Wulff, warily eyed the dragon, he'd heard rumours of him, but he didn't really look all that scary, other than the fact that he'd taken out the beastie all by hisself... He glanced over to the other's who were chatting with Drakon, he meandered over to the 'Skirl' crouching down to examine it. He glanced back as things glowed, but for the most part he was more interested in the 'Skirl'. He touched the singed fur, jerking back as his body registered the DNA, flexing his hand. He looked up, the beastie being addressed, by Big Red, but Fuzzy was out for the count, it looked, and didn't respond. He tilted his head, studying the features of the creature, a well-put-together beast, animalistically speaking, from what he could tell, even some human-like intelligence lingered beneath the heavy fur, beyond animal instinct.

He righted, patting Fuzzy's head, and moved back over to Myst and company (heh, they should all do a musical, it was almost TV-enough to do so) scrutinizing the dragon once again, deciding he didn't look too nasty, or all that mean, even, especially if Myst talked to him so casually. Stupid people and their stupid prejudices. But then again, the dragon seemed to have reservations of his own as he stood, his arms folded over a ....well-toned.... shiny chest... he jerked himself away from looking at the dragon too closely, before he was noticed staring, a faint blush dusting his cheeks, which he hid behind his hair. He looked up, hey, Fluffy... He moved swiftly over to Reht and peered over his shoulder at the shining tabletey things, ooo, pretty.

Reht looked over his shoulder at the Dragon's barbed comment. "I am attempting to open the Portal so that you can get your precious Wraith back!" he almost, fairly spat. Then he ran a hand through his purplish hair and his wings lifted apologetically. "I'm sorry. Its just so frustrating..." he trailed off as the Key began to make strange noises, distracting him from the current conversation.

All in all, he wasn't being particularily helpful to the Valians in terms of knowledge. Just who were the Aegirans? And what were the Skirls? Perhaps, once he had opened this portal thing, perhaps then they would have more answers?

Reht only barely noticed Wulf, moving him gently out of the way should the shapeshifter actually get in the way in the first place. It was not an unkind gesture and he smiled whenever he had to do it. He tolerated the kid, mainly because he wasn't bothering him.

Myst stared at Drakon a moment. "Your help would be appreciated. I know you're new here, I know this is going all so fast but..." her eyes began to tear and she only just reined her emotions in in time, "Mother is out there and only Reht seems to know how to get to her. Please, we could use your help. Please Drakon, my mother named you for the noble creature you were, pray, do her justice."

"We're going to rescue wraith, your welcome to assist us, but if you don't feel up to it, stepping aside will be quite sufficient"

Drakon's stance did not change, nor did he turn to face the one who had spoken, but his eyes narrowed a bit in the dim light.

"It is good to know that when I next come down into the city and invade your home without notice or apparent cause, that you will simply step aside so that I may do whatever I wish to do when I ask. I shall have to remember that."

"I am attempting to open the Portal so that you can get your precious Wraith back!"

Again Drakon's stance did not change, but his lips curled as a low growl escaped them, fanged teeth visible. He snorted, expelling whifts of smoke from his nostrils.

"Respect, tinkerer. You forget that you stand in my home...."

Drakon's confusion with this sudden meeting was quickly turning to irritation with these newcomers and their attitudes. Perhaps Myst picked up on just that as she spoke in her soft, childlike tones.

"Your help would be appreciated. I know you're new here, I know this is going all so fast but, Mother is out there and only Reht seems to know how to get to her. Please, we could use your help. Please Drakon, my mother named you for the noble creature you were, pray, do her justice."

He raised an eyebrow at her words. "Do her justice?" He offered the changling a sly half-smile. "I will help you, but not because I need to do justice for my name, but because I remember what Wraith did for me and I am grateful."
He jerked hiead back towards Ret as he continued to tinker. "But I will be owed a story for this...trust. At the very least a story."

Myst nodded at Drakon, "Aye, we are all owed a story, I think. When we came here, Wraith was our only saviour. She was the one that guided us and gave us homes and purposes in a land where we had none. She helped us remember - or forget - our pasts and to find the strengths and weaknesses in our new bodies. We were told there were no others, that we were the ones...."

She looked over at the glowing panel under Rhet's hands, "And yet there he stands. A creature so unlike us and so sure in this world. He says he was born here... that his ancesters were too. But where have they been? Why did Wraith not tell us about them? Or indeed, had Mother even known?" she sighed and for that moment, a deeper sadness called from the depths of her eyes and it was clear there was far more than the safety of her adopted mother in her heart.

