Quests & Challenges

THAT SYMBOLISM WITH THE MAPLE LEAF iS ON POINT!!! I love it when Pinkerton lines up things like that! And I love that we got to learn a bit more about Zunmonah's past! She sure is an interesting character, and I am eager to know what her new approach will be!

[b][i]Day Sixty Eight:[/i][/b] [center][item=cattail] Rolled Blithe, Vivace, and Ehsan. Despite my terror to have Vivace on the team and at risk in such a high venue (and poor Ehsan again, for that matter), I apparently learned my lesson from the other day. Got through 10 battles without anyone fainting (not even Vivace!). They did pretty well, actually. I did refresh a LOT though because I refused to fight much more than a group of two mages. I did take a couple risks when I realized my strategy was working pretty well, but I bailed at any sign of trouble. Vivace has reach level 5. Ehsan is now level 7. Blithe is dangerously close to level 16 and I'm scared. On a side note, Amosis is the only one still level 1 and this worries me. ----- Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1 ----- @Weredogalism @Riff @Skulljester @AstralDragons @Petall @MisterMylez @BarbaraFett @PinkyDaPinkSlime @loser

[b][i]Day Sixty Nine:[/i][/b] Ehsan approached Xihuitl at the edge of the camp with a plate of roast. The Wildclaw had refused to join the others at the campfire for the last few days, and she was beginning to worry about him. “Hey,” she murmured and his feathered crest twitched upward. “Got your plate. You have to be hungry, you’ve been carrying Bree a lot.” He merely grunted in response, taking the food but only setting it on the rock next to him. He didn’t even turn around, still staring off into the gathering darkness. Ehsan hesitated, then gave him a gentle nudge with her wing. “You don’t have to be here by yourself, you know. Why don’t you come sit with us? Maybe it’ll help you feel better-“ “I’m fine,” he bit back. She sighed. “You don’t look fine, and we understand that, you know. What you’re going through isn’t easy…” “And you think you’re helping?” She took a breath to steady herself. “Listen, Xihuitl, we all know you’re upset-“ “Alright, fine,” he spat finally turning to glare at her over his shoulder. “I [i]am [/i]upset, so you should [i]leave me alone[/i]. Alright? Everyone else seems to get that but [i]you[/i].” Her crests flared in her indignation. She quelled her initial response, looking away from the anger burning in his eyes. “… Fine. I’ll leave you alone,” she grumbled, stalking away. She didn’t look at him for the rest of the evening, too tired to deal with his outbursts. That’s all he had been recently, just silence punctuated with bouts of rage. When she had approached Capricious about it, she had only said, “He needs time.” Ehsan’s agitation lingered as they settled down to sleep for the night, but by morning she already regretted being short with Xihuitl. He was grieving; he needed support, not resistance. The adults were already up breaking down camp when she arose, but when she looked around, she saw no sign of the Wildclaw. “Amosis?” she caught the Pearlcatcher as he went by. The young dragon had grown much since she had first met him. He now stood almost as tall as she did, though his build was slight and gangly in adolescence. He turned at the sound of his name and looked at her inquisitively. “Have you seen Xihuitl?” He hesitated, glancing down in thought. “… No. I haven’t seen him since last night,” he answered softly. She frowned. “What? You sure? His shelter is right next to yours, is he still sleeping?” He shook his head. “It was empty when I got up. I thought he went hunting or something…” Now she was worried. She quickly thanked him and rushed over to Capricious, who was changing Zunmonah’s bandages. The Mirror had almost fully healed, but the Fae still insisted they keep the wounds she had left clean. They both looked up when she approached. “Morning, Ehsan,” Capricious greeted her which was echoed by Zunmonah. They seemed to notice something in her expression because the older Mirror frowned as the Fae asked, “Is something wrong?” “Have you seen Xihuitl?” she asked. The two exchanged glances. “… No. He usually picks up the rain catchers-“ They all looked over instinctively at their makeshift collectors that they had gotten into the habit of carrying with them for easy set up. They still sat there, untouched. Capricious looked around the rest of the camp, her fins flapping in agitation. “Blithe!” she called as the Spiral passed, making him stop so abruptly that Vivace ran into him with a squeak. “Where is Xihuitl?” “Xihuitl?” he repeated. “Ah… can’t say I’ve seen him.” Baines looked up from his work nearby, then cast his own eyes around the camp. “Has no one seen Xihuitl today?” the mint dragon called out for the camp. Everyone stopped dead, the silence growing around them. Baines immediately went to the Wildclaw’s tent and checked inside it while Capricious quickly finished with Zunmonah. Ehsan followed Baines, hovering anxiously as he did his inspection. “The ground is cold,” he muttered. “No one’s laid here for several hours.” “What?” Ehsan gasped. “You don’t mean to say he just-“ She cut herself off, unable to finish. He backed out of the shelter and