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Nhim has been making her way south from Nebraska-she'd rather head north towards her preferred climate, truth be told...but she also knows that food is more likely to be plentiful-not to mention easier to catch-towards the south, and right now, her stomach is the most pressing matter on her mind. Of course, there's still matter of finding a cave or the like that she can't get stuck in to make into a lair, and then outfitting it with a new hoard. For now, though? It's all about food.

She peers down at the landscape, her ears pricking forward as she spots an group of cattle wandering along. The dragon goes into a dive and easily slams into one as the rest of the herd flees, then, after a moment of covering her kill with her wings and looking around-old habits die hard-begins to eat. Despite being a ravenous giant carnivore, she'd actually welcome company. She hasn't run into many things that talk thus far.

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Oliver was taking a bit of a ride. He noticed the stray herd a few minutes ago, and was considering Calling them back to the Cooper farm. Surely someone can make use of some of them, and if nobody at the Coopers wants to house them, the farmers nearby might want them.

It turns out that this was not the world's best idea.

Oliver hates dragons. His ribs are still broken and his right hand still hurting because of them.

Beauregard hates dragons, too. This is why he's bolting fast as a bat out of hell in the opposite direction.

But Nhim likes people on horseback! Except when they're trying to spear her, but that isn't a terribly common thing, really. She jerks her head up as she notices Oliver and Beauregard, blinking, then sighs to herself.

Humans. So excitable.

Her wings unfurl again and she crouches before springing clumsily into the air-running takeoffs are a thing of the past for her. The dragon flaps after Oliver, calling down, "You there! Rider!"

OH FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME LIVE--

-- that roar sounded suspiciously not like a roar of victory as the mighty beast pounces on its prey. In fact, that roar sounds like words.

It takes Oliver a moment, but he moves past the blinding fear and looks upward.

His "Yes?" is not half as loud as a shout made by a dragon's voice - possibly Nhim might not even hear.

Well, she saw his mouth move, but as for what he said-she has no idea. She drops lower in the sky carefully-Nhim has learned from experience that horses have the nasty tendency to panic around dragons if they're not used to them. Nhim swings her head to the side to get a better look at Oliver, her ears pricking up again.

"Whatever you've said, I couldn't hear. Pardon?"

Well, she's not going to hear if she keeps getting closer!

Because Beauregard is saying oh hells no and veering away the instant she does that!

Oliver, meanwhile, is pulling back on the reins, throwing his body from side to side to give his pulling more weight. Beauregard utterly disregards him. Oliver reaches into Beau's mind and tries to Tell the horse to slow.

Beau's mind fights his master's at every turn. There are times when he slows to a canter and times when he speeds back up to a gallop.

Nhim sighs and shakes her massive head-horses. So useful, yet so irritating at times. (They are tasty in her opinion, though, so that's another point in their favor.)

"Perhaps you should tie your horse somewhere first!" she calls, suddenly snapping her wings back so that she can hover for a moment before carefully-yet clumsily, still-land on the ground. Once the dragon is back on her feet, she sits, curling her tail around her feet as she watches the pair. She'll keep her distance until Oliver gets Beau settled back down.

Around a mile and some away, Oliver gets Beauregard settled down - horses aren't built to run forever.

Oliver dismounts and sees to Beau, determining that he'll neither overheat nor freeze. Oliver coos at him as he takes off his saddle and rubs him down with a cloth, running his hands over the beast's back and still-twitching flanks. Gradually, the horse calms. Oliver Tells him to go graze once he's placid, and this time the command is readily obeyed.

Then, Oliver makes his trek back.

Towards the dragon.

Sigh. The things you do when you try to be a good guy....

Nhim gets to her feet as she spots Oliver coming back, then heads toward him at a limping trot. By dragon standards, she looks downright friendly-no flared frills or wings, no rearing up, no roaring, no spewing acid...

This doesn't change the fact that she's a very large dragon and thus probably is looking at least a little bit alarming without meaning to.

