Rhonu's Clan

My lair is a tribute to people who do not fit into any mold of standard shape, mentally or physically. Every person is entitled to respect and love, not only the bold and beautiful.

This flight changed from Shadow to Light due to a calamity.

The new King of the clan is Valen and his Queen is Anastasia. The old King Hrothgar is the King's First Advisor. Valen is a calm, rational and just King, and capable of acting wisely also in an emergency. He likes to have several Advisors. Queen Anastasia is a joyful, but gentle person, who has a nice word for everyone.

This clan, founded by Hrothgar, is a rather peaceful clan originally hidden in the shadows. The King of that time, Hrothgar, had grown up in a large clan ruled by a stern leader, Harafdar, Hrothgar's father. Hrothgar had a twin brother, Rafgar. Their mother had died due to an illness only moments after the twin eggs had hatched simultaneously. Besides brothers, the twins were best friends. Together they ran on errands given by their father and defended the clan against monsters and intruders. They were happy. But then Harafdar died in battle. Together the furious twins and other fighters of the clan defeated the enemy. But the clan needed a new ruler. According to the old fashioned rules of the clan the king should be of the late king's blood. Rafgar was power greedy. He challenged Hrothgar to battle over the throne. But Hrothgar did not want to fight his twin. He left. After a period of mourning over his father he founded a new clan, hidden in the shadows in order to avoid conflict. But should intruders come to this hidden place, Hrothgar and his clan would be ready to defend their home and the eggs and hatchlings with all their might. That is why all the adults int this clan train against monsters at the Coliseum.

Hrothgar tried to be in good terms with Shadowbinder and frequently sent willing members of the clan to serve the deity. One of the exalted was his firstborn, Chandra. Those sent to serve a deity are still considered members of the clan and they are given small offerings like food and flowers alongside the larger offerings to the deity.

Hrotghar was a good and just ruler, but even he has had his bad times. There was a time, not so long time ago, when the worries of the ruler became too much for him. After several mishaps he stopped trusting the Shadowbinder and was in a foul mood day after day. He got more and more sulky, and started behaving like he did not care of anything or anyone. He even exalted hatchlings without even giving them names. He just said: "One mouth less to feed."

Flamestorm, Saeldur and the others tried their best to get him snap out of it. But nothing seemed to help. It seemed that the whole lair would soon be in ruins, and some of the younger dragons even seriously considered taking over the throne, when Flamestorm eventually got the king talking it out.

"I can't take it. I am not strong or wise enough to rule a large clan like this. I am not any smarter than the average derg. And things have gone so bad lately. Misfortune after misfortune. Bad things happening to decent dragons and hatchlings. And always everyone looks up to me, expecting me to make it right. But I am no miracle maker. Most of the time I can do nothing. I can not bend the Shadowbinder's will. Sometimes I even doubt that she exists. She may be a mere illusion of my mind. Flamestorm, I have done horrible things. I exalted mere hatchlings and did not bother to give them names. Later I apologised them and the Shadowbinder and gave them all offerings, but I cannot undo what I have done. I am a lousy king. I should give up on the throne."

Flamestorm spread his wings around her beloved king. "No, you are not a bad king. You have always done your best. But life is cruel. Bad things happen to good dergs and neither you nor I can do anything about it, except for showing them that we care. You should not try to carry the whole world upon your shoulders. Only the Shadowmama and the other deities are strong enough for that. You should talk about your troubles and let me and Saeldur share your burden. Together we can rule with justice and kindness. And I will also make offerings for the poor hatchlings. It was a sin, but we are all sinners. You will be forgiven. And if it is the Shadowbinder's will, there will come better times for this clan. If not, we will face the troubles together. You don't need to try to be strong alone. We are here for you. Me, Saeldur, Sage Aldebaran, and the whole clan. We all love you."

Hrothgar caressed the cheek of his mate gently. "Thank you, my love. I am sorry that I kept you at a distance. I will try to be wiser from now on. I know I can rely on you."

In this clan eveyone is accepted and gets respect as who he/she/they is. The King only requires two things: 'Do not hurt any clan member if you can avoid that. And do something for the benefit of the clan.' The King does not require that everyone does an equal amount of work for the clan. He understands that some are more able than others. But each dragon has to do something for the benefit of the clan. It can be anything: hunting, nursing the eggs and hatchlings, gathering food and herbs, healing, entertaining, cooking, baking, arranging flowers, cleaning up the nests and the lair, .. whatever. As long as it is for the benefit of the clan. Even the hatchlings are encouraged to do something, however small, for the clan. Otherwise the dragons are allowed to arrange their lives the way they want. A married couple, a loner, a threesome, an asexual couple, .. Anything goes as long as they do not hurt anyone. If someone does not speak a word to anyone in three days, but brings food to the lair meanwhile, it is OK.

