Creative Corner

[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Twenty One[/size] [size=5]Silver[/size][/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img] [font=lora][size=4]It had been a week since Silver saw the unending web of tangled treetops. The memories of herself groping around in the unending darkness of the Tangled Wood was fading, now replaced with a dull, throbbing pain that bounced around her head. She was certain it was homesickness. Silver never thought that she’d grow attached to such a dark, dark place. But there was no going back. Crossing the Scarred Wasteland was physically draining for her and her clan - in order to avoid the Wyrmwound, they had to take the long way to reach the Starfall Isles (Silver found out its name when she accidentally said Starfall Piles… she felt very dumb after being corrected by Raven.) as quickly as possible. The pinpricks of light that pierced through the early evening was a welcoming sight to the group. It was breathtaking for Silver, who had never actually seen stars before, because of the constant roof of dead trees covering the sky in the Tangled Wood. The air in the Starfall Isles was also much fresher, with the winking blossoms cloaking the scattered trees, adding a pleasant fragrance in the air. Even the temperature was perfect. The surroundings brought the dragons a different kind of comfort, helping them to forget their fatigue. “Is this it?” Silver finally breathed, taking in the lush atmosphere. No one had talked for a long while after entering this magical place. The pastel coloured Spiral, Candy nodded, he himself bemused by the sights around him..“It [i]is[/i] beautiful, this place,” Corey suddenly chimed in, looking left and right. Then he bolted to his right, earning a knowing smile from Silver because she knew he had spotted an insect for himself. “I think we should rest somewhere,” Monarch added as they all stepped through the opulent grass. Everyone was tired. Even though night time was coming fast, it wasn’t so dark like the woods Silver had lived in. She was grateful for the fact that her dragon friends had picked a good place to move to. Yes, it was a change, but it was for the better. “Indeed,” Orca replied, her metal feathers clinking along with Silver’s as she walked with them. Then Bobba paused, along with Crystalline. “Wait. There’s someone here,” she hissed, gaining a nod of agreement from Crystalline. Silver knew that these two dragons had the ability to sense things twice better than usual dragons, so she trusted their instincts. She and the other seven dragons and the familiars stopped, alert. The pause deepened Silver’s headache, making her inhale sharply. All the noise from Orca and Silver’s wings ceased as they stood in silence, trying to look for the “someone” following them. It brought back a sense of deja vu for Silver, back when she was left to her own devices in a foreign place, when the Coatls dumped her there. And even now, she [i]was[/i] in a foreign place. But there was one difference - she was not alone. Suddenly, from the shimmering sky flew a group of dragons, descending gracefully onto the ground in front of them. They all had a soft glow around them. There was one particular dragon that caught Silver’s eye, a white Coatl, faintly glowing pink, her eyes the same colour as her glow. Silver squinted her eyes against the glare of the group of dragons - she counted twelve of them - including two familiars. Even the wingless familiars could fly. She had never seen anything like it. [i]Am I dreaming?[/i] Silver looked around her; her friends were as perplexed. The white Coatl seemed mesmerised by the sight of Silver and her clan. Slowly, she reached out with a glittering paw and almost snagged Silver’s scales. Warily, Silver flinched back, and something seemed to change in the group’s eyes. It was like a trance had broken, and they were returned to the real world. They looked around uneasily, limbs and wings moving stiffly, and seemed so out of place that it was almost impossible to imagine them as the ethereal beings from a minute ago. Then in a throaty voice, the white Coatl whispered, “My name is Crystal. Who might you be?” Silver tilted her head in interest, her violet eyes soft, meeting the innocent, confused gaze of Crystal. “I’m Silver.” A million thoughts, mainly doubts, suddenly flooded her mind. [i]Can she be trusted? Why was she floating like that? She’s dull coloured like me.[/i] Then she wished she could take her words back and run away. She was hesitant to strike a conversation further than that. [i]Am I putting my clan in danger?[/i] Then she felt a furry tail curl around hers, and the next thing she knew was that Raven was by her side. She curled her tail back around his, silently thanking him for the support. “Why did you try to hurt her?” Raven asked, his expression rather unreadable. Silver let a faint smile spread across her face. [i]Why, he cares.[/i] Crystal frowned, still looking dazed from the aftermath of her trance. “No I- she’s the light. Wait, what am I saying?” she replied. Silver couldn’t help but laugh at her, not in spite, but because she could relate. “It’s okay, I get that feeling of not knowing what I’m saying a lot too,” Silver said to her. Crystal returned the smile. Another dragon, the same white as Crystal, stepped forward, standing next to her, his blue eyes calm. But the small brush of wings didn’t escape Silver’s eyes. It was an almost-comical sight to Silver, two pairs of dragons, two shades of monochrome, pitted against each other. Although she didn’t feel like trusting Crystal, she couldn’t help but feel some sort of [i]connection[/i] to her. Not because they were of similar boring colours, not because she was a Coatl. There was this pull Silver felt to her, some magical tug drawing her in. She slumped back from her tense stance, relaxing. Her clanmates sensed her relax, and since she was their leader, they relaxed a bit too. Raven’s tail never unfurled off hers, a reminder that he was supporting her in whatever decisions she wanted to make. But then Silver heard the fierce Hephestia say, “Crystal, who are you? And [i]can[/i] we trust you?” Silver glanced behind, seeing the blue and gold dragon glare at Crystal. She admired Hephestia; she had the steely gaze of a true warrior and didn’t trust others so easily, unlike her. But her words went against her thoughts to trust Crystal. Crystal mimicked Hephestia’s glare, eyes narrowing angrily. “I could say the same for you. Can [i]we[/i] trust you?” [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]

