The Skies Over Gil'ead

[Minyahil]

Being a little bit in front, Iskhan and Ilyarin at first cruised past the developing conflict, but Narando's cry soon brought them round. ::What the-- ohhhh, this can't be good. 'Yarin, I don't care if you have to crashland, but we need to be there!::
Gotcha. I count six men, by the way. Her mind-voice was not pleasant as she yelled into their minds as loud as she could: "You men with the torches-- I suggest you come out of that building before you have two very angry dragons to worry about."

Meanwhile, Iskhan's gaurd training kicked in enough for him to contact his opposite number. ::Drazirach, unless you're better with that sword at your hip than you looked, how about I hold the men off while you rescue the innocents, assuming they don't surrender? If you've got another plan, say it fast.::

[1newhope]

((yeah.... sorry I kinda didn't take into account you guys were ahead when this thing started.... finally getting to the part of the thread that I've been wanting and planning for a long time)) ^.^

With his first potential battle before him, Drazirach's mind had gone completely blank, and empty slate; while he could feel that someone (Iskhan) was trying to talk to him, none of the words were coming through. It took Narando three tries before the teen rider finally recognized the question Drazi! You got a plan here?
Delayed a bit, the response came Umm.... I guess not....[/color]
Just great, then, the orange thought back as they neared the house that now had trace amounts of smoke coming out the four windows torches had gone through. Ground or first floor?
The discussion with his dragon was starting to give his mind focus again; he remember the scream before from the upper level. First.
Okay then; any particular window?
Drazi tried to see if he could tell what part of the house the scream came from but couldn't. No; just start me on the far right there I guess.
Roger. He swooped in as close to the upper-level right-side window as he could, and Drazirach made a clumsy jump inside, causing Narando to lose a foot or two of altitude. Gah, be a little more careful next time.... I'll fly around and look in other windows, okay?
Hold that thought a moment, the teen said, taking in the state of the room.
A torch had been thrown into this room, and was currently lying next to the doorway, starting to catch the door and doorframe on fire. On its path in, it apparently had also caught a dollhouse on fire (among other toys in its path), with the carpet underneath also starting to catch. Toys.... toys mean-[/color] He saw the kids in the corner away from the window and opposite the door, a boy that looked about ten leaning over a crying little girl of about five with his arms around her, trying to keep her calm.
"Kids!" he yelled to get their attention. They noticed him alright, but almost instantly also noticed the sword in his hand, and tried to edge into the corner more.
Slightly set back by their reaction, he turned to the window and yelled with both voice and mind "Narando! Get back to the window!"
Roger! the orange replied, sticking his head in the window a moment later.
"A dragon!" the boy said. Drazirach looked back to see both of the kids staring in shock at the head in the window, the girl surprised enough to have stopped crying.
"C'mon, kids!" the teen said, motioning to the window. "Let's get you outta here!"
The kids looked at each for a moment, then took a few hesitant steps in Narando's direction. They then started walking normally, and then were jogging to the window.
"Can you get any closer to the window, Narando?" Drazirach asked as he started to help the little girl out.
Easier said than done with these wings....
"I can get her," the boy said, taking over helping his sister onto the orange's back. He then tried getting on himself, which he did pretty well, though he did almost slip once, making Drazirach lean out the window to make sure he didn't fall.
When both kdis were in the saddle, they looked at Drazi as if to ask 'what now?'. The teen turned to address his dragon. "Take them at least a block away and set them back on the ground. Stay with them and make sure they stay safe." Sounds of fighting started coming form downstairs.
Gotcha, Narando replied, and without further ado, started flapping away. He called as he flew off Keep your mind open for Ilyarin or Iskhan!
Oh, right....[/b] He reached out a bit and reaffirmed where the minds of the other dragon and rider were.
Alright, Drazi thought to himself as he turned back to walk through the room. Fighting downstairs.... the two men who were originally arguing with the six must be putting up some resistence.... I should go help.... but then there's the woman who screamed earlier still on this level....[/b] He came to the door, which was definitely cathing on fire now; he coughed. Gotta get through this first.... man, I wish I had some more magic training under my belt, so I could know I could get through this safely.... well, here goes....[/b]
He reached out to the doorknob; it was very hot, but he kept his hand on long enough to wrnech the door open, then run quickly through the doorframe which was also catching. Once past, he surveyed himself to make sure none of his clothes were on fire; they weren't, and thankfully the doorknob hadn't been so hot as to burn his hands, although it felt like it had gotten very close to doing so.
He then surveyed the hallway he was in now. Well, let's see where this takes me....

