Quests & Challenges

6106

March 13, 2019 17:37:33

Velvetpaws's Pinkerlocke Legacy
(because I'm insane)

So, I've tried to do a legacy breeding challenge before, but I always got bored a generation or two in. I do enjoy reading Pinkerlockes, though! So why not try two great tastes that taste great together...maybe.

Notes:
- This is going to be a lore-heavy thread.
- "Days" refer to Pinkerton draws, not days in the story; there will be time lapses between "chapters." I may also sometimes combine days if I get a little behind.
- CW: Violence, possibly mentions of injury, blood, and/or death. No gore, though. I'll try to remember to update this if anything else comes up.

1. Intro/rules
2. Active dragons
3. Pinglist
4 {reserve}

Start/First Generation
- Acquire founder and mate and breed them per Legacy Challenge rules.
- As soon as they've laid their first eggs, begin playing with Pinkerlocke rules. (Of course, if a dragon dies, you'll need to wait until its nest hatches in order to exalt it. You can continue using the dragon in the coliseum until that time. Or not, if you want it to be dead before the eggs hatch so you can have a really sad story.)

{I actually ended up starting the Pinkerlocke before breeding my first dragons, just so I could begin working on the lore.}

Pinkerlocke rules tweaks

Food: Use easy mode.

Materials: Your gathering turns for that day are used by your Pinkerlocke dragons. You can either dig or scavenge; there's no need to track all of the results, but anything particularly valuable (chests, familiars, eggs), as well as anything your clan might find interesting, now "belongs" to them and can be sold, traded, worn, hatched, or just plain hoarded. (Food drops/gathering remains irrelevant; it just adds way too much complexity.) The idea for this was borrowed from SarcasticHawke's Bloodborne Plague Pinkerlocke, except that I switched Materials and Trinkets because somehow that made more sense to me..

Trinkets: Creative endeavors! I'll probably be writing the overwhelming majority of the time, but may occasionally do something else, like bio layouts or prettifying this thread.

Familiars: Standard Pinkerlocke RNG to determine breed; flip a coin to choose adult or hatchling. If there are multiple eligible dragons at the lowest price point, you can pick which one to buy.

Apparel: Breed two dragons. (Legacy pairs can breed for the first time as soon as they're eligible, without waiting for the drop.) I'm not doing the hatchling mortality coin flip; it's darker than I want this to be. Alternatively, one non-Legacy dragon can be regened, breed changed, or scattered, or given a skin/accent for free (see below under "Misc").

Battle items: If the result of a death streak would extinguish the legacy line, roll a d20 (or use the RNG) for each legacy dragon involved. The dragon(s) with the highest roll survive but are critically wounded. I also reserve the right to write a scene of actual or potential death instead of fighting in the coliseum, if I feel that it's really necessary story-wise or legacy-wise.

Misc: Apparel and skins/accents can only be acquired via coli drops or with money from chests and/or selling items (or as gifts from other players, if people feel generous). I'll make exceptions for items that are flowery/naturey/elemental themed.

2nd and following generations
- Keep *all* surviving hatchlings and include them in Pinkerlocke activities.
- When they reach breeding age, select an heir. (You can decide to use Legacy rules or just pick one. I'm probably picking.) If no hatchlings survive to reach breeding age, you may rebreed your founder and mate (or replacement(s) if one or both have died). Use the new clutch of hatchlings to determine points, not the original one.
- For the heir's mate, you can either buy a dragon using Legacy rules or use one of the dragons purchased for the Pinkerlocke *if* it is of the same flight as your heir.

Following generations continue to use Legacy rules.

Tenth generation
- Select the best hatchling as your final dragon. (Again, either via Legacy rules or just pick one.)
- Add up Legacy points.
- Wrap up story.

Last edited on Mar 14, 2019 06:12:47 by velvetpaws

[rule] [center][b][u]Active Dragons[/u][/b][/center] [columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49462925][img]https://i.imgur.com/T8JStjV.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [b]Caris[/b]: Super energetic and curious, eager for adventures. Usually cheerful and carefree, but when he gets mad, watch out! [/columns] [columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49438477][img]https://i.imgur.com/HZQohxf.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [b]Loretta[/b]: A gentle soul (for the most part). Somewhat anxious and very protective of Caris. Will trample you into the dirt if you threaten her nest. [/columns] [columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49912298] [img]https://i.imgur.com/uRl40RP.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [b]Squabble[/b]: Cranky but lonely feral boy. Completely unsocialized and hasn't learned to talk, but fascinated by these new dragons in his territory. [/columns] [columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50199667][img]https://i.imgur.com/mWOStsq.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [b]Sunny[/b]: Caris and Loretta's son. Bold, outgoing, and talkative, quick to laugh, terrible at thinking through consequences. He's best buds with Squabble. [/columns] [columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50199668][img]https://i.imgur.com/cLNyx4H.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [b]Lyris[/b]: Caris and Loretta's daughter. Quieter than her brother, she prefers to observe and reflect, and keeps her thoughts to herself. A supremely graceful flier. [/columns] [center][b][u]Hatchlings[/u][/b][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50328413][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/503285/50328413.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50334280][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/503343/50334280.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center]Plato : Ari[/center] [rule]

velvetpaws

6106

March 13, 2019 18:05:00

Active Dragons

Caris: Super energetic and curious, eager for adventures. Usually cheerful and carefree, but when he gets mad, watch out!

Loretta: A gentle soul (for the most part). Somewhat anxious and very protective of Caris. Will trample you into the dirt if you threaten her nest.

Squabble: Cranky but lonely feral boy. Completely unsocialized and hasn't learned to talk, but fascinated by these new dragons in his territory.

Sunny: Caris and Loretta's son. Bold, outgoing, and talkative, quick to laugh, terrible at thinking through consequences. He's best buds with Squabble.

Lyris: Caris and Loretta's daughter. Quieter than her brother, she prefers to observe and reflect, and keeps her thoughts to herself. A supremely graceful flier.

