Meilichios

A bright red Fae looked up from his map, trying to orient himself to his surroundings. After a moment he realized, with a heavy sigh, that he had been flying off-course for the past hour. As Meilichios started to find the right way to fly, he tried squashing the heavy feeling in his heart.

Half of him wanted to fly home right then...he shook the thought. No, he was going to do this. He took to the air once more, adjusting more north-east this time. The thought of his mentor awaiting him, and a certain dragon back home, propelled him forward.

Meilichios was headed to an internship in the Wind Territory to learn how to care for hatchlings. It was...more than shocking to some back home when the normally shy and quiet dragon had announced he was flying off on his own, bags already packed. He had applied to the ad without much thought, or well, rather it was one specific thought that kept him from realizing exactly what kind of commitment he was signing up for until it was too late to back out. Now, Asclepias awaited him in Cassiopeia's clan...all Meil could do was pray to the Flamecaller and Windsinger that he wouldn't mess this up. A quiet, ugly part of him whispered that he already had.

-

After a few more wrong turns and barely escaping a nasty wind storm, Meilichios finally touched down at the edge of where Asclepias' clan called home. It was a decently sized clearing in a region of the Reedcleft Ascent, and the center was already bustling with hard-working dragons big and small. Meil was already intimidated. Still, he took a step forward and distracted himself by observing the difference and oddities this clan had from his.

Instead of buildings there were dozens of tents, all ranging in size and color. Most looked sturdy but easily dismantlable; most knew of Wind aligned dragon's affinity for travel so he guessed it made sense. Better to take your home with you than leave it everytime. But a few of the larger tents looked a little more permanent, extra bamboo-rods and anchors in the ground keeping them firmly in place no matter how fierce the wind storm.

Meilichios wandered and marveled at his surroundings, until the sudden thought of tripping into a tent and knocking it rooted him in one spot. A few dragons here and there gave him curious looks, but most passed by completely unbothered by the newcomer. He tried to think of how he would find Asclepias, when he realized with mounting anxiety he didn't know what his mentor looked like. A sudden *thump* behind him startled him out of his panic and into a different kind of panic as he whirled around to face the noise. A tall cherry-red Imperial stood there looking at him with an amused expression. "Are you Meilichios?" She asked, tilting her head slightly

He only nodded in response, trying to calm his pounding heart. Then she suddenly turned and shouted, startling him again, "Hey Asclepias, your apprentice is here!" with a teasing lilt on the word 'apprentice'.

Meil's frills drooped, had he already made such a bad impression on the first dragon he met here? "Andromeda I told you this is a serious endeavor," A deep voice called back, and an even larger Imperial rounded a tent corner looking disgruntled, "I do not appreciate your disbelieving tone."

"Whatever you say, 'professor'," She giggled with a dramatic eyeroll, before shooting Meil a conspiratorial grin, "He's been talking about you literally non-stop. I'm glad you're here so he can talk off your ear instead of mine."

"I have not been talking your ear off," Asclepias protested, Andromeda just stuck her tongue out at him

She then bounded away, sending a reassuring smile to Meilichios before disappearing into a crowd. Relief nearly made his shoulders sag, She wasn't making fun of me after all. "Don't mind her, my cousin likes to rile everyone up," Asclepias said shaking his head, then turned to Meil with a beaming smile, "Though, I guess our cousin would be more accurate."

Meilichios looked where the Imperial had disappeared with wonder. It was strange to think of these dragons as family, and yet it comforted him at the same time. "So!" Asclepias said, recaturing Meil's attention, "I suppose a formal introduction is in order. I am Asclepias, welcome to your apprenticeship!" He made a grand gesture with his arms, smile wide and excited.

"Ah, I-I'm Meilichios," Meil responded, jitteriness returning, "I'm, um, glad to be here!"

That was the right thing to say as Asclepias responded with a beaming smile. "As thrilled as I am to start the lessons, I'm sure you would like to settle in a bit first. Come, I'll show you to your tent," He said, setting off with purpose.

Meil scrambled to pick up his bags and follow.

-
His tent was placed in a quieter part of the clearing, a little apart from the rest. Asclepias had left him to get settled in, promising the internship to officially start the next day. Meilichios padded around the space surprised at how cozy it was. The tent was small, with piles of blankets lining the floor and making it soft to walk on. The space was lit by small orb lanterns, the carefully contained fire casting dancing shadows everywhere.

He set his bag to the side, deciding to focus on unpacking later. Meil scraped some of the blankets into a mound and settled ontop of it with a content sigh. He was exhausted after flying all day, all he wanted was to drift off to sleep. But his mind still spun with the events of the day. After his anxiety and worry all day, Meilichios felt a glimmer of hope about this apprenticeship.

It was early morning, and Meilichios found Asclepias meditating by a river. He bounded up, nervous but eager. Sensing his approach, Asclepias opened his eyes with a smile. "Good morning Meilichios, I hope you slept well," He greeted

Meil smiled and nodded shyly. "What are we doing today?" He asked

Over the past week the two had settled into a sort of routine. Asclepias would usually wait for Meil to seek him out in the morning, giving the other as much time to wake up and prepare as he wants. Then he would launch into each lesson with a very hands-on approach. Meilichios did his best to keep up; Asclepias never minded him asking questions or for clarification but Meil always felt a little embarrassed asking.

They had already made it through a large portion of the basics; preparing food, cleaning up, and setting routines. "Routines are very important to developing hatchlings," Asclepias had said, unusually serious, "As they learn to navigate the world, and themselves, a steady baseline helps tremendously."

As Asclepias stretched then stood. "Well," he said, smile suddenly turning sly, "I think you're ready for something a little different today."

"Different?" Meil echoed, feeling his stomach twist

"Yes," Asclepias paused and spread his wings dramatically, "I think you're ready for some hands on experience!" he declared

oh no, Meilichios gulped

--

The wind currents were blistery as the two dragons soared over the camp. Meil wrung his talons worriedly. This had always been the part he was most anxious about. He had warmed up to Asclepias pretty quickly and enjoyed talking with him. But Asclepias was always calm and patient...the exact opposite of a flock of hatchlings.

He had enough trouble talking to dragons his own age sometimes, how could he be in charge of hatchlings? What if they refused to listen to him? What if he accidently stepped on one?

"Here we are!" Asclepias' bright voice cut through his anxious thoughts

They landed in a small clearing a short flight down from the top of camp. The land was a natural dip up against the sheer stone cliff-face, thick shoots of bamboo surrounded the outer circle and prevented curious hatchlings from escaping. The grass and moss were spongy under their talons, perfect for rowdy hatchlings to fall and not get hurt Meil thought. The only thing was...he didn't see any hatchlings anywhere?

Asclepias let out a long, three-noted whistle causing Meil to jump. Then at the base of the cliff, hatchlings surged out of a small cave he hadn't noticed before. (discontinued)


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Generation 8 I am part of Sunset's Legacy! Sunset and her mate Mudpuppy awoke from hibernation to discover they had no living descendants. The pair love caring for and teaching hatchlings, so they vowed to grow their family tree far and wide across Sornieth! Sunset's offspring have taken to the skies to flaunt their powerful flight ability and wide range of beautiful colors - sharing in a goal to spread their great lineage. Click the badge to view Sunset's colorful family tree! SUNSET GENERATIONS COUNT FROM 1 Sunset Lineage: Sunset >> Begonia >> Tamarillo >> August >> Quist >> Reverie >> Bertilak >> Meilichios