Hmph, the heat was beginning to thoroughly agitate her as she sat up in the branches of one of the large tree. In the years she had been alive, she had never seen a summer so warm. Though, yet again, she had lived in a cooler climate and not out in these wide open warm areas for about ten years of her life. Rubbing her back against the trunk to relieve an itch, the young hybrid sat forward and held her weight evenly on her wrists and hands. Nothing seemed to be moving today, and she couldn't blame all of the creatures here. At least no filthy humans were out and about today. The river was a place they seemed to like to come during the hot spells, as it was a good way to cool off. It gave her many opportunities to grab what she needed to survive, but other than that their arrivals were just annoyances that she had to put up with for a few hours of the day. She really wished her mother was here to help cool her off, but then again, her mother always complained how she was so needy.

She was a human, what did her mother expect? Laughing to herself, she reached up to stretch. At least the leaves were providing some kind of shelter from the beating sun. Some creatures weren't as lucky, being caught out in the open with no shade or water to keep them cool. Shaking her head, she turned her gaze more towards the west. Hoofbeats. Her delicate ears picked them up with ease, and she could hear the even yet labored beats taking their toll on the earth. This horse was carrying weight, and she knew what this meant. Meh, now she had to move! Groaning, she got to a crouching position on the branch, watching below her as a dark stallion and his rider proceeded to run straight into the river. That seemed like a foolish and stupid move, but she watched as the man rose from the water, obviously in pain from some injury or another. What a fool. But she could see his clothes lying on the shore, and those could provide some good use to her. The boots would be nice too, if she could grab them. Her own were beginning to form holes from being used.

Sighing gently to herself, she waited until he was back in the river with his pony before dropping branches to the ground. A gentle thud gave away her presence, but she was unsure if the man had even heard it amongst his splashing and the horse's movements. Either way, get in and get out was what she needed to do, so she crept forward in the shade, to some of the taller weeds amongst the river's edge. Not that it made much of a difference, because it was a bright day today, and she could easily be seen amongst everything. It was being quiet that made it possible for her to steal anything. She should have waited until he was asleep or something, but if he left, then she would miss her opportunity to grab anything. As she came closer, she noticed him coming out of the water and retreated back to the reeds. Water was beginning to seep into her boots as she stepped into the shallow water at the edge of the river. This man was interesting looking, no doubt, and it was obvious he had been beaten by the marks on his back.

But she felt no sympathy for him, so she waited for a moment until sneaking back out of the weeds to head for the clothes. Yes, those clothes could be torn apart and sewn back together to make a travel pack. Doubling the fabric could make it thicker to carry heavier items. She liked the thought of that, as she was running out of supplies. Now reckless abandon had taken over and she was focused on grabbing the boots, reaching out for them with no care that he might turn around. Such a foolish girl.

This human seemed to be relaxed, unaware of his surroundings. She was sure he was using his beast for that. It was foolish to rely on others when you could easily use your own senses to survive. That was a mistake many made, and they tended to lose their possessions or their lives. Death Hounds roamed these parts, and they didn't have any mercy. Not to mention they didn't roam alone, or even in pairs. They were pack animals and most people didn't have a chance against five or six of them - though so packs even numbered up to twenty. There was the occasional loner that had been kicked out of the pack, but they didn't tend to last long. But this man's well-being didn't have anything to do with her. She didn't care if he lived or died. He was of no use to her. So, she refocused on what she was doing, creeping forward to snatch the clothes from the banks. Men didn't need clothes, not at all! They were tough, testosterone-filled men who could take care of themselves, right?

This plane, however, was interrupted rather quickly by an arrow in the ground and another aimed at her head. Wonderful.That beast must have caught her, she was sure. Animals had higher senses than humanoid creatures, and that seemed to dull the senses of the humans even farther. Glaring up at the man, she tried not to laugh mockingly at seeing his stance. Did he honestly think he was so tough just because he could fire an arrow? So could she, did that make her cooler than all of the other kids? Oh, and his beast was all up in arms, that was amusing. But he was like any other man to - empty of mercy, foolish, and cruel. As he began walking towards her, she began to walk backwards, nearly tripping over rocks resting in the shallow water. Hissing slightly in a dragon-like way, she leaped out of the water onto the dry grass. It crunched underneath her feet, giving way to her weight. "Stay away! Don't come near me, human!" she snarled, hesitating for a moment. If she had been any less full of herself, she would admit a small hint of panic entering her veins.

