Creative Corner

@Acuarela

You bring up a lot of very valid points, which I appreciate a lot. It's given me even more to think about.
The nocs indeed don't have anyone to imprint off of in that way (or at least, Clade and Marshall don't. The females are going to be a mirror and skydancer.) So it doesn't make any sense for them to grow that way via mimicking. The thought of magical energy flowing through the earth and causing changes is still valid, but I'm still iffy on it myself.

It's making me think the best option might be to go ahead with my traveling merchant idea. One dragon (or I mean, two to watch each other's backs,) who can bring goods from civilization, including stranger things like breed scrolls. What are your thoughts on that?

Unfortunately, the nocs being nocs is in fact a minor plot point as in my next piece the dragons will be discussing holidays. That's why the roc had all the nocturnes and so on.

And, yep. You're right about antagonists being introduced very, very soon.

@Kosaa

Ohh I loved those dryads so much. I actually have them both in my vault, haha. I don't usually keep duplicates but I didn't want to sell 'em off.

And I'm glad you feel that way, it's a lot simpler and also really, really good to hear that people genuinely prefer I keep it that way.

@Kaial

A merchant could work. Someone who finds something your clan has (that's not gold/gems) valuable enough to accept it as payment and who feels safe enough to keep returning to the area.

No Promises

It was early evening by the time the two mirrors managed to drag their kill home. They stored it away in the cellar for Edan to clean later and hurried inside, eager to check on their group.

They were greeted by a somewhat odd sight, Saerun seated in the middle of the floor, draped in various rags and scraps of fabric that Ila was pinning to fit. A few of the hatchlings were sitting nearby, watching with some vague interest. Hazel scurried over to be picked up, and Rorin helped her clamber onto his back.

Ila turned quickly to face them both and did an enthusiastic wave.
“You’re back!” she greeted warmly, beaming at the sight of her clanmates. “So… does that mean everything is alright? Did you find anything?”

“No sign of other dragons,” Rorin replied. “We did catch a deer, though. And uh, Ila… what are you… doing?”

“Wh - oh, I’m trying to make clothes,” Ila laughed. “Saerun said she was feeling a bit cold, and nothing we have really fits her.”

The rather embarrassed looking skydancer offered a nervous smile.

Edan snorted, silently marveling at how easily Ila seemed to make friends - or maybe just how tolerant Saerun was being.
“I suppose it’s safe to assume nothing happened on your end either?”

“No, it’s been quiet,” Ila replied as she carefully marked pieces of the fabric with coal. She straightened her posture and began to remove the pins. “Solveig’s been keeping watch for us just in case.”

“They have? Where?”

“Out… side,” Ila replied slowly. Her face fell. “You… they’re not out there are they?”

“Oh for gods’ sake,” Edan snapped, throwing open the door and flicking to his heat vision. “SOLVEIG!”

He immediately noticed a figure dashing toward him through the trees.

“What the hell were you doing out there?” he snapped, voice still raised.

“Sorry, I was just… checking the periphery,” the pearlcatcher replied between breaths.

“Well, don’t do that!” Edan scolded. “That’s our job! Stay near the house when you’re on your own!”

The mirror shook his head and held the door open, ushering the pearlcatcher back inside.
As he shut the door behind them and turned back to the group, he noted that Saerun had a very odd look on her face, her antennae twitching.
It didn’t last long enough for him to ask about it.

“Okay ‘Run!” Ila said brightly, slipping the fabric off the skydancer. “I think I got everything I needed to know. I’ll start working on this for you tonight!”

“T-thank you, Ila,” she replied, blinking as if dazed for a moment. She carefully braced herself and stood. “I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, no problem! I’m happy to do it!” Ila replied, smiling at the skydancer as the latter made her way to the side room and lay down. She then turned back to Edan - still smiling - but eyes unusually serious, with hands on her hips. “I have some stuff to talk to you about!”

“Uh,” Edan recoiled, slightly taken aback. “…Alright, Ila. Sure.”

The nocturne nodded and immediately headed outside. It seemed she wanted privacy.

“…Solveig, get things prepped for dinner,” Edan instructed, looking from the pearlcatcher to Rorin. “And you, look after the hatchlings. You both alright with that?”

“Yeah, okay,” Rorin nodded. “No problem.”

Solveig started taking food from the shelves without a word.

“Good,” Edan stated simply, turning and heading out the door.

