Ortez

WRITTEN BY
Aequorin


Ancient Arboriculture Observations
Mid-Canopy, Auraboa Domain outskirts
High Sun

Observed a mere clawful of Auraboa dragons since losing sight of Gladebough Village. Their behavior was peculiar, traveling around the Behemoth in a uniform clockwise direction with perfectly synced wingcraft! They did not engage in any of the known branches of arboriculture: mundane, traditional Nature magic, or their own. After a brief rest, I intend to follow the known Auraboan flight path to the Central Canopy. words words words words words


Juniper sighed, leaning back into the curved boughs that served as her perch to read over her notes, pondering as she absently tapped her quill against the pages. There was still so much they didn't understand about the ancient Nature dragons who held themselves separate from the rest of Sornieth. Still, this trip was an opportunity for her to observe their arboriculture—from a respectful distance of course!

Although the dragons of Gladebough Village never got an answer as to why the Auraboa remained distant, it certainly wasn't for any lack of trying! This was, in large part, because the ancient dragons' manner of communication was practically labyrinthine. Attempting to speak with one was a winding, looping, and ultimately futile exercise in non-sequitur laden frustration. Still, if there were answers to be found, Juniper hoped she'd be the one to find them.

"Right!" Juniper brandished her quill in front of her with a flourish. "To the Central Canopy!" Renewed, the Wildclaw hopped up and gathered her gear. As she finished packing her journal, a flock of small birds took flight from the branches above, shaking loose a twisting section of vines. Ducking beneath the swinging flora, Juniper realized she wasn't alone. Something breathed over her, something much bigger than the Wildclaw arborist followed by a sound that made the feathers on her neck stand on end.

"Healer...tree...healer..."

The hissing voice in her ear seemed to struggle with the words, almost like a hatchling sounding out words for the very first time.

Juniper forced herself to shift her weight, pivoting as slowly and non-threateningly as possible to face the mysterious voice. She bit down the squawk that tried to escape when the owner of the voice came into view. A bright green and pink speckled Auraboa head and twice the size of her own emerged from the leaves above. Their large round eyes seemed to gaze through her, as if taking in not just her but all their surroundings at once. Juniper could only stare in shock, her mouth agape. An Auraboa was asking for something? And from her of all dragons!

The Auraboa wrinkled their snout and shook their head in...frustration? "You. You. Tree. Follow."

"Tree? Tree healer? Tree—oh!" A memory flashed through Juniper's mind, cutting through her stunned surprise. The Auraboa spent several days observing the Arboretum not long after Gladebough was established, even though the tree nursery and preserve had been at the base of the Behemoth since long before the village's founding. "Yes, yes I'm an arborist! Healing trees, that's what I do! Is it the Behemoth? Is it sick? What do you need? I could fly back to the Arboretum and return with many more skilled and specialized arborists within a day!"

The Auraboa's head tilted at her words. "Day?" The dragon righted themselves, their expression unreadable. "You. Tree healer. Follow." The serpentine dragon turned away from Juniper and as they did, two other Auraboa emerged from the vines and branches overhead. The pair reached down on either side of her before neatly plucking Juniper from her perch.


Auraboa Decorative Linebreak



Suspended between the two, Juniper bubbled with excitement. This was more than she could have dreamed—direct interaction with an Auraboa! Despite her giddiness, Juniper focused on observing their journey through the great mother tree with as much professional detachment as she could muster. What fascinated Juniper the most was the Auraboa's seeming ability to command the branches of the Behemoth itself! That's one way of maintaining your privacy, Juniper mused. As the flight dragged on, Juniper would occasionally catch a glimpse of the sky above through the dense foliage. The sun, well past its zenith now, would soon light up the horizon in a brilliant display of color making way for Sornieth's rising moons.

The ancient dragons eventually slowed to a stop, gently depositing Juniper on a ledge of tightly woven branches. The green and pink Auraboa positioned themselves between the arborist and an unmoving wall of vines and branches that rose high into the canopy above, expanding out and around into a dome.

