Soloi’s yellow-stained wings stretched to absorb the golden light of the sun. It was warm, up above the earth, lying on a plush clustering of clouds. He didn’t find sleeping on the ground nearly as calming, but it was where his friends resided, and they couldn’t use clouds as beds like he could. Certainly, he could bring them up, but if they didn’t stand on him, they would fall right through, leaving a strange hole in the floor of pale white. He didn’t mind leaving his perch of clouds and warm sunlight though. For his earth friends, he would do anything. Even give up what most air-based dragons adored: Lying in the sunlight on a thick bed of clouds, far above the land.

He’d allowed sleep to be chased away, though. Opening his deep yellow eyes, he squinted against the sun. It was especially bright so far up, and with no clouds above him, he was revealed entirely to the light. His pale golden-yellow scales flashed as he moved, shifting his feathers and folding his wings. Stretching his long legs, he flexed his claws, yawning widely. Turning his gaze up, he heard something swishing above. The lightly-toned pinkish scales of another air-based dragon flashed in the light, dazzling his eyes, and Soloi had to look away, squinting until the dragon came to a gentle landing near him. They caught gazes for a moment, and as Soloi watched, the second dragon folded its wings, revealing a much smaller one. it didn’t have its wings yet, just two small raised areas on its thin, unscaled, light pink skin where they would eventually show up.

The baby dragon opened its mouth and let out a faint, hissing call, leaping onto the cloudy bed and losing its balance. The mother gave a dragon-ish smile, showing some of her teeth, as the young one clambered about Soloi’s legs. Air dragons themselves were very social amongst one another, never finding the desire to fight over territory, as their territory was constantly on the move. Living in groups most of the time, even dragons considered strangers would be hailed as familiars. Soloi bent down, letting the young hatchling sniff him, snapping tiny, sharp teeth at his hair and furry ears. The mother shook her head, moving to pick up the little one by the mane of feathers along its neck, nodding once to Soloi, who returned it before she started along the narrow bridge of cloud that had formed to lead to another, larger patch.

The clouds below him had started to fade away. His paws were sinking a bit, and as the clouds became mist, Soloi spread his wings and glided to the expanse of green grass below. He’d been with his dear earth dragon friend earlier that day, and had to wonder where she’d gotten to. Folding his wings, he started off toward the forest nearby, where he was sure she’d gotten to.

Dark green and yellow flashed forward quickly before passing through trees. Vivin's bright colors painted on her tough,scaly skin provides a perfect camouflage in her forest. His legs were tall, and the dragon's body was long and thin. No wings stretched out from her back, as Vivin was an Earth dragon. But in exchange, Vivin could probably beat any dragon with wings in a ground race. The young female continued on, her lope and easy ground eating stride.

Her broad bracelets gave off a musical tingle as she lifted her foot, causing the dragon to lift her leg and admire the handiwork of the bronze items. Her jewelry didn't help when hunting, but there was no way Vivin was letting them go. Since no one was around, she allowed herself a mothering purr, rubbing the items against her cheek. She dropped her leg, and continued on quietly.

In a small clearing Vivin had made a whole nest for herself. There was a dig dug into the ground, filled with the stripped cork from the hollowed out trees Vivin had made, and dried pine leaves. She shifted, scratching her ear, the tiny silver rings on it flashing as the sun shone in her clearing. She straightened, standing on her back legs to peer into one of the stumps she dug out for a cache. As the item inside sparkled, Vivin nodded, sure no squirrels or ravens had found her items yet.

Before she could lay down for her daily nap, the tufts of fur on her head, and trailing down her spine ruffled, the air disturbed by another dragon. She once again lifted herself up, staring through her clearing, her long ears perked upwards. Soon, it became evident that the dragon was Soloi, and Vivin felt the tension ease from her body. She was young, and had taken this small forest when she had found it unclaimed. Shed never fought for territory, but it boiled in her blood whenever another dragon came near. It was very possible that the only reason she hadn't was because no other dragons had wanted her forest. It was small, but if Vivin needed more territory when the time came, shed push south, into the plains, and attempt to gain more.

