Creative Corner

In Deep

It didn't look particularly remarkable when he peered into it. Just a hole in the ground that seemed to end a few metres down, where a few large boulders had prevented further digging.

But as Edan stuck his head in, he could see how the tundra had veered off and dug to the side, and that tunnel stretched so far even his eyes couldn't peer through the gloom.

Briefly, he found himself impressed that Marshall seemed to have the presence of mind to reinforce the whole affair; the tunnels were lined with thick roots he must've torn off as he dug further and further under the forest.

He couldn't hear any digging.

Swapping to his second sight, he saw no traces of heat either.

"Hey, Marshall?" he called out tentatively.

The tunnel he could see wasn't particularly wide, but his voice still echoed slightly.

"Marshall!" Edan called out, louder this time.

No response.

Edan briefly poked his head back out, looking between Saerun and Ila.
"Are you sure he's in there?"

"Well, yea," Ila replied. "Unless he dug his way out somewhere else, anyway. He hasn't come out of here."

"Well... I guess I'll go lookin' for him," Edan sighed, reaching to pluck Ryla from his shoulders. "Can you take her? Maybe set up a - "

He was sure he heard a noise from the tunnel, and quickly ducked his head back in, swapping back to his second sight.
This time, he saw some hint of a heat signature, but it was far, and quite low down.

"Marshall?" he called out, squinting as he tried to judge exactly how far away the tiny dot of light was.

"You shouldn't yell in here!" came the tundra's muffled reply.

"I'm not yelli - " Edan began, then shook his head. "If I can't - if you can't hear any of us, boy, it's not safe for you to be down here at all! Your digging around will bring this place down before sound does!"

"It's not - I'm fine!" Marshall replied. "I know where to dig!"

Edan frowned. Muffled as it was, he could hear the desperation in his clanmate's tone.

"Marsh," he began tentatively. "What do you mean you know where to dig?"

"The smell!" Marshall replied insistently. "It's - it's... it's so close now! I just need to dig a little farther, I know it."

"Marshall," Edan addressed, grinding his teeth. "Have you slept since you started this?"

"What?" the tundra paused, sounding genuinely confused. "I... no, I've not been tired. It's not been very long, anyway."

"It's been more than a day," Edan replied. "Do you wanna take a break for a while? I'm about to hit the hay, myself."

"No," Marshall replied, desperation clear in his tone once again. "I'll sleep when I'm done."

"I get you want to... finish... this..." Edan said haltingly. "But Marsh, you know you're gonna make more mistakes when you're exhausted - have you been eating?"

"Yea, roots."

"Bud, those aren't good food and you know it," Edan sighed. "Okay, how about this? This evening, I'm gonna come back and call for you. We'll have dinner ready for you, and you have to come out and eat. I'm not gonna make you... stop... this, but I do need to just check on you for a bit, alright? We have someone new for you to meet anyway."

"...Alright," the tundra replied. Edan saw some flicker in the silhouette that seemed to be a nod, before it turned and began to walk, quickly fading from his vision.

The mirror sighed and stood up, stepping back from the hole and facing Ila.

"You can see why I'm worried," the nocturne said, clasping her hands together tightly. "He's been sounding frantic since a few hours after you left to go hunting. I have no idea what he's after."

"Me neither," Edan replied. "I'd expect this from... a guardian, maybe. Not him. • It's the only thing I can think of. Our best bet is to just get him fed and see if that helps him come around."

"And if it doesn't?" Saerun asked, arms crossed as she leaned over to peer into the tunnel's entrance.

"Don't know yet," Edan admitted, letting out a harsh sigh. "We'll have to think on it. And soon. But right now, I'm too damn tired."

"Oh, that's right!" Ila exclaimed, quickly taking Ryla from his shoulders. She gently bounced the spiral, who briefly protested before becoming fascinated with the nocturne's clothing. "I'll look after this one for now. You want me to wake you up at dinner, I assume?"

"Yep, sounds good," Edan replied, nodding succinctly and turning to head toward the main house, Saerun following behind him. "Thank you, Ila. I can always count on ya."

---

The house was empty as the two walked in. Everyone was up early, whether it was to train or do some form of chore.
Edan felt strange, briefly, to be lying down in bed as morning light flooded through the windows and the clan bustled around him.

