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(Canterlot) Once Upon a Time (Closed)


Huscarl

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It was a summer afternoon, the pleasant, relenting sun beaming unto the barren road leading into Canterlot.  In a nearby tree, casting a shadow on the dirt road leading up to the great city, was a strange red creature. This red creature, otherly known as a dragon, resided in the tree, his feet crossed in a relaxed pose, as he yawned loudly. The dragon's name was Huscarl, an interesting teenager that had retained an odd outlook on life, despite his role as being a dragon, he acted benign... carefree almost, as a burlap sack, clearly his own, dangled beneath him from a branch. 

 

Clearly tired, Huscarl simply wanted to catch a quick power-nap before flying back to his retreat back in the mountains beside Canterlot, and if anypony was to bump into him, he knew they would tuck tail between their legs and run for the hills! Ponies knew how to fear dragons, and quite rightly, it would take a pony of some courage to even try to walk past him, let alone disturb him from his attempted sleep. He knew this, so it was more than acceptable for him to kick up his feet this close to the road. Feeling bored, and not tired enough to knock off to sleep, he began to whistle. An old pony tune, lost to time. No pony of this generation should rightly know... whistling it brought it comfort, as it reminded him of times gone by, happier, more innocent times, when he was ignorant to the harsh realities of being a Dragon.

 

Huscarl once again, repositioned, his long, clawed hands reaching behind his head, as tried to make himself more comfortable. Still whistling, he remained unaware of the world around him. 

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What exactly was he even doing here? Aranak wasn't sure where he was going, in the sense that he had no destination in mind, but that wasn't exactly unusual for him. After all, he wasn't on any jobs, and he hadn't heard of anything he would want to travel out to get. No, the dragon was flying simply because he wanted to today.

Even so, he had a frown as he flew through the air, trying to figure out what he could do in Canterlot. He supposed he could get some more gems, but that was just a possibility. He growled a bit in frustration, looking towards the ground to spot a bag hanging from a tree. He slowed and began hovering in place as he stared at the bag, eventually deciding he may as well see what was in the bag.

He lowered himself to the ground, standing to his full, impressive height before walking to the bag and opening it up, looking inside before he noticed the figure in the tree. Another dragon? Interesting. He looked back to the bag for a moment before giving a huff and rifling through the contents of the bag. If this dragon was going to be oblivious, there was no real reason to not at least look through the bag.

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Huscarl's sliver eyes opened, as he heard a rustling. Then they widened..... Somepony had the audacity to open his burlap sack and search through it! The absolutely unmitigated arrogance! How dare a pony?! He began to feel his blood boil, as he leapt down from the tree, promptly landing on his feet, as he brushed himself off of dirt and other muck as he looked at the vain thief. 

 

However, what Huscarl saw, almost shocked him till he was white. 

 

It was a Dragon. The first Huscarl had seen since his childhood. He gulped, an absolutely shocked expression protruding across his scaly face. He knew he had to shake it away though, as he quickly regained his composure, even attempting his best 'mean look' in order to (At least attempt to) intimidate him.  He decided the best character personality to give him was an aggressive one, as he stomped over to him angrily.

 

The contents of the bag was an assortment of library books all the way from Manehattan, comprising of a wide array of subjects, from agriculture to the examination of gems. Huscarl knew that this.... dragon was able to get a good look at his... recent 'borrowing' trip from the big city.  He wanted to return the books someday! He really did! You know how hard it is for a big scary dragon to get a library card is? Not easy at all! He just hoped this Dragon had left the contents of his bag undefiled. 

 

This dragon looked somewhat odd, not anything like he remembered from long, long ago. Huscarl felt even more strange actually having to look up to another creature for once, but still judged him from head to claws. He had eyes like rubies, and scales in a similar colour to tone to his own, as they gleamed in the reflection of the sun. Not withholding the black, he looked like was a long lost relation! His gold necklace and tattoos were tattle tale signs of what his personality was like though, so Huscarl guessed a forceful, yet diplomatic solution would ensure the best outcome for himself, and of course his haul. 

 

"I believe that's mine..." Huscarl finally spoke, as he looked up to the dragon, pointing to his bag. "If you'd be so kind as to return to me my property..." Huscarl asked slyly, as he awaited a reply.  

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Books, books, nothing but books! None of these books interested him in the slightest, so he left them be, looking at the other red dragon. Smaller than him, yet still trying to intimidate him. Aranak smirked a bit, giving a snort of laughter. Really, what did this dragon plan to do?

"Sure. Nothing in there that interests me anyways." He replied, tossing the bag to the smaller dragon. He was either stronger than he looked, really confident, or just stupid. He wasn't sure which yet. His gaze traveled over the dragon a bit, analyzing him. Might as well be civil for now, he wasn't in the mood to fight the dragon.

