Creative Corner

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras
I finally managed to get another chapter written out. Sorry it's been so long and thanks for sticking with me.

Gaining Strength

Xabiere and Elthia spent much of the next few days training in the small clearing. As time went on, the two grew stronger and better coordinated until felling the weak creatures became easy, almost like a game, though it was not one Elthia liked to play. She worried about leaving her eggs alone, though her wards grew stronger as she got a better grip on her magic. Xabiere was much more fearless, and soon grew bored with the limited hunting opportunities available to them. Yet, he respected Elthia’s wishes and did not push deeper into the woods.

Their food stores swelled, providing them with both food and security. They even began to collect other useful materials from the animals they killed. Feathers from webwings became bedding material and hides became materials for bags. Elthia became more and more reluctant to leave the cave as the volume of food they brought in increased, but Xabiere was always able to coax her out with the thought of the four hungry mouths they would soon be feeding.

As their strength grew, the creatures they hunted also learned to be afraid. When they noticed the two dragons landing, the pitiful beasts would run for the nearest cover, rather than engaging. Their source of food soon dried up and they began feasting on their stores after days of coming home with only a couple mouthfuls of meat or honey. Xabiere began to push more. “Elthia, we need to push into the woods where the creatures do not yet know to be afraid of us.”

“How many times do I need to have this discussion with you? We’re doing fine. If we adjust our hunting strategy to being more stealthy, we will have more success bringing home food for our hatchlings. There is no need to be in more danger than absolutely necessary.”

“While you may be able to crouch down and hide in the grasses, there’s no way for me to hide. None of the shrubs are large enough to hide my bulk, and my blue hide doesn’t exactly allow me to blend in. Do you think I relish in the thought of putting my charge in more danger?”

“No, of course not. I read about a camouflage spell that might hide you. It would allow us to stay safe…”

“We don’t have time right now to play around with a spell that may or may not work. Those eggs could hatch any day now and we need to be ready to be responsible parents.”

“I need you to understand, I’m not ready to go farther into the unknown, at least until the eggs hatch. They’re defenseless and I’ve heard that some beastclans like to eat dragon eggs. It’s a miracle the wards have held this long.”

“Do you think it will be any easier for you to leave hatchlings who bumble about the cave and could fall? The eggs will be fine. When those hatchlings poke their heads out of those eggs, they’re going to be hungry, and we’ll have to focus on keeping them safe and out of trouble. We won’t have time to go hunting.”

“I suppose you have a point. We don’t really have a choice, do we?”

“No, I don’t think we do. I’m so extremely sorry to put you through this, but I can’t see a way around it. I promise I’ll protect you.”

