Creative Corner

@MorningSkye

Awww yay! <3 I'm so happy they're closer to finding Keian! Keffria has to be my favorite character in the pinkerlocke so far! At first I thought when I saw the name Thistle that it was your progenitor, but then I read back again and realized that this Thistle has golden/orange eyes. ^^' Unless.... It's a different version of Thistle? Idk!

Also, I'm currently working on the update for my pinkerlocke ! I'm excited to write it after so long! ^^

@Spottedleaf125
Yup! They won't find him for a while yet, but other than that I won't spoil anymore. XD (In all honesty I don't have that many ideas planned out for this pinkerlocke, I'm mainly just going with the flow)

And no, the Thistle in this story is totally different from my progen, I was actually fishing around for a name on the spot and it was the first that popped into my head, haha. I was trying to keep with the theme of the names I already have in the story, but I dunno about Keffria. Never have heard that name before. cx

But yeah, I would love to draw Keffria but nocturnes are so. darn hard. to draw. D: I drew her once for that piece of art (which will be the cover for this once I'm done with it, lol) and it was soooooo difficult. I should practice tho!

And cool, I read the new update! :D I'm super excited to see more of Raigni's (did I spell his name right? Sorry if I didn't...Lol, I'm getting it mixed up with another name XD) and Flightstone's kids, too!

