Creative Corner

Is it too late for me to drop out of this?

@GirlGamer1001

Of course not! We're sorry to see you go, but we're not forcing you to stick around! I'll get @CleverDual to take you off the pinglist. And you're welcome to return if you feel like you want to come back at any point in the month!

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=3237615] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/32377/3237615_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [b]"Did you think I wouldn't find out?"[/b] Krotos hummed in annoyance and disappointment as he looked at the three hatchlings before him, his feathers fluffed. Behind him was the wanton destruction of a carefully set up Christmas tree, with a few other dragons trying to put the poor thing back together before Wraith returned. Presents with torn wrapping paper, broken glass ornaments, and shredded garlands littered the ground. [b]"This is incredibly rude of the three of you. Do you realize how hard Wraith worked to put that beautiful tree together? And what did you get out of ruining it? Hmmmm?"[/b] His sharp eyes took in their shamed faces as they hung their heads. Krotos knew they had only been playing, but he also knew the importance of consequences early on. These three in particular were already known for the trouble they got in. After a moment, however, he softened. [b]"You didn't [i]mean [/i]to destroy the tree, did you?"[/b] The three shook their heads with wide eyes. [b]"Then I suppose you can be forgiven... but you need to make Wraith an apology letter."[/b] The hatchlings, incredulous about their luck, jumped up and swore to do just that, running off to get started. Krotos followed more slowly, smiling to himself and humming at a job well done. [i]I hope...[/i]

Day 5: Found Word count: 719 Warning: Dead bodies. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43109165] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/431092/43109165_350.png[/img] [/url] "Hey Skelly, look!" Liharl pointed at a jagged hole in the cliff side. The nocturne flew over towards the scar in the otherwise sheer cliff. Liharl poked her head through the entrance. "There's something shiny inside! Might be treasure". The two dragons were currently scavenging near the southern border of Dragonhome. They were hoping to find some geodes, what with the Rockbreaker's Ceremony going on, but so far all they had found were bones and leather scraps. Clinging onto the larger dragon's back, Skelly watched her friend attempt to squeeze through the cave mouth. It was just barely too small for the nocturne to fit her shoulders through. Finally, Liharl gave up, and dug her wing claws into the cliff side, hanging next to the cave. "No good, I'm too big". "I noticed" Skelly replied in a bored-sounding monotone. Only her twitching facial crests indicated the fae's amusement. She launched herself off Liharl's back, and flew through the opening. "Why didn't you do that in the first place, instead of letting me make a fool of myself?!" Liharl protested. Skelly ignored her in favor of exploring the cave. The golden glow that had caught Liharl's eye came from what looked like amber coating the walls. Skelly poked the amber with a claw. No doubt about it, this was the same kind of amber that fae nests were made of. "I think this is a dragon's lair" she called back to Liharl. The nocturne poked her head back through the opening. "Awfully small for a lair, isn't it?" "Not for a fae" Skelly replied. She held up a piece of amber she'd scratched off the wall. "But I think this lair's been abandoned". Liharl nodded. "Yeah. If anyone was still living here, they'd have chased us off. So that means" she said, her eyes lighting up, "that everything in this lair has no owner. So if we find something, that automatically makes us the new owners! Finders keepers, right?" Skelly nodded, and went back to exploring the lair. She personally doubted that they'd find anything noteworthy; the precious inhabitants would have taken all of their belongings when they'd left. Unless they'd been forced to leave in a hurry. Broken spearheads and claw marks dotted the floor of the lair. There was a red splotch that might've been dried blood. Of course, the dead raptorik was a pretty good indicator that a scuffle had taken place. Skelly kept as far away from the corpse as was physically possible. The last room of the lair was a nest. Or, had been a nest. She nearly stepped on a broken fertility statue. A dead fae was lying facedown in front of the remains of three eggs. Skelly felt tears in her eyes. This dragon must have been killed defending his eggs, she realized, but his death had been in vain. Either the invading raptorik had crushed the eggs, or they'd rotted away with no one to take care of them. She was quite startled when the dragon's corpse started shaking. For a few seconds, she was convinced that he would arise as some sort of horrible lich, before she realized that the body was moving because something underneath it was vibrating. "I'm sorry" she said, to no one in particular, and gently moved the body. Hidden underneath the dead fae's wings was another egg. Every so often, it would twitch, and little pebbles fell away from the rocky surface. This egg was still alive! "Skelly?" she heard Liharl call. "You okay?" Skelly made up her mind. She couldn't leave the egg here at the mercy of predators or other raptorik. And even if nothing found the nest, the hatchling within would die without someone to care for it. She lifted the egg (no easy task, considering it was about a third of her size, and surprisingly heavy) and carried it to the waiting nocturne. "An egg? Skelly, what happened?" Liharl's face fell as Skelly described the nest. "Oh...that's horrible". "We have to take this egg back with us" Skelly said. "If we don't, it'll die". Liharl nodded. "Hop on my back, and I'll head back to the Tangled Wood. Oof! This egg is heavy" she complained. Careful not to loose her passengers, the nocturne launched herself off the cliff and into the sky. [Well this ended up dark. The idea came to me when I wondered where abandoned eggs came from]