[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Twenty Two[/size][/b] [size=5]Crystal[/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4]It was unnerving, realising that the clan had been in a trance for so long. And it was equally disturbing that they had broken out of their trance to find a strange clan staring suspiciously back at them. Sure, it was only natural for caution, but Crystal couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by it. So she was glad when Cameron stepped up next to her, wings brushing hers ever so briefly. Yeah, she wasn’t alone. But she was so [i]lost[/i]. She didn’t know what she was supposed to be doing now, what with the sudden meeting of another clan. It obviously wasn’t possible to just assimilate them into her clan, and as it stood she wasn’t sure if they were even [i]friendly[/i]. And their actions under the trance… had been questionable at best. They’d left a bad impression, and the other dragons looked powerful. Not for the first time, Crystal worried for the safety of her clan. Sure, her worries could be unfounded, but as a clan leader, it was her duty to ensure her clan was safe and well at all times, right? She’d already broken that rule so many times, invoking the Shade upon them twice, and even leading them into the strange dream world where they’d lingered for so long. Even now she didn’t feel quite herself yet. Noticing the awkward shuffle of Silver’s group, she pushed her thoughts away, shelving them aside for later. She had a job to do, and that was to be a good host to the clan that had journeyed from Shadow. Putting on a more friendly facade, she turned back towards the other group, a smile on her muzzle. “I’ll show you around Starfall Isles.” The more she faked it, the more it became true. Crystal was glad that her spirits had started to lighten as she showed them around her home territory. “And this… this is the Focal Point. Watch your flight, everyone, we tend to get aliens around here. Not all of them are friendly.” Her point was immediately illustrated by a pink meteor whizzing right at them, and they would have been involved in a head-on collision if it were not for Crystal telekinetically yanking them to one side. She squinted at the asteroid and the tiny creature on it, a strange alien with a snarling face. Readying herself for confrontation, she was glad when two pink dragons hurtled toward the comet, chasing it back out towards space. “Well. I guess that proves my point.” To be fair, she hadn’t really believed the existence of those aliens, only hearing about them from tales the clan leader brought when she was still in her previous clan, but now she was convinced. It was rather entertaining, looping back and forth around Starfall Isles, exploring her homeland. She’d never left her camp, isolated within and not allowed to travel due to her nonexistent status, and it was eye-opening to see for herself the jagged peaks of the Crystalspine Reaches and ponder just how exactly she resembled them. After all, she didn’t really see any resemblance between her and the tall pink spires. And as expected, the topic was brought up by an unknowing Mirror. Callan squinted at the pink rock, and his eyes darted back and forth between her and the spires, before he frowned and said, “You have a whole mountain range named after you? It doesn’t even look like you in the slightest…” The king of snark rolled his eyes. [i]Oh, this is going to be interesting…[/i] Crystal had to hide a smile as she waited for the inevitable burn. “Yeah, and the Water domain is totally called the Sea of a Thousand Callans,” he deadpanned back. [i]K. O.[/i] Karina spluttered in laughter. “Best. Joke. Ever.” she wheezed, and even Silver’s group cracked a smile. Crystal’s eyes drifted to Silver for what seemed like the umpteenth time. As far as she knew, they’d never met before - but somehow she felt a strange connection with her. It could’ve just been her imagination, but Crystal could have sworn something about her magic felt like family. As they continued to tour the Starfall Isles, nearing the Observatory, Crystal started to notice occasional winces of pain and forehead rubs. She motioned for Cameron to lead them, before winging over. “Everything okay? You don’t look so good,” she called. Silver met her eyes, before frowning again and shaking her head. “When did you get here? Just?” A nod. [i]Ah. That’s the problem.[/i] “There’s a really strong concentration of magical energies in the Starfall Isles, and dragons not used to this much magic in the air are wracked by headaches before they adjust. The Crystalspine Reaches is pretty much the place with the lowest concentration, so you’d probably feel better there. Hmm, it’s quite late. We’re probably not allowed to go into the Observatory anyway. Let’s head back.”[/size] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img] [size=2]@Petall[/center]

Eyyyy! The groups have met up now! How exciting!!!

