@Digimon11 @Axqu @Tsukistar @Neige @Hanelli @Nimphy


I jerked awake at some point, the rumbling of thunder outside and the sharpness of the static in the air told me that there was a storm coming. That wasn’t what woke me up, though. There was something coming from the dark passageway, a strange shifting noise that I couldn’t quite place. I shifted a little, lifting my head to peer down into the dark.

Oh gods, what the hell?

A whole bunch of bright cyan eyes stared at me from the darkness, but the most unnerving thing was that none of them formed a pair. They were all single eyes. I moved slowly, acutely aware that all of those eyes were focused on me, and crouched over the egg with my back to the wall. As long as I wasn’t touching it, it should be alright even if I started firing off electricity. It was a Lightning egg, after all. Er, I was pretty sure.

A sudden, piercing screech came from the passageway and I winced. All of a sudden, one of the eyes vanished and a dark shape flew at me! I growled, electricity shooting all around the small cavern, and when the shape came close to me I instinctively tried to bat it away.

I missed, of course – but the what-ever-it-was slowed and looked at me. A Storm Seeker! I glared at the bird, one that I normally liked, and it glared back. Maybe it was upset because I had invaded its home? Come to think of it, if it was living here, it probably hadn’t been very happy when I shot electricity into its nest. But even though I was the invader and outnumbered, I wasn’t about to take the egg outside. It was still dark, and there was a storm.

Steeling myself, I lowered into a more aggressive stance and growled loudly, telling the Storm Seeker and its brethren that I was not about to leave. Was this a bad idea? Maybe.

The Storm Seeker flying in front of me seemed to look at me incredulously before screeching, the sound echoed by the other birds in the dark passageway and … oh gods, judging by the volume there were a lot of birds in there …

I turned slightly to look into the dark just in time to see the eyes disappear. As soon as I heard the beating of many wings, I narrowed my eyes and the electricity sparking around me amplified. There was almost a mini storm in the cavern – bolts of lightning bounced off the walls, using me as a conductor, and hitting the flock of Storm Seekers as they flew out of the darkness and … past me?

None of them tried to attack, though I swear to Stormcatcher that one of them hit me in the face with a wing on purpose. My electricity died down as I watched the flock fly out of the cavern, unaffected by my attack, and towards the storm in the distance – oh.

Right. Of course. Storm Seekers. None of them had ever meant me harm – they were just trying to get past me and to the storm. As I watched, the cavern grew quieter until it was just me and that one Storm Seeker that had flown out first. I relaxed, looking at it sheepishly. “Uh …” I began, catching its attention, “s-sorry.”

The Storm Seeker just looked at me and I swear the eye on its stomach rolled and then it flew off. I picked up the egg (undamaged, thank the gods) and peeked out of the cavern. I could see the impressive flock of Storm Seekers off in the distance, and the sun coming up over the horizon. Well, that was … one way to start the morning. At least I was awake.

I ended up staying in the cavern for most of the morning, just watching the storm and the flock of Storm Seekers as I ate some plants. Eventually, though, I felt the need to stretch my wings and went scavenging. To my surprise, I found some Bladed Flatleaves – even when I did some digging! How strange … They seemed special somehow, so I kept them, but I wished that I could just ask someone about them.

I returned to the cavern since I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Besides the leaves, the only things that I kept were some more scraps of fabric. I gingerly nosed my Lightning Runestone towards the dark passageway when I returned, and a Storm Seeker hopped out and looked at it, and then looked at me. I felt silly, and my face heated up in embarrassment. “I, um … I’m sorry about this morning,” I said, “is it alright I stay out here tonight? I, uh, promise I won’t freak out again …”

The Storm Seeker just looked at me, seemed to sigh (I didn’t realize Storm Seekers had this much personality) and tilted its head, looking at me for a long moment before taking the Runestone and hopping back into the darkness. I guess that was a ‘yes’ … ?

Satisfied, I lay down curled around the egg with my back to the wall again. I didn’t feel so unsafe any more. While I probably wasn’t on the Storm Seekers’ good side, I knew what was in the darkness and we weren’t on bad terms. Probably. I had been thinking that a lot. I really needed a … a guide book for life or something. I glanced at the egg, taking comfort in its presence and soft glow of cyan light. “Sure was an eventful morning, huh?” I murmured to it, trying to hold on to the small feeling of normalcy that came from speaking, “when you hatch, this’ll sure be a story to tell you.”

