[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Thirty Five[/size]
[size=5]Silver[/size][/center]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img]
[size=4][font=lora]“RAVEN!”
Silver screamed hysterically as she flew - no - soared to the mass of black fur on the ground, panic filling her entire being as she landed unsteadily on her paws. Not because she was still an amateur at flying, but because Raven was not responding. [i]He can heal others, but he can’t heal himself.[/i] The Shade had struck him just seconds ago, making him slump to the ground. Her vision started to spot as she felt fuzzy with fear for her mate, her brain hazy with alarm. All she saw was her mate lying motionless on the ground, life and magic sucked away from him.
[i]Raven.[/i]
Everything seemed to fade away, the heat of their fight with the incessant, stupid, stupid Shade receding into the background. Silver could only panic, unable to move or speak, rooted to the ground in fear for Raven. All she did was stand there, barely a tail away from him, staring at him through clouded vision. She had never felt so helpless before.
[i]I can’t lose you.[/i]
Raven lay there, his eyes shut and chest fluttering shallowly with each laboured breath, almost motionless. He looked like a corpse. [i]He could be seconds from being a corpse.[/i] Then Silver saw Hephestia fire a golden bolt behind her, throwing it at the ground, blasting away the scar of black that was pursuing her. She rushed to Raven, placing her paws on him, a gentle hue of golden lighting up under her paws. [i]Thank Shadowbinder.[/i] The time seemed to stretch as Silver watched Hephestia bring Raven back to life. Hephestia closed her eyes, her snout scrunched in deep focus.
[i]He’ll survive.[/i]
To Silver’s relief, Raven sprang up suddenly, hacking coughs out of his being to the point that Silver was afraid he would cough his insides out. Red blood splattered out from his mouth, as if he was coughing out the remains of what the Shade had done to him. Silver almost collapsed at the sight.
The chaos of the battle seemed to subside at that moment, a sign that they had succeeded. “Raven!” Misty shouted, toddling over to him, concern in her eyes. Everyone was tired, Silver could see it in the way they shuffled toward their little gathering, crowding around a disoriented Raven. Silver crouched down next to Raven, her tail coiling around his. “It’s me. You okay?” she whispered, staring into his eyes - they were full of exhaustion. He gave a small nod, much to the relief of the other dragons and Silver. “Thank you, Hephestia,” Silver smiled at the blue and gold Spiral, who bobbed her head and grinned in reply.
Silver decided to check on the rest of the dragons who she fought alongside with. She saw Crystal, who had collapsed on the floor, barely conscious. The gleaming, white Skydancer, Cameron, was by her side, a worried frown on his snout as he cast diagnostic spells on her. Candy, the colourful Spiral, was on the ground too, dizzy with fatigue. Then there was Callan, dragging himself toward Cameron for healing, head fins flattened in pain. Monarch limped around, trying to heal the other dragons and familiars with her healing abilities, a gentle orange glow under her paws, much unlike her fiery heat. They had won the battle, but just barely.
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/zm9cim6xw0oxgcb/shadowmidsmall2.png[/img][/center]
[font=lora][size=4]Silver padded quietly on the translucent pink cave floor, her hind legs brushing past the soft leaves that jutted out from some of the nests that lined the cave. She made her way deeper into her cave, to the very last nest all the way at the back, looking for the white Coatl, Crystal. Her clanmates were more or less alive, thanks to the magic the healers could provide. Even Raven, who she had just checked on. She was lucky she was unscathed, but to her dismay, strangely. Silver didn’t like the fact that she was fine, but her clanmates were not. It was as if she had just stood at the back and ordered them around, while she could get away unhurt. She refused to be such a leader. Silver felt that if they were injured, they would be injured together, like how she and her clanmates would fight together like how they had fought together since day one.
