Hael

"Hey! Watch those claws!"

"Oh! Sssorry. Thought you were a ssstone." Sodalime let go of the shining, crystalline chunk of Spiral tail he'd mistaken for a dirty diamond and crept around the giant boulder shading the other dragon from the sun. He opened his mouth wide in what was as close to a smile as he could get and sat back on his haunches. "Hunting for them, you sssee. Need them for a guessst. Plague, like me."

"Well, I'm not one. And I'm not from Plague, either."

"No," Sodalime admitted, peering at the other dragon's (angry) pink eyes, "I sssuppose not." And then, a pause. "Would you like to be? We can teach you."

Hael - that was the Spiral's name, you know - folded his arms over his narrow chest and huffed in disapproval. (It did not make for a particularly intimidating display, however, as Sodalime had polished sharper and more stubborn rocks than him; those delicate, glittering, semi-transparent wings looked like they'd shatter if hit the wrong way with another crystal.) "Don't be ridiculous. I can no more learn Plague magic than you can learn Earth."

"Of courssse. How sssilly of me. You know bessst," Sodalime chuckled. He swept his claws over the top of the boulder, pulling the stone like taffy and stretching it into a makeshift awning. That would help shelter the stranger until the sun stopped beating down on his back like a bag of bricks. It was supposed to be the Brightshine Jubilee, after all, and not the Sunburn Soiree. "Sssafe travel, friend."

Hael's jaw dropped as wide as it could go.

"Wh-- Wait! How did you do that?" he shouted, scrambling to his paws so quickly he nearly banged his head on the overhang. Shining claws scooped provisions and trinkets back into their travel sack. "I'm coming with you! Wait for me!"

"Changed your mind?" Sodalime asked, a teasing note in his voice.

"I've never seen anything like that," Hael whispered breathlessly. "It's impossible. Every book I have ever read says so."

"That mussst be why. I never learned to read."

Hael stared at Sodalime, too astonished to properly process the comment. Was that a joke? That was a joke, wasn't it? Rules didn't work like that. Not that rules seemed to work like anything anymore, given that display, but--

"Never mind. Come, Ssspiral. Tonight, a Jubilee feassst. Eat your fill. My clan will show you more magic. Then you can move on."

"I - yes. Yes, okay. Lead the way."

The department heads at the Observatory were never going to believe this...!

// Snek, BSJ 2019 //

---

"Watch out!"

Hael darted out of the way as a tree topples nearby. He'd been so absorbed in the new magic he'd been taught, he had completely missed the giant balls of fuzz plodding around him. If it weren't for the warning, he'd have been crushed beneath the very pine he'd been resting under. To his dismay, the crystalline flower he'd been shaping was now just a pile of stone shards. As he lamented his lost work, another voice piped up.

"You okay there?" He looked up to see... well, it must be a Gaoler. His fur was so dark, he practically blended into the pines' nettles! What was a Gaoler doing here? No, wait. This was the Snowsquall Tundra, of course there'd be Gaolers. But when had so many shown up?

"Oh, yes. I'm alright. Least I got a warning this time." The Gaoler tilted his head at Hael as he muttered the last part to himself, recalling the drake who had mistaken his tail for a stone. He wondered if he'd be able to make another flower of stone, or at least finish a piece this time, when the first voice returned.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were there! I should've checked again before taking down that tree." This one was lighter than the first, and Hael wondered if the two were brothers. The flat stare from the darker Gaoler certainly seemed to say so.

"Riodhr, last time you checked the tree, you wouldn't let me take it down because there was a pine cone shaped like the Icewarden's foot." The paler Gaoler huffed at him, puffing out his chest a bit as he shifted his feet. He almost looked abashed.

"To be fair, I've never seen a fuzzy pine cone before. And it kinda did look like his foot, Royd." The darker Gaoler scoffed, his tail slamming down as he sat beside the tree. Hael couldn't help but notice that another tree with loose roots fell over from the impact. He swept his tail around, clearing the ground to reveal a frozen puddle. Did he know it was there? Before Hael could ask, the ice shifted into a rather coarse shape. He watched as the Gaoler ran a claw over the ice, molding it as if it were clay. With a few swift strokes, Hael was staring at a depiction of the Icewarden.

"This is the Icewarden." Royd's words were slow and even, as if he were talking to a hatchling. He motioned to the front leg. "This is one of his feet." Riodhr rolled his eyes as he sat down, sighing. "This-" The Icewarden shifted into a strange shape, almost like an egg, but with a small layer of fuzz. It was definitely not the foot of the Icewarden. "Is the pine cone you found." Riodhr slammed his tail into the pinecone depiction, glaring at the other. He quickly made a new shape where Royd's pine cone had been.

