Creative Corner

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


The egg hatched in the morning. Unlike Solin’s strategy of struggling and then bursting through the eggshell angrily, the little purple Guardian came out rather easily.

She peered up at Keir and I – good gods she’s going to be large, but she’s a Guardian, what else should I expect – and seemed to be memorizing our faces. “Hello,” I said, bending down a few paces away. I didn’t want to get attacked by a hatchling again.

The little Guardian made a small noise and seemed to smile at us. A low growling noise came from my side, and I looked down to see Solin starting to crouch into a fighting stance. Oh, come on. “Solin, don’t, she’s – SOLIN!”

My words fell on deaf ears as Solin jumped forward and attacked the little Guardian. Keir looked shocked, and I jerked forward to separate them. … But once I got closer, I could see that even though Solin was trying his best to bite and scratch and punch the Guardian, she was just giggling and rolling around with him. I sighed and sat back. “I think they’re fine,” I said to Keir as she sat beside me.

“Are you sure?” she asked, looking at the two doubtfully. “Solin’s really going at her.”

I shrugged. “She’s laughing … And he doesn’t seem to be able to hurt her.” I watched the hatchlings roll around for a while, trying not to laugh at Solin. He was seriously trying his best to injure the Guardian, but nothing he did seemed to do more than tickle her. “What should we call her?”

Keir thought for a moment before looking at the book I had bought her. I had read her a couple of stories since we left the market, and she was starting to pick up some letters. “What about Pali? Like in the story about the Guardian and the Emperor?”

“I like that,” I said, getting up and separating the hatchlings. No matter how strong Pali’s hide seemed to be, if Solin kept going at her he’d hurt her eventually. Of course, Solin bit my arm as I did so, but Pali just shakily crawled over to Keir … before looking curiously at a dying ember from the fire and trying to grab it, pulling her hand back when it burned her. Gods help me.

Solin started talking, too. His first words happened when he was scuffling with Pali. And, to my horror, his first word was @&^%. Where he had picked that up, I had no idea, but I exchanged a horrified glance with Keir and scooped him up. I gave him a talk, but he mostly ignored me and tried to claw at my feathers. And, to top it all off, now most of what I say to him is answered with “no” or “why.” I think I liked it better when he just growled and tried to attack.

We also moved further into the Sunbeam Ruins, and I started to notice a lot more dragons. We passed a couple of lairs, but they might as well have been towns. One was huge, and was actually several clans living in almost the same structure. A Pearlcatcher hatchling ran out to … well, I wasn’t really sure what he was going to do, but Solin started growling and stalking forwards and he ran off. I tried to scold him, and told him he should stop trying to attack everything that moves, but I just got a “not gonna” and another bite.

Pali’s faring well, though. She can keep up with us already if we move slowly, and rolls around with Solin if he tries to attack her.

But even so, I was exhausted by the time we found another ruin. I’m trying to keep the “parent duties” from Keir – she’s not that much younger than me, sure, but I feel a sort of responsibility. Weird. When I think about it, I’m not all that much older than any of them.

When we lay down to sleep, I had to separate Solin and Pali so he didn’t try anything while she was asleep. Solin slept between Keir and I (he refused to be moved) and Pali slept on my other side. At the moment, my wings are able to cover all of us, but Solin is getting too big. Soon he and Keir won’t fit under one of my wings, and we’ll have to sleep in a different position. Sure, I guess none of them need to be under my wings, but I feel more secure knowing that they are. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m not a good caretaker for any of them, but gods know that I’ll do my best to keep them safe.

@Cien awww... cute little Solin. Attacking everything that moves C;

@Cien

Wow, Solin reminds me a lot of my kid sister with the bouncing around and attacking anything that moves part, except for the cursing lol. Where did they pick up that language?! *shakes head*

Pali, keep your cool, okay?!

@Cien Ahaha, this is is hilarious. Consider me hooked. Add me to the pinglist, will you? :D I can't wait that see what Solin does next, such a flammable tundra xD. What I really want Lan to do is show dominance against Solin, and use force to beat him into submission. Sadly, I don't think Lan is up to the job, so that tundra's going to be a very messed up child.

@Digimon11
Haha, it's cute while he's a hatchling! Even if he's a pain in Lan's butt. xD

@Hanelli
Your sister sounds like a handful! And yeah, the cursing ... Lan's just as confused about that as the rest of us! >w<

@Druddigon8
Ah, thank you! I'll go add you right now. ~
And that is definitely what needs to happen, but Lan hasn't figured that out. The poor kid's at a loss for what to do! D:

@Digimon11 @Axqu @Tsukistar @Neige @Hanelli @Nimphy @gunslinger @Druddigon8


Now that Solin’s talking, things have gotten much more lively. I’m not sure it’s a good thing.

