Paradox walked through the Koshei Forest, thick swamp water sticking to her hooves and creating a sickening sucking noise with every step she took. The water wasn't cold or hot, even though she felt a slight chill on her skin. She felt her hair prickle on her body and she flicked her ears nervously.  Something's wrong with this place. She thought. It doesn't feel right. Her wet tail slapped the back of her hocks when she moved it.

Light grey mud was splattered up to her heels and knees, and was caked in the end of her tail. She ducked under a low hanging branch, her eyes were playing tricks on her, making it difficult for her to see clearly. Fog from the water drifted in and out of view, creating the impression that logs and trees appeared out of thin air. She heard a scream from somewhere far away and bolted to the side. She scanned the swamp around her, but nothing was there. Probably just a bird or something. Now that she thought about it though, she hadn't seen anything alive all day.

She shook her mane and huffed, eyes wandering. Cautiously, she continued forward through the swamp, adjusting the bag at her side. She slipped a hand to her hip, the feel of the dagger sheath making her feel a little safer. She ducked under a low branch and looked up at the sky. How she missed the sun. She hadn't seen it since she entered this forest, the sky was always grey only darkening when night fell. She sniffed the air, hoping she was close to the forest borders. Decay, rot, and death filled her nose and she snorted it back out as if the very smell could start to kill her insides. 

Suddenly she felt something cold and wet start sliding up her hindlegs. She stopped breathing and froze, eyes wide in shock. The slithering continued up her leg and onto her rump. She couldn't see what it was, and she really didn't want to. A piercing shriek came from the thing on her back. She jumped with all four feet and started bucking, water splashing everywhere as she tried to get the screaming creature off of her. She pitched to the side and flopped on her side into the murky water. She withered around in the water and scrambled to her feet. The thing was gone now, but she didn't want it to come back. An equine scream escaped her lips and the whites of her eyes flashed as she tore through the swamp as fast as she could.

Thalron had never been terribly fond of swampy places, it was difficult to fly, it was difficult to run, and everything ended up tasting like swamp water. This one in particular seemed to be especially terrible, so one might ask why he ever entered it. The answer was… He was bribed to, more or less, in this case it could actually be considered payment rather than bribery though. Someone wanted an item from the forest, an heirloom or something. No one else had managed to find it thus far, but they hadn't had the same abilities as the dragon, who was attempting to find it via scent for the most part. The range of his scent was diminished here, but he thought he was getting close to the right area, at least from the description of the person that told him… And he was promised a lot of food, and shiny, shiny things if he succeeded in bringing it back!

It had been a few days since when he started, and he had heard screams and other noises from the forest around him. None seemed particularly close, but they were disturbing more than normal screams. He could smell the death, and he swore at night it seemed to be moving around. No one had told him this place would be full of moving dead things! So long as they didn't bother him he didn't care though, it was still creepy to think about. How did dead things move around? Did they just suddenly decide to not be all the way dead anymore? He wondered if that could happen to him or not, he had never heard of an undead dragon before. He was contemplating what that would be like, he wasn't sure it would be much different, he already liked eating brains and stuff.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sounds of something running in terror, a horse to be specific, but it sounded a bit different than a regular one. He wasn't sure why though, but one thing he did know- horses tasted good. Also, if it had a rider they sounded like they might need help, and if there was no rider no one would miss a horse out in this forest! It was a win in either situation. Hmm… The only confusing bit was whether he should keep referring to this place as a forest or a swamp, it was called a forest, but was definitely a bit swamp-y…

Those thoughts didn't stop him from moving ahead of the creatures path, crouching low to try and catch it when it arrived. It was dark here, and the many trees and such blocked much of his body from view, but the large, very slightly glowing yellow eyes were noticeable. Unfortunately, they'd probably only be noticeable once one was within reach. As soon as she got close enough he leapt forward, though as he saw that she was not in fact, a horse, his brakes partially kicked in and it turned into a half pounce, half avoiding crushing her. It wasn't the most graceful act either way, but likely terrifying.

Paradox ran blind, galloping as fast as she could. She didn't want whatever that thing was on her again. She went so fast she didn't catch the scent of smoke and scales. It was only too late when she saw the glowing yellow eyes staring back at her through the fog. She sat down on her hocks and felt herself slide through the water on her hindlegs, momentum carrying her forward. She smacked heavily into the large yellow horn on the dragon's head before flopping heavily to the side. 

