Fantasy The Trail We Blaze (Masked&Michi)

[Michi]

Mihill? That's a terrible name for a human. Orris responded when he was informed of the male's name. Why would you choose that as your name? Of course he wasn't aware that humans kept their given names from birth. That wasn't how it worked for dragons. Dragons had a given name until they had chosen their own, then they stopped going by their given name. It was a sign of coming to age in the dragon community.

Insulting the human, Mihill, probably was not the best course of action to build an ally. I'm sorry, that was inconsiderate of me. Mihill is a.. different name.. for a human is all. He slowly backtracked. His goal was outside. Once outside, he could escape. He could take to the skies and fly away never to look back. Maybe come back later with his friends and free the dragons who had been enslaved by these wretched humans.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill shot the dragon a dry look when his name was insulted. He was told by Lazial that dragons chose their own name when at the right age so he wasn't confused by the other's wording. Lazial had the same reaction when he introduced himself and he highly doubted that this would be the last time someone reacted like that to his name. He had no clue what his parents were thinking when they practically named him after a hill, but he had a certain fondness for it since his parents gave him that name.

"We humans don't chose our own names. Our parents name us when we are born and that name stays with us for the rest of our lives unlike you dragons," Mihill sighed. Though it did not escape his attention that the dragon did not introduce himself. He greatly hoped that getting a name out of the dragon wasn't going to be like pulling teeth. "Now, what about you? Anything I can call you by instead of just dragon?"

 

[Michi]

His first instinct was to reply with a firm no. He gazed at the male cautiously as he debated. He didn't want to give the man his name. He could always make something up, but then he'd have to actually respond to that name. Why do humans not choose their own names? Why would they want to keep the name given to them at birth? He didn't understand why they wouldn't want a chance to express who they truly were when they came of age. You may call me dragon. I don't mind.

Orris was unsure he wanted to mislead the human into thinking they were friends. He attempted to change the direction of the conversation. Is it true you humans have two names? The name you go by and then a name that your family shares? Why is that? Maybe staying on the topic of names was not the best idea. Hmmm something different.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mhill just shrugged at the dragon's question. Parents choosing their child's name has been tradition for many, many years. He knew that there were some people who went by different names, but the vast majority usually used the names given to them by their parents. And he was obviously one of those people.

He almost groaned when the dragon said to just continue calling him dragon. He didn't feel like arguing with the dragon about this matter since he knew that it'd just lead to an argument that will leave the both of them annoyed. He was already annoyed with the commander and he really didn't want the only other being he regularly interacted with to be someone he was also irritated with. He really didn't want everyday to be irritating.

"Yes, we do have two names. We have a family name that places us in a specific family group. Women who get married take on their husband's family name to use as their own since they're marrying into that family. Children will also use their father's family name as their own since that is tradition. An example of that is my full name which is Mihill Terrowin. I inherited my family name from my father and my mother also uses that name instead of the one she inherited." Mihill explained. He wasn't sure if he explained that correctly, but he gave it his best shot.

 

[Michi]

That sounds complicated and pointless. I much prefer to have my own name. It is much easier to remember just the one. How long until I can leave this room? These walls that confined Orris were annoying and bothersome, it wouldn't be as bad if the damn spikes weren't there. Can't you get me outside? Just for a second?

His stomach rumbled quietly as he lowered his head. Ugh, this starving thing was growing to be a giant pain in the ass. Can I at least get some water? He could go without food for a month, but nothing could survive too long without water.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill just sighed in response. It may seem complicated to the dragon who refused to give him a name, but it was just what they humans did. It was something they have done for who knows how long and it'd probably stick with them in the distant future. He didn't blame the dragon for thinking like that since everything was confusing if you weren't used to it. Everyone had their own opinions even if those opinions sometimes caused fights to occur.

"We both know the answer to that question," Mihill looked towards the door. "And yeah, I'll see if I can get you some water." He walked over to the door and opened it to step outside. He barely gave the guards so much as a glance before heading down the hallway. He soon returned with a large pan of water that was really heavy to him. He, of course, got into an argument with the guards about giving the dragon water, but he soon won by pointing out the fact that water was not food and therefore was allowed.

Mihill could hear the sound of the door closing behind him as he walked back into the room. "Managed to get water," he announced. He set the large pan down on the floor with a sigh of relief before stepping back, rubbing his sore hands together.

