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[b][size=4][font=cambria][color=2A2827]|| First Flight [Part 01][/color][/b][/size][/font]
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[size=3][font=cambria]It had felt like an eternity. But after many months of preparation, and a lifetime of looking to the skies, it had come; the moment to earn her wings.
Lightweavers gift had only just begun to dawn when the young dragonet placed both paws to her mother’s snout and jostled with all that she could muster. Despite her efforts though, the Imperial remained in sleep. Euterpe hadn’t managed to do much. Only now her mother’s upper-lip was pressed upward in an unflattering exposure of her canines.
'Mama...' Euterpe mumbled, 'Wake up!’.
Alusairs’ eyelids began to shift. Content with her progress, the little dragonet whipped around on her hind-legs to lay herself over the neck of the other Imperial, who remained curled toward her mate in deep slumber. Sunk in the locks of her mother’s mane, Euterpe whined. Then, stretching outward she took hold of the Imperials antlers by her teeth and attempted to pull downward in an unsuccessful effort to leverage her mother’s head up.
Finally, after much fuss, the two once sleeping dragons finally began to stir.
With a bounce, Euterpe leaped into view for them both and barked, 'Mama! Its morning let's go!’.
Barely even conscious and with eyes still closed, Alusair let out a bemused huff. She had anticipated this very thing might happen. In fact she could have put gold behind such a bet. Still with an albeit rather exhaustive smile on her face, Alusair forced her heavy eyes open and began to get to her feet. Stretching her forelimbs she let out a colossal yawn; teeth on full display, and claws outspread, with her wings expanded in a wobbly fashion. Reeling back, she was visibly more awake and able to pull herself upright. Pendelus by reflex, once again curled her neck inward toward her mate. Alusair simply smiled down at her. While the thought of a morning slept in was an appealing one, she too could remember the overwhelming exciting that ate at her every thought when it had been her time to fly.
Turning to her daughter she smiled, 'Go wash up honey and get ready for breakfast, your mother and I will be there soon.'
And with that Euterpe was gone.
[center]* * *[/center]
[size=3][font=cambria]They hadn’t expected breakfast to be a timely affair, but Euterpe had practically inhaled her meal of fish and greens, and the two mothers had had barely enough time set their own plates before Euterpe was begging to leave.
Still chewing on pieces of mutton, the three began their trek outside the borders of their territory. It was only a small venture; even more-so with the aspiring fledgling hurrying things along. Had it been a slow morning stroll they may have had time to admire the scenery. After all, The Sunbeam Ruins were blessed with such picturesque coastlines; with the white stone cliffs and luscious grass, that were made even more radiant in the light.
While the winds were strong today—perfect for an ocean flight—it was unlikely Euterpe would be leaping from cliffs anytime soon. No, it was best they start small. And it just so happened, that just a short walk from the Sect was the perfect place to do just that.
In a brief parting between forest and sea, lay before them a grassy hill-scape. Its slope was gradual; reaching a mile of an uninterrupted decent towards the forest edge. Riddled with ledges of varying heights, it had proven to be beneficial location for young Fledglings many a time. The grass was unkempt, which provided a thicket of cushioned flora for all the inevitable crash landings. Any stray stones that may have once hidden themselves amongst the mass of green had long since been combed out. And in such short proximity to the ocean cliffs meant there was an endless stream of strong winds and up-drafts to support untrained wings. So long as watchful guardians were around to assure little dragonets didn’t stray too far towards them.
'We will begin small, let yourself become familiar with your wings before we try anything too taxing,' Alusair remarked.
With an outstretched wing she gestured her daughter to follow. The three then made their way toward the base of the slope. Pendelus looked over each ledge with an analytical eye, gauging them for one that best fit their particular needs.
'This one shall do,' she spoke, coming to a halt and turning to face the ledge to her left.
The outcrop was at such a height that, as a fully grown Imperial, Pendelus could sit at its base while her head remained at level with its top, allowing for Euterpe to be stood at eye level with her mother. Alusair joined her daughter at the ledge top; crouching down with her head hung low. She looked Euterpe over as the dragonet got into position.