[center][i]The Year of Night[/i] [b]Found[/b][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40062165] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/400622/40062165_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][i]"Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever felt like you could disappear? Like you could fall, and no one would hear?"[/i][/center] Plagueheart couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. Try as she might, she just couldn't seem to calm down. Her sobs were loud and ugly, and she could feel her whole body shaking. Why couldn't she pull herself together? She was over her brother's death, wasn't she? She had learned to handle the grief? She huddled in the darkness of the corner, unable to do anything but huddle and cry. Why wasn't she strong enough? She had always been the strong one, she had always needed to be strong. She couldn't let anyone see through the cracks, to see the insecurity and weakness beneath. No one knew how lonely she was, that's why she ran with Pyrite, never looking back, because if she did she would realize just how much she didn't belong in Windkeep Tower. She wasn't like them, content to live a simple life among family. Being around that many dragons made her want to run. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=41349508] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/413496/41349508_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "Mom?" Plagueheart raised her head, trying to regain her composure. She quickly dabbed the tears from her eyes and tried to steady her voice. "Everything is fine, Querida." She said, her voice cracking. "Mom, I know you are not okay." Querida said, raising her eyebrows. "What's wrong?" [center][i]"And oh, someone will come running And I know, they’ll take you home"[/i][/center] Plagueheart couldn't help it, she broke. Querida raced forward to hug her mother and hold her close. "I just can't do this. I miss Pennar. This wasn't supposed to happen, we were supposed to be there for each other, and when he needed me, I wasn't there. I didn't have enough time with him." Plagueheart blubbered. "It's okay to feel sad and angry." Querida reminded her mother. "It's okay to feel emotion, you don't have to be strong all the time." Plagueheart just shook her head. "Don't tell your father." "Why not? Mom, he's not hurting you, is he?" "No, of course not. Pyrite it great." Plagueheart said with a smile. "We just don't really have that kind of relationship." "Why not?" Querida asked. "I doubt he would judge you for it, knowing Dad. He's your husband, you're supposed to be open about this sort of thing, so you don't have to carry this weight alone." "Maybe you're right." Plagueheart sniffed. "I just don't know if I'm that brave." "Come with us tonight to dinner." Querida said suddenly. "Everyone would love to have you. Fortescue is going to be whipping up some of his finest cooking. Our family has grown quite a bit since you last visited, it's not just the direct bloodline anymore. You won't be out of place at all, I promise." "I don't know-" "Mom, I'm sorry, but it's my turn to call the shots. You need to be around your family. I won't let you be alone in this grief." Querida insisted. "Please, come to dinner." "Alright." Plagueheart conceded. She wondered how her daughter got so wise. It certainly wasn't because of her. She regretted to admit that she hadn't been as present as a mother as she should have been. Maybe Querida was right, maybe it was time for a change. Maybe it was time to stop doing everything on her own. [center][i]"Even when the dark comes crashing through When you need someone to carry you And when you’re broken on the ground You will be found So let the sun come streaming in 'Cause you’ll reach up and you’ll rise again If you only look around You will be found"[/i][/center] Song Inspiration: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfH2AuhXfw]You Will Be Found - Dear Evan Hansen[/url]