All the humans she had encountered had harmed her. Beatings, whippings, everything really of the kind. How was she to know this man was any different? He was ready to shoot her anyways...though she was trying to steal his things. In her mind that wasn't a crime. It was her way of surviving, her way of avoiding death and turmoil in her life. Perhaps she should have stayed at Lasair. "Obviously I was planning something or I wouldn't have come down from my branch to see you," she sneered. "Amada*," she mumbled underneath her breath. She hoped he didn't think he was intimidating just because he had a weapon. Weapons could easily fault or be taken. It was your own body that you could really rely on. Everything else was merely a gamble. "Is your mule supposed to look mean and nasty?" The tone she was using was clearly sarcastic, glancing over at Diablo. The horse's readiness to defend his master was cute, but it was obvious that this man could easily overtake her if he really wanted to. She was a small half-blood that didn't have much physical strength. Oh, she was sarcastic and could be witty, strong-minded, but physically weak. This human was making a mistake if he though he could just make her intimidated and frightened by acting tough.




*Fool, english to elven translation.

Humans, and elves, were unpredictable creatures from what she had learned. Of course she was included in this bunch, sometimes acting completely spontaneous, and not even intentionally. However, that did little to assist her in trusting this human. He seemed intent on shooing her away with the bow and arrow in his hands, the head of the arrow aimed directly at her. What would stop him, make him different from any other human being out there? Did he think himself more noble because of his mercy? She didn't know, but a part of her was thankful that she wasn't lying dead on the ground at that moment. Brooke wasn't one for superstition, but death had always frightened her to some degree, especially when she had been younger. Perhaps that was because her mother had threatened her with death so many times...Being eaten by a dragon wasn't exactly her idea of a painless and clean death. The thought of being crunched up and swallowed made her cringe inwardly and shudder. Dragons were nasty creatures if you caught them on the wrong side, which she seemed to have a habit of doing.

Tilting her head, Brooke watched as the human scrambled to pull up his pants. It was almost amusing that she had caught him off guard without his pants on, yet at the same time it wasn't at all. She had a weapon aimed at her head. However, her comment seemed to make some kind of impact, because he reacted. Had she hit a sore spot? Yes, she was connected to animals, but this man was obviously close to his horse more so than she would have thought. Animals were wonderful companions, but growing too attached to them was a poor idea. They had short life spans and more often than not hearts were bruised over the loss of such beasts. Not to mention they got sick if you didn't look after them properly. Dragons didn't have that problem, being self-aware and able to look after themselves without much effort. Unless they were a stupid dragon, and then natural selection tended to kick in. Unfortunately, it hadn't done that with the human population, or the elven population for that matter. Such a pity that the gene pool was diluted with it.

Hold on, what was happening? She couldn't conceal the surprised expression on her face as the man took off his breeches again and grabbed his boots. This seemed counterproductive, but she remained silent as he continued along, obviously fuming over what she had said a few moments before. Was he giving those to her? Glaring at him, she snorted loudly in discontent, not that she really expected this human to care. "Oh, look at you," she replied somewhat sarcastically, "You can speak Elven too, congrats." It was obvious she was not impressed. This conversation didn't seem to be going anywhere...or at least not in a positive direction with Brooke's major attitude problem. "So, your pony can't stick up for himself? He can chase me down, but he can't defend his own pride? Touch me, I dare you. You'd have one nasty dragon on your horse's tail before the half hour has passed. You are not the only one with powerful allies, human. Do not forget you are not the only race here." Her tone was cool, and came out in a low hiss as she snatched the clothes up.

They obviously smelled strongly of this man, and it was a little unnerving, but she held them close. If he was indeed giving these to her, they would be the only other pair of clothes she had. Not to mention her current pair were slowly wearing out because of normal day wear and tear. Huffing, she shrugged her shoulders and turned around to wade slightly into the weeds. It didn't really occur to her that she needed a sense of decency having lived out in the wild most of her life. Her biological mother never really was there to teach her about the importance of covering yourself up around others. Needless to say, it didn't spring to her mind as she began tugging her old, useless shirt off. Not that this man could see anything, but it could still be awkward anyways. That was just how Brooke was, silly girl.


