Creative Corner

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/0fedefe284e730eba9ef7fd934762f1c/tumblr_inline_o25fuv277c1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40006404][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/400065/40006404.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38780582][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/387806/38780582.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]It had been a storm that brought her down. Annashi didn’t want to admit it, but even her broad wings and large bulk weren’t enough to keep her steady in those kinds of winds. [color=transparent]___[/color]Of course, the sparkling glimmers of a flock of spirals hadn’t been helping her focus either. They rode the storm like wind-tossed ribbons- flying haphazardly in every direction, and yet with a grace that spoke of years of riding twisters and chaotic thermals. Still. [color=transparent]___[/color]Even the largest of the spirals were no bigger than her head, and every stroke of her wings sent some of them skirling down, and she couldn’t tell if any actually hit the ground. So she descended carefully, eyes scanning the ground below for some nook or ledge she could shelter under until the storm had passed. [color=transparent]___[/color]One of the spirals seemed to take his mind off the storm long enough to note her search, and he threw himself at her snout several times until he had her attention before stooping at an alarming speed- pulling up just above a small ravine that had passed Annashi’s notice earlier. The spiral stooped again and she followed him down at a much gentler rate, circling to ease her descent. [color=transparent]___[/color]The ravine was more of a crevice or a crack really, and the great guardian needed to land and walk herself in- not having nearly enough wingspace to stretch, let alone fly or even glide. But it was sheltered from the storm, and there were already several dozing dragons scattered around the edges, so she figured it was a decent place to rest. [color=transparent]___[/color]As she searched for a bit of wall to lay against that wouldn’t result in crushing those dragons the size of her head (or smaller!), she noticed something odd on the ground by her feet. Annashi tapped it lightly with a claw, the round white object rolling away with a sound that wasn’t [i]quite[/i] right to be stone-on-stone. [color=transparent]___[/color]She knew what it [i]looked[/i] like, sure, but all she could see was spirals, not… [color=transparent]___[/color]There was a small red-and-brown pearlcatcher among the dozing spirals, staring up into the sky with fascination at the storm. Her whiskers twitched fitfully around her muzzle, darting out and around to poke at her surroundings even as her gaze never wavered. Annashi glanced down at the pearl on the ground. [color=transparent]___[/color]The 'catcher was smaller than some of the spirals she lay with- clearly still a youth, but not young enough to still be called a hatchling. Her pearl was the size of Annashi’s eye, and picking it up was a task in precision. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Is this yours little one?” She asked softly, offering the pearl to the young dragon as the other’s eyes locked onto her. The pearlcatcher didn’t say anything, though she rose to her feet and trotted over to examine the object, running her whiskers over Annashi’s claws as she did so. Then, to the guardian’s surprise, the little one leapt up onto her foreleg and scaled her arm and shoulder agilely- leaving the pearl in Annashi’s baffled grasp. [color=transparent]___[/color]She nearly slipped a few times, but after a few minutes the youngling had managed to get herself to the top of Annashi’s head, where she bent down to look Annashi in the eye before looking back up at the storm raging above. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You’re very big.” Was the first thing she said. Annashi wasn’t sure what to say to that- she almost nodded before realizing that would be a bad idea while being used as a perch, and so instead hummed softly in agreement. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You look different too.” The pearlcatcher commented, sliding carefully down between Annashi’s eyes and perching precariously upon the larger dragon's nose. “You’re all big and crags and fun to climb. You’ve only got the one set of wings, but you don’t have whiskers like me either. What are you?” [color=transparent]___[/color]That was a little more unusual of a question, but Annashi hummed along anyway. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I am a Guardian, little one. We guardians are very large dragons- I am only average among my kind.” She paused, resisting the urge to sneeze as the feathered tail flicked and twitched over her nostrils. “My name is Annashi. What is yours?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Don't got one.” She said it with a distracted air, and seemed done with conversing- though she did not remove herself from Annashi’s nose. They sat like that for several minutes until Annashi’s exhaustion finally won out, and she shifted gently, laying down on her side with as exaggerated movements as she could- unable to twist and make sure there were no other dragons beneath her as she did so. [color=transparent]___[/color]There was a flurry of movement and squwaks as several spirals needed to flee to safer locations, but eventually Annashi was laying down, and she slowly dropped her head down as well, huffing when the nameless cub remained on her perch. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Are you going to sleep little one?” She queried wearily. But the other shook her head slowly, not taking her eyes off the sky. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I like watching the storms. They’re so bright, and loud, and strange. Sometimes they glow in strange colors- those are my favourites.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi hummed again, too tired to ask about the glowing storms. Instead she drifted off to sleep, the small weight on her nose giving her a strange warmth in her chest, which was entirely unfamiliar, but wonderfully pleasant. [color=transparent]___[/color]It would take two weeks of travelling with the spiral troupe before she realized that she’d finished her Search, without remembering having started it. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]THE NAMING[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/0fedefe284e730eba9ef7fd934762f1c/tumblr_inline_o25fuv277c1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40006404][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/400065/40006404.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38780582][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/387806/38780582.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi eyed the towering shelves around her warily as she tried to pull her wings tighter to her sides. The clan that was currently sheltering them was small, and made up of relatively smaller dragons - the library simply wasn’t built to contain a Guardian’s width. [color=transparent]___[/color]There was a fae, flitting along the tops of the shelves, watching her silently, with fins flicking in agitation every time one of her horns or her tail passed too closely to a shelf. She ignored him however- the clan had granted shelter for the night, and Annashi was tired enough to accept. She'd gotten distracted negotiating the cost of their stay, and wasn't entirely sure when the cub had slipped out from under her wing. Finding her was both easy, and a challenge. If there was a library, the cub would find it. Finding her once she was inside however... [color=transparent]___[/color]Another intersection of pathways between shelves, and Annashi paused to carefully crane her neck down each turn. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little one, where have you gone?” She called, trying to get her voice loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to agitate her watcher. She didn’t like not having the little cub in reach. [color=transparent]___[/color]Her charge, for that was in fact what the cub was, delayed though the realization had been, had not yet settled on a name she liked. Annashi had tried asking about what she’d been called by her family, but while the child had some oddly specific memories her time as a hatchling, she couldn’t recall her former clan, nor even her parents. [color=transparent]___[/color]The spirals, she’d said, had taught her to fly. After several conversations, Annashi realized that ‘taught her to fly’ translated to ‘the spiral troupe flew overhead and the hatchling climbed a tree and jumped and tried to figure it out on the way down.’ [color=transparent]___[/color][i]That[/i] little heart attack of information was what made Annashi realize that the cub was [i]her Charge[/i], despite not having done anything in particular to even start her Search. [color=transparent]___[/color]The cub was an odd mix of reactions and behaviors that Annashi was still trying to get used to. She was quiet, and shy. Until something caught her interest, and then she rambled, on and on and on until she tired. She was timid about certain things but dangerously loose about others. She hadn’t uncurled from her hiding spot once in the last clan they’d bartered for supplies with, and yet just the day before Annashi had needed to pluck the cub off a cliff-face because she’d climbed down the ledge and gotten a foot caught in the rocks. She’d been laughing as her frantic Guardian dug claws into stone, and shown off the odd banded rock she’d been after. It went into Annashi’s satchel, along with the pearl the little dragon couldn’t seem to keep track of. [color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi finally spotted her near the back of the library, almost laying on a large, open tome. There was an elderly Skydancer seated on the floor next to her, a cane laying discarded to the side. Annashi watched and listened as he ran a slow claw along the words before the cub’s nose, his gravelly voice telling a story of two brothers fleeing the inn they lived in, pursued by a shade-beast. [color=transparent]___[/color]Her charge was completely absorbed by the story, staring at the text like she could truly see the brothers cowering beneath a window. It was the Skydancer who spotted her first, and he gave a dry chuckle as he paused in his reading and shifted back. [color=transparent]___[/color]“It’s time for rest, not exploring little one.” Annashi scolded carefully, hiding her amusement at the cub’s startled chirrup. Brown wings shuffled and her tail curled over her paws as she looked from her Guardian to the book. The Skydancer also shifted his gaze between the two before hefting a sigh and carefully pushing the cub off the book, closing it with a whump and tucking it under one arm as he grabbed for his cane. [color=transparent]___[/color]The youngling looked distraught by the loss of the book, but she was quick to skitter over to the cane, helpfully placing the handle in the elder dragon’s grip. As he wavered to his feet, she cast one more sad look at his book before scampering over to Annashi, easily scaling her leg and settling on her second-favorite perch behind Annashi’s crown of horns, her whiskers patting at Annashi’s scales as she murmured a quiet ‘hi mom’. [color=transparent]___[/color]The elderly librarian was quite noisy about getting up, though his eyes were sharp and focused on the pair of outsiders. One he was mostly upright, he leaned heavily on the cane for a few breaths before laughing. [color=transparent]___[/color]“She’s right kiddo, there’s a time for books, and there’s a time for rest. But I’ve had this book for longer than either of you have been alive, and I know the tale back to front. How about I give this to your mother, and she can read it to you before you sleep?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi eyed the book he was offering, trying to ignore the suddenly-quivering cub on her spine. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I don’t think I’ll be able to read her the whole thing before we have to leave.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Like I said, I know the tale by heart. Let a new generation fall in love with the tale of the Four Lands, hmm?” He waggled the book, and the cub keened quietly. Annashi could feel the tiny claws plucking at her scales, and she sighed, accepting the book. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Thank you for your kindness.” She said, unsure of how else to respond. The old librarian merely winked before he shuffled away, and Annashi set about trying to extricate herself from the narrow shelves. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]“Mom?” Annashi paused in the middle of the paragraph she'd been reading aloud and looked down at the sleepy chirrup, somewhat surprised. She’d thought the cub was already asleep. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Yes little one?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“I like that name.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi looked back at the book, considering the deep voice she'd affected for the character she'd just been narrating. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Alannon?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Nooo. Shannara. Can I keep it?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Can you- you want to be called Shannara?” The cub hummed happily, snuggling herself tighter against Annashi’s chest. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Mmm. I wanna be ‘Nara. With the magic glowing rocks and a cool sword.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Alright little one. My little Nara, with the magic rocks and sword.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Nara hummed happily at that, and didn’t complain when Annashi carefully put the book aside so she could lay her own head down. It felt right, letting the cub pick her own name, even if it was an odd choice. Annashi knew she’d grow into it, and make it her own in time. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]YESTERDAY UPON A TREE[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/0fedefe284e730eba9ef7fd934762f1c/tumblr_inline_o25fuv277c1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49374478][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/493745/49374478.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38780582][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/387806/38780582.