Soloi stretched his wings wide. Their combined pinkish-silvery tone flashed in the streaming sunlight above as it made its way through the trees, the golden shine of the sun glinting over his smaller, silvery body feathers. He was a long dragon, elegant in movement as all air dragons were, though he hadn't slept on the clouds, as he was so keen on doing. He shook his head, getting the bright, dawn-toned pink-amber hair from his face and moved out of his nest. Ever since he'd broken away from his captors, who had kept him locked away to harvest his beautiful silvery feathers, he'd not flown higher than the treetops of the forest he decided to call home. The chains that had at one time linked him to hard stone had broken after some years, though as he'd flown away, Soloi was saddened to realize that his back legs were not free of their shackles, and those powerful things were still there. He didn't dare go to the clouds with those on his feet, but he couldn't get them off, and each day they dug a little deeper into his ankles.

With a sigh that shook a nearby bush, and ducked down to bite up a few clusters of berries that had fallen in the breeze. His wings itched to fly, soar away, lift his body from the grass, though his fear of being captured again kept him well grounded. climbing a small hill that led out of his nested area, Soloi left the forest behind gradually and came out onto a flat expanse of field. It was easy to watch for danger here, and a few old, dirt roads that were still well-traveled lined the area. It was a nice place to sun himself, and the sky above was bright, clear blue with a few plush white cloud beds floating about.

Though as he stretched his wings and started looking for a place, his large ears caught wind of a strange sound... Horses. Pulling carriages of various colors. And voices. It looked something like a traveling show, a circus on the move. Soloi always loved to be entertained. And people didn't fear air dragons as much as his other elemental siblings as air dragons tended to have level personalities, calm dispositions, and carefree lifestyles. Reaching up, he rearranged the thick gold-purple band around his neck. It had come from a friend long ago, and it was still in perfect condition. As the carriages seemed to be setting up, considering the presence of a very active road near a village through the trees, Soloi moved forward, folding his wings over his body and keeping his head low. He had small claws, no horns. And no doubt he didn't look very threatening. Air dragons, however, could be vicious when need be---that was something humans tended to forget.

But as he approached, crossing several roads before making it to the softer, shorter grass before a series of wooded clusters, he found he was welcomed with not much more than a word, a passing glance, and a nod or two in recognition.

Soloi was not told to move or stand aside by any human as they started setting up. While dragons were feared, they were also grudgingly respected and never told what to do; not even the mild-mannered air dragons. Merchants were moving down the road, however, pausing to watch and to stare at Soloi as he was on the edge of all of it. He felt something nearby. Something that was contained in one of those 'freak' cages. They varied in size, but he went toward one of the medium-sized cages that had recently been uncovered. There was a boy inside. A small one, young in appearance. But Soloi knew what he was feeling. It was a very faint presence of another dragon, emanating from him.

His raised ears fell. He looked human enough besides the horns, the pale blue of his hair. It clearly gave way his dragon blood. Now no one seemed to be paying attention to him. Lowering his head, Soloi stepped forward and avoided the tent that was being erected. He stepped lightly then, bringing his elegantly-feathered tail around him as he sat before the cage. "Hello there." His voice was clear as a bell, human all-around, if lingering between light and deep. "You are part of the show, I suppose?" Tilting his head, Soloi shook his hair over one side of his head. That way it covered only one eye rather than both. Behind him, he could hear men shouting to one another in gruff, gravelly voices.

Soloi leaned his head on the bar in front of him. He could see the chains clear as day, and the sun just outlined them a bit clearer. The kid was chained to where he was, like some... animal. "I'm sorry." He breathed, the words falling onto a light breeze and carrying away. "I was captured once, too." Though the memory was painful, he brought one of his back legs out from under his wing and looked at the tight shackle. Such a terrible memory they held. "I was caught and chained down like you, for a long time." Looking up, he almost heard them. Laughing as they came in to pluck his feathers, some from his wings and some from his tail. Many from his tail, as they were wide and gentle, but durable and grew back quickly. He'd always used that as a rudder for when he flew, as it was so large and quick to turn him in the sky.

He rubbed his forehead on the bar. "Maybe I can stay here." He muttered, and looked around. If he just found the ringmaster of this traveling circus, perhaps he could ask to remain with them. After all, people would want to see a dragon if he were in a place that guaranteed safety. People did tend to enjoy feeling the soft feathers that covered him, after all. He stood himself up and started off, looking around for one who would appear to be in charge.

He seemed to appear rather quickly, from the caravan Soloi was nearing. Already Soloi disliked this man, from his flashy but generic coloration, the over-the-top top hat, the mustache and the voice in general. As he'd come toward it, Soloi had been able to see into the other cages. Humans, but not humans, 'freaks' through the eyes of many. Half animal, each in their respectively sized cages that had only hay for beds and nothing more. But he paid more attention now to the ringmaster himself, and forced himself not to curl his lip at the way he portrayed himself.

