Dragon Share

[center]1. The Singer[/center] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8996875][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/89969/8996875.png[/img][/url][nextcol]The Clan of Singing Blood is home to only three nocturne dragons, and during this time, only one could be found in the Scarwind Keep - [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8996875]Aedon[/url] the Nightengale. Her songs were always haunting, and often strange, but in the past hour had become a horrible maddening tune, filled with incoherent and disturbing chanting, with the verses sometimes punctuated by unexpected and terrible shrieks and howls. The song may have been unfathomable and strange, but the meaning of it was clear enough - it was a prophecy of insanity which consumed the Queen's favorite pet. The unhinged singer was quickly restrained within her cage, and the wisest dragons within the Council set to attempt to unravel the wild verses of the song. From somewhere in the long dark night, an unknown peril swelled.[/columns] ----- [center]2. Fallen Outpost[/center] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20424513][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/204246/20424513.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31338445][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/313385/31338445.png[/img][/url][nextcol]The other two Nocturnes were a teacher, [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20424513]Helveca[/url], and a half-artificial warrior devised by the Machine Faction, [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31338445]Vrazedny[/url], both were stationed at a remote outpost near the border of the Tangled Wood and the Sea of a Thousand Currents. They were tasked with the support of a few allied clans during a recent conflict with the dragons of the Ashfall Waste. Helveca aided in the preparation of the clan's Plague warriors to join Shadow's forces, while Vrazedny lead skirmishes and counter-attacks over the Sea of a Thousand Currents, joining other dragons to try and cut off the direct routes of hostile dragons to the Tangled Wood. It was here that insane peril had taken hold - driven by those two powerful members of the clan, collapsing the outpost and then turning to pose an imminent threat to the heart of the Clan of Singing Blood, even at its secure home at the edge of the Wyrmwound. Vrazedny had taken the outpost, and only three of the dragons within had a chance of slipping free from the dark influence which had choked the place and laid all of the warriors stationed there low and powerless. They fled and dragged the teacher behind them, all of her discipline and decorum having fallen away to twisted giggling madness.[/columns] ----- [center]3. The Three[/center] [columns][size=4]Iejir - a Bandit[/size] Iejir had been in charge of securing resources, most often looting battlefields and raiding nearby beast clan which had been weakened by the conflict. He was ostensibly a scavenger but tended more to banditry and raiding. No one cared much as long as his actions didn't bring misfortune to the clan, as long as he could keep the outpost and warriors well supplied with the tools they needed. He was not a warrior himself. The skydancer's lightweight build was ill-suited for it, and while he could fight, he preferred to make sure the odds were always in his favor, relying on his empathetic senses and cunning to get the upper hand, plus his usual gang of plague-waste trash - misfit dragons and beastclan making up a strange brotherhood. Now he had only a mad skinless warrior and a spoiled idiot princess at his side. [nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38878913][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/388790/38878913_350.png[/img][/url][/columns] [columns][size=4]Nucka - a Warrior[/size] Nucka had been one of the foremost warriors at the outpost, technically outranking Vrazedny, and now was the only warrior still standing after the mimic's dark influence siezed the place. She was a vicious mirror, used to fighting in the open, where the rules were clear, alongside a frenzied pack of mirror mercenaries. Having some unknown thing as an adversary did not sit well with her, and certainly not having to face the thing more or less alone - as her two skydancer companions were not at all suited to battle in her mind. But her mercenaries had been scattered into the night when the mimic seized control of the outpost, the fastest and luckiest of them, at least. [nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=12597717][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/125978/12597717_350.png[/img][/url][/columns] [columns][size=4]Anna - a Royal[/size] Annabel was the daughter of the King. She was not really supposed to be there, but she had a habit of ending up in places where she wasn't supposed to be. She'd heard stories of elemental conflicts from one of her tutors and was keen to witness those exchanges of elemental power, and even view the excitement of the unfolding battles, so she had covertly joined a supply caravan along with her bodyguard, [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=115702&tab=dragon&did=40531392]Vihaga[/url]. The evil influence which took the outpost shortly after the caravan's arrival was more than she had bargained for. The other two clearly thought her an inept fool who was in over her head and needed their protection. Neither of them had possessed anything more than the most basic of elemental magic and knowledge of magic. They also failed to recall that the plaguelands did not uplift to royalty dragons who were weak and spoiled by luxury. She would have to remind them of that. [nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35276178][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/352762/35276178_350.png[/img][/url][/columns] ----- [center]4. A Mimic of Unknown Origins[/center] [columns]The three