Hatchlings

Plato : Ari

Last edited on Mar 23, 2019 14:10:21 by velvetpaws

Pinglist

antivehicular

velvetpaws

6106

March 13, 2019 18:07:51

Pinglist

antivehicular

Last edited on Mar 18, 2019 06:07:54 by velvetpaws

{reserved}

velvetpaws

6106

March 13, 2019 18:08:30

{reserved}

[rule] [center][b][u]Day 0: Introduction[/u][/b][/center] The snapper hatchling tromped through the forest, the ferns brushing against her tummy, not quite tickling. She didn't know how long she'd been walking, but she was sure that she'd find her family's camp soon. The forest was a little confusing, especially after she'd rolled and bounced down that big hill, and she kept having to circle around rocks and trees, but this was definitely the right way. Tromp, tromp, tromp. Her belly gurgled, and she stripped leaves off low bushes to chew on as she walked. She wasn't tired, not at all. When she came to a river, she puzzled at it a bit, because she didn't remember seeing any water before, but that just meant that she didn't need to go across it, right? So, should she go upstream? Or down? Hesitating, she looked one way, then the other, and finally turned downstream. It would be easier, walking downhill. And near water she would find [i]somebody[/i] at least. Right? It was nice walking by the river at first, listening to the water rush and burble. But then the ground got rougher, and she had to turn aside to scramble around some really big, steep rocks and over a hill, and when she came down the other side, the river had gone away and hidden itself. This had stopped being fun a while ago, she realized. She sat down right where she was, her mouth quivering, and thought that she should probably start calling for help. But there--was that voices? She thought it sounded like people. Standing up, she trotted as quickly as she could toward them. But as she got closer, she realized that the voices were shouting. Roaring. Screaming. Screaming was bad. Screaming was very bad. She didn't want to go over there anymore. But she also didn't want to be lost anymore. She was scared either way, but at last she hunkered down as low as she could go and waddled through the bushes, pushing them aside as quietly as possible. Peeking out from under the leaves, she saw some houses close by. They were simple, made out of wood and vines, and they were a little too small for her kind of people. The frightening noises were coming from somewhere on the other side of the houses. There was a dragon lying on the ground in front of her. He was long and thin, with several wings. He wasn't moving. The ground was all torn up. She could smell mud, and blood, and in the distance, burning. She whimpered, her throat tight, her legs trembling. She was so afraid, she couldn't move. She couldn't even run away. There was a leather bag between her and the dragon, as if he'd dropped it when he fell down. The flap had fallen open, and a little egg had half rolled out. Oh. Oh. This was a bad place for an egg. When she realized that, she somehow was able to move again. She crept out of the bushes on her belly, thinking very hard about how important it was to keep the egg safe, so she wouldn't think so much about all the other things. Very carefully, she nosed the egg back into the bag and pushed the top closed, then took the bag's strap in her teeth and wiggled backward, dragging it with her into the undergrowth. She had just gotten into the deepest part of the bush when she heard voices again. Low, growly voices. She froze. Just outside her hiding place, a big foot came down, and then another, and they stopped there, as if waiting. She stared at the huge claw on the nearest one. It tapped the ground once, twice, its point digging into the dirt. There was a shiny gold anklet around that leg that jingled when it moved. "Bring that," the dragon whose feet those were rumbled, low and harsh, and she closed her eyes and hid her face behind the bag, shaking, waiting to be pulled out of the bushes. But the other dragons muttered, and their footsteps passed by. When silence fell, and she dared to open her eyes again, they had all gone away. The skinny little dragon lying in the mud was gone, too. She didn't sleep--her people never slept--but her mind floated for a long time without thinking about anything. The next thing she noticed was that the light was more golden and slanted differently. It looked like morning. The other dragons hadn't come back. She heard a tiny [i]peep[/i], and the flap of the bag moved. It opened a little, and a very small dragon crawled out. "Oh," she whispered. "You hatched!" The baby dragon shook itself, fluffing out its wings. They were deep, dark blue, and its body was a soft red. It had green eyes, like hers, in the tiniest little face with some funny winglike vanes around it--she didn't know what those were called. "What's your name?" she asked. The baby chirped again; it was too little and new to speak. "I'll have to name you then." She thought for a moment. "Your name is...Caris." Yes, she liked how that sounded. "Cah-ris. And my name is Loretta. Lor-eh-ta." The baby put its bitty hands on her nose, its head-wings flapping, and even though she was still lost and anxious, she felt happier too. She wouldn't be alone, even if she didn't find her family again. The two of them would go someplace safe together, someplace bad dragons couldn't find them. And then they'd be best friends, forever and ever. A bird squawked overhead--she jumped, and the baby dragon fell over with a squeak. Her heart was beating fast, but it had only been a bird. They were still safe. Everything was still all right. The baby sat up on its haunches and trilled. Maybe it was asking her a question. "Don't worry," she said, lowering her head to nuzzle at the baby. "It's okay. I'll take care of you." [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/jSenMXk.png[/img][/center] [rule]

velvetpaws

6106

March 13, 2019 18:26:08

Day 0: Introduction

The snapper hatchling tromped through the forest, the ferns brushing against her tummy, not quite tickling. She didn't know how long she'd been walking, but she was sure that she'd find her family's camp soon. The forest was a little confusing, especially after she'd rolled and bounced down that big hill, and she kept having to circle around rocks and trees, but this was definitely the right way.

Tromp, tromp, tromp. Her belly gurgled, and she stripped leaves off low bushes to chew on as she walked. She wasn't tired, not at all. When she came to a river, she puzzled at it a bit, because she didn't remember seeing any water before, but that just meant that she didn't need to go across it, right? So, should she go upstream? Or down? Hesitating, she looked one way, then the other, and finally turned downstream. It would be easier, walking downhill. And near water she would find somebody at least. Right?

It was nice walking by the river at first, listening to the water rush and burble. But then the ground got rougher, and she had to turn aside to scramble around some really big, steep rocks and over a hill, and when she came down the other side, the river had gone away and hidden itself.

This had stopped being fun a while ago, she realized. She sat down right where she was, her mouth quivering, and thought that she should probably start calling for help.

But there--was that voices? She thought it sounded like people. Standing up, she trotted as quickly as she could toward them. But as she got closer, she realized that the voices were shouting. Roaring. Screaming.

Screaming was bad. Screaming was very bad. She didn't want to go over there anymore. But she also didn't want to be lost anymore. She was scared either way, but at last she hunkered down as low as she could go and waddled through the bushes, pushing them aside as quietly as possible.

Peeking out from under the leaves, she saw some houses close by. They were simple, made out of wood and vines, and they were a little too small for her kind of people. The frightening noises were coming from somewhere on the other side of the houses.

There was a dragon lying on the ground in front of her. He was long and thin, with several wings. He wasn't moving.

The ground was all torn up. She could smell mud, and blood, and in the distance, burning.

She whimpered, her throat tight, her legs trembling. She was so afraid, she couldn't move. She couldn't even run away.

There was a leather bag between her and the dragon, as if he'd dropped it when he fell down. The flap had fallen open, and a little egg had half rolled out.

Oh. Oh. This was a bad place for an egg. When she realized that, she somehow was able to move again. She crept out of the bushes on her belly, thinking very hard about how important it was to keep the egg safe, so she wouldn't think so much about all the other things. Very carefully, she nosed the egg back into the bag and pushed the top closed, then took the bag's strap in her teeth and wiggled backward, dragging it with her into the undergrowth.

She had just gotten into the deepest part of the bush when she heard voices again. Low, growly voices. She froze. Just outside her hiding place, a big foot came down, and then another, and they stopped there, as if waiting. She stared at the huge claw on the nearest one. It tapped the ground once, twice, its point digging into the dirt. There was a shiny gold anklet around that leg that jingled when it moved.

"Bring that," the dragon whose feet those were rumbled, low and harsh, and she closed her eyes and hid her face behind the bag, shaking, waiting to be pulled out of the bushes. But the other dragons muttered, and their footsteps passed by. When silence fell, and she dared to open her eyes again, they had all gone away.

The skinny little dragon lying in the mud was gone, too.

She didn't sleep--her people never slept--but her mind floated for a long time without thinking about anything. The next thing she noticed was that the light was more golden and slanted differently. It looked like morning. The other dragons hadn't come back.

She heard a tiny peep, and the flap of the bag moved. It opened a little, and a very small dragon crawled out.

"Oh," she whispered. "You hatched!"

The baby dragon shook itself, fluffing out its wings. They were deep, dark blue, and its body was a soft red. It had green eyes, like hers, in the tiniest little face with some funny winglike vanes around it--she didn't know what those were called.

