The ongoing lesson

She and her constant companion walked along the very edges of this kingdom. The massive tiger next to her was leading the way, naturally. When he sat down as close to the edge of the falls as possible, so did she. There was only the lightest of mists being carried to them by the wind. "Alright Yaniff, you wanted me here, and now here I am. Will you explain to why I am here now?" She says with exasperation thick in her voice. The great cat ever so slowly turned his massive head to look at her with unblinking eyes. After all the time they had spent together she wasn't impressed with his intimidation tactics anymore. She rolls her eyes. {You are here, to practice that drivel you refer to as Dragon Song} Yaniff replies after a suitable pause.
"Not again! Yaniff, you know that you are never satisfied with my 'singing'. I don't even see the point, I mean, it isn't like the dragons ever aknowledge me." She complains loudly, but it has the ring of something that has been repeated several times.
{You will not question me! I am your teacher and you will do what I say when I say it!} Yaniff's statement is backed by a coughing roar. {Now center yourself in your dragon nature and sing!}
She gives up argueing and closes her eyes, taking a slow deep breath. When she opens her eyes again, they are ringed by tiny black scales, giving her the appearance of wearing eyeliner. A deep and rumbling croone soon issues from her chest, but the notes are wobbly.
{More resonance girl, do not force it. Just let the rumble of the waterfall pull your voice down to where it needs to be.} She cuts Yaniff a glare, but listens to his advice. She sinks herself into the vibrations of the thunderous falls and soon her dragon voice settles. She loses herself in the melody of the dragon song and Yaniff gives a feline smile of satisfaction as her Dragon Song soars out over the kingdom, a deeply rumbling thing, which is soothing, since she is almost meditating for the moment.

The closer he comes to the souorce of that odd crooning the more content he feels. His current shape might prove to be a problem, he realizes as he comes within sight of a girl sitting next to an enormous feline. He isn't alarmed, but he is cautious as he slowly picks his way closer.
He is within a few yards of them when he has to stop. The depth of the rumbles are threatening to vibrate his bones out of his body. He studies the duet. The feline appears to be some sort of white tiger, but it doesn't smell quite right to be a simple tiger. The girl now...She is something to arouse a persons interest, since she is the source of the crooning.
Dragon Song, if he isn't mistaken, and coming from a human throat. Remarkable, he should probably go and talk to those men he had just left about this, but perhaps he could watch for a bit longer...

The notes of her song slow and then die off, but the surface beneath her continues to resonate with the notes, as though the very ground is singing back to her. There is a disturbance to the pattern being sung back to her though, like ripples in a still pool. Her bodies reactions take over, moving her mucles before she is fully aware or her mind is housed firmly within her body again.
A knife slices through the air, landing with a trilling note, lodged in the ground between the feet of whoever had approached her while she was not really herself. She turns swiftly and her eyes follow the path her blade had just cut through the air. A cat...a large house cat.
She comes quickly to her feet. She turns a glare on Yaniff. "You did not warn me that there was anything nearby Yaniff..." Yaniff remains unmoved by her look. {You were close that time girl, so very close. He was not a danger to you, so I did not disturb you.} "He may not be a danger to me, but I am always a danger to others when I attempt to Sing Yaniff, you know this." {I do not, girl. You are only dangerous when interrupted or when you lose focus.}

He was floating above them his arms crossed over his chest watching for some time now "such beatuful music today and from such beautiful women at that. If I didn't know better I'd say it was my birthday, but alas it is not" he says as he floats down slowly to the ground making no noise as his foot touches "forgive me if I'm interrupting anything" he says giving a slight bow.

She gives a bass rumble, cursing in draconian, as she glares at Yaniff. Even though she is spitting curses, there is a flowing melody to the sound. She takes a deep breath and releases it in a sigh. "You are not interupting, please forgive my rudeness. It does not happen often that a person can sneak up on me, yet it has happened twice now in only a few moments." She raises a hand and indicates the cat sitting several feet away, it's whiskers twitching and a dagger sunk into the ground between it's front paws.
"Allow me to introduce myself; I am Topaz Windwhisper, and this..." she lays a hand on the massive white tigers back "is Yaniff, my companion and sometimes teacher."

He bows slightly laughing some as he does "so this is where he ran off to, can say I blame him though" he stands up straight "Strife" is all he would say then as he smiles at her and the tiger who he was sure could tell who he was and wasn't going to tell her and that amused him greatly but showed it only a little as he walks over the the cat pulling the dagger out with ease and pats him on the head and grins at him.

He continues to sit very still, other than his twitching whiskers. He wasn't giving up his secrets just yet, and that knife had flown in his direction with amazing speed. So he accepts the pat on the head with wide feline eyes.
He is suddenly struck with inspiration and claws his way up Strifes leg and back, perching himself securely on the mans shoulder and wrapping his tail around his neck. He gives a self satisfied "mrrow" and looks down on the much larger cat with smug superiority.

She is momentarily shocked, and then bursts out laughing at the antics of the cat. Her laughter slowly calms and she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank the Gods that Yaniff is far to large for such acts. I hope you aren't injured?" she asks with some concern.

He laughs turning around scratching the head it the rather large house cat on his shoulders "yes I'm fine they were just claws not a big problem to heal" he says looking at the tiger "though I am glad he is not much bigger....could cause problems if he was, isn't that right cat" he say loping at him bouncing his shoulder some.

He responds to the bouncing by sinking the claws on three of his paws deep, and swiping at an exposed ear with the other paw. "Grrrwssss" He is indignant at the affront to his personage.