I paused for a moment, yawning and making sure the egg was tucked safely against my side. “You’ll probably laugh at me – I would. Karri would.” I sighed, shaking my head. I shouldn’t think about my clan. If I could just focus on getting through each day as it came, it would make things easier on me until I could meet my clanmates again. I laid my head down, staring at the egg. I swear it twitched a bit, but I was too tired to examine it further.

@Cien

Happy Greenskeepers to you, too! :D

D'awwwww I'm in love with Lan, he's just too cute x3 And I laughed about the Storm Seekers reaction at him xD
Hmm~ if the egg is twitching, maybe it'll hatch soon? ;3

@Hanelli
Lan appreciates the support! :'D
He's definitely trying his best!

@Neige
Aw, thanks! Hehe, I'm glad I could make you laugh! c:
Hm ... we'll have to wait and see! ~ ;D

@Digimon11 @Axqu @Tsukistar @Neige @Hanelli @Nimphy [center][i]More important news at the bottom of this update![/i] [size=6][b][u]I.[/u][/b][/size] Day 3 - The Shifting Expanse. Awareness 151/250[/center] I think I saw Stormcatcher in my dream … but it was mostly a lot of lightning and a lot of yelling. Not unheard of, but not particularly the most relaxing thing to see. I saw glowing cyan eyes towering above me, but as soon as I shrank back in fear I heard a booming voice and felt calm, even though I couldn’t tell what it said. I had no idea what the voice said, but I felt my nerves calm and I felt reassured. Whatever that meant, I guessed I would find out … I woke up with the sun and without being startled awake, feeling well rested. I sighed, stretching and absently nibbling on some plants. Might as well go out and see if I could find … some … [i]OH GODS.[/i] I yelped loudly as I felt something shake against my side, jumping up and looking down. A Storm Seeker flew out, looking irked, but then it followed my gaze and chirped softly before looking at me again. I did [i]not[/i] need that bird’s attitude when Nox and Kihone’s egg [i]was hatching![/i] Oh gods oh gods what do I do?! I leaned forward to look at the egg closely. A sudden [i]crack[/i] made me jerk back, startled, looking at the egg apprehensively. Was I supposed to help it out? But what if I hurt it? But what if the hatchling got stuck? Another crack. How long should I let the hatchling try to get out before I did something? A small chip. But what would I even do? Oh holy Stormcatcher – what if I did something and hurt it? The chip got bigger. BUT WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO THOUGH? THERE WAS A SMALL HOLE IN THE EGG. SHOULD I DO SOMETHING? I WAS NEVER TAUGHT ANYTHING ABOUT THI – I was close to having some kind of attack, staring at the egg with wide eyes, when I saw a tiny beak poke out of the hole in the egg. “H-hey th-there,” I managed, my voice quiet and shaking terribly, trying to encourage the little Skydancer. Well … the hatchling seemed alright, and my heart rate was slowing back to a healthy pace as the little white Skydancer kept making its way out of the egg. Eventually, the hatchling finished shaking off the last bit of eggshell and I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Welcome to the world,” I breathed, staring at the little Skydancer as it made a small noise and blinked up at me with wide cyan eyes. [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13476459] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/134765/13476459_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] A small trill caught my attention and I looked over at the Storm Seeker, which looked like it was laughing at me. “Oh shut it,” I said, giving it a weak glare. Despite that, I was unable to really be upset with the bird. The majority of the morning was spent aimlessly chatting with the hatchling (well, it was mostly me talking, and it was a girl, which I realized soon after she hatched) and encouraging her to try out her legs, arms, and wings. The Storm Seeker even hopped out of its home and gently tried to instigate a slow game of chase with the hatchling. After I had offered the hatchling a few plants, that she ate gingerly, I stood and awkwardly picked her up. She seemed to enjoy being off the ground, even though I adjusted my grip on her several times and that couldn’t have been comfortable. “Well,” I said, relieved that she had been born safely despite my panic, “we should take a look outside.” I took the little hatchling to the same spot I had dug the day before and let her play around in the overturned earth while I dug a few steps away. I found more of those Bladed Flatleaves and a bunch of stuff I couldn’t take with me. It was a little stressful trying to keep an eye on the hatchling [i]and[/i] dig, and I nearly had a heart attack when she flopped onto the ground. I darted over, breath caught in my throat. “What’s wrong?!” She just grinned and held up a fairly large piece of Blue Quartz, looking extremely pleased with herself. I sighed, picking her up and absently patting her head. “Alright,” I said as I gathered up the leaves I had found, “you can keep it.” The little hatchling trilled happily and kept holding the crystal up to my wings. Oh … I guess the Blue Quartz [i]did[/i] kind of look like my wings. The color was similar. I laughed quietly and took to the air again, flying back towards the cavern. When we got back the Storm Seeker was there, looking at us. It seemed to bob its head and then turned back around and went back into the passageway. I guess we were welcome? I carefully set the hatchling down before picking out a few plants for both of us. I still had quite a few left. It was getting dark, so I lay down and arranged the scraps of cloth I had carried the egg in against my side so I was curled around the makeshift bed the same way I had curled around the egg. Without prompting, the hatchling crawled to my side and lay down, clutching the Blue Quartz to her chest. I looked at her for a moment, and she looked back up at me. “Oh!” I said, the hatchling’s slowly closing eyes opening again. “I never told you my name. I’m Lan.” The little Skydancer tilted her head, but seemed to understand. “Hm … It’s kind of hard to not call you anything, but you’re Nox and Kihone’s child so I can’t really name you.” I thought for a moment. “Well, in the meantime, how about the name ‘Keir?’” Keir trilled sleepily, blinking at me before laying her head down and snuggling into my side. I couldn’t help but smile. Sure, it was weird as hell to be alone with and responsible for a hatchling, but it also felt … nice in a way, I guess. I tried not to shift much as I laid my head down as well, already hearing Keir’s breathing even out. For the first time in the past few days, I fell asleep with a smile. [center][item=blue quartz][/center] ----- [i]The egg finally hatched! I hope I was able to convey how Lan was feeling. ^^ If you’re wondering, this I decided to put the announcements at the bottom to avoid spoilers and keep the update a little cleaner! So, Keir has a 2/3 twin brother that didn’t survive according to the coin flip. I’m offering him to all of you! Normally, taking in a “dead” dragon from me will render you ineligible for crossovers, but not this time. Because the initial assault on the lair happened before Lan arrived, if you’d like to take in Keir’s brother and also do a crossover we can figure something out! Perhaps the harpies just chipped the egg and stole it, and the eggshell chips that Nox and Kihone found lead them to believe that the egg was killed, for example! c: Regardless, here is Keir’s brother![/i] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13476457] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/134765/13476457_350.png[/img] [/url][/center]

