Creative Corner

I had to get up from reading to stop the tear :(
gr8 job :)

@Waterfall500 @TheArcaneKitsune @Fliychiell @Rileykins
YOU ARE ALL ADDED TO THE LIST. Good luck, everyone!

@Braixen You have been added both to the drawing and to the pinglist! :)

@Lyel D: I wish it was no.

@WingedElf I did see your first post, yes! :) It was just in the cluster of posts I wasn't quite able to pull apart and respond to, but you are certainly added to the list for her!

@dragonfly You are added to the update pinglist! And I apologize for the daunting size of the thread? XD It really has kind of exploded.. but I'm very grateful that you decided to stick around and read!

@Katerrn AAAAAAAW! Thank you!

JUST CAUGHT UP

NONONONONONO

@IcefireStarfire Yes yes yes. D: BUT WORRY NOT! For I just need to edit this last chapter, and it is not one wrought with tragedy and despair!

@ToxicHeart You are added! And please add me to yours once you get started! :D

NO.

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.

NO x INFINITY.

*cries*

(Also, blessings to whoever gets Melody.)

@psychocanes I'm sure she will get a very happy home!

@ToxicHeart Awesome! I'm always honored when another Nuzlocker uses one of my own rules in their story. XD

[sub][sub]@StrykeSlammerII @WhoDoVoodoo @NewHope @Talonr @CrypticGirl @Meridok @Gwineira @ike9899 @Gryphillian @TheArcaneKitsune @ShadowsFIAL @Alethia @Kodaic @Almedha @VictoryInSolace @Neige @PYR4LSP1T3 @Soupalicious @Lyel @benriya @Taffine @quailheart @FlyingNorth @nindeanwa @Hawktalon @murklin @Melia @Azurite @Shiisiln @Exsanguinate @msjanny @KingDoge @HallowDarkfrost @Altarf @Bolfir @ArgenteaMoon @Slyphire @stealthclaw @Ulta @Kizmetto @LeahR95 @Antivulano @IcefireStarfire @feroxia @Gallows @Survivors @Sulka @raya @Lambflop @Tedium @HazelJade @Kaial @Gabbia @Cewientje @Izakadu @daird @Misplaced @Waterfall500 @Feldoras @Fliychiell @JinxMoonstone @NinjaKitty @Twelvewishes @Aloysius @Orenildur @snailcall @rosie115 @Scyras @hoglolly @CopperRose @Leelyloo @Praeter @WingedElf @psychocanes @typoAdventure @Rileykins @Katerrn @KallaStromuel @Arii @Braixen @dragonfly @ToxicHeart [/sub][/sub] [b]A Parade of New Faces[/b] "Garr…" The soft voice calling my name was so distant, like a dream beyond dreams. I was certain its intent was to rouse me, but being so quiet and so far, it could hardly ever hope to manage such a feat. "Garr…" I heard it again and my crests flicked, my tail twitched. Life attempted to stirr back into my body. No surprise that it was such a hard feat, afterall, I was [i]exhausted[/i]. In the day or two following our sweet Melody’s passing, I have utterly thrown myself at the building of our clan forges. It has not been enough to dig out pits for them, I have been scavenging and carting back great stones to make sure they stand at heights comfortable for myself and the others, and have been pouring through our hoard for materials to build strong bellows and tongs and hammers. Gilda watches me silently, often accompanied by Cray as he helps her tend to the eggs nestled away in elements too hot for her Plague-gifted hands to handle. When it is not these things, I am tearing chunks out of the ceiling and tunneling upward to ensure ventilation so that the smoke does not poison our tunnels and caves. In short, I have been working myself to exhaustion, as it has just been the easiest way to cope. "Garr." That voice again, stronger, but not harshly so. Gradually my eyes flutter open, and I am greeted not by whichever clanmate is speaking my name, but by a strange, off-colored treasure chest that has for some reason wandered away from where we would ever stow random treasure chests. [img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/267d1d94936756322af158ef36a777b6/tumblr_inline_nhymzwnjX61t2f6de.png[/img] I am proud to say that I did not pull back with a start our cry out in surprise, though I’m uncertain if it was my steeled nerves or my tired, slowly awakening mind that allowed for my calm response. Either way, I found myself suddenly in an awkward staring contest with a creature that, as far as I could tell, lacked any proper eyes, but still seemed to navigate our dark corridors just fine. Like just now. Much to my displeasure. "Who… Why is the chest out?" I asked, my voice still drowsy as I sat up. The trunk sat idly before me and made no motion to follow my movements. As far as I could tell, anyway. "It’s been acting weird today." Cray’s voice. He was sitting there in the archway that led to the forge room - my makeshift bedroom these past couple nights. "Mmmm, but why is it in here?" Still slow from sleep, I reached a hand out and flicked at the thing. The sound made by my claw was neither hollow nor solid, and had a strange, oddly organic tone to it. I frowned. This thing is [i]weird[/i]. "I’m not sure," Cray admitted. "I only walked by and found it sitting there, and tried just now to wake you." "Where is the egg?" I asked