He didn't have time to dwell on it, as Saerun flopped down next to him.
He blinked at her in confusion, too tired to begin to figure out why the skydancer was so close.

"I don't get how you handle all this so easily," she stated, brow furrowed as she looked over at him.

"Wh - ?"

"Weird crap happens every day, new people show up, we see horrible things, and you just... roll with it," she said, speaking quickly and harshly in spite of her own exhaustion. "You knew where I came from - Ciron and I - and you just... let us in. Kids show up out of the blue, or hatch in your hand, and you handle it. You..."

"Saerun, what are you on about?" Edan asked, furrowing his brow.

"I just don't get it," the skydancer repeated, shaking her head slightly before resuming eye contact. "I've seen all these dragons wander in, and... you guys are like family. You and Ila, even whatever the hell was just going on with Marshall. I've had Ciron since he was a baby and... I mean, I care about him, but I just don't - "

"Well, that's different, isn't it?" Edan asked, squinting his eyes shut as he tried to process just what she was getting at. "You... you saved him, didn't you? You knew he wouldn't grow up right, there. It's not like you were trying to claim him as your son - nobody would've expected you to... to be a mother to him, if that's what you're getting at. You're not - "

He opened his eyes again, only to see the skydancer now had a look on her face he couldn't quite process. Pained, was all he could determine. He knew she was desperately trying to tell him something without words.

"Saerun, are you - " he began, but stopped as the skydancer stood up and turned away.

"Sorry to keep you up," she said quietly, not turning back as she strode off to the side room.

---

<sub>I hope you all like DIALOGUE

Dialogue? Dialogue. Dialogue.
It's been a long day. Enjoy!

@Dovalore, @Valishtu, @Gloomyvibes, @AnimeLover9631, @Akash, @tigressRising, @ArgenteaMoon, @mintSMASH, @StormWendjule, @IronPen, @Solaristigres, @Acuarela, @Rivix, @Keet, @Farwalker, @catmeow1, @fuurin, @owlstar7, @Fallacies, @Cngx, @Arinemera, @Weredogalism, @Kosaa, @astrallis, @ShadewingRising, @Kyaritty, @Chalkolate, @Luteia, @Drachenschwinge, @Kaskade, @InfiniteIrony, @Darunia, @OrderedChaos, @Kaskade, @Viperfishy, @SallyJane, @huskies709, @mmuted, @Pastie, @cybo, @Synchros, @Damindra, @Velvetpaws, @Macrocosm, @Sabariel, @demitri, @PipDragon40, @Dreamcoyote</sub>

a prelude to ancients or a plot point? both?
i’m excited!

i hope you’re doing well too ^^

OH MAN now im just vibrating for the next chapter ahdjsb Saerun plz talk to him dont run off. Or briskly walk off, whatever, lmao