@Cien whoah the egg finally hatched! Cute moment of panic there. And that hatchling is just the cutest ever. She's wonderful, really :3

@Tsukistar
Sorry for the late reply! Keir's brother is yours. c:
I'm sure we can figure something out! I'll PM you about details and send the CR shortly. :)

And just excluding them is a good idea! That's such a simple solution, I can't believe I didn't think about it haha. xD
Thanks for suggesting it! I'll add that to the rules. (And that Palutena comment made me laugh! Did I also see a TPP reference in your lair?)

@Nimphy
Ahh, thank you! ;w;
As soon as the two hatched I fell in love!

@Digimon11 @Axqu @Tsukistar @Neige @Hanelli @Nimphy


Niu, an Arcane Imperial, gave me lessons in letters and numbers soon after I hatched when Mother was out making a storm and Father was on hunting duty. I woke up remembering that day, probably because I was thinking about Keir. It was hard to read Niu, as it was with most Imperials before I got to know them. He was quiet and intelligent, and I was a very shy around him for most of the lesson. Despite that, I never forgot the ease with which he taught me and how easy it was for me to understand.

I shifted my head slightly, turning and glancing at the still-sleeping hatchling. I never thought about all that went into raising a little one. I couldn’t raise Keir. I stared at her as she slept, head tucked under one arm and still clutching her Blue Quartz. I was only about a week older than her – pretty much a hatchling myself. Besides that, I had became full-on Storm Dancer early, even for someone with a Storm Dancer parent. It wasn’t like I even knew what normal hatchlings did for the first week or so.