[center][item=turkeywing seashell] [size=5][b][u]DAY TEN[/b][/u][/size] Alright. Let's try this again. Earlier this morning I was trying to update this, but deleted part of the writing when trying to copy and save. :,) Anyways, got materials today so that's a plus! I think Pinkerton is cursed to be honest, he keeps giving me trinkets even tho some of them are materials... Anyways, the next update I am planning on making a time skip! [s](YEET)[/s] Hoping to write tomorrow, but if I don't get a trinket or material then I will skip. That being said, today's update will be a bit longer, so get your fill of cute little kids while you can! What will the kids find on the north road? Pinglist for update: @SpottedLeaf125 ----- ----- The two children woke an hour after dawn, roused by Thistle. He found it odd that two young children would dare such a journey, but didn't question it when the boy snapped at him. The kind dragon packed extra food and water canteens for their travels and showed them to the north road, which slipped away from town and toward very distant mountains. "Thank you so much, Thistle, for helping us," Keffria said for the fifth time. She was all beaming smiles and happiness, nearly bouncing around in her excitement. The boy stayed sullen, almost annoyed at his companion's unstoppable brightness. "Of course, sweetie, I do hope you'll find your brother," he replied, smiling. "I'm glad I was of some help to you two." "Yes, thank you," the boy finally spoke up. "We should be going now." "Alright then, stay safe!" Thistle responded, waving at the children as they began the walk down the path. Keffria waved after him, still looking back for a minute before she tripped and nearly fell. After that, he looked forward and ran to take the lead. "I keep in front," the boy snapped, shoving her back. "You can walk beside me, I don't care, but you have no sense. You'd run into danger without a second thought." "Hey! It's a safe road that's traveled on all the time, I'd be fine," she said, glaring. "And it's rude, I'm not totally a bumbling idiot!" "Well you certainly don't put a lot of thought into things," the boy grumbled, and Keffria paused. "Why are you being so mean?" She demanded. "You've never been nice, but recently you've just gotten meaner and meaner. What have I done? You agreed to help me find Keian, but now you act like it's some sort of terrible burden. If you want to leave me then...then...then just go!" The boy stared at her, surprise on his face. He blinked, watching Keffria glare angrily at him with tears in her eyes. "Well," he said slowly, thinking. "I honestly don't think I've been much different, and anyways. I'm still willing to go and help find your brother. But if you're sick of me, then I can go on my own way and leave you. Is that what you want?" He asked. "If, I guess, I mean..." She trailed off, flustered. "I [i]want[/i] a companion, but you can be so awful sometimes, and you're so mysterious. You still won't tell me anything about that light in the forest, or the scream, or how you seem to know about them but are not telling!" "So you don't want me to go with you? Really, I think that's a rather foolish idea," the boy retorted, frowning. "How?" Keffria yelled, tears spilling down her face. "You're no older than me, and we're just kids! I can go find Keian on my own, and I'd be just as safe as I am with you, and my brother will do an awful better job at keeping me safe than you ever will." The boy's anger flared at this, eyes flashing dangerously with fury. "I don't keep you safe?" He snarled. "If you want to believe that, then I'll leave you here to be eaten by wolves!" The child abruptly turned and stalked down the road, moving quickly away. Keffria stood her ground for a moment, before fleeing after him. "Wait!" She called, stumbling and falling. She gasped as he arm scraped against a stone on the path, cutting her. "Ow," she mumbled, crying harder as she watched crimson blood trickle out of her cut. She continued to limp after the boy, who kept his back pointedly fixed on her. "Please come back!" She called, choking on a sob. Finally, Keffria gave up and sat down, holding her arm and sobbing. She didn't know why. Perhaps it was the stinging pain, or the terror that now filled her as a chilling thought entered her mind: [i]she was alone[/i]. Maybe wolves really [i]would[/i] eat her. Finally, she got up and stumbled down the road. The boy was no where to be seen, but Keffria didn't really care. She found a stray tree and sat under it, nursing her arm and trying not to look at the blood. After a minute, she cried herself to sleep. -- The boy couldn't leave her. He knew he had been cruel to the distraught girl, but had been so caught up in anger that he ran off without another thought. Eventually he came back around to the place they had parted, but didn't find Keffria. When he looked around, he eventually found her underneath a tree nearby. He sighed, seeing her asleep with fresh tears still on her cheeks. The boy prepared to sit down to wait on her, but paused when he saw a streak of red. "Oh, you're such a bother," he murmured, going over and gently taking her arm. He placed his fingers on the cut, and the skin quickly stretched together. The boy wiped away some blood that hadn't been drawn away, and then sat down to wait. -- "You're awake." Keffria woke up, blinking around in confusion until she noticed the boy sitting a few feet away. "You're back!" She gasped, shocked. "Yes," he responded. "Do you still want me to come with you, or not?" "What--Why...Why did you come back to me, after I yelled at you and was all mean?" She asked, frowning. "Personal reasons," he said, shrugging. "And, well, I figured you still needed a companion," he added after a pause. Keffria felt slightly frustrated that the boy still wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she decided not to care for now. "Well, thank you," she said after a slightly awkward moment of silence. He nodded, standing and holding out his hand. "Let's go now, we've wasted a lot of time," he said. The girl stared at his hand for a moment before taking it, standing up and walking after him as the boy took the lead. They walked quietly for a minute, before Keffria spoke up again. "So you really do want to keep helping me?" He actually smiled, looking over at her. "Why not? You needed help, and no one else was around to give it." The girl noted his sudden friendlier attitude and wondered about him. He was still so mysterious, and she couldn't shake of the fact that there was something very odd about this boy. "Will you ever tell me your name?" She asked after a pause. This time the boy laughed, looking the other direction. "Maybe someday," he murmured, and after that they fell silent. The journey was quiet after Keffria's outburst. She had noticed how her cut was no longer on her arm, but decided not to ask the boy. Perhaps someone came by and helped heal it, although magic was a rare thing to see. They passed few dragons, most surprised adults who asked about parents. Each time the boy answered for the both of them, keeping hostile and unfriendly. The dragons then would pass by, either muttering to one another or looking around and frowning as they watched the children walk down the road. The mountains still stayed far away, and trees were sparse--barely any in parts of the hills. The air was hot and dry, the sun throwing her full light over the beautiful valley. Keffria passed the time by watching butterflies and bees pass through wild flowers, marveling at the colorfulness. They stopped once to eat some of the fried insects the kind lady at the vendor had given to them, and drank from the water flasks that Thistle had handed over. The