were disturbed by the powerful nocturnes so easily made mad puppets by the magical creature and knew that was surely not the only trick it had, as Vrazedny alone could not have taken control of the place. There were of course, a number of non-clan nocturne mercenaries and allies within the outpost lair, but surely these shouldn't have been able to overwhelm the plague warriors there, who were mostly mirrors and wildclaws. Even the mechanically enhanced Imperial, Vihaga had fallen and bade them flee with Annabel with his final words. Vihaga's voice echoing up through the subterranean tunnels had upset Anna far more than the mad gibbering of the now sleeping Helveca. It was that, more than the threat of possible death that made her want to find and dismantle the mimic. The three dragons were by then positioned on the sea cliffs below the outpost, where some of the lowest tunnels made discreet passways into the complex. Below them, the rotten cliffs gave way to the Sea of a Thousand Currents, this edge bespoiled by the reach of the Wandering Contagion, its continuous growth kept in check by the erosion of the Sea. They climbed and searched for unbarred tunnels to try and reenter the complex, but most of them were sealed from within. They did not want to have to try and break down one of these barricades, as even with Shadowsong's protection, such a commotion was sure to be noticed. Helveca had been left behind now, hidden in a secure crack of stone below them. They spoke softly as they climbed, "It must be with Vrazedny," said Iejir. "She led the takedown of the outpost." "Why? It 'slaves the bat-faces. Helveca did not have it, so why should Vrazedny? It could have been anyone in the outpost." Hissed Nucka. "It could have been, but it probably wasn't. Most of them were warriors, they might have brought back trophies, but, I've never heard of mimics disguising themselves as bits of slain dragons or beastclan heads." Anna countered. "And the mages were busy with rituals to bolster Shadow's power, they wouldn't have been about bringing home random nick-nacks." She glanced at Iejir, who seemed unhappy about her implication. "None of mine snuck in any kind of evil nonsense." He said. "I don't think you can know that." "Iejir employs no bat-faces," Nucka says. "I don't think it has to be a Nocturne who brought the Mimic in, I think the Nocts are just weakest to them, because of how... well... suggestable they can be. Their behavior and mannerisms shift unconsciously so it would-" "I don't see how your academic musings are useful right now," Iejir said, interrupting her. "Try and keep on task, eh? Ok, so the mimic probably came in with supplies, either from a scavenging team... or maybe... the caravan [i]you[/i] rode in on." "Maybe." Anna agreed. "We have to know for sure who it is. We can't go in there and blindly search, it will take too long, or we'll get thrashed. At most, we might be able to search two... three dragons' belongings." "They shouldn't be able to see us. Shadowsong's spell-" Nucka let out a hiss above them. She had crested the top of the cliff, and gotten a view of the upper fortifications and grounds. She dropped down immediately. "They are all outside. We should break one of the barricades below, it cannot be well guarded now." "What? Why would they all be outside?" Anna made for the top of the cliff, so that she could get a better look, but Iejir grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down. "Oi, you want to get spotted? You shine like a lighthouse, I'll look." The dark-colored skydancer ignored Anna's protests as he scrambled up and peeked over the cliffs.[/columns] ----- [center]5. The Caravan[/center] [columns]Around the upper entrance to the outpost was a gathering of dragons mostly nocturnes, mercenaries from the outpost, as well as strangers not seen before. Most showed clear signs of aberrant behavior, a few were oddly listless, others twitching and alert, their heads jerking about in a fearful and paranoid fashion. Some giggled softly as they went about their various tasks, others sang tunelessly as they worked.[/columns][columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8748161][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/87482/8748161.png[/img][/url][nextcol]There were a few non-nocturnes as well, but these seemed cowed by the dark influence and the threat of violence from the unhinged nocturnes. In the center stood the black and white coatl, [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8748161]Finnigan[/url], looking a little harried and disheveled, but otherwise unharmed. He was giving orders to the others dragons as they were reloading several of the carts of his caravan, shifting supplies around, and generally seeming busy. However, the usual supplies which would have been taken to the next outpost had been removed and replaced with an eclectic arrangement of items. All manner of useful goods had been carelessly thrown out and replaced with curious oddities, though it seemed a perfectly mundane collection.[/columns][columns] Finnigan turned his head towards the cliffs, and Iejir feared for a moment that he had been spotted. "The dragons of the Ashfall were victorious, even if they were driven away by the long night. There's no reason to retain our presence along the border, so we will be heading back home with our scant spoils of war." Said Finnigan, in a voice much louder and more than the one he had been using to give orders to the unhinged nocturnes. "Yes?" He asked, turning away from the cliffs. Iejir felt a chill, out of a large case near the front of the cart, a black smoke swirled, shifting aside the lid. Reflective eyes shone from the shadowed mist. Iejir thought he heard some kind of whispered reply from within, but couldn't make it out. He dropped down immediately. He did not think the items being loaded into the caravan were spoils of war. He did not think they were as mundane as they appeared. Maybe some of them were mere junk, but... it was a lot of junk.