Heart

Breed Change: Banescale Specialty Items Changes the breed of one dragon to Banescale. Banescale dragons are an ancient breed with a 20-day breeding cooldown. Applying this item will reset all of the target dragon’s genes to Basic. 27500

Heart Rose Plant Consuming or gifting these flowers is good for one's heart. 25 3

Heart First Banescale

Unhatched Nature Egg Dragon Eggs A fertile, earthen pod that has attracted a healthy colony of fireflies. It is bursting with ripe, healthy green leaves and looks about ready to bloom. 0

Forgotten Poet's Tools Trinkets The abandoned tools of a traveling poet. The inkwell is empty, and the feather is wilting. 80

Valentine did not enjoy having a nest as much as she thought she would. When Mote had propositioned her, she thought it might be an interesting adventure, but she soon found out otherwise. For one thing, Mote wasn't around as much as she thought he'd be. she'd imagined long days sitting by their nest together, talking about architecture, and art, interests they had in common. instead she found herself doing a lot of sitting alone, and him off having his usual good time. It really didn't help that plenty of other females had told her that she should have expected this. Valentine had known that Mote had a lot of previous partners, but she'd been a bit surprised by how many.

She also found the uncertainty did not agree with her. There was one egg, parented by a Spiral and a Fae, which meant the baby probably would be a Fae, but it wasn't impossible that it would be a spiral. If it was a male there would be no problem with it staying, but if it was a female Arkar would want to exalt it, unless it was a spiral. Valentine wondered if she could breed change her baby into a spiral with no one noticing, if it was a girl. Probably not, Arkar was sitting a nest at the same time, and the nesting grounds were not large. Valentine was used to creating scrolls. when she did that she knew exactly what she was getting, and she was done in a few hours. Now, she had no idea, and it was lasting for days. she hated it. She knew she would never have another nest. This child would be her only, whatever it turned out to be.

Of course this decision only made her more stressed. When you only have one child, you want them to have a future. She considered teaching her offspring the magic of scroll crafting, but she knew she was only supposed to have one apprentice in her life. Also the clan really didn't need a second scroll crafter. If she trained her child that way, they would be expected to go out into the world, which was unsafe. Even if they became a valued member of their new clan, things could happen. Most clans were not as large and as powerful as Arkar's clan, they were at risk of invasion or famine or disease.

No, Valentine wanted to insure her child a place in her own clan. She wanted them to live near her, where she could see them often. Unfortunately she was unable to plan the best way to bring this about when she didn't know what breed or gender the child would be.

At long last, the egg began to rock. Then a piercing note rang out from inside of it, and the egg shell shattered. In the broken shell and slowly spreading pool of fluid sat a tiny hatchling, a Fae.

Valentine's first thought was that her hatchling was premature. He was so small and pink. then she recalled how small Mote was, and he was a full grown Fae, of course baby ones would be tiny. She gathered her hatchling up in her hands. He was male, he had more chances for survival.

Arkar had wandered over from her own nest. "Another one of Mote's?" "Yes, a son." Valentine said, recalling the rule, "In the event of an odd numbered nest, the mother may keep the extra cub so long as the following requirements are met." Those requirements being that male ridgebacks, guardians and snappers must be exalted, as well as female fae and imperials. "Shame about the color." the bearded guardian said, then headed back to her nest. Valentine felt a sense of relief. Her son was by no means safe, but he wasn't to be exalted out of hand. It would take more to get him accepted into the clan, but at least she had time now, and knew what she was working with.

Valentine realized that her lair had a lot of things that a baby could damage or damage themselves with. She decided to stay on the ground for a while until her child was a little calmer, though being half spiral she wasn't sure when that would be. She staked out a clump of bushes just up stream of the nesting grounds, and made herself a temporary lair.

She was resting in this lair when Kim came looking for Arkar.

"Word on the Wind is that another ancient breed has been rediscovered." the nocturne told the clan leader. "They were seen flying up from the Ashfall waste, rumor is they're called Banescales."

"From the fire domain?" Arkar said, "But every one expected that the seas would be where the next ones came from."

"I'm just telling you what I heard, I'll bring you more details as I get them." The nocturne jumped into the air and was gone.

"HARMONY!" Arkar bellowed, her powerful voice carrying across her domain.

Moments later the imperial appeared before her. He had clearly just rolled out of bed.

"There's a new ancient breed, brew me one." Arkar said bluntly. "What, already? mean, Now?" Harmony stammered, "I'm not ready, I, I don't have the supplies." "I can do it." Valentine said. Arkar and Harmony turned to look at her. "I can turn any dragon into any other breed. I'll make you all the breed change scrolls you want." She said, "All I ask is that my son be the first." This would secure him a place in Arkar's clan, the first of a newly discovered breed. he would be safe, and respected. "Alright." Arkar said, "Harmony, go help her."

"Right away." Harmony said. As soon as they were out of Arkar's hearing he added, "thank you for bailing me out, I've been trying to get prepared, but I thought I had more time."

"I did it for my son." Valentine said, "But I do need your help."

"Anything." Harmony replied.

"Keep Heart busy while I work." She handed him her child, and started pulling supplies out of her shelves.

Hours later Valentine handed the first of her finished scrolls to Heart. At only a day and a half old, he couldn't really read yet, but he knew what scrolls were for, and stared interestedly at the letters. the power washed over him, and he trilled with alarm and pain as his body began to change.

His tiny arms retraced into this chest, fusing with his wing bones to make them stronger. His tiger stripes blurred and ran, warping into heart shapes and squiggles. The white patches on his wings were stretched and dulled as his wings grew, but his lace marking stayed the same. In seconds the transformation as complete.

"Mama, I'm bigger now." Heart said, looking up at her.

"You are, and I'm glad." She replied, "now let me check something on this scroll, your markings shouldn't have been changed by this."

"Turing a dragon into an ancient breed is bound to cause some changes." Harmony said. "Vert and Sylph changed."

"They were using ancient magic that a familiar drug in." Valentine said, "Not specifically crafted magical scrolls designed to do a thing. I'm giving the next scroll to the clan leader, and I want it to be perfect."

"Am I perfect?" Heart asked. "Of course you are." Valentine said, gathering him up in her arms. He wrapped his wings around her neck. "You are the most perfect thing I ever created. Look, when your stripes melted they made hearts." She pointed out the little spots on his tail. "Like my name!" He said excited. "Yes, like your name, My Heart."