Just before she had visited her mate, Corey was talking about merging clans with Crystal. With the persistent attacks from the Shade, they were bound to get more and more vulnerable to the attacks, since it was also getting stronger. Silver didn’t know where it was getting its magic from, or how it was growing more powerful after each attack. What she did know, was that the dark entity would not stop until it devoured all of her clan. And Crystal’s. If twenty-four of them were not enough to defeat the Shade, a clan merge would be a smart move for their protection.
“Safety in numbers” were his last words, echoing in her head as she left Raven’s nest and looked for the white Coatl. Crystal had never been in their cave before, and she wondered where the healers had let her rest. As she strode past the nests, some occupied, some vacant, Silver kept her eyes peeled for her. But no matter how hard she looked, she could not seem to find her, until she changed direction and walked out of the cave. Silver noticed a small island rising from the Focal Point that seemed to have changed position. When she made her way to the top, she saw Crystal hunched over something on the ground.
“Crystal?” She called out experimentally. The white Coatl jumped and whipped around with a guilty expression, paw swiping across her muzzle. [i]What had she been doing before this?[/i] “What were you doing?” Silver bluntly asked, before wincing at the directness of her tone. Crystal averted eye contact, fuchsia eyes darting everywhere except meeting her gaze.
“I…nothing. What did you want to talk to me about?” Crystal said, observing Silver blink slowly as if trying very hard to comprehend what the white Coatl had just said, her snout displaying a slight frown of concern.
“I was thinking about merging clans,” Silver hesitantly started, pulling up a smile. When she did not seem to see any kind of a reaction from the other leader, she continued, “With the persistent attacks from the Shade, we’re going to be getting more and more vulnerable, especially since it’s getting stronger and we don’t know where it’s getting its power from. If twenty-four of us aren’t able to hold our own against the Shade, not counting the familiars, then I think a clan merge would be safer for both our clans. Safety in numbers,” Once she was done speaking, she carefully looked at Crystal, trying to notice any change of expression. With a few blinks of her pink eyes, Crystal inclined her head.
“I guess it makes sense. I’ll go ask my clanmates what they think. I’ll see you around, perhaps tomorrow, hopefully with an affirmative answer.” With that, the Coatl took off, though Silver couldn’t help but notice the slight flash of reluctance that had flickered across Crystal’s gaze, and she frowned at how she seemed to be flying much slower than the last time she saw her, wings barely keeping her upright. Then, being the curious dragon she was, Silver turned to find out what Crystal had been so secretive about, and her heart dropped.
Ruby red stained the grass previously blocked by the white Coatl. Crystal had been injured more severely than Silver thought.
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]
Chapter Thirty Five
Silver
“RAVEN!”
Silver screamed hysterically as she flew - no - soared to the mass of black fur on the ground, panic filling her entire being as she landed unsteadily on her paws. Not because she was still an amateur at flying, but because Raven was not responding. He can heal others, but he can’t heal himself. The Shade had struck him just seconds ago, making him slump to the ground. Her vision started to spot as she felt fuzzy with fear for her mate, her brain hazy with alarm. All she saw was her mate lying motionless on the ground, life and magic sucked away from him.
Raven.
Everything seemed to fade away, the heat of their fight with the incessant, stupid, stupid Shade receding into the background. Silver could only panic, unable to move or speak, rooted to the ground in fear for Raven. All she did was stand there, barely a tail away from him, staring at him through clouded vision. She had never felt so helpless before.
I can’t lose you.
Raven lay there, his eyes shut and chest fluttering shallowly with each laboured breath, almost motionless. He looked like a corpse. He could be seconds from being a corpse. Then Silver saw Hephestia fire a golden bolt behind her, throwing it at the ground, blasting away the scar of black that was pursuing her. She rushed to Raven, placing her paws on him, a gentle hue of golden lighting up under her paws. Thank Shadowbinder. The time seemed to stretch as Silver watched Hephestia bring Raven back to life. Hephestia closed her eyes, her snout scrunched in deep focus.
He’ll survive.
