Three teenagers of the Toxic Bloom clan ventured out into the night to explore the tale of "Old Lady Hazel".
Elion, a quiet young dragon with difficulty expressing emotion or understanding jokes and sarcasm, apprentice to the clan's alchemist. The smallest of the three.
Aviv, the exuberant oracle born after the Bounty of the Elements and events of "The Bloom"; soft-spoken son of the clan's executioner. The largest of the three.
Grayson, a surly orphan with little patience for anybody - definitely going through his "emo phase". At least he's a fairly competent adventurer. Slightly larger than Elion.
Unlikely trio though they are, the three have found themselves together on this dark night...
"...Are you sure she's not real?" Aviv whimpered, trembling as he tried to hide behind Elion's legs. Small for a Mirror though he was, every part of him stood out past Elion's slender frame.
"I'm - I'm positive!" Grayson snapped back, voice wavering. "I told you to stop being a hatchling! If you don't shape up, you're staying out here!"
"Oh, that would be nice -"
"It would be dangerous for one dragon to stay alone in these woods," Elion interrupted in his Fae-like monotone. "There's no telling what sort of creatures lie in wait, even now. Three dragons is too much to take on for most beasts. I don't think one is."
"Yeah, thanks for the heads-up, genius," Grayson sneered as Aviv covered his face with his paws. "Come on, let's go. The cave's probably safer than out here, right? Since there's nothing in it?"
"But the eyes -!"
"Quiet, Aviv," Grayson snapped as he began to walk forward. Elion followed, and with a small whimper, Aviv did as well.
Within the hollow, the three young dragons could feel the air shift - dark, powerful energies lie in wait within. And they certainly weren't alone...
There was a rustle, and all of a sudden, dozens of eyes shone from the ceiling.
"Gray..." Aviv whispered, mortified.
With a dozen tiny screeches, bats flew at the three dragons, causing Grayson and Aviv to shriek in fear and run further into the hollow. Elion lingered a moment, watching the small creatures flap out the entrance, then trotted after his friends.
Further in, Elion found Grayson cowering behind Aviv, who, in turn, was covering behind his own wings; surrounding them were shimmering lights that moved in strange, jerking patterns, hissing all the while.
"Emerald Cave Jewels," Elion remarked, craning his neck to look one in the face. It flicked its tongue at him. "Largely harmless."
Grayson peered from behind his claws, then abruptly stood up, knocking Aviv off balance. "Uh, duh, I knew that," he growled. "Just a bunch of... lizards..."
"They could light our path," Elion said, just before the creatures suddenly scattered., hiding away in small burrows and nooks.
Aviv peeked out from behind his wings. "Are they gone...?"
Before Elion could answer, Grayson shrieked, then dove back behind Aviv as something chittered and clicked above. Standing on a small ledge was a Corpse Cleaner, mandibles gnashing.
"Well, those are typically hostile," said Elion, "but -"
"Run!" Grayson howled, bolting away from Aviv and back towards the entrance, Aviv soon hot on his heels. A few large mushrooms that had seemed quite inanimate sprung to life as they passed, and both dragons found themselves tripped, landing hard on their fronts as the Corpse Cleaner skittered their way.
"We're gonna die!" Grayson sobbed as he tried to stand again and stumbled back down.
"No we are not!" Aviv snapped, and he leaned over to his friend, grabbing a mouthful of fur and feathers at the nape of his neck and forcing him back up onto his feet. Grayson trembled, then tried to move forward; he seemed to have sprained one of his legs.
The Corpse Cleaner made a clicking, hissing sound just a few feet behind them - and deeper in, a wicked laugh echoed through the tunnels.
Aviv slithered under Grayson's belly before standing up to his full height, lifting the Skydancer onto his back, then sprinted in the direction of the entrance. He effortlessly leapt over the fungus that tried to attack as they neared the exit, then burst out into the wood, not stopping until he'd reached the pond.
Grayson limply slid from Aviv's back, shivering. Aviv collapsed in the grass, panting hard, tears leaking from the blossom stems around his eyes.
"We lost Elion," he whimpered. "Oh, Elion..."
"You - you saved my life," Grayson said, almost weeping himself. "Aviv, I... I don't..."
"You're my friend," Aviv said, smiling faintly. "I couldn't lose you..."
The two dragons smiled at one another, then sighed in unison.
"Elion..."
"He's strong," Aviv said. "Maybe... Maybe we'll see him... Maybe if we wait..."
Something howled nearby, and the two young dragons startled before bolting away from the pond.
"Excellent work, ma'am," Elion said to the cackling Hazel as a Nochnyr trotted back down the tunnel on its strange bone legs. "The Nochnyr was a nice touch."
"Their howls are, as I've been told, very unnerving," Hazel said with a hearty chuckle. "More tea, my dear?"