Euterpe was unrefined in her stance; her shoulders hunched too low with hindquarters raised to an unflattering height. But her confidence remained.
'Now remember, there are many things you will need to attune yourself to when taking flight. For now we should focus on shaping the air around your wings,' Alusair began. The end of each sentence was met with an affirming nod by the mentored, her eyes hyper-focused on the task at hand.
'As a large species, we Imperials need to muster a great deal of strength in our wings if we wish to make ourselves airborne. You must focus on long purposeful strides. If you begin to stress and beat your wings too quickly you will not accumulate enough air, and you will lose altitude. Or at this height, you will be unable to lift yourself off the ground entirely.'
'It is also guaranteed to tire your wing muscles,' Pendelus added, 'us larger species need to be mindful of the energy we expend during flight, as it’s much more taxing on our muscles to keep our bodies airborne'.
Euterpe seemed to be absorbing the information well—the keen look in her eyes only growing stronger.
'Why don't we begin by simply adding some extra distance to a single jump?'
Euterpe looked upwards at her mother, who was moving into a readied stance; her feet perfectly spaced and wings unfolded.
'Remember... Push from your hind legs, once you've reached your peak, push down with your wings in the circle motion we practised. Just a single powerful stroke should do. Feel the air curl beneath as you attempt to shape it to your will. If you angle it so, and lean yourself forward you should creature enough lift to propel yourself forward through the air.'
Finished with her explanation, Alusair faced forward and began to lower herself. Looking up in awe, Euterpe watched as her mother pushed herself from the ledge. It had appeared effortless, though the power behind such force could be felt echoed through the ground at her feet. At her jumps peak, Alusairs’ outstretched wings were drawn forward than downward in graceful circular motion, before curling beneath her belly and back up again in a single, powerful beat. That alone gave her enough momentum to push herself forward, and sent her a great distance down the hill. Finishing her arch, she brought her wings back to her side and let the weight of the fall hit her forelegs, as she let gravity pull the rest of her to the ground once again.
The entire ark through the air had been swift yet precises, ever movement was graceful. A practised dragon, Alusair had been to the air like she did to the land, it was familiar to her and she knew how to command it. A sense Euterpe did not yet share.
But she was determined.
Running the move she had just witnessed over once again in her head, and once more, and once more... she nodded with satisfaction as two pairs of endearing eyes gazed upon her.
This was her moment.
With as much strength as she could muster, Euterpe pushed with her hind legs and leaped from the grassy ledge. Jumping was nothing new to her, as an active child, she had often been described as 'bouncing off the walls'. But this time was different. Her intense focus had only made her mind more aware of what her body was doing, it felt awkward, unnatural and it was evident it in her jump. Her balance was off, the shift in mass as she took to the air made her stomach drop.
Already gravity was at work to pull her back down, it was heavy and intense, and having passed her peak Euterpe stretched her wings as far as she could, before pushing them straight down with all her strength and a very audible grunt. She could feel her shoulders hunch as she tried her best to pull her body upward in a feeble attempt to fight gravity.
It hadn’t worked very well, the air she had managed to meld sent her up but a few inches, though the progress made was immediately lost as gravity once again claimed her, and she felt herself falling straight back down to the grass below.
It had all gone by so fast.
One moment she was leaping to the skies, the next, belly first in a lump of grass. With a huff she lifted her head and dropped it in the direction towards her mothers.
Dumb Gravity, she wished it would go away.
'It was a very strong effort,' Alusair smiled.
The two walked over to and Pendelus nudged her side as the little dragonet pulled herself to her feet.
'It’s okay, I think I have it now,' Euterpe smiled as she shook herself; mane whipping her scales on either side as bits of dirt and grass flew off her in all directions.
'Remember the exercises you've been doing, flapping your wings is not an up-down motion but a circular pattern,' Alusair began, her daughter already racing up the incline to take her place at the end of the rocky ledge once again, 'This will allow the air to gather under your wings so you can then push yourself forward, much like the over shoulder technique you do in the water,' she concluded.