@Petall

At long last XD
We were happily writing and wrote all the way till chapter 15-18 before we realized they hadn’t met yet HAHAHA

[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Twenty Three[/size] [size=5]Silver[/size][/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img] [font=lora][size=4]Silver was glad that within moments of entering their new home, they had already met someone nice enough to give them a tour. Crystal and her clan were kind dragons, offering to introduce them around. Even Raven didn’t object. Although she felt that she could have been endangering her own clan, she brushed the thought aside. For the most part, she’d just met Crystal and her clan and [i]trusted[/i] them to bring them for a little walk around the place they were at, apparently called “Starwood Strand”. Silver’s doubts of them seem to diminish. Well, almost. Hephestia wasn’t really into just following an unknown group of dragons around an unknown place. After the two clans said goodbye, they’d parted ways. They ambled around the beautiful glowing trees, before finding a spacious pink cave made of pink rocks and pink spires for all of them to rest for the night. Then Hephestia pulled her away secretly, giving her a little talk to revive Silver’s doubts of Crystal. “I know you’re new to this, but did you know you could have gotten us hurt?” she started. Silver frowned. Raven’s words to her just before she became a leader echoed in her mind. “Follow your heart” bounced off the walls of her mind, almost like a threat. “Sorry,” Silver replied, shrugging. “She seemed trustable, I like her,” Hephestia blinked fast in a frustrated manner, shaking her head. “You can’t just go around trusting everyone you like,” “She gave us a tour, Hephestia. We could have been endangering them as well, and they risked [i]their[/i] own safety just to help us settle in. We could have been a threat!” Silver reasoned. Then it struck her - she barely even met Crystal and she was already attached to her, defending her. [i]Maybe I’m not cut out to be their leader...I’m too trusting. Hephestia should replace me.[/i] As if reading her thoughts, Hephestia suddenly sneered, “You know, I really wonder if we made the right choice of making you our leader,” her fiery temper catching on. The statement hit Silver like a fast moving metal bullet, so fast that even she couldn’t dodge nor pull the imaginary metal apart with her magic. Silver glared back, trying to push aside the jab in her mind. It felt like a sharp nail in her heart. “You know, [i]I[/i] really wonder if I made the right choice to save you all from the Shade,” she snarled back, eyes narrowing in spite. Silver felt her own temper growing to match the angry Spiral, who was now glaring at her. [i]How could she say that to me?[/i] Almost instantly, chunky golden sparks were dancing on Hephestia’s sharp claws. And then the sparks flew to Silver, whizzing toward her with rage, fuelled by Silver’s refusal to pay attention to Hephestia’s advice. Time seemed to slow as the sparks singed through the crisp air of the forest, its forked edges long, reaching out for her. Silver was too stunned to move - her friend was trying to hurt her. Then the big golden bolts struck her right smack in her chest, the intensity of impact pushing her back, causing her to stumble backwards. But strangely, the big wave of electricity caused no pain to Silver. Instead, Silver felt the electricity spread through her body, shaking up everything in its path. The heat of the sparks created a buzzing, fizzing sensation echoing in her bones, pouring into her blood. [i]What’s happening to me?[/i] All she saw was deep violet as she fell to the ground, her legs buckling from the charges of electricity. [i]Why don’t I feel any pain? Or am I in that much pain that I can’t feel anything?[/i]The deep violet clouding her vision only grew brighter, like the worsening tingly feeling she was experiencing. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut in an attempt to block out the feeling. [i]Hephestia is going to pay for this.