A wolf loped through the forest carrying a peculiar sack on his back. He made a sharp turn, ducked under a fallen tree, jumped into a stream, and began running in it. Half a candlemark later he reached a stretch of rock and ran until the rock met dirt. From there he made another turn crawled through a thick bed of brambles, doubled back to the stream, and continued on. After using all the tricks he knew of to get rid of trackers, he made for his home. He jumped high in the air, rapidly shifted into a deer and ran until he made it to a rocky hill. After that, he shifted yet again into a wolf and wormed his way through a small opening and followed the tunnel deep into the earth. It was a steep way down, but the tunnel widened out a quarter of a candlemark in. 

The wolf arrived in a large cavern, filled with glowing crystals catching faint light, and cultured moss grew all over the ceiling and floor. Crystalline globes filled with glowing liquids amplified the minute lights within them, basking the cavern in a soft glow. The globes were connected by fine stone tubes and hung high above the floor. With a sigh of relief, Kalinth rose onto his hind legs and shifted one last time into his true form. 

Obsidian scales gleamed in the light and they reflected his surroundings like millions of tiny mirrors. Faint iridescent hues blinked in and out as his movements caught the light. Wings black as night darkened the room as they sprouted from his back. As he grew, deadly talons, sharper and more dangerous than a blade shot out from what had been his paws and clicked as they touched the floor. His neck lengthened and his furry face transformed into that of a dragon. His substantial bulk stretched up towards the ceiling as he fanned his wings and settled them into place. Dark eyes filled with a starry night sky took in the room.

[i]"It's so good to be home. I have missed this place sorely."[/i]

The midnight dragon rose again on it's hind legs and delicately twisted a relatively small knob. There was a grinding sound as little doors opened up high in the ceiling and let a mixture of water and something else down into the globes. For a moment, the light dimmed as glowing particles swirled about in the globes.

Kalinth looked about his foyer with eyes filled with satisfaction as light suddenly burst out and permeated the foyer.

[i]Now... where did I put those scrolls. Ah, there they are![/i]

Kalinth delicately picked up the tiny bag with two claws and carefully made his way into his library. He fumbled around a bit and then dumped the scrolls out on a relatively small desk. He grimaced a bit as he tried to handle the scrolls with his claws, and then nearly had a heart attack when one of his talons poked a tiny hole in the document.

[i]"My scroll!"[/i] He wailed in his head.

He quickly shifted into a smaller form and changed his claws into something more like stubby little fingers. 

[i]Alright so this is the document for.... Wait, haven't I seen this before?" [/i] 

He abruptly turned and without realizing it, his tail knocked a stack of scrolls off a shelf. He turned back to his books and the tip of one wing bumped another shelf and sent a collection of bottles and ointments crashing towards the ground.

[i]"Blast! For the love of Mara!"[/i] He exclaimed as he spun around again to clean up the mess.

Thump! Thwack! Crash!

[i]"Oh dear oh dear... No! Not my scrolls! Aieeee! the ointments! Ahhhh! Those tomes I worked so hard to get!"[/i]

Kalinth skittered pell-mell around his study as he tried to rescue his scrolls and tomes from the spreading puddle of un-salvageable ointments. He was in such a distressed state of mind he did not at first realize something was out of the ordinary when he first heard the unfamiliar voice in his mind.

[i]"No no! I'm not okay! Hurry! The scrolls! Don't let them touch the ointments! Oh dear me! What a mess!"[/i]

Small hands handed him a stack of scrolls. He gratefully took them and dumped them on his desk before...

[i]Wait... hands!?![/i]

Kalinth turned and stumbled back in alarm. 

[i]"A human!?! How did a human get in here!?!"[/i]

Even worse, this human was carrying a sword. His eyes darted about looking for an escape, but unfortunately, she stood in front of the only exit. He focused on her sword and became very still.

[i]It's okay, it's okay, it hasn't hurt me yet right? Maybe if I stay real still it will leave. Should I play dead? No, it's too late for that. What should I do!?! It won't hurt me right!?![/i]

The human, seeming to understand his fears put its sword down and backed away with its hands up.

[i]Oh no... is this a mage? No no! It can't be! It doesn't have any spell scrolls or funny looking robes, nor does it smell of magic and potions... It can't be a mage... Does this mean it means no harm?[/i] Kalinth wondered to himself.

It spoke in a strange language, one that sounded different from the languages he had learned from the elf. If he listened carefully though, he thought he could make out some of the words.

Then came the more surprising part, it spoke in the tongue of dragons. The voice was high and clear and strangely sweet. It invoked a feeling of peace and familiarity and somehow soothed him. Kalinth closed his eyes and took in her scent. 

[i]How strange... it smells like humans and dragons.... and... its female!?! I thought females didn't carry swords! Wait that's not the important part. Why is it speaking like a dragon? That shouldn't be possible! No wait, it seems to be expecting something. Oh right human manners um... what did that elf tell me again? Right! Got to serve it tea! I mean her! Not it! This human's a female.[/i]

[i]"Pardon my manners, excuse me, please let me by."[/i] Kalinth replied as he pushed past her out of the library.

He scrambled about the rooms in search of something.

[i]"Where's that tea? The elf told me! No wait... is this even good still? Maybe I should use... no but maybe that's poison. Oh dear oh dear! What should I do?"[/i]

There was the great sound of clattering iron and falling barrels as Kalinth scampered about searching for tea for his guest. After all... the elf [i][b]said[/b][/i] that tea was an absolute necessity for hospitality, and that if he dared forget that when he had guests, he would be committing an abominable breach of etiquette punishable by death among humans. (Side note: Yes, it seems the elf was having fun at Kalinth's expense. I wonder what else this elf has said...) 

Finally, Kalinth managed to find a sealed packet of usable tea. He quickly lit a small fire and put a pot of clean water on it to boil. Then he promptly dragged out a small table and chair, set up the tea ware, and frantically went looking for tea snacks. After all, the elf had [i][b]said[/b][/i] that if the tea was made but the tea snacks were forgotten... it was an even worse crime. If he dared forget the tea snacks, he should expect to be skinned alive and have his skin used as a wall hanging.

By the time Kalinth found edible snacks, the tea was ready and so he quickly set up the snacks, poured the tea, put down a little jar of sugar and sat down on his haunches on the other side of the table.

[i]"Pardon me... I hadn't expected guests so it took some time to prepare the tea. I meant no offense. So, ah, what brings you here?"[/i]