Creative Corner

----- ----- [columns][indent][img]http://i.imgur.com/VPBWzoW.gif[/img][nextcol][indent][indent][font=Century Gothic][size=7]l e g a c y [color=transparent]|[/color]o f [color=transparent]|[/color]m i s t[/columns] ----- ----- [center][font=Calibri]inspired by dreamnorn's [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2044950/]Legacy of War[/url] and Moorehen's [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2214030/]Legacy of Vengeance[/url] [font=Calibri][size=4][i]It came to him in a sudden dream, the sort of dream that made him question the reality of the blankets beneath him and the gentle wind floating through the windows above him and the darkness in which he awoke. His breath sounded close and harsh despite the loftiness of the vaulted ceilings of the cave above, and a creeping silence pervaded the otherwise empty den like a slow-growing fog. He had found the answer. Or rather, it found him.[/i] welcome to my legacy challenge! feel free to post with comments or questions or anything really. i plan on updating this thread at least once a week, but perhaps more or less often as inspiration comes. it hopefully will be a good catalyst for me to actually start my lore, so expect extra characters! you can read the rules below. please ping me [i]@[/i]lilastar if you would like updates! pinglist: [i]@[/i]Talismarr [i]@[/i]Lyme [i]@[/i]Skyeset [i]@[/i]CalicoRadio rules (adjusted by me):[/center][font=Calibri][size=4] 1. Begin with a triple-basic dragon with a plentiful breed (Fae, Guardian, Mirror, or Tundra). 2. Buy the founder a mate. They must be breedable with the founder, have gene and/or breed upgrades, and cost 10kt or less. 3. When they're both RTB, breed them. 4. If you had a one-egg nest, then congratulations! That hatchling is your heir by default, and there will be no bloodshed in this generation. However, if you had two to five eggs, go to the heir selection post [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2044950/1#post_2044950]here[/url]. 5. Once your heir has been selected, buy them a mate with upgrades. This mate must be worth 10kt times the current generation number or less off the Auction House. So for Gen 2 your price ceiling will be 20kt, for Gen 3 it will be 30kt, and so on. The first pair can be done with as you please, but usually the founder is kept around for lore/reference purposes. 6. Continue until the tenth generation's nest has hatched. The final survivor will be the ultimate heir.

----- ----- [columns][indent][img]http://i.imgur.com/VPBWzoW.gif[/img][nextcol][indent][indent][font=Century Gothic][size=7]n a v i g a t i o n[/columns] ----- -----[center][font=Calibri][size=4] - [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28628133]lineage[/url] - - [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28628136]dragons[/url] - - [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28628138]departed[/url] - [b]{ g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e }[/b] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28628142]chapter 1[/url] | 07/28/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28663156]chapter 2[/url] | 08/02/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28722733]chapter 3[/url] | 08/06/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28762927]chapter 4[/url] | 08/08/17 [b]{ g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]t w o }[/b] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/2#post_28954893]chapter 5[/url] | 08/19/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/2#post_28985498]chapter 6[/url] | 08/20/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/3#post_29193006]chapter 7[/url] | 09/01/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/3#post_29241715]chapter 8[/url] | 09/03/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/3#post_29272854]chapter 9[/url] | 09/05/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/4#post_29374363]chapter 10[/url] | 09/11/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/4#post_29423032]chapter 11[/url] | 09/14/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/4#post_29507961]chapter 12[/url] | 09/19/17 [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/4#post_29764047]chapter 13[/url] | 10/05/17 [b]{ g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]t h r e e }[/b] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311/4#post_30218107]chapter 14[/url] | 11/03/17

----- ----- [columns][indent][img]http://i.imgur.com/VPBWzoW.gif[/img][nextcol][indent][indent][font=Century Gothic][size=7]l i n e a g e[/columns] ----- ----- [center][font=Calibri][size=7][size=7][color=maroon][b]SPOILERS[/b][/color][/size][/size] [size=4]from here until chapter one. click [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2244311#post_28628142]here[/url] to go to chapter one or use the navigation above to avoid spoilers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ----- [b]{ g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e } [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30796162][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/307962/30796162.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=22349175][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/223492/22349175.png[/img][/url] /[color=transparent]__________[/color]\ [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887261][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348873/34887261.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887262][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348873/34887262.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887263][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348873/34887263.png[/img][/url] ----- [b]{ g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]t w o } [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887263][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348873/34887263.