[/i] Suddenly, she saw blinding sparks quivering at the edges of her sight. Purple sparks. Then Silver felt the electrifying sensation ebb away. She felt electrified, literally. No, Silver felt [i]energized[/i], and very much[i]unhurt[/i]. Silver felt awakened, with a new kind electricity shifting and buzzing and running under her skin. The lavender-coloured electricity felt like it belonged to her. Hephestia had thrown a bolt at her, but Silver had claimed the power of the bolt as hers. Oh, it felt delightful. She cracked open her eyelids and then gasped in shock, matching Hephestia’s reaction. Purple lightning was gliding all over her body. “I...Hephestia, what did you do to me?” Silver cried, fear replacing her awe suddenly. From her paws to her tail, she was pulsating with a deep purple hue, with the same colour of sparks circling her. It was harmless, painless to Silver. She glanced down at her paws; there was a vibrant violet skimming on her skin, circling her claws like bracelets. Then she heard Raven enter their little corner behind the trees, and heard him pause in his heavy footsteps. She felt herself shrink into herself, preparing herself for the judgement. “Silver?” he called out, voice etched with worry and hesitation. Silver turned around slowly, worry eating her up from the inside. [i]What happened to me?[/i]She felt the familiar warmth behind her eyes, her eyes watering in fear. She let the tears fall freely, hearing them sizzle as they came in contact with her lightning. “Don’t tell me I just awakened your other... Silver, try to release a bolt,” Hephestia stuttered, her eyes clouded with guilt. No, not guilt, awe. [i]Release.[/i] Silver threw up her paws, feeling the same flow of electricity that swept her off her feet surge forward to her outstretched paws, directed to a tree. Then it exploded from her paws, pure power and energy pulsing under her trembling paws. Purple lightning erupted from her paws, a lavender, blinding streak of light zipping ahead of her, striking the tree. It snapped upon the impact, landing onto the grass with a loud crash, its once-beautiful glowing flowers now a charred mess with its lightning-struck leaf counterparts floating to the ground. “Silver, how are you possessing Shadow [i]and[/i] Lightning powers?” she heard Hephestia whisper in shock. [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]

[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Twenty Four[/size][/b] [size=5]Crystal[/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4]It had been a day or two since they parted ways with Silver’s group, and the clan decided to stay in the Crystalspine Reaches for a few more days. Crystal hadn’t missed the constant suspicious glares of the female Spiral, and hadn’t forgotten the alien whizzing right towards them either. The two Shade attacks were even fresher in her mind, and she didn’t want her clan to be threatened any more. So she suggested a day of training. The air shimmered and shook with elemental energies of all kinds, the clinks of claw against claw and the explosions caused by elemental collisions filling the silence. Crystal sparred against Sagar, circling warily and trying to find a weak point. No matter what she did, Sagar always seemed to block it, even if she used another, unexpected element. It was frustrating seeing her attacks getting repelled time and time again, and the sun seemed to echo her exasperation, growing brighter the more agitated she got. Growling in annoyance, she launched herself at Sagar, feinting a claw attack and attacking him from behind with a smack of her crystalline tail - but it was blocked right again, pink barrier flickering out of sight the only sign that her attack had even happened. That was it for Crystal, and before she knew it a bright burst of light fulminated around the Mirror, golden, blinding radiance forcing her to look away for a second. When the dust cleared, she was shocked to see that the attack had hit. “Sagar!” she yelled, racing over. “Oh, deities, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Thankfully, he seemed more surprised than hurt. “That was certainly something.” His four eyes narrowed and he scrutinised her carefully, before continuing, “Why don’t you see what other innate magics you have?” Crystal scrunched up her snout in concentration, feeling the elemental energies in the air. [i]Water… from Cameron and Karina… Arcane… more Arcane… Shadow… Earth… Nature… Plague… Lightning… no, I don’t feel anything too special other than Light… wait.[/i] Her eyes snapped open, and a turquoise blade shredded the air in front of her, leaving the fresh scent of a spring breeze behind. “Wind. That’s your third element already,” Sagar observed. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were a goddess.” Crystal cracked a grin. “Well, no one said I wasn’t,” she replied cheekily, and the normally stoic sage smiled back. Just then, they seemed to hear panicked shouts from the distance, and Sagar whipped around, horrified gaze landing on his brother. “Callan!” The Mirror struggled in the grip of a Skydancer, claws and tail flailing wildly but failing to do any real damage to the Shade-touched dragon. Cameron raced over, worry in his eyes. “That dragon’s emotional signature is weird. The Shade’s corrupted him. Be careful, please.” Grimly, Crystal nodded, slowly approaching. Callan’s fearful eyes softened with relief as he caught sight of her. As she neared, the Skydancer’s gaze flicked over to her, and narrowed. [b]Come with us,[/b] it rasped, voice like sandpaper and a multitude of twisted, gnarled voices. [b]You have something we want.[/b] [i]What would I have that the Shade could want? My magic?[/i] The chokehold on Callan grew tighter and the young Mirror winced. [b]Come to us, bring your fire bring your magic bring your light and wind, we’ll hone you we’ll make you a warrior-[/b] The chorus of voices grew louder, crowding out her thoughts and for a moment, she almost gave in. Then with a shake of her head, she snapped herself out of it. She snarled right back at the Shade, “I don’t need your help. Stay away from my clan.” With that, she leaped for the lanky Skydancer, ripping him off Callan who stumbled away, slightly winded but otherwise unharmed. She chased the enemy all the way to the edge of Starwood Strand. The Skydancer tried to fight back, Shade tendrils snaking out and devouring and consuming, but all of a sudden he trembled violently and colour flooded back into his white eyes. Quickly, Crystal pinned him down to the ground. Black particles still sloughed off his scales, but the fear and confusion in his green eyes was genuine. Crystal’s gaze softened as they looked at each other, one monster to another. The message was clear. [i]Go. Go, and don’t come back, because the next time you do I can’t guarantee your safety.[/i] She lifted her claws, and the Skydancer scrambled away into the woods. [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/6kg6r3b1h333p6k/arcanemidsmall.png[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4]Good. They were all sleeping soundly. Quietly, Crystal slipped away from the camp, feathers whispering gently in the cold night air. She travelled a distance away, before summoning a translucent barrier that shimmered ever so slightly, flickering with pink and gold and turquoise, before fading away. It would protect them where she couldn’t. Turning, she padded away. Her heart ached, but it was for the better. Throughout her short leadership, the clan had been attacked three times by the Shade. Each time, it had been her fault. She was the one who’d plunged them into a trance, and she was the one who’d left a bad impression on Silver’s clan. No matter what they all said, it was undeniably her fault. So the best solution was to escape. To run and never come back. They’d probably never forgive her for it, but it was better they hated her than suffer for her softness. It was a few hours past midnight when she reached the edge of the Starwood Strand, and pondered whether to go in. It was where she’d let the Skydancer go. How ironic. In the afternoon she had still been the protector of her clan, but now she was a threat running away. Stars glittered coldly in the night sky, and she averted her eyes from the accusatory glare. It was for the good of her clan. Sure, they wouldn’t be that powerful anymore, but the Shade would stop bothering them, and that was enough for Crystal. [i]... We spent so long traversing the Strand that they can probably find me with ease. I need to go somewhere else.