Bear With Me A Moment (Ullor)

[Quetzal]

A stream of words in the Ancient Language flowed from Isrydia's mouth in soft mutterings, rising and falling. She stood with a look of deep concentration on her face, eyes tightly closed, hands held palms to the sky in front of her. Near-white blue light danced around her. This was light and not much more, nothing that could heal or harm. Half her purpose here in Du Weldenvarden was to further her abilities with magic under the instruction of the elves, the other and primary purpose being to study the stars. She was starting to think the Spine of Beor Mountains would be a better location, but liked the company and could reach higher on Arlyn's back anyway.

Presently she was practising the direction of her magic, trying to reach a high and precise level of control over every little movement of anything she conjured. To do this she chose the harmless light as it was easy to see and could have no unwanted side effects should she not prove skillful enough. Arlyn was watching from a few metres away, the dragon a couple of feet bigger than a horse still able to move about comfortably in the forest. After all, there were forests far away where elephants ran comfortably, so why not dragons? His deep blue eyes followed the light carefully, analysing her performance. He had the advantage of being able to read her intentions through their mental connection as well as watch the result as an external observer. She was improving, but he could see her fail when she tried to narrow it down to tiny movement, very thin streams, or extended the light to too big a size.

A rustle behind him made his head jump off his paws, listening alert like a guard dog. There were a lot of strange noises in the elven forest you learned to ignore, but this one had more substance. It was something physical. That still didn't necessarily mean much, there being all sorts of shy creatures which had probably never been seen by sentient eyes. He felt something different to the usual tiny dull minds or even the quicker magical ones. Reaching out properly, yet only looking rather than poking at the other minds so not to alert any of them to his presence, he sensed a person. Elf, probably, given their location, but could be human, dwarf, urgal, anything, the simple brush was too light to tell without giving himself away.

Isrydia hadn't noticed anything, too busy practising her magic. Arlyn doubted this was anything to worry her over. He looked away from his Rider to try and see the stranger, of course not seeing a thing. Too far away or he was looking in the wrong place. Perhaps they wouldn't be bothered after all. He looked back to Isrydia, but decided he was in the mood to meet someone rather than watch the glowing light any more. He rumbled a greeting to whoever was behind him, not reaching out with his mind to speak but making it obvious he was there and not aggressive.

[Aelodil]

Ullor looked around at the forest he was in. He had never been nearby Elves' territory. The forest was a lot more well preserved than most forests he stayed in nearby the larger cities. Other than just that, he felt like as if nature itself called out to him in the forest. Sadly enough, he hadn't found any bears so far. Other than that, however, he had nothing against the forest. Forests in general tended to keep him calm. This calm was the same reason he almost walked straight into what seemed like a girl human and a dragon.

Catching himself, he stopped dead in his tracks. Ullor reprimanded himself mentally. He knew better than to be careless to the point where he'd walk right into two people who could have been hostile. The damage was already done, though, and the dragon gave it away by giving a low rumble. As far as Ullor could tell based on his speech with his bear family, that was mostly an inviting sound. Though Ullor wanted to listen to the dragon, his instincts told him otherwise. Though, his curiosity got the best of him. He was interested to see what the woman with the dragon was doing. At first he thought it was an optical illusion brought on by reflection of light on water, but then he realized it was magic.

At the sight of magic, the hulking mass of a human recoiled visibly. He did not have a love for magic. Though, turning away wasn't exactly an option at this point. He'd rather confront these two up-front than have the dragon think he was stalking them throughout the forest and take it upon themselves to come to him with violent intention. Making sure his bear hide was firmly held tight on his skin, he walked out into the slight clearing. Slowly, he straightened himself up to his full height, towering above the woman. His longbow, larger than any other longbow a human would use and impossible for almost any other human to use, was slung on his back. The twin axes he carried with him reflected the light, giving off a dull impression.

Noting the woman's seemingly extremely concentrated look, he instead turned to the dragon. Though he didn't know how to reach out with his mind other than the natural connection he had with bears, brought to him by the elf who saved him as a young child, he knew the dragon would reach out to him. Ullor bowed his head slightly, then raised his head up to look the dragon in the eye. His face gave him quite a rugged look, and added to that his attire, he definitely did not look like he was out on a picnic. "Hello, master dragon. My name is Ullor Ursidae. Any particular reason you're out here?" Ending his sentence abruptly, Ullor realized just how lacking his social skills were. Oh well, nothing to do about it.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

A man came into view, nothing about his stance suggesting he meant them any harm. Arlyn relaxed slightly but did not let his guard down completely. It was unlikely any would-be attackers would show themselves before striking, it being far less risky to take a Rider by surprise than have their dragon see you, unless there was more to this stranger than he seemed. He was a bulky, strong man, with a wild look to him that said he had been travelling for a long time. More than that, even, there was more to his wildness. He looked and smelled like a part of the forest and as if he had not been in a settlement for a long time. Perhaps that connection to nature was why the forest allowed a human like him to live comfortably without the elves' guidance. That was assuming he didn't have elf help getting here, based on the look of him and how he had heard no mention of any big wild humans from the elves.

