Creative Corner

Trying this again. My first attempt at a nuzlocke failed miserably. So I am adding some rules of my own that will hopefully make this more interesting to me. [u]Rules[/u] -If it faints in the Coli, it's dead, and must be exalted, sold, or otherwise removed from the nuzlocke. -An egg may be purchased from the AH each month. -Gift eggs can be accepted and hatched one a week. -A dragon may be purchased from the AH each month for no more than 10k. -Gift dragons can be accepted one a week. -Stones can be added at the appropriate level. -Dragons may not be gened or scattered. -A breed change can be purchased for each egg found. -Since the rest of my lair is still there, I will be calculating food for the nuzlocke. -When a nest hatches, flip for the offspring. If tails, they die. -The nuzlocke ends when all dragons are deceased, or when I get 5 dragons to level 25. New rule: If Nameless dies, I flip a coin. Heads, the nuzlocke continues on. Tails, it ends. [u]Pinglist[/u] Alxias CanisLupus03 linguistic Crystalcave [center][b]Cold as Ice[/b][/center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=15601861] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/156019/15601861_350.png[/img] [/url] "Fight!" That was the first word I remember hearing and actually understanding. But how could I fight? I was a pup, days old, with shorts claws and teeth. My wings still lay uselessly against my back, and my body did not have the stamina of an adult. Fighting was impossible for one such as I. For any pup really, although a couple tried. The ones attacking our relatively small pack merely laughed as I bared my teeth, and shoved me unceremoniously into a sack that smelled of cold and other things I didn't care to think about. These were the raiders, outlaw dragons that stole food, treasure, and hatchlings from any dragon clan they came across. To what gain, I don't know. I only learned who they were much later. At the time, I merely just shivered in the sack they'd put me in, but the shivering wasn't from cold. It was from fear. They took to the air, leaving my pack far below. The wails, cries, and snarls of my pack reverberated in my head for a long time. I didn't know where we were going. But to try to escape the sack now would be suicide. I dozed fitfully to the pitiful whining of the other stolen offspring. Something reared in the darkness. Something cold, deadly, hungry. I poked my head out, feeling the bite of chill air against my muzzle. Suddenly the world tilted, and I fell out of the sack. It was a long way down, and my wings would not help me. I hit the ground, hard, laying there trembling and winded. Above me were the sounds of pained shrieks and cries of terror. My poor body huddled on the ground, and I fervently hoped that I wouldn't be found by that thing of hunger. ............................................................... Sunlight. My four eyes blinked against the harsh light, light that refracted off the crystal-like ground I was on. It was cold. I didn't know where I was, but I knew it was far, far from home. Raising my head, I looked around. No wonder I hadn't been spotted on this strange white ground. Fresh blood stained the area all around me. I had simply blended in without realizing it. It was so very cold. Clouds dotted the sky, but there was no sign of an approaching storm. Not that I really knew what to expect in this place. I stood carefully, stretching my body. I had aged during the night. This adult body of mine felt strange. And I could scarcely put weight on one of my hind legs. I took inventory, but other than my leg, all I found was an assortment of bruises. This strange white stuff had offered me a softer landing than I'd hoped for. The leg was not broken. I knew that much. And there wasn't much pain, probably because the land was so cold. But it would need to heal before I could reliably walk on it. I shifted my weight on my front paws, trying to decide what to do. And then, my stomach growled. In this strangely muted land, it sounded alarmingly loud. And brought back the fear. How was I to eat? I was alone, wounded, with no prey in sight. In fact, the only thing I saw was... Plaguemother preserve me! [i]Two[/i] lightning eggs??? Sure I was seeing things, I rubbed at my eyes. But the glowing eggs were still there. I groaned. Shadowbinder had been here, with one of her legendary tricks. Why else would there be two eggs here with me? I was scarcely out of puphood myself; with that, and no food, how was I supposed to help these things live? Or could I eat them? The thought was tempting; it would quiet my stomach and give me strength. But my pack had been of relatively peaceful Mirrors, and cannibalism was simply not something I could do. I limped toward the first egg. The light within it was a steady pulse; this egg would hatch soon. A few feet away lay the other. This one had a sizable crack in it, and the light was dimmer. These eggs must have been in a sack, like I was. It was a wonder they weren't actually broken. Pulling the two eggs tight against my body, I curled around them to keep them warm. I would have to go without food today. (Couldn't wait until tomorrow to start this XD I'll update once the eggs hatch, but that won't be today. One of the eggs is the gift egg for week one^^) (Oh yeah, @kaorusquee It wouldn't do for me to lose this)

