The evening was quiet, and the creatures of the night were beginning to come out in force. Owls hooted, bats squeaked, and other four legged creatures were out on the prowl. 

She liked Laeto Forest. She liked the wildness of it, and many of the natives were nice. They liked her music, and she enjoyed playing for them. When she played, they gave her food, and pretty things they had found. It was an interesting little form of bartering, but when she was on her own, the liked to look after her. 

She was sitting out by her campfire, cooking some food that the natives had left for her, her long dark hair framing her face as she leaned over stirring the small pot out in front of the tent she was using for shelter for the time being. It was tough being without her Vardo, but Justice had asked to have some privacy with Holly for a time, and she wanted to honor her brother's request. It was a good idea for her to be finding a place to call home herself anyways. She just wasn't sure where that would be yet. She was currently on her way back to Sularia, going back from Adeluna; a trip she took frequently, though often time it was with her brother. 

She paused and looked up as she heard movement in the nearby bushes. 

"Hello?"

 Marthaen was in his "tiny" form. It was easier to move around at this much smaller size in the dense undergrowth of the forest and his human form left him with scratches and bug bites. His ruby scales were unaffected by any of those problems and being human was such a pain in so many other ways. In a sing-song voice he muttered, "feed me! Empty me! Don't put me in the fire! Stupid body." He wouldn't have used it all if it wasn't for the response his dragon self engendered from most beings, both human and animal were almost always on the defensive when they saw his true form, especially at full size. The reactions ranged from screaming in terror to poking him with pointy things neither of which he found appealing. The screaming hurt his ears, the pointy things could hurt his body if poked in the right place and both hurt his feelings. Marthaen's existence was a lonely one. At only three years old and yet fully grown, even other dragons tended to look at him like some kind of freak. Which, in truth, he guessed he was. There was virtually nothing about him that could be considered "normal" and though he often longed to be accepted he had for the most part given up hope of that ever happening. But even with all that he still enjoyed being around people when they didn't realize what he was. They were interesting and chased away the loneliness even if only for a short while.

Today was a day like most others. He was out exploring, one of his favorite ways to pass the time, and he'd never seen anything like this place. There was life everywhere and much of it quite different than the mountains he'd been in before. There were also some tasty animals though most were too small to be worth the trouble still… he enjoyed trying new things and there were enough bear and deer here to keep him well fed. No sheep unfortunately but he made do with what he had. He crossed one of the streams that seemed to be everywhere in this place and snapped up a few fish which he found delightful. That's when he smelled the smoke and the odor of cooked food. He personally found cooking to be a waste of time and perfectly good meat but a lot of people did it so he tried his best to get used to it. As he drew nearer he saw a small camp and a human female tending the fire. At least she looked like a human but her scent was… different. His interest piqued he decided to chance it and see what this one was like. Fortunately he remembered in time to say "human me" and "clothes" though he did forget to say clothes that fit and regretted that until he rectified the problem. Clothes were such a pain and when they were that tight that was the literal truth.

Hearing her greeting he stepped into the clearing and said softly, "Fair even'tide m'lady. It An tis my great pleasure to meet thee." He often spoke that way, especially upon first meeting someone. Language was one of the few things he was actually adept at, though he didn't really know why. Dressed in black and red and in an outfit not at all suited to the forest he remembered to bow and wondered if he should kiss her hand or something. He'd seen other males do this but wasn't sure when it was appropriate. So he decided to extend his hand instead. That seemed to work for almost every meeting.

Rizka straightened up as the well spoken young man stepped out of the brush and greeted her. He offered her his hand, as though he wasn't sure what other way he should introduce himself and Rizka regarded the hand carefully before she reached out and took it in her own fine boned hand lightly. She looked at him, his deep red eyes almost as strange as her own pearly eyes. A smile broke across her lips at his fancy words and she giggled softly. It was a musical tinkling sound that filled the surrounding air. 

"Very few people speak like that these days. It's refreshing," she said lightly as she withdrew her hand. "Do you have a name, my well spoken stranger?" she asked him pleasantly before she sat down upon a log that served as a seat, and tossed her long straight dark hair over her shoulder.  She reached over the fire and stirred her small pot again before she tossed in some herbs. 

"What brings someone like you to the wilds like this?" she asked. "If you don't mind me saying, you don't seem… well prepared for it," she said, regarding his rather fancy get up. 