And so the two dragons ventured into the woods surrounding their little clearing. They worked together to bring down the larger beasts. As their strength grew, even Elthia got a little bit more comfortable shooting her bolts. And each night, they returned to their little lair. They slept curled around their nest, filling the four eggs with the magical energy they would need to grow and hatch.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras [b]A Forest Surprise[/b] Xabiere and Elthia had begun to settle into a routine once again. Elthia resolutely refused to press forward deeper into the woods. Xabiere did not push her; she spent much of her time rubbing salve into the wounds he received shielding her from the repeated attacks. The beasts they fought were stronger, and more ferocious than the ones they had hunted in the clearing. Many fought with elemental bolts, yet not many were very effective against their plague heritage. Elthia learned to channel her magic into powerful bolts, capable of felling many of the beasts she faced. More nurturing than violent, she often hesitated before using them, preferring to use her energy rubbing salve into his scales. She did, however, teach Xabiere to channel the plague energy into his slashes; he soon became confident in his abilities to protect Elthia and slowly began to take slightly bigger risks, going on the offensive more often. It was this confidence that nearly cost Elthia her life. Xabiere was fighting a bamboo phytocat that seemed more alert, more controlled and deliberate than any others they had fought. It seemed to have an instinct for when to move in order to dodge his strikes and hit much stronger and more accurately. It distracted him, when he perhaps should have retreated. He was about to deliver a fatal blow when a contuse bolt came out of nowhere and hit Elthia squarely in the chest. He glanced around, trying to find the new enemy before turning his head to his charge, who had fallen to the ground. He cried out in angst and despair before finishing the phytocat, which had been slinking towerd Elthia’s body. He then turned his full attention to Elthia, tilting a few drops of the potion she had made from Dreamwalker poison for emergencies. A few agonizing minutes later, her red eyes fluttered open. Relieved and more determined than ever to keep her safe, Xabiere helped Elthia onto his back and made to return to the nest. As he lifted his wings, he noticed a tiny ball of green and brown curled around the snout of the dead phytocat. Following his line of sight, Elthia gestured for him to investigate. When he opened his mouth to argue, she once again directed him to approach. Reluctantly, he walked over to the corpse, covering Elthia with his giant wings so she could not be hurt again by whatever the surprise enemy was. He was soon able to make out a small green and brown fae, clearly not more than a hatchling. [Center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=7873328] [img]http://flightrising.com/image_generators/dragonpic2.php?body=34&wing=56&style=1&gender=1&ages=0&prig=0&secg=0&tert=5&elem=3&tertgene=0&spec=prev.png[/img] [/url][/center] Her great green eyes glistened with tears and she was howling in what Xabiere assumed was her own monotone version of the phytocat language, quietly enough that he had assumed that the noise was the wind through the trees rather than a draconic noise. To his astonishment, the corpse turned to leaves which were carried away by the suddenly powerful wind. Her mourning song done, the little fae noticed the great guardian; her crests began to shiver in anger and fear. Sensing the little one’s angst, Elthia crawled out of her shelter enough to whisper into Xabiere’s ear, “Let me down. I want to see if she’s okay.” “No, Elthia,” came Xabiere’s whispered retort, “I think it’s probably what sent that bolt that knocked you unconscious. I don’t want you anywhere near that thing.” “Xabiere, you will allow me to make sure she is okay. I don’t care who you think she is.” “No. I’ve already lost you once today. I refuse to loose you again to the same threat. Right now, we need to get back to the nest, so you can rest in the lair and I can guard our eggs. Would you