with a yawn, referring to the strange little thing we had found on the same day as this creature. It had been.. how long by now? A full week, at least. The odd little egg that Cray kept assuring us had life within. We had no clue how to incubate such a thing, and I had been too distracted with younglings and forges and all manner of things I did not wish to think about to really tend to it the same way I had tended to found eggs beforehand. And with Gilda busy with her own eggs, and Cray often busy with Gilda, the other two more nuturing members of my clan hadn’t given it much attention either. Interestingly enough, it had been Mephit who’d done much of the care. Part of me had hoped that, somehow, this might imply that there was a small Charge of his brewing within the oddly shaped and ridged shell of that strange little thing, but the way I would catch him gazing longingly beyond our cave entrance quickly doused that hope time and time again. "Mephit is still watching it," Cray assured me now, "but we haven’t seen much of a change. The only difference is this thing acting odd today." I stood, limbs weak and shaking from all of the digging and scraping and dragging and moving, muscles sore from the lifting and pulling and tugging and forcing, and groaned as I stretched myself out against the ground, attempting to quell the sore complaints of my body. It helped, but only a little. The treasure chest was not kind enough to make room for me, and I had to work around it as I twisted and bent, finally standing and circling past it as I moved to exit the room and head out to the main den. Cray followed alongside me. After a moment, I could hear a solid ‘kthunk’ing echoing after us. We passed by the hoard room and I peeked my head in, asking a habitual “How are the eggs?” at Gilda before I even registered the strange change to the room. I blinked, my question quickly forgotten, and stared in wonder as my mind attempted to make sense of what I was seeing, determined to convince myself that I truly was no longer dreaming and fully awake by now. Apparently we had managed to aquire a large pile in our hoard that was nothing more that different colors of fluff? Reds and blues and whites and- Oh, no wait… That one had a face. Ah, yes, as did the one next to it. And another… No, they all were bodies of things in this clan, huddled together in some odd little pile of sleeping forms. The three tundras, the two longnecks who seemed more than eager to serve them and tend to them, completing such mundane tasks as brushing out their manes or tending to their protective wraps, and Gilda’s little fangar. All together, near the one mirror in the clan who, in some way or another, just managed to attract all of the fluffy things to her presence. I sighed. At least with a clan this large and growing, and with all of the things to do, it was easier for life to continue on even after such a recent loss. "They are doing well," Gilda responded to me, causing me to recollect the inquiry I had made to her. "Did you want to come see them?" Her tail swished behind her hopefully, and I offered her a small smile, weakened perhaps by my state of confusion at all of the fluffs present. "In a bit, I think, yes. I want to go check on Mephit and his own strange egg first. The… [i]thing [/i]is acting weird, and part of me wonders if the two might be connected.” For a moment I was sure I saw Gilda’s expression turn to a frown, but it vanished quickly and she bobbed her head with the same eager motions I was used to from our golden mirror. I gave Cray a moment to poke in and see her before continuing on down the hall with him at my side and a thumping chest in tow. "I feel bad," I admitted to Cray. "With Kido I was so eager to check on her clutch every day. I [i]want[/i] to have the same excitement for you and Gilda, and I’m sure it’s there, it’s just…” "There’s been a lot going on," Cray’s voice had a knowing tone to it. "Strange interlopers and building projects and… well, Melody." Cray looked at me as we walked, his expression soft. "She does talk about wanting you to come and see them, though." "And I will," I assured, "I certainly mean to." We made it to the main room and I spotted Mephit near the entrance of the cave, watching quietly outside, much as I expected him to be. His head turned a little as he heard out footsteps approach, but he did not fully look at us even after I spoke. "How is the egg today, Mephit? The chest is acting weird, so I wanted to check up on it." "It is as still as ever," Mephit stated, watching the sky. I frowned. He was often distracted and sometimes distant these days, yes, but never quite like this. "Is there something wrong?" I asked, moving closer to the cave entrance to stare outward, uncertain if I should be expecting to catch sight of something or not. "Diego took Deesha and the fae and left for the forges a few hours ago," Mephit responded, his eyes still scanning. "About