Creative Corner

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 20[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]130[/b] Breeding/New Hatchling/Other[/size][/font] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] Mara was surprised to discover she enjoyed being on her own. When she had first arrived in the Underice, she had been terrified, lost and confused with nothing to do but cry over her fate. Even after she had been accepted into the group, for the first few days she wouldn't leave Harper's side, worried that she had imagined all of them and one day they'd just disappear if she let them out of her sight. But now that things had settled a bit, and she felt like she knew the territories decently well, she found that she didn't mind so much going off on her own. So long as their cave was still within sight, she felt safe. Of course, it was nice to have someone by her side when possible, but at least she wasn't so dependent on someone's company any more, and she was glad for it. Mara had been pondering on this while flying high in the air, on her way to hunt for resources. She had dared to stray even further than usual today, since they seem to have been running their own territories dry of supplies lately. But she wasn't too far out of their lands when something caught her eye down below. A shine of something flashed before her eyes, and she slowed down and started circling the area, trying to locate it again. Perhaps it was some kind of a lost trinket? Vannifer would be happy if so. She liked the Wildclaw: he talked enough for the two of them, like Harper, so she didn't have to feel bad about staying quiet. Ah, there was that flash again. Mara landed nearby, and from her new position on the ground at first all she could see was snow and some loose chunks of ice, which were probably the source of the shine. But as she stepped closer, her foot fell on something hard, and it cracked. Tossing some of the snow aside, she discovered a bunch of twigs buried underneath. Now that she took a second look, the chunks of ice didn't seem to be haphazardly thrown about: they lay next to each other in a slight dip in the ground, surrounded by more twigs and feathers hidden by a thin layer of snow. But there was nothing else here. Mara dug around for a bit, but she only uncovered more junk, too wet with the snow to be of any use. Finally, she came a little closer to the ice chunks, wondering if something was hidden underneath. As she placed her hand on one to move it aside, she was surprised to feel it crumble underneath her fingers. She jerked away in surprise, but nothing else happened, and she squinted her eyes as she took a closer look. Didn't this look kind of like... [center][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/trinket/586.png[/img][/center] Oh, Gods. These were [i]eggs[/i]! Realising she was standing in the middle of someone's nest, Mara kicked up into the air hurriedly and looked around. But there was no hint of anyone nearby, and the nest did look pretty abandoned to boot. The Spiral returned back down and inspected the eggs, more carefully this time. There were four of them, and each one she checked was cracked and broken apart. It didn't look like the result of hatching, but as if a much more violent outside force had torn the eggs open. Mara frowned, feeling sorry for the poor souls that didn't even get a chance to come to life. She was about to move on, when she felt something stir beneath her feet. It was the subtlest of movements, but she was certain she hadn't imagined it. Mara gently moved the broken eggs aside, and her eyes widened. There was a fifth egg, hidden underneath the other four, and... It was whole! The Spiral pressed her ear to it, feeling a bite of cold on her cheek. She waited with baited breath, but then she felt it again: a tiny little scrape against the surface from the inside. The hatchling was alive! "Oh, sweet Windsinger," Mara whispered, then quickly wrapped her hands around the egg. Whatever had destroyed the others, it could still decide to return, and she wanted to rescue the survivor as quickly as possible. But the egg was heavy, and it barely budged even as she pulled with her haunches pushing at the ground. She could try harder, but she was afraid of accidentally breaking the egg, and causing the dragon inside to die from hatching early. The Spiral paused. Everything around her was still quiet. She kicked up into the air a second time and did a quick round, but found nothing suspicious. Finally, she returned once more and began hiding the egg again with the broken shells. "Don't worry, I'll be right back," she said quietly to the egg as it vanished from sight, and without wasting another second, she raced back towards their territories. After about ten minutes, she was nearing the borders of their lands, and already off in the distance she spotted a familiar Nocturne. Mara charged right at him, and he turned when he heard her approaching, a sack of insects in his hand. "Hey, Mara! I managed to find some more-- Whoa! You okay? What's wrong?" "Harper!" Mara cried, grabbing his hand and tugging. "Come quickly! It's important!" [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge So... I've been gathering in Ice in the past few days, and I actually found two eggs, two days in a row. I decided it was a sign, and thought it would be fun to throw one in for a bit of fun.[/center]