Euterpe nodded once more before raising her rear and readying her wings once again. Pendelus and Alusair stifled a gentle laugh, they knew this particular habit would not quickly go, but her enthusiasm was endearing.
'You needn't raise yourself that way, you will hurt your back if you try to jump from that position,' Pendelus smiled, a laugh faintly ghosting her words, as she used the dull of her for claw to gentle press against the small of her daughter’s back to help guide Euterpe to a lower stance, 'yes like that,' Pendelus finished.
'Now try again.'
[center]* * *[/center]
[size=3][font=cambria]The next morning could not come soon enough. Though her first lessons had been hours long, it hadn’t come close to feeling that way, especially since she had made such little progress. Both parents knew too much practice would be detrimental to their daughters’ health, and insisted on a daily schedule consisting of a measly few hours every morning. This of course had also been at expertise of the Sects medical professionals. But what did they know. As far as Euterpe could tell, she could practice flying all week long until she owned those skies, and she could rub it in gravitys stupid non-existent face.
She was so sure in fact, that she couldn’t find herself falling into sleep that night. The thought of the night air beneath her wings consumed her, her wing muscles twitching and her body restless. Carefully, she raised her head to examine both her parents. She had insisted on sleeping in their chambers for the duration of her training. That way she could wake them then moment she did. A decision so was now regretting.
They seemed deep in sleep. It was possible she may be able leave the chamber unnoticed. This wasn’t something particularly new to her after all. Euterpe had always enjoyed exploring the many passages of the Ruins, and during one such venture she had come across a particular route that lead her just beyond the Sect walls. As a young, naïve dragonet, it had not occurred to her to mention such a flaw in their lairs defences to her mothers. Why would she? How else was she to sneak out without any of the Sect guards noticing her? Of course, she it kept it well hidden to outsiders as well. After all, this was [i]her[/i] secret tunnel.
[center]* * *[/center]
[size=3][font=cambria]The night air was cold against her hide, no longer was she within the stone walls that shielded her from the harsh night winds. But this did not bother her of course, for tonight, there was only one thing on her mind.
Reaching her practice ledge once again, Euterpe immediately picked up her training. Jumping and falling, jumping and falling then Gliding and then falling again.
So keenly focused on the task at hand, Euterpe took no mind to her surroundings; the rest of the world could fall to Shade and she would not have battered an eye, for in this very moment it was her, her wings, and the sky. But unfortunately for the young dragonet, she was not alone.
Just beyond the forest edge, a pair of eyes watched on.
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@rainphee
|| First Flight [Part 01]
It had felt like an eternity. But after many months of preparation, and a lifetime of looking to the skies, it had come; the moment to earn her wings.
Lightweavers gift had only just begun to dawn when the young dragonet placed both paws to her mother’s snout and jostled with all that she could muster. Despite her efforts though, the Imperial remained in sleep. Euterpe hadn’t managed to do much. Only now her mother’s upper-lip was pressed upward in an unflattering exposure of her canines.
'Mama...' Euterpe mumbled, 'Wake up!’.
Alusairs’ eyelids began to shift. Content with her progress, the little dragonet whipped around on her hind-legs to lay herself over the neck of the other Imperial, who remained curled toward her mate in deep slumber. Sunk in the locks of her mother’s mane, Euterpe whined. Then, stretching outward she took hold of the Imperials antlers by her teeth and attempted to pull downward in an unsuccessful effort to leverage her mother’s head up.
Finally, after much fuss, the two once sleeping dragons finally began to stir.
With a bounce, Euterpe leaped into view for them both and barked, 'Mama! Its morning let's go!’.