Her thoughts returned to Soloi, and Vivin dropped, sliding through the trees so quickly, the deer the came upon didn't even have time to run. Paying them no.mind, the earth dragon burst from her trees, jogging away Soloi happily as a way of greeting.

Soloi had seen a glint of bright yellow-green between the treetops as he’d glided down to the open area. Vivin was a very speedy earth dragon, she could easily outrun many flying dragons. Though her weakness was anything that shined in the sunlight. Soloi smiled, showing his teeth, in form of silent greeting while they were still too far away to hear one another. Picking up the pace, Soloi ran to meet her halfway. “I hope I didn’t bother you.” He said as they closed the gap. “My sleeping place dissolved from under me and I saw your forest.” Looking down, he caught the glint of bronze circling Vivin’s wrist. “Oh my, I’ve not seen that before.” He bent down, nosing the items. “Have you... found them recently?”

She was a good friend, Vivin. She was, in reality, Soloi’s only friend. Indeed he could have more, but he didn’t like the prospect of knowing so many dragons at once. Especially air dragons, who were much too self-centered and narcissistic for his liking. Vivin didn’t have that state of mind, save for her love of shiny objects. She reminded him of a small animal because of that.

Vivin gave him the dragon parody of a grin in return. Her quickly moving sides were the only tell ale sign of her.sprint through the words, since her words were nice and even. "Never a bother, Soloi. Its always nice to see you." As the dragon mentioned the clouds, Vivin glanced upwards, her ears flipping down for a quick second. She.didn't like the idea of being so far up, though once shed attempted to walk on some fog after hearing how her friend could prance on clouds. Naturally, it hadn't worked, and Vivin didn't like the idea much either. She would prefer nice firm diet under her claws than something that would.move and dissolve away.

As her bracelets were admired, the dragon sat, much like a dog, her tail curling around her body slowly. She lifted her foreleg, allowing the other dragon to nose it. "Yes...it's mine." Vivin stated. She knew Soloi wouldn't even try to take her items, but she liked to reiterate. She was very territorial, like most of the Earth dragons. It didn't matter if it was her land, her kill, of her items. No one could have them.

"I...found a lot today." She turned her head away sheepishly, then changed the subject quickly. "How are things in the clouds?"

Soloi mirrored his friend, sitting and bringing his wings up and around him as a protective shell. His dear friend was always ‘finding’ things, he was sure her nest was more than filled with her collections. He’d tried sleeping under the trees before, surrounded by ancient trunks and the rustling of leaves. But he didn’t like it, the noise was too uneven and changed far too easily. The ground was much too hard to find a comfortable position to sleep through the night.

“The clouds?” Soloi looked up. “They’re the same as they always are, as is the sky. You should really see the world from that height, Vivin, it’s so different. I know a cliffside that’s shrouded in clouds every day, maybe you’d like to take a look? It’s got an amazing view of a wide open valley, perfect for running and racing. Sometimes rich merchants use the path that runs through it, they tend to have... gold and silver jewelry.” He turned his gaze away from Vivin, not letting her see his expression. He knew her well, how much she loved jewelry of gold, silver, and bronze.

The ground dragon had crouched slightly, not liking the idea of even trying to see the clouds. She hissed slightly, then the it it off and lifted her head up, cutting her expulsion of air off. The valley did sound pretty, and the promise of more jewelry caught her attention. Her flatten ears perked up, and the dragon fiddled with a bracelet. She lifted her yellow eyes, viewing her forest. What if she returned and another dragon had noted her absence, and took over her land? Then again, her forest was rather small for a growing dragon.

"Are their many dragons there?" She questioned slowly, lifted a foresaw, and scaling her dew claw over her her horn gently.

