Creative Corner

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink @FlyingNorth

Trust

The next few days went by quickly. Xabiere helped the hatchlings learn to spar. Despite his much smaller size, Demetrius won as many matches as Birkita, often using his smaller size to avoid his sister’s bulk. Alisia watched the two play from the entrance of the lair. They reminded her of her two brothers, and she longed to return to the woods to look for them. She and Xabiere had sort of grown used to the other’s presence and had formed a grudging tolerance for each other.

It was Elthia that first noticed that the hatchlings had reached adolescence. Demetrius had grown to be slightly bigger than his mother, while Birkita was only 2/3 the size of her father. Elthia worried that her tundra genes had kept her daughter from reaching a fuller and more intimidating size, but Xabiere reassured her that female guardians were always smaller than their male counterparts. Their appetites had grown so much that the food stores were quickly being depleted; even the dried meats were running out.

“Father, you’ve taught us to spar. Why not allow us to hunt for you like you and mother hunted for us?” Birkita asked one morning.

“NO!” He bellowed. “It’s not safe for you out there. Besides, your brother has had no magical training. Though he may be able to hold his own against you, there will be creatures out there much stronger than the two of you combined. He’ll be killed.”

“He’s not as weak as you think. Though he is a tundra by birth, he has a guardian’s spirit. He doesn’t want to be a mage, like mother, doomed to be hiding beneath the strength of those larger than him. He wants to protect others, just as they protect him. He wants to use his teeth and claws the same way you taught me to. Why won’t you let him?”

“He is putting himself in unspeakable danger. By not having a mage or a healer in the hunting party, there is no way to heal yourselves if something bad were to happen. Many great dragons have been lost that way. If there had only been a mage or a healer there, they would have lived. Please, wait just a little bit longer. The two of you are not strong enough to go out on your own.”

Watching from her usual perch, Alisia interrupted, “I would be happy to go out with the younglings. I do not add much weight, but I can apply your mate’s salves until I learn to heal, and my magic is strong enough to fell some of the beasts they will face.”

“You!” Xabiere turned his head from his daughter to the fae perched in the lair entrance. “You think for one minute that I would trust a dragon raised by beasts with the lives of my children?”

“Do you think that you would trust a strange dragon that happens to wander into the clan, orphaned, any more than you trust me? Or were you planning on making your children wait for you to hatch another clutch before setting them free? We’re dangerously low on food already. We won’t last that long.”

“Then I’ll hunt, alone. I can bring back enough food to sustain us until another trustworthy dragon has entered our midst.”

“But at what cost? You were just telling your children that to go out without a mage is foolhardy. Are you prepared to leave your children without a father because you were too overprotective to let them leave the nest? Elthia won’t thank you for that.”

“She won’t thank you for sending her babies out into the wild world unprepared either.”

“Your children are more prepared than you think. Look at them. Look at the muscles rippling under their hides. They’re strong enough.”

“Not to go out there alone.”

“They won’t be alone. I’ll be there with them, and they’ll have you and Elthia in their hearts.”

“But you are wild and unknown. You may leave them unprotected. You may turn on them.”

“Elthia trusted me to help her raise them. If I wanted them gone, it would have been much easier to do it when they were young and defenseless. Do you think I would last five seconds against your daughter? All she would have to do is step on me. Besides, I think of your children as my family. Every day the weight of the way I abandoned my brothers weighs on me like a ton of bricks. I would never forgive myself if I left any member of my new family behind.”

“Exactly! You left behind your brothers after your mother…”

Alisia cut him off, “And it has been the greatest regret in my short life! From what I understand, you and Elthia left your parents behind when you fled to make a new life for yourselves here. I’m sure you live with the pain of knowing that there may have been other dragons alive that you just left to die.” Alisia’s crests trembled with anger and pain.

Xabiere recoiled at her words before flaring his crests. “My father bid me take Elthia, all that remained of his Charge, and run. There was nothing I could have done to save anyone else still alive. There was no reason for us to stay any longer than it took to get Elthia out. It would have only put us in more danger…”

“And you think my situation was any different than yours? I did not know where our nest was; that was the farthest my mother and I had ever wandered. I was not yet more than a hatchling. My wings were not strong enough to allow to really search for them. I was not strong enough to fend off some of the beasts that wander that part of the woods on my own. Had I not gone with you, I would have died within hours and been no more help to my brothers than I have been. Thank you for taking me in. Now, please, let me repay that debt by keeping your children safe. If I return without either one of them, I give you full permission to squash me like the bug you think I am.”