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34848144][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348482/34848144.png[/img][/url] /[color=transparent]__________[/color]\ [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35575306][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/355754/35575306.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35575307][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/355754/35575307.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35575308][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/355754/35575308.png[/img][/url] ----- [b]{ g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]t h r e e } [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35575308][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/355754/35575308.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35758978][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/357590/35758978.png[/img][/url]

----- ----- [columns][indent][img]http://i.imgur.com/VPBWzoW.gif[/img][nextcol][indent][indent][font=Century Gothic][size=7]d r a g o n s[/columns] ----- ----- [center][font=Calibri][size=4]Here is a list of notable dragons who appear in this legacy challenge. [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30796161][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/307962/30796161.png[/img][/url][nextcol][indent][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Iemyria[/b]: Clan matriarch, founder, and Borque's longtime mate. Weary of leading and breeding, she gave Borque leave to mate with another but quickly regretted her decision.[/columns] [columns][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Borque[/b]: Clan founder, Iemyria's second in command and mate. Stung by Iemyria's dismissal but eager to escape her recent melancholy, he was surprised how little time it took to find a willing companion. Beard is so big because it's full of secrets.[nextcol][indent][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30796162][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/307962/30796162.png[/img][/url][/columns] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31355312][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/313554/31355312.png[/img][/url][nextcol][indent][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Claws[/b]: Coliseum master and resident grumpy pants. On an unstable Coliseum team with Borque and Iemyria, hoping to train a new one. Like a brother to Borque, but is questioning Borque's decision-making.[/columns] [columns][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Trouble[/b]: Ruffle's mate, hatchery director and a big pile of tough love. He's hesitant about Borque's actions, but duty to the hatchery and hatchlings comes first.[nextcol][indent][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30957836][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/309579/30957836.png[/img][/url][/columns] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31821498][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/318215/31821498.png[/img][/url][nextcol][indent][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Ruffle[/b]: Trouble's mate and hatchery manager. She keeps the business part of the hatchery running and makes sure Trouble's head is on straight.[/columns] [columns][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Selene[/b]: One of Iemyria's closest friends and part of the small council. Extremely sweet, probably because of all the candy she eats.[nextcol][indent][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27944026][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/279441/27944026.png[/img][/url][/columns] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32041337][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/320414/32041337.png[/img][/url][nextcol][indent][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Charm[/b]: Part of Iemyria's inner circle. She loves to gossip and has been known to switch mates frequently.[/columns] [columns][font=Calibri][size=4][b]Mystic[/b]: The clan's alchemist. Scatterbrained and always looks like he's hiding something because he probably is testing his latest potion on you.[nextcol][indent][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32610692][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/326107/32610692.png[/img][/url][/columns]

----- ----- [columns][indent][img]http://i.imgur.com/VPBWzoW.gif[/img][nextcol][indent][indent][font=Century Gothic][size=7]d e p a r t e d[/columns] ----- ----- [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=22349175][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/223492/22349175.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887261][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348873/34887261.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887262][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/348873/34887262.png[/img][/url]

[center]----- [font=Century Gothic][size=6]g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e[/size] [size=4]c h a p t e r [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e : [color=transparent]|[/color]i n c i t e[/size] -----[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]The sky was a strange purple color as the sun began to rise, giving the shallow depression in the ground soft, cool hues in the early morning mist. A small pearlcatcher with dappled skin lay on her side next to the empty nest, idly spinning her pearl between her claws. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=22349175][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/223492/22349175_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]As the sun began to rise and its rays pierced through the heavy foliage above, she fixed her eyes on a spot in the undergrowth to the east. Barely a leaf rustled as a brawny guardian slid from the dense bushes around the perimeter of the nesting grounds. He gave her a lopsided grin and crossed the clearing to her on soundless feet. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30796162][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/307962/30796162_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]"Banshee," he said, humming as he settled across from her on the other side of the nest. "I'm so glad you could join me." She returned his grin with a wicked one of her own and sat up, placing her pearl between her feet. It was smaller than most, small enough to carry easily in one paw. Small enough to create intolerable gossip among her former clan. But Banshee looked at her companion and felt none of the former shame heaped upon her by dragons that she once called friends and family. She looked at him and felt overwhelmingly calm, like he knew her and wanted her and would never hurt her. "The pleasure is mine, Borque," she said. "You're a mighty dragon, and I would be honored to bring hatchlings into this world with you. Shall we begin?" "Yes, let's." The two dragons grasped each other's left paw over the nest and closed their eyes. Seconds later, a single scale in the center of each paw warmed and began to vibrate. The dragons gently plucked the scale from their body and placed both in a small hole Borque made with his claw in the middle of the nest. Banshee rubbed her paw gently; a new scale would grow back for her in 20 days, and only 15 for Borque. They covered the scales with dirt and watched patiently as the sun grew stronger in the sky. Suddenly, three sprouts pushed up from the earth and quickly grew into three sturdy eggs. Borque met Banshee's eyes with a mischievous smirk. A flicker of unease may have crossed his face as well, but Banshee doubted it. He had said he needed her when they met by chance in the Wilds, and she had never been more glad to hear those words. She trusted the strong guardian, that he knew what he was doing. He needed a legacy, he said. To protect his clan and its fragile leadership. She needed a way out, and this was a perfect, if not strange, excuse. She met his gaze and flashed him a bright smile in the morning sun. [i]Here goes nothing[/i], she thought. [center]* * *[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Dragons from all corners of the lair made themselves scarce as Iemyria stormed across the commons to her den, Borque right on her tail. She slammed the door behind behind them and whirled on Borque. "Explain," she spat at him. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30796161][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/307962/30796161_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]"I have put this clan on my back since the beginning," Borque hissed with enough venom to wither even the bravest of dragons. He began to pace in the cave-den he had shared with Iemyria before she had none-too-delicately shut him out from the now-private chambers. "You've never appreciated my sacrifices for us, for this clan, for--" "Sacrifices?" Iemyria interrupted with a cruel laugh. "You'd like to complain about the 'sacrifices' you've had to make for our clan, for our livelihood? What about my hatchlings, the ones I never got to see grow up? What about the hours I spent training with Claws in the Coliseum while you sulked in our den? What about--" "THEY WERE MY HATCHLINGS TOO, IEMYRIA!" he roared, pain flashing in his emerald eyes. His wings rose above his head and knocked a few porcelain vases filled with peonies, Iemyria's favorite, off her desk, who winced as they struck the ground and shattered. Borque lowered his head, and brought his wings down alongside his body. He sighed, ignoring the water that had splashed against his feet. "Iemyria. We have both been through a lot these past months. I know our clan is bursting at the seams. I know we're low on food - neither of us has had the time to train a new team like Claws has been pushing for. Banshee may be the answer to some of our problems! Not all, I know, but some! It'll be good for us, I promise." He laid a claw on her arm and hummed gently, the way he knew could sooth and calm, his gift given from the mysterious roots of the great tree... The den disappeared. Iemyria stood in a meadow that reeked of spring. Pollen glittered in the late afternoon light and a small stream swished nearby. Wildflowers swayed in the wind, gently opening and closing their petals like many eyes winking knowingly. A calm touch, like a soft blanket, pressed her to the ground, its weight too heavy to resist. It was smothering her, but it was all right; it only wanted to help and comfort her and doesn't the stream sound lovely and don't the flowers smell wonderful and look at the puffy clouds whisk across the sky... Iemyria blinked. "Stop. [i]Now[/i]." She wrenched her arm away from Borque, barely suppressing the urge to claw him across the face. Her voice filled with any icy stillness that chilled the air around them. "You know better than to use that--that [i]mind gift[/i] against me, Bor. To intrude my mind like that!" She swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat and leaned down to stare him in the eye. "You know [i]better[/i]." He didn't move, didn't blink at the venom in her reproach. Straightening, she moved to the back of the cave and sat on a plush duvet, where she began preening her wings, running her talons carefully over the delicate feathers and membranes. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she forced steadiness into her voice. "You're dismissed," she said, waving a careless claw in his direction. She could hear him hesitate and take a breath; the room grew pregnant with the weight behind his pause. But for once, he chose not to stay and argue, and when the door closed behind him, Iemyria looked at the trampled peonies and broken pottery on the ground and felt that her heart could relate. ----- [font=Calibri][size=4]Whoops. Might've gotten a little carried away with this intro? Anyway, hopefully we'll get some hatchlings with breed and/or gene upgrades in a couple of days!