Soloi let out a small laugh, that sounded a bit more like a soft growl and loud purr. “You should rest assured, dragons rarely go there. Most air dragons prefer to stay on the clouds and up much higher than the valley, and others haven’t found it yet.” Soloi nodded, twitching his ears at the breeze that had wafted through the brightly-grassed area. “There’s an easily-dipped pathway made from nature, easy to access the valley. And its got a beautiful forest ringing it, and the pathway out of the valley is so small only some humans and their carts of goods can get by between the high hills. Wildlife small and large, rabbits and squirrels, deer and birds, rest in this place as well. Not to mention a lovely, clear lake, filled with fish and precious gems humans don’t know about. I’ve seen them, though, and couldn’t wait to tell you about it.”

Soloi looked up at the clouds. The light pink dragon and her hatchling were resting on the edge of the patch of clouds as they drifted over the forest.

The young dragon's tail twitched, and her eyes swirled as shiny emerald, rubies, pearls, and millions of other trinkets passed through Vivin's mind. Her scaly hide also twitched and shuddered in anticipation. Lost in her thoughts, Vivin was sulfides when she glanced over, following Soloi's gaze upwards. Spotting the hatchling and her mother, Vivin cocked her head, returning her yellow eyes to Soloi. "Who are they?" She questioned absentmindedly.

More eager than a moment ago, it seemed like the female couldn't keep still. She shifted her weight for one foreleg to the other. Finally, she stood, walking circles around her friend. "Alright...yes...I would love to see this place. You will guide me, right? About how long will it take to reach this valley with its fog and cliffs?"

Soloi concealed a smile by turning his head. He knew the prospect of free-lying gems of every sort would draw Vivin into the idea and warm her up to it. He twitched and glanced up again. “Oh, a friend.” He said. “A friend and her little one.” He nodded as they drifted out of sight in the sunlight. “Don’t worry, Vivin, this place isn’t far, and it’s easy to access. Most dragons just don’t seem to care to go.” He stood, stretching like a cat. “And you’re a very fast runner, so it won’t take long at all.”

He adjusted his wings. “It’s not too long a fly or run from here, to the south.” He said. “I’ll lead the way to the easiest access point!” He lifted himself, making the grass shudder in the wind his wings created. They were a bit larger than other air dragons, letting him take swift swoops through the air and be a bit faster than others.

It seemed like the perfect territory, so Vivin had no idea why other dragons wouldn't wish it. Her eagerness, however, kept her jaws closed. Her ears flickering, the slim dragon pranced in place, until Soloi was airborne. Once he was, she began southward, knowing Soloi would easily over take her and guide her in the right direction.

Once in the air, Soloi felt immediately back in his element. The air rushing through his hair, whistling past his feathers, felt like freedom, and he never got bored of it. He certainly felt bad for Vivin, trapped on the ground with no wings to let her feel what other air dragons could. To glide and manipulate the clouds was something he would never tire of. Glancing down, he found Vivin gliding effortlessly over the grass beneath him, and took the lead to show her the right way. No river or crevice would hinder her ground-based flight, and already they were near a small mountain range. The peaks jutted up, into the sky, shrouded in clouds.

Vivin had been thinking along the same lines, though she was pitying Soloi. Flying above her, even as low as he was, there was no way Soloi could catch the sight of every animal fleeing from Vivin. There was a wild boar, hurled under some brush, who squealed and burrowed his head under another bush. Vivin could smell various other animals who weren't even there now...a wolf pack who'd marked in this area that night, a peahen who'd hidden in a small ground nest there. It was all fascinating, full of life and warm.

Her lope was so effortless she hadn't even had to think about where she was stepping. It was all instinct, though eventually Vivin finally brought herself down from her figurative clouds, slowing her stride just a tad. They had reached a mountain chain, though it wasn't as big as some Vivin had seen, she still couldn't see the tips, swirling clouds hiding their shapes. Vivin slowed until she was stopped, craning her.neck upwards to view her friend. "Soloi? Are we going over this or can I go around?" In all honesty, Vivin wasn't looking forward to the heights she would have to face if she was to climb.