"Saplings...wrong," the Auraboa emphasized the last word, staring intensely at Juniper. "You. Heal." The dragon then turned and flew through the vine wall, which parted for them at the last possible second, just enough for the dragon to fit before closing behind them.

"Wait! Which saplings?! What are the symptoms?" Juniper cried out as the dragon vanished. From the corner of her eye, Juniper saw the two companion dragons approaching with their outstretched claws. She quickly got in the air herself. "I'm quite capable of following on my own, thank you!" she called back to them as she flew after her pink speckled guide. Right as she crossed the massive dome's threshold the opening sealed behind her, plunging Juniper into darkness...


Auraboa Decorative Linebreak



Enough light filtered through tiny fissures in the vines that Juniper could make out a winding tunnel ahead. As she glided through the dark passage, she heard a large number of muffled voices, too indistinct to make out. After several minutes of tunnel traversal and a notable increase in the volume of muffled noise, Juniper arrived at a dead end. Pulling to a stop, she reached out a hand. "Um, open please?" she asked, feeling somewhat silly. The vines enclosing the end of the tunnel withdrew, and Juniper was immediately overwhelmed by a cacophony of shrieking, laughter, and sounds of play.

Gathered inside the expansive domed space were multitudes of Auraboa with hatchlings at every stage of development. One area had been sectioned off to contain newly hatched Auraboa, but those outside of that space were slithering or awkwardly flying around. Countless adult and elder Auraboa watched over the hatchlings from the floor all the way to the top of the dome. Juniper spotted the pink speckled Auraboa on the floor below. The serpentine figure worried over a tiny green and pink creature that was excitedly climbing all over them. Landing next to the pair, Juniper was nearly knocked off her feet when the hatchling half-jumped, half-crash-landed onto her with a delighted squeal.

"HI! Hi, hi, hi, hi," the youngling repeated before slipping down to the floor. "HI!" The hatchling extended their coiled body, studying Juniper with a quizzical expression. "The same?"

Juniper cast a long side-eye over to the older Auraboa who looked between the hatchling and the Wildclaw with worry. "Wait, are these the saplings? Your saplings? Your hatchlings?"

The Auraboa's expression changed from one of concern to a mixture of grief and relief. "Saplings...silent. Saplings...wilt."

Juniper mulled over the Auraboa's words, trying to understand. "I promise you, your babies are anything but silent."

The ancient dragon exhaled sharply, sending Juniper backwards on her tail. "Saplings...SILENT. Saplings WILT."

The hatchling eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to half crawl, half slither onto Juniper. They grabbed her necklace that had been shaken loose. The hatchling's focus was the clear amber pendant—a nesting gift from her lairmate, Aspen. Within the pendant lay a six leaf clover preserved at peak green, representing the pair and their first clutch in Gladebough. Watching the hatchling lose themselves in the sensory experience of the pendant's texture, shape, and colors, Juniper tried to make sense of the situation. Based on how the adults and elders were acting, one would think that these young dragons were deathly ill, but as far as she could tell they were perfectly healthy hatchlings. In need of some structure perhaps, but healthy.

The hatchling in her lap tapped the green area of the pendant. "What? What this?"

"That's called a 'clover'," Juniper cooed warmly in response. "And what's your name?"

The young Auraboa tilted their head. "Name?"

"Yes, name. My name is Juniper." She pointed to herself. "What's your name?" she asked, pointing to the hatchling.

Their claws still wrapped around her pendant, the hatchling considered her question. They opened their mouth as if to respond, but yawned instead. Blinking at her sleepily, they yawned again, swaying slightly. Juniper adjusted the hatchling's position so they could rest their head on her shoulder. The hatchling sighed happily. As she felt their breathing start to regulate, her Auraboa guide frantically jumped to the air, feathers and wings flared, crying "Saplings wilt! Saplings wilt!" Before Juniper could respond, a bone-chilling wail echoed from across the dome, and the other adults responded in kind. The Auraboa descended into the recessed area as one, rushing to their young.

