[PLOT] - The Unicorn and the Dragon

[The_Vizir]

((KLINGE AND SIMI APPEAR HERE - AT THE EDGE OF FOREST DEEP, THE GREAT LAKE - AS DEREALIZATION STRIKES THE BELUGA. READY, SET, GO!))

[forgerofsouls]

It hurt, the entire...crash he guess he could call it...hurt. Though its not like they crashed, its just that suddenly in a violent way being jerked to else where by rampant magic energy interfering with technology that neither was meant to be mixed with...hurt. His entire body hurt. And he was tired. But, for now it seemed like there was no danger in the area. He stood up. He noticed that he had company. The shifter, unicorn, phoenix, he was not sure which really, but he decided to go with unicorn, was with him. But, where exactly?

Standing up, he took a look around...and...found...a few trees that had their leefs in fall colors, yellows, oranges, reds, snow on the ground, and bright colorful spring and summer flowers in full bloom, and they were at a lake. Half of which was frozen, the other half was letting off some steam, as if it was hot. Regardless, the strangest thing about it was the swirling vortex of water in the center cycling into the sky. Strangest thing about the vortex was not the fact that it was not moving, nor the fact that the water in the lake did not move like it should with such a strong suction in it, but the fact that the vortex of water was rainbow colored.

At least, thats what Klinge found to be the strangest thing about the place. Other than that, the temperature was in constant flux, going up and down, but it was never over 100 or below 40, at least not for more than a few seconds. And the sky was sunny, raining, snowing, thundering, windy, and calm...all at the same time. Klinge's head hurt...maybe from the crash...or from the oddness of the area around them. Sighing he sat down he needed to take a few breaths, and he needed to think.

[Sky Lily]

Simi remembered being thrown around through the air--

No, not the air, but... existence and... and being... and she wasn't just thrown, because she remembered feeling pulls too, shoves and yanks of force as if the very world had forgotten how to use the wind and the natural pull of the earth.

I n... nearly thought I was going to die... what if I did? Am I dead? Ohhh...

"Ohhhhhhh," the unicorn groaned out as she got up on her shaky legs (l-legs? Huh, she must have shifted back when all of this was happening), a headache pulsing from behind her eyes. "Lyrial.... D-Devon, what.... happ-"

And then Simi cut herself short, for as she opened her eyes and looked around dizzily, neither of her friends were anywhere to be found; actually, no one was here, not even Gaeva and her family. "O-oh dear..." She began to remember everything nearly at once, the memories piling and muddling with each other. The earthquakes, the Beluga, the explosions! The wierd.... warps that had begun to--

"W-w-where is everyone?!" The unicorn was suddenly very awake and very alarmed, and she looked around wildy, expecting to see at least a horribly crashed-in Beluga, but apparently not even that was here. In fact... there was a lot about this place that really just didn't make sense.

The trees surrounding her were a baffling clash of seasons. Some of their leaves were bright and green, while others, most, actually, were the red and gold tints of autumn. Snow covered the ground in some places, drifting in the odd-smelling wind, and spring flowers, young green sprouts, were blooming out of the ground without any unicorns around to be the cause of it. The river, and the nearby lake that it fed, was even more baffling. Half of it was ice, real winter ice-- yet patches of it were hot water steaming into the air.

But the sky was the worst. Parts of it were raining, and other parts storming, and other parts still snowing and little places where it was still blue and calm and--

She... nearly fainted at the sight.

I must have just hit my head. I must just be seeing things.... there... there's no way this would ever happen to Deep Forest!

And earthquakes and explosions don't normally happen in Deep Forest either, the logical side of her thoughts countered.

Oh no... What's.. what's happening to my home?

And where is everyone?!

"Somebody?! Anyone?! Th-there were explosions and, and..." she trailed off as she spotted a upright dragon-creature who she recognized instantly. He had been on the ship with them. Okay, that was one! Oh, goodness, if only she knew his name.

She cantered over to him quickly. "H-hey, you, are alright?! I can heal you a little if--"

... Wait...

...Where... Where's my horn? Why can't I...? My... forehead feels so...

It suddenly occured to Simi that when she had spoken, it hadn't been with her muzzle, but with the tip-tap clacking of a beak.

That the place where her horn was supposed to be was only a very hot sensation at a place just above her eyes.