To his surprise Isrydia did not stir. The girl needed to learn to keep her wits about her when concentrating. Arlyn studied Ullor for a moment, then touched his mind gently to reply. Dragons being practically legends meant their method of communication was not widely known so he hoped Ullor would not be alarmed at hearing words in his head. He didn't look as in awe as other humans did so perhaps he would respond nice and calmly. "Hello Ullor. My name is Arlyn, and this is my Rider, Isrydia. We came here to practice magic away from elves who might be hurt in an accident, and where it is nice and quiet for concentration," he introduced them, giving Isrydia a mental nudge to come back to reality.

Her eyes flickered open and looked up at the tall rugged man. She silently cursed herself for not paying more attention. Had she been alone, anyone could have sneaked up to hurt her! Thankfully Arlyn was there. The streams of light faded to nothing as she carefully dissipated the energy. "Sorry, I was too focused on that," she apologised.

"Ullor Ursidae... isn't that basically like being called 'Beary McBear'?" Arlyn asked playfully, curious about the unusual name. Peasants didn't often have surnames so picked or were given their own just as his Rider occasionally was dubbed 'Stargazer' by other humans. Humans liked to give each other names based on what they did, so perhaps bears were something Ullor was close to. He had a bear hide wrapped around him after all! Perhaps it was the hide of a huge monstrous bear he once killed to save a village, and they his name caught on as a result. That would be exciting.

Isrydia thought it a little rude and was worried Ullor might take offence. "Arlyn! Sorry again," she scolded the dragon and apologised to the stranger.

[Aelodil]

Ullor cocked his head slightly, the way a predator would normally stare down at his prey, a glint in his eyes. This time however, he knew better than to think he could even think about hunting a dragon, with or without a Rider. Instead, he focused on the curious studying part of his pose as he tried to get a read on the human and dragon in front of him. He nodded as Arlyn explained to him their reasoning for being out here of all places, mostly to be polite. Nonetheless he couldn't contain the slight anger that snapped in his tone as he talked. "So you thought about the damage your studying could have done to elves and completely ignored the damage it could have done to the forest and to its inhabitants?" A sharp glint flashed by his yellow eyes.

Catching himself, Ullor took a deep breath and inclined his head again in apology. "I beg your pardon for my manner of conduct. I understand that this is likely the best place to hone your magic. It is just that I have not been given any particular reason to love magic." his voice deep and gruff. As Isrydia turned and apologized to him, Ullor ran his eyes over her body, from head to toe. Not the way other men might; but rather he eyed the outline of what muscle he could make out and the pose she was in by reflex. Clearly she had been taught by some kind of warrior. Probably a knight, considering she was a Rider.

The ghost of a smile flickered by Ullor's mouth at Arlyn's comment. "You could say so, yes. I was.. abandoned, you could say, by my parents as a baby. An elf found me in the care of bears and cast some sort of magic to link me with the bears. From there on, I was able to communicate with bears in a primitive manner. After a while I began to realize it extended to bears other than the ones in the forest I had grown up in and the bears gave me my name in images. Specifically, by showing me the constellations."

At Isrydia's apology, again, Ullor waved it aside. "It would take a lot to offend me." he simply said. Catching himself just standing there, Ullor's hands began to shift the way they did whenever he spent too long not doing anything with his hands. He let them finger the sturdy wood of his longbow. Not entirely sure what to do, he stood there, awkwardly. Then he realized; he had a dragon in front of him. Revealing a line of white teeth as he grinned, he turned to Arlyn. "If it is not any trouble, would you care to wrestle with me? My family would never believe me if they don't see my memories. Most of them would be both shocked and delighted to see me actually wrestling a dragon." the animal part of hi, taking over, causing his human part to turn feral, much like the smile planted on his face.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

The bear man's anger at her practice took Isrydia by surprise, but she felt safe that few were stupid or strong enough to try attacking a Rider and dragon when standing right in front of them. He had a point too. She looked at the trees around her hiding little birds and small furry things, as much if not more life than in the elven city. Du Weldenvarden had a famous air of mystery about it from all the life it harboured; it was as though the forest itself was one great hive mind. If something was happening within it it did not permit, it would turn on them. So far she and Arlyn had found nothing to fear among the trees. They felt welcomed by the branches. "I hadn't really... the forest has a way of taking care of itself even the elves wouldn't have the reaction times for, though I suppose that doesn't extend to all the animals too. If the forest really didn't want me here it would have driven me out so I don't think it minds but you're right, I should have more respect to consider the risk to it," she said seriously. As much as she didn't like Ullor's quick turn to stern lecturing, he had taught her something.

