Goldscale

Background info: (I suggest reading Coast's bio first):\ Goldscale was introduced to the story as Grape's friend from another Clan. She leads building/digging teams in the renovation of Grape's and Coast's den and is pushy when it comes to them getting together and having hatchlings, specifically four of them. Now, the story will come from her perspective for the first time.

Goldscale once lived in a Light Clan. In that same Clan lived Grape. Since then, they have parted ways, each moving to different Clans, but fate has wound their lives back together, and the two will reopen communication. For their futures, and for their friendship...

Part 4

Nearly a year later...

Goldscale landed lightly on the sandy beach, her Clan mates doing the same behind her. After another inter-Territory meeting, the leaders of each Territory had agreed to send a worker each to Goldscale's friend's den - though Goldscale figured it was more because the two dragons were paying well for the service.

Glancing around, Goldscale noticed a flat rock in the sand nearby. She trotted up to it and found herself staring down into Grape's section of the den. The glass in between her and the cave was clean and obviously well cared for.

Grape was in her room, but when Goldscale's shadow blocked out the sunlight, she looked up, smiled, and hurried out of the room. Goldscale heard the Guardian call to her friend, Coast.

The two dragons crawled out of their sandy den and Goldscale immediately bounded into Grape for a hug. Then she turned to Coast and asked, "Are we friends enough for hugs?" Coast gave her a small smile and shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt." They hugged, and Goldscale made sure to keep it professional.

"So! I heard from Grape that you guys wanted another section of your den carved out? What for?" She winked slyly at them both and sat down, grabbing a stick to draw her plans in the sand.

"Well..." Grape sounded uncertain, so Goldscale took a closer look. She realized two things immediately - firstly, the two dragons seemed way more comfortable with each other, their tails wrapped and shoulders touching. Two, they each wore a simple ring.

Matching rings.

"Ooh! You'd like a nest room?" Goldscale began drawing the new room with renewed energy. "Okay, so I was going to get on you both about getting together, but you've figured it out! I want to be the first to see your hatchlings! Besides you two, of course. Hehe."

With a flourish, Goldscale finished the room, and, having drawn it upside-down, let her customers look at the design. It was simple and intentionally undetailed, with a circle where the nest should be and boxy shelves.

"I like it..." Grape said, and Goldscale waited, knowing her friend was about to say more. "Can there be a... bed in here, too? perhaps it'll just be... another room, like the ones we have already. Though the nest is, er, nice."

"Oh? Sure thing, then!" A deft swipe of her claw reset the sand, and the Pearlcatcher redrew her design. Now it was a lot like the other rooms of the den, but larger to fit the nest. "Unfortunately, we only have access to materials for Lightning nests. The, um, our Light Clan... fell, and Most of the others in our Clan are misfits and runaways. Unless you know someone...?" She looked at Coast, but he quickly shook his head.

"I... it would be risky, so to say, to try contacting my old Clan. I'm sorry." He shifted uncomfortably, and Goldscale decided to get that story sometime - not now, of course.

"Then I think I'm okay having... Lightning children." Grape said after a moment of silence. "I don't know who's element to take either way... yes. Er, how much will all of this cost?"

Goldscale scanned her drawing, calculating the costs. "Yeahhhhh... around six thousand treasure if you pay for the nest, too." Grape winced, but nodded. "Then tell your builders... to start working."

With a grin, Goldscale turned and began directing the dragons behind them.
The work was done quickly and efficiently. Cheeto and Sanddrift flew back home to gather nest resources while the others - including Goldscale, for some but not all of the time - quickly began tunneling. They designed the room to be accessibly from both of the previous ones, like a triangle. Or diamond, if you count the hallway and entrance.

It took three days to get the room built. After that, another day was required to dig space for built-in shelves and perfect the corners. On the fourth day, Sanddrift and Cheeto returned, the former with heavy wires in his talons and wrapped around his neck, and Cheeto carrying the various lightning rods. The last three hours of sunlight were used to their maximum, and by dark the room was finished.

The bed was a rather peculiar sight. Half of it was regal and perfect - a stone bowl carved with beautiful designs and various historical patterns. That was the Light side. the other side was also bowl-shaped, and had once be stone as well...

Coast had sprinkled various powders, acids, and other such nonsense like goop over the rock, horrifying Goldscale and amusing Grape - until his side looked more like a... fleshy mass. It was the same shape as stone side, which was a small relief, but the regal carvings that had clearly taken days to work were melted away, and the beautiful stone was not utterly disgusting.

Goldscale's opinion of Grape's partner steeply decreased that evening.

She would not be asking him for help furnishing, that was for certain.

"Well... I hope you two have a lovely evening. We... we'll be off now. I'm glad you two... like it." Grape shook her head at Goldscale's discomfort, but the Pearlcatcher was already hurrying outside. The builders shrugged, waved goodbye, and followed her.

What and interesting evening. Goldscale knew one other Plague dragon, an Aether named Starburst who lived in the Lovelands with her, but she'd never seen Starburst do anything like that. She seemed content with the decorations already displayed!


Over the next few years, Goldscale and Grape managed to stay in touch with each other. Goldscale was happy to hear the that the nest was being used, then a couple months later that both of the eggs successfully hatched (They were SO cute!). They were each given a room - Amir lived in the Light room, and Vex lived in the Plague room.

However, as the two brothers got older, they seemed to view each other as rivals (the Plague and Light elements warring for dominance mostly). Grape and Coast did everything they could to stop it before the two became enemies, but then they made the mistake of telling the siblings about what an inheritance was.

That made the rivalries worse. Now, the siblings had something to fight for. After twelve years of love and peace, now the two lovebirds had to deal with their children trying to kill each other?

Oh, and Goldscale managed to find familiars for her friend's family. Coast already had one, but three familiars was still a lot. Goldscale was lucky she'd had friends who could help find them in the wild, or they'd have been very expensive - too expensive for the young parents to afford.

-Dragons-
Dragon Count: 2
Hatchlings: 0

-Nests-
Nests Incubated: 0
Dragons hatched: 0
Failed Incubations: 0

-Factions-
Faction: The battles have yet to commence!
Faction Casualties: The battles have yet to commence!
Territory: The Sand Den.

Amir's bio contains the next part to this epic tale!


Credits:
Pictures & dividers from osiem's Clan -> Hibernal Den -> Dark Rainbow -> Smoke (in bio, as of 1/17/2024!!)
- Link: https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/60927224