Creative Corner

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_____________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/vID67VY.png[/img][/url] [b]Alexander[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42489563][img]https://i.imgur.com/A7s9NWa.png[/img][/url] [b]Aspar[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45483503][img]https://i.imgur.com/gFo2gU7.png[/img][/url] [b]Unnamed[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig04.deviantart.net/a908/f/2017/225/5/b/frarcane_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxypv.png[/img] [size=6][color=#ba46b4]Alexander[/color][/size][/center][columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/QqwwKMQ.jpg[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][size=4]The night air was getting colder by the day, steadily dropping into winter. Alexander shivered, shaking out his fur. There were times he wished the thick coats of his tundra ancestors had carried through the line. The pyre had already commended Calypso's soul to the Gladekeeper. This was a quieter event, the miserably crackling fire and Alexander, alone at the stone guardian's feet. The shadows between the trees watched him, whispering to each other. He didn't put much stake in the gods. Dragons with that much power didn't care about the clans, the hatchlings, the thousands of dragons living and dying under their feet. They cared about their sibling squabbles and how much land they could pull from each other. Standing alone at the fire, he began to wonder why the clans honoured them at all. Calypso burned with the grace of a warrior, claws crossed over his chest, wings spread wide beneath him. He gazed up at the sky, revealed in scattered stars through the leaves of the swaying canopy. Alexander straightened, keeping his vigil for a friend. "Something isn't right," his voice sounded hoarse at first, scared to break the silence. "Something... someone... hurt you, didn't they?" The fire crackled unrelentingly, holding its silence. [/size][/columns] [size=3]"Not that you could answer me now, huh." He dropped his gaze to the ground, his breath catching in his chest. "I-" he shook his head, biting his tongue as the words stuck in his throat. "You were- only gone for a day..." He whispered hoarsely. "You didn't tell me you wouldn't come back." He shuddered, his breaths uneven, trying to hold each one back. Every quick breath was a gasp, trapped by the lump in his throat. He forced himself to look away from the pyre. A wisp wove slowly through the leaves beside him, a moonlit flame among the shadows. He was drawn to its dance, the slow weave among the trees that pulled him in. [i]Come... Come...[/i] He stood up, tensing again. "What are you?! Leave me be!" "I have something to show you," the voice seemed to be coming from the flame, normal but distant, as though an echo of someone he knew. "You didn't come." He backed away. "I won't leave my vigil. You won't trick me." [i]Follow...[/i] The world was swaying, the warmth of the fire curling around his mind. He watched the white flame flicker out, drifting back through the trees as the shadows closed in. --- "'Xander? [i]'Xander[/i]..." "Wh...?" "Wakey wakey, buddy." He stirred, groaning at the stiffness in his limbs. Someone had placed something soft under his head, a ball of moss or bunched leaves, cushioning him lightly. The wet wood underneath him had soaked through his fur, leaving him shivering uncontrollably. He blinked his eyes open and looked up to the face of a bright Fae, nudging him gently. "You slept half through the morning." "Aspar..." He sat up, groaning again. "Oh, gods... did I?" "It's okay. They've taken care of the ashes. Monster said you needed rest." He cursed. "So they didn't wake me?" "Everyone's done fine without you for a while. You were tired out of your mind yesterday." "Bugger." "Language!" "Gods I... I should get back to my hut." He pushed himself back to his feet, the weight of his wet fur unbalancing him. "I have things I should have been doing..." Asp shrugged. "Up to you. Monster said they're spreading the ashes tomorrow, if you want to go with them." He nodded, putting a claw on his head at the stab of pain that came with it. "Thanks, Asp." "No problem." The upper lair was busier than it had been in days, the Trio's soldiers back from their manouvres and recovering from the shock of Calypso. The communal huts were buzzing with the new dragons greeting their denmates, sorting their hoard piles into their own private corners and drawing the lines - this is [i]my[/i] space, and that's [i]yours[/i]. To any other dragon, it seemed like nothing had changed at all. "'Xan!" The yell barely had time to register before he was bowled over by a dragon almost as large as him, greeted by two rows of sharp teeth grinning into his face. He snarled in defence. "No, no! I was happy." The weight rolled off him, flopping onto the wood beside him, revealing itself to be the young mirror, eyes glowing in health and excitement. "'Briella says I'll be okay, she says you got all the bad stuff out and I can go back to the nest again now." "Ah." He forced a smile, dipping his head to the hatchling. "It's what I'm here for." "I said I wanted to pay it back." "Oh...?" "She said you needed herbs, so I collected them! I went all over and got them for you! They're in your hut." The teeth grinned proudly again. "Ah, we- well, thank you," he stood a little awkwardly, glancing towards his hut. "Actually, I really appreciate it." The mirror beamed. "I'm going back to my nest." He bounced up, trotting away again. Alexander watched him go, something slowly registering in his mind. On the pad of his foot, a patch of dirt had formed the shape of an eye.