That her front hooves felt a couple digits less normal, and when she looked down, they were in fact talons, three toes with a fourth back one on each foot. And the rustling at her side? Those were wings. But how was that possible if she still had her front legs and...

"O-oh dear..." she let out a small, confuzzled whimper as she twisted her head around herself in disbelief. Simi was no longer phoenix or unicorn, but some... mash-up of the two. She was a hippogryph.

(( http://fav.me/d4s09ha ))

"Eeeep! Wh-what did it do to me?!"

Th-this is because I had stayed in my phoenix form, isn't it?! I knew I shouldn't have, I knew it!! But I couldn't be a unicorn, how else was everyone going to fit in the ship? The ship that's now gone?! Ooooohhhhhh!!!!

Gahhh, what are you doing? This guy still might need help!

She had only a moment's time to panic, and she quickly swallowed that panic down for a later time. She looked back at the dragonoid and itched her talon against her leg sheepishly, still shaken by all the events. "Ah, um, a-are you okay? I-I'm sorry, I don't think I know your name either..."

Simi also realized with some dread that there was a perpetual slight headache that seemed to refuse to go away. It was most likely because of the fact that this wasn't her true shape at all, and worst of all, this might prove to be distracting later on. She hoped it wouldn't get worse...

[forgerofsouls]

Klinge watch Simi stand up...and the way she reacted...Well, Klinge had assumed she had more than just the unicorn and phoenix shapes, but, she seemed to be surprised at her current form. Which told him that she had never had that form before. "I'm fine for the most part. Some bruises here and there, but nothing broken and no serious injuries. Name is Klinge Angstauge. How about yourself, are you ok?" Klinge said as he stood up. There was a few dents in his armor from the impacts earlier during the transportation and rocking from the explosion.

And of course his sword was unharmed. But being on Klinges back (in its sheathe) he failed to notice that it was giving off a slight pulsating blue glow. What did this glow mean? He would not know or figure out till AFTER he took a look at his sword. Other than the glow, the black blade looked the same as before.

"I guess you are not doing ok given how you reacted when you saw yourself though." He was concerned, for he did not know where they were, and they needed to head to the Norad. At least, thats what he figured.

[Sky Lily]

"I'm fine for the most part, he said in reply, dented armor clanking as he stood on both feet. Some bruises here and there, but nothing broken and no serious injuries. Name is Klinge Angstauge. How about yourself, are you ok?"

Simi took a shaky gulp. "Y-yeah, I-I'm okay, I'm not... hurt or anything, I'm fine, I'm fine!" she said, clearly trying to reassure herself more than the considerate Klinge. Really, I'm... fine... It's not like any of my bones are broken either, r-right? Maybe someone will be able to fix this... Oh I hope so.

"I guess you are not doing ok given how you reacted when you saw yourself though."

The hippogryph's ears swiveled around in embarassment. "O-oh, I'm... I'm sorry about that. Really, th-there's more important things to worry about right now, right?" As she said it she believed it more; her missing friends, the poor, confused forest; that was of far more importance than her messed up mix of hair and feathers.

"What.... what's happening to Deep Forest, Klinge..." Simi said suddenly, her voice cracked and weak with incredulity, as she took a good look at the shifting seasons, the blizzards and the rain, the ice and the steam, felt the shifting heat and cold of the wind. "What's happening to our home?"

She let out another shaky exhale and ruffled her feathers against her sides. "Sh-should I fly up higher? See if I can find them? The rest? They might be in trouble and, and..."

[Windra]

The earth-rattling crash was probably not the thing of comfort that Simi was looking for.

Attor was confused, tired, and frustrated. He was seeing things. Trees were springing up where piles of rocks sat just moments ago. Here and there was an oddity that didn't fit in the midst of a Forest climate: a cactus, a glacier ... Imagine the yellow-and-black dragon's surprise when rain fell upon his snout, closely followed by snow that was way out of season. If Attor thought he was imagining things, stepping into iced-over puddles quickly dismissed the notion.

He held the cloth satchel tight to his underarm, pressing it so firmly against his chest that it could probably feel the pulsing of the midaxilliary artery. Attor could let nothing get to the egg. Nothing.