Sophia had seen visions and dreams of the Lightweaver for some time. Hrothgar was restless and so was the whole clan. Hrothgar went to the Temple to pray. He prayed a long time, his beard touching the cold stones of the floor, but something - or actually someone - was missing. The Shadowmama did not show herself.

Then the chatastrophe stroke. It started one starry night as a sudden storm, that covered the stars with angry clouds, that soon lighted with flashes of lightning, and tremendous thunder cried its anger towards Hrothgar's clan. Then the earth shook, shattering the beautiful artefacts the more artistic members of the lair members had sculpted and cutting the fence to pieces that the swirling wind immediately took with it and carried to the sea.

As the earth shook again the dragons were forced to come out of their caves out to the open, to be immediately soaked and hurt by the storm. The hatchlings were in sheer terror. The adults tried to calm them down, but their own minds were in turmoil as well.

But the calamity grew even worse. The earth shook again and hot steam came out of the cracks, followed by molten lava. Hrothgar ordered evacuation. "We must leave at once! Oracle Sophia and Sage Aldebaran, you choose the best course! Which way will be safest?" Sophia's voice was hoarse, when she answered:"There is only one direction. We must move east, towards the lands of the Light flight. All other paths lead to destruction."

"Shadowmama, why have you forsaken me?" cried Hrothgar in his mind, but he could not show his terror. He had a clan to lead. But he wanted to be absolutely sure. "Winona, do you agree? Is it the Shadowbinder's will that we move to the area on the Light dragons?" Winona nodded, sadly. She had tears in her eyes.

"Then we start marching immediately. Zephyr and Avalanche, you go first! Take fighters with you, we might meet bewildered beasts. Strong adults, carry the hatchlings! Sage Aldebaran, you take the rear together with two of the strong fighters. Everyone, stay in the formation! It is easy to get lost in this storm." Hrothgar took one of the children on his own shoulders. Then they started towards east and a fate even Sophia could not foresee.

The storm and shaking of the earth continued and the dragons fled for their lives. Huge trees fell and cut their path and Avalanche had to find another way for them to continue moving east. Some trees fell on top of dragons, who cried in pain. Hrothgar tried to keep order, but some of the dragons were too terrified and started running. Some were lost, and Hrothgar cried in his heart: "Please, Shadowmama, have mercy on those dragons! If I have angered you, please take my life, and shatter my bones to the four winds if you wish, but protect my clan!" But Shadowmama did not answer. The shadows were angry and shrieking, not friendly and protecting.

They tried to follow an ancient path along the coast, but the fury of the sea forced them inland again. And they walked until their feet were sore. It was impossible to fly, for the winds would have taken even large dragons mercilessly away had they spread their wings. They hardly noticed that the landscape around them changed. The woods changed to steppes and then to nearly dry desert.

The storm ended as quickly as it had started. Hrothgar and his clan found themselves in the middle of a vast open arid area. The sun was shining harsh, and did not feel welcoming at all. Hrothgar ordered the dragons to stop and rest a little. He told Leon to take a head count. Most of the dragons were with them, but several were missing. Nightshade was crying, for he could not find Lyric anywhere. Coyote was missing as well. "Both are big losses for the clan", Hrothgar thought. "And I miss Hlal's stories already." Both Percy and Deirdre were missing as well. "I will miss those two, even though they both had their problems." Despite the efforts of the adults two hatchlings were missing as well: Echo and Skyvein. This hurt Hrothgar perhaps even more than losing adult lair members. He lost his hope. How can we live in this foreign land and this terrible, harsh sunshine?

At that moment one of the newer members of the lair, a Light dragon named Valen, spoke: "I know this place! If we continue a two hours walk deeper to east, we will find a rocky place with caves that offer shelter. But we need to move now, for soon the sunshine will be too much for the hatchlings to bear!"

Sage Aldebaran said: "Hrothgar, you are the King. Shall we do as this youngster says?" Hrothgar shrugged. "He seems to know the place. We don't have a better option, do we?" The Sage, Sophia, Firestorm and Saeldur discussed this for a moment, then they agreed with Hrothgar. Better to let someone who knows the place take the lead.

