Fire and ink

-1-

Avital smiled, the faint scent of tattoo ink drifting around her. It was her first Ink, an intricate line on her right wrist. It only made a small spell, enhancing accuracy, but to her, it meant the world. In the Clans the more inks you have, the more skilled, trusted, and powerful you were, that is, unless you had outcast markings. If you earned the thick, dark lines that go across your back, you are immediately cast out and have to test your luck in the East. Akish, Avital's mother came to the hut, holding a large stack of meat on a plate.

"Congratulations Avital, you earned your first deer, this will be enough for the Clan to share. Would you like to roast it?"

"Yes Sak'ra" She replied, calling her mother by her rank in respect. Akish took the meat and spearing it onto the spit with a quick motion. Delicate hands gently turned the pole over the fire, changing the meat from a deep red to a gray-brown, the gentle smell of spices drifting into the tent.

~-~

She smiled on the memory, how happy she had been to get her ink. Now at her eighth gentle, silent footsteps came down the trail. Avital could hear the slow moans of worry and pain that had been coming from the eastern ridge for the past cycle. Today was the day she'd finally get her ninth, a patch on her right shoulder marking her as a Warrior, a Sha'ka, the only thing between her Clan and the fierce dragons, beasts, and fey. She squeezed between two boulders. It was their job to keep them at bay, for the safety of all the Clans, not just Akkan. There, past the trees was a large shock of red hair, but suddenly the creature's patch of hair thickened, crowned with thick black horns as long as her at least. Large, soft orange eyes widened at the sight of her, the creature's movements suddenly going frantic. It was caught in something, some mix between spider silk and vine. She dropped her sword, the noise making them both jump "Wait here, I'm going to get help, the Sha'ka will help you l promise."

Avital ran back to the main tent. "Sak'ra, Leader there is a powerful mage stuck in the valley, I saw them change their shape to a dragon! They would make a powerful addition to the Sha'ka, they could even be the Sa!"

Her eyes shone with excitement, while the leader's shone with bold emotion. "Thank you, Avital, Your find will care for the clan at least 4 seasons. I will lead the hunting party myself, and you will be rewarded at least with its mane and teeth."

"Mother, they are not a Beast or Fey, I saw them, Dragons can't change. They are a human, or at least too intelligent to be considered a Fey."

"Avital Trym of Akkan, you know Sak'ra's word is law, now go ready for your ink."

"No," The word left her mouth before she realized what she was saying. "I will not just go while you commit a crime punishable by banish just because You fear them" With that she darted out of the tent, nimble feet ringed with Inks going at full speed to get to the dragon first.

She dove onto the well-worn path, into a practiced slide to skid down faster. Avital leaped to her feet, diving between the giant mossy stones.

Her heart stopped beating. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. A pair of Sha'kas held her back, binding her hands. 

She saw a Warrior plunge his sword into the Dragon's heart.

One of the warriors put her hand over Avital's mouth and face, causing her to pass out with the help of Ink.

~-~

By the came she came too, she felt thick bindings on her hands and feet, and a sharp sensation on her back.

"Ahh, yes, you are finally awake, I was afraid I'd have to finish this while you were asleep," The creaky voice of the Clan's Sa stated. She was a frail-looking woman who was at least 300 cycles old, only held together by Ink at this point. Her job was to give everyone their Inks, once they were deemed worthy by the Sak'ra. "You are almost done, little one, It saddens me to give Outcast Marks to someone so young, but the feat you tried to accomplish was amazing," She clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Reminds me of before your mother was Sak'ra. We used to have a partnership with the dragons, you know. We used to bond to them, See?" the ancient woman pulled down her shirt with her right hand, just enough to show the gentle Ink, shaped like a small Drake, the wingless dragon sleeping under her collarbone. "Here, after we get your bindings off, I'll give you enough to Mark a dragon, on me. The world needs more riders like we used to have, now old Faa has to go hide in the East. To use it put a drop of the dragons blood in one capsule and a drop of yours in the other. Then, give yourself a Mark wherever you want with the dragon blood ink, and give them a Mark with yours." Sa started to put saltwater and some sort of plant onto the Mark, to seal it and keep it from getting infected while it healed.

"Now remember Avital, what we talked about stays between us." The older woman whispered into her ear, a mischievous smile on her face.

The next bit was kind of a blur. She officially got told she was banished, and two Shak'ra, clearly the oldest out of the warriors escorted her out of the Clan's territory.

A few days passed, and she had set up a small shelter near a stream with glistening, cool water. She had a few run-ins boar and other beasts, and she saw a Fey, the misty form seemingly made of intricate glowing marks, the effect of being almost completely made of mana's essence. Soon she was on the road again, staying away from caves to stop any more run-ins with creatures.

About a cycle, after she left on a hunting trip from her camp, she saw more of the web-like vines near a clearing, an easy way to catch food, from hares to a moose once. About a week after the moose incident, Avital went out to the webstuff to find an easy meal, she could hear the loud beating of wings. A small dragon with a thin build was trapped in the webstuff, its wings and body a swirl of purples, as if someone had dipped them into not quite mixed paint and dappled the colors together, and putting the space between stars along her spine making symbols and swirls. They were struggling, the beast twisting and thrashing almost like a snake. Avital clicked her tongue, making a popping noise to get the dragon's attention. The dragon froze, and twisted to look at her, a pair of bright amber eyes watching her every move as Avital stepped forward, humming a quiet tune and unlatching a pouch from her belt. Inside was the best way to get things unstuck from the webstuff, a small, pink rock and a little water, making the substance smooth and dry, curious amber eyes glinting with wonder and a hint of mana. With the last drops of water the dragon was freed, rushing off with the speed and nimbleness of a Fey, disappearing into the now afternoon sky. Avital smiled, happy to get to save one life of the beast-like fey. Or was it fey-like beast? Dragons naturally showed traits of both. She caught a hare, ending it with a strike of her hunting knife. On the way back to her camp fiddling with the 'gift' her mother had given her, there was a pair of golden, glowing eyes pecked out at her from the trees. She held her breath, ready to be attacked by the Fey. A dragon, no The Dragon, with purple dappled scales crept out, a carcass in her mouth, definitely fresh. The dragon laid out the meat and sat down, as if waiting for Avital to accept it. The human, in return kneeled down and started to dress it, keeping it from getting too warm without waiting for a few days.

Avital went to a tree and hung the deer by its hind legs. She cut the hip flap, a piece of skin between the hip and stomach, to the shoulder in one fine movement. The dragon looked away, almost as if it had a queasy stomach. She then removed one of the shoulders, putting it on a piece of a log. She then removed the hooves and took with swift movements peeled off the skin, before repeating on the other side. After a few more moments of her knife (and an almost belching dragon who did not seem to want to go) the deer was placed on a spit and the hare was given to the dragon, the snake-like face looking happy.