Hello this is late from yesterday's because APPARENTLY SOMEONE'S story (mine) decided to not behave and just,,, keep going,,,, , Without further ado, this is my dragon Isela but you'll know him as Theo in this story, since it's before he was cursed by the Ancient King's treasure when he was still somehow surviving in thieves' town (officially called the City of Thieves) so imagine this dragon as a muddy probably triple basic dragon: [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=26736707] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/267368/26736707_350.png[/img] [/url] [center][size=5][b]Poison[/b][/size][/center] Theo crouched behind the canvas walls of the tent, repeating his instructions over to himself in his head. [i]Find the tent, poison the dragon, take back the amulet. [/i]This was his initiation into the Thieves Guild. If he messed this up, all he would be was the next target for every lone scavenger prowling the outskirts of the City of Thieves. He could see the amulet from here. It was a brilliant blood red gemstone that glinted in the old lantern light burning from the ceiling. He could feel it calling out to him, urging him to take it for himself, the heart of misery and power and he prayed he was strong enough to stand its thrall. He checked the vial of poison and clutched it tightly to his chest. His hands were shaking. He had to do this. “Stupid town, stupid thieves, stupid town, stupid town!” Theo could hear a dragon approaching the tent, breathing curses under her breath. In a panic, he stumbled backwards into the side of the tent, searching frantically for somewhere to hide. He fumbled the vial and dread sank into his chest as it fell to the ground and shattered next to a pile of tarnished trinkets. “One day!” The dragon announced, bursting into her tent, “I’m going to get out of this city! All that’s left and I’ll get out of this land of outcasts! If only they weren’t searching so hard for me out there I could finally get out of this cursed hole—” She stopped, jaw stuck open as she spotted Theo tripping into the corner of the tent. “Uh, hi.” Theo waved, immediately regretting it as all his blood rushed to his face. “What the— who do you think you are invading my space? What do you want? What in Stormcatcher’s name do you think you’re doing here?” The dragon darted forwards with lightning agility. She was a small and bony fae but her claws were sharp as knives and she pressed them against Theo’s throat with surprising strength, “Give me answers and quickly,” She growled through gritted teeth. “Okay, yeah sure!” Theo squeaked, “Well, y’see, was wandering around good ol’ thieves town like you know it and, uh, well,” He gulped as he felt her claws tighten around his throat, “Ran into a mean fellow or two? As you do? And… and I’m just trying to survive here, right? Need some sort of ah protection? And my friend Scout said they’d get me in for a penny and stitch—” “Speak faster, idiot.” “I’m here to kill you!” Theo blurted out. “Sorry, what?” She let go, a grin creeping across the corners of her face, baring yellow crooked teeth, “Y… you? Pathetic you? Were sent to kill me?” She guffawed, bending over double as laughter consumed her thin frame. “I—” “Kid. Save your words. You’re weak.” She gestured to his entirety and Theo shrank back into himself, “And I could kill you in five seconds if I wanted to.” She was still chuckling as she turned her back to him and busied herself at a workshop table covered in sawdust. Theo’s heart sank. Her back was turned; this would be the perfect opportunity to strike her down and the fae knew it, but she was right: Theo was weak. “So why haven’t you killed me yet?” He ventured to ask, his eyes flitting back to the amulet precariously sitting on a stack of books beside her. “Don’t like killing people. Makes a mess and you’re not worth it.” “Uh…” Theo sidled closer to the side of the tent, trying not to stare too hard at the exit, “So… can I leave?” “Haven’t decided yet.” “Huh, yeah, interesting, juggling my life in your hands, that’s cool.” The fae turned to face him, rolling her eyes as she flipped a knife over in her hands. Theo watched it carefully, heartbeat quickening, but she just turned and began carving the chunk of wood in front of her. “Kid. Learn a lesson. Your life is always in someone else’s hands walking the streets as pathetic as you are. If you think you’re going to be protected in with the Guild of Thieves then you’re a fool.” She said gruffly. “Better than nothing,” He shrugged, his voice small. His eyes flitted around the tent, leg bouncing and talons twitching. He could not agitate this dragon or it would be over for him. He tried to sit still; he tried to be patient, but he couldn’t stop fidgeting and questions bubbled to the surface of his brain, threatening to overboil. He could barely focus on the carving in front of her. “What’s your name?” He asked eventually when he could no longer distract himself. “Don’t need one, don’t have one.” The fae’s answers were terse. Everything inside of him screamed to get out of the tent, to get away from this small and sharp dragon. [i]Hey. Imagine all the power in the entire universe.[/i] The voice that wormed through his ear was not his own and it was not familiar. It thrummed in the back of his head, making it feel like everything around him was vibrating.