Clan Role: Storyteller Mate: Starshine

Lore One might not expect an Ice dragon to take up storytelling as a vocation. To Hyperion, though, stories are one of the few things in the world worth cataloging, collecting, and preserving. There is nothing he enjoys more than telling ancient tales to hatchlings and adults alike (although he does tend to tell more innocent versions of the stories when there are hatchlings in the audience). He has a flair for the dramatic and is good at performing the parts of his stories' different characters using different voices.

Short Story


"Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the Law leaveth open the word of the head wolf is law."

Jareth had been repeating these words under his breath every day, often several times a day, for the last few weeks. They were the last of the laws that were obeyed by most Mirror packs, such as the one Jareth's father had been hatched in. Some days, it felt like those words were the only thing stopping him from leaping at the clan patriarch and tearing his throat out. (Not that he could, anyway; that was notoriously difficult to do to a Guardian, and Jareth was a quarter his length and not even a tenth his weight.)

As the hours of daylight were growing shorter by the day, so were the tempers of just about every dragon in Clan Adeptica. They were all packed into a space designed for a much smaller clan than they had now become. Forced to live at such close quarters, Jareth found his natural disdain for other dragon breeds making itself known, despite his best efforts and his deep and abiding love for his Guardian mate, their son, and the rest of their family.

The flow of new members into the clan had slowed down, but it had not stopped entirely. They had been joined by Prism, the son of the founders of a neighboring clan, shortly after the Rockbreaker's Ceremony feast, and he had recently taken a mate named Kaleida. The two of them occupied the last remaining new chamber that the digging crew had been able to complete before the breach had happened. Snowblossom and Diamondshine still wished their clan could be bigger, but they also knew it couldn’t get any bigger, which dampened their spirits- and it was showing in Snowblossom's waning enthusiasm for her work as a chef.

Then, one chilly winter day, an icy breeze coming up from the Southern Icefields bore something big toward their crystal spire. It was a long, lithe Imperial, with shining white scales and pale-blue eyes that spoke of his origins in the frozen southern reaches of the world. He was greeted at the entrance to Clan Adeptica's lair by Starshine, the very similarly-colored female Imperial who had also taken up residence there in recent days. They embraced enthusiastically while he exclaimed over the beauty of the lair. It was evident from their conversation that the new Imperial had come here to join his mate in their new home.

From the shadows at the back of the entryway, Jareth watched this drama unfold and gritted his teeth. This was the absolute last insult to good sense he could take. He turned and bounded through the cave system, looking for Devon. When he found him, he said in the most contemptuous and sarcastic tone he could muster: "Aren't you going to come out and welcome our new clanmate home, Your Lordliness? I assume you knew he was arriving today."

Devon was surprised at this. "You mean Hyperion? Starshine's mate? Yes, of course I knew."

"And you didn't do anything to put a stop to it?" Jareth continued. "Well I hope they really love each other, because the chamber Starshine is in barely has room for one Imperial, let alone two."

"And who am I to deny Starshine the opportunity to be happy with her mate?"

"You're our hecking clan leader, that's who! Sometimes being the leader means knowing when to say no. You're putting the pack in danger by letting it get this big without moving it to a new territory."

"Don't you lecture me, whelp. We're not going anywhere just because you say so."

"Do you think I'm the only one who wants to leave? You're not so high and mighty these days that you don't still talk to your clanmates, are you? I'm sure you know how your head chef feels about it; everyone does. And what about your daughters and grandchildren? What about Talia?"

"Talia knows her duty. Her destiny led her to guard the security of the clan's borders. She is as committed to this place as I am."

"Oh, is she. Well, why don't we go and ask her ourselves?"

There was no need to go and find her; Talia had heard the sounds of their argument and had come to them. "What’s going on?" she said.

"You're a Guardian, maybe you can talk some sense into your father," Jareth said. "This fool let another Imperial move into our lair, when he knows we don't have enough room as it is. We have to move to a new lair, no matter what your father says. Wouldn't you agree, dear mate?"

"You are trying to drag me into your argument- and worse, to use me as a wedge between yourself and Father. Just for that, I'm not going to tell you what I think."

"Then could you at least answer one question?"

"And what is that?"

"If we did move to a new lair and you had to guard the security of a new set of borders, would you die of a broken heart?"

That left Talia in complete silence for a few moments. "I really don’t know," she said quietly. "That isn't something I can say for sure, especially not under pressure. And even if I were sure, there is no good way to answer that question. No matter what I said, you'd only escalate your fight further."

Jareth snarled. Talia was right about that last part, of course, but he couldn't back down now, not when he’d effectively challenged Devon for leadership of the pack.

Devon started walking, brushing past both Jareth and Talia. "Where are you going?" said Jareth.

"To the main chamber," said Devon. "I think this calls for a wider discussion among the clan."

Jareth thought otherwise, but didn't say so. He wasn't in an all-Mirror pack anymore, and he had signed on to the clan charter when it had been created. He followed Devon and Talia to the main chamber, where they were greeted by Thurl and Leota.