please sit back so you won’t fall off? With that, Elthia made her way along his back and slid quickly down his tail. She slowly approached the grieving hatchling, “Are you okay, young one?” “My mother is gone,” came the inflectionless reply. “He took my mother away,” the hatchling flared her wings and crests in an attempt to look bigger. “He didn’t mean to deprive you of your mother. We were hunting to try to get food for our own hatchlings. How could we have known she had a family waiting for her?” “She is not shade-touched like many of the others here. She had managed to remain free. And now she is gone. He acted without mercy.” “What do you mean, shade touched? Is there some force afflicting the beasts here?” “You have not seen the shade’s prescience? Consider yourself lucky. It is such a force that all of your gods together could barely keep it at bay. It decided to seek out an easier target, my people. Your gods could not care less for my people. They push you dragons to murder those infected. Many of the free hunters get caught in the cross-fire. How could you be so careless?” “It is not obvious to our eyes which beasts are infected and which are not. Perhaps you could help us to see the difference between those that are slave to this force and those that are free. We certainly have no desire to harm you or any beasts like you.” “Beasts!” The hatchling’s anger visibly boiled up for the first time as she spat the word in Elthia’s face, “Just because we are different than you and live our lives in different places does not make us beasts. We are creatures, much like you, more closely tied to the land. We defend our territories and our families from the shade’s minions and encroaching dragons. We do not actively seek out dragon homes to raid and destroy like the beast clans do” “I apologize for insinuating that you are a lesser creature. We respect the lives of every creature we hunt. We also lost our families to what we thought was a vicious attack on our home. I am all that the Guardian has left of his home, ripped apart by serthises. When the bolt came that knocked me unconscious, he had no other thought but to ensure my safety. I’m sorry that his gut reaction cost you your mother. If there is something we could do, we would love to try to make it up to you.” “There is nothing you can do, unless you possess a magic that will bring my mother back. Her loss is one that will devastate my brothers’ chance for survival. They are too young to survive on their own.” “Could we carry you back to them? We will give you the supplies we have gathered in our hunt today. They should last until a time when you and your brothers are strong enough to fend for yourself.” The hatchling’s anger was quickly replaced with grief, “I thank you for your offer. Despite your naivety, you are kind. I do not know where our den is laid. It is a long ways into the center of the forest and it is not easy for me to discern the details of the forest trees from my position on the back of my mother.” “We could take you home with us. We have plenty of food to last until you are strong enough to return to look for them.” The hatchling’s eyes widened as she took in the offer from the dragon prepared to comfort her in her grief, who had experienced a similar trauma in the loss of her family at a young age. “Thank you,” came the quiet reply. “I appreciate the offer but I cannot place myself at the claws of the dragon who murdered my mother.” “He will give you space. I will make sure of it. He cannot even fit through the entrance of the den. At the very least, please allow us to meet you with food somewhere. I hate to think of you out in the forest all alone.” After a minute’s pause the hatchling replied, “I suppose I could give it a try. You really do seem to care and honestly, I could use the support. Thank you.” With that, the little fae fluttered to Elthia’s back and the white tundra began to walk back to her quite irate guardian. OOC: Sorry it's been such long intervals since I've updated. Hopefully I'll be able to do a bit more writing (and a few more updates) in the next few days, but I hope you guys enjoy the bit have gotten out. I've been waiting to write this part for quite a while.