But more often than not, Attor found himself stumbling and bumbling. He felt incredibly lucid. That most recent crash was birthed from his running into an oak's trunk. And the funny part, even as the wood splintered and cracked beneath his body weight? He was giggling.

Attor never giggled.

Coming to a small clearing, Draconis vespula found himself staring at a rushing river. There were two figures nearby ... Instead of growing territorial over disputed land, the dragon plopped down with hind legs splayed out awkwardly. He looked no better than a dopey dog, even though his appearance was clearly intended to strike fear in any opponent.

"Hello."

His lolling voice slurred as the word rolled off his tongue. Were his pupils incredibly dilated?

[Sky Lily]

OOC: Oh my gawd that image is priceless xD I can't wait to have Simi respond to him!

[forgerofsouls]

"Yes, you are right, there is more important things to worry about. As for what is happening? I don't know. I'm sure Lyrial would be able to the answer though. So I suggest... He stopped his train of words as the newcomer came into sight. Something was...off.

But Klinge had never met this creature before. So, he had no clue what to expect. Than again, one would be surprised at the fact that Klinge was not changing...or at least he did not appear to change. Just his sword though.

Klinge came back to his senses after sizing up the newcomer...as someone that was not an apparent threat. "Hello to you to! I am Klinge Angstauge!" He said, greeting the dragon.

He thought about flying up himself, but, with how things looked, that might not be a good idea. "As for flying up for searching, do not attempt that. Something tells me that would be a bad idea." He answered the hippogryph.

[Sky Lily]

"Yes, you are right, there is more important things to worry about. As for what is happening? I don't know. I'm sure Lyrial would be able to the answer though."

Simi only nodded helplessly. She could at least agree to Lyrial being very smart and quite knowledgeable on things that the poor unicorn could barely wrap her mind around. Like time pockets and... things.

"So I suggest..." Klinge then very suddenly trailed off as a pattern of heavy thuds pounded the earth behind Simi, and the hippogryph, swallowing nervously, forced herself to turn around.

At the sight of the giant, fearsome dragon, she let out an involuntary screech as she reared up on her hind legs. Oh my, oh my goodness, he's huge!! What do I....?!

However, it didn't take long for Simi- or Klinge, for that matter- to realize that this threatening draconic terror was... a rather harmless, giggling mess.

"Helloooo," the yellow-jacket dragon rumbled rather humorously.

Simi found herself stammering. Luckily, Klinge wasn't so awkward as she was when it came to introductions.

"Hello to you too! I am Klinge Angstauge!"

"R-right, and, um... I'm Simi! N-nice to meet you, you're.. you're the first dragon I've ever seen in Deep Forest," she rambled, finishing a small laugh. She ruffled the feathers on her wings once to rid herself of the jitters, before turning to look again at the confused and tormented sky.

"As for flying up for searching, do not attempt that. Something tells me that would be a bad idea."

As if to add emphasis to his point, lighting flashed in one of the roiling areas of the sky before letting loose a loud thrumm of thunder.

Simi danced in place a little before looking away. "Okay, so that's probably... not good at all... that was pretty stupid of me, I guess. What do you suppose we do, then?" She was addressing the question toward Klinge, but had turned to look at the dragon again.

"Um, er.... w... what's your name?"

[Windra]

"R-right, and, um ... I'm Simi! N-nice to meet you, you're ... you're the first dragon I've ever seen in Deep Forest." The gryphon creature seemed flustered at best, bumbling over her words like that.

And today ... today was her lucky day. A normal Attor would identify something as scrawny and young as her as breakfast in a heartbeat. He would have pounced upon the opportunity like a lion on a gazelle. But this version of Attor was much more docile ... and friendly. At Simi's awkward awe, the dragon proudly displayed his wings at their full length, puffing out his chest in a display of playful arrogance.

"Then be amazed!" crooned the beast, his voice coming out somewhat melodic despite his gruff appearance. A distinct buzz was heard with each syllable. About to respond to Klinge in dragon-tongue, Draconis vespula was shaken from what little concentration he had by a sudden terse lightning bolt that whipped through the sky above them. "Odd weather we're having, isn't it?"

A couple of times, he nearly dropped the Queen's egg protected beneath his arm. Some subtle nagging in the back of his mind reminded Attor of its importance. Therefore he never let it drop more than a few inches before quickly catching it.

