Travelling north along the range, the young dragoness kept the peaks well within her sights; she did not yet dare climb those heights, however tempted by the trek she may be. She could not recall the last time she hiked across such daunting terrains and worried that she may not be ready to do so—besides, she was in no hurry. No matter how long she took to arrive, the lair would always be there, awaiting the return of the dragons.

Kaori’s travels deposited her into the outskirts of a territory, the scents that marked the earth unfamiliar to her—not that she truly expected to meet anyone she once knew, so long ago. Curious but knowing boundaries, the girl skirted through the areas barest of markers, searching for the easiest way around without daring to impose upon their land.

A chuff reached her ears, as did the following sound of steady footfalls and a voice—the girl slowed and turned to acknowledge the woman, as curious of her as she. With the gentle breeze came her scent, similar and intermingling with those that seemed one with the earth on which they walked; a member of the tribe that claimed those woods, she presumed. “Hello,” she returned as she realised this, ceasing her steps fully. “I do apologise if I’ve—I have—troubled you by being so near.” Ah, a misspeak! Thankfully, her mother and other relatives were nowhere near enough to hear her.

“I am only seeking a way around the forest,” she further explained, feeling no need to be anything other than transparent. She felt her distance from the home was well enough that her mother would not scold her so, surely, it must be decent enough for this woman, too? Kaori studied her closely, patiently, wondering if her assumption may turn out to be true—or if she was entirely wrong in believing she could safely be near enough to see the trees.

More information regarding the surrounding land was given, which she listened to—and ended up being disappointed by. Her expression fell for a moment, troubled yet thoughtful. She was so focused on the rising peaks that she hadn’t even noticed that the ones lying beyond the forest were not connected to the range she once called home—it was a separate mountain entirely, blocking her from moving directly towards Sunspire from there. Catching herself, she shooed away any negative thoughts—negativity bred more negativity, after all—and offered an appreciative smile. “Ah, I did not realise the mountain was separate from the others,” she shared. “That… does sound like it may make the trip longer.” You have plenty of time, she reminded herself, the lair will always remain.

What she was yet to realise, however, was exactly how close to the lair she already was.

“I suppose going left may be safer,” was her decision. “I would not want to cross a creek in these temperatures.” Although her winter coat seemed thicker than her mother’s, she was still not a fan of the chill water carried with it. “If I continue beyond the mountain, would you happen to know how much farther I would need to go to reach Ryūjin?” Perhaps an answer to that might be the easiest path to follow. “You may know it as Sunbeam Lair.” If she knew it at all.

Ah, so she did not know the lair. Taking note of the woman’s previous response to her disappointment, Kaori did better this time around to mask what she was feeling; she did not wish to upset the female, especially over a matter that could not be helped. Perhaps she was being selfish by assuming someone would know of the lair; she felt this even more so as she recalled how secluded the cavern was, hidden from most—unless they knew where to look.

“It is alright,” she assured her. “It is hidden rather well, from what I remember. I am sure many do not know of it.” That made it no less disappointing, of course, but it at least allowed Kaori to better reason with herself. “But yes, that is where I am heading,” she added with a small smile, her fondness of the land evident in her voice. Although she loved the Draconid Tribe, and her family even more so, she could not deny the longing beneath her breast, the need to return to her true home—her origin.

“No need to ask for forgiveness when I have been just as rude,” she said in return, continuing. “My name is Kaori.” Just Kaori for now, without a tribe near enough to call home. “Your tribe has an interesting name,” she commented next. “Do your members come from faraway lands?” Similar to her mother, she wondered?

When the other laughed, Kaori smiled; a joyful mood was often contagious, she found. “I am sure I would do far worse pronouncing it,” she admitted with a chuckle. “It can be difficult to say words from worlds different from our own.” Although the Draconids were known for being open-minded and welcoming overall, they still had their own culture and values to honour. Whilst some dabbled in other languages and were capable of a wide variety of speech, many stuck to the tongue of the family or that of the common folk; even Kaori, as curious as she had always been, never sought out knowledge pertaining to other languages.

Grezig responded that she was unsure, that she only recently joined the tribe. “Perhaps I will have to visit and ask again when you are more familiar with them,” she mused; although it was merely her attempt at humour, she was not against visiting again, given the kindness she was met with.

“It does. It is a name,” she explained. “Ryūjin was the name given to Sunbeam Lair by my mother, back when she led a tribe there. She told me once that the name also belonged to an ancient King of the Dragons, an ancestor of our family.” A mighty king, however, his might was not great enough to pass into the realm of the living and enter a vessel as Draco did throughout the generations—Kaori often wondered if it was truly his limited might that held him back, or if he was simply waiting for the right opportunity.

Seeing Grezig settle put her further at ease, too, and the dragoness soon followed suit and sat down. The skepticism in her voice was clear to catch, although not surprising; it was not the first time a tale from her family was viewed with little belief and, surely, would not be the last. Kaori simply smiled and nodded, repeating, “Yes, King of the Dragons.” To those outside of her family, she could understand how unusual it may sound. But the tales were still passed from one generation to the next, carrying on through the lineage.

“It is an impressive title but it was not created only for that reason,” she further explained. “Dragons ruled this realm once, a long time ago. Then wolves were created that feared the might of the dragons, and so they chased them away to live with the stars. Of those dragons, some left behind eggs, from which my family began. Ryūjin is their king, even still, in the stars.” Mightier even than Draco, whose presence lived on in this realm, forever intertwined with her family.

The doubt that laced her tone easily sliced through the young Draconid girl, fur prickling along her spine; the display hardly lasted a blink’s worth of time, recalling her manners and smoothing herself back out. Not all would believe—this she knew, the realisation drilled into her since as early as she could remember. Everyone possessed different beliefs and some none at all, that was how the world worked. She could not force her views onto anyone, nor would she ever dream of doing so.

“These beliefs have passed through my tribe for generations, and will continue through to the generations that follow,” she answered. “I am sure some believe more than others but at least an inkling of belief lives on in each of us.” Where she stood on that spectrum, well… she wasn’t entirely sure. Kaori believed in the dragons, in the history of her family—but there were some aspects she questioned, perhaps more so out of jealousy (gasp!) than any true lack of belief. “Do you have anything that you believe in?” asked the girl next, curious. For as much as she loved telling the tales of her people, she also had an immense curiosity and desire to learn of others—and how their beliefs differed from her own.

Kaori was silent as the other spoke, listening carefully to each word that escaped her mouth. Whilst the Draconids believed in and honoured dragons, the woman seemed more interested in believing that which existed strictly in the world around them; Grezig was not the first met to feel this way, nor did she anger the dragoness any more so than those before her. For dragons aside, her family existed to be accepting, casting not a single stone at any that may differ from themselves—to be so close-minded and abrasive went against their way of life.

“I think it is good for everyone to have different beliefs,” she revealed. “I find it… troubling that others feel the need to force their beliefs onto others when there is no harm in our differences.” As long as no one sought to take her beliefs away from her, she would not try and force them onto others. “Your belief in yourself and what you can experience is nice to hear about.” Even if they did not place their views in the same realms, Kaori did not view her as any less of an individual.