She stood staring at the dragon, legs shaking as she breathed heavily. Normally she would have been frightened of such a large creature, but she was winded and tired. She was almost grateful to see another living creature in this wretched place, even if it was a creature who could potentially eat her and think nothing of it. Once she regained her breath and the shock wore off, she stepped back and looked at the dragon as an entirety, well at least the front half, the rest of him was hidden in the fog. 

"Hello Dragon," She said, respectfully. "I apologize for running into you, that was rather rude of me. I hope I didn't harm you in anyway, my hooves are sharper than they look and a cut on the face isn't enjoyable." She looked at him, his straw colored eyes glowing like flecks of gold. His scales were dull, unlike the legends in which she heard dragons being made of scales that could rival steel in luster. She never actually considered it, but to get the scales to shine like that, the dragon would have to put in considerable time grooming themselves, that realistically wouldn't be practical. His belly was bright yellow as were his horns and facial spikes that ran down his neck. The stark contrast was quite flattering on him, making it rather appealing to the eye.

She saw a pair of wings folded neatly on his back, hooked claws bent backwards under the membrane. Like her, he was standing up to his hocks in the murky water, grey mud on the lower parts of his belly. She flicked her ears back hesitantly, and then spoke again. "It is quite fine weather we are having isn't it?"

After his rather ungraceful landing, murky water splashed about them as his chest dug a small trench in the ground there, he hardly even noticed when she ran into his horn. His scales, while less lustrous, were no less hard than most of the dragons of legend. He was also  rather renowned for being thick skulled, in many meanings of the word. With a great snort he expelled a cloud of the rank water, then stared down at her… Half horse, half person? Would that be a… Horson? Perse? Or was it some unfortunate accident that had ended up with them being sewn together? His mind was racing with many improbable possibilities. He almost didn't even hear her speak.

"Oh… Umm, well sorry for almost trying to eat you." he said with a rather… Toothy grin. It was an attempted smile, but he was never terribly good at forcing those. Leaning in a bit closer he sniffed at her a few times, trying to figure out whether she was actually two things fused together or something that was meant to be that way. The result wasn't too helpful, but he was pretty sure she was meant to be a horse person of some sort. "It's more wet than I like…" he commented about the weather, but then seemed to focus a bit more intently on her. "Why are you half horse, or uh… Half human?" he asked in a curious, and also somewhat oblivious sounding tone. Unaware that asking why someone was something was often seen in bad taste.

His wings shuffled a bit and resettled as he got up as well, towering over her as he stretched out. His scales dripping murky water and bits of mud, if she could actually detect his scent through the swamp-y smells she might be able to tell it was more like the sweet scent after rain, almost sickeningly so, with a sharp chemical edge to it. It was however, faint due to all the water and muck he had been through recently. He was also pretty sure her colors were different than they were at the moment, right now she looked a sort of muddy brown and green in most places… Though he could see some of the natural grey-ish colors in some places.

Around them now that the moment of excitement had temporarily passed, other than their own speech it seemed eerily silent around. A brief half-flap of his wings sent the fog about them retreating for a few moments, it was short lasting though. The darkness and depression of the forest seemed intent on getting close to them, though thankfully in Thalron's case he was easily distracted enough that the fear was often forgotten before it could build up too greatly… And he was somewhat used to screaming, usually it was because of him though.

Paradox stood still while the dragon sniffed her, her head held high. She felt confident by his previous statement that he wouldn’t eat her yet, so she allowed him to investigate her with his nose. His breath was hot against her, making her skin ripple under her fur. He didn’t looked pleased when he pulled his head away, a rather confused look on his face. She realized he probably had never seen one of her kind before, similar to how she had never seen or heard of another dragon outside of legends and myths. He replied to her comment about the weather. At least he has a sense of humor. She thought to herself. That’s more than can be said to several of the creatures she had met before.

He asked her why she was part horse and human. She smiled. He reminded her vaguely of the foals in her old herd. Asking questions, eager for knowledge, and always curious about the new things around her. He must be quite young, he’s not even his adult size. She answered his question, her words slow and steady. She would have patience with him. “I am a Centaur, dear Dragon,” she said, looking up at him. “We are the descendants of Centaurus, a man who mated with female horses. He was deformed and shunned by his own kind, the mares were the only creatures that kept him company. We are half horse and half man, equally.”

The dragon rose upright, his head several feet above her her own now. As he flapped his wings to clear away the fog, she caught his scent. Almost sickeningly sweet, and yet quite mild. It was a nice smell after being surrounded by the stench of decay for several days. They didn’t speak for several seconds, the sounds of the forest filling the gap. At last, she broke the silence. “My name is Paradox,” she said quietly. “What is your name, Dragon?” She broke off the last word as she felt something touch one of her forelegs. She shuddered and stepped forward, water splashing lightly against her sides. “Come with me,” she said, walking past him. “I want to get out of this nasty water before nightfall and find a dry place to camp.”

