Myst

DESIGNATION: Apprentice Ward Keeper, Species Progenator
BLOODLINE: Pure, second generation of new world
BREEDING COMPATIBILITY: Unknown


Shade Fae are not known to be monogamous, as breeding is done out of necessity for the survival of the species, not out of affection. That being said, Shadow and Chirp tucked away during the winter solstice to raise a clutch of very special hatchlings.

The tiny black dragons rose from the lava at the turning of times, the magic of the start of a new decade infused into their very essence.

From the outside, they didn't look much different from others of their kind. But on the inside, the magic of change burned bright, allowing them to be the only second-generation of their species to breed with non-Shade Fae dragons, perhaps even those without purely black hides.

Each dragon took one hatchling under their wing to raise it, making sure they would grow up safe and understand their importance to the survival of their species, and the integration into the new world they would be calling home.

Myst was taken in by her mother, Chirp, who took her deep into the den to the pool of lava where she had been born. She would teach her all there was to know about the wards they kept and how to care for them in order to keep their home and their clan safe.

---

It was nearing sundown when Dustfeather landed on the beach. A few Crowe and Celestial's clan members were still out; Sticky was catching bugs with Amethyst and Streak, and Cosmos was tending a small garden near the den entrance. Undertaker and Crowe sat on the beach, watching the waves roll in beneath the setting sun. They rose and faced Dustfeather as he touched down and made his way towards them.

"Good evening," he said. "I hope you've been well since the last time we spoke."

"We've been alright, thank you," said Crowe. "We hope you've been well in turn."

"We're doing well," Dustfeather replied. "We spoke with our queen, and she's agreed to meet with you at the obelisk. We can leave now if you wish."

Crowe and Undertaker followed Dustfeather, who led the way to the cliff. As they grew near the strange obsidian carving, Crowe felt a pain in her head. It started as a fuzzy, tinging sensation, but it slowly grew to a buzzing itch behind her eyes.

The three dragons landed on the cliff, a decent walking distance from the obelisk.

Crowe lowered her head, her eyes narrowed painfully. Undertaker felt a buzzing in his chest, but it wasn't as bad as Crowe's reaction.

"Are you alright?" Dustfeather stepped towards her, freezing as Undertaker lifted his wings defensively.

"Something about this place makes my head hurt," said Crowe. "I feel it whenever we come out here... or when you come to us, but it's stronger here now..."

Dustfeather looked at Undertaker nervously before reaching into his bag and pulling out a small necklace. It was a simple piece of jewelry, a piece of rough string with a large caged jewel on it.

"Try this." He handed the item to Crowe. "It should help."

As soon as she touched it, the pain in her head began to defuse. Crowe put the necklace on, a feeling of relief rushing through her as the buzzing ceased.

"... thank you," she said. "What is this?"

"Our wards are very strong," said Dustfeather softly. "It appears some of the dragons here are sensitive to the magic we use... that crystal acts as a counterbalance." He handed a second necklace to Undertaker, who accepted it cautiously.

Three dragons were waiting at the obelisk. A massive Ridgeback sat behind a small Mirror and a Pearlcatcher; Hydria was watching over Char and Shiver.

They watched silently as Dustfeather led the two Skydancers to them, their red eyes glowing in the darkness. Shiver's eyes were the brightest, glimmering like little red stars as she stood slowly.

"This is Hydria, our architect," Dustfeather introduced Crowe and Undertaker as they stopped a few steps away from the trio of shadowy dragons. Hydria lowered her massive head slowly and shut her eyes. Crowe returned the nod.

"This is Char, one of our ambassadors, and our Queen, Shiver."

"Good evening," Shiver said, her tone gentle.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Crowe replied as she lowered her head in greeting. "This is Undertaker, my clan's protector, and my name is Crowe. My clan lives on the beach."

"We are aware," Shiver responded. "Your clan followed the Mirror here from your old home in the dark forest, I believe you call him Bones."

"We did." Crowe's demeanor changed slightly. "How did you know about Bones?"

"I marked Bones and sent him to you."

Shiver shifted her weight slowly. "I know you have many questions. I will try my best to explain. My family has travelled a long way in search of a place to call home... but we are not like you. We come from a place much different from this one... a place where we were hunted for our magic. We have grown small in number over the last few centuries... because of this, we have had no other choice than to leave our old home behind. We have come here to start over."

"I'm sorry to hear," Crowe said softly. "But I don't understand... why did you send Bones to my clan?"

"In order for us to ensure a future for our kind, we must mingle with native dragons in this world," Shiver responded. "That means we will need to merge our own blueprint with dragons who were born here... but there are limitations. My family can only breed with their own kind, as we do not procreate in the same way other dragons do. But as a Queen, I am different... I am able to collect the blueprints of native dragons that are compatible with ours. Not all dragons here are.

"My scout, Shadow, became aware of your clan while you were still living in the dark forest. He noted that your clan had the potential to produce offspring that would be compatible with our own blueprint, and so I sent a messenger, the travelling Mirror called Bones, in hope that he would lead you here. The veil is thin in this land of fire, and we were able to anchor ourselves here... but we would not be able to stay without the help of native dragon DNA."

"You led us here... to take our genetic blueprints?" asked Undertaker.

"In short, yes," Shiver said. "By combining the blueprints of compatible dragons in this world, we can anchor ourselves to this one... until our offspring are fully bound to this world. It's the only way we can stay here... the only way we can survive."