[b]Uncovered Ancients 1[/b] Outside, the clan territory was bustling with activity. Tarot oversaw training while Reika slept, making sure nobody missed a lesson. Ila made sure the days' chores were done, and then moved to help Clara with the vegetable garden, and, far off and below them all, Marshall dug. He still didn't know what he was after. All he knew was he was [i]so close[/i]. The smell had gotten so much stronger, but he still had no words to describe it - at least, none that made much sense. Cold, alive, [i]loud[/i]. Dully, he recognized the ache of his talons as he scraped away at the earth; the sting as he managed to pull another handful of clay away. He was in pitch darkness, but he was sure he was bleeding by now. He'd probably been like that for hours, really. It didn't matter. He sunk his talons deep into the clay once more, and this time, he was sure he felt something different behind it. He took a sharp breath of the damp, musty air, and dug desperately as the smell increased twofold. He pulled the clay away and saw light. So dim it was almost undetectable, in spite of the fact he'd been working in pitch blackness for so long. The tundra reached out, only to find whatever gap he'd found was far too thin to fit through. Marshall dug through the clay around him, hit rocks, and pulled any loose ones he could out of the way. He squeezed his way through the jagged tunnel, ignoring the stones scraping against his hide and the creeping claustrophobia gradually taking hold as he finally placed a talon on the source of the subtle glow. The reaction was immediate; a brilliant flash of light shot out around his hand, causing him to cry out in shock and pain as it blinded him. "What the [i]hell?[/i]" the tundra snapped, pulling away to rub at his eyes. It took several minutes for the sunbursts to clear enough from his eyes for him to even [i]look[/i] at the thing, and once they did he still didn't understand what he was seeing. It looked very much like a gigantic crystal; growing upward in two clear spikes, subtly faceted, and attached to a vein system that trailed off into the rocks just behind it. But, it certainly wasn't just a crystal. Each of the two jags were thicker than his arms, and were encased around... [i]something[/i]. Gentle pulses of red and blue emanated from each spike like heartbeats, and it looked as if something within was stirring. "Is this... an egg?" the tundra croaked aloud, overwhelmed with confusion and the ancient air that seemed to fill the crevice he'd found. The crystal began to crack; a long, thin, and jagged line splitting first between the two spikes, and then down along the base that kept it attached to the rocks. One of the spikes fell, and he rushed to catch it. The ceiling began to creak and groan, and he began to feel dust and pebbles litter down from above. Marshall grabbed hold of the other half of crystal and broke it loose, tucked them both under his wings, and rushed his way back through the crevice, recklessly tearing his body against the rocks as he fled the cave-in. He could only appreciate the depth and length of the tunnel he'd crafted as he ran through it, not pausing for even a moment long after the sound of cracking and rockfall had faded away behind him, and daylight shone down from the entrance he'd dug gods-know-how-long ago. Marshall collapsed, taking deep, ragged breaths and relishing the fresh air. He rolled onto his back and unfurled his wings, inspecting the strange crystals now that he finally had proper light to do so. The glow wasn't noticeable in daylight - or perhaps it had just stopped. What [i]was[/i] noticeable was the vast cracks covering the surface of each one. As he watched, they continued to crack and split, until, finally, each crystal simply fell apart. "So... you [i]were[/i] eggs," Marshall breathed, looking over the two sets of eyes who still lay on his wings. "But..." [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=145&bodygene=0&breed=17&element=1&eyetype=1&gender=1&tert=92&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=150&auth=88fcd154a62032ef54b914575391c5d9dcee562c&dummyext=prev.png[/img] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=153&bodygene=0&breed=17&element=10&eyetype=2&gender=0&tert=31&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=148&auth=462189baadb0bea83231fc453b52ae52293daf5d&dummyext=prev.png[/img] "...What [i]are[/i] you?" ---------- [sub]@Dovalore (u were right!), @Valishtu, @Gloomyvibes, @AnimeLover9631, @Akash, @tigressRising, @ArgenteaMoon, @mintSMASH, @StormWendjule, @IronPen, @Solaristigres, @Acuarela, @Rivix, @Keet, @Farwalker, @catmeow1, @fuurin, @owlstar7, @Fallacies, @Cngx, @Arinemera, @Weredogalism, @Kosaa, @astrallis, @ShadewingRising, @Kyaritty, @Chalkolate, @Luteia, @Drachenschwinge, @Kaskade, @InfiniteIrony, @Darunia, @OrderedChaos, @Kaskade, @Viperfishy, @SallyJane, @huskies709, @mmuted, @Pastie, @cybo, @Synchros, @Damindra, @Velvetpaws, @Macrocosm, @Sabariel, @demitri, @PipDragon40, @Dreamcoyote

AH, they're adorable!

@IronPen

I need to be EXTRA careful not to let them die because, I mean first off they're gaolers but second they look SO GOOD all gened up!

Awesome! I had thought Marshall himself would be turned into a gaoler somehow. Dunno how I missed the avenue that gives the clan [i]even more babies[/i]. Atleast he can finally rest now! Can't wait to see how you write them. Goaler babies are really cute! So fluffy. [emoji=gaoler love size=2]

@Weredogalism

I did briefly consider it, but he's already gened and... yea, lmao.

Also! I won an egg from Roundsey and was gifted an egg and this was just the perfect way to catch up with hatches! I love the hatchling art so much. c':

You know the Ice symbol? For a second I thought he found a chunk of never-melt ice that had been carved into the shape and that one egg was in the center or be some kind of old waymarker for Gaolers.

@IronPen

That's actually... kind of close to why the egg was there. o:<