The gore dripping from her muzzle just adds to the reassurance. Oliver has his right hand held in front of him, palm up. Just in case.

"Hello?" he shouts - going no closer than he absolutely has to.

"Hello. I apologize for frightening your horse," she says as she gets closer. "I often forget that they generally panic, if they're not a magical breed." Nhim pauses as she peers down at Oliver, noting how he's holding his hand.

After a moment's thought, she sticks her forefoot out in an approximation of the gesture. Perhaps it's some sort of additional greeting?

The words are so rational, so soothing - she speaks of magical horses, how interesting....

Oliver was beginning to drop it when she made her own gesture. He tenses up, his mind blaring threat! White light collects onto his palm, flaring into white fire the size of a man's head.

"I would advise against that," he tells her.

Nhim's ears flip forward and her fins flare out in alarm. "I wasn't aware the gesture was offensive," she snaps back, her tail pointedly lashing. "I assumed it was another sort of greeting."

Of course - it makes total sense.

Oliver finds his face growing a little warm as he realizes his mistake. Hopefully the dragon doesn't know what a blush means.

He douses the flame and lowers his hand. "I-- I beg forgiveness. I had a nasty altercation with a dragon when I first arrived, which, unfairly, I cannot help but recall now. It has left me overly acute to the slightest offensive move. I apologize."

There is a bright light, somewhere below her. And, if the dragon is magic sensitive, a whole lot of magic going on.

In the middle of a field of ruined crops, Willow is testing out some magic. Hopefully, she can fix them up, maybe help some people in doing so. It never hurts to help.

Nhim only thinks about the bright light after she's taken down her cow of choice. She swallows a few gulps, then starts at a limping trot towards the source of the light. She'll come back for the cow later; the edge has been taken off her hunger for now.

The dragon might not be magic sensitive, but that doesn't stop her from taking a guess when she sees Willow. "A sorceress?" she guesses, stopping a few yards and pricking her ears forward.

Willow replies before she turns around. "Witch, actually. A little Wicca, a little Kabbalah, a little of pretty much everything else and-" She stops speaking as she turns to greet the new person, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

"You're a dragon." Her eyes are big and wide, staring in some kind of awe.

"A northern, yes," she says placidly, sitting down and curling her tail around her feet like a cat. "I'm afraid I didn't recognize anything past 'witch', though."

About how big is Nhim? Cause Willow is going to try to hug her pretty soon now. "And you talk! And, a dragon! Which is, just, wow!"

Roughly? T-rex sized, though how she holds her head can tack a few feet on, depending. Her ears flick forward, pleased. "I'd say of course I talk, but it seems that this isn't my world, and humans aren't familiar with dragons. It's a pity."

"Dragon!" Willow squees, and throws herself into a hug across Nhims nose. It's just, well, she had all the Pern books growing up, and despite everything else, a real live dragon has not been one of those things she's seen in her travels.

Nhim snorts a bit in surprise but allows it, adjusting her muzzle slightly so Willow can avoid getting poked by the number of spikes on it. "...You may not be familiar, but you certainly are more enthusiastic than most of the humans from my world."

"Dragon." Willow says in agreement. Okay, give her a couple more seconds... All right, she's done now. Will backs off a bit, her face lit by a wide smile. "Hi!"

"Hello," she says, dipping her head in a greeting nod. She would do a full bow, but given her bad leg? She'd more likely go nose-first into the ground. "I should introduce myself-I am Nhim."

"I am in awe. I mean willow! Yes, I'm Willow. Willow, that's me! Hi, again. Wow." She will not say dragon again, she will not say "Dragon...." She draws it out, a little breathy. Dear Diary, I met a dragon today. and it was awesome.

Nhim's ears flick in amusement-just because she rarely laughs doesn't mean she can't show it in other ways. "In that case-I am pleased to meet you, Willow. And to be honest, hearing the word repeated that way is unusual-generally, if someone says 'dragon', it would be someone who is misinformed and shouting."