To Silver’s relief, Raven sprang up suddenly, hacking coughs out of his being to the point that Silver was afraid he would cough his insides out. Red blood splattered out from his mouth, as if he was coughing out the remains of what the Shade had done to him. Silver almost collapsed at the sight.
The chaos of the battle seemed to subside at that moment, a sign that they had succeeded. “Raven!” Misty shouted, toddling over to him, concern in her eyes. Everyone was tired, Silver could see it in the way they shuffled toward their little gathering, crowding around a disoriented Raven. Silver crouched down next to Raven, her tail coiling around his. “It’s me. You okay?” she whispered, staring into his eyes - they were full of exhaustion. He gave a small nod, much to the relief of the other dragons and Silver. “Thank you, Hephestia,” Silver smiled at the blue and gold Spiral, who bobbed her head and grinned in reply.
Silver decided to check on the rest of the dragons who she fought alongside with. She saw Crystal, who had collapsed on the floor, barely conscious. The gleaming, white Skydancer, Cameron, was by her side, a worried frown on his snout as he cast diagnostic spells on her. Candy, the colourful Spiral, was on the ground too, dizzy with fatigue. Then there was Callan, dragging himself toward Cameron for healing, head fins flattened in pain. Monarch limped around, trying to heal the other dragons and familiars with her healing abilities, a gentle orange glow under her paws, much unlike her fiery heat. They had won the battle, but just barely.
Silver padded quietly on the translucent pink cave floor, her hind legs brushing past the soft leaves that jutted out from some of the nests that lined the cave. She made her way deeper into her cave, to the very last nest all the way at the back, looking for the white Coatl, Crystal. Her clanmates were more or less alive, thanks to the magic the healers could provide. Even Raven, who she had just checked on. She was lucky she was unscathed, but to her dismay, strangely. Silver didn’t like the fact that she was fine, but her clanmates were not. It was as if she had just stood at the back and ordered them around, while she could get away unhurt. She refused to be such a leader. Silver felt that if they were injured, they would be injured together, like how she and her clanmates would fight together like how they had fought together since day one.
Just before she had visited her mate, Corey was talking about merging clans with Crystal. With the persistent attacks from the Shade, they were bound to get more and more vulnerable to the attacks, since it was also getting stronger. Silver didn’t know where it was getting its magic from, or how it was growing more powerful after each attack. What she did know, was that the dark entity would not stop until it devoured all of her clan. And Crystal’s. If twenty-four of them were not enough to defeat the Shade, a clan merge would be a smart move for their protection.
“Safety in numbers” were his last words, echoing in her head as she left Raven’s nest and looked for the white Coatl. Crystal had never been in their cave before, and she wondered where the healers had let her rest. As she strode past the nests, some occupied, some vacant, Silver kept her eyes peeled for her. But no matter how hard she looked, she could not seem to find her, until she changed direction and walked out of the cave. Silver noticed a small island rising from the Focal Point that seemed to have changed position. When she made her way to the top, she saw Crystal hunched over something on the ground.
“Crystal?” She called out experimentally. The white Coatl jumped and whipped around with a guilty expression, paw swiping across her muzzle. What had she been doing before this? “What were you doing?” Silver bluntly asked, before wincing at the directness of her tone. Crystal averted eye contact, fuchsia eyes darting everywhere except meeting her gaze.
“I…nothing. What did you want to talk to me about?” Crystal said, observing Silver blink slowly as if trying very hard to comprehend what the white Coatl had just said, her snout displaying a slight frown of concern.
“I was thinking about merging clans,” Silver hesitantly started, pulling up a smile. When she did not seem to see any kind of a reaction from the other leader, she continued, “With the persistent attacks from the Shade, we’re going to be getting more and more vulnerable, especially since it’s getting stronger and we don’t know where it’s getting its power from. If twenty-four of us aren’t able to hold our own against the Shade, not counting the familiars, then I think a clan merge would be safer for both our clans. Safety in numbers,” Once she was done speaking, she carefully looked at Crystal, trying to notice any change of expression. With a few blinks of her pink eyes, Crystal inclined her head.