The apology swiftly following was a relief, not because the pair no longer felt he might attack but because they preferred to make friends than be talked at. They only had limited patience for a stranger telling them off, after all. "That's understandable, plenty of people have bad experiences. Partly why I want to improve my control," she accepted the apology. Sharpening control over her abilities not only made her capable of more precise magic but made it safer for herself and those around her. Should she lose concentration she was less likely to make a mistake.

Neither of them had heard anything like Ullor's story before. Ethics of practising magic in the forest forgotten, both looked interested and keen to hear more. Why hadn't the elf just taken care of him themselves? Why were bears better suited, and why had the bears bothered to care for what might otherwise have made a nice snack? Presumably that connection he spoke of. More questions still were raised by that. How it all worked. Communication, forming relationships with bears, how he learned to talk to humans after all that, how much did he interact with the world of the various sentient races, what it was like talking to bears, how smart they were. "That's so cool! I've never heard anything like it. I have so many questions..." Arlyn began but another surprise met him before he could pick which question to ask first.

The dragon looked surprised at the challenge, then gave a snort. Ullor was big and heavy-set, muscular, but he was bigger than a horse. He might be lighter and leaner than other dragons, built for speed and agility rather than power, but he was was still stronger than any human. Surely Ullor was no match for him. To challenge him, he was a most remarkable man indeed. Arlyn decided he liked this guy. "Of course! I've never wrestled anyone but other dragons before. Nor a bear either, I might be stronger than them," he wasn't sure. They were quite big. Isrydia stepped out of range of his tail and he planted his legs in the ground spread out to give him a more solid stance. He wasn't sure how this worked but was excited to find out.

[Aelodil]

Looking back on it, Ullor felt a stab of regret at snapping. He could see clearly the doubt and pure feelings in Isrydia's expression as she carefully contemplated what he had just said. Beside that he could also tell that she didn't consider herself in danger despite his outburst. Part of him was glad and another part was amused. Did she think him not crazy enough to attack her despite the presence of a dragon and her own magic and training? He had done even more questionable things in his life. Of course, he kept this to himself. No sense in telling these strangers, regardless how kind they were, how close he was to reaching for his weapons and fighting them if need arose.

Despite all this, he felt a lot more at ease after having apologized. He didn't particularly care to make enemies unless they forced his hand. And so far Isrydia and Arlyn had been nothing but friendly. Albeit a little inexperienced.
However he could quite easily chalk that down to their age, still slightly younger than he himself. Which was saying quite a lot considering he was still in his prime years. Raising a curious eyebrow at Isrydia he wondered how much she knew about bad experiences people have had with magic before. Perhaps that truly was why she was enhancing her control over it. Perhaps she had seen worse than he. Not a far fetched idea. Nor was it a pleasant one, so he stopped thinking about it.

Ullor could see the questions on the tips of the tongues of his new acquaintances. He didn't care to answer them. For one, he lacked that answer himself. Nor did he care to know after all these years. If anything he felt little gratitude to the Elf and more resentment. Why hadn't he just taken him in? Surely it couldn't have been so hard. Ullor had grown to be self sufficient. Surely keeping a toddler for a few years until he was old enough to fend for himself couldn't have been so difficult. But he didn't care to know anymore. He was content to spend his days just hunting and living with the wildlife.

Again, he cocked his head and raised an eyebrow slightly. Mostly he was curious. Questions about what? He wasn't too sure. But he wouldn't mind answering any questions they would ask. So long as he had the answers, that was. Ullor could tell Arlyn thought he was a lunatic for his request, and Ullor was fairly certain Arlyn wasn't wrong. However, that would not deter him from trying. "You probably are stronger than most. The few that are stronger would be many years older than you." His voice was gruff as he cut the conversation off and charged at a speed few humans could manage, especially with his bulk. His hood slid off his head revealing his facial structure and his eyes that marked him as a bear. His strong jawline stood out the most along with a pronounced nose. He had a beard that seemed well tended yet was clearly marked as wild. Without giving himself a moment to think on it, he body slammed Arlyn, grappling his muscular arms as wide around the dragon as he could to grapple with him. He aimed himself much like a spear, though he never used a spear. Kicking his heels in, he used all his strength to attempted to grapple Arlyn to the ground, trying to tip him off to the right.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

Curious by nature, Isrydia was still bursting with questions to ask this strange bear man. Du Weldenvarden itself protected the elves by deterring any non-elves who entered save Riders like herself, and even then was selective in that it acted against Riders and elves it distrusted, so simply being here was interesting. She wanted to know all about being raised by bears, how bears worked, what bears were like, how he functioned around other humans. Bears were not as intelligent as humans, though from exploring the minds of the forest during her brief Rider training she had seen they were not completely stupid. But she held off from the interrogations while Ullor and Arlyn had their fun in this wrestling match.