[center]----- [font=Century Gothic][size=6]g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e[/size] [size=4]c h a p t e r [color=transparent]|[/color]t w o : [color=transparent]|[/color]d a w n[/size] -----[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Iemyria paced her den, her path on the cave floor nearly identical to the one Borque tread a few days earlier. How [i]dare[/i] he nest with another female. It made her feathers stand on end just thinking of it. And a pearlcatcher of all dragons. Was he getting back to her for the nest she hatched with Yoghurt? She was so young back then. Little Benedicto, Irri, and Pollux...they had been such a joy... She stopped in front of the shelves next to her desk, where various trinkets sat proudly in the dim light. A small number of poetry books, gifted to her by Clarity, the loremaster, were stacked neatly on one shelf; they looked prettier as decor than actually reading them, Iemyria believed. [i]That stubborn pearlcatcher needs to find a mate[/i], she thought, blowing dust off a delicate crystal egg given to her by a dragon that passed through her clan long ago. Candlelight flashed off the facets of the crystal in her paw like sun on the water, and her mind wandered to the small pond above ground, where hatchlings and dragons alike splashed in the clear, cool water next to the hatchery. Her eyes narrowed. Borque and Banshee's nest would be hatching any day now; their spawn would soon run free among the other hatchlings and their caregivers, poisoning her clan with Banshee's traitor blood. Her antennae quivered subtly at the thought. She set the egg back down and on her way out of the room, ran her talons through the daisies she had picked that morning during her walk of the grounds. They stood in cracked porcelain vases, painstakingly forged back together piece by tiny broken piece. [center]*[color=transparent]|[/color]*[color=transparent]|[/color]*[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]A grand pavilion stood on the edge of the clearing outside the clan's caves; it nearly blended in with the Wilds itself, as its walls were made of great trees planted side by side and its roof was tightly intertwined branches. Great whorls and flourishes of ivy covered the outside in intricate patterns designed by expert gardeners, who guided each strand of ivy into place over the course of months. Flowers of all kinds bloomed enthusiastically around the pavilion, in shades of coral, blue, and sunshine yellow. Little flowers of a different kind - with teeth and claws and wings and a newfound boisterousness - bounded around with the endless energy of the newly hatched. [center]Beatrix [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887261][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=130&bodygene=9&breed=2&element=10&gender=1&tert=137&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=136&auth=42283869d6d8df570fc72b7bc4a68b615ff4f0ba&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url] Maddox [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887262][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=141&bodygene=9&breed=4&element=10&gender=0&tert=15&tertgene=0&winggene=2&wings=111&auth=6dfad4ff4bad65614dcbd25b4fd134602c0e3e87&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url] Ajax [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887263][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=80&bodygene=9&breed=2&element=10&gender=0&tert=12&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=20&auth=94c9b8872f3091ede660922332d7f419a9611bf0&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Iemyria froze as she exited the cave entrance across the clearing from the pavilion. Three new hatchlings, two guardians and a pearlcatcher, wrestled in the sunny grass under the watchful eye of the hatchery director, Trouble, who watched their clumsy acrobatics with a small smile on his face. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30957836][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/309579/30957836_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Upon seeing his clan leader, Trouble waved her over enthusiastically, and Iemyria had no choice but to put on her mask of leadership and cross the clearing on stiff legs to the lumbering tundra. "Miss Iemyria!" he rumbled. "Good morning to you. They just hatched a few hours ago." He gestured to the hatchlings now wildly flapping their newly discovered wings. "A rambunctious bunch for sure. But you know how guardians are...even that little pearlcatcher gets riled by the other two." The male guardian pounced on his sister, catching her ear in his teeth as they both tumbled to the ground in a flurry of wings and limbs and tails. The other brother was crouched over his pearl off to the side, his lithe body still as stone as he waited for the opportune moment to join in. Iemyria and Trouble watched as he let the other two wrestle around in front of him until their backs were turned, and he launched himself from the ground, ramming into both guardians and taking them down with enough force to send them all rolling for several feet. They all got