“I guess it makes sense. I’ll go ask my clanmates what they think. I’ll see you around, perhaps tomorrow, hopefully with an affirmative answer.” With that, the Coatl took off, though Silver couldn’t help but notice the slight flash of reluctance that had flickered across Crystal’s gaze, and she frowned at how she seemed to be flying much slower than the last time she saw her, wings barely keeping her upright. Then, being the curious dragon she was, Silver turned to find out what Crystal had been so secretive about, and her heart dropped.
Ruby red stained the grass previously blocked by the white Coatl. Crystal had been injured more severely than Silver thought.
[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Thirty Six[/size][/b]
[size=5]Crystal[/center]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center]
[font=garamond][size=4]With another shudder, Crystal slumped bonelessly to the ground, numbly staring at the crimson patch that stained the floor. Her whole form trembled as she hacked up more blood. She felt like she was dying. Well, she probably was. But it was a welcome price to pay if that meant the rest of them would be safe. She could literally feel the worry radiating from Cameron as he soundlessly curled next to her, Water magic flowing through her broken body. It soothed her pain, but did nothing to seal the fractured core of her trance magic. Blizzard whined sadly, nosing her limp paw, and she let out a weak hum in return.
In fact, her whole clan was with her right now. Wait. Scratch that. Her whole [i]original[/i] clan was with her right now. The others were probably still patching up. Or training. Or both. They were all squeezed in a small alcove carved out from one of the curved teeth of the Crystalspine Reaches, with Crystal huddled in a miserable pile at the very end. The rest of them fanned out around her, close enough to give her meagre comfort, but not too close to create the suffocating atmosphere that none of them liked. Karina and Fracture stood guard faithfully at the entrance. Mirage had melted into one of his shadows to try and find more supplies to patch up their wearied and beaten clan. She could see the white sparks of Ingrid’s magic and heard a yelp of pain from the still-injured Callan.
The poor Mirror. Apart from her, he had been one of the more severe casualties, though Crystal couldn’t help but feel a stab of uselessness every morning when she woke up to see him returning from a successful hunt. In conclusion, she hated her powers. To be exact, she hated one specific power. In her defense, it was hard to like something that sent her into a trance and apparently tore her body apart with every use. Nope. No way.
Wincing, she tried to stand, before yielding to the neverending vertigo that seemed to get worse and worse the more her powers stayed cooped up in her, begging for release. Finally, she could take it no longer. “I need to go outside,” she rasped, and slowly eased herself into a standing position. Karina and Fracture wisely moved backwards, shield flickering into place. The second she could feel the crisp wind on her scales, a massive discharge of energy lit up the night sky, drowning out the dim flicker of the stars with the torrential outpouring of light and magic, raging arcane and light and wind that swirled and roared into a supernova that rippled across the vast expanse above the Starfall Isles.
When she could no longer feel that sense of dizziness, she stood in silence, gasping for air. The cold touch of Fracture’s glasslike scales kept her upright as she felt the comforting magic of her original family wreathe around her. She sighed. This was all she ever wanted, really. She didn’t ask for the Shade, or the other Coatl and her clan. They were good acquaintances, and she trusted them, but there was no sense of connection. But life did never go her way, after all. She heaved another great sigh.
“I think we need to start opening up. Try and accept Silver and her clan for a start, I guess. That’s our new goal.” She could taste in the air the reluctance emanating from her clan, and inwardly she felt a selfish bloom of delight in knowing that what they had created was enough. But the status quo couldn’t continue.
“I guess we could start by training together,” West started, a note of uncertainty in his voice. “We could do with some new elements, I think.” Scarlett made a noncommittal sound of agreement, scratching the ground.
“Alright. Let’s break for tonight. It’s been a tiring day and we all need the rest. We’ll go back to their camp tomorrow. Enjoy the isolation while it still lasts.”