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_____________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/Tj6JA38.png[/img][/url] [b]Tessa[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35358670][img]https://i.imgur.com/yA1jvHV.png[/img][/url] [b]Deri[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/vID67VY.png[/img][/url] [b]Alexander[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig14.deviantart.net/51ce/f/2017/225/c/9/frlife_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxz31.png[/img] [size=6][color=#16963a]Tessa[/color][/size][/center][columns][size=4]It was early morning when Tessa was woken by raised voices, automatically curling her tail around her lute protectively. She got up, stepping lightly around her denmates and their hoards, poking her head curiously out of the hut. The bulking shape of an Imperial perched on the branches above the main platform, nose to nose with a dragon she couldn't make out. "Don't deny me! This was your problem from the start. Calypso was [i]murdered[/i]. Don't deny it! We all know what we saw!" "It's already settled!" The snarl was enough to shake a smaller dragon from the branches, but the Imp's adversary held on, balancing again with their wings. "You won't avenge him." "His death was an accident. The forest took what it was due." "The forest takes nothing like that. [i]Nothing[/i]. I've seen more deaths than you have, [i]child[/i]. I saw what Cavern did to the clan-" "-don't-" "-Cavern, yes, [i]your[/i] Cavern. Your precious ancestor! If she hadn't fallen, you wouldn't be [i]alive[/i] to defend this clan! And this is how it started!" The roar was enough to shake the lair awake, the platform bouncing as the Imp swiped, sending the small dragon tearing across the lair, shredding feathers as they hit the ground. "Don't you [i]dare[/i] talk to [i]me [/i]of Cavern! We've done more than you [i]ever [/i]did for this clan!"[/size][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/uBJ2CJe.jpg[/img][/url][/columns] [size=3]"Who killed Cernnunos?! [i]Who killed Cernnunos?![/i]" "Cernnunos was a [i]TRAITOR[/i]!" "He stopped a thoughtless murder!" The dragon pushed himself back to his feet, shaking in pain, one wing at an odd angle. "He defended us from [i]you[/i]!" "That's enough!" Nervous heads poked out of huts, pushing to see the source of the commotion. The imperial glared at her enemy, emerald eyes reflecting the moon. "I'll remember this." She pushed into the air, shaking the lair like an earthquake as she swept away through the branches and into the shadow of the trees. "Somebody get Alexander!" --- Deri was in a bad shape, his feathers bent and ripped from their shafts, blood beading from the follicles. One wing was broken, held at a painful angle on the ground. Darvena's mith had emerged from her hut, hovering frantically above his head. "Leave it be," he snarled at the watchers. Alexander pushed through the audience, shooing them away with his wings, a nightgown thrown hurriedly over his bedclothes. "Gods, Deri..." "I'll handle it myself." He pushed himself to his feet again, snarling at the alchemist. "Leave it." "Your wing's broken!" "Leave it." He shot a glare at the clan, turning tail and stalking into the trees. Alexander made to follow, but Tessa pushed through the crowd, standing in his way. "He'll just fight you. He needs to cool off." "His godsdamn [i]wing's [/i]broken!" Tessa looked away, watching the tail disappear into the darkness. [i]Who killed Cernunnos?[/i] "Let him go." Her stomach felt twisted, the fight echoing in her mind. She left the alchemist, retreating quietly to her bed to curl up with her thoughts. Calypso's shocked expression wandered hauntingly through her dreams.