Barely even conscious and with eyes still closed, Alusair let out a bemused huff. She had anticipated this very thing might happen. In fact she could have put gold behind such a bet. Still with an albeit rather exhaustive smile on her face, Alusair forced her heavy eyes open and began to get to her feet. Stretching her forelimbs she let out a colossal yawn; teeth on full display, and claws outspread, with her wings expanded in a wobbly fashion. Reeling back, she was visibly more awake and able to pull herself upright. Pendelus by reflex, once again curled her neck inward toward her mate. Alusair simply smiled down at her. While the thought of a morning slept in was an appealing one, she too could remember the overwhelming exciting that ate at her every thought when it had been her time to fly.
Turning to her daughter she smiled, 'Go wash up honey and get ready for breakfast, your mother and I will be there soon.'
And with that Euterpe was gone.
* * *
They hadn’t expected breakfast to be a timely affair, but Euterpe had practically inhaled her meal of fish and greens, and the two mothers had had barely enough time set their own plates before Euterpe was begging to leave.
Still chewing on pieces of mutton, the three began their trek outside the borders of their territory. It was only a small venture; even more-so with the aspiring fledgling hurrying things along. Had it been a slow morning stroll they may have had time to admire the scenery. After all, The Sunbeam Ruins were blessed with such picturesque coastlines; with the white stone cliffs and luscious grass, that were made even more radiant in the light.
While the winds were strong today—perfect for an ocean flight—it was unlikely Euterpe would be leaping from cliffs anytime soon. No, it was best they start small. And it just so happened, that just a short walk from the Sect was the perfect place to do just that.
In a brief parting between forest and sea, lay before them a grassy hill-scape. Its slope was gradual; reaching a mile of an uninterrupted decent towards the forest edge. Riddled with ledges of varying heights, it had proven to be beneficial location for young Fledglings many a time. The grass was unkempt, which provided a thicket of cushioned flora for all the inevitable crash landings. Any stray stones that may have once hidden themselves amongst the mass of green had long since been combed out. And in such short proximity to the ocean cliffs meant there was an endless stream of strong winds and up-drafts to support untrained wings. So long as watchful guardians were around to assure little dragonets didn’t stray too far towards them.
'We will begin small, let yourself become familiar with your wings before we try anything too taxing,' Alusair remarked.
With an outstretched wing she gestured her daughter to follow. The three then made their way toward the base of the slope. Pendelus looked over each ledge with an analytical eye, gauging them for one that best fit their particular needs.
'This one shall do,' she spoke, coming to a halt and turning to face the ledge to her left.
The outcrop was at such a height that, as a fully grown Imperial, Pendelus could sit at its base while her head remained at level with its top, allowing for Euterpe to be stood at eye level with her mother. Alusair joined her daughter at the ledge top; crouching down with her head hung low. She looked Euterpe over as the dragonet got into position.
Euterpe was unrefined in her stance; her shoulders hunched too low with hindquarters raised to an unflattering height. But her confidence remained.
'Now remember, there are many things you will need to attune yourself to when taking flight. For now we should focus on shaping the air around your wings,' Alusair began. The end of each sentence was met with an affirming nod by the mentored, her eyes hyper-focused on the task at hand.
'As a large species, we Imperials need to muster a great deal of strength in our wings if we wish to make ourselves airborne. You must focus on long purposeful strides. If you begin to stress and beat your wings too quickly you will not accumulate enough air, and you will lose altitude. Or at this height, you will be unable to lift yourself off the ground entirely.'
'It is also guaranteed to tire your wing muscles,' Pendelus added, 'us larger species need to be mindful of the energy we expend during flight, as it’s much more taxing on our muscles to keep our bodies airborne'.
Euterpe seemed to be absorbing the information well—the keen look in her eyes only growing stronger.
'Why don't we begin by simply adding some extra distance to a single jump?'
Euterpe looked upwards at her mother, who was moving into a readied stance; her feet perfectly spaced and wings unfolded.
'Remember... Push from your hind legs, once you've reached your peak, push down with your wings in the circle motion we practised. Just a single powerful stroke should do. Feel the air curl beneath as you attempt to shape it to your will. If you angle it so, and lean yourself forward you should creature enough lift to propel yourself forward through the air.'