[Minyahil]

(Cool. You've got to let me know if these guys are supposed to be something in particular, and not just bandits or something-- unless we're just deciding as we go.)

Whether or not Drazirach heard him or not, Iskhan was satisfied to see the he and Narando at the top floor of the house as the first pair streaked toward a landing. Iskhan had loosened his leg straps on the way down, and dove off as soon as Ilyarin was on the ground. He rolled to his feet, blade in hand. ::Looks like they're already in the house. Ilyarin, catch any who comes out, but don't kill them.::
"Understood. Hey, Narando, need some support in the meantime?"

Inside the house, Iskhan came across the two apparent tenants of the house fighting a losing battle with four of the brigands with the torches, though two carried clubs and two carried nondescript swords. ::Last warning. Drop your weapons.:: Two turned around; the others didn't even dignify with a response. He took those two first, hilt to the back of the head.

The smoke was already sifting down from the upper floor-- a sure sign that the top was catching. They needed to move fast. "I've got the other two," he called to the bystanders. "My partner's rescuing folk upstairs-- you get out and wait there!"
::Drazirach, I really need to know where you are. I'm downstairs, fighting, but I'm fine. Are you doing rescue, and do you need help?::

[1newhope]

((nah, nothing special, though not 'bandits' persay - I doubt bandits would start by having a drawn-our argument with their targets - I was thinking more along the lines of this being the finale of a feud or class struggle; whatever it is, the attacking guys are the ones in the wrong, though))
((oh, btw, just so I have everything straight for my post: Iskhan found four guys and KO'd two of them, still leaving two up and two somewhere else in the house?))

[Minyahil]

(Thanks for the clarification. And that's right, the other two can be anywhere you like, or I can edit them to be somewhere else. Just let me know.)

[1newhope]

The two brothers were quite surprised when someone suddenly appeared behind the four intruders and took two out without their even knowing he was there.
"And leave you fighting one-on-two? We just got out of those odds, trust me it doesn't work!"
The two remaining intruders took this in all two well and took a step or two to the side, grouping up a bit more, and the brother who hadn't spoken took a step toward the visitor swordsman (Iskhan) so that the three formed a crescent facing the intruders.

Understood. Hey, Narando, need some support in the meantime?
I don't think so, replied the orange as he alighted on the street about a block and a half away from the house under seige.
"Thanks, dragon," the boy said as he slid off Narando's back.
"His name is Narando, remember? That's what the man said," his little sister corrected him as he helped her off the orange's back.
Smart little girl, Narando thought, impressed.
The dragon then took in the surronding from ground level a bit. What he noticed, though, was that people from the neighborhood were beginning to filter out from their homes, noticing the tendrils of smoke starting to come out of the windows of the assaulted house.
"Skulblaka!"
Narando turned to see who had addressed him in the ancient language, to see a male elf coming out from one of the nearby houses.
He brought his mind into contact with the elf and said Greeting, forest-dweller; what are you doing here in Gil'ead?
The elf, though, was looking between the kids, Narando, and the burning building. After a moment, he looked at Narando and motioned to the building, asking "Is your rider in there, then?"
Yes he is.
"Does you think he needs help?"
Help is always appriciated in situations like these.
"Right," said the elf, and started jogging in the house's direction. A moment later, he noticed Ilyarin flying around; he momentarily stopped in surprise, muttering "Antoher...." then set off again at a quicker pace.