"Oh, it’s you," said Jareth. "I assume you're as stubborn as Devon here and don't want to leave because of your precious spirit-collecting chamber, right? That’s the thing that makes this place so special and unique in its magical potential, isn't it?"

"Not the only thing," said Devon.

"No, actually," said Thurl, "you are mistaken. We have completed our work with that chamber, and wouldn't mind going forth to see new horizons. In fact, there really couldn't be a better time for it than right now. We are always at our strongest around Night of the Nocturne."

"Oh, good, more allies," said Jareth. "Maybe you can help me convince Devon that the time has come for us to move on."

"I can try," said Leota. "For one thing, we've got not one, but two permanent Imperials now. They're... probably a little uncomfortable, to be honest. Not to mention the two Snappers, who are probably about to go insane from being trapped in this tiny little rock all the time."

"You got that right!" Torger chimed in. "Especially now that we don't have any more digging to do! And thank you, Leota. I didn’t think anyone who wasn't a Snapper would understand."

"I believe that was one of the goals and values of our clan," said Leota. "We are committed to learning from one another and understanding one another. That's what it says in our clan charter, isn't it?"

"Oh, forget the clan charter!" Jareth snapped. "The situation on the ground is all that matters. All of us here know we need more space, and if this drake won't let us move on when we need to move on, then he is no longer fit to be leader." His voice had dropped to a low growl as he spoke. "If I have to, I'll take my mate, our son, and anyone else who will follow us and go."

"Nobody in this clan is going anywhere!" Devon thundered. "I have dedicated my life to protecting this family, in this place! Nothing and no one will stand in the way of that!"

"You are putting your own sense of duty over your daughter’s happiness! Talia is the most important thing in the world to me, too. I won’t let you hold her back from living her life to the fullest!"

"And I won't let you take her away from my protection!"

"Well, then, why don't we settle this like dragons!"

Jareth bared his teeth and crouched low, preparing to pounce. Devon went into a defensive stance, his armored fins flaring outward. He growled back at Jareth. The Mirror focused, choosing his target and readying himself to strike the first blow-

"STOP!"

The shout had come from the entrance to the lair, so loud and commanding that Jareth, Devon, and every other dragon present turned to look. It was Cerulia who had shouted. She looked first at Devon, then at Jareth, then at Talia, who was looking on in abject horror, shaking as if she were struggling to hold back from crying.

"If this is about what I think it's about," Cerulia said in a low, serious tone, "stand down and come with us. There's something we need to show you."

Lilia, Morrigan, and Enchantment emerged from behind Cerulia. "Trust us, Father," said Lilia.

Devon relaxed, just perceptibly. "What is it?" he said.

"We've discovered a warp in space just a short distance from the entrance to our lair," Cerulia explained. "It leads to a part of the Starwood Strand where we think we could establish a new lair."

"In fact… I may have already started hoarding some stuff there," Morrigan confessed. "No one has taken it, so I think that’s a good sign."

"The warp lets us travel between here and there instantaneously," Cerulia continued. "You could watch over this place as much as you wanted, without having to neglect watching over your mate and your family. And we'd all have as much space as we could ever want or need."

Devon paused. "Show me how it works."

"It’s out in midair," said Cerulia. "Anyone who wants to can come see. Jareth, you need a ride or are you good?"

"I’m good," said Jareth. His fighting instincts had stirred his Wind magic up to gale-force levels, and he could channel it into improved flight speed and range. He joined Devon and several others as they followed Cerulia and her companions out into the open skies.

"There it is!" Cerulia called out. "Follow my lead and don’t stop!"

A few moments later, she vanished, Morrigan and Enchantment close behind her. Jareth kept going, and realized that he could see a faint shimmer in the air in front of him. Flying through it felt… strange, like a crackle of static magical charge running along his body while a sudden gust of wind caught his wings.

He could see his clanmates ahead of him, and spread out below him, an amazing sight- a leafless forest covered in freshly-fallen snow. The sunlight reflected from the snow was so bright, he winced, squeezing his light-eyes shut and following Cerulia and the others the rest of the way down to the ground by heat vision alone.

Once they were on the ground, there wasn’t much to see that way, though. Jareth cautiously opened his light-eyes and let them adjust to the brilliance around him, focusing on the bare tree branches above him.

Truly, this place was beautiful, even in winter. They were in a clearing in the midst of a dense forest, where the broad, old tree trunks seemed to welcome their visitors to join them in quiet contemplation. The land rose and fell gently, and was dotted here and there with boulders and crystal formations. The blanket of fresh snow lent a hush to the scene.

"Welcome to the Starwood Strand," Cerulia said. "I wanted to show you all what was on the other side of the warp, as well as the warp itself."

"Ooh, let me show you where I've been keeping my reagents!" Morrigan said. Jareth and the others followed her to a huge, old tree. She withdrew a small collection of stoppered vials of colorful alchemical reagents from one of the many hollows between its roots.