They’d decided to take a walk before the sun set, Edan getting one last patrol in for the day and Ila gathering plants for food and materials.

At first, she’d only asked general questions about his hunt with Rorin, and how the younger mirror was managing. Edan was confused, at first, as to why she’d wanted to talk in private.

But then the more serious conversation started.

“I’m worried about us,” Ila said quietly, her back to him as she stripped bark from a peeling tree. “Saerun told me more about that… group she’s from while you were gone today.”

“What did she say?” Edan asked, his eyes on the nocturne, who seemed to be trying to avoid his gaze.

“I promised her I wouldn’t share the details,” Ila replied somewhat apologetically. “It’s a very painful thing for her. But please trust me when I say it’s really, really bad.”

“I trust you,” Edan sighed. “But I’m not sure where you’re going with this if that’s all you planned to tell me.”

“The hatchlings are getting older, they’re starting to listen,” Ila replied. “Especially Ciron. He’s quiet, but he understands a lot. I don’t want them to grow up with that kind of fear. Unless they have to.”

Edan’s heart sunk. He hadn’t really considered that.

“I really like Saerun,” Ila continued, still looking away. “And Ciron is very sweet. But I’m terrified of what they bring. Edan, what are we going to do if somebody comes for them?”

“I have a plan in case of it,” Edan replied, hoping to assure her. “All you’d have to worry about is keeping the kids grouped together inside. Rorin and I will take care of it.”

“Rorin’s a kid, too,” Ila breathed, shaking her head. Finally, she turned to look at Edan, her expression pained. “It’s an entire clan, you know. We’re no match for that.”

“The entire clan isn’t going to come looking, Ila,” Edan explained. “That wouldn’t make any sense. All we have to do is take out the scouts.”

“I don’t think Rorin will be able to handle that.”

“He already agreed to it.”

“That doesn’t mean he can handle it.”

“I know,” Edan admitted, shaking his head. “But it’s something he needs to be prepared for. I’ll do it myself if at all possible.”

“Have you killed another dragon before, Edan?”

“I have,” Edan replied. The nocturne subtly winced at his statement. “When it was necessary. It’s just a part of survival.”

“And you’re just…” she grimaced. “Okay with that?”

“It’s not about how I feel,” Edan said flatly. “Like I said, it’s just part of survival. Us or them.”

“It’s awful,” Ila whispered, shaking her head.

“…It is,” Edan relented. “But that doesn’t matter.”

For a while after, they remained in that spot, letting the unpleasant conversation sink in. Ila sorted and bagged her new materials, and Edan kept watch for anything nearby.

“I have a favor to ask,” Ila said, breaking the period of silence.

“What is it?”

“If they come, I want you to take me with you instead of Rorin, if you can,” she said quickly, her voice pleading. “I’ve been training longer than him, and I really don’t want him to go through that.”

“Ila, I don’t -”

“Don’t argue with me, please. I’ve thought about this. Please just tell me you’ll consider it.”

“Fine,” Edan sighed. “I’ll consider it, Ila.”

“Thank you,” the nocturne breathed, relief clear in her tone. “Thank you, Edan.”

“But I’m not promising anything,” he added, frowning and shaking his head. “…Anyway, we need to head back. It’s getting dark.”

“Oh. Yes, you’re right,” Ila blinked, looking around at the dimming forest. “Thank you for listening to me.”

“Anytime,” Edan replied, turning and starting to head in the direction of home. “Maybe it’ll be a lighter one next time.”

“Oh! Actually!” Ila gasped, suddenly sounding much more herself as she hurried along beside him. “I do have something else I wanted to tell you about today! Saerun helped me figure out how that roc had all those hatchlings!

Can you tell me more about Night of the Nocturne?”

---

I want to wish a huge thanks to everyone who took the time to share their opinions with me! It really helped me make decisions for what we're going to do moving forward.
Here's a TON of dialogue as your reward, lmao. There's a lot of... seeds here, for future plot branches. I wonder how many you'll spot.

We're doing a minor time skip next! WOO!

Oh, one more thing. I just wanted to post here that Saerun's name is pronounced Say - roon. So her nickname is pronounced like the word Rune, rather than Run. c:

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A Discussion


Days passed, and then weeks. Fortnight of the Nocturne ended, and the hectic state of the world outside began to ease.

