The day was bright and warm, the sunlight finding its way through the branches and leaves of the trees. Animals were lively and active, going about their daily routines, scavenging, hunting, and defending their territories. All was just as it should be today. All but one thing; a half elf was chased through the forest. Hunted was a better term for what was taking place. A pack of bandits trailed through the woods, tracking the elf’s every move, always just one step behind. They had been chasing him down for the past five days and seven nights.

Orion brought his knees up to his shoulders and wrapped his arms around them. He was tired, hungry, scared for his life, and darn near at the end his rope. He beginning to think that death might be the best way to go. He was deprived of sleep, running most of the nights and catching only a few hours naps a day. The food that he had stolen was finished with two days ago. His muscles and bones ached to be rested. The men that were after him would not stop coming for him. He had killed three of their men back at camp, stolen one of their blunt weapons, and nearly killed their master bandit. Now they were searching for him, something they were very good at, and would stop at nothing to kill him, something else at which they were very adept.

Orion had actually grown up with them. He was born of a Sun Elf mother and a barbarian human father. He had grown up watching his mother being beaten by his beast of a father. His mother was kidnapped by the bandits and brought back to their leader, his father. He was soon brought into this world and learned everything he could by watching. He was no monster like the men that were chasing him now. He hated to see his mother be beaten by his father. He hated the things those men did to others. He had so much hate in heart. He knew there was something more out in the world. Something other than pillaging and murder. That was why he had decided to escape from the living nightmare. He was encouraged by his mother to leave, to leave in search of a better life. He promised her he would be back for her, but now that did not seem very likely.

Tears burned in his eyes, sliding down his cheeks, leaving clean streaks on top of his dirty face. He did not know what else he could besides run. He was out numbered eight to one. He would need a miracle to survive and keep his promise to his beloved mother.

Fios was spending a nice day in the forest... if you could call it that. He rode atop his horse Seer, the slender horse made it easily through any of the brush they had to go through, since, after all, Fios couldn't go on the road, not with him still being wanted. He often tried to get to know people, let others know he didn't kill he sister, but, no one ever listens to him. For ten or more years, he has been accused of the crime, for ten years, he has been hunted by search parties, sent out by his father. Now, he avoided the road as much as possible.

He had left Sigmund and the two half-dragon for a week now. He said he would meet up with them again later, but not now, there were many things he had to do by himself, even if it would bring him near death.

Suddenly, noises sounded nearby. Running feet, shouts and the cursing that bandits use often. Fios pulled on the reins, making Seer halt in her tracks, and he waited, and listened. They were looking for someone, he figured. Bandits often were looking for someone to mug, and they rarely gave up, especially if they knew that person. So far, Fios has had enough experience to know, that bandits, were hopeless fighters, and were fools to ever try to fight him, and never gave up, due to their stupidity.

The moon elf looked around near him, as the voices and shouts neared. Their target must be nearby. He turned Seer slowly around, and edged her around the trees, searching for what the bandits were looking for.

Hew stopped Seer and sighed quietly, and mumbled in elvish under his breath. He glanced quickly up at where the noise of bandits came from.

"Ah well... may as well get rid of them for a while. What do you think, Seer?" He asked his horse and smiled grimly. He took hold of his two handed sword, but thought against it, and pulled out a scimitar that was attached to the saddle. He balanced the blade on his arm, and smirked slightly in satisfaction. All his blades were in great condition.

"You know, if your smart, you'd just stay where you are, unless of course, you know how to fight and kill without toppling over." He simply said to no one, well, thats what everyone would think. He continued to check his blade and inspecting it.

The tears were salty and warm when they reached his lips. He chastised himself for being such a baby right now. He should not have been at that moment, it was going to get him killed. Orion had been in much worse situations before, even having been near death. It was a mix of emotions that brought forth the tears then. He was free finally, being hunted like an animal, out of food and water, starving, scared and angry. It was a hurricane of different feelings within that tugged at his soul.

Sitting atop the thick tree branch, he noticed someone close by riding a horse. Orion wiped the tears from eyes and face. It was an odd thing to see a man out in the wilderness like this. Orion had spent his life with the bandits out here in the forest and it was a rare occasion that he saw someone wandering the amongst the trees. It always ended up the same way for those who strayed too far into the forest. The bandits never let anyone leave alive. Orion then realized the fate of this poor man. He took hold of his staff and dropped himself from the branch. He stayed a safe distance away from the man so he would not scare him.

“Go away from here you fool. There are eight blood thirsty bandits close by!”

Orion was yelling at the man before he could stop himself. He wanted him to live, but he soon found that it was foolish thing to as he heard battle cries and clanging metal in the distance. The bandits. They heard him yelling at the stranger. Orion took his staff and swung it at the horse in hopes of scaring it away, saving the mans life in the end. The butt of the staff came close to the horses nose.