twenty minutes ago, I thought a shape flew by. Too small to be Diego or Deesha, too large to be Ash or Elysia. I’ve been watching for it ever since." "Not a harpy?" I questioned readily, my brow knitting with concern, and Mephit finally turned his head to look at me. "I do not believe so, but I did not manage a good look. Only a brief shadow as it passed through the smoke and ash in the air." Ah yes, the cloudly skies. All of the vents of steam around us offered wonderful cover with the way they billowed and kicked up ash and dust, but at the same time they hindered our own ability to clearly keep a watchful eye. "Well, when Deesha and the others return from the forges, we can ask them if they ran across anything on their way back." My gaze turned back down to the gnarled looking egg resting at Mephit’s feet. "May I see it?" "Of course… [i]Clan Leader[/i] Garr.” Mephit gave a low rumble of a chuckle as he spoke the title, a playful jest in his voice. I admit it was odd, adjusting to the new name being used to address me, but most seemed to be catching on quickly. Even my Deesha would mention it from time to time, usually when in the presence of the young tundras, and Elysia had been the first to sometimes drop the ‘Garr’ part entirely and just call me ‘Clan Leader’ at moments, though in a way I admit I was half-expecting her to simply blurt out ‘Boss’ one of these days. Only Cray and Gilda had not yet used the title, but I hardly expected such a thing from them. I hardly expected such a thing from [i]any[/i] of them, to be honest, but somehow it also felt wrong to ask them not to. I suppose, given enough time, I may grow more accustomed to the sound of it. Mephit bent his arm a bit in order to move it out of my way, and I drew the egg carefully from below him. It felt a bit heavier now than when I last could remember holding it, and it did occur to me that such a thing would make sense as the dragon, or otherwise indeterminate lifeform, inside it grew. I raised it up to my ear the same way I had done when we had first discovered it, and held my breath as I listened. I think that perhaps I heard something scratching within it. Carefully I sat the egg back down, returning it to its guarded spot at the base of the great guardian. “It sounds a little active, I think. I would hazard a guess that it may be close to hatching soon.” I turned my gaze back to Mephit, but his attention was once more fixated on the world outside. This time his eyes were narrowed, peering intently at the edge of our crater, and his fins began to bristle and extend. “Mephit?” Concerned filled me once more, and again I peered and strained to see whatever had his attention. “What is it?” At first I saw nothing, but then Diego’s rosy head peered down over the side of our crater wall. I saw it turn. glancing back behind him, and then a dark blur as the coal-black form of Ash shot past him and dive-bombed in quick descent through the air toward our lair. As her wings splayed out in a sudden movement, slowing her fall and bringing her in near, I could hear the loud droning of the contraptions she now wore as well. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9086164][img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/e04d41c4424da3fc4e3a388f4c9103b9/tumblr_inline_nhyqxiFgDJ1t2f6de.png[/img][/url] The special garment Elysia had intended to modify for Melody’s use had been passed on to Ash instead, and with the perpetual cooling breeze of air that swirled around the dark fae, the effect caused by an enchantment worked into the apperal she already wore by Melody herself, I could not find the inheritance of Melody’s wing pieces more fitting. "Ash, what is it?" I asked quickly, the concern audible in my voice, but not overwhelming. She flitted before me, at least appearing not at all alarmed or hurt, and the observation did a little to reassure me. "It happened as we were coming back home, Clan Leader. We have found someone?" The hum and noise of her device raised in tone as she spoke, and I could not tell if it was due to her movements to keep herself suspended in the air or if she’d honestly meant that statement to be spoken like a question. "Deesha has taken them to her other lair, but sent Diego and I on to let you know." "I… see…" I was uncertain of what to make of the news. "Who, exactly, did you find?" "Three dragons," Ash told me quickly, fluttering slowly in a gradual descent until she was seated on the ground before me, gazing up at me with her shining emeralds, and I sat back on my haunches to look down at her. "And another creature, as well. Deesha said it was a hipper-griff." "A hip…" I blinked, then shook my head. "No, that’s not right. You mean a [i]hippo[/i]griff.” I frowned, my own correction not bringing any clarity to her statement. “That’s odd, though. Hippogriffs are very uncommon in these areas. Was it a familiar to the dragons?” "If the one who calls herself Verona