boy was lost in thought. He was thinking about what would happen if they did actually find the girl's brother, most likely he would go off. It sounded like Keian was a far better guardian and companion to Keffria, and so they would probably not care about him anymore. And he was fine with that, in fact, it was better. He could continue on in his traveling--alone--and not have to worry about fretting girls who were scared of everything and distracted by anything with a little splash of color. "We should've asked Thistle if there were any towns down this road," Keffria sighed, flopping gratefully under a tree. She had finally nagged the boy into a break, and drank deeply from her flask. "I'm sure there are, if its such a widely used road," he responded, squinting down the way they had come. "Don't drink up all your water, either, I haven't seen any sort of river nearby." "I won't, I won't," she said, capping the bottle. "And anyways, either of us could fly up and survey the land." "I don't want to waste our strength," he retorted, turning to frown at her. "Oh, just because we have small wings doesn't mean we aren't strong!" She said, smiling. It's effect failed on the boy, who remained unamused. "Why do you never smile?" Keffria grumbled, playing with the strap on her canteen. "I just don't find much of anything amusing," he responded, shrugging. "That's a sad excuse!" She burst out, flinging her water flask to the ground. "You don't have to find something amusing to smile, smiling is a sign of happiness, joy, and friendship. You do it with a friend, a companion, to show emotion and love. It shows who you are. Frowning just makes people upset and mad, it never brings anyone anywhere." The boy stared at her for a minute, cocking his head before a smile slowly creeped across his face. "Those are wise words, for one so young," he said. Keffria blinked, as if surprised by his response. "Well, you're no older then me," she shot back. "Indeed, but I'd like to think myself mature for my age," he said. "Well, my mother always told me to enjoy being a kid, so I think you should, too!" Keffria told him. "We only get a few years, right?" "You're right," he murmured, looking at the ground. "The thing is, Keffria, I just can't enjoy it. I have too much on my mind." "Well you shouldn't!" She retorted. "I won't let you be sad, but if that's what you want, then I'll make you miserable!" She frowned at him, arms crossed. "Maybe I should've left you earlier, then," he said, laughing at the shock on Keffria's face. "You wouldn't!" She gasped, but the boy only continued to laugh at her. "Do you really think I would?" He said, his smile ebbing. "I dunno anymore," she mumbled, shrugging. "I can't tell." "Well, I'm staying so you don't have to doubt." He responded. "Anyways, I think I've threatened you enough times." "Yeah, you really have," she agreed. When she looked up and met the boy's eyes, both burst out laughing. Once it faded, they strung their canteens around their necks, around their shoulders, and went back onto the road and continued on their journey. -- A whole day passed before the two children finally found another village, which was much smaller than the one they previously visited, and lacked the colorful market. Both were a little sore and tired from the journey, but only Keffria complained once. A frown from the boy made her realize she sounded whiny, and she certainly didn't want to sound that way. Perhaps his way of thinking was getting to her head, she thought. "We should find a well to refill our water," the boy said, pausing to look around. Houses lined a neat cobble-stone street, and only a few dragons were out and about. "Alright, then we look for Keian," she said. "Keffria," he said cautiously. "I don't think we're going to see your brother here, nor at the next town we come across. Thistle said he had seen him two weeks ago, so certainly he'd be long gone." She sighed, nodding. "I know, I guess I can't get my hopes up." "Well, don't hope that you'll see your brother, hope you'll find more information about him," the boy responded, patting her shoulder. "Let's go find that well." The two walked around the streets for a while before, completely lost, they asked for directions from a passing dragon. The slim, purple-hued lady pointed them to the well, smiling and commenting on how sweet they were. "Thank you so much, Ma'am!" Keffria exclaimed as they began to walk away. "Of course, dear, please stay safe," the lady responded, smiling and giving a dainty wave at them. The girl grinned at her, but the boy had already turned his back. "Can't you be a little more grateful?" Keffria muttered as they turned a corner. "I thanked her, that's enough," he responded. She sighed, but made no further comment. They finally found the well and filled their canteens, drinking until their thirst was quenched. "Where should we ask around, now?" She asked, wiping her mouth with her wrist. The boy glanced around them, frowning. "We should go back to the town square, start asking around that area then look through the streets," he said. Keffria nodded, and they headed off. The whole day the two children asked different dragons, catching newcomers in the square whenever they couldn't find any others in the streets. Keffria wanted to knock on doors, but the boy dismissed the thought and said they were doing fine on their own, just asking random dragons outside. Neither one, even when splitting up, found any information about Keian, and the girl was beginning to feel hopeless when she noticed a new dragon walking in from the direction of the north road; the way they had come. "Oh, excuse me Sir!" She shouted, running to reach his side. The dragon glanced around until he spotted her, surprise lighting up in his deep blue eyes. "Yes, little girl?" He asked. "I was wondering if you knew anything about a dragon, he looks like me but is slightly darker and bigger. His name is Keian," she said, looking up into his face. "You know," the man murmured, trailing off for a moment. "I think I have seen him, actually." "Really?" She asked, stepping closer. "Where? When? Did he look okay?" "Calm down, dear!" He said, but was smiling. "I saw him in this village--it's where I live--I believe about a week or so ago. Seemed fine to me, was with some sort of green dragon. They were just passing through, gone within minutes. They took to the north road, just like everyone, passing on through to get to other towns and to the mountains." "Thank you so, so much, Sir!" Keffria gasped, tears of happiness springing to her eyes. "Thank you!" "Of course, dear, though I would like to ask if you're alone. It isn't safe for a little girl to be out and about by herself." "Oh no, Sir, I'm with a companion. Thank you again, I must be going!" "Alright, then, stay safe. Good luck in your search!" He said and she thanked once more before running back to where she noticed the familiar gray-and-white dragon talking to someone else. "I've found new information!" She gasped, painting from the short run. The boy finished his conversation then turned to her. "Really? That's great, where'd he go next?" "Keian continued on the north road, if we keep following it we should find him eventually!" Keffria exclaimed, voice rushed with excitement. "That's great, let's get going," he responded, actually smiling again. Keffria grinned, laughing giddily as they walked through the town and, finally, back onto the road. "We're coming, Keian, no one in the world could stop us!" She shouted, and behind her the boy continued to smile as the sun began to go down. ----- ----- [center][b]Go back to the top! --> [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2144894/1#2144894]Main Page[/url][/b][/center]