"My son, Midnight, his blueprint was changed," Crowe said. "He had markings on his wings like Undertaker here, his father. But after visiting this obelisk, his markings vanished and Spines grew from his back. It was very painful for him. Why did you make the change to him without asking him?"

"It was an act of desperation," Shiver admitted as she lowered her head sadly. "My Hive was at a place where we were unable to ground ourselves. We did not have a solid link to this world, and it was taking more and more magic to hold us here. Your son, Midnight, was almost a perfect match for me to combine my own blueprint with. The resulting offspring would have a strong tie to this land, and so long as they live, their tie will strengthen our tie to this world."

"You... bred with Midnight?" Undertaker sounded confused. "He never said anything about that, only that he saw a dragon that looked like you on the cliff..."

"We do not breed," Shiver told him. "Not in the sense that you do. The blueprints are held as ambient magic, which I keep within this." She curled her tail in front of herself, showing the clan her pearl. Up close, it became clear that it was not a pearl at all, but rather a white orb with glistening colors flowing through it. A dim glow formed a halo around it.

"I use this to hold the blueprints, and when the time is right, I place it in our incubation chamber. The magic within our hive combines the energies, which coalesce into eggs that will hatch into dragons like us... or hybrid dragons, which is what our goal is. The hybrid dragons will have a solid tie to this world, and they will live on here where they will be safe from those who hunted us and drove us from our homelands."

She held the strange pearl to her chest. "I am truly sorry for the pain I caused your son," she said softly after a moment. "It was never my intention to cause him harm... I hope you can understand."

Crowe felt a shift in the energy around her. The buzzing stopped completely, and instead she felt a melancholy coldness flow over her body. She looked at the strange dragons that stood before her, and as she did, she saw something that had been overlooked.

"You are young," Crowe said after a moment, her voice almost a whisper. "All of you are..."

"Our families were killed for their horns and hides," Hydria said after a moment. "When Shiver hatched, her bright eyes marked her as a queen. Queens are not born often, and they are the only ones capable of pulling non-native blueprints."

"We were hidden away when the attack on our old home happened," Char continued. "Once the raid had ended... nothing was left. We had no choice other than to flee, or they would find us and take us as well. With Shiver, who was only a fledgling at the time, we knew we had a chance for survival... but we would have to cross the veil into another world. This one was the only one we were able to anchor ourselves into. The magic here was similar enough that we could hold together here. It was our last hope."

"It was our only hope." Hydria looked up slowly, her red eyes settling on the two smaller dragons that stood before them.

Crowe felt a deep pain in her chest, but it was not a pain caused by any kind of magic. All fear faded away as she saw the dragons as what they truly were: not some monsters from another place, but rather frightened, desperate survivors of an ongoing war she could not even begin to imagine. They were simply trying to survive, and create a place where their future lineage would be safe from the creatures that wanted nothing other than to kill them and take their magic. Worst of all, if Shiver were only a fledgling when they fled, that meant the others had only been hatchlings.

She looked at Undertaker, who glanced back with a look of sorrow in his eye.

"How is Midnight doing now?"

The sudden question caught Crowe and Undertaker by surprise.

"I hope he is well," Shiver continued. "I hope the pain I caused him has faded..."

"The pain is gone," Crowe confirmed. "It was brief... he was more frightened than anything else. We all were."

"You have my deepest apologies."

"We forgive you," Crowe said. "I have been documenting the shift in magic for quite some time. Part of what led my clan here was the fact that Bones had the same sigil on his arm that I had theorized with my work. I didn't know what it meant at the time, only that it held some significance regarding a change that was coming to our world."

"You sensed us," Dustfeather said softly. He was sitting between Crowe and Char.

"I have unusually powerful intuition magic," Crowe said. "It all makes sense now... the shift, the sigils, the strange energies that were growing stronger here. This was where you could pass through the veil, a place with a rift to your own realm, the place you were still tied to magically."

"Yes," Shiver said. "We needed the tie for our Hive to stabilize... and it is now, thanks to your clan."

"We would like to make peace with you, if possible," Char said. "I'll be honest, we still don't understand a lot about this new world. Many of the members of our Hive are too frightened to leave, unsure of whether or not the dragons here will be hostile to them like many of the ones from our old home. We could use allies."

"I will speak to my clan, explain what has happened and why," said Crowe. "I feel much of the tension is a misunderstanding due to lack of communication, but that can be resolved. It won't be an overnight thing, but I believe that in time, we may be able to form a friendly relation with you and your Hive."

"We would appreciate that more than you could know." All four of the black dragons looked up as Shiver spoke, their red eyes glistening with what could only be described as hope.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Shiver," Crowe said gently. "Undertaker and I will head home now to speak with the rest of the clan, if that's alright."

"Certainly." The group of Shade Faeries stood slowly.

"Is there a way for us to communicate with you?" Undertaker asked. "Your hive is well hidden, and I understand the need for you to keep it hidden from us at this time, but how else are we to contact you?"

"We visit this obelisk frequently," said Shiver. "You may leave any message scrolls here, and we will leave responses as soon as possible."

"Excellent. I will leave your clan a message scroll once I've spoken to my clan about what's happened. I hope that in time we will become friends."

"We hope so too," Char said. "We could really use... friends."

The two factions bid farewell. Shiver insisted Crowe and Undertaker keep the crystal necklaces they were given, and handed them a few more in case any of the others were having painful reactions to their magic. Crowe thanked her, knowing they would help immensely with Ruby's headaches and Skellig's dizziness.

It was the first exchange in the direction of an alliance.