[i] All the power in the universe and you’d no longer have to be pathetic. You’d no longer be weak.[/i] Theo edged closer to the amulet. Everything was going to wrong. [i]You would be safe forever. No one would laugh.[/i] “What’re you… what’re you making?” Theo asked. His voice was rising and he everything felt like it was going to crack apart at any moment. “A duck.” The fae continued carving. “Actually? I love du—” “No! You’re so stupid! It’s a weapon! Why would I make a duck?” Theo winced. [i]You’d be so powerful.[/i] He stepped closer to the stack of books. [i]You’d prove them all wrong.[/i] “Don’t you touch my amulet!” The fae shrieked at the top of her lungs, filling the entire space as, in one swift movement, she plunged her dagger into Theo’s chest, but it was too late: Theo had the amulet cupped in his hands. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head and he began to levitate several feet off of the ground without beating a wing, words unknown to him and to the fae spewing out of his mouth like fire. “Let it go!” The fae was screeching curses as she spun around the room slashing from any and all directions in a twisting, fatal flurry of teeth and knives. Every blow hit Theo and from the back of his mind somewhere he could feel the dull ache bleeding out around him, but the damage they caused was minimal as arcane energy crackled through the air and sealed over his wounds. “[i]Ridiculous mortal. Your dreams are futile, laughable even. I have spent enough time covered in dust with your naïve dreams. You will be the first to perish.[/i]” The amulet spoke through Theo, a deep and thundering voice that scratched against the back of his throat. Theo’s talon extended, lightning fizzing across his claws and up his arm, charging a bolt aimed at the fae. “No!” The fae shrieked. She whirled forwards and, no longer caring whether she got hurt or not, grabbed the amulet out of Theo’s hands. She was blasted backwards as soon as she set hand on the amulet, crumbling into a heap on the other side of the tent in a cluttered pile of scrap. Theo fell to the ground from several feet in the air and collapsed into a muddy pile of dragon. He blinked, vision blurry, spotting the fae across the room. Dizzily, he struggled to his feet and stumbled over to her. A sharp ache drilled through his head, an incessant buzz, but the voice of the amulet was gone, even as he gripped it tightly in his talon. “You’re such an idiot!” The fae groaned, “It was going to be great. Pretty easy to kill me now you lumpy excuse of a dragon.” She rolled over, glaring at Theo as she held her side. “That would be unfair,” Theo spoke but the words seemed far away like they weren’t his own. “This whole city is unfair!” The fae seethed through gritted teeth, “The potion, get me the potion dimwit.” Theo scrambled backwards, searching the room desperately for what she meant. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a cauldron oozing with a sludgy green substance. Brushing a settling of broken glass away, he snatched a gaudily decorated chalice from a pile of junk shoved to the side of the room and, grimacing, filled it with the cauldron muck. It smelled rancid. Without flinching and without hesitation, the fae tore it out of Theo’s talons and chugged it. Rising to her feet, she clutched her side and scowled as she leaned against the table. “Oh,” Her voice faltered as she doubled back down, curling into a tight ball of skin and bone again, “Poison.” “What?” Theo managed, glancing back to the cauldron. His eye caught on the pile of trinkets he’d grabbed the chalice from and a shiver crept up his spine as he spotted the broken glass he’d pushed aside in his haze, recognizing it as the broken vial of poison he’d dropped upon entering the tent. “I was going to be so great,” The croak sounded barely draconic anymore, “I was going to get out of this cursed city. I was going to go so many places. I was going to forget everything that ever happened and start again,” Her body tensed with fury and poison, “You’re such a pathetic dragon. Pathetic and weak.” She spat the last words, saliva foaming at the corners of her mouth, “And yet you succeeded at killing me. And you didn’t even mean to.” She fell into a fit of coughing, entire body twisting in pain as it racked her frame, “I just wanted to exist beyond these stupid walls.” She whispered. A tear dribbled over her face, like a drop of oil on a body stained with grease. Her eyes went blank. She was dead. Theo stood, panic settling into the silence that suffocated the tent. Slowly, he felt the ache of his muscles creep back into his body, exhaustion lurking on the edges of his mind. Knuckles white and gaze dull, reality hit. He turned the blood red amulet over in his hands. It was silent but the twinge still throbbed in his head. “Find the tent, poison the dragon, take back the amulet,” He mumbled to himself. His feet were heavy, but he stumbled forwards, nothing feeling real. He had succeeded his mission. It was all wrong. ------ If you want to know what happened to make this so long? I couldn't find out how to get Isela to kill the fae dragon. And she kept. Killing him. Instead. In all the versions I wrote. Which he's kinda not allowed to die. Really can't put these two dragons in the same room together -