up, slightly dazed, but soon enough continued with their play. Iemyria picked up a slight disturbance in the air with her antennae and saw Borque and Banshee headed their way from the other side of the clan grounds. She gritted her teeth and willed herself into the appearance of composure, nodding slightly to the pair as they settled beside her to watch the hatchlings. Borque had a stern, almost angry, look on his face as he appraised the tumbling newborns, but Banshee's held nothing but delight as she beheld them. "They all have piebald," she sighed dreamily, stealing a look at Borque and clasping her small pearl to her chest. Borque replied with a gruff [i]hmph[/i] and stalked away inside the hatchery pavilion. Banshee made to follow, but Iemyria stopped her with a gentle touch on the shoulder, giving the pearlcatcher a pacifying look. Banshee wouldn't be a welcome sight if Borque was in a mood; Iemyria knew him better than that. The pearlcatcher nodded and moved aside to let Iemyria pass. She found Borque between two nests, staring out a window that faced the Shrieking Wilds, his face blank and wings withdrawn. She joined him, and they stood in silence for a while, watching the ever-present twinkling bugs make their rounds in the dark green forest. "I know you're still upset," he began, still looking into the darkness before them, "but this is only the beginning. The dawn of a new era, to put it poetically, I suppose." He sighed and tugged on his substantial beard. "If only you could see what I see, Iemyria, then you would know." "Know what?" she pressed, turning towards him in the dim morning light of the pavilion. He still avoided eye contact. "What exactly is it that I'm supposed to know, Borque? What are you planning? What is this--this game you are playing with Banshee? Is she vying for my position? Planning to overthrow my leadership? You know the small council would never let that happen. [i]I[/i] would never let that happen. Not to our clan." "Of course not," Borque said, finally looking at her with dark eyes hooded in shadows. He seemed far away, Iemyria felt, even though he was right there beside her. "You'll see," he added, squeezing her paw. "You'll see." ----- [font=Calibri][size=4]All babies got gene upgrades and one breed upgrade! The pearlcatcher even has stripes :D can't wait until their personalities develop and they battle it out for whatever Borque is planning... Also, fun fact: fr censors p/issed but not damn

[center]----- [font=Century Gothic][size=6]g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e[/size] [size=4]c h a p t e r [color=transparent]|[/color] t h r e e : [color=transparent]|[/color]p l a y[/size] -----[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]A flurry of little snores greeted Trouble as he walked into the hatchery pavilion. Sprawled in the middle of all the nests was a tangle of hatchlings, exhausted from the day’s play. Two coatls and two faes, nearly grown, Borque’s energetic hatchlings, and a little mirror the hatchery was hosting for a while. A warm sense of content filled Trouble’s chest as he tiptoed as lightly as he could past the sleeping bundle to check on the other nests. He was nearly finished with his rounds when he felt a small tug on his mane. He glanced down and smiled at the small pearlcatcher looking up at him with a furrowed brow. “What are you doing?” asked the hatchling, peering around Trouble’s massive forepaws at the nest before them. Trouble crouched down to the hatchling’s level and nudged him towards the nest. “I’m checking on the eggs, making sure they are growing big and strong. Would you like to help me?” The pearlcatcher nodded and squared his shoulders. Trouble showed him how to check the leaves and look for any signs of deterioration or pests. They checked for mildew on the bottom of the eggs and made sure the soil wasn’t too dry or too muddy. While they were rotating the eggs for the proper amount of exposure to the elements, Trouble saw the two guardian twins slink close by out of the corner of his eye. He stood. “What’s your name, little one?” he said to the pearlcatcher. “Maddox.” “So you two must be Beatrix and Ajax,” he said, turning to the guardians now chasing each other’s tails. Ajax stopped when he heard Trouble, causing Beatrix to smack right into him, which left them both giggling on the ground. “Look at you handsome trio,” Trouble continued, gesturing to their dappled hides. “You’re all as green and wild as the forest – wilder even!” The hatchlings beamed at each other, and Beatrix slapped her tail against the ground. “Mother says we’re gonna be great fighters in the ‘seum, just like Father!” Her brothers puffed out their chests, eyeing each other with little affection on their faces. Trouble’s heart dropped, but didn’t let it show on his face. That these hatchlings knew their rumored fate at such a tender age pained him, but he couldn’t hurt their pride or their egos, not when they potentially had such a challenge ahead of them. “You mean the Coliseum, little Beatrix,” he corrected gently. “I’m sure you will be magnificent. All of you. Now run along before you wake the other hatchlings.” He grinned, letting his long, sharp canines show. “Run along before I have to chase you out!” The three little dragons squealed, and tumbled over one another in their haste to run outside. They nearly tripped Ruffle on her way into the pavilion, and their shouts and peals of laughter grew fainter as they played in the meadow. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31821498][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/318215/31821498_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Ruffle sidestepped the miraculously still sleeping pile of hatchlings in the middle of the pavilion and made her way to Trouble. “What’s wrong, love?” she said, gently rubbing her head against his and laying down at his side. “I could smell your concern from across the meadow.” She spread parchment and quills out in front of her and pulled a container of hot chocolate from her pocket, pressing it into Trouble’s paws. Quill scratches soon filled the quiet pavilion as Trouble drank deeply from the mug. “You know it’s summer, don’t you?” he teased, kissing each of his mate’s horns before laying down next to her. “Other dragons don’t have hot drinks in the summer.” “Well, other dragons don’t crave the cold like I do,” she retorted, scribbling away at her parchment. “I love being surrounded by winter, and hot chocolate sure helps.” They lapsed into an easy silence, Ruffle working on the hatchery’s bookkeeping and Trouble staring off into space, and the shadows soon grew long, dancing on the walls of the hatchery as the leaves and flowers outside fought for the last rays of the sun. Ruffle soon stretched and pressed up against her mate, scattering the sheets around her all over the floor. “You never told me what’s wrong,” she said, her voice muffled against Trouble’s mane. He sighed and leaned into her. “It’s Borque’s latest nest. I just—“ he paused, scratching the back of his neck with his paw. “I’m confused, Ruffle. I don’t quite understand what he’s doing, and I don’t like that he’s using our nesting grounds to do it. And those hatchlings…they know what they’re supposed to do, yet Borque hasn't told anyone else in the clan of his plans. I mean, fighting until only one remains? Since when have Rosewood dragons ever been that barbaric? I wouldn’t put it past Iemyria to be that dramatic and nonsensical, but Borque? He has always had a level head on his shoulders. I just--” Trouble stopped talking abruptly as a series of vicious growls sounded outside in the meadow. He and Ruffle exchanged a quick glance before rushing to their feet. Sounds like that could only mean one thing. Confrontation. He gathered the now-awake hatchlings into their dens in the pavilion and secured the hatchery entrance behind him, joining Ruffle outside. She was in a full guard stance, canines gleaming and fully ready to protect the delicate lives in the building behind her. Borque's three hatchlings ceased playing in the meadow and ran to Trouble, hiding between his forepaws in his massive mane. He gave them each a reassuring squeeze and focused on the approaching dragons. Banshee reached them first, eyes wide and nostrils flaring with panic. Trouble could smell the fear on her, even without his heightened tundra senses, and let out a low warning growl as she drew near. She may be their mother, but the stench of flight was all over her. His duty came to the hatchlings and their safety first; if Banshee were to somehow take off with them, they wouldn't survive long in the Shrieking Wilds, especially without the ability to fly. Borque was close behind her, quick but deadly calm with a growl low in his throat. His face was grim as Trouble had never seen it before. Iemyria followed at an almost leisurely pace with her inner circle of dragonesses, failing to hide a smirk behind her various floral ornamentations. The two leaders stopped behind Banshee, more united than Trouble had seen them in a while. "What is going on?" Ruffle said through gritted teeth. "You all reek like you're up to no good." "Please," Banshee said, desperation plain on her face. "Please just let me say goodbye. Please." Small sobs shuddered through the pearlcatcher as she looked at her hatchlings cowering behind Trouble's legs. The two tundras looked at Iemyria, who shrugged and gestured to Borque. He cleared his throat and sat up straight, painfully aware of the audience that had gathered around the commotion. "Banshee has been banished," he said. A clamor went up as the gathered dragons voiced their surprise until Borque went on. "She has conspired to take her hatchlings away from our clan, deliberately disobeying my orders and attempting to disrupt clan projects and missions. She is no longer allowed or welcome in Mist Meadow." Trouble and Ruffle exchanged a glance. Borque had not yet arranged a meeting with the small council to discuss his plans for Banshee and the hatchlings that were apparently being trained to fight in the Coliseum, for dragon knows what reason. Trouble was surprised that Borque had been allowed to go this long without delivering his official plans to the council. He wondered how they had been bribed off. But this banishment