[nextcol][img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/25169.png[/img][/columns][columns] "I heard voices. Was that Finn? Is he alright?" Anna asked immediately. Iejir tried to gather his thoughts. "I think he might be the one bonded to the mimic. He seems to be organizing a caravan to take straight back to the clan... and I'm pretty sure most if not all of what has been loaded are mimics."[/columns] ----- [center]6. Leaderless[/center] [columns]Nucka's tail twitched and her ears flared. Iejir looked deep in thought. "Our odds aren't good." "They can not reach the clan." Nucka hissed. "We will stop them." The two quietly began to discuss a plan, though it rapidly became an argument. They were outnumbered, even if the nocturnes couldn't see them, there was no telling what the mimics themselves were capable of, and the non-nocturnes might give them away if they attempted to approach. Iejir wanted to run ahead of the caravan and warn the clan. Nucka thought him cowardly. She wanted to rush for Finn and the mimic bound to him. Iejir thought her a fool. Anna closed her eyes. They were afraid, and so was she. They couldn't leave. The longer they waited, the more likely all of the dragons in the outpost would be lost, nocturnes and otherwise, even if the clan was warned. It would be a tremendous injury. The loss of their warriors and so many allies would leave the clan weakened, and some of the mimics might escape and bring further terror to the region. They would have to act now, but they couldn't just rush in. "It's not Finn," Anna said, aloud, but too quietly for the other two to hear here. She was sure of it. "But I'm not sure if that's important... what can they do... bond to a dragon... disguise themselves... disorient other creatures... overpower nocturnes..." "I have a plan." Anna said, this time loud enough to get the others attention, though they were dismissive of her initially. "Listen, there's not much time, they'll be leaving soon and then it will really be too late." "With all due respect, your last plan involved stowing away in a caravan and nearly getting yourself killed in a military outpost." Said Iejir. Nucka snapped her jaws, and he continued. "Vihaga told us to get out, and to get [i]you[/i] out. The outpost and everything that 'Starsong' or whoever said is secondary. And since you've caused enough trouble for one night, why don't you-" Anna launched forward and raked her claws across his face, impacting him hard enough to knock him back, and nearly off the cliff entirely, only really managing to land the blow because Iejir had not at all been expecting it. "Silence!" She snapped, "I am the King's daughter. I am not a porcelain doll or some soft diplomat from the Lightweaver's vaulted halls. I spin magics at the edge of the Wyrmwound. I am a Child of Singing Blood and we are favored by the Plaguebringer." Anna had been saving this little speech, turning it over in her head as they had climbed the cliffs. She tried not to feel moronic saying it. If they were to buy it, she had to believe it herself. She thought of her father and how he spoke and demanded, and tried to channel a little bit of his voice into her own. She could feel the resentment pour off of Iejir, like the blood down his face, but Nucka bowed and clattered her teeth in submission. "Oh. My mistake..." Iejir hissed. "What is your plan then?"[/columns] ----- [center]7. Bound to Mimic[/center] [columns] All they had to do was get close enough to mimic bound to Finnigan to destroy it, that would hopefully be enough to disrupt the dark influence over the dragons in the area, and they would be able to help dispose of the rest of the mimics. The other mimics were hopefully all still inert, awaiting dragons to bind and influence when they reached their final destinations. Once the main mimic was destroyed, it wouldn't matter if they tried more conventional means to defend themselves, they would be outmatched by the dragons in the outpost. The three of them still had to get close without alerting the mimics, or Finnigan. The other non-nocturne dragons would be unlikely to give them away, except by accident. Iejir, charming, clever, and sneaky would see that they made it there, Nucka would attack and give Anna the opportunity she needed to destroy it with a spell. As quickly as she could manage it, Anna wove an illusion of light around herself and Nucka. Shadow magic was not the sole proprietor of trickery, as those who have glimpsed strange mirages at midday can attest. When she was done, Iejir had to struggle to not laugh. As Nucka was perched precariously on Anna's shoulders, looking a bit like a puppy that had been placed unexpectedly on a high shelf. He squinted. "You're sure, I still see you." He said, uncertain, he could also see the illusion as well, a faint image overtop the pair of a pile of boxes resting atop a hand cart. "Yes, you can see us because you watched me cast the spell. Everyone else will see only the illusion... assuming you can sell it to them. Try not to give them any reason to look too close." "Mimicing a mimic." said Iejir, not entirely convinced. He liked the plan, but he wasn't sure it was a good one. "Alright, you leave the rest to me."