Xabiere sighed in defeat, “Take them, but I am holding you responsible for anything that happens to them.” He snarled in warning before turning his back and lying down in front of the lair entrance.

Alisia nodded, and went off to search for Birkita, who had wandered off at some point during the fight. She found her playing with Demetrius. “We’re going hunting.”

The two immediately dropped the stick they were playing with and looked up at her, “Really, Father said yes?” Birkita asked.

“Yes,” Alisia smiled at the adolescents, “It took a bit of convincing, but your Father eventually came around.”

“There’s a little clearing we can practice in before we go and tackle the monsters in wood. Father took us there a couple of times,” Demetrius said. “I think I remember the way.”

“That sounds perfect,” Alisia said as she fluttered up to perch on the top of Birkita’s head. Demetrius started walking and Birkita kept her steps slow and steady, following her brother’s lead.

As they walked past the lair entrance, Elthia poked her head out of the entrance to the lair, “You made the right decision, you know. She won’t hurt them,” she said to her mate.

He turned his great head up to her smaller form, “I hope so,” he replied.

@Survivors - daww. Guardian angst.

Love the way you incorporated getting the hatchlings out into the great beyond! And Alisia, man. Such courage. You go, girl.

Awesome update!

@pensandink

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Alisia grew up around beasts way bigger than her, so Xabiere's size doesn't really daunt her. She stands up for her beliefs, and I get the feeling that's going to be a big thing in my next update.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink @FlyingNorth [b]Familiars[/b] When Alisia, Birkita, and Demetrius returned from the battlefield, they did not return alone. Riding upon Birkita’s head, with Alisia, was a leafy moth. [img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/339.png[/img] A Death’s Head Stag had found a place to sit between Birkita’s spines where the wind from her wings did not buffet him around quite as much. [img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/1144.png[/img] Demetrius followed in the wake created by his sister’s great wings. Xabiere was the first to spot the returning hunters, “Elthia, they’ve returned!” he called to Elthia, who was clearing out the hoard. When he spotted the creatures riding upon his daughter, his jubilant demeanor sharply turned stormy. “Xabiere, calm down,” the perceptive fae said as Xabiere approached, “They mean us no harm. They are not Shade-touched and seek sanctuary from the Shade’s reach. I could not allow your children to kill them. They are innocents.” “You should never have brought them here. I have been more than generous allowing you to stay because Elthia insisted on it, but I will not allow these creatures anywhere near my family.” “I could not leave them. They are young. Their families have fallen to the Shade’s power; they have nowhere else to go.” “That is none of my concern. My concern is my family, and these creatures are a threat to their safety. If their parents have fallen to the power of the Shade, how can I be sure that they do not carry it into the home of my family?” “Their eyes are clear. Look closely. There is no black rim to them. Would you trust me on this at least? I grew up learning to read the signs of possession. These two will not remain free much longer if we send them back into the woods. Do you realize how much energy it takes for these creatures to keep their minds free? It is a constant struggle; only the strongest can resist. You dragons have never felt the pull on your minds to turn on your neighbors because your deities fight that battle for you. Creatures that join dragon clans as familiars gain the deities protection. They will not hurt us. They only want to be free from the daily struggle to keep their own minds.” “Of course we will let them stay,” Elthia interjected as Xabiere opened his mouth to argue. “If they are strong enough to keep their minds, then it is our duty to help them sustain that feat. I’d rather have creatures deciding that they’d like to help us than the Shade forcing them to fight against us.” “Ethia, we cannot…” Elthia cut her mate off, “We’re helping them. Alisia says that they are not a threat to our family. I trust her. She has brought our children back from the woods, virtually unharmed. She has more experience with this.” “Papa, if it helps, I’d be happy to dig them a little den so you don’t worry that they’ll hurt us in our sleep,” Demetrius softly offered. “They do not smell like the others; they smell like companionship, not death.” “Father, it did not seem right to just leave them to succumb to death or possession,” Birkita