Creative Corner

NOTE TO ADMINS/MODERATORS
If there is anything too graphic or otherwise inappropriate content in the lore, please let me know so I can modify the text accordingly.

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This will be my clan lore. This thread is a work in progress until otherwise stated. I have reserved some spaces for different chapters, do not be alarmed, the page is not broken :P

Wind Seekers is a clan dedicated to save those who get lost in the Windswept Plateau. Their leader, Panda, was given this task by the Windsinger himself after seeing Pandas dedication to help others, even if it means putting his life on the line.
The clan resides in a cave as close to the middle of Windswept Plateau as possible. They were offered a place in the Cloudsong, but Panda decided to stay where their mission was, where they could help as fast and as many as they can. The cave itself has been revised to fit the clans needs, and to have room for the injured and saved. Everyone in the clan helps in any way they can, and everyone is welcome to stay for as long as they want or need.
Wind Seekers are peaceful and kind, but will defend themself if they are attacked.
Eventhough everyone sees Panda as their leader, Panda himself does not see himself as more than a friend to those who need him. As such, the clan has no official hierarchy.

Table of contents

Chapter one: Paladin of the Breeze part 1
Chapter two: Paladin of the Breeze part 2 - In progress
Chapter three: Counsil of Eleven - Not yet written
Chapter four: Hunting Group - Not yet written
Chapter five: Savages - Not yet written
Chapter six: Eyes of the Gods - Not yet written
Chapter seven: Night sky Falling - Not yet written
Chapter eight: Ghosts - Not yet written
Chapter nine: The Divines - Not yet written

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It was dark. Nothing could be seen as eyes could not yet be opened. Some noices were audible, but they could not quite be understood. Shouts and high pitches. Perhaps screaming? Suddenly it felt like everything was spinning. It felt like falling, and then, an impact. An impact hard enough to startle, but not enough to break the darkness. Maybe it was the rustling of the leaves that broke the impact? Not much happened after, until one morning a crack was heard and light hit eyelids for the first time. An egg was hatched...

The newly hatched baby tundra tumbled out of the shell and felt the leaves of the bush soften his fall to the ground. His white and black fur felt warm in the sunlight. He felt grass for the first time. The light was bright, even though he did not yet open his eyes. He came to this world, but yet no one greeted the newborn. Not his mother. Not his father. Where are they? Was he abandoned?

The baby stumbled around for a while, until he could open his eyes. The sun was still hurting his eyes, but not as intensely. After a while he could see clearly, and he looked around. Grass. Bushes. Bamboo. He turned around and saw a huge, twisting crescendo not far from where he was. He didn't know what to do or where to go, so he just started at a direction. Walking was hard at first. His legs felt like they could not hold him, and each step felt either too short or too long. But he learned, and before long he was headed towards what seemed to be the safest place: a bamboo forrest.

Hunger overcame him quicly. Nearby bushes provided some berries, but this would not sustain him for long. Instinctively he tried to hunt, but could not catch anything. Life was hard.

He survived some days like this, but as he was just a hatchling, he could not provide to himself. He was weak. Laying under a bush, he closed his eyes and felt a darkness creep towards him. His end was too soon.

---

As darkness closed in, the hatchling started to drift away. Within the last seconds of his conciousness he heard footsteps. Someone was calling to him, but he could not answer nor open his eyes. He passed out.

When he next opened his eyes, he was somewhere else. It seemed to be a cave, but there was furniture. A delicious smell filled his nostrils, but he was startled by an unfamiliar figure. A strange male wildclaw came from around the corner.
"Ah! Ye're awake. Finally! Thought I lost 'ya there."
He set a bowl of stew beside the hatchling. He was dark green and his wings were yellow, and he was covered in spots, as if trying to blend into a banana salad. He had a wolf pelt over his head and a scar over his left eye.
"What's a small bugger like yerself doin' alone? Should be with yer parents shouldn't ya?"
The hatchling looked at the wildclaw with hazy eyes. He didn't understand much of what he said, but words were starting to make sense to him.
"Ye look beat! Eat the stew. Makes ya stronger."
The hatchling gobbled down the stew. It felt like he was eating for the first time ever.
"So! Seems ye can't talk yet.. We need t' fix that."
The wildclaw turned around to leave.
"T... t-talk... ya..."
The hatchling tried to form words he did not know yet. The wildclaw turned to him with a surprised look.
"Well would ya look at that..." he said with a confused tone. He had a small pause before putting his hand on the hatchlings head gently "Don't rush it fella. Names Aegyn by the way. I'll be lookin' out fer ya." He patted the hatchlings head and left to his business.

At first the hatchling was wary of Aegyn. He never saw another dragon before, and wasn't sure how to react to him. In few days he started following Aegyn from a short distance. Aegyn would get him food until he learned to hunt for himself. Occationally Aegyn would try to get closer to the hatchling, but he was too careful. In time, the hatchling learned to trust him, and they would do more together. The hatchling followed Aegyn and learn from him. The hatchling seemed to learn fast, as if he already had experience in life. He learned to speak listening to Aegyn talk. He told him stories of other dragons and how they lived, and would sometimes sing to the hatchling. The hatchling liked to listen, even though Aegyn had a raspy voice and he would often forget the words to the songs he was singing.

As time went by, Aegyn became like a father to the hatchling. It wasn't long, only weeks, since his hatching, but Aegyn was the only one he had ever met. Aegyn seemed to have basic survival skills for hunting and fighting, judging from one time the hatchling got too close to a wolf pack and Aegyn had to fight them off. He still had no name, and as he was more talkative now that he had learned to speak, Aegyn had trouble addressing him. He had named the hatchling Panda, in accordance to his black and white fur resembling a panda. He also saw this a fitting name to someone who he had found in a bamboo forrest.

As more time passed, Panda learned much from the ranger. He asked about Aegyns past and learned about wildclaw culture. Aegyn told him about other dragons and species. Panda learned he was a tundra, which made him wonder where he came from and how his diet could be so diverse. This would explain his occational stomach aches though... Aegyn told him of his own past. How he was banished from his old lair because he was not considered fitting in a horde of wildclaws. He used to be selfish and arrogant, but years of solitude had made him humble. He was trying to learn to provide for others as well as for himself, and raising Panda had taught him a lot. He wanted to get back to his old clan some day, with Panda as his proof of change. Perhaps he would even be considered worthy of a more powerful position? It was a distant dream for Aegyn, but he had high hopes. He had seen Panda grow into a fine young dragon.

---

After learning more of different species and the world in general, Pandas curiosity towards his origins grew larger and his thirst for knowledge made him anxious. He often pondered things like who were his real parents, why they had left him and where are they now. Aegyn could see the confusion in his behaviour and did everything he could to find answers. With little success everything he could say was "We have eachother." or "There's a reason.", but this was not enough for Panda. He was desperate for answers.

