Part One

Darolisa lifted up her scarf, feeling it starting to fall down the bridge of her nose. The winds of the desert were blinding, making her squint through the sandy haze. The winds snagged at her loose clothing, the tail end of her scarf billowing behind her. Her mount was moving slower and slower, fighting through the winds. She gave a pat to his neck.

“It’s okay, boy. We’re almost there,” She comforted, raising her voice through the billowing winds. 

He flicked his ear and let out a snort. Yeah yeah, grumpy ass.

While she had missed the desert her mother once called home, she did not miss the sandstorms. They worsened whenever they got close to a trading post. It seemed to question how willing you were to brave the storms. The only relief was that she knew the moment they reached past the border, the storm would suddenly stop. It would be the clearest of days and the rest of her journey would be easy.

And thankfully they were quite close. She was ready to get any loose sand out of her clothes and ears. The borders of trading posts were protected by strong magic, some of the strongest Darolisa had ever seen in her life. If you thought the sandstorm was bad, the magic was tenfold worse. It billowed around the trading posts, protecting it from any unwanted visitors. Only friends of the Irrits could safely travel through the whirlwind magic and into the safety of the trading posts.

Even though she knew she had no ill will towards the Irrits - she considered them her family in some ways - she still felt adrenaline rush through her as she got closer. There was something about being accepted into the magic and able to pass. To not face harsh rejection and feel the wind passively graze past you. It was… indescribable.

Her mount gave a new snort, his ears flicking back and eyeing the border wearily.

“C’mon, boy. It’s fine.”

As she gave him a new pat to calm him down, screams split through the air. Even with the raging storms, the sound of distress was clear. Her mount whined and she stroked his neck to placate him. 

“Shit,” Darolisa muttered under her breath. “C’mon, now!”

She tugged on the reins to force her mount to turn around. With a quick tap against his side, he hurried his pace. The winds, thankfully, loosened up around them as they raced towards where the screams were. She prayed the Militia had not found some way around the desert magic.

With the winds calming down, she was able to see more clearly around them. And up ahead was a group of Irrits racing towards the safety of the trading post. The winds around them were thick and harsh, protecting them from what was chasing them. Quickly, trying to keep her eyes on the group of Irrits, she reached for her bow. Steadying it in her hold, her eyes raced to find the threat until it finally landed on it.

It was a wild dragon. An Earth one, and feral by the looks of it. It slithered around like a snake, baring its fangs and trying to strike out at its racing prey.

Relief flooded Darolisa for a split second to know it was not Militia. Still, she could not let this feral dragon continue to chase the Irrits. Drawing an arrow, she aimed and shot at the dragon. It had a thick, heavy hide and her arrow bounced off it harmlessly. Still, it did what she wanted it to do.

The dragon had stopped its focus on the Irrits and turned its attention on her. It let out a loud hiss and suddenly dove deep into the sand.

“Well, shit.”

Tugging on her mount’s reins, she tapped against his sides once more. He was more eager to behave as they raced through the desert. She could hear the earth bursting behind them as the feral dragon eagerly followed them. If she was fortunate, she could hopefully lead it along a chase before making her way back to the safety of the trading post. The Irrits should be safe once she got back and a warning placed.

With that in mind, she forced her mount to ride faster, gripping her bow hard in case she had to fight. She hoped she didn’t, she had no wish to harm a dragon, even when feral.

Suddenly, something white flashed before her eyes. She thought for a moment she was seeing something or that the sand had gotten to her. After all, a sand cloud suddenly took over her vision, her closing her eyes shut to avoid it. Her mount raced through it though as the earth erupted behind her. 

Fuck. She might actually be forced to fight the dragon head-on.

As her mount whined, a new cry followed behind it. Twisting her head around to try to see, all she could see was sand spiraling around them and a vague white form through it. Still, she could hear the beating of wings, making the sand billow harder around them. A voice that shook her to her core sounded throughout the desert. 

