Maybe they will, but the hunger didn't originate in the ruins. That being said, there may be a chance for them to look into it somewhat once I introduce Aleppo. (Also gosh I miss Galia, she was great)
right it's a V! ach ich habe vergessen that's how it spelled ;)
Maybe they will, but the hunger didn't originate in the ruins. That being said, there may be a chance for them to look into it somewhat once I introduce Aleppo. (Also gosh I miss Galia, she was great)
right it's a V! ach ich habe vergessen that's how it spelled ;)
[center][b]Day 169:[/b][item=dusty canvas scrap][/center]
Drone struggled to pull a rotting piece of timber out from the lair and into the morning mist. The dragons were sleeping, but Drone didn’t need the same amount of rest as them. So she spent her long hours of wakefulness doing as much as she could. Though not as strong or big as the other two, there was still much she could do.
The lair was coming along nicely. Juniper had devised a system of small sections that could be closed off if the clan was under attack or the space wasn’t needed. Drone was doing her part to help clear out new rooms. Most of the ones Juniper had set his mind on for the core of their new home were finished but not all.
It would have been easier for Drone to drag the wood to an unused room, but she knew that if she did that then some other dragon would have to move it once the hive got larger. No it was better this way.
As she pulled the timbre along, its end dragged across the floor of the lair, and over a vine that had grown near the entrance, out of a pile of old leaves and forest detritus that must have blown in over the years of neglect. Drone wouldn’t have paid the vine any mind, if it hadn’t grunted and disappeared into the pile.
An intruder! Drone froze, the wood falling from nerveless fingers. Were they under attack?
The pile shifted and stretched, revealing itself to be a fairly vivid bogsneak. He had covered his hide in plumage, leaves, bones and miscellaneous forest parts. Most of it fell away, leaving Drone face to skull with the intruder, who smiled at her. Drone wasn’t sure she liked how many teeth he had.
“Why hey there!” he said. “Didn’t know folks had already moved into this fine piece of real estate. I was just looking for a place to settle down m’self. You ain’t in need of an extra pair of claws are ya?”
The relief Drone felt was almost palpable. This dragon meant them no harm, and seemed more than willing, eager even, to help.
“This Drone does require assistance.” said Drone.
Then she frowned. “This Drone is Drone. You are dragon, yes? What do dragons call you?”
The bogsneak’s eyes sparkled from the sockets of the skull he wore. “Folks back home call me Rey.”
“Rey Dragon, please assist this Drone with the removal of this detritus.” Drone said. This was safe enough. Datura and Juniper could make the final decision if Rey could join them, but while he was here she might as well put him to work.
With Rey’s help, Drone was able to move the wood completely out of the lair. When they set it down, Rey looked around. “So do you have a clan with ya, or are you a drifter like me?”
Drone perched herself on a nearby rock. A clan was a new concept to her, not one she understood. But she and Juniper had been talking quite a lot, and she thought she had the right words. “This Drone is here with this Drone’s...family. There are not many yet but if the seasons are kind, soon, there will be more.”
“Drone, is there someone with you?” Juniper poked his head out of the lair. The tension went out of his shoulders as he spotted Drone and Rey relaxing on their beam.
Drone made introductions and then went to relieve Datura of nest duty so he could meet the dragon that had blown into their lair during the night. The brothers were skeptical of Rey at first but he appeared to be both earnest and community minded.
“M’folks are the rambling sort,” Rey explained. “I went along with it for a while, but these claws were gettin’ tired of always being on the move. Thought I’d set myself up a place, perhaps find m’self a nice mate and watch the years go by. But what I found is even better! Ain’t no torment on this earth worse than being alone.”
“Torment seems to find us regardless,” said Juniper dryly.
“Ah, with others around y’can come through anything.” said Rey. “What do ya say? I know these forests better than I know m’ma’s face.”
Juniper looked at Datura, who looked at how the mists curled around Rey. There were no signs of betrayal or ill intent. While the future wasn’t set in stone, it was a good sign and with everyone spread so thin, an extra body would help, so Datura nodded.
“Then it’s settled,” said Juniper.
Rey turned out to be a crucial addition to the ragtag team of dragons living in the ruins. He showed them how to set up traps and snares for wildlife, and how to encourage the growth of edible plants around the lair to act as both cover and a living larder. Juniper discovered he liked the bogsneak immensely. As the two without eggs, they were on hunting duty together, and while the snares took most of the work out of it, there was still a need to go after larger game.
