Post by ~Neirenn~ on Jun 26, 2007 22:12:31 GMT -5
NATIMBA
Dragons, mystical, fierce, dangerous, yet in their own way, beautiful. In all the colors of the rainbow, with some blacks, browns, greys, and even whites. Dina, a girl of 14, sat musing over these things as she sat on her window seat and finished the last detail on her drawing of a dragon. Slowly she got to her feet and crossed the room to her chest of drawers. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out her box of paints. "Now for the final touch." She sat back at the window seat, took her mixing pallet and brush and mixed sky blue with sea green, coming out with a dusky but pretty color. Taking her thin brush, Dina started painting the dragon's tail. I'll do the rest later, she thought to herself and settled back against the cool window. Suddenly she heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. Thinking it was her mother, Dina quickly stowed her painting and drawing materials in a chest she always kept empty for such occasions. She grabbed a book and quickly sat back in the seat. Her mother strongly disproved of drawing, much less painting, thinking both to be a waste of time. She and Dina had argued over this point multiple times, so Dina took no chances of her mother seeing her doing either. Dina's twin brother had sympathized with her, so one cold winter's day he had taken her to the market, (neither of them were allowed to go out alone) they found a booth that sold paint supplies and everything else an artist's heart could wish for. So that's how it really began. Shag, Dina's twin brother, burst into her room, flinging the door wide and letting it hit the wall with a thud. Shag, his face flushed from running, gasped for breath, but finally managed to get out what he was trying to say. "Dina! Balferlo is back! And he's brought back a...a dragon!" Balferlo is a famed knight in Sifardoth, the town where Shag and Dina live. He is every boy's role model, being both a kind man, and a fierce fighter in times of trouble. This time, he has just come back from the war in the south with the dragons who are terrorizing the people and the countryside around. Now, back to the story. Dina had sat up as soon a Shag came in, now she got to her feet and dropped her book; her eyes went wide and she gripped Shag's arm. "Are you sure?! Did you see it yourself?!" Shag's breath had by now come back to him. "Yes, Dina! I did see it. It's small, since it is yet a youngling, and an odd color. Deep red with a green tinge on its spikes, and it has eyes like amethysts! Come on, Dina!" Dina didn't hesitate for a minute; snatching up her cloak she was after Shag in a flash. Out in the streets it was all hustle and bustle. It being market day there were twice as many people than were usually out and about. Balferlo's return also added to the crowds. Dina tried desperately to keep up with Shag but she kept losing sight of him among the throngs of people clustered here and there. Dina saw Shag stop on a street corner and look back at her. "Come on Dina!" Dina hurried up to Shag and stood by, trying to regain her breath. "D...Could you slow down a bit, Shag? It's a real pain trying to keep up with you." "I could slow down. Why? Do you want me too?" He grinned at her then was off again, without waiting for her answer, but this time he walked a bit slower, eventually slowing down so much he was walking next to Dina. "See here, Dina," He gestured to the crowd, still a distance away. "It's going to be hard to get to the front of the crowd following Balferlo, so you're going to have to stick to me like glue." Dina nodded. They stopped at the edge of the crowd. Shag turned to Dina. "Remember, stick like glue." "Yes, Shag. I'm not a child to forget things that fast." Shag grunted and delved into the crowd, pushing between bodies and uttering numerous excuse me's. Dina followed at a slower rate, loath to push anyone. Finding it necessary to do so, she pushed past a lad of about her own age. "Hey there!" The boy grabbed her arm, not unkindly. "Looking to get up to the front are we?" He grinned, white teeth flashing in the afternoon sun. Dina nodded. "Yes, I was following my brother. But he's too fast." She stood on her tiptoes and looked over the people's heads. "I think that's him over there. He's probably looking for me by now, but..." The boy chuckled. "I think I know your brother. He's Shag, right? You look like him. My name's Cody, and yours?" "Dina." "Nice to meet you, Dina! Now, let's find your brother before he goes wild looking for you." Dina laughed. "Oh dear, that wouldn't be good! But it would be funny!" Cody sputtered with helpless mirth. "Oh, shut it, before I explode!" Dina smacked him. "Let's go before he faints from grief!" Cody's face turned bright red as he tried to contain his laughter; he finally gave up and gasped out, "V...very we...ll!" Cody grasped Dina's hand and pulled her after him. Dina was laughing so hard she got tears in her eyes, which, since she wasn't able to see well through them, resulted in tripping over somebody's feet and nearly losing her balance. Cody wiped tears of laughter out of his own eyes and steadied Dina. "Careful! There are lots of people who wouldn't be too happy to have some wench trample their feet. I know from experience." He grimaced. Dina grinned. "You're a wench? I thought only girls were." Cody rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever! I think that's Shag right over there." Dina stood on here tiptoes, craning her neck to look over the heads of the crowd. Dina saw Shag and grinned. “Yes, I see h--” Her grin vanished as she saw a wiry, evil looking man grab Shag's arm and pull him down a dark ally. She sat back on her heels and thought a minute. Cody looked worriedly at her. “What is it, Dina? Did--” Dina cut him off with a sharp glance. “Cody! Someone just grabbed Shag and took him down there.” She pointed discreetly at the ally Shag had been taken down and lowered her voice—which was already almost lost in the crowd's noise. Cody's eyes widened in surprise and he put his hand to his side, touching the hilt of a dirk. Dina continued, “What do we do? Should we follow him, or would it be to dangerous?” Cody pulled his dirk out and licked its blade. “We'll go find 'em 'o course! Nobody takes anyone that I know and gets away with it.” His pupils dilated and his voice lower to a hiss. “Are you coming?”
