Astarot turned his head to her as she left the hole in the ground and began to make her way away from him.<i>"No." </i>For once his voice did not echo within her head as he shifted about, sitting like a cat as he towered over her.<i>"You leave with scraps, little better than I found you in. I have dreams of  my own, but a dragon cannot be the king of men and women...The lion does not rule over wolves. I need you for my dream to bear fruit."</i>Blinking once he turned his gaze to the bones that littered the interior of the cave. "<i>I will not choose another rider. Your magic stirred me and gave me life...gave the soulless vessel within the egg a path to grow. It is from you that I became what I am and not some winged perversion." </i>He then beared his teeth in a hiss and his tail whipped about behind him.<i>"But I am no tool for you...I am not your sword, nor am I your steed. You say you have needs of tools...and no need of companions." </i>His head stretched forth, his nose pressing up against her and pinning her lightly against a nearby tree. He was neither forceful nor pushy, giving her plenty of room to squirm away if she wished. Up close however she could see her own reflection in the  inky blackness of his eye's heart...a ring of red fire surrounding her reflection. "<i>But you forget...It was I whom dwelled in that egg, conscious and listening to you as you kept the flames of my nest hot...sang to me with words of magic and words of emotion. It was I who waited for you after each of the mad king's missions...I was there to listen to you as you were tortured by the men you were supposed to be called teacher. And when the tears flowed and you first promised revenge to the tormented souls of your parents, who else was there?"</i>He stared at her for some time after his words filled both thier minds. His head then tilted back, sliding her down to straddle his nose as he lifted his head from the ground.<i>"You can hide few things from me, Vampire. There are things I know of you that you do not. The south will have more meaning to you than simple tools But I cannot help you gain your vengeance if you fight our connection. I will not betray you, I cannot. But the path of vengeance you seek is not something you can complete alone. Help me to help you, Amethyst eyes."</i>