Mokele!! @Petall has been waiting forever for a handful of her lore so here's a little bit. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=25829221] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/258293/25829221_350.png[/img] [/url] [center][b][size=5]Found[/size][/b][/center] Mokele frequently wandered the fields. They were pockets of grass and herbs that came to rest between thickets of trees, where sunlight crept across the wildflowers and bees hung lazily low among the stalks. She would sit, listening to the sounds of the forest as she filled baskets with dried herbs. Tonight, she watched the starry sky in a sea of purple, breathing in the smell of lavender among long stalks of grass. These were her favourite moments. Most ignored the fields, only tripping through them on route to the safety of the trees. It was easy to be led astray in these forests and if one didn’t pay close attention, the smell of herbs would capture you and hold you until the fairies of the flower reached you, or the druids living in the trees, or the imps watching from the shadows. However, Mokele knew the fields and she knew the flowers. She knew they were wild. She knew they weren’t meant to be contained and hoarded like gold and jewels. She held a handful of dried leaves in her talons, of wilting flowers, whispering a spell to the forest, a prayer to the wind, before gathering the sweet plants into her satchel of rosemary and mint. She hummed a tune, one that matched the river chattering over weathered, smooth rocks. The sun was beginning to rise, stretching its fingers into the clearing, staining everything with the orange of dawn. Mokele withdrew into the forest and stepped carefully as though she was never there. She moved to a cluster of mushrooms losing their glow in the faint morning light. She was the harvester of the wild, the collector of scent and medicine, and between field to field she lived with the hum of the forest in her song.