The nocturne hatchlings came of age, and though none picked up Ila’s love of sewing, she did manage to spark the creative spirits in some:

Clade developed a passion for drawing and cataloguing their native plants, and soon had begun a guide that listed each ones’ various uses, from fiber to food to poison. Hazel adored seeking out scraps and trinkets she thought might be useful, building trinkets and weapons from any scraps Ila couldn’t use.
Marshall and Espen weren’t quite as creatively minded, and simply loved to tear their way through the forest and keep their siblings safe while they worked.

Ciron grew up, as well, and desperately wanted to start earning his keep. In spite of protests from both Edan and Saerun, he was steadfast, and a way was worked out.

With Rorin at his side to sweep the area and watch for anyone coming, and Saerun to keep an eye on him and identify any threats from their old clan, another full team was formed. Though they only went out for short excursions - and Edan went to supervise most of them - Ciron became a skilled healer, and Saerun rebuilt her strength bit by bit, becoming a formidable hunter in her own right.

Every dragon that had fallen into the fold was now earning their own keep, and their home’s larder had never been so full.

If situations had been different, Edan would have thought times were good. Wonderful, even. But he knew better than to relax, and he made sure that everyone knew that each day they might face something horrible.

He made sure they were prepared.
It always paid off.

He had returned from a successful hunt with the new group, only to find Ila waiting outside the door to their home. Her arms were crossed, and her expression was strangely blank.
“Someone came today,” she stated simply, looking between Saerun and Edan. “None of ours have been hurt.”

“Wh - where did - ” Saerun stammered, panicking. “Rorin, take Ciron inside, alright? Wait - they’re not inside, are they?”

“No,” Ila shook her head. “I put him in the cellar.”

“Is he dead?” Edan asked, stepping to the side as Rorin ushered the fire-eyed pearlcatcher inside.

“No, I thought we might need some information from him, so I invited him in and poisoned his tea,” Ila replied. She smiled an empty smile. “Then I tied him up and tossed him down there, so… what you do is up to you.”

Edan was speechless. He slowly turned to look at Saerun, who seemed a mix of confused and terrified.

“You might want to go in and have a look?” Ila suggested, cocking her head to the side. “Just to make sure it is someone you know, and everything. He was a pearlcatcher looking for another pearlcatcher so I’m pretty sure, but… you know.”

“Uh,” Edan blurted, his throat dry. “That… would probably be best. Do you think you can handle that, Saerun?”

The skydancer silently nodded.

“Good,” Ila nodded back, then turned to head inside. “Then I’ll start dinner for you. See you soon.”

Edan found himself equally unnerved by the nocturne’s demeanor as he was by the task at hand. He shook his head and headed toward the cellar’s trapdoor, unlocking it and heading down first to make sure their uninvited guest was indeed still unconscious.

Saerun nervously poked her head in after him.

“Yea, he’s out,” Edan stated after nudging the unresponsive dragon a bit. He looked over the pearlcatcher, frowning at the sight. “Wonder what Ila used on h -”

He stopped, starting at Saerun’s sudden, sharp laugh.

“What the hell?” he hissed, turning to look at the skydancer who was now wearing a completely unreadable expression. Her eyes were wild as the day he first saw her.

“I can’t believe it,” she breathed, sounding almost giddy. “I can’t believe it! Edan, I have… I have to talk to him when he’s awake. Please, please let me talk to him. Oh my gods.”

The mirror gradually realized her bizarre excitement was actually rage. The hatred in her eyes as she stared at the unconscious pearlcatcher was overwhelming.

“Of… course… you can,” he replied hesitantly. “But I’ll need to be present for it.”

“Fine!” Saerun shouted. She began to pace, swearing and repeating herself under her breath. “I can not believe it.”

“We might want to head back out,” Edan suggested. “We don’t know when he’s gonna wake up. Can check back in an hour or two?”

“Can we try to wake him up first?” Saerun asked eagerly, still pacing back and forth. “Oh I have so much to say, I have so much… please try.”

Edan nudged at the pearlcatcher again, to no response. He pushed a little harder, rolling the dragon onto his back - and, in spite of himself, took a moment to be impressed with how thoroughly Ila had managed to tie his limbs together. Then he aimed a hard slap to his face.

The pearlcatcher came to with a yelp, then groaned, trying to focus on Edan’s face. “Wh-? Who… are you?”

Saerun laughed again. Edan glanced behind himself to see the absolute fury on her face, and briefly spread his wings to block her way.