Finished with her explanation, Alusair faced forward and began to lower herself. Looking up in awe, Euterpe watched as her mother pushed herself from the ledge. It had appeared effortless, though the power behind such force could be felt echoed through the ground at her feet. At her jumps peak, Alusairs’ outstretched wings were drawn forward than downward in graceful circular motion, before curling beneath her belly and back up again in a single, powerful beat. That alone gave her enough momentum to push herself forward, and sent her a great distance down the hill. Finishing her arch, she brought her wings back to her side and let the weight of the fall hit her forelegs, as she let gravity pull the rest of her to the ground once again.
The entire ark through the air had been swift yet precises, ever movement was graceful. A practised dragon, Alusair had been to the air like she did to the land, it was familiar to her and she knew how to command it. A sense Euterpe did not yet share.
But she was determined.
Running the move she had just witnessed over once again in her head, and once more, and once more... she nodded with satisfaction as two pairs of endearing eyes gazed upon her.
This was her moment.
With as much strength as she could muster, Euterpe pushed with her hind legs and leaped from the grassy ledge. Jumping was nothing new to her, as an active child, she had often been described as 'bouncing off the walls'. But this time was different. Her intense focus had only made her mind more aware of what her body was doing, it felt awkward, unnatural and it was evident it in her jump. Her balance was off, the shift in mass as she took to the air made her stomach drop.
Already gravity was at work to pull her back down, it was heavy and intense, and having passed her peak Euterpe stretched her wings as far as she could, before pushing them straight down with all her strength and a very audible grunt. She could feel her shoulders hunch as she tried her best to pull her body upward in a feeble attempt to fight gravity.
It hadn’t worked very well, the air she had managed to meld sent her up but a few inches, though the progress made was immediately lost as gravity once again claimed her, and she felt herself falling straight back down to the grass below.
It had all gone by so fast.
One moment she was leaping to the skies, the next, belly first in a lump of grass. With a huff she lifted her head and dropped it in the direction towards her mothers.
Dumb Gravity, she wished it would go away.
'It was a very strong effort,' Alusair smiled.
The two walked over to and Pendelus nudged her side as the little dragonet pulled herself to her feet.
'It’s okay, I think I have it now,' Euterpe smiled as she shook herself; mane whipping her scales on either side as bits of dirt and grass flew off her in all directions.
'Remember the exercises you've been doing, flapping your wings is not an up-down motion but a circular pattern,' Alusair began, her daughter already racing up the incline to take her place at the end of the rocky ledge once again, 'This will allow the air to gather under your wings so you can then push yourself forward, much like the over shoulder technique you do in the water,' she concluded.
Euterpe nodded once more before raising her rear and readying her wings once again. Pendelus and Alusair stifled a gentle laugh, they knew this particular habit would not quickly go, but her enthusiasm was endearing.
'You needn't raise yourself that way, you will hurt your back if you try to jump from that position,' Pendelus smiled, a laugh faintly ghosting her words, as she used the dull of her for claw to gentle press against the small of her daughter’s back to help guide Euterpe to a lower stance, 'yes like that,' Pendelus finished.
'Now try again.'
* * *
The next morning could not come soon enough. Though her first lessons had been hours long, it hadn’t come close to feeling that way, especially since she had made such little progress. Both parents knew too much practice would be detrimental to their daughters’ health, and insisted on a daily schedule consisting of a measly few hours every morning. This of course had also been at expertise of the Sects medical professionals. But what did they know. As far as Euterpe could tell, she could practice flying all week long until she owned those skies, and she could rub it in gravitys stupid non-existent face.
She was so sure in fact, that she couldn’t find herself falling into sleep that night. The thought of the night air beneath her wings consumed her, her wing muscles twitching and her body restless. Carefully, she raised her head to examine both her parents. She had insisted on sleeping in their chambers for the duration of her training. That way she could wake them then moment she did. A decision so was now regretting.
