Drache at first did not like what it felt like to leave Tephra. She pulled on him, reminded him not to stray too far or long even more effectively than his mother and father. Independent as he is, it isn’t long until the boy is so far from the volcano that he can only just see its lower slopes poking above the horizon beneath where its peak disappears into the clouds. This is the first time he’s been away from there, it is very strange for the volcano that has cast its shadow on him for his entire life to be so small. He stares at it a moment, draconic eyes giving him a very clear image even from this distance.
A bit of noise, rustling, draws his dark ears in the opposite direction and then his head follows with movements smooth and reptilian.
Drache trots through a dense thicket and then finds himself in a strange little heaven with tall trees spread throughout like roman columns supporting an autumn canopy where he is certain he glimpses a sprite or two flitting about. His vibrant legs swish through bracken and fern and squish into dark gooey mud. Dapples of sunlight catch on the bits of rainbow glitter scattered over his skin when he stops to watch a half dozen or more strangers playing together in this strange separate haven. Nostrils flaring he picks out the scents of children from Tephra, somehow his body recognizes them even if he hasn’t met them. He does not go to those children though, or hope to join their games. He is just a strange boy with green dragon eyes that never wants to play with them at home (too occupied with his parents, his sister, Tephra) and now trying to meet up with them here seems awkward.
The intricately marked colt trots along the boundary instead thinking he will just take the lay of the land and then take himself back home. When he pushes through the undergrowth and within a few feet of a pair of girls he stops, surprised. Drache hisses to himself with a shiver of black opal scales that disappears as suddenly as it rolls across his frame. A sullen quiet settles on him, and he wishes he could shift more of himself at a time and scare them out of his way but finds he cannot even summon fangs into his mouth. Guiltily he recognizes that they were here first, and they they too have not joined any of the others. Maybe... Tucking his chin to his void-black neck the Tephran and stomps his left fore-hoof. From the point of impact the goldenstar growing at all of their feet bursts brings forth a smattering its small five petal blooms around the girls. Drache does not say anything at all.
[Drache]
we’re stars now, can’t you see? the center of the world is lonely me.
@[Kade]