Nimue sat upon the Focal Point of the Arcane flight, the place the clan had made their temporary home. None of them enjoyed the boring, grassy shelves of their camp sight, but it was the best they could do.

They had now been in the Starfall Isles for a month. They all found it weird that Chamois insisted upon the journey to the Isles at first. None fancied the idea of flying so far across the Plague flight, but eventually, they agreed to go.

Now, after seeing the Starfall Isles for themselves, everyone agreed that this place should be their new home. The beauty of the forest, the magic that seemed to fill the air, and the close up view of the Stars. Nimue had never seen a place more perfect for her astronomy work.

But they still hadn't found a place to live.

Nimue looked over her shoulder at the group of gathered dragons. They were in a heated discussion, as the dragons argues back and forth about the pros and cons of the various places they had found. A clearing deep in the forest? Too far from the ocean. One of the rocky spires surrounding the focal point? Too boring.

Nowhere seemed to work. One dragon always seemed to object, finding one thing that was wrong. Nimue knew that Typhoon was trying to be fair as possible. As this was a group effort, he wanted to give each of the members of the tribe and equal say. But from what Nimue could tell, it was giving him many headaches.

She turned back to the sea. The waves roared and crashed against the rocks at the pause of the spire. Across the water, the trees swayed in time. Even from this distance, Nimue could see the tiny pinpricks of light from the blossoms readying themselves to bloom that night.

Nimue sighed. The decision was going to be hard.

Nimue could hear Typhoon's voice above all the others, telling everyone to go to bed. Dragons grumbled, but grudgingly walked off. Nimue looked around to see Typhoon sighing gloomily. Another day, another delay in the decision.

Nimue watched as the other dragons piled together to sleep. Nimue could see her own children, curled up in a small pile. She smiled and walked over to the place they had set their belongings. A few things had been saved from the vicious fire that night, and among the rescued objects were Nimue's Astronomy tools. She knew it had been foolish to go back for them that night, but it would've been weeks before they could've gotten her more stargazing tools.

She stroked the smooth metal of her telescope gently before scooping it up in her claw. She would not sleep tonight. Tonight, it was time to work.

Nimue crept between the sleeping piles of dragons and off towards the edge of the focal point. Far away, where she couldn't here the snores of the other dragons, Nimue carefully set up her telescope. She spread her papers and maps out on the grass, just like she did at home. The familiarity of it almost made Nimue feel as if she were back home. Almost.

Nimue was about the dip the tip of her quill into the ink bottle, when a flash of light caught her eye. Her head was drawn upwards. A streak of light shot across the sky. The shooting star was much closer than Nimue had ever seen before. It passed the tip of the observatory high overhead. Across the sea, it fell towards Starwood Strand. Nimue stood up, watching as it disappeared into the trees.

Silence. Nimue gaped, looking back and forth between the sky and the trees. A falling star was a rare sight to behold, but seeing one actually land? Nimue had never heard of something like this happening before.

Curiosity filled her mind. She had to go see where this object had landed. It wasn't every day that you saw a shooting star, and got to observe it up close.

Nimue felt her heart thumping as she spread her wings. Launching herself upward, she soared across the sea.


Nimue landed at the edge of the forest. The trees glittered with glowing blue flowers. Ghostly blue light filtered between the trees, turning the forest floor the same shade. Nimue stepped beneath the line of trees, immediately bathed by the blue light.

She gazed around. Straight ahead, between the pale tree trunks, Nimue could see a bright light, glowing more radiantly than the light from the flowers.

Nimue grinned and ran towards the light. She wove her way through the trees, coming closer, and closer.

She stopped.

Before her, in a small crater, sat a star. It was like a giant gemstone, with spikes of clearest crystal sticking up from all sides. At the heart of the gem, a bright light pulsed, changing in color. Blue to purple. Purple to Pink. To red. Nimue watched it, transfixed.

She had never seen anything like this before. It was as if a real star, a true piece of the heavens had come down. Just for her to find. An astronomer discovering the first true star to come to earth, the first Fallen Star.

Nimue felt her heart beating fast. Such a discovery would not go unnoticed for long. Her discovery. Nimue paled at the thought of someone coming to take this star from her.

She could not let this happen. She had to find Typhoon and show him right away.

“Just stay here,” she said quietly. Was she talking to a star? How foolish.

The Star did not answer (which would have been more absurd), but merely continued to pulse with ever-changing light. Nimue smiled and turned round. She burst through the tree tops, a few found speed spurring her even faster than before.