added, emboldened by her brother’s statement. “Jelen is actually quite nice. He doesn’t seem like he’d want to hurt us.” Xabiere lowered his great head to make eye contact with his daughter. She cowered under his stern gaze. “You named it?” he asked, his voice low and threatening. “N, n, no, Father. Jelen was the name his family used to call him. These creatures are not nearly as uncivilized as dragons tend to think they are.” “Names are reserved for familiars,” Xabiere muttered under his breath. “You know of this practice of taking un-touched creatures under wing?” Elthia asked. “Why are you so against our children taking familiars?” “Familiars are not to be taken from the woods. Every adult dragon, as a right of passage, goes to the markets and buys a familiar from a dealer. Those creatures are trained. They are docile. They serve a purpose. They are not an unknown danger, sleeping next to the bonded dragon!” “You are being quite unreasonable. If our children have won their own companions, then who are we to say that they are not allowed to keep them. Demetrius, I will help you dig a home for your friends.” She turned her head up to look at her mate as if daring him to contradict her. When no objection came, she led her children over to the cliff face, where she and Demetrius started to dig a new home for the moth and the stag. Birkita sat by the cave entrance pulling packs off the strap across her torso and handing them to Alisia, who was unpacking the fresh provisions contained within them and carefully placing them in the hoard room. Breathing a sigh of resignation, Xabiere trotted over to his family and laid down to watch them.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink @FlyingNorth [b]Geodes[/b] Xabiere grudgingly continued to let his children out to hunt with Alisia. The team quickly outgrew the leafy meadow and the sparse woodlands. Their food stores swelled, and the three started sneaking in a couple of creatures to protect them from the Shade. None of them seemed to take a liking to Demtrius, like Birkita’s stag and Alisia’s moth had. One day, Xabiere started to find blue geodes scattered along the riverbank as he scavenged for bits of bone and material that Elthia could use for her many projects. Thinking they might make nice decorations for the lair, he gathered as many as he could. [item=deepearth geode] When he returned to the lair, Elthia practically ripped the satchel off of his back. “What do you have in here?” she asked, already pawing through the bags. “Something’s been wandering around. I haven’t seen it, but the wind was blowing the scent in. Something in this bag has the same scent.” “It might be the geodes. They’re the only things I’ve never brought home before.” He deftly reached into the bottom of the bag and held out the shiny rock for his mate to smell. Her eyes widened in recognition, “That’s it. That’s the same smell. I’ve never smelled it anywhere else.” “The best thing to do is to hide until we know what exactly this creature is. Get as far into the lair as you can. I don’t know what this is, and I can’t take any risks with your safety.” “And I don’t want you to risk yours. Get inside your cave. Hopefully, the creature will just leave when it can’t get to us. If you don’t, I’m staying out here with you. At least then I can help you fend it off.” Xabiere nodded. “OK. We’ll just wait this one out. Where are the children?” “Out hunting. I hope they’re okay.” “I’m going to go find them. I don’t want them out while there’s some unknown danger.” “Let me go with you.” “No. You’re staying here. I need to know you’re safe.” “I’m just as safe with you as I am cooped up here. Besides, they’ve been gone hours. I can track them, and we’ll be able to find them much faster. Then we can all be back sooner.” “Your faith in me is astounding. Alright. Let’s find them.” Elthia started walking around the lair, finally settling on a course that would take the two dragons close to the wind border, toward the hunting grounds the three usually favored. As they got closer to the forest, Elthia noticed a fresher trail leading toward the more densely wooded area. The two followed it. As they walked, the loose dirt turned to densely packed ash. Several times, the two would have to stop and extinguish Elthia’s fur when she stepped on live embers. She continued to refuse Xabiere’s offers to ride on his back. The scent was stronger on the ground. When they finally found the adolescents, Alisia was healing a wound on Birkita’s thigh while Demetrius was digging through the packs slung around the backs of two dead Wintermane Bowmen. An ice-tipped arrow lay next to Birkita’s side. “What in the Plaguebringer’s name are you doing this far into the woods?” Xabiere asked, startling the three young dragons. “Your mother and