[/columns] ----- [center]8. Daybreak[/center] [columns] He looked back to the Caravan, where the dragons were finishing loading the carts. Less labor was needed now, and many of the nocturnes had fallen away from the group or started having mad fits now. There were still a few non-nocturnes working, but they did not look well. It seemed to Iejir that they had picked some of the weakest dragons for this labor. He supposed the strongest ones would not have been inclined to work and might have been difficult to manage. He scrambled onto the top of the cliff, pulling the others with him, and grabbing Anna's hands so that it looked like he had the handles of the cart. Anna would have to walk backward. The boxes on the cart wobbled as Nucka struggled to maintain her balance. None of the nocturnes paid them any mind at all. Shadowsong's spell must have worked, a relief to Iejir, who was not so sure they would have been tricked by Anna's spell and might have just attacked them regardless. But since the nocturne guards did not mind Iejir, there would be no reason for the Mimics or Finnigan to suspect he was anything besides another laborer. He modeled his behavior on the other laborers as he went. He walked around the back of the carts, pushing Anna along and finding a route which would avoid having to pass Finn. Nucka dug her claws into Anna's back, getting ready to leap as soon as she was within range. Finnigan glanced at him, giving him a rather queer look, but made no motions to stop him, not seeing the scydancer's cart and load for what they really were. Finnigan even moved a little out of the way, so that Iejir could load the goods. Iejir could feel anxiety rolling off the fat little coatl in waves, more than he expected, even given the dragons somewhat disheveled condition. The rest of the plan unfolded much faster. Nucka leapt, looking like a flurry of furious boxes as she did so. The illusion didn't last long after that, however. The case Nucka attacked twitched, and the black mist seized one of the beastclan weapons that had been loaded near it, striking at her and burying the spear in the muscles of her chest. Another dragon might have been stopped, but Nucka felt no pain and gripped the lid in her claws to pry it off. some of the other mimics were reacting now, and the cartloads began to shuffle in a most concerning way. The nocturnes let out confused cries as they tried to determine what was attacking the creature that had a hold on their minds. Anna began to gather power for her spell, and several mimics from the adjacent cart made to attack her, but Iejir was ready to receive them and hoped he could hold them long enough for Anna to finish her spell. Nearby, Finnigan was engaged with some unknown assailant, but none of the three could spare that any attention. Nucka managed to pull the lid off the box, and the mist inside roiled furiously, twisting up and grabbing her face and neck, strangling the mirror. A moment later, it was gone. The night was broken by a ray of sunlight exploding out of the box towards the sky, and the creatures of shadow recoiled.[/columns] ----- [center]9. Answers[/center] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44231822][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/442319/44231822.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] "Yes, but who gave it to you?" "It's a secret."[/columns][columns] The commotion had settled. Below, others searched the outpost for dragons injured during the event. The carts were all overturned, and the collection of mimics had fled or been destroyed. However, for fear of any hidden mimics, the outpost was to be abandoned, and all but the most necessary supplies left behind. A sign was being erected, to warn any looters of possible dangers. It was just the sort of sign Iejir was prone to ignore, but it was better than nothing. Finnigan had not been the one the Mimic was bound to. It had been [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44231822]a child or something like a child[/url]. A stray dragon in need of shelter, who had been invited into the outpost. While there she had become something of a mascot for the shadow dragons, though most of the plague dragons found her loathsome, as she was clearly some manner of undead abomination. She had come quite undone when her mimic was attacked and was still confused and upset by the affair. She had wanted to join the plague clan that supplied the outpost, and thought the collection of mimics would make fine gifts to the clan. If she gave them gifts, maybe they would like her. She had no idea they were mimics, and the case of mist had been a gift she quite liked. Finnigan had known all of this and more. Someone had sent the mimics, someone who knew the mimics were bound to cause widespread chaos on this very night and had planned for it. Finn had plans of his own, trying to work with the mimic and secure an opportunity to stop the caravan or warn the clan. When he saw Iejir he knew there must be others who had not been captured or slain during the fall of the outpost. Several of the dragons were eager to destroy the undead child. They did not think her innocent in the matter and labeled her an agent of doom. Finnigan was quick to defend her, in spite of the numerous injuries he had sustained in retraining her as Nucka and Anna attacked her mimic. It did not seem that he would be able to mount much of a defense. Even with Anna on his side. The return of Vihaga to the surface quelled the argument, as the Imperial was easily the largest dragon there, and at Anna's request, he would shield the undead child. Now all that was left was to determine who planted the mimic... and who organized the arrival of the entire mimic shipment. The undead skydancer was hard to get answers from. She was confused and hurt and afraid, though Finnigan tried to comfort her. Eventually, they determined that she did not know herself. She was given the mimic in the forest, well into Shadow's territory, but she could not say by whom. Finnigan determined only that it was not that she was keeping the giver's identity secret, it was that it was kept secret from her. The child could provide them no more answers, even if there were still a lot of questions. [/columns] ----- [right][size=2]Let me know [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/drs/2595045]in the discussion thread[/url] if you liked the story! ♥[/right]

