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One, this update contains a a bit of backstory that is almost exactly the story I made up for some stuff that happened not long after I first joined FR. Two, augh god this took way too long to write because I was trying to find a good point to end it, but it wouldn't turn out as anything other than annoying.
Entry 32
As soon as Jiira had laid eyes on the Guardian, she'd shot forward without warning. Marl and the others didn't have much choice but to follow her out as she abandoned any sign of having a plan.
“We came to bring you back, Deri!” Jiira had flat-out yelled.
The Guardian had looked alarmed, and then horrified as a low drawn-out hiss came from nearby. Marl then caught sight of Shianzar a short distance away, eyes narrowed in the direction of the commotion. It took only seconds for him to bend, grab something that had been between his paws with his mouth, and make a dash for it. Derianda surged after him without pause.
“Come on!” shouted Jiira, and ran after them; Marl let his feet follow her. Several seconds passed before Kiterata and Cater managed to catch up, because they had chosen to fly instead of engage in a footrace with a Guardian and a pack of Mirrors.
Marl didn't know exactly how long the chase went on for, but it took them through rather a lot of twisty alleys and passages that Cater and Kiterata were forced to fly around or over rather than through. Shianzar was obviously still determined to lose his pursuers, and Derianda was equally unwilling to give up. She had ploughed through several of the obstacles, which forced Marl to fly over as well rather than risk getting crushed by the rubble. Jiira seemed too close behind the Guardian to be in danger of the falling architecture, and Marl lost sight of her more than once.
By the time he finally caught up with the three leading the chase, Derianda had pounced onto her Charge and was arguing with both Shianzar and Jiira while an incessant meeping noise filled the air.
“I absolutely cannot come back, I have to watch over my Charge, and as I said when I left he is far too volatile to allow near your clan,” Derianda was saying as Kiterata and Cater landed by Marl's side.
“Let me out, you're smothering Marita!” Shianzar howled.
“Marita?” Jiira asked curiously, and Derianda reached under herself to withdraw a small golden-eyed Tundra hatchling. Shianzar snarled in rage as the hatchling was placed on the ground and meeped pitifully.
“There, she can breathe now,” Derianda told him.
“Don't let her get cold, you madwoman! And you! Get away from her!” Shianzar managed to wriggle his head out from under Derianda and snapped at Jiira, who had been sniffing the hatchling, before dragging the ball of blue fluff back towards his Guardian's bulk. The little Tundra snuggled close to his head in fright.
“Where'd he get that?” Jiira demanded.
“He found her egg in a pile of rubble, if you must know,” Derianda said. “Now please, I must ask you to leave. I will not be returning with you.”
“What? But you have to! We came all this way to tell you we don't care if Shianzar's a huge jerk! You shouldn't have to put up with him alone!”
Derianda let out a sharp breath. “Listen to me, Jiira. I cannot accept anyone's help with my Charge. He is my burden, and mine alone, to deal with. And I have now seen the evidence that he would respond better to solitude than being forced to live with others.”
“But Deri, what about you?” Jiira said plaintively.
“My wishes do not come into it, I am afraid,” the Guardian responded.
“That's stupid!” Jiira said.
Derianda opened her mouth to reply, but Cater stepped forwards. “Derianda?” The Guardian's dark eyes turned towards him. “Tenora said that Shianzar wasn't even the worst dragon she'd ever met, and she'd want you to come back even if he had been.”
“She did say that,” Derianda replied, sounding wary.
“I've known Tenora my whole life, and she wouldn't say that unless she meant it,” the Tundra continued. “There were dragons among the Founders who could be as much trouble as Shianzar. One of them was a male Ridgeback named Lorez, and he was in a relationshp with Tenora for a while when they were young. He started behaving badly towards Tenora when the eggs they had together failed to hatch. Malagrine, the original Matriarch, was going to chase him out, but a young Guardian called Delarita who was the child of two of the other Founders claimed Lorez as her Charge. For Dela's sake, they let him stay. After a while, Lorez became less awful. Delarita was always the only one he really cared about, but he did become one of the clan's defenders. But I heard her say once that she didn't think she'd have been able to help him become less abrasive if she hadn't had any company other than him.”
There was silence after Cater finished his story. Marl knew some of it already, but had never heard the whole thing. Delarita had been a Ridgeback too though, hadn't she? Although, her parents were Guardians. Marl had heard of the gods choosing to change a dragon's breed, but he'd always thought it was a myth. He'd have to ask some time when it wouldn't get in the way of what they were trying to do.
“I … ” Derianda faltered.
“I think you should bring him back to the clan, Derianda,” Cater said. “It'd be better for both of you because you'll be able to do your duties as a Guardian if you have company. Even if you don't want help with him, you still deserve friends.”
“Yeah, Deri!” Jiira said. “You can't just not have friends!”
“I am sorry,” Derianda said. “It would be wrong of me to make him come back. Even if only for a short while, he would be unkind to you all again.”
“He seems to be being nice to that hatchling,” Marl said, surprising himself. Shianzar's head jerked away from the little Tundra. It meeped at him incessantly until he put it back within reach.
“See, he can't leave it alone,” Marl pointed out.
“Shhhutup!” Shianzar snarled. “Stop talking about me like I'm not here!”
Somehow, Marl couldn't stop himself. “Okay then," he found himself saying, "Shianzar, what do you think would be the best scenario for everyone?”