I have been worried sick.” “I’m sorry, Papa. We were following the herds. There are creatures deeper in the woods that give such wonderful meat, or so Birkita says.” Demetrius turned away from his work to address his father. “The creatures here are too strong for you. You could have been killed.” “I think you’ll find, Papa, that we’re stronger than you think we are. We’ve held our own just fine. Alisia picked up a couple of healing spells that she can work from a distance. Almost as soon as one of the creatures attacks us, she’s taken care of whatever wounds we’ve gotten. See, there’s not a scratch on me.” “Then why is she hovering over Birkita like that?” Elthia asked, concern for her only daughter clear on her face. “The centaurs saw that we were winning and started shooting arrows tipped with some enchanted ice. She was hit just as I killed the second centaur. The wound is a little bit more serious than the usual scratches or bites. She’ll be fine, though. We were able to get the arrow out really quick, and Alisia almost has the wound closed.” Birkita lifted her great head, “I’m fine, Mother. I’ll be good as new in just a couple of minutes. Alisia’s gotten really good at these healing spells.” “When you’re ready, Birkita, we’ll all fly back to the lair. I’d prefer for us to all be back in the safety of our home,” Xabiere decided. “We can leave now, Father. I’m strong enough to fly back.” Demetrius and Elthia climbed on to Xabiere’s vast back, griping tightly to the ridges along his back to avoid being blown away by his vast wings. Alisia took one last look at the now-closed wound before taking her usual place atop Birkita’s head. The two guardians took to the air, Xabiere in the lead and headed toward home. As the group approached the lair, Elthia shouted over the wind, “Xabiere, remember that scent I was telling you about. It’s gotten stronger. I think whatever the creature is has found the lair.” “Birkita, stay in the air when I land. There’s something down there, and I’d like to know exactly what it is before you get down,” Xabiere called to his daughter. She nodded her head in recognition. When Xabiere landed, he found the contents of his scavenging pack tossed all over, everything except the geodes he had collected. When Elthia noticed his confusion, she whispered in his ear, “They’re under that pile of holders.” Upon a closer examination of the rock pile, Xabiere discovered two eyes and a mouth on what could only be the head of a stone creature. He gasped when the bear stood up, revealing the pile of geodes under its belly. “Some of the older dragons told me stories of the region guardians, the bears crafted by the deities themselves to protect the dragons that worship them, as a hatchling. The smell must be the Earthshaker’s mark. The guardian is attracted by the geodes. The Earthshaker releases a certain amount of them to mark the worthy clans.” [img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/7328.png[/img] “But we don’t have any Earth dragons. Why would the Earthshaker choose our clan? We worship plague.” “Perhaps we don’t, but it looks like our son might have more than a slight interest in the earth.” Xabiere watched as Demetrius, who had slid off his back, walk up to the stone bear, which was only slightly smaller than he was. The bear pulled the stone cuff from his back legs and placed them around Demetrius’ front legs, the crystals running through them shimmering in the sun. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8005107][img]http://s5.postimg.org/yu614mec7/Demetrius_Geodes.png[/img][/url] “Papa, he wants to be my familiar.” “We would be honored to have him join us. Now, do me a favor and go get your sister. She must be getting tired up there.” Xabiere said. Soon Birkita landed next to her father. “So you finally found your familiar, little brother,” she teased, nudging him lightly with her head. “Technically, I was born first. But, yes. I have.” “I’m still bigger.” “Children, I know you’ve had an exciting day, but we have all this mess to clean up in addition to all your hunting spoils that need to get sorted into the hoard. I suggest that we keep the bickering to a minimum so the food gets put away before all this lovely meat spoils,” Xabiere said as he started sorting scavenged material into piles by the lair entrance. Birkita and Demetrius looked at each other, “Sorry, Father,” Birkita said as she joined him. Demetrius deftly unstrapped the packs from his sister’s side and began sending things up into the lair to Elthia and Alisia, who quickly got to work putting everything away in the hoard. ----- [b]OOC:[/b] Yes. My story is still back at Rockbreaker's. I'm hoping I can get caught up now that my real life is slightly less crazy. Also, Xabiere and Elthia now have complete bios.