He wasn't sure about how much damage the torches thrown into the lower level were doing, but where Drazirach was upstairs, things were getting a bit too hot a bit too fast.
Drazirach, I really need to know where you are. I'm downstairs, fighting, but I'm fine. Are you doing rescue, and do you need help?
I'm upstairs; just got some kids out on Narando, and looking for the woman who I heard scream while flying in. I think I've got it covered....
He was a bit farther down the hallway now, and noticed an open door to his left; insie it looked like a dining room or sorts; there was a nice table, a buffet table on one of the walls, a shelf of wine bottles (one open) near the door....
And one of the torches, also close to the door.
Oh, no....[/b] he thought as the flames licked a bit too close to their target....
The doorway was engulfed in a fireball as the wine caught in a small explosion; he heard another scream from the far side of the room.
Found her, he quickly thought to Iskhan, before trying to tackle the situation.
The doorway was more or less impassible now, through any conventional means at least, as it was a complete wall of fire. Again, Drazi wished he had more magic training.
Well, maybe I can control it with 'brisingr'... He said the word aloud; there was no visible change in the fire, though he did feel connected to it a bit now. He tried to see if he could 'move it' out of his way. It started out looking like it would work, but then the energy it took to move that much fire started to hit him, and he let go of the spell, knowing if he continued with it he wouldn't have much energy left. He tried thinking of something else. Well, here goes....
"Skolir!" he yelled, then ran straight for the door.
He felt energy surge through his body as he tried passing through the inferno barrier, and worried it hadn't worked; but a moment later he was standing inside the room with not a single sign of the flames anywhere on his body.
He smiled at his success, then looked around the room. He found the woman, crouching against the wall farther from the torch (and the door), staring at him with wide eyes.
He quickly walked over to her and held out his free hand. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
Still staring at him in shock, she didn't say anything in answer, but held her hand up and let him take it.
He then led her over toward the door, grasped her around the shoulders (hard to do with a sword in one hand), yelled "Skolir!" again, and ran her through the flames. She screamed again, but only quickly, as in another moment they were out in the hallway.
Drazirach reeled a bit from the larger energy drain. Makes sense.... two people, twice the energy....
"What's the fastest way outside from here?" he asked.
The response was much faster than he expected; she instantly answered "Side stairs, out the kitchen."
He nodded, shaking off some of the energy drain doing so. "Lead the way, then."
They were entering the kitchen a minute later, when they heard someone yell "Hey!" from behind. The two of them turned to see two of the intruders approaching.
"Go!" Drazirach yelled, waving the girl to go quickly out the kitchen's door outside, bringing his sword up in his other hand. The quickly ran to the door and outside, with Drazi backing up in that same direction while facing the two men, who drew their own weapons. Shiiiiiiit....

((You can use the elf in your next post, but leave Drazi's fight alone for the moment)) ^.^

[Minyahil]

"Alright," Iskhan said to his new helpers. He'd have preferred them to be outside, harmless and unharmed, but there wasn't time to argue. "Just don't kill anyone, or this is going to get messy!"
One of the two remaining invaders cut at Iskhan's chest as he finished. Not wanting to permanently injure anyone, the rider ducked and lunged for the other man's knees, and was rewarded with a sudden cry as the overbalanced man fell...

...partially on top of him.

Too late, he saw the other man's blade coming toward him, with his rapier hand still partially under his fallen foe, with the hilt of his knife on that same side. Only one chance. Iskhan hit the man's mind as hard as he could, not with any message but with the simple confusion and fear that comes in a burning building. The raider cried out, stunned momentarily, but even without trying to direct his blade it still cut a long, shallow gash on Iskhan's side.

Wincing in pain as he crawled out from under the bodies, he still lost no time in assessing the situation. The building was rapidly catching, but still seemed to be structurally sound on this floor. With a quick message to make sure Ilyarin knew he was alright, he gingerly started dragging one of the unconscious brigands out of the house, and motioned for those behind him to do the same.

[1newhope]

((you can kinda do whatever you want with him.... you don't even have to use him if you want. The only real reason I inserted him is that I needed someone with advanced healing-magic skills. =-)
so yeah, you can use him however you want (or not use him) to finish(?) Iskhan's half of the fight))

[1newhope]

((hmm.... k.... sorry if this seems a little rushed/choppy.... it will be long, though…. and maybe a tad over-dramatic, sorry if that’s the case….))

