Fantasy The Trail We Blaze (Masked&Michi)

[MaskedCat]

Days had passed since Mihill last set foot in that dragon's room. He had spent the past few days cooped up in the barracks and his assigned room. He occasionally talked with other tamers throughout the days but mostly kept to himself. He needed the time alone to cool off and to not feel like snapping at everything that annoyed him. The other tamers seemed to understand that and kept their conversations with him short and sweet.

Right now Mihill was currently heading outside the barracks. He was more calm than when he had first encountered his newly assigned dragon and felt less like he was going to pull his hair out in heated frustration. He knew he shouldn't have taken his frustration with what had happened on the dragon and felt the slightest bit of guilt.

Mihill quickly went down the stairs that led to the underground prison-like place. He wanted to see if anyone actually took care of the dragon during his short absence, but he knew that no one would've. All the soldiers down here seemed determined to leave the dragon alone to suffer. That struck him as idiotic since that'd just driver the dragon further away and make him very much less likely to help.

Mihill had been down this hallway enough times for the soldiers to recognize him as that dragon's assigned tamer. It was nearing noon so he had no chance to sneak a meal to the dragon which was a shame. He opened and closed the door behind him once he reached it and quickly scanned the room. "I'm back," he announced.

 

[Michi]

When the door opened, Orris' head shot up almost immediately. He was surprised by the slight feeling of relief that washed over him as the familiar human's figure came into view. Moving around slowly, he stood, wings tucked close as he stood up tall. I see this. There was no food, which was a disappointment but he wouldn't say it was. He hadn't realized that he missed the interaction that he had with the human. Even if it hadn't been pleasant, the solitude of sitting in a room where all he could do was count the spikes on the wall once more, sucked.

He hadn't thought the human would actually stop coming to see him. When he hadn't seen him in a while, Orris had even started to worry. What if no one came back. He would have died alone in a cell. How crappy. Welcome back. He thought coolly, trying to not seem to happy or relieved that the human had returned. How has the outside world been?

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill noticed that the room was indeed far dirtier than the last time he was in here. Though that did not surprise him since he really didn't expect for anyone to walk in here. Everyone was probably too afraid of getting maimed or eaten. He watched as the dragon stood up though that action was fairly limited by how small the room was compared with the dragon. The spikes especially helped make sure there was less room for the dragon to move around in.

"Do you really want to know?" Mihill raised a brow. He highly doubted the dragon would appreciate him talking about the wonders of not being locked up in a small for days, weeks, or even months. "Anyway," he slowly started. "I would like to apologize for my behavior. I did not like and still do not like having a new dragon partner, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. So...I'm sorry."

 

[Michi]

Ugh. Did this mean Orris was going to have to apologize too. Did he even have anything to apologize for? He was the one who was trapped in this room after all. But he needed to play nice if he was going to get out of this room. If he got out of this room, he could get away from this place. Thank you for your apology. I am also sorry...... for my own... behavior. Being stuck in here hasn't brought out the best side of me.

He needed to be smart here. Strategic even. It didn't help that he was very impulsive but he could totally control it for a day or two. What would be the fastest and easiest way to convince him of that? Bleeding heart? Just enough to convince the human to get him outside and he could go. I don't know how long I've been here and I worry about my family.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill was surprised to hear the dragon apologize. He had initially pegged the male dragon to be too stubborn to apologize too so he was surprised when that assumption was proven false. "I highly doubt it'd bring the best out of anyone," Mihill mused. He eyed the spikes on the walls and took note of how sharp they were. He really did doubt anyone placed in this room for a long time would emerge as happy as a clam.

At the mention of the dragon worrying about his family, he paused. "...You're not the only one with that kind of worry," he softly said. Mihill barely had any memories of his parents before he was taken away to be trained as a tamer. He had no clue if they were still alive or not or if they even wept when they lost him.

 

[Michi]

No, I assume I am not. Many other dragons are torn away from their families and enslaved as tools of war for humans. That was what had happened to his parents and Orris when he was young. He didn't know if they had died, or if they had escaped. He had been so young when awakened to the greed and destruction of the human race. I need to get out of this room. It's driving me mad. Are you sure you can't help me get outside. If even only for an moment?

