Roleplay

Aurumn, still in his statue form, doesn't realise the danger he's in.

Now that the boars had trudged closer, it was clear that there were five of them. Too many for a single dragon to fight. With a noisy snort from their leader, the boars charge forward.

Aurumn jolts awake, gaze sharpening as he claws free from the sleepy fog of his statue-form. His eyes widen and he jumps onto his feet in one fluid motion when he realises the tight situation they had found themselves in.

He looks around wildly and- after ensuring that Helenium had not been hurt- scrutinizes their enemies more closely. His mind swarms with plans to defeat them, each more far-fetched than the last.

His train of thought is interrupted by a piercing squeal as the boars lower their heads and charge. With no more time to think, he fights.

Aurumn blinks away sawdust from his eyes, positive that he hadn't seen it correctly. Why was Helenium flying away from him? He internally cursed himself for being so blindingly trusting, for making the exact same mistake so many times.

Helenium was just a stranger who owed him nothing. Just a stranger, He repeats, ignoring the hurt that twisted his heart, and plunges back into the doomed battle.

Aurumn instinctively grabs the flaming sticks, already scorching the woody hide of a boar with them before he even registers that it was Helenium who passed him those weapons. He only has enough time to give the Skydancer a quick nod of gratitude before lighting the remaining boars like torches.

Once their enemies were no more than smouldering leaves and bark, Aurumn puts down the sticks and speaks.

"I thought you fled," He exclaims, his statement more of an embarrassed admission than an accusation.

Once the heat of battle had passed, Aurumn finally noticed the myriad of small wounds that had somehow burrowed past his thick armour. They didn't sting too much though; Compared to the past hurts he had endured, this was nothing.

"I'm fine." He offers Helenium a small smile before asking, "How about you?"

Aurumn nods, his eyes darker than usual as he follows Helenium's gaze to the ashes. An involuntary shiver runs down his spine.

"Yeah, good idea." He glances around, wings half-open. "Where to though?" He was very was unfamiliar with the surrounding area so he wasn't sure where to go. What if they encountered more enemies?

Aurumn hurries to catch up, not wanting to be left behind.

The beach looks infinitely prettier at night. Small shells- pearly in the moonlight- dot the soft sand. Clusters of bioluminescent coral cast an unearthly glow beneath lapping waves that shhhed.

He lay on the sand, paws tucked beneath his chin, inches away from the water line. "You were right," he breathes, his voice barely more than a whisper. "It is pretty at night."

Aurumn watches a crab scuttle across the sand before lifting his head to answer. When his gaze turns to Helenium, he's surprised to see the confusion in the Skydancer's eyes.

"I thought it was common knowledge," he says with a faint frown. "Us Obelisks sometimes convert back to our statue form to conserve energy," he explains. "It kinda feels like a dreamless, deep sleep."

He kneads the wet sand with his talons before adding, "Sorry, I should have told you before..."

A moment of quiet soon stretches into a long period of silence. Aurumn awkwardly fidgets with his mane, accidentally coating it with a grainy layer of sand. He brushes it off, arranges his scattered thoughts, meets Helenium's gaze with his own and voices the question that bothered him the most.

"Please tell my to shut my trap if I'm being too probing but, why did you decide to leave your clan...?"

Aurumn nods slowly, listening carefully to every word. He doesn't need to peer into Helenium's soul to see that his reply may destroy or strengthen the fragile, tentative friendship that had formed between them.

He picks his words carefully, watching the Skydancer all the while to make sure his response doesn't cause any strife. "I think... Their worries are valid. But," He looks away for a moment as if embarrassed before continuing.

"But, I don't think they understand you. I don't think it was right for them to take away your tools. I know we've only met for a day but I really don't believe you would endanger anyone or anything with your flames."

His voice drops to a whisper. "I know you would never do that."