 

[Michi]

Ah, yes. Water at least! He perked up a bit when Mihill returned with the water. He didn't go anywhere though, after setting the pan down. Just like with the buckets of meat, he didn't touch it while Mihill was in the room. Thank you. I appreciate that. He still wouldn't drink it with the human there watching him though.

So this human was almost as disliked by the guards as Orris himself. So why are you trying to keep me alive if they are trying to kill me? Seems like your army's a bit indecisive on what they want to do.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill raised a brow when the dragon made no move to drink the offered water. Were they really going to play this game again? He had no clue what was so difficult about drinking or eating in front of him, but he had to respect the dragon's privacy. The dragon deserved that much at least since he knew that the guards gave him a hard time. Especially with how they all refused to let him bring the dragon something to eat.

"We have different views regarding dragons. They see you as tools of destruction to be used while I see you as living creatures who have a life of your own," Mihill informed. That view was not shared by everyone and sometimes even tamers believed dragons to be mindless tools. That was exactly what made it so unpopular in the army since the majority of the military are 'normal' people.

 

[Michi]

Orris gave a chuckle. What an odd human. The following days were about the same. Orris still hadn't given his name, determined only to give the human enough information without actually revealing anything. As the days passed though, regardless of how strong he made himself look, there were still the telltale signs. The dulling of his scales, the overall lethargy that he seemed to radiate. He was so very hungry, and it reached the point where he didn't even bother getting up whenever the human came in.

He knew if he didn't eat soon, he wasn't going to make it very much longer. His options were limited. He could change to his human form, but that could possibly kill him at this point. But if he stayed in his dragon form, he would probably starve faster. Dragons had a much higher metabolism than humans. They could last longer without food in their human forms but in their dragon forms, they needed to eat so much over time in order to remain healthy.

He knew very well he was getting sick, but he did not want to shift with those humans outside, two minutes was all he needed but it seemed like the shift change always took place instantly. The old guards wouldn't leave until the new guards came. And with his luck, if he did try to change they would come in and kill him. Orris listened carefully to the hallway, his eyes drooping heavily as he waited for his window.

Finally, it came, hours after Mihill had left, the guards left before the new ones had arrived. He didn't know how much time he had but he decided to take the risk. The pain was unbearable and just as it was finishing the door opened, the two guards standing in the doorway. Looking up at the humans for a brief moment, his eyes closed and Orris passed into unconsciousness.

"Oh shit, we should tell the commander!" One spoke as the other held up his hand.

The male looked at his comrade and replied slowly, "If we tell him, they're gonna put us on the wall for the rest of the night."

The other male made a face as he realized that was right. "We should just leave him for now. We'll tell the commander in a few hours."

Near the end of the shift, the second guard ran off and when he returned it was with two men holding a stretcher and a female doctor. The woman checked Orris' vitals before ordering the men to get him to the clinic quickly. "And will someone please get his tamer up there too please?"

Orris was moved onto the stretch with a towel draped across him and taken up the steps as quickly as they could carry him. Mihill was never notified of the change in the situation by any of the guards. When Orris did wake, he was alone in the medical clinic, on a bed, with a bowl of now cold soup beside him and an IV slowly dripping fluid into him. His head pounded and he was very groggy as he tried to make sense of what was going on, but he wasn't awake for long before he drifted back off to sleep.

 

[MaskedCat]

The days that came by were the same as usual with the dragon being the usual stubborn thing he is which left Mihill feeling annoyed with the other. However, the annoyance he felt was not the same annoyed feeling he felt when he first met the dragon who wanted to remain unnamed. The annoyance he felt had a certain fondness to it and he knew that was because he was feeling closer with the dragon despite the tense relationship they shared. He knew that they couldn't be classified as friends or anything, but there was something there.

Which was why he was getting worried with each passing day. He knew that the dragon was getting sicker thanks to being starved and he was desperately trying to get the commander to allow him to give the dragon some food. But every single time he went to the commander to make that request he was rejected. Every. Single. Time. He was very angry with the commander and the taunting soldiers since that dragon was dying because of them. He and that dragon may not be close, but he'd be damned if he let another dragon die on his watch.

That was why he practically flipped when he went to visit the dragon and found him gone. Mihill knew that the dragon was on the verge of death and dearly hoped that he hadn't died during his absence. He tried to ask the guards just what happened to his dragon, but he got no answers. He feared that the dragon had indeed died of starvation and went to the commander for any information that might prove his assumption wrong.

