Uh-oh, looks like this lil Assassin wandered a little too far from his lair (204428/Surpirate) and now he's off to see the world! If ever you feel the urge to exalt, he'd really appreciate it if you could just return him home instead, or to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread here.

Owners I've Had:
Surpirate

(204428/Surpirate)
(155413/BrightShine)
(66110/DigitalElf)
(84893/eviolite)
(90841/DoktorGilda)
(23084/NeophyteRedglare)

Taetol understood why he was leaving his family, but that didn't mean he had to like it! He was an Assassin, just like his parents. They had lived underground for generations, and eventually turned grey to match the walls that had protected them. Every Assassins' claws turned colors once they started their training; they were a point of pride to every dragon who had them.

But now, Taetol and his family had gone above ground, and he was leaving for some strange clan. Why? To become integrated and accepted into society, to be 'normal'. With a huff and a sigh, Taetol waved one last goodbye to his brothers before taking wing, following his guide to his new home.

Crashing in the observatory had not been part of his plan. After recovering and assessing the situation Taetol found that he had lost his guide. Luckily for him a group of kind dragons took him in for a few nights.

He watched with wonder as the younger members where trained in self defense and asked if it would be okay to join them. Not that his assassin training hadn't been enough it was that he felt he needed a little practice. After finishing their basic training Taetol decided it was time to move on. He said no goodbyes and quietly slipped out in the middle of the night.

---

It wasn't that he was scared...No, It was just that he was caught off guard. And the elements certainly weren't helping...Darkness, pouring rain, unfamiliar territory, and on top of all of that, he was hungry. But none of those things were primary in his mind, but rather the heavily armored and snarling dragon in front of him was the main focus. "Who are you?" His words fell on deaf ears. This was neutral territory, all dragons came here to battle and hone their skills. But not usually on each other, and especially not on a foe who wished not to battle. Taetol was in this category. He'd only come for food and shelter, not for a fight he was in no condition to commence. "I do not wish to fight you at this time, stand down." Again, the dragon ignored him and only inched forwards. Taetol braced his hind legs and his wings twitched. It wasn't in his character to run from a fight, but the growling in his belly and water drizzling down his mane was telling him otherwise. Fleeing was looked down on, but stupidity was scorned. The dragon inched closer. The scent was enough to overpower him. This creature was obviously from the rancid centre of the Scarred Wasteland. The scent was enough to knock him out, but he held his ground. It wasn't as big as it looked. It was actually smaller than him. The armor was a bluff, but the savage look in the creatures green eyes wasn't. Those eyes... They weren't dragon. Whatever this dragon was, it wasn't normal. Plague should have red eyes, not green. He'd have to fight. There was no choice. This creature wouldn't understand him, nor would it care. The lightning flashed, illuminating the ground and throwing a silhouette against the rocks of a creature ripping into a dragon. His head crunched against a rock and the world faded black. Scared? Never.

---

He didn't expect to wake up, but there he was...His eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the new dawn light starting to filter through the mouth of the cave he was sleeping in. He groaned and tried to move, but every one of his muscles screamed with agony. He turned his head the best he could, but his neck hurt the most. Ignoring the pain, he reached up and felt where it hurt the most. Ragged skin and missing scales greeted his touch, but before he could react, he heard the sound of a throat clearing. "I wouldn't touch that, my friend." Taetol startled and tried to look around for the source of the voice. He saw a glimmer in the corner of his eye and saw a coatl resting up on a rock, paws crossed and wings folded. He slithered down from the rock and circled around him, taking Taetol's head in his paws and lifting it slightly. There was a kind and gentle look in the Coatl's eyes, and Taetol relaxed. "Yes, you are in quite a mess, my friend. You don't want that infection to spread to the rest of your body. I've contained it and it's slowly shrinking, but for now..." Infection...?! "You see..." The coatl continued, as if reading his mind. "You got caught up with a resident...thing...of ours. Pyralspite is a very sick and very dangerous dragon, but we can't do anything for her. Not even the Gods will accept her in their lairs, so she's kind of a permanent fixture here. We try to keep her under control, but sometimes she gets loose." He laid Taetol's head back down after pushing some fresh feathers beneath it as cushioning. "I do apologize on behalf of the clan for the trouble you're going through right now, but you're healing beautifully. We will do our absolute best to accommodate you during your stay. Your wish is our command." Taetol wanted to speak and get up and get something to eat, but his limbs were weary and his eyes heavy, so he just allowed himself to drift off to sleep once again. He'd have to wait to talk to the Coatl again.