It was true that Thalron had a sense of humor, however most often he was just being blatantly truthful and oblivious to whether his comments were funny or not. Whenever he actually made a joke, it was generally very obvious and not necessarily that clever. Something about his companion was strange to him though, the way she was speaking especially. It had become slow and… empathetic? He wasn't really sure what the word was, it was a mixture of calm and thoughtful. That manner of speech was somewhat foreign to him, it happened from time to time, but generally only from creatures or things that didn't find him to be a threat. He wondered why they used that sort of speech, but at least it was easier to understand.

When she described how her kind were made, his eyes widened a little bit. It was obviously not what he was expecting to hear, wasn't that sort of thing frowned upon..? "You're half woman though, not half man." he said with slightly furrowed brows. "Why aren't there more half-animal things around if that's all it takes?" His voice wasn't as… Threatening as one might expect once he got into asking questions, it was indeed somewhat childish as she had guessed. If she kept answering questions as she was though, this would probably end up being a very long and possibly silly conversation. The words often left his mouth before he had fully formulated the thoughts behind them.

He stepped aside as she moved up, the water was not nearly so deep for him. Her name had confused him for a moment, but then he realized that her name was 'Paradox' not that it was a paradox. "Oh, I'm Thalron!" As he followed her, he seemed to be very careful about some of the trees, but much less so with others. His armored shoulders or sides occasionally scraping off bits of bark or breaking branches. "I've been sleeping in a big tree-bundle-thing. I could take you there? It's dry, and there are lots of snakes to eat." He seemed to think the abundance of snakes was a good thing rather than a bad thing.

The young dragon asked her several more questions, evidently intrigued by her race. His brows creased and his look of confusion intensified. She smiled at him. "There are female and male centaurs, like all creatures. I just say man, as in the group of creatures. Or Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve." She didn't want to confuse him more so, especially with her top half looking like a woman. "Centaurus had a father named Ixion, a mortal man. Ixion, as he got older, soon started losing his mind. There was a mighty god that took pity on him and brought him up to the clouds to eat with the gods. When Ixion saw saw the mother goddess, wife of the father god, he fell in love with her."

"The father god made a cloud in the shape of the mother goddess and placed her next to Ixion while he was sleeping. He confirmed his suspicions of him, when upon waking wanted to bed with the cloud that looked like the mother goddess. As a result, Ixion was banished from the earth and was tied to a flaming wheel that would spin for all eternity. The cloud figure was later named Nephele and became pregnant with Ixion's child. This was how Centaurus was created. So in a sense, he wasn't actually a complete man, only half. That's why I do not refer to myself or the rest of my kind as Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve. Only through a spark of magic and the touch of the gods did my kind ever come into existence, purely on accident at that. But that was a long time ago, and it's just a legend anyway."

He spoke his name, quite enthusiastically. "It's very nice to meet you Thalron." He spoke of a nest high in a tree where he had been roosting for the night. Though horses were not a fan of trees, she was willing to go if it meant a dry place to sleep. "Alright," she said, she still didn't know if she trusted this dragon. But he seemed alright so far, just curious. She would have prefered to stay on the ground, but so far, she had not seen anywhere dry enough to camp in this swamp. She looked up at him, "Where is this nest?"

The story he was told of her races beginnings, despite her intent, was just as if not more confusing than him believing they were the random offspring of some human and a horse. Oh well, whenever people started talking about history he was pretty lost. He never knew who or what they were talking about, half the time he didn't even know the name of the region he was in! It was a very interesting story though, and he seemed to pay attention throughout it, which was a rarity. Usually he'd get lost in his own random thoughts half way through, then have to re-remember what was told. "Hmm…. So that makes you half horse, quarter man, and quarter cloud?" This time it was obvious he was joking, as a wide grin appeared and he had puffed up a little bit after saying so. He obviously thought he was being clever, whether or not that was the case. He was slowly… SLOOooowly getting better at it though.

"It's not too far from here, I was sort of on the way back already." He stepped over her more or less, then hopped up ahead, his somewhat blade like tail swinging dangerously close to her face for a moment, and accidentally cutting down a couple vines as he went ahead. He went pretty quickly for the most part, weaving between the trees and only occasionally tripping or sinking into the muck. "What are you doing here anyways? I don't think I've seen any other Centaurs… Unless that partial horse skeleton was one…" He slowed as he spoke, though just about as he finished talking they came upon what appeared to be four large trees that had partially fallen and grown together. It created a natural hollow at the bottom that was full of plants and muck hanging down, but in the middle above that section there was a large knotting of the trunks that made a comparatively nice nest shaped area. It was just bare logs and branches though, no padding of any sort to be found.