Luckily, he was told that the dragon was just barely alive. That greatly relieved Mihill, but what he heard next was very surprising. He didn't think that the dragon would ever go into his human form due to his pride. He supposed that desperate times called for desperate measures. He was told that the dragon was now recovering in a medical clinic and practically bolted from the commander's office to check up on the dragon-turned-human.

Mihill ignored the guards that were standing on both sides of the door and quickly entered the clinic's room. His gaze immediately rested on an unfamiliar male laying on a bed who didn't appear to be in the best of shape. Who also appeared to be sleeping. Mihill breathed out a soft sigh and dragged a chair over to the bed. He sat down in the chair to wait for the other one to wake up from his much needed sleep.

 

[Michi]

Only moments after the door opened a heavyset female stepped out of a door on the side of the room. Her expression cross as she angrily motioned for Mihill to come to her office. She was short, portly, and wore a white dress. "Where the hell have you been?! I called for you hours ago!" Her voice was quiet but stern as to not awaken the sleeping dragon.

When Mihil did enter her office she closed the door and turned to face him. "What in the hell? Why are you not feeding him? Your job is to keep him alive and I don't get called down until he's nearly dead?! You're lucky that shift didn't kill him! I'm surprised he was even able to gather enough strength to do it given the state he's in. This is fucking ridiculous. And the commander says it's because your last dragon died and you didn't want a new dragon? That is not an excuse!"

She moved to take a seat at her desk, "I don't know what is going on with the lot of you, but I swear, every day you all get more and more astounding. And now I have to get him back off of death's door. No easy feat, especially because dragons aren't human. They have different needs. If he doesn't wake up and eat something soon I can't even guarantee he'll live through the night. Not to mention all of the paperwork for him."

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill jumped in surprise when the door suddenly opened and a woman walked in. He quickly stood up and opened his mouth to question her presence only to be surprised when she started snapping at him. He was a bit confused concerning the part about being called for, but he had no time to voice his puzzlement for she was already marching out the door. He briefly looked at his slumbering assigned partner before quickly following after the furious woman.

He was even more surprised when he entered her office only to get yelled at again by the woman. His surprise quickly turned into realization before turning into anger. Apparently some people failed to inform him of the dragon's state despite being told to do so. It was like they were setting him up to be put in a bad spot. Probably because of his recent arguments with the commander concerning his assigned dragon.

"Just because I didn't want a new dragon doesn't mean I'd just let him starve like that!" He glared at the woman. "I only just heard about the state of the dragon and came as quickly as I could. Now I don't care what you do or just how much paperwork you have to do...You...will...save him!"

 

[Michi]

The woman's face looked completely unamused as she pursed her lips, "You only just found out that he was starving?" Her voice was skeptical. He had probably meant he had only just heard that he had come to the medical unit. But it was still frustrating.

"I don't need you to tell me to do my job. Just like I shouldn't need to tell you to do you job, or to tell those damn muscle heads that they also need to do their jobs." Her eyes moved to view out of the glass window that allowed her to watch her patients even when she was in her office. There was brief movement as Orris rolled over, but overall he seemed to still be content to sleep, which she understood. If he didn't wake up in the next few hours though she was going to need to make him eat.

She gave a sigh, "Look, I don't know what the hell went on down there. I am only getting a lot of he said she said. And I don't care what happened to lead to him needing my care. But if someone's standing in the way of you doing your job, you go around them. You go over them. It's going to take me weeks to get him back to peak form."

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill scowled lightly at the question. He hated the fact that he was unable to feed the dragon just because he was forbidden too. Usually the care of a tamer's dragon was completely up to them, but that was only in theory. Real life did not allow such things to be possible and they all had to go around certain people just because they were tamers. If he did try to feed the dragon with guards standing outside the door he would've been caught and would've been in trouble. Maybe enough trouble to have him under surveillance from the higher ups.

"Weeks?" Mihill grimaced as he looked towards the window. He could see his assigned dragon in his human form still laying in that bed. He certainly did not seem like he was going to wake up anytime soon. "But...he'll be okay, right?" He looked back at the woman with small shift in his steps. The dragon may be efficient in annoying him, but he did not wish to see the other dead. Not like Lazial.