Rhet looked up, "Something's wrong. I can't get it to open." He called to them, completely missing the conversation - he had been that intent on his goal.

"I will fix this, I promise. I will." He vowed softly to himself as he bent his head once more to the Key and busied his fingers.

Myst just nodded again, "For now Drakon, Alatus, Shadow, Wulff and Akaron - for now our goal is to rescue Mother. Then we will find our answers." Her voice was solemn, her eyes big and round in the soft glow of her light orbs.

Akaron rolled his eyes and snarled "Duine Diabhal Tu man! We're trying to save wraith! If my home were the key to finding our lady then i would be angry if you didn't do all you could! Get over yourself shell-born!"

Myst rolled her own eyes, "Calm yourself Akaron," already she was sounding much older than her body gave her credit for, worry for Wraith tugging at the back of her mind constantly, "He will help us, that's all we need."

She turned back to Drakon, "Thank you, once again. Once this is over, we won't bother you up here, I promise. Once Mother is safe,"

She called out to Reht, "How is it going?"

Reht didn't reply verbally, just shook his head. Myst sighed and shook hers too. This was taking too long. But she had no choice.

The Skirl began to awaken....

Drakon huffed with impatience at the winged man's inability to make the machine work as well as irritation of some of his new 'guests'.

"I suppose that if I am to be a proper host, I shall have to offer dinner." He said turning on his heel and heading towards the rough tunnel and exit.

"I trust that no one will be further exploring my mountain in my absence. I shall not be long." he added, as he stepped out of sight and onto the small ledge outside.

Wulff offered a quiet snicker as the older people snapped and griped, he kept his position near the 'Skirl' he had nicknamed Fuzzy. He sat in a slightly skewed position, on the flats of his feet, his knees up by his ears and his hands resting and helping to keep his balance, between his feet. It seemed he would not look out of place with big fuzzy ears and a tail, but as of yet, he had not changed, even once, to a single form. He felt no urge from his body, as he had when he collected 'data' from the people and creatures he touched, so it made him wonder from time to time how he would do so. He simply figured his body would tell him in time.

He looked up suddenly as he heard a twitch at his side and he turned his head, Fuzzy was wiggling. Did that mean he was awake? He examined Fuzzy, his nose and his ears noting the changes, the scent of awareness and the change of the other's breathing had given him away. He was indeed waking. "Um..." He said quietly, already knowing that that alone would not alert the others, "Ah... Myst." He said, leaning a bit towards her, though he didn't move away from Fuzzy, "Myst, Fuzzy's awake. Or waking." He tilted his head to her, his eyes darting to the girl as the beastie stirred again. He perked slightly, however, for the moment forgetting about Fuzzy, as food was mentioned, his body straightening slightly. He liked food... But as Fuzzy twitched and woke more, he suddenly wasn't so sure that dinner might be a good idea at the moment, "Myst..."

Wulff's whimpering finally caught Myst's attention. She swung around and saw that the Skirl was indeed coming to. She crossed to it and gave it a massive kick to the side of its head. It blinked, shaking its head and snarled at her, its eyes clear as it stared malevolently at her. She gave as good as she got.

"Reht," she clamped out between clenched teeth, "Can this... thing... have a clue to what you are doing? Can it help?"

Reht paused, hearing the anger in Myst's voice and sympathising, "No, its merely an animal made to kill, feed and mate. That is all." Then he turned back to his tinkering, his movements much more precise now. It seemed that he was finally getting the hang of it.

Myst nodded, "Good." Then she kicked it again and it promptly passed out.

Then she smiled down at Wulff, "Sorry about that... I just... it tried to kill Mother..." she shook her head, smiling in cold apology at the young shapeshifter.

Then she sighed and sat down, "I guess we just have to wait until Drakon comes back and Reht gets the gateway open..." she gritted her teeth and shook her head, her hands clenching into fists.

The light orb flickered and then flared into brilliance... then was still once more, its warm light flooding the small cavern.

"You don't know that." Drakon said, reentering the odd shaped room. He had returned quickly enough and held three or four roughly hewn chunks of raw meat, slightly brownish in color and each as large as a man's fist.

"You only know that this 'Skirl' is here and that Wraith is not. It was likely involved, but what actually happened can only be guessed at."

He offered Myst a chunk of the meat. "I have brought food, but there is precious little here on my mountain that will burn in order to cook it."