All he needed was a moment to be outside and he could stretch his wings and take to the sky. Never to look back on this terrible place. But he'd know where it was. He'd be able to tell his friends back home. They'd be able to use that information and return to mount an attack. Humans needed to learn to fear dragons as they once had. To leave them in peace to live their own lives. That was all they wanted. To be able to live out their lives as they once had centuries before.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill sighed when the dragon's thoughts revolved around, well, dragons. The dragon really did seem to hate humans to not acknowledge that some humans suffered too. Not everyone had such a great life, after all, and that rule applied to both dragons and humans. People were orphaned thanks to the ongoing war, stores suffering due to trade routes being constantly attacked, etc. The war affected both sides and seemed like it wasn't ever going to end any time soon.

"You're only allowed out if you're in your human form and under surveillance from guards," Mihill shook his head. "That's practically your only option." The dragon already proven himself as a danger so it'd be impossible to just let him waltz right out of this room without some sort of guard detail. The military was really against letting go of what they considered to be their tools of destruction. They wouldn't want to appear weak to the other kingdom if they lost their best bet on the battlefield.

 

[Michi]

Ha, they wanted him to be more manageable for themselves. They knew they couldn't beat him if he was in his true form out in the open. I will think on it. Humans, always trying to control those who were stronger. Shifting wasn't instant. The whole process was painful and loud. Not to mention that shifting forms took a huge toll on the dragons physically. Once they shifted they were stuck like that for days; until they were able to build up enough strength and magic to go through it once again. Once it started it wasn't something that could be stopped half way. For a full two minutes a dragon was at its' most vulnerable when it was shifting.

They could use that as a window to get in and kill him. He knew he didn't trust any of these humans. Even this one that was hellbent on trying to be friendly towards him. It didn't help that he wasn't getting food on a regular basis. That would only make the shifting process take more energy. He was definitely going to have to really think on this.

 

[MaskedCat]

"Uh huh," he absently murmured in response. Mihill glanced around the dirty room and sighed. He'd have to go and get cleaning supplies to make his room sparkle again. It obviously hasn't been cleaned in days and the room also served as the dragon's bathroom. Another reason why he disliked coming to this underground place. Besides the fact that Lazial always threw a fuss about it.

"I'll be right back," he stated before quickly slipping out of the room. Mihill ignored the watchful gazes of the soldiers he passed as he walked down the hallway. The captain probably told all the guards to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't find something to give to the dragon to eat. He got the cleaning supplies from the room that acted as some sort of large janitor's closet and dragged it behind him as he headed back for the dragon's room.

Mihill clumsily opened and shut the door behind him as he shoved the cleaning supplies into the dragon's room. "Did anyone feed you during my absence?" Mihill decided to ask as he started to clean the room. He highly doubted anyone would, but he wanted to be sure. He'd have to think of a way to sneak the dragon some food without having the captain down here yell at him.

 

[Michi]

Do you think I'm so weak as to starve to death in just three or four days? He responded when the human returned, not with food but with cleaning supplies. He also made sure to phrase it that way just so that he could find out in fact how much time had passed. He knew that it had to be weeks that Orris had been locked away down here. They are afraid of me; as they should be. This human should have been afraid too, but he wasn't. Probably for the best though, if he was afraid he'd be hard to talk into letting him go.

He watched as the male began to clean the room, stepping out of his way when needed, almost mostly just sitting in one place. Your friends are not kind people. They like to taunt me. With gross looking whatever foods those are. I've never understood how you enjoy eating meats that have been cooked. You should try it fresh, it's much better. Some dragons also enjoyed their foods cooked, usually in their human forms. He'd been told before that food tastes differently in human form. Of course that was not a theory that Orris had ever wanted to test, nor was it a test he ever planned on trying.

 

[MaskedCat]

"No, but I at least expect some pangs of hunger," Mihill briefly looked towards the dragon before continuing on with his undesirable task. Well, the dragon certainly gave them reasons to be afraid. Facing a creature that has tasted human flesh would no doubt put fear in a lot of hearts. He believed that even the bravest of people still felt some sort of fear or worry when facing someone or something that can kill them. He had been in many battles and still startled when nearly killed and he did not think that'd ever change.