"I don’t know about you," said Morrigan, "but I think this would be the perfect place for us to live. This tree would just be so nice to burrow into. And I think there's a cave entrance under one of these roots, too, if that's your thing."

"There is," said Cerulia. "I’ve looked, and Morrigan is right. It is perfect for us. And we hope you think so, too."

Devon was clearly as enchanted by the beauty of the place as any of them. "How long have you known about the spatial warp?" he asked.

"A while now," Cerulia admitted. "We're sorry we didn’t tell anyone about it earlier. We were keeping ourselves so busy with our alchemy and merchant work that we didn't realize just how bad the tension at home was getting. That, and we thought it was fun to have a little secret to ourselves." She hung her head. "Can you ever forgive me, Father?"

Devon nuzzled his daughter, stroking her head with a paw. "My daughter, of course I forgive you. I love you, and you have given our family a beautiful gift. Now I see there is a way forward for us. We will settle here."

Talia couldn't hold it back any longer. She began crying openly. "It's all right," she said to reassure her family. "I'm all right. I'm just so happy… so relieved. Oh, and Jareth? The answer is 'no.' My heart is so full, I can't imagine it ever breaking. Anywhere my clan decides to live, those are the borders that I will protect, no matter where they are in the world." She joined her father and sister in their group nuzzle.

"I haven't found my Charge yet," Cerulia said, "so I guess I didn't really understand how much it means to you… how far you would go for it."

"You will, someday," said Devon.

Jareth felt the last of his fury draining away. "I’m sorry I tried to fight you, Devon," he said.

"You were willing to fight a dragon many times your own size for the sake of your mate," said Devon. "I have nothing but respect for you. All is forgiven."

The two dragons bowed to each other.

"When should we start moving?" Talia asked the group in general.

"Like I said, there's no time like the present," said Thurl, who had followed Cerulia through the warp, but had not spoken until now. "As I'm sure you're aware, today is the day of the winter solstice. Leota and I are at the peak of our vigor and power today and tonight, as are all Nocturnes and many kinds of magical phenomena. We'd be happy to do all the work we can to move everyone's possessions here."

"Thank you!" said Talia. "I say we get to it!"

"I agree," said Devon. "Cerulia, will you guide us home?"

"Of course," said Cerulia.

"I'm going to need that ride now," said Jareth. "I was running on sheer emotion and adrenaline back there, and now I'm not."

"Climb aboard," said Talia. She helped Jareth climb up onto her back, between her wings, so that she could take him home, where they could start packing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the time they got back, some of their clanmates, including Shadowspell, Snowblossom, Diamondshine, Heath, and Sheena, had already started parceling and packing up some of their possessions and moving them to the front of the lair. When Devon, Jareth, Talia, and Cerulia had finished explaining to the rest of the clan where they had been, how the spatial warp worked, how they had all made up with each other, and that there was somewhere new for them to go, others in the clan started to become excited about the prospect of moving. The activity built to a frenzy.

With practically no notice that the move was happening and only a limited number of hours of daylight left, the clan knew they could not yet take all their possessions to the new lair. Instead, they selected only what they would really need: food, tools, bedding, cooking and grooming implements, and a few items of personal or sentimental value. There was so much air traffic going back and forth between the entrance to the lair and the spatial warp that soon, Cerulia and her friends no longer needed to lead the way to the warp for the rest of their clan.

The last thing Leota took from the clan's old lair was a log from their fireplace. When she and the others returned to the new lair through the spatial warp, the clan was done for the day, even though they weren’t completely out of their old lair yet; that would come in time. Leota wasted no time in getting a fire going so they could cook dinner.

As they all sat around the fire, enjoying the broad assortment of roast beasts, fish, insects, and plants that Leota, Snowblossom, and Merlot had prepared, the warm, comforting feeling of family suffused the entire clan, leaving no one untouched, for the first time since Starfall Celebration. The tension that had threatened to divide their clan in two was finally gone. The magic of the Starfall Isles had led the clan to a solution that made everyone happy and allowed for everyone's needs to be met. There was joy and good cheer among all the dragons of Clan Adeptica that night.

After dinner, Devon, Talia, and Cerulia went for a walk through the woods, taking an initial survey of the area so that they could define the clan’s new borders later. There was a small lake nearby, currently frozen over. They stopped on the shore of the lake, where they could watch the woods fill up with snow. The woods were dark, deep, and peaceful, and there was no sound other than that of the gentle wind and snow.

"Lovely," said Devon. "I am glad that you found this place, Cerulia. How fortunate I am to be able to keep my promise to myself to watch over our lair and our family."

"Yes, Father," said Cerulia. "We have been very fortunate indeed."

They stayed for a while longer to appreciate the beauty and peace of the winter scene before returning to the cave Cerulia had shown them earlier. They had a long way to go to finish the process of moving, but now, it was time for sleep.

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OOC

Named after the father of Helios and Selene in Greek mythology.