---

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

---

Taetol awoke with a screech. Ignoring everything around him, including any pain he may have felt, he leaped to his feet and tore out of the cave as fast as he could. The sensation of hot breath rippled across his back and he blindly zig-zagged through buildings and dragons alike, fearing that the beast he faced would be back to finish the job. Dazed, confused, and feeling a sensation of fear for the first time in his life, Taetol ran into the safest thing he could think of at that present moment...a cave. He huddled in a corner, making himself as small as possible and blending into the walls, and tried to gain his bearings. Where was he? Who was he? Right...He was the trained son of the assassins underground...Why was he scared? He shouldn't be scared! This is ridiculous. Taetol slowly regained his own mind and looked around. How foolish he must have looked just now...Had he really been running around like that without thinking? This wasn't what he had trained to do. This was stupid. He slowly unwrapped himself and stood up, shaking himself out and taking a tentative step forward. Whatever that coatl had done to him had helped. He wasn't in near as much pain as before. He scented the area...Dear plaguemother, had he really been away that long? The scent of Plague was so overwhelming it made his head hurt. He ambled towards the cave entrance, but a stirring beside him made him stop dead in his tracks. His whiskers twitched, and he glanced ever so slightly to his left. He wasn't alone. A memory suddenly slid to the front of his mind. The smell. The dark. That rustling he heard just now. Four glowing green eyes snapped open.

---

No...It couldn't be...But there it was. What had the coatl called it? Pyralspite. It quickly blocked the exit, throwing him into darkness. All he could focus on were the glowing eyes. Those alien eyes. But this time was different. He was still hungry, tired, and slightly cold, but he wasn't off his guard. He was in his element. Darkness. He lowered himself, flexing his claws. He'd earned his colours at a young age. He was gifted in the art of killing. A good killer could kill without leaving a mark...And he was one of the best. But the scent of the dragon was driving him backwards. Farther. Farther. Deeper into the cave where he couldn't maneuver. Deeper into the ground. The eyes drew closer...The stench got thicker... Suddenly, light. The scent of roses cut through the plague and the creature was driven backwards by a snarling and snapping dragon. A few screeches later, they were out of the cave, and the creature had vanished. As Taetol's head cleared, he saw what appeared to be...something...His brain was fuzzy. The adrenaline was gone, and his knees buckled below him, causing him to black out and fall to the ground.

---

His eyes slowly slid open. Again? He didn't even know what day it was anymore. Had a day even passed? A week? A month? He'd never know, especially with this business of constantly blacking out. Whoever was supposed to be his spirit guardian was doing a lousy job. He groaned and lifted his head. At least his neck didn't hurt anymore. "Well hello again!" Taetol groggily turned and spotted the coatl from before. "Welcome back to the land of the living. So to speak, anyways." The coatl said, side-eyeing the Plaguelands outside the den door. "I suppose if you can move, that means you're finally starting to get better. And getting better means that you likely have an appetite." Taetol opened his mouth to speak, but a tremendous growl from his stomach beat him to the punch. The coatl laughed. "Just as I thought. Come with me, I'll show you the stores." The coatl stopped and looked at him. Taetol must have had a look on his face. "Oh, don't worry. Everything will be ok, I can promise that. I'll be with you, and Forge has been stalking the den since you got yourself caught in Pyralspite's den." Many, many questions swirled in his head as Taetol followed the crimson coatl out of the den. There wasn't a lot of talk...more observing. Taetol wanted to ask a million questions, but between his starving mindset, the sheer mass of the cluster of dens built hardily out of mud and scavenged resources, and the fear of the beast rising to attack him again, he couldn't find the words to speak. Perhaps after eating, he could get some questions answered. The stores stood in front of him. He could smell all the delicious foods within. Having grown up first in Plague, then in nature, he had learned to survive on scrubby plants and gross looking insects, but the Nature proficiency had spoiled him. Nonetheless, eveything here was enough to make him drool. The coatl nodded his head towards the piles. "Go ahead and eat your fill. It's our pleasure." He didn't have to be told twice. First food, then answers.