@MorningSkye

Ahh I hate when that happens! I've actually cried over a dragon bio before when most of it was deleted! x-x It's happened a few times with my pinkerlocke too... At least it didn't delete all of it though! I liked this update a lot! I'm glad they came back together after the fight, when Ballad left Keffria I was shocked! I was glad to see he came back. Even though at first I felt sorry for Keffria and mad at Ballad I then felt sorry for Ballad when it revealed why he's been grumpy and he thought that once she found her brother she wouldn't want him around anymore, poor little guy.... He may be grouchy but he does have a lot going on. I love how it was written! It really expresses that neither are perfect and that they both can lose their cool sometimes, especially with the circumstances they're both in right now, Keffria having to leave home because her parents were going to send her away, so she's trying to find her brother, the only dragons she knows in the world now that didn't want her to be sent away, and Ballad having strange powers and worries all his own...

I'm really starting to wonder about this green dragon character that keeps getting mentioned... I wonder who it is? Will her brother be different than she remembered? Has being sent away changed him I wonder? Hmm.

@Spottedleaf125
Aw man, that stinks. :c I hate it when I get rid of stuff, at least with this update I managed to save a bit of it, so not all was lost.

And thank you! :D Technically, the kids have known each for only about three or four days, but I figured with this last update with them as children I needed to put a little development in their friendship. I actually never meant for Keffria to be so headstrong in the beginning, but I guess she took up her own personality as I've been writing. cx

Oh, good questions! All of them will be answered in the next update! As for that green dragon, I won't say anything other than that he's from Keffria's old clan. I also got a familiar today from Pinkerton (woohoo!!) so I'm going to quickly introduce the drago I got, then I've got school to do for the rest of the day.

Then I'll write! c: (so since I just pinged you now, I won't actually ping you for the update, so hopefully you'll see it. I'll ping you once I have done the writing, though!)