"What's your name?" she asked. The baby chirped again; it was too little and new to speak. "I'll have to name you then." She thought for a moment. "Your name is...Caris." Yes, she liked how that sounded. "Cah-ris. And my name is Loretta. Lor-eh-ta."

The baby put its bitty hands on her nose, its head-wings flapping, and even though she was still lost and anxious, she felt happier too. She wouldn't be alone, even if she didn't find her family again. The two of them would go someplace safe together, someplace bad dragons couldn't find them. And then they'd be best friends, forever and ever.

A bird squawked overhead--she jumped, and the baby dragon fell over with a squeak. Her heart was beating fast, but it had only been a bird. They were still safe. Everything was still all right. The baby sat up on its haunches and trilled. Maybe it was asking her a question.

"Don't worry," she said, lowering her head to nuzzle at the baby. "It's okay. I'll take care of you."

Last edited on Mar 13, 2019 19:16:51 by velvetpaws

[rule] [center][b][u]Day 1[/u][/b][/center] [center][item=scholar] battlestone = [s]death streak[/s] story[/center] "Caris! [i]Caris![/i]" "I'm here!" he called back, dropping out of the forest canopy to hover closer to the ground. Loretta always got scared when she couldn't find him--sometimes it was kind of annoying, but he knew it was because they'd been in a lot of danger when he hatched, and she couldn't stop worrying that something would happen to him when he was out of her sight. He accepted that it was because she cared about him--it was nice to be so important to someone--and he tried not to disappear too often. In this case, he had good reason. "I found some more wild grapes!" he said, and seeing Loretta's eyes light up made his heart flutter with delight. "Come on, come on!" He darted up to the dense cluster of vines and clung there as Loretta trotted after him. She couldn't fly, and she couldn't climb, which was sad, but it meant there was something he could do for her, and that made them both happy. He sawed at the stem of a large bunch with his claws, pausing when it was nearly cut through. "Ready?" Below him, Loretta tilted her head back, and as he sliced through the last of the stem, the grapes fell directly into her open mouth. She closed it, a slow chomp to squish the fruit, her eyes closed with bliss, and then swallowed. Caris laughed. "Lori, Lori, Lor-eh-ta!" he sang, flying up and rolling over in a loop before landing on the vines again. "Do you want some more?" "Yes, please!" she said, rearing up to put her front feet on the tree trunk." Purring happily to himself, he picked and scratched at another stem. "OK, are you ready? Here it comes!" He paused, because she had turned her head and was staring off into the forest. He was about to drop them on her anyway, because that would be funny, but she went to all fours and began backing away from the tree, her body lowering close to the ground. "Lori?" he wondered. Then he looked where she was looking. A big dragon stalked slowly out of the undergrowth--[i]big[/i] big, at least twice as big as Loretta. He was maybe the size of her head. She walked on her back legs, and at each step a huge claw dug into the dirt. One of her arms was twisted and hung limp, and somehow that made her more scary rather than less. The dragon looked up at him, then at Loretta again, her lips drawing back from very long teeth in a terrifying snarl-smile. Her eyes were golden brown set in black. "You stole a lot of gems from us, little pebble," she rumbled, deep and low as far-off thunder. "Eggs are worth so much more than hatchlings, unless they're special, and this one's not." Scornful, she cast another glance at Caris. "Even taking you too, it's a dead loss. So you'd better not make me more pissed off than I already am." "Caris, run!" Loretta cried, shuffling backward, away from the stranger. All around her the bushes whispered as more dragons like the first emerged, slinking low to surround her. "Go! Fly away!" Oh. These were them. These were the ones she'd saved him from when he was still in the shell. He had to save her now, but they were so big, and he was so tiny, and all his limbs were shaking with terror. What could he do? "Get the fae," the leader said, jerking her head toward him. "No!" Loretta wailed. Putting her head down, she charged. The leader watched her come, unblinking, then spun, her tail whipping around her almost too fast to see. It hit Loretta in the side and bowled her over. One of the other dragons sprang forward, reaching out to grab her, and she clamped her jaws onto his arm, her eyes wide and terrified. He barked in pain, angrily shaking his arm, but she clung tight. "Idiot," the leader said, striding forward. "There's a reason they're called [i]snappers[/i]. Hold your arm up." He did, and the leader balled up her fist and punched Loretta in the throat. She choked, gasped, and fell to the ground. The leader kicked with her heel, flipping Loretta onto her back, then hit her in the stomach, again and again. "Noooo--no no no!" Caris didn't remember launching himself, but he was diving toward them. He'd [i]scratch their eyes out[/i] for hurting Loretta. A pair of short-furred hands grabbed him around the middle, and he shrieked, digging his claws into them, his wings flailing like leaves in a storm. The dragon holding him yelped and shook him so hard that his neck lashed back and forth. He felt dizzy and sick; the world spun, a blur of trees and feathers as the dragon backwinged to a landing. "Desert's curse suck you dry, bug," the dragon hissed. He writhed, trying to get free, and then he was thrust inside something smothering that closed all around him, wrapping him in darkness, and then something hard hit him, and his mind went dark too. Caris bumbled toward consiousness, confused and not sure where he was, then jerked fully awake as he remembered. Bolting upright, he found himself surrounded by a...[i]thing[/i] made of straight branches woven together with strange fibrous vines. The space between the branches was too small for him to squeeze through, but he could see out. Loretta was lying not far away, wrapped in more of those vines; they bound her legs tightly against her body, and several loops held her mouth shut. Above the vines, her eyes stared at him, wide and glimmering in the moonlight. It was night, he realized. The bad dragons had captured them. He could hear those growling voices, not close by but not far enough away either. Mostly he couldn't make out what they were saying, but one spoke up more loudly, a word that he thought might be a name. [i]Amarra.[/i] His attention flicked back to Loretta as she moved. Slowly she hitched herself around until she was facing him, and then humped her body forward like a caterpillar, freezing at every tiny sound and then starting again, until her face was right next to him. His heart trembling, he reached through the bars and put his hand on her nose. Liquid spilled from her eyes as she closed them. They had made Loretta cry. That was [i]wrong[/i]. He had to save them--had to save her. His whole body, inside and out, shrilled with tension, until he felt like he was vibrating. His face fins began to shake--he felt something, an energy-- He was rising up. Something lifted his prison from beneath--vines, normal green vines, were twisting under and around it. They wove in through the bars and bent them, the solid sticks yielding into curves, opening wide enough that he could slip between them. Loretta let out a muffled squeak as he jumped down beside her. "Shh shh," he breathed as he got to work sawing at the ties around her muzzle. It seemed to take forever, but at last they parted and he pulled them away. Loretta opened and closed her mouth, working her jaw as he clawed at the other vines around her legs. As soon as she was free, she heaved herself to her feet. She moved stiffly, limping, and he was angry again, reminded of the other dragons beating her. He forced himself to be still, to crawl on the ground alongside her instead of furiously darting through the air, as they crept away from the camp. Slowly, so slowly they went, and then he touched her shoulder, stopping her. They crouched in the deepest shadows and stared at the dragon standing between them and escape, his alert gaze sweeping his surroundings as he stood watch. How would they get by? Caris wondered. Maybe...maybe he could do something again. He tried to sense that mysterious energy, to feel it running through the green, now near, now farther away.... To the left, there was a great rustling and clattering as the undergrowth shook. The dragon jerked his head around, and then went pacing toward it, disappearing among the trees. "Now!" Caris whispered, close to Loretta's ear, and she started walking quickly, then jogging. They were going to do it, they were going to get away--and then he heard shouts behind them, angry roars. The other dragons had discovered their escape. "Run!" he cried, "runrunrun!" and Loretta surged to a full gallop, while he flew ahead, looking for a place to hide. The ground fell away suddenly beneath him--he looped and circled back. There was a long, long drop that ended in gleaming water far below. Loretta stumbled to a stop at the edge, gasping and quivering. He looked down. It was a big water, bigger than any of the forest pools they'd played in. It had to be deeper than them too, didn't it? Snarls and ripping, tearing footsteps were close, almost upon them. "Lori! You have to jump! Jump!" She faltered, then looked behind herself. Gulping anxiously, she backed up a few steps, and then charged toward the drop. As the first dragon burst from the jungle, she leaped out, as far as she could, and began to fall, her legs waving as if she were still running. He dove beside her, all the long way down until she hit the water with a tremendous splash and disappeared. As he hovered over that spot, a shadow covered his on the water. He jerked his gaze up to see the slim, feather-winged dragon gliding toward him, smoothly descending. And there was no green around to protect him. "Forget it! Let 'em go!" a shout echoed from high above. "They've caused us too much flipping trouble already." The dragon banked sharply aside and rose, casting a last disdainful glance down at him before turning away-- Oh no. He'd been distracted. Where had Loretta gone? Desperately he circled over the place where she'd landed, casting wider and wider rings, crying out her name. He heard splashing then, and suddenly Loretta's head popped into view, some distance from him and floating even farther away. He dashed after her as she gasped and snorted out water. "Loriiiii!" "Ca- Caris." Her voice was shaking. He wanted so badly to hug her, but he didn't want to weigh her down, and if he went into the water, he wouldn't be able to get airborne again. Instead he fluttered above her head. "We...we did it. We got away." She sounded like she didn't believe the words, even though she was saying them. "Yes, yes, we did, yes!" The water had them now (well, it had Loretta, but he was following, he would always be following her), taking them far from those terrible dragons. Loretta sniffled a little, and he sank low enough that he could just brush her forehead with one hand. "It's okay," he told her more softly. "It's all okay. We're still together, and we're going to be okay." And the moonlight dazzled silver all around them as the water gently carried them away. [rule]

