That makes sense. I'm behind on all the onsite lore, does that matter? Aren't all beastclan on the same side now, or are there inter-species tensions?
Sounds fair to me, especially since your party numbers are so low right now and you don't have any guards. Good luck messing with that. Could just start with the basic 3 times your out. ;p
That makes sense. I'm behind on all the onsite lore, does that matter? Aren't all beastclan on the same side now, or are there inter-species tensions?
Sounds fair to me, especially since your party numbers are so low right now and you don't have any guards. Good luck messing with that. Could just start with the basic 3 times your out. ;p
@Weredogalism Well yeah, they are on the same side, but these are just random things I wonder about... for the sake of cultural references and whatnot. Also Talonok apparently only get to be about Fae sized, and my new hatchling is already twice the size of a Fae and he's 2 days old. So I was trying to think of how our new Beastclan friend could fly with a hatchling that's twice as big as her already. In my head, Harpies are larger, so it makes a little more sense.
Really, I'm probably just thinking too hard about it, to be honest.
Yeah, I honestly thought I would be getting dragons faster. On the other side, I'm ok with the fact I'm not, but I do want to make them count.
@Weredogalism Well yeah, they are on the same side, but these are just random things I wonder about... for the sake of cultural references and whatnot. Also Talonok apparently only get to be about Fae sized, and my new hatchling is already twice the size of a Fae and he's 2 days old. So I was trying to think of how our new Beastclan friend could fly with a hatchling that's twice as big as her already. In my head, Harpies are larger, so it makes a little more sense.
Really, I'm probably just thinking too hard about it, to be honest.
Yeah, I honestly thought I would be getting dragons faster. On the other side, I'm ok with the fact I'm not, but I do want to make them count.
[i][b]Day Twenty Six:[/b][/i]
[center][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/familiar/art/1173.png[/img][/center]
Her name was Iuitl. She told them once they returned to the cave and got the Wildclaw situated in a nest they constructed. Capricious was tending to the hatchling, tipping water and a concoction of medicine down his throat when he woke enough to swallow. Then Iuitl let herself be sequestered in the back of the cave under the watchful gaze of Baines. Without prompt, she had begun to relate the whole story to them.
“We had just come to visit,” she was saying around a cup of water. “The clan wanted to establish a new trade route here in the Expanse. They asked me to come with them so that I might negotiate with the local Beastclans as they converse with the other dragon tribes. I mean, we expected it to be dangerous, but…”
She stopped and gave a shake of her head and another sip of her drink. After a moment, she continued. “A couple days into the journey, I was scouting and came across a group of harpies. Obviously, they wanted to know what I was doing there, so I told them. They seemed curious, even kind. A couple of their leaders asked to meet with the members of my clan so they might negotiate with them themselves.”
“I was wary, at first, so we didn’t meet directly at our camp. Despite my paranoia, however, the negotiations went very well. My clan and the harpies met several times in the days that followed, exchanging gifts and information, getting to know each other and building trust. Long enough that I failed to be suspicious of them anymore. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.”
“See, Nasher and Bea had a clutch of eggs that they had brought with them to care for. We could have left them back in the Starwood Strand, but Bea wanted to brood over them herself. They were taking longer than usual to hatch and she was getting worried about them. That was my secondary purpose; to help look after the eggs when Bea had to step away for official business.”
“Then one day I went to retrieve the harpy delegates for another session and the camp had been picked up and was gone. I flew back to the meeting place to tell my clan they had vanished, and… and that’s when the harpies attacked us. They were wearing new masks and had brought banners with a symbol I recognized. They call themselves Talona’s Vengence. They seek out dragon clans and… eradicate them. Every adult, hatchling, egg, familiar- everyone.”
“When the fighting broke out, Bea grabbed me and told me to get back to camp. To get their eggs, and run. I left immediately, but when I got to camp, they were already there, ravaging it. They hadn’t reached Nasher’s and Bea’s tent yet, so I dodged all the fighting and went straight for it. I managed to get in, but the flock was right on my tail. I- I could only reach one. So I grabbed his egg, and I flew away.” Iuitl let out another sob, burying her face in her wing. They let her weep until she was strong enough to continue. “They were distracted long enough by the other eggs that I got a head start before they came after me. I went up into the clouds, hoping to lose track of them. It worked, I think, but I didn’t dare stop. But after a while, I had to- the egg was hatching.”
“I barely got to the ground before the shell burst open. And there he was, crying and pawing at me, wanting food, warmth, shelter. And I didn’t have anything for him. I managed to catch a mouse or two for him, but I was too exhausted to get more. And then I saw the fire in the distance, and I knew we weren’t safe yet. So I picked him up and kept flying- right into the storm.”
“I thought we were both dead when I fell. I was astonished to regain any sort of consciousness at all. And he... I managed to drag us to a meager outcropping for a little shelter, but I knew it wasn’t enough for us to survive. I collapsed from exhaustion and woke up when the storm cleared. I was still trying to figure out what to do when I saw you, flying high up in the sky. I knew I was too weak to go up myself, and the hatchling was still unconscious, so I did the only thing I could think of. I mimicked him, and cried out as loud as I could. And then I hid. I didn’t… no. I knew you wouldn’t react well to seeing a Beastclan with a dying hatchling.”
Blithe glanced at Baines, who didn’t look sorry for proving the Aviar right, but he also didn’t appear to be gloating. Even then, he still didn’t seem very sympathetic, only responding to the story with a simple, “I see.”
“… The hatchling… you haven’t said his name. Does he have one?” Blithe asked after a moment. Iuitl shook her head.