The last two hours of the march were exhausting, but eventually they reached the rocky area, and the welcome shelter of some caves. Hrothgar felt empty like his water sack. He dropped down and closed himself to the world. "Shadowmama, what have I done to anger you like this?" Firestorm tried to get him out of the doldrums, but Sage Aldebaran said: "Let him be. We need to get water and give everyone something to drink." But he felt almost as hopeless as Hrothgar.

To his surprise the Light dragon named Valen was not hopeless at all. If the young dragon felt sad for losing fellow clan members, he did not show it. Instead he tried to blow hope into dragon hearts. "We will survive. This is not a bad place for a lair. There is an underground river deep below the surface. You, you and you, come with me. We will fetch water. The rest of you, take care of the wounded and divide the food sparingly and evenly. There is not too much food in this arid area, but it is not void of life either. Come night we will send hunting patrols out.

At some point Hrothgar had come to his senses and listened. This kid, for he was young, was giving orders like a King. Sensible orders. Like a good, young King that still has the power and hopes and dreams of youth.

Sage Aldebaran noticed that Hrothgar was watching toward the tunnel young Valen had disappeared with his group. Madog and Grannox had willingly followed Valen. "Hrothgar, my friend. You are the King. Are you going to let that kid give your people orders?" Hrothgar smiled, first time since the storm had started. "The kid is giving sensible orders, he knows the place, and he has willing followers. And he is a Light dragon. I will give him my support."

It took quite a lot of persuasion, though, to make all the dragons to accept the change of leadership. Especially Winona resisted, but eventually even she gave in, as she saw how practically and firmly Valen guided them through the hard time of settling down.

"Long live King Valen!" the shouts of the dragons echoed from the walls of the cave. Soon after Valen's coronation, he met Lightweaver on a sunny day out in the open. "Welcome, my son!" said the Light deity. "I am glad you found your way to my flight. You belong here. All of you. Even that hardheaded former king of yours." Valen bowed deep and let his chin touch the sand. "We are at your service, Divine One."

Immediately after his coronation Valen sent ambassadors to the Wind clan of Darkfoot to tell about the change of Flight and to renew and strengthen the alliance.

When the clan had recovered some, they moved further, and ended up at the sea coast, to the more fertile area with old ruins, and an old tower called the Beacon of the Radiant Eye.

They spent there some time and prospered. But then a strange Mist covered the sea coast and the lair. Wehn Hrothgar, Firestorm and Earl woke from the mist induced sleep years later, they found that all the other members of the clan had disappeared. They wondered what had happened while they slept, and searched the surroundings, but they only found a few strangers. As there was now lots of room in the clan base, they let the strangers in. So this is almost a new clan.

"I miss them", said Firestorm. Hrothgar knew what his wife meant. All the dragons that had been their friends and allies before the Mist. "I miss them, too", he said. "The ancient Healer and his kind words, the valiant Warriors, even that Trader who seemed to turn everything he touched to gold. I don't miss him for the treasure, I miss him for his laughter, and the stories he told from his travels." Flamestorm nodded. "Those stories made chill winter nights tolerable. Those, and the smiles of the hatchlings while they listened to him with shining eyes. It was so great to watch the hatchlings grow to fine adults. But some disappeared as hatchlings. I wonder where they are. I hope they survived the mist and live happy lives somewhere else."

"Yes, I hope so, too. Oh, we have lost quite a lot", sighed Hrothgar. "Many a good friend. Including Kinga Valen. That lad had the talent for ruling people with kindness and order at the same time." "You yourself are a great King, my dear. The best. But I also miss Valen." Hrothgar stood silemt for a moment. Then he said: "But there are lots of new dragons that have found their way to this place. We must open up our hearts to them. And some day we may notice we have great frriends we can share joy and sorrow together." Flamestorm agreeed. "Yes, and we can trust them with our lives. We must work hard to make this place even better for all the dragons who decide to stay." Hrothgar nodded "And we must not forget to play with the hatchlings. I see great promise in many of them. Including those that turned out at our doorstep without knowing their right wing from their left. We must take care of them, and they will grow into fine dragons." Flamestorm could not agree more. "Yes. We must embrace them with love, and they will return the favour. We miss those we lost, but we don't know what wonders the life still has in store for us." Hrothgar said: "I agree. Some of those newcomers may have had hard lives and met bad dragons, and they will open up to us slowly. But we must be patient."

The Lari started to grow again. But to the surprise and joy of Hrothgar and Firestorm King Valen returned with some of the dragons that had lived in the Lair before the mist. After some discussions in a grand feast King Hrothgar and King Valen decided to share the throne, at least for now.