velvetpaws

6106

March 13, 2019 18:35:19

Day 1

battlestone = ~~death streak~~ story

"Caris! Caris!"

"I'm here!" he called back, dropping out of the forest canopy to hover closer to the ground. Loretta always got scared when she couldn't find him--sometimes it was kind of annoying, but he knew it was because they'd been in a lot of danger when he hatched, and she couldn't stop worrying that something would happen to him when he was out of her sight. He accepted that it was because she cared about him--it was nice to be so important to someone--and he tried not to disappear too often.

In this case, he had good reason. "I found some more wild grapes!" he said, and seeing Loretta's eyes light up made his heart flutter with delight. "Come on, come on!" He darted up to the dense cluster of vines and clung there as Loretta trotted after him. She couldn't fly, and she couldn't climb, which was sad, but it meant there was something he could do for her, and that made them both happy. He sawed at the stem of a large bunch with his claws, pausing when it was nearly cut through. "Ready?" Below him, Loretta tilted her head back, and as he sliced through the last of the stem, the grapes fell directly into her open mouth. She closed it, a slow chomp to squish the fruit, her eyes closed with bliss, and then swallowed. Caris laughed.

"Lori, Lori, Lor-eh-ta!" he sang, flying up and rolling over in a loop before landing on the vines again. "Do you want some more?"

"Yes, please!" she said, rearing up to put her front feet on the tree trunk." Purring happily to himself, he picked and scratched at another stem.

"OK, are you ready? Here it comes!" He paused, because she had turned her head and was staring off into the forest. He was about to drop them on her anyway, because that would be funny, but she went to all fours and began backing away from the tree, her body lowering close to the ground.

"Lori?" he wondered. Then he looked where she was looking.

A big dragon stalked slowly out of the undergrowth--big big, at least twice as big as Loretta. He was maybe the size of her head. She walked on her back legs, and at each step a huge claw dug into the dirt. One of her arms was twisted and hung limp, and somehow that made her more scary rather than less. The dragon looked up at him, then at Loretta again, her lips drawing back from very long teeth in a terrifying snarl-smile. Her eyes were golden brown set in black.

"You stole a lot of gems from us, little pebble," she rumbled, deep and low as far-off thunder. "Eggs are worth so much more than hatchlings, unless they're special, and this one's not." Scornful, she cast another glance at Caris. "Even taking you too, it's a dead loss. So you'd better not make me more ****** off than I already am."

"Caris, run!" Loretta cried, shuffling backward, away from the stranger. All around her the bushes whispered as more dragons like the first emerged, slinking low to surround her. "Go! Fly away!"

Oh. These were them. These were the ones she'd saved him from when he was still in the shell. He had to save her now, but they were so big, and he was so tiny, and all his limbs were shaking with terror. What could he do?

"Get the fae," the leader said, jerking her head toward him.

"No!" Loretta wailed. Putting her head down, she charged. The leader watched her come, unblinking, then spun, her tail whipping around her almost too fast to see. It hit Loretta in the side and bowled her over. One of the other dragons sprang forward, reaching out to grab her, and she clamped her jaws onto his arm, her eyes wide and terrified. He barked in pain, angrily shaking his arm, but she clung tight.

"Idiot," the leader said, striding forward. "There's a reason they're called snappers. Hold your arm up." He did, and the leader balled up her fist and punched Loretta in the throat. She choked, gasped, and fell to the ground. The leader kicked with her heel, flipping Loretta onto her back, then hit her in the stomach, again and again.

"Noooo--no no no!" Caris didn't remember launching himself, but he was diving toward them. He'd scratch their eyes out for hurting Loretta. A pair of short-furred hands grabbed him around the middle, and he shrieked, digging his claws into them, his wings flailing like leaves in a storm. The dragon holding him yelped and shook him so hard that his neck lashed back and forth. He felt dizzy and sick; the world spun, a blur of trees and feathers as the dragon backwinged to a landing.

"Desert's curse suck you dry, bug," the dragon hissed. He writhed, trying to get free, and then he was thrust inside something smothering that closed all around him, wrapping him in darkness, and then something hard hit him, and his mind went dark too.

Caris bumbled toward consiousness, confused and not sure where he was, then jerked fully awake as he remembered. Bolting upright, he found himself surrounded by a...thing made of straight branches woven together with strange fibrous vines. The space between the branches was too small for him to squeeze through, but he could see out.

Loretta was lying not far away, wrapped in more of those vines; they bound her legs tightly against her body, and several loops held her mouth shut. Above the vines, her eyes stared at him, wide and glimmering in the moonlight.

It was night, he realized. The bad dragons had captured them. He could hear those growling voices, not close by but not far enough away either. Mostly he couldn't make out what they were saying, but one spoke up more loudly, a word that he thought might be a name. Amarra.

His attention flicked back to Loretta as she moved. Slowly she hitched herself around until she was facing him, and then humped her body forward like a caterpillar, freezing at every tiny sound and then starting again, until her face was right next to him. His heart trembling, he reached through the bars and put his hand on her nose. Liquid spilled from her eyes as she closed them.