Taking the hint, the skydancer calmed herself. Her expression was neutral when she approached, and he stepped out of her way.

“S-Saerun?” the groggy male asked, voice peaking in disbelief.

Saerun responded by kicking him in the face. Judging by the resulting crack and horrific yelp, it was enough to break something.

“Veldr,” she snarled, with a rage beyond anything Edan had seen from her before. “He sent you after me, of all people?”

The pearlcatcher wasn’t in any state state for responding, writing in agony and struggling against his bindings in an effort to shield his face.

The skydancer let out a frustrated yell and reared back again, preparing for another kick.

“Hey! Hey,” Edan rushed to grab her shoulder, pulling her back. “You’re not going to get anything from him if you break his jaw. Calm down. Please.”

Saerun nodded and stood straight, shutting her eyes for a moment and taking a few slow breaths. Her hand clenched into a fist as she looked back down at the male and waited.

“Not you. He didn’t think you were alive,” he finally hissed through bloodied teeth. “He wants his son, Saerun.”

“And of course, you were going to come and deliver him to him,” Saerun scoffed, each word dripping with venom. “Always his good little lapdog, aren’t you?”

“I have to listen,” the pearlcatcher shouted back. “He’ll punish me if I don’t! You know that!”

“Oh, poor you,” Saerun mocked. “Oh, he might be mean to you! He might yell at you! Do you have any idea what he did to me? To Ciron’s mother?”

“I - ”

“No. Veldr. I know you do,” Saerun interrupted. Her voice cracked, though the fury stayed clear on her face. “And you never did anything until you decided I was of some worth to you. It was never because you had any shred of decency as a person. You only cared about your property.”

“I couldn’t go with you! I never had a chance to slip away!”

“You’re lying!” Saerun barely held herself back that time, visibly shaking. “You know I can tell! What made you change your mind? If you try to lie to me again I swear I’ll -”

“I got scared!” Veldr shouted. “I was too afraid of being caught! I’m sorry, Saerun!”

“You’re… pathetic,” Saerun replied, still shaking with emotion. “You useless, selfish piece of -”

“I know,” he replied, fighting back tears. “I know I am. And I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

“Wh-” Saerun paused, her antennae twitching. “Why in the gods names should I give you a chance?”

“Because I still love you, I want to make things right,” he pleaded.

“I…” Saerun stammered, clearly taken aback. Then a look of absolute disgust took over. “And I hate you, you absolute idiot. What we had was a business exchange, and you couldn’t even keep your end of the bargain! What can you possibly do to make anything up to me? Regrow my arm? Undo a lifetime of abuse and pain that you stood by and watched? The best thing you could do for me now is drop dead on the goddamned spot!”

Veldr made a noise that was more pained than when he’d been kicked in the face, and Saerun turned and hurried to the ladder outside, motioning for Edan to follow before climbing out.

He didn’t follow right away, still a bit too blindsided by the scene to react.

By the time he did, he found her seated on the ground outside, wings wrapped around her legs. She wiped a tear from her eye.

“Are you… going to be alright?” Edan asked hesitantly, unsure of just what to say.

“Yeah,” she sighed, forcing a frail smile on her face as she turned to meet the mirror’s gaze. “I never thought I’d actually have the chance to yell at him. I just… gods.”

Edan quietly moved to sit near her.

“He wasn’t lying about wanting to help… or about caring about me,” she said bitterly, bowing her head. “I wish he was. It would make this a lot easier.”

“What do you want me to do?” Edan asked, trying to keep his tone gentle.

“I… can we just leave him like that for tonight?” she asked, glancing at the trapdoor. “I need some time to think… and we can see if he still means it by tomorrow, with everything I said.”

“Well,” Edan paused, considering the state of the pearlcatcher now locked in his cellar. “…It’s not like he’ll be able to get out of there.”

“Yeah,” Saerun let out another sigh, standing with some difficulty and nodding to the mirror. “Thank you… for working with me on this. I need to go talk to Rorin, I think. And Ciron. They both need know about this.”

Edan nodded, remaining seated until the skydancer had made her way into the house. Then he stood, pacing and scanning the area as he tried to work off his own nerves.

Gods, what a mess.

---

<sub>\ouo/

Always interested in your thoughts!

Oh also we're using the lore that skydancers can assess emotions via their antennae and jewels. Didn't really wanna hamfist an explanation of it into the actual story, but it's there.