One day Aegyn had left hunting for Panda. He tried his best to concentrate, but the haul was small. This only added to his frustration. When he returned, Aegyn was outside their cave with an unfamiliar guardian dragon dressed in a robe with a hood over its head.
"Lookie 'ere! We were just talkin' 'bout ya laddie."
Panda lowered his haul under a nearby tree and came closer to the guardian. It lifted its head and let the hood fall down. Panda was greeted with deep blue eyes that felt like they were piercing his soul. He felt like turning away, but for some reason he couldn't. Looking at the guardian was mesmerizing, as if looking below the surface of water and seeing sunlight play in the waves. The male guardian wasn't very large, but big enough to be the biggest dragon Panda had ever seen. He definetly couldn't fit inside their cave. The guardian greeted Panda with a bow and intoruced himself.
"Greetings, my friend. I am Ahti, and I have come from the Spiral Keep for you."
The words flowed like water. Panda had never met a guardian before, let alone a dragon from the water flight.
"H-hello." he greeted timidly.
Aegyn nodded and continued.
"This fella 'ere said he was lookin' for ya. Said he could help ya with something."
Panda was confused. Why would a water dragon be looking for him?
"Well... I guess you found me then." he let out a small smile "What can you help me with?"
The guardian got up from his bow and smiled widely. His first words sounded like they had come through bubbles.
"Ah! You are the one. I have been sent for you. To offer you my assistance in your own Search."
Ahti bowed again, this time not as long, and looked deep in Pandas eyes. For a short second Panda could swear he saw something in them. Maybe a glint of light, or something moving. Ahti was smiling widely, and it was making Panda uncomfortable.
"What do you mean? I mean... I know guardians have the custom of gaining their... what was it Aegyn?"
"A charge."
"Yes! That. Gained through the so-called Search, but I'm a tundra."
Ahti let out a hearty laugh.
"Yes, you are correct. But do you not agree that everyone has their own Search? Does everyone not try to find reason for oneself, or a focus in their life, in which they believe in?"
Panda looked at the smiling guardian. He was right. Panda thought for a moment.
"My parents..."
Ahti straightened his back, gaining about ten meters more in height.
"Exactly! I know how you can find answers to the questions you ask yourself. And they are not here."
Aegyn looked at Ahti, then Panda and then Ahti again.
"Wait a minute! You ain't bout' to take my son away are ya!?"
Ahti turned to Aegyn.
"No. I only offer him my assistance in finding peace."
Aegyn looked worried. Panda had never been outside the Windswept Plateau, but he knew Panda could take care of himself.
"If ye want to go, I ain't stoppin ya."
Panda looked to Aegyn with pained eyes.
"I must know. I'll be back, I promise."
Aegyn nodded in agreement. Panda took a short while to get ready for the trip, said his goodbyes to Aegyn and gave him a hearty hug. Then he left with Ahti in hopes to find answers.

Ahti didn't talk much, and as they continued towards the edge of the Windswept Plateau, he grew anxious. After a few days with mostly silence he was able to ask where they were headed.
"You are a tundra, are you not? And where better to find tundras than the Southern Icefield?"
The answer seemed self explanatory after Panda had heard it. He noticed Ahti looking at him with a smile.
"I'm not stupid." he said defensively.
"I know." Ahti answered.
Ahti seemed to know more than he told Panda. He seemed always so calm, as if he knew what was going to happen. During their journey they even encountered a few beastclan members, but even then Ahti did not flinch for their ambush, as if he knew they were there.
"So do you know someone from there who knew my parents?" Panda asked.
"Yes." Ahti answered "But he does not know me yet. Nor you."
It seemed that everytime Panda asked something, instead of answers he got more questions. He didn't let it bother him too much, since Ahti was pleasing company otherwise. His presence was calming and assuring, and it seemed Ahti was trying to protect him.

After a couple of weeks of travelling they arrived to Snowsquall Tundra.
Ahti stopped near a bunch of pine trees and nodded towards a pile of snow.
"There he is."
Panda tried to see anyone who could have been more alive than a rock, but saw no one. He suspected Ahti was suffering from snowblindness, but then something shifted in the snow. The pile of snow slowly lifted its head and got up. It was a tundra as white as snow who looked like he was frozen for staying still for too long. It walked to Panda and Ahti, smelled them deeply, let out a slight smile and said
"You smell like friendship."
Ahti greeted the dragon as an old friend
"Ymir! Nice to meet you."
Panda was again confused, but greeted Ymir warmly.
"You have to forgive me but I am terrible at remembering faces or names to that matter. Have we met before? I do not recognize your smell." Ymir wondered. Ahti answered calmly
"No, we haven't. We have come to seek answers for this ones agitated mind. There are questions that keep him up at night, and he must find peace before he is needed."
Panda was just about to ask Ahti what he meant by that, when he was interrupted by Ymir.
"So what is it you need help with?"
Putting his question on hold, he answered Ymirs question.
"I never knew my real parents. I want to know what happened."
He explained to Ymir his past and all he remembers. Ymir thought for a moment and started talking.
"Years ago, I believe at the same time when this happened, there was a mass migration. Many dragons, especially tundras, wanted change and left to find new homes. Many were lost to ravaging beasts or dangers of the wilds, or hazards of unfamiliar areas. Lava in the Ashfall Wastes, rot of the Scarred Wasteland and the strong winds of Windswept Plateau were especially dangerous, and many lost their lives traversing these areas. Those who survived came back in a horrible shape, and most of those who came back died shortly after. Those who still lived were scarred for life, and told stories of death and despair. Your story would fit in with some details of a specific partys destiny, where only one survived. They had a party of fifteen dragons, most of whom were families. One of said families had taken their eggs with them, as they were close to hatching, but they could not wait for the migration any longer. The party was traversing a narrow mountain path near the western part of Windswept Plateau, when strong winds from the Twisting Crescendo suddenly sucked most of them down. They were caught by surprise and had little time to react. The family with the eggs was close to the end of the line, and they held on to the eggs with their dear lives, but to no avail. The winds caused a landslide that hit the male, and the female was screaming in shock. Her screams must have not even reached her partners ears below the rumbling of the rocks and the sound of the wind. That splitsecond she let go of the eggs trying to grab her loved one was all the wind needed, and it claimed the eggs as its next victim. Three there were, but only two were later found, broken in a pile of rocks. The third one was never found. Those few who survived the winds and the landslide were later ambushed by the beastclans, and only one got away alive."
Panda listened to the story in disbelieve and shock. His real parents were dead before he even had the chance to see the world.
"But.. My eyes... They are green. If they were my parents, how can I be of wind element?"
Ahti turned to him with compassionate eyes.
"It is possible that some of the elemental power of the Twisting Crescendo rubbed off to your egg when it was twirling it around. This is not unheard of."
Panda was sad. And angry. He had asked these questions for so long, and when he finally was near the answer, his parents were dead all along. He wept for a moment, shedding tears of pain, but not knowing them came as a blessing at this moment. He took a moment to calm down.

"Thank you for this information Ymir. It is sad, but I never knew them. At least now I know what happened."
Ymir nodded in understandment. Ahti gave Panda some comforting words, and shortly after Panda stood up and said
"I guess I'm headed home then."
Ymir shook his head.
"It's getting dark. This area is cold at night. Stay for the night. We can offer you food and shelter."
Panda looked to Ahti with asking eyes.
"This sounds reasonable." Ahti said "The night will be cold indeed, and wolves will roam the lands in hunt."
They decided to stay for the night and leave in the morning. That night Panda didn't sleep well, but was at ease because he had finally found answers to burning questions that were crushing his soul. In the morning they were given a filling meal before they left. Panda could now talk with a lighter heart, and Ahti seemed more talkative on their way back.
"Ahti... I have to thank you for this. My heart feels lighter knowing where my history lies."
Ahti smiled to him in the gleaming sunlight.
"There is no need to thank me. It is my honor to help you."
Ahtis cryptic answer put Panda at ease. At least he could always count in the fact that his friends answers made no sense to him.