might as well try and maybe i'll actually finish the story this year [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=83157&tab=dragon&did=37545457][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/375455/37545457.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=83157&tab=dragon&did=11740830][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/117409/11740830.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=83157&tab=dragon&did=6602136][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/66022/6602136.png[/img][/url] [font=Gabriola][color=655888][size=5]Fortune[/color][/font] & [font=copperplate][color=LightSteelBlue][size=4]Khione[/size][/color][/font] & [font=Tahoma][color=Crimson][size=4]Ciphers[/color][/font][/size][/center] [i]"Let's get started,"[/i] Khione barked out, casting one last glance at her [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=83157&tab=dragon&did=9279387]fallen friend[/url] before twisting to look back into the Lair. Artemis had always been a bit... [i]boisterous[/i], to say the least. But to see the Nocturne acting like that was just unsettling. Cackling, snarling, and [i]attacking[/i] another dragon? That seems like something that should be happening in a bad dream, not right in front of her eyes. But what was Khione to do? It was Eulalia's last order. [i]Take who you can, and[/i] go. The Clan-heir had been in a panic, trying to find where the missing Clanmembers had gone when Artemis started to act out. But then the little Mirror stilled, eyes saddened with some secret knowledge as she told Khione to take the Nocturne as far away as she could-- and to bring help. She would have chosen almost anyone else to go... But they were gone. Circe, Terra, Oceanic. All large and powerful enough to wrestle Artemis into submission; all vanished into thin air ([i]Persephus too,[/i] an internal voice screeched and she winced, desperately tried to ignore the intense anxiety clawing in her belly). And so she was stuck with [i]them[/i]. Ciphers was fine. Khione got along well enough with the Imperial, though she probably wouldn't have been her first choice. But that [i]Mirror[/i]. Useless as far as she was concerned. He was just some crummy con artist who racked up too much debt to the wrong dragon and was now hiding out in the Clan for one reason or another. And always complaining whenever he thought he was out of earshot. "What are we even going to do?" Fortune muttered, rubbing at his now-bruised neck. Khione hissed at him. "[i]What?![/i] Are your ears frozen over? We have to find that mimic." ----- i'll get back to it, i hope

[columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39734] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/398/39734_350.png[/img] [/url][nextcol] Geralt wrinkled his muzzle in a small snarl, looking at the prone dragon on the ground before swivelling his gaze to the clan leader. "I don't know how a mimic could have gotten into the territory, Warlord. Patrols are constantly keeping watch, even between this world and that of the Shadowbinder."[/columns] [columns] Thrawn made no reaction, save for a slight narrowing of his glowing red eyes. He knew the Hunter was right, and he didn't doubt the other skydancer's ability to sense and eradicate threats that lurked between worlds- especially after Coming Back from Exaltation to the Shadowbinder's realm. "I suspect it has been here for some time, Geralt," Thrawn commented after a long moment's silence, his head turning to the clan's mortician, who was playing with her new toy, recently acquired from Shih, the clan's scavenger. "Follow me, Geralt." [nextcol] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=3537011] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/35371/3537011_350.png[/img] [/url][/columns] [columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19484089] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/194841/19484089_350.png[/img] [/url] [nextcol] Kebehut looked up from the doll she was prodding at with her dexterous forepaws as Geralt and Thrawn approached her. Her muzzle wrinkled and her jaws parted in a toothy grin. "Find something for me?" she asked, setting the patchwork doll aside, pins still stuck in its flanks. Thrawn's eyes narrowed again, focusing on the doll, and Geralt frowned, eyes closing as he sighed in exasperation. Of course it would be Kebehut, and of course the thing would look so innocuous as that, and OF COURSE it wouldn't harm HER. [/columns] [center] [img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/28771.png[/img] "Kebehut, where did you get that doll?" Thrawn asked. Kebehut wrinkled her nose. "[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=9939&tab=dragon&did=23685964]Shih[/url] gave it to me!" She said, almost a little defensively. "Why? Wot of it?" "Geralt," Thrawn said, the command clear in his voice. Kebehut let out a little shriek as Geralt seized the doll and pulled out the pins, breaking each one between his fingers. "Oi! That was a gift, Geralt!" She screeched, rushing to pick up the doll- only to stop as there was a screech not her own coming from between Geralt's fingers. Smoke wisped and curled between the long digits of the Hunter where each pin had been. The smoke took the form of a face with a leering, toothy face, then dissipated as Geralt buffeted his wings at the incorporeal form. Geralt examined the doll for a few moments, then nodded in satisfaction before handing it to Thrawn. The Warlord turned it over in his hands, examining the crude stitching, the mismatched patches and the coarse fabric. Once he'd been satisfied the effigy was now harmless, the mimic's essence pulled away with the broke pins, he handed it back to Kebehut. The mortician sadly held her now motionless doll, her fins drooping. Geralt blinked. "What's wrong, then?" "It ain't movin' anymore, that's wot," Kebehut said dejectedly. "Patches liked to follow me while I worked!" Geralt gaped at her and Thrawn rubbed at a temple. "Kebehut," Thrawn said with measured patience, "it was a mimic." "Oi, I knew that!" Kebehut said indignantly, fans flaring. "Y'think I'm daft? She wasn't hurtin' nobody! It's why I let 'er stay!" Geralt and Thrawn turned back to the prone dragon they'd left in the care of the healers. If that wasn't the cause of their fallen comrade.... Then where was the mimic now? [b][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=dragon&id=9939&did=47234134]Continued here.....[/url][/b] [/center]

