*** Remember my entry for Fantastical Creature Feature: Scales of Umber and Amethyst? Here is a bit of a continuation. I sort of have a plan for this story, but I don't know if I'll ever get back to writing it, since I have so many other things on my list to write first. Thus, I decided just to put this little snippet I wrote in here.  Also, the picture is of cloudberries. They sound like some sort of fantasy fruit, but they're very much real. They taste delicious too:)

Thesaera's eyes flew open at the first signs of light on the horizon. She stood, eagerness pushing away any weariness that remained, and quickly dressed in her usual pants and tunic. Grabbing a lantern off the hook by the door, Thesaera headed into the main room of her family's house. Whispering a few words made the lantern light ignite, showing her the surroundings. She went to the the small kitchen and made herself a tea, heating the water with a fire which sprang to life in her hand. It glowed a warm yellow, offsetting the violet hues of the lantern. Taking a cloudberry tart which her mother had made the day before, Thesaera sat at the table and ate quickly. Once finished, she scribbled a note to her parents, saying she had gone berry picking. Though not entirely the truth, Thesaera had every intention to do so while she was in the forest. Pulling on her cloak, she left the house and started into the trees which grew thicker. 

Once she was deep enough into them, Thesaera paused. Breathing in the cold morning air, she tried to remember the feeling. Something like a small tug at the edge of her consciousness. Reaching into the depths of her mind, Thesaera found it. She closed her eyes and focused on the sensation, trying to pull it closer. It kept flickering, making it almost impossible to hold onto. Thesaera brought forward the memory of Kesorym's eyes, with their multicolored depth, and the sheen of his smooth scales. Finally the sensation filled her, and she felt Kesorym stir. "Still asleep?" Thesaera said in her mind, directing the words towards the dragon's presence.

"It's early," Kesorym grumbled. Thesaera laughed allowed.

"Well I'm coming anyway," she replied. Opening her eyes, she noticed everything had become clearer, with more details and without the veil of darkness, though there was no more light than before. Her hearing also became sharper, and she heard the murmurs of the forest animals. Dragon's perception it was called. When one connected with the noble beasts, they would gain the dragon's senses, as well as the ability to sense their being, and speak by thoughts. Thesaera had always known of it, but it was said that few could do it. When Kesorym had first forged their connection a year ago, she realized that he held power beyond anything commonly seen. Thesaera was not surprised though; a dragon living amongst ancient ruins was bound to be something out of the ordinary. 

Following his presence, Thesaera made her way to those ruins. Looking upon them as they rose out from their chains of myrtle and ivy, she figured it was about time Kesorym told her their story. After their first few meetings, she had questioned him extensively, but he surrendered no answer. "It is a long tale, one which has not yet found it's end. As guardian I cannot take my responsibility lightly, and may only tell the one who I am sure can begin the tale once more. After a year, If I find you are worthy (which I'm sure you will be) I will tell you," was the dragon's response instead. Well, a year had passed, and with Thesaera's age ceremony approaching, she hoped that Kesorym saw fit to tell her. Entering the dragon's glade through a doorway with a curtain of vines, Thesaera found him sitting there waiting. His umber and amethyst scales shone, even in the dim light,

"Morning," he spoke, though his tone lacked all enthusiasm.

"Well aren't you chipper," Thesaera said, wrapping her arms as far as she could around Kesorym's neck. He growled in response.

"Any reason why you're up so early?"

"I was eager to see you. As you know, a year has passed since I met you, and since then we have gone on all sort of adventures. We've seeded forests, helped lost merchants and travelers find their ways, helped farmers harvest their crop, gone to hidden corners of this area, saved villagers from an invasion of peacocks (not something I want to experience again mind you. They can be quite aggressive at times). We've helped the royal scholar recover lost scrolls, and gone with him to other kingdoms," Thesaera listed.

"Mm yes, don't you think it's time you tell your family of our friendship? They are bound to become suspicious at all your excuses. Besides, you trust the royal scholar with your secret, yet not your own family?" Kesorym answered.

"That's not the point. Besides, my parents would hardly take kindly to me going this far into the forest. They believe all those silly stories that try to scare people away. I think something happened also." Thesaera remembered one time she had mentioned the inner part of the forest, and her father had become angry, telling her never to go near it, while her mother simply looked wistfully out at the clouds. She would have been a fool to ignore the signs. They definitely had their own reasons to fear it. Though nothing had happened thus far to Thesaera, she made sure to always carry her knives and stay close to the dragon. "Anyway, that's not the point." Thesaera swatted at one of the glowing orange butterflies that had landed on her face, blocking her view. "As you know, my age celebration is in a few days, and-"

"I see," Kesorym interrupted her. "You want me to tell you, is that it?"

"Yes," Thesaera looked up at him.

"I was going to," Kesorym said. If he could have, Thesaera was sure he would have crossed his arms.

"You so were not," Thesaera argued.

"I so was." The dragon wrapped his tail around her, pulling her closer. Thesaera sat before him, and he tapped her on the head with the end of his tail.

"Stay," he commanded, before leaping off into the sky. The wind from his wings swept over her, disarranging her charcoal black hair. Thesaera looked after him with a questioning look.