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_________________________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34376497][img]https://i.imgur.com/5TCUgU2.png[/img][/url] [b]Darvena[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]_______[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35358670][img]https://i.imgur.com/yA1jvHV.png[/img][/url] [b]Deri[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig06.deviantart.net/1104/f/2017/225/a/6/frshadow_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxzhh.png[/img] [size=6][color=#591eb2]Darvena[/color][/size][/center][columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34376497][img]https://i.imgur.com/20j51Hl.jpg[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][size=4]"Deri..." "Leave it." "Why did you do it?" The mith hummed above their heads as Darvena tore another strip of linen from the stolen sheet. "Hold still." "She asked for it." He grunted in pain, the linen wrapping tightly around his wing. "Couldn't you leave it be?" She tore off another strip, holding him down firmly. The forest rustled around them, the wind bringing with it the distant sounds of the lair. "I don't know if you'll fly again." "I'll set it." "Let Alexander." "No." She sighed, pulling the bandage tight to another grunt of pain. "I'll tell Tessa's volunteer we'll have to call it off today." "No. It goes ahead." "Why?!" "It matters." "So do you!"[/size][/columns][size=3] He looked away from her, his eyes distant. Sometimes, if she let her mind wander, she could almost see the reflection of Cernnunos in his gaze. She sighed. "The proposal's changed, anyway. Tessa said the volunteer dropped out. She found another dragon for it." "Who?" "Her name's Shizuki. Her magic is Light. You'd know her, she's been in the lower lair for a while now." "One of Centurion's?" "She won't spill, don't worry. She's interested to try it." "Mmph. This afternoon?" "I'll finish the preparations. But first-" she pulled another bandage tight. "-I'm patching you up."

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27337847][img]https://i.imgur.com/Q9PeAj9.png[/img][/url] [b]Azuon[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]_______[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37691541][img]https://i.imgur.com/Xx5Me8f.png[/img][/url] [b]Centurion (Redwing)[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]_______[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37691538][img]https://i.imgur.com/bGVnt3I.png[/img][/url] [b]Ironwing (Alluman)[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]_______[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37691542][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/376916/37691542p.png[/img][/url] [b]Jademask (Jasper)[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig01.deviantart.net/d2f7/f/2017/225/7/2/frlightning_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxz9x.png[/img] [size=6][color=#39a2a8]Azuon[/color][/size][/center][columns][size=4]Centurion was in a foul mood, driving the training session with high expectations and liberal penalties. Ironwing had requested Azuon lift the target with magic today, so they could practice on something moving, but it was their first time on this exercise and every time they missed she would swoop down on them in a cold fury. She finally snapped when a younger trainee had to return to the lair from anxiety sickness. "Ease up on them, Cent. They've never used a moving target before." "It isn't good enough. It's pathetic! Not one of you has hit it satisfactorily yet. I might as well be training fish!" Azuon lowered the target gently. "Then teach them how, don't just yell at them." There was a flash of fury in Centurion's gaze before Ironwing landed next to her, speaking to her quietly. "Fine. You do it." He stepped forward, looking around at the recruits. "Alright. With a moving target, your focus is on where it's going to be, not where to hit it yet. You're trying too hard to be accurate. Try again, but aim where the board is going, not at the bull's eye." The next few rounds showed some improvement, the trainees a little more confident under the watchful eye of Ironwing over Centurion. Most of them missed, but a couple of arrows hit the board, rewarded by the warm congratulations of their peers. Azuon dropped the board in relief when he finally dismissed them. [/size][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27337847][img]https://i.imgur.com/FQhl7Ap.jpg[/img][/url][/columns] [size=3]"Ironwing- Cent. I needed to talk to you." "Of course." Alluman dipped his head to her courteously. "In private." "Ah... well, come with us, then." She nodded, taking off before them to avoid the downdraft of their wings. She followed them to the lower lair, gliding down onto a slightly higher platform than the other dens. This hut was missing one side, outfitted with an intricately carved map of the Labyrinth and a single stone fireplace. She could feel the warmth radiating from it as she landed on the map, basking in relief. As long as she had lived in the damp of the Labyrinth, she had never truly adjusted from the Shifting Expanse. Only one dragon was already in the hut, curled up comfortably in a corner. Jasper was probably the most approachable of the