[center][item=yeti brawler] [size=5][b][u]DAY ELEVEN[/u][/b][/size] Yup, Pinkerton gave me a familiar today! When getting the random number, I got a PearlCatcher. The lovely boy below actually wasn't the cheapest, but when I went to buy the lowest-priced PC, it didn't let me, I think because someone else bought it, haha. So meet Rye! [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33214554] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/332146/33214554_350.png[/img] [/url] He has no bio yet, because I'll be writing something today and introducing him. I would rather feel him out during a scene then come up with something, but we'll see. c: Also in terms of news, I am doing a time skip today! It will be two years in advance, and those years will be briefly explained later today during our writing update. To let you all know, Keffria and Ballad have so far only been a few months old in this Pinkerlocke. In human terms, they're probably around seven, Ballad being the older one by a few months. In the time skip, they'll nearly each be three years old, about a young adult, roughly, in this world I've set up. In human terms, they'd be in their teens, most likely seventeen or so. Rye will be a kid most likely for a long time, as I have no other time skips planned for the future. What will happen today? Pinglist for update: @SpottedLeaf125 ----- ----- It took us two years to find Keffria's brother. Passing through town after town, we finally reached the distant mountains. I enjoy it here, where you feel like you live in the sky with the clouds. Keian managed to always stay one step ahead of us, and being kids, we never could push ourselves that hard. We are temporarily staying in a small tribe at the top of one mountain, now, but I'm planning on leaving tomorrow. I have to say, I've grown attached to Keffria. She's a good companion, once we got past the few hiccups at the beginning of our journey. I've stayed here nearly five days now, reluctant to go. But I must, I need to find something else to keep busy with. I look over at Keffria, who eagerly talks with her brother a few feet away. She hasn't left his side since we finally got to him; sleeping with him, eating with him, going everywhere he does. Neither seems to mind it, either, and it makes me feel lonely but happy. I think back to when we finally tracked him down... -- The two young adults, exhausted and weary, stopped in a town nearly at the top of the mountain. They had been directed this far, and wondered if they ever would actually find Keian, Keffria's brother. When asking around once they had replenished their provisions, were told he was just there yesterday, and had been taken to a work camp up the mountain a ways farther. "We're so close!" Keffria gasped, excitedly. The two companions eagerly walked up the mountain path, which gradually ascended upwards. "We've finally reached him." "Yeah, finally," the boy grumbled, but smiled at the joyful tears that slipped down Keffria's cheek. "I can hardly wait to meet him!" She whispered, looking over at the boy. She had resulted to calling him Gray, and neither mentioned his real name once during their whole journey. It was a truce neither wanted to breach. "I know, it'll be just a little longer," Gray replied. "Hopefully that camp won't have too much opposition with us taking your brother out." "I don't see how," Keffria said, frowning. "If he's my brother and he wishes to leave, certainly they'd let him go?" "I know, I think the same way," he agreed. "But it doesn't mean these dragon's can't be cruel. Just be ready for anything, Keffria." "Alright," she murmured, nodding. Together, they silently traveled until the sun told them it had been nearly two hours. Both were hot and tired, stopping for a break and quietly drinking water from their flasks. Up ahead, they could see rather distantly signs of dragon-built buildings. Despite nearly falling into heat exhaustion, Keffria eventually took the lead, hiking with eager eyes locked on the structures. "Wait up," Gray panted, struggling to keep in pace with his companion. "Oh! Sorry, Gray," Keffria said, slowing down and giving a small smile. "I just want to reach Keian as soon as possible." "We're nearly there, you probably don't want me dropping from the heat now," he joked, giving a smile back as he took out his flask. He tipped his head back and drank deeply, before screwing back on the cap and letting the canteen drop back to his shoulder. The two fell back to silence until, finally, they reached the first of the buildings. Both paused, glancing around at the simple wooden, square structure. Then they continued forward, Gray slipping into the lead. Keffria didn't object, knowing that he was capable of some magic. "What are you two doing here?" A loud voice boomed, echoing into the distance. Gray whirled around, one hand raised, but instantly lowered it some when he saw the giant gray dragon. Keffria slunk behind her companion, staring with wide eyes up at the newcomer. "We're looking for someone," he responded, jutting his chin out. "A dragon that looks like her," he pointed to the girl behind