Ooooh, lucky :D

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 21[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]122[/b] New dragon[/size][/font] [i]...sigh.[/i] I'll admit I tried cheating for this one, and ended up rolling 121, LOL. Lesson learnt: don't question the wisdom of RNG. New derg it is. [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] Mara frantically explained what happened on the way, and Harper very quickly grew excited, chattering about how long it'd been since he'd seen a proper dragon egg. They darted through the air quick as lightning, and Mara was in such a hurry to return to the nest that her mind barely registered a new shape next to it. As she lead them downwards though, and something very yellow and pink stirred by the nest, she realised they weren't alone. But at the speed they were going, even as the Spiral desperately tried to slow down and land a ways off, the force carried her right to the nest and she ended up stumbling face-first into a bunch of twigs. Harper, who had been right behind her, crashed next to her with a yelp. As they blinked their concussions away, Mara realised someone was staring down at them. She quickly got to her feet and backed away. "Who-- who are you?" she dared ask, her tone sounding far less confident than she would've hoped. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=51589018][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=51589018&skin=0&apparel=370&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url][/center] The yellow shape in front of her turned out to be a Pearlcatcher. "I should be asking you that," she said evenly. "Why are you here?" Mara and Harper looked at each other. "Um... I'm sorry, is this your nest?" she asked, glancing at the remnants of the ice eggs. The Pearlcatcher frowned. "So you know about the eggs," she murmured quietly. "I... No, they're not mine. I found them like this a few days ago," she explained. "Oh," Mara said. She felt any conviction she had falling away, and she slumped. Harper however took right over. "Well, there's a whole egg there, do you know that? My friend Mara here found it, and we wanted to bring it with us to our home. You know, to save it." "Save it?" The Pearlcatcher stared at the eggs. "But I... I'm looking after it," she said, a sad frown crossing her face. "I have to leave sometimes to feed, but... I've been with it every day for the past week. I... I don't want to just give it up. I feel... connected to it, now." Mara felt a pang of sadness at the thought of having to leave the egg behind after all, but Harper didn't seem to share her train of thought as he said: "Well, that makes sense. Why don't you come along, then?" Mara looked at him worriedly. "Um, Harper... I don't know if that's a good idea," she said quietly, though she was sure the Pearlcatcher could still hear her, given how close the three of them were to each other. "Moroz was already reluctant about Vannifer and Aleksei, and now..." "Yeah, but we can't just leave them," Harper argued. "Don't worry, we'll think of something. So, what do you say?" The Pearlcatcher took a few moments to think about it. "I refuse to leave the egg," she declared at last. "So I will come with you." She got to her feet, and walked up to the nest to start clearing away the broken shells. "Come on," Harper said with an easy grin, joining to help her, and Mara slinked after him, less certain. "I'm Harper, by the way." "My name's Cresh." The Pearlcatcher looked up, her pale eyes straying from Harper to Mara, who she gave a small smile. "Glad to meet you." [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge [/center]

I'm going to admit, this is hilarious xD Then again it's still a 16,66% chance to roll a number between 100 and 125

@Drachenschwinge true, tho i'm rolling very consistently for this locke! i think i've only had one or two official lore days, and maybe two art days? everything else has been new dragons, breeding or coli! LOL. i might try another rolling site and see if that changes anything.

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 22[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]50[/b] Coliseum[/size][/font] Spindle, Rin and Cresh fought in the Woodland Path. Spindle and Rin reached level 6, and Cresh is level 5. That leaves Vannifer and Aleksei as the only dragons who still haven't battled yet, and they're both level 1 at the moment. RNG just doesn't want to pick them! [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] As their numbers once again grew, Spindle had to work out a new duty system for everyone. There were enough of them now that they could start dividing the tasks for those best suited at them, which was a plus, but they also had to keep straying further from the cave. The Mirror could see how tense Moroz was at this idea, so she decided to ensure everyone always left in pairs when carrying out their designated tasks. Every morning, Spindle would get up first and examine their supply pile, then decide what needed to get done that day. Moroz had spent some time over the past few weeks training Rin to use her magic not only for healing, but also for self-defence purposes, which was a lot of help. Spindle typically sent the two of them out together to gather plants and twigs, and since Harper and Mara seemed to get on so well, she assigned them to insect and trinket searches