They had made Loretta cry. That was wrong. He had to save them--had to save her. His whole body, inside and out, shrilled with tension, until he felt like he was vibrating. His face fins began to shake--he felt something, an energy--

He was rising up. Something lifted his prison from beneath--vines, normal green vines, were twisting under and around it. They wove in through the bars and bent them, the solid sticks yielding into curves, opening wide enough that he could slip between them.

Loretta let out a muffled squeak as he jumped down beside her. "Shh shh," he breathed as he got to work sawing at the ties around her muzzle. It seemed to take forever, but at last they parted and he pulled them away. Loretta opened and closed her mouth, working her jaw as he clawed at the other vines around her legs.

As soon as she was free, she heaved herself to her feet. She moved stiffly, limping, and he was angry again, reminded of the other dragons beating her. He forced himself to be still, to crawl on the ground alongside her instead of furiously darting through the air, as they crept away from the camp. Slowly, so slowly they went, and then he touched her shoulder, stopping her. They crouched in the deepest shadows and stared at the dragon standing between them and escape, his alert gaze sweeping his surroundings as he stood watch.

How would they get by? Caris wondered. Maybe...maybe he could do something again. He tried to sense that mysterious energy, to feel it running through the green, now near, now farther away....

To the left, there was a great rustling and clattering as the undergrowth shook. The dragon jerked his head around, and then went pacing toward it, disappearing among the trees.

"Now!" Caris whispered, close to Loretta's ear, and she started walking quickly, then jogging. They were going to do it, they were going to get away--and then he heard shouts behind them, angry roars. The other dragons had discovered their escape.

"Run!" he cried, "runrunrun!" and Loretta surged to a full gallop, while he flew ahead, looking for a place to hide. The ground fell away suddenly beneath him--he looped and circled back. There was a long, long drop that ended in gleaming water far below. Loretta stumbled to a stop at the edge, gasping and quivering.

He looked down. It was a big water, bigger than any of the forest pools they'd played in. It had to be deeper than them too, didn't it? Snarls and ripping, tearing footsteps were close, almost upon them.

"Lori! You have to jump! Jump!"

She faltered, then looked behind herself. Gulping anxiously, she backed up a few steps, and then charged toward the drop. As the first dragon burst from the jungle, she leaped out, as far as she could, and began to fall, her legs waving as if she were still running. He dove beside her, all the long way down until she hit the water with a tremendous splash and disappeared.

As he hovered over that spot, a shadow covered his on the water. He jerked his gaze up to see the slim, feather-winged dragon gliding toward him, smoothly descending. And there was no green around to protect him.

"Forget it! Let 'em go!" a shout echoed from high above. "They've caused us too much flipping trouble already." The dragon banked sharply aside and rose, casting a last disdainful glance down at him before turning away--

Oh no. He'd been distracted. Where had Loretta gone? Desperately he circled over the place where she'd landed, casting wider and wider rings, crying out her name. He heard splashing then, and suddenly Loretta's head popped into view, some distance from him and floating even farther away. He dashed after her as she gasped and snorted out water. "Loriiiii!"

"Ca- Caris." Her voice was shaking. He wanted so badly to hug her, but he didn't want to weigh her down, and if he went into the water, he wouldn't be able to get airborne again. Instead he fluttered above her head. "We...we did it. We got away." She sounded like she didn't believe the words, even though she was saying them.

"Yes, yes, we did, yes!" The water had them now (well, it had Loretta, but he was following, he would always be following her), taking them far from those terrible dragons. Loretta sniffled a little, and he sank low enough that he could just brush her forehead with one hand.

"It's okay," he told her more softly. "It's all okay. We're still together, and we're going to be okay." And the moonlight dazzled silver all around them as the water gently carried them away.

Last edited on Mar 13, 2019 19:16:18 by velvetpaws

[rule] [center][b][u]Day 2[/u][/b][/center] [center][item=glass knife] trinket = creative[/center] The wind bent the grasses that covered the slopes rolling down to the great water. It was always windy there, blowing in off the waves but oddly dry despite that. Sometimes Loretta thought she could smell arid, dusty earth. The trees and bushes grew thickly gnarled but low, leaning generally inland when they weren't sheltered by rocky outcroppings. When the river had deposited them in a great marsh at the edge of the jungle, they'd spent a long time struggling toward higher ground, and after that made for the one distinctive landmark rearing up against the sky. What they'd found was the ruin of a huge, round stone building--part of it had collapsed, but what was left still towered many lengths above Loretta's head. In a sheltered dip beside it there were smaller buildings, houses that were also made of stone, some crushed by rubble or otherwise in disrepair, but a few still solid despite their age, along with a spring-fed pool. Caris had been exhausted by days of travel, so they'd stopped there to take shelter. And although he'd since recovered, somehow they still hadn't left. Should they travel on? Loretta wondered. Or could this be...a home? She'd only ever known the deep forest before. The land was less lush here--the plant life was still healthy and tremendously strong in its resilience, but rock and stone were nearly as dominant, and the salt tang of the air was very different from the dense loam scent of the jungle. Her people rarely stayed in one place for long, and the idea of settling somewhere was very strange. But if it would be good for Caris.... The thought of the Long Journey made her remember her family, and how far she was from their ancestral roads, and how she would probably never find them again, since she didn't even know where she was. She sighed, slumping. Caris came swooping up to her then, dipping and soaring as he rode the air currents. He'd adjusted to the winds quickly, and his yaw and flutter were as graceful as dancing. He landed in the lee of her body, his arms loaded with blue flowers, and Loretta bent to nose at them with interest. "No, no!" Caris laughed, pushing at her face. "They're not for eating! I'm [i]making things[/i]." Loretta pouted jokingly, and with another trill of laughter, Caris settled next to her and began sorting through the stems. "Lori?" he said after a minute or so of busyness. "Would you tell me things?" "What kind of things?" she asked. "Everything!" She raised her brows at him, and he sighed, sounding frustrated. "The only dragons I've ever seen are you and...[i]them[/i]. I don't know anything about other dragons! Tell me? Please?" He was right, she realized. He [i]should[/i] know. Even though she wasn't the best to teach him--she'd been so young when she'd gotten lost, and there was so much she didn't know herself. But she could start, at least. So she lay down on her belly, her front feet tucked beneath her, and told him about her people. He already knew that she [i]pondered[/i] instead of [i]slept[/i], but she told him about their endless travels along the ancient paths, about tales that lasted for days, about nest-songs and molting camps. She described for him the furry people, the tundras, and the huge guardians, and the sensitive, quick-flitting skydancers (both like and unlike the one who'd been among their captors), and how all of them came in many different colors and patterns. She explained that the skins, cloth, feathers, and shinies the bad dragons had draped about themselves were [i]clothes[/i] and [i]jewelry[/i], and that most dragons collected things, especially treasure and gems. More haltingly, she talked about [i]flights[/i] and [i]gods[/i], things so big she wasn't sure she really understood them properly and could only speak about them in the simplest way, but they were dragon things, and so he ought to know about them. On and on she talked, not as long as a real story, but long enough that the sun had dipped toward the west, and long-slanting golden light touched the clouds, the water, and the waving grasses. At last she trailed off. Caris had been mostly silent, weaving and unweaving and reweaving his flowers; by the time she finished, he had a wreath of them around his neck and another twined about his tail, while his deft little hands were busy with a third. They sat in quiet for a while. "What did that dragon mean," he asked finally, "about hatchlings being special or not?" She felt a chill that had nothing to do with the approaching evening. Reluctantly she said, "I mentioned that dragons move between clans, and sometimes there's a trade price when they exchange places, right?" He nodded. "Well...sometimes dragons don't [i]choose[/i] to go somewhere else. Sometimes their family or their clan makes them, because they need or want the money." Her clan had never done so; she only knew about it from listening to older dragons grumble, and just the thought of it had been frightening. "And sometimes...some dragons, bad dragons, just [i]take[/i] other dragons and eggs that aren't from their clan, and sell them." Caris was rarely still, but he was now, his eyes fixed on his flowers, and her heart cringed. "Eggs are really expensive. I don't know why...I think it's because found eggs might be touched by the gods, and nobody knows what might hatch. Once they've hatched, though, unless they're really powerful, or really good looking with beautiful colors...." Caris ducked his head, his fins drooping, and suddenly she couldn't bear the strained quiet. "But [i]I[/i] think you're special, Caris! I think you're...beautiful." The chill from before had vanished; instead she felt a warm flush of embarrassment. Caris started and blinked up at her, and then he smiled, his eyes bright. Jumping up, he took flight, hovering in front of her face as he shook out the third, largest wreath of flowers and then laid it gently on her head. "Thank you, Lori," he said, arranging it between her horns. "I think you're beautiful too!" And he dipped down to press his nose against hers, just as the setting sun touched the horizon. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/IMfnc29.png[/img] {Pretty flowers!} {And yes, Loretta is being a [url=https://www.kittyloaf.com/what-is-a-cat-loaf/][s]cat[/s] snapper loaf[/url].}[/center] [rule]