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/6kg6r3b1h333p6k/arcanemidsmall.png[/img][/center]
[font=garamond][size=4]The next morning did not go as planned. When they returned to Silver’s camp, they were confused when Hephestia started to assign roles to them. “Oh, good. You’re finally here. Callan, you can join the hunting party. Karina and Mirage, you two can scout. Sagar and Fracture, guard the camp entrance. Cameron, if you could go help Monarch and I with healing?” Crystal’s group stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. [i]Wait, what?[/i]
To her surprise, it was Fracture who spoke for the whole group. “What makes you think you can order us around like that?” Crystal cringed.
“Fracture!” she hissed. “Be nice!” Upon seeing Hephestia’s eyes start to spark with the beginning of an argument, she hastily apologised. “Sorry. I think we’re all a little bad at phrasing. What he probably meant-” here she glared at the large Imperial- “was why you were assigning us roles? Does your clan not hunt together? And why would we need to guard the camp entrance?” However, Hephestia’s rage didn’t seem to subside by much.
“Of course we don’t hunt together! We’d scare away all the prey. And we need to guard the camp entrance because this is our home, obviously,” she snapped. Crystal flattened her feathers down, intimidated.
“S-sorry. We never really had a fixed camp and pretty much roamed, so we did everything together like hunting and scouting, and didn’t need to protect any particular area. Although I’d like to make some suggestions if you don’t mind,” she chanced a glimpse at the Spiral who thankfully seemed to have calmed down a bit. “I feel like Karina would probably be better off hunting or training, since she might just shred anything she finds to an instant pulp. No offense.” The Wildclaw snorted, but didn’t raise any objection. “Sagar and Callan work best together, from what I’ve seen, and Fracture’s spacetime manipulation is more than enough to let him guard the entrance on his own. By the way, do you happen to have a role which involves training clanmates? I think Karina and I would be quite happy with that role. And also strategists. And, uh…” she started to trail off as all the ideas in her head evaporated instantly upon Hephestia’s scrutinising gaze. Finally, the Spiral exhaled.
“Oh, fine. Do it your way,” she huffed. Crystal shot a thankful grin at her new clanmate, and with a flick of her tail they were off, ready to contribute. They weren’t off to a great start, but they were making progress. Crystal was sure that they would be able to adapt in no time.[/size]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img]
[size=2]@Petall[/center]
Chapter Thirty Six
Crystal
With another shudder, Crystal slumped bonelessly to the ground, numbly staring at the crimson patch that stained the floor. Her whole form trembled as she hacked up more blood. She felt like she was dying. Well, she probably was. But it was a welcome price to pay if that meant the rest of them would be safe. She could literally feel the worry radiating from Cameron as he soundlessly curled next to her, Water magic flowing through her broken body. It soothed her pain, but did nothing to seal the fractured core of her trance magic. Blizzard whined sadly, nosing her limp paw, and she let out a weak hum in return.
In fact, her whole clan was with her right now. Wait. Scratch that. Her whole original clan was with her right now. The others were probably still patching up. Or training. Or both. They were all squeezed in a small alcove carved out from one of the curved teeth of the Crystalspine Reaches, with Crystal huddled in a miserable pile at the very end. The rest of them fanned out around her, close enough to give her meagre comfort, but not too close to create the suffocating atmosphere that none of them liked. Karina and Fracture stood guard faithfully at the entrance. Mirage had melted into one of his shadows to try and find more supplies to patch up their wearied and beaten clan. She could see the white sparks of Ingrid’s magic and heard a yelp of pain from the still-injured Callan.
The poor Mirror. Apart from her, he had been one of the more severe casualties, though Crystal couldn’t help but feel a stab of uselessness every morning when she woke up to see him returning from a successful hunt. In conclusion, she hated her powers. To be exact, she hated one specific power. In her defense, it was hard to like something that sent her into a trance and apparently tore her body apart with every use. Nope. No way.