They seemed deep in sleep. It was possible she may be able leave the chamber unnoticed. This wasn’t something particularly new to her after all. Euterpe had always enjoyed exploring the many passages of the Ruins, and during one such venture she had come across a particular route that lead her just beyond the Sect walls. As a young, naïve dragonet, it had not occurred to her to mention such a flaw in their lairs defences to her mothers. Why would she? How else was she to sneak out without any of the Sect guards noticing her? Of course, she it kept it well hidden to outsiders as well. After all, this was her secret tunnel.
* * *
The night air was cold against her hide, no longer was she within the stone walls that shielded her from the harsh night winds. But this did not bother her of course, for tonight, there was only one thing on her mind.
Reaching her practice ledge once again, Euterpe immediately picked up her training. Jumping and falling, jumping and falling then Gliding and then falling again.
So keenly focused on the task at hand, Euterpe took no mind to her surroundings; the rest of the world could fall to Shade and she would not have battered an eye, for in this very moment it was her, her wings, and the sky. But unfortunately for the young dragonet, she was not alone.
Just beyond the forest edge, a pair of eyes watched on.
@
rainphee
AW YEAH!!!! It’s finally here!
AW YEAH!!!! It’s finally here!
@
rainphee Aaaah bless I'm so flattered you were excited ;; v;;
Thanks for stopping by friend <3
@
rainphee Aaaah bless I'm so flattered you were excited ;; v;;
Thanks for stopping by friend <3
[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=dragon&id=19079&did=6753804][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/67539/6753804p.png[/img][/url]
[b][size=4][font=cambria][color=2A2827]|| To Eyes Anew[/color][/b][/size][/font]
[font=Cambria][size=3]Special Credits: Draft edited by [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=userpage&id=352540]RainPhee[/url]
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[font=Cambria][size=3]Across the land dragons stare in horror and surprise, as the eyes that look back at them are not of their own. The eyes of their children startle them and the eyes of their friends confused them. What madness has befallen dragon kind, as a result of the boon of the elements?
[center][size=3]* * *[/size][/center]
[font=Cambria][size=3]That morning’s lecture had been particularly awful, as had the evening one that followed. Something about her head that day just hadn’t sat right with her. The dizziness, the sharp pains, the occasional lurch in her gut; all typical signs of illness.
But she had pressed on, as she was accustomed to do. A dragon of Plague would be laughed out of the halls for griping on about a common bug. So naturally, she hadn’t said anything about it. She wasn’t even a prideful dragon, not really, but she had never felt right to pass up a precious day of study over something she had endured a thousand times over in her homeland.
But by nightfall the eye strains had begun. Any material she was given to revise became a mass of indecipherable scrawl. The figure of the orator became nothing but a blur of colours that could barely pass for a Wildclaw. Her eyes grew heavy, and the last thing she remembered was the cry of one of her peers, as they called out her name in panic. And then her head fell to the floor.
[center][size=3]* * *[/size][/center]
[font=Cambria][size=3]“Oh good, you’re waking up I see.”
“Hmm?”
Fainna moaned, as she tried to gather her senses. She was lying down, she was almost sure of that. Her head was numb, which left her sense of space a little wobbly.
“How are you feeling?” The voice that had woken her asked.
Fainna tried to muster a reply, it would be rude not to after all, but all she could muster was a “Mmmh.”
“I see. Well, don’t try to rush yourself to getting up, you sustained some trauma to your skull when you collapsed, so you’ll be a bit dizzy, and in a very unpleasant way.”
Hm, she hasn’t been aware any kind of dizziness was pleasant. But her caretaker had a good point, the last thing she wanted to do was move her head. That much was certain.
“You’ve been unconscious for five sunrises, but your body seems to have warded off the illness rather quickly. Lucky you, Plague dragon.”
Fainna would have laughed, if she knew it wouldn’t pain her beyond it’s worth.
Finally, she slowly tried to push her eyes open. It shouldn’t have been a difficult task, but something about her eyelids today felt uncooperatively stubborn. And heavy, they were very heavy. Almost like the effort to see was a foreign, new concept to her.