@kaorusquee You Know I want on the pinglist. c:<

@Alxias *blush* You flatter me, wanting to actually read this. [b]Hatching![/b] One of the eggs had started to quiver. I stared at it, again wondering how I was going to care for something even younger than I. There was a quiet chirp from inside the egg. I tilted my head, staring at it curiously. That sound had sounded so familiar. And I knew why seconds later, when the egg tipped over and split. A bright face looked up at me, chirping in the same pup language I was used to. I chirped back, feeling warm. It was a Mirror. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=15781948] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/157820/15781948_350.png[/img] [/url] I gave him the name of 'One.' After all, he had been the first. Maybe I should have gone with something pertaining to his color, but I wasn't well versed on names. I had been too young when taken. My pack had had a tradition; pups didn't receive names until maturity. That was to prevent too much attachment if something happened to the pup. So I didn't have a name. I was 'Nameless.' But I was no longer with my pack. This pup was my new pack for now, and I was determined to start new traditions. A name seemed like the least I could do for him. For a while, we were content to chirp back and forth to each other. But hours were going by. And I could tell he was tiring. When One curled around the egg and dozed off, I got to my feet. I didn't go far, making sure to keep One in my sight at all times. I searched through the white ground, discovering some of it was soft. I tried digging, but this frozen ground didn't yield well to it, so scavenging it was. Sadly I didn't find much. Some abandoned items, a few bones with no meat on them, a weird frozen bug. Nothing for One or me to eat. Still, I brought the items with me. If the second egg didn't hatch a Mirror, maybe the dead bug would be edible to them. I knawed on one of the bones to pass the time away, once again curled around One and the egg. It didn't satisfy my hunger in the slightest. When One woke, crying for meat, I gave him a bone to chew on. He actually grumbled, pouncing on my tail instead. I winced as prickly pup teeth bit down. They wouldn't do much damage, but they were already sharper than mine had ever been. I gave him a stern look, but he merely growled at me, shaking my tail as if it were a toy. Heaving a sigh and ignoring the pup, I looked worriedly at the egg between my paw. Shouldn't it have hatched by now? I had no idea of time here, but it felt like hours since One had hatched. But the egg still pulsed faintly with life, so there had to be hope. Right? Suddenly the world exploded. I heard One shriek as he went flying. I myself was bowled over, and stars danced in my four eyes. I closed them, but the sight continued behind my eyelids. Rubbing my paw across them, I opened them again. What in Plaguemother's name had happened? Oh. The egg had hatched. Explosively too. I stared at the hatchling in front of me, then snorted. Hatchling; the thing was already almost as big as I was. It was a Guardian, one of the biggest of the dragon species. Well; maybe this hatchling would be able to eat the bug after all. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=15783226] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/157833/15783226_350.png[/img] [/url] What did one name a Guardian? I blinked at her, watching One creep back up and give her a sniff. His little tail wagged and a moment later the two were play-tussling. Good; a Guardian's armor was much better suited for One's play than my poor tail was. I finally decided on 'Lute.' It was my mother's name, I think. At least, I'd heard someone yell that as I was being taken. Lute was a hardly little thing, growing quickly. The cold didn't seem to bother her as much, so One and I huddled close to her for warmth as a chill wind picked up. When the wind got worse, I knew we'd have to move. Limping was tiring, but I couldn't walk normally. Not after just a few hours. So I limped, keeping watch on my charges. One walked right next to me, head down against the cold. Lute walked on his other side, shielding us as best she could, but it was easy to see that even she was getting cold. Somehow, we found a type of shelter. It was little more than a small bit of frozen rock jutting out into the cold, but it would do. At least it kept the wind off us. The three of us huddled close again. I offered the bug to One, but he turned his head away with a plaintive cry. Lute accepted it without complaint, which made me happy. At least one of my charges was able to eat it. Still, this was not good. One and I were going to have to eat. But not today. I didn't have the strength to do so today. I curled on the ground, and the others followed suit. There was a nagging voice in my head that told me I'd have even less strength the next day, but I ignored it. I didn't know anything about where I was. The best thing to do for now was to rest... and wait. (Pinkerton gave me a Redclaw Scorpion, and since that wasn't hunting, I figured it was alright to be used in the story)

@kaorusquee

It looks to me like you're hitting a pink curse lol
But at least you hatched a girl!! I had this issue for like several weeks of getting nothing but the same gender when I first started off.