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]There was another pearlcatcher, up in the trees several yards further ahead. Jerle paused, watching her cautiously. She obviously hadn’t noticed him yet- she was precariously balanced in the crook of two branches, tail flicking about lazily as she… well, there was no other word for it. She [i]sprawled[/i], with a rather large book clutched carefully in her talons and held above her face, in a position that was honestly almost painful to even look at. [color=transparent]___[/color]He observed her for a moment longer before he realized that he couldn’t see her pearl. Frowning, he began scanning the branches around her. It wasn’t anywhere in sight. Was it lost? Unthinkable. But she didn't seem alarmed in the slightest either. Finally he spotted the faint shine- down in the leaf-litter, beneath another tree, some distance away. [color=transparent]___[/color]Finally, Jerle could stand it no longer. He ruffled his wings gently, letting the small collection of bones that hung from them rattle softly, yet loudly enough to be heard. The female however did not react in the slightest- except for shifting her grip to turn the page. Frowning now, Jerle twitched his wings again, letting the bones rattle more aggressively, and still she did not react. Was she ignoring him? [color=transparent]___[/color]“Oi.” [i]That[/i] seemed to catch her attention- she squeaked, losing her grip on her book and yelping louder when it fell on her face and slid off, falling to the ground with a soft [i]thump[/i]. She keened softly as she leaned over the branch, looking down at the book as though it was a beloved pet that had fallen. For a moment Jerle thought she was going to fall after it, but she adjusted her grip, and shifted her gaze to him. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Oh.... hello.” She murmured, her voice soft, and slightly rough, as though she hadn’t had enough water. “That’s my book.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Jerle looked down at it briefly, then back up at her. “So it is.” Silence. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Can you try throwing it back up here?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“...Why?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“‘Cause it took me forever to find some comfy branches, and if I get down it’s gonna take another forever to get comfy again.” She paused, and when Jerle continued to remain motionless, she [i]pouted[/i]. “Besides- you startled me, so it’s your fault my book’s down there. Meanie-head.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“I’ve been standing here for almost ten minutes. It’s more your fault for not noticing the other times I tried to catch your attention.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He wasn’t sure in the odd light of the trees, but Jerle was almost sure she was now blushing faintly. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Hush your face- I was at a really good part! The hero and his friend were about to escape the bad guys, but they needed to make it convincing, so the hero made his friend hurt him so the bad guys would think he’d gone over to their side, but really he was just buying time-” She took a massive breath- “And his friend didn’t wanna do it, ‘cause he’d been a real bully when they were kids and he hurt the hero all the time but he was growing up and realizing that he’d been really mean and he didn’t wanna hurt his friend anymore and it’s some awesome character development right there, like you could feel his pain and-” [color=transparent]___[/color]“What are you babbling about?” Jerle interrupted, realizing that the flood of words wasn’t going to stop otherwise. She stared at him over the glasses balanced before her horn before sighing and slipping off the branch, catching herself with her wings a moment before she hit the ground. She scooped up the book, settled herself against a tree, and opened to the first page. [color=transparent]___[/color]“ [i]‘It takes a while for the woman to notice him, and even longer for her to look up. She's sitting crosslegged on the park bench, curled in on herself as she rocks and weeps, and she's been sitting and rocking and weeping since Izuku first arrived ten minutes ago.’[/i] ” [color=transparent]___[/color]She reads out loud, and slowly Jerle finds himself leaning against another tree. Without realizing, he too settles to the ground. Somewhere above the canopy the stars must be out, but the light of the Starwood Strand is enough for her to continue reading by. And Jerle… is curious. [color=transparent]___[/color]About the story, of course. [color=transparent]___[/color]He’ll ask her name when she stops reading. [color=transparent]___[/color]...If she ever stops. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [url=https://archiveofourown.org/works/8337607/chapters/19098982]Yesterday Upon The Stair[/url] excerpt by [url=https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitViperOfDoom/pseuds/PitViperOfDoom]PitViperofDoom[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]THE VALLEY OF HOME[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/0fedefe284e730eba9ef7fd934762f1c/tumblr_inline_o25fuv277c1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38780582][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/387806/38780582.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40006404][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/400065/40006404.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49374478][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/493745/49374478.png[/img][/url] [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=55741956][img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/557420/55741956.png[/img][/url][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=55995100][img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/559952/55995100.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]They spent years wandering Sorienth as mother and daughter, exploring the edges of the lands. From the Viridian Labyrinth to the Southern Icefields to the Shifting Expanse they explored, seeing the sights. [color=transparent]___[/color]And yet they kept ending up in the Starfall Isles. Whenever Shannara became tired of the travel, they would return to the Isles, often camping at the edges of the Starwood Stand for weeks at a time before the young charge desired to explore once more. [color=transparent]___[/color]This time seemed different though. Perhaps it was because Jerle was with them. The male pearlcatcher had been a surprise to Annashi- Shannara’s reluctance to interact with strangers on her own had been a point of worry for the guardian as her charge grew older. And yet here was a stranger, absently running a cloth along his sword as Nara read her latest book aloud, pausing only to peer curiously at Jerle’s neutral expressions. [color=transparent]___[/color]He’d claimed to be only interested in the story Nara was reading, when Annashi had quietly cornered him a few weeks into his stay. And yet when Nara finally finished the book in question and held up a new one with hope gleaming in her eyes, he’d smiled and stayed, and Nara had begun reading again. [color=transparent]___[/color]And so they settled into a routine. Jerle began accompanying Annashi out when the guardian went to hunt, and proved himself well-trained with the blade he carried. [color=transparent]___[/color]Back at the camp, Annashi continued to teach Shannara how to cook more and more complex recipes. It was comfortable, and nice, and before Annashi knew it, a full month had passed. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Shannara padded through the blue light of the deep Strand, both anxious and yet perfectly at ease as she trod down near-invisible trails. She’d left Annashi and Jerle behind at the campsite, wanting to do this on her own. She wasn’t sure what it was about the Stand that called to her, but call it did. Being within the woods felt safe, surrounded, like when she could walk through a village because she could feel Annashi’s presence, guarding her without looming. [color=transparent]___[/color]The woods felt like her mother. Large and powerful and protective, gentle yet dangerous. Safe only for those who were welcome. [color=transparent]___[/color]Nara paused, feeling an imperceptible shift. Nothing in the light had changed, nothing had moved in the underbrush, but her mane prickled, and her heart beat faster with the sense of [i]watched[/i]. So she took a deep breath and settled to the ground where she stood, moving no further. She breathed in the quiet, the rustle of wind and distant birdsong for several minutes before speaking, hoping her gut feeling was correct. [color=transparent]___[/color]“This forest is beautiful. I’ve loved it ever since I first saw it as a cub. But more than that, I like how it feels. It feels like a home, like sheltering under my mother’s wing, except it’s your trees that give me that shelter. I would like to build a home here, if this forest will have us?” [color=transparent]___[/color]She wasn’t sure who or what she was speaking to. Wasn’t sure what she was expecting in response to her question, only knew in her gut that she needed to ask. [color=transparent]___[/color]She certainly didn’t expect one of the trees to shimmer, shift, and blink at her. She stared in amazement (and a little bit of fright) as the tree resolved itself into a bark-skinned dragon, draped in wreaths of flowers and glimmering blue wings blending with the cast of the leaves of the true trees. The tree- dragon?- The creature resolved itself into the shape of a wildclaw, and Nara felt her heart clench. Talking to the forest was one thing- but a dragon? Or was this a tree? Some kind of spirit illusion? [color=transparent]___[/color]The creature studied her impassively, tilting its head side to side in silence. Then it looked to the side and- [color=transparent]___[/color]Another tree shimmered and shifted, this one forming the shape of a coatl. The two dragon-tree-creatures shared a silent look before the first one nodded, and finally turned a smile towards Nara. [color=transparent]___[/color]“We are the guardians of the Starwood Stand. You have asked permission, and it has been granted. Come, and we will show you where you may build a future.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Nara offered the pair a small smile, bowing her head in respect. “Do you have names? If the forest is alive, I want to be a good neighbor. My name is Shannara.” [color=transparent]___[/color]The tree-wildclaw ruffled her star-cloaked wings, and hummed. [color=transparent]___[/color]“A good neighbor indeed. You may call me Helressa. And my partner is Halton. Call to us when you desire to speak to the forest, and we shall come.” [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi looked over the sweeping clearing at the foot of the cliffs with a discerning eye. To the north and west rose a solid wall of pink-hued stone, with more of theStand’s eerie trees perched atop and sweeping out further above them. The river Shannara had led them to, which they had followed to this valley, flowed wide and placid between the open grassland and the denser darkness of the forest. And the valley itself was blanketed in soft lavender grasses, swaying gently in the breeze, dotted through with bright fuschia flowers. [color=transparent]___[/color]It was beautiful, and large and open, with plenty of space to expand. [color=transparent]___[/color]“How did you find this place?” Jerle asked, watching the ground warily as he picked each step. Ahead, Nara had no such reservations, and had thrown herself down a hill, and was wriggling happily in the tall grass. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I asked the forest! The Stand will protect us so long as we’re good neighbors.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Annashi considered the valley again, and the swaying trees on the other bank of the river. She’d heard dark rumors of the depths of the forest, and this valley was certainly deep. And yet… she felt welcome. Perhaps Nara truly had found something in the woods, and befriended it. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]CORONA VILLAGE[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/0fedefe284e730eba9ef7fd934762f1c/tumblr_inline_o25fuv277c1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38780582][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/387806/38780582.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40006404][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/400065/40006404.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49374478][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/493745/49374478.png[/img][/url][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42993131][img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/429932/42993131.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Years passed in their valley, nestled in among the darker depths of the Starwood Stand. The little family carved a den into the side of the cave. Jerle had thought it was simply Nara’s active imagination that the forest was truly alive, but he couldn’t quite dismiss the illusion of a dragon’s face appearing in the bark of a tree on a hunting trip, visible just long enough for a chin to point in one direction while a pale, mischievous pink eye winked. Following the indicated direction had led him to his lost prey, and he hesitantly thanked the tree on his way back. Nara had been insistent they be good neighbors afterall. [color=transparent]___[/color]Sometimes lost dragons wandered into their clearing. It was rare, and they were always disoriented and exhausted and just this side of empty. But they were always grateful for the shelter, for the view of the open sky, and the escape from the shadowed trees. Jerle wondered aloud once about how none of them ever seemed angry about being caught in the woods, none of them willing to lash out once they were freed from the forest’s magics. Nara had looked sad at that, and looked across the river to the trees. [color=transparent]___[/color]“The Stand keeps those ones. The ones who don’t apologize, who would burn down the trees if they could. They’re only allowed to come here if they say sorry and mean it.