Sheba

It was a cold night. The last talons of winter were holding on with an iron grip, reluctant to give way to impending spring. Valentine's Day was just around the corner, prompting Flaxtome and Thetis to celebrate by making their third clutch of eggs. Little did they know, that on the twilight eve of lover's festivities, these two unborn chicks were about to hatch into a remarkable pair of identical twins.

Though they look exactly alike, Sheba and Hera are two very different personalities. Sheba is the more easygoing of the two, and is usually very playful. She does have a somewhat bad habit of sticking her nose into places it shouldn't be, often stumbling herself into trouble that her more responsible sister then has to drag her out of. Sheba also seems to have some trouble remembering certain things, unless it's specific direct instructions. No one is sure if it's simply due to lack of attention, or something else entirely. Some would describe her as slightly ditzy, but she always means well and has a huge heart. She loves shiny bobbles and things, and always carries her glittering discoveries in a jar she has stashed in her nest at home.

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Jar of Side Scales

Organics

A jar consisting solely of scales harvested from the side of a noggle. Pristine! The back and belly scales were entirely wasted.

37

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We're Helping! 2021 Participation Sticker Art by BlueStopSigns

We're Helping! 2021 rule's Badge Art by Katsuji

Frosted Flowers 2021 Dom Games Participation Art by Octa

An adventurous Mith to match with an active hatchling, Ignace is charged to keep Sheba out of the worst trouble she can possibly get into. Thankfully, despite the young Snapper being a bit of a disaster magnet, the duo rarely find themselves in any true danger. As a result, Ignace more often busies himself with finding ways to distract and entertain his charge. His ability to fly is a massive boon when it comes to fetching objects of curiosity that are otherwise out of reach.

On the rare occasion that Ignace isn't needed to watch over Sheba, he will often spend his time reading in the library or conversing with other Miths living in the Clan. He's not overly social, but he finds talking with others an excellent way to find new playtime ideas. Not many know it, but he also has a passion for singing, and will sometimes attend Aretha's performances for himself as much as Sheba.


Sheba was relaxing in her bed after a long and hectic day. Another Ice exalting season had come around, though this one seemed to have arrived quickly and caught everyone slightly off guard. So many dragons in hibernation had suddenly exploded from the Deeper Halls, ready to take flight and serve Icewarden. It was spectacular to see, even moreso watching Skylake handling the tracking scrolls with practiced ease. Well, at least it was exciting, until she was shooed off to her parents' den for being underclaw too much. Thankfully, her Cinder Mith, Ignace, had been there to keep her from being bored to death. She smiled and yawned, enjoying the late night she'd been afforded by everyone else being too busy to check her bedtime. Just as she was about to doze off, her twin sibling suddenly exploded into the room.

"Sister!" Hera exclaimed. "You didn't forget the quest you'd agreed to help with this week, did you?" An Ember Mouse, Pyralis, clung to his distressed charge's tail, squeaking in protest at the late hour.

"Oh. Oops." Sheba sighed. It wasn't her fault that things were always so hard to remember. She pulled out a scrap of parchment that the strange Galoer hatchling had given her earlier in the day. "Uhmn, says she was looking for a dragon exalted that had a flowery color. Or something like that."

Hera groaned. "You're lucky Skylake keeps such detailed records. C'mon, let's see if we can find a match in the archives before the adults find us missing! I can't believe I have to keep sticking my neck out for you." Ignoring her twin's protests that she lacked much of a neck to stick out with, they trampled their way to the library, hoping to find a match from the day's logs.

Thankfully, the search took almost no time at all. Once they found the right scrolls, the sisters peered at the very first entry; Raspberry, a Pearlcatcher born within the clan. "Oh look, raspberries are plants with flowers, right?!" exclaimed Sheba. Hera started to groan, but it turned into a heavy sigh of relief as she looked further down the record.

"They didn't mean the name, doofus. But here! Raspberry is recorded with a Fuchsia tertiary." Hera made an exasperated noise at her sister's blank gaze. "Look, it means this'll count for your quest. Now..." Hera's expression soured even more. "It's way too late for us to be out, and the adults will catch you for sure... so you get back to the den, and I'll sneak out and deliver this for you. JUST THIS ONCE. Try not to draw attention until I get back, okay?"

Sheba grinned. "You're the best sister ever! I promise I'll be super-duper quiet, nobody will know nothing!"

