Embers
It had occurred to Ciron that, in spite of all the time he'd spent in the Earthshaker's domain, he'd never really done much digging.
He'd also come to the realization that he wasn't particularly good at it, and that he definitely didn't like it.
The pearlcatcher suppressed a cough, knowing that if he did, he'd inhale more of the foul ash and make it even harder to breathe as he tried to reach the actual ground.
He could hear Geron clawing into the ground nearby, clearly having no difficulty thanks to his size. As for Valsig and Pox, well, he couldn't really tell. He couldn't hear them and with how much dust had been kicked up he couldn't see much of anything at all.
He paused, briefly considering how pointless his being there was. The ash began to flow back downward, filling the meagre hole he'd managed to carve out.
He swore, choked on the air, and stumbled backward in a coughing fit.
From up above, he heard a sharp laugh. Valsig, evidently, had been watching the whole time.
And then came another rumbling, but this time, it was almost deafening. Valsig was no longer laughing, and Ciron noticed a strange light on his face.
"Under the shelter," he said, his voice growing more urgent with each syllable. "Back. Under. The shelter. Now!"
Ciron had barely had time to even turn toward the lean-to before the ridgeback was upon him. He was under the stone shelter before he registered what was happening, with Pox quickly tossed next to him. Geron and Valsig shoved their way in and braced against the wall and ceiling, and in moments he heard the sound of rock hitting rock. The ground shook.
He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but the eruptions and outfall seemed to come in waves, and whenever he thought it might have been safe, it would happen again.
He was certain hours passed before the ridgeback and guardian finally began to relax, and it was Geron who first stepped out from under the lean-to, flexing his wings and groaning.
"Gods damn, I hate the Flamecaller an' her godsdamned volcanoes," he croaked, shaking his head. "Don't any o' you touch the - actually, you're fire. You'll be fine."
Ciron stepped back out, Pox following shortly after.
As Valsig slipped out after them, the shelter collapsed with a loud thud.
"This ain't worth it," Geron huffed, frowning as he gazed around at the rocks - ranging from pebbles to boulders, some still glowing with heat. "What if one of the bigger ones had smacked down on our little prince, huh? Then who's necks are on the line?"
"We can't really head back empty clawed though, can we?" Valsig snorted in reply.
"We can. Better than not headin' back at all," Geron grumbled in reply, and within moments the two giant dragons were bickering.
It was then that Ciron noticed Pox was nowhere to be seen.
He hadn't noticed her slipping off anywhere, and his retainers were certainly still oblivious.
He briefly considered whether she was trying to make a proper break for it - and whether to stop her for her own sake or just let her go - when he saw her stumble out from behind one of the still-standing walls with something clutched to her chest. She quickly tucked it in the folds of the scarf around her neck - Ciron was fairly sure he saw the chain of a necklace.
"Well fine then, let's just start turning over rocks and looking for lizards and all that bull -"
Pox's gaze was utterly fixed on Valsig and Geron arguing as she hurried back. She didn't notice Ciron staring at her until she'd almost run into him.
She staggered, letting out a small gasp which was enough to catch Valsig's attention. The ridgeback turned to face them, raising a brow.
"So... are we going or not?" Ciron asked, trying to sound casual - and a bit annoyed, for good measure.
Valsig opened and shut his mouth, considering before flicking out a wing in exasperation. "Fine, yeah, we're going. There might be more eruptions, and this was a godsdamned bust anyway, let's get the hell out of here."
"Finally," Geron deadpanned, plodding his way out of the ruins and waiting expectantly. They all followed suit, Valsig carefully avoiding the superheated rock that littered the area as they began the trek home.
They were about halfway back to camp, as best as Ciron could guess. Ash fell from the sky like snow, and had already begun to cover the new rubble that had fallen. This made trying to find any particular landmarks utterly hopeless - so all he really had to go on was how much time he felt passed.
It had felt like a very long time.
Valsig and Geron had spoken very little since their previous spat, and seemed to be having some difficulty discerning the way back as well, so he wasn't even particularly convinced they were going the right way at that point.
Pox occasionally snuck confused glances in his direction, evidently trying to judge just why he hadn't said anything. As if he could give a reason.