The elf made it to the burning house and ran in through the broken-open front door to see what was going on. A quick survey of the situation, and he saw three armed men beginning to carry four recently unarmed and unconscious men out of the room, supposedly to get them out of the fire. Without asking any questions, he ran over to the fourth unconscious man and picked him up and began walking back toward the front door with the other three.
He noticed one of the men had a long, thin, and apparently shallow cut going along his side; he quickly said a spell that should heal it completely, asuming it was indeed more or less just a surface would. He also worked a spell that should keep a bubble of clean air around everyone's head, at least until they got outside, so no-one would be in danger of inhaling the smoke that was now getting thick.

Drazirach found himself facing another sword and a long knife; the thug with the sword came at him first, and although he blocked well, he saw the man with the evil-looking knife start coming from the side, and he started taking as many steps back as he could. The swordsman then started throwing blow after blow, and the rider had trouble keeping his footing, going backward, and trying to dodge the potential threat from the knife.
A moment later, his world almost spun out of control when his next step back was also a step a few inches down; he was in the side doorway leading outside now, with one foot in the alley.
He put his other foot in the alley, trying to keep blocking the swordsman....
And he noticed that he couldn't really see the guy with the long knife anymore. It took him a moment to realize why - The doorframe's not wide enough for both of them to fight! As long as I hold my ground, I'll only have to fight one at a time![/color]
That simple thought brought a huge change; his adrenaline response of ''flight'' switched over to ''fight'' even as his heartrate went up a bit; a wry smile crossed his face as he started making his own offensive moves at his oppenent instead of just defending. They were basically even, too, for who-knew-how-long (Drazi's sense of time had since been lost) until a split second when the thug shifted his weight and the way he held his sword at the same time. Drazi (unconsciously) took the advantage of his opponent's slight pause and brought the pommel of his sword slamming into the thug’s head, knocking him out instantly.
The teen didn’t get a break after that small victory, though, as the man with the very long knife leapt over his felled cohort; Drazirach had to backpedal three or four steps so the evil-looking blade didn’t come down on him. In the scuffle that followed, the man had the smaller weapon, but he was obviously a better fighter than his companion, so the level of fighting was still roughly equal, the only difference being that this time, he and Drazirach were going around in circles as they fought instead of both holding their ground on opposite sides of a doorway.
It was Drazirach’s turn to leave himself undefended for a split second this time, though; an odd attack/block combo had left his sword too far down to his right, and the man lunged forward, making a horizontal slash with his knife at the teen’s throat. At this point, Drazi really wondered if there was some evil magic attached to the blade; he was able to take a huge step backward and lean his head back at the same time, getting out of the way enough, but it felt like the air near the blade went ice-cold as it went past his neck.
The man quickly stepped back again, barking out a harsh ''Ha!'' for a reason Drazi couldn’t fathom. He had let his knife go down to his side, even relaxed his arm – Drazirach saw an opening again, and with his weight still on his back foot, he launched himself forward, bring his sword forward and up. The tip went straight home; the teen felt like he was standing on the side, watching his sword sink into the man’s chest, a bit high and slightly to the rider’s right.
He then came back to himself when he realized what he had just done, with the man’s face instantly going blank. He jumped back again, taking his sword out; he had just killed someone…. His sword fell from his hand from his shock, hitting the ground before the man did. With his thoughts now swirling around in his head in a highly confused manner, he stared at the ground, trying to come to terms with what just happened.
....And noticed his tunic was soaked - or, rather, getting soaked - from top-down....
The adrenaline had stopped him from feeling any pain; he had gotten his neck cut by that knife, and was bleeding - badly. His hand went up to his throat, and he felt the blood flowing out. His heart rate started going up again, although this time just simply in an attempt to keep his blood pressure up. His knees started shaking, then went, making him fall to his seat, with one hand on the ground in an attempt to support himself.... The corners of his vision started to go....

