A refreshing drink...

[Vrael]

(If I am correct in assuming that it is still morning....)

Vrael stared out over the lake's clear water; the little light that flashed across from the horizon and the air glistening upon the liquid creating a sight that might have awed someone any less then himself...but he did not stoop that low. He did not even seem to notice the light, even though he of course did, his senses were too good not to. Instead, he slowly and deliberately lowered his maw to the water and took a large mouthful, swallowing it carefully, his eyes now suddenly flickering back and forth at the land around him.

He pulled away from the water and did a full 360, surveying the land surrounding him. He was trained to not let ambushes affect him...and to accomplish that, he had to be on constant alert. He took one more glance around and then stretched, yawning widely. He shifted his flight muscles slightly, fanning his wings. He then folded them again.

I wonder what it is I shall be doing today..., he pondered to himself, taking another glance around. Although he had endured many a fight, he was still weary, he had not left every battle unscathed; small scratches upon his scales that other dragons might never notice, but plagued Vrael to no end. His body represented his pride in a way and, to his belief, if his body was in ill-shape, his pride was also tainted.

As for the politics of his current position with the Suns, he didn't really mind too much. They'd come and find him if they needed him, he was sure.

No need for needless worrying, have to keep my mind focused on the present..., he added to himself as he paced around at the edge of the lake water where it treaded upon the shore. He then followed the river that lead out to the ocean, glancing up at the sky while he was doing so, judging the time.

Perhaps I have less time then I thought..., he sighed and cast his glance back to earth again as the grass rustled beneath his crushing weight and razor-sharp talons.

[Meridianus]

Meridianis scanned the area he was in with his bright, golden irises. He was feeling wonderful, a nap in the sun making him feel more energized than a nights rest did.
His scales had gathered enough sunlight for a couple of breaths of white fire, making the hot-headed red dragon feel more empowered than he had to.
He was hungry, his last hunt a few days ago, but was saving his next hunt for later. He knew the ecosystem was at a low, and big game wasn't available as it once had been. Meridianus growled at the fact. He could swear that something was up with the animals in the ecosystem. Whether it was some kind of plague or shortage of food that their food ate, he wasn't sure.
Yawning, the dragon decided to get a quick drink. A stop at Morning Glory Lake would do him some good. With a stretch and a quick leap, Meridianus was up and ready to go.
The walk there was plesant, the morning sun making the red dragon smile. It was quiet too, and Meridianus grumbled to himself just because of that fact. It was so peaceful, he swore he heard his grumble echo back.
At the sight of the familiar bushes that bordered the lake, the red firey dragon pushed himself over the bushes, landing near a familiar dragon.
The gold dragon, Vreal, was also taking a drink. He recognized the fellow leader and nodded toward him. "Good morning." He spoke with a small grin. something he never grew out of as a young drayling.
He joined him at the lake before taking a few gulps himself.

[Vrael]

Vrael's head snapped around to glance at the red dragon, Meridianus. He hadn't noticed him in his original look-overs of the land, perhaps he was getting lax in his perceptions?...no... He refused to accept that. The dragon must have just arrived.

"It is a fine morning, although a little lacking in clarity in the sky...not good for flying." Vrael nodded to the other dragon and looked up into the clouded air above him. He did not join in the other dragon's smile, he obeyed his elders and higher ranked dragons... But he would not exchange pleasantries on a whim.

Vrael then frowned as he continued looking up at the sky. "It seems...that I was slightly mistaken.... There is a storm brewing...I don't like the looks of it..." He had noticed the evil looking clouds forming slowly over the sun, eclipsing it slightly.

[Meridianus]

Meridias frowned, noticing the storm clouds for the first time. Stormy weather was such a bother, messing up his energy intake for the day. His scales retained the head through the rain, but didn't take in as much sunlight from the reduced rays. "It does look rather gruesome." He replied before blinking at his reflection in the water.

If he was here alone, he'd probably be making quite the mess splashing in the lake. But he settled for taking a few gulps. There was no reason to embarrass himself further infront of Vrael. He was his elder afterall, granted not by more than a few years, but he grew up much stricter than he hismelf did.

"Hopefully the rain will do us some good. The animals need some sort of boost to get them populated again." Meridias's tone was lively with undertones of sarcasm. Mainly at the mention of the animals; he would try anything at this point to get the problem solved. It was one of the only problems remaining between they and the Moon dragons. That and personal beliefs seemed to be the only things that kept them sqabbling.

[Vrael]

Gruesome indeed..., Vrael added to himself. He agreed wholeheartedly on that oppinion... He glanced at the clouds for a moment longer, estimating the time he had left before the storm hit by using his senses, namely his superb sense of smell. He took a few breaths in of the moist air before he heard the red dragon voice another statement.

The gold dragon nodded absently, "Of course, the animals DO need to be re-populated and the rain would do the trick nicely. Although...it could happen again you know. With the amount of dragons roaming the lands, it gets harder and harder for the grazing prey to bounce back. Like there always seems to be, we will have more arguing with the Moon Dragons and more then likely a few wars. I'm not too worried about fighting, though; As you can probably imagine." The gold dragon gave a side glance over at Meridianis, adding a malevolent smile to the look.