Trio, the youngest and least involved in politics, content to be a scout for his more powerful siblings. He looked up as he heard her approach, greeting her warmly. "Azuon! What are you doing down here?" He noticed his siblings glide down behind her, landing on the ledge and easing their way inside. "Back so soon?" "Azuon wanted to speak to us." Azuon shifted uncomfortably, suddenly in the limelight. "I heard your argument with Deri last night..." "Apparently most of the upper lair did," Ironwing jumped in before Centurion, causing his sister to look away in frustration. "We've been having trouble with them recently. Most of the split between our faction and the opposition is up there." "I've noticed." She sighed through her nose, glancing out at the lair. "About a week ago, Deri came back without Cave's group... He went to the Shifting Expanse on his way back from the Icefields. He brought a capsule of lightning magic with him." The two imperials glanced at each other in surprise. "Lightning magic? Why?" "Him and Darvena - they've been looking for someone to test it out on. They want to see if dragons can use magic from other Flights." Centurion narrowed her eyes. Ironwing looked thoughtful. "That's not good..." "No, it's traitorous," Cent rounded on him. "We have to stop it. Now. I know why they're doing it, too. If their whole faction can use Plague against us, they have the upper hand." "They're testing it tonight, on one of your faction... So if it goes wrong..." "...No loss to them." Ironwing finished quietly. "We'll have to arrest them." "Darvena and Deri? We'd cause a civil war. If we wait, we can catch them in the act." "Very well. Prepare an ambush on the upper lair. Thank you, Azuon." He turned back to her. "That was valuable information. Jademask?" Jasper looked up from his nap again, blinking the sleep away from his eyes. "Mm?" "Set up a group to watch the upper lair. Take smaller dragons - Lori, Marrow, Razor and a few more. We'll flesh it out later." He nodded, squeezing out past the table and gliding down from the ledge. Ironwing looked back to Azuon. "Return to the upper lair... we'll talk to you if we need your help tonight."[/size]

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34376497][img]https://i.imgur.com/5TCUgU2.png[/img][/url] [b]Darvena[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35358670][img]https://i.imgur.com/yA1jvHV.png[/img][/url] [b]Deri[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/vID67VY.png[/img][/url] [b]Alexander[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/Tj6JA38.png[/img][/url] [b]Tessa[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40769537][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/407696/40769537p.png[/img][/url] [b]Shizuki[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig06.deviantart.net/1104/f/2017/225/a/6/frshadow_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxzhh.png[/img] [size=6][color=#591eb2]Darvena[/color][/size][/center][columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34376497][img]https://i.imgur.com/20j51Hl.jpg[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][size=4]"Are you ready for this?" Darvena heaved out the capsule, placing it carefully on the roof of one of the larger huts. The overcast Imperial studied it curiously. "I hope so. So, how do I do it?" "Just like you'd use any other magic," Deri spoke up, curled up on the other side of the roof, his wing bandaged against his side. "Tap into it." "You'll be using it like your core element, but connecting to it externally. We'll release it while you fly, and the theory is that you should be able to manipulate it - if you can't, come back down, don't stay in the middle of it." "And this is safe?" "As long as you don't stay around it for too long, you shouldn't get too fried." Shizuki nodded confidently. "Then tell me when."[/size][/columns] [center][img]https://orig04.deviantart.net/a908/f/2017/225/5/b/frarcane_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxypv.png[/img] [size=6][color=#ba46b4]Alexander[/color][/size][/center][columns][size=4]"Godsdamn stubborn old-" Alexander rummaged through his shelves, balancing precariously on the ladder. "Getting into fights, not letting me set that buggered wing-" His petal gecko watched him silently, waving its tail a little. "Exactly! And then he has the nerve to threaten me about it!" He yanked out a bottle from the shelf, hopping back down to the ground. "I'm just trying to do my godsdamn job!" Its eyes followed him indifferently across the room. He poured the bluish solution into another glass, dropping a few dried seeds into it. They sank to the bottom disappointingly. "It's just ridiculous." A movement caught the corner of his eye, wavering at the window. A sharp tap followed it. "I'm busy right now, unless it's urgent." He abandoned the glass, pushing open the door and looking around for the visitor. "Are you grumpy to-day?" He froze at the voice. His gaze was drawn to the wisp, hovering quietly above the window. "Why are you here?! Why are you following me??" He took a step back, half inside his hut. "I must show you. Please..." He eyed it nervously. "How do I know I won't end up like Calypso?" "[i]Please[/i]..." He could hear its distress, a plea it hadn't used before. He glanced over his shoulder and then out at the lair, laying his ears back cautiously. "Fine. But just a minute."