"No, this is the pine cone I'd found." Hael had to admit that this one indeed looked better, but he had a different idea. He was too engrossed in the magic at work, however, to really speak his mind as he tried to figure out just how these Gaolers were doing this. They continued to bicker as they destroyed each other's works, forging new shapes in what was slowly becoming a pile of ice shards that certainly couldn't have come from that small puddle alone. They were making matter, something that should be impossible. It took Hael a moment to realize the two Gaolers were looking at him.

"I'm sorry, I think I missed what you said?" He looked up at the two Gaolers, one pale and timid, the other darker and stern. Riodhr looked rather sympathetic, while Royd seemed more annoyed. It was Royd who spoke.

"You decide, Spiral. Which is more like his foot?" Hael peered at the two pine cone depictions, and folded his small arms over his chest as he coiled himself between the two. He sdaw no likeness to his feet at all, honestly, and it was difficult to focus on that with the pile of broken ice around him. It didn't help that these sculptures were larger than he was. It was then that he saw something. Hael darted to Riodhr's sculpture, peering at the ice cone from a new angle.

"I don't see the Icewarden's feet in either of these, but I can see his face." Both let out surprised huffs as they moved closer. Riodhr frowned at the sculpture, his eyes wide while Royd squinted in confusion. Finally, the pale Gaoler spoke.

"I think we found a new method of scrying." he murmured, sitting down once more with a thump. Royd shook his head, sitting down next to him. It was then that the two seemed to recall Hael was still there. Royd turned to look at him, frowning.

"Spiral, have you been taught magic by the children of Water? You know... that weird seeing thing they can do?" Hael shrugged. He'd read about it, but he'd only heard things from the bowls. He'd never seen something before. Royd nodded, turning back to Riodhr. "How about the two of you learn together? We need to check you over for strong traces of the Shade, anyways." Hael's eyes lit up at that, and he darted over to Riodhr before he could say anything.

"I'll tell you what I read about listening to the water, and you can teach me about this old ice magic of yours! Count me in!" Riodhr sighed, smiling slightly at Hael's excitement before he picked himself up. He swept his tail over the ice, and where his tail hit, the ice turned to snow. Within moments, the frozen puddle was covered in snow, as if nothing had even been there. As the two passed Royd, Riodhr spoke.

"Alright, so long as you explain to the rest of the Watch as to why we only have two trees for the fortifications." Royd was left sputtering as Riodhr walked off with Hael, probably as excited as the small Spiral was to learn about the natural talent of his birth flight while Hael learned the magic of the First Children of Ice, if only for a day.

---

"So...you're trying to learn all the magic?"

"It seems that's what I've stumbled into, yes."

"Well, if anyone can teach you, it'd be Nirihai. Or Villuen, but she's more about combat magic. Nirihai will show you all the other stuff."

Hael looked at the red Mirror, catching a sparkle in his eyes. Nirihai must be someone special. Maybe an ancient Imperial, or a Skydancer naturally attuned to the Wind domain. Well, he supposed by that logic he, too, should be naturally attuned to Wind magic. Maybe he was! If nothing else, he was willing to practice.

He met Nirihai, a young fae, in a study thankfully a bit larger than Fae-sized.

"Well," she said, her crests flaring in an expression he read as excitement, "It seems like you're just discovering your other affinities. Of course, our strongest magical ties lie with our homeland, but you can have others too! Lots of us here study three or four different magics. If you're feeling the urge to wander, it may be you're feeling your ties to other magics emerge!"

Hael looked at her in wonder. Despite her stony expression, she was extremely animated, even having much less of a monotone than a typical fae. That definitely struck a chord with him

"How many elements can one dragon learn?" he asked.

"It's hard to say. You certainly can't be particularly good at more than two or three, but you could probably learn bits and pieces of lots of them if you were so inclined. But hey, you wanted to learn Wind magic, right?"

"Yes," Hael replied, "I'd like that."

"Well, let's go ballooning, and I'll show you the ropes!"

by cobaltstorm

---

When he woke up, Hael didn't know where he was.
Someone was talking, but he couldn't understand the quiet words.
What happened?

It was dark, wherever he was. And it smelled like water. Wet stone, to be more precise.
Just lying there, staring straight forward, he tried to get himself together.
Hael. His name was Hael and he was a traveller. Learned some things about magic. Didn't he meet two Gaolers? (----)
"Ouch." Immedatialy he regretted lifting his head - the pain let him groan.

"He is awake!"
When he opened his eyes again, two dragons where standing next to him. A Mirror and a Nocturne looking down on him with three pairs of eyes.
How uncomfortable.
"Aedon, would you please get some water for our guest?" The mirror had a suprisingly soft voice. "And some roasted insects?"
Without an answer the other dragon turned to go. Bright sunlight fell into the room when he lifted the fabric, which was hanging there instead of a door.
"How do you feel?"

