[color=8dc73f][center][h1]Sangu[/h1]
[h3]Outside Whistle Hill[/h3][/center][/color]
For most dragons, a long journey might be seen as an opportunity. It was one of those rare occasions they could shed their human disguise without fear, taking to the skies to stretch their wings and enjoy a moment away from prying human eyes. They'd soar up above the clouds, getting a lungful or two of untainted air and relishing the feeling of the wind catching in their fins, caressing their scales...

... at least, that's what Sangu imagined most dragons might do, but then again, Sangu wasn't most dragons. For him, flight was a slower, clumsier affair, and interspersed with rest-stops as his wings had a tendency to start hurting after a little. It was neither enjoyable nor practical. No, a good journey for Sangu would involve a lot more swimming, or at least slivering, and neither were particularly viable here, at least if he didn't want to be caught. So Sangu had settled for a compromise, something that was slower but still relatively comfortable, and had spent (most of) his journey in human form.

Had he approached Whistle Hill from the air, he may have noticed sooner that something was amiss, but instead of seeing the light of the flames or even catching the scent of burning wood, the first sign that things were wrong was a sudden stroke of dizziness that overcame him while strolling down the road. He felt overcome with light-headedness, the air much warmer and more stagnant than it had been moments before. He had to stop and take a rest, even checking himself of any signs of illness or poison. Sangu was a cautious dragon, keeping his distance from others when in civilization and always alert when not, but even he was capable of falling victim to some malady every now and again.

With just a vague look over, he couldn't detect any signs of injury or rash. Weirder still, when he felt his forehead, he noticed that he didn't seem to have a temperature, even though his brain felt like it was starting to bake within his skull. It could potentially be some kind of delayed reaction to the cuisine in the last town he passed through - that trout he had been served was at the forefront of his mind - but this seemed a bit extreme for a bit of food-poisoning.

As he was considering what might be wrong, he finally began to note the smell of burning, and raised his head up to see the smoke forming above.

[i]Well, that can't be good,[/i] he thought. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking and, taking a few steps into heavier foliage, dropped his human disguise and took to the air. He saw the light in the distance, flames flickering from the smouldering wreck of what was once a village.

Yes, that was definitely not good. 

His features settled into a wide reptilian approximation of a grimace as he soared a little closer, the searing pain in his mind only growing worse. This confirmed that he wasn't sick, but instead that his physical discomfort was a symptom of his own magic, the connection he had with the trees, flowers and all other forms of plant life in the vicinity. Toxins, flames, careless destruction of the environment... Every time something like that happened near him, he felt a fraction of that pain, both in his body and soul. 

He landed on the sturdiest tree he could find, wrapping his serpentine form around it as he took a moment to regain his strength and consider his next move. On one claw, he and fire weren't exactly compatible, and in his current condition, he wasn't sure how much help he could be. On the other, this settlement was likely Whistle Hill, his destination where supposedly many of his own kind flocked to in the guise of man. If his own people were down there and they were in trouble, he couldn't just leave them. Besides, the forest itself seemed to be crying out, begging for someone, anyone to help...

Sangu sighed as he uncurled from the tree and took to the air once more. He flew slightly higher, hoping his grey scales would cause him to be difficult to see against the smoke. He wasn't exactly sure what he was dealing with right now, if there was an attack or this was some kind of natural disaster, if anyone needed saving or he was too late anyway. All he knew was that he wasn't about to rush in until he knew what was going on.