[/size][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/8hmCcuG.jpg[/img][/url][/columns] [size=3][i]Must hurry![/i] He ran back inside, pulling his coat off its hook and pulling it on, only one sleeve through as he backed out of the door again. "Let's go." The wisp barely heard the words before it was off, shooting down the bough he'd taken the first time. He sprinted just to keep up, following the white flame to the trunk of the tree and onto another branch, pushing through canopy foliage to see where he was going, leaves and sticks breaking off into his fur. He barely registered this part of the forest, thick with debris and unfamiliar trees. The wisp wouldn't slow, diving between the leaves ahead of him, in and out of view so fast it was barely a flash across his vision. [i]Go, go... go![/i] He was running so fast he didn't realise where it stopped, slamming straight into a tree. The world spun for a moment, full of sparks across his vision. He stumbled backwards, shaking his head. "Wha...?" The wisp had gone, disappearing into the shadow of the trees. He was on a makeshift platform, thick with lichen and debris and soft with age, tucked between the foliage of the trees. As the world came to a stop around him, he took in the scene. A blanket lay scuffed on the ground, covered by dirt and fallen leaves, eaten away by moths. The debris had been scuffed where a dragon had paced much more recently, tracing the same steps back and forth over and over again, and on the tree- The woven figure of a wildclaw hung on a string from the trunk, in detail from the blue wings to the roughly sewn imitation of a clear, honeycomb gene. Someone had stabbed two sticks straight through its chest. He backed away, a stone dropping into his stomach. One step down, hanging directly beneath it, was an overcast imperial with a copper wire tied around her neck. --- "Alright, pull!" Darvena sat back on her haunches, covering her ears as the lightning was uncapped. --- The wind tore through his fur, branches snapping and snagging at him, trying to drag him backwards. He was running so fast he could feel his heartbeat, pounding like a caged bird in his chest. Leaves whipped across his face, shredding into his pelt. The forest was miles longer than when he had left, stretching on forever in front of him, a never-ending path of sticks and foliage. The image of the puppet burned into his brain, forcing him on. He could hear the lair, see it, smell it- There was an Imp in the air, twisting up with the currents, her overcast wings dull against the sky - Lightning flashed, tearing into the air and forking straight through her neck. Bolts of blue lightning shot through her body, lighting her up like a flame in the air. She was still for a moment, frozen in time, wings spread wide, before she started to fall. "[i]NO[/i]!" Tessa's shriek was the loudest of all, the Tundra tearing out of her hollow, running towards the falling imp. "No! Don't!" She was shoved back by Deri, blocked from the path of the fall. A shadow swooped over them, catching the limp form of Shizuki. Dragons swarmed onto the platform, surrounding Deri and Tessa, trapping them against the hut. "Deri of Plague and the Dusk Clan: You are hereby charged with the murder in cold blood of the Imperial, Shizuki of Light."[/size]

---------------------------- [center][size=6]Chapter Three[/size][/center] ----------------------------- [center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/vID67VY.png[/img][/url] [b]Alexander[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38431052][img]https://i.imgur.com/NOr3NPJ.png[/img][/url] [b]Abriella[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/Tj6JA38.png[/img][/url] [b]Tessa[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33590269][img]https://i.imgur.com/ylFJXcx.png[/img][/url] [b]Monster[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42489563][img]https://i.imgur.com/A7s9NWa.png[/img][/url] [b]Aspar[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig04.deviantart.net/a908/f/2017/225/5/b/frarcane_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxypv.png[/img] [size=6][color=#ba46b4]Alexander[/color][/size][/center][columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/QqwwKMQ.jpg[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][size=4]"This is bad. This is really, really bad." The tension in the lair was prickling like the air before a lightning storm, silent and heavy with threat. The only movement was Abriella's rhythmic pacing, stirring a path through the stagnant air. "We have to do something." "We can't! Who could we go to? Darvena's skipped town." "'Ella..." "They won't stop until they bring her in. You know we'd be caught up in it if we even [i]tried[/i] to leave the lair." "We just have to wait," Aspar whispered, slumping her head back down against the ground. Silence crept back over the group, muffling Tessa's stifled sobs. Occasionally one of them moved as though to speak, thinking better of it and slumping back into lethargy. Alexander spread his wing comfortingly over Tessa. "It's not your fault. You couldn't know." He looked away, the lair in a haze of unreality around them, stiff and silent as the desert. The image of a puppet bound at the neck with copper wire moved tauntingly through his vision. "We're done for," she pressed against him, trying to control her quick, uneven breaths. "Without Darvena, what do we do?"