"My name is Aranak. What should I call you?" He asked, looking down at the dragon with a smirk that said the intimidation wasn't working in the slightest.

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"Aranak eh?" Huscarl replied "Sounds like you have a proud history with a name like that..." Huscarl looked into the sack, ensuring that the contents remained undamaged. "You can call me Huscarl, what do I owe the pleasure, Aranak?" He happily responded, taking a small bow, his wings extended elegantly as he does so. Still wary, he had reclaimed his prize back into his possession, and was in a much more comfortable demeanour forthwith.

 

Still, Aranak was bigger than him. 

 

"What brings you along this road, leading into a pony city, nonetheless!" Huscarl smiled, as he pointed towards Canterlot with one of his claws. 

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Well, things took a little turn there. Thankfully that turn was for the better as it became much more friendly between the two of them. Aranak crossed his arms and smiled a bit at the other dragon's words and bowing. He gave a nod at the name provided.

"Huscarl... Alright then. Sounds like a nice name. As for why I'm here, I was just out on a flight to nowhere in particular, and found myself heading towards Canterlot for some reason." The large dragon responded, watching the smaller dragon closely.

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"Well, I was also headed that way, I've been flying for quite some time!" Huscarl replied, swinging the burlap sack over his shoulder. "I'd like to drop off the contents of this bag back at my home, I live a little way out from Canterlot, would you mind accompanying me?" Huscarl was wary, but was more than happy to allow this dragon to follow him home, perhaps it was fate that allowed the two to meet... You never know, having an extra pair of wings around could always be useful!

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Aranak gave a hum as he looked at the smaller dragon. Really? He was just going to lead a stranger back to his home? Whatever, it's not like he cared that much.

"Sure, let's go then." He said, waiting for Huscarl to set out so he could follow after.

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"I love to sing-a. About a moon-a and a Lune-a and a spring-a. I love to sing-a!"

The funny pony song she had picked up from a traveling ground one - somewhere back near the winding river she'd stopped along for a rest, but before the beautiful woods where she had spent nearly a week twisting and weaving and chasing rabbits - had remained firmly stamped in her ever since the encounter, and the white dragon continued humming it rather blithely as she coiled around a particularly grumpy looking tree, limbs all akimbo as if it were trying to reach out and grab passing dragons straight from the air. She'd heard stories, of course, of certain woods where the trees would do exactly that - grab ponies and drag them into the abyss, where they were never heard from again.

But then, the old zebras had had tons of stories and legends to tell, and her mother had always reassured her that they were not true.

Right?

Still, the trees along this road didn't look all that dangerous, and Yuri nimbly dove underneath one outstretching branch and straight up around another with only a slight rustling of wind, her lengthened body following along the path set by her head. Equestria's air felt mighty nice, blowing through her hair, and Yuri couldn't help closing her eyes for a moment, simply enjoying the fact that she was exploring one of the greatest countries known to zebra kind, and didn't even mind all that much when she smacked straight into a cliffside.

Okay, she minded a little much. But just a little.

"Yowch! That is the smarts!" the herbalist yelped, her body coiling up like a length of rope as she rubbed one claw against her now throbbing snout. Dragon scales were durable and resistant to nearly everything, of course, but a face-on collision still hurt. Yuri shook her head wildly for a moment, took time to wave down at one of the pointy-headed ponies gawping up at her, and continued on her way, carefully following the bend in the road instead of avoiding it.

In her defense though, the bends seem to be getting more numerous in appearance. Did that mean she was getting close to the mountaintop? She'd heard from Neera the Minstrel, clever pony she was, that the royal city of Equestria lay at the top of this mountain - or near enough - and what better way to learn about Equestria and its fascinating hooved citizens than entering the royal city? She'd learned more about zebras during her short time in Mti Nguvu than Amani after all, and from everything she'd heard, this royal Equestrian City served a similar purpose.

Which, in turn, gave her all the incentive needed.

But just as Yuri was about to loose herself in thoughts of studying and learning and trying out a pony's version of a dumpling, a massive bulk of red was suddenly in front of her after rounding a corner.

As before, Yuri abruptly coiled to a stop, ending up floating in air as her eyes widened. It wasn't a bulk of red after all, but instead, two more manageable blobs of red. Both of which had quickly revealed themselves to be dragons! Yuri felt a spike of excitement course through her as she slowly drifted her way forward, weaving around in circles above the other two dragons, for surely that was what they had to be. In her short travel through Equestria, Yuri had yet to actually meet one of their dragons - but she had heard about them from the zebra elders. Larger than one of the ponies, wings that stretched without the burden of scales, horns - similar yet not to the ones that adorned her own head - that trailed down along their backs rather than a fine coating of hair -

They had to be dragons!