“Get out of here! They’re going to kill you!”

Having said his last words, Orion held fast his cloak and staff and took off running through the forest. He did not know how much more of this he could take. He looked back to get a glimpse of the man on the horse to see if he was fleeing as well, but the trees and large bushes blocked his view. It was foolish for him to run like this. It would only make it easier for the bandits to track him. He did not care though. All that mattered was that he survived.

((OOC: Oops! Wrong account, lol...))

Fios turned slightly in the saddle to look at the boy who dropped from the tree.

“Go away from here you fool. There are eight blood thirsty bandits close by!”

Fios merely smiled grimly. "I've had worse, boy." He merely said, and he continue to balance the blade on his arm, then in a swift movement, held it in his hand, the hilt cold against his fingers. Suddenly, the boy swung his staff out, and came close to hitting Seer on the nose. The horse neighed, and reared in annoyance. Fios clung to the saddle, trying to stay on. When the horses feet touched the ground, she tried to run off, but Fios pulled on the reins hard. He turned the horse and glared at the boy.

“Get out of here! They’re going to kill you!”

The boy then suddenly bolted off in a direction. He frowned and stared after the boy, then to where the sound of bandits came from. He sighed, then sheathed his scimitar and kicked Seer hard in the sides, and the horse jumped into a gallop, right behind the boy, and soon, in front of the boy, where Fios stopped his horse.

The former knight reached out a hand for the boy to take to have the boy get on the back. The elf was quickly reminded of helping his friend Daluec in the war, when the young captain had nearly gotten killed. As a former knight, he was still very used to helping anyone he could.

"Come on. I'm not going to let you continue to run on foot. It will be much faster on horseback. Hurry." Fios said urgently. He glanced behind the boy, then back at the young half-elf. Many would wonder why Fios would help, but it was merely habit one could say.

Orion did not give it a second thought when he took the man’s hand. He needed all the help he could get. Plus he also thought, if he could get away from eight bandits then he could escape this man should he turn his back on him. A new wave of emotions hit him. It was such a beautiful thing to see a complete stranger help him. Orion had only seen just the opposite all his life. The act of kindness brought him to tears. He held fast to the man and wept.

“Thank you so much. You do not know what you have just for me.”

Orion believed himself when he said that. Surely the man must have thought he had only saved a young half elf but he had done so much more. He had given Orion the chance to come back and save his mother. He had given the chance to strengthen himself and rest. Orion wondered to himself how long that would be. He was lost in his thoughts with what was happening right now. He was so tired and weak that he could barely make sense of what he was thinking.

Orion lowered his head and past out. He tried to fight it but it was overwhelming and took him over with a deep sleep. It seemed to be days since the last time he slept. Dreams came in all forms and sizes. He dreamt of his mother being from the bandits, tears of joy falling from her face and Orion’s as well. He dreamt of the man who came to his rescue, training him to fight off the beasts that chased after them. He also dreamed that the man turned his back on him and traded him to the bandits for a few pieces of gold. The dreams would not stop coming. Several times he would open his eye, not knowing whether he was a awake or not.

Jruem soared overhead, golden scales glistening in the sun. He had a large grin spread over his face, flying low over the treetops, feeling them scratch his ivory belly. He was free here, having been cooped up for so long. After months and months of staying in his human form, only turning once in a while, he was forgetting how to use his wings. He laughed at the thought and gave another enourmous flap, sending a wave of air over the grassy area. His mind was drifting off when he spotted two people, who appeared to both be elves, riding a horse.

Jruem frowned and circled the two for a moment before deciding he wanted to know why they ran. The dragon swooped up, then back the way he came, spinning to fly upright again. After only a moment, a few forms showed up, turning out to be a number of bandits chasing the two.

Jruem chuckled and turned again, flying back to the two. He hovered for a moment, then landed down on the grass, sending a small shockwave through the earth around him. Without further notice, he turned back, tail retracting back into him, wings folding up against his back, seeming to melt in to his skin. The whole process only took a couple seconds, but seemed like forever to the gold.

"You play dangerous games, Elves." He loked at the one who was riding with the origional rider. He had slightly softer features, not the sharp features of the elves. Half-elf, then. Jruem grinned again. "Are you not going to fight?" He asked, head cocked to the side in curiosity. Bandits made for good sport.

When the boy took his hand, the elf pulled him unto Seer's back behind him. The boy spoke, but Fios didn't answer. He dug his heels again in the horses side, and the horse once again ran into a gallop, though, it was a tad slower for now having two riders. The boy clung to the elf, but the former knight didn't truly mind. He made a quick hand movement in the air, and mumbled a strange word, and soon, where the horse had left tracks before, now, the horse ran making absolutely no tracks, which should end up throwing the bandits off.