him. "But male and older, the name is Keian." "Yeah, he's a newcomer here. Just arrived a few hours ago, what do you want with him?" "He's my brother," Keffria spoke up, taking a brave step forward to stand beside the boy. "I've been looking for him for two years." "Really, now?" The gray dragon responded, looking faintly surprised. "That takes a lot of gut, 'specially considering how young you two look." "So is he allowed out?" Gray asked, ignoring the dragon's comment and continuing to scowl. Keffria gave him a warning glance, as if to tell him to be friendlier. The camp dragon didn't seem to bad, at least to her. "Well, I'd say so. No one is forced to work in the camps if they haven't entered a pact, which I know he hasn't yet. I can't say the same to the escort he has, seemed like a prickly fellow. He's over in that building there," he said, pointing. "Thank you ever so much," Keffria gasped, nearly running toward the building. Gray made an exasperated sound and hurried after her, turning for only a moment. "Thank you, Sir, I'll keep your warning in mind." "Of course lad," the dragon responded, nodding. The two dragons rushed for the building, Keffria shoving open the door in her haste once they reached it. Gray's attempts to let himself go first fell on deaf ears, so instead he tried to keep as close as possible and alert. He didn't really trust this escort, not by the way the camp dragon described him as. "Keian?" Keffria yelled, looking around. An open door leading to the right was the only way forward, and she ran toward it. "Keian?" "Keffria?!" A confused dragon asked, standing as the two companions paused in the doorway. He looked just like his sister, but bigger, darker, and older. Pale eyes met with pale eyes, and each stood in shock for a moment. A deep green dragon frowned beside the other male, looking surprised at the outburst of the young dragons. "Keian, it's really you," Keffria breathed, walking forward slowly. "What are you doing here?" Her brother asked, pausing in front of her. "You were sent away, and I was going to be sent away, too. I didn't want to, so I ran away to try and find you. Me and my companion have been following you for two years." "Keffria...I can't believe this..." Keian began, stunned. Keffria responded by throwing her arms around him, starting to shake with sobs as she clung to her brother. He hugged her tightly, tears coming to his own eyes as he rested his head on top of hers. "I've missed you so much," Keffria sobbed, voice muffled against her brother's shoulder. "I missed you too, Ria," he whispered back, smiling as he pulled back a bit to take in his sister. Keffria blinked as he place a hand on her cheek, smiling slightly as she took her sibling in. "Are you alright?" She asked. He nodded. "I'm fine, and I'm overjoyed that you came after me...but...You were so [i]young[/i]. That was rather foolish of you to try such a journey, it's a miracle you survived," he said, awed. "I was fine, Keian, another dragon my age actually found me right after I had left our tribe. He's helped me ever since, he even knows magic! Gray's kept us both safe while we followed after you," Keffria responded. Keian looked over at the lone figure in the doorway, who nodded his head at him. "Thank you for keeping my sister safe, any friend of hers is a friend of mine," he said, breaking into a wide smile. It was returned, perhaps a little shyly, by Gray. "Now hold on," the green dragon spoke up for the first time, sounding angry. "What is going on here? Did you two...[i]kids[/i] come here to join the camp as well? Because I am not going to throw away two years of my life to a fruitless effort!" "No, we didn't," Gray responded, frowning. "At least I didn't, Keffria simply wanted to find her brother. Their futures are their own decisions." "No, we never wanted to be sent away to the camps," Keian added. "I only did so because I couldn't say no to my tribe, I was young, couldn't do anything. Now I have a reason to leave; to take care of my sister. I haven't even signed any of those pacts, yet, so I'm not bound to the camp's service." "So you're saying I wasted away my life trying to escort a child to the camps, only to be told they won't be entering its service?" The dragon spat, growing angrier and angrier. "Hey, look here," Gray snarled, stalking closer. "You chose to do this. You could've passed Keian off to any other camp, or any other dragon, but instead you made the whole trip to the mountains. You didn't need to do that. It's your own fault that you've found yourself in this predicament." "I...Well," the dragon hissed, glaring at him. "I was bound to the duty of my tribe! I was going to go through with it, even if it did take a while. But now my efforts are in vain!" "Then go sulk somewhere else, because Keffria's waited two years to find her brother!" Gray yelled, pointing toward the door. The green dragon looked stunned, blinking for a moment before stomping away, grumbling under his breath. It was silently for a few moments, Keffria clinging to her brother still. Then Keian spoke up. "Thank you, I could've defended myself, you