After the elf had gone off the help out, Narando turned his attention to the kids again. Now out of the house, and among some neighbors who had shown up, they were definitly much calmer now. So, after a few moments of attention to and from the kids and the neighbors, he looked back to the burning house, which the elf had entered a moment ago now. The smoke coming out was definitly thicker now, and Ilyarin was still flying around, although otherwise there were no visible changes in the situation.
A few moments later, he felt an odd tang on his neck, as if somone had tossed a pebble at him there. Any momentary pain quickly faded, but a feeling of dread quickly started filling the orange's mind. Something was wrong.... He couldn't explain it, but he was getting worried about Drazi - he squaked and started pacing around - getting very worried about his rider.... He started panicing for no reason he knew.... Something was wrong!
No thought went into what he did next, which was yell out Someone help!!! with such force that anyone with remote experience at mental communication even remotely nearby would hve heard him. And, with the same force, Drazi's in trouble!!!
He then quickly spread his wings back out, ignoring his rider's previous orders to stay with the kids; but before he could take off, he started feeling faint - faint enough that his legs suddenly gave way under him. Someone get to him quickly! And, without warning, he blacked out.

[Minyahil]

Before Narando had even hit the ground, Ilyarin loosed a scream of anxiety and circled the burning building, desperately trying to catch sight of the rider. The elf's spell did an excellent job of keeping the rising smoke from her lungs and eyes, but did precious little to improve visibility inside the burning house.

::'Yarin! Get a hold of yourself and fly me to the second story.:: Iskhan called to his dragon from the ground.
Got it. Ilyarin's mental voice was still distraught, but at least she wasn't hysterical. There's a window on the other side of the building that hasn't been hit by the flames-- I can drop you off there. Iskhan gave a nod of approval, and vaulted onto his dragon's back.

After Iskhan climbed through the window-- an affair made much more difficult than it should have been because of Ilyarin's considerable wingspan-- he paused to take stock of the fire damage to the upper floor. Although small parts of many rooms were in flames and the thatch ceiling had begun to catch, the floors remained mercifully solid. ::When the roof goes, it's going to go all at once. If it looks like it's going to fall, let me know, alright?::
You got it. Now go save him already!

He was immediately grateful to the elf outside for the clear bubble of air around his head, but wished that he'd had the sense to ask him for some heat protection too. As he walked, he worked a spell to at least keep the temperature around his person down. It was easier to drain heat than to add it, since you could funnel the heat energy you drained back into the spell. suddenly he felt Ilyarin calling to him, calmly but urgently.
Iskhan, he's downstairs! We've got a maid here who made it out while he got ambushed. Take the side stairs out of the kitchen-- you should find him on the landing. Iskhan acknowledged gratefully, not just because he wanted to find Drazirach but also because it was bound not to be as hot downstairs.

The kitchen doorway was engulfed in flames but Iskhan dove through quickly enough that he had only minor burns. He dismissed his cooling spell as he made his way down the steps, saving his energy to possibly stabilize the fallen rider.

He found Drazi's body halfway down the steps, and was dismayed at the amount of blood that flowed from the neck wound. He checked the rider's pulse-- it was weak, but there-- and muttered another spell to staunch the bleeding before hoisting the inert rider onto his back. He started to walk back to the rest of the group outside, but met the elf halfway. He'd evidently been going to get Drazirach as well.

"I'll take him from here," the elf called over the increasing roar of the fire. "Go calm the humans down, and make sure that orange dragon is alright!" Iskhan nodded his assent, deposited Drazi carefully in the elf's arms, and made his way back to the rest of the group.

[1newhope]

((c’mon; Iskahn healed him? I introduced the elf as someone who had the advanced healing-magic skills)) ^.^
((lol just ribbin’g ya. Gonna work that out, though))
((Also gonna name a few NPCs))

The elf Caerrin took quick notice of the blood on the ground (some pooling under one of the thugs, but enough elsewhere also) and soaking the front of the teen’s tunic. Soaked from the top down… that would be a neck wound… The skin on the teen’s neck was smooth, however; there did appear to be a possibility of a bruise forming beneath the surface, though… Caerrin checked beneath magically and saw that the neck wound that had been there hadn’t been completely healed. Well, the other rider was human, and his dragon young – he probably only used the basic healing spell. A few seconds later, though, he had made the additional corrections necessary to make sure the teen’s condition shouldn’t worsen.
Whether he’ll survive all this blood loss or not, though… He could tell (magically, again) that the kid’s breathing and heartbeat, though incredibly faint, were there. He surveyed the scene again, noticing all the blood. It’s a miracle this kid is even alive right now…
He also noticed while looking around that the thug in the doorway was also still alive and unconscious. Laying the kid down for a moment, he went and dragged the limp man out from under the doorway, as the flaming house was damaged enough now to be prone to collapse. He moved the man to the other side of the alley before taking up the young rider again and started carrying him back to where his dragon was.