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43247659] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/432477/43247659_350.png[/img] [/url] Nyxis, the Shadowdancer. A thieving little fellow with a Transmuted Treasure mimic named Umber as a familiar who is cunning enough to blend in with those in the clutches of the Mimics. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43068015] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/430681/43068015_350.png[/img] [/url] Samhain, XV. Passionate and smart, Samhain and his animate Bogsneak Puppet named Jack. He has the drive to keep them going. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43921454] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/439215/43921454_350.png[/img] [/url] Clemantis, the Silent. Clemantis is as silent as his ghastly Masked Phantom. He's a wall of armor and scales, ready to protect his charge with his life. [center]-----[/center] (Adding lore/writing later)

[b]UPDATE[/b] I am just going to post the story on the forums at an unknown date, as I sadly have too little time to write the tale right now. (Apologies if grammar is bad, in a rush) WIP, apologies for odd grammar and sentences, story shall come soon! [center][i]Once upon a time, in an isolated cave in an isolated piece of the Fishspine Reef, a mimic crawled into the home of a small clan trying to sleep before the Night of Nocturne. What happened next, was quite a story..[/i][/center] [center][i]The first of our odd, heroes[/i][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43343657] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/433437/43343657_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center]Duellist is an odd little Water Nocturne, with an inability to mimic anything other than dueling behaviors, most likely because of her Wildclaw mother. She, like some of the other dragons, was out swimming when she heard one of her friends scream as they discovered a maddened clanmate. She will most likely us her knowledge of fighting with her inability to go "Mimic-Mad" to help save her fellow Nocturnes.[/center] [center][i]Our second unlikely hero...[/i][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46759175] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/467592/46759175_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center]Allwatching is a historian, not a fighter. After all, her many eyes are especially sensitive to scratching, thanks to the fact that they cover her body. What she makes up for strength, is her knowledge of Sornieth and its creatures. She was writing a book about the history of Emperors when she found her friend trying to calm down "Mimic-Mad" clanmate. Her role is most likely to guide her more battle-ready friends, and strategize a way into and out of the lair.[/center] [center][i]Our last, quirky hero...[/i][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=41239164] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/412392/41239164_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center]Pearlwings is an animated little Shadow Mirror, with a deep passion for all creatures. She most likely knows who let the Mimic in, as she's been working to find a friendly Mimic with some of her clanmates. She was also the one who found her friend, and future Nocturne Ashengalaxy (This story is in the near future) insane from "Mimic-Madness" and was trying to make him let go of a Bogsneak Puppet he was threatening to harm. She will most likely work with her dragon allies, and her animal and familiar ones, to stop the evil Mimic, and help whoever let it in, along with the rest of her family and clan.[/center] [center][i]Story coming soon![/i][/center]

[img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/470356/47035525_350.png[/img] Firefly [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/473511/47351024_350.png[/img] Mariana

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47413043] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/474131/47413043_350.png[/img] [/url] First up we have Leandro. He's an anxious dragon, but he loves his clanmates dearly. Leandro has a phenomenal photographic memory and is quite smart for his age. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46801177] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/468012/46801177_350.png[/img] [/url] Next, Aneira. An herb gatherer with a big heart, Aneira takes a lot after her former mentor, Deron, by forgiving easily and not judging dragons by their first impressions/appearances. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47694999] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/476950/47694999_350.png[/img] [/url] Last but not least, Minerva. A Coatl who has travelled a lot during her dragonethood, she's encountered numerous different beasts, and now spends her time documenting them. bonus: the sleeping Nocturne is Atlas, Minerva's best friend [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47675202] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/476753/47675202_350.png[/img] [/url] and this is Musette [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45843322] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/458434/45843322_350.png[/img] [/url] Sorry for the short description, I accidentaly deleted the original version and didn't have the time nor patience to rewrite word-for-word. [center][b]Storytime![/b][/center] [center]-------[/center] [center]Minerva shook her head, bewildered. "I'm sorry, we need to what?" she asked.