When I had been absorbed in my thoughts, Keir had woken up and was watching me from her little makeshift bed at my side. She caught my attention when she sleepily got up and took a few steps towards my head. Her steps were less shaky than they had been the day before, but dragons always grew quickly. I watched as she stopped right in front of my head and then reached out with her empty hand and touched my forehead. She made a small questioning noise at me, and I relaxed. I hadn’t realized how concerned an expression I had been making.

“I’m okay, Keir,” I said, sitting up at patting her on the head. She trilled and moved back a little to let me get to my feet and fold up the fabric scraps. When I was done, I looked over to see Keir playing with the Storm Seeker. She was cute, and I … well, I liked her, but … There’s no way I could raise her.

When Mother had told me to flee with Keir’s egg, where had she expected me to go? While our clan was friendly, I didn’t know of any alliances we had. I turned suddenly, facing Keir, and she stopped playing and looked at me.

“Keir,” I began, “how would you like to go back to our lair?”

---

Keir didn’t seem to really understand, but she seemed excited by my own excited tone as I spoke. I quickly packed up our meager belongings and bid farewell to the Storm Seeker. It gave Keir an affectionate headbutt and gave me a long look before bobbing its head, turning back and disappearing into the dark passageway.

This time, Keir was situated on my back. She was strong enough to sit at the base of my neck, between my shoulders, and clutch my feathers. She could also flare her wings to keep her balance, and after walking around a bit to make sure she wouldn’t fall over, we took off in the direction of the lair.

When we took off, I winced. The gash I had gotten from the harpy a few days ago was still there – I had forgotten all about it. I glanced at it. Though slightly sore, it didn’t seem too bad. It looked like it was becoming a scar, though, since I hadn’t really taken care of it. Oh well.

It felt good to angle myself in the direction of the lair and speed towards it. Excitement bubbled in my chest. I had only gotten through the past few days by reminding myself that my lair was still there. We had a fairly large group, most of whom were fighters in some regard, so surely by now the rebuilding process would be starting.

“Look,” I said, slowing and glancing at Keir over my shoulder. I pointed with a claw at the lair entrance on a ledge about halfway up the side of the canyon. “That’s the lair. Let’s go down and take a closer look. It seems pretty quiet.”

I soared down, landing in front of the lair entrance, and looked around. There were still some red stains on the rocks outside, as well as signs of the fight. Scratches on the canyon wall, scorch marks from magic attacks, rubble, broken masks, feathers … I hurried into the entrance, not wanting Keir to see the remnants of the fight.

Huh. It was quiet and dark – the broken electrical devices weren’t sparking, and when I peeked down one of the passageways, I couldn’t see any light or noise coming from Sangria’s workshop. The Imperial was always building or fixing something, so I would’ve thought that he’d be as busy as an intern the week before the Thundercrack Carnivale.

Keir whimpered and tugged on my feathers lightly. It seemed like the dark and quiet lair was unnerving her. “Shh, it’s okay,” I reassured, twisting around to pick her up and carry her in my arms. She gripped her Blue Quartz and huddled against my chest. I cautiously moved through the dark passageway, peeking into the nesting area when I passed it. Empty, but there was evidence of the scuffle I had been a part of. Broken crystal littered the floor, so I didn’t go in.

“Keir,” I said, getting her attention, “I’m going to use a bit of Lightning magic. Let me know if it bothers you, okay?”

The little hatchling blinked and stared at me for a moment before nodding. I held her in one arm and let electricity spark along the other one. I glanced at Keir again. “This okay?” She trilled and seemed fine.

Using the flickering blue light of my magic to light the way, I carefully made my way further into the lair. Up ahead was a sort of gathering area, where Dian called everyone together to talk or where most of us cooked and ate together after a long day.

I slowly stepped inside, looking around. The decorations, cooking fire area, and supplies seemed relatively untouched, though the magic-fueled lights looked like they had burnt out a long time ago. To my surprise, I felt some static that I wasn’t generating and looked down. Tiny sparks were coming off of Keir’s feathers and she made a little growling noise. “What is it?” I asked, looking around and trying to figure out what was putting her on edge. Suddenly, she made a sharp, warning noise and stared over my shoulder, the sparks coming from her intensifying. I curled protectively around Keir before turning sharply, fully intent on jumping backwards to put some space between us and the unknown threat. I swung my arm out preemptively, increasing the Lightning magic output and –

I heard Keir scream, I felt something heavy hit my head, leaving a flare of pain behind, and then … darkness.

Aaaaah D: