another hundred miles ● asteri

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

her family was the reason behind it's own failure it seemed. "I'm sorry to hear of that, Asteri." they murmured quietly, eyes sad as she spoke of her mother's passing. "well .. I'm sort of keeping the fish away with my presence ... you can make merry if you wish. Joy waits on no one."

[SirDio]

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say something you'd regret."

Asteri held a bitter smile, her eyes looking down at the water. She stared for a good while, before a glint of something shiny under the water caught her attention. She stood up and got into a half-assed crouch, knowing that whatever was shiny wasn't living, so she didn't have to waste time crouching properly.

"In any case-" She lept at the shiny object, seeing it as a shiny river rock. Water splashed into her face as she dove nose first at the rock, then brought her head up and shook it. She looked to Bai Shi, taking a bit more time to look at their wounds. "How did you get those wounds? And why wander while wounded?"

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

peacefully listening to the lapping of the water against the banks and stones under the water, they relaxed, resting their head upon their taloned feet, enjoying the chill of the river. listening to her move and leap through the water brought them amusement, their own heart half in the conversation and half focused on the knowledge that their children were safe with a guardian for the time being. exhaling heavily, they groaned as they eased their body further into the river, flattening out their body with a sound akin to a rumbling purr.

"my wounds? bandits in my land. i fell sick months ago and left my group and family with the premise of dying from the illness i had contracted. i survived and returned to my groups land, my home, and i found it invaded by bandits. i have called for all those remaining in my land that belonged to my group, and so far ... only my two youngest have shown up. i might be big ... but i alone cannot defend a land so vast as to hold my family and i. there are numerous enemies, bandits and thieves. who wouldn't take a chance of easy land and food? i am wandering in search of aid. i need help to fight these bastards, had i my eyes and my full health i would be able to clear more than half the lot out. i cross through these unsettled lands in an attempt to find the borders of other groups ... in order to ask their aid. my children are too young, they are meant to use their teeth and claws for finding prey and eating it - not taking down vicious and fully grown adversaries." they rumbled in displeasure, explaining their cause.

[SirDio]

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say anything you'd regret."

She sloshed around in the water as the dragon spoke, ears tilted toward them as she flipped different stones over. Bandits, thieves? She had dealt with the occasional mad-minded animal who thought itself strong enough to take her or her siblings, even food, when she was young, and she always had her mother or father to jump in and defend. But so many as to take hold of a territory? Her lips twitched in irritability. She jumped through the water again as she was quiet in thought.

"I could.." She could what? Fight? Help defend their home? She was skinny, spindly, easy to push around. She wasn't her mother, who's stocky build would help send invaders running, or any of her siblings, who shared the stocky builds and aggression of both her mother and father. She was weak compared to them, but she was fast. Her mother had trained her to utilize that speed, and the dragon she had just met had no one else to help as of yet. And even worse-

They had only their children. She had skipped that part for a moment but thank the stars her mind kept it. She sighed, then pounced at another rock. "I could help." Her voice held a determined tone, not her usual, soft spoken, shy tone.

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

listening to her movements, they closed their eyes as they rested there in her presence. "asteri, how old are you?", she sounded like a young adult to them - they were not in the business of recruiting children to fight their wars. "I do not mean to come off as rude, my friend, but I do not wish to make a child fight. You sound to be an adult but without my sight, i am unable to tell." they murmured quietly, gaze soft as they opened their eyes.

they could appreciate her head strong qualities, and the courage to fight in another's war. they understand the drive to prove one's self and anything that they held dear, even if it belonged to another. exhaling softly, the dragon smiled, "thank you. this is the first hope I've had in a very long time my dear."

[SirDio]

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say anything you'd regret."

Her ears flicked, almost in annoyance, before she realized the reality of their question. Of course, they wanted to make sure they weren't sending children to fight. She thought for a moment, then nodded to herself. "I am three years old, though if you still had your sight, you'd think I was lying." It was true, they might've thought differently if they still had their sight, for Asteri was scrawny and thin, almost like a young wolf at one year old.

"I assure you, however, that I am three." She smiled gently, looking at Bai Shi with a gentle expression. "And you are welcome, my friend. Let's hope that the... hope- streak keeps going. You certainly need it right now."

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

amusement filled the dragon's gaze, "I would think otherwise hmn?" they murmured in soft laughter. Shaking their head slightly they could only chuckle, finding the mention of that oddly funny. Rolling their shoulders as they relaxed, the dragon rumbled in content.

The hope streak, that was certainly something that needed to continue. Exhaling softly, they shrugged slightly, getting comfortable,  "a streak of hope ... is certainly what we need. we have done a little spying - we have found out the name and identity of the bandits' leader."

[SirDio]

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say anything you'd regret."

She let out a soft chuckle, but didn't add to the age part of the conversation. But the spying part, she listened intently to. "Well.. I suppose it's a good thing to know who you will be fighting, and who will be ordering the opponents." She spoke, harkening back to an earlier time with her mother. But she shook the memories from her head - there were times for memories, but now wasn't the time.

"Well, not entirely knowing about them, really. But still, small steps."

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

they bowed their head in agreement, tipping their head as if caught in thought. Their own memories went back many lifetimes, back through many wars and losses. exhaling they shook their head, "its only ever the tip of the iceberg." they rumbled softly, eyes narrowing. the memories of war, the screams and cries of their family and friends falling around them, the hoarse throated roars of battle cries that drove all under their command to their death. they shuddered at the violent memories ripping through their body, bringing out a stiffness in their muscles that they had long forgotten, their jaws clenching and their talons digging into the riverbed below them.

exhaling in a forced fashion, the dragon managed to soothe their body enough to release the hard grip on the ground underneath their body. shaking their head, they chased away the
memories, the attachments to the dead that they still felt and the feelings that they hadn't done enough in those times, that it should have been them laying six feet under. "do you wish to stay with us, Asteri?"

[SirDio]

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say anything you'd regret."

She watched with a worried face, knowing that the Bai Shi was remembering, and regretting, something. Knowing better than to press, she simply got up and padded closer to Bai Shi, letting mud settle into her paws as she stepped out of the water. Her ears flicked as she thought of how to answer the question.

Words from her brothers and father rang again in her ears, their taunting voices trying their damndest to discourage her, trying to drown the determination she had already planted. They claimed her a liability, one who would fit no where in a group. But she just had to give it a chance. She wanted people, wanted to protect people, too.

Pushing back the voices from her past, she sat down next to Bai Shi. "Yes, I'd love to stay with your group."