[/center] [center]"We must find the Mimic and defeat it." It was Aneira's turn to gaze confused. "Is that not something we can do?"[/center] [center]"Well, yeah, it is." Leandro said. "After all, our hoard has been a little...er...empty lately. But how are we gonna find that creature? HOW ARE WE GONNA DEFEAT IT?" His shaky voice, already panicked, had heightened to a pitch presumably impossible for him to reach at such a young age without any practice, and yet here he was.[/center] [center]"As much as I'd like to disagree, Leandro has a point." intervened Minerva. "The Mimic is probably defended by all the other Nocturnes, and they'd probably catch us and imprison us before we step one foot inside the lair."[/center] [center]The dark Coatl lashed her tail in frustration. "Well, what do we do now? We can't just sit around and wait for the Nocturnes to find us, and we [i]can't[/i] try to take the lair back." She scrunched her snout. "Can we?"[/center] [center]Leandro shook his head. "Not unless we can just stop the Nocturnes from attacking. Or maybe.... maybe we can." He turned to the Imperial. "Aneira, do you have any of those weird roots that put you to sleep?"[/center] [center]"Valerian? Of course I do" The dragonness snorted. "What kind of plant gatherer would I be if I didn't have valerian? What do you need it for anywa- oh." She clamped her mouth shut as the idea dawned on her.[/center] [center]"I'm thinking maybe we could use it to make the Nocturnes fall asleep, but I have no idea how to use it." The purplish Coatl narrowed his eyes.[/center] [center]"What if we make some kind of darts? With the valerian roots?" Minerva jumped in. "I remember I used this kind of darts to catch and document some Wildwood Owls once."[/center] [center]"That... might actually work. Minerva you're a genius!" Aneira commented.[/center] [center]"Th-thanks" The gray Coatl flushed, flattered. "I think I have a couple empty dart arrows on me that we can use. Let me find them."[/center] [center]"We still need to think what we can do once we get past the Nocturnes." the Imperial commented. "Maybe we could search the Hoard? And the Vault? There's little chance we'll find anything there, though."[/center] [center]"Remember what Shadowsong said. The only way a Mimic could've gotten into the lair is if he was brought by a Nocturne. I suggest we search the Nocturnes' nests too." Minerva replied.[/center] [center]"Then it's settled. We move out at midnight." Leandro said.[/center] [center]-------[/center] [center][b][i]a few hours later[/b][/i][/center] [center]The full moon cast its rays on the three dragons, who'd filed out in front of their clan lair entrance, each carrying two dart arrows and a hollow bamboo stalk. They'd left Atlas sleeping in a makeshift hammock, as they'd return to him after all was done. The trio glanced at each other. It was time. Minerva and Leandro were to go in first and draw out the Nocturnes. Once they led all of them far enough, Aneira would sneak in and find the Mimic, while the Coatls defeated the Nocturnes.[/center] [center]The imperial heard a shriek of feral madness and shivered. The plan was in motion. She saw her two friends fly out, chased by their Nocturne friends. She breathed in deeply, and snuck inside the lair. It was strange, tiptoeing through the place where she'd grown and where she'd made so many memories. She shook away the thought and focused on her goal. First, check the Hoard. Nothing, as she'd expected. Then, the Vault. Still nothing. After that, each Nocturne's den. Aneira's heart started beating faster and faster as she was greeted by emptyness in each den. [i]The Mimic must be somewhere else,[/i] she thought. [i]But where?[/i] Her mind flashed to the pack of dragons chasing her friends. She could've sworn she saw something silver glittering on Musette, and it wasn't just her glimmery belly. [i]Oh no.[/i] The imperial took off in a panic. [i]I know where the Mimic is[/i][/center] [center]-[/center] [center]Leandro and Minerva weren't doing so well. They've managed to shoot most of their friends, but Musette still chased after them madly, getting closer with every wingbeat, and they were almost out of arrows. Suddenly, Leandro whipped around, shooting his last dart and hitting the red Nocturne right in the neck. She crumpled to the ground, a soft snore escaping her snout as she slept. The two dragons landed beside her with relief. It was done, finally. "Great." Leandro wheezed, exhausted. "Now we can go home and help Aneira find the- wHAT IS THAT?!" His sigh turned into a screech as the silver shape around the Nocturne's wrist turned into a giant chest with a mouth. "I think we found the Mimic." Minerva uttered, shocked. "What are you waiting for? Shoot it!" Leandro's voice was, once again, a higher pitch than naturally possible. "I can't, I'm out of darts!" She replied. "What do we do then?" "I think.... run."[/center] [center]-[/center] [center]The young dragonness beat her wings rapidly, searching for her friends in a panic. She heard a screech of fear. [i]Leandro.[/i] Aneira flew towards where the sound had come from. Soon enough she came upon her panicked friends and a giant beast that was probably the Mimic. Without hesitating, she took out her own darts and bamboo stalk and shot at the creature. Both darts hit the target, and the Mimic slowly stopped his attack and fell, sleeping, into a bush. Minerva piped up. "Did we win?" She asked hesitantly. "I... I think so." The Imperial said. "Yeah, I think we did. We won!" "We defeated the Mimic!" Leandro chimed in. "Not really." The female Coatl reminded them. "We still need to send this one back where it belongs. But fine, if it makes you happy..." she said, under the others' gazes. She forced a cheerful expression. "Yaay, we won!!" She commented, unenthusiastic, and smiled as her friends started laughing.[/center] [center]-------[/center] Whooo that was a long one!! For me at least. It's the first story of this sort I've written. Thanks for reading!!

