"swoosh...swoosh...swoosh"

The death-like silence that held the kingdom below in its grasp seemed to snarl at the disturbance caused by a pair of enormous wings. The wind sluggishly awoke from its previous slumber and followed in the wake caused by these foreign objects. The stars leaned in to get a better look at the newly come stranger, apparently amused by this thing that took them out of the ordinary nightly routine.

The stone archways and pillars stood as still as always, but now had a suspicious aire about them as they eyed the curious flier. Two sharp, attentive eyes surveyed this outlandish granite empire with growing curiosity. Six lancinating talons flexed in anticipation of the landing to be taken place in the very near future, and the dust and soil began to dance as the massive wings came near.

Dozens of distinct clicks sped their way through the now soundless air as the stranger landed. The small cloud of dust settled to reveal a seven-foot striking creature, all white like the newly fallen snow in the Tundra but with discrete yet amazing blue and black streaks painted throughout.

The grypon paced forward a few paces, carefully concealing the clicks sure to be made by her claws, and not worried about her padded back feet of a tiger. A full head of feathers held two hawk-sharp eyes, and swung around to get a glimpse of every angle possible. The astounding creature cocked her head after a few moments.

"Honestly," the creature whispered, "you would think a whole kingdom of Dragon-people could provide a better welcoming committee then a fistfull of sand.."

(I have to say, I think this is one of my best posts yet! lol. Not to brag or anything...)

((The other day I noticed nobody had deleted Nen Yim yet...so here we are.))

Nen Yim stole through the alleys, side streets, and other such little-used passageways. Still, there was almost no need; the kingdom of the draconians was strangely empty.There was the odd dragon person every so often, but for the most part the whole place was deserted.

Except, of course, for the large and vicious-looking gryphon that had just descended from the skies into the demon's vicinity. 'Strange...but interesting. I shall have to investigate.' She thought, moving closer to the area where the gryphon had choosen to land.

She observed the great beast from the safety of the roof of a short building. The building hadn't been used for a long while, and was falling into disrepair. Many of the boards that made up the roof had fallen through to the inside or rotted away, forcing Nen Yim to be careful where she put her weight. The gryphon was very large, though not yet fully grown. Nevertheless, it had an imposing presense. It's fur and plume was white with blue-black streaks; it was unlike any sort of bird or animal she'd ever seen before.

And then she noticed the strange metallic sheen of the gryphon's beak and claws. It could be nothing less than a fabled Hagal Ise gryphon, the most ferocious and rarest of the many gryphon species. She gave a sly smile under the black bandanna that covered most of her face. Nen Yim instantly knew that this encounter would turn out much more interesting than she had at first thought. With a nod to herself, she gracefully lept down to land on all fours in front of the gryphon.

The great creature reeled slightly at this intrusion, then mentally cursed at the realization that she should have expected it. Her great head of feathers shook as the creature backed up a few paces to survey this new stranger. Right away the gryphon understood the stranher was not a Hagal Ise like herself, but as to what she was the creature had never seen the likes of before. She had to find out more, because the girl didn't look draconian either.

The gryphon mentally smirked, she too could use the element of surprise. Perhaps this stranger already expected her to be a Hagal Ise, but even when people do it still takes them by surprise, when the creatures transform.

The gryphon threw her head back and closed her eyes, seeming to almost disappear with the moonlit breeze. The silence hovered in the air and the wind nearly ceased, both elements wanting a glimpse of what was happenning. At first, nothing did. Then, the creature began to glow a dull blue. The light covered the great beast's entre body and intensified quickly until the other being was forced to look away. When she looked back, in the place where a giant winged wonder had stood, now was a six foot young girl. Her amazingly long hair, white with black and blue streaks just like her counterpart's, whipped around playfully as the wind and silence continued on their way. The girl smiled lightly at her watcher.

The demon returned the smile, though it would not be seen under her bandanna. She had seen a few Hagal Ise transform before; still it never ceased to amaze her. Luckily, Nen Yim was skilled at keeping her feelings hidden from others. The outer seeming does not always match the inner heart.*

She cocked her head, much like a bird might, at the gryphon-turned-girl. Very tall, about six feet, she guessed. Pure white hair, streaked with blue-black. The demon wondered if it was possible for Hagal Ise to transform into a human that had different-colored hair than their true form. An interesting question, but only that. Unimportant. A kind smile, clothes that were anything but eye-catching...altogether the girl was a strange combination.

"Of all the things I might find in the kingdom of the draconians, a gryphon was probably at bottom of my list." Nen Yim said thoughtfully, "But here I am, in that very kingdom, staring at a gryphon. And a Hagal Ise at that..." the demon trailed off. Unfortunately, she could think of no particularily devilish ways to use this information for her own personal gain.

Nevertheless, the situation interested her. Perhaps it would do good to stay for a while. Curiousity may have brought the downfall of many, but what good was life if not lived to its fullest?

The white haired girl smirked at the stranger's last comment. If the girl stranger had been surprised, then she was extremely practiced at hiding it. The dark haired girl also seemed at a loss for words, something that had never plagued the Hagal Ise being. She shifted her position as she was getting cramped, something that often happened just after transforming, and her forest colored seemingly elven hunting attire whipped softly against her body in the breeze.

"Aye well, I didn't expect to see someone like you either now." Her silver eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "Then again, I say I didn't really know what to expect, as I have not been this far away from my home in a long while. I have never seen a dragon, and true dragons are very hard to find, especially if you are looking for one. At least, that tis was Liath says. She saw one once, you know, and she said they were one of the most fascinating creatures she'd ever seen. Got me curious, so I thought I'd come here."

(Kinda lame, I know. I'm so dead tired though, I'll do better next tme I promise.)