Suddenly, there were strong bursts of air around, that was all to familiar. And the sound of wings. Seer tensed up, and so did the elf. He pulled the horse to a stop, and turned it to look at the golden dragon there, who changed into a human it seemed. Just like Sava.

Fios' eyes filled with fear, memories flashing through his mind. Dragons, the sky filled with all kinds. They had swept down, killing hundreds of his kind. For a moment, he seemed lost in his own fears, but then slowly, he regained himself, and shuddered slightly, a shiver running up his spine.

"You play dangerous games, Elves."

He merely watched the dragon man, and refused to say anything, mainly because his breath had become dry because of his fear.

"Are you not going to fight?"

He regained himself some more, and managed to speak now. "I would stay to fight, dragon. But one, I am out numbered, and two, there is a young boy to help get to safety." He said, though his voice seemed slightly shaky.

Orion opened his eyes slightly and saw the transformation of a dragon into a man. He had never before seen anything like and did not whether to be afraid or happy that someone else has come to his aid. He noticed his rescuer tensed up just a little. Orion thought that maybe this man knew what that thing was and thought that maybe he should be afraid as well. He noticed that it was a gold dragon. He heard only several stories about them, tales the bandits told of when they returned from their journeys.

The dragon man asked if they were going to fight. Orion could barely keep his hold of his elf rescuer. His strength was rapidly dropping now that the adrenalin was fading away. His muscles began to shiver and twitch with his every move, a sign of severe fatigue. Orion looked at the dragon man and gazed at his golden eyes. He did not want to fight, he only wanted to sleep and regain his strength.

"I would stay to fight, dragon. But one, I am out numbered, and two, there is a young boy to help get to safety." Orion heard the elf say.

“Please leave us be.”

It was surprisingly difficult to muster those words. It was all he could do stay awake now.

Jruem frowned at their reaction. True, he had been a bit sudden, but surely one in trouble would normally be overjoyed to see a dragon on their side. He looked to the side for a moment to think it over, befor ereturning his gaze to the two, this time with a less playful expression. They were afraid, and he regretted it. He did not wish to be feared by the good and innocent for what he was. Gold dragons were generally a good kind, many of them seemingly paladins of the dragon world. Jruem could not lay claim to such a good title, but he was not one who wished harm on others whom did not deserve it.

"I see." He muttered not-so-quietly. "I will go if you so wish it." He looked back at the bandits arriving fairly quickly. "As it is i who held you two up, i will hold them back if you wish." He said with some pride. Fools they were if they did not wish friends with a dragon, but theywould surely allow him to help. Perhaps he could catch up later, but he didn't dare hope it. If they did not wish for him now, they would not want him later under less dire circumstances.

Jruem looked back at the bandits, who drew steadily nearer. He pulled his staff from his back and bit his lip. If worse came to worse, he would turnand fly away. He did not wish to fight as a dragon unless the other was strong enough to put up a good fight, or at least defeat him. Until then, however, he would fight as a human, only returning tohis natural form for more practical needs where he would need increased strength, or to move from one place to another quickly.

"Make your decision before they are upon us." He said with a bold tone. He did not want them tothink him a monstrosity, something to be feard on the open road. Jruem was sick of others making attempts on his life or shunning him for his race.

((OOC: Sorry about this really late, I've been absolutely sick, and disinterested in everything for a while, but now, I'm hoping to catch up to replies))

Fios was torn. The dragon seemed to be here for help, but in his experience, all dragons had evil intentions, cruelty on their minds. Seer was almost about to go into a panic, the horse took a couple steps back then forward, getting on edge. Fios pulled on the reins sharply to stop the horse, but she merely stomped her hooves on the ground, and gave out a worried neigh. He watched the dragon man pull a staff from his back, looking like he was going to fight, and the elf and almost missed what the dragon had said. He was going to hold them off for a while.

Fios wondered why the dragon just didn't turn into his real form and kill the bandits, or injure them to hold them back for a long time. He stayed silent for a long moment, and after the dragon spoke for a second time, Fios closed his eyes for a few moments, before they looked at the dragon.

"The boy needs to get to safety, someplace to rest and heal. It would take longer to ride to the closest town." He said, his throat drier then ever at what he was about to suggest to the dragon. "If the stories are true what they say about... the supposed good dragons then you could help us, or just the boy to a town."

He took a deep breath. "Instead of fighting, could you fly us to the closest town or city?" He knew the dragon had no reason to help them with this, but it would be better to fly then to ride a horse as fast as possible to the closest town, and the boy would need rest as soon as possible.