Marthaen shook her hand carefully. It was so small and light that even in this form he feared he might break it. And then she giggled. This was a first for the young dragon though coupled with her smile he knew it to be laughter of some sort. He considered her carefully for a moment. Laughter, he'd learned, could mean a multitude of things, some of which were downright rude. But she seemed sincere and he relaxed as he realized she wasn't laughing in a mean spirited way but rather with genuine and friendly humor. He liked this noise and decided on the spot he liked her as well. It was a failing of his that he tended to like people immediately a failing that had hurt him on a few occasions…
He grinned happily when she called him well spoken. It beat the heck out of most peoples reaction to, well, pretty much everything about him. And he actually blushed, another first for him. It startled him and in a concerned tone he said, "I fear I have a problem m'Lady. It seems my face has become hot. Please be careful that I don't burst into flame and scorch you. I beg your pardon this has never happened to me before." He considered that possibility for only a moment. His mind still much like a child he tended to flit from one thought to another with no obvious rhyme or reason and he did so now as she asked his name.
"Oh! I am Marthaen. Ruby of the clan Kharendaen and I'm very pleased to meet you. You seem nice and aren't screaming or poking at me with pointy things. In sooth that happens to me o're much methinks. I'm not really sure why… but, *he shrugged* "I suppose it's normal for two-legged beings in general and humans in particular. I try not to let it bother me though I must admit it is hurtful. And I came here because I have never been here. I enjoy seeing new things whenever possible. This place is full of interesting and tasty things and new smells." Which brought him to, "You, for instance, are a new smell. One that I find interesting and oddly familiar. I'm not sure but you remind me of… *he thought for a moment before finishing with,* I'm sorry. I know I've smelled it before but I can't recall where. I guess I'll remember eventually and worry not, I'll aprise thee when it comes to mind." He looked genuinely concerned that she might think he was holding information back, a thing he considered very rude to do. Though truthfully there were times when he probably should have held his tongue. He didn't yet understand the concept of too honest and only barely knew what dishonesty meant.
He sighed as she commented about him being ill prepared but didn't realize she was talking about his outfit. "Indeed. It seems for as long as I remember I've never been well prepared for… pretty much anything. At last he finished with "I guess this is the part of conversing where I should comment on how you look." He thought for a moment, and without a hint of flattery he said, "Thou art beauteous as the moon rising full and bright, kissing the land gently with your pale light. And, as with her, you outshine your surroundings as she does the small stars who accompany her. Thine smile warms me as the first rays of the sun on a dew kissed spring morn. Certainly the Goddess has looked upon thee with pride in her creation."
He cocked his head curiously, and said with all seriousness, "Was that alright? Or should I continue to compliment you with things you must surely already know? I've always had trouble with conversation."
"Look! A frog! I love frogs." Proving that while his speech might be fine, his conversational skills were sadly lacking.

He was like a puppy almost, jumping into the conversation so fast and going from subject to subject so quick she barely had a chance to get words in edgewise. But she didn't mind. He just seemed eager to make a friend. His alarm at his face becoming flushed and the way he referred to humanoids as two-legged, and the mention of her screaming, running, or poking him with sharp things all suggested to her perhaps he was not as human as he had initially appeared. It also seemed that this blush was his first one since he back up quickly and appeared to be worried that he would burn her. It was sweet, just as sweet as his flowering comments about her appearance, comparing her to the radiant light of Parvpora and Canelux high above, though at current only the larger of the two sisters was currently visible in the sky. 

What surprised her most was that he claimed her scent was familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He would tell her promptly, and she hoped he would. His conversation suddenly ended when the appearance of a small green, sticky-toed, tree frog. Rizka looked at Marthaen, then at the tree frog before she giggled again. They were lucky that this was one of the non-toxic variety. With a glance at Marthaen, she leaned over and carefully ushered the little frog onto her palm, where it began to climb along her fingers contentedly. 

"Well, Marthaen, Ruby of the Kharadaen," she began "you've done just fine. Your compliments are sweet, thank you." She watched the frog for a moment before she looked back up at the young man. "I am afraid I am not familiar with your clan. While I am well traveled, I have lived an unfortunately sheltered life," she admitted. She continued playing with the frog, before the frog leaped from her finger tips and landed on Marthaen's vest. 

"Well, look at that," she smiled. "He likes you."

Marthaen made a happy little sound as the tiny frog jumped onto his vest. "Nature is amazing," he remarked absently. "Even in this tiny frog there is so much beauty and as much detail as me in my true form. And it shows no fear though we could injure or kill it without a thought. There is no fear, no anger, nothing but simple curiosity. Would that we all could live as simply." He sighed sadly, "But I fear that the larger and smarter a creature is the more harm it seems to cause. How is it that this tiny animal lives a life of peace while we suffer and cause suffering. We hate. We lust. We envy. If only everyone could see this frog and learn from it the world would be a much happier place, don't you think?" He continued to watch the frog with a look of wonderment. "So much beauty in such a small thing. Kind of like you. You're small and very beautiful. I wonder if things get uglier as they get larger. If so I must be one of the ugliest creatures in existence."