And you're going to meet a gal mirror named 'Nameless' in my Nuz rather soon.
(Though she's a bit strange)
(Also yes pinkerton things are safe ground!)

@Alxias
Yes, all the pink dergs XD It's that magenta tert that really does me in *shudders* But I /am/ glad she's female. Now hopefully she doesn't die.
Oh thank you. I was hoping they were safe ground. Otherwise I'd already messed up my nuzlocke, lol.

@Alxias [b]Newcomer[/b] "Look out!" The words roused me from my fitful sleep. I lifted my head just in time to feel something crash into me, shoving me against the two hatchlings. It was already cramped under the overhang; Lute and One had grown in the night, and Lute was now bigger in size than I was. Her hard armor dug into my body as the white stuff around us gave way, coating all of us in cold. What had happened? Getting to my paws, I looked around in time to see another head pop out of the white. A head I didn't recognize. Well; that explained the voice I'd heard. Neither of my charges could talk yet. The head ducked, a sheepish look in eyes as white as the stuff around us. "Ah, sorry about that. I didn't realize I was coming in so fast. I only noticed this place was occupied at the last second." The dragon shook off more of the white, and my jaw literally hit the floor. He was stunning. In the sunlight, each of his scales glittered and refracted color. I'd never seen such a beautiful creature. At the same time, though, I was almost starving now. So much so that I wondered how he'd taste. But then I changed my mind. If I couldn't eat the hatchlings when they were still eggs, there was no way I would eat an adult dragon. One had no such qualms. He was growing up in a harsh land, and hunger was his first experience. His four eyes narrowed and growling sounded from him as he took a step forward. I quickly swept my tail around him, bringing him closer. He was still a pup, and still smaller than me. So even though he resisted, I got my way. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=15578449] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/155785/15578449_350.png[/img] [/url] The new dragon shook again, ridding himself of the last of the white fluff. Then his crystalline eyes focused on me. "Y... you're Mirrors! But... what are you doing here?!" I pawed at the ground, uncomfortable. "Stolen." I finally muttered. It was my first spoken word, the first time I got to hear what I sounded like. I didn't have much of a vocabulary, being taken as a pup. I'd have to hope this stranger could understand my gruff word. Apparently he did. His eyes blinked several times, and then filled with unmistakable sympathy. "I'd heard rumors of hatchlings being taken from other lands. But to see it for myself..." He shook his head. "You are so far from your homeland. Even those two." He gestured to One and Lute. "There is a great body of water between this land and theirs." I sighed; the chances of ever getting home hand become even slimmer. Seeing my dismay, the stranger extended a wing toward me, but drew it back at the last second. "I am Rhys." He told me. "No name." I replied. "Nameless." Then I nudged each of the hatchlings forward. "One. Lute." One growled warily, but approached Rhys with less aggression than he had first demonstrated. Lute wasn't far behind. She seemed to think it was her responsibility to keep her reckless friend safe. There was that sadness in Rhys' eyes again. Did my not having a name bother him that much? It was just a part of my life, like hunger and cold were. And now, no shelter. I frowned up at what remained of our cover. If another storm blew in, we'd be in trouble. Rhys seemed to understand what I was thinking about without me saying anything. "There's better shelter not too far from here. I'd offer to fly you there, but, well... I'm smaller than even One." That made me snort. Nudging the other two forward, I limped into the open. I stretched out my hind leg, testing it. It was stiff, and I still couldn't put too much weight on it. Huffing, I looked at Rhys. "Lead?" He blinked. "Oh, oh yeah!" The dragon took to the air, his serpentine body twisting and undulating above us. In the sun, it really was a glorious sight. The shelter was closer than I'd expected. If only we could have found it the previous night. There were even caves of a sort, ones that protected from the wind and cold much better than our little lean-to had. It even had enough space for Lute, although some digging to expand it might be necessary as she grew. "Look out below!" Rhys called before he dove. We watched with wide-eyed surprise as he went head-first into a crevice that I would in no way have ever attempted. As it was, he only made it half-way before he got stuck. A moment later, I heard soft snores. Unbelievable! He'd fallen asleep! Shaking my head in disbelief, I followed the other two into the cave. Yes, this would do for now. Until we were all strong enough to find a real place to live. My hunger had reached painful levels, but still I ignored it as I curled up with One and Lute. .............................................. Something nudged me gently, pulling me from sleep. I blinked, and Rhys' crystal eyes came into focus. Pulling back, he motioned for me to follow. I disentangled myself from the hatchlings, stretched, and slowly limped after him. He'd stopped at the front of the cave. "Twilight." He murmured, looking out. "I love this time of day. The snow looks so beautiful." "Snow?" I repeated. "Oh. The frozen white stuff. It is snow." Snow. I added that word to my vocabulary. But I did have to agree with him. It was very pretty now that we were out of it. I narrowed my eyes. In the distance I could see heat signatures. Something was moving out there. "Meat?" I inquired, trying not to drool. "Among other things. The hatchlings will be alright here. Come; let's get something for all of us to eat. I can tell from your growling stomachs that you haven't had anything. It is difficult to find food here. You have to know where to look. And when." He moved stealthily, sliding belly down against the snow. In this light, his rippling scales made him appear as if he was liquid. Maybe that was the point. I followed as quickly and quietly as I could, but that simply isn't easy when you're limping. The creatures heard me, and attacked first. While I tried to fend them off, Rhys came at them from behind, unseen. The battle was over quickly. I had taken some hits, but nothing too serious. And there was food left for us, insects, dead and abandoned. I wouldn't be able to eat them, but Lute could. And so could Rhys, apparently, as he snapped one up and munched on it. The next creatures dropped meat. I was so hungry that I snarled and pounced on it without thinking. But I caught myself before I took a bite. One would need this more that me. Reluctantly, I backed away from it. "You'll need your strength." Rhys used his claws to slice the meat in half. I took the part he held out to me, savoring the taste. It was different from what we at in plaguelands, but it was meat and it was good. A few battles later, and our food stores were growing. A Moth that we had defeated decided to land on my head instead of fleeing like the others had. I stared up at it, confused. "Rhys?" The Spiral chuckled. "Sometimes the creatures around here decide to attach to the dragon that defeated them. It probably thinks you'll be better protection." I shrugged; this didn't bother me. For the first time in days, I had food. And we had enough to bring back to the others. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Perhaps this place was livable after all. (Was able to train them up to level four without any mishaps. I don't know what I would have done if someone had died this early. Unless I scavenge an egg, I probably won't update until the hatchlings grow up) (Food points from the Coli today: insect points: 21 meat points: 34 plant points: 2 seafood points: 8)