"Nobody will know ANYthing," Hera scowled, correcting her twin's poor grammar. Once she was sure Sheba was well on her way back to bed, she scampered out to find a nighttime courier, vowing to make sure her sister would remember her promise PROPERLY for the rest of the week.

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Hera was enjoying some much-needed rest after her late night. In fact, everyone was getting a slow start; the first day of a dominance push was always chaotic. Finally, after most of the adult dragons were finally up and about, Hera stretched and decided to see how her sister was getting along. No doubt she'd been distracted by more newcomers aspiring service alongside Icewarden. But, much to her pleasant surprise, no sooner had she poked her head out of the den than her twin bowled into her side, squealing excitedly.

"Sister! We get to make flower snowcones today! That's perfect for us!" Sheba was beside herself with excitement. Flowers AND sweets? This young Gaoler knew how to have fun! She was already imagining all the colors and flavors she'd get to try out with everyone.

Despite being the more serious of the two, Hera wasn't a complete sourpuss. It did sound like fun, so she didn't even protest about helping out. Once she managed to pry the parchment from her sister's claws, she gave it a quick read. "Coliseum, huh? Well, we better get a move on and ask the trainers for help before they get too busy!"

Thankfully, no trainees had shown up yet, so Morelund and Drunidare were able to take a quick trip with the siblings to the Sandswept Delta. Not many would expect much to grow in a desert, but the Founders knew many of the Serthis gathered Orchids at the Beastclan borders. It didn't take long to get the requested amount, plus few extra so there would be plenty to trade and share. The twins were soon sent packing back to their new friend, Hera with a polite chirp and Sheba still squealing happily.

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Sheba was trying not to be disheartened. She'd been excited to see Corvi again, but she was really nervous about today's task. She never was one to be the creative type, and making a toy out of flowers seemed like an impossible task. Many of the other hatchlings playing had already presented the few ideas she'd been able to think of, and she didn't want to be accused of being a copy-Capricat.

Hera was quick to pick up on her twin's distress. "What's got your Spiral in a knot, sister?" She finally managed to get ahold of the day's parchment, and had to admit she also felt somewhat stumped about making a plaything from petals. After several minutes, her face suddenly began to lift with an idea. Hera whispered into her sibling's ear, making Sheba giggle and look a lot happier, too.

After gathering up a few pawfuls of sand, Hera used some magic she'd picked up on to melt the pile into a glass bowl. Sheba then brought over some flower petals and other glittery things from her own collection. They both filled the bowl with water and floated the various colorful objects inside. Ignace had found a decent slab-like rock in the meantime, and Hera melted the bowl's edges a little more to stick it on. After flipping their contraption over, Sheba started making her little happy squeals again. They then marched their way back to the crowd of hatchling helpers, ready to show off their new snowglobe creation.

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Hera was nervous. Corvi had seemed fairly respectable despite her age, but leave it to the young Gaoler to suddenly declare today as the time to prank everyone. The Snapper twin knew that usually wasn't a good idea, especially during such a busy time. The adults needed to focus on their work. She'd been racking her skull while Sheba eagerly gathered petal confetti to make a mess with. Who could they safely surprise without getting into trouble? It seemed impossible.

"Think this is enough?" Sheba deposited a small mound in front of her sister. How had she managed to find that many flowers in the first place? Good thing she'd already been told she couldn't raid the food stores for the purpose, or their eventual victim would've been entirely buried.

"That's... a lot. I still have no idea who we're going to use this on. I'm NOT letting you get into trouble with this... mischief." Hera still wasn't sure if she entirely approved of what was happening, but she was just as reluctant to get in the way of her twin having fun. As long as she was responsible about it. Hopefully.

"Ooh, how about Darkoth? Mimics like pranks, and he's practically half-mimic himself! C'mon, before the petals start drying out too much!" Sheba swiftly dragged her sister behind her. Hera was too stunned at her sibling's sudden display of actual brilliant logic to speak. Just as she got herself reoriented enough to try and say something, Sheba suddenly shouted. "Surprise!!!" Petals and pollen exploded everywhere.