Though he did not know how the dragon would behave when he woke up. The dragon was quite clear on the fact that he did not wish to go into his human form so he might be angry once he wakes up. Mihill just hoped that the dragon wasn't too cranky. He planned on staying by the dragon's side in that chair till the dragon woke up so the other could first see a familiar face. He did not care if the dragon considered his presence unwelcome or not.

 

[Michi]

She shrugged, "Week and a half, two weeks. Depending on some stuff. But shouldn't be longer than two weeks I don't think. Just long enough to make sure he's back in peak physical health before you start working with him." Sighing she looked won at a stack of papers on her desk before rifling through them and pulling out a sheet of paper. "I need you to fill out this incident report and sign it when you're done, and give it back to me so I can turn in my report."

Her eyes went back to the sleeping dragon, "And don't bother him. I need him to eat when he wakes up, and sick dragons won't eat in front of people. So you can do it in here, or you can sit in the hallway. But I him to eat as soon as he actually wakes up." She warned Mihill sternly. Her attention returned to her papers on her desk, reading forms, filling things out, ever couple of minutes looking up through the window to see if there had been any signs of him stirring.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill frowned a bit at what the woman said and looked back out the window. Seeing his assigned dragon laying in that bed made him feel unsettled. He always saw the dragon all stubborn with sarcastic remarks so it was very odd to see him like this. He much preferred the dragon awake and glaring at everything and everyone. He could admire the dragon's fighting spirit still being ablaze despite the soldiers trying to break it. This dragon was so different than Lazial and he was grateful for that very much. He did not want to be reminded of Lazial every single time he looked at the dragon since that'd be unfair to them both.

He groaned when the woman handed him a sheet of appear. "Great, paperwork." Mihill dryly said. He looked back out the window and hesitated before sighing. "Alright," he mumbled. He did know that the dragon preferred to eat alone so he'd wait for the dragon to wake up and eat before going in there. He decided to stay in here where he could watch the dragon turned human and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. He slowly filled out the paper he was given while shooting the window occasional looks to see if his assigned partner had woken up yet.

 

[Michi]

The woman gave a smirk when Mihill complained about the paperwork. The room fell silent as they both filled out their portions of their paperwork, the main sound was the scratching of the pens on paper, and the occasional rustling of paper.

When Orris did finally awaken, he felt well rested, still hungry but he felt much better. He stretched in the bed, sitting up and looking around with a yawn. Smacking his lips together he cleared his throat taking in his surroundings. The room was empty, with multiple beds. The table beside the bed he was on had a bowl with soup, some bread and an apple. A balanced human meal. This would be the perfect chance to escape.

The dragon wasn't sure he had the strength to fight his way out if he needed too though. His eyes fell on the bowl of soup once again as he leaned back against the wall, using it to prop himself up; Orris reached over picking up the now cold meal and sniffing it and looking around once more.

Though the window the doctor sat at her desk, watching carefully as she waited to see if the dragon would eat the soup. "Have you given him soup before? Does he like soup?" She whispered quietly. If not, he was going to have to suck it up.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill was a bit slow with finishing the paperwork he was given since he never did like doing paperwork. He found it tedious and very boring and often took forever just to finish it. He lacked the motivation to finish it fast which often frustrated him for taking so long just to complete it. He found it much easier to just drift off in thought every once in a while just to avoid doing the paperwork that was given to him.

He glanced up at the sudden question from the woman and he lit up when he looked at the window and saw that the dragon was awake. "I don't know," he shook his head. "As far as I know he hasn't been in his human form once since he was brought here. I don't even know his name." Seeing that the dragon was indeed awake motivated him enough to scribble down what was needed before standing up. He placed the finished paperwork on the woman's desk and looked back towards the window.

"Can I go in there now?" Mihill questioned. He was very eager to go and talk to his assigned dragon and find out just why he changed form at the least convenient time possible. He also knew that the dragon was probably thinking about escaping so he'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure that didn't happen.

 

[Michi]

The nurse turned to look at him with wide eyes. "How long have you been working with him, and you still haven't found out his name?" A small hum came from her nose as she took the paper from the desk looking it over. "If he's done eating then yes. But if he's not, then no."

As the two of them talked quietly, Orris took small sips from the bowl. It wasn't terrible. It was very different from what he was used to. A variety of flavors he'd never had before. Sipping the remainder of the bowl down quickly, he set the bowl down and picked u the roll. He sniffed it once before he licked the top of it with the tip of his tongue.