“No. As I said, he was only an egg when this all happened… and I’m not sure what names Nasher and Bea had in mind for him,” she replied quietly, looking over at the Wildclaw. There was a softness in her eyes as she looked at the hatchling that Blithe couldn’t quite describe. “I’m sure Nasher and Bea wouldn’t mind if you named him.”
“We’ll have to think of something for him,” Baines muttered, also looking at the hatchling. “It won’t do to just call him ‘hatchling’ or something equally nondescript.”
“Yeah, no pressure,” Blithe mumbled. “We just have to come up with something he’ll be called for the rest of his life, no big deal.” The Spiral thought for a few moments, racking his brain.
“Do you have an idea of what to call him?” Capricious’s voice suddenly asked, startling him out of his thoughts. She was staring at the Aviar, who looked up at her in alarm.
“Oh, no,” Iuitl shook her head and looked back down at her cup. “I don’t think a Beast’s name would suit a dragon.”
“I’ve heard of plenty of dragons with Beastclan names,” the Fae shrugged. “And I’m sure Nasher and Bea would be alright if you named him- you are the one that saved him, after all.”
Iuitl continued to stare into her cup in silence. Blithe almost thought she wouldn’t respond when she finally breathed, “Xihuitl. It means ‘comet’ in our tongue. So he never forgets where he’s from.”
Across the room Xihuitl opened one pink eye, crooning quietly before falling back asleep.
-----
[item=flameburst waterstrider]
Here's the rest of what I wrote yesterday. And yay, the new characters have names!
Now I get to anxiously wait for my Wildclaw babby to grow up so he can [i]do t h i n g s.[/i]
-----
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
Her name was Iuitl. She told them once they returned to the cave and got the Wildclaw situated in a nest they constructed. Capricious was tending to the hatchling, tipping water and a concoction of medicine down his throat when he woke enough to swallow. Then Iuitl let herself be sequestered in the back of the cave under the watchful gaze of Baines. Without prompt, she had begun to relate the whole story to them.
“We had just come to visit,” she was saying around a cup of water. “The clan wanted to establish a new trade route here in the Expanse. They asked me to come with them so that I might negotiate with the local Beastclans as they converse with the other dragon tribes. I mean, we expected it to be dangerous, but…”
She stopped and gave a shake of her head and another sip of her drink. After a moment, she continued. “A couple days into the journey, I was scouting and came across a group of harpies. Obviously, they wanted to know what I was doing there, so I told them. They seemed curious, even kind. A couple of their leaders asked to meet with the members of my clan so they might negotiate with them themselves.”
“I was wary, at first, so we didn’t meet directly at our camp. Despite my paranoia, however, the negotiations went very well. My clan and the harpies met several times in the days that followed, exchanging gifts and information, getting to know each other and building trust. Long enough that I failed to be suspicious of them anymore. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.”
“See, Nasher and Bea had a clutch of eggs that they had brought with them to care for. We could have left them back in the Starwood Strand, but Bea wanted to brood over them herself. They were taking longer than usual to hatch and she was getting worried about them. That was my secondary purpose; to help look after the eggs when Bea had to step away for official business.”
“Then one day I went to retrieve the harpy delegates for another session and the camp had been picked up and was gone. I flew back to the meeting place to tell my clan they had vanished, and… and that’s when the harpies attacked us. They were wearing new masks and had brought banners with a symbol I recognized. They call themselves Talona’s Vengence. They seek out dragon clans and… eradicate them. Every adult, hatchling, egg, familiar- everyone.”
“When the fighting broke out, Bea grabbed me and told me to get back to camp. To get their eggs, and run. I left immediately, but when I got to camp, they were already there, ravaging it. They hadn’t reached Nasher’s and Bea’s tent yet, so I dodged all the fighting and went straight for it. I managed to get in, but the flock was right on my tail. I- I could only reach one. So I grabbed his egg, and I flew away.” Iuitl let out another sob, burying her face in her wing. They let her weep until she was strong enough to continue. “They were distracted long enough by the other eggs that I got a head start before they came after me. I went up into the clouds, hoping to lose track of them. It worked, I think, but I didn’t dare stop. But after a while, I had to- the egg was hatching.”
“I barely got to the ground before the shell burst open. And there he was, crying and pawing at me, wanting food, warmth, shelter. And I didn’t have anything for him. I managed to catch a mouse or two for him, but I was too exhausted to get more. And then I saw the fire in the distance, and I knew we weren’t safe yet. So I picked him up and kept flying- right into the storm.”
“I thought we were both dead when I fell. I was astonished to regain any sort of consciousness at all. And he... I managed to drag us to a meager outcropping for a little shelter, but I knew it wasn’t enough for us to survive. I collapsed from exhaustion and woke up when the storm cleared. I was still trying to figure out what to do when I saw you, flying high up in the sky. I knew I was too weak to go up myself, and the hatchling was still unconscious, so I did the only thing I could think of. I mimicked him, and cried out as loud as I could. And then I hid. I didn’t… no. I knew you wouldn’t react well to seeing a Beastclan with a dying hatchling.”
Blithe glanced at Baines, who didn’t look sorry for proving the Aviar right, but he also didn’t appear to be gloating. Even then, he still didn’t seem very sympathetic, only responding to the story with a simple, “I see.”
“… The hatchling… you haven’t said his name. Does he have one?” Blithe asked after a moment. Iuitl shook her head.
“No. As I said, he was only an egg when this all happened… and I’m not sure what names Nasher and Bea had in mind for him,” she replied quietly, looking over at the Wildclaw. There was a softness in her eyes as she looked at the hatchling that Blithe couldn’t quite describe. “I’m sure Nasher and Bea wouldn’t mind if you named him.”