He then looked away and padded a few feet forward toward the lake again, stopping just short of the water. Vrael looked down into the water and pondered about what he saw in the reflection. Well...I don't look like a gold dragon...in-fact...I would say more navy or so; at least that's in the general color range....but gold? Bah, it's just a station...a role I've had to undertake and commit to. He tilted his head slightly at the reflection in the clear blue water. He then fidgeted his wings a little and looked back at the red dragon. A force of habit, he couldn't keep distracted with something else and ignore a dragon or creature in his general vicinity without checking what it was doing every few seconds.

[Meridianus]

The red dragon nodded, his faded grin being revived by Vreal's smile. He looked lik a fighter, and Meridianus could only imagine how strong an opponent the other would be. Maridianus would trust Vreal in battle before most of the other Sun dragons.
"It's the commoners that I'm worried about. They tend to get in more trouble than we do." Why else would they have to report to eachother so often? The arguments amoung themselves was getting higher along with the ever growing tntion between the sun and moon.
There was a reason Vreal was more correct on the situation with the animals that Meridianus himself was. There would be the constant squabbles no matter what. Especially when it came to the sheer amount of dragons on their island. Meridianus hadn't been there at it's origin, but it had definently grown since he was born.
"A war would be more costly than the turnout. Not that the turnout's anything to worry about." Meridianus snorted, he had no doubt the Sun dragons could overpower their rivals. "It's just that if we could find a way to ebb the tention, then it may be avoidable. Maybe a treaty or something." He muttered the last part, a treaty was completely out of the question and he knew it.

The red dragon sniffed as a rain drop fell onto his snout. "Looks like the downpour is coming sooner than expected."

[Vrael]

Vrael let the red dragon finish his comment about the rain before a large smile came unbidden to his face.

"A...a treaty?!" he asked incredulously. The gold dragon burst out laughing, vibrating the space around him with the force of the noise permeating through the moist air.

"I'll give them a treaty when I'm as tame as a sheep, which I'll never be...or perhaps when I die..." Vrael seemed to mock-ponder this for a moment, his smile slipping into a frown of concentration, looking up at the sky for a moment. The infectious smile almost immediately came back to his face as he looked back at Meridianis.

As he broke out into another round of booming laughter; he thought to himself, Did he really think I wouldn't hear that?! Heh...my senses are far too great to not have picked that up...

Vrael had temporarily forgot about the rain as he found another source of amusement from the red dragon.

[Meridianus]

Meridianus couldn't help but to slightly gawk at the black dragon's reaction to his suggestion. He smiled too, but more at the fact that Vreal, for a moment, had lost his composure. He had to admot, he hadn't met a dragon that could keep up with Vreal when it came to dignity.
"Yeah, yeah, I know it would never work." The red dragon often resorted to the slang of his younder years when he wasn't sure how to react. "It was just a thought." Meridianus spit out, but he wasn't really angry with the older dragon, but he was spiteful that his idea had made a complete joke out of. It wasn't often one had the audacity to outright laugh at the dragon second-in-command to their entire clan.
Leave it to Vreal to do so. The gold rank was such an enigma.
"Things would be easier to solve if the tension didn't make us want to snap eachothers heads off." The red dragon wasn't really thinking of the individual members of both clans, but the clans as wholes. Certainly, there was some way to fix both problems in the near future. "

[Vrael]

Vrael sobered up almost instantly after the red dragon had finished his last comment. The sudden difference in his expression was alarming to say the best, although, a laughing joyous dragon suddenly shifting into a frowning no-smile-to-be-found dragon could be quite astonishing, especially since it was Vrael.

The gold dragon's harsh unsmiling face abruptly turned into an apologetic one, which was also uncommon for Vrael. "Sorry about that Meri....I got carried away..." He had 'shortened' the red dragon's name for his own slight amusement, but the red dragon would never know it.

So offensive...I was just playing a little fun is all...ugh... These hierarchies never have any fun.... Well, now that I think about it... I don't normally either... Oh well..., Vrael brooded in his mind.

He flicked his tail ever so slightly as he felt a drop of rain splatter onto it.

Not that I hate the rain...because I don't. Makes for a good tactical advantage in battle since my senses are so astute...but, I grow weary of it.... I suppose that's the same for all sun dragons...probably more so for Azura...but whatever..., the gold dragon sighed once more and his expression turned stoic again.

"Have you seen Azura by any chance?" Vrael asked Meridianus.

[Azura]

“Who knows!” A reply came from above as wings of white, blue and purple flapped around them. Landing in the lake the small female dragon flapped about playfully letting the water splash all over her body. She did not seem to care it was a childish antic or the fact she was not a dragonling anymore. It was Starflare, the unpredictable advisor and personal servant of the Platinum Dragon. She had served Meridianus loyally as he temporary filled the position but now he had to step down and of course Starflare became the servant to Azura.

Starflare was small with scales of white, purple and blue. Her eyes always shimmered like amethyst they may say and her wings were almost double the size of her body. Where others would probably appear awkward it just seemed to match her. Everyone knew she was not actually born into the Sun Dragon society that she was born outside to an unknown heritage.