The journey back felt a lot faster than the journey to the Southern Icefields, and Aegyn was just returning from a hunt. He dropped the haul to the ground and ran to Panda with a wide grin.
"Ye'r back, son!"
Panda gave him a hug.
"I am. And I am free of my questions. I can now be at peace with my past."
They smiled at eachother. They said their goodbyes to Ahti and promised to see him again.
"I know." Ahti said as he turned to leave with a smile.
That evening Panda told Aegyn everything of their journey and the answers he got, and Aegyn listened with worrying eyes.
"Are ye alright?" he asked worringly.
"Ofcourse I am." answered Panda "I finally know."

---

It had been years, but times were still restless as aftermath of the shattering. There were still conflicts of the borders of areas for flights, and the beastclans were waging war around the world. One such had reached the borders of the Windswept Plateau, and dragons were drafted to defend their homes. Windsinger had sent out sprites as messengers to call all dragons in fighting fit to drive back the beastclans hordes, and a small army of invading plague forces from the north. Panda and Aegyn were drafted to the north to fight off the plague. Panda wasn't too happy about the idea of fighting, but he didn't want to get separated of Aegyn since he had just arrived from his trip to Southern Icefields. They left to defend the north.

Their post was not in the frontlines, but rather defending the rear of their forces. not much happened near their post while many wounded dragons were brought back from the frontlines. The fighting was said to be intense, and since the plague forces seemed to cause rot even in the living, fighting them was hard and dangerous. Panda wanted to help those who came back, and volunteered to the medical unit. He was tought healing and warding magic by the dragons there, and he caught up quickly. Additionally he showed prowess in close combat. He became a powerful asset.

After six months of war, they were given word that more forces were needed in the front line. The plague forces were going to break through any day, and backup was needed fast. Aegyn was chosen as one of these backups along a hundred more.
"Aegyn! Ask them to choose someone else. I don't want to get separated of you. You're my only family!"
"Calm down son. It's okay, I can fight. Ye know me."
"I know. I'm just worried."
"I know son. I promise I'll be back. After the war is over we'll be ready to get back to my old clan. I would have finally proven miself as a useful asset to the clan. Oh ye'r goin' to love it there. Everyone there was so nice. Well, except me.. But I've changed 'avent I?"
"Yes Aegyn. You're the best. Just come back in one piece okay?"
"Sure will son."
Aegyn smiled and left to his new post with the hundred others. To Pandas eyes it looked like they were ghosts on their way to the afterlife. He shook his head and returned to his post, healing the wounded who were brought just a moment ago. Some had their limbs rotting off their living bodies, and they were screaming in anguish. Others were lucky enough to be badly wounded or dead.

As repetitive as it felt, Panda did his best to assist. It was two weeks after Aegyn left, and not a word had come from the messengers. Everything was seemingly calm for a while. The amount of wounded dragons was getting smaller. Some of them said they're thinning out the plague forces. Panda felt relieved. For the first time since they were drafted, it felt like the war would be stopping. It wasn't until the first screams before someone shouted "We're under attack!"
The shout was cut short by what sounded like the one shouting was drowning. Considering the warning he was shouting, Panda gathered it was his own blood he was drowning in. Shortly after the warning, plague dragons started swarming from the forrest near the camp. They had sneaked to the flank without anyone noticing, and now the whole camp was in danger.

Panda put on his armor and grabbed his sword while others did the same, and ran towards the sound of the alarm. The amount of plague dragons was much larger than what the wind flight had in the camp. The guards at the edge of the camp were killed before they even had the time to defend themself, and many others followed. Those who had the time to react put up a strong fight against the plague dragons, but there were simply too many. As the healers were adept magic users, but had no experience in fighting, they consentrated on healing the wounded as best as they could. Panda was fighting off a small mirror dragon as he saw a bunch of others running towards the healers. In a swift turn he slit the throat of the mirror and began to ran towards the healers.
"Please let me make it. Please let me make it."
He felt a slight breeze in his feet, and suddenly he felt like he was going faster. Even though he never even saw anyone use the spell, he somehow cast Haste on himself, giving him the needed boost to reach the healers before the plague dragons. There were three of them. A guardian and two mirrors. The mirrors weren't very happy of him being between them and their intended prey, and leapt towards him in unison. Panda swung his sword in an arch, hitting the other mirror to an artery and cutting the other to the side. They both fell to the ground, unable to battle. The guardian was already looming over the healers, who were desperately trying to save a wildclaw who was bleeding from his remaining stump of a leg. Panda took a leaping advance, extending his arm towards the healers in a desperate attempt to reach them. He managed to cast a magical barrier between the guardian and the healers, and the guardian turned to him in anger. It lunged forward with its maw gaping, intending to pite into Panda. Panda took a tight grip of his sword and, with a couple of steps forward, sunk it into the throat of the guardian. It roared in pain, but Panda wasn't done with him. He pulled the swords blade along the guardians throat, slitting it open. The guardian slumped to the ground lifeless. Panda turned to face the fight and saw the two mirrors in the ground. He knew he had to make sure they wouldn't attack the healers again, but detested himself for killing so many dragons. He slit the throats of the mirrors, granting the their rest, and sprinted towards the battleground.

The plague forces were too many. Even the best warriors were struggling to survive, and those who weren't as experienced were being slaughtered. Panda looked around, trying to find any possible way to even the tides. A sudden plan came to his mind, and he went back to the healers.
"Is there anyone capable of using fire magic?"
One of the healers stood up.
"I was born to the fire flight."
Panda nodded towards the armory.
"I have a plan! You others, I need you to sound retreat."
Confused, the healers looked at eachother, but any plan that could swing the advantage for them would be welcome at this point.