Myst looked up when Drakon reentered. He hadn't taken all that long and she was surprised with the amount of blood dripping meat he head. She wrinkled her nose at the proffered meat - "Aren't you a dragon?" she asked softly... "Can't you just, you know... breathe fire?"

Of course, she had no idea of the abilities Drakon was capable of. But she assumed, him being a dragon and all, that he could, actually breathe fire. It all stood to reason.

Suddenly, a triumphant shout came from the back end of the cave and a soft blue light washed over them. The Portal was open!

Reht stood by the Key grinning to himself. "I've done it!" he announced, although there was really no need to. Waving towards him, he continued, "All we need do is walk through. But I suggest we be prepared. The other Portal is deep within Skirl territory. You'd best make sure everyone's ready."

Myst nodded. Standing up, ignoring the bloody mass of meat for the moment letting Drakon chew on her earlier words a bit more, she eyed each of them in turn.

"Who will come with me? Its not too late to turn back and I will not blame you. Once we past this through, I can't guarantee our expedient return. So... I will only ask and hope that your hearts are still with me."

Oh yes, Myst had grown up very much indeed.

"I will go, I am a knight, and it is my duty to do so. Plus, exploring another world? 'Tis every knights dream for such a quest." He said, pulling on his helm. He walked over to Myst and knelt down to look in her eyes "We'll get her back lass, if misbegotten mongrels such as these skirl are what we have to contend with, I like our chances. They are much like the Gnolls from my own world, and i have killed tribes' worth of them. If there are more savage creatures awaiting us, at least we'll get some sport out of it," he said with a fang bearing smirk. He rose and stood behind her, looking at the others. Whether they would come or not he would go, alone into the breach between worlds if he had to.

I walked forward and kept a wary eye on the glowing portal. There were things about this place I knew nothing about and this was one of those things that would shock me more than anything else. I moved forward and looked at the portal, as if expecting something, anything to be on the other side but when all I saw was the glowing mass of blue in front of me I turned slowly to look at the others.

I knew then that I could not let them go through to the other side of this without me there. As I looked down at the snarling thing that was on the ground I knew that I would have to go through as well as they would need another skilled fighter. I moved slowly over to where the rest of the group, still amazed at how easily I moved in the bulky iron armor and looked down at Myst, one hand on the hilt of my sword.

"As always, my lady you have my sword for as long as I can swing it."

Wulff had given Myst a wary look as she brutalized Fuzzy, he kinda felt bad for him, after all, some really couldn't help their instincts. He looked at her though and shrugged, "Don't worry about it." He said, standing and moving closer to her, looking over Fluffy's shoulder at the funny tablet, but moving back before he could complain too much.

He looked up quickly as the dragon man returned, food! He moved over to Myst and took a bit peeling it apart in little chunks so that it was easier to digest. It had been a pleasant surprise when he'd discovered that he could eat most things, so long as he had a DNA that covered being able to eat them. Like he'd touched the wolf so he could eat raw meat, he'd touched a large feline of some manner (he couldn't identify it) so he eat this or that, and it made eating a lot easier. Just so long as he didn't eat too much, or to big of bites at once. He was neat as he picked it apart and ate it, even prim, it came with his territory, even as he admired all the pretty men in the cave.

He leapt about out of his skin as Reht made a loud shout and Wulff about choked on what he was eating. Hey! The portal thingie was open! Oh frabjous day! He swallowed quickly, before he could choke again and snagged the bit that Myst had left behind, wrapping it in some spare skins before slipping it in his pack for later. He looked at Myst when she looked at him and he put his shoulders back, "I'm coming." He said, "I haven't come all this way just to go back now." He muttered, "I'm not much of a warrior, but I can bite, kick, claw and scratch as good as the rest of them." He said stubbornly.

"Aren't you a dragon?" Myst asked softly... "Can't you just, you know... breathe fire?"

Drakon only offered a slight hint of a smile.
"Oh yes, and more." he whispered back as his golden eyes glittered in the dark. "But," he said suddenly, straightening up again and handing a chunk of meat to the wolf boy.
"I am a dragon, not an E-Z bake oven. My flame is not suitable to cook some lump of meat for eating."

It was then that the portal falred to life, filling the cavern with soft blue light.

"Who will come with me? Its not too late to turn back and I will not blame you. Once we past this through, I can't guarantee our expedient return. So... I will only ask and hope that your hearts are still with me."

Drakon simply packed away the bits of remaining food as the others made their proclimations, standing silently until Myst looked back towards him.

"Nothing has changed with the passing of an hour, Changeling." he said, shrugging.