"I can never understand why you dragons eat stuff raw," Mihill snorted before adding, "And they're not my friends." Just because they were humans didn't automatically make them his friends. He knew that a lot of others thought of him and other tamers as less than normal. People feared what they didn't understand, after all.

"Think you can go another day without food?" Mihill asked as he neared the end of his task some minutes later. "I don't think I'd be able to sneak you any meals unless it's early in the day."

 

[Michi]

Orris deflated a bit at the idea of waiting another day for food. But he needed to play nice. Sure, I'll be fine. But if it can not be a gross metal thing of dead stuff, that would be great. I do prefer my stuff alive. Sighing the dragon laid down, resting his head on his front legs and tucking his wings close. He just wanted to be free of this already. Free and on his way. Back in the skies.

There was a bang on the door and it opened, a man in one of those metal suits that they thought protected them stood in the doorway. Ugh, these people. Turning his head away he attempted to ignore the man as he spoke.

"What do you think you're doing in here? I hope you're not trying to sneak it any food. We'll know if you are." He spoke, the meal from his suit clanging as he crossed his arms.

Orris lifted his head and looked at the man for a brief moment, I'm going to eat you, the first chance I have. He knew the man couldn't hear his thoughts, but his expression said it all. The other human could though. He really didn't like these metal humans.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill rolled his eyes at what the dragon wanted. He highly doubted he could go by unnoticed if he dragged a cow or something along with him. That'd have all the soldiers on him in an instant. The dragon would just have to deal with pre-killed meals for a while longer till he is able to go out of the room. Though he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen for a long time yet.

He looked up when he heard the metal door slam open. He groaned when he saw one of the soldiers waltz right in as if he belonged in that room. Which he didn't. He huffed at what he was told and pointedly looked away. His lips quirked into a small smile at the dragon's thoughts. "I don't need to sneak food in if you're so willing to stroll right on in here," Mihill smirked. "And I'm sure you have better things to do than to get eaten so you can leave now."

 

[Michi]

The soldier turned his attention from the dragon to the male at his remarks and glared. "Is that a threat? Are you making a threat on my life? If that what you dragon takers do? Teach your pets to eat those who are stronger than you?"

Oreos saw red. He was no pet and he was not going to let anyone think of him in the way. Standing up her growled angrily at both of the men, I am no pet. Get out now. I will eat you both before I am ever a fucking pet.

His lips curled back to bare his teeth threateningly. One bite was all it would take to kill either of them. But honestly why waste a bite when he could just fucking eat them right now. Have a meal and teach them both a lesson.

The soldier stepped back his hand going to the hilt of his sword. "I'll be sure to let the commander know what you're teaching your little friends. We'll see what he has to say about your threats." He spat at Mihill before turning and leaving the room quickly.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill scowled when the soldier glared at him with heated words. Though he honestly couldn't have expected any of them to realize that just because he was a tamer doesn't mean that he automatically has a dragon under his thumb. What he said was not so much as a threat but a logical fact. His assigned dragon didn't like the soldiers and he had no reason to like the soldiers. Dragons tended to eat or kill what they did not like and currently that was the soldier.

Mihill looked towards the dragon when he heard his angry thoughts. He couldn't really blame the dragon since no one liked the idea of being a pet. He sighed at what the soldier hurriedly said before scurrying out of the room as swiftly as possible without seeming obvious about it. He'd probably find himself in the captain's office before the day was over to go over what had just happened. What a day this was quickly turning into.

"Y'know," he started as he started to drag the cleaning supplies with him towards the door. "This really isn't helping your case of being allowed out of this room." He left the room after saying those words and started to head down the hallway to put away those cleaning supplies. All while ignoring the gazes of the patrolling soldiers around him.

 

[Michi]

Frowning as the humans left, Orris huffed. Well he was trying to be nice, but it wasn't his fault they were treating him badly. Did they honestly just expect him to take the abuse and roll over in submission? That was never going to happen. He waited quietly, listening to the footsteps in the hallway, but only hearing the metallic clank of the men in metal walking through the halls. They honestly thought that trying to crush a dragon's spirit was the best way to get them to fight for them?

