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Opening his eyes, Katsuki blinks up at the cloudy blue sky overhead. He yawns and sits up, spotting someone else across the ashy remains of a campfire. Katsuki reaches for his sword and summons his magic, palm lighting up, before realization stops him. Memories from yesterday rushed back. He fought a dragon shifter and gained a servant.
Katsuki grins triumphantly, excitement and anticipation coursing through him. Kirishima will be very useful. Not only is a sturdy bastard that can hold his own in battle, but his dragon form would come in handy when travelling. Today, Katsuki plans on using that dragon form of his to ride Kirishima as he flies them to the Ignius mountains. Katsuki was heading there already after hearing rumors of some giant, ferocious creature, possibly a griffin, killing travellers, but Kirishima flying them would shorten his journey by weeks. Part of him wanted to travel the previous day, but it was late and they both needed their energy.
Speaking of, Katsuki yelled at Kirishima to get up while he rummaged through his bag. His rations were running low. He usually saved them for times he was injured and couldn’t hunt or when prey was scarce, which they are in this section of the forest. Katsuki glares at the shifter; the idiot probably ate most of the animals here.
Katsuki makes a meager breakfast with what’s left. Kirishima doesn’t complain about the amount he’s getting. Good. It’s the idiots fault anyways. Katsuki eats quickly. He wants to get out of here as soon as possible. They both slept way too late, the sun already above their heads.
After Katsuki orders Kirishima to fill their waterskins and Katsuki organizes his bags, his satisfied grin returns as he tells Kirishima to shift and head southwest. With a heavy cloud of smoke and licks of fire, a bright red dragon appears. Kirishima lowers down with a rumble, and Katsuki quickly figures out how to scale up his side. Spikes provide a suitable hold as he sits on top of his dragon.
Katsuki tells Kirishima to get on with it, and with a running start, Kirishima jumps into the air, wings beating frantically to elevate them. Katsuki clings on for dear life as adrenaline pumps through him at the shaky take off. Soon, though, Kirishima stabilizes, gliding through the air with occasional flaps.
Katsuki opens his clenched eyes and looks down at the land below. A gasp tears out of his throat at the magnificent sight. The forest looks like a patch in a quilt from up here. Smears of dark greens and browns with brighter green plains surrounding them. It was empowering, being above it all. Eventually, they pass by a few villages. The brightly colored houses create wonderful pops of color to break up the greens and browns. The villagers are as tiny as ants from up here.
The sun slowly descends as they travel closer to their destination. It blinds Katsuki who shuts his eyes and turns his head, in an attempt to avoid the searing pain. If Kirishima is also blinded, he doesn’t show it. Katsuki guesses he must have some resistance against it as a dragon.
After a few hours of nonstop glaring of the sun, Katsuki considers yelling at Kirishima to land somewhere so they can rest or at least walk a few kilometers when the sun finally begins lowering below the horizon. The burning light softens. Pastel pinks and purples and oranges dominate the sky, painting the world below in muted hues. They drape over the mountains, softening their jagged edges. Katsuki also loosens up as he stares at the serene sight.
With the warmth of the sun leaving, he huddles closer to his dragon. Katsuki’s eyes turn towards Kirishima. His red scales glow pink and orange as the sun sets. As if he can sense his stare, Kirishima turns his head to peer back at him. His lips curve, flashing teeth. It would frighten most, but the look in Kirishima’s bright, glowing eyes is not one of violence or fury. Katsuki can’t help but smile back.