“We’ll have to think of something for him,” Baines muttered, also looking at the hatchling. “It won’t do to just call him ‘hatchling’ or something equally nondescript.”
“Yeah, no pressure,” Blithe mumbled. “We just have to come up with something he’ll be called for the rest of his life, no big deal.” The Spiral thought for a few moments, racking his brain.
“Do you have an idea of what to call him?” Capricious’s voice suddenly asked, startling him out of his thoughts. She was staring at the Aviar, who looked up at her in alarm.
“Oh, no,” Iuitl shook her head and looked back down at her cup. “I don’t think a Beast’s name would suit a dragon.”
“I’ve heard of plenty of dragons with Beastclan names,” the Fae shrugged. “And I’m sure Nasher and Bea would be alright if you named him- you are the one that saved him, after all.”
Iuitl continued to stare into her cup in silence. Blithe almost thought she wouldn’t respond when she finally breathed, “Xihuitl. It means ‘comet’ in our tongue. So he never forgets where he’s from.”
Across the room Xihuitl opened one pink eye, crooning quietly before falling back asleep.
Flameburst Waterstrider
Insect
This insect controls neither flame nor water.
42
4
Here's the rest of what I wrote yesterday. And yay, the new characters have names!
Now I get to anxiously wait for my Wildclaw babby to grow up so he can do t h i n g s.
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
[b][i]Day Twenty Seven:[/i][/b]
[center][item=daisy wing garland]
You know, I should probably stop complaining about not having dragons when I refuse to do things that will give me more. Like breed Capricious, because the poor girl is the only female I have and I don't just want to throw her at someone. [i]You hear that Pinkerton? Stop it.[/i]
And since Pink couldn't have waited [i]two more days[/i] to give me some apparel, I'll just backlog a scatter scroll use for later.
In other news, I scavenged a wind egg today!
[item=unhatched wind egg]
So I have a breed change to backlog~.
More importantly: I've added some rules to my Nuzlocke for the final time (if I say I'm going to add more rules any time after this, tell me NO). Should hopefully protect lower level dragons from dying before they even have a chance to shine. You can see the new rules on the first page (and feel free to tell me what you think of them~). I'm hoping it'll add a bit more drama for the story as well.
Anyway, hopefully I'll have something more creative for you guys tomorrow.[/center]
-----
Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1
-----
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
A gorgeous string of daisies to decorate the wings.
1800
You know, I should probably stop complaining about not having dragons when I refuse to do things that will give me more. Like breed Capricious, because the poor girl is the only female I have and I don't just want to throw her at someone. You hear that Pinkerton? Stop it.
And since Pink couldn't have waited two more days to give me some apparel, I'll just backlog a scatter scroll use for later.
In other news, I scavenged a wind egg today!
Unhatched Wind Egg
Dragon Eggs
A soft-shelled egg that is patterned with swirls. It bounces at every sound, as if it wishes to dance with the activities surrounding it.
0
So I have a breed change to backlog~.
More importantly: I've added some rules to my Nuzlocke for the final time (if I say I'm going to add more rules any time after this, tell me NO). Should hopefully protect lower level dragons from dying before they even have a chance to shine. You can see the new rules on the first page (and feel free to tell me what you think of them~). I'm hoping it'll add a bit more drama for the story as well.
Anyway, hopefully I'll have something more creative for you guys tomorrow.
Pink stop trying to force romances this early! [emoji=guardian angry]
Scatterscrolls are so expensiiive. I've always thought having that as an option at all is kinda wild.
The saving rolls look interesting. It'll work great for Beastclans. And since they're in the desert it would also make sense for an attacking party to abandon a dangerous mark for meat. I hope you never have to use it I'm quite attached to all the adults and want little Xihuitl to grow up happy and well cared for as he deserves.
Another egg! Luckyy~
Pink stop trying to force romances this early!
Scatterscrolls are so expensiiive. I've always thought having that as an option at all is kinda wild.
The saving rolls look interesting. It'll work great for Beastclans. And since they're in the desert it would also make sense for an attacking party to abandon a dangerous mark for meat. I hope you never have to use it I'm quite attached to all the adults and want little Xihuitl to grow up happy and well cared for as he deserves.
Another egg! Luckyy~
[b][i]Day Twenty Eight:[/i][/b]
Xihuitl recovered quickly, despite all of their previous concerns. Once he had been fed some broth made from the bones and scraps of yesterday’s kills, he was strong enough to eat solid food. In a matter of days, he was already stumbling about trying to walk, though he tried to be on all fours like Baines rather than balance on his strong Wildclaw back feet.
The Mirror eventually seemed to accept that Iuitl was in fact genuine and stopped watching her like a hawk to go out and hunt for the hatchling when Blithe was not. Even so, he still didn’t allow her to leave the cave. As a group, they had decided it was best to stay there until Xihuitl was strong enough to travel. Considering the Wildclaw’s rate of recovery, that would thankfully be soon. Capricious was already a little tired of that cave. She spent most of her time inside with Iuitl, who helped her tend to the hatchling and prepare food either for meals or to be preserved for travel. It’s not that she disliked the work, but she already missed the thrill of travelling. Blithe was also getting restless; they could hardly keep him in the cave unless he was sleeping. He was either off hunting or “scouting”, as if he hadn’t already scoured the area around them a dozen times already.
Iuitl seemed to be the only one truly content in their situation, despite the restrictions placed on her. The Aviar seemed happy enough to be close by Xihuitl; feeding him, cleaning him, playing with him, and teaching him to talk by mimicking his own voice to say words back to him that he wasn’t quite getting. It was impressively effective, and the hatchling was learning rapidly.