went to check their supplies. There was some dried meat and a waterskin missing along with Xihuitl’s personal packs. “We have to get in the air and start looking,” Baines said authoritatively. “He’s hours ahead of us,” Blithe said quietly. “And if he’s flying…” “All the more reason to move quickly,” Baines quipped. “You know where he’s going,” Zunmonah spoke up. “We really only need to look one direction.” Baines, Zunmonah, and Blithe all leapt in to the air. Capricious chose to stay behind with the younger dragons so they would not be defenseless. “Where’s Papa going?” Vivace tugged at his mother’s wing. She touched her nose to his affectionately, answering, “To save a friend.” Ehsan felt sick to her stomach, praying to the Archanist, to the Stormcatcher, to [i]anyone [/i]that they would find Xihuitl. She couldn’t help but feel guilty; was it her fault he had left? If that were the case, and if anything happened to him… The trio didn’t return until late that afternoon. They looked defeated when they landed and unsteady with exhaustion. “We have to move the camp to the top of the ridge,” Baines said hoarsely, his voice grating uncomfortably in his throat. He accepted a waterskin from Capricious and took a refreshing sip before adding, “We still have to think about covering our tracks. But if Xihuitl returns here, we can see him and lead him to the new camp.” The group did as he asked, working quietly. They built the new camp out of sight of the first, but where they had a good vantage point of the previous one below. Baines insisted he start watch, and Blithe offered to take the next shift, his Shadow eyes better in the dark than the others. Ehsan tried to will herself to sleep, but she kept startling awake, hoping to here the familiar sound of Xihiutl’s large wings. The next morning came, but the Wildclaw didn’t return. The group went about their morning routine without a single word. It wasn’t until they had all packed out of habit that they looked at each other, all at a loss. “… We cannot stay,” Zunmonah murmured at length. “No,” Baines agreed in a breath. “But we can’t just give up!” Ehsan burst. “We can’t just leave him behind!” “Ehsan, Xihuitl made his choice,” Baines told her firmly, also making eye contact with the others. “… We have others to consider. It is too much of a risk to go back.” Ehsan buried her face in her claws, fighting back tears. She heard the others moving around her, their footfalls beginning to fade. A claw rested on her shoulder after a few moments, and Amosis whispered, “We have to go, Ehsan. We tried.” She looked up at the Pearlcatcher and he flinched away from her as if expecting her to lash out. She wiped the tears from her eyes, which made her notice his own. She reached out and put a claw on his shoulder, though she couldn’t smile. Instead, they both continued on together, brushing folded wings for reassurance, because maybe together, they could support the weight of the world that had been placed on them. ----- [item=vampire eel] Rolled Xihuitl, Zunmonah, and Vivace. RIP my heart out and feed it to the Shade, why don't you, RNG? Ugh. So, Xihuitl fell to basically bad RNG. I was going against a pack that I had handled a dozen times before already, but RNG decided to hit him with [i]two crits[/i] at once and then a blast to finish his off. And all I could do was watch. There was no skill (or lack of skill) involved, just a bad throw of the die. And being the highest level on the time, there was nothing to save him this time. It sucks, because I was being SO CAUTIOUS. I had already gone through 23 rounds without a hitch. It shouldn't have happened, but it did. So much for having an awesome Wildclaw in the 'locke. [s]I'm so sorry, I'm so salty right now.[/s] [center]Well. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50472480] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/504725/50472480_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]If you would like to give Xihuitl a home, speak up now.[/b] If more than one person wants him, I'll think of... something. Suggestions appreciated. He does have art of himself and Iuitl in his bio. Goodbye, Xihuitl.[/center] Vivace is level 7. Zunmonah is level 7. I did take the two of them into the Woodland Path to complete the last 7 battles I needed. They did splendid even one member short. ----- Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1 ----- @Weredogalism @Riff @Skulljester @AstralDragons @Petall @MisterMylez @BarbaraFett @PinkyDaPinkSlime @loser

I'd give the boi a home. I love this Pinkerlocke and therefore love any dragons in it.

Nooooooooo [emoji=tundra sad size=2] Our first dragon loss... You did a great job writing his out, it was very poetic. I must admit I shed a tear or two, I could feel his grief and pain and anger deep in my heart. Normally, my clan would be the perfect place to take in a dragon like that, to give him space to grieve and find himself again, but because of the current tumultuous arc my clan is going through, now isn't the right time for me to take in many new dragons. I wish him all the best though!

Hey... just spent some time reading this... and I love it!![emoji=fae love size=1] Can you add me to the pinglist? (btw rip Xi, what a loss...)