The first thing he did when we were up and moving was look at me, look off into the distance at a small group of dragons, then back at me and say “I’m gonna go over there.” He didn’t wait for me to answer, but Keir and I urged Pali along and hurried after him. I had thought that it was a good thing – he had been so freaked out the last time he was around strange dragons – but of course I was wrong.

He was fine as we approached the small group – a few of well-groomed Pearlcatchers and a shimmering Spiral male that was acting as a caretaker for a couple of Pearlcatcher hatchlings. I felt a little self-conscious when the adults turned to look at us – it was obvious that the Pearlcatchers had spent a good amount of time on their appearance, though I could definitely see some good genetics. Treasure, too, by the look of the jewels on their wrists and ankles.

As I caught up to Solin, I apologized. “S-sorry, he tends to run off …”

A male Pearlcatcher smiled at me, but I didn’t really feel any warmth in it. “Don’t worry. He is a difficult hatchling, I’m sure.”

I didn’t like his tone. I felt like he was trying to imply something else, but I couldn’t figure out what. “Yeah, well …” I was at a loss, and looked down at Solin.

He approached one of the hatchlings, who, like the adults, had good, strong looking builds, and stopped in front of them. The Pearlcatcher hatchlings looked at each other before one stepped forward. “What?” it asked, tossing its mane. Solin growled and crouched, looking expectantly at the lead hatchling. The Pearlcatcher glanced up at one of the adults. “Father, may I?”

The father of the hatchling gave Solin a critical glance before nodding. “Go ahead.”

I stared at the two hatchlings with trepidation. This was going to be horrible, and could only end badly, but the Pearlcatcher seemed to be excited and made the first move, darting at Solin. Solin didn’t even try to dodge – he just took the hit, smirked, shot a claw out and grabbed the Pearlcatcher by the neck and flipped it over. Despite the apparent strength the hatchling had, it didn’t seem very strong. “Enough, Solin,” I said, praying that he listened to me.

He didn’t. Of course he didn’t.

Instead, Solin jumped on top on the terrified Pearlcatcher and pinned its wings with his claws and growled right in its face. I leapt forward and ripped Solin off – which was a bad idea, because as he was torn away his claws drew blood on the Pearlcatcher’s wings. Oh gods.

Amidst the following chaos – the Pearlcatcher parent shouting at me, something about pedigree and my “barbaric Tundra,” the other Pearlcatcher hatchlings running around, and the injured hatchling wailing – the Spiral curled comfortingly around the injured hatchling and healed it’s wings. They were good as new, and as I tried to get the Pearlcatchers to stop yelling at me, Keir approached the Spiral.

“How did you do that?” she asked hesitantly.

The Spiral smiled at her. “It’s called Aid. It’s a skill any dragon with magic can learn.” He paused, looking at me trying to contain Solin and getting bit and scratched in the process. “I think you’ll need this,” he said, pushing a stone into her hands. He winked at her before corralling the hatchlings and tactfully urging the adults to leave.

Once they were gone, I set Solin down and he stared at me. “’M not weak,” he said.

I looked at him in exasperation. “Yeah, I know,” I said, “but you can’t attack other dragons.”

Solin growled at me, and then bowled Pali over and started wrestling. I was too tired to try to deal with them. I glanced over and noticed the stone in Keir’s hand. “What’s that?”

She shrugged. “The Spiral gave it to me. He said it’s called Aid.”

“Oh! A battlestone then. It’ll give you new abilities, but you need to train to be able to use them.” I smiled tiredly at her. “It’d be good for you to learn it. We’ll go somewhere to fight tomorrow. Maybe we can bring Solin with us too – it’d be good for him to get some of that energy out.”

I turned and watched Solin and Pali scuffle. She was reckless, and didn’t seem to take danger seriously, but had a thick hide. Even when Solin actually scratched her, she just popped him in the jaw, giggled, and bowled him over again. Solin was the real problem. I had no idea what to do about him. It was painfully obvious that he didn’t listen to me – half of the time he ignored me. And then there were his violent outbursts towards any strange dragon. Telling him off didn’t seem to work, but I didn’t know what else to do. The last thing I wanted to do was to hit him. He didn’t even seem to be giving me his full attention when he was listening. Solin was going to get himself in trouble if he kept going like this, but I had no idea how to stop it.

@Cien

Colour-wise Solin and Pali are like the opposite of each other x'D (Poor little Tundra with his anger-issues, I hope Lan finds a way to help him...)

@Cien

...

-maniacal cackling-

Ohohohoho

@Cien geez Solin.. why u do dis to Lan

@Cien I heart Pali

Pali is awesome

Pali is best