@Survivors Ooh, this is definitely different!

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras [b]Strangled[/b] It was Xabiere that first saw the beast as the three dragons approached the lair. Sensing a change in Xabiere’s strides, Elthia lifted her head from where she had been resting at the base of his neck. She felt the magic around the lair, searching for the danger that had stressed him; what she felt filled her with fear and dread. “Xabiere, the wards are down,” she whispered his ear, “There’s some other strange magic here.” Xabiere’s strides lengthened to a run as he charged to the nest. The hatchling, who had been riding on Xabiere’s head, was knocked off by the wind from his run, caught herself with her large brown wings and fluttered over to the strangler, reaching it before the great guardian. The first thing she noticed was that the strangler’s eyes were clear, bright yellow orbs with their natural fiery rims. This beast was not shade-touched. When Xabiere got close enough that Elthia could make out the distinct target, she shot a bolt of plague magic that would wipe out the beast that was threatening her eggs. The hatchling spread her wings and deflected the bolt away from the strangler. She would not allow these dragons to kill off yet another creature just trying to maintain enough energy to keep the shade at bay. “Move away from the creature!” came Xabiere’s booming voice. “No. It is not shade-touched. I will not allow you to murder another innocent creature,” the hatchling replied. By that point, Xabiere had gotten close enough to the nest to see that the membrane of one of the larger eggs had dulled, much like Elthia’s had. He watched in horror as unlike Elthia’s, the great egg did not split, but instead sunk into the pool of neon goo. Racked with grief over the loss of one of his hatchlings, he bellowed, “Inocent! That beast has invaded our territory and is sucking the energy out of our eggs. It’s killing the only family we have left. Is that what you call innocent?” The young hatchling turned her head toward the nest as one of the smaller eggs began to dull as well. She looked back at the guardian, several times her size, trying to hide his grief behind anger. Her gaze turned to the tundra perched on his shoulder, small amounts of plague magic swirling around her feet as she desperately tried to keep the magic from forming into a bolt that would deeply hurt the hatchling. Elthia’s grief was much more visible than her mate’s. It was this pain so clear in the mother’s eyes that caused her to abandon her reason and send a bolt of magic at the strangler’s roots. The strangler shuttered as its supply of energy was momentarily cut off, but the roots remained strong. “No,” the hatchling replied, fixing her gaze on Xabiere, “But it is a crime that can be eventually be forgiven. Cut the roots and the flow of energy will stop. It will save the eggs and let the creature live.” Xabiere reached across the short distance, and with one swipe of his great claws, he severed the roots where they connected to the strangler’s snake-like body. The strangler seemed to be fully in the moment for the first time, having been woken up from the beginnings of its hibernation cycle. It’s eyes widened in fear as Xabiere raised his leg once again to strike another blow, but its fear turned to amazement as the leg stopped inches above its body, held there by some magical force. It slithered away, wishing that it had the strength to fight back. “Let it go,” the hatchling demanded as she released her control over the leg still hovering over the ground, “He will do you no more harm. Allow him to find another place to hibernate. Take care of the eggs that need you. They will hatch soon.” Their attention turned back to the nest, the guardian and tundra curled around the nest, pouring their energy into the remaining three eggs. The dull egg did not regain its color, but it did not sink into the liquid like its sibling had, so they remained hopeful that it would hatch. Xabiere reached into the sacks they had brought back from their hunting and distributed some plants to Elthia, and grabbed some meat for himself. Before settling into her meal, Elthia grabbed some insects legs from the bag and held them out to the hatchling, who gratefully took them and settled down to nibble. When she noticed the glare Xabiere was giving her, she took her meal over by the wall of the lair. The three soon dozed off, worn out by the busy day. The next morning, it was to Elthia’s excited cries that the other two woke up. Xabiere lifted his great head to peer over the side of the nest; the small vibrant egg had claws attached to a grey, furry paw poking out of it. The paw was soon followed by a furry leg, and another paw. The hole widened to let the grey, furry head through and soon the small tundra hatchling spilled out into the goo. Xabiere lifted his head and pulled the hatchling out of the nest and set him down. Elthia wasted no time in licking the goop off. He shook his bright blue mane and lifted his still-weak and damp wings before plopping down at his mother’s side. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8005107][img]http://flightrising.com/image_generators/dragonpic2.php?body=7&wing=21&style=6&gender=0&ages=0&prig=0&secg=0&tert=43&elem=2&tertgene=0&spec=prev.png[/img][/url][/center] Xabiere’s attention returned to the nest as a purple paw poked out of the duller egg. The paw was soon followed by the rest of the hatchling, but it’s back legs were underdeveloped; it lacked the power to keep itself afloat. Xabiere reached in to grab it like he had its brother, but by the time he got his head out, the hatchling had fallen under. He reached his head under and pulled the hatchling to the side of the nest. He and Elthia worked feverishly to clear the hatchling’s lungs of the goo; the hatchling’s body twitched with each attempt to breathe, but it soon stilled. A tear fell from Elthia’s eye as she realized that half her nest had died. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8005109][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/80052/8005109_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Once again, the parents looked into the nest as the large egg rocked and split neatly to reveal a purple guardian hatchling. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8005110][img]http://flightrising.com/image_generators/dragonpic2.php?body=18&wing=25&style=2&gender=1&ages=0&prig=0&secg=0&tert=42&elem=2&tertgene=0&spec=prev.png[/img][/url][/center] As Xabiere pulled the larger hatchling out of the nest, the goo drained, leaving only the fleshy nest walls. Elthia needed Xabiere’s help to clean the new hatchling; the baby guardian was almost as big as she was. Once they were clean, she looked up at her mate. “We have to name them.” “What names do you like?” Xabiere asked. “How about Demetrius for the tundra, and Birkita for the guardian, and…” her breath hitched as she began to name the dead hatchling lying next to the nest. “She is with the Plaguemother now. She will give her a nice name and watch over her. We need to focus on the two hatchlings we do have,” Xabiere comforted her, “Demetrius and Birkita sound like wonderful names. They will grow to be strong warriors. Let’s get them out of the open. I don’t want any more creatures to be able to find them.” Elthia helped the two hatchlings climb up Xabiere’s tail, and settled them on his back. He walked over to the entrance of the lair, careful not to jostle his hatchlings. Elthia guided them up his neck and had them walk across his head and into the opening. Elthia followed them in and guided them into the nursery she had built for them. The fae hatchling moved to follow them into the lair, but Xabiere blocked the entrance. “You will not disturb my family. You can take the insects we collected yesterday and then you can leave. You are more creature than dragon. You don’t belong here.” Hearing Xabiere’s raised voice, Elthia poked her head out of the opening. When she saw Xabiere blocking the hatchling’s way in, she said, “Of course you can come in. You are part of our family now, too. Xabiere, move over and let her in.” He turned his head toward the opening, “You want to let in the dragon that kept us from saving our third egg?” “Yes, I do. She stood up for what she believes in, and we should respect that. Now, let her in.” “If she’s going to stay, then I want to keep her where I can see her.” “Let her in.” Xabiere reluctantly stepped aside and the fae hatchling flew into the lair. “Thank you. I am sorry for the loss of your egg. I would be happy to assist you in any way that I can, just as long as I can stay. “Of course. This is your home now, too. When the hatchlings are grown enough that we can leave them, we will go look for your brothers. When we find them, they will become parts of this family, too.” With that, Elthia wrapped her wing around the small fae and led her back to the nursery.