Arlyn's questions dissolved when Ullor slammed into him. Taken by surprise, he had no chance to brace himself and stumbled back a step. His tail carved large sharp paths through the air to steady himself. Using his tail in any other way was forbidden by the rules of wrestling, he knew. It was all about using his feet. Unlike Ullor he did not have arms to wrap around his opponent for a tighter grip. There was still the advantage from his size and having four legs to plant on the ground for more stability. A wingbeat could force himself back or forward like a swimmer by pushing against the air but as with the tail that felt unfair so he kept them folded and pinned to his back.

Being stronger than most bears was to be expected really, though it did make him curious about the bears stronger than him. He was a thinner sleek dragon built more for flight than physical strength. A heavy bulky dragon would be more than a match for a bear, or an old dragon that had grown huge with age. He still didn't think a human, even a strong one like Ullor, would be able to best a year-old dragon like him. It was still a fun challenge and it was good to be able to exert his full strength on something without holding back. After being pushed back and forced to the right, he spread his legs in a more stable stance. He felt himself being pushed over using the momentum from moving him to the right, and pushed back. His feet dug into the ground as he did so.

[Aelodil]

Ullor knew that the dragon would have more physical prowess than he, considering he was only a human after all. That did not stop him from grunting in surprise at the seeming wall of pure diamond-hard muscle that pushed back at him. It as at that moment that he realized he would not be able to win this wrestling match.

Though that did not deter him, not in the slightest. He would lose yet the way he saw it he'd learn something and perhaps even give him other ideas for honing his muscles. Snapping back to reality, he realized that after Arlyn's initial surprise that had allowed Ullor to tilt him slightly to the right, he would have a difficult time not being slammed to the ground with force enough to snap multiple bones in his body.

Coming to this conclusion, a feral, albeit slightly grim, grin broke across his face. A fierce sense of joy overcame him. It had been a long, long time, since he felt his adrenaline pump the way it was now. Being forced back, first step by step, then even faster as Arlyn's sheer muscle mass wailed down on him, he made his decision in a second.

Rather than attempting to oppose Arlyn, he voluntarily skipped backwards, then turned to the side, planted his heels into the ground, and tried to pull Arlyn forward, hoping to at least unsettle him, though he doubted it would have much effect. Wearing only the bear hide, the details and tones of the muscle that covered his body stood out with the strain, giving him a rather fierce appearance. The muscles on his arms, both forearm, and upper arm, bulged with veins standing out like the roots of an ancient tree against the strain. His back turned as smooth and thick as even a dwarven canvas, while his chest muscles exploded in and out at the strain to keep air supplied to his lungs. Sweat broke across his forehead and the rest of his face, dripping down to where the grin still played along his lips.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

Just as Ullor knew he could not beat a dragon, Arlyn knew he would win. After all, he was several times heavier and quite strong, even if his anatomy did make wrestling a human somewhat awkward. He did understand why Ullor had asked for this competition even with the knowledge he would lose. It wasn't about winning or losing at all; there might be something to be learned, and if not being able to exert you full force at something was a liberating, thrilling thing a man as strong as this bear-man must be unable to do very often for fear of hurting someone. Arlyn didn't want to go easy on him because of the uneven match, and didn't think he would want that anyway, but he didn't want the match to be over just yet.

Pushing forwards and being on four legs, larger, and longer, all he could really do was push back. Strategy was much more difficult for him, as was playing to his strengths of being agile and quick. When outmatched for strength, cleverness could still win the day, as Arlyn usually attempted to do. Here he could see Ullor knowing this, stepping to the side. Arlyn felt him move but there wasn't much he could do but be pulled to one side, losing his balance enough for Ullor to push him back a little before his tail swung back to steady his balance. He snorted both with the effort of righting himself with the opposing force at work and the satisfaction at seeing his opponent acknowledge he wouldn't win this on strength alone.

He continued pushing back again, feeling the bear-man move slowly but surely back from him as he pressed forwards. While he counldn't see his face for they were too close together, he could sense the grin and feel the sweat. He was enjoying the exertion. The dragon was finding he too had to exert himself more than expected, and was loving being able to use his strength instead of constantly suppressing it. It was a nice release like one might get from screaming at the sky or punching walls.