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Which was horrifying and ominous, but somehow also reassuring. There was Something in the woods, or maybe the very forest itself was Something, but somehow Shannara had befriended it, because of course she had. Dragon-eating horrors in the woods? Absolutely, let's be friends. Actual dragons beyond the forest? Those were the scary ones apparently. [color=transparent]___[/color]Very few of those escaped dragons stayed for very long in their little valley- too frightened of the looming forest across the river. But some did. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]The first to arrive, and not leave, was a brightly colored Spiral who introduced himself as Strider. His eyes were glazed with exhaustion and hunger, but they still gleamed with excitement as he looked out over the lavender valley, the pale pink cliffs and the blue-and-grey forest he’d just broken free from. [color=transparent]___[/color]After he’d rested and been fed, he told the little family that he was a graduate of the Observatory. He’d written papers on the legends of the Stand, and had hoped to build a library within its confines. But first his bag of supplies had gone missing, and then his entire wagon of books, and then there had been rustles and growls and shadows following him. Fascinating! He then began going off on a tangent about similar occurrences in the Tangled Wood, the similarities and the differences, and how that reminded him of an old legend from the Sunbeam Ruins and- [color=transparent]___[/color]Jerle thought he was perhaps a little cracked and not someone who should be associated with. Nara on the other hand was delighted to listen to his tales, numerous and wandering though they were. [color=transparent]___[/color]A week after he’d arrived and Strider had yet to leave, Nara went into the woods alone, and returned with a ratty bag and a wagon practically bursting with books of all shapes and sizes. She told Strider he could stay so long as he was nice to the forest, because it was only polite. [color=transparent]___[/color](She belatedly remembered to ask Jerle and Annashi if they were okay with Strider staying, but the gleam in her eyes at the thought of an entire library in their valley, along with a graduate of the Observatory full of new stories was hard to miss, and Strider really had grown on the two in his own quirky way, so they agreed.) [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Strider was only the first, after that. Their little family of three remained, but while many many dragons stayed only long enough to stand up straight before they fled, a small few stayed. [color=transparent]___[/color]A young swordsdragon, who delighted in darting through the glowing leaves at top speed. A pair of mechanics that had gotten lost taking a shortcut through the woods, and been appalled at the rudimentary mechanisms the little collection of dragons had managed. A loud spiral who dreamed of one day flying high enough to reach space, who recognized the little pearlcatcher that had gotten caught up in her troupe years ago. A seer and her performer mate, who could already see the comfortable little town that would one day occupy the valley. [color=transparent]___[/color]And of course, the tree-spirits that only left the treeline once in a blue moon (quite literally). [color=transparent]___[/color]But even as their little collection of neighbors grew, everyone agreed Shannara was their heart, the focal point of their little society. When the group grew large enough to need structure and leadership, everyone looked to the pearlcatcher. Nara promptly went mute and hid behind her mother- somewhat proud that everyone thought so highly of her, but also terrified of having others actually relying on her. [color=transparent]___[/color]And so Annashi became the “Matriarch”, who supervised and delegated everything. And Jerle was named the “Captain” to corral the fighters and the guards. And Shannara was named the “Princess”, their center, their light. [color=transparent]___[/color]“We’re like a halo, formed around your willingness to be friends with trees.” Hatsume- one of the mechanics- joked. Strider hummed, grinning at that. [color=transparent]___[/color]“The halo of light around the sun and the stars is called a Corona. That’s what we are then? Shannara’s Corona of good neighborly-ness?” [color=transparent]___[/color]And it stuck, and Corona Village was officially created.[/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]THE SEA AND THE SKY[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/d82f51aa6ef2c4dff67d4e504f0e7706/tumblr_inline_o25fwo3y971r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42502589][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/425026/42502589.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42715495][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/427155/42715495.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]She’d been just a hatchling when she’d nearly drowned. A feckless youngling- she’d felt no fear playing at gliding between the great jutting spires that rose up from the ocean beyond the reaches of the cliffs. It was all in good fun- until it wasn’t. She’d seen the waters retreating, but she hadn’t known what it meant. She saw the ocean leave, great swathes of land that had never been uncovered now exposed to the air, but she [i]hadn’t known[/i]. Then the tides flooded in, the great tsunami catching the little coatl isolated and trapped upon the rocks- her wings still too undeveloped to do more than glide. [color=transparent]___[/color]Gliding hadn’t been enough. [color=transparent]___[/color]Soggy feathers dragged her down, currents far stronger than any thermal she’d caught before throwing her about like a brittle leaf on a wild zephyr made of water. She thrashed as best she could, twisting and trying to use what her parents had taught her of scooping the winds, but still she tumbled and crashed, trying to keep the air in her chest. [color=transparent]___[/color]A solid impact of stone. Pain. An involuntary gasp of shock. Water, rushing in where the air was supposed to be. Pain. Blackness, crawling in at the edges of her vision, clouding out the swirling brown of the muddy waters. [color=transparent]___[/color]And then claws, grasping at her limp body, and powerful wingbeats shaping the wild water around her. Through the haze, she saw dark blue eyes watching her from a mottled black face, white throat shining eerily in the murk, and strange curls of pale blue sweeping through murky water behind. [color=transparent]___[/color]And then… nothing. [color=transparent]___[/color]When she woke again, it was to the sound of a clan elder shouting her parents names. She was on the beach, surrounded by the destruction the tsunami had wrought. She was incredibly sore, it hurt to even breathe. But she was alive, and while her parents held her close and wept (she discovered later that her 4 older siblings had not been as fortunate as she), the elders exclaimed how she must have somehow caught the Flamecaller’s or the Tidelord’s eye, to have survived such a terrible disaster. [color=transparent]___[/color]She didn’t know how to tell them of the shape she’d seen in the water. Not the face of a god, but a face so very like her own; a simple dragon. Under the water, carving through the water as her kind would carve through the air. There were tales, after all. Of the coatls that had betrayed the Flamecaller, and taken to the sea. How they lured others to the water, and then pulled them deep. [color=transparent]___[/color]So she kept silent. [color=transparent]___[/color]But she never forgot. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]The older she grew, the more bitter she became. The merdragons cannot be trusted. Poisonous vipers, luring the Flamecaller’s honest children to watery graves. That was all she ever heard. The day she turned of age, she looked upon her parent’s forge- the forge she was meant to inherit- and turned her back, running to the sea. It was a cruel thing- no place for a child of fire they said, but still it called to her. [color=transparent]___[/color]She started by working on a simple fishing vessel. That lasted a few years, until it was attacked and raided by pirates. The captain was thrown overboard and left behind, and their little ship worked to feed the pirates. That, however, only lasted a few months before the pirates became emboldened by their full bellies, and tried to raid a merdragon village beneath the waves. They all perished, and their raiding ship was left to float as a ghostly reminder and warning, courtesy of the mers. [color=transparent]___[/color]Himinnski was not satisfied by that. She’d grown to enjoy the brash ways of the pirates. She didn’t want to go back to the simple life of fishing. So she and a small handful of the more adventurous fishers set out in the ghost ship, becoming pirates themselves. Each vessel they raided, they made an offer. If you’re bored, if you want adventure, if you want [i]something more[/i], you could join their crew. And many did. They got more ships- they became a fleet of pirates, with the fierce Himinnski at the helm. [color=transparent]___[/color]They attacked large trade ships, and sometimes even war vessels- their smaller ships able to outrun the bulky battleships they harassed. Occasionally they’d sail in and cause trouble in the larger ports, but Dread Himi was merciless to any of her fleet who dared to bring harm upon those little coastal villages who didn’t resist, who were simply getting by. Their fleet became known- the dragons of the coasts calling them the Grey Fleet for the shaded morals of its leader. [color=transparent]___[/color]And they never hit the merdragons. This was unusual- pirates and navy alike waged war with the aquatic beings, but Himinnski forbade it as she would any of the small coastal shanties. One ship disobeyed, and she turned the fleet’s cannons upon it and its captain. No others dared go against her orders after that. [color=transparent]___[/color]And so the Pirate Lord Himi grew in notoriety, both above the waves… And below. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]“Sir…” Freist twisted about, spotting one of the dragons he’d set as lookout treading behind him. The other’s face was twisted in what could only be described as pained horror. Freist nodded, indicating permission for the other to speak, and after a moment to swallow (and perhaps build up some nerve), the lookout reported. “Sir… a large fleet has been spotted to the north of the nesting reef. Their projected course will put them right over us by the end of the day.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Freist’s fins had pressed tightly against his neck the moment he heard ‘large fleet’. Slowly, feeling that horror crawling up his own throat, he turned to look down at the complex weave of coral that made up the reef their cliff overlooked. So many young parents and tiny hatchlings, just learning to twist the water. They were so close to the surface- the little ones couldn’t hold their air for more than an hour yet, so this had been the perfect place for the clan to nest. There had been a few lone ships that passed close by, but the only one that had gotten [i]too[/i] close had already been sunk. But an entire fleet… there weren’t enough guards to sink them if there were more than two. [color=transparent]___[/color]Freist considered having his charges swim deep and simply waiting for the fleet to pass, but he quickly shook that thought away. Many of the hatchlings would likely drown and the unhatched eggs would crack if they were brought deep enough to hide safely. They could try swimming along the surface and dodging around the ships, but the little ones would exhaust themselves too quickly, and they further risked being spotted and fired upon. They were trapped. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Sir?” The lookout questioned, and Friest realized he’d still been speaking. A sharp gesture had him repeating himself. “I asked, should we alert our charges to the danger?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Friest’s tongue flicked out in agitation, tasting the water as it passed. He couldn’t taste the lacquer of the ships yet, but soon they’d be close enough. Thinking quickly, he shook his head and turned away from the reef, focusing on the lookout. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Spread the message to the other lookouts. If the sun sinks and I’m not back, assume the fleet is hostile and prepare a counterattack. Do not act until then.” He flapped his wings and set out north, ignoring the yelping guard behind him. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]He was almost run over by the leading flagship twice as he tried to mantle his wings above the water enough to be spotted. The third time however, there was a shout from above-deck and several heads (and no few weapons) leaned over the railing. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I seek an audience with the leader of this fleet!” Freist called up to them. “I am alone and unarmed!” [color=transparent]___[/color]The heads pulled back and there was the sound of raised voices and no few solid thumps (some kind of scuffle on deck?). Then a new head peered over- a black-and-white feathered coatl- and a wide board supported at four corners by knotted rope was tossed down, landing atop the water with a heavy splash. Friest grimaced and prepared to climb aboard it- his kin despised leaving the water, but for a negotiation like this - [color=transparent]___[/color]Something whistled through the air and a slick black-feathered body hit the plank- it was the coatl that had been peering down at him. As Friest stared gape-mouthed at the figure, they straightened their hat, shifted posture, and [i]nodded[/i] to him. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I am Dread Pirate Lord Himi, captain and commander of this fleet. Speak your name and your business sea-dragon.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Friesting sank slightly, not quite remembering to close his mouth. [i]This[/i] was the Dread Lord Himi? [color=transparent]___[/color]“You mean… this is the Grey Fleet?” Perhaps… perhaps this wasn’t as suicidal as he’d feared. Perhaps he had a chance. [color=transparent]___[/color]Himi nodded and shifted again. Her paw rested on the hilt of her sword, but somehow it looked like more of a habit than a direct threat. Up above, what looked to be the whole crew was now peering over the edge, and further back on the other ships other figures were beginning to gather. [color=transparent]___[/color]Friest opened his mouth properly to plead his case, then realised he wasn’t exactly sure how to address someone of her position. Wing it and seem at ease while risking insulting a Dread Pirate, or ask and risk seeming weak. Himi’s growl of impatience made the decision. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Dread Lord, ahead of here is a reef held sacred to our clan.” Not quite a lie- it wasn’t religiously sacred, but it was the safest breeding reef they’d had in decades. “I have come as a humble guard to ask that your fleet turn away.” [color=transparent]___[/color]His heart was in his throat. His jaw prickled with the venom that flowed with his agitation. He didn’t want to kill this pirate- she had a reputation for leaving mer-clans well enough alone he didn’t want to make relations worse by killing the one mariner that didn’t seem to care about them, but [i]he could not let them pass[/i]. [color=transparent]___[/color]Dread Himi was eyeing him darkly, and in a swift movement he almost couldn’t track, she was at the edge of the plank and her sword was pressed to his neck. There were shouts from above, but Himi spoke in a commanding tone that brooked no argument “I said [i]hold[/i]!” She then focused her glare on Freist. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Be they sky or seaborn, I do not tolerate [i]anyone[/i] lying to me. Try again. Those reefs are not sacred, and you are not a mere scout. Why do you risk everything [i]lying[/i] to a Dread Lord such as myself?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Freist swallowed and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and mentally throwing his fate to the deities. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I am Freisting Brinesinger, sixth son of Xatia and Revan Brinesinger, Prince of the Hydrophis clan.” He dropped the casual accent he worked so hard to hold, letting the sharp clipped tones of his parent’s palace through in his speech. The only reaction the Dread Lord offered was a raised brow. “The reefs beyond here are our nesting grounds- our hatchlings cannot hold their breath for the dive we would normally make to avoid a passing ship. To hide from you would kill them. I am willing to offer myself as sacrifice- by my very life I hold a massive bounty, were you to capture me and present me to the navy.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He longed to dive, and flee, but for his clan… He was the sixth son- his loss wouldn’t hurt as much as losing the young ones. They’d be fine without him. The Dread Lord’s blade dipped slightly, brushing his neck closer to his shoulder. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You would allow us to tie you up, drag you upon the land, carry you to the gallows, and collect payment for your head…. If we agreed to leave your younglings alone?” She queried, voice deceptively calm. [color=transparent]___[/color]Friesting nodded tenderly, unable to produce any more words, though he tried. “The bounty… for a royal of my line… It's much more than you could get with any of those in my care, and they would fight you to escape the whole way.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“And what if we captured you, and then simply sailed on and raided this reef anyway?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“You hold to your vows.” Freistling replied, immediately wincing at his own lack of hesitation. The blade nicked him with his movement, but he ignored it. “You said just now you despise lies. Your fleet does not hunt those who would die from your thefts- you’ve turned on your own crews when they disobeyed that rule. You are the heart of the Grey Fleet. If you give your word to leave our nesting grounds be… then I will give you mine- I shall not resist.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“If you know I do not slay those who do not oppose me, then why do you offer yourself to keep me and mine away?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“The wake from your ships passing creates strong currents. The younglings aren’t strong enough to swim through them- they’ll be killed simply by your passing, as a youngling of your own kin would be killed by a storm or a rip current.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Something sparked in the pirate’s eyes at that. For several heart-stopping seconds he feared he’d overstepped, but finally, [i]finally[/i], the blade lowered, and was returned to its sheathe. Himi stepped back, grasping one of the knotted ropes connected to the platform. [color=transparent]___[/color]“A favor for a favor, sea dragon.” She spoke airly, calmly. “There was a storm many days ago, and while our fleet stayed together, we’ve been knocked off course. We’ve plenty of salted meats and fish, but we’re running low on fruits, and several of my crew are starving. We will circle your reef, but in return, bring to me enough fruits that my crews can survive this detour.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“For my clan’s children… you desire fruits?” Freisting wanted to accept the barter, oh so much, but it was so terribly unbalanced… His clan’s future, his [i]eldest sister’s eggs were hatching today[/i]… [color=transparent]___[/color]Himi tipped her hat, shading her eyes from his gaze. “Perhaps. Or perhaps I barter the safety of yours for the safety of mine. Perhaps I have suffered the pull of the rip currents and tsunamis you speak of, and I’ll stain my own sword with my heart’s blood before I intentionally put a youngling through that terror. You put yourself to my mercy, and now I put myself to yours.” She shifted and made eye contact, held it, and slowly, deliberately, dipped her head in the shallowest of bows. But from one who had fought tooth and claw for the title of Dread Lord, that small show of respect was significant. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]The fleet had routed as promised. The waves of their passing petered out before they could impact the reefs, and while Freist returned and told his sister of what had happened, all other nesting pairs were left unaware of how close they’d come. [color=transparent]___[/color]Friesting himself had helped carry the float burdened with the fruits they’d bartered, and he’d received another simple nod from the pirate lord, which he returned. His warriors and the pirates bristled at first contact, until he and their lady had raised voices in the same instant. Everything went smoothly after that, and the Grey Fleet was once more on its way to parts unknown. [color=transparent]___[/color]So when he heard the muffle splashing of something in the air thrashing through the waves [i]far too close[/i], he let his venom flow and darted to the surface. The ships of the Grey Fleet were nowhere in sight, but treading carefully above the water was the Dread Lord herself- bereft of coat, hat, boots- everything but her sword. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I come to warn you, Prince of the Sea Dragons.” She intoned gravely, lifting a few feet to pull her tail from the water once more. “The navy has appeared on the horizon, and has made moves to intercept us. We cannot flee without leading them directly into your reef-zone, so we must meet them head-on. There will be cannonfire, and that will create wakes worse than those of our passing. Our fleet is to the south-east- if you take your younglings along the surface to the north-west, they should be safe. We will hold them back as long as possible to give you time.” [color=transparent]___[/color]This was… what? [color=transparent]___[/color]“Surely your ships will take damage if you make such a stand?” Friest countered. “Why would you risk that? Why come here to warn us?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Himi scowled, but Friest saw her take a deep breath. [color=transparent]___[/color]“When I was a child, a tsunami swept through our village. My four elder siblings perished along with many others, and I myself may have drowned that day if there hadn’t been a merdragon who set aside the feuds of our kin to save a hatchling who couldn’t even fly, much less fight the mighty currents of the sea. If our kins had been in contact, the mers could have told us of the coming tsunami. We could warn them of the coming hurricanes that would churn the seas when we read the winds. Our actions are about to threaten your clan, so I offer you this. And I pray to Tidelord that someday your kin will sense a tsunami, and warn the sky dragons before they drown.” [color=transparent]___[/color]And with that, she flew, back to her fleet- her own floating clan that was hers to protect. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Himinnski winced at every crash of cannonfire, both from her own ships and from the descending navy. There was nothing more she could do for those under the water- she needed to focus on the safety of her own fleet first and foremost (and ignore the hissing voice in her head that screeched- she knew there were children down there dammit, but these were her crews, they [i]trusted[/i] her to keep their best interests she couldn’t betray them!) [color=transparent]___[/color]The would need to rout soon- her fleet’s greatest strength was their speed, but cornered like this their sleek ships were a liability against the bulky warframes of the navy. She only hoped the sea prince had taken her warning seriously, and already evacuated his people. [color=transparent]___[/color]“We’re routing on my signal.” She called down to the first mate of her flagship. He nodded and carried the order to the little faes that acted as her inter-ship communications. She waited until most of the ships would have gotten the message, then ordered the signal flare to be sent up. Instead of cannonballs, the next volley they shot out spread a thick smoke across the water, obscuring visibility. But they’d run this manoeuvre before; her ships knew what to do, and how to not hit each other as they escaped. [color=transparent]___[/color]There was a terrible crunching of wood and metal and the screams of dragons as several navy ships collided, but not as many as she’d hoped- as they pulled away from the magical fog 5 other navy ships followed them. They needed to pull ahead to bring their cannons to bear once more, but the navy wasn’t giving them that space. Peering down, Himi spotted the dark shapes of the reef under the surface. [i]’Please, let them be gone from this place’[/i] She sent a quick prayer to Tidelord, before turning her attention back to her own ship. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Captain! One of the navy ships seems to be floundering!” One of the crew shouted, and several others pulled out spyglasses, shouting their confirmations. Himi did the same, watching the limping ship carefully. It was slow, but it was sinking. Something had pierced its hull- and it hadn’t been her fleet. [color=transparent]___[/color]She almost missed the dark shapes darting through the water below the wounded ship. Almost. She couldn’t help but smirk, and she flitted down to the deck. “Have half the fleet bear about, and have them load the smokescreens again.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Captain, they won’t fall for the same trick twice.” One of the mates protested, flinching back when she turned a predators grin on him. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Then they [i]definitely[/i] won’t expect this. Now bring about!” [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Finally, with another ship downed, the remaining navy was forced to retreat. Ignoring the protests of her celebrating crew, Himi dropped the surface plank once more, perching at the edge and barely holding back her delighted grin when the sea prince surfaced again before her. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Your younglings?” She asked immediately, once his head broke the surface. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Away, and safe.” He confirmed. “I sent our fastest messenger to bring our warriors to bear.” He paused, and then swam up, and to Himi’s mild alarm (though she kept her face passive but for a raised brow), he hauled himself up onto the plank to stand beside her. [color=transparent]___[/color]“When I was a child,” he offered, once he’d stumbled a bit catching his balance, “I got quite a scolding from my parents. There’d been a tsunami coming, you see. I’d been trained earlier than most to navigate one, and it was fun, riding those furious currents as they roiled over land I’d never seen before.” He paused awkwardly again, before ducking his head and breaking out a soft smile. “Well, I’m surprised you went on to become a Dread Lord of the sea, of all things. I rather thought you’d retreat to a desert after getting knocked off that rock.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Himi stared. Freist dropped his smile and started shuffling again. “Thank you.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He blinked in surprise at her frank tone, and then chuckled. “We make a pretty odd pair huh.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“A Dread Pirate Lord and a sixth son of the Hydrophis clan.” She began to laugh as well, though she quieted before he did. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I’m actually…” Freist paused. “The clan elders were opposed to this. Helping you, I mean. They’re in the process of abandoning the cove- moving the whole clan now that we’ve been located by sky dragons. The warriors that came with me are those I was close to growing up- technically they’re following my orders, but I’m disobeying my father’s own order to stay away. So I guess….” [color=transparent]___[/color]He looked up and made eye contact again. “Can you still have a crew without a ship?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Himinnski grinned with all her teeth, and Freist drew back in surprise. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Now wouldn’t that be a curious thing that other fleets would never see coming.”[/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]WHO YOU WANT TO BE[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/d82f51aa6ef2c4dff67d4e504f0e7706/tumblr_inline_o25fwo3y971r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42502589][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/425026/42502589.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46716583][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/467166/46716583.