together as well. The hunting was still up to her and Asher, and the newcomer Cresh tended to stay back at the cave to look after the egg, but she pulled her own weight by weaving baskets for them, a hobby she had taken up during her time alone by the abandoned nest. Spindle often let Vannifer and Aleksei get on with things by themselves, though the two often popped in to check if the group needed help with anything, for which she was grateful. Vannifer emphasised they were all a part of this together now, even if they lived a little ways from each other, and Spindle was glad to have their experienced hands helping out. But there was something bothering her about all of this. Numerous times now, she'd heard Harper refer to them as a Clan. Everyone else was careful not to use the word, perhaps sensing Spindle's tension over it, but she could tell their hearts were with the Nocturne. One evening on their way back from yet another unsuccessful hunting trip, Spindle told Asher to go on ahead while she remained at the foot of their hill. He told her not to stay out too long and left, and she smiled under her nose. She liked Asher well enough, though he tended to stay quiet and professional during their duties. That wasn't a [i]bad[/i] thing, but it made her miss a certain someone and their chattering ways. But she had no room to complain. They were all good at different things, and if that meant she had to spend less time with her friend, she'd do it for the good of her... Other friends? Spindle sighed, pawing at the snow in front of her in frustration. "Spindle? What are you doing out here?" She looked up, seeing Moroz approaching her. The Skydancer had one of Cresh's baskets tucked under her arm, and it was half-filled with flowers and leaves. It was good to see at least someone had a good gathering day. "Just... thinking," Spindle murmured, and Moroz sat down next to her. "Thinking about?" Spindle took her time answering, not sure how to put her feelings into words. "I just... I mean, do you think so, too? That we're all a... Clan?" Moroz hummed. "Is that what's bothering you? Do you hate the thought?" "No, I don't hate it, but... I don't know," Spindle sighed, her crest drooping. "I like everyone. I like being and working together. I like what we've made here. I don't know myself why I'm being like this." "I think it's understandable. You never got a chance to be a part of your birth Clan, so you feel like you missed out on something. You miss them, do you?" "That's true," Spindle said slowly. "But... Not so much, any more. I mean, of course, I'd love to return some day. And my brothers, I miss more than anything. But I didn't spend much time with the rest of the Clan, like you said. I feel like I'm closer to everyone here than I ever was with anyone there." "Then perhaps that is your answer," Moroz said with the hint of a smile. Spindle looked at her. For a moment, she was surprised she didn't have to look up to meet the Skydancer's eyes any more. When did that happen? "You still didn't say what [i]you[/i] think. I mean, if we're a Clan, you're the leader, right?" "Me?" Moroz asked, and Spindle watched in surprise as she let out a quiet laugh. "What ever gave you the idea?" "What? I mean, you found me! And then Harper. And you lived here first, and you raised us," Spindle explained, bewildered. "You know lots about the land, you taught us everything about it, where to look for things, and hunt, and fight... Of course it's you." Moroz hummed again, looking off into the distance. "I did raise you two, yes," she said. "But everything following from that has been on your behest. You were the ones who first decided to help Asher. When you found stray hatchlings, you made the decision to bring them in. You extended an invite to Vannifer, Aleksei and Cresh. And [i]you[/i] are the one responsible for keeping this group running. I simply do as you tell me." Spindle stared at Moroz with wide eyes, taking her words in. As the implication sunk in, she finally uttered: "You think... [i]Me?[/i]" "You," Moroz agreed. "I'm... I'm the leader?" That sounded ridiculous just coming out of Spindle's mouth, and she shook her head. "No, that's silly, I'm just... I like to be organised, that's all. That's why I... And anyway, I don't know the first thing about being a leader. If I'm the leader, things will only go poorly." "Well, they haven't so far," Moroz pointed out, then turned to look up at the cave entrance, looming high above them. "Everyone is already following you and your example. You don't call this a Clan, and neither do they. Change your mind, and follow once again they shall." Spindle looked up at the cave too. Even all the way down here, she could hear the voices of the others as they all settled inside for the night. Moroz got to her feet. "I'll get going, then. Are you coming?" "I... I'll stay for a bit longer," Spindle answered. After Moroz had left, Spindle sat alone for a long time, contemplating. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge [/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 23[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]61[/b] Lore[/size][/font] This is a catch-up day, because I once again had prepared content that I didn't get a minute to post yesterday. Another update coming later this evening! [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] Harper spent most of his days in the company of Mara, and he loved it. They'd become good friends right away after she joined, since they got on so well. She always went along with his jokes, even the sillier ones, and though she was a little quiet and not as adventurous as he, he liked those sides of her too. All that said, he was starting to miss being with the others. He was an extrovert at heart, and it was always fun to hang around with different dragons. Nothing to do with Mara - Harper just yearned for [i]more[/i] company, on top of hers. He did still get to spend some time with Aleksei, who was training him daily as agreed, but they weren't usually interested in chatting. They'd train him for an hour or two, and then send him on their way, promising to see him again tomorrow. Nice, but not quite enough to satisfy his need for company. He'd even begun to miss being around Moroz, of all dragons! Those days when it was just him and Spindle, dutifully picking flowers and insects while Moroz lectured them on something or other in her soft, melodic voice. He'd never think he'd miss those, and yet he felt nostalgic when he thought about them. And he missed Spindle, too, of course. She was his first friend in this land after all - maybe his first, real friend [i]ever[/i] - and he wanted to spend some time with her again. But she was always busy these days, assigning duties to others, keeping track of their hoard, or out somewhere far away to hunt. Even when she was around, she always seemed lost in her own mind, and Harper started to feel bad about even trying to talk to her lately. But when the hunters returned from a trip one day with Spindle limping, a trail of blood following her on the snow, Harper was the first at her side. "Spindle!" he cried, looking her over. "What happened? Are you okay? No, of course you're not! You're hurt! Are you in pain? Do you need help?" Spindle shook her head. "I'm alright, Harper. It's nothing serious," she said. There was a gash across her side, and another deeper wound in her hind leg. Her clothes were dirtied with blood, and though she tried to smile at him, Harper could tell it was costing her a lot. He couldn't help glaring at Asher. "[i]What[/i] happened?" he demanded a second time. He sounded accusatory, but he was too angry to notice it. "We ran into a pack of winter wolves. We tried to sneak away, but some of them noticed and pursued us," Asher explained, none too bothered by Harper's glare. "So why is Spindle the only one wounded?" Harper snapped. Spindle looked at him in surprise, then said: "We both fought, Harper. Asher's skin is a lot harder to pierce than mine, that's all." The Mirror turned back to Asher and gave him a grateful smile. "If you hadn't dragged that wolf off me, I don't think I'd even be here right now." Asher shook his head. "You fought well. I'm glad to see my lessons are paying off." Harper rolled his eyes, and then Spindle inhaled sharply. He quickly turned his attention back to her. "Spindle?" "Sorry, it's just... It's been a long walk here," she explained with another strained smile. "And I don't think I can climb up the hill like this." "We need to get Rin!" Harper said, already bouncing on his feet, half-wanting to run off to do so himself, and half-wanting to stay with Spindle. Asher made the choice easier when he said: "I'll find her. You help Spindle up, and keep her warm." Harper was tempted to make a comment about not needing Asher's advice on what to do - they'd saved him themselves once, months ago! - but he bit his tongue, and Asher flew off. He then looked Spindle over again, and leaned closer to her. "Wanna get on my back?" Spindle laughed. "Harper, we both know you are [i]not[/i] a lifter." "I [i]so[/i] can be!" Harper replied with a grin. "And I've been training, too. You'd be surprised what I can do now!" With little other choice, and wanting to humour Harper, Spindle climbed onto his back. He looked over his shoulder at her with another grin, and she narrowed her eyes. "Since when have [i]you[/i] gotten bigger than me, junior?" "Since forever ago. You've just been living in denial," Harper said, and the two of them giggled as he began ascending the hill. He himself was surprised at how smoothly it went - when it came to hitting or slashing things, the Nocturne was definitely not the best around, but his constitution wasn't all that bad after all. When they made it to the cave, they were surprised to discover Cresh was out. She left the egg nicely wrapped up in her scarf in a small nook, but there was no other sign of her. "I guess even she gets hungry," Spindle commented, and Harper helped her further in to the back of the cave. He lead her to where she usually slept, with Moroz and Rin and the mass of loose feathers that resulted from that. As she laid down, he fetched a blanket from his and Mara's nest, and covered the Mirror with it. "Thanks," Spindle said when everything was done. After a moment, she added: "You should probably go. Resources won't gather themselves and all." Instead, the Nocturne plopped down next to her. "Are you trying to order me around even now, miss leader?" he teased, and she rolled both pairs of her eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny." "I do my best." They were silent for a while after that, which was a surprise to both of them. Spindle expected Harper to ramble as he usually did, and Harper had so many things he wanted to share with