And as suddenly as the sand had appeared, it was gone.

Leaving behind a white dragon, standing before her. The feral dragon was gone, but she could see where the sand had shifted in its sudden hurry to leave.

Darolisa carefully trotted her mount over to the white dragon before slowing it to a pause a few feet away from the mount. As she focused her sight on the dragon, memories of stories her mother told her flooded back in.

There was no way this was Espejismo. 

The white dragon did not say a word, only looking at her before giving a slow nod. She seemed to have a glint in her eyes as she looked her over. Finally, she unfurled her wing, the winds fully cleared towards the path of the trading post. 

“I - thank you,” Darolisa quickly said once she got her bearings, giving another nod to Espejismo. The white dragon did not say a word, only staring at her. Not helping but to give another nod to the white dragon, she carefully guided her mount through the cleared path.

part two

The spot Darolisa had chosen to camp was one of the most beautiful spots she’s been in. 

She had been traveling through the area after helping one village from continuous dragon attacks to their cattle. Fortunately, it was quite easy to deal with. The poor dragon had been injured and sought out easy prey so after quick healing, the dragon was on its way and the village’s cattle safe. They had offered her a place to stay afterwards but she politely declined. She felt she had already taken up much of their time and well, she started to feel stir crazy after staying in one area too long. 

And so, when she was looking for a spot to camp before nightfall - she had found it! A beautiful lake, glimmering under the moonlight, and protected by rocks all around it. The area was huge, she probably could spend quite a time looking for its secrets. But it had been late and she was tired.

Now, she was sipping her coffee, enjoying the beautiful lake. She was even considering fishing for a moment. That would be a good lunch and she could save some for trading in the next village. 

Finishing up her coffee, she put it away before stretching her limbs out. After feeling that satisfying stretch, she grabbed her bow and arrows. She probably should just make a spear, but she didn’t fish often. And an arrow was basically a tiny spear, in her opinion.

As she reached the shoreline of the lake, looking around to catch a glimmer of any fish, a small voice caught her attention.

“DON’T FISH THERE!”

Darolisa lowered her bow and turned her head to see where the voice was coming from. Had she accidentally camped in someone’s territory? Fantastic for her…

When she had not stepped away from the shoreline, the voice now closer - yet still she could not see the person - continued.

“THERE’S MONSTERS IN THERE!”

“Monsters?” She asked, bemused, raising a brow 

Suddenly a little dragon zipped right out of the forests and towards her. Her tail fluffed up at the speed he came towards her before he suddenly paused a foot or so in front of her. The dragon was dark green with almost black stripes and white streaks running over his long body. Well no wonder she couldn’t have seen him. He blended right in with the forest around them.

“You need to get out of here! It’s not safe!” The little dragon whined, his whole body twisting and turning.

“...Okay?” Darolisa replied. 

Safety was honestly not much of her concern, she had been in quite some dangerous situations before. And she was armed. Her lack of concern seemed to agitate the little dragon though and his body was twisting even more.

“Seriously! You can’t stay here!”

“Why not? Are you in danger?” She pressed, placing a hand on her hip. This really was quite an interesting spot if she was dealing with anxious dragons and apparent monsters in a lake.

“No! I mean - sometimes but NO! I’m fine! You are not though!”

“Because…?”

“There’s some nasty dragons here, alright! Now can you please just go?” The dragon finally snapped and Darolisa notably relaxed. 

“Look, bud. I think I can handle some nasty dragons,” She snorted. The little dragon seemed to be working himself in another frenzy but he notably calmed as she walked away from the shoreline and towards her camp. “BUT, if you so insist - I can find my way out.”

“Thank you,” The little dragon sighed. 

Darolisa was quick with putting away her camp - after all, she didn’t have much to carry. Putting her bag on her back, she looked at the little dragon.

“Are you gonna be alright?” She asked, giving a quick glance back towards the supposed dangerous lake.