Soloi was low enough that he could hear Vivin when she called to him. Slowing himself, he let his open wings glide him to the ground a bit in front of Vivin. “Well of course you have to climb! Like I said, Vivin, there’s only two paths in or out, and it’s only large enough for humans and their carriages to pass through.” He stepped forward, toward the ring of mountains, as the ground turned from flat grasslands to harder stone and packed dirt. “You don’t have to worry, though, you’ll not have to go high if you don’t want. I know a few paths that lead into the valley below the highest viewpoint peak if you prefer going that way.” He stepped forward, folding his wings. “I’ll walk along with you, the paths aren’t as visible from the sky”

He stepped forward, glancing back to Vivin. The paths were quiet, shaded, and would conceal their presence and movement with vines and brush. She should feel more at home there, before reaching the valley.

The female fiddled with her bracelet as Soloi made his quick decent. Once he'd landed and spoken, she nodded. "Very well...since it's not....too high." Vivin moved away, lightly perching on a rock. Her long neck craned upwards in an effort to view the top of the mountain. She was too close, however, and could only hope Soloi could understand she didn't view the world as he did. She simply trusted in her friend. After all, Soloi wasn't as stuck up as other dragons.

She was grateful Soloi would be walking with her, however. It would be nice to be guided along the unfamiliar trails. She offered the other dragon a gaping smile. "Lead on."

Soloi did as requested, and led on. He ducked sometimes to avoid the trees that became smaller and scarcer as they approached the foot of the nearest mountain, starting up a nature-made pathway that would wrap around this, the smallest mountain of the ring. He often got his hair caught in the lower branches of various vines or small, stunted trees that managed to find hold on the rocky areas. “Every time I pass this valley,” Soloi said as they walked along, “I’m filled with a sense of calmness. I thought it’d be the perfect place for you to see.”

The path widened out, the vines and brush thinning as it leveled out a bit. It would move along halfway, then they would come to a cave that led through the rest of the mountain itself and come out onto a ledge that had a gentle drop into the valley. Soloi told Vivin as he fell in step beside her.

Vivin followed her friend quickly. She remained silent for a while, though when Soloi spoke she agreed. "Its strange, but I understand what you mean." Unlike the air dragon, Vivin was used to moving through the forest, and her hair rarely got caught in the trees, and her large form seemed almost to slip between branches blocking the path with ease.

When Soloi continued, walking beside her now, Vivin nodded. It was something she had picked up from the humans, watching how they interacted together. "Alright. This place wasn't far at all...so far it is beautiful. You were right." Vivin praised him once he had finished speaking.

Soloi shook his head. Like other air dragons, he enjoyed being praised or complimented, but didn’t let it go to his head. The path turned left, edging away from the open air to their right, and a wide cavern loomed ahead. “Here we are, almost there.” Soloi said. He started inside, glancing back for Vivin. Having flown so much during the night, when the sky was black with no moon or stars, his eyes had grown used to darkness. He stuck close to the wall to his right, though, letting it brush against his wing and show him where to go.

It didn’t turn much, but when it did, it went from the left to the right, then straightened out a bit. The exit was a bit smaller than the entrance, covered by plantlife, flowers that grew on vines and along the ground. “Almost there.” He said again. “Thought you would like taking this route.”

Vivin blinked and squinted into the darkness. Her eyes were made more to see movement rather than color, and the dark interior seemed oppressive. She followed Soloi without a word however. She could hear Soloi's feathers brushing against the wall and quickly lifted her tail, sliding it as she moved.

Seeing the entrance, Vivin cooed softly, enjoying the view. It was already beautiful, and she hadn't even see everything else yet! Excitement made her prance in place, not wanting to be rude and push past Soloi in the tight entrance.