[/i] A pair of sapphire eyes blinked at her, and she could feel the rage from his imaginary gaze. For some reason, the notion of him being angry hurt her more than any other. Her chest felt too tight for breathing, and she slowed to a halt, gasping as she tried to rein in her emotions. [i]Cameron…[/i] Perhaps she loved him. Perhaps there would have been a future for them if her powers weren’t so cursedly strong. But it was too late. She had left them all for good, and she couldn’t go back on her actions. She flew and flew and flew until she came to a secluded spot at Focal Point, a jagged hill that had partially torn away from the main island below. Finding a place to rest after making her way through a small copse, she cocooned herself in her diamond-hard wings for protection, and drifted into sleep. All the while, her clanmates’ disappointed faces echoed in her mind. Dawn was breaking when she awoke to feel another pair of wings draped around her, and the soft breathing of another dragon. Instantly, she leaped upright, preparing for a fight. Then she registered the familiar white scales and dark blue eyes. “You really thought we would just leave you out here, huh.” His voice wasn’t hateful, and neither was it disappointed, but it was gentle and soft and exactly like how he always talked, like she was the only one that mattered, and that made it hurt even more. Crystal felt like she’d been stabbed, hot tears immediately pooling in her eyes and threatening to spill out. “Don’t… don’t try to bring me back. I can only hurt you all.” Cameron stepped closer, expression pained. His talons reached for hers, but she drew herself back. “I mean it, Cameron.” Her voice cracked, and she couldn’t fight the stray tears that fell, burning a shameful path down her scales. He didn’t seem convinced. “[i]I mean it.[/i]” “And I mean what I said too. You’re coming back whether you like it or not.” Rage sparked in Crystal’s heart. Couldn’t he see that they would continue to suffer with her around? Couldn’t he see that she didn’t want to do this either? Couldn’t he see that she was just trying to [i]protect[/i] them? “Why must you make this so difficult for me?” she screamed. The dam inside her burst, an uncontrollable flood of pink energy erupting from her, yet he persevered with gritted teeth. [i]No… no… stop! You’re hurting him![/i] But she couldn’t rein in her emotions, or her powers, and Arcane magic continued to blast out of her even as she fell to the ground trembling, no longer trying to hide her distress. Cameron just endured the potent mana flowing through him, searing through his blood, and when the discharge finally ended, he dropped to her height, taking her claws in his. “Shhh, you’re fine now…” Her body shuddered with silent tears, and when her eyes ran dry he lifted her head up so she was looking straight into his cobalt depths. “Listen. I don’t care how much you think you’re a threat because I like you, and I’m never going to leave you no matter what.” With that, all the steel in his demeanour melted away. His eyes flickered elsewhere nervously, before he took a deep breath and continued, hugging her tighter. “I really can’t imagine my life without you anymore. So I’m begging you. Even if you don’t return my feelings, [i]please[/i] stay. If not for me, then for everyone else. Callan looks up to you, you know. They all do. We appreciate what you do for us, how you push your limits to keep us safe. We know, and we care. [i]I[/i] care.” [i]They[/i] care. Crystal was silent. Cameron seemed to take this as a sign of rejection, and his antennae quivered. “I… I know we haven’t known each other for very long, and… I-I know this sounds weird, but you make me feel complete! You make me feel like… like… like I have a family. And it’s not like you’re some weird ogre or something, you’re actually very nice and you’re pretty and maybe it’s just me but-” Crystal cut him off, mind buzzing. “... I’m sorry, was that too much?” Cameron timidly asked. Crystal shook her head mutely, leaning into his warm fur as her dumbstruck brain tried to comprehend what he had just said. [i]They- they care. And he likes me? For goodness sake, my fried brain can’t handle all of this at once! What am I supposed to say? Can I even face them again? How am I supposed to respond to Cameron? What do I do? AGH!![/i] “Uh… I like you too. I guess. I-I mean… I… do! Like you, I mean.” [i]Holy Arcanist, I think I need help.[/i] With that, the Skydancer’s whole demeanour seemed to brighten, and he sprang up, wide smile on his snout. His happiness was infectious, and Crystal couldn’t deny that he had cheered her up. She let herself be pulled up by him, and dragged down to where the rest of the clan was inevitably going to give her another dressing down. But she didn’t care much anymore. Crystal felt ready to face the world, and the best part was that he’d always be by her side.[/size] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img] [size=2]@Petall[/center]

AAAA SO MANY EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING I AM HYPED!!!

