A Dragon's Story

Saitaku

----------------------------------------------------------

~ 2 months later ~

----------------------------------------------------------

The meadow before him was of grape-green and thigh height, the whistling tune of the trees around playing a soothing lullaby. Ducklings and dragonflies scattered along the flowers of crystal gems as the glowing-gold sun rays illuminated the landscape. Butterflies performed their dance of life for the shrine of crystal-blue which encased the area and made the distant shark teeth mountains looks taller and greater than beyond what all eyes had seen before. The fluffy clouds floated around and made the three floating islands above look ever so peaceful and serene, contrasting the concoction of elements and colors in which they produced. A river of neon-blue flowed through the meadow, around in a circle where oak planks allowed for travelers to cross without getting their talons wet. And in the middle, a radiant and neon-glowing tree which sparkled with colors from each season, ember-red, Eden-green, yolk-yellow and plum-purple with trickles of white.

Though it wasn't just the sights that pleased the senses, the sounds, smells and tastes too were selcouth. The sweetness of cherry blossoms, gummy caramel, baked-apples and fresh syrup encased the area, flowing from the flora of the meadow. The chirring grasshoppers, squeaking swallows and buzzing midges allowed for a peaceful chorus to play in any traveler's head as they eased into a peaceful trance.

Ezekiel felt this as he flew through the area with a pleasure-filled face, unable to retain his joy.

This, this is really something else. The young dragon thought as his misty-eyes gazed around the beautiful landscape, his face feeling the breeze blow by as he spread his wings into a calming, gliding position. It then dawned on Ezekiel that, for the first time in a long time, something truly made him feel happy, made his heart feel tender and warm.

"Hey there Zekiel." Called a familiar dragon of a soothing voice. Ezekiel looked to his right to see a beautiful white dragon of an angelic glow in her eyes come by him.

"Sola!" He declared with delight, recognizing the familiar face from a long time ago. He quickly felt the claws of the past rip into his heart which caused his delightful smile to become more of a frown. Though, as he looked closer, she did look a lot different than he had remembered, she was now wearing gleaming rings on her digits and a necklace of silver around her neck. Plus her physical changes and the whole name change from Solas to Sola were all far more matured and natural now. It looked nice, truly her. She seemed free, and in an environment in which she felt safe.

A sudden stomach pain hit him, causing him to slow his flying and take a breather, a noxious feeling filling his being. No... stop thinking of them, you're here, leave them and those behind. He told himself, trying to suppress his hauntings from the past, his memories of before.

Sola then stopped as well too, at first looking at the other with concern, but soon turning to more of a joyous smile. "I didn't know you were coming here, especially with the incredibly long trip and all. Did Animax come with you?" She asked, looking particularly eager to hear about her brother.

Ezekiel shook his head. "Sorry, he didn't. And in fact-" He began, but a sudden urge stopped him in the tracks of his sentence. If you tell her that you moved in she'll be curious why... and we CAN'T have that. He then bit his tongue, thinking of how to recover from his sentence's interruption. "I-I'm visiting for an unknown amount of time, here for inspiration for my... writing." He then concluded sloppily, seeing the unconvinced frown on the other's face. He then looked away, eventually pointing towards the center, elder tree of beautiful colors. "See, it's exquisite sights like this that leave me feeling an abandonment of joy, like having a fresh spring casserole cooked on your hatching day just for you." He then forced a nostalgic smile, making the other smile and nod, impressed by the younger dragon's words. However, though his face showed joyful nostalgia, it was about the opposite of what he felt.