[/size][/columns] "She'll pull through. She always has before." "They'll kill her if she comes back." Abriella stopped in her tracks. The silence crept in again as they tried to imagine a clan without Darvena. Tessa's hopeless sobs resumed. "The air is heavy today," what looked like an autumn leaf drifted down to the group, Monster landing gently, a piece of paper clutched in her claws. "Don't fret. Darvena is a smart dragon. She'll be alright." "Monster." Alexander greeted her dully, finding it hard to focus on the words. "She asked me to look into the sigil they found on Calypso before she left." She spread out the paper on the ground, revealing the pointed eye. Next to him, Tessa looked up. "Sigil...?" "You didn't see the body? It was on his stomach." Alexander looked away, his own stomach twisting. "I looked into it for you. It took me a while, but- Tessa, dear, are you alright?" The tundra was shaking, staring at the symbol sickly. "Deri said he was murdered... I didn't... I didn't realise he..." "-Actually was?" She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm afraid so. But I don't think it was Darvena, despite poor Shizuki. This sigil isn't traditional magic, or elemental - in fact, I can't pinpoint it, even as a Seer. But I found out its use." Alexander looked up, frowning. "Its use?" "Yes, it's a siphon. What's taken away from one dragon will be given to another - a sort of parasitic trade. So as Calypso died, his life energy was taken and given to another dragon - I wouldn't put our little Sunshine out of the realm of possibility." "Which is why he was cured..." Alexander stood up, pulling away from Tessa and starting to pace. "But who would do it?" "I don't want to believe anyone would," Tessa forced her gaze away from the sigil, sickened. "I found something," he put his foot down slowly, paused in his pacing, "before Shizuki's death... something's been calling me to the forest for days now, ever since Calypso..." --- They listened silently and solemly, watching him pace to the end of his tale. Abriella had stopped her own pacing, sitting silently among the group. "So... Shizuki... It wasn't an accident?" "And it wasn't Darvena?" Tessa stood up. "We have to tell them!" "No! Centurion wouldn't believe us. They all [i]saw[/i] Shizuki fall. We'd be conspirators until we could prove it." "One question..." Aspar piped up quietly, "if they were both killed, and Calypso was used to cure another dragon, what was Shizuki used for?" "It could be nothing," Monster turned back to the sigil. "Perhaps only Calypso was done out of necessity, and the second..." "Something has to be done," Abriella stood up again, circling the group in agitation. "We need proof, and we need help." "How?! We can't leave the lair!" "Deri is being kept below the Lower Lair. If we can sneak down there, we can give him the info." "It's risky. If we're caught, we're instant suspects." "And it isn't worth it? What if they kill again, and we'd done nothing but sit here and talk about it?!" Abriella snapped, rounding on the others. "For the sake of the gods, don't just sit there!" "She's right." Alexander scuffed the ground nervously. "Most of the raiders are hunting Darvena anyway. No-one's guarding inside the lair." "I'll scout it out for you. They wouldn't stop me." Monster spread her wings, lifting back into the air. "Wait here for me. We'll discuss it when night falls."

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_________________________[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34376497][img]https://i.imgur.com/5TCUgU2.png[/img][/url] [b]Darvena[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]_______[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35358670][img]https://i.imgur.com/yA1jvHV.png[/img][/url] [b]Deri[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig06.deviantart.net/1104/f/2017/225/a/6/frshadow_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxzhh.png[/img] [size=6][color=#591eb2]Darvena[/color][/size][/center][columns][size=4]The cries of the hunt bounced off the trees, echoing through the forest like the howls of a wolf pack. They were scouring the forest from the canopy to the ground, searching every hole and hideaway they found. Darvena smoothed down her feathers, perched lightly on a tree root. "I made sure it wouldn't happen. It wasn't aggressive magic." Deri leaned against the vined bars of the cage, his silence thoughtful. "They were waiting." She paused, lowering her front legs to the root. "They were." "Someone told them." "We only told dragons we thought wouldn't warn Centurion." "Tessa?" "She can be grouchy, but she'd never turn us in to the Trio. You know how much she values loyalty." "They all do. One of them betrayed us." Darvena dipped her head in defeat. "I'll have to go." "I know." "What will they do...?" "Execution," he lifted his head, more than a little proudly. "A death for a death, as is proper."[/size][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34376497][img]https://i.imgur.com/CaDyUdv.jpg[/img][/url][/columns] [size=3]"Don't. Don't talk like that." "I follow Cernnunos." "Experimentation - it wasn't criminal. We weren't trying to kill anyone." "Shizuki is dead." "An accident." "A death!" He stood up, spreading his wings to challenge her through the bars. "It's not an argument." "Deri-" "There's [i]no [/i]compromise!" "Deri... look!" His gaze was drawn to his wings, spread wide and poking through the bars of the cage. The unraveled bandage fell loosely to the ground. Across the previously broken wing, not a feather or bone was out of place.[/size]