Before Juniper could react to the sudden change, the mass of dragons parted as a bright yellow Auraboa rushed forward clutching two prone, newly hatched dragons. The dragon came to a sudden stop in front of her, their expression terrified and desperately seeking answers. This dragon didn't speak, nor did they need to. Juniper understood what was being asked of her. Careful not to jostle the sleeping hatchling she held, Juniper stood and looked closely at the small Auraboa.

After a few tense moments, Juniper breathed a sigh of relief. She straightened, giving the terrified Auraboa a comforting smile with a nod. "They're okay," she whispered before taking further stock of the nursery, checking on those closest to her. The cacophony from earlier had changed, from playful squeals and shrieks, to one of distress, grief, and fear. The hatchling she held stirred and lifted their head to look at Juniper with sleep heavy eyes before mumbling, "Loud. Grown-ups loud. Can't hear us. Tell them shhhh..."

Juniper choked and almost stumbled, suppressing the laugh that threatened to escape. Well, that seals it! The Wildclaw moved back over to the agitated Auraboa she believed to be the drowsy hatchling's parent. The dragon was spiraling, repeating "Saplings wilt!" in a rising panic.

"Your babies are fine." Juniper spoke quietly, but firmly. The Auraboa froze. "They're sleeping, like any young dragon." She adjusted the dozing hatchling she carried and they yawned in response, before snuggling their sleepy face back into her neck. "See? It's good for them to rest."

The Auraboa looked desperately at their hatchling and back to Juniper in confusion. "Sleep?"

"Yes, sleep. Something I'd like to do soon, myself. Please tell your kin their young are okay. We'll discuss this tomorrow."

"To...mo...row?"

A rustle went through the gathered Auraboa and Juniper turned around to find herself surrounded by the ancient dragons, all watching her with confused and mystified expressions.

"Yes? Tomorrow. It's been a long day."


Auraboa Decorative Linebreak



The next morning Juniper presented a possible plan on moving forward with the Auraboa who could translate and their elders. It was ambitious, requiring the support of Gladebough, and wholly dependent on the ancient dragons' consent.

"Sun high—saplings grow in Gladebough Village or Arboretum. Moons high—saplings grow in Loop," she explained, drawing arrows from the celestial bodies to their respective locations on her hastily drawn map to aid communication with the Auraboa translator. She'd realized quickly that using common units of time caused significant confusion amongst the Auraboa. However these ancient dragons viewed the day-to-day was beyond Juniper's comprehension, so she focused instead on tangible, basic celestial movements to mark time for them.

Juniper didn't know what had caused this abrupt generational change, but the hatchlings' ability to communicate independently, linearly even, and their need for circadian sleep were undeniable. The hatchlings craved her words and interactions. They would stare in open-mouthed fascination whenever Juniper spoke to them or answered their questions, giggling wildly amongst themselves afterward. Juniper couldn't make heads or tails of what the Auraboa meant about silent or loop, but the hatchlings seemed to understand. Whatever magic transpired within their nests would be for the scholars to figure out.

What Juniper did understand is that her fellow dragons were in need and they'd reached out for help. She would help them, and so would Gladebough Village. Aspen and their fellow teachers would happily fly to action without question, but Juniper would still have to do some fast talking with the village council given the sheer number of hatchlings involved. As she mused about what to tackle first, she felt a tug on her belt.

"Jun-per?" It was the hatchling from the day before, staring fiercely up at Juniper. "I tell you something big!" Their very serious expression was betrayed by the equally excited wiggling of their tail.

Juniper kneeled down to the hatchling's eye level. "Yes, little one?"

They paused before clasping their claws together, giving her a shy smile. "My name is Clover!