Thalron didn't wait for her to find a way up before he just climbed right up into it, all he had to do really was stand on his hind legs to reach it. It would be substantially more difficult for someone who couldn't climb. Once up there though, there were some shuffling noises, followed by a deep, rumbling growl. It echoed through the bones, sounding, and feeling like a combination of a great earthquake and the rumbling of not so distant thunder. Numerous small creatures immediately fled from the tree in all directions, some squawking, hissing or such. Once that was done he turned around and lay down with his fore-half facing her.

"…Do you need a hand up?"

Paradox listened to Thalron as they went towards his nest. He made a joke and she chuckled at it. "That's one way you could think about it," she said, becoming quite happy to have some company in this dreary swamp, even if it was a dragon. She trotted after him as he picked up the pace, water splashing everywhere from both of them. He told her they were close and took off through the swamp. She ducked as his massive tail swung over her head. She liked her ears, and her head, and the majority of her upper half for the most part and watched the bladed tail just miss her. 

She watched him fading into the fog and took off after him. She was careful to keep some space between them, she didn't want to be taken out by a tail or a wing. On normal circumstances, she would like be able to easily outrun him, but here, she wasn't able to go as quickly as she liked, not being able to see what was under the water. The two of the ran through the water, splashing it up there sides. She watched him run, cutting between the trees, like a giant winged serpent.

He started talking to her again and she slipped up to his side so he could hear her answer. "I was curious about the forest," she huffed, her large lungs working hard to power her muscular body. "I wanted to see if the legends about it were true. I'm pleased with my answer." A scream from somewhere pierced the air, and she took off just a little faster. "What is a handsome dragon like yourself doing alone in these parts? I haven't seen any of your kind before, here or anywhere."

Thalron stopped and the fog cleared enough that she could make out the outline of four massive trees that were bent in towards each other, several yards above the ground. She looked up at it from the ground. A horse in a tree, never heard that one before. She walked up to the base of it, careful of the mighty dragons tail as he climbed into the nest. He curled up and looked down at her. She looked at the slimy tree trunks. There were no branches close enough to the ground and she doubted that she could get a good grip on them with her hooves. She looked back up at the dragon. There seemed to be no alternative. "Yes, please," she called up to him. "A little assistance would be greatly appreciated."

Thalron would have been easy to follow in this swamp even without being seen, as when he was moving with any decent amount of speed the noises of disturbed branches, and splashing of water was easy to pick up even from a distance. Thankfully they didn't get seperated anyways. "What legends?" He hadn't heard of any about this place before. "I'm looking for a sword! Someone's old… uh… Grandpa or something? They died here, and they want it back, and they're going to give me stuff if I can get it for them!" He seemed excited about the possibility of getting something, which made sense if any of the legends about dragon hoards were true. He did have several places where many things were stashed, he knew where they were but the chances of anyone else finding them were low. Unlike most dragons, he seemed unable to pick out a permanent territory for some reason.

He looked down at her for a few moments, trying to decide the best way to get her up there without hurting her. He rumbled in thought a little bit, but then got up and braced his hind legs against the larger portion of the trees, leaning forward and grabbing her with his hands. His chest rest against some branches which creaked a little bit as he hefted her up, somewhat slipping backwards into a sitting position after he got her up to chest level. For a moment it looked like he was going to set her down on the branches, but rather abruptly he rolled over instead. Sprawling across the branches, and then setting her down on the hardened scales of his chest. They were damp from the swamp, but slightly warm, and thankfully smooth enough that water and whatnot didn't cling to them unlike her fur.

"There! Is that good?" He rumbled happily, it was almost like a purr but much deeper and more gravel-y. He would have set her on the tree, but there were lots of small gaps and things in the branches. If she slipped it probably wouldn't be good, but at least his underbelly wasn't covered in spikes or such. It was hard to tell, but it was a little evident he had been more puffed up after she called him handsome. Another trait he had from the draconic line was a good deal of vanity, or pride. It wasn't as developed as many, but he was very fond of compliments. He was currently thinking about attempting to use a small trick he had learned to help dry her off. Unfortunately, it also had a tendency to occasionally electrocute them.

…He'd try it later if she didn't manage to get dry in a reasonable amount of time.