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29394451] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/293945/29394451_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Syanka- the one who attacked[/b] Syanka is a witch, who had been under the mimic's influence. When Shadowsong broke the spell and she fell asleep, her magic staff clattered to the floor. The staff itself came from a Transmuted Treasure, which was her loyal companion. It could likely help with freeing the clan. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=23569661] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/235697/23569661_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Fog - the seer[/b] The son of the leaders of the clan who has no interest in leading. He is able to see things that normal dragons cannot, despite being almost blind. He escaped the onslaught by sensing it and proceeding to hide. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=25741855] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/257419/25741855_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Nightrunner - the battlemage[/b] Nightrunner is one of the strongest dragons in the clan, being one of the coliseum fighters. She escaped by using the lightning coursing through her veins to run, run so fast that she only appears as a brief flash of light. She escaped with some others, but they're unconscious and won't be of much help. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46618953] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/466190/46618953_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Autarith - the engineer[/b] Autarith managed to escape using one of her inventions, which managed to throw the attackers off-guard just long enough for her to flee. She was going to rescue her closest friend, Nautilus, but some quick calculations in her head told her it would be impossible to do so now. If she had, they probably could have built something to help, but for now all the machinery she has is the things on her body. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=23405494] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/234055/23405494_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Tigere - the fierce warrior[/b] One of the Turned nocturnes, and a veteran of the clan. She's a coliseum trainee, so she is strong and fierce. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=26930975] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/269310/26930975_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Trismegistus - the alchemist[/b] A highly-skilled alchemist who can brew just about any potion imaginable. While not physically strong, with his potions he can fell a full-grown imperial with one small cut. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30618875] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/306189/30618875_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Twilight - the elemental[/b] The most-skilled shadow mage in the clan. She is likely the hardest one to fell, as her magic prowess makes her undetectable. -------------- "Oh, what to do.. what to do..." Autarith fretted, her mechanical wings clinking with each step she made. "If only I had time to get Nautilus... To get back to my workshop..." "That alone won't work." Fog's voice cut through her ramblings. "They're too strong to take out with only three or four dragons." "Don't we only have four nocturnes in our clan?" Nightrunner asked, putting down the three dragons she had under her wing and laying them out next to Syanka. "They can't be that hard to subdue. Syanka is out cold anyways." "You're forgetting about the mimic itself. It can be any dragon, not just nocturnes." Fog replied. "And our nocturnes are some of our more powerful clanmates. Syanka was a witch, it's a good thing that we don't have to worry about her anymore. You're training Tigere, so she's obviously strong, Trismegistus is a revolutionarily skilled alchemist, and Twilight is a master shadowmage." "And who knows who the mimic is themselves? They could be someone like Dusk, or Blizzard!" Autarith pointed out. Dusk was an arcane mage who could warp reality itself, and Blizzard was a coliseum fighter whose strength rivaled that of Nightrunner's. She began eliminating in her head. "Can't be any of us... can't be Tui, Oak, or Luna, Nightrunner saved them... Can't be Nautilus, I saw him..." An idea suddenly sprang to her mind. "Hey, did any of you guys see anyone struggling against an enemy nocturne during your escape? We can rule them out immediately!" "It wasn't Mother, Father, or Sister." Fog said, referring to the queen, FrostWing, the king, Winter, and the heir, FlareWing. "They were sleeping nearby. I don't know about Blizzard. He was on guard duty." WIP