The pearlcatcher had been making a point of looking away, tempering his discomfort as best he could throughout the long, silent trek.
But then, something caught his eye. He certainly wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't happened to be staring exactly in its direction, but there was something still smouldering, and it was a different colour than the rest of the land.
"Hey! Hey," he said, stopping and pointing a wing. "Hold on, there's something over here."
Valsig turned, then briefly shifted to his hind legs to get a better look before hurrying off where Ciron had indicated.
"Well, well, well!" the ridgeback exclaimed, beckoning for them to follow and calling out. "We won't be empty-clawed after all!"
Ciron broke into a trot, Geron nudging Pox along behind him.
He wasn't immediately sure what he was looking at, but he smelled burnt meat, so he could make some assumptions about the charred mess in front of him.
"Looks like one of the rocks landed right on 'em," Valsig laughed, pulling a carcass free and dragging the entire thing into one of his bags. "Cooked the damn things, even!"
"What are they?" Ciron asked hesitantly, unable to tell from the charred hide. "They're not dragons, are they?"
"Dragons?" Valsig exclaimed. "Of course they're not dragons, y' little i prince - "
"Rambra herd, looks like," Geron rumbled as he moved forward, preparing his own bags. "We needed meat. Grab as much as you can carry."
Pox silently began to pull away what salvageable meat she could from one of the poor beasts the rock had actually hit on impact, and Ciron moved to one that was simply on the ground nearby. He wasn't sure what had killed it, at first, but it also smelled faintly... cooked.
But when he reached to flip it over, he was met with a flurry of tiny wings, and furious screeches.
He screamed, leaping backwards and shielding his face as his minute assailants clawed at it. Without thinking, he breathed out a puff of fire, and it all stopped.
He moved his claws from his eyes hesitantly, then looked down at the trio of small creatures who were simply staring back at him in some quiet awe. He must've not actually managed to hit them with his fire, which he was suddenly glad for.
"Are these... dragons?" he asked, watching as the three tiny things just sat there, evidently mesmerized by his eyes.
"I don't... know," Valsig replied slowly. Geron said nothing at all.
"They - I think those are banescales," Pox exclaimed, rushing over to see. "They look just like what they said in our old stories - but - they're extinct. They've been extinct for, I don't even know, hundreds upon hundreds of years."
One of the creatures, the largest, seemed to be over its surprise and turned back to gnaw on the rambra's haunch.
"What do we do with them?" Geron asked. "Might be banescales, might just be some dragon-looking creature - we have a lot of those."
"I think they're hatchlings," Pox said, peering down at the two that were still focused on Ciron. "I think... if they had a parent around, we'd know by now."
"We should probably take them," Ciron said. "It's what - it's what the caravan I was part of would do, anyway."
"More mouths to feed," Valsig sighed, then shrugged. "But sure, why not. I'd like to know what these things are, might be quite the discovery."
HELLO HAPPY HOLIDAYS AAAH sorry this one is all over the place, but my baby was literally yelling and repeatedly attempting to bite my arm and laptop so. You do what you can
Oh man. The. Banes. The banes in this chapter as babies are over a year old now. Oh man.
@Dovalore, @Valishtu, @Gloomyvibes, @AnimeLover9631, @Akash, @tigressRising, @ArgenteaMoon, @mintSMASH, @StormWendjule, @IronPen, @Solaristigres, @Acuarela, @Rivix, @Keet, @catmeow1, @Sharuna, @owlstar7, @Fallacies, @Cngx, @Arinemera, @Weredogalism, @Kosaa, @astrallis, @ShadewingRising, @Kyaritty, @Chalkolate, @Luteia, @Drachenschwinge, @Kaskade, @InfiniteIrony, @Darunia, @OrderedChaos, @Kaskade, @Viperfishy, @SallyJane, @huskies709, @mmuted, @Pastie, @cybo, @Synchros, @Damindra, @Velvetpaws, @Macrocosm, @Sabariel, @demitri, @PipDragon40, @Dreamcoyote, @casdeth, @Khazraj, @DreamSlayer, @SoftDemon, @Petall, @Borkbean, @dragonstars12q, @nwn, @SammySepticEye
It had occurred to Ciron that, in spite of all the time he'd spent in the Earthshaker's domain, he'd never really done much digging.