The kids, accompanied by another neighbor now, took a step back in shock when the orange dragon near them just collapsed. The little girl then fell to her knees by him and exclaimed to her brother “What happened to him, Aaron?”
The young boy took a step forward. “I dunno, sis…” He thought quickly for a moment. “…I vaguely remember, in some of the rider stories, that a dragon is very closely connected with their rider…”
The girl’s hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped. “The boy who rescued us? You don’t think… something happened to him?”
Aaron opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came to mind now. A moment later they heard the cry “Aaron! Amanda!”
“Cousin Crissy!”
The young woman finished her run toward the kids, putting a hand each on Amanda’s head and on Aaron’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you two are safe.”
“You too,” replied Aaron. “I heard you scream earlier, good to see you’re out of there…”
They all looked back at the burning house, and saw the two men they knew out front, sorting out what they were going to do with the unconscious thugs they had dragged out. Crissy waved for a moment or two, and had to yell out “Dad! Uncle Andrew!” before one of the men noticed, got the other’s attention, and they both started running over to the three kids.
Once the five family members made sure each of them was as well as they could be in this situation, the younger kids’ father asked “Well, bro, this is going to be hard to break to the wives when they get back…”
“No kidding, Andrew…”
By this point, the man who had come out from the alley (Iskhan) was almost to the group around the unconscious Narando, his dragon not far behind, and the elf from before just appearing from the alley with the teen on his back.

((sorry for the bit of char control...))
((oh, btw, Narando and Drazirach are going to be out cold for a long time - Narando much less than Drazi, though. basically, my next post will include about a day or two time jump)) =-)

[Minyahil]

As he walked briskly back to the milling family, Iskhan was torn between concern for the still-unmoving Narando and relief that the family seemed to be in one piece. He began to ask his dragon ::Is Narando okay?:: just as Ilyarin inquired Is Drazirach alright? Oh, sorry, you first.
"I think he'll be fine," Iskhan announced to the crowd, jerking his head back to indicate the rear of the house. "He's out of the house, and that elf seems to be a capable healer."
"What about the dragon?" Amanda asked in a get-to-the-point manner that made Iskhan grin despite himself. "Ilyarin?" Iskhan looked to the blue dragon for her response.
Ilyarin shifted her position to look at the crowed instead of the inert dragon. "Well, there's not a mark on him, even though he's still out cold. If Drazirach's alright, I think he will be too.

"Alright, then," said Iskhan as he dropped to one knee to get a closer look at a couple of the assailants that had been knocked out earlier. "Now, would someone please explain to me what was happening here?"
(Feel free to skip ahead and just explain in retrospect.)

[1newhope]