[center]Day 5: Found [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37802624] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/378027/37802624_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Esme had a mysterious past and often felt lost about who she was and what her identity is. She grew up on her own, facing many adversaries and getting stronger through fighting them. She changed her shape a lot as she tried to find herself - first born an Imperial, then changed to a Mirror, and finally a sleek, dangerous Nocturne. She is absolutely tiny, but fierce. There was a void in her heart for a long time until she met Morzan. Morazan was kind, compassionate, and saw through some of her defenses she made to keep others away. She let him see her fears, faults, and imperfections she tried to hide from the world which he shared in return. They developed a fierce bond and through being loved and loving in return, Esme has finally felt the peace of mind to forgive the past and work towards a better future. After Morzan left the clan, Esme who had started to finally become whole, felt unsure once more. After hearing about Asriel's successful self-discovery trip into space, she decided to go on one to find herself. In space, she grieved for Morzan and healed in its cold embrace. Esme would always love Morzan, but she accepted his incomprehensible decision to go to the Clan of the Shifting Tides and accepted herself as both a strong and simultaneously delicate individual deserving of kindness. She knew she had to keep down her defenses and let others in to achieve peace. Her values were cemented and she now knew how to define herself and know what was important to her in life. When she returned, she was changed physically as well, infused with constellations on her wings. With the guidance of stars, Esme found herself at last. P.S. Still need constellation to make this lore work, but she'll look like this when she's done! [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=10&bodygene=17&breed=11&element=6&eyetype=0&gender=1&tert=10&tertgene=17&winggene=25&wings=10&auth=bf092740db67d228d4e882c8b3677abf3d29f41c&dummyext=prev.png[/img]