Yuri looped herself around one branch to settle her front legs, leaving her hind legs draped across a branch further removed as he bent her head down lower, catching the tail end of their conversation even as her face lit up with glee. The smaller dragon was inviting them to his home! Equestria was surely the most generous and friendly of all countries, to so easily invite traveling dragons along. Without any hesitation, Yuri slithered down from her perch to land neatly next to the larger red dragon, midsection hunched upwards to accommodate her long body. A large smile threatened to split her face in two as she looked expectantly at the smaller dragon, waiting for him to lead her and his friend home.

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Huscarl was absolutely speechless, and also blushing. He hadn't of seen another Dragon in so many, many, many years and now he was not only faced with a larger, more ferocious looking Dragon, but rather a female! As she so slyly slithered with an attentive smile, almost as if a snake from her incognito position to greet Huscarl like an old friend, not withholding the fact that they had never met before.

 

Huscarl thanked the lord that he was red, as his blood rushed to his head faster than it had ever done before. Did she expect to be taken back to his lair? He had barely met Aranak, let alone this new dragon. Even then, this dragon didn't even have a set of wings? What is this madness?! He simply relaxed in anticipation for a nap in a tree near Canterlot, and next thing he new he was being interrogated by dragon, soon to be accompanied by yet another!

 

"I... Uh...." Huscarl stuttered, as he saw the new Dragon appear, a innocent looking, slender dragon, What was unlike anything Huscarl had seen before. "A.... what might... uh, be your name?" He asked, feeling completely out of place even asking. One dragon being invited to his one was one thing, but  considering inviting this other dragon? A species he had never seen in person before? He really was having an odd day. "It's.. a pleasure to meet you?" He asked, holding his claw out, in greeting as it shook unnaturally in nervousness. "I was just.... heading back to my..." He stopped himself. He had never allowed another dragon into his lair, other than one pony in the past of course, but that was ancient history. He stared, consumed with curiosity with this odd dragon.

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Aranak glanced up at the dragon flying around up there, though it looked more like a snake with arms and legs. Interesting. Soon enough, it came down beside him, and he finally saw it was a female, one looking very expectantly at Huscarl. The larger dragon snorted at Huscarl's reaction as he stuttered out words and partially finished sentences.

"Yes, who are you?" Aranak asked simply, looking at the female. "For that matter, what kind of dragon are you?"

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Yuri's tail flicked idly through the air, sometimes twisting into loose loops as it was wont to do, as her smile took on a pleased edge. She had never met any other dragons aside from her parents - they had moved out of the overpopulated areas for a reason, after all! - but she'd heard from the elders that some dragons were…well. Not that smart. Then again, other elders rebuffed them, claiming that dragons tended to be much more intelligent and wise than the average pony.

Well. As long as she could communicate with them, that was all that mattered, Yuri thought firmly.

A thought which she quickly backpedaled on when the smaller red dragon in front of her suddenly proffered out one of his claws, holding it outwards in a most curious manner - sideways, as if he was waiting for a gem to come wafting down the breeze and into his hold. The red dragon's voice trailed off, and while Yuri would have normally introduced herself in an immediate fashion with much aplomb, he seemed to be waiting for her to react in some manner. Yuri let her long neck bob up and down slightly as she slowly slithered a bit closer to the other dragon, before eventually settling on reaching outwards to give the male a quick and harmless bop! on his outstretched claw with her own. Satisfied, Yuri turned back around as the larger red male spoke up, asking her much the same question.

Friends. Friends everywhere!

"I'm Yuri!" she announced happily, hobbling forward to get closer to the other red male. "That's Yoo-ree, with an i," she felt compelled to explain, considering Neera had pronounced her name very peculiarly. Though, the red male didn't stop there, causing Yuri to frown a bit in confusion. "I'm…mmm, I'm a white dragon?" she hazarded, this time not stopping the instinctive reaction of her body to lift off up the ground, thoughtfully twining back and forth until her body traveled in some sort of infinity shape.

"We're from the east," Yuri continued to explain, though her voice trailed off consideringly, more speaking to herself than the two other dragons now. Of course she had learned that dragons looked different from one another - she certainly didn't have those large wings herself, and their bodies were so…bulky, in comparison to herself. How in Unyasi did they fly? - but she hadn't stopped to think that there were dragon kinds. Zebras all had one kind, just as ponies had one kind…maybe?

…Well, what did it matter? Yuri mentally shook herself out of her thoughts as she wafted back towards the smaller red male, though she remained in the air expectantly. "Yes, I overheard your plans," she admitted shamelessly, large smile once again on her face as she circled around in once, "let us visit your dwelling!" This would be perfect - maybe this dragon's dwelling would give her some idea how to shape her own den, once a suitable one was found! Living amongst the treetops and forest burrows was fine enough for her travels, but a dragon sometimes just needed a place to settle down, gather some herbs, and curl up on a nice pile of gems.

With plenty of opals, yes please.
 