Soloi glanced back. He was being a bit mean not letting her go through, or walking faster to let her get out of the cave sooner. But he picked up the pace, moving in a trot as they breached the exit of the cave, moving aside so Vivin could have room to come out. “Here we are.” He said.

The sky was clear, clouds to the right coming through the mountain tops. A small, tan trail wove through the bright, grassy valley, vanishing far ahead of them, into the small wooded area. The lake was to the left, which Soloi knew she would be interested in. “You’ll be able to get down from here.” He noted, indicating the easily-sloping hill from where they stood. Getting up will be just as easy. Go on and take a look.”

As Soloi sped up, Vivin matched his pace, revelling in the warm air once they broke out. The view that met her bright yellow eyes was amazing. As her friend urged, she bounded up the slope, her fear of heights forgotten. Once she had gone up a ways, she moved out to an overlooking ledge, staring down at the valley.

It was hers now. From the vivid green trees to the shimmering water. The clouds parted perfectfully, casting golden rays on everything. Even the rocks glinted in the light.

Soloi breathed in deeply. He loved the scent of undisturbed land almost as much as he loved to fly. Opening his wings, he let himself glide down into the valley. “Come on, Vivin, this place has waited for you long enough!” He called back as his claws graced the grass. Setting himself down, he looked around. The smell of fresh water hung in the air, mixed with that of sweet grass and wildlife. Looking carefully, he could see deer moving just inside the woods, and the grass rustled with the movement of rabbits, squirrels, and buzzing insects. This ground was much softer for its wide-bladed grass, undisturbed by humans and their cargo carriages. He let himself lie down, spreading his wings to catch the sun’s beaming rays.

Spotting her friend from her perch, and hearing him call out to her, Vivin spun around, darting down the path. She moved quickly, not stopping to explore of smell various interesting things. She would have centuries for that.

She caught up to the air dragon basking. With a sigh, she sunk into the grass, a few feet away from his spread wings. Much like a cat, she stretched out her body. "You were right...its amazing...and I've yetbto see it all..."

Soloi grinned at his friend. “I’m glad you like it.” He said. “I’ve been through the place, and its amazing. In the woods you can find a large bed of white flowers, and I’ve been down under the water to see what there could be. Much to find.” He turned over, flipping onto his back and over again to his feet. “So much to find here, and not much human or dragon interference.” He glanced toward his friend. “Earth dragons probably don’t know about this place. You could always have this entire place, all to yourself.” He went to the water. Beneath the crystal surface, fish flitted about and gems glimmered when the sun made it to them. “I could always grab your things and relocate them here in an instant.”

Vivin watched the male dragon move around and listened. Once he was done speaking she took her turn. "I brought the most important jewelry. Plus the things here will make my old things pale in comparison." She offered an opened mouthed grin. "I hope."

"I'm glad. No other dragon will be taking what's mine. Ans humans are great fun, but their towns are too loud." Vivin hopped up, moving next to the air dragon. She swiped her paw playfully at the fish, with no real interest in catching them. "How long have you know about this place Soloi?"

“Oh dear, so you would leave your other things there for this place?” Soloi concentrated on Vivin for a moment. She loved her things, collected over the years from random carriages, given to her by humans, found, sometimes given to her by Soloi, when he came across them. “It’s your decision, Vivin.”

He studied the water for a while. “Well... I’ve known about it for a while. But you know, I wanted to tell you about it sooner. I had to watch the place for a while. Some air dragons like claiming portions of the land as theirs, and a fire dragon would probably find it easy to hunt here before going back to their own, warmer homes. And humans, while interesting and nice enough, are rather dirty and clingy, and I wanted to see how many passed through on a daily basis. Not many, I assure you, only one or two carriages a day, if at all. Until that was determined, I didn’t want to raise your hopes of a new place to explore, or call home and find new gems and trinkets.” He looked up from the water and back to Vivin. He didn’t often keep things from her, but he considered this valley and wooded area, ringed by mountains to hide it, a surprise he couldn’t give away so soon.