[b][i]Day Seventy:[/i][/b] It was good to have the packs bursting full of food again. They had been getting low since they hadn’t allocated much time to hunt since the harpy attack, but they had finally agreed on a day to replenish. They had settled back into a routine in the meantime, though it still felt odd without Iuitl and Xihuitl. They all felt the loss, even Zunmonah, but they were doing their best to press on. Blithe casually munched on some recently smoked jerky despite being warned against snacking. He was sharing with Vivace, though, who was growing rapidly. No one could [i]really [/i]complain about that, could they? “Blithe,” Baines’s knowing drawl sounded from behind him. He and his son spun to face the mint Mirror, expressions guilty and the crumbs on their claws guiltier. “Vivace was hungry,” Blithe said automatically, quickly swallowing what was in his mouth. “[i]Papa[/i],” the younger Spiral whined in protest, and Baines rolled his eyes. “No more until dinner,” he told them blandly, wandering on. Blithe saluted him and Vivace copied the gesture. The teal Spiral then nudged his son and shot back into the sky, Vivace chasing after him. The following morning, they set about snagging breakfast and breaking camp when Baines called Blithe over to the packs in a sharp voice. “I thought I told you to be careful about snacking,” he snapped. “I am!” Blithe answered defensively. “I haven’t eaten outside of mealtimes since you caught us yesterday.” “Then why are we missing an entire pack of food?” Blithe’s blank expression must have told the Mirror something, because his eyes softened from their accusing glare. He then straightened to look around the camp, asking, “Has anyone moved the packs since last night?” “Amosis and I reordered them so they wouldn’t be awkward for Tigress,” Ehsan offered quietly. “But we didn’t move them far.” “Let’s take a quick look around camp. It probably just got misplaced,” Capricious said. The others agreed and the group made a thorough sweep of the camp. However, they only came up empty-clawed. “Nothing,” Zunmonah groused once they had regrouped. “Anyone else?” Baines asked. “My waterskin’s missing,” Amosis mumbled. “What?” Blithe said in surprise. “Didn’t you have it at breakfast?” “No,” the Pearlcatcher answered uncomfortably. “I thought I had left it with the food since it wasn’t with my things, but it wasn’t there either.” Blithe looked at Baines, who was frowning in thought. “… Let’s take another look around camp. And look for tracks.” “Tracks?” the Spiral asked. “What kind of tracks?” “Any tracks,” the Mirror answered vaguely. They spent more time looking for clues and finally Zunmonah called them over to a patch of ground just outside of the camp. “You see this?” she said, pointing at the bare earth. “… Gotta admit. I don’t,” Blithe said after a moment. She gave him a brief look over her shoulder, then used her tail to better define the waving patterns in the sand. “Serthis tracks,” Baines growled after a moment. “Not necessarily,” Zunmonah interjected. “Serpentine, yes, but there are these odd ruts too. See?” The group bent down to get a closer look and Blithe could finally see what she was talking about. There were strange indentions in the middle of the swaying marks that he couldn’t identify. “Well, if it’s not a Serthis, then what?” Capricious asked. “Ophiotaurus,” Zunmonah answered. “They’re a creature native to the Ashfall Waste. I haven’t seen marks like these in a long time, but I can’t imagine why there would be one all the way out here-“ Vivace let out a cry from behind them and alerted the others who whipped around to look. [center][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=22&bodygene=1&breed=5&element=5&eyetype=1&gender=1&tert=23&tertgene=4&winggene=1&wings=80&auth=047944e80351a8dec1c548b97fd8fe76d9a4698b&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] A blue figure had frozen by one of their tents, having been trying to figure out how it worked. It was a young Ridgeback, surprisingly small only because of her youth. Seeing she was discovered, she grabbed the entire structure in her claws and rushed away, calling a warning. It wasn’t long before they saw what she was calling to. A dark creature with the front of a bull and the back of a massive snake charged straight through Zunmonah’s tent and barreled down on them with horns lowered. The dragons scattered as Tigress leapt in to intercept their attacker, digging her claws into its scaled back. She couldn’t penetrate its flesh, however, and her grip only seemed to enrage it. The two were soon tangled in battle, exchanging roars and blows. “We need to catch that Ridgeback!” Baines called over it, already in pursuit of the thief. The stranger was currently trying to fly away from them. Blithe, Baines, and Zunmonah pursued her. The shining blue dragon glanced over her shoulder to see if they were following, but the action unbalanced her flight and she wobbled back down to the earth. Even so, she stubbornly kept running though the others were quickly gaining on her. Blithe dashed out in front, blocking her way forward. She hesitated, but charged on, and to be fair, he was unsure how