@Parendox Aaaa thank you so much!! I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ --- [center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/vID67VY.png[/img][/url] [b]Alexander[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38431052][img]https://i.imgur.com/NOr3NPJ.png[/img][/url] [b]Abriella[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/Tj6JA38.png[/img][/url] [b]Tessa[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33590269][img]https://i.imgur.com/ylFJXcx.png[/img][/url] [b]Monster[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42489563][img]https://i.imgur.com/A7s9NWa.png[/img][/url] [b]Aspar[/b][/center][/columns] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34166034][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/341661/34166034p.png[/img][/url] [size=2][b]Crystalfire[/b][/size][/center] [center][img]https://orig04.deviantart.net/a908/f/2017/225/5/b/frarcane_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxypv.png[/img] [size=6][color=#ba46b4]Alexander[/color][/size][/center][columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37694245][img]https://i.imgur.com/QqwwKMQ.jpg[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][size=4]Night fell uneasily, creeping into the lair in tendrils of shadow. The waiting was growing unbearable. Alexander had dressed himself in his overcoat and undercoat, boots and a scarf, donning his alchemy sash more out of habit than necessity. Abriella was still pacing the central lair, nothing more than a moving shadow against the trees. Tessa had disappeared into one of the huts, agitatedly exiting and re-entering the doorway, undecided where she wanted to be. Aspar had perched herself on top of it, swaying gently in vigil for their scout. Abriella paused in her pacing, standing still for a while before speaking. "What if they did stop her? She's not exactly young." "She'll be fine. She's just thorough." "At what cost?" "Shut up!" Tessa snarled, whirling around at the doorway. "Can't you see we're stressed enough already?!" The other three stared at her. She bared her canines. "What?!" "Tessa, are you feeling alright?" "I'm fine! Just peachy!" She slammed back into the hut, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. "What's eating her?"[/size][/columns] "Oh, I don't know," Alexander couldn't help his sarcasm. "Two murders and a lair lockdown might do it." "We've got to keep our heads here." "Seer on the treeline!" Aspar's call broke off the conversation, the tundras whirling around to see. Monster glided down towards them, landing neatly on the platform. "Good news, nearly everyone is out on the hunt. They've left a few guards in the lower lair, and the borders are being scouted, but otherwise we're in the clear." "Is Deri down there?" "Yes, as far as I know. Everyone's focused on Darvena for now." "Why did it take you so long?" Tessa had poked her head back out of the hut, still tense from the outburst. "I wanted to find where they're keeping Shizuki's body. Remember the rune on Calypso?" "Did you find it?" "Yes. Shizuki's down near the bottom of the lair, close to where they're keeping Deri." "And the rune?" Several stares met Tessa's question. "Oh. Right." "I'll take you down there so you can check for it, if you think it's important," Monster breezed on, ignoring the slight on her eyesight. "That's probably for the best," Alexander stood up, adjusting his belt to secure the bottles. "We should go, before the situation changes." --- The route to the lower lair was unnerving in the dark, with the sounds of the hunt echoing through the forest. Tessa and Alexander climbed down the limbs, Abriella and the faes choosing to glide. The silhouettes of patrols slipped quietly through the trees around them. "He's below this second platform, close to the forest floor," Monster landed at the foot of the stone Guardian, whispering to the others. "Shizuki or Deri first?" "Shizuki." "Is this a conspiracy I spy?" The rumbling voice of an Imperial froze them in their tracks "Dragons up to no good?" "Gods, Crystalfire, you scared us!" The elderly Imperial laughed warmly, looming over them. "You should be careful, little hatchlings. The Trio is out for blood tonight." "We need to get to Deri," Alexander turned around, craning his neck to try and look at her. "Can you help us?" "I cannot sneak like you can, little dragons." "Just keep them off us...?" "I can do as much." She spoke warmly, nudging Alexander lightly. "Go, then. Time is not on your side tonight. They will send some back soon." He nodded gratefully, turning back to the others. "Go to Deri. I'll examine the body. We don't have enough time to do both." Monster dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Meet us in one of the