But despite her heritage Starflare had risen in ranks due to her wisdom and to her strange way of viewing things. That difference was what made her a reliable voice of reason to the leader dragon. Of course the way she acted around those in such high ranks was questionable. “She is probably enjoying what little free time she has…” Starflare answered as she walked towards them dripping wet.

Her eyes flickered to the skies and instead of being nervous about the coming storm she appeared excited. Starflare loved a challenge. And flying in a terrible storm seemed to be one of them. “I was looking for her until I heard your loud thoughts…” Unlike most Sun Dragons, Star could not breathe fire but her mental powers were both mysterious and sometimes terrifying. But what was even more mysterious about her was that you could not read her mind and you could not hear her thoughts. She has never been known to talk to anyone through the mind yet. “Strange seeing the Red Dragon and Gold Dragon together, hope you two aren’t scheming something…” she said with a chuckle. Her voice sounded playful and gentle at the same time. [/color]

[Vrael]

Vrael sighed as he watched the small dragon wearily. He DID NOT like having his thoughts read like some book. It was especially annoying that the young dragon had said that his thoughts were loud as well. It put a blot on the pride that he had been building upon for a while. He had spent years trying to condition himself so that others could not do what that youngling had done.

He shifted his wings slightly and twitched his tail back and forth. "Why hello there....Star...or do you prefer Starflare?... I haven't seen you in a while..." His voice was bittersweet. Although it had an outside appearance of being nice and friendly, it had and underlying hostility to it.

[Meridianus]

Meridianus chuckled at Stareflare. She was one of his favorite aquantances if he did say so himself. She was good advice and company in stressful situations, such as being platinum dragon. Though he did share Vreal's opinion of her ability to read thoughts so well ar first, it's something you get used to.

"I haven't seen you in to long Starflare." The red dragon grinned before swishing his tail at the water, making a bit of a splash himself. He couldn't helpbut act a bit childish around her, she had that effect on most. "How have you been?" He said in a more serious tone, but didn't loose that mischevous grin.

[Azura]

Starflare laughed as she heard the bittersweet tone to Vrael’s voice. In truth Star really could not help her abilities when she began to grow and mature she really thought other dragons were talking to her when she began to hear there thoughts. Without prying she could hear the more simple ones, of course Starflare would never pry deep in someone’s mind. To her it felt wrong and sort of mean to do so. They say because she had lack of actual useful abilities in battle it made sense she would have stronger mental powers…however in the mind of Starflare she did not need any neat abilities after all battling and hunting is what her claws and teeth are for.

“Either way is fine Vrael,” she said gently no hostility in her tone at all. Some always wonder if Star even felt hostility the dragon was always cheerful and always doing something strange. Shaking the water drops on her scales dance in the air splashing both the Gold and Red Dragon nearby.

Her eyes looked to Meridianus, a warm and gentle look seem to settle in those sparkling pools of amethyst as her gaze fell on him, “why yes I must say I miss being by your side Meri, it was very amusing.” She said with a chuckle, Starflare knew the Red Dragon was not to happy be forced to step down, but as the she-dragon had said months ago you cannot change tradition Meri.

Unlike many of the other dragon’s Starflare did not seem to care on shortening the Red Dragon’s name. To her the name just came naturally to her. “I cannot wait for this storm to begin…almost like it’s teasing me,” with that she flicked her tail in the water causing a small wave to hit them all a small playful chuckle escaping her lips. “Well do you both feel like going on a Platinum Dragon hunt with me?” As they said an adventure with Starflare was never dull.

[Vrael]

(I'm guessing since that nobody else is posting, that it's my turn...so I'll go now...)

The gold dragon flinched as the water drops hit him and then growled softly and turned from the other two. He may have to put up with their company from time to time, but he did NOT have to put up with their behavior.

Vrael shrugged the water off of himself and then spread his wings.

He looked up at the clouds and shook his head before bringing his wings down, propelling him into the air. He flew off, away from the other two.

He had no interest in further 'adventures' with those dragons. He was a dragon of war, and discipline...he wasn't going to prance around with children...

He watched the slowly faded horizon as he sailed toward it...directly to the clouds.

[Meridianus]

Meridianus chuckled at Stareflare's mention of the storm testing her. "Crazy." He teased. He never was one for flying in storms; being wingless he couldn't steer through the wind very well. His flight was like a beeline, and he often times felt more like a snake than a dragon when he was in the air.

"Leaving so... soon?" The red dragon snorted at Vrael's leave. The gold dragon must have met his limit of being around he and Starflare. He had to admit, they tended to bring out the worst in eachother. "Whoops" He sniffed indignantly as he watched the black dragon's form dissapear into the storm clouds.

"Well, I'll acompany you to find Azura, no problem." He needed to make his reports to the platnium dragon anyways. He didn't mind the younger dragon's company really, he bitter at the way she recieved her position more than at her. "But I'll probably stick to the ground, when storms test me, I don't do too well." He wagged his tail, flapping his imaginary wings.