he would stop her. Young as she was, she was still nearly as big as him. Zunmonah dropped out of the sky just before she reached him, landing on the Ridgeback’s back and pinning her to the ground, being mindful of her spines. “Alright, you little thief,” the larger Mirror snarled. “You have some stuff to return to us.” “I [i]will [/i]return it!” the Ridgeback snapped back. “I was just borrowing it! I’m not a thief!” “You took food and water,” Baines rumbled as he joined them. “If you weren’t going to consume it, then why take it?” “What, a dragon can’t be hungry?” she bit back. The sounds of the fighting back at the camp seemed to alert her and she snarled, “If you kill Cinderhoof, I’ll kill you! See that I won’t!” Despite the anger she portrayed, Blithe could still see the fear in her electric eyes. The Spiral exchanged a glance with Baines, who gave him a subtle nod so he zipped back to camp. The ophiotaurus and the Foo had demolished much of the encampment in their fight, though neither was showing much damage themselves. Capricious was currently trying to break them apart while the younger dragons did their best to stay out of the way. Blithe jumped in to help his mate, eventually getting his familiar to back down while Capricious held the other beast back with a barrier. “You three alright?” he called over to the younger dragons. “Yeah, I think so,” Ehsan answered for them, though they looked shaken. The ophiotaurus was still headbutting the shield trying to get at Tigress. The Foo growled and Blithe put a wing in front of her nose. “Easy, girl. That’s enough,” he said, keeping in front of her though she tried to get around him. Baines and Zunmonah returned with the Ridgeback, who stared about at them with forced indifference. “Cinderhoof!” she called at a word from Baines who let her approach the creature. “There boy, it’s over.” The ophiotaurus finally calmed as his owner drew close and sat outside the barrier, staring pointedly at Capricious. When the Fae looked over her shoulder at Baines, he nodded and she let down the barrier. The Ridgeback reached out to pat the bull-like nose and said, “Thanks buddy, you did good.” Baines let out a cough and she threw a glare at him, her spines rattling. “Now,” the mint Mirror sighed. “Tell us you name, explain why you took our supplies, and tell us where they are.” “Name’s Bladebeak,” she answered. “An’ this is Cinderhoof. We needed stuff, so we were just gonna borrow yours until we found our own. Nothin’ personal, but I can’t tell you where I put it. Need it.” “Need it for what?” Zunmonah scoffed. “Where’s your clan?” It was Bladebeak’s turn to scoff, and she scratched idly at the gemlike protrusions on her chest. “Does it matter? Don’ need them anyway. Can I go now?” “Where would you go?” Capricious interjected. Glancing at her, Blithe could see her frills folding in sympathy. Bladebeak threw out a claw to gesture at the wilderness around them. “Anywhere but here,” she answered blandly. The adults all turned to look at each other. Capricious and Baines met eyes first before his gaze shifted to Blithe, then Zunmonah. The last stared back a moment before she frowned, but she bit back whatever she was going to say. “Good,” Baines said, turning back to Bladebeak. She had tensed and was glancing around at the other dragons uncertainly. “Good [i]what[/i]?” she prompted after a moment. “We’re going somewhere that isn’t here too, which means you can come with us,” he replied mildly. “Oh really?” she spat back. “And where’s that?” “The Tangled Wood,” Blithe put in. He thought he saw the ghost of excitement flash across her features, but she quickly schooled her expression to be critical. “… Well. Guess I was heading north anyway,” she shrugged. Then she held up a quick claw to clarify, “Doesn’ mean I’m part of your clan, though. Just so you know.” “We’re a clan?” Vivace mumbled to Ehsan in the background, but it was loud enough that it seemed to catch Bladebeak’s attention and she glanced at the group with an incredulous look. “Fine,” Baines agreed, shrugging. Before she could say anything else, he added, “But we still need that stuff back.” ----- [item=ashscale ophiotaurus] I think Pinkerton's trying to give me a peace offering, and I'll admit it... kinda worked. I get to write a Ridgeback now! Whoo! [s]I'm still mad about Xi though, so you gotta try harder than that Pink.[/s] I still can't believe how many new faces I've gotten this past couple of weeks. Just, wow. I'll wait to give Xihuitl away until tomorrow, but he's definitely leaving my lair then. ----- Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1 ----- @Weredogalism @Riff @Skulljester @AstralDragons @Petall @MisterMylez @BarbaraFett @PinkyDaPinkSlime @loser @OneRingOfPower Added you to the list! Welcome aboard!

I was wondering once a food pack went missing whether we'd be getting a new dragon friend! I like this feisty little sharp-nosed girl!

Also, glad someone is cluing into the fact that they are a clan! I can't wait until they all realize they are more than just a band of travelers! At least, according to their numbers!

I JUST CAME BACK TO FIND MY BABY DEAD rip Xi [emoji=spiral sad size=2]