In the silence of the trees Rey practically melted away, speaking only when necessary. Juniper hadn’t realized how much he’d missed silent company on these trips. Rey was not quite as stoic as Weatherglass had been, but he was just as efficient, a trait Juniper greatly appreciated.
Things settled into a comfortable routine and before any of the adults realized it, the eggs were hatching. Datura’s egg hatched first, a few weeks ahead of Drone’s. The little girl who crawled from it was the most delicate creature Datura had ever seen. Her hide and wings were coloured like her mother but her markings were her father’s.
Datura stared at her as she toddled over to him and let out a small peep. He was afraid to touch her, afraid he’d be too clumsy and tear her delicate wings or scratch her soft hide.
“What, what do I do now?” he asked.
“Well, you name her first off,” said Rey. Drone and Juniper nodded in agreement but offered no suggestions, so Rey went on. “How ‘bout Piera? Met a real fancy lady with that name once. Lovely as the setting sun an’ as kind as an oasis in the desert that one.”
“I like it,” said Datura. He knew he father had named his children after plants, but Datura wasn’t certain he wanted to carry that legacy.
Piera grew like a weed, but it soon became clear that she was more than a little odd. Her eyes were dark, and made her seem far older than she was, but that was more likely than not the family’s genetics. The odd thing was that she could not speak.
This was not to say Piera was silent. She trilled and whistled and hummed, but try as she might she could not manage common dragon tongue. So both Juniper and Datura took turns teaching her, along with Drone and Rey, the odd pidgin coatl they used.
Piera took to it immediately and the future was bright. That is, until Drone’s eggs hatched. A guardian and a fae emerged, looking astonishingly like Juniper. Drone let Juniper name them, but it was clear that the fae, Ophrys was sick and her brother, Korbirac spent hours staring at a wall in the nursery.
The adults let Korbirac be, Juiper and Drone knew oddness was just part of their family legacy. Korbirac would be fine. Ophrys was a different matter. At her joints the scales thickened and curved inwards, slicing into her and making her bleed. She cried and cried, a keening mewling sound as each movement brought fresh blood, from her jaw and her neck down to her tail.
Not even Rey had any idea what was going on, and the mists offered Datura no direction. In an attempt to save the hatchling, Drone swaddled her in downy feathers that soaked up the blood and helped limit Ophrys movements. Still it was not enough.
After such a long stretch of contentment, torment had found them once again.
Ophrys was buried without ceremony. After three sleepless days and nights, there was nothing left to say. Each adult there knew, the woods would do as they pleased, it was up to the rest of them to live with it.
************************************************************
Phew, this one was a doozy. We get Rey! We lose Ophrys. We're going to have a bit of a breather story before I introduce Karal and Aleppo, but I want to explore Piera and Korbirac first.
[edit] I almost forgot! We have a bonus story! Shadow is running a writing contest for the push and I entered three stories. One of them is about our lovely little drone. It's here : >[url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2673859/3#post_38885714]Disconnect[/url]<
There's lots of other good writing there too so feel free to browse and maybe even cast your vote once the audience appreciation award opens up!
@Himawari @IronPen @SemperVictor @Dylluminati @luckgandor @ScarletTheDragon @demitri @Saseum @GrinningWolf24 @winterbright @DragonPanther888 @Elementis @Sabariel @Drachenschwinge
It is difficult to discern if the color is the dye in the cloth or the dirt in the cloth...
80
Drone struggled to pull a rotting piece of timber out from the lair and into the morning mist. The dragons were sleeping, but Drone didn’t need the same amount of rest as them. So she spent her long hours of wakefulness doing as much as she could. Though not as strong or big as the other two, there was still much she could do.
The lair was coming along nicely. Juniper had devised a system of small sections that could be closed off if the clan was under attack or the space wasn’t needed. Drone was doing her part to help clear out new rooms. Most of the ones Juniper had set his mind on for the core of their new home were finished but not all.
It would have been easier for Drone to drag the wood to an unused room, but she knew that if she did that then some other dragon would have to move it once the hive got larger. No it was better this way.
As she pulled the timbre along, its end dragged across the floor of the lair, and over a vine that had grown near the entrance, out of a pile of old leaves and forest detritus that must have blown in over the years of neglect. Drone wouldn’t have paid the vine any mind, if it hadn’t grunted and disappeared into the pile.
An intruder! Drone froze, the wood falling from nerveless fingers. Were they under attack?