unused huts in the lower lair. If you're not there, we'll come looking." He nodded again, turning around and sprinting away across the platform, down to the drop off point to the forest floor. It was a tricky climb, most of the limbs unstable or hidden by foliage, the trees disappearing into the bottomless darkness below. He knew the place they would have used for the body; a makeshift platform of vines and sticks, separated from the lair to prepare dragons for the pyre. It took longer than it should have to find it in the dark, feeling his way blindly across the branches. The soft glow of her unclosed eyes was what finally gave her away. Shizuki had the same expression of surprise that had frozen on Calypso's face, eyes wide and wings spread, the smell of burnt pelt in the air. The lightning had done almost no damage to her outer body, apart from a stark black ring around her neck. He remembered the copper wire, wrapped tightly around the doll's neck. "I'm sorry for this," he whispered, starting to poke and prod at the body, lifting both wings and her tail to try and find the mark. "You won't find it in the dark." He yelped, jumping a foot off the ground, spinning towards the voice. "It's true though." The white wisp wove around the nearby branches, casting a dim light on the two of them. "Who [i]are[/i] you...?" He took a step forward, "and how did you know where to take me?" He watched as the wisp landed, stretching wings it hadn't had before. Red eyes peered through the dim light at him. "I will help." "Then tell me who did it! You must know." [i]Bring back the dolls.[/i] "I [i]can't[/i]! The lair's under lockdown." The eyes watched him silently, the soft glow landing on the muddy mark of an eye, branded on Shizuki's chest. "If you don't have them by sunrise, there'll be another death."

[center][b][size=5]Characters[/size][/b][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/Tj6JA38.png[/img][/url] [b]Tessa[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38431052][img]https://i.imgur.com/NOr3NPJ.png[/img][/url] [b]Abriella[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35358670][img]https://i.imgur.com/yA1jvHV.png[/img][/url] [b]Deri[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33590269][img]https://i.imgur.com/ylFJXcx.png[/img][/url] [b]Monster[/b][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]____[/color][nextcol][center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42489563][img]https://i.imgur.com/A7s9NWa.png[/img][/url] [b]Aspar[/b][/center][/columns] [center][img]https://orig14.deviantart.net/51ce/f/2017/225/c/9/frlife_sword_banner_by_littlefiredragon-dbjxz31.png[/img] [size=6][color=#16963a]Tessa[/color][/size][/center][columns][size=4]The blood was pumping in her ears, as loud as the cracks and shouts of the hunting party in the forest. She felt dizzy, her lute thumping steadily against her side as they made their way down into the forest. The shadows seemed to be closing in on them, eyes in every one. The forest floor was miles down from the canopy, a tricky climb in the dark. The faes chose to fly, but the limbs were too close together for the tundras. She squeezed down after Abriella, focused on her light fur for some semblance of reality. "Deri- Deri!" Aspar was the first to land on top of the vine cage, peering down at the scowling wildclaw. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." He glared at the group as they landed on the roots, Abriella padding forward. "Did they tell you what's going to happen?" She didn't wait for a response. "Listen, Alexander found something in the forest. Shizuki wasn't an accident. Someone's been using magic to kill dragons and siphon their energy into someone else." "It was suspected." Deri stood up, spreading out his unbroken wing. "Whatever it is, it's political. Either we were meant to be framed, or the killer messed up. Who did you tell about the lightning?" Tessa could hear her heartbeat, the blood rushing through her ears. She shook her head to clear them, looking between the dragons. "Only the dragons I asked. Nobody from Centurion except Shizuki."[/size][nextcol][color=transparent]__[/color][nextcol][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30628431][img]https://i.imgur.com/uBJ2CJe.jpg[/img][/url][/columns] [size=3]"I doubt she was in on her own death." Abriella shook her fur out nervously. "We need to find them, or you're going to be exiled." Deri shook his head, "executed." A stunned silence met him. "They wouldn't. They wouldn't dare." "On the contrary, it's very beneficial to them. We've been riling you up for too long." "There'd be a riot!" "How? Your ringleaders would be gone." Their voices seemed distant. Tessa shook back to herself in panic. "They can't! We have to persuade them!" "We won't without evidence it wasn't Deri. And the evidence comes in-" "-The dolls." Aspar finished Abriella's sentence, both glancing at each other. "We have to find them." "Only Alexander knows where to go." The fear was setting in, cold as ice and pumping through her veins like a drug. The world was spinning around her. "Alexander, then." "We were supposed to meet him. We'll have to go there now." The sound of shouts and cries were getting closer above them, followed by the breeze from an Imperial's wing. "...or not."