@Survivors - wonderful so far! I'm going to shoot a RP letter your way. Add me to the pinglist please?

@pensandink
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the story. I'll add you to the ping list in just a moment (I think you'll get another ping).

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink [b]Playtime[/b] Elthia spent the next few days in the lair with the hatchlings.  The fae hatchling reached adolescence and she began to get a stronger grip on the magic surrounding her, though she had tapped into it much earlier than most dragons.   [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=7873328][img]http://flightrising.com/image_generators/dragonpic2.php?body=34&wing=56&style=1&gender=1&ages=1&prig=0&secg=0&tert=5&elem=3&tertgene=0&spec=prev.png[/img][/url] The two females were watching the hatchlings play with a sturdy log when Elthia asked the fae for her name, rather ashamed that she had not yet asked. “I have no true name,” was the adolescent’s reply.  “Among the wild animals in the woods, it is very rare for children to receive names before they reach an age at which they can defend themselves.  It is not uncommon for the shade to influence children with weaker defenses in order to possess the parents.  The parents must be unattached enough to end the child’s life in order to save the rest of the nest.  Names bring attachment.  Of course, it is still difficult, but it is necessary.” Saddened by the harsh realities of the world around her, Elthia wrapped the little fae in one of her wings.  “What did your mother call you?” The fae made a sort of growl.  It was soft, almost a purr.  At Elthia’s questioning glance, she explained, “Each of us had a different sound.  Mine was the softest, the most high pitched.  I was the smallest and the most fragile.  It was a reminder to my brothers to be more careful with me when they played.” “Would you like me to name you?” “Yes, I suppose you must have something to call me.  Maybe taking a draconic name will convince the guardian that I am staying.” “What do you think of Alisia?  Xabiere told me that Alisia was the name of my mother.  I think it suits you.” “I would be honored.  Thank you.” It was at that moment that the two hatchlings started yowling.  The two females rushed over from the corner where they had been talking.  Birkita had snapped the giant log in her mouth, which had upset Demetrius, and Birkita hated to see her brother upset.  She just didn’t know her own strength. The two females did their best to comfort and quiet the hatchlings, each one cradling a hatchling nearly twice her size. "Is everything okay in there?" Xabiere's voice boomed through the entrance hole. "Yes, we're fine. Birkita broke another log. They'll quiet down in a minute," Elthia replied, searching the the room for another toy she could give them, one strong enough to withstand Birkita's impressive jaw strength. Her cursory glance unsuccessful, she moved away from the now whimpering Birkita and began sifting through the broken sticks and bones now littering the floor in an effort to find something at least big enough for them to play with for a while. On the far side of the room, she found a thick stick with some feathers on the end, a trinket she had taken from a dead phytocat some time back. She had put off giving it to the hatchlings for fear that it would upset Alisia, but it had become her only option. [item=phytocat toy] She tossed it up into the air and both hatchlings raced to catch it. Birkita caught the stick, her larger size clearly to her advantage, and both adults waited anxiously for the sound of cracking wood as Birkita rapidly shook her head from side to side. No sound came and the two relaxed as Demetrius made a game of trying to catch the feathers dangling off the pole. "I'm going to go clean this place up a bit,” Elthia said as she sorted out which bones could be carved and which would need ?to be thrown out,"Can you watch the hatchlings for a bit?" Alisia nodded, pleased that she was being trusted with such an important task. Watching the hatchlings play with the same kind of toy she played with brought back memories of her brothers. She knew that the toy had not been a gift, but had instead been a spoil of battle. It touched her though to know that the two dragons really used every part of the creatures they hunted, collecting the pelts to use as bags; the feathers as bedding; the bones, as toys. She had begun to respect them. Xabiere was startled when Elthia appeared at the mouth of the cave with a bag full of bones too misshappen to be of any further use. "What are you doing out here?" He asked, "Who's watching the hatchlings?" Elthia dropped the bag at her feet, "I'm cleaning off the floor of the nursery. The hatchlings have snapped so many bones that the room is just covered with a layer of them. I can't even tell what's there anymore. These are the ones that need to be buried somewhere. They're too broken for me to make anything out of them. The hatchlings are with the fae.  