we'll see the sun come up again, we'll climb higher than we've been

The insect's footsteps were loud and noisy. They clicked in a strange way against the ground, a way that could only be created by an exoskeleton. It was usually hard to hear, as insects were incredibly small. One grown to substantial size, though, made the noise all the more easy to hear. His mind was a torn thing, torn between the mind of a tiny little insect and a budding ferocious dragon. Usually the instinct of the insect side of him won out his dilemmas. He clicked and clattered, buzzed and sometimes even could be seen making vague noises that were akin to chirps. Grumbles and rumbles, deeper noises that came from the dragon side of him were often overrun in favor of what was familiar. They were the external and noisy signs that it was an insect mentality that he had. The life of a bug he tried to replicate, even if such was not the case. He was a massive dragon, not a small cicada that he should have turned into. The mindsets conflicted heavily, but Astiar didn't care enough to fully dismiss one or the other. It added to the fact that his mental strength was beyond weak, that his will was thin and his motives were incredibly barren.

In truth, Astiar had been merely wandering around. It wasn't uncommon of him. The bug would wander and move around, searching and clicking and spreading his buzzing noise wherever he went. Being greeted by children flew right over his head, but he followed nonetheless. It came from his need to be in a group, a colony: a noisy one at that. The gentle buzzing of his wings as proof of such a thing. He did not like the silence, and the ever present buzz that came from him allowed for such to be proven time and time again. The buzzing stopped when he took in the maze that had been constructed. Once, twice, his mandibles clicked. He couldn't comprehend it, but that didn't mean that his curiosity could be deterred. Astiar was prone to reacting on instinct. It was the only logic someone such as him could run on. He did not possess enough intellect to form actual mental processes and thoughts. At the most, he seemed able to convey curiosity. His footsteps came to a startled halt when suddenly someone leaped from the darkness. The dragon recoiled swiftly. His head arched back and his wings began to madly buzz. Six feet loudly stomped against the ground as his body recoiled away from the sudden surge of fright. Such a large creature being frightened by a shout and sudden appearance was funny, if one could ignore the sheer noise that his fright created. Hisses and loud buzzing tore through the air, the chosen noises to display his terror. The bug stumbled backward still, tail swinging behind him in a frantic and fearful response.

we've got a fire that burns within, we are the dragon hearted

we'll see the sun come up again, we'll climb higher than we've been

The dragon's stomping feet continued, claws digging into the ground when the opposite foot lifted to aid the stomping. It was similar to how a horse stomped when nervous - only the difference was that this was an insect absolutely frightened beyond belief. The cicada's wings' had a buzz that tore through the air, worse than a symphony of an entire colony of the bug of normal size. His head swung to one side, then the other. Astiar reared up when Redvox began to approach. It was a fearful response, the fear clear in those usually blank and dulled eyes. The dragon never showed much emotion. His maw was stuck in a permanent neutral, and the mandibles that extended from his mouth often kept even curiosity from being portrayed. Fear made them bend, his mouth open to let out frightened hissing noises. The end of his tail was sharp, dangerous, madly swinging about to keep Astiar's balance as he rapidly stomped at the ground. He moved back.

It took the cicada a few seconds to realize that the threat was gone. The sheet covered creature was Redvox. Not that Astiar could make such a connection. An animal could not make such a connection. It was a fact that was made clear by his head turning to one side, then the other, and hissing loudly at the discarded sheet. Another stomp followed, his front feet clicking and clacking and slamming against the ground. It was another chosen way to visualize his discomfort. He had no way to truly voice his concerns. Words were lost to the bug, words meant nothing other than the emotion that was tucked behind him. Laughter, too, was lost to him. His head did turn, his red eyes did stare, but there was no recognition of understanding that it was he who was the source for the strange noise. Astiar could not comprehend how his stomping, rearing, buzzing, hissing, clicking, noisy and frightened self was funny. Such a large creature started by nothing more than a sheet covered person and a jump from the darkness left more to be gathered from how instinctive the beast was. Animals jumped when sudden something frightened them. The cicada was no exception.

His buzzing began to teeter off into short, loud bursts of noise. The hissing noise that came from his parted maw began to lower and die off. Slowly the dragon lowered his head. The hisses turned to a small whimper, conveying his still present fear. The two different sets of blue antennae that extended from his head had previously been sticking up straight into the air. Now they began to relax, curling towards the center spire of his head. Another loud whine, another sharp buzz of his wings. The dragon was not happy, and the heaving and heavy breathing said that terror still flowed freely in his veins. There was speech that was being presented to him. Astiar had tiny little ears, but they did not raise when Redvox spoke. He seemed to be paying attention, but there was no flicker of consciousness in the dragon's red eyes, only the prolonged existence of fear. Slowly the cicada lowered his head further to near eye level. Another buzz of his wings sounded, lasting a longer series of seconds. He scraped at the ground with a talon, another whimper sounded and preceding a few clicks of his mandibles.

we've got a fire that burns within, we are the dragon hearted