(Here we go...)
The Bogsneak stumbled back into the Lair, her Black Wolf familiar, Lycaon, trailing at her heels. She shook her head and wobbled where she stood as Lycaon rushed deeper into the former-mine. In the seconds it took the dragoness to fumble her way to a wall and collapse upon a mound of cushions, the wolf was loping back with a Mirror at his side.
"Pandora!" Eulalia yelped as she approached the Bogsneak. "You are finally back!"
The Mirror enveloped her larger mate in her even larger wings, and wrapped her forelegs around Pandora's neck. Her sighs of relief quickly became a sharp gasp as Eulalia pulled back with a leap.
"What-- what happened to you?!" she asked, one claw gesturing to the pinpricks of crimson that stained Pandora's silvery white dress.
Pandora only heaved a breath and pulled back her cowl. She trained her milky, unseeing eyes on to Eulalia and a grin cracked her maw. "I found them!"
"Who?"
"The Nocturnes, Eulalia! The Melodic Ones!" Pandora raised her tail, lifting the large clay jar that it was wrapped around. "The Melodic Ones" were the name that the Speakers-- the... things that lurked in the jar and whispered to Pandora strange prophetic messages-- had called the dragons that she were to research and find. "The fates are at stakes!" they had claimed.
(So dramatic.)
Eulalia quirked a brow. She had been made privy to the Speakers' request and often received updates regarding Pandora's studies. "Are you sure?"
"Of course! I had found Shadowsong for Stormcatcher's sake! It was her, the Singers. It makes perfect sense. Melodic; Singers. They are what I was searching for."
The Mirror dropped to her haunches, staring in disbelief at her mate. "Now what?" she breathed.
"They need our help."
"Who needs what help?" sounded from above the two dragons and a thud came from behind Eulalia. The Mirror spun around to find...
"Artemis?" she asked the particularly large Nocturne. Artemis, as usual, was bedecked in a golden wolf cape, bird skulls and feathers. The hatchling-like dragoness leaned her head to the side and blinked in reply.
"Oh, Artemis," Pandora perked at the Nocturne's name. "Have you heard of the Singers, perchance?"
"Yup!" she nodded enthusiastically, wolf cape flipping off and back on her head. "I've heard'a 'um. Weird bunch'a us that only comes out once a year."
"Really? You remember them?"
"Yeah! Wait... Whataya mean? Some dragons don't?"
"Most dragons don't," the Bogsneak spoke slowly, mind churning. Artemis was the Clan's hunter and was particularly excellent at stalking and scouting. "You could prove helpful."
"What even is the issue?" Eulalia was getting a bit exasperated, Pandora was too prone to getting off track."
"... Sorry," Pandora apologized with a dip of her head. "But... it is not good. Shadowsong's sister may have gone rogue, attacked Shadowsong, and took two Singer hatchlings with her. I must find them and I believe that Artemis could have the potential to help, given my lack of sight."
Eulalia's eyes twitched as the mentioning of the hatchlings. She rose to her claws, "I am going too."
Pandora heaved another sigh, "I knew you would say such. But this is dangerous, the sister-- Thana-- may have mimics at her disposal. As it would appear, the Singer Nocturnes do not have the same behavioral copying habits."
"Lest you forget, dearest Pandy, I have taken down hordes of such beasts in the Coliseum on a daily basis during these times."
Pandora acquiesced; she knew that as soon as the hatchlings were mentioned that Eulalia would not back down. "Well, if things are settled, me must make haste!"
The trio of dragons found themselves trudging through the Tangled Wood, Pandora in the lead (Lycaon had been left behind for his safety). While the Bogsneak was unable to see, her many years of wandering the Wood as a sighted Tundra had left an indelible mark of the land in her mind-- the still lingeringly-enhanced sense of smell helped too. Her snout was peaked high in the air, searching for the traces of the Singer's magic. Eulalia and Artemis padded close behind, listening for any strange sound.
"I cannot sense anything yet," Pandora lamented. The Speakers had been silent since she had first encountered Shadowsong, prior to that, there has been a near-constant cacophony of "the Melodic Ones." But when they could finally be useful, nothing.
Just a few beats passed before Pandora froze in her tracks, the fins atop her head flicking forward. "We're close."
She took another step forward and plunged her paw into a mass of brambles, then pulled up a mass of strange leaves encased in a meshed satchel. A puzzled look grew across Pandora's face. "I-- I did not put these here... But how could?-- Artemis?"
The Nocturne jumped when her name was called and she made a grunting sound at the back of her throat.
"Could you look around here? Something is afoot."
Artemis nodded and dropped low, tucking her wings in close to her body. She dashed into the brush and was gone from sight. After a few moments she returned, panting harshly.
"I found 'um! The couple'a hatchlings are in a thicket about twenty meters or so away! And ya' know?" the Nocturne cast a glance down at the ground, which was dimly lit by the platinum glow of Pandora's runes. "They kinda remind me of you. Ya sure you don't got some Singer in your blood?"
Pandora pursed her lips. "I would not believe that the Singers would interbreed with other dragons, much less a Tundra."
"And regardless," Eulalia piped up. She was wringing her claws. "We have much more pressing issues as of now."
"Of course!" Pandora nodded her head. "Lead us Artemis!"
(gonna pause here to save it--
ugh, i'm kinda loosing my motivation for this. :I)
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Listen to the Thunder
Hear Us Roar Zh duh wkh Fodq ri wkh Vfuhdplqj Vwrup |