 

 

[[ OOC: She's pronouncing her name Yoo-ree with a slight tongue roll on the r, as opposed to the western pronunciation Yer-ee. ]]

 

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Drawing his claw back in confusion, Huscarl remained fascinated at this dragon. Coiling, uncoiling and constantly moving like a hyperactive foal. He thought to himself, searching his memory adamantly in order to find the answer.... an Eastern Dragon? Huscarl believed that Dragons only inhabited the plains of Equestria, but no books he read have ever hinted to a dragon retaining an interesting snake-like body such as this. Also intriguing, was the fact that she had a mane that trailed down her spine, replacing the alloy orange spikes on his own back...

 

This was an interesting turn of events, especially considering they were on the path leading to the capital of Equestria of all places! Huscarl needed to remain strong, One day he had seen no dragons for countless years, and now he had seen two! Since he had offered the visit to his dwelling to Aranak, he decided it only fair to invite... You-Rae with him? Besides, in comparison with Aranak she seemed benign and elated to even be standing? No, levitating in our presence!

 

"So... You-Rae?" Huscarl attempted to pronounce, but failing. "I suppose it'd be fair to allow you... to levitate with us?" Huscarl struggled to find the words, as his large, orange tinted wings extended, and began to flap furiously as he ascended from the ground, burlap sack in claw.

 

"I live just a way over there!" Huscarl calls, as he points beyond Canterlot, to some nearby mountains. "Should only be a 5 minute flight, if you can keep up!" Huscarl pondered, inviting a larger dragon that he had just met to his home might be construed as the 'sheep inviting the wolf to dinner' but he'd be able to outfox him. Huscarl was always able to outsmart ponies, so doing it to a dragon should be just as easy... right?

 

Regardless, when at home, he'd search through his vast collection of books to find something on 'Eastern Dragons'. He was sure they'd at least be something on them there....

 

It's going to be one of THOSE days...

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Aranak raised an eyebrow at Yuri's response to his second question. A white dragon? Ah, eastern, that made more sense. He gave a little nod, watching her float without need of wings. It was interesting, made him wonder what it would take to ground her. He looked away from the female as Huscarl lifted off, inviting Yuri along on the trip to his home.

"I suppose you'll be wanting my name now. My name is Aranak." He said, lifting off the ground as well as he flapped his wings. "I'm ready whenever you two are."

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Yuri hadn't really doubted the smaller dragon's agreeability to let her join the two male brothers, but she still clapped her claws together in a flurry of happy movement when he acquiesced. She would get to visit this male's dwelling and perhaps discover a good location to hunt for opals in the process.

"Yes, yes, I will levitate with you both!" the long dragon exclaimed, and had to twist away in wonder as two sets of powerful wings both opened up to lift the dragons off the ground. Yuri let out a small gasp as she quick regained her balance, circling around the smaller dragon against she studied the movement of their wings. Up down, up, then down, just like the feathered winged ponies. Did they need to wave their wings so every time they wished to take flight? Seemed awfully time and energy consuming, in her humble opinion…but well, they were clearly comfortable in using their large leathery wings.

Equestrian dragons were truly a mysterious bunch.

Still, their strangeness couldn't dampen her happiness as Yuri took off into the sky, flying alongside dragons for the first time since she had left her parents. Despite the slight buffeting of wind that came from the dragons' downward wing strokes, exhilaration swept through her body.

What was that saying of Neera's? Happy as an oyster?

"Greetings, Aranak!" Yuri called out once they were all airborne, falling behind the smaller red male to address the larger one's comment from before. Despite her head continuously pointing forwards, her long and lithe body unconsciously twist and twined into loose loops as she flew, dissimilar to the Equestrian dragons' bodies that flew straight and unwinding, not unlike birds. How strange.

"You and your brother are living very close to the royal capital of Equestria, are you not?" the eastern dragon questioned, this time flying closer to the smaller male even as she addressed Aranak. And she had figured it out, truly - the two were surely siblings, for their shared the same colors and same stature. Aranak, quieter and more stoic, was most likely the first born, while the smaller male she flew behind was undoubtedly the younger. From their short interaction, he seeded much more talkative and vivid, more affable.

Akin to comparing an eagle to a jay, she supposed. Or perhaps a ruby to a firestone!

 

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"Brother?" Huscarl asked, as he flapped his skin tight wings furiously. "You-Rae, I'm happy to introduce myself you, my name is Huscarl, many ponies know me s... simply as the travelling dragon" He felt even more out of place talking to her without the aide of Aranak's presence, especially considering when flying this close to her. The strange, intent smile laying claim to her face, above her slender, twirling body what convulsed in wind freely without care, flying as if natural from birth. A very odd sight conjuring an odd feeling for the shy, socially inept dragon."I have no blood relationship... to this... other dragon? If that is what you are asking, ma'am", Huscarl quickly retorted, before looking straight ahead. Sweat had started to accumulate on his face, it was quickly swept away by wind and was cleansed from his scaled brow. "I do however live very close to Canterlot.... yes..." He finishes, this time not having the confidence to look back towards her.