her, so much that had happened that she'd missed and he hadn't had the chance to tell her about. But as he lay there next to her, he found that for once he actually enjoyed the companionable silence between them. It was Spindle who broke the silence first, with a question carried in a small voice: "You really think so, too?" Harper looked at her and tilted his head. "Think what?" "That I'm the leader," Spindle clarified with a bit of a pout, like saying it out loud felt silly to her. "Duh," Harper said without missing a beat. "Rin and Asher never try to lead or decide anything, so it's not them. Vannifer and Aleksei kind of live their own lives, so it can't be them either. Mara's like, super cool and stuff, but she's not very good at decisions either. And Cresh is just here for the egg." "I see," Spindle said. "So is that what it takes? Just someone who makes the decisions is a good leader?" "Well, that's not what I said. But yeah, I think lots of dragons are actually scared to decide things. Especially the big, important things. Responsibility, and all that," Harper explained with a shrug. "What about you?" "Me? Come on, Spindle. Even I know I'd make the worst leader like, ever," Harper laughed. "I'm not good at a lot of things. I know that. I don't always make the best decisions either. I just kind of do stuff, I guess. You though, you think about it. You're good at that. And at fighting. And at hunting. And at deciding. So like, yeah, it's you." Spindle was silent for a while, and finally she asked: "And Moroz?" "Moroz..." Harper nodded. "I thought it was her before, especially back then. You know, when it was just us three? But I changed my mind ever since you brought Asher in and then ran off to get help. Like, Moroz brought us up, but she just kind of goes along with stuff. You though, you've called the shots from the start." When Spindle still didn't say anything, Harper poked her with his tail. Normally he'd probably give her a playful shove, but she was wounded and all. "For what it's worth, I'd be happy with you leading us. But if you don't wanna do that, you shouldn't force yourself. It's like, a pretty big deal, being a leader, so I wouldn't blame you if you said no to it." Spindle looked up at him with a small smile. "Thanks, Harper. I appreciate that." Harper smiled too, and then they heard approaching voices at the cave entrance. Asher, Rin, Cresh and Mara all poured inside. Spindle jerked away from him, and Harper quickly got to his feet and stepped away from her. He himself was not sure why, but he didn't have the time to think about it as Rin ran over to Spindle and leaned over her with worried eyes. "Spindle! Hurting... Helps, helps." Rin muttered, settling in next to her to begin her spell, while Spindle smiled gratefully. "Gods! I had no idea wolves lived around here," Mara said as she slinked up next to Harper, wincing at the sight of Spindle's wounds. "That's scary." "Yeah," Harper said, moving to make room for Cresh, who settled in next to the egg nearby. The cave was starting to feel very cramped, and Asher spoke up. "Come on, you two. Let's give them some space. We've things to do, anyhow." He left first, and Mara gestured Harper along as she went out too. Harper walked after them, glancing over his shoulder. All he could really see now was Rin and her large, fluffy wings, as well as a small light filling the back of the cave. As he went out, Asher had already flown off, but Mara was waiting for him. She'd picked up two baskets on her way out, and handed one to Harper. "I don't know about you, but I'd [i]much[/i] rather stick to catching insects. Scary things like wolves and fighting are beyond me." Mara kicked into the air, but Harper didn't move. He stared at the basket in his hands for a long, silent moment, lost in thought. When Mara rounded back and called his name, he shook himself out of it, and then chased after her. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge [/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 24[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]128[/b] Breeding/New Hatchling/Other[/size][/font] Possible spoiler for the next few lore updates, but [spoiler]Spindle[/spoiler] and Harper now have a nest of 3 eggs, and are exempt from Death Streak days and Coliseum until the nest hatches. Also, for today's update, we're jumping into a new POV and it's slightly different from how the rest of the story has been written so far. Hope it's not too jarring! [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] I'm older now, and I understand many things. I am not good at speaking, but I understand more than I can speak. I understand why I have to fight. So beautiful Moroz teaches me how to do it with magic. I don't like it. I only like to use my magic to help. But I have to fight, because sometimes fighting is helping, too. I fought once to protect Spindle, and that was good. If it's to protect my friends, then I will fight. I understand why Asher, Spindle, Harper and Aleksei all train to fight as well. I also understand why Mara doesn't. She doesn't like it, like me. But she has been hurt in her heart, and she is scared of many things. I am also scared, but maybe not as much as her. But I am not angry at her. She helps everyone in other ways, and I think that is good. Maybe not everyone has to fight. Maybe if dragons like me fight, dragons like Mara can stay safe. That