She chuckles and shakes her head. "I think you offended him. Do you have much experience with felines?"
Yaniff chooses this moment to chime into the conversation, deigning to reveal his ability to communicate {I suppose I could eat it for you, if you wish...A lite snack would not be amiss right now} He yawns, displaying 4 inch long incisors.

He laughs again feeling the claws "cats no...but dragons. That's a different story" he says looking at her with intrest and wonder then laughs hearing the tiger "I do believe this one would cause problems for you it you ate him" he says the flicks Rejars nose "enough playing cat time to show yourself"

The massive cat gives a plaintive yowl...right in the mans ear, before jumping to the ground. His tail is flagged perfectly straight as he swishes his hind feet against the ground in Strife's direction...the action of a cat covering up scat. He marches a few feet away and turns to face the others.
Swirls of light surround his feline body, the speeding orbs quickly becoming to bright to see through. As the light reaches a blinding peak in brightness it suddenly flashes out, revealing a tall man with long red and black streaked hair, reminiscent of his cat form. His clothing is black leather, which he idly brushes off as he glares at Strife. "You ruined my entertainment...I could have gotten away with quite alot if you hadn't spilled my secret."
He slowly turns to face the woman, whom he had found first! His mismatched eyes alight with mischief and a smile curving his mouth. "I do of course, beg your pardon madam. I am Rejar ta'al Krue, and I am at your service." He sweeps a bow to her, never losing sight of the tiger at her side though.

She arches an eyebrow at Strife's cryptic statement towards the cat on his shoulder. She chuckles at the cats reaction to it as well. A frown quickly marrs her face though as the cat begins to light up, her still draconian pupils dialate in response to the brightness.
Her eyebrows shoot up nearly to her hairline as she eyes the male standing in the cats place. So that was why her senses had reacted as if he were a threat. She shakes her finger at him after his introduction "Naughty of you...But I can see why you would do it." She looks over at Strife. "Interesting company you keep...Oh and you will have to explain that remark about dragons to me at some point."
Yaniff gives a coughing laugh while looking Rejar over. {Now he will make a decent meal...Are you sure you do not want me to eat him?}

He laughs again hearing the tiger "if he doesn't mind his tounge I will gladly let you have him" he says turning to Topaz "it's simple really, I once loved a dragon that stayed in human form. She was killed wrongfully and her soul was placed within me." he says as his words trail off some but quickly shakes it off and smiles at her.

"He would choke to death trying" He replies with a smirk, flinging his hair back.
He reaches out and lays a consoling hand on Strife's shoulder when he reveals his troubles, giving him a quick pat before releasing him. "Bad way to remember her, my friend." He says with a rare serious expression on his face.

Sadness fills her eyes. "I am sorry for your loss. I know your pain, my mother and father share a slightly similar tale. Changing shape was not one of my mothers talents, she was cursed into an elven form with no memories. Shortly after my birth, her curse was broken and even though they loved each other, they couldn't be together any longer. They still grieve for each other."
Yaniff leans against her leg, rumbling a purr to comfort her. He chooses to ignore the snipping of his future meal in favor of his student.

"She could but chose to stay in human form. I saw her dragon form and it did not bother me either way. But all is well now I am fine and have moved on but I do miss her from tine to time that is all" he says and nods to rejar "thank you friend maybe I won't feed you to the big kitten over there" he says slightly laughing as he looks over at Yaniff.

He chuckles "I have three words for you my friend, king sized hairball. Would you really want that beast to choke one of those slimy things up somehwere around here?"

She laughs, thumping Yaniff lightly on the shoulder. "He does have a point you two, and Yaniff really hates the 'medicine' I mix up for him to take when he gets one of those. Don't you Yaniff?"
The tiger snarls {I would sooner eat demon hooves than that dragon dung you try to pass off as a cure all.}
She places her hand on her hip and eyes Yaniff before snorting in disdain. She looks over at the others and shrugs "He never complains to me about being sick, so it evidently works quite well."

He laughs again "that's enough of it then. Well being that we are being all friendly and what not how about you all come to my place for dinner tonight" he says with a slight smile on his face wondering what there reactions will be like when they find out who he is....but time will only make it that much better. So he decides to wait on telling them who he is just a but longer.

He laughs and shrugs. "I'm not one to turn down a free meal, but you'll have to tell us where you live." He knew Strife had been in the castle, but it didn't mean he lived there.

She looks at Yaniff for a moment then back at Strife. "Does that invitation include Yaniff, here? We will be looking for a place to make camp soon, since we can't stay at an Inn." She laughs. "Yaniff is bad for business, so we don't even bother asking for a room anymore."

"of corse he is all three of you are and you may stay as long as you like. It would be nice to have another dragon around" he says and turns around "as for which one is mine it's that one" he says and points to the palace.

He snickers, eyeing Strife and watching for the young lady's reaction...could be interesting. "It figures, it would take a person that thinks like a dragon to create that monstrosity of a rabbit warren. Not to mention dealing with that cook!" He gives a mock shudder before squinting at Strife. "You know, if you don't mind a little friendly advice...You may want to think about replacing that cook, she did threaten to skin me and cook me into a stew for her Lord..." He shrugs and winks at Topaz. "But it's your stomach, if you aren't worried about biting into a little cat stew one night...." He mutters quietly to himself..'Fiesty wench chased me with a spoon for a good half hour, and all over one berry pie...Fun though!'