They'll be just fine for a few minutes and they'll be grateful when they can play without stepping in a pile of broken bones." Xabiere dutifully picked up the bag of bones and set it at his feet before her words really sunk in, "You left our hatchlings in the care of that fae!" He practically shouted, "She's been raised in the wild. She's more beast than dragon. I don't trust her. Why didn't you have her bring out the bones?" “Exactly for that reason. If you don't trust her, I can't trust that you will behave yourself around her. This is her home now is much as it is ours, especially considering the fact that we took her away from hers. Besides, I want to talk to you. We've only had shouted questions for the past few days, and there's a couple things we need to discuss." "Alright, so discuss." His anger still boiled within him, but he knew that the fastest way to get Elthia back to the hatchlings was just to let her talk. "Birkita's getting big. She's almost twice my size now. It's time that she moves outside with you so that she doesn't end up trapped in the lair." "Is she ready? I can help you enlarge the opening if she needs more time. I don't want to push her out before she's strong enough." "I think she is. I'm just worried about what it'll do to her to be separated from Demetrius. It seems like her emotions are very tied to his.  She doesn't want to hurt him." "And Demetrius? Do you think he's ready for the separation?" "I'm not sure. Birkita is such a strong prescience in his life, so it'll take some adjustment. But he'll have to get used to the separation anyway. Don't young guardians leave at adolescence to go on their Search? At least this separation is much less permanent." "But what if Demetrius is her Charge? You say that she's very emotionally attached to him. It's a possibility, and it's wrong to separate a guardian from its Charge for any reason, especially when they're too young to understand their urge to protect." "Is that likely?" Elthia was delighted with the prospect of both her children remaining at home. "It's rare, but not unheard of. I'd say that there are pretty good odds in this case." "Then do we bring them both out? Is there room in the cave outside for the three of you?" "I think that we must. I made space for two more Guardians in there, so there will be plenty of room. Will you join us? I think they need their mother as much as they need each other." "I'll continue living up here. I need to make preparations for Demetrius moving back up when he's grown, but I'll be visiting frequently. I think I'm attached to them as they are to me." He nodded. "Why don't you go get them?" "I will. Maybe Alisia can help soften their landings because Birkita's going to be too heavy to slide down your back." His anger flared again, "You named that beast after Mother?" he almost shouted. "Do you have any respect for her memory?" "Yes. I did. I named her after my mother because I care about her. She has a good heart. She's just been taught a different set of values, so she has a different perspective on things. From everything you've told me about her, she seems to be very open-minded. Maybe, by giving the fae her name, it was my subtle reminder for you to open up your mind to her. Don't hate her just for her parentage." Xabiere's face turned to shock as she turned around and walked back into the lair to get the hatchlings. "Alisia, we need to move the hatchlings into Xabiere's den outside before Birkita gets too big for the opening to our lair. Can you help us get them down safely?" The fae considered for a moment before answering, "I can bouy the wind enough for them to glide down." "Excellent." She turned to the hatchlings, "Come along. Follow me. We're going to go on a little adventure." Birkita put down the stick that they had been playing with, much to Demetrius's annoyance. He nudged her leg as he waited for her to pick it up again, but her focus was on Elthia. "You mean we're going outside? You told us specifically not to." "Yes, I did, but you are growing up now and your father and I think you're ready. He has a cave outside, and you both are going to live with him for a little while. Now I want you to promise me that you'll both do exactly as he tells you out there, okay. We don't want anyone getting hurt." "We promise," the two chimed in chorus. Elthia then led the hatchlings out of the nursery and into the big room, where Xabiere was waiting to receive them. She had been right that it was time for them to move; Birkita had to squeeze through many of the tunnels. She made a mental note to enlargen them. "Now, what you're going to do is you're going to spread your wings and jump to the ground. Alicia's going to keep you from falling to fast because your wings aren't developed enough to support you yet." She nudged Birkita to the edge of the hole, helped her spread her underdeveloped wings, looked to Aisia, who nodded, and gave her a little push. Birkita landed with a thud, slightly harder than she meant to, and was she sheparaded over to her father by his wing. Demetrius was quick to follow, landing slightly softer than his sister had. Elthia glided out the entrance gracefully landing next to Xabiere. Xabiere lead the hatchlings to his cave, Elthia nudging them from the rear. Once they were settled in the larger space, she brought them their phytocat stick and played with them for a little bit before returning to the cave in the cliff side.

