Part 2: To Bariston

Indyana and Pierre stood on a high, grassy hill just beyond the large system of mountains, crevices, cliffs, and canyons that surrounded the Creature Refuge. Indyana had a hand raised in a farewell to Goldhawk, the green dragon who had been kind enough to carry them out of the Refuge to the lands beyond. Now, he was simply a small dark form, rising over the mountains and out of sight. "Let's go," Indyana said, and she began walking with Pierre by her side.

There was a faint breeze playing across the hills that day, and it lifted Indyana's wavy hair, causing it to play across her face. She brushed it out of the way with a hand, wondering if she should tie it back. Before leaving the Refuge, Indyana had taken a long bath. She wasn't sure when she would have the chance to take another. Afterwards, she had left her hair down to dry. Now, it was a flowing voluminous mass, slightly stringy towards the ends. Usually, her hair was tied into a pony tail, so the ends of her hair quickly became worn and frayed. Again, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and cursed it mentally.

*It looks good down,* Pierre commented, glancing over at her. He doubted many of the Refuge residents would recognize her like this. She had changed from her normal, lightweight woven clothing into multiple layers of cotton and animal hide. Her hair, normally tamed by a leather tie, draped over her shoulders like a cloak, glinting red, brown, and gold in the sun. Paired with her pale skin and light blue eyes, it was a startling combination. He had many times wondered why Indyana had no mate. Whenever he had asked her, she said she had too many dragons and friends around to ever want any other company and so much work that she didn't have time to settle down. Pierre thought this might be true. Indyana was always busy with something, from grand schemes abroad to menial labor at the Refuge. It wasn't for lack of offers to help... Pierre knew that every resident at the Refuge would gladly do much of her work, but Indyana liked keeping busy. He thought perhaps that she wouldn't keep so busy if she had a mate around, but he didn't mention this often. If he did, Indyana usually glared at him and referred to males as a distraction.

*We should reach Bariston soon,* he said, gazing down the hills. In the distance, he could see a winding dirt road. This road would meander northwest until it reached the township of Bariston, then continue on to villages and bigger cities. Since Bariston was the closest settlement to the Refuge, they had thought it the perfect place to start their search. From there, they would continue to the city of Plativa, a large and variable capital located on the banks of the Plativatus River. Pierre had never liked Plativa personally, but Indyana seemed oddly at home there, dealing with the rough crowds and dark back streets like a seasoned professional. Turning to look at Indyana again, Pierre saw a familiar, fixed look on her face. It was a look of steadfast determination, cool and calculating, daring anyone to try to cross her. This was the look Indyana most often had when dealing with outsiders. At times, Pierre thought of her as being two distinctly different people. The way she was around old friends and companions was so very different from the person she presented to the outside world.

"You're the same way," she said suddenly, startling Pierre. She smiled at him.

At times, she's just a bit too insightful, Pierre thought to himself. He should be used to it by now, but Indyana still managed to surprise him at times.

*Yes, but whose fault is that?* He asked her teasingly, breaking his somber mood.

"Hey, it's not my fault, you know," she said, bringing a hand to her chest. "You could have chosen anyone in that room when you hatched." It was true. Pierre had hatched before the current method of allowing candidates to care for eggs. Bonding had been rare then, and Pierre had been the first dragon to bond for many, many generations. Upon hatching, he had immediately latched on to Indyana, refusing to leave her side. Indyana, for her part, had accepted the duty rather gracefully... although he did have a memory of her attempting to explain why he couldn't come along with her to the Pits of Osseth. Now, he rarely came with her on travels, having his own duties to attend to at Bishen Realm, where he was one of the Kailan's assistants. This time, however, Pierre had known at once that he needed to go with her.

*Well, you were pretty interesting,* he said in his defense. Indyana just smiled.

"Yep, I guess compared to me, everyone else just seems trite..." She said, grinning broadly. She turned to look at Pierre and began laughing. He smiled at her.

*Let's get going... or else, you're going to end up bonded to another dragon.*

"Oh dear lord..." Indyana said, rolling her eyes. She quickened her step a bit, and they hurried over the grass, towards the road that would lead them to Bariston.