@Survivors can I be on the pinglist?

@Digimon11
Of course! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink @FlyingNorth @Digimon11 [b]Blessings[/b] Alisia was the first to show signs of striping. Many of her fine, green scales floated off into the slight breeze, only to be replaced by darker ones. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=7873328][img]http://s5.postimg.org/7q8zdee53/Alisia_Blessings.png[/img] [/url] Noticing the new markings, Xabiere quieted his misgivings about her joining the family. “They’re the recognition of the deities,” he told Elthia one night, “Deities bless the dragons that serve them. It’s an indication of strength, power, and loyalty. We used to gather around and have a huge feast when a dragon was blessed, but we don’t have the resources to do that here.” “So you won’t object to her anymore?” “No. Either the Plaguemother or the Windsinger trusts her, and I trust their judgement. Or, at least, I’d rather not go against it. Besides, she seems to be keeping the children safe, and they like her.” “I’m happy to hear you say that, though I wish you’d come to that conclusion sooner. We could try to put a feast together. I’ve got some fresh meat from their last hunt that I could lay out.” “No. We don’t know what kind of times are ahead. You can give them whatever meat you want, but preserve some of it. We want to be prepared if something happens.” ----- A few days later, Birkita began to shed her scales also. Hers were much bigger and soon littered the floor of her cave. Eventually, Alisia gathered the winds to collect them all. “Guardian scales contain a unique magic not found anywhere else,” she said as an explanation. Dark stripes soon covered Birkita’s body. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8005110] [img]http://s5.postimg.org/6p8qo9x5j/Birkita_Blessings.png[/img] [/url] While his parents celebrated Birkita’s blessing, Demetrius began to pull away from the sister he’d always been close to. “I’m happy that she’s received her markings,” he told his mother one day, “but I don’t understand why she gets blessed and not me. I fight just as hard as she does, but my fur remains the same color as always.” “I’m sure your day will come. Maybe she’s been blessed so that she can protect you. You’re so strong. Just give the deities time to see that. It doesn’t seem like very many understand the strength and power that can be packed under all of our fur,” Elthia said, affectionately ruffling his relatively short winter coat. He really did try to be kind to his sister, but it was hard when she began insisting on doing more for him. Her slightly superior attitude was new to him, and he didn’t like it. He began spending more time with his mother, enjoying the time that he spent helping her carve new tunnels into the cliff face. ----- Several days later, the shedding began. The dark spots were first visible in the fine fur coating his back legs. Soon, they began to show up in the longer, thicker fur that coated the front half of his body. The dark spots were followed by lighter grey stripes. Like Birkita’s scales, Demetrius’s fur soon coated every surface he brushed up against. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8005107] [img]http://s5.postimg.org/73eo1m6mv/Demetirus_Blessings.png[/img] [/url] “I knew your day would come,” Elthia said as she cleaned fur out of the crevices in the cave tunnels. “Your markings look beautiful. I’m so proud of how hard you worked to earn them.” “Thanks, mama. I’m sorry my fur makes such a mess.” “Don’t worry about it. All of this fur will make wonderful thread. Our fur is very strong, but is very soft. I’ve been wanting to make something for your father, but the scraps of thread I’ve been using haven’t held up very well.” “Well, I’m glad it’s worth something. I’m sure Papa will love whatever you make for him.” ----- ----- [b]OOC:[/b] It seems like spring break has been good for my writing. It feels nice to finally get some genes on these guys. I've been sitting on them for quite some time.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink @FlyingNorth @Digimon11 [b]The Lost[/b] "I did it! I finally did it!" Alisia emerged from the lair where she had spent a good portion of the past week, her crests quivering with excitement. Following behind the fae was a cloud of fine blue powder nearly as big as she was. "What in Plaguemother's name is that? What in Sornieth have you unleashed upon us?" Xabiere asked, looking up from sorting the day's scavenged goods in order to eye the cloud with suspicion. "I broke one of Birkita's scales. Powdered guardian scale will lead you to something lost, something that needs protecting." "You mean that this will lead me to my Charge?" Birkita asked, setting down the stag leg she had been eating. “No. That would eliminate the whole need for the Search. This will lead you to the closest lost creature, or at least the closest one the scale thinks the one who breaks it will best protect.” “How do you know all of this?” Xabiere asked, “I’ve been descended from guardians for generations, and I never heard any mention of that particular property.” “My mother made a point of knowing all about dragons and the myths that went along with them. She thought it was just a