Orris would never fight for these creatures. Why would he? Trapped for hours, days, weeks more likely! No interaction, little food. And yet dragons were the monsters. Well they did eat humans from time to time. But humans killed dragons too, so whatever. They enslaved dragons too. So in his book, eating a few dragons still wasn't as bad. Laying back down on the new clean floor, Orris let out a puff of air. He was supposed to be smart about this, yet they kept bringing out the worst in him.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill quickly marched down the hallway and back towards the storage room. He dumped off the cleaning supplies there and then headed back down the hallway. He wasn't able to get any food for the dragon nor did the dragon seem to want anymore company for the day so he might as well go back to the barracks. Hopefully without getting told by any passing soldiers that the captain wanted to see him. He did not want to end his day feeling all grumpy again.

"You, tamer," Mihill stopped in his tracks when a soldier blocked his path. "The commander wishes to talk with you." Mihill huffed at that. So much for leaving this underground place before having to face the commander. He frowned as he followed behind the guard that was sent to escort him to the commander's office. He briefly wondered if any other tamers had this much problems with the commander of this place or if it was just him.

"Commander?" The soldier knocked on the door once they reached their destination. "I have brought the tamer."

Mihill wondered if it was too late to make a run for it.

 

[Michi]

"Just a minute." A voice rang through the closed door. When the door did finally open a few minutes later, it was by a young soldier, who didn't seem like he was having a very good day either. But his face was nothing compared to the anger that was on the captain's face. He was leaning against the front of his desk with a scowl. When Mihill entered, he motioned for the soldier who had accompanied the tamer to leave and close the door.

The man didn't speak right away, but when he did, his voice was harsh and cold. "You've been causing nothing but trouble for my men it seems. I keep hearing things about you, and none of them are good things. Now I've been told you have been telling your dragon that it is fine if he wants to eat my men. I don't know exactly who trained you on how to tame dragons, but I will not stand by as you actively threaten the wellbeing and lives of any of my men."

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill sighed when the door opened before he could decide whether or not to bolt for it. Though that probably wouldn't have ended well so he was glad that he wasn't given the time to make a decision that'd just get him into even more trouble with the soldier staff down here. He was going to have to come down here for quite some time so it would be better if he didn't make an enemy out of all the guards down here. He wouldn't want an 'accident' to happen or something.

He walked into the office and heard the door close behind him. His focus was on the commander who was in front of the desk with pure anger written all over his face. This certainly promised to be quite the day and not in the good kind of way. He huffed a bit at the man's harsh tone but didn't avert his gaze. "I never threatened anyone," he frowned. "I just suggested that he leave before anything unfortunate happens for the dragon was in a less then pleased mood and was already showing signs of aggression."

 

[Michi]

"So you're saying that my men have lied to me?" The captain raised his brows as the male spoke. "It sounds to me like you're trying to convince me that you are unable to control your dragon, is that what you're trying to tell me, Terrowin? I've done a bit of looking into you. Your last dragon died not too long ago, didn't it?" The male stood, grabbing a paper from his desk and waving it.

He walked around the desk, looking at the paper as he took his seat. "I understand that... grief.. can be a burden for some. But, I hope you're not allowing it to cloud your judgment. I'd hate to have to explain that you lost your mind and started ordering your dragon to eat people just because your last little pet-friend-whatever died. I'm sure I won't hear any more of this nonsense about you threatening the lives of my men. But just to be sure, I think I'm going to keep some of my men posted outside of the doors, around the clock. For everyone's safety of course, you understand. Just to watch and make sure you don't become a danger to yourself or others."

Setting the paper down he gave a grim smile. "I don't want to hear any more about my men having more problems with you. If I do. I will inform your superiors and make sure they take the appropriate actions. But for now, I'll be nice and I'll leave it as our little secret."

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill knew that he had to be careful with what he said here with politics and stuff. He could honestly deal without all the sweet talking that politics required which was why he mostly kept to himself and other tamers. He pressed his lips together in a thin line to keep himself from saying something that'd just make his situation even worse. Though he was very highly tempted to do so with how the commander talked to him.

He bristled at what the man called his partner and icily glared at him. How dare he?! That man knew next to nothing about his and Lazial's relationship so he had no right to talk like he did. What he was feeling at the absence of his partner was much more than grief. It was full of regret, longing, frustration, agony, and much more.