Disillusioned and feeling a bit ... off ... Attor caught onto bits of Simi and Klinge's conversation ...

... and his head jerked their way. "I can fly for you."

It was a statement, not a question. The dragon spread his mighty wings, black on the outside, white on the inside, and took wind. In the time it took one to blink twice, he was past the treeline - and narrowly missing another streak of lightning as it zipped through a cloud of snow. Once in the sky, Attor made a few adjustments and was soon hovering. clapping his wings every few seconds to keep at the current altitude.

"What are you looking for?"

[forgerofsouls]

"Yes, it is indeed odd weather we are having my large friend. And, we are looking for the way to the Norad. Which is a crashed space ship. Which I doubt you'll know what that is. We are also worried about our friends that we were separated from. No doubt we have been scattered. So it might be pointless to search for them. The forest is simply to large." Klinge said frowning, he really did not want the black and yellow dragon getting injured because of them.

"For now, I suggest we get a move on via the ground, and perhaps figure out were we are first and than we decide if we want to head to the Norad first, or search for our friends." Klinge said. Going to the Norad would be the smarter of the two he thought, for chances are everyone else would be heading to the Norad.

"In fact, I would say we should head to the Norad for chances are that is were everyone esle is heading to." He shared that thought with everyone.

[Sky Lily]

The dragon didn't seem to have caught Simi's inquiring his name, although he was quite proud to have been the first dragon she'd met, evident by the spreading of his magnificent gold-and-ebony wings.

"Then be amazed!" he declared, in a voice more melodic than the hippogryph would have thought, a soft buzzing to his pronunciations. Not only was he her first dragon acquaintance; he had the oddest voice she'd ever heard! N-not in a bad sense, of course, it was a rather pleasant voice, despite how loudly it boomed at times.

An angry lightning bolt then spread itself through the storm cloud above them, causing a loud, thunderous crash that Simi could have sworn nearly fractured all the bones in her body. She shied away, shrieking momentarily as she brought her wings out in front of her eyes out of reflex. For once, however, it wasn't just her being her ordinary jumpy self; that thunder had been enough to startle to dragon, too.

"...Odd weather we're having, isn't it?"

"F-frightening weather," Simi corrected.

"Yes, it is indeed odd weather we are having my large friend," Klinge then confirmed for the both of them, clearly the one who was most experienced at keeping his cool in dramatic moments such as these.

Now over her initial scare, Simi tucked her wings back against her with an embarrassed expression, pawing the earth with her fore-talon. "N-not safe at all to fly in... Oh, what do you think we should do? We have to find the others somehow!"

"..."

"I can fly for you~"

And before either of them could blink an eye, no less stop that giggling dragon from doing something that could probably cost him his life, up he went, straight into the storm just above the three's heads.

Simi's eyes widened, and she reared up as if doing so would help the draconic yellow-jacket hear her better. "No, you can't! You'll get hurt, please come back down!"

"What are you looking for?"

"Th-that doesn't matter, please, just come do--"

"We are looking for the way to the Norad. Which is a crashed space ship. Which I doubt you'll know what that is. We are also worried about our friends that we were separated from. No doubt we have been scattered. So it might be pointless to search for them. The forest is simply too large." Simi turned to glance at Klinge, who to her relief seemed just as concerned for the dragon as she was.

"For now, I suggest we get a move on via the ground, and perhaps figure out were we are first and than we decide if we want to head to the Norad first, or search for our friends.... In fact, I would say we should head to the Norad for chances are that is were everyone else is heading to."

"Oh, that's a great idea," Simi breathed out. "We should head there as fast as we can... s-some of the others could be hurt!"

[Windra]

What a sod. He'd been so distracted by the art of flight in the midst of a horrid storm that he'd forgotten to introduce himself! But even so, that was an issue soon forgotten. Somewhere within that big skull of his, Attor was realizing the gravity of the mistake he made by launching into the air. Lightning was flashing everywhere. A few stray bolts nearly struck the thin inner membrane of his huge wings. It was only dumb luck that kept him from getting knocked clear out of the sky.

... Now, when I said that Attor realized all of this somewhere in his mind, it meant that he still wasn't panicking. Even here, with the world crashing down around him, the dragon was as placid as ever. And bubbly! Now and then he giggled as if the electricity arching from cloud to cloud was there to keep him entertained.