"My clan keeps to itself I'm afraid. Humans loathe and fear us I'm not really sure why. I don't remember ever doing anything to them. Well except that one time when I accidentally messed up one of their castles. It was then that Kharendaen made me go away and I awakened in my den, far away from here. I spent the first two years of my life with them and this past year without them. It seems so very long ago now. Sometimes when I think of them my chest hurts and my eyes leak, crying I think it's called. I asked a healer if they could give me something so that would stop happening but they said only time could truly heal me. I hope it doesn't take much longer." He continued to play with the frog and soon his countenance lightened once more as his new friend climbed curiously up and around him.

"I do not believe that size determines outward beauty. There are many in this world who might regard even this little guy as unappealing to the eye. What truly makes you beautiful is how you treat others and what you give to the world. If all you do is destroy and decieve, then and only then are you truly ugly. And for that matter… humans, and most other short lived races… they fear things that remind them of their own mortality, they fear things that could easily cause them harm, even if the intent is not there. There are those individuals who learn to see past that fear, but alas it is not all. So, even if you are large, and perhaps formidable in appearance, I truly doubt you are ugly at all. Dragons are some of the most majestic, if frightening creatures in this world. True dragons like yourself get a bad reputation for your less intelligent and more primal cousins such as drakes and wyverns," Rizka said as she collected the frog from his vest and released it back into the bushes from whence it had come. 

"It's more than just crying," Rizka said as she sat down on the log she had been using to cook and patted the spot beside her for Marthaen to join her. "It sounds to me, that what you long for is home. You miss them, the people who cared about you. Part of your soul wishes to return to those who care about you. That, or you long to have someone to care about you again, perhaps someone new," she said. "It isn't an uncommon feeling. All beings feel that at some point during their lives."

Marthaen sat beside her and considered what she said for a moment. "You are very wise for someone your size," forgetting yet again that in this form he was only slightly taller than her. "I hope I meet more people like you. But then you're not really people are you?" He leaned in close and sniffed her up and down once more and suddenly his face broke into beatific smile.
"Oh… oh! Oh yes; this is wonderful! You're like me! I've met only one other in this land and he was very grouchy about me being near his lair. Tried to bite me. Rude." He muttered crossly at the memory while standing and trotting several feet away. Then with no other warning he said softly, "Me." If he'd been thinking, an activity he was rarely accused of, he'd have said small me or tiny me but in his defense he was very excited. And where before had stood a fairly average looking human, save for his eyes, was Marthaen. Ruby scales aglow and a huge, if intimidating, smile on his face. At full size he was too large to fit into the open area the pair was in and several trees snapped off beside and behind him. He raised his snout to the air blowing flame and smoke to twice his normal height. People seemed to find that impressive and he wanted to make a good impression on his new friend. And with his tail actually waving back and forth, to the detriment of several more trees, he lowered his face to her and said, "Ok. Now you change. I can't wait to see what you look like." Having no idea, of course, that she didn't really know what he meant.

Rizka looked at Marthaen in surprise as he exclaimed that she smelled just like him. He got very excited. She didn't even get the chance to respond that she had no idea what he was talking about before he was standing up, walking away, and shifting into his much bigger form. She tumbled back in shock, not fear, as he was nearly so big to fill the entirety of the clearing. He was really quite magnificent with the fire light glinting off of the ruby scales. 

"Wow… Marthaen, you really are a magnificent creature," she smiled as she clambered back up to her feet and brushed the dirt from her skirts. "But I don't know what you are talking about. Me? A dragon?" she asked incredulously. "I really don't think so. And even if I was, I don't know how to shift," she said. "I've always been like this!"

Marthaen was nonplussed by her reaction. Though he couldn't help but smile proudly as she called him magnificent. He reached one giant paw to brush a bit of dust off his shoulder mostly just to show off for her. "I've always thought myself rather magnificent," he agreed; honest, as always, to a fault. "But smaller things always seem afraid of me. They've no need to be unless I'm hungry or accidentally step on them… but in my whole life that's only happened eight or nine times." He said the last as though it was a record to be proud of while still looking sad at the memory.

Finally realizing he was hurting trees every time he moved he murmured, "Tiny me." And was instantly down to a more manageable size of around 3 feet tall and nine feet long. He trotted back to her side, red eyes aglow, " I'm pretty sure I'm right," though his tone hinted at doubt, "I mean you smell like me and your eyes, "he gazed into her beautifully unique eyes for several moments. "You would know better than I but I've never seen a human with eyes anything like that. They are… wondrous to behold. And besides you smell. Like me I mean underneath the dust and clothing I can smell something else. "He nodded firmly, "Yes. I'm sure of it. But how could you not know? Why would your true form be hidden, even from you? What of your parents? You can ask them, they'll surely know."
Now Marthaen wasn't one for deception but a plan started to form in his mind. There was a mother bear and her cub nearby. Maybe…

He looked back up at her and said bluntly, "I enjoy being around you and think of you as a friend. If anything were to try to harm you, I would do my best to protect you. I wonder if you'd do the same for me?" He could sense the bears nearby and once again a plan niggled at the back of his mind.