of nausea washed over her and she stumbled back. She snarled in frustration at being surrounded by metal.
 
Orion chuckled, landing beside his pile of riches, his tail flicked lazily. "My dear, you shouldn't call your host such awful things". He said as he moved around the cave. "It's a great way to wind up dead". He snarled, and shot a ball of fire just past the cage the woman was trapped in. Seeing her recoil in pain as she touched the bars of metal made it all click for him. The nature magic, the primitive weapon. "My my, I seem to have caught myself a druid, how...unappetizing".
Truth be told, the dragon was still learning about the different variety of human magic. It was a very varied thing, different people and mages used different techniques.

Only reason he knew druids was because his father had told stories of a druid who had dared challenged him after killing said druid's family. The fight had been epic, ending ultimately when Orion's father finally managed to slay the druid, and then eat him. It was not recommended, he remembered his father's words exactly.
"Tastes like he'd never had a bath in his life".
So while he wasn't going to be eating this little mouse, he could till play with her. For now, he'd let her squirm in her metal prison.
 
The druid continued to bare her teeth at the dragon. As the fire ball shot by she stepped to the side in the cage and almost lost her balance as the cage shifted. Having to grab back onto the metal bars again caused her to snarl before shoving back from them and landing on her back.

As the cage swung back and forth from the movement she laid there on her back and contemplated her situation. Here she was, in another cage, suspended in the air cut off from nature, and this time with a dragon as a jailer. Things were not looking good for her revenge plans at this point.

Sitting up in anger, she started spreading out the huge bear pelt she had been wearing on the cage floor. If she was going to have to sleep here she wanted to make sure her bare skin wouldn't touch the metal by accident. Muttering in her tribe's native tongue about how she planned to make a belt out of the dragon's tail if he ever let it close enough for her. Finishing she sat down in the middle of her mat of furs and glared down at the dragon.

"Why haven't you just eaten me yet?" she snapped down at him.
 
"Because your one of those druid things, and I've been told you don't taste very good". Orion said with a bored expression. "Once I figure out what I want to do with you, I'll be putting you out of your misery". He chuckled lowly as he laid down. Closing his eyes, the dragon let out a small sigh. His tail flicked back and forth, his tongue flicked in and out, akin to a snake. "You blasted humans just can't seem to mind your own business". He sighed, looking up at the cave. "You've taken so much from us, and yet, you always seem hungry for more". He spat, angrily, as he thought of the crimes brought against his own by man and the other races.

"But I suppose none of that really matters now, does it little mouse?" he chuckled as he climbed up the walls of the cave. Once he was at eye level with the cage, he sneered at the girl. "Be a good little pet and keep quiet, and perhaps I shall kill you quickly, rather than flaying you slowly with my talons".
 
She glared back at the dragon. "Don't group my tribe in with those soul less metal men, and weak women behind their stone walls and wasteful ways. My people always gave back to the land what they took. And we gave the ancient spirits the reverence they deserved." she defended her lost tribe with a vengeance. "And despite this imprisonment, I WILL get back to my lands to avenge them. Even if I need to burn down every metal man's village on the way there to do it." she laid down on her furs and looked up at the cage's top. It wasn't a moment later that her head popped back up. "Wait, how are you able to change shapes?" she asked as she sat back up. "Grandmother's tales never mentioned that about your kind."
 
Orion blinked, and then chuckled. "You are a feisty little mouse". he smirked. "I suppose you r tribe makes you better, and different from the others, but to me". he leaned closer to the cage, stretching his neck to glare at her. "Your nothing but a two legged rat, who stole the lands my kind once roamed freely".
His words dripped with spite, he laughed out loud as the woman questioned his powers. "Your about as stupid as you look, mouse. He shook his head.
"My kind can do a great many things, shape changing is but one part of my arsenal". he smirked. "Your grandmother must've been as foolish as you are".
 

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