The retreat was sounded, and the confused and scared warriors started to run towards the center of the camp, where they had their emergency fortification. Panda got to the armory with the healer and explained his plan.
"This armory. We have a lot of spare spears here right?"
The healer looked at Panda with wide eyes.
"Yes..?"
Panda nodded and swallowed a knot from his throat.
"Okay. This sounds crazy, and we might die, but can you blow this armory up? Preferably with as much force as possible."
The horrified look on the healers face was just the reaction he was waiting for.
"Are you mad!?"
Panda put a finger on the healers mouth.
"Listen! The pressure from the explosions blastwave should be enough to shoot out the spears. I will direct them with barriers towards the plague dragons. I know this sounds crazy and dangerous, but if it works we could change the course of the battle! Now can you do it or not!?"
The healer looked at Panda with disbelieve and nodded while his face lost all colour. Panda nodded back and said
"Look. I'll stand in front of you. If anything flies our way, I will make sure you survive."
The healer was a bit more convinced, but shook still.
Panda and the healer took their positions beside the armory, and the healer prepared his blast while Panda set up barriers to direct the blast towards the plague dragons.
"Are you ready?" Panda asked.
The healer looked at the oncoming tide of plague dragons and answered
"No, but lets do this."
Time felt like it was slowing down. Everything seemed sluggish.
"NOW!" Panda gave the signal to the healer.
At first for a splitsecond it seemed like nothing happened, until the horrified faces of plague dragons gave it away. First the armory inflated like a dough. Then the planks started flying, and immediatly after that a blinding flash forced Panda to close his eyes. A deafening boom swept over the battlefield, and Panda felt the blastwave come even through his barriers. Everything that was slowed down just exploded in an instant, and things felt like they were moving at their normal speed again. After the warm wave of pressure had passed them, Panda dared to open his eyes again. First he looked at the armory. There was nothing left. Only smoke and a small crater. Then he turned his head to see if his plan actually worked. Dozens of dead plague dragons were lying all over the battlefield with spears sticking out of them. Some of them seemed to be close enough to be partly incinerated. He let out a slight smile for the outcome of his plan. Everything was quiet for a few seconds. The plague dragons looked in terror around them, and the dragons who had retreated to the fortification lifted their heads above the walls and looked at eachother. When the first ones started to shout, others joined them, and together they started to charge towards the remaining plague dragons, who were now at a huge disadvantage. It wasn't until Panda tried to lower his hands when he noticed the pain. He spit out blood and followed it with his eyes. Looking down he noticed the spear sticking out of his chest. He placed his hands on its shaft and tried to pull it out, but something was still holding on to it. He heard a wet sound, and then a thump from behind him, and his eyes widened. Ignoring the pain, he snapped the handle of the spear with his arm and turned around. The tip of the spear was still sticking out from his back, but he was more concerned about the wounded healer. The wound wasn't deep, but the healer wasn't used to pain. Of all the places he could have been sent... Panda immediatly started healing his wounds.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop it. I shouldn't have mixed you up in this plan!"
The healer looked at him with a wide smile.
"Yes you should. It worked, didn't it?"
Panda was relieved he wasn't mad at him.

With one swift attack, the remaining plague forces were either killed or driven back. The spear tip in Pandas back was pulled out by a large guardian dragon, and a couple of healers closed his wound as best as they quickly could, before attending to other wounded dragons. Others came to congratulate Panda of his plan, calling him a hero or a madman. He was tired and beat, but he was allowed to sleep while others cleaned up the mess of the battle.

A few days later a word came from the frontlines: The war was ending. The Plague forces were driven back, and the rest of the survivors had been sent back to be healed. Panda was anxious. Aegyn was one of those who were supposed to return. At the down of the day after, the forces returned. Many were still fine, but some were wounded. The were a lot fewer than what was sent to the frontline. Panda tried to find Aegyn with his eyes. It was hard in the midst of the smell of blood and dirt and rot to try to find him by smell.
"Where is Aegyn? Have you seen him? Green and yellow wildclaw."
He tried to ask of him from others. One of the smaller wounded coatls stopped beside him.
"Aegyn? I fought beside him. He's in the back with the others."
She nodded towards the back of the line. Panda got excited and ran towards the end of the line. He felt a slight pain where the spear hit him, but it quickly turned into a crushing pain of fear in his heart. In the back of the line were mostly injured warriors. Many had lost limbs, some had their wings ripped. The smile on Pandas face melted as he saw familiar colors on one of the stretchers. He immediatly ran to them and grew pale. What he saw was nomore a dragon. Aegyn was still alive, but barely.
"Heyy. Son."
He managed to let out under his exhale. His left leg was missing and half of his face was mangled. There was only half a wing left on his back, and both of his arms were broken from multiple spots. The worst part was that most of his body seemed to be rotten to the point of no return. Pandas eyes started flooding with tears. He started to heal Aegyn, but nothing seemed to happen.
"Don't waste your energy son. I'm beyond saving. The right side of my lungs have already collapsed, and most of my insides have already rotten. Gues we ain't goin' to move back with my old clan huh?"
Panda refused to give up on him.
"No! We can still go. You're gonna be fine. You can still make it!"
The slight glow from the healing Panda was trying to accomplish started to diminish as his energy was drained.
Aegyn looked at him with sad eyes.
"Look son. I'm sorry. Looks like I'm gonna have t' leave you. This isn't what I wanted for ya. Forgive me."
Panda couldn't see through his tears.
"No. I waited for you to return so we could go back together. Please. Don't leave me."
Aegyn smiled to him
"I'm sorry son. I love ya."
His eyes closed and the last of the air in his lungs escaped through his mouth. Panda didn't even notice his healing spell ending as he stared at the limb body of Aegyn with wet eyes.
"Aegyn? No!No don't go! FATHER NO!" He slumped to the ground, weak and crushed. Aegyn was dead, and he didn't even have time to tell him all.
"I love you father."

Returning to home had never felt so repulsive as now that the home was empty...

---

---

Ever since Panda came home from the war, he had been contemplating everything Aegyn had taught him and their time together. His feelings switched between joy and sorrow, and he cried and smiled a lot. Even though he was sad of Aegyns death, he remembered his speeches of being kind and caring towards others, and always trying to find something positive in every situation. Panda was glad he had known Aegyn, but he was disappointed that Aegyn never had the chance to fullfill his dream of returning to his old tribe not as an outcast, but as a kind and caring individual. Panda had decided to live by those teachings, and after a few weeks Aegyns death was only painful because Panda loved him as a father. However, he didn't have long to get over Aegyns death.

Five weeks had passed after Panda came home, when someone was knocking at his door. The pace of the knocking was obnoxious, as if a woodpecker drank a liter of coffee and tried to get through a stonewall. That someone must have knocked at the door at least a thousand times before Panda got to the door and opened it.
"Who..!?" he started, but his sentence was cut short by a young, green spiral dragon, carrying somekind of tubes, a satchel, a pack of pencils and multiple sketchbooks.
"Hi! I'm Fujin" I'm here on behalf of the great Windsinger. You've been invited to him. Lets go already!!"
His pace of speaking was incredible. Panda was struggling to understand what he was saying.
"Wait! Slow down" The Windsinger? Why would he..?" he was cut short by Fujin again.
"Yes! He has summoned you to him. He has a mission for us as ambassadors on his behalf. We have negotiations about the war with the plague. We should already be going."
Panda tried his hardest to understand Fujins speech again. The Windsinger wants him as an ambassador to negotiate with the plague flight?
"But I'm not a negoti.."
"Nonononono you got it wrong! I'm the ambassador. You have been chosen as my bodyguard. Your actions in the war have been recognized as your swift action in the reserves camp saved many lives. I myself like fast action and appreciate how quickly you handeled it. Can't come up with many plans myself though! Needs too much time to concentrate that does. The Windsinger heard of the incident and decided you should come as my bodyguard to negotiate the border issue with the Scarred Wasteland. This would start a truce for the time being and stop all fighting for now. So are you coming?"
All this came out from Fujins mouth in less than a second and in one breath. Panda thought for a second. He wanted to make Aegyn proud. He wanted to live up to Aegyns expectations and teachings, and be the best he could. Panda always liked to help others too, and this would benefit everyone living in the Windswept Plateau.
"Yes, I think I can do that. It's an honour to get a request from the Windsinger himself!" Panda answered.
"Great! Then we should already be going!" Fujin said and nudged hard away from the door.
"Wait!" Panda said "I need to get some equipment for the trip first. I'll just pack a backpack and be right back. I won't take long."
Panda was just about to turn around and go pack his things when Fujin said
"I already took the liberty to pack your stuff. It's right there."
He pointed beside Panda, to the side of the door, where a readily packed backpack was leaning to the frame of the door. Panda looked at it in surprise. Neither of them had moved from the door anywhere.
"When did you..?" he was just about to ask, but was again cut short by Fujin.
"When you where taking your time saying "Who" when you opened the door. We really needed to be going a week ago. We can talk more on the way."
Panda nodded timidly and swinged the backpack over his shoulder, and with that the left.