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Anduin could honestly say she idolized her big sister, if only quietly, to herself. To the rest of the village she was precious little Andy, the young son that had been born after the family’s four eldest were lost in a tsunami, leaving them with only an increasingly rebellious daughter. [color=transparent]___[/color]Perhaps a part of Andy might have been jealous of her sister. Himi might have been drawn towards the seas, but she had the Flamecaller’s own heart blazing, and she didn’t let anything get in the way of what she wanted. Himi wanted the ocean, and so she went and got it, vanished on her hatch-day when she was to be named an adult and given the family forge. Everyone assumed she’d drowned, thrown herself into the ocean, never recovered from the waters that took her elder siblings from them. [color=transparent]___[/color]Andy doubted that. Andy doubted that very much. Himi was strong, and stubborn, and the ocean couldn’t drown her because she’d just glare it into submission like she had with her so-called destiny of inheriting the family business. [color=transparent]___[/color]And she’d always doted on Andy. Andy hadn’t been quite sure of herself before her sister left, but Himi had helped her preen her feathers, glossing them so they sparkled prettily in the sunlight. Gotten her ribbons that couldn’t go near the forge but were fun to wear anyway, hidden in her feathers so her parents didn’t scold her for them. Pretty bows were not something the son of a forgemaster should be wearing, after all. [color=transparent]___[/color]So Himi was out there somewhere, either drowned or living her best life, and Andy inherited the forge, and smiled hollowly as she worked the flames and accepted the praises of what a good son she was. [color=transparent]___[/color]And sometimes she’d go out to the coast, once the sun had set, and look out over the waves, and speak to her sister. Asking for her strength, her courage, her powerful ability to stand up and take what she wanted out of life. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Andy’s breaking point came several years after inheriting the forge. Her work was not the best, and she had a new little brother who would likely take the forge from her once he was old enough- unlike Andy at his age, he enjoyed sitting in the forge and watching metal take shape. [color=transparent]___[/color]And Andy was willing to wait, to give her little brother time to grow up, to dote on him as Himi had doted on her. [color=transparent]___[/color]But then Amii had come. [color=transparent]___[/color]Amii was pretty, very pretty. Andy wanted to ask how she’d woven the silks through the vanes of her feathers, her wings practically glittering with all the little baubles strung through them. And the clothes she wore! Layered dresses that seemed a different color from every angle, delicate silver chains draped around her shoulders and her hips, seemingly woven into the fabrics! [color=transparent]___[/color]And she kept seeking Andy out, after Andy had escaped the forge for the day. Amii would lead the way on little strolls around the edge of town, and giggle and hum as Andy wondered at how effortless she made it look. She giggled a little less when Andy asked her if she could help weave similar baubles into Andy’s own wings. She didn’t giggle at all when Andy asked if she could try on one of the dresses, on a day away from the forge. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You don’t understand what’s going on here, do you?” She asked Andy one day, as they were sitting on the coast, watching the sunset. She’d been quiet as she finally showed Andy how to work the gleaming little trinkets into her crests, and Andy had been so delighted by the feel of their weight that she hadn’t immediately noticed the sad smile on Amii’s face. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Are we… not friends?” Andy asked, glancing over at who she thought was a best friend. Amii smiled and tilted her head. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I’d love to be your friend. But you understand, my parents brought me here so we could be married.” [color=transparent]___[/color]That… that was news to Andy. [color=transparent]___[/color]Something must have shown on her face, because Amii’s sad smile returned, and she looked back out to the ocean. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You’re not happy here, I don’t think you ever have been. You’re a wonderful young lady playing a role, but acting isn’t your dream, not like this. This isn’t where you belong, I think.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Andy ducked her head, but didn’t speak. They sat in silence until the sun was fully gone, and then Amii huffed out a laugh, and rose to her feet. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Follow my lead tomorrow. This will be fun.” [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]“Mother, father, Andy and I are eloping to the city. Goodbye!” Amii spun on her heel, grabbed Andy’s arm, and took off down the street laughing in delight. [color=transparent]___[/color]“What just happened!?” Andy yelled, trying to keep her feet under her as she allowed Amii to drag her along. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I’ve always wanted to move to the city by myself, and start up a fashion shop, but my parents knew they were going to marry me off instead!” Amii called back. “And you don’t want to be trapped in that act in the forge forever, do you? So run away with me, and we both get what we want!” [color=transparent]___[/color]Andy, it seemed, was always surrounded by powerful impetuous females who had no qualms about making life give them what they wanted. [color=transparent]___[/color]She was afraid her parents would protest more, would get in their way, but they simply wished ‘the new young couple’ happiness in the city, and off they went, leaving the ‘united’ families together in the town. [color=transparent]___[/color](Andy made sure before she left to let her little brother know he was his own dragon, and no-one else was allowed to tell him what to be. He’d looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, and then grinned and nodded, and given her a necklace. It was soot-stained and had a few sharp burrs left, but it was clear he’d strung the wire himself, and braided the jewelry just for her. “Right back at you sis.” was his response, before he slipped back into the forge with a grin on his face.) [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]And so Andy moved to the city with Amii. They stayed together at first, Amii teaching Andy all she knew about poise, and dressing up and dressing down, and how to tuck your head and your crests just right to make someone blush. It was fun, and exciting, and Andy delighted in wearing more and more elaborate dresses as time went on. [color=transparent]___[/color]And Andy helped Amii get her shop started, gave her second opinions on color schemes, and layouts, and even used her lessons from the forge to tear into a furniture seller that tried to sell the two girls an unstable display table with a bad weld joint. She proved how garbage it was by leaning on it lightly at just the right angle to stress the joint, sending herself, her frilly sunset dress, and the mangled remains of the table crashing to the ground. Loudly. And obviously. [color=transparent]___[/color]They got two display tables at half price after that little show. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Six months after they arrived in the city, Andy hugged her best friend, promised to visit, packed a bag, and hopped aboard a ship to track down her sister. She’d cross paths with the royal navy, a clever sea monster, and a fleet of pirates before she’d find said sister, but that’s another story.[/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]WHALE[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/d82f51aa6ef2c4dff67d4e504f0e7706/tumblr_inline_o25fwo3y971r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45192664][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/451927/45192664.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42502589][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/425026/42502589.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42715495][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/427155/42715495.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]They found her washed up on the shore of a river that led to the sea. They hadn’t known what to do with her- her wings and markings made it clear she was one of the sea-dragons, but her wounds were terrible enough that simply leaving her seemed… wrong. And so they tended the worst of the injuries as best they could and loaded her onto a wagon, carting her back to their little inland village and depositing her in a small pond on the edge of town. [color=transparent]___[/color]When she had recovered enough to speak, she introduced herself as Elmera. She told them of her village under the ocean. She told them of the deep thrumming roars, of the massive shadows of the deep sea hunters that had encircled and attacked her little underwater village with little warning. How hard it had been to see and escape, when the sand and grit and blood flowed thick and free in the water. How she’d been caught, and barely wriggled free, swimming frantically into the shallows of the beach, the inlet, the river, until she could swim no more. [color=transparent]___[/color]She ducked under the waters of the pond frequently to keep herself damp, but she stayed close to the shore, and they could see she was still afraid. Afraid of the very water she lived in. They didn’t know how to help her though, so instead they simply allowed her to stay, even after her injuries healed. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]It wasn’t much longer after Elmera settled that rumors started to drift into the little town. Ships were being lost in the nearby sea. At first it was suspected to be particularly cunning pirates, or perhaps the mer-dragons (as were often suspected when ships mysteriously floundered). But the inhabitants of the inland village had their aquatic stray, and they knew the truth of what now stalked their little part of the ocean. The pod of whales had slaughtered an entire village under the water- a simple ship’s hull wasn’t going to deter them anymore. [color=transparent]___[/color]But the village was far enough from the coast that they had no ships or sailors of their own, and when they warned travellers of the pod, they were ignored and taunted. After all, what would an inland village with no port know of the struggles of the sea-farers? [color=transparent]___[/color]The town rumbled with discontent. More and more ships were vanishing, and Elmera whispered that undoubtedly even more mer-villages were suffering the same fate, unknown to and ignored by the sky-dragons. And their warnings were laughed off, left unheeded and laughed off. [color=transparent]___[/color]They closed ranks around the quiet, shimmering blue coatl that tucked herself against the shore of their little pond and sang echoing songs softly to herself in her grief. They grumbled that someone should be doing something. And one day, a traveller in the tavern listened to their anger, and left, and remembered. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Elmera flinched awake when the felt the shift in the waters from something large stirring. Heart racing and only half-sure the roar of whales was only in her memory, she hauled herself closer to the shore as she stared into the rippling star-lit waters. She knew there was no way for one of the whales to even fit in the little pond, never-mind how it would get so far inland in the first place. Even the wake from the displaced water was too small- the size of a dragon, possibly one of the locals though they’d never swum in the pond without greeting her first, but still she feared. [color=transparent]___[/color]The waters continued to ripple and shift for a few more moments- whatever was in the pond with her curled between the very bottom and the edge of the surface several times before finally surfacing, revealing a smooth black-mottled head with pale blue sea-feather crests, and a shimmering white throat. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Sorry for waking you.” The other marine dragon spoke softly, his voice somewhat rough and dry. “It was quite a trip just to get here, and I was eager to get back in the water for a bit.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Elmera simply shook her head and gestured for him to come closer, closing her eyes and she worked to slow her frantic heart. “It’s alright, I’m just a little jumpy.” She murmured, once he was sprawled in the shallow water beside her. He must have been at least a little uncomfortable- they were both practically beached with the shallowness of the water, but if he was he hid it well. “What brings you so far inland?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Our captain’s been working to track down who’s been downing the ships in this region.” He explained, and Elmera’s heart immediately ratcheted up once more. He continued on calmly however, politely ignoring her flinch. “Everyone’s saying it’s either pirates or a mer-clan, but I doubt it. The smart pirates are fleeing the area, and the dumb ones are drowning with their loot. And when we sought underwater all of the villages we checked were either already abandoned or wholly destroyed.” He shook his head, fins flicking in agitation. “Maybe it really is a rouge group of mers tearing through the area, but both my gut and my captain say that’s not right. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Then we heard a drunkard in a port tavern talking about a mer in an inland village that had,” here he scrunched his face, “‘some cockahootney fish tale.’ You’re currently our best lead.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Elmera recoiled slightly from the harsh words of the quote, but she kept her eyes on the stranger. “You said your captain?” [color=transparent]___[/color]He nodded in acknowledgement, a slight smile showing that he knew exactly how odd it sounded. [color=transparent]___[/color]“There was an incident that threatened one of our clan’s territories, and her fleet went out of their way to keep us safe. After all was said and done, I asked if we could join up with her crew. It’s a bit of a messy story, and goes much further back than that, but…” He shook his head and flicked his crests in an awkward dismissal. “Anyway, all the ‘common’ theories don’t line up with what we’ve found. But you’re a surviving witness; the only one we’ve found yet. None of the skydragons have survived loosing their ships, and we’ve yet to find where the sea-dragons fled.