Furrowing his brow, he pressed the roll flat, what was this thing? Was he supposed to eat it? Was it for wiping his face after the flavored water? He gripped it with his hands before he tore it open and looked at the inside of the roll as if he expected that to be some indication of what he should do with it. Finally he put it back down and looked around the room once more.

Now was the time for him to escape, when none of the humans were around. Pushing the blanket off, he noticed the thin brown fabric over his lower body. Oh, pants. Ugh humans and their need to cover themselves. Blah. Kicking his legs over the side his bare feet came in contact with the cold stone floor and he turned to look out the window. His first view of the outside world since he'd been brought to this terrible place.

MaskedCat

 

[MaskedCat]

"Don't look so surprised," Mihill shook his head with a small snort. "That dragon is very stubborn and prideful. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't made a snack out of me yet." They both got on each other's nerves too which added to that surprise. He wasn't foolish or stupid enough to think that the dragon was fond of him in some sort of way. Mihill knew that the dragon was plotting something that required for him to still breath. Probably involved some sort of escape from the army's control.

Mihill gave the woman a nod and - impatiently - waited for the other to finish his soup. It amused him to see the unnamed male to look at the roll as if he had no clue what to do with it. And he probably didn't considering how he was in his true form his whole time here. Well, he'll certainly make sure to tease his assigned partner about this moment in the future.

He didn't hesitate to exit the office and took quick steps to the door that led to the room. Mihill just about slammed the door open in his haste to see and talk to his assigned partner. "It looks like sleeping beauty here finally decided to wake up," Mihill immediately said with a small smirk as he shut the door behind him. "How are you feeling?"

 

[Michi]

He'd just put his hands down to help himself stand up and had begun to slowly pick himself up off the bed when suddenly he heard a door opening. Immediately on his guard, Orris tensed up and turned to glare at whoever had come into the room. His eyes rolled when he saw the human walking over smiling. Ugh. Whhy?

Turning his head away with a sigh he looked out the window once more, giving up on his plan to sit up and sighed. Sitting back down he rolled his eyes and turned his head away from the human. He just wanted to go home. He was almost there! Step one was done, step two... well that seemed like it was not going to be happening today. Ugh.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill rolled his eyes when his assigned partner was obviously less than pleased to see him. How touching. At least the dragon wasn't trying to punch a hole through him or anything now that he was in his human form. Escape should be much easier now that he could actually fit through doors and such. Mihill will have to keep a close eye on his assigned partner since he could just feel the trouble that was slowly brewing.

"What? No comment?" Mihill also looked towards the window and suppressed a sigh. "You should probably focus on getting back to full strength instead of thinking up some elaborate escape plan." He advised as he sat down in the chair that he had pulled over earlier before the woman shooed him into her office.

 

[Michi]

Orris grumbled internally before he turned his attention back to the human. His piercing blue eyes, mimicking the same color of his mark that stretched across his back and over his shoulder. "I am always at full strength. Do not make a mistake. I could still kill you if I chose to, even in this ridiculous form." Of course the human knew he wanted to escape. Of course he knew that he was not well. But that didn't mean Orris had to like it or be nice. He had not been useful before now, and he was not going to be useful now. "I do not want you here. You are impeding my recovery. Leave." Pulling his legs back up onto the bed, Orris crossed his arms and turned his head away again.

 

[MaskedCat]

Mihill felt both amused and annoyed at what the dragon said. It amused him to see him so defensive and stubborn despite being stuck in the clinic. However, it was that same stubbornness that annoyed him since it wouldn't kill the dragon to accept help. Though the dragon certainly seemed to think that it would which just added to his amusement. Being assigned to this dragon certainly wasn't boring, but it did bring headaches.

"No," he simply said as he leaned back in his chair. "Unfortunately, I'm stuck with you so I'm not going anywhere." He was very much planning on staying in this room with his assigned partner till he was released. He also didn't want the soldiers poking at the dragon when he's absent since that'd be bad.

 

[Michi]

Orris glared at the male, though it was not nearly as intimidating in on his human face. He should have eaten him when he has the chance. "I would rather not... be with you as I recover." He knew he was going to be there for a day or two. Okay maybe three. Just enough for him to regain enough strength to switch back now that he was out of the prison cell.