He'd also come to the realization that he wasn't particularly good at it, and that he definitely didn't like it.
The pearlcatcher suppressed a cough, knowing that if he did, he'd inhale more of the foul ash and make it even harder to breathe as he tried to reach the actual ground.
He could hear Geron clawing into the ground nearby, clearly having no difficulty thanks to his size. As for Valsig and Pox, well, he couldn't really tell. He couldn't hear them and with how much dust had been kicked up he couldn't see much of anything at all.
He paused, briefly considering how pointless his being there was. The ash began to flow back downward, filling the meagre hole he'd managed to carve out.
He swore, choked on the air, and stumbled backward in a coughing fit.
From up above, he heard a sharp laugh. Valsig, evidently, had been watching the whole time.
And then came another rumbling, but this time, it was almost deafening. Valsig was no longer laughing, and Ciron noticed a strange light on his face.
"Under the shelter," he said, his voice growing more urgent with each syllable. "Back. Under. The shelter. Now!"
Ciron had barely had time to even turn toward the lean-to before the ridgeback was upon him. He was under the stone shelter before he registered what was happening, with Pox quickly tossed next to him. Geron and Valsig shoved their way in and braced against the wall and ceiling, and in moments he heard the sound of rock hitting rock. The ground shook.
He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but the eruptions and outfall seemed to come in waves, and whenever he thought it might have been safe, it would happen again.
He was certain hours passed before the ridgeback and guardian finally began to relax, and it was Geron who first stepped out from under the lean-to, flexing his wings and groaning.
"Gods damn, I hate the Flamecaller an' her godsdamned volcanoes," he croaked, shaking his head. "Don't any o' you touch the - actually, you're fire. You'll be fine."
Ciron stepped back out, Pox following shortly after.
As Valsig slipped out after them, the shelter collapsed with a loud thud.
"This ain't worth it," Geron huffed, frowning as he gazed around at the rocks - ranging from pebbles to boulders, some still glowing with heat. "What if one of the bigger ones had smacked down on our little prince, huh? Then who's necks are on the line?"
"We can't really head back empty clawed though, can we?" Valsig snorted in reply.
"We can. Better than not headin' back at all," Geron grumbled in reply, and within moments the two giant dragons were bickering.
It was then that Ciron noticed Pox was nowhere to be seen.
He hadn't noticed her slipping off anywhere, and his retainers were certainly still oblivious.
He briefly considered whether she was trying to make a proper break for it - and whether to stop her for her own sake or just let her go - when he saw her stumble out from behind one of the still-standing walls with something clutched to her chest. She quickly tucked it in the folds of the scarf around her neck - Ciron was fairly sure he saw the chain of a necklace.
"Well fine then, let's just start turning over rocks and looking for lizards and all that bull -"
Pox's gaze was utterly fixed on Valsig and Geron arguing as she hurried back. She didn't notice Ciron staring at her until she'd almost run into him.
She staggered, letting out a small gasp which was enough to catch Valsig's attention. The ridgeback turned to face them, raising a brow.
"So... are we going or not?" Ciron asked, trying to sound casual - and a bit annoyed, for good measure.
Valsig opened and shut his mouth, considering before flicking out a wing in exasperation. "Fine, yeah, we're going. There might be more eruptions, and this was a godsdamned bust anyway, let's get the hell out of here."
"Finally," Geron deadpanned, plodding his way out of the ruins and waiting expectantly. They all followed suit, Valsig carefully avoiding the superheated rock that littered the area as they began the trek home.
They were about halfway back to camp, as best as Ciron could guess. Ash fell from the sky like snow, and had already begun to cover the new rubble that had fallen. This made trying to find any particular landmarks utterly hopeless - so all he really had to go on was how much time he felt passed.
It had felt like a very long time.
Valsig and Geron had spoken very little since their previous spat, and seemed to be having some difficulty discerning the way back as well, so he wasn't even particularly convinced they were going the right way at that point.
Pox occasionally snuck confused glances in his direction, evidently trying to judge just why he hadn't said anything. As if he could give a reason.