Mihill huffed when he heard that the commander would be placing guards right outside that room's door. That certainly wasn't good. He couldn't sneak any food to the dragon if there was constant surveillance over him. So much for trying to raise the dragon's mood to make him a bit more tolerable to be around.

"How generous," he dryly said. "Your men won't have any problems with me as long as they let me do what I was trained for." With that said, he spun around on his heels and marched over to the door. He left the office before he was dismissed just because he was feeling especially frustrated at the commander that moment. He might as well just go back to the barracks to give the dragon some more time to cool off. He wouldn't want the dragon snapping at him when he delivered the bad news, after all.

Mihill sighed at this whole mess he was in before walking down the hallway to go back aboveground.

 

[Michi]

The hours passed and Orris waited. He could hear voices in the hall, usually they passed by, but this time they sounded right outside the door. They didn't fade either. Furrowing his brow, he leaned down putting his head near the door as he listened.

"This is fucking stupid. He really has us on babysitting duty! I can think of at least five different things I'd rather be doing besides standing here staring at a wall."

"Agreed, but it could be worse. We could have to be one of these tamers and have to actually deal with these things first hand."

"I know! Did you hear this one actually ate the last trainer assigned to it?"

"And they still didn't kill it. The dragons get away with murder. If I were the commander, I'd just kill them all."

"Yep. It'd be cheaper too. Wasting all this food on these things."

"Not on this one though. Commander Dobbs says this one's not allowed to eat until he gives the all clear, I don't think he ever will though. Let the damn thing starve." And then both voices chuckled.

These really were his least favorite humans. Giving a quiet growl he turned away from the door and laid down on the floor once again. They seemed determined to let him starve. He was going to need to really start being smarter about this if he was going to get out of this room.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill passed the rest of the day by reading in his room. He was rapidly running out of novels so he'd have to get more soon. He usually left that chore up to Lazial, but now he had to do it himself. Just another reminder that his partner will never be with him again. He hated how everything always reminded him of Lazial, but he was also grateful that he wouldn't ever forget his deceased dragon partner.

He headed for the underground labyrinth as soon as he woke up, got dressed, and had an apple for breakfast. He only felt annoyance when he saw that the commander stayed true to his word about posting guards outside the room. Those guards even had the nerve to stop him in his tracks so they could search him to make sure he wasn't sneaking anything to the dragon. He felt humiliated and furious about being treated like a common criminal and scowled when they finally stepped back.

Mihill slammed the door shut behind him and paused for a moment to try and calm himself down. "....I really hate this place."

 

[Michi]

I find it quite cozy and welcoming myself. Orris responded sarcastically as he lifted his head to look at the male. I have now been assigned babysitters? Their words, not mine. He'd listened to them outside of the door, even as they told Mihill to stop and they searched him. You seem rather popular with the guards. I'm assuming I'm not eating today either. Humans weren't very smart, were they. Let's starve a trapped dragon. Sure that won't make him want to eat us.

They wanted him in his human form, he was definitely not changing if there were guards right outside his room. It was bad enough they wouldn't let him eat. Well it seemed that he was going to need to be really smart about this. He was going to need at least one ally in order to make his escape happen. And the only ally that he was going to be able to get was this one human. This small human child person. Sighing he turned to more face Mihill, What is your name human?

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill shot the dragon a dry look at his thoughts. "I can live without the sarcasm," he huffed as he stepped away from the door. He didn't want the guards to hear him since he didn't want anything else used against him. He was already bound to his place just because of his abilities and didn't want anything else tying him down.

"Sorry," he sighed. "I won't be able to sneak anything past those guards." They'd just have to wait for the commander to give the order to let the dragon be fed. Though he highly doubted that would ever happen since everyone down here seemed determine to leave the dragon to starve. It was no wonder that he already ate someone if this is how he was always treated. They'd no doubt blame him if the dragon ate anyone else since he was the 'tamer.'

He blinked in surprise when he was asked for his name. Did that mean he was making progress with the dragon? Though it probably just got tiresome for the dragon to always refer to him as 'human' or something. It certainly was getting old to refer to the dragon as simply 'dragon.' "I'm Mihill," he introduced himself. "What about you?"