Thornfang

Uh-oh, looks like this restless explorer wandered a little too far from his home lair 301539, ToraAvanak, and now he's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, he'd really appreciate it if you could just return him to the home lair, or to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread, here. This is not necessary, but he would be very grateful!

White Aviator Scarf Apparel What differentiates this from a standard white scarf is a subtlety lost on most. 600 Diamond Talonclasp Pendant Apparel Diamonds are a dragon's best friend. 0

Wayward. To everyone in the lair, the first dragon that comes to mind when this word was spoken is Thornfang. The son of Haloke was without a doubt troublesome to deal with, who's fiery attitude was tempered only by his sister's gentle nature. Despite his near impossible antics, Sunheart always brought the good out of him. There were nights, however, when Thornfang would sneak out of the lair and stare at the horizon, wondering what could be out there. There was a calling to the beyond. A calling he wanted to respond to. Yet, he couldn't leave his family behind. It felt wrong. Still... the adventure that waited out there... it was almost unbearable...

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Hunting was always my favorite chore. My brothers and I always fought to see who would catch the most food. Not to brag or anything, but I always won. Mom said I had Dad's knack for it. Of course, that doesn't stop the rest of the lair from comparing me to Grandpa. He's just a small fae, but he hauls in more than me and my brothers and Shadowmoon combined! I still don't get how he does that...

Anyway, so I was bringing back a new haul when I spotted a young Nocturne in front of out lair. I charged at him and asked him what he was doing here. Before he could cough up any answers, Grandma pulled me off him. Apparently, she agreed to take him at the request of a friend. It was just like Grandma to open our home to the needy. Still, it was the first time we took in a teen. Aunt Shimmerwing had no trouble settling him in a next to the other dragons from the same lair. Listening to them talk about some other place... It brought me back to the sleepless nights staring at the horizon...

That night, I grabbed my stuff and slipped out the back exit. I had to know what was out there. I was old enough. I could manage just fine. i had just gotten out when...

"Thornfang? Where are you going?'

I turned around to see Sunheart giving me her worried look. I hated it when she did that. Always made me second guess myself.

"I'm leaving, sis."

"What? Why?"

"I'm sick of just listening to the stories. I wanna see the world for myself. Experience my own adventure." I sighed and faced the horizon. "Don't stop me."

I felt a wing brush against my side. "The least you could do is take this." Sunheart wrapped a white scarf around my neck. "Something to remember us by."

She looked into my eyes and pulled me into a hug. "Stay safe. i won't be there to protect you anymore."

I looked away so she wouldn't see me tearing up. "Geez, sis. You gotta make this hard for me, don't ya?" I gently pushed her away. "I don't plan on kickin' it just yet."

As I prepared to spread my wings, I told her, "Don't get too cozy with any guys yet, sis. They're nothing but trouble."

Sunheart smirked. "My troublecase brother is giving me guy advice? What is the world coming to?"

I smirked. I really was going to miss her. "Bye, Sunheart."

"Take care, Thornfang."

With one last look at the only home I ever knew, I took the sky and followed the horizon. It was time to write my own story.

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I headed east, towards Lightning. I've always wantd to go there, after I heard about how electricity crackled around all their buildings. It sounded so vibrant and alive, unlike the ice and snow I grew up with.

I had to fly over Fire to get there, not that I saw much of it. Thick black ash clouds covered the entire territory, and I had to hold my breath when I flew too low. The Lightning lair I stopped in specialised in receiving visitors, so I didn't feel too out of place.

I heard a sharp whistling. A tundra standing in front of a pile of gear was calling me. "Hey, you're that newbie traveller from out west right?"

"That's me." I'm fairly certain I'm the only 'newbie' traveller.

"Sweet, help me with my things. You've got to earn your keep around here, you know."

It turned out that Dayna was a popular fortune teller in the Spire. Interns working in the factories would go to her for fortunes in their downtime. I helped her carry the poles of her stall deep into the heart of the spires.

It was incredible. Steel as far as the eye can see. Automobiles and androids. Dragons with clipboards and coffee, confidently knowing exactly where they were going. In the quad where Dayna worked, I could hear spirals and ridgebacks discussing and finalising plans at, well, Lightning pace. Every now and again a booming voice would call out, saying something like '3000 UNITS OF 4B COGS BY THE END OF THIS SHIFT' or 'ALL EFFICIENCY REPORTS ON MY DESK BY YESTERDAY' or most commonly 'GET BACK TO WORK!' and all the dragons would call out 'Yes Boss!'

By the time we got back to the clan, I was exhausted. But I'm just getting started on this journey… well I will be, after a good night's sleep.

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I hadn't travelled far, only needing to head north one flight over before finding myself in Light. They've apparently only recently been having traveller's pass through, but they seemed welcoming enough!

I was brought to a library-museum hybrid and greeted by two imperials, a father-daughter pair, to tell them about myself and my experience for their records. The younger one, Raal, seemed particularly interested in knowing about any valuable items I had came across. They both seemed disappointed that I haven't yet travelled much!