"I'm not here for the show---I've found fascination with your travel." Soloi lied. "I've followed from a distance for a time, and have come to the conclusion that I would be happy to join you in your travel." The man looked skeptical, but he could see a glint of greed in his dark eyes. "I... have recently escaped imprisonment during which I was plucked for my feathers. This place seems safe, and I can certainly bring in more viewers, more money for you. After all, you would never meet another dragon simply willing to give himself to a traveling show, a circus like this." He stretched his wings, showing off their color. They often dazzled, as no one had ever seen a dragon of such combination. A mix of dawn and dusk, so rare no one had ever seen the color before. No one living, anyway.

Soloi put his ears down defensively. Of course he expected this reaction, though perhaps not the venom in the words. "A simple proposition." Soloi noted, tilting his head. "My recent escape from clothing and jewelry traders, who used my feathers for their clothes, has made me wary of the skies. I can't go back to the clouds for the shackles still on my legs; so instead, I would like to do as I do best: I want to protect. This place is wide, and your group seems large. It'd be easy for someone to slip in under the cover of dark and set free your little money-generators, wouldn't it? Or, perhaps, steal from you while you're not looking?"

He looked around, surveying the other freaks. Feathered, scaled, sleekly skinned, they came in various tones and sizes. And he could see the dragon-boy. But Soloi didn't allow himself more than a moment's glance. "Of course if you trust your brutes, and those strangers who come and go, I'll be well to leave. But please allow me to take another look around before I depart." With that, he turned with a swing of his tail, which agitated the ringleader's mustache.

Soloi smiled. It was obvious even for a dragon as his lips curled up at the agreement. He was skilled at manipulation, as his kin was, but it didn't make the guilty pit any less. Unless one were dealing with a man like this. He went to watch the new tent be set up, and as they finished, he approached one of the workers and requested they bust the shackles that kept him from feeling safe enough to fly. They did, using a chisel and small hammer to break the lock. Bringing up his injured paws one at a time, he stepped in place for a bit. He felt so much lighter. It was as if those buckles had weighed a thousand pounds.

His tent was large enough to spread his wings and allow others inside with him. He kept his most fragile parts above the heads of grabby hands, but allowed others to feel his feathers and take shade under his umbrella of a tail rudder. For once he wasn't given a wide path to walk or fly. These people were here to see him, speak to him, and feel his body covering, which felt like smooth satin, which was an aspect his captors had loved most of all. The adults were more respective of him, however, and they were keen on petting his hair, his neck, and often inquiring about how the clouds felt underfoot. But as the activity died down, he managed to leave his tent and wander. He passed the cages, looking for the dragon boy.

Soloi was too large to enter the main tent. He'd resigned himself to wandering until someone came to him and told him to go to the mouth of it, but remain at the side to not hinder anyone coming or going. The muttering, screaming, bustling crowd had come quickly from the nearby village, a larger than average type as it was home to fishermen and women who relied on the very nearby ocean as their careers. Soloi twitched, unnerved by so many people so close to him, but kept himself where he was as the boy was led up to the stage. The crowd was too talkative for him to hear the ringmaster speaking, but as he did, bringing a hand out to use electricity on the kid, Soloi gasped. He couldn't move, but desperately wanted to, wanted to grab that silk-draped fool and pound him into the ground. Air dragons weren't normally violent creatures until their babies or an innocent was unjustly harmed or killed. But there were too many others around. The other freaks everyone liked to ogle at might get hurt, the humans themselves. He couldn't risk that...

Gritting his teeth, Soloi shook his head hard. He couldn't be here. He couldn't see the boy now, not without a pain in his heart where he couldn't help. Turning, he galloped away from the tent and to the edge of the area, lying himself down on the soft grass near the road. Soloi breathed hard, calming himself as well as he could, though it was difficult. The boy was a small dragon in form, very small. About the size of a pygmy earth dragon. Though he was young yet, that was for sure. He didn't deserve this type of life. The sight and sound of his pain was seared into Soloi's mind. Dropping his head, he brought his wings up and over him and hid his eyes with his front paws.

Unconsciously, he dug his small, but sharp claws into his muzzle. What had he gotten himself into? It was just like last time, only it wasn't him in pain anymore. Perhaps he could get the boy out, along with the others forced to live in cages.

He'd gone behind the tents before everyone started leaving. So near the forest boundaries, amongst a thin covering of the outermost trees, Soloi could pace and think on his own. He knew what a terrible place traveling shows like this could be. He'd seen how animals were mistreated when they didn't do as trained, or how freaks could be laughed at and prodded and sneered at because of how they looked. That's why Soloi never tried to approach one to see what was going on specifically. But he'd never seen a child, a man or woman, with dragon blood in their veins. Well, he'd never seen one change. So far as he was told, transformations could be horribly painful, sometimes deadly, and only done out of defensive purposes.

As things grew quiet, Soloi returned to the area and the cages, and found the boy's. He frowned as he came to a stop, looking over the cage, then going around and lying down beside it. This one was the most abused of any of the performers. Soloi could tell that much. Resting his head on the lip below the bars, he closed one eye. "I'll get you out of this place..." His mind spoke for him.