Fujin seemed to always be twitching and nudging, as if he would move and stop at the same time, even though he never stopped. Even when they stopped to have a break for Panda, Fujin was always moving. Panda had to see if Fujin moved even when sleeping and stayed up one night. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he saw Fujin eyes shut for a fraction of a second.
They had been going for a few days, when Panda started to wonder where they were actually going. He never actually heard where the Windsinger is, and they seemed to be heading towards the Sea of a Thousand Currents.
"Fujin. Where exactly is Windsinger?"
Fujin circled Panda apprehensively.
"He's usually at the Cloudsong." he answered, pointing towards the floating platforms slightly to the east of their current position.
"The Cloudsong? But aren't we going the wrong way?" Panda wondered.
"I already went to him and had a quick meeting covering the details of our mission."
"Whait what? We haven't even been close to there. When did this happen?"
"Right after you agreed to leaving with me on this quest. Why?"
"But I've been with you the whole time? How could you have been there and here at the same time?"
Fujin stopped turned to face Panda.
"You mean you haven't noticed?" Fujin asked with a gleeful smile.
"Noticed what?" Panda asked with a confused look.
Fujin laughed loudly for a short moment. Even his laugh was too fast to comprehend.
"Fine. I'll slowdown for a second." Fujin said with a smirk.
Even though Panda had no idea what Fujin was talking about, he observed the spiral and expected something to change. At first it seemed as though Fujin was just staring at him, but then it seemed like he was... transparent? Panda rubbed his eyes in disbelieve.
"Don't blink now!" Fujin said with a grin.
Panda focused his sight on the spirals still trasparent form. For a splitsecond it seemed like there were more of him. First two, then three, then five or seven, Panda wasn't sure. Then they all seemed to mend together, and Fujins movements were suddenly more erratic and confusing than normally. He was twitching and twirling and twisting everywhere, and Panda thought he was posessed or broken.
"What just happened? Can you clone yourself?" Panda asked Fujin. His eyes were starting to hurt watching the erratic patterns Fujin was making in the air in front of him.
"Nononononono!" Fujin answered. His speech was even harder to understand. It sounded like it was coming from a metal tube and from behind a spinning fans blades. It had ripples, tremors, it was trembling and stressed and compressed.
"Justsofast! Can'tbelonglikethis!" Fujin seemed like staying like this was hurting him, and in a few seconds he returned to what he was before. It was like an explosion. It sounded like something exploded, and all the Fujins scattered in every direction.
"What was that?" Panda managed to ask after the situation seemed to normalise. Fujin was breathing heavily and sweating.
"Let me explain. There's this effect that happens when things move faster than you can observe them. This can be demonstrated with this."
Fujin pulled out a spinning top from his satchel. It had pictures of the Windsinger on its top in slightly different poses. Panda looked at the pictures on at a time, and it seemed like the Windsinger was flying through the sky in each picture.
"When you look at it like this it doesn't seem too special right? But see what happens when I make it spin." Fujin said and set the spinning top on a flat rock. He spun it, and told Panda to get closer. The images were blending together, and it looked like the Windsinger on the spinning top was actually moving.
"When something moves faster than you can process it in front of your eyes your brains try to come up with something logical to make up with what your eyes are missing which results in the images to blend together and it seems like the image is moving. The same effect happens with me. I'm actually not here and at the same time I am here. It's a bit complicated but to make it simple I'm moving faster than what your brain can process." Fujin exclaimed.
To Panda this was at the same time extremely confusing and extremely facinating.
"Wow! How is that even possible?" he asked.
"Well to be exact I'm not quite sure but it just happened one day. I was just going along with the wind like always and everything seemed to slowdown so I started going faster trying to make everything else go faster but it only made them go slower and now I can't slow down too much. Needs too much concentration so I can't focus on just one thing so I'm here and there and everywhere to concentrate on all the things I can!" Fujin was spinning in a circle over the spinning top.
"So now I can be in multiple places at the same time while actually I'm in one place any given nanosecond."
Pandas jaw had dropped. He closed his mouth before saying
"That crazy, but I can't argue with whatever you just said and what I saw."
He couldn't say anything more to the matter. After a short break trying to get his brain back online he continued
"So the Windsinger already knows I'm with you. Where are we going then exactly?"
Fujin pointed towards north-east.
"We're going to go through the Sea of a Thousand Currents escorted by someone the Tidelord has appointed to escort us and then continue through the Tangled Wood. There we won't have an escort so we need to be careful. The Shadowbinder isn't actually known to be very kind so we don't know if we're left alone in there or if we'll get ambushed. When we get through the Tangled Wood we should be at the Dragonhome where we'll head to the bottom of the Pillar of the World. There we'll be greeted by someone from the Septarian Shield clan. They seem to be serving the Earthshaker so they'll be there as a third party to ensure the neutrality of the treaty so no one gets the short end of the stick so to say. There will be an ambassador chosen by the Plaguebringer in addition to us and the aforementioned. In addition everyone is allowed one bodyguard." Fujin went through the plan. Panda nodded.
"Well then... Shall we continue forward then? We have an important mission."
Fujin smiled with a grin.
"Waaaaay ahead of you!" he said and darted away playfully, before getting distracted by a butterfly he never before saw, a bird singing and a dozen other things. Panda giggled. Fujin was never still and never quiet, even at night, but maybe someone as lively as Fujin was just what Panda needed to ease the pain of Aegyns death.

