Prolouge: New Light
It was the brightest place they had ever seen. Light seemed to be emanation from every surface, illuminating the landscape with a blinding glow. The entire scene was purely radiant.
Or, at least that's how it felt to Kahli.
Having been born in Shadow, the young wildclaw was used to straining her eyes to get a good look at anything. Now... well, now she was slightly concerned that she would be blinded.
Killian slid an arm around her shoulders, shielding her eyes in his chest. "You'll get used to it." Killian had grown up in light, had always loved how warm and bright the place was, and never quite felt at home anywhere else.
"Hey. It's getting late, we should probably make camp." The third member of the party glanced at his brother, nodding at a nearby stream. "This seems as good a place as any."
Killian nodded. "Perfect. We'll pitch there." The three wildclaws trudged over to the chosen spot, enjoying the pause and chance to catch their breath. They had been traveling together for weeks - all three had woken up in a dark forest in Shadow. The strangest part was that none of then could remember how they had gotten there. They all agreed - something went wrong in their last clan... but none of them could name what. Finally, after a few days of searching (and never finding anyone they knew) Killian suggested that they travel to another flight. Perhaps they would discover the missing pieces to the story elsewhere.
After pitching their tent, Killian fashioned a makeshift blindfold for Kahli. "Here. Until you adjust."
The purple dragon blushed a little as she turned to let him put it on. Killian's claws shook a little as he fastened the band. "There. Better?"
"Much. Thank you." She turned to walk away and nearly collided with Delta. "Oops. Didn't see you there. Sorry."
Delta turned her in the right direction and then pivoted back to face Killian. One look at his brother told him everything he needed to know. "You're falling for her!"
"Shh!" Killian shot daggers at Delta a he whirled to check if Kahli had heard. Thankfully, she hadn't. Delta was still chuckling softly. "We're just close. We've... she's been through a lot in the last little while."
"So have I. And I don't see you making me a blindfold."
"You're not from Shadow."
"Yes I am."
"You aren't Shadow-aligned, you dolt. Now calm down and build a fire. I'm starving."
Delta rolled his eyes and playfully bumped Killian's shoulder as he marched past, muttering something about snacking on burning coals.
"Hey, Kahli, are you alright? You've been in here for quite a while, we're both getting pretty worried about you." Delta stood cautiously at the tent door, concern replacing his usually-jovial expression. Kahli had been acting sick for a few days now, and it only seemed to be getting worse.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm just tired from all the travel. And it's really bright here." Kahli sighed contentedly into her blanket. "I just don't really want to get up. Do you two mind if I just sleep?"
"Of course not. Do you want food? Or we can make tea?" A soft smile found it's way onto Delta's face. "I picked some of your favorite while we were still in Shadow."
That made the young wildclaw perk up almost instantly. "You did?"
"'Course! I'm just thoughtful like that." The two exchanged a few more words before Delta grabbed a bucket. "I'm gonna put the water on. Do you want to consider joining us by the campfire? It's real nice. Besides, the sun is almost down. Which means it wont be so bright."
Kahli frowned playfully at her friend. "Fine. I'll come out. But only because the fresh air helps keep the nausea at bay."
"Whatever works for you, babe."
"Don't call me babe."
"Sure thing, sweetcheeks." Delta let out a shriek as he ducked, barely avoiding the pillow flying at his head. "Careful, you could hurt someone with that."
"That's the plan,
sweetcheeks." Before Kahli could grab another projectile, Delta booted from the tent.
The tea made Kahli think of home, which was strange, because she couldn't remember a thing about the place. She had vague memories of a castle. And she knew she had a sister... somewhere. But other than that, it was all one big blur. She didn't know who her parents were. She didn't know anything about her history. Only that she, Delta, and Killian had all been friends before the forest.
"You alright over there?" Killian's voice was full of concern.
"Huh?" The female's head snapped up quickly. "Sorry, I missed that..."
"It's fine - wasn't important. Are you okay? You look pale."
"Thanks..."
"No. I mean it."
"I'm just sick, you guys. I'm fine. It's just a bug. Nothing to worry about."
"I think we should settle here. Form a clan."
Killian stared in shock at the Shadow dragon. "Seriously? You want to stay in Light?"
"Why not? It's safe. It's beautiful. And it's... it feels like home, Killian. I want to stay here." Tears were forming in the young dragon's eyes as she gazed at the brothers. "This is it. This is home. We have to stop and settle somewhere. And this is a better place than any other we've been." A deep breath. "I really want to settle down. Something inside of me is longing for stability. Please."
The brothers murmured a few words to each other before turning back to their companion. "We think it's a great idea."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." Killian stepped closer to Kahli, taking her claws in his own. "Let's' stay here. Let's make this home."
@
Petall (I assumed you'd want a ping :D )