velvetpaws

6106

March 13, 2019 19:36:31

Day 2

trinket = creative

The wind bent the grasses that covered the slopes rolling down to the great water. It was always windy there, blowing in off the waves but oddly dry despite that. Sometimes Loretta thought she could smell arid, dusty earth. The trees and bushes grew thickly gnarled but low, leaning generally inland when they weren't sheltered by rocky outcroppings.

When the river had deposited them in a great marsh at the edge of the jungle, they'd spent a long time struggling toward higher ground, and after that made for the one distinctive landmark rearing up against the sky. What they'd found was the ruin of a huge, round stone building--part of it had collapsed, but what was left still towered many lengths above Loretta's head. In a sheltered dip beside it there were smaller buildings, houses that were also made of stone, some crushed by rubble or otherwise in disrepair, but a few still solid despite their age, along with a spring-fed pool. Caris had been exhausted by days of travel, so they'd stopped there to take shelter. And although he'd since recovered, somehow they still hadn't left.

Should they travel on? Loretta wondered. Or could this be...a home? She'd only ever known the deep forest before. The land was less lush here--the plant life was still healthy and tremendously strong in its resilience, but rock and stone were nearly as dominant, and the salt tang of the air was very different from the dense loam scent of the jungle.

Her people rarely stayed in one place for long, and the idea of settling somewhere was very strange. But if it would be good for Caris....

The thought of the Long Journey made her remember her family, and how far she was from their ancestral roads, and how she would probably never find them again, since she didn't even know where she was. She sighed, slumping.

Caris came swooping up to her then, dipping and soaring as he rode the air currents. He'd adjusted to the winds quickly, and his yaw and flutter were as graceful as dancing. He landed in the lee of her body, his arms loaded with blue flowers, and Loretta bent to nose at them with interest.

"No, no!" Caris laughed, pushing at her face. "They're not for eating! I'm making things." Loretta pouted jokingly, and with another trill of laughter, Caris settled next to her and began sorting through the stems.

"Lori?" he said after a minute or so of busyness. "Would you tell me things?"

"What kind of things?" she asked.

"Everything!" She raised her brows at him, and he sighed, sounding frustrated. "The only dragons I've ever seen are you and...them. I don't know anything about other dragons! Tell me? Please?"

He was right, she realized. He should know. Even though she wasn't the best to teach him--she'd been so young when she'd gotten lost, and there was so much she didn't know herself. But she could start, at least.

So she lay down on her belly, her front feet tucked beneath her, and told him about her people. He already knew that she pondered instead of slept, but she told him about their endless travels along the ancient paths, about tales that lasted for days, about nest-songs and molting camps. She described for him the furry people, the tundras, and the huge guardians, and the sensitive, quick-flitting skydancers (both like and unlike the one who'd been among their captors), and how all of them came in many different colors and patterns. She explained that the skins, cloth, feathers, and shinies the bad dragons had draped about themselves were clothes and jewelry, and that most dragons collected things, especially treasure and gems. More haltingly, she talked about flights and gods, things so big she wasn't sure she really understood them properly and could only speak about them in the simplest way, but they were dragon things, and so he ought to know about them. On and on she talked, not as long as a real story, but long enough that the sun had dipped toward the west, and long-slanting golden light touched the clouds, the water, and the waving grasses.

At last she trailed off. Caris had been mostly silent, weaving and unweaving and reweaving his flowers; by the time she finished, he had a wreath of them around his neck and another twined about his tail, while his deft little hands were busy with a third. They sat in quiet for a while.

"What did that dragon mean," he asked finally, "about hatchlings being special or not?"

She felt a chill that had nothing to do with the approaching evening. Reluctantly she said, "I mentioned that dragons move between clans, and sometimes there's a trade price when they exchange places, right?" He nodded. "Well...sometimes dragons don't choose to go somewhere else. Sometimes their family or their clan makes them, because they need or want the money." Her clan had never done so; she only knew about it from listening to older dragons grumble, and just the thought of it had been frightening. "And sometimes...some dragons, bad dragons, just take other dragons and eggs that aren't from their clan, and sell them." Caris was rarely still, but he was now, his eyes fixed on his flowers, and her heart cringed. "Eggs are really expensive. I don't know why...I think it's because found eggs might be touched by the gods, and nobody knows what might hatch. Once they've hatched, though, unless they're really powerful, or really good looking with beautiful colors...."

Caris ducked his head, his fins drooping, and suddenly she couldn't bear the strained quiet. "But I think you're special, Caris! I think you're...beautiful." The chill from before had vanished; instead she felt a warm flush of embarrassment.

Caris started and blinked up at her, and then he smiled, his eyes bright. Jumping up, he took flight, hovering in front of her face as he shook out the third, largest wreath of flowers and then laid it gently on her head. "Thank you, Lori," he said, arranging it between her horns. "I think you're beautiful too!" And he dipped down to press his nose against hers, just as the setting sun touched the horizon.