((Thanks for being patient with me. Brooke is such a brat, and so self absorbed, but I love her e.e And she has no sense of privacy xD haha))

The lack of a sense of decency in another situation would have been amusing, but in all truths Brooke didn't even think of it. After growing up in a colony of dragons, it was very obvious that she didn't care what went on. Dragons didn't have a sense of decency. They ate in front of each other, rather messily, and everything else underneath the sun. Though, dragons didn't exactly have clothes they had to wear. Instead, they had their thick scales to protect them from the elements. Or the elements of other dragons to say the least. Sighing quietly, she slipped the shirt over her head, feeling immediate relief from the outside world. She would have to try to repair the other set of clothes. There was no way she was going to go into the towns to have her clothing fixed up. No way in hell was she going in there. Frowning, she finished dressing and stomped her boots back on. Now that it was getting warmer, she could leave them behind at her little encampment if she so desired. It wouldn't kill her, though the snakes were coming out now and she didn't want to step on them.

Turning, she looked at the human intently. He was facing away from her, obviously bothered by the fact she had been changing. Hah. That was almost enough to make her laugh, but she held herself back as she straightened up and took a few steps forward. "I'm sure you would be saying that if my Mother was here. You act as if you are naive and foolish, yet you do not seem to be such a thing. Humans, I am ashamed to be a part of your race." She wanted to be a dragon, free and powerful. But no, she was stuck in this little hybrid body, caught between three worlds. Humans hated her, elves spat at her, and dragons (other than her mother) shunned her. But enough of pity-partying. She had come out here to get what she needed to survive, not look for the pity or irritation of another human being. Glancing at the human again, and his horse, she wondered exactly what they were doing here. They seemed out of place in a land so large, which was something to say.

"Obviously you have some sort of a heart or you would have left me with an arrow in my skull and been on your merry way." What was she saying, trying to be somewhat nice to this human? Humans had persecuted her, why was she being so damn nice? Or at least civil. Perhaps it was the fact that he had given up his clothing for her, standing there half naked for everyone to see. Though it was just the two of them, it was still true. Shrugging slightly, she picked up her clothes and held them against her chest, as if they were some sort of comfort to her that not all of humanity was doomed. If her mother had just let her live with her, then this wouldn't be a problem, but she had been kicked out to make her own living. Bad mistake, for she had nothing but the clothes on her back (and now the ones in her hands) and a pouch containing a knife and other small objects. "Or you want something..." she added in, fixing him with a curious yet hesitant gaze.

At his remark, she let out a slight laugh. It was a laugh more commonly related to the ways elves laughed. It was smooth and more like a gentle ring than a harsh gruff of a laugh that some humans possessed. An uneven mixture, she seemed to have gained both the goods and the bads of both worlds. That aside, she glanced over at him with amused eyes. He was smart, she would give him that much, judging by what he had said over the course of their conversation. She knelt at the river, keeping an eye on him, to take a sip from the icy cool waters. Thirst was not uncommon when it was beginning to get warm out in this land. "Not many would. You, however, are smart in not doing so." She took another drink and sat up, wiping her lips on her bare arm. Attractive, no? Just joking. Shaking her head, she just remained sitting by the bank, not really in the mood to stand up anymore. The human male was welcomed to sit if he wanted to as well, but she wouldn't verbally extend the invitation to him.

However, she did raise her head with a questioning look as he sputtered out a question about her upbringing. It did make her ponder for a moment, curious as to how to explain how it was. Dragons could be the most cunning creatures in the land, harsh and mean, but at the same time they could be gentle and caring. Her mother had been a mix of both. Harsh when she screwed up, but gentle when she needed the comforting. That was how a mother was supposed to be, right? The dragon surrogate mother had been understanding when it came to her human daughter's needs. Humans were frightened creatures that spooked at things they didn't know. Lightning, for example, had been one of the many frights Brooke had been exposed to. Her mother, however, had allowed her to curl up against her neck during the night to sleep isntead of pushing her back out with the other hatchlings. Very curious indeed. Sighing gently, she drummed her fingers on her shins. "Well...interesting to say the least. It probably isn't much different from being raised by anyone else."

Though she wasn't one hundred percent sure, she could imagine that it was pretty close. "She treated me like one of her young, though they are considerably bigger than I am. My mother would snap at me when I made mistakes, and praise me when I did good. She would comfort me when I needed it. Though they and my past experiences have engrained my hate for your kind, and the elven kind. Most of the dragons do not approve of my presence amongst them, but my mother fought to keep me." She shrugged slightly. "But now she has kicked me out to make my own living." Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned. "Well...usually when a human is nice that means they want something, right? Or has every other meeting I've had with a human been a fluke?" It was entirely possible, but she could be wrong. It was mostly the men who wanted something from her, whether it was her knife or a companion. All of which had been denied and she had quickly scampered off or her dragon brother had swooped in to settle the dispute.