Generation Two - Difficult
It was deep in the night when Assiel dared to seek the healer out once more. A week had passed since she had given him a list of items and herbs necessary to even keep Corinthia breathing. Roche had said that it would be a slow deterioration, and it would have been relieving to know that they had time, had she not continued with the details of how his little sister would essentially suffocate in her own ribcage as it gradually ceased moving in time with her lungs.
Assiel’s claws traced the outskirts of his family’s claimed land, but Roche was nowhere to be seen. The few options he had turned in his mind over and over, but he could think of nothing new, nothing that would work. He left the bones lining Corinthia’s little arena carefully untouched, barely hearing the jeering howls of beastclan readying for battle.
He couldn’t steal any of the needed supplies from clans or lone travelers; they were surely more than capable of killing him. He couldn’t kill them for it either, if he could not even kill a serpent. They had nothing to trade, and no clan took in lone dragons for nothing in return. There was nothing to offer for what he needed, even his life would not be enough payment.
Casting the strings of bones lining his home’s entrance aside with a hollow jingle, he crept inside only to be met with the dragon he was looking for. Wordlessly, she backed away with a tilt of her head.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, stepping inside.
“I could ask you, ‘where have you come from?’ I suppose it may be impolite.” Roche ducked her head with a twist of a smile.
“A walk.” Assiel answered, his eyes narrowing into slits.
To her merit, the Skydancer gave no response. If he had to guess, she could very well ask her question anyway. Roche gave no indication of caring for politeness in her time with them.
“You seem to have come across a problem.” she offered, now examining one of her various herbs.
It twisted in-between her claws, much like her smile. Her eyes flicked back to his, withholding a grey storm about to break. It wasn’t a look he liked.
It was one he had seen in the only mirror they had, after he had lost too many of his siblings. It was a look of greed, a want, and whatever this dragon wanted would not end well for others.
“I cannot give you what you need to heal Corinthia.” he huffed.
“I noticed.” she said coolly.
He blinked and her features curled into a smirk. The bones and trinkets adorning her wings suddenly seemed to laugh at him, echoing that death was far more to her tastes than life from its clutches. His stomach coiled at the thought.
“You needn’t be so repulsed. I would not be here, if I would not try to save her.” she said and the smirk was gone.
“And you’re still here? Why? What do you want from us?” he recoiled, as she merely tucked her herb back into its pouch.
“So temperamental. It could almost be appealing,” she dragged the words out, stretching her wings and neck as if she was without a care in the world, “I am trying to help you.”
“And for what?” he snapped.
“Good grief, would you listen for a moment? I am not here to kill you.”
Assiel only tensed as if to lash out at her, or run from her, he couldn’t be sure of which. He only paused when she visibly shuddered, a tremor snaking down her core. Roche heaved a sigh, relaxing as a second passed through her.
“Are you done?” she asked with a flick of her gaze, exasperated by the sound.
When he chose not to respond, she took it as consent to continue.
“Three dragons are nowhere near enough to survive in these lands. If you want to survive here, you need more. If you want to improve your fighting skill, or your lair, or just to keep from dying, you need more. I also happen to be alone here.”
“So, what? You want to join our little family?” Assiel forced a laugh.
“Oh, was that an option?”
His gaze hardened and she only managed a shrug.
“I don’t need to join, but have you considered asking other smaller clans if you could join? Or looking for lost travelers willing to join you?”
“What clan would take us in? And for what? The clans and beastclan only leave us be, because we aren’t worth the trouble. Joining a clan would mean dying with them. I’ve seen enough clans raided to know that.”
He and his siblings had scavenged a great deal of what they had from those clans. None of them had gone out searching as far since then. The risk of running into a pack was too high, and without the numbers…
“As opposed to… dying here, alone?” Roche asked, gesturing to their surroundings. Everything they had collected.
“It doesn’t seem worth it now.” he mumbled, hanging his head.
Could he have saved the others, had he suggested it before this happened? They would never know and the thought of it, that fresh wound was enough to cut through any pain that might have healed. Claws scraped against the rusted pearl that lay above them, on one of the shelves. He nearly snapped at her again again, but the dragon before him looked too tense, her features and body pulled tight into itself.
“It is difficult to stay here,” she remarked, barely sparing a glance his way. “So much pain and suffering.”
Her claws drew back from the pearl to tap the gem hidden by her facial markings.
“I cannot help you get what you need to heal her, not directly, but I can offer you a way to start.” she said, this time waiting for him to give a response.
“What would that be?” he managed to utter just loud enough for her to hear.
She met his gaze evenly up until he spoke. At that point, she turned to run her claws along a collection of bones, rough and cracked. They caught her claws as she could almost falter under his watch.
“Hatchlings.” she said mirthfully, a twist of a smirk gracing her very being.
“What?” he breathed.
“As I said earlier, you could
almost be appealing.”
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SecondUNIT
A long overdue update to Breaking Point, and my
deepest thanks to anyone who continues reading.
Minor changes to table of contents structure have been made along with addition of links to the next chapter at the end of each chapter so far. There are more little updates to make reading easier overall spaced throughout the thread.
As always, I'm happy to hear thoughts on the challenge - especially with how long it's been since I've written anything.