Soloi opened his eyes as soon as the first ray filter through the boy's cage and hit him in the face. Carefully, as the boy didn't seem to notice he was there, Soloi slithered away close to the ground, entering the ring of cages and tents as everyone started meandering about in the morning air. He stretched his wings high above them, casting shadow on the workers as they went to each cage and opened them, allowing the 'freaks' to roam on their own for a while. But not the boy. Soloi tilted his head. Perhaps they feared him? Growling, he stalked toward the caravan he knew Kaga was in. Soloi had learned the man's name through one of the ugly men, who scuttled away as he glared toward them.

Sitting on his haunches, Soloi raised a paw and scratched on the door of the caravan. "Kaga. Might I speak with you for a moment?"

There was a delay, a slight rocking of the carriage and the door opened. "What is it?" He spat, glaring up until he realized who had spoken. "Yes, you. Soloi, I recall? You put up a lot of income last night."

"Thank you. I suppose." He looked around and to the cage the boy was in. "I would like to know why you don't allow the boy from his cage? Do you fear him?"

"No." Kaga waved the question off. "I don't want him running off. Why're you so interested?"

"It's not humane. The boy deserves to be let out from time to time, besides being forced to perform his transformations. And if you allow me to stay with him, he'll not run off. I'll keep him here, and at the same time, he'll most likely transform on his own and at a word, rather than having to be prodded."

Soloi hated himself. He just wanted the boy to be out of that cramped, ugly cage. Lying like this burned his tongue, but perhaps he'd have a chance to speak with the kid, or at least, give him a chance to wander and enjoy the land.

Soloi laid his ears down. They were heavy, but normally, they stood up to catch sound and laid back during the night or when he was defending his stance. "You mistrust dragons far too much to have any in your act at all. You have little knowledge of dragons in general, don't you? I would assume as much. Air dragons are not violent. Not to our kin. Not to humans. And we're better to be vegetarians as it keeps our frames light and easy to lift. We're not one for violence. Kaga, if you cannot trust me I'll simply be on my way." He unfurled his wings and stretched them, and Kaga shook his head. Soloi caught the movement.

"I wish the boy to have the freedom your other creatures have. He is like me, therefore I feel his pain. I know how difficult it is for a dragon to be imprisoned and unable to move about on their own. They grow frustrated. Sad. Eventually your electrified prodding will become useless and he will refuse to change at all lest he's free to do as he likes, at least in the morning. And to forget about him entirely? To let him starve, or go without water? I find that neglectful. And I might not feel so... kind... toward you." He leaned forward, arching his long neck and growling.

Again, Soloi growled. All dragons had a sense of pride they liked to defend, though those of fire or water descent would be more keen on fighting over it. He leaned close to the closed door of the caravan. "Kaga. I know you can hear me. Should I leave you no doubt you'll not only lose money, but you'll hold difficulty in keeping thieves away. Those two conditions shall now be cancelled out because of what I bring you. I trust you understand."

With that, he turned and went back to where the two workers were letting Cyrus out of his cage and moving away. The boy's puzzled look brought a small smile to Soloi's face. "Hello again." He said, bending down. "The ringleader has agreed to freeing you from your cage, so long as I remain with you. It's not much, but perhaps it's something more than before?" He tilted his head, lowering his wings and folding them. Usually they came up and open when he wanted to make himself look bigger. Air dragons were thin and spindly, but could look much more massive than they were by unfolding their huge, thick wings, which made up most of their weight.

Soloi tilted his head, then shook it to get the hair from out of his morning-toned eyes. "I'm known as Soloi." He replied calmly. They were relatively alone now, as everyone seemed to be doing their own thing and spread out well. "You may call me what you like, though. And what about you? I'm sure they call you something." Stepping around, he moved about the boy to step out of his way. "You may tell me later if you like. I'm sure you'll want to move about first. Kaga has allowed you out, though we can go as we like regardless of what boundaries he placed upon us." As he spoke, Soloi looked to the sky. It wasn't a few hours before that would have dictated the precise time of his birth. Between dawn and dusk, a full moon shining above the horizon and the sun just beginning to peer over the edge of a bright, shimmering sea. Together he had been toned with both the silvery of the moon, the pale blue of the sky, and the dawn's many layers of beautifully fiery, but equally calm, colors.

And between this time was when he shined, awakened and reveled the moments between day and night, lasting no more than a few minutes. That was why an air dragon toned like him was almost nonexistent.

Soloi nodded, and kept close to the boy. "Cyrus is a nice name as well." He noted, crouching beside the boy. "Do take your time, you and I have much time between now and tonight. I would be happy to get to know you. Perhaps because in your veins flows dragon blood." Glancing up, he watched the sun's rays beam up above the trees and take away the shine of his scales. He felt so much more energized now. "I know of a small stream within sight of the layout here. I noticed they didn't feed you today, or even last night. Shall I take you there?" He leaned down, nudging Cyrus. "If you have trouble walking, I'd be glad to help. I understand how difficult it is to learn how to walk... or fly... after years of imprisonment." As he spoke, he glanced down to his back legs. The feathers had started growing back on the raw points the shackles had clamped to---for some reason he healed quickly, which was a bit odd even to his standards.