 

Why was she so inquisitive? He was inviting her to his homestead. What more could she want? This Eastern Dragon was a rare breed indeed, so curious...  "In fact" Huscarl added, now flying underneath the twirling dragon, looking upwards to her. "I've known him approximately 2 entire minutes more than I have known yourself!" He added, emphasis put upon a shocked demeanour. He was quick to twirl back around and try to recover a calm and serious personality (To the best of his ability... at least, was surprised he was even able say a sentence without stuttering). He was going to find out all about these Eastern Dragons, what made them tick, why they looked so... strange? It was an objective that he NEEDED to know, and looking forward, he was glad to see a possible answer within sight, as his lair seemed to be a short while away. 

 

He desired knowledge voraciously, and now that something has presented itself to him that he had no prior indication even existed, he was consumed with want. He desperately flapped his wings, the sooner he was home the better... Aranak on the other hand seemed much more nonchalant in his flight, as if he was just patrolling his own lair, stretching his wings in the morning in order to remain active. Was he planning something? Dragons could be very cunning... He of all dragons knew that, as he looked into his burlap sack again... Maybe there was a book in here what indicated what Eastern Dragons are? Or perhaps more information of dragons in general? That alone was a rarity to be found throughout libraries in Equestria.

 

"Look down, You can see ponies lining the streets..." He called out to both of the dragons flying with him, tilting his head down below as he led the curious party. From their position, they could see the streets of Canterlot filled with well to do ponies going about their lives. It bored Huscarl. Simple lives consumed by simple goals, all with such a puny lifespan in which to make your mark upon the world. Thankfully, the dragon party was high enough to look like large Pegasi travelling high in the sky, I'm sure some of the ponies living in Canterlot would keel over and faint the moment they see a group of 3, by no means small dragons flying above them.

 

 "My lair should be just around the next mountain!" he announced as he turned his head back to the two dragons. His lair was in almost in sight, he just hoped the two would be civil amongst his own claimed gem piles, and of course his most converted items, his books. Some books in his collection regarded completely lost to the mysteries of time if you was to ask any pony where they had gone...

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Brother? Hah! He didn't even think he had a brother, and he didn't care to find out either way anyways. He flew along in silence as Huscarl spoke, saying they weren't brothers. He looked at Yuri for a bit, giving a small hum as he watched her fly along. It was interesting, seeing how she flew like that without any sort of obvious way of keeping her up in the air. He looked back to where he was going though soon enough, deciding not to say where his home was.

 

Aranak still wasn't sure why this smaller dragon had decided it was a good idea to bring other dragons into his home, or anywhere near his hoard, for that matter. The larger dragon glanced down at the ponies on the streets of Canterlot before looking back up. He'd seen the city before, and ponies had never been all that interesting to him. They were just so insignificant, in his eyes. Sure, there had been a few that had proved themselves to be worthy of his respect, but he was still going to outlive them. He kinda wanted to fly lower, to give the insignificant ponies a little scare, but he decided against it. There was no point, really. The three of them probably looked like pegusi from where they were, though he wasn't so sure about how Yuri looked, as she had no wings and would probably look like a flying snake.

 

He gave a grunt in response to Huscarl's statement that they were close, looking at the smaller dragon for a moment before looking ahead again.

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Oh, so she had been mistaken. The revelation caused a slight frown to pass over Yuri's face, though it was quickly chased away by surprise as the smaller dragon - Huscarl, what a unique name - made it clear that he had only met Aranak two minutes earlier than herself.

How eerie!

Yet here they all were, flying towards Huscarl's home. A thoughtful hum left Yuri's lips as she twisted in the wind, her long body sailing back and forth almost like a flag or banner. Once again, Equestria had shown itself to be a very generous and friendly place, with red dragons inviting other red dragons and herself to his home after such a short acquaintanceship. It made her hopeful for her time in Equestria, seeing and hearing and learning things she would not have learned in Unyasi.

And already she was learning, Yuri thought as she bent her neck downwards, watching Huscarl look back up at her. Now with all their bodies stretched out, it seemed like Yuri that she, although much thinner and more lithe than the red dragon, was most likely longer in length from snout to tail tip than Huscarl - but shorter than Aranak. Mmm…did their size somehow indicate age, as she had initially guessed? Even if they were not blood siblings, it was still possible that Huscarl, being smaller in stature and length, was still younger than Aranak. Not necessarily a surprising thing, but more curious, as Huscarl was the one to be inviting them to his dwelling, after all.