---

"So what is your name?" Taetol looked up from the grass stalks he was currently working on. The coatl had settled down beside the seafood pile and was de-frilling an eel. Taetol swallowed and cleared his throat. "It's Taetol." He said, feeling an odd sensation in his throat. Must be from disuse. "I could ask yours as well?" "It's Manticore. I'm the Alpha of the Medical Sub-Pack here. It doesn't really mean a lot, it just means I get all the work." Manticore chuckled to himself. "But enough about that...You, my friend, are a very lucky creature." "How so?" "You survived an encounter with Pyralspite not once, but twice. No dragon outside our border does that. What were you doing out in that storm anyways?" "I was looking for a place to camp for the night, and some food. How long has it been since that night?" "A solid month. You missed the entirety of the Arcane Flight celebration, I'm afraid." Taetol shrugged and continued to chew on the grass stalks. He never was into big events, even when his own clan was celebrating. He glanced up to make sure that his companion wasn't Arcane...Last thing he needed was friendly types to turn against him now, He sighed in relief slightly when he saw the bright green eyes of the wind flight looking at him. That explained the chatter and friendliness though. Not that it was annoying...It was actually comforting. But he did find it strange that this dragon was so accepting of a perfect stranger like him. "Dragon of few words, aren't you? I should have known. It's the very nature of this place and the dragons within it to speak without speaking. I've been here long enough to know the language though." Taetol looked up in time to see Manticore push the eel back into the seafood pile and settle down, folding his wings and crest down. "What is it you'd like to know? I'll answer every question you have."

---

"Pyralspite? Yes, that name strikes fear into the clan members hearts. But not because of the usual...Pyralspite is a corrupted dragon. So corrupted, the Plaguebringer herself won't even accept her. She swallowed the Wyrmwound goop and has never been able to recover. She's violent, savage, and has no sense of morality. Nothing means anything to her, and she will kill for sport. You were intended to be one of those trophies. No, she doesn't eat them. Sometimes she'll drag home..."prizes"...but those are quickly disposed of. Who? Oh, who saved you? That was actually Scratch, our clan Beta. He had been looking for our wayward...thing...and found her giving you a nice new look. Fortunately she was more toying with you this time...She likes to play with her food before she eats it, so to speak. It's terrible, and we try our best, but it's nearly impossible to keep tabs on her at all times. Scratch is a tough boy though, he got you out with next to no issue. Many of our clan can handle her, so you're always in safe claws if you dart into the nearest den until you learn to handle her yourself. Of course, that's only if you choose to stay that long. You're welcome to leave anytime after I give you clearance to leave. Which shouldn't be long now. Maybe a day or so? I'm still cleaning up some of the crusty goop leftover. Wouldn't want a strain of something nasty passing on to an elder or a hatchling. Even weaker adults wouldn't survive...What's that? Oh! Yes, you're more than welcome to stay and train with us a little in the meantime! There's many dragons here who have lots of knowledge to pass on. Any one of them will happily take you out on the field to spar and teach you moves. What are you into...? Oh...I see. I thank you for your honesty, but it is wise of you to not speak of that here. You see, this clan underwent a very horrific battle, and the involved parties...Well...It's a rather long story for another time, but I have a list of names to give you for the morning. We should head back to the den so you can get some rest to let your body strengthen more. I'll give you some clan member names first thing, and you can go explore. I'm sure Forge will be happy to show you around."