They continued to the edge of the Sea of a Thousand Currents, where they were greeted by a familiar face.
"Ahti!" Panda shouted as soon as he saw his old travel companion.
"Greetings, my friend." Ahti bowed before Panda, and greeted Fujin with a smile.
"I have been sent to escort you through the waves."
Panda smiled and greeted Ahti with a nod.
"What a coincidence!" Panda laughed.
Fujin looked to Ahti, then to Panda and back to Ahti.
"I take it you two have met?"
Ahti nodded to Fujin.
"Yes. I take it you would like to make haste. Unfortunately these waves are not to take lightly, so we cannot go as fast as you'd like, mister Fujin."
Fujin looked uncomfortable.
"Can't go fast? Hnngggg!!!" Fujin twisted and nudged. Ahti let out a deep laugh.
"Do not worry my friend. I have planned a route that allows you to move freely."
As before with Ymir, it seemed like Ahti knew Fujin from before and took his anxious nature into consideration.
"This way, please." Ahti turned to lead the two along a beach dotted with colorfull shells. Fujin examined each and everyone of them and seemed to have conversations with some of them. Panda smiled. It felt good to be in a company of such good friends. Ahti had a concerned expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" Panda asked.
"Oh it is nothing, really. It just feels weird to lead you, my friend." Ahti said and smiled.
As always, Panda had no idea where this came from, but he smiled back at Ahti. Fujin came back, shoving his sketchbook in Pandas face.
"Look! I drew a quick map of the area, and it seems that with this speed well actually save a couple of days of the initial scedule!"
"A quick map!?" Panda thought to himself. The picture was like a photograph. Fujin had even drew every single shell on the beach around them to the map. But he was right. The route Ahti was taking them would save them time compared to what they thought they needed to do, which was to cross the Sea with a boat or a raft, or better yet, by swimming. Flying over it was dangerous because of strong sea winds and condenced humidity, which caused thunder storms at places and would make wings too heavy to fly when they got wet.
The journey through the Sea of a Thousand Currents was mostly uneventful, but Panda got to spend time with an older friend and a new friend, so he didn't complain. When they got to the edge of the Tangled Wood, Ahti stopped and said
"This is where I must leave you."
Panda turned to him and nodded.
"Thank you Ahti. It was nice to see you again."
Ahti bowed deeply to Panda and smiled. His smile faded away as he said
"There's one more thing, my friend. I am deeply sorry for Aegyn. I know he meant a lot to you." he bowed again, this time in respect for Aegyn. Pandas smile escaped him. He looked down, regained his smile and nodded to Ahti.
"Thank you."
"He would be proud of what you'll be." Ahti continued. "We will see again, my friend. Take care."
With that he bowed one last time and turned away. Panda and Fujin turned towards the Tangeled Wood, and a slight chill crept up their spines. They took their first steps carefully, but contued with a resolute pace towards the forest.

The forest wasn't actually dark, but no light came through the trees. It was one big shadow. The air was moist and chilly, and everything was suspicious. Sometimes it seemed like the shadows were moving.
"Should we go more west so we can see the Scarred Wastelad? That way we would know we're going the right way." Panda said.
"Smart. Unfortunately we're still not in a truce with the plague dragons so we can't get too close. It would put us in danger of getting ambushed by them on our way to discuss the terms of the truce." Fujin answered. They were somewhere neither of them knew, and the place was confusing. Sometimes it felt like things were changing in front of their eyes, but that could have just been a trick of the shadows. Suddenly there was a rustle nearby in a bush.

Just as they heard the rustling, a dark shape jumped at them from the bush. Panda parried the attacker with a swift wave of his hand, and the attacker continued his flying path to the bushes behind, landing out of sight. Panda wanted to tell Fujin to stay close to him, but as Fujin was always so erratic Panda saw it better to say
"Don't stop moving Fujin! Stay out of reach!"
Fujin gave him a quick nod and darted off. Panda was left to fend for himself. A deep, gravely voice echoed from the bushes where their attacker landed.
"You have stepped upon the land of the Shadowbloods. State your business!"
Panda tried to pinpoint a source for the voice.
"We're just passing through! We're headed for Dragonhome. We don't mean to cause any trouble!"
The voice seemed a little softer this time.
"You are still trespassing. What have you seen?"
The question struck Panda as a bit weird, but he answered nonetheless.
"Nothing! Just trees and mushrooms. We just want to get out of this forest. Can you point us to the right direction?" It was quiet for a few seconds before the voice answered
"Ofcourse!"
The bushes were rustling, and out of the bush stepped a dark coloured nocturne. He blended in the shadows as if a part of them. He walked to Panda, looked to him up and down, and adjusted his posture to match Pandas.
"I can lead you out. I was quite bored anyway."
Panda relaxed a bit. The dragon was a bit weird, but if he could lead them out of the forest he was willing to put up with more weird dragons in his company. Panda nodded as a thanks. The dragon nodded back. Panda looked at him suspiciously.
"I'm Panda. My companion was Fujin. He'll be back when he feels it's safe."
The dragon seemed matchingly suspicios of Panda and introduced himself.
"I'm Loki. I'll help you get out of this forest. We'll be out before you know it."
His voice seemed to change everytime he spoke. Now he sounded exactly like Panda.
"Thank you." Panda said cautiously "Which way?"
Loki started walking to a direction and Panda followed.

Panda was wondering how anyone could know where they were going in the forest, since everywhere looked the same. Suddenly Fujin was whispering to Pandas ear and starteled him.
"So is he okay?" Fujin whispered.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Panda snarled. He regained his calmness.
"I don't know. He said he was going to lead us out of the forest, but I don't quite trust him." Loki didn't seem to notice Fujin was back, so Panda continued
"Stay close, but don't reveal yourself. If something goes wrong, get as far as you can."
Fujin nodded and disappeared to the wind.

