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Catkidemma Eyy! I can finally use this story! ^-^
[Deleted and re-uploded because the indents all turned into "??"s. ;v;]
Two wildclaws entered the cafe. One seemed rather regal, yet unsure. The other seemed rather cold, likely having spent much of her life in the desert of the shifting expanse.
"S-salutations!" The male called, approaching the counter. His companion, on the other hand, stood awkwardly at the door.
"My name is Hansel, and this is my friend, Ahmeti. W-we were heading back when I uh... W-well, our food provisitions may have taken a p-plunge in the local river... And, I had a story to t-tell, so, uh... why not?"
A few moments of awkward silence passed before Ahmeti eventually nudged Hansel, who had begun to space out.
"O-oh! Uh... I-uhm... forgot the tale... Uh, Ahmeti? You got anything?"
Ahmeti glanced around.
"W-well, maybe... Y-yeah, okay."
"Great!" Hansel exclaimed, trotting out the door, "I'll be back in a moment!"
Ahmeti sighed in defeat, "Well, here goes nothing... This is a tale about my mate, Mourner, I hope it's enough to get us some food for the way back..."
The Story
-> The coldest days are the ones shared with an enemy. This day, for Mourner, was just becoming a reality. He gazed into the eyes of the killer, a shining, white pearlcatcher with striking gold wings, a capsule full of acidic ooze clearly visible as he reared up, ready to strike down. Mourner thought to himself for a moment.
How could this be happening? But I'm just a hatchling, how could this be? ...How did I get here? Suddenly the memories of what seemed to be just yesterday flickered through his mind like static.
-> Just that morning, he had snuck out of the lair with his brother, Cazoseikt, to climb the lone, dying tree in front of their lair while their parents slept. It was not a tall tree, but it was the most exciting thing around. Not too much grew in the scarred wasteland, but it was home. Cazo was halfway up the tree before Mourner was even at its roots, but suddenly Cazo froze.
-> "Hey, Sozen- d-d' you see dat?" Cazoseikt mumbled to his brother. Mourner- or rather, Sozenrul, turned. Off in the distance was a crystalline, white pearlcatcher with golden wings that seemed to reflect the sun. He was wearing green leatherworks beneath golden silks. Beside him were two other dragons. A green dragon with a pale underbelly- a ridgeback like himself, and a guardian of green and tan as well. Sozen wondered if they were brothers.
-> Cazoseikt whispered to his brother, "Sozen, go get mom en dad."
-> "But wud if we get in tro-"
-> "Just go!"
-> Sozen ran back to the lair, trusting his older brother's judgement. He was terrified.
What is happening? He thought as he entered the lair.
-> "Ma! Pa!" He squeaked pitifully. But his parents were already up, staring out at the approaching strangers.
-> "This can't be good..." Sozen's father mumbled, exiting the lair.
-> "Get inside, Sozen- where's your brother?" Sozen's mother rasped in a hushed, frantic tone. The edge of her voice was lined heavily with illness. Cazo rushed inside, ushered in by his father. The three watched nervously out of the crack of their lair's door as Sozen's father spoke to the strangers. Now that the strangers were closer, Sozen could pick out the more minute details of the strangers. The pearlcatcher donned the symbol of the light flight upon his tunic and cape, while the other two wore the symbols of the nature flight.
-> "Wudder they doin' here?" Sozen asked his mother, "I thought dad said the plague keeps the others away?"
-> His mother shushed him quickly before turning back to watch the scene. He couldn't hear what either party was saying, but it didn't sound friendly. Suddenly, after tensions reached their peak, the pearlcatcher struck. Sozen's mother slammed the door shut.
-> "
SOZEN, CAZO- HIDE!" Sozen's mother bellowed before rushing out the door. She was weak with illness, but there was no stopping her. The roars and screeches of fighting dragons echoed in the empty landscape outside. Sozen and Cazo looked at each other in terror for a moment before they both rushed to the kitchen of their lair. It was a modest place full of withered, re-purposed desks and a small springwater fountain pouring out of a crack in a wall; but it held many hiding places. They hid below a desk, trembling as they huddled together. The only thing hiding them was a thin, moth-eaten cloth.
-> Then they heard the echo of someone kicking down the door. It gave nearly immediately.
-> "Where did the two rats go?!" Something bellowed from the entranceway.
