Seig’s eyes followed Alek’s movements. The dragon observed, quietly; he was very still. Still; until he shifted into a position that was described as sitting up slightly. He was not sitting up fully. Seig adjusted his wings, the scar on his chest now somewhat visible - though the area was very dim, and thus it would be hard to make out key features on the dragon. His eyes glowed softly in the dark.
Sadon spared one more glance. “That’s a new one..” he murmured.
Seig still did not speak, though it was clear he was listening.
Alek hesitated. "And…" He sat down cross-legged. "I don't know. I wanted to be a rider because it seemed cool, i guess. And I want to fly. That seems like it would be cool." He shrugged. He raked a hand through his hair again. "I honestly don't know what to say." He said with a laugh.
Seig looked down upon the human. He then exhaled, flicking out a blue tongue.
He seemed to consider what Alek had said. Things had changed compared to when Seig had his first rider. Finally, for the first time in maybe years, the dragon spoke to the human.
“It seemed cool, did it?” His voice was deep and gritty. He showed no signs of aggressiveness, but kept to his spot by the wall. Instead, he sat fully up. “You wanted to..fly?” Seig asked.
Alek blinked, then nodded. "Well yeah. Isn't that the human dream? Flight? Although obviously I guess it wouldn't be me doing the flying, exactly, it would be whatever dragon picks me…" He trailed off with a slight shrug. "But still. It would be interesting." He said with a smile.
He seemed to ponder some more.
“I never thought of it being the human dream. Things were different when I was younger, though. I suppose it makes sense for things to have changed now.”
Seig thought some more. He hadn’t flown in a while, and he longed to go outside, and feel the fresh air across his scales. His scales were currently flat on his body.
Seig moved himself again, this time to stand up. He kept his wings flattened on his back, and he looked at Alek. His pupils then moved to the outside, though his head did not move. Only someone who was near him would notice a movement as subtle as that.
“It would be interesting, wouldn’t it? A new experience..” Seig commented. Or at least, reliving old experiences for him.
Alek nodded. "Mhm. On my bucket list of things to do before i die, I suppose." He said, eyes flickering for a moment, his smile slipping slightly, before he looked the same as he had. He was still sitting down, and was looking up at the big dragon curiously. "And you know, maybe it isn't the human dream, but it's been my dream, and I'm human, so…" He shrugged.
Seig seemed to tilt his head, if only for a split second. He then moved forwards, towards the door in the cage which led to the main building of the Aviary.
“If it is your dream, then I suppose you would want to fulfill that, right? I could offer to help with that..” ..If only to feel the wind on my wings again, the dragon kept his second statement within his mind. His pupils shifted towards the human again, awaiting a response.
Alek stood. "So…what are you saying?" He ask, looking at the dragon curiously. His right hand drummed a strange rhythm on his leg. Strange only because of the missing fingers, the stumps of which twitched as if trying to drum.
“I’m asking you if you want help with that dream of yours. Look who has the wings here. You said you wanted to fly.” Seig unfolded one of his wings, though he did not completely stretch it out yet. It seemed it was just to prove his statement. He folded that wing back up.
He noted the missing fingers, though said nothing of it.
Alek smiled slightly. "Alright." He looked at the dragon. "So…what do I do?" He asked. "Obviously you know more about this than me." The dragon was much older, and had had riders before; of course he would know more about it than Alek.
“Well, we’ll need to go to the balcony. You can get to it from within the Aviary. It’s usually a place where new riders practice their flying. We’ll decide what to do from there.” He moved towards the opening in the cage, preparing to leave. Seig knew the way to the balcony, after all.
Alek nodded. "I'll follow you, then, since i assume you know the way." He replied, smiling. He wondered why this dragon had chosen him, if he hadn't chosen a rider in years.
Seig pushed the door out with his snout. He moved out, expecting the human to follow, and proceeded down the large hallway of the Aviary. It wasn’t all too odd to see a dragon walking around, especially with a human. Even more so around this time, since there were people and dragons almost everywhere, and probably would be there for a few more hours.
They would eventually arrive at what seemed to be a massive doorway, though there were no more doors to be seen. Instead, it was like a large balcony. There could be some riders seen taking off, or just getting back. Or maybe getting ready.
“We’re here.” Seig announced. The light of the day showed off some of his features more clearly as well. It seemed he had quite a few scars on him. They seemed fairly old, though. None of them were recent.
He scanned for an area that was somewhat cleared, and not crowded.
Alek smiled slightly, tipping his face into the sun for a moment. "Okay. Where do you want to go?" He asked, looking over at Thunder. He raised his eyebrows slightly at the scars, but didn't ask about them. It wasn't his business, after all.
Seig walked forwards to an area of the balcony that was relatively uncrowded. “You do know how to get onto a dragon, right?” He asked.
Alek followed him, and hummed for a moment. "That's a good question." He replied. "I mean…yes. Maybe not well, but yes." He walked over to Thunder.
Seig lowered himself. “You’d better know how, then.” He seemed to huff.
“If you need to hold onto something, use my horns. Or my neck. Whatever one suits you.” He began to get ready, opening his wings ever so slightly.
Alek nodded, and climbed up onto Thunder's back, holding on slightly nervously.
“Ready?” Seig asked, eyes looking where they were going to take off at. The Aviary, at least the balcony part was high up, and an open area, so they wouldn’t have to worry about crashing into anything.
Alek nodded, then realised that the dragon couldn't see him. "Yeah." He said aloud, biting his lip slightly, nervous. How is this going to go? He wondered.
Seig unfolded his wings, his wings were large which suited a dragon of his size. At the edges, parts of his wings were torn at the edges; though it was a common sight in older dragons. Or at least dragons a few centuries old.
He looked down. The ground was far from them, so he studied how he’d take off for a few seconds. He backed up slightly, then started at a slight run, then off the edge.
For a moment, it was as if they were falling, though he immediately stretched out his wings, which seemed to even out the balance. He flapped his wings a few times, with 10-15 second intervals between each group of flaps. Though he hadn’t flown for a while, so it was clear by the slight waver in his flight as Seig began to try and even himself out.
Alek yelped, and hung on tightly to Thunder. He laughed slightly, forcing his eyes open against the wind and grinning.
Seig had evened out his wings and seemed to be flying calmly at the moment. He looked around, before exhaling. “Feels good to be in the air again,” he murmured to no one in particular.
Occasionally, another rider could be seen here and there, but they all seemed to be doing their own thing. The sun was warm on Seig’s scales, which was another feeling he missed.
“I do not mean to dampen the mood, but I have not chosen a rider yet, either. A dragon only chooses their rider once they tell their true name.”
Seig turned slightly, and some birds flew up next to them.
Alek looked down at the dragon, and nodded. "I understand." He replied. "And…its alright. You've at least helped me achieve this much. Thank you." He said softly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze in his face and the sun on his skin.
Seig made a noise that sounded similar to ‘hm,’ a noise of affirmation that he’d heard the words. For a while, he was silent, before finally he decided to ask a question.
“What is it like, being a human? Having no wings - natural ones at least..I’ve always wondered.”