Huscarl suddenly spoke up again however, breaking Yuri from her musings as she focused her vision past the dragon and onto the streets they were passing. Immediately, her eyes widened as she swooped down past Huscarl and closer to the gleaming towers they were passing, head swiveling back and forth to take in all the sights. As the red dragon had said, some ponies were looking upwards as they passed, causing Yuri to smile all the more widely. "Good greetings royal Equestrians," she called out, not entirely sure if any could hear her at this height, but she didn't really wish to be rude to the citizens of this new country, did she? "We are having a gathering beyond your beautiful city!" By which she meant to say they would be back to fly amongst the ponies afterwards, but the streets were quickly falling behind them as they lift off towards the mountains.

Oh, she just could not wait to explore this beautiful country!

And speaking of, the mountain Huscarl had spoken of was coming up fast, and Yuri weaved back up towards the smaller red male, overtaking him in a burst of excitement. "We are entering your lair now?" she asked as they rounded near the top of the mountain, pink eyes scanning the cliffside for a cave or opening. According to her parents, some dragons lay claim to entire regions and areas, not just a dwelling, so she should always be careful when entering another dragon's territory, even up in the sky. Was Huscarl one of them? Were they flying through his hoard at this very moment? Yuri could not be sure, but she hoped the red male would make it clear in due time.

 

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Huscarl's brow raised as Yuri called out the residents of Canterlot in greeting. She truly was an odd case... acting like a tourist in a foreign, far, far away place. She clearly didn't know the type of relationship that many ponies held with dragons in this land... Huscarl imagined if she was to try to walk up to Princess Celestia and try to give her a hug! "Yes... we're entering my lair... It's just a little farther" He replied, amused with her behaviour as he let out a slight giggle, but also glad that the ponies below couldn't hear...  Imagine if half of Canterlot was to enter his lair! If they could even climb the mountain to reach them.

 

Aranak on the other hand was much more stone faced. Huscarl was wary around him, but he assumed this dragon was heavy on honour and respect, like many dragons throughout Equestria (such as himself) praised. If he could show his worth to him, he would make a valuable companion indeed... imagine how many more books he could horde with such a larger dragon at his side! He could raid every library in Equestria with ease! He quickly composed himself and brought himself back into reality. His mountain was right in front of him...

 

The party continued their flight, as they began their accent high above the mountains around Canterlot. Huscarl, leading from the front, finally was able to see the entrance to his dwelling. Due to their increased altitude, droplets of snow began to fall, as in the distance a small opening of what seemed to be a cave on the side of a snowy mountain could finally be seen. The entrance of the cave had a very small cliff-face area, where of course, a dragon could easily land. 

 

Huscarl landed, his clawed feet making a small thud as he hit the ground. The entrance of the cave directly in front of him, as a large metal door, covered in snow impeded the access of any unwanted guests from entering his dwelling. "Welcome to my home..." Huscarl proclaimed, the smaller red dragon shifted to the left side of the door, as he placed both of his claws on a small snow covered boulder, promptly moving it with a little heave. Behind the boulder, lied a concealed metal leaver, what no intruder would ever dare to think of investigating without any sort of prior knowledge of his lair. As Huscarl pulled it, a large clanking sound from beyond the door could be heard, as the huge metal looking door slowly opened ominously, the snow sliding off the surface of the door making a small pile on the floor. Beyond the door, it seemed as if a dark abyss was presented to the dragons, an area deeply deprived of any source of light.  

 

Huscarl turned to his new acquaintances "I once knew a pony, he was quite good with mechanics and modelled this door for me." He added, as the smaller red dragon walked through his opened metal door, pulling out three torches from a little wicker basket from the inside of the door. "You might need these, it's a little dark for the first part of the cave" Huscarl smiled, handing a torch to each of the dragons.

 

Huscarl took a large breath inwards and promptly blew a puff of flame, lighting up his own torch with ease. Walking though the frame of the metal door, his ears could detect small droplets of water hitting the floor, echoing from deep within the cave. Seems like everything was in order...

 

"Now, you must know, you dragons are the first I have met since my days as a hatchling in the Badlands... I trust you'll be civil and respectful to my property once we are inside? My entire life's collection is in here..." He asked, hoping for a positive response from both Aranak and Yuri. "Aranak, You-Rae?".

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Really? Yuri was trying to greet the ponies from up here? Either she wasn't from around here, or she was just nieve. He wasn't really sure which, both seemed equally likely at this point. Given that neither of the males had seen her kind before, Aranak figured the first was most likely true, though his second theory could be true at the same time.

The larger dragon gave a little snort at her question, looking back to where he was flying as Huscarl answered it. Of course they were going in, he had said they were essentially there already.

And as for Huscarl... Aranak had to wonder why he was being let into the smaller dragon's home. He hadn't exactly given a reason to be trustworthy with his first actions. Oh well, he wasn't complaining. Huscarl probably hoped to make him into an ally, and he could see how that would be good for both of them. He just had to prove himself first, which would be easier for him than for most others, as he was a dragon.

