Celariel

Amazing art by Rexcaliburr
Amazing adopt by HighFives!!!

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Something had gone wrong. The experiment, which had been a source of hope for finding more surviving peoples in the world, a great stride in combining the knowledge of Hope and the magic of the Enchanted Forest, had brought on a great and terrible storm. Quickly moving into Hope, targeting poor Andre’s shop, the storm waited, churning and bubbling, a dark cloud over the University. Was it done? Was it going to stay? Was it going to move through Hope, or even spread into the Enchanted Forest? No one knew for sure, but Dread knew one thing- she had to go make sure everyone was ok in the Enchanted Forest, especially the Princess.

Dread raced to the throne room as fast as she could, calling on Galena’s fast flying speed to get her there as quickly as possible. It seemed someone was already there though- she listened as best she could at the door.

“Princess I…I need to inform you. The experiment Lycus and I…. well something happened. The tatters, Hope’s equivalent of our withering, it seemed to react. A storm hovers over Hope and I am not sure when, or if it might go away, or if it will stay there…” Lenta quivered.

“You…you mean to say this storm appeared,
the spread of the withering we have always feared?” Cela cried.
“This….this cannot be, I must make it end,
must protect…my people…my strength….grrrrr”

Dread backed away from the door…did, did she just hear a growl? Something was happening, and she wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

“Ok Dread” she said to herself, “on 3….1, 2, 3!!!”

Slamming into the door, Dread burst through to find a scene she was not expecting. Where the throne would normally be, a massive dragon glowered, crystalline wings of a variety of colors spread and sparkling in the light of the flames emanating from the beast’s mouth. And that was when she noticed Lenta, right in the dragon’s path- Dread might not be the brightest knight in the forest, but she knew trees and fire were not a good mix.

“Lenta get back!” Dread leaped between the dryad and the dragon, sword raised. “Lenta where is Cela I don’t….”

“I…I..” Lenta stammered. “Cela is….”

“Wait Lenta are you telling me…” Before Dread could finish the sentence, a tail collided with her, throwing her across the room and into the wall. Before she could even stand, a giant clawed hand was pinning her against the wall, and the dragon was there, heated breath hot against her skin.

“C…Cela?” Dread coughed out, breath short with the weight of the dragon pinning her down.

The dragon huffed before releasing her, and as Dread fell to her knees, gasping for breath, Cela barreled out the door and soared into the sky, in the direction of Hope and the Everstorm.

“I…Dread are you alright?” Lenta seemed to have regained some sort of composure. Dread stood up, a bit shaken but still whole.

“I’m fine Lenta, all in one piece it seems. This wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I came to make sure she was alright…remind me never to make Cela angry.”

“Dread this is…you cannot joke about this…I think she is going to try to fight the storm.”

“I’m not joking Lenta, and do not worry, I’m going to stop her.”

“Dread how…how do you expect to stop her?”

“Well Lenta, probably by doing something very, very stupid.”

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Dread began to reach out with her mind to her kith allies- she needed their help if she was going to do what she had planned. Which, all in all, wasn’t much of a plan, but she didn’t have a whole lot of time. ‘Galena, Ky, Opal, I need y’alls help, if you are willing. It will be dangerous though…’

‘We are coming’ a deep voice rang in her head. Well, Galena wasn’t much for words, but she was glad to hear that he would help- she needed him to help her catch up.

Five excruciatingly long minutes later, Dread’s three strongest allies landed in front of her. She could depend on them, but facing an angry Princess turned dragon? She didn’t know if she could really ask that of them.

“Listen, all of you. The Princess….well it seems that this storm upset her and triggered a…transformation.”

“You mean she turned into a giant fire breathing dragon! (psst no offense Galena) Yeah we saw on the way here. We gotta fight her? Let’s do it!” Ky chirped in, ever eager for battle.

“Yes, Ky, well I don’t really want to fight her but…we need to stop her. If she flies into the storm…well I don’t know what will happen. I can’t…can’t let that….”

The shock of what was happening finally hit Dread…tears welled in her eyes. She was supposed to protect her, but how could she now? But it didn’t matter…she had to try something.

Dread choked back the tears, “Listen, I need to fly to where she is and keep her from reaching the storm. I know you three are the fastest- if we can ground her and I can get close, maybe, just maybe I can get her to listen. Will you three help me?”

“Of course Dread, we know how important she is to you.” Opal wrapped a wing around Dread’s shoulders.

“Well, let’s not waste much time now. Dread hop on.” Galena bent down to give Dread a boost, and wiping the remaining tears before clambering up her friend’s back.

“Let’s go save the Princess!!” Ky yelled excitedly, and the three kith hurried in the direction of Hope and the storm.

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The wind hurried them along, but Dread knew that it would also help Cela reach the storm quicker as well. She hoped they were not too late, but her friends were fast. They would make it…they had too.

Finally, they caught Cela in their sights at the edge of Hope- Dread spurned her friends on. Quickly they surrounded the Princess, blocking her path to the storm as best they could. She growled, trying to find a way through them, turning and diving down to try to sneak under them. But that is exactly what Dread wanted- she needed Cela out of the air.

“Cela!!!” she called, fighting against the rage of the wind at the edge of the storm. “Cela please you must stop! You can’t fight this, not like this…” but the wind drowned out her calls, and Cela was focused solely on getting past her friends, attempting to swat Ky and Opal away with her tail and make a path to the storm.

“Galena” Dread whispered, “do you think you could get right above Cela?”

Galena raised a scaled eyebrow, then sighed. “Yes” and dove down, driving Cela down and hovering right above her.

“Thanks” Dread yelled as she jumped from his back, landing squarely on Cela’s neck. “Oooph, ok ok CELA LISTEN.” Dread yelled, wrapping herself around the dragon’s neck- “PLEASE CELA YOU MUST…LAND…” But the words trailed off as Cela realized that not only did she have to deal with these kith blocking her way, but this new pest on her back. And she was not happy about it.

Growling, Cela flew upwards, knocking her neck, and Dread, against Galena’s scaly underhide. Galena took the opportunity to lock himself onto Cela’s back, pinning one wing to her side. ‘sorry Dread’ he sent a thought her way ‘but you did want her grounded’. Opal and Ky grabbed the other side, and soon all five of them were hurtling to the ground.

The ground stretched before them, but before they reached it Dread pulled out an Earth wand and pointed it downwards, transforming the ground beneath them into a giant sand pit to cushion the fall. Finally, they reached the ground, and Dread raised the Earth wand once again to raise the ground and create a great cave around them herself and Cela. ‘Thank you friends’ she thought ‘I can take it from here’ and sealed herself and Cela inside the stone walls, leaving only a small opening to the side to give an inkling of light.

Cela roared- she was trapped. She scratched at the walls but they were solid rock.

“Cela please calm down, its going to be alright” Dread pleaded, still with her arms wrapped around Cela’s neck. “We can find a solution, we can stop the storm together…”

Cela reared up, horns marking a line in the cave ceiling, before slamming Dread against the cave wall. Again and again she slammed, until Dread’s grip failed and she fell to the cave floor.

“….Cela….” Dread moaned, a pair of piercing green eyes boring into her as she slipped away into darkness.