is to be believed, Clan Leader Garr, it is the thing that led the dragons here in the first place." I frowned, my brow furrowing. Who was this hippogriff, and why was it leading dragons to my lair? "Will you come see them?" Ash continued, her head tilting. "Verona said it was very important that they all find you, specifically, but Deesha did not want to bring them here. There is also a long one, who is very dark but very pink. And a hatchling. The hatchling is also pink." I gave a snort, amused at my little scout’s choice of descriptions. “And what are [i]their[/i] names, then?” "The long one Verona calls Shadow. He hasn’t said anything to any of us, he was just all wound up around her like a rope. And the little one, she has not said its name. She just says that she must find you." "Very well…" I felt hesitant about my own agreement, uncertain of so many details about this, but this would not be the first time strange happenings have occured around my lair. In a way it could be argued that the original formation of the lair was a strange happening in and of itself. I gave a nod at Ash, my tail flicking out behind me like a whip as I stood. "I’ll go and see them, but you stay and wait here with the others. I’ll be sending Diego down as well. Ash nodded, hopping back into the air, and flew over to her shared amber den, clutching herself to the outside of it but not yet vanishing within. I turned to Mephit, glad to see his attention still so carefully focused on the edge of our crater. "Keep alert," I instructed him, already knowing full well that my command was unnecessary. "If I am not the first one you see returning down the side of that crater, assume something has occurred." He nodded at me and I headed out, scampering quickly up the rocky wall. Diego greeted me above with a snort. "Two mirrors, and a… erm… I suppose a ‘spiral’, as you have describe it," he took a moment to make the same wild gestures with his hand that I had once used to describe the hyperactive dragons, "are waiting with Deesha." "Ash didn’t exactly give me the specifics, other than that a couple of them were fairly pink." I frowned. "How did they find you? Did they say what they wanted?" "They found us at the forges, but the weird creature they had with them was the first thing to approach. The grown mirror calls herself Verona, and claims they’ve been traveling from as far as the Viridian Labyrinth to come and find [i]you[/i], specifically, but she won’t say what for.” "I suppose there’s only one way I’m going to find that out, then." I gave a low sigh. "Alright. Diego, head back down to the cave and help Mephit keep an eye out. I want everyone to be ready, just in case something happens." "Do you think they’re untrustworthy?" Diego questioned, a tone of suspicion in his voice that just seemed to be begging for validation. I frowed all over again, though this time the gesture was mostly brought on by his words. "I don’t know[i] what[/i] I think yet, Diego. I haven’t even met them. But I just want to make sure we’re all careful. It’s not as though I’m used to others just showing up and asking for me…” Diego gave a nod and obediently started down the crater’s side. I watched him go for a moment before turning and taking off toward Deesha’s secondary lair in a fast lope. When I arrived she was seated outside it, Elysia perched high upon her head, and my jade guardian was greatly dwarfing the presence of the four creatures near her. To be honest, these days I am not so certain if ‘jade’ is quite the term I should use to describe her anymore. She has long since become rather multicolored. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=6918380][img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/9eaa53cc9eaf2551715ce02e5a598cad/tumblr_inline_nhyt690fCt1t2f6de.png[/img][/url] As I approached, two of the strangers turned to look at me. Well, more appropriately, [i]one[/i] turned to look at me, a brown-colored mirror dressed in a style I had never quite witnessed before. The other, a dark grey spiral with deep red wings and a crackling of rosy pink all over his hide was wrapped all about her as though he were the leather binds on Ignatius, and his head merely turned in my direction due to its location resting on the mirror’s neck. As I took in his odd appearance, I was all at once understanding of Ash’s description of ‘Dark. But also… pink.’ [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=90591][img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/a0c07ab08875da332fc60b24a02dbdf5/tumblr_inline_nhytj92frW1t2f6de.png[/img][/url] With the hat he wore low over his eyes, and the strange black bandages that hung loosely about his head, I could hardly tell if he was awake or asleep, and had no way of knowing if the grin I saw on his face was from the natural curve of his jaw or a more deliberate expression at my arrival. There were gloves and spats and wing wraps, all so closely matching with his scales that I could hardly fathom why he’d even bother with them in the first place if they were simply going to be lost in all the grey of his body. I forced my attention away from the odd dragon and instead focused on the brown mirror, taking in her much simplier, somehow more exotic garb. When my eyes rested on hers, I felt my chest hitch at the recognition that she carried the same pale green eyes of the Windsinger as our dear Melody had. "Are you Garr?" She asked in a tone that hinted at impatient but did not quite sound rude, and my crests flared out a bit in display of dominance. These days it occurs to me that I do this without even thinking - it’s just too natural. "I am," I answered curtly. "And I assume you are Verona?" The mirror’s stance relaxed visibly, as though she were letting out a sigh of relief, and she nodded at my statement. “Aye, yes, that I am. And [i]finally[/i], Clan Leader Garr, we meet you. When I told old Tonka over here that we needed to find you, I thought she meant to actually take us [i]to you[/i]. Instead she’s had us here waiting with great big Deesha while everyone else gets to rush off to find you.” Verona made a motion to the hippogriff that stood near the group, and as I looked over to it, it ducked its head down in a discernable bow. [img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/311c0d0e5828f83ee9f793cc13c03c0c/tumblr_inline_nhze9mGO3A1t2f6de.png[/img] "Well, Tonka did well," I stated with a small frown of consideration and found myself bobbing my head back to the polite familiar. "We are not used to receiving complete strangers that already know our names and come calling for individuals specifically." "Is that so?" The corner of Verona’s mouth turned up in a smirk. "Well, I should assume you would need to get used to it, Clan Leader. There’s been a lot of dragons waiting for fresh Fire forges to build up and begin manufacturing. If your clan is to become one of those churning out weapons and armor, you can expect many more to come flocking." My frown deepened all the more. “Those forges you found my clanmates at were not ours.” "Maybe not, but with how proficiently we saw the ridgeback using them, I would hazard a guess that you intend to produce some of your own." Diego was using the forges, was he? Curiously I turned my head to Deesha, giving her a questioning look, but then noticed the new set of steel plating that adorned her tail. I had been overlooking it til now, with the way her long tail hung behind her, but it did look fresh and newly polished, a strange comparison to her more worn equipment. My attention turned back to Verona. "Well, regardless, what brings you here? Why were you looking for me?" "Aaaah, yes. [i]That one[/i]." Verona clicked her tongue and turned to look behind her, and I finally spotted the third dragon that was mentioned, who, until now, had been quite hidden behind the brown mirror. Eyes as green as Ash’s looked up at me from a vibrantly pink face and hide, and the little mirror that Verona coaxed out from behind her seemed uncertain as to whether he should be standing tall or cowering. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9562824][img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/090690032c241c26f3ca3c2b5f9f01bd/tumblr_inline_nhzeprijkI1t2f6de.png[/img][/url] "This is the delivery I offered to make, Clan Leader," Verona introduced the small male. "The clan I have brought him from calls themselves Second Chance, and the Patriarch there christened him with the name Hope Eternal and wanted him brought to you, after your most recent loss. He hopes that Hope will grow to become a good, strong member of your clan." She pulled out a letter tucked away in her green dressing and handed it to me. I flipped it open and sat back, reading the words in it that explained much of what she’d just told me. "Wait," I shook my head, uncertain what to make of all of this. "Wait, [i]who[/i] is this clan? [i]How[/i] do they know about us?” My questions caused a stirring in the spiral that draped itself around her, and a grin slowly passed over her face as I saw the darker dragon whispering something in her ear. "Larger clans have a way of learning these things, Clan Leader," she explained, almost taunting me with her knowledge. "They have Oracles and Seers, and scouts and familiars who bring them word from afar. Dragons who can read messages in the stars, or ones like me who hear all of the tales passed along on the Windsinger’s breezes." The crests over her ears gave a twitch to punctuate her claim. "Bigger clans… they have their way of knowing." It’s true that my old clan often gave and received word from far neighbors, but I had never thought too much into it. Passing along messages had never been my job, and until I’d lost everyone and had to begin anew myself, I had always taken that level of connectivity for granted. These days I was so used to the isolation my