@Alxias [b]And then there were five[/b] Days passed, and we all grew stronger. It turned out Rhys wasn't much older than I was, but he knew all about the landscape we were living in. And he was doing his best to teach us how to speak. I now knew lots of words, and could form better, more understandable sentences. Our first big shock occurred when Lute aged into an adult after only one day. In a solemn voice she explained that it was easier to protect One if she was like this. Looking at her big armored body, I kinda had to agree. Not only was it easier for her to protect One, it was easier for us to find food. We didn't go hungry anymore. In fact, we have a bit of an abundance. Which was fine by me. I didn't ever want to feel that kind of hunger again. I suppose we got cocky. After a few days of defeating creatures and gathering food, it seemed like nothing could take us down. But we were wrong. As we got stronger, so did the creatures we fought. All the weaker ones had called in reinforcements. Giving the snake a last shake, I watched it flee. And then I heard the cough. Looking behind me, my four eyes opened wide. "Rhys!" I was beside him in an instant. His beautiful scales were red with his own blood. "No, don't die!" The Spiral smiled weakly. "I'm not going to die. I just took a hard hit. I'll be okay... after some rest." Carefully, I pushed him onto Lute's body and we started for home. I no longer limped, my leg having healed. So I focused my attention entirely on Rhys. My heart was hammering so hard in my chest. I knew this feeling. It was fear. Until that moment, I hadn't realized what Rhys meant to me. But I knew now. He belonged to me, as my mother had my father. If he died... One stared when we entered. Between his feet sat a baby Guardian. "What-?" [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=16115621] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/161157/16115621_350.png[/img] [/url] "Found her." Unlike me, he had a harder time grasping language. Or maybe he just didn't like using words. He was more aggressive than I was, and preferred to use actions to words. Still, sometimes he tried. His four eyes met Lute's two teal ones. "She could be ours?" As I helped Rhys from Lute's back, I pondered that statement. Seemed I wasn't the only one who'd found a mate. Lute curled around One and the hatchling, nuzzling them both. To give them some privacy, I dragged Rhys into one of the back caves Lute had dug out. He didn't speak, and my fear increased. Was I really going to lose him? His crystalline eyes opened as I began to wash the blood from his scales. Maybe he could see the fear in my eyes, or feel my hammering pulse. Whatever the case, he brushed a wing against my cheek and gave a weak smile. "I'm not going to die, Nameless. I won't leave you here. I just need some rest." I didn't reply at first, not until I had finished my washing of him. When I found the claw marks I gave them extra attention. The bleeding had stopped. I took a deep breath and lay next to him. He, in turn, curled his serpentine body around me. We lay like that while he slept. I tried to stay awake, wanting to watch over him, but in time, I too fell asleep. (That was so scary. I looked away for a moment and when I looked back, Rhys was alive by two hitpoints. So glad he didn't die yet. Haven't found any eggs, so this was one of the ones I was given. But I have gotten lots of food XD My dragons won't go hungry.)