Loki seemed weird to Panda. He only spoke when spoken to, and his actions and words never felt like his own. It was like he was mocking Panda. He didn't let it bother too much, since he had heard that nocturnes can be that way. They got to an opening in the forest. There were brables everywhere, and in middle of them there was a doorlike opening.
"Through there." Loki said and pointed towards the opening.
"I must get back to my post. Goodbye." He said and disappeared in the shadows. Panda was suspicious, but this was their only information for getting out of the forest. He went in from the opening, and started walking down a corridor made of brambles. They were poking him and giving him cuts, but he didn't let it bother too much. He walked for a while, following the turns along the way, but then it felt like something was off. He was turning too much to the right. He continued for a while more, until he encountered a deadend. He turned back and started following the same corridor back. Now it was starting to feel really weird. He was going the way he came from, but he was still turning right. He tried to find wholes or other corridors, but it seemed that everytime he saw an opening it grew shut before he could get to it. Something was keeping him in the brambles knowingly. Panda tried to pick up his pace, but still couldn't manage to catchup to the openings. Suddenly he heard a voice above him. It was Fujin.
"The brambles seem to be shifting! The path is constantly changing!"
There was no way Panda could find a way out just by randomly trying to find his way. This was no oridinary labyrinth.
"Fujin! Can you see a way out?"
"I can but it's constantly changing!"
"We can't do much about it! Can you guide me out of here?"
"If you can keep up!"
"I'll do my best!"
Fujin started giving Panda directions, changing them as the path changed.
"A short while forward and then left! Now right! NO! Back up a little and then right! Now straight!"
After two hours of running, turning, backing and repeating, Panda was finally out. He was bleeding slightly from several places and tired, but at least he got through. Or at least that's what he thought. Looking around he saw the same trees and stones he saw when they came to the brambles. He was back at the begining.
"Fujin! I thought you were guiding me through!"
"I'm sorry but that was the only exit!" Fujin defended himself. Suddenly he disappeared again. Loki appeared from the shadows of the trees.
"I just came back to tell you that the brambles are evershifting, so maybe this isn't the best way out."
Panda stood up and snarled at Loki
"You did that on purpose!"
"I did not!" Loki snarled back. He shook his head and calmed down. "It just slipped my mind." he said with a slight smile. "There is another way though. No brambles there, I swear." Loki started to walk to the forest again. Panda looked around if he could see Fujin. He was nearby, trying to stay out of Lokis sights. Panda followed Loki to the forest.
"I'm terribly sorry for that." Loki said.
"Don't worry about it." Panda said. He wanted to believe it was an honest accident. "I've been through war, so that wasn't so bad."
Loki seemed to shiver.
"War? Well that's not good."
After a while they came to another opening. They were walking through the middle of the opening, when Loki suddenly disappeared with a laugh.
"Let's see what a bishop can do against a dozen pawns!" The words echoed through the air, when suddenly Panda heard a sound like a stampede. Twenty centaurs ran at him from the woods with their weapons in their hands. Panda didn't have much time to react, but he managed to put up a protective barrier for himself before the first attacks hit him. As the barrier broke from the overwhelming amount of attacks, Panda took a chance to swipe with his tail, knocking few of the attackers to the ground. A spear hit him in the shoulder, and he retaliated with his claws, sratching fatal wounds on couple of the centaurs. He had little time when two more were on him, and he threw them as far towards the woods as he could. Even when the centaurs were a lot smaller than him, their numbers made it hard to deal with. The battle took its toll on Panda and he was heavily wounded, but he managed to beat the centaurs by the length of his fur. He took this chance to heal his wounds as best as he could.
"Wow! I must hand it to you, I do believe you've been in a war now. Doesn't matter though, you're not fit to defend yourself now. All I need to do is finnish thi.." Lokis sentence was cut short and suddenly he flew out of the bushes, Fujin holding him from the neck with his claws and smashing him to the ground. Panda stood up just as Loki kicked Fujin off of himself. While Loki was getting up, Panda had just enough time to jump at him and grab him by the arms and push him to the ground. He headbutted Loki in the face and shouted at his face
"No more games!"
Loki looked terrified. He was defeated just as he thought he had won. His voice was different now. It was raspy and gravely.
"Yeah I guess so..." He lowered his look in to the ground with a defeated face.
"I'm sorry. I was just trying to follow orders and have some fun while doing it."
Panda felt his disappointment. He calmed down a bit, but held Loki tightly in his grip.
"What orders?"
Loki seemed like he didn't want to answer. Panda decided to let the issue slide.
"Look. We just need to get out of this forest and to Dragonhome. We have something important to do that effects many others too."
Loki looked Panda into his gentle eyes. He felt somewhat eased. He relaxed.
"I'm sorry. Please, let me go. I won't cause trouble anymore." Loki pleaded. Panda realized his eyes were different. They seemed earnest and honest. He let go of Lokis arms and they both got up.
"I understand if you have orders, but why couldn't you just let us go in the first place?"
"It's complicated. I don't really understand the reasoning behind my orders. To be honest, I'm not sure they even came from my leader." Loki said staring down.
"Then why don't you confirm them from your leader?" Panda continued the conversation "I'm sure you could get clarification. If you don't feel like their the best course of action, why don't you think for yourself?" Pandas words hit something inside Loki. All his life he was expected to do as he was told, and all he ever did was do what others do in fear of discrimination. This was the first time ever someone wanted him to think to himself.
"You're right. I might just ask him. I will leave you now." Loki turned away to leave. This whole encounter was confusing to Panda, and he wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to help Loki in some way.
"Do you need me to accompany you when you go confront your leader?" Panda asked carefully.
"Somehow I feel like that would help" Loki answered "but I'm afraid that's not possible. I cannot show you where our clan resides. You have made me think though. Thank you." and with that Loki disappeared to the shadows. Fujin came beside Panda and asked
"Is it fine to let him go? He tried to kill us."
Panda looked to where Loki disappeared. "I think it's fine. There was certain honor in his eyes. The problem we still have is that we still don't know where we need to go."
"About that." Lokis voice echoed in the shadows. "When the moon rises, look for the glowing mushrooms. They will lead you to the edge of the forest, from where you will see the remains of the Pillar of the World. Then you are already close." After that Loki was gone. Panda felt like this time they could trust him. They made a camp for the time being, and Panda had time to rest up and heal his wounds. When the moon was rising, dimly glowing mushrooms started dotting the woods. Sure enough, following them Panda and Fujin found their way out of the woods and saw the Pillar of the World. They had finally arrived to the edge of the Dragonhome.

As they took their first steps on the lands of Dragonhome, they felt the air was dry and hot. They headed straight towards the pillar, and beside some longneck attacks they had no trouble on the way. Below the pillar they were greeted by an absolutely massive guardian dragon standing proudly in the shadow of the pillar. His hands and wings were frozen, and he was wearing a bright armor. As Fujin and Panda approached him, he bowed to them with a bended knee, before rising up above them and starting to speak.
"Greetings. You must be the ambassador from the Windswept Plateau. I am Titan, firstborn of the leader of the Septarian Shield clan and the bodyguard of the arbitrator in this meeting. We will both also act as witnesses in this case."
His voice was deep, but Panda could clearly detect that he wasn't a full grown dragon yet. Panda and Fujin both bowed back to Titan and greeted him properly.
"Tell me, Titan. How does one so young get picked as a bodyguard in a matter such as this one?" Panda asked.
"Certainly. This job was assigned to me by our leader, my mother, Atira. She wishes for me to learn the responsibilies and judgement it takes to one day continue leading our clan in her stead." Titan explained.
"Your mother seems to have a lot of faith in you. Assigning you to this mission shows you already have at least some of what it takes." Panda said with an encouraging smile. Titan smiled slighty and said
"You honour me with your words. I do trust in my mothers judgement, so it must be so then."
Panda nodded.
"Where is this arbitrator though? I would think they would be beside their bodyguard." Panda wondered. Almost immediately after saying this, Panda was startled by a rumbling coming from a nearby rock.
"I am here." said a soft voice very slowly. Panda watched as the rock slowly turned to face them, and noticed it was actually a female snapper. It blended perfectly to the dry ground, save for the black rocks dotting its skin. With a closer inspection the black rocks were pure obsidian. Noticing Pandas stare, the snapper said slowly.
"This is what happens when you take your time walking through a desert. They have quite grown on me though." The snapper let out a toothy grin, as if waiting for a reaction for her bad joke. The grin faded, but a wide smile remained.
"I am the arbitrator, Terra from the Septarian Shield clan. Nice to meet you."
Panda bowed to her.
"I'm Panda, bodyguard of the wind ambassador, and the one circling the pillar is the ambassador, Fujin. He'll be back here after he has drawn the pillar a dozen of times. Don't worry, it won't take long."
Terra sneered.
"Yes, I remember hearing of you two. You were the war hero, were you not? And he is the map maker. Do not worry. We have all the time." Her words were long and listening to her was tedious. She was the polar opposite of Fujin. There seemed to be certain wisdom in her speech though. Now the only ones missing were the plague ambassador and their bodyguard. Titan and Terra had a camp at the bottom of the pillar, and they invited Panda and Fujin there to wait the missing duo.