would surely be the catalyst for such a meeting. They couldn't let Borque flaunt power to such an extent for much longer. "You can let her say goodbye," he continued, nodding to the hatchlings still hiding at Trouble's feet. "Then she will be escorted out." At that he turned tail and strode back to the cave, Iemyria following with an outright grin on her face and a bounce in her step. Her retinue retreated as well, until only the tundras, the hatchlings, Banshee, and a pair of guards remained. The pearlcatcher's wings drooped and tears still ran down her face, but she still managed a smile as she faced her hatchlings. "Come here, darlings," she said, transferring her pearl to her tail and opening her arms to the little dragons. They scurried out from under Trouble to their mother, confusion plain on their faces. She whispered in their ears until the majority of their fear subsided, and they ran back to Trouble with lifted spirits. "Be strong!" Banshee called after them as Trouble escorted them into the hatchery. She turned to Ruffle. "Please help them grow up strong. They need to be - to face what Borque has planned." "And what is that?" Ruffle said sharply as the pearlcatcher was led away by the guards. "What do you know?" "I don't know anything," Banshee called over her shoulder. "But Borque certainly wasn't the dragon I thought he was." ----- [font=Calibri][size=4]This chapter is a little rougher around the edges that I would've liked, but oh well. I had a fun time exploring Trouble and Ruffle's personalities and relationship :) Also, I've never written politics before and I'm kinda doing it by the seat of my pants so...bear with me as I pull stuff from where the sun don't shine.

[center]----- [font=Century Gothic][size=6]g e n e r a t i o n [color=transparent]|[/color]o n e[/size] [size=4]c h a p t e r [color=transparent]|[/color] f o u r : [color=transparent]|[/color]f a l l e n[/size] -----[font=Calibri][size=4] pinglist: @Talismarr images are scries to prevent spoilers, but links are active [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887261][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=130&bodygene=9&breed=2&element=10&gender=1&tert=137&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=136&auth=833b09ced6d7f9542b2bad47f5109e2f0b5d4e68&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887262][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=141&bodygene=9&breed=4&element=10&gender=0&tert=15&tertgene=0&winggene=2&wings=111&auth=eb14c6505492c86f143f8837d1c65d3b55ba0743&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34887263][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=80&bodygene=9&breed=2&element=10&gender=0&tert=12&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=20&auth=8b4d38c90c2dabc751e90f6abc4c6048e1c23e94&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Three dragons sat before their master, tails twitching like cats in the predawn chill. Hatchlings no longer, the two guardians dwarfed the pearlcatcher between them in size, but certainly not in ferocity. There was no love lost between the three, especially now that their mother was gone. Tumbling in the meadow had turned to sparring on the training grounds under the watchful eye of Claws, the Coliseum master. The young dragons only held back from doing actual harm due to Borque’s near-constant presence at the training grounds, watching their daily exercises with an impressive intensity. The trainees flourished under his watchful eye, vying to impress their father with the calculated attacks and counter attacks they learned from Claws, made safer with mouth guards and retracted talons. The desire to succeed burned in each of the young dragons, glistening in their eyes as they listened to Claws’ final piece of advice. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31355312][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/313554/31355312_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]“You should know that proper Coliseum training takes weeks, even months, to achieve,” he said, perched on a small boulder in front of his students. “Unfortunately, we are on strict deadline,” he paused to glare at Borque sitting just outside the training grounds fence, “but we will press on. Soon you will enter the Training Fields where you will encounter all sorts of creatures that would like to rip you open.” Again, he paused, looking each of the dragons in the eye. “[i]Don’t let them.