One, this update contains a a bit of backstory that is almost exactly the story I made up for some stuff that happened not long after I first joined FR. Two, augh god this took way too long to write because I was trying to find a good point to end it, but it wouldn't turn out as anything other than annoying.
Entry 32
As soon as Jiira had laid eyes on the Guardian, she'd shot forward without warning. Marl and the others didn't have much choice but to follow her out as she abandoned any sign of having a plan.
“We came to bring you back, Deri!” Jiira had flat-out yelled.
The Guardian had looked alarmed, and then horrified as a low drawn-out hiss came from nearby. Marl then caught sight of Shianzar a short distance away, eyes narrowed in the direction of the commotion. It took only seconds for him to bend, grab something that had been between his paws with his mouth, and make a dash for it. Derianda surged after him without pause.
“Come on!” shouted Jiira, and ran after them; Marl let his feet follow her. Several seconds passed before Kiterata and Cater managed to catch up, because they had chosen to fly instead of engage in a footrace with a Guardian and a pack of Mirrors.
Marl didn't know exactly how long the chase went on for, but it took them through rather a lot of twisty alleys and passages that Cater and Kiterata were forced to fly around or over rather than through. Shianzar was obviously still determined to lose his pursuers, and Derianda was equally unwilling to give up. She had ploughed through several of the obstacles, which forced Marl to fly over as well rather than risk getting crushed by the rubble. Jiira seemed too close behind the Guardian to be in danger of the falling architecture, and Marl lost sight of her more than once.
By the time he finally caught up with the three leading the chase, Derianda had pounced onto her Charge and was arguing with both Shianzar and Jiira while an incessant meeping noise filled the air.
“I absolutely cannot come back, I have to watch over my Charge, and as I said when I left he is far too volatile to allow near your clan,” Derianda was saying as Kiterata and Cater landed by Marl's side.
“Let me out, you're smothering Marita!” Shianzar howled.
“Marita?” Jiira asked curiously, and Derianda reached under herself to withdraw a small golden-eyed Tundra hatchling. Shianzar snarled in rage as the hatchling was placed on the ground and meeped pitifully.
“There, she can breathe now,” Derianda told him.
“Don't let her get cold, you madwoman! And you! Get away from her!” Shianzar managed to wriggle his head out from under Derianda and snapped at Jiira, who had been sniffing the hatchling, before dragging the ball of blue fluff back towards his Guardian's bulk. The little Tundra snuggled close to his head in fright.
“Where'd he get that?” Jiira demanded.
“He found her egg in a pile of rubble, if you must know,” Derianda said. “Now please, I must ask you to leave. I will not be returning with you.”
“What? But you have to! We came all this way to tell you we don't care if Shianzar's a huge jerk! You shouldn't have to put up with him alone!”
Derianda let out a sharp breath. “Listen to me, Jiira. I cannot accept anyone's help with my Charge. He is my burden, and mine alone, to deal with. And I have now seen the evidence that he would respond better to solitude than being forced to live with others.”
“But Deri, what about you?” Jiira said plaintively.
“My wishes do not come into it, I am afraid,” the Guardian responded.
“That's stupid!” Jiira said.
Derianda opened her mouth to reply, but Cater stepped forwards. “Derianda?” The Guardian's dark eyes turned towards him. “Tenora said that Shianzar wasn't even the worst dragon she'd ever met, and she'd want you to come back even if he had been.”
“She did say that,” Derianda replied, sounding wary.
“I've known Tenora my whole life, and she wouldn't say that unless she meant it,” the Tundra continued. “There were dragons among the Founders who could be as much trouble as Shianzar. One of them was a male Ridgeback named Lorez, and he was in a relationshp with Tenora for a while when they were young. He started behaving badly towards Tenora when the eggs they had together failed to hatch. Malagrine, the original Matriarch, was going to chase him out, but a young Guardian called Delarita who was the child of two of the other Founders claimed Lorez as her Charge. For Dela's sake, they let him stay. After a while, Lorez became less awful. Delarita was always the only one he really cared about, but he did become one of the clan's defenders. But I heard her say once that she didn't think she'd have been able to help him become less abrasive if she hadn't had any company other than him.”
There was silence after Cater finished his story. Marl knew some of it already, but had never heard the whole thing. Delarita had been a Ridgeback too though, hadn't she? Although, her parents were Guardians. Marl had heard of the gods choosing to change a dragon's breed, but he'd always thought it was a myth. He'd have to ask some time when it wouldn't get in the way of what they were trying to do.
“I … ” Derianda faltered.
“I think you should bring him back to the clan, Derianda,” Cater said. “It'd be better for both of you because you'll be able to do your duties as a Guardian if you have company. Even if you don't want help with him, you still deserve friends.”
“Yeah, Deri!” Jiira said. “You can't just not have friends!”
“I am sorry,” Derianda said. “It would be wrong of me to make him come back. Even if only for a short while, he would be unkind to you all again.”
“He seems to be being nice to that hatchling,” Marl said, surprising himself. Shianzar's head jerked away from the little Tundra. It meeped at him incessantly until he put it back within reach.
“See, he can't leave it alone,” Marl pointed out.
“Shhhutup!” Shianzar snarled. “Stop talking about me like I'm not here!”
Somehow, Marl couldn't stop himself. “Okay then," he found himself saying, "Shianzar, what do you think would be the best scenario for everyone?”
Professional Grump
I live for memes
I live for memes