@Petall

YES EXCITING THINGS

HYPEHYPEHYPE

[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Twenty Five[/size] [size=5]Silver[/size][/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img] [font=lora][size=4]“Silver!” she heard Raven’s voice as she crumpled to the ground, unsure of how to comprehend the situation. Silver stared at the smoking pile of the once-glowing tree, her eyes fixated on the fried tree in an attempt to avoid Raven and Hephestia’s stare. Raven rushed to her, wrapping his tail around hers to comfort her. [i]W...what am I?[/i] “Are you okay? I mean...you’re not hurt or anything, right?” Raven muttered, his eyes darting around her. Silver just shook her head, staring at her paws in awe. “Hephestia...what happened?” Silver whispered, a mix of fear and excitement buzzing through her. She didn’t know if she should be happy or scared. Silver could fry others in a shot of electricity, become invisible and blind others, and stab enemies with her blades. Hephestia merely opened her mouth, no sound coming from her. “I...I don’t know,” she paced around the grassy carpet, staring at Silver, watching the purple sparks subside. “You’re a strong dragon though,” Hephestia continued, stopping in her tracks to see some of their clan mates come out of the cave. “You guys are not asleep yet?” Silver saw Corey say as he entered, Misty, Starlight and Orca following his prehensile tail. Silver didn’t look up from her paws, which now no longer had the purple sparks gliding all over. What was left were her plain old grey paws. She was almost convinced that she was normal again, just the agile Silver with the blades and Shadow magic, not the overpowered Silver with the additional destructive bolts. Not that she didn’t want the sparks. Silver felt too powerful, too strong. She was in wonderment how she possessed so much power, but ironically also felt afraid of what she could do with the power. Hephestia unintentionally gave her this power, or ‘awakened’ it, and now it was hers to keep and manipulate. “Silver, are you okay?” Orca said, noticing her as she sank deeper into her cold wings for comfort. Silver said nothing, only stared back at the approaching Orca with a poker face. Silver felt like she was a bullied dragon, and now the elder dragons were there to investigate and help her. Silver felt helpless, and she hated it. It reminded her of when she was in the old clan, with the other bright coloured Coa]\tls looked down on her dull colours. It took her so long to realise that they were despising her for her pelt. Since Silver did not reply, Raven did for her. “She...well...Hephestia just fried her.” Now it was Misty’s turn to stare in shock. “Hephestia fried her?” she exclaimed in disbelief, her emerald eyes wide, glancing between Silver and Hephestia. “No. As in...Silver, can you show them another bolt?” Hephestia said, more gentle than her usual rough tone. With a sigh, Silver stood up straighter, not willing to cook another tree black with her lavender bolts. She mentally reached for the electricity buzzing in her, then reached out to it, latching herself to the fast-flowing electricity pulsing with magic that seemed to pull her in. Then, purple sparks exploded from her paws that were waiting in anticipation to receive the magic. The bolts danced harmlessly on Silver’s grey paw tips, begging to be let loose, glistening as they fizzed in front the eyes of the bewildered clan mates. Then Silver extinguished them as easily as she summoned them, leaving them back in the dimness of the fast-approaching night. There was silence for a while as Silver slunk back into her wings, giving them time to process what had just happened. Then Corey spoke. “You can control lightning?” “Apparently,” Silver replied, finding her voice. Starlight’s jaw dropped, Misty’s already enlarged eyes widened, and Raven just curled his tailed tighter on Silver’s. The same feeling of electricity started pounding itself in her, an uncomfortable feeling. “It’s cool I guess,” she added, looking up and glancing at Hephestia, who was now looking quite guilty. Orca then nudged her gently on her wings, saying with a smile, “Then why are you so upset? I think it’s a wonderful thing that you’re so powerful. Oh, and on our side.” Suddenly, Silver felt the same electricity swell up against her whole entire being, pulsing in her, but more uncomfortable this time. She shivered at the sensation buzzing in her paws, and she automatically unfurled her wings and stretched out her arms in an attempt to reduce the feeling. But as Silver did so, unwanted sparks shot out of her paws. And the sparks began gliding all over her again. The next thing she knew, Silver heard Raven yelp in pain, and his tail unfurled from hers. She had just electrocuted him. [i]I feel like a monster.[/i] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]