[/i]” With that, Claws gracefully leapt from the stone and skulked past his trainees, now wide-eyed with apprehension. In the training grounds, the Coliseum was a foreign concept, some goal to achieve, a distant future to cling to. Now it was upon them, a place they would see in mere hours. A collective shiver went through the siblings, like a crisp fall wind had brushed through the air. Maddox shook his shoulders as if to dislodge the panic that now lay in all of them. “That’s it?” he called after Claws, his voice cracking on the second word. He cleared his throat. “That’s all you’re going to say after all our training: ‘don’t get killed’?” The mirror paused and looked at Borque as he imparted his final words of wisdom. “You want more advice? Don’t bring any nonsense into the Coliseum. It might give the monsters something to grab onto.” [center]***[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]Borque casually appraised his children one last time before he turned to follow Claws. They had resumed training, practicing battle moves Borque himself knew well. The mirror had always been dramatic; Borque knew that well after fighting by Claws’ side. But to insult the leader of the clan in front of Borque’s own children? Claws knew better than that. He caught up to the mirror on the bank of the pool formed by the small waterfall that ran over the cliffs overlooking Mist Meadow. He and Iemyria had been so amazed when they found the small clearing in the Shrieking Wilds. Surrounded by the cliffs on one side and the dense forest everywhere else, it was the perfect place for the clan to rest their travel-weary legs. Upon further exploration, they found the overgrown enchanted trees they now used for the hatchery and the entrance to a cave behind the waterfall that expanded to an expansive underground network of shelter. Iemyria took one look inside the cave and had turned back to Borque, beaming. “This is home,” she’d said. Borque sat next to Claws on the small beach that ran adjacent to the water. They both stared ahead for a while without speaking, admiring the roaring waterfall and the mist it sprayed over the surrounding area that gave Mist Meadow its name. It was as picturesque as Iemyria had hoped for when they first set out to start their clan, back when she was still a guardian at his side. “They’re not ready,” Claws said, breaking the silence between them. “But you know that.” “I do,” Borque replied. He dug his talons into the damp sand in front of him. “You just have to trust me.” “Nobody understands what you’re doing, Borque. The small council is going to demand answers soon.” The lithe mirror sighed. “You know better than I do that trust is earned. You’re flying with weak wings. I, and many others, look forward to how you explain yourself,” he finished, crossing his front arms and glancing at the guardian with reproach. At that Borque stood up with a growl and stalked away, leaving Claws on the bank by himself. Not many dragons dared talk to him that way. Claws had always been an exception. [i]I know what I’m doing,[/i] Borque thought as he headed towards the Coliseum. [i]Don’t I?[/i] [center]***[/center] [font=Calibri][size=4]The sun beat down on the Training Fields as the three young dragons entered the Coliseum. Sure and strong, the two guardians flanked their middle brother, who led the small pack to their positions among the rocks and boulders that littered the arena. Shoulders set and talons extended, the siblings looked to their father sitting in the observation area nearby. He nodded, and his children faced the first foes with snarls on their lips. Ajax took the first blow from a Coral Carpenter, nearly fainting in the process, but was soon saved by Maddox who dealt a deadly Contuse. The pearlcatcher panted in the hot rays of the sun, angry that he did not have the same power as his guardian siblings. Their canines gleamed fiercely and their muscles rippled with power he greatly coveted. Gritting his teeth, he threw himself into the next opponents, dealing blow after blow even though he was only armed with his unreliable battle stones. He dodged a critical hit, and turned to boast to his sister. She grinned at him, about to respond, when the tiny Crimson Emperor launched a distant attack at her blind spot. She fell at once, a smile still on her lips as she collapsed in a flurry of dust. Maddox spun around to face the monster and was hit full in the face with the next blow, following his sister to the ground. Ajax looked coolly first at his fallen siblings and then at the tiny monster who had brought his family down. Quicker than the eye could follow, he slashed at the monster, the force of his blow flinging it across the Fields. When the dust settled - Ajax’s sides heaving with exertion - Borque stood and declared him the heir of the next generation. Ajax could barely hear his father as he looked at the faded bodies of his brother and sister, and made to sit between them as Borque continued his speech of legacies and future prosperity. A strong arm intercepted him, however, and he looked up into the peridot eyes of Iemyria, who gave him a comforting smile and helped him to his feet. His surprise must have shown on his face because Iemyria shook her head slightly and whispered “later” in his ear. She led him to stand in front of Borque and the small crowd of dragons that had gathered to watch the battle. Borque put a massive paw on his son’s shoulders and gave him a grim smile. “Let’s find you a mate.” ----- [font=Calibri][size=4]Umm, battle scenes are hard to write and I’m kinda lazy so this one was a little skimpy. Especially having to use terms and biology specific to this world. I’ll work on it. Also I was really rooting for Maddox because he had two gene upgrades and a breed upgrade but Ajax will be a good heir - for me at least, I don’t know about for Borque :P