---

"What on earth...?" Taetol stood at the edge of a lair. Or what was supposed to be a lair. Supposedly this was one of the strangest trainers in the clan, why did she live in...this? The pile of sticks, bones, and feather made no sense. He couldn't even see an entrance. Mind the eccentrics in this clan. There's dragons here more messed in the head than Pyralspite, but at least they're lucid. Manticore's words rang in his ears. Taetol had been pretty positive that "Bloody pearlcatchers" had followed that sentence, but he'd muttered it so low that Taetol couldn't be sure. Pearlcatchers couldn't be that bad, could they? His parents seemed normal, and he thought he had turned out fine...Maybe it was just this particular one. Who knew. He sighed and poked around a bit, and only stopped when a shadow slowly crept over him. He whirled around to see a tundra. The scent of roses touched his nostrils and a memory surged back to him as he looked at her. "You...!" "Me...!" "You were the one from the cave...! I know that smell!" "It's the smell of friendship, but most associate this scent with salvation. I'm usually the one that has to tear Pyrals jaws away from some unfortunate soul in the wrong place at the wrong time..." The tundra sighed and shook her head before looking up. "Hanji isn't here right now, she's out on a mission. Can I help you?" "Oh...I was just looking for dragons that Manticore told me could help me train while I was here. I'm looking for pointers and the such..." "Yes, he told me about that. You left earlier than he woke up, mark me impressed. Manticore generally doesn't sleep. I came to find you and found you already gone. I guessed you would go to the home of one of the strongest in the clan first. I can help you find someone else though, only a few ever leave on missions at a time." "You must be Forge then." "The one and only." "I apologize for leaving without you, I've just got a lot of pent up energy now from being down so long." "Understood. No issue, really...I just followed your scent. Foreign scents aren't hard to track. Shall we? Manticore confided in me...I think I know what dragon would be best to teach you something about your profession." Forge turned and gestured for him to follow, heading towards yet another den. This would be an interesting day.

---

The flight home wasn't easy before, but with the training he'd received, it was a breeze. Forge had introduced him to a particularly nasty ridgeback who snapped at him and told him to call her "Master'. He obliged, but only because he saw exactly how sharp her teeth were, how fine her claws were honed, and the extra spines she'd mutated onto her body with a scroll. The wolf pelt she wore and thunder weapon she carried were nothing to sneeze at either. This dragon was obviously dangerous, and he wanted to learn everything she knew.

And what a teacher. She was nowhere near as strong as some of the dragons he would also spend time with, but that meant nothing. She commanded their respect, and none of them dared challenge her. He'd learned lots from the other dragons, but the memories and skillset he'd hold closest was hers. He'd never forget the genuine smile she gave him once he'd nearly bested her. That was something he'd never forget.

"You've done well, my student. You've made your teacher proud."

Forge? Yes, she was special too. He could almost say he loved her. She certainly loved him. When he wasn't training and she wasn't herding around Pyralspite, they would sit and talk. A lot. She spoke of her past and the fact that she couldn't remember anything beyond waking up in this place one day. He spoke to her of his past, and how he didn't want to leave. She'd asked him to stay with her, but he had to decline. He had his own home to go to before he could decide what to do with his future. Perhaps he'd see her again. Perhaps maybe...

Taetol shook his head. Nothing could be certain. He only knew that he had to go back and prove himself. He'd been given apparel by the clan that had taken care of him for so long as a parting gift, and was also allowed to take the familiar that had become a very loved companion. Lightning had said that he was more than welcome to come and visit anytime, and if his clan needed help, just send the message. He'd graciously accepted this and told her to call on him if she needed help. And then he'd flown off. He looked back only once, but that was when he was far enough away they wouldn't be able to tell. He didn't want them to know that he was a little torn.

But still...

He'd finished his journey, claws touching down on the soil he knew all too well. Twilight had risen, and he silently made his way down the slightly worn path, passing the all familiar torch that marked the entrance and swishing past the crumbling wall of an ancient foundation. He rounded a corner and a good dozen dragons suddenly whirled around. Fangs were bared and claws were unsheathed as defences flared, but Taetol held his ground. They'd know him soon enough. Almost as if he'd spoken aloud, a fae rose up and silenced the hissing, which caused all the dragons to exchange their looks of anger to looks of puzzlement. The fae stepped forward.

"...Brother...? Is that you...?"

Taetol nodded.

"Yes. My brothers and sisters...I have returned...And I have much to tell you."

---

Lighthouse Adventure by NeophyteRedglare (#23084)