I was impressed with their ability to be able to find everything, there didn't seem to be any kind of organizational method in place! I spent the day with Raal and her friend, Taj, enjoying a rather laid back day, something I welcomed with willing wings after the day previous!

At nightfall, Taj approached me, inquiring whether I would like to go on a quick trip with him to the Hewn City. Would I! This lair sits at the edge of it, so the journey was embarked on by foot and did not take much time. While there we scavenged for anything shiny and valuable. I hadn't found much, but Taj found quite a bit!

We spent most of the evening there, exploring and getting into trouble (if you CAN get in trouble when no one knows about it) and by the time we got back, it was nearly sunup again! We both fell asleep, and I awoke with the sun in a late morning position. Since Taj was nowhere to be found, I told Raal to tell him goodbye for me as I thanked her for the hospitality. With adventure in me, I set off once more!

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I had a rest in a huge wind clan. It was peaceful and they gave matching apparel to the pieces I was already wearing. I like these colors and leather feels good to wear. I decided to travel on with a pearlcatcher lady (I like her colors too, they are similar to mine, soothing for the eye). Let's see what else awaits us!

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GrinningWolf24 #212075, 9/21/17
She explained that her name was Juniper, and she was on a quest to recover a pendant that had been stolen from her clan. So far, it had been more a game of cat and mouse than anything else. He felt compassion for her- he was still searching for his charge. He knew what it was like to be frustrated by a convoluted journey to find something that you may never find.

They traveled for quite a while, eventually coming to a small plague clan to rest briefly. They were discussing future travel plans, possibly a trip to- an elbow to the ribs. Juniper had just jabbed her elbow into his side. He snapped to attention, gazing at the smaller female with a hurt expression. "Don't give me those eyes, look! There! The skydancer!" Her voice was a low hiss, and he instantly followed the tilt of her snout towards a deep blue-black skydancer who was chatting with one of the tundra herd. Gently resting around her neck was an ornate talonclasp pendant- probably diamond by the looks of it. "That is my clan's pendant! I am sure of it!" Thornfang looked at her, then back to the dancer, and back again. Juniper's eyes were filled with fury, and he practically missed her low words of "I'm finding security...." as she skulked away.

When he didn't instantly follow, she turned and gestured at him sharply, a silent call of "Well, come on!" Thornfang shook his head.

"I'm going to keep an eye on her!" he mouthed. She rolled her eyes, but nodded. She could see his distraction. His eyes.... he couldn't seem to help it. They kept sliding back towards the skydancer, seemingly of their own accord. No- the pendant. The necklace. The way it caught the light, the way it gently caressed the fur of her neck- it was the most beautiful and elegant thing he had ever seen. He felt a sudden sensation inside himself- like a puzzle piece clicking into place. His charge. This necklace of Juniper's- one and the same. A rush of sensations that were new and foreign to him assaulted his senses. Most powerfully was the urge to be close to this object, to never take his eyes off of it.

Eventually she sauntered off, and he snapped back to his own frame of mind- but a frame of mind that was now predominated by the pendant. He haphazardly followed in the skydancer's wake, keeping an eye on the pendant from afar for the duratoin of the day. This all-encompasing urge was quenched to a controllable point as long as it was within sight. But darkness did fall with the rise of night, and with the pendant cloaked behind the panel of a tent, the gnawing inside him grew unbearable. It was nowhere near proper. It was downright rude.

But he couldn't let it lay. He needed to be there. He needed to see it. He approached her tent, cautiously pulling the flap back. He didn't have to wake her- he would just watch. Yes.
He would just watch the pendant while she was asleep. She wouldn't even know he was there.

With his massive snout he nosed his way into the gap, slowly leaning in farther when not instantly met with retaliation. His piercing white eyes finally worked their way past the edge of the flap, his entire head. He blinked in the darkness, the faint light not helping his eyes adjust. He didn't see anything until it was too late- The skydancer had kicked up backwards, wrapping her back legs around his snout to keep it shut, while simultaneously bringing her blade to his throat. She was now precariously hanging upside-down beneath Thornfang's head. In truth, all he would have to do is flop to the ground, and her grip would most likely be loosened by his crushing weight on her fragile frame, but the larger dragon did not seem to think of this. He tried to shake his head, startled by the sudden weight and pressure holding his jaws shut.

Quickly, the skydancer started to whisper to the guardian, making her voice as harsh and commanding as she could. "You are going to very slowly and carefully explain who you are and why you are in my tent. You are then going to make your case for why I should not simply kill you where you stand. Understood, intruder? You will not sound an alarm,or I will kill you. You will not raise your voice, or I will kill you. Should you try to escape, I will kill you. And I am very, very good at killing dragons." The venom was palpable in her voice. Very carefully and slowly, Thornfang nodded his head, causing the skydancer to swing slightly from her perch beneath his head. With a fluid motion, she released his jaws, moving to cling like a mosquito to the side of his neck right behind the jaw. Her blade never left its place at his throat.

He coughed slightly, clearing his throat. She pressed the blade further, and he ceased instantly. "I- I am Thornfang. I am a traveling guardian. I...." Here he paused, a slight shiver traveling the length of his body, a flood of emotions and new energy surging beneath his scales. "...I am looking for my charge....." His eyes tried to swivel back to look at the skydancer perching behind his jaw, but she was adequetly in his blind spot.