When they arrived, Aranak landed with a thud on the ledge, letting his weight fall the last few inches before he watched the smaller dragon open up the door by use of a hidden lever. Smart, make your lair hard to get to and hard to get into. He took the offered torch, looking at the dark entrance for a second before lighting his own torch with a little puff of flame. He stared down at Huscarl as the male spoke, asking them to be civil and respectful of his collection. Aranak remained silent for a bit, staring at the smaller dragon.

"We'll see. I make no promises, but more likely than not, we'll both end the day with the same amount in our hoards as we started. Unless of course one of us goes to get more." He said eventually.

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Yuri couldn't help twisting and turning even more wildly as they climbed upwards towards colder winds. While her body made flying fast, easy, and beautiful, length did not help so much in bitter colds and blizzards. Thankfully, it seemed, Huscarl did not live somewhere so far north that flying would truly become a problem, and Yuri quickly followed his and Aranak's examples as she touched down on the snowy cliffside, gazing mystified at the large door.

"We are at your dwelling?" the eastern dragon questioned uncertainly, one claw crooked underneath her snout. Could Huscarl call the mountainside his den? Where was his hoard and nest? Well. It would be rude to insult her new friend's dwelling, and Yuri turned her head to comment on how nicely shaped his snow was, before the small red dragon suddenly pushed a boulder out of the way, and pulled something behind it.

Immediately, the sound of something large shifting from behind the door set Yuri's hair on edge, causing the snake-like dragon to slither backwards a few steps, falling next to Aranak. He seemed perfectly fine with the strange sounds, and Yuri found out why a moment later, a surprised and astonished "Oh," leaving her lips.

This, then, was clearly Huscarl's dwelling.

Eagerly, Yuri followed behind the two dragons, moving slower thanks to the awkwardness of her long body hunched along the ground, but was brought up short as Huscarl suddenly handed her a stick. Bemusedly, Yuri took it in one claw, but before she could ask what it was for, both dragons had suddenly blown flame onto their sticks! Ah, torches, that's what they were - but they didn't need to make a fire to light them, like the zebras did. Of course she knew that most dragons breathed fire from their mouths, but neither of her parents had ever done so.

Briefly, she wondered how hot their fired burned. Hot enough to melt stone, even?

Abruptly, Yuri realized that Huscarl was speaking again - specifically about his hoard, causing Yuri to twitch slightly. "I will not be touching your hoard, Huscarl!" she promised immediately, with a determined frown on her features. Dragon hoards were serious things after all - she would be awfully cross if another dragon swooped in to steal some of her opals. If she had any, that was. Yuri couldn't help be curious however, and slightly worried - what if Huscarl had an entire cave full of opals? Surely then he wouldn't notice just one or two missing?…

"What is your life's collection comprising of, then?" the white dragon asked, her words slightly muffled thanks to the torch she held clenched between her teeth. It remained unlit, as Yuri was far more interested preparing herself for whatever wonders Huscarl may have collected for his hoard.

 

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Huscarl looked quizzingly at Aranak, before nodding, taking Aranak's word. Like he previously judged, Aranak seemed to be a respectable and a dragon 'to his word'... Or at least he hoped so.. As the smaller dragon turned and began walking deeper into his lair with the odd party accompanying him.

 

The tunnel leading to his horde always gave Huscarl a warm feeling. The air was  somewhat damp, cold and sometimes had strong chill to it, due to their obvious altitude and their proximity to the peak of the mountain, but there is no place in the world that could possibly compare to the feeling of returning home... Even with company, it was still a relaxing, sabbatical feeling. The cave in reality looked dark and gloomy from an outsiders perspective, and other than the orange glow of Aranak's and Huscarl's torches, they would have been in surrounded in complete darkness. A few jagged rocks pointing out of the walls and droplets of freezing cold water leaking through certain cracks were the only thing that was really to note for the dim, dull cave. The path however, was worn and flat as if it had been used by multiple inhabitants for thousands upon thousands of years.

 

However... A small light could be seen in the distance.

 

Huscarls' face erupted into a grin that would have rivaled Yuri's from earlier, as he quickly rushed ahead to greet the omnipotent light like an old friend... unlike the light emitting from the the torches, this light seemed natural, heavenly almost. The smaller red dragon met the light as he stopped in his tracks, turning to Yuri after carefully extinguishing the flame from his torch.

 

"This is my life's collection" He said, pointing a claw inside the room. 

 

Inside the room laid a gluttonous, overabundance of books. Some old, some new, some even ancient, all piled into a crude looking mountain of knowledge. The books covered a plethora of genres, from fantasy literature to academic journals, from textbooks and comical novels. All these publications contained, safely tucked away within Huscarl's own lavish vault of intelligence and imagination. The top of the small mountain laid a small indent within the pile of books, where a certain dragon had been laying for the vast majority of his life. 