They waited for two days. In this time they had gotten to know Titan and Terra better, and heard the history of the Dragonhome and dragonkind from Terra in great detail. She told them long stories troughout the days, and each story was told in such detail and accuracy that Panda and Fujin could clearly see the happenings in front of their eyes. Titan was always standing in a high posture, guarding the surroundings, but occationally he would smile and tell stories of his own about his mother and their clan. They seemed to directly serve the Earthshaker himself, or at least Atira does and everyone else serves Atira. On the dusk of the second day, they saw two figures approaching from the south. The other was a brown pearlcatcher, who seemed like he had his skin ripped from some spots, and the other was a female mirror who looked like she was completely skinned and partly rotten. Her fleshy appearance made Panda uneasy. They approached the camp, and as Titan greeted them, they waved him aside. Terras face was serious.
"Those are the ones we have been waiting for." she told. "The pearlcatcher was one of the commanders in the war. He invaded villages with his forces and left no survivors as long as they got their filling of them."
Panda looked at Terra in disgust.
"They ate dragons? How revolting."
Terra nodded in agreement and continued.
"The fleshy one is known as Kalma. She is the daughter of their clans leader, who was killed in the war. As she is not the firstborn her brother was the one to inherit the leading role in the clan. The nature of plague dragons is a horrid one though, and as he was challenged by another and killed in combat, his position was transitioned to the challenger. As their clan already is not a normal plague clan, seeing that they house others than mirrors too, Kalma was not satisfied. There has been rumors that she is considering leaving the clan and starting her own pack, destroying the clan as their goal."
Kalma was walking straight towards them, but stopped at a safe distance.
"Hello." she said with a voice that reminded Panda of the guardian he slit the throat of in the war. It was a mixture of gurgling and hissing. Fujin had appeared to the meeting from wherever he was. After a formal introduction of everyone, a run down of rules and an explanation of what the goal of this meeting was, they started to discuss the truce.

Fujin, Terra and Kalma had set up a makeshift table where they sat, discussing the terms and demands. Panda, Titan and the pearlcatcher were standing ready in case things got out of hand. Titan was squeesing his swords handle and the pearlcatcher was resting a hammer on his shoulder. At this point Panda realized he had no weapon. The pearlcatcher looked at him with an evil grin, tightening his grip of the hammer. Fujin had drawn out a map of the border between the Windswept Pateau and the Scarred Wasteland, and was pointing out parts of it.
"The Windsinger has agreed to forfeit these areas to the Plaguebringer in exchange of these three areas right here. This would allow for more hunting grounds for you and the once lost bamboo forests of the northern part would get a chance to grow back." Fujin was explaining, as Kalma jumped up from her seat and shouted.
"Outrageous! We've been hunting there before your stupid bamboos were even a thing!" She jumped at Fujin. At the same time the pearlcatcher had lunged at Titan, who had blocked his hammer with his sword. Panda managed to block Kalma with a barrier before she reached Fujin. The situation seemed to stop in it's track as Panda shouted
"STOP!"
Everyone was staring at the usually calm tundra. Terra didn't seem to move from where she was. Kalma nodded to the pearlcatcher, who returned to his position as Kalma returned to her seat.
"My apologies." she hissed from under her breath. "How impulsive of me." Panda was surprised to notice that Kalma seemed embarrassed of her behaviour. Terra tried to get everyone back on the task at hand.
"Please, everyone. We are here to discuss the truce between the two flights."
Kalma looked to her with a grimace, but calmed down right after.
"So... These areas? There is nothing to hunt in these two areas, you can have them. But this one is also empty, we require something else in its stead." she exclaimed to Fujin. Panda looked at the map.
"May I interrupt for a second? I'm sorry if I'm stepping over my boundaries here, but this area right here is teeming with animal life. The area isn't large, but wildlife there is lush considering. It's right at the border too." he was circling and area on the map with his claw. Kalma didn't seem to happy that a bodyguard was meddling with their negotiations, but apparently he was right, since Kalmas grimace faded away. Terra nodded Panda to leave the table, and Panda quickly went back to his position. Fujin and Kalma inspected the map and exchanged some thoughts of Pandas suggestion. After a while Fujin turned his head to Panda and nodded with a smile. Panda smiled back and nodded. It was clear that his idea had sparked an agreement of some sort.

The negotiations continued to the morning, but at the end of it a truce was signed. As per one of the conditions, and on Kalmas agreement, Panda and Fujin were to be escorted back to the Windswept Plateau through the Scarred Wasteland by Kalma. They said their goodbyes to Titan and Terra as they left for their return. The Scarred Wasteland was a harsh place. Everywhere was rot and death, and the stench was in accordance to that. Hostilities were everywhere and Panda started to understand why the plague dragons were waging war against them in the first place.
"How can you live here?" Panda asked Kalma.
"Plague dragons are born in a world of survival. The land beneath us rots as we walk, and everything living we find must be hunted before it dies before us. Compared to other areas, this place really tests your survival skills." Kalma didn't seem to mind the harsh environment. Her head still descended and her expression changed to sorrow. Panda didn't know she could even be so expressive, since her basic expression was "I'm going to eat you alive".
"What's wrong?" Panda asked. Kalmas answer surprised him.
"We are hunters, and we don't much care for social life, but as us mirrors usually live in packs, it easily gets lonely when there's no one you can trust."
Kalma walked for a second like this, but quickly shook her head and exclaimed to Panda.
"But don't think I care for that kind of stuff! When it comes to hunting and surviving the Scarred Wasteland, there's no one better than me!"
Panda smiled to her.
"It's okay to feel lonely sometimes. I lost my father in the war, and the following weeks were the loneliest I ever was. But having friends helps a lot!" he said and nodded towards Fujin, who was drawing a picture of a skeleton drowning in rotten flesh pile. Kalma let out a slight smile that exposed her pointy teeth.
"I guess you could be right. I ain't got much experience on that stuff though." she said and looked at Panda.
"Who knows, maybe you could teach me on that!" she winked. Panda let out a small laugh and answered her.
"I guess I could. You know, at first I thought you were just about eating everything and killing what's left, but you seem kinda nice for a plague dragon."
Kalmas expression changed first to embarrasment, then back to her normal angry.
"Bulls**t! There's nothing nice about me!" she shouted and shook her fist at Panda. Panda took a step back.
"Sorry. I didn't mean you're soft or anything. You just seem more social than what you look to the outside." Kalma put her fist down and turned to continue forward with a confused face. They walked quietly for a while until Kalma said
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, save the praise my father gave me for my hunting prowess." Panda smiled quietly behind Kalmas back. He had seen her battle prowess personally during their trip through the Scarred Wasteland, when some other dragons tried to ambush them but Kalma singlehandedly drove them off. Some dragons seemed to know her, seeing as they cowered in fear when they walked past. They were getting closer to the pateau. Panda could already see bamboo growing in the distance.
"Thank you for escorting us." Panda said as they arrived at the border.
"It was nothing." Kalma laughed "You couldn't have made it without me! Besides, I think that's the most I've ever had a conversation with someone before." she smiled a pointy smile with her teeth. Panda smiled back. It was safe to say he had made lots of new friends on this trip.
"Propably not." he laughed "Goodbye Kalma. Maybe well see on a hunt sometime." He winked. Kalma laughed back.
"I sure hope you can hunt then! Otherwise that would be embarrassing!" She turned around to leave. "Maybe we could do something else that is fun." She wiggled her rear at Panda and winked before she left on her way. Panda blushed. Fujin was giggling beside him. Panda shook his blush away and pushed Fujin.
"Come on!" he said as they continued their way.
"I think she wishes you'd come on her." Fujin said and laughed loudly. Their return was welcomed by a wind sprite, who took Fujin back to the Cloudsong to report to the Windsinger and gave Panda a letter. Panda headed home and opened the letter.

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To be continued

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