-> "Hiding, you
idiot." Another voice hissed, "And if you don't quiet down, you are going to
scare them away."
-> Some shuffling could be heard getting closer. The air was tense with disease and fear, tension crackled like static in the air. The brothers listened quietly, hearing a quiet
fwoop... fwop... as someone lifted the tablecloths resting on the other tables, until finally the clacking of long claws stopped infront of them. Cazo and Sozen glanced at each other momentarily.
The tablecloth was lifted.
-> The massive green ridgeback from before stood slightly shocked for a moment, allowing just the perfect window of time for Cazo to shout "
RUN!" Sozen bolted for the door. The ridgeback shouted in surprise as Cazoseikt attacked.
-> As Sozen turned to run out the entrance, the guardian and the pearlcatcher had as well. The guardian, although powerful, was big and slow. The pearlcatcher, however, was not. Sozen sped off over the broken door, past the remnants of his family, and out into the empty wasteland. He glanced behind him, only to see the pearlcatcher closing distance rapidly.
-> Then, as if the PlagueBringer herself had heard Sozen's silent pleas, a branch of the plagued tree broke off and fell, tripping the pearlcatcher, who tried to follow but fell again. He limped back into the lair with the other two strangers. The ridgeback was torn up badly, and the guardian covered one eye with a piece of bandana. All three glared silently as Sozen raced across the horizon.
-> And so, for the first time in his life, he was alone.
-> Weeks had passed before he finally ended up in the tangled wood, and taken in by the Lair of the Lunar Blood, and raised back to health, although he never spoke a word in those times. He had stayed and trained under
the daughter for months before, finally, he was ready. He was a mere hatchling no longer.
-> Sozenrul, now deemed Mourner, had collected a party to go with him, however, for he was no fool. At one side was his best and only friend, Ahmeti the earthen wildclaw, and at the other,
the daughter, his mentor, and the ultimate leader of his new lair.
-> They traveled west, all the way back to where Sozen's lair once stood proud. But now it was a wasteland. The tree had begun crumbling, weak with illness and lack of water and nutrition. Two large skeletons layed side-by-side against the tree, Sozen averted his gaze away from them, just hardly keeping tears from welling up in his eyes. He tread over and past the broken door into his lair, followed by his quiet companions. Everything was covered in dust, and nobody dared to venture into the kitchen.
The daughter and Ahmeti tightened the bandanna they wore around their faces.
-> Sozenrul waited in the doorway, the others hidden from view. He didn't quite know why... but he knew that
they would come. And he would have his revenge.
-> The three waited silently for hours. Dawn turned to morning, and morning to noon, before three spots on the distant horizon finally appeared. Sozenrul emitted a short, sharp whistle, beckoning his friends to rise and prepare.
-> When the killers got close enough, the two scarred, green brothers broke into a sprint, but as they got withing striking range they were caught off-guard by
the daughter and Ahmeti. Niether were any trouble for
the daughter to deal with, but both dared not to intervene with Sozenrul's revenge.
-> The pearlcatcher, ShiningOpal, had frozen in terror, having realised that his nemesis was not alone. Alas, when he realised that he couldn't run, they both charged. The fight was long and ferocious, seemingly at its end once ShiningOpal had Sozenrul pinned against a tree.
-> The coldest days are the ones shared with an enemy. This day, for Mourner, was just becoming a reality. He gazed into the eyes of the killer, a shining, white pearlcatcher with striking gold wings, a capsule full of acidic ooze clearly visible as he reared up, ready to strike down. Mourner thought to himself for a moment.
How could this be happening? But I'm just a hatchling, how could this be? ...How did I get here?.. and then he remembered.
I'm not a hatchling anymore. I am the one who will finish this! I have trained and dreamed of this day, and it has finally come! PlagueBringer hear me!!
-> Sozenrul threw his head against the tree, and, as if granting Sozenrul one final blessing, the tree's final branch cracked and fell upon ShiningOpal, pinning him to the ground. Revenge was finally had.
-> That night, Sozenrul and his companions gave his family the burial they deserved, and left. But they left in great moral, for victory was had, and everyone could finally lay at rest.
(As for food, if you'd like I don't truly want anything, but if I must accept food, anything but plants will do! [And, if I must specify what I want, I guess meat would be alright])