Gordon had never known what love meant his whole life. His mother hated him for who he was, and who could blame her? He was an Illusionist, an utter disgrace to any Distortionist who'd ever had one. The main reason the rift had to be watched at all times.
"I don't know why they bothered to try with you," His mentor would scoff. "Just 'cus your mom was powerful, doesn't mean we should care about some vermin on the streets."
Gordon always took the insults without complaining. Why should he? He was honestly just a mistake. He was never supposed to exist, but he did, and everyone had to deal with it.
That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was that he, like the other Illusionists, could tear open holes in the dimensional rift. He was basically quarantined in the Mirror World, isolated from everyone else, to contain his power. He never saw the mortal realm once in his life, and he longed to so bad.
But vermin didn't deserve that. They deserve to be squashed out before their disease could spread.
At least, that's what he thought until he broke free from his shackles.
He ran wildly through the streets, bustling but devoid of life, as his mentor (and a few others) chased him around the city made of nothing but pretending shadows. He turned into an alleyway, and, just as everyone was about to find him, the world around him changed.
The dark mist that once surrounded his 'home' had lifted, revealing a bright, colorful world around him. Sunlight danced on his cheeks, and people were passing the alleyway, chattering and laughing. Gordon stepped forward, wishing to join them, but then everything darkened again. Confusion overtook him, before he saw the distortion ahead of him vanish.
He'd just opened another hole in the rift.
Pacing around back and forth, Gordon pondered what he would say to his mentor. He would surely be found now, thanks to this stupid uncontrollable defect he was born with. He heard footsteps- Real ones, not the shadows- And his heart began to pound, sweat pouring down his face and his breath coming out fast. A shadow loomed over him as he worried, and the most he could do was whirl around and scream, "I'm sorry!"
But it wasn't Chris's silhouette at the end of the alleyway. No, it seemed to be an even stranger creature with long tentacles protruding from its back. It seemed humanoid, but... What was it?
"Whoa, calm down," The creature reassured, and as it came into the harsh yellow light, Gordon could make out its features. 'It' was a young woman with long, brown hair and six black and blue wings (or tentacles, Gordon couldn't tell) extending from her back. Her face was a peachy white, causing Gordon to nearly scream.
"You're one of us, too?" He whimpered. "You shouldn't be here- he'll find us any minute."
"Who?" The tentacle winged girl tipped her head in confusion, before Gordon grabbed her by the hand and dragged her down the street. "Where are we? Who's gonna kill us?!"
Gordon turned to face her, about to ask where she'd come from, when he looked up and screamed. Chris was right behind the girl, with a scowl and a dagger aimed at Gordon's throat.
"What," he hissed, “Do you think you’re doing in here, and with my angel, no less?”
“N-nothing! It-It was a simple mistake, that’s all!” Gordon stuttered. “I-If you just g-give me a few seconds, I’ll just-”
“Just a mistake?” Chris repeated. “JUST A ******* MISTAKE?! YOU JUST CREATED A DISTORTIONAL RIFT BETWEEN OUR REALM AND THE MORTAL REALM! YOU’RE ENDANGERING OUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE BY REVEALING IT! WHAT SORT OF ******* IDIOT WOULD DECIDE TO TRAVEL BETWEEN REALMS WHEN HE CAN’T ******* CHANGE HIS OWN COLOR?!” Chris was fuming by now, screaming at the top of his lungs. The girl backed away a little.
“So, I’m just s-supposed to stay in the mirror realm for the rest of my life?” Gordon retorted. “I’m-I’m not a little kid anymore, Chris! Stop t-treating me like one!"
“Yes! Yes, you’re supposed to stay in the mirror realm for the rest of your life, because your ******* existence in the mortal world could get us all killed! You were literally a ******* mistake, you weren’t supposed to even exist!” Chris was standing over Gordon, but turned around to avoid looking at him. “Go. Get out of my sight. I can’t stand to look at you anymore. Come on, Zena.” He forcefully grabbed the woman's hand and dragged her away, much to her protest.
Gordon took a moment to recollect himself. Whoever that girl was, she clearly had connections to his mentor... But why hadn't he threatened her, then? Why had he been so calm to her if she wasn't like him? Before Gordon could find an explanation, he was lifted by the collar of his shirt and shaken aggressively.
"YOU IDIOT!" Chris roared, pinning Gordon to a wall. "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SERVANTS! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT WORTH THE DAMN PENNIES THEY COST!"
"Stop," Gordon begged. "Please- I meant no harm. Please let me go for once."
Chris looked away for a moment, as if he were actually considering letting Gordon go. Then, Gordon was thrown onto the street like a dog. "Stay the hell away from us," Chris scowled as he walked away.
Gordon took some time to think. That girl- Zena was her name, maybe- had to be a Third Eye, one of Chris's highest ranking servants. And if she had that third eye, then maybe he could find the chance to talk to her again...
~~~
He didn't expect to find Zena against his sister, but here he was. Gordon was lucky to have stopped his sister from landing the hammer, lest he lose Zena. He distracted her long enough to grab Zena and take her back to the Mirror World, where he could tend to her wounds safely.
He was alerted that Zena was awake by her footsteps and grunts of pain. He turned around to greet her. "You're awake. Good."
"Where- Where am I?" Zena coughed. "How did I get here?"
"In the same world you found yourself in yesterday," Gordon replied, hurrying over to help Zena sit down. “The woman who attacked you was a servant of Aikir, and she opened a dimensional rift to get to you. That’s why I was able to get you here without Christopher’s notice.” He looked around cautiously, searching for Chris. “At least… I hope so.”
“Aikir, huh? That sounds so… Familiar.” Zena look up in wonder, before falling into a coughing fit. Speckles of blood dotted her lips.
"That's because she's hunting you, Zena. She wants you dead for interrupting the Fox's Wedding." He looked away, hoping that he wasn't showing his desperation to her. "At least... That's what I know."
"Huh. Explains a lot." Zena pulled out a cigarette from her pocket.
Gordon nodded. “Yeah… I don’t know why she acts the way she does. Some say it’s out of vengeance for her husband, or because she’s a prophet of Krina… I just don’t know.” He sighed, then turned to look at Zena with his weary orchid eyes. “But now, I just want to know… What’s the mortal world like?”
“What?” She echoed back. “What do you mean?”
“Like, is your realm always full of chaos and despair, or is it just a select few?” He looked to his feet, then to her own, which were bare and broken, and poorly wrapped with bloody bandages. “Please… I really want to know…”
"Hm..." Zena stroked her chin, looking up to the dark sky. "It's sure as hell not for someone as... Pure as you, you know. But I mean... If you're that desperate to know what my world's like, then here's my advice: Run as far as you possibly can." She smiled, reached out and pinched my ear. "Unless you're too scared of Chris, that is..."
Gordon giggled just a little bit, before pulling out a pocket watch to check the time. He stood up and held out his hand to help Zena up.
"Well, shall we get going?" He grinned.
He had finally found that one little thing that had been so hard to find all his life.
Love.