story until she found one, broke it, and found my egg. It would make sense that your family did not know of the myth. In many of the versions it is impossible for guardians to break their own scales in an attempt to take the easy way out of searching for their Charge.” At that point, a rare breeze caught the cloud of dust, blowing it into a long trail snaking toward the plains that lay at the edge of the Wandering Contagion. “Well, I’m going to follow it. You’re more than welcome to come with if you’d like.” Xabiere, still skeptical, remained behind. Birkita, however, decided to follow. The two dragons eventually landed in what looked to be an abandoned campsite near the border of the Shattered Plain. Broken animal bones lay scattered around a pit full of ash and charred wood. They saw the dust attempting to get into a leather bag leaning up against a large bone sticking out of the ground. Alisia deftly unbuckled the bag and watched in awe as the blue dust swept into the bag and landed in the cracks of what she decided must be an Earth egg. As the dust settled, the egg began to shake, small pebbles falling off the exterior. Birkita knocked over the bag so that the egg rolled out onto the springy ground. The egg shuddered harder and harder until the egg split neatly in two along a large crack down the middle. A grey tundra hatchling spilled out of the egg and flopped over to one of Birkita’s legs. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8392472][img]http://s5.postimg.org/dkhymwkt3/Apollonia_The_Lost.png[/img][/url] “Well, I think we found what the scale was leading us to,” Alisia said as she nudged the hatchling, who was as big as she was and weighed slightly more, over to Birkita’s extended wing in an effort to get her on to the larger dragon’s back for the ride home. “She isn’t exactly what I was expecting, but I’m sure she’ll make a nice addition to the family.” With the hatchling secure between two of the ridges on her back, Birkita replied, “What were you expecting?” “I’m not entirely sure,” Alisia replied as she fluttered up to perch on her usual spot atop Birkita’s head, “I just didn’t think it was going to be another mouth to feed.” “Oh really. You spent all that time trying to break apart one of my scales just to see what would happen? You don’t do anything without some kind of purpose. Were you hoping that the dust might lead you to your brothers?” Birkita asked as she began the walk home. “I admit that the thought crossed my mind, and that was the goal when I first collected the scales. But, as I worked on trying to break it, I kinda accepted that it probably wouldn’t lead me to them. The scales don’t really work that way. When I saw the trail leading away from the forest, I knew that it was something other than my family, but I just couldn’t let another creature that needed protecting go. Besides, on their own, they’ve probably either fallen to the Shade or died. Not trying to find them when my mother died is something I will regret for the rest of my life. I’m not sure that it would have been of any help, but I would have felt like I at least tried.” The two spent the rest of the journey in silence. When they finally arrived back at the lair, they were greeted by Xabiere passing bundles of supplies up to Elthia to be stored. “What did you find?” Ethia asked, spotting the grey bundle perched on Birkita’s back. “A tundra hatchling,” Birkita replied, extending the wing closest to the lair so that Alisia could use is as a sort of bridge for the hatchling. “Her egg hatched just as we found it.” “Where were the parents?” Ethia asked as she got a better look at the ball of fluff making its way across the extended wing. “Nowhere to be found. The campsite looked as if it had been abandoned for days. She was in a leather bag off to the side. It must have been overlooked when the family moved.” “Then we’ll take her in. She seems strong and hardy. She’ll survive well here, or at least better than she would do on her own.” “Elthia, listen. We barely have enough plants to feed our family as it is. You know that plants are hard to find around here. I’ll take her back to where she was found. I’m sure her family will come back for her. They’re bound to notice that one of their eggs is missing,” Xabiere interjected. “What if they don’t? Like it or not, she’s part of our family now, and we’re going to take care of her. I won’t just abandon her.” “What was that about abandonment?” Demetrius asked, emerging from the depths of the lair, dirt clinging to his fur from digging yet another tunnel. “Alisia and your sister found this abandoned hatchling and we’re taking her in,” Elthia turned and glared at Xabiere, “We’re going to give her a home and a family.” “She needs a name, then. How about…” He turned to look at the hatchling, “Apollonia?” “That sounds like a very nice name. Now, if there are no more objections, I’m going to take Apollonia inside so that she can get a meal and some rest.” Elthia turned and guiding the little hatchling into the nursery, the room still set up from when Birkita and Demetrius had taken residence in it. Xabiere shook his head and resumed passing up parcels of supplies, this time to Demetrius and Alisia, who quickly took up the task of putting them away.