{Pretty flowers!}

{And yes, Loretta is being a ~~cat~~ snapper loaf.}

Last edited on Mar 14, 2019 06:32:21 by velvetpaws

[rule] [center][b][u]Day 3[/u][/b][/center] [center][item=potted peacevine] material = gathering[/center] [center][item=shimmering pinecone] x28 [item=broken pottery jar][item=broken pottery jar][item=broken pottery jar] [item=rusted treasure chest] [item=battered book of fables] x5 [item=smoky quartz] x7 [item=andesine] [item=fortification agate] x2 [item=amethyst geode] [item=dickinsonia vendian] x8 [item=intact stone relief] [item=trilobite fossil] x2 [item=leafy impression] [/center] [center]Total treasure from chests: 2482t[/center] Loretta poked at one of the very strange pinecones scattered in a shadowy cleft of rock. It was dark but almost seemed to glimmer with its own inner light. Even odder, the tree that grew out of the stone above them didn't even appear to be a pine tree. Tentatively she licked the cone up into her mouth, testing it against her teeth. It was much harder than she expected and somehow felt...[i]tingly[/i] on her tongue. It didn't taste especially good, either, and she spat it out. "Bleah." "Lori! Come here! I found something!" Turning away, she jogged toward the sound of Caris's voice. He was hovering at the edge of the low cliffs that tumbled from their upland to the great water below. "Come and see!" Folding his wings, he dropped out of sight. Loretta sighed. The path down to the sandy shore was steep and a bit narrow. She wasn't sure she'd be able to manage it when she got her full growth. At the moment, though, it was passable, and she carefully climbed (and occasionally slid) her way to the bottom. Caris darted ahead, leading her to an outcropping that tilted away from the cliff side. There was a dark gap behind it, and after scrambling up and over the rock, she discovered a shallow cave. At the back of the cave there were some pots and a rusty chest, which Caris had come to rest on. "What [i]is[/i] this stuff?" he asked. Loretta puzzled for a moment, and then said, "Oh! That's a treasure chest!" Caris's face fins perked up, quivering with interest. "You mean it has shinies inside?" "Yes, probably. Let's find out!" She lowered her head. "Move out of the way." Caris fluttered aside, and she rammed into the chest, banging it back against the wall. It popped open, and sure enough, gold glinted back at them, catching the light that filtered in through the cave opening.. "Ooh! Wow!" Caris leaped into the chest and picked up a coin to examine it. "Heavy!" "Maybe these pots have treasure in them too." Loretta nudged at one, and started as it broke, sending coins spilling onto the floor. "Oops." Caris was tugging at something in the chest, and with great effort pulled it free, almost falling over backward. "Lori, what's this? Is it treasure too?" Loretta peered at the object in Caris's arms. It was rectangular with a dark outer covering and thin, pale leaves inside. It took her a moment to remember where she'd seen one before, and then to recall the name. "That's a...[i]book[/i]. It carries stories inside it." Caris opened the top flap--the cover--and then flipped through some pages, his head cocked to listen. "No, no, it's--wait, bring it into the light." Caris dragged the book with him to the opening of the cave--it was too heavy for him to fly--and Loretta squinted at the marks on the pages. She had learned to read a little, before she got lost. "These dark lines make letters, which make words. You read the stories with your eyes." "Teach me, teach me!" Caris exclaimed, bouncing on his toes with excitement, and Loretta couldn't help but smile. "All right. Let's take it back up top." "There are more in the chest! And we should take the treasure too! We can put it in the house where I keep all my rocks." Caris had recently started collecting interesting stones. His favorites were the pretty, colorful ones, but he was also fascinated by the ones that had shapes carved into them--bugs, leaves, and even, on one, a guardian dragon. Loretta laughed with pleasure at his eagerness, even though she really wasn't looking forward to hauling everything up the cliff. "Yes, we can do that," she said. She just hoped she could remember enough about letters to teach Caris how to read. [rule]

velvetpaws

6106

March 14, 2019 05:42:59

Day 3

material = gathering

x28

x5

x7

x2

x8

x2

Total treasure from chests: 2482t

Loretta poked at one of the very strange pinecones scattered in a shadowy cleft of rock. It was dark but almost seemed to glimmer with its own inner light. Even odder, the tree that grew out of the stone above them didn't even appear to be a pine tree. Tentatively she licked the cone up into her mouth, testing it against her teeth. It was much harder than she expected and somehow felt...tingly on her tongue. It didn't taste especially good, either, and she spat it out. "Bleah."

"Lori! Come here! I found something!" Turning away, she jogged toward the sound of Caris's voice. He was hovering at the edge of the low cliffs that tumbled from their upland to the great water below. "Come and see!" Folding his wings, he dropped out of sight.

Loretta sighed. The path down to the sandy shore was steep and a bit narrow. She wasn't sure she'd be able to manage it when she got her full growth. At the moment, though, it was passable, and she carefully climbed (and occasionally slid) her way to the bottom. Caris darted ahead, leading her to an outcropping that tilted away from the cliff side. There was a dark gap behind it, and after scrambling up and over the rock, she discovered a shallow cave. At the back of the cave there were some pots and a rusty chest, which Caris had come to rest on. "What is this stuff?" he asked.

Loretta puzzled for a moment, and then said, "Oh! That's a treasure chest!"

Caris's face fins perked up, quivering with interest. "You mean it has shinies inside?"

"Yes, probably. Let's find out!" She lowered her head. "Move out of the way." Caris fluttered aside, and she rammed into the chest, banging it back against the wall. It popped open, and sure enough, gold glinted back at them, catching the light that filtered in through the cave opening..

"Ooh! Wow!" Caris leaped into the chest and picked up a coin to examine it. "Heavy!"

"Maybe these pots have treasure in them too." Loretta nudged at one, and started as it broke, sending coins spilling onto the floor. "Oops."

Caris was tugging at something in the chest, and with great effort pulled it free, almost falling over backward. "Lori, what's this? Is it treasure too?"

Loretta peered at the object in Caris's arms. It was rectangular with a dark outer covering and thin, pale leaves inside. It took her a moment to remember where she'd seen one before, and then to recall the name. "That's a...book. It carries stories inside it." Caris opened the top flap--the cover--and then flipped through some pages, his head cocked to listen. "No, no, it's--wait, bring it into the light." Caris dragged the book with him to the opening of the cave--it was too heavy for him to fly--and Loretta squinted at the marks on the pages. She had learned to read a little, before she got lost. "These dark lines make letters, which make words. You read the stories with your eyes."

"Teach me, teach me!" Caris exclaimed, bouncing on his toes with excitement, and Loretta couldn't help but smile.

"All right. Let's take it back up top."

"There are more in the chest! And we should take the treasure too! We can put it in the house where I keep all my rocks." Caris had recently started collecting interesting stones. His favorites were the pretty, colorful ones, but he was also fascinated by the ones that had shapes carved into them--bugs, leaves, and even, on one, a guardian dragon.

Loretta laughed with pleasure at his eagerness, even though she really wasn't looking forward to hauling everything up the cliff. "Yes, we can do that," she said.

She just hoped she could remember enough about letters to teach Caris how to read.

