Chapter Eight: The Midnight Crew
While the clan's rapid expansion presented challenges, it also provided a welcome respite from the constant work of construction. With more strong, willing hands, the larger dragons could work in shifts to complete their various projects. Huijin and Shaohui had been welcome additions to the clan, even though they'd had a somewhat rocky start. Huijin had been eager to join a construction team and begin pulling his own weight, and after settling in and feeling more secure, Shaohui also began to open up more and contribute to the building effort.
It freed up more time in the day for other things, which Pulchrior was grateful for - he'd become fond of using his evenings to study astronomy from the watchtower atop the Keep, even if the self-appointed watchdragon did flutter anxiously around his feet from time to time. Pulchrior had managed to get the Coatl's name, or at least a semblance of it, after some careful inquiry. "Once my name was Telos," the Coatl had told him. "But now that I'm something else, they call me something else. My name is Ihiyotl." It was a mouthful of a name and Pulchrior still struggled to pronounce it sometimes, but at least he had an answer to the mystery.
The rash of downtime had led to a slew of new births in the clan. Shaohui had given birth to a clutch of her own, a bundle of blue-eyed, red-scaled Imperials who tumbled around the makeshift nursery and filled it with happy chatter. Most of the hatchlings went on to serve in Intern positions with the Stormcatcher, as part of the agreement their clan had reached in exchange for increased mechanization and technical support to help with the ongoing construction of the lair, but one of them, a
bright-eyed male with his father's good sense of humor, was sent to a distant Arcane clan for fostering. Eager to engage in diplomatic relations with yet another new flight, Kyril took it upon himself to use the young hatchling's fostership to exchange letters with the leader of the clan until a formal alliance was agreed upon. The Arcane clan was small, but the alliance eventually led to some small trade exchanges, and the magically radioactive minerals they received were eagerly welcomed by Hanyi and the other scientists.
The ability to take time off to care for hatchlings was a boon for Pulchrior and Kidara. Neither of them was willing to leave their own children in the care of other dragons, even though they knew perfectly well that Atzintli was a kind and attentive caretaker who doted on other hatchlings as much as he did his and Nepantla's. It wasn't that they had anything against the nursery system, or against dragons who preferred to use it. It was simply that they wanted to take care of their own hatchlings, and enjoy them while they were young, before they got sent to new clans or internships. Pulchrior was relieved that he and Kidara both saw eye-to-eye in this respect, since caring for hatchlings was a time-consuming undertaking. With both of them present, taking care of a nest of boisterous youngsters was a much easier prospect.
Their first clutch of hatchlings was a pair of girls, a Ridgeback and a Guardian, both black as night. The eldest of the two,
Indra, went onto a fosterage and then a permanent residence with the Evening Marsh Clan, one of their first allies in the Nature flight. The younger, Ebony, went to a second Nature clan located nearby.
For Pulchrior, the parting was bittersweet. Being a parent had proven an unexpected joy, and he found that he missed the boisterous excitement of his hatchlings. Fortunately, he didn't have long to grieve; he and Kidara were soon blessed with a second clutch, this time giving rise to a pair of brothers.
From the beginning, the two young brothers couldn't have been more different. The eldest of the two males, a Guardian named
Sublustris, was aloof and distant, and he did not stay long. He left the clan in search of his Charge at an early age and didn't look back, which Pulchrior understood but nonetheless found disappointing. He kept in touch with his son via letters and learned that Sublustris had settled in the same clan as Huijin and Shaohui's son Vulcan.
The younger of the brothers was a Ridgeback named
Orion, and from the moment he hatched, he and Pulchrior were practically inseperable. The young black dragon accompanied Pulchrior around the clan, riding between his shoulder spikes and peering curiously at the other dragons they passed.
When the time came for Orion to be sent to another clan for fostering, he made a choice that was unprecedented - he decided to stay.
"If my dad can't foster me, that's fine, I get it," he said to Excursio when the leader questioned his decision. "There's plenty of other dragons who can train me. Dad isn't the only warrior in the clan. But I want to stay here."
While Excursio was startled by Orion's unconventional request, Pulchrior was not. Orion's love of his home came only second to his devotion to his family. When he'd learned that he had older siblings, Orion had immediately set about learning to write so that he could send letters to his older sisters. Ebony never returned his correspondence, but Indra did. The two of them kept in contact even as Orion grew busy with his formal training as a warrior of the clan. He had worthy teachers, of course - Vastatio taught him how to track enemies and rivals across vast swaths of empty desert, and Incursio taught him the finer points of close-quarters combat.
But there were some duties that belonged to a father. While Pulchrior understood the necessity of fostering Orion outside the family, there was still something he owed to this child of his, this hatchling who was rapidly growing into his spindly adolescent limbs and who was so like and unlike his father. The symmetry of seeing Orion fight to protect his clan, just as Pulchrior and Kidara did, was pleasing in a way that went beyond simple logic and patriarchal pride.
