@
Decaffeinated
For the weekly lotto dragon~
It ended up... pretty long
The egg cracked open along its seams, peeling away around the hatchling. She tumbled into the embrace of soft grass and fertile soil, surrounded by bright flowers that filled the air with a soft sweet scent. A brook bubbled nearby, and on the other side was a small cluster of trees.
The hatchling first noticed that the world around her was really, really, pretty. The second thing she noticed was that she was completely alone.
She wobbled onto her feet, experimenting with how her weight shifted. She spread her wings– and instantly toppled over, only to climb up onto all four legs once more.
After figuring out how to move all her muscles, the Fae started exploring. She nosed a flower and nearly got stung by a bee, except she ate it first. It tasted nice, so found some more and crunched down on them as well.
She didn't know that her parents had died, was unaware of all they sacrificed only to have her hatch alone. All she knew was that she liked the world so far.
Wistala stood, her tail swishing against the ground and pushing the grass. The sun was rising, spreading pieces of light blocked by long shadows. The sky was painted red and pink and gold, lighting up the trees in a thousand different shades.
"Hello,"
She flinched at the interruption, but composed herself. "Hi."
"I don't know how you wake up so early every day."
"Snappers don't sleep."
"Yes," The Skydancer admitted, plopping herself down on the grass. "But you're not a Snapper. And I'm not either." She quieted for a moment, "But… it really is pretty."
"I know."
They lapsed into silence, as both watched the sun struggle to climb up into the sky.
"What's it that's always on you're mind?" The Skydancer said after a few moments. She glanced down at Wistala.
"Hmm?" She asked, meeting the larger dragon's gaze. She fidgeted with a small blade of grass, nearly uprooting it.
"You're always in thought. I was just wondering, what do you think about?"
"Well, a lot of things. But mostly about if I should leave this clan."
A pause, then, "Wait, why would you do that?" The Skydancer stood, her purple crest spiked. Sort of like a Fae's really.
Wistala thought for a moment, "It's just I'm not doing too much here. The clan doesn't need me. They already have plenty of dragons, and I feel like I'm not doing anything."
"It's only around thirty."
"And rapidly growing. I think I should just move on."
"But-"
"And I want to find my parents."
This seemed to surprise the other dragon for a moment. "They're definitely dead. There's no way-"
"Then I'll figure out what killed them. I should leave. There isn't much for me here."
The Skydancer relented, "In the end, it's your choice. Just, if you do leave, just, keep in touch, alright?"
Wistala nodded, "Of course, I will."
Running into an oversized bee was not the way Wistala had planned to spend her evening.
The… thing had ambushed her from behind a bush, complete with loud buzzing and yellow bits of pollen flying everywhere.
She was pretty sure such an experience would be traumatic for anyone, especially when you happened to be tiny and very alone.
Most bees weren't that scary for her; after all, she ate them for a daily meal. But then again, this one was pretty big and probably wouldn't fit in her mouth.
It buzzed at her, in a way that was probably meant to be imitating.
She dashed into the bush, just as the bee was joined by one of its kin. She closed her eyes, feeling the magical tug of the world around her. And carefully, she caught the magic, channeling it through her. It was on.
***
As she chewed on the giant bee's leg, she decided it really didn't taste that bad. And the tactics she had been taught by a Fae at her last clan had been helpful. All the environment stuff. She didn't really remember.
She looked ahead, and suddenly began to doubt her plan. She had been planning to go around the continent, but it wouldn't bring her closer to her parents. It was nothing but aimless wandering. Drifting.
Well, she didn't have anything to lose. She could drift.
Until she found exactly where she belonged.
"Hi!"
Wistala looked up in surprise. It was a Nocturne, colored in yellow and red. "Oh, um. Hi."
"I haven't seen you around before."
"I haven't been here before."
The Nocturne nodded, seeming oblivious to Wistala's growing irritation. "That makes sense. Then why are you here?"
Her interest seemed genuine, so Wistala replied, "Just trying to find a clan that I like."
"You can try mine."
Wistala shook her head. "Probably not. I've been exploring for a while."
"You'll probably like it. We have a bunch of weird dragons, we're all from different places. Even me! I was an orphan, but I do like this place. It's like the parents I never knew."
Wistala froze. "Wait. Okay. I'll try it out. Wait, what's your name?"
"Acacia."
"I'm Wistala. Acacia, mind leading the way?"
"Not at all!"
"What's wrong?" Acacia asked as they entered. The entire place was in chaos, dragons in every shade possible arguing and shouting.
An Imperial glanced at them. "Seriously? Another clan member?" Another Imperial next to her shushed her.
"It's an Emperor." He explained, "Four heads, wrecking havoc around here. And it's a big problem, we have Imperials here and if-" He stopped, "It isn't good."
Wistala paused. She had heard that name before. She didn't know if this clan would be a good fit for her yet, but she wouldn't let that thing rip them apart. They didn't deserve to have their families torn apart, like hers had been. "I'll help."
Acacia shook her head, "No, it's too-"
"I'm not letting them take anyone away from you."