A week passed and their packs became stuffed so full with food, water, and other supplies that they couldn’t fit any more into them. Bree submitted to quite a bit of harness testing as they fitted her with a new one that could carry more stuff without weighing her down too much. Iuitl also fashioned together a couple makeshift packs to take some of the load. They were all ready and set to go; now they were just waiting on Xihuitl.
“I can carry him on my back,” Baines said as they sat around their fire, cooking their meal for that evening. “But he can’t stay there if we run into trouble and I have to fight.”
“I would offer to fly with him, but,” Blithe began, trailing off and shrugging. They all looked at the hatchling, who was already almost three times the size of Capricious and about half of Blithe’s total weight. The Spiral wouldn’t be able to fly far with him, if he could even fly at all. Xihuitl blinked at them, surprised at all the sudden attention and he cawed at them, awkwardly shuffling towards them on all fours. “… We might have to wait until he can walk properly.”
To be fair, the hatchling was making a valiant effort. After watching him a moment, Capricious hopped off her perch on one of the packs to the ground, folding her wings and beginning to walk around. The action wasn’t natural to the Fae- her kind preferred to float- but she wanted to see how the Wildclaw reacted. Xihuitl stopped moving and watched her, sitting back on his haunches with his head tilted curiously. Then Iuitl stood from her spot and also began walking around. Xihuitl looked back and forth between the Fae and the Aviar, but still didn’t move. Not until Blithe and Baines both stood on their own hind feet to imitate the others. It was a ridiculous sight; only Iuitl was actually bipedal, and watching a Spiral and a Mirror try to walk about on their hind legs would have been hysterical in any other setting. Blithe had to concentrate very hard to stay on the ground while Baines had to spread his wings to help balance himself. Even then, the adult dragons kept almost falling over, mostly thanks to everyone tripping over each other’s tails.
Xihuitl chortled at them, and determined to join in the fun, he also lifted himself up on his hind legs. He stumbled backwards and fell, crying in distress. Iuitl went to comfort him, but before she could reach him, Baines also stumbled and fell backward, letting out a loud [i]”Oof!”[/i] Witnessing this, Xihuitl watched in fascination as the Mirror rolled back onto his feet and pushed himself all the way up on his hind legs to try again. The Wildclaw did the same, though with less grace and surety. When he discovered himself standing solidly on his hind feet, he exclaimed happily and began trundling around with the others.
Distracted by the hatchling’s success, Capricious tripped over the strap to one of her packs and did an awkward hop to stay upright. Xihuitl didn’t miss this and began jumping about himself, laughing and chuckling all the way. Not long after, Blithe got caught up on his own tail and fell right on his belly, quickly getting back up in embarrassment. Xihuitl found this most funny and threw himself on the floor and bounced back up, still laughing.
They went about this for several minutes until the adults were all too tired and hungry to continue. Even then, they didn’t discourage the small Wildclaw from running about the cave with his newfound power, only making sure he didn’t run off too far.
Once Xihuitl finally ran out of energy and had eaten and fallen asleep, Baines cleared his throat to get the group’s attention.
“We leave tomorrow morning,” was all he said. No one argued. It was time to resume their journey.
-----
[item=Wispy Foxtail]
I'm not really sure how to feel about this entry. It's not as fluid as I would like it to be, but oh well.
I also try to write from a particular character's perspective every time, but the last few entries I feel haven't been terribly clear who the narrator is. I'll have to get better about that.
In other news, Xihuitl becomes and adult tomorrow [i]Eeeeeeeee~[/i]. Mechanically anyway. He'll still be a juvenile in the story because headcannon reasons, but yeah.
-----
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
Xihuitl recovered quickly, despite all of their previous concerns. Once he had been fed some broth made from the bones and scraps of yesterday’s kills, he was strong enough to eat solid food. In a matter of days, he was already stumbling about trying to walk, though he tried to be on all fours like Baines rather than balance on his strong Wildclaw back feet.
The Mirror eventually seemed to accept that Iuitl was in fact genuine and stopped watching her like a hawk to go out and hunt for the hatchling when Blithe was not. Even so, he still didn’t allow her to leave the cave. As a group, they had decided it was best to stay there until Xihuitl was strong enough to travel. Considering the Wildclaw’s rate of recovery, that would thankfully be soon. Capricious was already a little tired of that cave. She spent most of her time inside with Iuitl, who helped her tend to the hatchling and prepare food either for meals or to be preserved for travel. It’s not that she disliked the work, but she already missed the thrill of travelling. Blithe was also getting restless; they could hardly keep him in the cave unless he was sleeping. He was either off hunting or “scouting”, as if he hadn’t already scoured the area around them a dozen times already.
Iuitl seemed to be the only one truly content in their situation, despite the restrictions placed on her. The Aviar seemed happy enough to be close by Xihuitl; feeding him, cleaning him, playing with him, and teaching him to talk by mimicking his own voice to say words back to him that he wasn’t quite getting. It was impressively effective, and the hatchling was learning rapidly.
A week passed and their packs became stuffed so full with food, water, and other supplies that they couldn’t fit any more into them. Bree submitted to quite a bit of harness testing as they fitted her with a new one that could carry more stuff without weighing her down too much. Iuitl also fashioned together a couple makeshift packs to take some of the load. They were all ready and set to go; now they were just waiting on Xihuitl.
“I can carry him on my back,” Baines said as they sat around their fire, cooking their meal for that evening. “But he can’t stay there if we run into trouble and I have to fight.”