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Elmera looked into his dark, steady eyes, and nodded hesitantly. She told him of the haunting roars, of how the village had been surrounded before the clan could even begin to react. How her mate and so many others swam out to fight their attackers, only to find themselves painfully outnumbered by massive spined whales and deep sea hunters. It would have taken a full team of warriors to take down each whale, and the odds were not that kind. [color=transparent]___[/color]She told him of the leader of the guard swimming back into the village trailing red, fins tattered and shredded, of her shouts for everyone to flee, the village was [i]lost, just go[/i], and she told him of fleeing towards the shallow waters, of almost making it before teeth tore into her, and of being tossed about until she landed close enough to shore to sense the inflow of river-water. How she swam upstream until she couldn’t, and beached herself as a final attempt to escape her hunters. [color=transparent]___[/color]When she was done telling her tale, the first light of pre-dawn was beginning to touch the sky, and the sounds of the town beginning the slow process of waking up carried to their little shore. The newcomer bowed his head in a strangely formal gesture, and spoke. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Thank you for telling me this. Now that we know what we’re up against, the fleet will take care of this. I am terribly sorry about your village, but we will make sure this does not continue.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He made to leave the water, but before she realized what she was doing Elmera was reaching out and catching him by the arm. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You [i]can’t[/i].” She exhaled, fear for this fellow sea-dragon and his friends facing the pod choking her throat. “The pod… they’re too crafty, they plotted, they’ve taken out the navy’s fleets before.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He looked at her, then to the shore, and then back to her before resting a paw over hers. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Come with me into the village.” He said kindly. “Meet my lady and my crew, and let them think about the problem. Then, judge their ability to out-cun and out-stubborn threats.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He stepped carefully out of the water, wings twitching as he worked to keep his balance on the dry land, chuckling about sea-legs as Elmera hesitantly followed after him, still not releasing his arm. [color=transparent]___[/color]They arrived in the eatery, which had already opened for the morning, and was alarmingly crowded. All the gathered dragons had the scent of salt clinging to them, and they talked and joked and laughed boisterously. The host visibly tensed and eyed the outsiders warily when the two mer-dragons entered, but only a few of the dragons hollered greetings- most simply glancing over and then turning away once more. [color=transparent]___[/color]One coatl with shimmering brown wings kept her eyes on them however, and the male led Elmera to the counter where the lady was leaning and chugging a dark, sludgy coffee. She took a long chug and almost slammed the cup on the counter, sticking a paw out in greeting. [color=transparent]___[/color]“The name’s Himi. You’re our witness then?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Elmera.” She greeted quietly, gently shaking the proffered paw. [color=transparent]___[/color]“And since I was remiss earlier, my name is Friest.” The male offered, before quickly recounting what El had told him of the attack on her village. Himi listened intently, nodding occasionally and sometimes breaking in with a further question for Elmera to detail. She continued drinking more of the coffee until the tale was done, and then she nodded, finished off her latest cup, turned to face the crowd, and [i]bellowed[/i]. [color=transparent]___[/color]“We’ve got a whale problem! Everyone return to your ships and swap cannons with harpoon guns! Communicate with the deep crew on strategies, I want everyone ready to sail at sunhigh! We’re going [i]hunting![/i]” [color=transparent]___[/color]Immediately there was a clattering as the hoard dropped their conversations, snatched up the remains of their breakfasts, and flooded out the door. Himi, meanwhile, started plucking gold coins from various hidden seams in her coat, amassing a sizable stack on the counter that the host eyed with alarm. [color=transparent]___[/color]“This covers my crews’ meals, yes?” Himi shot out sharply, and Friest chuckled. [color=transparent]___[/color]“My dread lady, had you looked at the prices, that more than covers it.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Well good. Share whatever change with friends and family and whatever. Thanks for sheltering this quiet lady. Many of my fellow sky dragons aren’t so kind.” She didn’t give the host (or El for that matter) time to come up with a response to that- she spun about with her coat billowing about her flanks and took off out the door. [color=transparent]___[/color]Friest grinned after her, and then patted Elmera on the head gently. “She’s got her mind set now.” He spoke softly, kind words cushioning the sharpness of the lady’s. “Our fleet is no stranger to taking on pods of whales, though usually we hunt them for food only. If it will reassure you, I’ll make sure one of us comes back to let you know how the hunt goes.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Elmera wanted to protest again, but something about the way his eyes glittered, the way he’d looked to the lady, his captain, she felt there was no way they weren’t coming back. So instead, she nodded mutely, and he left. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Several days later, and the rumours crashed into the little village like a tidal wave. The most notorious of seafarers, the Grey Fleet, had swooped into the bay, and created a frothing red sea. They fought unseen foes, the battle lasting hours before finally the sea calmed, and the ships descended upon the shore triumphant. They bought salt, and traded fresh, fresh whale meat for it, and for fruits to stave off scurvy, and the pirates crowed over their victory as they flooded the frightened coastal towns in their victorious revelry. [color=transparent]___[/color]For the little inland village that sheltered Elmera however, the relief was delayed, until a lady coatl showed up with her long-coat swishing behind her, but now joined by a wicked cutlass that hung lazily from her hip and a distinct hat canted across her brow. Behind her was a cart manned by two dragons that had been in the eatery earlier, and it was [i]filled[/i] with whale meat. [color=transparent]___[/color]The Dread Pirate Lord began handing out slabs of the meat, claiming that her crew could only unload so much onto the coastal towns and they could bring even less of it on board with them. Once the cart was empty, the two other pirates turned and left town once more, but Himi stayed, smiling as she caught Elmera’s eye. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I understand you wanted to make sure we were safe, at the end?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Elmera nodded slowly. “It seems I underestimated exactly who you were.” It was actually a little terrifying, now. She’d met Himi and Friest and their crew- only a small part of their true numbers, she knew now- and they’d seemed to shine so brightly. And to find out that the kind merdragon, the boisterous lady he followed, were the most dangerous pirates in all the seas… [color=transparent]___[/color]“Would you like to join us?” [color=transparent]___[/color]El stared. Himi hadn’t moved, her paws tucked into her pockets and her posture crooked and lazy. The legendary pirate was grinning. Elmera turned and looked out over the village that had sheltered her and showed her kindness, and then she looked back to the pirate that had wrought vengeance for her lost home. [color=transparent]___[/color]...She missed the ocean, but… [color=transparent]___[/color]“I can’t be a pirate.” El muttered, ducking away slightly. Himi however simply shrugged. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Think of us less as pirates, and more- free spirits who love the sea, and don’t like being told what to do or how to act. You needn’t swing a cutlass or drink yourself silly to be one of us.” Her grin widened, and slowly, hesitantly, Elmera smiled back. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]THE BEAST FROM BELOW[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/d82f51aa6ef2c4dff67d4e504f0e7706/tumblr_inline_o25fwo3y971r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=61068847][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/610689/61068847.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46716583][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/467166/46716583.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Andy regrets leaving the city. She regrets it [i]very[/i] much right now, as she’s drifting lost and alone in a rowboat with no ship or shore in sight. [color=transparent]___[/color]The first leg of her journey had been fine enough- go to the ports, use some of the money her parents had sent to book passage on a ship, and start asking around for her sister. Hop from ship to ship, town to town, work occasionally to keep the funds up. It probably would have been easier if she had a picture of the dragon she was seeking, even if it would be years and years out of date. [color=transparent]___[/color]But only one seafarer seemed to make a connection, as she described a fierce lady coatl, who loved the sea, vicious and caring in turn, with black and white feathers, and wings the color of polished bricks. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Careful who you offer that description to lassie.” The sailor had warned, glancing around the mostly-empty deck warily. “If you’re keen on this hunt of yours though… best not be letting others know you're kin. And a law-abiding vessel’s not the place to be looking for the likes of her.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Which was all he would say, as he brushed her off again and again before vanishing into the next port. Ominous, but potentially a good lead. So she tried asking in taverns, wording her quest a little vaguer as the old dragon had suggested. Her three usual reactions were either blank confusion, raucous laughter, or horrified wide eyes followed by excessive chugging of drink. But no-one would give her more to work with. [color=transparent]___[/color]It was clear that either Andy’s sister had made a name for herself, or there were more like her out on the seas, grabbing life by the wings and forcing it to fork over their dreams. [color=transparent]___[/color]It all led to her being on one of those less-reputable ships, cowering in a lashed-down rowboat on-deck as the crew hollered and scrambled as two navy ships closed in on them. Apparently her good hosts had been smuggling more than passengers on the side. [color=transparent]___[/color]They tried to fire on the navy, the navy fired back, and Andy unlashed the rowboat just in time for a concussive hit to send the smaller boat skidding from the deck. The boat was pushed further and further away by the wake of the ships rocking, one cannonball crashing down far too close to her little refuge for comfort, and then finally the sinking of the smuggling vessel. [color=transparent]___[/color]Mission apparently accomplished, the navy stayed just long enough to fish up the few surviving smugglers from the water before they sailed into the horizon. And Andy was left stranded in a little boat with no supplies, no paddle, and no idea where in the ocean she was. [color=transparent]___[/color]Yeah, she regretted leaving the city right now. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]She’d tried using her wings to paddle for a while, but that had only succeeded in drawing dark shapes in the water that now circled ominously below and occasionally bumped up against the wooden belly of what was now her sanctuary. It was a terrible race to see what killed her first; hunger and thirst, or the things waiting below. She’d already been stranded several days, and was dizzy with the thirst, but it was only a matter of time until one of the hunters below bumped the boat hard enough to knock her free. [color=transparent]___[/color]As it was, her painful stalemate was brought to a frothy end in the hazy light of twilight. She saw something’s fin rise above the water as it circled, the shape significantly larger than her little boat, and it bumped up against the side, rocking the boat so sharply that Andy couldn’t help a little cry as water sloshed across her. It drew away, circled, and then swept back in at the same angle, a little faster. [color=transparent]___[/color]And then bubbles, and teeth, and [i]something else[/i] surged up out of the water, dark glistening scales framing teeth the length of her wings, two massive jaws slamming shut around the thing that had been hunting her, the slick bloody muzzle sinking back beneath the waves as Andy stared in horror. [color=transparent]___[/color]Beneath the water, she could barely make out another silhouette of another shark, but the [i]something else[/i] rose up from the blackness again, jaws that could fit her entire boat snapping shut around the smaller predator’s middle. The ocean churned as the former predators were suddenly turned into prey, and the water bled red as Andy watched as green crests rose up along a lithe spine, a serpentine body that seemed endless as it twisted and hunted. [color=transparent]___[/color]It felt both seconds and an eternity later when the unseen struggle finally settled, and Andy was left with water in her boat and blood all around. Some of it had splashed up, and she stared in horror at the washed-out red rivulets running through her feathers. [color=transparent]___[/color]And then something [i]thrummed[/i]. Something she didn’t hear, but felt, the rumble like thunder echoing through the wood, through her body. The surface of the ocean trembled, and those terrible bloody jaws with the teeth as long as her tail broke the surface once more. They were closed however, and the head continued to rise, green scales shimmering like a mosaic of seaglass, the shape of the predator broken up by the jagged edges of the massive fins, crests the size of the creature’s head again shifting and rippling in the open air. [color=transparent]___[/color]The Beast eyed her, and Andy wanted to close her eyes, to look away from death, but she couldn’t help but stare back. It was beautiful, in a horrific, thing-that-should-never-have-left-the-depths kind of way. Something you wanted to see in pictures, in paintings, or from afar. A Beast you never wanted to encounter, because it was wild and ancient. And then it slowly sank below the waves once more without a sound, and Andy sat in the semi-flooded rowboat, surrounded by the stench of salt and copper. [color=transparent]___[/color]She hit the wood and screamed. Screamed and shook and sobbed into the night, trembling with fear and exhaustion, shedding tears a quiet detached part of her said she couldn’t spare. But she couldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop until she finally passed out, knowing full well she might not wake to see the sun again with the Beast below. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]She did in fact wake up in the morning, frozen and itchy and aching horribly, curled in the bottom of the rowboat, her body half-submerged in the water she’d never bailed out. She lay still for a few minutes, breathing and blinking. [color=transparent]___[/color]Still alive, then. Not eaten by the Beast, not drowned by the ocean. Yet. [color=transparent]___[/color]Andy sat up, salt-brittle clothes crackling and twisting against her and tugging at her feathers. Still in the same boat, metaphorically and physically. Without much else to do, she cupped her paws and began the long, monotonous task of trying to bail some of the water out. It took hours, and there was still a thin layer of water that she couldn’t scoop, but it was far better than before, and she was at less risk of capsizing or straight-up sinking. [color=transparent]___[/color]The bloody water was gone, the ocean returned to its usual shade of blue around her. There was no sign of her hoard of circling predators, and no sign of the Beast. She could almost pretend it had been a hallucination but for the dried streaks of red on her boat and on herself. [color=transparent]___[/color]Towards the later end of afternoon, Andy thinks she sees the shadow of the Beast under the water again, but she doesn’t dare lean out too far for a better look, and it doesn’t surface. Another smaller fish begins circling her (smaller compared to the Beast- it was still larger than her boat) and once again the Beast’s maw came rocketing up, snatching her would-be-predator up in a bite and bringing the red to the ocean once more. Once more it rises up with blood streaming from its maw, looks down on her, and then disappears into the depth. [color=transparent]___[/color](And, incidentally, splashing water back into Andy’s boat, which she had yet another good long scream over, going so far as to stand up, point at the water, and declare the Beast several unprintable terms. Then she went about bailing out again.) [color=transparent]___[/color]The third time it happened she was numb, realizing that this was going to keep happening. The fourth time however, she stood up when it rose out of the water, jabbing a finger at the Beast and demanding to know [i]why.[/i] Why was it following her, why didn’t it just eat her like the other fish, [i]why?[/i] [color=transparent]___[/color]Staring up into the creature’s eyes, Andy realizes there’s a glint she hadn’t expected- intelligence. Instead of sinking below the waves as it had before, the Beast tilted its head, regarding her like she would regard a strangely behaving mouse. [color=transparent]___[/color]Then the rumbling thrum from the first attack shakes the water again, and the jaws part slightly. Its voice is so deep and rumbling, Andy can barely make out words. And yet… [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey.” The Beast says in a voice that Andy can feel vibrating in her chest even at a distance. “Bigger Prey hunts. Bigger Prey, is food.” [color=transparent]___[/color]And it sinks back into the depths as Andy stands frozen, her heart clenching. [color=transparent]___[/color]Bait, she realizes, with ice in her chest as she automatically begins trying to bail the water out yet again. The Beast is using her as bait to get better food. [color=transparent]___[/color]“It won’t last!” She screams up at the head the next time it shows itself. “I’m dehydrated and starving, and when I die you won’t have your big prey anymore and your little trick will be over!” The only response is another head tilt. Or so she thinks. [color=transparent]___[/color]The sixth time, the ‘bigger prey’ is caught, but when the Beast rises up, its jaws hover over Andy’s little refuge and she thinks this is the end. And a slab of meat hits the wood, nearly throwing her from the boat with the force of the impact. She screams and grabs at the edges, desperately trying to stabilize it, and she looks in horror at the flesh, and then up at the Beast, who had retreated back to its usual hovering spot. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey. Eats Bigger Prey.” And then it was gone, leaving Andy with a slab of dead thing that was the size of her ribcage. [color=transparent]___[/color]It was tough, and awkward, but she was starving, and so Andy carefully tore into the offering, eating as much as she could stomach and then curling up in the boat as far from the meat as she could, closing her eyes and trying desperately not to throw it back up. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]It was hard to tell, but Andy thought the Beast might have been pleased, when it peered over her again and saw that she’d eaten what it had given her. So she tried her luck again. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I still need water! Fresh water, not from the ocean.” [color=transparent]___[/color]The Beast growled, the water vibrating with the noise, but it sunk wordlessly, and Andy wondered how it planned to accomplish that. Either it was going to abandon her as a nuisance, or it would find a way to keep its ‘Little Prey’ alive. [color=transparent]___[/color]The solution, as it turned out, was returning with a crate of fruits held carefully between the massive teeth, the Beast grumbling and growling as it was forced to keep its head above the water as it swam. It was gentler about dropping the crate on the boat than it had been with the meat, which was good because the boat almost sank under the weight anyway. Andy pried the crate open, and sorted through the fruits that were inside (trying very hard not to think about the other shards of wood lodged in the Beast’s teeth, about the tattered remains of a sail that was caught on one of its fins.) [color=transparent]___[/color]She showed off the fruits that had the highest water content, and just to be on the safe side, she thanked the Beast. It was keeping her alive for its own reasons but… It was going out of its way to do that. If it wasn’t going to kill her any time soon, might as well try to get a little comfortable. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]Andy had long lost count of the days she’d been stranded out on the boat. It was probably over a week? Maybe even two, but she really couldn’t tell. It had rained once, which had on the plus side washed the salt out of her fur and her clothes (the Beast had finally started being careful with its splashes, perhaps realizing that if the boat went down its little game was up whether she was fed or not). On the downside, she’d had to spend the entire storm awake, trying to make sure the water didn’t flood the boat too badly. Still, the rain had been nice. [color=transparent]___[/color]The Beast had been annoyed when Andy had had to explain that fruits went bad quickly, and the crate she still had was no longer safe to eat. It had grumbled and snarled and splashed about, but it had taken the crate of fermenting fruits and gone off in search of more. [color=transparent]___[/color](In search of another ship to destroy, another crew to kill, Andy desperately tried to keep those thoughts at bay.) [color=transparent]___[/color]She was understandably then a little confused when she saw something on the horizon, getting larger and larger. Taking on a familiar shape. A boat. A ship. [i]Big[/i] ship. Flying the navy flag. [color=transparent]___[/color]She watched in awe as they drew closer, as they flashed signal flags and changed course, steering towards her little rowboat. Watched as they dropped a smaller vessel (still bigger than hers) which approached her rapidly. [color=transparent]___[/color]She was delighted to see other dragons again, stuttering out her name as they helped her onto their scout ship, and not feeling at all embarrassed about her tears. [color=transparent]___[/color]And she continued to feel happy until they started to draw away from the little rowboat and she remembered that she hadn’t really been alone out there. The Beast would return at some point, and find the boat empty. Would it be angry that she’d escaped? Would it move on, or would it find a way to follow? [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]The ship that had picked her up was a scouting vessel, a nimble little thing compared to the massive vessels that would follow after. They were bringing her back to their main fleet- too far out from any mainland for them to simply drop her off. [color=transparent]___[/color]They were somewhat sympathetic when she told them of the smuggler’s ship she’d found herself on, about how the crew had tried to fight the boarding, and she’d been tossed clear and missed in the clean-up. The looks she got when she tried to describe the Beast and its behaviour though… It was clear they didn’t believe her. [color=transparent]___[/color]They let her hide below deck though. They let her wash the salt out of her feathers, and gave her clean clothes and fresh food. Getting actual water, pure, fresh clean water? That was the highlight. [color=transparent]___[/color]After a few hours, she began to explore. Her legs were unstable, and she kept colliding with the walls as the ship rocked gently. She found a room full of tables, bookshelves, and semi-comfy chairs. A few sailors were sprawled out with books, and a few were napping in the hammocks that lined the walls. Absently she nodded a greeting which was mostly ignored, and she looked over the books on the little shelf, pausing when she spotted a familiar word. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Beasts Of The Dark Trenches.” She read under her breath. She tugged it free and retreated to the table, flipping through pages of stories and painted depictions of roiling seas and storms and fins, both looking for something and dreading finding it. [color=transparent]___[/color]And there it was. A roiling sea with foam-crested waves. Dark clouds lit with lightning, casting horrific shadows on the long coils that wrapped around and around and around the hapless ship in the painting. More coils rising up all around- the length of the creature incomprehensible. Clawed forelegs reaching for the little depictions of the sailors on the deck. And hovering above its prey, twisted in a feral nightmare snarl was the face of the Beast. [color=transparent]___[/color]It was different, of course, but still too similar. She’d seen that face before. Those crests, those teeth. Slowly, she ran a claw over the text above the image. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Bas-il-o-saur-us.” She sounded out carefully, tripping over the strange name. Not ‘The Beast’. She tucked a claw into the book and stood up, hurrying over to one of the sailors that wasn’t busy sleeping. [color=transparent]___[/color]“What is this?” She asked, opening the book back up and showing him the painting. The sea-grizzled nocturne eyed the book and then snorted, turning away. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Old wives’ tale. Ships go down in storms, people want to blame monsters. Don’t you worry your pretty little head lassie. Beasties like that only swim in fool’s imaginations.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Andy bit back the urge to demand what had been stalking her the past few days/weeks then. Instead she took a slow breath an nodded, returning to the table and flipping through the book again, reading old legends and drinking in paintings of twisted beasts, the supposedly imaginary embodiments of the ocean’s power. [color=transparent]___[/color]So she really wasn’t surprised when a deep thrumming rumble echoed through the ship, tickling her feet and startling several of the sailors. They blamed it on an underwater earthquake, or perhaps a passing pod of whales. But Andy knew that rumble, and so she hurried to the deck, catching glimpse of the sky just in time to see the familiar crest of fins rearing out of the water, teeth as long as her tail exposed in a viscious snarl as a single coil rose up on the other side of the ship, slamming against the hull and nearly capsizing the entire ship, rocking it closer to those teeth. The sailors were scrambling, yelling about harpoons and cannons, but Andy took a deep breath and walked steadily out to the center of the deck, catching the Beast’s eye. It snarled and ducked close, and several of the others dove for cover. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey.” the Beast snarled. “Should have eaten. Before.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Give me a little time.” Andy called up to the creature. “Do not sink this ship, and I will come back to hunt the Big Prey again.” [color=transparent]___[/color]The Beast tilted it’s head, and for a moment Andy thought she’d gone too far, but then the head lifted once more, and a single massive coil rose rose and circled the ship, hovering above but not closing down. Yet. It was a clear threat. Andy took a steadying breath and turned to where the captain was holding tightly to the mast. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I need a smaller boat, and provisions. Water, especially- I can’t return to the land. If I leave it will follow me.” When he didn’t move right away, Andy brought up memories of Ski and Amii, and channeled their energy. “By all means, stay put if you want to be sunk by a myth!” [color=transparent]___[/color]The captain scowled, but it got him moving, and he stubbornly refused to look up at the Beast as he hollered at his crew. Several stayed in hiding despite his yelling, but they managed to rig up the little vessel she’d been picked up by, and the Beast watched intently as they loaded dried rations into the little cabin. Four large barrels of water, and a scuffle between a few of the sailors ended with the old nocturne from earlier dragging a strange two-barreled device across the deck. [color=transparent]___[/color]“It’ll convert seawater to drinking water.” He explained as he glared at another dragon that made a move towards the machine. “This here’s our backup, but we ain’t gonna be killed for setting foot on land to get another.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Andy eyed the machine, which had to cost more than her family’s forge and Amii’s new boutique combined, and she ducked her head as she said “thank you.” [color=transparent]___[/color]Once it was ready to be unloaded, Andy stepped up to the railing and looked up at the Beast again. [color=transparent]___[/color]“These dragons gave me water, and now they’re letting me return. I will feed myself to the Big Prey if you sink them after they’ve done so much to help me, do you understand?” [color=transparent]___[/color]The Beast snarled and ducked close and Andy heard the sailors go scrambling again, but she didn’t step back as the creature eyed her closely. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey. Is Mine.” It growled, and Andy nodded. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey. Hunting the Big Prey.” She agreed, and then turned to find the old nocturne being the only one left visible on the desk. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Thank you.” She said again, and he nodded slowly, looking up at the Beast. It eyed him right back. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Helped Little Prey. Gave Little Prey back. Will not eat.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Sailed right into a blasted spirit tale.” He grumbled, bowing towards the Beast. “This will make a great drinking tale in the taverns. Take care lassie.” Andy grinned and bowed to him in thanks yet again, before turning and crossing over to the smaller boat- her boat, now. The Beast moved its threatening coil away from the ship’s hull, and the crew slunk out once more to cast her off, and then Andy was out in the water once more. Beneath the water, the Beast rolled, and two long arms rose up, claming securely around the hull, and suddenly the boat was tearing through the water, leaving horrified shouts on the deck behind. The Beast only released her and resurfaced when the navy ship was no longer visible on the horizon. It eyed her neutrally, looking up and down the length of the new boat. [color=transparent]___[/color]“The cabin will let me sleep without falling in the water.” Andy told the Beast as she walked up and down the length of the deck, running paws along the railings. How nice, to be able to stand up and have railings. “The extra space means I will have food for myself, so you won’t have to bring back as many fruits. And this…” She stopped at the back of the boat, eying the hooks that had been used to pull her little rowboat alongside the larger ship. She ducked into the cabin, returned with a slab of meat- it wouldn’t work as well with the dried ration, but the concept would be clear. She hooked it on and then tossed it overboard, letting it drag along just below the surface. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Trick Big Prey.” the Beast rumbled, and Andy wasn’t sure if she was crazy for hearing approval in the thunderous voice. The Beast ducked close again, looking over her new ship again. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey Stays.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey will stay.” She agreed. “I want to sail- my sister is on the ocean somewhere. I want to find her. I will stay on the ocean with you if you help me in return.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Find Sister. Then?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“She has a ship, I think. She’s out here somewhere. I’d like to sail with her, but I’ll stay on the water with you.” Andy knew she’d want to go back and see Amii sometime, but that might be something to debate with the Beast later. Perhaps in a month. [color=transparent]___[/color]It was a thought that made her pause. Just that morning she’d been thinking of surviving a month to be a miracle dream, and yet now… [color=transparent]___[/color]Now she had rations, and food. She had shelter to sleep away from the elements. She had fresh water, and a machine that could filter more. And an ancient Beast that was weirdly protective of her. She was under no illusions that they were equals in the Beast’s eye, but still. It hadn’t destroyed the navy ship. It had listened to her, and respected her wish. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I saw a picture of a creature that looked like you in a book.” She called up, and the Beast tilted its head. “The name was really long- Basil-o-something. I think I’m going to call you Basil from now on though. Is that alright?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Basil?” The rumble was definitely a question, and Andy nodded, gesturing widely to herself. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I am Little Prey. I am Andy.” She gestured to the Beast. “You are the Beast. You are Basil.” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Little Prey. Andy.” It rumbled, and snorted, but nodded. “Beast and Little Prey. Basil and Andy.” It thrummed, and the deck of the boat tingled, muffling the vibrations of the wordless rumble. [color=transparent]___[/color]And then Basil sunk down below the waves and disappeared into the darkness below once more, and Andy looked out to the horizon, running a paw over the railing of her new ship. [color=transparent]___[/color]That was going to need a name too. Something hopeful, for her improbable survival, and maybe cheeky too, to honor her sister and friend. Something to think about. For the future. [color=transparent]___[/color]Gods, she had a future.[/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]

[center][size=7][font=Book Antiqua]Ranger's Conscience[/font][/size][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/ad4f29953afb354a68e03045b300d54e/tumblr_inline_o25fv3OwxC1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=21195503][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/211956/21195503.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39042200][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/390423/39042200.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [size=5][font=Calibri][color=transparent]___[/color]The wildclaw let out a gentle sigh as he steadied his gait, feeling the tiny coatl in the sling-pouch pressed against his stomach shift as the little one slept on, blissfully unaware of the world rushing by. [color=transparent]___[/color]There was a rustle of movement to the side of the trail ahead of him and he grimaced, loping off the trail in the other direction. He couldn’t fight, not with his fragile burden strapped close. He could put her down and fight, but then she’d be completely defenseless. [color=transparent]___[/color]His diversion wasn’t enough- a scraggly pack of wendigos slipped from the underbrush and began pacing him. If the wildclaw paced himself he could probably beat them in endurance, but that’d leave him and the cub open to attacks in the meantime. But if he outran them, he’d be too tired to fight if he encountered more enemies further down the road. [color=transparent]___[/color]His sword was too big for him to wield with the weight pressed against his stomach. Sharp metal brambles were wrapped around his armored tail and along the tops of his wings, and he lashed out at one wendigo that drew too close, but he needed to shift his stride or risk falling. His destination… The nearest open clan was still too far away. It’d be a few more days yet- no help there. [color=transparent]___[/color]Drop the baby and fight, or hope the animals gave up and searched for easier prey? How long could he wait to decide? They were surrounded now- 4 predators flanking the running dragon like the twisted mimicry of a guard. [color=transparent]___[/color]He kept running, flicking the bolder wendigo with his tail when they drew close. He cuffed one into a tree with a vicious snap of his armored wings when it got too ambitious, but there were still 3 others pacing with far more caution. The only positive was that they were keeping all other potential predators at bay. [color=transparent]___[/color]One of the wendigo abruptly dropped to the ground without a sound, quickly being left behind. He risked a quick glance back but the brown lump was unmoving. It was just two now. Could he take them on like this? [color=transparent]___[/color]The third one suddenly let out a pained howl and the wildclaw’s head whipped around to see fletchings sprouting from its neck seconds before it too dropped. The last wendigo snarled and lunged, but the dragon caught it in the stomach with his wing, snapping it open and giving himself enough clearance to finally draw his sword. He couldn’t grip it properly, risked driving the pommel into the hatchling if he wasn’t careful, but the sight of the weapon made the last hunter hesitate. Until it spasmed, and then collapsed to the ground, yet another arrow sticking out of its back. [color=transparent]___[/color]There was movement off to the side and a large bush shifted and dropped to the ground, revealing the pale pink wildclaw that had been disguised beneath it. In her claws, another arrow was already notched in the massive longbow that she held as casually as he would normally hold his sword. [color=transparent]___[/color]“Most be quite the trinket in that sack hmmm?” Her voice was light and airy, and somehow very off. He shifted slightly, pressing his free paw against the cub’s back through the fabric. He could feel her shifting slightly- she’d awoken during the scuffle, though she wasn’t quite to the point of really squirming. Yet. [color=transparent]___[/color]The other wildclaw gestured with the tip of the arrow, indicating the sling, and then the ground. “How about as payment for saving your pitiable neck, you drop the goods and I let you hurry on, hmm?” [color=transparent]___[/color]He could drop the cub. It wasn’t like he needed to bring her to the town, no-one was expecting them after all. He could leave her with this ranger and carry on his way once more. But the flat gleam in those red eyes… [color=transparent]___[/color]Instead, he dipped the tip of his sword to the ground before dropping it, and then pulled back the mouth of the sling to reveal the mussed white feathers of the tiny coatl, who blinked out at the sudden light with pale, curious eyes. She hummed softly and pawed up at her carrier’s chest, but he ignored her for watching the interloper, who’d dropped her aim when the infant was revealed. [color=transparent]___[/color]“A sword fighter, carrying around a lump like that? Here I thought you were packing some major artifacts and instead it’s just some bab. Is that even yours?” [color=transparent]___[/color]Warily, he re-secured the cub in case he needed to bolt. The way the other referred to her… [color=transparent]___[/color]“I find many strays when I travel. She is not mine, no.” His voice was rough from his silence for the past few days, but the other didn’t bat an eye- instead she scoffed. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I see them all the time too but you don’t see me bogged down with extra baggage. You can’t wield that sword like that, so why’d you pick it up?” [color=transparent]___[/color]“Then I’d’ve had a dead child on my conscience. I’m bringing her to a nearby town I know will take her in. Then I can fight again.” [color=transparent]___[/color]The female finally released the tension on her bow, returning the arrow to the quiver before she sighed and looked over him once more. [color=transparent]___[/color]"Yes, dead children is something most would fuss about isn’t it.” She said it as though she were making a comment on some unfavorable weather, but didn’t say anything else as she paced around and collected her spent arrows from the wendigo scattered around, tucking them into a second quiver as she did so. [color=transparent]___[/color]That done, she paced back to stand before him once more. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You’ve got a pretty strong one then. A conscience?” She sniffed. “I’ve been meaning to study one- they’re annoyingly illogical but others get so upset when they realize yours doesn't quite work the same. Let me study your behavior, and I’ll guard you while you transport this lump.” [color=transparent]___[/color]He was hesitant to let her stay close but… she had a point about his defenses. He internally debated it for a few more moments while she continued to stand impassively before him, before he finally nodded and crouched carefully to retrieve his weapon. [color=transparent]___[/color]“I won’t be sharing my food with you.” She informed him as he sheathed his blade- she’d obviously noticed how sagging his own ration bag was. [color=transparent]___[/color]“The town is just a few days run from here. They will share their food stores freely as thanks for protecting a child like this.” He hesitated, but… “They’ll likely feed you as well, so long as you don’t refer to the child as an object. Instead of ‘lump’ or ‘burden’, just try replacing those with ‘cub’ or ‘child’.” [color=transparent]___[/color]She seemed to mull that over, but the offer of food as a reward for changing her phrasing seemed tempting, and she nodded. [color=transparent]___[/color]“You’ve got that… cub… secured?” She tried, and he nodded, trying to bring up a smile as encouragement. It probably looked more like a grimace on his scarred face, but she ignored it and tucked her head in the direction he’d been going before. “Then run on. I’ll snipe anything that was to damage that… the cub.” [color=transparent]___[/color]...it was going to be a long trip.[/font][/size] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/31684d837f5048c69ecf4e68cb3dbb48/tumblr_inline_psug30Dpy41r3lvtf_400.png[/img][/center] [center] [size=2][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers]Swirl[/url] and [url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138678356744/flight-dividers]Diamond[/url] Dividers by [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=view&tab=userpage&id=65352]MsBarrows[/url] [/center]