The pile shifted and stretched, revealing itself to be a fairly vivid bogsneak. He had covered his hide in plumage, leaves, bones and miscellaneous forest parts. Most of it fell away, leaving Drone face to skull with the intruder, who smiled at her. Drone wasn’t sure she liked how many teeth he had.
“Why hey there!” he said. “Didn’t know folks had already moved into this fine piece of real estate. I was just looking for a place to settle down m’self. You ain’t in need of an extra pair of claws are ya?”
The relief Drone felt was almost palpable. This dragon meant them no harm, and seemed more than willing, eager even, to help.
“This Drone does require assistance.” said Drone.
Then she frowned. “This Drone is Drone. You are dragon, yes? What do dragons call you?”
The bogsneak’s eyes sparkled from the sockets of the skull he wore. “Folks back home call me Rey.”
“Rey Dragon, please assist this Drone with the removal of this detritus.” Drone said. This was safe enough. Datura and Juniper could make the final decision if Rey could join them, but while he was here she might as well put him to work.
With Rey’s help, Drone was able to move the wood completely out of the lair. When they set it down, Rey looked around. “So do you have a clan with ya, or are you a drifter like me?”
Drone perched herself on a nearby rock. A clan was a new concept to her, not one she understood. But she and Juniper had been talking quite a lot, and she thought she had the right words. “This Drone is here with this Drone’s...family. There are not many yet but if the seasons are kind, soon, there will be more.”
“Drone, is there someone with you?” Juniper poked his head out of the lair. The tension went out of his shoulders as he spotted Drone and Rey relaxing on their beam.
Drone made introductions and then went to relieve Datura of nest duty so he could meet the dragon that had blown into their lair during the night. The brothers were skeptical of Rey at first but he appeared to be both earnest and community minded.
“M’folks are the rambling sort,” Rey explained. “I went along with it for a while, but these claws were gettin’ tired of always being on the move. Thought I’d set myself up a place, perhaps find m’self a nice mate and watch the years go by. But what I found is even better! Ain’t no torment on this earth worse than being alone.”
“Torment seems to find us regardless,” said Juniper dryly.
“Ah, with others around y’can come through anything.” said Rey. “What do ya say? I know these forests better than I know m’ma’s face.”
Juniper looked at Datura, who looked at how the mists curled around Rey. There were no signs of betrayal or ill intent. While the future wasn’t set in stone, it was a good sign and with everyone spread so thin, an extra body would help, so Datura nodded.
“Then it’s settled,” said Juniper.
Rey turned out to be a crucial addition to the ragtag team of dragons living in the ruins. He showed them how to set up traps and snares for wildlife, and how to encourage the growth of edible plants around the lair to act as both cover and a living larder. Juniper discovered he liked the bogsneak immensely. As the two without eggs, they were on hunting duty together, and while the snares took most of the work out of it, there was still a need to go after larger game.
In the silence of the trees Rey practically melted away, speaking only when necessary. Juniper hadn’t realized how much he’d missed silent company on these trips. Rey was not quite as stoic as Weatherglass had been, but he was just as efficient, a trait Juniper greatly appreciated.
Things settled into a comfortable routine and before any of the adults realized it, the eggs were hatching. Datura’s egg hatched first, a few weeks ahead of Drone’s. The little girl who crawled from it was the most delicate creature Datura had ever seen. Her hide and wings were coloured like her mother but her markings were her father’s.
Datura stared at her as she toddled over to him and let out a small peep. He was afraid to touch her, afraid he’d be too clumsy and tear her delicate wings or scratch her soft hide.
“What, what do I do now?” he asked.
“Well, you name her first off,” said Rey. Drone and Juniper nodded in agreement but offered no suggestions, so Rey went on. “How ‘bout Piera? Met a real fancy lady with that name once. Lovely as the setting sun an’ as kind as an oasis in the desert that one.”
“I like it,” said Datura. He knew he father had named his children after plants, but Datura wasn’t certain he wanted to carry that legacy.
Piera grew like a weed, but it soon became clear that she was more than a little odd. Her eyes were dark, and made her seem far older than she was, but that was more likely than not the family’s genetics. The odd thing was that she could not speak.
This was not to say Piera was silent. She trilled and whistled and hummed, but try as she might she could not manage common dragon tongue. So both Juniper and Datura took turns teaching her, along with Drone and Rey, the odd pidgin coatl they used.
Piera took to it immediately and the future was bright. That is, until Drone’s eggs hatched. A guardian and a fae emerged, looking astonishingly like Juniper. Drone let Juniper name them, but it was clear that the fae, Ophrys was sick and her brother, Korbirac spent hours staring at a wall in the nursery.