“I would offer to fly with him, but,” Blithe began, trailing off and shrugging. They all looked at the hatchling, who was already almost three times the size of Capricious and about half of Blithe’s total weight. The Spiral wouldn’t be able to fly far with him, if he could even fly at all. Xihuitl blinked at them, surprised at all the sudden attention and he cawed at them, awkwardly shuffling towards them on all fours. “… We might have to wait until he can walk properly.”
To be fair, the hatchling was making a valiant effort. After watching him a moment, Capricious hopped off her perch on one of the packs to the ground, folding her wings and beginning to walk around. The action wasn’t natural to the Fae- her kind preferred to float- but she wanted to see how the Wildclaw reacted. Xihuitl stopped moving and watched her, sitting back on his haunches with his head tilted curiously. Then Iuitl stood from her spot and also began walking around. Xihuitl looked back and forth between the Fae and the Aviar, but still didn’t move. Not until Blithe and Baines both stood on their own hind feet to imitate the others. It was a ridiculous sight; only Iuitl was actually bipedal, and watching a Spiral and a Mirror try to walk about on their hind legs would have been hysterical in any other setting. Blithe had to concentrate very hard to stay on the ground while Baines had to spread his wings to help balance himself. Even then, the adult dragons kept almost falling over, mostly thanks to everyone tripping over each other’s tails.
Xihuitl chortled at them, and determined to join in the fun, he also lifted himself up on his hind legs. He stumbled backwards and fell, crying in distress. Iuitl went to comfort him, but before she could reach him, Baines also stumbled and fell backward, letting out a loud ”Oof!” Witnessing this, Xihuitl watched in fascination as the Mirror rolled back onto his feet and pushed himself all the way up on his hind legs to try again. The Wildclaw did the same, though with less grace and surety. When he discovered himself standing solidly on his hind feet, he exclaimed happily and began trundling around with the others.
Distracted by the hatchling’s success, Capricious tripped over the strap to one of her packs and did an awkward hop to stay upright. Xihuitl didn’t miss this and began jumping about himself, laughing and chuckling all the way. Not long after, Blithe got caught up on his own tail and fell right on his belly, quickly getting back up in embarrassment. Xihuitl found this most funny and threw himself on the floor and bounced back up, still laughing.
They went about this for several minutes until the adults were all too tired and hungry to continue. Even then, they didn’t discourage the small Wildclaw from running about the cave with his newfound power, only making sure he didn’t run off too far.
Once Xihuitl finally ran out of energy and had eaten and fallen asleep, Baines cleared his throat to get the group’s attention.
“We leave tomorrow morning,” was all he said. No one argued. It was time to resume their journey.
Wispy Foxtail
Organics
The fluffy tail of a Trick-of-the-Light. It glows with a vibrant energy and is very soft to the touch. (KS-Sponsored by KravenFoxy)
30
I'm not really sure how to feel about this entry. It's not as fluid as I would like it to be, but oh well.
I also try to write from a particular character's perspective every time, but the last few entries I feel haven't been terribly clear who the narrator is. I'll have to get better about that.
In other news, Xihuitl becomes and adult tomorrow Eeeeeeeee~. Mechanically anyway. He'll still be a juvenile in the story because headcannon reasons, but yeah.
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
@Sabariel
Oh. My. God. That was adorable. I love Xi so so much.
@nearsightedcat ;w; Glad you enjoyed it! I've never actually written something like that before, so I was kinda nervous about how it would come out. Also I feel like the story needed a nice little break from all the intensity that's been happening, heh.
@nearsightedcat ;w; Glad you enjoyed it! I've never actually written something like that before, so I was kinda nervous about how it would come out. Also I feel like the story needed a nice little break from all the intensity that's been happening, heh.
[b][i]Day Twenty Nine:[/i][/b]
Baines knew it would be a whole new challenge travelling with a hatchling in tow. He wasn’t wrong. Now faced with all the new wonders beyond the interior of the cave, Xihuitl was enamored by every rock, shrub, and smell of the outside world. Sand was even a surprising development for him, and he had stopped dead the first time his claws sank into the deeper layers of grains. It took their combined effort to convince him that it was still safe to walk on.
He also had a new favorite word: [i]what[/i]. Iuitl hadn’t quite gotten him to speak in a full sentence yet, so it wasn’t “What is this?” or “What is that?”, it was simply “[i]What[/i]?” Anytime he saw something he’d never seen before (which was quite often) he would run right up to it and say the word.
He could still say other words. He even had a grasp of all of their names. Baines’s name was easy, fortunately for the Mirror. That was the first one Xihuitl had gotten. Iuitl was ‘Iwhi’, which she found endearing, and Blithe had been simplified to ‘Bligh’. Or he would blow a raspberry at the Spiral to get his attention; that was the best ‘th’ sound they could get out of the Wildclaw for the moment, and Blithe wasn’t helping by reciprocating the gesture and making a game of it. He had the worst time with Capricious’s name, understandably. When he tried to say her full name, it usually came out “Cap-EE-shush”, having not figured out there’s supposed to be an “r” in it. Most of the time he just called her “Cappy”.
Alongside trying to teach him to speak, Baines had taken it upon himself to teach the Wildclaw how to hunt. At least, to be able to catch things. It was a little rough going at first, as Xihuitl had already invented the game of “Running-At-Animals-While-Shrieking”, so Baines first had to convince him to run and jump first, then shriek later.
As expected, the Wildclaw had a natural hunting instinct. By the end of the first day, he was already pouncing on their tails and ‘trapping’ them his weight and hook claws. By the end of the third, he was successfully catching small rodents, though these he was instructed to let free. Baines wanted him to be able to hunt and feed himself, not make him into a killer.