After a while though, she was able to see the room she was in. The hospital wing, as it happened. She had assumed that much. Still, it was rather odd, she hadn’t remembered any of her symptoms being all that serious, and she had, many a time, experienced extreme symptoms in her life.
Whatever had happened to her, it must have been serious, to feel the need to rush a Plague dragon to medical assistance. Since normally Plague dragons were not subject to these sorts of things, as a religious exemption. Under regular circumstances, most Plague dragons detested the thought of not having body autonomy over receiving medical attention in the case of collapse or unconsciousness. But of course, Fainna wasn’t the typical Plague dragon.
The chatter of nearby dragons pulled her from her thoughts.
“It’s not the only case we’ve seen, our sister school in the south has seen a few new cases just this week.”
“Very strange, I thought it was only affecting newly hatched infants, but grown dragons? If it is a viral infection we should be making separate documents, just to be sure.”
For an esteemed establishment, it was rather clumsy of them to be discussing clientele information while perusing the rest halls. But then again, she hadn’t been a patient in a place like this before, so what did she know.
But then she realised, the dragons she was overhearing were right beside her, at her resting table, in fact. Had they been discussing her?
“What happened to me?” Fainna spoke, her words nearly unintelligible.
But apparently, a work life of tending to the ill and barely conscious meant you got pretty good at interpreting the weak murmurs of the sick, because without missing a beat one of the caretakers replied, “We’re not sure, it’s still a new phenomenon that has only occurred in the past few phases. dragons have been developing mutations in their eyes, for some, like yourself, it has been through a rather intense illness that leaves many unconscious during the change.”
Wait.
Her eyes?
Oh gods, what had happened to her eyes?!
“We’ll be able to run some examinations once you feel better, for now, just rest and-”
“Mir…” Fainna tried, “Mir-ror… please.”
She heard the tapping of talons to marble, as one of the dragons left her side to fetch her request.
Panic swelled inside her throat, she wasn’t blind, as she had been able to see just fine moments before, albeit a little blurry, but that was just the result of waking from unconsciousness, right?
“Here,” a voice spoke, as the soft metal tap of a mirrors frame sounded from beside her.
It was blurry at first, like before, it had taken a moment to even register her own face looking back at her. Her unkempt mane was an absolute disgrace and the black ring of makeup that had once accentuated her eyes had long since rubbed from her scales.
Her eyes.
What had once been a pair of beautiful carmine eyes, were now a swollen red, flushed with a sickly green of bile and pus.
She felt as if her heart were choking her. They were awful.
Surely it was not permanent, just like the boils and rashes she fussed over as a dragonet, they all went away, and her shiny white hide would always go back to how it was, void of blemishes and ailments.
But something about the way the others had spoken, something about this wrong feeling in her gut, told her that this time it might be otherwise.
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@rainphee
|| To Eyes Anew
Special Credits: Draft edited by RainPhee
Across the land dragons stare in horror and surprise, as the eyes that look back at them are not of their own. The eyes of their children startle them and the eyes of their friends confused them. What madness has befallen dragon kind, as a result of the boon of the elements?
* * *
That morning’s lecture had been particularly awful, as had the evening one that followed. Something about her head that day just hadn’t sat right with her. The dizziness, the sharp pains, the occasional lurch in her gut; all typical signs of illness.
But she had pressed on, as she was accustomed to do. A dragon of Plague would be laughed out of the halls for griping on about a common bug. So naturally, she hadn’t said anything about it. She wasn’t even a prideful dragon, not really, but she had never felt right to pass up a precious day of study over something she had endured a thousand times over in her homeland.
But by nightfall the eye strains had begun. Any material she was given to revise became a mass of indecipherable scrawl. The figure of the orator became nothing but a blur of colours that could barely pass for a Wildclaw. Her eyes grew heavy, and the last thing she remembered was the cry of one of her peers, as they called out her name in panic. And then her head fell to the floor.
* * *
“Oh good, you’re waking up I see.”
“Hmm?”