[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Twenty Six[/size][/b] [size=5]Crystal[/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4]“What did you say?” Crystal snapped, hackles raised. She had just gotten over her own fear of being a leader, and immediately someone came to challenge her? “I said, you’re not fit to be a leader. I’m challenging you for the position.” Bridget hissed, webbed wings fanning out aggressively. “You waltzed in on our camp the other day, threatening Galahad and wreaking havoc. You brought danger upon the clan, and you dare challenge me?” Crystal’s eyes sparked dangerously. “Remember. I defeated you fair and square.” “You also brought the Shade on the clan multiple times, from what I’ve heard. Don’t you dare forget how dangerous you are.” Bridget shot back, tail lashing in agitation. “Besides, Coatls were created so long after Banescales. [i]I[/i] automatically hold the right to lead. We were the first of Flamecaller’s children. You came after us. Give in, and perhaps I’ll make it easy for the traitors over there.” Galahad immediately tensed up, shaking his head so frantically and vehemently that Crystal was worried he’d collapse from dizziness. Rin stood behind him, calm as usual, but her eyes held a hint of sadness. Crystal found herself unable to rebut Bridget’s argument, however, and the tension grew steadily thicker as neither side was willing to back down. Finally, it was Karina who stepped in, and both feuding dragons took a step back when faced with the authority she exuded. “The two of you should settle this fair and square. Claw to claw, wing to wing, until a victor emerges. When words fail, this is the best way to go, is it not?” Crystal looked at her, with equal measures of disbelief and uncertainty, but before she could voice anything Bridget was already on her, crushing talons trying to pierce her diamond hide. With a loud screech, Crystal rose up, wings beating as Bridget launched herself into the sky right behind. They clashed in the air, with audible clangs of crystalline feather against claw, but neither was able to gain an upper hand. “What do you have against Galahad and Rin, anyway?” Crystal panted, starting to strain against her own tiredness. “They are [i]traitors[/i]. Anyone who shelters them is guilty of treason,” Bridget spat back. “They stole something that our tribe has been protecting for a long time. I was sent to bring them to justice.” They landed back on the ground with a thud. Galahad looped around faster than ever. “That wasn’t me!” he protested, but the steely glare of the Banescale shut him up. Rin moved closer, frowning gently. Crystal sighed. If this was what being a leader was always like, she really wanted to retire. “I want both sides to tell their version of events.” Bridget bristled and looked as if she wanted to say something, but Crystal continued, raising her tail warningly. “We as a clan will decide what the truth is.” Crimson eyes bleeding anger, the Banescale backed down. “Galahad, Rin, please go ahead.” Galahad slowed down, eyes still alight with nervousness. “Well, Rin and I were a little lost in the Scarred Wasteland. We’d been wandering for days when we came across this strange sphere with inscriptions. It was something like… ‘Follow the trail of milk-white mist to find the nascent Arcane child’. I mean, what kinda weird riddle is that? Anyway, we reasoned that at least it’d probably lead us to the Starfall Isles, and while we were thinking about that the sphere suddenly poofed open and, y’know, literally started spewing this mist thing. We were following the trail when suddenly this angry Banescale yeets down upon us, like, whoa! So we ran and managed to burrow underground. We hid for a while, but unfortunately when we popped up the angry Banescale did too.” “You lie! Our tribe’s treasure is not this… sphere that you talk about.” Galahad seemed offended. “Then would you just tell us what it is so that we can get this over and done with?” Bridget bared her fangs threateningly at him, and the Spiral recoiled backwards, cowed. “Give me the sphere.” Disgruntledly, Galahad nodded to Rin, who took out a sphere from somewhere. It was all liquid metal and faceted, glittering darkly. Bridget ran her claws over the inscription, and paled. “This… this is indeed not our tribe’s treasure…” Suspiciously, she glared at the Tundra. “Are you sure you hide nothing else?” The Tundra nodded. Bridget’s eyes narrowed, unconvinced. Crystal heaved another deep sigh. “Go on, Blizzard.” The Vulstal bounded up to Rin and Galahad, sniffing profusely. “If there really is anything, he’ll find it. Surely you do not doubt a familiar’s judgment.” After a thorough search, Blizzard looked at Crystal and blinked a few times. [i]Nothing.[/i] She looked back at Bridget, who seemed to be reeling from shock. “Unbelievable… I… this is not possible! I-I have been mistaken.” The Banescale looked like her life’s esteems had been shipwrecked, devastated hues colouring her sanguine eyes. “All this time… I have been chasing the wrong dragons?” The clan watched uneasily the Banescale muttering to herself. Crystal slowly approached, and as she drew near Bridget looked at her, lost and confused. “I… I have never been wrong.” she quietly admitted, before hanging her head. Although they had been opponents mere minutes ago, Crystal couldn’t help the wave of sympathy that rushed through her. Here was a dragon who took pride in her abilities and instincts, and now she’d just been told for the first time that she was wrong. Bridget met her gaze, resigned. “I see why they chose you as their leader. You are a wise one. While you allowed both sides to speak and the whole clan to judge fairly, I kept on accusing them, ignoring their pleas to listen, and took it out on you. I am sorry.” She didn’t know how to react, really, as the Banescale’s head lowered in submission. “I concede my challenge.”[/size] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img] [size=2]@Petall[/center]