Xihuitl’s curiosity was becoming somewhat of a problem, however. Hardly a week had passed and he already had some close run-ins with some scalebacks and shattered serpents. More than once the group had to fend off the creatures after he had disturbed them. They learned that they all needed to keep as many eyes on the Wildclaw as they could, as often as they could spare them.
In doing so, Baines didn’t immediately notice the flock of storm seekers flocking above them until Blithe came down from his higher vantage to point them out.
“Looks like another big storm is brewing,” he said with a nervous edge to his tone. “Clouds are getting pretty dark over on the horizon.”
A gust of wind passed by and Bree snorted and pawed at the ground. She was starting to get nervous to, which was a telltale sign to find shelter. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot around them, mostly a barren plain and a few low lying hills. If they had to build their shelter, they would have to build it soon.
“We can press on for another hour,” Baines said. “If you can’t spot a good place to make camp, we’ll have to make do here.”
“I’ll see what I can find,” the Spiral answered optimistically, obviously not keen on trying to build a temporary shelter that would fit four dragons, an Aviar, and a zeeba that was strong enough to fend off a storm. Surprisingly enough, his wishful thinking paid off; Blithe alerted them to an old, abandoned building out in the middle of nowhere.
On closer inspection, it seemed to be an old refinery of some sort. Judging by the large elevator shaft they discovered inside, it might have been an old mine of some sort. While Capricious and Blithe poked around in interest at the old, worn tech, Iuitl looked for less impressed. Baines could understand why; though the factory itself had been large enough to accommodate dragons, the equipment and the stacks of bare bones housing looked like it was built for no one larger than a centaur.
“We only have to stay until the storm passes,” Baines said to the Aviar before he called out to the others so they could find a safe place to sleep for the night.
They ended up settling in what appeared to be an old office on the edge of the complex. Not long after they put their camp together, the drum of the rain on the roof intensified into a roar. Xihuitl screeched at the first lightning strike, escaping to huddle as far away from the windows as he could manage. They coaxed him out from under the grand, worn desk to come sit with them at the fire, where they told stories over dinner to try and keep him distracted.
He screeched again, but this time it was his usual, “[i]What?![/i]” Drawn to the storm, but not able to fly in it as it strengthened, the storm seekers had come inside to roost in the decaying rafters of the old factory. One particularly adventurous one had worked its way into the office, perching itself on the desk Xihuitl had hid under. Blithe tried to shoo it away, but with no success.
“Let it be,” Baines said as the Spiral hissed in annoyance. “Just don’t feed it and-“
“Uh, about that,” Blithe interrupted him. He looked over to see the seeker’s head in one of their food packs. The Spiral yanked it back, but the bird was already swallowing a piece of their cured meats. It hopped forward, undeterred and looking for more.
“No! We need that!” Capricious said, her fins flapping erratically and startling the seeker. It fluttered off, but only to go after one of their other packs.
“Oi!” Baines growled, clicking his tongue to get the bird’s attention. The seeker looked at him with its large, glaring eye, fixating on the roasted anole Baines was holding out to it. It flew over and snatched the meat out of his claws, managing to choke it down in record time.
“You know, you could have just chased it off,” Blithe muttered as the bird contently settled itself on Baines’s back.
“I could have,” Baines muttered back tiredly. “But it’s too late now.”
-----
[item=alder spittlebug]
Rolled Baines, Capricious, and Xihuitl for coli grinding today.
Coli Loot: [item=storm seeker] Given to Baines!
I almost skipped writing today, but this is Vihuitl's first time in the coli which felt momentous enough for me to try. For full transparency, Xihuitl was knocked out his first round (as was expected, really), but my rules protected him since he was still level 1. I was cautious going into battles and refused to fight anything bigger than a 2 pack or anything that could one-shot Xihuitl with a crit. There was a lot of refreshing happening, let me tell you. It paid off though, because Xihuitl didn't faint at all for the rest of the rounds~.
Xihuitl is level 6 (he's growing so fast ;w;).
Capricious and Baines are level 12.
Also you have no idea how hard I laughed when I hopped on today xD. I love this site.
-----
Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1
-----
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
Baines knew it would be a whole new challenge travelling with a hatchling in tow. He wasn’t wrong. Now faced with all the new wonders beyond the interior of the cave, Xihuitl was enamored by every rock, shrub, and smell of the outside world. Sand was even a surprising development for him, and he had stopped dead the first time his claws sank into the deeper layers of grains. It took their combined effort to convince him that it was still safe to walk on.
He also had a new favorite word: what. Iuitl hadn’t quite gotten him to speak in a full sentence yet, so it wasn’t “What is this?” or “What is that?”, it was simply “What?” Anytime he saw something he’d never seen before (which was quite often) he would run right up to it and say the word.
He could still say other words. He even had a grasp of all of their names. Baines’s name was easy, fortunately for the Mirror. That was the first one Xihuitl had gotten. Iuitl was ‘Iwhi’, which she found endearing, and Blithe had been simplified to ‘Bligh’. Or he would blow a raspberry at the Spiral to get his attention; that was the best ‘th’ sound they could get out of the Wildclaw for the moment, and Blithe wasn’t helping by reciprocating the gesture and making a game of it. He had the worst time with Capricious’s name, understandably. When he tried to say her full name, it usually came out “Cap-EE-shush”, having not figured out there’s supposed to be an “r” in it. Most of the time he just called her “Cappy”.
Alongside trying to teach him to speak, Baines had taken it upon himself to teach the Wildclaw how to hunt. At least, to be able to catch things. It was a little rough going at first, as Xihuitl had already invented the game of “Running-At-Animals-While-Shrieking”, so Baines first had to convince him to run and jump first, then shriek later.