The adults let Korbirac be, Juiper and Drone knew oddness was just part of their family legacy. Korbirac would be fine. Ophrys was a different matter. At her joints the scales thickened and curved inwards, slicing into her and making her bleed. She cried and cried, a keening mewling sound as each movement brought fresh blood, from her jaw and her neck down to her tail.
Not even Rey had any idea what was going on, and the mists offered Datura no direction. In an attempt to save the hatchling, Drone swaddled her in downy feathers that soaked up the blood and helped limit Ophrys movements. Still it was not enough.
After such a long stretch of contentment, torment had found them once again.
Ophrys was buried without ceremony. After three sleepless days and nights, there was nothing left to say. Each adult there knew, the woods would do as they pleased, it was up to the rest of them to live with it.
Phew, this one was a doozy. We get Rey! We lose Ophrys. We're going to have a bit of a breather story before I introduce Karal and Aleppo, but I want to explore Piera and Korbirac first.
[edit] I almost forgot! We have a bonus story! Shadow is running a writing contest for the push and I entered three stories. One of them is about our lovely little drone. It's here : >Disconnect<
There's lots of other good writing there too so feel free to browse and maybe even cast your vote once the audience appreciation award opens up!
Rey is an awesome guy and I love him. Poor Ophrys too. So young to have had so much pain.... In any regard, this was a fun read! I can't wait to learn more about everyonr.
Rey is an awesome guy and I love him. Poor Ophrys too. So young to have had so much pain.... In any regard, this was a fun read! I can't wait to learn more about everyonr.
I really wanted to convey a sense of helplessness with Ophrys because her going was sudden and out of our hands. That being said I did have a lot of fun with Rey
I really wanted to convey a sense of helplessness with Ophrys because her going was sudden and out of our hands. That being said I did have a lot of fun with Rey
[center][b]Day 170:[/b][item=venus flytrap][/center]
Finally everyone's favourite wall staring boy went to the coliseum! He went with mum and Karal and is level 5 now! Since it was only 20 battles Drone and Karal are the same levels as before.
Also we have a breed count of 0 now! I used our last one to put Rey and Drone on a nest together. We've got three eggs to look forward to.
@Himawari @IronPen @SemperVictor @Dylluminati @luckgandor @ScarletTheDragon @demitri @Saseum @GrinningWolf24 @winterbright @DragonPanther888 @Elementis @Sabariel @Drachenschwinge
A treat sure to please both insect and plant eaters!
20
2
Finally everyone's favourite wall staring boy went to the coliseum! He went with mum and Karal and is level 5 now! Since it was only 20 battles Drone and Karal are the same levels as before.
Also we have a breed count of 0 now! I used our last one to put Rey and Drone on a nest together. We've got three eggs to look forward to.
So how does Drone's "reproduction" work exactly? Since she seems to be able to do it with every male dragon without their knowledge xD (Or at least I assume Juniper doesn't know)
So how does Drone's "reproduction" work exactly? Since she seems to be able to do it with every male dragon without their knowledge xD (Or at least I assume Juniper doesn't know)
Drone is capable of asexual reproduction however since that's not a site mechanic, her children often come out looking like one of the other dragons because of the ambient magic that dragons put out!
Drone is not a dragon and therefore does not have that sort of ambient magic. I suppose its sort of like an aura that dragons have. Same way people put out body heat.
Drone is capable of asexual reproduction however since that's not a site mechanic, her children often come out looking like one of the other dragons because of the ambient magic that dragons put out!
Drone is not a dragon and therefore does not have that sort of ambient magic. I suppose its sort of like an aura that dragons have. Same way people put out body heat.
The caveat is 'for now' we still have a long way to go before level 25!
[center][b]Day 171:[/b][item=Venomous Fly][/center]
ooof I messed up folks
Piera, Drone and Aleppo went in, only Drone and Piera came out. Only did 20 battles what with losing Aleppo at battle 9 to a critical hit. No levels were gained and unfortunately this means Aleppo won't be appearing in the story.
@Himawari @IronPen @SemperVictor @Dylluminati @luckgandor @ScarletTheDragon @demitri @Saseum @GrinningWolf24 @winterbright @DragonPanther888 @Elementis @Sabariel @Drachenschwinge
Piera, Drone and Aleppo went in, only Drone and Piera came out. Only did 20 battles what with losing Aleppo at battle 9 to a critical hit. No levels were gained and unfortunately this means Aleppo won't be appearing in the story.