 

Typical of a dragon, a few gems could be seen scattered around the floor. Though ultimately completely dwarfed by the looming tower of novels that stood imperial over the cavern.

 

The room itself, was large, spacious and circular, perfect for containing the current amount of books and perhaps even a few more... The heavenly light, what illuminated the circular cavern was emitting from a small crack on the ceiling of the cave. Curiously, the light was directly shining down upon the top of the incredible pile of books, where the indent at the peak had been made, an improvisation made by Huscarl himself, He couldn't read in the dark now, could he?

 

Huscarl flew upwards, as he turned his burlap sack upside down, releasing the contents (obviously being more books) adding to the already massive pile. "Oh the joy I feel seeing my collection!" He gladly proclaims with vigor, elation coming out of his voice. "It's like I haven't seen it in years! but rather it's only been days!".

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Aranak glanced over at Yuri as she questioned Huscarl about the contents of his hoard. He looked back to where he was going as they headed down the tunnel-like area. He had to wonder why Yuri hadn't lit her torch. Were Eastern dragons incapable of breathing fire? Or did she just figure two was enough? It was something to think about, but he could do that later. Now, they were coming upon Huscarl's hoard. Let's see what he had collected...

 

Really? Books? He supposed he should've expected this, what with Huscarl carrying books around with him, which were apparently his newest haul. Books were all well and good, but Aranak had no desire to hoard them. At least the smaller dragon had some gems about. He put out his own torch before setting it aside and walking further into the room, stopping next to the pile.

 

"Well, now I can promise that I won't be leaving with any of your hoard. Books are good and all, but I have no desire to hoard them myself." He said, taking a book at random as he began inspecting it. It was some sort of fantasy novel, and he tossed it back on the pile after giving a little snort.

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To say Yuri was impressed would…be a very large under of statement.

Not only was it obvious how much pride Huscarl places in his hoard - obvious from the way he eagerly rushed towards the light at the back of the cave, obvious from the joy coating every single word - but it was clear that the red male had a very good reason to be proud. The sheer size of his hoard was on a magnitude Yuri could not fully comprehend, not when she had not one opal to her name. Piles and piles of books, some stretched as high as the cave ceiling, filled every inch of her vision, enough to cause Yuri's long neck to fall near parallel to her back as she attempted to take in as much as she could.

This was a dragon's hoard, truly.

The Eastern Dragon, only somewhat aware that her mouth was hanging open, lift up off the ground to twist into the air, easily flying in the enclosed space as she began slinking around the different peaks of books. The highest pile seemed to be where Huscarl slept, illuminated by an opening at the very top of the cave, and Yuri took her time inspecting the books at random. Privately, she agreed with Aranak - books held no sway over her. But it was clear books, or at least the pursuit of knowledge, drove Huscarl to collect and seek, and his hoard showed his skill as a dragon.

"Your hoard is most impressive!" the white dragon exclaimed, twisting around one of the piles to get Huscarl back in her sight. "It is no small feat, surely. How did you manage such a collection of written gems?" Yuri demanded, zipping close to shove her snout almost directly in Huscarl's face, pink eyes wide with curiosity. She was nearing adulthood herself, yet had not even a fraction of the red male's hoard to call her own. Huscarl could surely teach her his tricks to collecting!

 

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Yuri came so close to Huscarl he had to reel backwards slightly. Feeling embarrassed again, he looked down in unease, why she'd have to get so close like that? "Well, It's uh... Nothing really! I'm sure your own horde is just as big! Right?!" He said, flying downwards, beginning to shift through his books, his curiosity once again sparked, as it was refreshed with another dose of this strange dragon's behavior.  

 

'Eastern dragons, eastern dragons' repeated in his head, as he began shifting through some of his books in order to find the book what would provide him an answer. "Oh!" Huscarl said in reply. "I've been travelling through Equestria all my life..." Huscarl proclaimed, still shifting through books as he spoke. "I've been to a few libraries, if you know what I mean?" the smaller red dragon smiled, "Thankfully they don't give dragons return dates" he giggled, as he looked down once more. his eyes prancing back and forth among the surface of his mountainous pile of literary works.

 

'The Arcane Journal of Star Swirl the Bearded' No... 'Constructing Additional Pylons' No... 'The Secrets of Cloudsdale' No! Huscarl would be here forever looking for the right book on the subject, that's if he could even find the right book....

 

Looking over to Aranak, he saw him scoff at one of his books and throw it back into the pile. "Oh please Aranak! Where is your sense of adventure!" he called over to him in a disappointing manner.  "Now, I had been meaning to ask you two anyway, now that you've seen my horde, perhaps it would be only fair for me to see yours?" Huscarl asked. It was a daring decision, wanting to visit a much larger dragons horde, and another dragon species all together who he had absolutely no previous knowledge on, but he figured they'd agree. it was only fair considering they had just entered his own living space! Right?... Right?!

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