“Yes. I’m used to their antics. You though… well who knows what they would do,” The little dragon sighed before shooting her a tired smile. “Maybe next time, see Levi first? They listen to him… kind of.”

“Levi, huh?” Darolisa mused, before shrugging. “I’ll see if I come back again. You stay safe now.”

“You too.”

part three

Today seemed to be going well for Darolisa. She had just returned to her father’s village, exchanging many hellos and gifts to her extended family, and was taking some time to rest from her travels. She probably would stay for a week before she went off again on another trip. One of her uncles apparently found a map that he thought would interest her. Some abandoned city. 

It didn’t really interest her much, she didn’t look through ruins much unless it was a bandit hide-out or whatnot. Occasionally she had dug through ruins to get some type of artifact that someone or other desperately wanted but never had the time to actually go get. Still, her uncle seemed excited for her to have it. Spouting about how there was some lost history she might be curious about.

Who knew when, or if, she would actually explore the place, but she’ll keep the map safe. It was possible someone might want her actually digging through that. 

That was a later discussion though. And her uncle didn’t get to tell her much before she had been swept away by some of her nieces and nephews. Excited for her to tell them tales of her adventure. 

The night was, thankfully, winding down now. As much as she loved her family and enjoyed a party or two, it was starting to wear her down. Especially after the couple of drinks she had, she was longing for a comfortable bed. 

Exchanging good nights, though it should be morning considering she was certain the sun would be rising soon, she started to head off to her parents’ cabin. As her foot touched the first step, a sound caught her attention.

It was a high-pitched whine. Similar to that of a wounded dog. Her ears immediately swiveled to focus on the sound. It started up again, loud and pleading.

Fuck. 

Welp, there goes her sleep. 

Giving a rub to her eyes and trying to resist down a yawn, Darolisa followed after the sound. It was somewhere in the forests and the fur on her spine prickled. Hopefully she wasn’t walking into some damn trap. And she left her sword in her room. 

Even with the alcohol in her system, she still was aware of her surroundings. Carefully, she walked through the forests and closer to the sound. It was getting louder and the whines were becoming closer together.

After pushing past some brush, she finally saw what was making the noise. It was a small dog-like dragon, holding up one of its paws as it cried. There seemed to be a scratch on its held up leg and the scent of blood hit her nostrils. 

Oh, the poor thing.

Crouching down in case the dragon saw her as a threat, she whistled to catch his attention. The dragon’s head immediately turned to see her. Despite the injury on his leg, his tail started wagging and he let out a pleased bark. Quickly, he hobbled over to her and started nosing at her hands, even licking at them.

“Hey, buddy,” She cooed, moving to stroke his mane. “You injured, huh?”

The dragon nodded, his tail wagging and he lifted up his leg to show her. As she continued to pet his mane, she gently grabbed the injured leg. She let out a hiss of sympathy at seeing the scratch. Something must have gotten him, but thankfully it wasn’t too deep.

“You poor boy. I don’t have any bandages on me, sadly,” She admitted before asking, “Do you have a rider?”

The dragon nodded, giving a lick to the hand that was holding his injured leg.

“Is he close?

Another nod. Well, thank the gods. 

“Ok, how about we go to him? I’ll carry you so you don’t injure yourself worse. That good?”

The dragon gave a pleased bark, butting his head against her petting hand. She smiled. What a sweet dragon, if only all of them were like this. Carefully, she placed her arms underneath his stomach and lifted him up gently. He was a bit heavier than she thought, but she could hold him comfortably. His tail though was smacking her side with how fast it was wagging, but that was alright.

Thankfully, his rider was close by. She could hear him shouting for the dragon - Skylax was the injured dragon’s name - and she was able to easily find him. He was quite thankful for finding him and held the dragon close to his chest, who was busy licking his face. They exchanged quick words - mostly because Darolisa was tired and felt like she would fall asleep on her feet, and another because the rider, Rykoi, wanted to make sure Skylax was completely alright.

Again, not exactly a bad day all and all.