own little clan experienced. I gave a sigh and turned my attention down to the little pink mirror, willing myself to not be so bothered by her statement. Emerald eyes stared up at me, and a hide brigther than Diego’s but marked by a similar pattern trembled a little in the environment. Great. Another Nature-blessed. I found myself thinking that thought with more bitterness than I would ever intend toward a hatchling so young, but at the same time, getting Ash to adjust had already been such a struggle. I truly hoped that, being a larger dragon and less in-tuned to the elemental magic of the area, this little one would fair much better. "You said he was called Hope Eternal?" I raised my gaze questioningly up at Verona, and she nodded. "The Patriarch named him after what he wished his presence to bring you." "Well… that is a sweet gesture," I admitted, though my expression looked more disappointed than I had meant, and I looked down at the little hatchling once again. "But you will need a proper name if we are to take you in here." "You could always just call him Hope," Verona suggested lazily, but I shook my head at the idea. I had nothing against the name itself, I just did not feel it fit for my clan. After all, what would we do if one day we lost our Hope? A grim thought, indeed… "No…" my response was to Verona’s words, but I directed my message to the little mirror before me. "But we will call you Holdin." “‘Holdin’ on to hope, then,” Verona stated with a chuckle, and I resisted the urge to shoot a glare at her for so quickly devolving my newest clan member’s name down to a simple pun. "Come on, Holdin," I held a hand out and gestured for him to approach me. "We will welcome you into your new home." The small mirror stood, looked uncertainly up at Verona and her drapery that was the spiral, and then rushed toward me, darting beneath my leg. The action was so sudden that I could not tell if he was frightful, eager, or just ready to rest after a long trip. "Would it be too much to ask if we could follow?" Verona pipped up as I was about ready to turn and go. "Shadow, Tonka, and myself have made quite the trip to get here." The corners of her mouth turned up in a grin once more. "We wouldn’t be against an offer to stop and rest and perhaps fill our bellies." "You’ll get it, then," I looked between the two interlocked dragons and the hippogriff behind them. If word of my clan was already reaching far beyond our boundaries here by some means, it seemed silly to bother trying to keep the location of our crater a secret from these two. "Come." I gestured with my head for them to follow, and then turned and started back for the crater. Deesha waited for the three to begin after me before she took up the rear, Elysia still perched attentively atop her head. We reached the crater and I stared down over the side of it, my eyes catching the looming form of Mephit guarding the entrance, and I nodded at him from afar as we descended. The short walk from Deesha’s second lair to our own main one had given me a litle time to speak to Verona. "Where are you from?" I asked her. "The same clan that sent us Holdin?" "No, Clan Leader, I was just passing through that place and stopped to offer my assistance. I’ve been clanless for some time, and Shadow and I have traveled together plenty, Tonka often leading us from place to place." I turned my head to consider the spindly creature twisted about her. “Is he asleep?” I had never seen a spiral so still and quiet before. Verona shook her head. “He’s been awake this whole time, just hasn’t had much to say.” A great eye of purple Shadow peered up at me from beneath the brim of his hat, bordered by dark bandages, and again I saw that grin spread across the spiral’s face. Something about the expression was unsettling to me, though I could not quite put a claw on what. My unease may have shown a bit, as Shadow’s grin only grew before he dipped his head back down and that eye vanished beneath the cover of his hat once more. When we made it to the bottom of the crater, both Diego and Mephit stood awaiting us at the cave’s entrance. I gave a nod to them both, then gestured to the small pink mirror that now stood between my forelegs, staring up in wonder at the two giants. "This is Holdin," I told them both, "our newest young member. He’s made a long trip to get here, so we should bring out some food for him and the three who helped him make this trip. Diego, would you fetch Ash for me? I think she’s best suited to help him get adjusted to his new home here." Diego nodded, casting a glance at the strangers before turning and lumbering back into the lair. Mephit moved aside to allow us all in, then scooped up the tiny item he was watching over and followed. I brought the four newcomers to the center of our main room, offering Tonka and Verona a place to sit and rest, and kept Holdin at my side. Cray soon appeared, trailed by Ignatius who had somehow managed to pull himself from the slumbering pile of fluff he’d been a part of prior. The dirty-yellow tundra walked with a bit of a limp and his wounds were turning to scars that marred his hide, despite Cray’s attempts to assist his recovery. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9156748][img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/fe8565eb1aa307ab141be66a32f7b8a8/tumblr_inline_nhziukP5vi1t2f6de.png[/img][/url] "Cray," I called him over, "we have guests and a new clan member." I introduced the lot to my soil-colored mirror, and he sat beside me, smiling down at Holdin who looked up at him with the same expression of curiosity and wonder he had shown Mephit and Diego. When I turned to look at Shadow, speaking his name to Cray, I noticed the spiral’s head had turned and was peering rather intently at the strange little egg tucked between Mephit’s hands as he sat nearby. The spiral’s head raised, turning and pressing its muzzle to Verona’s ear, and his mouth moved quietly before I saw the female mirror’s eyes go wide. She turned to look in the direction of Mephit, her gaze quickly finding the egg below him, and I noticed Mephit’s fins bristle a little at all of the sudden attention. "You have a nocturne!" Verona blurted out suddenly, a sound of surprise in her voice. "A what?" I asked, the word completely unfamiliar to me. "That egg there," she gestured, "a nocturne! Rare little buggers outside of the Tangled Woods. Shadow here knows about them. They were crafted by his Shadowlady, after all." I frowned, the thought of a dragon designed by the Shadowbinder herself filling me with a new sort of dread at what creature may be lurking within that egg. Would it be trouble? Could it be trusted? Suddenly it was like the day we’d found Mephit’s egg all over again as I questioned the safety of my clan with this harmless little thing present in it. A low sigh escaped my throat even though I did not intend it to, and Verona seemed to smirk at my dismay. "If you need any pointers for dealing with one, Shadow says he’s more than happy to offer in that regard." I opened my mouth, about to speak, when a loud cracking from the strange egg silenced me before I could even begin, and suddenly all eyes were turned on the wobbily little item. Mephit inched back a touch, giving it room to wiggle and move, and I saw the spiral, Shadow, slowly unspindle itself and stretch his great length out toward the egg. His eyes were wide and eager, that grin all the more present as we all watched the unhatched dragon’s struggles, and after a moment another crack sounded and a chunk of disfigured egg shell opened outward, pushed aside by the claw of a steel-colored wing. I took a step forward as the struggle continued on, the egg wobbling and slowly moving away from Mephit, and after a few more moments another large chunk was dislodged. Then another, and another, and I looked down as a creature most pecular stared back up at me, vividly pink eyes meeting mine. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9555849][img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/7c624fc8bac42642ea61ff92bdc21de6/tumblr_inline_nhzh1arzPA1t2f6de.png[/img][/url] She seemed more than a little overwhelmed by all of the dragons present, her large head craning about on a thin neck as she steadied herself on overly large wings, and her mouth opened and closed noiselessly as she looked between all who was there. I gave a snort, a little overwhelmed myself at all of this events this day was leading to. "Yes," I finally conceded to Venora’s mention of the spiral’s offer. "Yes, Shadow, I think I may just take you up on that." If we were to be saddled with this creature made by the Shadowbinder, touched by the Arcanist, then I would at least like to know a little more about it, even if that information did come from two strangers baring a new clan member themselves. Today was certainly shaping up to be an odd day. I certainly hope it is the last time I awaken to a treasure chest in my face. ((Woof, where do I even begin, you guys? SO MANY DONATIONS AFTER MELODY’S DEMISE! Alright, the lovely Shadow was sent to me as a ‘courtesy spiral’ by @Redwood, and Holdin *previously named HopeEternal* was sent by @Solaristigres. Thank you both for the gifts, as well as everyone else who has sent little momentos in the wake of Melody’s passing! I hope you both especially don’t mind the small liberties I may have taken in regards to mentioning clans or backgrounds in order to work those two in! SO MANY NEW FACES, GUYS, SO MANY! And more still schedule to be on the way, assuming all coin tosses go smoothly! [b]ALSO, PLEASE BE SURE TO MENTION IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST FOR A CHANCE TO TAKE HOME MELODY.[/b] I will be continuing to collect names until tomorrow *1/11/2015* at 10:00 FR time! I hope to have the drawing done and the little fae sent to a new home by FR-noon tomorrow!))