would be good. I also understand why Vannifer collects pretty things. I like looking at his collection. It makes me feel happy, to see beautiful things are also here in the Underice. I think that is why he does it too. It's good to have something to feel happy about. When we are out getting useful things, if I find a pretty object, I feel happy. It's not something we need to live, and that's why getting it is good. I understand that. But there are also many things I do not understand. I do not understand why Moroz is so sad. I spend many days with her, and I can tell. She doesn't talk lots, and she doesn't act sad, but I know she is sad deep inside. I don't think anyone is happy to be here, because we can't leave. But I think Moroz is sad all the way to her soul, and I do not know why. I also do not understand why Harper and Spindle are not good friends any more. I remember them being good friends when I first came. But now Spindle only runs away from Harper. I think Harper is okay, because he has Mara, but not Spindle. I want Spindle to have me, or Moroz, or Asher, but I think Spindle doesn't want that. I like her because she is nice and cares about us, but I don't know why she won't let any of us care about her. When she came wounded from her trip, I helped her, and that was good. But then I saw her body was tired, too tired, and my magic can't help for that. When they leave far away to hunt, Asher can fly, but Spindle can only run. I can't help her wings, or her tired body, but I can try to make her help herself. You should stay here and rest, I want to say. "Staying. Rest," I end up saying. Spindle shakes her head and gets up. "No, that will only waste time. I can at least help with something else for today." I try to insist, but she also insists. It's hard to convince Spindle if she has decided something, so I follow her out of the cave. At least let me help you, I want to say. "Rin helps," I end up saying. "You've helped plenty, Rin," Spindle says. "But fine, you can come with me." We go to pick plants. There's not many left, so we go around the other side of the hill, and away. Some are still here, by the crystals, and we sit and start picking. Cresh made baskets, and they are very good. I have one, but there aren't many yet, so Spindle has a sack. Spindle doesn't look happy. I don't think it's about the sack. Are you okay? I want to ask. "Spindle okays?" I end up asking. She looks surprised. "Yeah, you healed me real well, Rin," she says and smiles. I shake my head. "Spindle sad." "Oh... I'm fine, really. I'm just thinking about some stuff." "Always thinking. Spindle speaking," I say. Sometimes I am frustrated that I cannot say things well, but Spindle never seems to mind. I do not think the others do either, and I am happy about that. Spindle laughs. "Well..." She is quiet for a bit. I keep picking the flowers. They are very cold. "I guess I'm still thinking about my birth Clan. Or really, just my brothers." "Spindle? Brothers?" I am surprised. I didn't know Spindle has brothers. I want to ask more about them, but Spindle goes on first. "Yeah. What about you, Rin? Did you have any siblings?" I shake my head. "Alone," I say. I do not like talking about where I'm from. But I think Spindle wants to talk about where she is from, and she doesn't. I do not understand why. "Spindle. Story. Telling?" Spindle is quiet for a bit. I think maybe she won't say anything after all, but then she says: "If you tell me your story, I'll tell you mine. Deal?" I am not sure. But I like Spindle. She is nice, and I trust her. So I nod, and begin. "Rin... Light." Spindle nods. "Sunbeam Ruins, right? That's where you hatched." I nod again. "Dad, mom. Angry. Fighting. Rin... alone." Spindle frowns, but I keep talking. "Mom, angry... Leaving. Dad, Rin. Alone." "Okay... So your mother left, and your father raised you alone." I nod. "Dad... Angry. Lots, lots. Angry, shouting. Angry, hurting. Rin." Spindle looks shocked. "Your father hurt you?" I wince. "Hurting. Hitting. Angry..." Spindle frowns. "Rin... I'm so sorry. That's horrible." "Rin, helps Rin." I put up my hands, and show her a bit of my magic. "Rin okays." I remember some things, and then I feel bad. My wings wrap around me. "Dad, more angry... Hurting again. Rin helps, dad hurting." Spindle looks sad. I want to tell her not to be, because it is all over, but I am also sad and I can't. I keep talking. "Dad travelling. Ice... Leaving Rin." Now Spindle looks angry. "He abused you, then abandoned you in the tundra? Ugh, I want to tear him to shreds!" I smile. "Is okays. Rin okays. Falls. Meets Spindle. Now, okays. Happy." Spindle gets up and sits next to me, then hugs me. I am very surprised, but then I also hug her. "Sorry I yelled at you when we first met," she says quietly. "I had no idea..." "Is okays. Spindle, good. Likes Spindle. Not angry." Spindle steps away, and smiles. "I'm glad. I like you too, Rin. And thank you for sharing that with me." I nod, then tilt my head. "Rin story. Spindle story?" "Ah... well." [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge [/center]

Rin is so precious <3
And I totally get why she is so hesitant about her parents' "divorce war" as someone who has experienced that themselves (without the abuse, thankfully)

@Drachenschwinge oh dude, i'm so sorry you had to go through that. i'm glad you're able to relate to rin's character through it though <3