Scales of Umber and Amethyst

Shafts of sunlight rained down, breaking through the thick canopy of leaves and piercing the shadows of the forest like knives. Thesaera parted the branches infront of her as she followed a path created by the small glowing wisps. They floated just above the ground, beckoning to her with small hands. As she neared them, they would gently drift off on the wind and disappear into the trees. No one had ever been this deep into the forest as far as Thesaera knew. There where legends of ancient ruins from lost times, haunted by the ghosts of the past. No one dared approach them. No one except Thesaera. The path of whisps ended, with the last one giving a small wave of farewell as it departed. Before her stood a great arch, covered in vines and moss. Thesaera felt a shiver of slight apprehension as she looked upon the abandoned ruins. They lay untouched as if for years beyond knowing, the only sound being the echoing of bird calls. She traced one of the glowing runes on a stone to her right, before stepping through the arch. Nothing happened of course; no trap was sprung, no portal opened. Thesaera felt a tinge of disappointment, yet sighed in relief at the same time. The sunlight seemed to fall stronger among the fallen buildings. Columns reigned tall in front of her, but something else caught Thesaera's eye: a doorway covered by hanging ivy. Moving it aside, she stepped into a glade filled with butterflies made of orange light, fluttering to and fro small violet flowers. Thesaera turned in a circle, taking in the beauty of the place. Suddenly hearing several twigs snap, she stopped. Something shifted among the trees, and a great wind swirled through the glade. Thesaera drew her knives. One could never be too careful these days. She heard a low growling, and watched as something emerged from the trees. With scales of umber and amethyst, a great dragon stepped forward. Thesaera stood her ground, looking into its multicolored eyes. Eyes that watched her curiously, with something akin to fear in them. Not a hostile dragon Thesaera decided, sheathing her knives. The dragon inched closer, it's long tale weaving gracefully through the air. One of the butterflies landed on its snout, and it shook its head slightly. The butterfly remained. Going cross eyed, the dragon glared in its direction, and curls of smoke rose from its nostrils. Only then did the butterfly flutter away. Thesaera laughed, a merry sound, which made the dragon refocus on her. She slowly took a step forward, cautiously extending her hand, asking for permission. The dragon granted it, bending its head towards her. Its lustrous scales felt soft, almost like silk, beneath Thesaera's fingertips. Something tugged at her consciousness, and she embraced the sensation, closing her eyes. Opening them once more, her vision had altered, letting her see intricate details in everything. Her hearing too had changed, and the calls of birds turned to words of strange languages being sung. "Hello," a voice arose, more prominent than the others. It was deep and melodious, echoing throughout the glade.

"Hello," Thesaera replied.

"I haven't seen your kind in a long time," the dragon continued, assessing her.

"My people do not venture this deep into the forest anymore, for fear of these ruins."

"That's the point I suppose. I am Kesorym, the guardian."

"Well, the pleasure is all mine Kesorym. I am Thesaera," she said, inclining her head. Kesorym purred, a low thrumming which filled the clearing. It was the dragon's way of returning her formalities.

"It does get rather lonely around here sometimes. No one ever visits. I have to leave to find company," Kesorym spoke again. Thesaera gave a half suppressed laugh. It was hard to imagine such a grand and noble creature complaining.

"I'll visit you. If I can find this place again. The whisps lead me here," she responded.

"Now that we are connected, just follow this sensation and you can find your way back," Kesorym told her.

"Alright." Thesaera traced the dragon's scales, observing how the umber pigments melded with the amethyst overtones.

"Have you ever flown before?" Kesorym asked.

"A few times," Thesaera answered, recalling her experiences of dragon riding. She had enjoyed every one of them profoundly.

"Come on then. I'll show you the forest from above," Kesorym said. Thesaera could feel his rising excitement, which was passed onto her. She walked around to his side, where she clambered onto his back. Tucking her legs up out of the way of Kesorym's wings, Thesaera settled into a comfortable position, and leaned forward, holding onto one of the small horns along the dragon's neck. "Ready?" he spoke.

"Ready," Thesaera affirmed. Kesorym extended his wings, which where of a dark purple membrane, save for a few feathers along the top rim. With a powerful thrust of his hind legs, he leapt upwards, and they were airborne. Flapping his wings several times, Kesorym gained altitude, climbing towards the clouds. Once they were steadily flying, Thesaera let go of the horn and stretched her arms out, lifting her face towards the wind. "This is amazing! I've never been this high up before!" she cried.

"This is what freedom feels like," Kesorym replied.

"I love it!" Thesaera beamed.

"Look down, you'll see the forest," Kesorym said. She leaned over his neck, and peering through the mists, saw the vast expanse of trees below, which they had been among only minutes before. Pressing herself against Kesorym's warm scales, Thesaera closed her eyes and felt the wind rush over her, taking in every moment, for flying was truly freedom.