hnhhh....
His sister brushes her hand against the side of his face. "Come on, Zach, time to get up!"
MnhNnnn....
She laughs lightly. "You've slept in enough! The sun's already well above the trees."
mmmm.... "Budaidonwannagetup...."
Oh, okay then....
Huh? That isn't his sister's voice. nnh... "Whozzere?"
Just me at the moment, Drazi. Everyone else is asleep.
"...Wha...?"
The teen opened his eyes at that point. It was dark, but he could tell it defeintly wasn't his room. Heck, if you even want to call it a room.... it looks like half of that wall is missing.
Something brushed against the side of his face again. He looked over and saw a big, orange head close by. Good to see you awake again, bud.
"Hey there, Narando...." He moved his arms around and pushed himself up into a sitting position.
He began swaying dangerously around in a bit of a circle, incredibly lightheaded. WHOA!
Narando's wing whipped out and across the rider's chest as his head went behind Drazi's shoulders, and thus supporting him, gently but quickly layed the teen down again. You may not want to get 'up' in any way, shape, or form until we get some actual food in you; so far all they've gotten in you is water, broth, and some special potion. They'll bring some solid food here come midmorning once they know you're conscious again.
It took a moment for the room to stop spinning for Drazi. "Uh.... they? here?"
The family we helped saved, some of the neighbors, and Iskhan and Ilyarin. Don't worry, the thugs who survived are locked up now, nowhere near here.
Drazirach rolled over slightly on the mat he had apparently been sleeping on to be on his side, facing Narando, instead of on his back; thankfully his head didn't start spinning this time. "Okay, but where's 'here'? Where are we at the moment?"
Narando chuckled a bit, breaking the mood in the room; up until that point he had been fairly solemn. Believe it or not, we're actually in the old barracks right now. They wanted to keep us together and inside, and appparently none of the houses in the area were built to have larger animals enter, so - he were are! He finished with a definitely smile in his voice.
Drazi looked around again. "Well, that explains why everything looks so run-down now."
Yeah, it looks worse in the light, Narando responded. Oh, we get a great view of the sunrise through the missing wall.
Drazirach laughed at that, and then they were both silent for a minute or two. Something was bothering the back of the teen's mind about Narando, but he didn't feel like saying anything until the idea grew into something he could voice properly. So, a moment after that, he asked "Umm... exactly how long have I been out?"
Narando took a moment to answer. Well, the battle was mid-day, and I came to not long after the others had eaten dinner later that evening. That was last night, so you've been out for a good day and a half.
Drazirach was stunned. Instead of being able to produce a response to that, he simply rolled over on to his back again and stared at the cieling.
Yeah, you apparently lost way too much blood; the elf guy is surprised you're still alive.
"So do we know what exactly caused that fire-fight?"
Um, I asked the elf guy - his name's Caerrin - yesterday afternoon, he said it was something akin to a family fued that became a class struggle when one of the two families became noticably wealthier than the other. The others would be able to tell you in much better detail, why don't you ask tomorrow morning?
"Yeah...." They were silent for a few more moment before going into some basic conversation for a while before falling asleep again.
Narando woke just before sunrise and (gently) woke Drazi as well so he could show what he had talked about last night. Once that was over, they started chit-chatting again, and joked around betting on who would be their first visitor today.

[Minyahil]

Ilyarin hadn't slept the previous night. After all the excitement of yesterday, it had been nearly sunset before Iskhan and Caerinn had gotten everyone organized, healed and settled, and dark before anyone had had a decent meal. Ilyarin knew Iskhan needed to rest, so she waited for him to drift off before going in search of an adequate place to bathe. Ilyarin hated being dirty in general, but the fiery ash that coated large parts of her hide were actually causing her considerable discomfort, even cooled. And the smell!

Finding a spot both large enough and secluded enough took some time, though the water felt absolutely wonderful. Before she knew it, it was nearly sunrise, and she started back.
A pleasant surprise awaited her at Gil'ead, where inside the barracks she saw movement not only from the orange dragon but from the figure beside him as well. In a brief moment of vanity, she was glad she just bathed.

"Well, look who's back among the land of the living! And staying in the barracks we wanted to see, no less. Honestly, Shur'tugal[/b], I'm very glad to see you well,"[/color] Ilyarin added, dropping her initially playful tone.

[1newhope]

Ilyarin flew in, playfully greeting Well, look who's back among the land of the living! And staying in the barracks we wanted to see, no less.
I win, Narando said just to his rider.
Yeah, you called it, admitted Drazi. He had thought the elf might be the first to check in on them.
Honestly, Shur'tugal, I'm very glad to see you well.
"Thanks, Ilyarin, good to be 'back' I guess." He propped his arm up next to himself and tried sitting up again, this time slowly. He started getting dizzy again when his head was a bit less than a foot off the ground, so he let himself back down. More to himself than to anyone else, he said "Gah, still don't quite have blood level to sit up again.... That food can't come soon enough."
"So was everyone doing during the day that I was out?" he asked the young female dragon from the floor.