@Dovalore, @Valishtu, @Gloomyvibes, @AnimeLover9631, @Akash, @tigressRising, @ArgenteaMoon, @mintSMASH, @StormWendjule, @IronPen, @Solaristigres, @Acuarela, @Rivix, @Keet, @Farwalker, @catmeow1, @fuurin, @owlstar7, @amberclawed, @cgnx, @arinemera, @Weredogalism, @Kosaa</sub>

ok i big love this update bc my coach when i was in speech competitions always got mad at me because my anger was always hysterical and "nobody reacts like that, kosaa. nobody laughs when they're angry."

yes.

yes they do.

big love, run. what a mess. i love her.

YESS COMMENTS

@Farwalker

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I had to get a lot of stuff out of the way to set this all up, I'm grateful it's appreciated!

@Kosaa

Seriously? Lmaoo of course people do. There's nothing like an angry laugh - I mean, it's just another way to get the emotion out. I'm more of a nervous laugher personally.

And thank you, I love her too. Been looking forward to showing more of Saerun's personality - but I mean, she was convalescing for the last few chapters.

“welcome home! oh by the way i poisoned a stranger and tied him up today, but he’s fine”
i lov ila

the direction the plot’s going in makes me want to add several of the eye emoji here, but i’m not sure if that’s supported on fr forums
things are slowly starting to heat up for this budding clan (does it have a name?) and i really can’t wait to see where the story goes
saerun’s laugh made me feel something crawl up my spine. it was pretty unsettling. well, the whole scene was just really intense in general and that added even more to it.

i wasn’t able to pitch in with the familiar discussion on the update itself, but i find that most of what i’d wanted to say had been already said
i was thinking it might be interesting for the clan to keep familiars for animal husbandry purposes. a small farm for meat, dairy and eggs? perhaps by extension grow crops even.
both for sustenance and selling.
this might be able to tie in to buying/bartering for rare items like breedchange scrolls and the like
other places that breedchange scrolls could be found might be underground? like other dragons bury their treasures/rare finds in a remote location that they assume would be completely hidden but...

that’s pretty much all i have to say about the familiars and breedchange thing!

while i don’t wish it upon any of the cast in this story, i’m also keen to see how death is handled by these characters
we already know that edan can and will kill to defend himself, but it’s not something that he enjoys at all
the situation the younger cast is growing up in might potentially warp their perception of such because there’s such a real possibility of someone they know just disappearing forever

um
i’m not sure if i’m making sense anymore, so i’ll stop here

@olega

Hi there! Idk if you are interested in seeing, but the egg I won in your giveaway was hatched into the... complicated new character featured in my latest chapter.

His colours are quite nice.

@Dovalore

Ila is doing her very best and nothing less.

Edan's group doesn't have a clan name yet, but it's definitely big enough for one! I don't think they've had the time to stop and think about what would fit, and Edan wouldn't want to rush into naming given the fact that uh. There's some extreme dragon-based danger going on at this time.

I was... looking forward to writing that scene. I could feel Saerun's anger so clearly, it was quite something to actually put it into words.

I think at one point Edan mentioned he wanted to grow crops? They've not set it up yet but it's my (and his) hope that eventually his little home has a small village built up around it with farmland and space for all his clanmates to have their own homes and families if they want. But there's... a lot to get though before anything like that could possibly happen.
At this time, they don't have anything close to the protection/fencing needed for raising animals. All it would do is attract predators, so Edan doesn't currently consider it an option. I kinda really want one of the dragons to get a hunting dog (hainu, etc) at some point though. But RNG will have to give it to me.

Bartering was eventually the decision I came to for how the dragons will get their breed changes. c:
At this time, I'm thinking that Ila's beautiful work with fabrics might be their ticket to trading. In time, I hope a few of my characters will build their skills in ways that might be marketable to any merchants.

I've been VERY lucky so far in that none of my dragons have died (there have been extremely close calls, though. For example, Clade was almost killed multiple times by his own facsimiles - those nocturne puppets hit hard, and tend to crit a lot.)
But I actually have many, many ideas involving how death is handled in this locke. Edan wasn't always alone. He's experienced a lot of it and is well familiarized with funerary rites and how to properly inter the dead.
I try to hint at how this has affected him quite often in the nuzlocke, but I'm not sure how much really comes through. I think it's clear that he always anticipates the worst, at least. It's certainly enough for now, given how things have been going thusfar.

Thank you for your comment! I appreciate it so much!