Dragoniers (Ongoing)

Richardson

"Sorry again about making you wait. I got caught up talking with the others and lost track of time," I said as he dug through some boxes. He waved off my apology and said he's been trying to find the winter gear this whole time anyway. I guess they really don't use it much.

"I swear I've found every type of gear we have, but not one of them is the one I'm looking for. Only one more place to look," he said and went over to what looks like reused school lockers. As he opened them he sighed. "Of course it's in the last place I would think to look. He pulled out some boxes and set them down in between us.

The gear was pretty straight forward; Snow shoes and boots, A little bit of climbing equipment (in case we have to track a dragon up a snowy mountain). Heavier coats and snow pants to keep the cold out. A bag with a sleeping bag, tent, lantern, and other safety equipment (flares, ice axe, medical supplies, etc).  It didn't really seem like it had any unique qualities like our Dragoniering Uniforms did, but they do serve a totally different kind of protection. Our Dragoniering Uniforms are designed to help keep us from falling off the ship, these winter clothes are designed to keep us from freezing while on the ground.

"I will mention that it'd work best over your other uniform. That provides extra warmth and if you get separated or lost you'll have that extra equipment to use. Like the mask and maybe even put the gloves under these ones to keep your hands and face warmer," he said. That makes sense, but I also don't want to be too hot either.

"That all said, since we'll be in the town to start with all you'll really need right now is a normal coat and some boots, I'm sure you have those already. But if we do end up going after a Dragon then we'll have to change quickly so I just wanted to go over everything before hand," he added. I nodded in understanding and we headed back up to the others in the Dining Hall where he let the others know we should be landing soon.

"If Richardson is the home of the Hunter's Headquarters, why do you think they called us? I mean don't the two groups not get along?" I asked once we all sat down again.

"You're right that it is unusual, but it does happen. Especially if it really is an Elder Dragon. Those Dragons are our jurisdiction, for the most part. So being asked to consult from time to time isn't all that crazy," Jordan said calmly. I'm surprised he answered my question without getting annoyed with me. I really do have a lot to learn about the way things work.

We landed just outside of Richardson about 10 minutes later and instead of us all going he picked four people to accompany him. Jordan, because of his knowledge of Dragons. Valis, because of his knowledge of equipment. Mira, because of her knowledge of landscapes. Then me, because of my ability to communicate with Dragons. The rest were staying behind to inspect our gear and fuel the Ship.

The town gave me similar vibes to when I walked into Darensville. People were giving us those death glares as we walked past. I just ignored it and followed the others. We eventually went into a large building and we continued to get the "you're not welcome here" glares as we continued on.

Once at two large doors the man standing guard knocked 3 times and then opened them to let us in. The man at the large desk greeted Mitch as if they were good friends and they sat down.

"You brought more people than I expected and one of them is a new face," the other man said and I introduced myself to the man and then they got down to business.

"So why have you called us here? You don't usually reach out to me and it sounded urgent," Mitch said.

"Well, we discovered a Dragon we've never seen before in the mountains. It's completely encased in ice, but the weird thing is you can hear a faint heart beat from it. We think it might be some kind of Ice Dragon in hibernation. Considering there is no record of it in our books we thought maybe you could take a look. We're pretty sure it's an elder dragon," the man said.

"And I assume you're thinking that because none of the Dragon Wisperers you brought in have been able to talk to it?" Mitch asked.

"That and it does seem like it's been up there for a very long time," he said.

"I'm sorry to interrupt here, but if it's hibernating why not leave the Dragon be? I doubt it appreciates being gawked at by a bunch of strange humans," I said.

"Well, that's a valid question. If we can identify the dragon and find out whether it's friendly or not we will determine what to do from there. If we don't find out and it wakes up and attacks a town then it'll be too late," he said sounding a little irritated, then added, "I don't think you told me what it is you do on the ship."

"Oh, right. Zion here is our newest crew member, but he's also our Dragon Whisperer," Mitch said calmly.

"Oh I see. Well we've already established that it may be an Elder Dragon, so no reason to risk the boy's safety," he said. Basically saying he didn't think I was qualified to come along. The others looked at me as if wondering what I wanted to do. These people are technically our enemies even if we are cooperating with them at the moment. Telling them I can talk to Elder Dragons doesn't seem like a smart move.

"It never hurts to try, I'll still go. Besides how could I miss an opportunity to maybe see a new dragon with my own eyes," I said and Mitch nodded. He basically told the man that I would be fine and that I can handle myself just fine. He reluctantly gave in.

"Okay, we'll go get geared up and we'll follow your lead. Will we be needing our climbing gear?" Mitch asked. The man, Seth, said we should probably bring it just to be safe.

Once back at the ship the four of us geared up with all our snow gear. Mitch told me it was smart not to tell him about my being able to talk to Elder Dragons. He also told me to stick with our group especially on any climbs and to follow their lead. Since I've never actually been Ice Climbing before I had no problems with that request. I'll follow their lead and directions.