As expected, the Wildclaw had a natural hunting instinct. By the end of the first day, he was already pouncing on their tails and ‘trapping’ them his weight and hook claws. By the end of the third, he was successfully catching small rodents, though these he was instructed to let free. Baines wanted him to be able to hunt and feed himself, not make him into a killer.
Xihuitl’s curiosity was becoming somewhat of a problem, however. Hardly a week had passed and he already had some close run-ins with some scalebacks and shattered serpents. More than once the group had to fend off the creatures after he had disturbed them. They learned that they all needed to keep as many eyes on the Wildclaw as they could, as often as they could spare them.
In doing so, Baines didn’t immediately notice the flock of storm seekers flocking above them until Blithe came down from his higher vantage to point them out.
“Looks like another big storm is brewing,” he said with a nervous edge to his tone. “Clouds are getting pretty dark over on the horizon.”
A gust of wind passed by and Bree snorted and pawed at the ground. She was starting to get nervous to, which was a telltale sign to find shelter. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot around them, mostly a barren plain and a few low lying hills. If they had to build their shelter, they would have to build it soon.
“We can press on for another hour,” Baines said. “If you can’t spot a good place to make camp, we’ll have to make do here.”
“I’ll see what I can find,” the Spiral answered optimistically, obviously not keen on trying to build a temporary shelter that would fit four dragons, an Aviar, and a zeeba that was strong enough to fend off a storm. Surprisingly enough, his wishful thinking paid off; Blithe alerted them to an old, abandoned building out in the middle of nowhere.
On closer inspection, it seemed to be an old refinery of some sort. Judging by the large elevator shaft they discovered inside, it might have been an old mine of some sort. While Capricious and Blithe poked around in interest at the old, worn tech, Iuitl looked for less impressed. Baines could understand why; though the factory itself had been large enough to accommodate dragons, the equipment and the stacks of bare bones housing looked like it was built for no one larger than a centaur.
“We only have to stay until the storm passes,” Baines said to the Aviar before he called out to the others so they could find a safe place to sleep for the night.
They ended up settling in what appeared to be an old office on the edge of the complex. Not long after they put their camp together, the drum of the rain on the roof intensified into a roar. Xihuitl screeched at the first lightning strike, escaping to huddle as far away from the windows as he could manage. They coaxed him out from under the grand, worn desk to come sit with them at the fire, where they told stories over dinner to try and keep him distracted.
He screeched again, but this time it was his usual, “What?!” Drawn to the storm, but not able to fly in it as it strengthened, the storm seekers had come inside to roost in the decaying rafters of the old factory. One particularly adventurous one had worked its way into the office, perching itself on the desk Xihuitl had hid under. Blithe tried to shoo it away, but with no success.
“Let it be,” Baines said as the Spiral hissed in annoyance. “Just don’t feed it and-“
“Uh, about that,” Blithe interrupted him. He looked over to see the seeker’s head in one of their food packs. The Spiral yanked it back, but the bird was already swallowing a piece of their cured meats. It hopped forward, undeterred and looking for more.
“No! We need that!” Capricious said, her fins flapping erratically and startling the seeker. It fluttered off, but only to go after one of their other packs.
“Oi!” Baines growled, clicking his tongue to get the bird’s attention. The seeker looked at him with its large, glaring eye, fixating on the roasted anole Baines was holding out to it. It flew over and snatched the meat out of his claws, managing to choke it down in record time.
“You know, you could have just chased it off,” Blithe muttered as the bird contently settled itself on Baines’s back.
“I could have,” Baines muttered back tiredly. “But it’s too late now.”
Alder Spittlebug
Insect
The bright blue thorax on the Alder Spittlebug is meant to scare off predators, not attract mates.
55
6
Rolled Baines, Capricious, and Xihuitl for coli grinding today.
Coli Loot:
Storm Seeker
Familiar
Storm Seekers are the heralds of bleak weather. Entire murders of them flock toward approaching thunderclouds and hurricanes.
2000
Given to Baines!
I almost skipped writing today, but this is Vihuitl's first time in the coli which felt momentous enough for me to try. For full transparency, Xihuitl was knocked out his first round (as was expected, really), but my rules protected him since he was still level 1. I was cautious going into battles and refused to fight anything bigger than a 2 pack or anything that could one-shot Xihuitl with a crit. There was a lot of refreshing happening, let me tell you. It paid off though, because Xihuitl didn't faint at all for the rest of the rounds~.
Xihuitl is level 6 (he's growing so fast ;w;).
Capricious and Baines are level 12.
Also you have no idea how hard I laughed when I hopped on today xD. I love this site.
Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
[b][i]Day Thirty:[/i][/b]
It reminded him of [i]him[/i]. The soft blue and grey tones and semblance of that fluffy mane. He remembered how the fur felt between his claws. He remembered how he had purred like a cat when he stroked it. He remembered his favorite color. His favorite dessert. His favorite earrings. His favorite music. He remembered what made him laugh. What made him cry. What made him anxious. What made him smile with the warmth of the Hearth.
What made him envious. What made him [i]furious[/i].
He had dated a few dragonesses before him. He had been attracted to them, but those relationships hadn’t worked out. She wasn’t one of them though. She had only been his oldest friend, but he had never felt [i]that [/i]way towards her. He realized too late that she felt differently. He realized too late that she didn’t understand his boundaries.
He didn’t understand that. He only saw them together, and he came to his own conclusions. He called him a cheater. He called him a [i]traitor[/i]. His last memory of him was being roared out of his own den, a scant portion of his belongings thrown after him.