[rule] [center][b][u]Days 4-5[/u][/b][/center] [center][item=metal claws] trinket = creative[/center] [center][item=hallowed ivy] food = coliseum (10-20 matches)[/center] [center]{combining these two}[/center] Loretta huddled beneath a shallow ledge of stone, gasping. All her muscles ached from the invisible blows that had pummeled her; the pain made every movement sluggish and weak. Somewhere on the other side of the rock, the creatures that had attacked them were surely waiting. Maybe they were drawing nearer, silently, about to fly down on them again. She had never suspected, when she saw those strange beings with their delicate-seeming, brightly colored wings, the danger that she and Caris were in. Curious, she had strolled nearer, called out “Hello!” without a thought. She was [i]never[/i] going to be so blithely trusting again. Next to her, Caris was clutching a bunch of moss with fierce intensity. Suddenly he thrust it toward her. “Eat this.” “What?” “[i]Eat it![/i]” His fins were clamped down tightly, and then snapped up, stiff with tension. Hesitantly, she took the moss in her mouth, chewed and swallowed, then inhaled sharply as a rush of coolness flowed through her, soothing away the pain. “Oh!” she breathed, barely remembering to keep her voice down. “Your magic!” Caris bit into some more of the moss, almost savagely. She’d never seen him eat a plant before—even when he’d been a hatchling and she’d been desperately trying to feed him. Now that she was looking more closely, she thought she saw a very faint green aura around the moss. Swallowing with an expression of distaste, Caris shifted and raised the wing that had been hanging limp, then hopped up onto her shoulder. “We can’t stay here forever,” he whispered into her ear. “Can you fight them?” He wasn’t asking about her being physically capable, she realized—he knew her strength—but about her will to fight. They’d hurt her Caris. She was [i]definitely[/i] going to fight them. When she nodded, he swung up onto her head, clinging to one of her horns. “Then let’s go!” She surged out of their hiding place, whirled to face the slope above—and the creatures were right there, almost on top of them. One darted forward to attack her, and she swept it aside with her wing; a green one pointed at her, and though she couldn’t see the spell she knew it was coming—she ducked her head and turned her shoulder toward it, taking the force on her armored side instead of her chest. Some of the magic moss’s power must have stayed with her; the attack barely hurt. Caris launched himself upward—she didn’t see what he did, but one of their enemies reeled back, and then crumpled to the ground. She charged another, smashed him out of the air, and trampled him. The green one turned to flee, and Caris’s magic laid it low, broken and motionless among the tall grasses. The smaller ones had vanished during the fight, and Loretta huffed for breath, waiting tensely for them to reappear, but the meadow remained still and empty, at least for the moment. She sighed then, relaxing a little. Caris swooped down to examine the bodies, and she resisted the urge to call him away. There was no danger now, and it was silly to want to shield him from the sight of the dead, wasn’t it? As he investigated them, she wandered away to nose at a satchel one of the small ones had dropped. It was full of flowers, and she munched on some absently. “Do you know what these are?” Caris asked, and she glanced over, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen or heard of them. Maybe there’s something in one of your books?” They’d been making their way slowly through them, reading fascinating tales of monsters and adventures, magic and treasures. Caris devoured them all, while Loretta preferred the ones with happy endings. Caris flew back to her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” “No, I’m fine now, thanks to you.” She smiled. “You’re so brave, Caris.” Settling on her head again, he laid his cheek against her forehead. “You’re brave too,” he murmured. “You don’t think you are, but you are.” Her pulse fluttered in her throat at his words, and her heart felt warm and wide as she turned to take them both home. {Thirteen matches brought both Caris and Loretta to 4th level. Loretta's Anticipate is kind of annoying when it comes to spellcasters, as she just has to sit there without attacking for a couple of rounds while they meditate; I've thought about replacing it with Scratch, but Anticipate just seems so snapperish. She'll definitely be getting Sap as soon as she's eligible for it, though. Caris's trick with the leaves is because I used potions from my main hoard, and I wanted to cover their effects. Hence, magic.} [rule]

velvetpaws

6106

March 14, 2019 05:46:27

Days 4-5

trinket = creative

food = coliseum (10-20 matches)

{combining these two}

Loretta huddled beneath a shallow ledge of stone, gasping. All her muscles ached from the invisible blows that had pummeled her; the pain made every movement sluggish and weak. Somewhere on the other side of the rock, the creatures that had attacked them were surely waiting. Maybe they were drawing nearer, silently, about to fly down on them again.

She had never suspected, when she saw those strange beings with their delicate-seeming, brightly colored wings, the danger that she and Caris were in. Curious, she had strolled nearer, called out “Hello!” without a thought.

She was never going to be so blithely trusting again.

Next to her, Caris was clutching a bunch of moss with fierce intensity. Suddenly he thrust it toward her. “Eat this.”

“What?”

“Eat it!” His fins were clamped down tightly, and then snapped up, stiff with tension. Hesitantly, she took the moss in her mouth, chewed and swallowed, then inhaled sharply as a rush of coolness flowed through her, soothing away the pain.

“Oh!” she breathed, barely remembering to keep her voice down. “Your magic!”

Caris bit into some more of the moss, almost savagely. She’d never seen him eat a plant before—even when he’d been a hatchling and she’d been desperately trying to feed him. Now that she was looking more closely, she thought she saw a very faint green aura around the moss. Swallowing with an expression of distaste, Caris shifted and raised the wing that had been hanging limp, then hopped up onto her shoulder. “We can’t stay here forever,” he whispered into her ear. “Can you fight them?”

He wasn’t asking about her being physically capable, she realized—he knew her strength—but about her will to fight.

They’d hurt her Caris. She was definitely going to fight them.

When she nodded, he swung up onto her head, clinging to one of her horns. “Then let’s go!”

She surged out of their hiding place, whirled to face the slope above—and the creatures were right there, almost on top of them. One darted forward to attack her, and she swept it aside with her wing; a green one pointed at her, and though she couldn’t see the spell she knew it was coming—she ducked her head and turned her shoulder toward it, taking the force on her armored side instead of her chest. Some of the magic moss’s power must have stayed with her; the attack barely hurt. Caris launched himself upward—she didn’t see what he did, but one of their enemies reeled back, and then crumpled to the ground. She charged another, smashed him out of the air, and trampled him. The green one turned to flee, and Caris’s magic laid it low, broken and motionless among the tall grasses. The smaller ones had vanished during the fight, and Loretta huffed for breath, waiting tensely for them to reappear, but the meadow remained still and empty, at least for the moment. She sighed then, relaxing a little.

Caris swooped down to examine the bodies, and she resisted the urge to call him away. There was no danger now, and it was silly to want to shield him from the sight of the dead, wasn’t it? As he investigated them, she wandered away to nose at a satchel one of the small ones had dropped. It was full of flowers, and she munched on some absently.

“Do you know what these are?” Caris asked, and she glanced over, shaking her head.

“I’ve never seen or heard of them. Maybe there’s something in one of your books?” They’d been making their way slowly through them, reading fascinating tales of monsters and adventures, magic and treasures. Caris devoured them all, while Loretta preferred the ones with happy endings.

Caris flew back to her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine now, thanks to you.” She smiled. “You’re so brave, Caris.”

Settling on her head again, he laid his cheek against her forehead. “You’re brave too,” he murmured. “You don’t think you are, but you are.” Her pulse fluttered in her throat at his words, and her heart felt warm and wide as she turned to take them both home.

{Thirteen matches brought both Caris and Loretta to 4th level. Loretta's Anticipate is kind of annoying when it comes to spellcasters, as she just has to sit there without attacking for a couple of rounds while they meditate; I've thought about replacing it with Scratch, but Anticipate just seems so snapperish. She'll definitely be getting Sap as soon as she's eligible for it, though.

Caris's trick with the leaves is because I used potions from my main hoard, and I wanted to cover their effects. Hence, magic.}

[rule] [center][b][u]Days 6-8[/u][/b][/center] [center][item=sweetheart lace ribbons] apparel = breeding, scrolling, or accent {Neither Lori nor Caris are RTB or eligible for breed/gene changes, and I don't have any accents that feel appropriate, so I'll be banking this for future dragons.}[/center] [center]* * * * * [item=scholar] battlestone = death streak (tails: no battle)[/center] [center]* * * * * [item=brown plaid cabbie] apparel = breeding, scrolling, or accent {Still no eligible dragons; banking this.}[/center] [rule]

velvetpaws