"I... don't know... what... what happened?" His tounge felt heavy in his mouth, which made it hard to speak.
The Mirror sat down - wouldn't his white clothes get dirty?
"Aedon - the Nocturne - found you unconscious near the village. It seems like you have been poisoned."
"What?" Hael raised up, closing his eyes with an painful expression. "But what... I mean..."
The curtain was lifted again and two dragons entered - the Nocturne, a bowl in his paws, and a Fae, flying next to him.
He couldn't see her face, since it was concealed by a skull.

"Don't move.", she said monotone. The mirror stood up, making some space in this small building - and soon the Spiral understood why.
Herbs, a candle and a birdskull. Neatly lined up on the ground. Hael noticed, that he was lying on some blankets. Now that his eyes accustomed to the loss of light, he saw that the room was completely empty. No furniture, no decoration. Just those oddly colorful rugs they placed him on.

"What are you doing?", he asked the Fae when she landed on the ground, scrolling through the pages of a book which was nearly as large as her.
"Voodoo. And saving your life." Her voice was without emotions, she didn't even look up to him.
"Lopuh is our healer.", the Mirror interjected, which lead Hael's gaze to him. The Nocturne stood silenty by his side, still the bowl with water in his paws.
"Could I drink something?", he asked, turning back to the small dragon.
"No." she suddenly stroked the book, grabbing some of the dried herbs which smelled weird - strange, but somewhat familiar.
"Aedon." The Nocturne walked up to them, lowering the bowl so she could throw the herbs inside. Holding the skull over the water, she began to speak.
Words, Hael never heard, a language unknown to him. When Lopuh lowered her hand, she nodded slowly.
"This should help reducing the poison in your body. Did you eat some berries? Insects?"
"I... I guess, yeah." he said, irritated, taking the bowl, sceptically inspecting the plants swimming in the water, which turned greenish.
"You should be more careful. Probably you catched something dangerous. Dragons use to underestimate plants and insects since they are way smaller then themselves. But some of them can easily kill a grown-up Guardian."
"Oh."
"Do you think he could join our festivites this evening?"
Taking a sip from the bowl, Hael looked to the Mirror.
"We are a Light clan", he explained when he noticed the Spiral's look, smiling gently. "You surely know about the Brightshine Jubilee. This is just a small village and not many dragons live here, so we can't offer much more than some food and company, but you're welcome to stay over night."
Lopuh cleared her throat, packing the herbs in her bag. "I wouldn't recommend travelling this
evening in your state. As Yixing said, you won't find any luxury here, but..."
"I see.", Hael said, putting the empty bowl on the ground. "Of course I will accept your invitation. And I need to thank all of you for saving my life."
Hael looked to the Nocturne, who turned his head.
"We are glad we could help.", the Mirror answered instead. "Try to rest now. I will pick you up for the festivities."
"Wait! Lopuh?" The Fae already on her way out of the building turned around, the book in both paws, tilting her head. "Yes?"
"You're a healer, right? Would you mind teaching me about this magic you used?"
She remained silent.
"I would be glad to understand more of your work." The Spiral looked down to the bowl. He never saw something similar and that fact caught his interest.

"Okay.", she said after a long pause, "But now rest - I will get back to you."

by HelianthusNox

---

It was not a long journey from the Sunbeam Ruins to the Tangled Wood but even so, Hael still felt a little under the weather from his recent poisoning. The light clan had done a remarkable job of healing him but still he found that he was forced to travel slower. He didn't particularly mind this because it meant that he now had an excuse to take the scenic route, and while the Tangled Woods might not be considered by some to be overly beautiful there was plenty to see.

Of course, there was more than just things to see, there were tricks to be played and quite a few of them were played on poor Hael. He followed a light through the trees and wound up in a mud puddle. He bit into something that looked like it ought to have been a delicious insect but he found instead it was a flower! How useful it would have been if he knew of some way to see into the truth of things, at least just a little bit.

While he was pondering this and his growing frustration with the Shadowbinder's realm, a bramble guardian dashed across his path, following in hot pursuit by a whooping purple mirror. The mirror grabbed hold of the guardian's tail and with an impressive display of both strength and skill, used his wings to help him flip the guardian over onto its stomach where he promptly dispatched it. Then he looked over at Hael.

"You ain't lost are you?" he asked.

"I'm not, not lost," said Hael, "but I'm a traveler. I'm looking to learn all sorts of magic, and perhaps to get out of these woods."

"The woods will let you go when they're good and ready," the mirror laughed. "Name's Augur. Let me show you back home. We've got a lot of magic users who I'm sure can teach you all sorts of things that are interesting if you use magic. Now come on, help me get this thing back."

Despite asking for help, Augur proved completely capable of the transport of his prize. Hael was regulated to moving aside briar and brambles or unsticking the hunt from various pieces of natural debris.