So he left. He felt it was the best course of action to avoid further conflict within the clan. And without either of them, there was nothing left for him there.
Xihuitl made a noise and snapped Baines back out of his reverie. The Wildclaw was holding up the paper mask Iuitl had constructed for him in the shape of a Tundra. She and Capricious were passing the hours by making these masks out of the scraps left in the office, to introduce Xihuitl to other dragons breeds he had yet to meet. The youngling had helped, of course, and now was waiting expectantly for Baines’s opinion on his work.
“Very good,” the Mirror said with a nod of his head, causing Xihuitl’s eyes to light up and his tail to wag dangerously close to the fire. “Do you know what kind of dragon that is?”
“Tun-rah!” he replied elatedly. They had apparently over pronounced the “r” so he would recognize it, but now he was leaving out the “d”. Even so, Baines praised him for answering correctly and the Wildclaw bounced back over to Capricious and Iuitl to finish their Skydancer mask.
Baines began to slip back into his thoughts, but he gave a shake of his head, making the storm seeker on his back squawk. He was here now. He had to move forward.
“Having trouble staying awake over there?” Blithe asked him and he turned to look at the Spiral, who seemed to see something in his eyes as he added, “You alright?”
The Mirror shrugged nonchalantly, using the action to consciously relax his shoulders.
“Just fine.” Blithe continued to stare at him for a moment longer, appearing not entirely convinced, but he let it slide. The Spiral turned back to the others and picked up a mask, playing with Xihuitl by hiding behind it and emerging to make funny faces at the Wildclaw. By this point, the youngling had completely forgotten about the lightning and thunder outside, well distracted from it by the project.
Baines watched their antics from a distance, joining in only when he was addressed. He wasn’t so melancholy that he wasn’t enjoying the moment. What he had told Blithe was true.
He had his new pack. He was just fine.
-----
[item=shattered ceramic shard]
Apparently I default to writing about Baines's inner thoughts when I don't know what to write. Thanks Pink, I think.
So. Talking about stuff that I'm really nervous about writing and posting... Had this backstory for Baines floating around in my head for a while, but didn't know if/when it would ever be mentioned. Kinda nervous about how you all would feel about it, tbh. [size=2]Or maybe that's just my anxiety giving me fits like it has been lately, idk.[/size]
So yeah. Baines. Enjoy.
-----
Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1
-----
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat
It reminded him of him. The soft blue and grey tones and semblance of that fluffy mane. He remembered how the fur felt between his claws. He remembered how he had purred like a cat when he stroked it. He remembered his favorite color. His favorite dessert. His favorite earrings. His favorite music. He remembered what made him laugh. What made him cry. What made him anxious. What made him smile with the warmth of the Hearth.
What made him envious. What made him furious.
He had dated a few dragonesses before him. He had been attracted to them, but those relationships hadn’t worked out. She wasn’t one of them though. She had only been his oldest friend, but he had never felt that way towards her. He realized too late that she felt differently. He realized too late that she didn’t understand his boundaries.
He didn’t understand that. He only saw them together, and he came to his own conclusions. He called him a cheater. He called him a traitor. His last memory of him was being roared out of his own den, a scant portion of his belongings thrown after him.
So he left. He felt it was the best course of action to avoid further conflict within the clan. And without either of them, there was nothing left for him there.
Xihuitl made a noise and snapped Baines back out of his reverie. The Wildclaw was holding up the paper mask Iuitl had constructed for him in the shape of a Tundra. She and Capricious were passing the hours by making these masks out of the scraps left in the office, to introduce Xihuitl to other dragons breeds he had yet to meet. The youngling had helped, of course, and now was waiting expectantly for Baines’s opinion on his work.
“Very good,” the Mirror said with a nod of his head, causing Xihuitl’s eyes to light up and his tail to wag dangerously close to the fire. “Do you know what kind of dragon that is?”
“Tun-rah!” he replied elatedly. They had apparently over pronounced the “r” so he would recognize it, but now he was leaving out the “d”. Even so, Baines praised him for answering correctly and the Wildclaw bounced back over to Capricious and Iuitl to finish their Skydancer mask.
Baines began to slip back into his thoughts, but he gave a shake of his head, making the storm seeker on his back squawk. He was here now. He had to move forward.
“Having trouble staying awake over there?” Blithe asked him and he turned to look at the Spiral, who seemed to see something in his eyes as he added, “You alright?”
The Mirror shrugged nonchalantly, using the action to consciously relax his shoulders.
“Just fine.” Blithe continued to stare at him for a moment longer, appearing not entirely convinced, but he let it slide. The Spiral turned back to the others and picked up a mask, playing with Xihuitl by hiding behind it and emerging to make funny faces at the Wildclaw. By this point, the youngling had completely forgotten about the lightning and thunder outside, well distracted from it by the project.
Baines watched their antics from a distance, joining in only when he was addressed. He wasn’t so melancholy that he wasn’t enjoying the moment. What he had told Blithe was true.
He had his new pack. He was just fine.
Shattered Ceramic Shard
Dragonmade
A shattered piece of history.
20
Apparently I default to writing about Baines's inner thoughts when I don't know what to write. Thanks Pink, I think.
So. Talking about stuff that I'm really nervous about writing and posting... Had this backstory for Baines floating around in my head for a while, but didn't know if/when it would ever be mentioned. Kinda nervous about how you all would feel about it, tbh. Or maybe that's just my anxiety giving me fits like it has been lately, idk.
So yeah. Baines. Enjoy.
Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x1
@Weredogalism @Riff @nearsightedcat