Mindari

An endless roiling expanse of fleshy rot stretches under the bleak glow of the sun, thick, resilient tendrils pulsing on the ground like a mass of writhing snakes. At his paws, the skeletal remains of another dragon lay scattered across the damp soil. Nocturne maybe? He doesn’t care and takes a step, sniffing the air with another heavy intake of breath. The other had warned him to stay hidden but he needs to know, needs to see for himself if there’s something else. Something more besides death and decay. This early in the day, at the edges of the wandering contagion, the creatures of the encroachment are still eerily silent. Closer to the Rotrock rim, life never sleeps, always twisting and pulsing in grotesque ways. But closer to the border, they have a chance to escape her all-seeing eyes.

“Mindari,” The dragon whines softly, turning his head towards the other. “We can’t be here, mother sees us, mother will know!”

There’s a grunt and a sigh as he takes a few more steps, claws sinking deep into the layers of festering goo. “I just want to look,” Mindari snarls, nipping the other lightly in the snout.

“We should go back,” Mingi tries again, turning his head to look back to the safety of their nest. “Mother told us to stay hidden.”

“No, I need to see!” The other dragon persists, folding a leathery wing against his back as he moves through the thick fleshy vines. He doesn’t remember much of his life before the Wyrmwound, and whatever memory is left is wrapped in a hazy shroud. But he knows this isn’t the place where he belongs, no matter what Mingi tries to tell him.

“You’re always getting me into trouble.” Mingi huffs, giving up the fight for now.

“And you’re weak,” Hindari half sneers at the other, not bothering to stop moving. “You would rather stay inside and rot away in our pock.

“But it’s better than looking for trouble, we would be safer!” He turns his head to pluck at his brother’s mane, “And mother told us to stay safe!” Mingi hisses.

“We need to show mother we are strong too!” Hindari laughs, loudly, making the sound echo as he throws his head back, absolutely enjoying his brother’s entire reaction to having been dragged along against his will again. Their mane is a befouled mess, greyish goo sticking everywhere as he claws his way through the foul land, eyes swiveling around to find something. Reminding himself that it has to be here somewhere and that they need to hurry up before they get discovered, Mindari picks up the pace.

“Where is it, I could have sworn we’re close, I saw it the last time we were here,” He shoves his muzzle in between the gnarly roots, searching for it, then takes off running, purple eyes searching frantically.

Finally, a sharp grin curves his muzzle as he sees what he’s looking for amidst the edge of a roiling pool of rot. It might be small but Hindari knows better than to think it belongs here. “Found it!” He squeaks loudly, making Mingi cringe at the sound.

“Look,” Hindari hisses, bouncing from paw to paw with an excited squeal, “Look-look-look!”

“Hindari, no,” The other whines, “It’s too dangerous, let’s go back to our nest.”

Ignoring his brother, he walks closer, following the curling green vine into the veiny underbrush. It’s the only sprout he’s seen in days and he knows he needs to investigate it this time.

Mingi shakes his head in helpless defeat, “You never listen to me,”

“Because we would never do anything fun if I did,” Hindari says, bumping his head against the side of a horn. “Now stop whining before they hear us,”

“We wouldn’t need to be quiet if we stayed home,” Mingi snarls, puffing his mane up in annoyance as he struggles to take control.

“I won’t let you!” Hindari nearly roars, feeling a limb move against his will. Before his struggling brother can take over half of their body, they are tumbling and sliding down a muddy slope in a tangle of limbs and sticky goo. The world flashes by in shades of green and brown, followed by a splash of something cold as they come to a sudden stop.

Hindari stares wide-eyed at their surroundings, head still pounding from the fall as he tries to process what he sees. It’s not rotten…it’s green…Everywhere.

“W-where are we?” Mingi asks with a tremble in his voice as he huddles a bit closer to his brother.

A sudden excited chitter and a wave of a white wing makes both of them turn their attention to a heap of green further away. Cries and chirps go up all around them, every dragon present in that area coming closer to investigate the noise. Then Mindari notices the looming darkness at the edge of the green, cold and harsh as it stares into the distance, waiting for them to go back. He shakes his head, “We can’t go back anymore Mingi, mother thinks we’re too weak. That we shouldn’t have survived.” With a flick of his wing and a high-pitched squeal, he answers the other dragon's calls, then turns to his brother again. “I think we found our new home.”

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