The others were calling for him to land. Attor was none too happy about this, of course. He was having a blast! But Simi sounded downright terrified about his safety ... and that upset him. So with a great huff and a clamping of his majestic wings, Attor swooped down to ground level with hardly a forethought. His landing was loud, the dull thud muffled only by the snow beneath his talons.

A clump of the white substance flew into the air and found itself on the tip of Attor's snout. He sneezed it off.

"I have seen a space ship before, you know," Attor answered Klinge in a tone indicating he'd been insulted. He flung the egg-containing satchel around his neck like a giant charm. "There are plenty of odd things to be seen on this planet. Not all of it makes sense."

A large forelimb pointed to the sky. An explosion of fire high up in the stratosphere demonstrated his sentence perfectly. Attor was stunned momentarily by the odd coincidence, but shifted his attention quickly back to the duo before him.

"But if your Norad will lead you to your friends, we should probably start the trek now." He stood, took a few steps forward, then paused. "Where is this Norad?"

[Sky Lily]

OOC: I hate to be a nag... but do you know when forger will be here to post a reply? ^^'

[forgerofsouls]

Klinge smiled at the dragon, for indeed, one can't judge others to quickly. At least that makes...well...nvm. All Klinge knew was that Norad was in the desert. "In the desert. Sorry I can't elaborate even more than that." Klinge also hoped that no one was injured. For in a crisis like this, an injured person would be difficult to help. Klinge looked around trying to see if he could spot any sign beyond the mountains to the east of which direction the desert was.

"If either of you know where to go, that would be helpful. I only know its location due to following Entropy to Norad." He said sheepishly. It was kind hard to be kinda useless in this situation.

[Sky Lily]

Simi was relieved to see Attor return to the ground, although she did have to stumble back into balance due to the way he shook the earth with his weight.

"I have seen a space ship before, you know," Attor then addressed Klinge, seeming offended by the half-dragon's earlier words. "There are plenty of odd things to be seen on this planet. Not all of it makes sense."

Simi rustled her wings against each other as she pawed the earth with her foretalons, gazing about her worriedly once more. She then jumped back, letting out a muttering hawk's shriek when fire suddenly rumbled from the clouds. Fire... Fire! Fire, of all things!

She sure hoped it wouldn't rain...

"...But if your Norad will lead you to your friends, we should probably start the trek now. Where is this Norad?"

Simi wished she knew, but once again, she was completely useless to everyone here.

"In the desert. Sorry I can't elaborate even more than that."

However, the hippogryph did prick her ears forward at 'desert.'

Klinge gazed wistfully at the mountains, as if trying to locate something he could not see.

"If either of you know where to go, that would be helpful. I only know its location due to following Entropy to Norad." He said sheepishly.

"If... if by desert, you mean the wastelands to the west..." Simi spoke up. "Th-that place where all creatures first arrive, then maybe this Norad is there? And if that's not what you mean, and the Norad's... somewhere else..." her eyes trailed to the mountains that Klinge was fixated on, and then downward to the river that blocked their way.

"Then maybe we should try and cross the river, now, before all its chaos gets any worse. Maybe even follow the river down for a while? Wh-what if the others are closer by than we think, and they'd just ended up farther down...?"

Simi lowered her head and looked away, scuffling one forepaw of talons in the soil.

"I mean.... we can't stay here...."

[Windra]

”I mean … we can’t stay here … “

Twisting his muzzle up to the sky to watch as a cloud of frogs randomly dumped themselves from a cloud and splattered in bits and pieces on the ground, Attor could do little more than rumble with pessimism. ”I don’t think it’s going to be much better anywhere … “

To their south formed a pit in the ground. This opening quickly filled with a pinkish fluid that smelled oddly of cotton candy, yet boiled with the consistency of acid. Drawn by the sweet odor, Attor found himself hobbling in its direction. Only when a bubble forming at the pool’s edge burst did he halt in its tracks. The fluid seared what little grass was nearby.

”But sitting here would be bad … erm … “ Concentrate. Think! Ding! A light-bulb appeared over his head, quite literally, flashed once, and disappeared. ”When I flew in, I passed a big piece of metal out in the Wastes. Would that have been your Norad?”

