A Calling.

*Some crazy ol' helian told me here was the place to put things =P *
[Thank you Sephiranoth, for writing the voice among other bits! You're the bestest!!! ^..^ ]

A Calling.

When one chooses to sleep in this world, they chose to do so for a long time, for in this world one never truly dies that final death. This is the nature of The Gift, or to this fierce blue beast beneath the mountain of Harton Valley, The Curse. Immortality does not come without its heavy cost that tax those gentle hearted ones. There was no plan to wake, only to drift in dreams of other worlds, greener pastures. He hoped that in this small way, he would be at peace and be able to rest like those he'd seen felled by the Withered Aegis. And there, in those greener fields he existed among thosedenizens enjoying the time spent.

Of course, nothing ever stays the way it is. If it did, the world would be a bore and to this blue dragon the world was never a bore despite a lot of his long ramblings atop his rock. Shadows always lurked and creatures always crept in the darkest of places. For those who didn't go looking for trouble, trouble always managed to find them. A voice whispered to him in his dreams, a familiar voice with the power to make his withered muscles fidget and send a wave of gold coins rolling down over the floor disturbing the peace of his chosen grave.
"Son of my mind."
The voice perused through the folds of his dreams, invading his peace. Though warm and familiar, there was an urge to push it aside and so the blue dragon rolled to his other side pushing coin aside for him to nestle in more comfortably. He rest his head on a soft gold coffer and rumbled in his sleep.


" I sleep, Voice. And you are but a dream's ghost..."

The voice however, could not let him be. Not now, and the beast turned and twist in his sleep.


" ElderSonElderSonElderSonElderSonElderSon....."

The voice thought dismissed echoed and rolled in ears that... strangely... grew warm to the sound.

" Ye think ye Dream? Dreamer be ye? Then better not to wake...."

The voice sounded... amused?

" I SLEEP!"

The roar of the beast's voice was itself enough to shatter rock... and the cave shook. And shook and echoed and shookshookshookshook........

And a woken blue dragon stood on legs long folded... and to the roof its voice spoke loud...

" I. was. SLEEPING!"

And the blue dragon waited for the voice to reply... and all that came... was silence.

" Drulkar take... take... Perdition! Take... It never changes... never..." the blue dragon's voice trailed off to silence... for it realised it knew.. knew... IT KNEW SOMETHING! But it knew... not what it knew.
And he was up, disturbed from his slumber by the Voice. Again the desire to let himself crash into the coins and return to the deep sleep and fancy dreams weighed heavy on his shoulders, but he couldn't. He stumbled through the empty corridors stirring the ash on the floor the torches long burned out and forgotten, and headed toward entrance to his chosen grave. He had no need for the aid of light, he knew every step of the way by heart now, he dug them. The beast that slept beneath Harton Valley was curious of his awakening, for such things never just happen for happenings sake.

Rocks lie piled up at the entrance, and through the top a single ray of sun light pierced the barricade. A thick snarl shattered the silence until red slitted orbs were able to focus once more on the scene around them. Smells wafted across nostrils that had been dormant forever, though they seemed far keener than his eyes were. They'd not forgotten the smell of a Saris the blue dragon knew well. She'd been here, crept into the depths of his lair. Her scent was even about his hoard where he had slept, but only now did he recognize it.

"No respect for forgotten dragons," he grumbled, though the thought that he wasn't forgotten did warm his heart a touch.
Boulders moved as the Earth did, but they parted enough to let the dragon out of his grave. The sun did not play upon the dusty scales that covered old muscles, the dust of the cave had settled and molded to him. He knew this would take ages to clean, but it wasn't important now.

"Perhaps next time I'll just use bushes," the dragon rumbled looking back over the boulders, for this is the second time he has done this. The cool valley breeze rushed through the valley ruffling his wings and filling his lungs, a smell he'd forgotten. Dormant nostrils still far keener than his eyes, for they could smell the iron and nickle in the canyons to the north and the distant smell ofplatinum and mithril further to the east. Old eyes soon focused on the blurry valley and not a single structure was in sight.

His wings grew heavy so that the tips could touch the ground, "Seems it will still be peaceful on my mountain top." The blue dragon frowned and made his way to the top of the mountain.

The ancient and old blue dragon found a grassy outcropping to sit on near the peak of his mountain where it had always been. He gazed out over the dwarven wall, something he aided in building long long ago. Still, that voice nagged at the back of his mind. There was something familiar about it, and partly frightened. It would not leave him be.

" Why do ye sleep?"

The wind whistled in a voice... a Voice... an imagining? well, there were more winds than one...

" I DID sleep! I DID! Till.. till you woke me! You... YOU.... You...." Chioxin roared into the wind of his passage... and still trailed as he reached then end of his speaking and wondered to what he spoke... or if he spoke... mayhap he but dreamed he woke....

Another shudder gripped him and he peered off toward Mia's Edge, an old familiar home.

" Ye sleep, elder. Sleep yet some more... the Storm comes... but that is not thy task. The wind ye ride rides thee... but that is not thy task. Why do ye sleep, elder? ElderSonElderSonElderSon...."

Was this the voice he had arose to? Did he want to follow it? Before it would lead him into ruin, toiling in the night even keeping those closest to him up until the moon sank beneath the sea. He growled softly, " Sleep. Dream. Wake... Oh, I will find..." Chioxin paused.

" This I tell thee, Voice. I remember words, even if I know thee not. Not yet.... but those words... That which I was, I am not. Not yet... But that which is lost? Oh, I seek.... I seek... and I will find! For only half of me stirs. And something... someone... is missing." Immediately he dropped his wings, craning his neck about to peer between his shoulder blades. Emptiness gripped his soul for a short moment and he heaved a sigh.

"Elder Son!"


Chioxin leapt from the mountain and flew on, seeking. And a shadow raced beneath his wings....