"Tssss!! Wh...who... w-what...?!" As the flower confetti settled, Darkoth stood there, utterly stunned, every eye open wide in shock. He was covered in so many hues, it looked like sequins had been glued all over his patchwork scales. Hera sat frozen in the silence, feeling slightly scared. Suddenly, the Coatl began to chuckle. Before long, everyone was roaring with laughter. Others nearby poked their heads in to stare, baffled at the sight, but the prank had thankfully been a resounding success. Hera later couldn't help but admit she had a bit of fun with the whole thing, too.

---

Sheba gazed in wonder at the Tundra being painted, impressed with Corvi's skills. The loops were so perfectly drawn! The Snapper herself wasn't much of the artistic sort, and there was no way she'd be able to make her lines that good. Maybe her twin would have better luck making patterns like that without the wobbles... suddenly, she started to get an idea involving one of the clan's Imperials. She went to go find her sibling.

Hera looked over as she was approached. "Hello, sister! I'm guessing you want to paint a dragon, too? Leafy would perfect for that." Leafonmith was known across the dens for the self-pigmented scales that made her look like a Luna Mith.

Sheba huffed. "Well, I was gonna say that, but you started talking first." She wasn't really that put out, though, and the two of them were soon off to find the mysterious artist.

It didn't take long to find who they were looking for. "Aunty Leafy, Aunty Leafy!" Sheba all but barreled into the Imperial's leg. After setting the eager Snapper back upright and managing to get out what the excitement was for, Leafonmith happily agreed to tutor them in bodypainting for the day. They mixed up a few pigments from the springtime flowers, and the twins were soon drawing away. Hera was indeed better with lines, so she drew the patterns while Sheba filled them in. Leafy watched their progress via a mirror, laying patiently in various positions as her scales became covered, chattering away and giving advice as she was slowly transformed into a snowy flower field.

"Wow." Even Hera was impressed, both hatchlings stepping back and staring in awe. Leafy had guided them well, and they couldn't wait to show off to their Gaoler friend what they'd done. The Imperial gladly followed them, curious to see what the other young dragons were up to, and maybe to help mix some more paints for their own projects.

---

Hera scratched her chin as she listened to Corvi's chatter on the journal. To be fair, she had heard of far stranger obsessions than pizza toppings. She just hoped the Gaoler hadn't taken it without asking. Prying into one's private writings was pretty rude. In any case, the clan didn't have a chef per se... but maybe their storeroom manager could weigh in on the subject of flowers as toppings.

"Ooh, this recipe looks good!" Sheba was nosing through the pages herself, staring at the tasty-looking drawings within. It looked like it had lots of mushrooms and spinach. Hera had to tug at her sibling's wing to get her to budge, and they went off to the pantry while discussing various foods.

As could be expected, Shagambi was organizing another recent hunting haul onto the carved shelves, setting the preservation spells carefully in place to prevent spoilage. She seemed a bit befuddled when the twins started asking her about putting blooms onto pizzas, but it also struck a vague memory. "You know," the Fae hummed, "I think I heard about something similar once long ago with cakes... Let's go check the library real quick."

A swift trip to the archives later, and there were several cookbooks piled onto the study tables. Suddenly, Shagambi pointed. "There, anniversary celebrations. It looks like there's a Leaf Cake recipe, and it asks for flowers. I can get you some quills so you can copy it down and show your friend."

"Got it covered, thank you." Hera pulled out her own parchment and quill she always kept on hand, scribbling to the noises of approval from the storeroom Fae. After Hera reminded Sheba that they needed to clean up their mess before leaving, the Snapper twins then returned out to the snow. Maybe they could put together a new recipe book to share between all their clans.

---

Sheba had several mixed feelings. Yeah, everything had to come to an end eventually... but that didn't make her feel any better. She loved meeting all the other clan hatchlings, and this week had been some of the most fun she'd ever had. She was really going to miss Corvi...

"Sister! Some of the flower booths are already closing down, we need to hurry before there's nothing left!" Hera was trying her best to keep her sibling distracted. She was hoping they'd be able to find something special from the market leftovers. Suddenly, a stall labeled "Friendship Flowers" came into view. Perfect.

With her paws full of alstroemerias, Sheba did look a little happier. The twins even made sure to get ones with extra leaves and stems, so hopefully they could weave them into castle structures. Following behind, Hera made sure to bring extra parchment in case anyone wanted to exchange addresses for sending letters. Yes, their week together may be ending, but they still had time to make one last spectacular memory before returning home.