@kaorusquee add me to your pinglist, please? ;-) Enjoying the read so far! Whew for Rhys just about making it...

@kaorusquee

I'd like to be added to the pinglist too, please!

@Alxias @CanisLupus03 @linguistic It means a lot to me, that you guys want to read this^^ [b]Eggs?[/b] It turned out Rhys was right. He awoke after a few hours rest, still wincing from his wounds, but he was alert and able to move around. The relief that went through me left me weak. So much so that I slumped to the ground, watching him from there. I hadn't realized until then just how tired I was. The nap I'd taken had been fitful, with me waking every few minutes to check on Rhys's breathing. Exhaling a long sigh, I closed my eyes and allowed real sleep to take me. The little Guardian One had found grew quickly. Soon she was bigger than her adopted father. And yet, One really did seem to love her. I often caught him grunting words to her, eyes narrowing when he got caught. He really wasn't one for talking, but seemed determined to teach Orii how to speak properly. Having two Guardians in our lair made things a bit cramped, especially when Orii matured. She continued to grow, as did Lute. But luckily they were accomplished diggers, and set about expanding our lair. Rhys helped, once his wounds had healed. But more often than not, he ended up falling asleep in the small crevice he was supposed to be expanding. When he wasn't trying to help dig, he was usually curled around me. Even though I was bigger than him, nothing made me happier than to be surrounded by his long body. And when the winds and snow came, his warmth kept me warm. It had been several days since any of us had gone hunting. Our food stores were beginning to dwindle. But there was a fierce storm raging, so we could only sit there and wait it out. And hope that our food would last us long enough. I really didn't want to feel that hunger again. Something was prodding me awake. I mumbled in my sleep, opening bleary eyes just in time to see One unsheath his claws. Quickly I stood. "One? Did you need something?" He turned, but looked over his shoulder at me. "Come." Confused, I followed him to the area where he and Lute laired. My eyes widened as I found Lute sitting on two eggs. "Uhhh..." "Mine." One said proudly. He walked over to Lute and pressed against her side, dwarfed by her size. "Ours." "C-congratulations." I hadn't realized that having Orii as their surrogate child would make them want their own offspring. But the way the aggressive male looked up at Lute was so sweet. I could feel my own heart melting at the sight. Rhys and I couldn't have offspring of our own. But each of these dragons felt like they belonged to me in that way. I was happy to see them find love. Excusing myself, I found my way blocked by Orii's armored body. "I found something I want to show you." Her voice was low. Obviously she didn't want to intrude on the two lovebirds. Nodding, I followed her. We ended at the area she was currently excavating. I could see the tip of Rhys's tail protruding from a small hole, and had to smile at that. That dragon could sleep anywhere. Then my attention turned back to Orii. "When I was digging, a small hole opened up. You need to see what's inside." She motioned to where I was to go. Curious now, I peered over the lip of the hole. My four eyes widened. Inside, fast asleep, was a baby dragon. It was unlike any I'd seen before, more bat-like. But definitely a dragon. I was worried it was dead, but no, there was the rise and fall of breathing. "How...?" "I'm not sure. It didn't seem to be breathing at first. But there was this sound when I touched it and it began to move." [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=16326624] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/163267/16326624_350.png[/img] [/url] I had no knowledge about how such things were possible. But the dragon was there. It made tiny sounds and opened eyes the color of fresh earth. In that moment I somehow know this dragon had [i]come[/i] from the earth, that only the touch of another living being would have woken it. Yawning, the little dragon clambered out of his hole. He seemed curious about me, and stood muzzle to muzzle. Then he climbed on top of me. Warmth seeped through me. Rhys and I didn't need our own offspring, not when we kept finding more that needed us. This strange bat-like dragon was our new child. I decided to call him Heart. (Short update this time. I'm going to try and get some more grinding in soon, so we'll see what interesting things that brings around.)