Snowflakes

[Fell]

"Finally!" Neer said, laughing, when she got on his neck. He immediately raised his head, the muscles under Hisa\'s legs proving themselves to be far more powerful than they at first might have seemed. That Hisa was gripping with her legs didn\'t bother him particularly (it was a habit most people had), but Neer did think she\'d be safer if she held on to his horns as well. She was up far enough on his neck to be within easy reach of them.

"Make sure to hang on, okay?" Neer told her, looking slightly behind him in a futile effort to catch a glimpse of her. He caught the tip of her foot, but that was all - really, he hadn\'t expected any more. "And just don\'t let go," the Master added after a moment. There had been some problems with that in the past, and though Neer had never had anyone die by falling off of him he didn\'t want to have to go for any mid-air catches either.

Neer waited a moment or two for Hisa to do as she would, then flicked his ears. Thunder crashed overhead, the rolls becoming more frequent as the lightning intensified. "Ready?" the dragon called back after a particularly large one. He was tapping a silvery claw in anticipation, ready to be off the ground several minutes ago.

[The Cedar Witch]

In response to the dragon\'s suggestion, Hisa quickly grasped a horn in either hand. She felt her heart beat quicken as her body prepared itself for flight. For the first time in many years, the flash of lightening made her jump. Immediately, she punished herself for such an outward display of nerves. It was only because of her anticipation; she knew this.

Ready? Of course she was ready. The cat-demon wasn\'t some sniveling little brat of a wimp. If she wasn\'t ready, she\'d still be on the ground, trembling like a child. Her tail flicked in irritation as she forced a breath out.

"Of course I\'m ready." she replied quietly, not caring weather or not he heard her. Hisakata wanted to feel the wind in its full glory, not waste time on the ground with idle chatter.

"Just take off already." Hisa added, perhaps a bit too shortly. But she was getting impatient.

[Fell]

Neer didn\'t miss Hisa\'s jump; how could he, with her perched so on his back? The dragon assumed it to be excitement more than fear, for had she been afraid he probably would have smelled it. Fear was a very strong smell, after all, and a particularly useful one to be able to detect.

Though the words were quiet, Hisa was right next to his ears. His rather sensitive ears, one might add. Neer bunched his muscles, preparing to fling himself skyward, when Hisa added on to her previous statement. The master chuckled, flicking his tail forward to give her a light slap with the long hair hanging off of it. "Be polite," Neer reminded her, though he didn\'t give her a chance to answer this time.

Neer... uncoiled from the ground. The initial jerk was almost null and void due to his smooth takeoff, but he picked up speed so rapidly afterwards that his own ears were pinned to his head. Not that he minded - Hisa could just speak into one of them if she wanted to say anything.

While he\'d been moving so quickly, he\'d been climbing. Neer had been moving almost straight up since leaving the ground. He probably would have been vertical had he not had a charge with him, and verticality didn\'t seem to do many people who tried to ride him too well. Neer was careful not to twist as much as he normally did, too, because that would be similarly dangerous for Hisa. Besides, he was up here to watch a show, not to be the show. A lazy flight was fine - if this could be called lazy.