The pearlcatcher had been making a point of looking away, tempering his discomfort as best he could throughout the long, silent trek.
But then, something caught his eye. He certainly wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't happened to be staring exactly in its direction, but there was something still smouldering, and it was a different colour than the rest of the land.
"Hey! Hey," he said, stopping and pointing a wing. "Hold on, there's something over here."
Valsig turned, then briefly shifted to his hind legs to get a better look before hurrying off where Ciron had indicated.
"Well, well, well!" the ridgeback exclaimed, beckoning for them to follow and calling out. "We won't be empty-clawed after all!"
Ciron broke into a trot, Geron nudging Pox along behind him.
He wasn't immediately sure what he was looking at, but he smelled burnt meat, so he could make some assumptions about the charred mess in front of him.
"Looks like one of the rocks landed right on 'em," Valsig laughed, pulling a carcass free and dragging the entire thing into one of his bags. "Cooked the damn things, even!"
"What are they?" Ciron asked hesitantly, unable to tell from the charred hide. "They're not dragons, are they?"
"Dragons?" Valsig exclaimed. "Of course they're not dragons, y' little i prince - "
"Rambra herd, looks like," Geron rumbled as he moved forward, preparing his own bags. "We needed meat. Grab as much as you can carry."
Pox silently began to pull away what salvageable meat she could from one of the poor beasts the rock had actually hit on impact, and Ciron moved to one that was simply on the ground nearby. He wasn't sure what had killed it, at first, but it also smelled faintly... cooked.
But when he reached to flip it over, he was met with a flurry of tiny wings, and furious screeches.
He screamed, leaping backwards and shielding his face as his minute assailants clawed at it. Without thinking, he breathed out a puff of fire, and it all stopped.
He moved his claws from his eyes hesitantly, then looked down at the trio of small creatures who were simply staring back at him in some quiet awe. He must've not actually managed to hit them with his fire, which he was suddenly glad for.
"Are these... dragons?" he asked, watching as the three tiny things just sat there, evidently mesmerized by his eyes.
"I don't... know," Valsig replied slowly. Geron said nothing at all.
"They - I think those are banescales," Pox exclaimed, rushing over to see. "They look just like what they said in our old stories - but - they're extinct. They've been extinct for, I don't even know, hundreds upon hundreds of years."
One of the creatures, the largest, seemed to be over its surprise and turned back to gnaw on the rambra's haunch.
"What do we do with them?" Geron asked. "Might be banescales, might just be some dragon-looking creature - we have a lot of those."
"I think they're hatchlings," Pox said, peering down at the two that were still focused on Ciron. "I think... if they had a parent around, we'd know by now."
"We should probably take them," Ciron said. "It's what - it's what the caravan I was part of would do, anyway."
"More mouths to feed," Valsig sighed, then shrugged. "But sure, why not. I'd like to know what these things are, might be quite the discovery."
HELLO HAPPY HOLIDAYS AAAH sorry this one is all over the place, but my baby was literally yelling and repeatedly attempting to bite my arm and laptop so. You do what you can
Oh man. The. Banes. The banes in this chapter as babies are over a year old now. Oh man.
@Dovalore, @Valishtu, @Gloomyvibes, @AnimeLover9631, @Akash, @tigressRising, @ArgenteaMoon, @mintSMASH, @StormWendjule, @IronPen, @Solaristigres, @Acuarela, @Rivix, @Keet, @catmeow1, @Sharuna, @owlstar7, @Fallacies, @Cngx, @Arinemera, @Weredogalism, @Kosaa, @astrallis, @ShadewingRising, @Kyaritty, @Chalkolate, @Luteia, @Drachenschwinge, @Kaskade, @InfiniteIrony, @Darunia, @OrderedChaos, @Kaskade, @Viperfishy, @SallyJane, @huskies709, @mmuted, @Pastie, @cybo, @Synchros, @Damindra, @Velvetpaws, @Macrocosm, @Sabariel, @demitri, @PipDragon40, @Dreamcoyote, @casdeth, @Khazraj, @DreamSlayer, @SoftDemon, @Petall, @Borkbean, @dragonstars12q, @nwn, @SammySepticEye
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