[Sky Lily]

OOC: Perhaps whenever Forger comes around I could play around with the weather a bit, make it rain some fire-hail :3

[Sky Lily]

OOC: We've been a little busy, but just dropped my dog off for surgery so things should be less hectic. Sorry for the lateness ^^'

BIC:

Simi was nothing short of devastated to see so many little frog pieces falling onto the ground. "O-oh dear, those poor frogs!!"

"I don’t think it’s going to be much better anywhere …" Attor huffed with a rather defeated tone.

The uni-phoenix-something found herself wincing at his words, and she turned away, her indigo eyes filled with confusion and undecided anxiety. "M-maybe not... but we should still at least try to find everyone else..."

*sizzle*
*splash*
*pop!*

Simi found it very disconcerting when a pool of sweet-smelling pink lava formed spontaneously in the middle of the field.

The hippogryph laid her ears flat against her head, taking several steps backward only to stare incredulously as Attor went forward. The liquid was sweet smelling- in fact, its scent was far stronger and concentrated than any fruit Deep Forest ever had to offer- but it certainly wasn't so tantalizing that she'd risk her feathers for it! "Attor, d-don-"

She flinched as a shiny magenta bubble popped at the pools edge, causing the grass at its bank to sizzle at the spilt acid. "I, I, I don't think you try that!"

"But sitting here would be bad…" the dragon finally concluded, but now he seemed just as agonizingly undecided as she was. "erm … "

"If either of you know where to go, that would be helpful," Klinge added. "I only know its location due to following Entropy to Norad."

It was then that something brilliant flashed above Attor's head; for a moment, Simi could have sworn that there was a tiny sun just over his horns! But before she could say a thing about it, it disappeared, and Attor was quick to say the first thing on his mind.

"When I flew in, I passed a big piece of metal out in the Wastes. Would that have been your Norad?”

Simi's eyes brightened, her mouth agape in a hopeful expression. "R-really? Oh Attor, that's wonderful!" She turned to Klinge excitedly, the feathers on her wings rustling. "Is that it, Klinge? The one in the Was--"

The hippogryph was cut off when a ball of flame spat onto the ground merely inches away from her feet.

*Shriieeeeeeeeek!!!

"W-what was that?!" Simi couldn't help but blurt out, despite the fact that she knew exactly what fire was. It was then that she turned to the sky and remembered, ironically...

...How just a few moments before...

... How she had hoped it wouldn't rain.

The moment she realized just how many tails of flame were heading straight toward her and the rest of her companions, the hippogryph stopped worrying and started acting, fast.

"F-f-fiiireee!!" she screeched again as she reared on her hind legs, flapping her wings anxiously as if to put the flame-spits out before they even reached the forest floor. "Fire, it's heading this way oh no OH NO!!!" She looked around frantically for the snow-covered trees she had seen earlier, and soon spotted them with a gasp of relief... and then dismay.

It wasn't very closeby, and they were definitely all going to have to make a run for it.

"S-s-snooww!!" Simi then whipped around and turned her attention to the dragon-creatures with her, now trying to nudge them forward with her own beating wings. "Q-quick over there!! We won't burn in snow!!"

OOC: I think it'd be safe to assume that Klinge would have gone with them. Common sense and all... |D

[Windra]

Attor was a big bad dragon with a big bad temper. But for once, there was bright fear sparking in those cold eyes. He jerked the satchel tight beneath his arm. The egg would not be harmed! But it wouldn't be good if he sat there and roasted, either.

Simi motioned to some snow-covered trees not too far from them. A few had fallen, uprooted from the earth due to the chaos consuming the entire forest. A good little hiding spot, yes ... but ...

"Temporary," muttered the dragon under his breath. They could hold out for a few minutes there, at best, but the snow would melt under fire, and then the wood would burn ... Nevertheless, they had to move. "Go!"

Swooping his body low to the ground, the great black-and-yellow monstrosity zipped forth with an impressive amount of speed for something so big and heavy. A spontaneous flap of the wings gave the extra boost he needed, quickly reaching the frost-covered ground just as a pelt of fire grazed the tip of his stinger.

Attor took cover beneath one of the collapsed trees. It was thick, but not thick enough to cover him entirely. He compensated for this by trying to angle himself so that all was concealed.