"If you even dare to say that I am your charge, I will kill you where you stand..." Her vitriolic whispers caused him to fervently shake his head. The motion came to a grinding halt with a cough and gagging sound as she dug her blade edge further into his throat. "Fool, I am stillON YOU. Do not shake your head again or I-"

"-will kill me where I stand, I understand." You could almost hear his eyes rolling. "No, my charge- I felt it today. When I saw you. I did think it was you at first.... but, it was that necklace. I know it. I am not sure what is so special about it, but.... I need to protect it. So... can I please have it?" He pleaded, hoping this pointy dragon would give him an easy out. She was about to speak, but he cut her off once more. "I am pretty sure it also is the necklace my friend Juniper is searching for. I want it back for her too. To protect it for her." Another wash of this strange new energy surged into him. With the pendant pressed between her chest and the side of his neck, he could feel the strange new bond between himself and the object. It felt.... right. Fulfilling. His voice was firmer now, surer.

"No way, kid. I've got a score to get, so take your silly 'it's my charge' talk and get out of here. You're lucky I've not killed you where you stood. Scram. Before I change my mind." She finally dropped off his throat, and his quick gasp for breath seemed to take all the air out of the tiny tent.

"No. I won't go. That necklace is my charge, and I am not going ot let it out of my sight! It is my job to protect it!" His voice grew louder, and before the assassin could either follow through on her threat to kill him, or shush him, a shout rang out.

"Over there! Check that way!" The skydancer's eyes widened, and sheepish blush coated Thornfang's snout.

"My friend Juniper may have seen the pendant and alerted the clan guards to there being a thief in their midst." The eyes of the other dragon narrowed, quickly darting around. In a split second she had catapulted backwards, at the back of the tent, tearing a large hole. She was gone. Thornfang stood dumbfounded, watching her go. But he felt that tug again- and his need for his charge snapped him back. He bounded through the wrecked tent, following after her and the pendant by sheer instinct.

His instincts, while untrained, were strong and fresh. He caught up to the stealthy smaller dragon quickly. Almost instantly he saw a group of guards who were almost flanking her. And their swords- their weapons were drawn! A wash of determination filled his limbs with power, and he shoulder chucked them, plowing a clear path for the skydancer to escape. ...though that particular result was not what he would have originally intended, it had succeded. He had kept the pendant from being damaged in a fight. While maybe not the best idea, he bounded after her anyway- determined not to let the pendant out of his sight again. Who knows what damaged could be caused to it if he left her go?

His instincts roaring defense of his charge, he continued to keep the guards at bay, preventing any from going after the pendant. None would hurt his charge! Just let them try! After knocking a number of guards out of sorts, he took off himself, his blazing inner need unwilling to let himself get separated. And with this help, the skydancer disappeared into the night. Not far out, he caught up to her once more, but she did not fight it this time, simply allowing the large guardian to follow her in silence. He could always smuggle his charge away from her when they landed. For now, he didn't want to risk it falling to the ground below. I will take my charge back. For it's protection. For myself. For Juniper.

Tefian

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I spent so much time in the Sunbeam Ruins. The warriors of the Harbinger's Clan helped me recover my pendant, though not without injury. While recovering, I met a wonderful Pearlcatcher, Araloth. When I healed, I spent nearly every waking moment with her, trading stories and proudly showing off my diamond pendant. We had a few nests, and I wrote a few books. The honeymoon period, as I'm told it's called, faded after two years together. My wanderlust came back. I might not have a Charge to look for, but... I have spent too much time on the wing to ever find myself in one place for long. And I had been here for much too long.

Our farewells were bitter, but the wind that lifted me also dried my tears as I continued on my way.

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Following a wind current led me to Singer's Brook in the Windswept Plateau, and not being accustomed to these wind currents I almost crash landed into some bamboo trees. Not my most graceful moment! After shaking myself off, I took a look at my surroundings. A watery-colored Imperial was coming my way, and I straightened.

"My name is Juniper, and I'm part of The Spectrum clan that lives here. I saw you being pushed down to the ground, are you injured?" I took a moment to shake my head, dumbfounded. I didn't hear much after the name "Juniper." Oh gods, where did my Juniper go? I was so engrossed with finding my charge...I hadn't found my way back to her. After this Juniper tilted their head in concern at my silence, I hurriedly said, "Oh I-uh..I'm fine. Just shaken."

The Imperial guard nodded once, "Come with me, you'll be taken care of in The Spectrum." He turned and led me to a bustling clan that had dragons of all colors, shapes, sizes, and with all different personalities. After a quick trip to the healer to make sure I was fine and dandy, I found my way into the Traveler's Den. Figuring this was the best place to see if anyone had seen my Juniper out and about in Sornieth, I asked around. Unfortunately, everyone here had been staying for quite a while and none had seen or heard of her. Feeling defeated, I too stayed for a long while, hoping she may turn up and find her way here in her travels. Now that I had my charge dangling around my neck, I needed to find her too.

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