Once they arrived and Augur had left his hunt for curing, Hael was introduced to Augur's mate, a brown coatl with bright red wings named Fairisle. He knitted quietly outside his shop front on the main concourse, seeming to be completely oblivious to the mill and noise of the dragons all around him.

"You're having trouble with the woods," said Fairisle, once he'd settled Hael with a cup of tea.

"Yes, how did you know?" asked Hael.

"It's always the eyes," Fairisle smiled. "When the woods get inside a dragon's head you can see it in their eyes. What's troubling you?"

So Hael told the calm coatl about his trip through the woods and about the mud, and the insect that was really a flower and many other things besides. When he finished, Fairisle just beckoned him into his shop and to a quiet back room. "There is no real magic for what you seek. Many of the tricks of the woods are not magical illusions, just mundane ones. I still have a way to help you. Spend the night with me. I will teach you."

Hael agreed, and so Fairisle did. He taught the spiral a way to calm his natural energy and let frustration leak away like water from a poorly made pot. Ironically enough this work was very frustrating to Hael and he had no idea if he'd ever get the hang of it. But Fairisle's company was nice and later in the evening Augur joined them for super and stories.

The next morning, Fairisle insisted on wrapping a scarf around Hael's neck.

"I made it just for you." Fairisle said.

"Its summer." said Hael.

The coatl hummed and tasted the air before he said, "Yes but it won't always be."

Hael couldn't help but laugh. He thanked the pair that had given him sanctuary in their home and set back off in the woods. Perhaps this time he would be more prepared.

By TroubleInSevens

---

Day 7 ponds Mythos Clan Shadow

At the heart of it, Hael just wants to be out of the Tangled Wood. Illusions aside, the place just seemed to seep the colour out of things, dawn taking longer to break through the tall copses and dusk coming far sooner than anticipated. Still, he tries to move slowly, not wanting to strain himself too much after the accidental poisoning. It is getting late, and his sparkly hide seems reflective despite no nearby light sources – or maybe he just feels it to be the case, looking around as he goes, fighting the urge to tie himself in knots. In fact, he is so busy checking to make sure there is nothing behind him that Hael slams right into a very solid dragon, almost entirely blended into their surroundings. "Ack!" The Spiral yelps, looking up to find Mictecacihuatl peering curiously down at him. The female laughs, a hoarse but hearty sound, and finishes packing some herbs into a pouch. "Surely I don't look that horrifying", she says, amused, and Hael can feel his ears turning as pink as his wings, though for very different reasons. "Do you require assistance of some kind?" The Coatl seems well meaning, and Hael explains to her his latest endeavors, and the quest he had somehow stumbled upon to learn different kinds of magic. The female studies him for a moment, then turns silently away, starting on the opposite direction. Hael isn't sure whether he should follow or not, but Micte pauses some feet away and waits until she can hear him shuffling through the bramble to continue. I guess I should follow, then, the thinks. Her clan's encampment is large, and housing of all different manner is to be found – he can't help but be impressed as he follow's the Coatl to her dwellings, a cabin at the center of a large ring of stones. Immediately, she sets to work hanging her new herbs upside down to dry (which Micte explains to Hael as she does). After, and over the next few weeks, she proceeds to teach him potion making, including that of poisons but more importantly, that of healing potions. At the end of his stay, as Hael readies himself to leave, Micte gives him his very own herb pouch and a few bottles of healing potions before sending him on his way. "Try not to poison yourself again, now that you know what to look out for."

RELATIONSHIPS (In order of appearance) ACQUIRED Conjurer's Herb Pouch Apparel Every great conjurer needs components to aid their spellwork. A pouch of herbs, seeds, and flowers make for effective reagents. 500 Minor Health Potion Battle Item A potion that heals your dragon for 100 health. 25 Required Level: 1 Regeneration Ability Stone Surrounds the target in a restorative aura. For a short duration, they will continuously regenerate health. 600 Required Level: 5 Levels 1-10

---

"Cain, are you sure this is a good idea?" Hael looked over the smaller dragon's shoulder, nervousness written all over his face. Cain swatted at him with his tail, making him back up a bit. "Yes, for the hundredth time, Hael. Don't worry, I did this with my own scarf." In his hands, the tiny Fae held Hael's treasured scarf, given to him on his travels. Now, he was back home in his own clan, and both dragons are trying to enchant the scarf. Cain gently puts down the scarf on a table, and summons glowing magic to swirl around his hands as he reaches towards the scarf. Hael does the same thing, but where Cain's magic glows with a blue light, his glows pink and green. As both sets of hands make contact with the scarf, the glow starts emanating from the scarf as well. The light becomes blinding and both are forced to look away, but as soon as it starts, it stops. When Cain and Hael open their eyes, it is to see a very... noticeable change to the object. "Well," Cain says, "at least it matches you better now." By Starsoul