Was it possible that he had found his Charge? Pulchrior wasn't sure, which made him think that there was still something missing. Nevertheless, he was confident that he had at least taken a step in the right direction.
His confidence only grew when Orion took his place among the ranks of the clan's warriors, adding a fifth pair of glittering black wings to their already-impressive lineup. "It really is interesting how many black dragons have found their way to the clan in such a short period of time," he said to Kidara that night after their son's graduation ceremony. "And for all of us to specialize in combat is an even unlikelier coincidence. There's a part of me that has been wanting to... formalize it."
Kidara nodded thoughtfully. "The idea has merit. As long as we acknowledge the strengths of other warriors, I see no reason why we can't go on record as a team of our own."
Pulchrior immediately agreed with Kidara's stipulation. To do otherwise would be to dishonor his leaders, who had been his first comrades-at-arms, and Vastatio, who had grown into a commendable scout and fighter in his own right. There was no reason to assume that bright colors made one inferior, and to assume so would be both disrespectful and demonstrably false.
"We would also need to figure out a way to designate noncombatants, should we ever be called on to go into battle as a group," Pulchrior added, as another truth occurred to him - not all black dragons were automatically destined to be fighters, and there would almost certainly be residents in the future who would not desire to be so recognized just because of their scale color. "If we were attacked, enemies might see the five of us working in concert and assume that all black dragons in the clan are warriors, even if they aren't."
Kidara winced at the prospect. "Good thinking."
When they brought the idea before Excursio and Incursio the following day, along with Orion, Corvid, and Shanoa, neither leader hesitated long before agreeing to the official designation of the five black dragons as an official unit. "Aside from the fact that you make for an intimidating sight in the sky, your colors would come in handy should we ever be attacked by night," Excursio said. "As long as you continue to acknowledge the prowess of other warriors, and make provisions for black noncombatants within the clan, I think the five of you will be a wonderful asset. Have you thought of a name for your unit?"
Pulchrior's brows rose. "To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought. Does anyone else have any ideas?"
Corvid tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, all of us
are the color of the sky at midnight. Shanoa is a bit more purple in places than the rest of us - sorry, dear - but the sentiment stands regardless. And we are also all employees of the Stormcatcher, at the end of the day. What about calling ourselves the Midnight Crew?"
Shanoa raised a brow at her mate. "The Shadow Strikers would be equally permissible, if we're going by specific scale colors," she said with a smirk. "Plus it has added alliterative appeal. But the dual meaning of Midnight Crew
is an enjoyable play on words, as long as dragons don't have to literally be the color of midnight to join."
The other four members all agreed hastily that of course the name shouldn't be taken literally, and that all black dragons were eligible for membership whether they were the color of midnight or not. Satisfied that her point had been made, Shanoa folded her wings and settled comfortably on the stone of the mesa.
Excursio called a short break in the workday so that the rest of the clan's residents could attend the official dedication ceremony of the Midnight Crew. She also bestowed a simple wrought-iron belt on them all - "We'll find you a better signifier of rank eventually, but for now this should do the job of distinguishing you lot from our noncombatants," she said with a wink at Corvid that had made the Imperial's ears flick backward in surprise. Shanoa's lips lifted in an amused twitch, but she said nothing.
Pulchrior felt a bit sheepish that his nighttime musings had led to an idea that created this much of a stir - he wasn't used to all this attention, especially when he hadn't done anything in particular to deserve it. But Kidara pointed out that the point of the ceremony wasn't just to honor the five of them.
"I think Excursio was using us as an opportunity," she explained. "This clan is a lot more egalitarian that a lot of other clans I've visited in the past. It's clear that Excursio is the leader, but she openly shares her command role with Incursio, and she welcomes ideas even from dragons who aren't in leadership positions of their own. She's always done her best to make it clear that everyone's contributions are valued, but this is the first time that anyone in the clan has stepped forward with an idea that was entirely their own. I think she wanted to make sure our clanmates saw how she reacted, in case it encouraged them to come forward with their own projects."
It was a sound guess, and it fit with what Pulchrior knew of his leader's character. "As long as it doesn't give anyone the idea that we're better than anyone else, I'm happy with that," he said, satisfied with his mate's answer. "And at least we've ensured that any future hatchlings of ours have a niche carved out for them here, should they choose to stay as Orion did."
Kidara looked up at the ceiling of the burrow. "I've never met a male who was quite as fond of hatchlings as you are - especially his own," she said, but her smile was fond. "Don't ever change."
Pulchrior thought of his son, and the warm glow of pride he'd felt when Orion took his place among the warriors of the clan just like his parents had done. "Don't worry," he said to Kidara. "I don't think I could if I tried."
