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Things were not as Lumia had imagined them to be, and they certainly were not going according to plan. Not that there was ever really much of a plan, that is. Truly, Lumia didn’t know what she expected but it never involved this many humans. She had never seen so many of them before but they were everywhere on the mainland, it reminded her of an old joke her uncle used to say about them being like moon thistle- a non-native invasive plant species that was a nuisance on their island. Maybe it was less of a joke and more of just the plain truth. Ever since she had arrived on the mainland after making her way up, island hopping along the South, humans seemed to be an inescapable presence. She never realized until now just how isolated she had been, how isolated her whole village, Taubu, was. She was learning so much now about how the world around her really worked. 

Beyond being surprised and disheartened by the overwhelming presence of humans, Lumia found herself struggling to fit in, as before on the island she had been free to spend as much time as she wanted in her natural form in the safety of her village. But there was no complete sense of peace of mind here on the mainland for her yet. Even if isolated from the mainland, the rules of the Masque were ever present in Taubu and being in such an unfamiliar place for the first time with so many humans around she was constantly on guard. 

However, outside of that, her first time leaving home was shaping up to be quite the experience and she had managed to find little boroughs of their kind as she traveled and other magical beings. The foresty terrain was also familiar, though many of the trees and plants were very different from the ones on Osmines. She found as she made her way inland that she missed the ocean, but learned to appreciate the lakes and rivers. Familiarity was a solace out here, and it was what she was currently seeking as she was looking forward to Virtue Day. In Taubu, it was always a big deal because it was often one of the few times relatives and friends of the villagers from the mainland ever made their way to the island to visit all at once. And Lumia had caught word about a dragon village known as Whistle Hill, which is where she was now headed so she could spend the holiday with her people. 

It was turning out to be a beautiful night and Lumia was enjoying the fine, gentle breeze between her wings as she flew over the forests of Kaelis. This wouldn’t last however as she caught glint of a tiny bright fire on the horizon. Then, she caught a whiff of the smoke, and the closer she got she came to realize that fire was not so tiny at all. In fact, it seemed to be a whole town. Surely, this could not be Whistle Hill?

Approaching the city she drew a large cloud around herself so as to disguise her presence as she flew over to see what was happening. It was with great horror as she watched the humans attack the village. Never before had she witnessed firsthand the violence of humans, only ever hearing the occasional stories from older dragons who had been to the mainland or part of the guard that protected their island. She could see quite a few of her kind still around, a few in their glamours, some already fighting back. Almost out of nowhere, a large, red dragon swooped down over the village and Lumia honestly had to double check her own eyes, as it almost seemed impossible and yet there it was. 

Her attention was quickly taken away though to some dragons retreating from one of the burning buildings. But they were being followed by some human fighters who had caught sight of them. Lumia drew nearer and from her cloud she unleashed a violent stream of water from her mouth, knocking back the humans. Taking a deep breath in, she nodded her head forward, eyes closed and flapped her wings more. Thick, dark clouds formed off of hers and sank down low, creating a thick wall of fog that they would not be able to navigate through. This would allow some time for those dragons to get away and recoup.  

Staying along the outskirts in her cloud, Lumia checked to see if there were any more dragons she could help and she noticed two dragons who had their weapons drawn on one of the human warriors. She hovered in the area, awaiting to see how the situation went. They looked more than capable but she could always drop down in her human form should any healing be necessary.