Fainna moaned, as she tried to gather her senses. She was lying down, she was almost sure of that. Her head was numb, which left her sense of space a little wobbly.
“How are you feeling?” The voice that had woken her asked.
Fainna tried to muster a reply, it would be rude not to after all, but all she could muster was a “Mmmh.”
“I see. Well, don’t try to rush yourself to getting up, you sustained some trauma to your skull when you collapsed, so you’ll be a bit dizzy, and in a very unpleasant way.”
Hm, she hasn’t been aware any kind of dizziness was pleasant. But her caretaker had a good point, the last thing she wanted to do was move her head. That much was certain.
“You’ve been unconscious for five sunrises, but your body seems to have warded off the illness rather quickly. Lucky you, Plague dragon.”
Fainna would have laughed, if she knew it wouldn’t pain her beyond it’s worth.
Finally, she slowly tried to push her eyes open. It shouldn’t have been a difficult task, but something about her eyelids today felt uncooperatively stubborn. And heavy, they were very heavy. Almost like the effort to see was a foreign, new concept to her.
After a while though, she was able to see the room she was in. The hospital wing, as it happened. She had assumed that much. Still, it was rather odd, she hadn’t remembered any of her symptoms being all that serious, and she had, many a time, experienced extreme symptoms in her life.
Whatever had happened to her, it must have been serious, to feel the need to rush a Plague dragon to medical assistance. Since normally Plague dragons were not subject to these sorts of things, as a religious exemption. Under regular circumstances, most Plague dragons detested the thought of not having body autonomy over receiving medical attention in the case of collapse or unconsciousness. But of course, Fainna wasn’t the typical Plague dragon.
The chatter of nearby dragons pulled her from her thoughts.
“It’s not the only case we’ve seen, our sister school in the south has seen a few new cases just this week.”
“Very strange, I thought it was only affecting newly hatched infants, but grown dragons? If it is a viral infection we should be making separate documents, just to be sure.”
For an esteemed establishment, it was rather clumsy of them to be discussing clientele information while perusing the rest halls. But then again, she hadn’t been a patient in a place like this before, so what did she know.
But then she realised, the dragons she was overhearing were right beside her, at her resting table, in fact. Had they been discussing her?
“What happened to me?” Fainna spoke, her words nearly unintelligible.
But apparently, a work life of tending to the ill and barely conscious meant you got pretty good at interpreting the weak murmurs of the sick, because without missing a beat one of the caretakers replied, “We’re not sure, it’s still a new phenomenon that has only occurred in the past few phases. dragons have been developing mutations in their eyes, for some, like yourself, it has been through a rather intense illness that leaves many unconscious during the change.”
Wait.
Her eyes?
Oh gods, what had happened to her eyes?!
“We’ll be able to run some examinations once you feel better, for now, just rest and-”
“Mir…” Fainna tried, “Mir-ror… please.”
She heard the tapping of talons to marble, as one of the dragons left her side to fetch her request.
Panic swelled inside her throat, she wasn’t blind, as she had been able to see just fine moments before, albeit a little blurry, but that was just the result of waking from unconsciousness, right?
“Here,” a voice spoke, as the soft metal tap of a mirrors frame sounded from beside her.
It was blurry at first, like before, it had taken a moment to even register her own face looking back at her. Her unkempt mane was an absolute disgrace and the black ring of makeup that had once accentuated her eyes had long since rubbed from her scales.
Her eyes.
What had once been a pair of beautiful carmine eyes, were now a swollen red, flushed with a sickly green of bile and pus.
She felt as if her heart were choking her. They were awful.
Surely it was not permanent, just like the boils and rashes she fussed over as a dragonet, they all went away, and her shiny white hide would always go back to how it was, void of blemishes and ailments.
But something about the way the others had spoken, something about this wrong feeling in her gut, told her that this time it might be otherwise.
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rainphee
AW YEAH!!!!!! i love how this story turned out, you did such a great job!!
AW YEAH!!!!!! i love how this story turned out, you did such a great job!!