shouldn't have done that." "No, I wanted to," Gray said, shaking his head. "I've traveled for two years with Keffria to see her reunite with her brother, and I wasn't about to listen to that dragon complain after I've devoted myself for so long." "Thank you so, so much, Gray," Keffria said. "I'm indebted to you for helping me all this time." "No, you're not," he responded, smiling a little. "I'm just glad I could help." -- "Oh oh! Hey, Gray!" A loud, chirrupy voice shouted behind me. I sigh, turning around, my patience close to snapping. "Can you show me that magic trick again?" "I'm sorry, Rye, not right now--" "Oh, please! I heard from Keffria you're going to leave soon, is it true?" He looks at me with such sad pink eyes, I can't help but cave a little. "Alright, one last time," I say. He cheers, laughing giddily until I raise my hand. Then he goes silent, staring with wide eyes as I snap my fingers. A burst of snow falls gently around us, and the little boy sticks his tongue out to catch a flake. I smile as I watch him squeal with happiness. "Thank you, Gray!" He exclaims, jumping up and down. "Of course," I respond, nodding. "I've got to go now, so find Keffria or go play with the other kids." Rye runs off, laughing the whole time, and I turn and continue on. He's a nice kid, filled with energy like all children, but sweet. Never seen him snap before, always friendly, always healing arguments. I like him, and Keffria does too. She wants to become his caretaker, and Keian is almost as eager as she is to take in the little boy. Apparently his mother died in childbirth and his father hasn't been seen since. Poor Rye. -- The morning dawns chilly and breezy, more so then usual. I've slowly gotten used to the constant chill in the mountains, but I can tell winter is starting to come. I look out at the camp, where caves are used as homes. It's a small tribe, I'll miss it. I'm sure I'll come back to visit, maybe someday. I hope. I finally tear my gaze away and walk all the way to the nearest cliff edge, preparing to jump so I can leave without any fuss. As I unfurl my wings, however, I hear the click of nails against stone. "So you're going now." Keffria's voice is tossed by the wind, making it quieter than usual. I just nod, watching her come closer. "I knew it would be any day, you've been slowly distancing yourself." "Yeah, well, didn't want myself to get too attached. I don't want to stay in one place, never have," I respond, shrugging, looking back out over the cliff. "I know. You were right at home on our journey, whereas I just wanted to settle down with Keian." "Yup," I agree. We fall silent, but Keffria makes sure it doesn't last long. "Guess I shouldn't hold you up that much longer...Though I am curious. Where are you going to go next?" I now look up into the sky, where the sun's golden rays are streaking through purple clouds. "I don't know. Somewhere. Anywhere. I would like to explore, see the world and find her secrets." "That does sound like fun, but I'd rather stay here. Rye's already attached to me, anyways, and I know I just can't leave him." I laugh, and she joins in. It fades away quickly, and I still refuse to look at her. I can't believe it, but it's hard to leave her behind. "Keffria..." I say, pausing. "Thanks for being my friend." She smiles sadly, softening. "You needed one. And Gray..." she says. "Hmm?" "Can I ask you one question before you leave?" "Sure," I say. "What's your real name?" I smile, looking up for a moment. I stay quiet as I walk forward and embrace her, and she hugs me back tightly. We stand like this for a while, until finally I start to pull away. "Just call me Ballad." I can still feel Keffria's eyes on me as I fly away, leaping off the cliff and diving down for a moment before pulling up. As I soar away, I know I'll never forget Keffria. Someday I'll come back. ----- ----- [center][b]Go back to the top! --> [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2144894/1#2144894]Main Page[/url][/b][/center]

@MorningSkye

Ooh! A new dragon! :D He looks so cute too! ^^ I enjoyed the update, it's sad to see Ballad leave the others, even if he will come back someday. It's really great that they found her brother though! That's awesome! ^^

@Spottedleaf125
Yeah, thanks, he really is! :D Had that ending scene of the latest part stuck in my head for days before I wrote it, haha.

Quickly responding before I give today's update, which is just art. I drew Rye, and I have to say I love how it came out. XD So again, I won't ping you on the actual update because I'm pinging you here.

(Next update should be Saturday, it's become too distracting for school so I've resolved to not do anymore updates. The art I couldn't resist tho cx)

[center][size=5][b][u]DAY TWELVE[/b][/u][/size] I got materials today, so I won't put anything at the top as I quickly want to update some art I did of our new dragon, Rye, today. I should draw my other characters, dunno why I haven't yet. XD Next writing update should be on Saturday and maybe one on Sunday! Pinglist for update: @/SpottedLeaf125 ----- ----- [img]http://imgur.com/egiAYcr.png[/img]