@Khoshekh @plagueling @LagMonster @Sulka @Scyras @pensandink @FlyingNorth @Digimon11 [b]Training[/b] Apollonia grew quickly. She spent most of her time in the nursery, playing with Elthia, who thought of the hatchling as her own daughter. What little time Elthia allowed her out was spent with Demetrius in the ever-growing network of tunnels and rooms that made up the main part of the lair. Though her claws were not yet hard enough to really dig through the soil, she enjoyed the small amount of work that she was able to do. Jealous of the the time her brother was spending with the new hatchling, Birkita began to organize more hunting trips that ranged farther and farther from the lair. The clan’s food stores swelled and the trio continued to grow stronger. Xabiere grew restless; his scavenging trips grew longer as he began to collect more and more objects. One morning, Xabiere spotted a large dragon-like shape looming on the horizon. When it landed in front of the scavenging packs he was unpacking, he was glad that Elthia was safe within the main lair. The dragon was almost double his length, though her wingspan was comparable to his own. Her jade hide shimmered in the light, making some of her scales appear to be more green than blue. Her tangerine wings were similarly blessed. Its bright red eyes did little to calm his nerves; he knew plague dragons could be just as dangerous as any foreign dragon. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=7778442] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/77785/7778442_350.png[/img] [/url] Sensing his unease, the dragon lowered its large head to look at him and said, “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you. My name is Caroline. What’s yours?” “X-X-X-Xabiere,” he finally managed to get out. “If you’re not here to hurt my mate and I, I’d like to know what you’re doing here. We haven’t seen any other dragons around here.” “Nice to meet you. I train dragons in exchange for food and shelter. I judge by the fact that you have not received your markings yet that you haven’t spent much time hunting. I can teach you the basics so that you can provide for your family.” “No. My children do most of the hunting.” Fairly certain that the dragon was not about to eat him, he thought he’d take her up on her offer, “I’d certainly like to learn more about hunting, but I’m not sure whether my mate will agree to join us. Let me talk to her for a minute. Can I offer you something to eat while you wait?” The large dragon laid down on the ground on the opposite side of the clearing, “Anything you have around is fine, though I do prefer seafood if you’ve got it.” Xabiere nodded and poked his head into the entrance of the lair, “Ethlia,” he called. She quickly appeared, grey hairs caught in her own fur from playing with the almost-adolescent. “Could you get some of the fish from the storeroom?” She nodded, and quickly returned with a bag full of preserved fish. Xabiere walked it over to their guest, who dug in with gusto, before returning to his mate. “She’s here to teach us to fight,” he said before Elthia could ask him the obvious question. “Where did she come from? I’ve never seen a dragon like her before.” “I’m not sure. I’ve heard stories of dragons called Imperials. Her antlers and size seem to fit the only traits common to every version.” “But you trust her.” It wasn’t a question. Elthia knew that Xabiere would only call for her if he thought the strange dragon didn’t pose a threat to her safety. “I’m not sure why, but yes. There’s something about her that just want to believe her.” “Could it be that you are restless and are jumping on every chance to get out into the woods so you don’t have to feel dependent on your children?” she asked softly. “No! No! Of course not. Your safety is the most important thing in the world to me,” he replied defensively, perhaps slightly too defensively. “It’s okay if it is. I know that being bound to the lair is hard on you. I can’t imagine how taxing on you that must be.” “It’s not hard. It feels right, like its my duty, just like this feels right.” “Alright. We’ll go out and train. Let’s just wait until the children get home. I don’t want to leave Apollonia all alone.” ----- The next morning, Caroline lead them out into the ashy woodlands where they had found the children some time ago. Xabiere balked, for the first time fearing for Elthia’s safety. “Shouldn’t we start somewhere a little bit less dangerous?” “You won’t learn anything if you stay within your comfort zone. Trust me, I’ll keep you and your mate safe.” And she did. Claws and projectiles of the opposing beasts bounced right off her glossy hide, and she quickly finished off most of them with a single swipe. Xabiere began to practice a similar technique, using his bulk more to his advantage. When the three returned, they returned triumphant, with almost as much food as the children usually brought home in a day. ----- [b]OOC:[/b] Thanks to @Cynderbark for running the lvl 10 lending system. Caroline was a huge help.