Dragons, mystical, fierce, dangerous, yet in their own way, beautiful. In all the colors of the rainbow, with some blacks, browns, greys, and even whites. Dina, a girl of 14, sat musing over these things as she sat on her window seat and finished the last detail on her drawing of a dragon. Slowly she got to her feet and crossed the room to her chest of drawers. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out her box of paints. "Now for the final touch." She sat back at the window seat, took her mixing pallet and brush and mixed sky blue with sea green, coming out with a dusky but pretty color. Taking her thin brush, Dina started painting the dragon's tail. I'll do the rest later, she thought to herself and settled back against the cool window. Suddenly she heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. Thinking it was her mother, Dina quickly stowed her painting and drawing materials in a chest she always kept empty for such occasions. She grabbed a book and quickly sat back in the seat. Her mother strongly disproved of drawing, much less painting, thinking both to be a waste of time. She and Dina had argued over this point multiple times, so Dina took no chances of her mother seeing her doing either. Dina's twin brother had sympathized with her, so one cold winter's day he had taken her to the market, (neither of them were allowed to go out alone) they found a booth that sold paint supplies and everything else an artist's heart could wish for. So that's how it really began. Shag, Dina's twin brother, burst into her room, flinging the door wide and letting it hit the wall with a thud. Shag, his face flushed from running, gasped for breath, but finally managed to get out what he was trying to say. "Dina! Balferlo is back! And he's brought back a...a dragon!" Balferlo is a famed knight in Sifardoth, the town where Shag and Dina live. He is every boy's role model, being both a kind man, and a fierce fighter in times of trouble. This time, he has just come back from the war in the south with the dragons who are terrorizing the people and the countryside around. Now, back to the story. Dina had sat up as soon a Shag came in, now she got to her feet and dropped her book; her eyes went wide and she gripped Shag's arm. "Are you sure?! Did you see it yourself?!" Shag's breath had by now come back to him. "Yes, Dina! I did see it. It's small, since it is yet a youngling, and an odd color. Deep red with a green tinge on its spikes, and it has eyes like amethysts! Come on, Dina!" Dina didn't hesitate for a minute; snatching up her cloak she was after Shag in a flash. Out in the streets it was all hustle and bustle. It being market day there were twice as many people than were usually out and about. Balferlo's return also added to the crowds. Dina tried desperately to keep up with Shag but she kept losing sight of him among the throngs of people clustered here and there. Dina saw Shag stop on a street corner and look back at her. "Come on Dina!" Dina hurried up to Shag and stood by, trying to regain her breath. "D...Could you slow down a bit, Shag? It's a real pain trying to keep up with you." "I could slow down. Why? Do you want me too?" He grinned at her then was off again, without waiting for her answer, but this time he walked a bit slower, eventually slowing down so much he was walking next to Dina. "See here, Dina," He gestured to the crowd, still a distance away. "It's going to be hard to get to the front of the crowd following Balferlo, so you're going to have to stick to me like glue." Dina nodded. They stopped at the edge of the crowd. Shag turned to Dina. "Remember, stick like glue." "Yes, Shag. I'm not a child to forget things that fast." Shag grunted and delved into the crowd, pushing between bodies and uttering numerous excuse me's. Dina followed at a slower rate, loath to push anyone. Finding it necessary to do so, she pushed past a lad of about her own age. "Hey there!" The boy grabbed her arm, not unkindly. "Looking to get up to the front are we?" He grinned, white teeth flashing in the afternoon sun. Dina nodded. "Yes, I was following my brother. But he's too fast." She stood on her tiptoes and looked over the people's heads. "I think that's him over there. He's probably looking for me by now, but..." The boy chuckled. "I think I know your brother. He's Shag, right? You look like him. My name's Cody, and yours?" "Dina." "Nice to meet you, Dina! Now, let's find your brother before he goes wild looking for you." Dina laughed. "Oh dear, that wouldn't be good! But it would be funny!" Cody sputtered with helpless mirth. "Oh, shut it, before I explode!" Dina smacked him. "Let's go before he faints from grief!" Cody's face turned bright red as he tried to contain his laughter; he finally gave up and gasped out, "V...very we...ll!" Cody grasped Dina's hand and pulled her after him. Dina was laughing so hard she got tears in her eyes, which, since she wasn't able to see well through them, resulted in tripping over somebody's feet and nearly losing her balance. Cody wiped tears of laughter out of his own eyes and steadied Dina. "Careful! There are lots of people who wouldn't be too happy to have some wench trample their feet. I know from experience." He grimaced. Dina grinned. "You're a wench? I thought only girls were." Cody rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever! I think that's Shag right over there." Dina stood on here tiptoes, craning her neck to look over the heads of the crowd. Dina saw Shag and grinned. “Yes, I see h--” Her grin vanished as she saw a wiry, evil looking man grab Shag's arm and pull him down a dark ally. She sat back on her heels and thought a minute. Cody looked worriedly at her. “What is it, Dina? Did--” Dina cut him off with a sharp glance. “Cody! Someone just grabbed Shag and took him down there.” She pointed discreetly at the ally Shag had been taken down and lowered her voice—which was already almost lost in the crowd's noise. Cody's eyes widened in surprise and he put his hand to his side, touching the hilt of a dirk. Dina continued, “What do we do? Should we follow him, or would it be to dangerous?” Cody pulled his dirk out and licked its blade. “We'll go find 'em 'o course! Nobody takes anyone that I know and gets away with it.” His pupils dilated and his voice lower to a hiss. “Are you coming?”