@FlyingNorth
Of course! I'm glad that you're enjoying it.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @FlyingNorth [b]Missive[/b] The next morning, Xabiere woke to the sound of flapping wings in the rare gentle breeze followed by the soft thud of something hitting the ground. He first glanced around the cave; the hatchlings were still asleep, Demetrius curled up next to Berkita’s great bulk. They had not slipped past him; sleeping right up against the opening had kept them contained. He could not believe how much they had grown overnight. Elthia had been right to move them. He then slipped through the cave entrance, flaring his wings as they passed through the opening. He searched for the threat, but saw only a bundle tied with green string and the retreating form of a chocolate and gold fae. He cautiously sniffed the bundle, which he discovered smelled somewhat like sweetgrass and bamboo. He had been told many stories as a hatchling about vicious strains of disease hidden in packages that would then be opened by unsuspecting clans. He was fairly sure that this was just a normal package, so he pulled the string and the cloth fell from around the contents. On the top of the fairly haphazard pile was a tightly furled scroll. He slid his claw along the edge of the parchment, breaking the seal. The letter spoke of a clan from the Reedcleft Ascent, one nearly twice as large as his own, and offered a chance to be allies. He had not thought of other clans in quite some time, though he supposed that his birth clan had many clans it traded with frequently. He did not know how he felt about throwing the lots of himself and his family in with another group of dragons he did not know. The thought of fighting a war against another clan for the sake of strange dragons did not sit well with him. He was startled out of his thoughts by Elthia’s head bumping against his front leg. “What’s all this?” she asked, gesturing to the pile still resting on the cloth. [columns][item=micro goat][nextcol][item=dried fish][nextcol][item=mammertee plushie][nextcol][item=kelp tender plush][/columns] “A gift from a clan in the cliffs of Wind territory. They wish to ally with us.” “Well, that’s very nice of them,” she said beginning to sort through the pile. “There’s some really nice stuff in here. You and Birkita will enjoy these goats and fish. I know she’ll enjoy eating something fresh. She was complaining about the fact that all our stores were preserved yesterday morning.” As Elthia had moved the fresh provisions out of the way, she revealed four rather large and strangely shaped stuffed things. “I can understand that,” I replied. “Do you think these Mammertees will stand up to Birkita’s jaws?” “What is a mammertee?” “They’re beasts that live deep in the sea, and they’re very strong. Many in our birth clan enjoyed the challenge of hunting them, but few ever brought back any of their prized meat. Mothers used to sew these for their hatchlings so they would grow up to be strong warriors. I played with one of these as a hatchling, but I didn’t have time to grab it before we ran. My mother had such talent with a needle…” His voice trailed off as he remembered his mother. Elthia leaned into his side, the only way she knew to comfort him. “I think they might stand up to their play. There’s only one way to find out. We can give them one, and if they tear it apart then we can wait to give them the rest.” Xabiere nodded his great head and led the way into his cave where the hatchlings were just starting to stir. When Birkita saw her mother with fresh goat meat, she nearly barreled into her with delight. When she was given her portion, she eagerly gobbled up the rich meat. Demetrius approached more slowly and calmly sat in front of his father. Meat did not appeal to him, so he hoped his parents had brought some plants. Xabiere set down some fungi in front of him; he had been lucky to find ones not yet poisonous around the cave entrance. When the two had finished eating, Elthia threw the plush that she had hidden into the air. Birkita caught it and began a game of tug with her brother. To both the parents’ surprise, the seams held. Xabiere smiled as he took the toy and began to move it around the cave for the hatchlings to chase and pounce on. Demetrius was much faster than his sister and often snuck between her legs to snatch the toy first. Seeing that Xabiere had the game well under control, Elthia retreated back out into the flat area between the cave opening and the cliff that held her lair. To her surprise, there was another package, larger than the first, on the ground at the base of the cliff. She sniffed the pink box and was confronted by a strange smell that seemed almost magical. Not wanting to disturb the hatchlings’ play, she suppressed her urge to get Xabiere and pulled the bright pink, satin ribbon herself. When she lifted the lid, the sides of the box fell to the ground, revealing a mottled pink-and-white snake with large wings decorated with purple hearts. In its mouth was a pink rose. She had never seen a plant completely untouched by the plague magic of her home. The snake slithered out of the box and offered the rose to her. Gratefully accepting the gift, she noticed that the bottom of the box read “MERRY!” She was unsure what the celebration was, but she was grateful for the reminder that there were places in which plants did not immediately grow green or black fuzz. [columns][item=mottled buttersnake][nextcol][item=blushing pink rose][/columns] When she entered the lair, she was surprised to see that the strange snake had followed her. Its wings must be strong enough to lift it the distance to the entrance. At that point, Alisia emerged from one of the many passages branching off from the main room. When her eyes lighted on the snake, they widened in amazement. “That’s a buttersnake. They’re very rare and they’re almost never touched by the Shade. I’ll find it a place in the lair. Just be careful of the little arms,” she gestured to the stubby appendages Elthia had not yet noticed, “They can hit pretty hard if it feels threatened.” And with that, there was no more question about the fate of the snake. It would join the family. Elthia smiled as she walked to the room she had begun to call her den to write a return letter to the clan in the Windswept Plateau. They should know how much their gifts had meant to them. Thanks to @pensandink and @SorbetKing for the lovely gifts!