Elion nodded, holding out a small teacup adorned with paintings of smiling spiders and bats.
Elion, a quiet young dragon with difficulty expressing emotion or understanding jokes and sarcasm, apprentice to the clan's alchemist. The smallest of the three.
Aviv, the exuberant oracle born after the Bounty of the Elements and events of "The Bloom"; soft-spoken son of the clan's executioner. The largest of the three.
Grayson, a surly orphan with little patience for anybody - definitely going through his "emo phase". At least he's a fairly competent adventurer. Slightly larger than Elion.
Unlikely trio though they are, the three have found themselves together on this dark night...
"...Are you sure she's not real?" Aviv whimpered, trembling as he tried to hide behind Elion's legs. Small for a Mirror though he was, every part of him stood out past Elion's slender frame.
"I'm - I'm positive!" Grayson snapped back, voice wavering. "I told you to stop being a hatchling! If you don't shape up, you're staying out here!"
"Oh, that would be nice -"
"It would be dangerous for one dragon to stay alone in these woods," Elion interrupted in his Fae-like monotone. "There's no telling what sort of creatures lie in wait, even now. Three dragons is too much to take on for most beasts. I don't think one is."
"Yeah, thanks for the heads-up, genius," Grayson sneered as Aviv covered his face with his paws. "Come on, let's go. The cave's probably safer than out here, right? Since there's nothing in it?"
"But the eyes -!"
"Quiet, Aviv," Grayson snapped as he began to walk forward. Elion followed, and with a small whimper, Aviv did as well.
Within the hollow, the three young dragons could feel the air shift - dark, powerful energies lie in wait within. And they certainly weren't alone...
There was a rustle, and all of a sudden, dozens of eyes shone from the ceiling.
"Gray..." Aviv whispered, mortified.
With a dozen tiny screeches, bats flew at the three dragons, causing Grayson and Aviv to shriek in fear and run further into the hollow. Elion lingered a moment, watching the small creatures flap out the entrance, then trotted after his friends.
Further in, Elion found Grayson cowering behind Aviv, who, in turn, was covering behind his own wings; surrounding them were shimmering lights that moved in strange, jerking patterns, hissing all the while.
"Emerald Cave Jewels," Elion remarked, craning his neck to look one in the face. It flicked its tongue at him. "Largely harmless."
Grayson peered from behind his claws, then abruptly stood up, knocking Aviv off balance. "Uh, duh, I knew that," he growled. "Just a bunch of... lizards..."
"They could light our path," Elion said, just before the creatures suddenly scattered., hiding away in small burrows and nooks.
Aviv peeked out from behind his wings. "Are they gone...?"
Before Elion could answer, Grayson shrieked, then dove back behind Aviv as something chittered and clicked above. Standing on a small ledge was a Corpse Cleaner, mandibles gnashing.
"Well, those are typically hostile," said Elion, "but -"
"Run!" Grayson howled, bolting away from Aviv and back towards the entrance, Aviv soon hot on his heels. A few large mushrooms that had seemed quite inanimate sprung to life as they passed, and both dragons found themselves tripped, landing hard on their fronts as the Corpse Cleaner skittered their way.
"We're gonna die!" Grayson sobbed as he tried to stand again and stumbled back down.
"No we are not!" Aviv snapped, and he leaned over to his friend, grabbing a mouthful of fur and feathers at the nape of his neck and forcing him back up onto his feet. Grayson trembled, then tried to move forward; he seemed to have sprained one of his legs.
The Corpse Cleaner made a clicking, hissing sound just a few feet behind them - and deeper in, a wicked laugh echoed through the tunnels.
Aviv slithered under Grayson's belly before standing up to his full height, lifting the Skydancer onto his back, then sprinted in the direction of the entrance. He effortlessly leapt over the fungus that tried to attack as they neared the exit, then burst out into the wood, not stopping until he'd reached the pond.
Grayson limply slid from Aviv's back, shivering. Aviv collapsed in the grass, panting hard, tears leaking from the blossom stems around his eyes.
"We lost Elion," he whimpered. "Oh, Elion..."
"You - you saved my life," Grayson said, almost weeping himself. "Aviv, I... I don't..."
"You're my friend," Aviv said, smiling faintly. "I couldn't lose you..."
The two dragons smiled at one another, then sighed in unison.
"Elion..."
"He's strong," Aviv said. "Maybe... Maybe we'll see him... Maybe if we wait..."
Something howled nearby, and the two young dragons startled before bolting away from the pond.
"Excellent work, ma'am," Elion said to the cackling Hazel as a Nochnyr trotted back down the tunnel on its strange bone legs. "The Nochnyr was a nice touch."
"Their howls are, as I've been told, very unnerving," Hazel said with a hearty chuckle. "More tea, my dear?"
Elion nodded, holding out a small teacup adorned with paintings of smiling spiders and bats.