Wincing, she tried to stand, before yielding to the neverending vertigo that seemed to get worse and worse the more her powers stayed cooped up in her, begging for release. Finally, she could take it no longer. “I need to go outside,” she rasped, and slowly eased herself into a standing position. Karina and Fracture wisely moved backwards, shield flickering into place. The second she could feel the crisp wind on her scales, a massive discharge of energy lit up the night sky, drowning out the dim flicker of the stars with the torrential outpouring of light and magic, raging arcane and light and wind that swirled and roared into a supernova that rippled across the vast expanse above the Starfall Isles.
When she could no longer feel that sense of dizziness, she stood in silence, gasping for air. The cold touch of Fracture’s glasslike scales kept her upright as she felt the comforting magic of her original family wreathe around her. She sighed. This was all she ever wanted, really. She didn’t ask for the Shade, or the other Coatl and her clan. They were good acquaintances, and she trusted them, but there was no sense of connection. But life did never go her way, after all. She heaved another great sigh.
“I think we need to start opening up. Try and accept Silver and her clan for a start, I guess. That’s our new goal.” She could taste in the air the reluctance emanating from her clan, and inwardly she felt a selfish bloom of delight in knowing that what they had created was enough. But the status quo couldn’t continue.
“I guess we could start by training together,” West started, a note of uncertainty in his voice. “We could do with some new elements, I think.” Scarlett made a noncommittal sound of agreement, scratching the ground.
“Alright. Let’s break for tonight. It’s been a tiring day and we all need the rest. We’ll go back to their camp tomorrow. Enjoy the isolation while it still lasts.”
The next morning did not go as planned. When they returned to Silver’s camp, they were confused when Hephestia started to assign roles to them. “Oh, good. You’re finally here. Callan, you can join the hunting party. Karina and Mirage, you two can scout. Sagar and Fracture, guard the camp entrance. Cameron, if you could go help Monarch and I with healing?” Crystal’s group stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. Wait, what?
To her surprise, it was Fracture who spoke for the whole group. “What makes you think you can order us around like that?” Crystal cringed.
“Fracture!” she hissed. “Be nice!” Upon seeing Hephestia’s eyes start to spark with the beginning of an argument, she hastily apologised. “Sorry. I think we’re all a little bad at phrasing. What he probably meant-” here she glared at the large Imperial- “was why you were assigning us roles? Does your clan not hunt together? And why would we need to guard the camp entrance?” However, Hephestia’s rage didn’t seem to subside by much.
“Of course we don’t hunt together! We’d scare away all the prey. And we need to guard the camp entrance because this is our home, obviously,” she snapped. Crystal flattened her feathers down, intimidated.
“S-sorry. We never really had a fixed camp and pretty much roamed, so we did everything together like hunting and scouting, and didn’t need to protect any particular area. Although I’d like to make some suggestions if you don’t mind,” she chanced a glimpse at the Spiral who thankfully seemed to have calmed down a bit. “I feel like Karina would probably be better off hunting or training, since she might just shred anything she finds to an instant pulp. No offense.” The Wildclaw snorted, but didn’t raise any objection. “Sagar and Callan work best together, from what I’ve seen, and Fracture’s spacetime manipulation is more than enough to let him guard the entrance on his own. By the way, do you happen to have a role which involves training clanmates? I think Karina and I would be quite happy with that role. And also strategists. And, uh…” she started to trail off as all the ideas in her head evaporated instantly upon Hephestia’s scrutinising gaze. Finally, the Spiral exhaled.
“Oh, fine. Do it your way,” she huffed. Crystal shot a thankful grin at her new clanmate, and with a flick of her tail they were off, ready to contribute. They weren’t off to a great start, but they were making progress. Crystal was sure that they would be able to adapt in no time.
Tirtouga | FR +16 | she/her
OOOOOOo more things are going down!
OOOOOOo more things are going down!
Tirtouga | FR +16 | she/her
[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Thirty Seven[/size]
[size=5]Silver[/size][/center]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img]
[font=lora][size=4] “So I guess we’re merging clans now?” Candy questioned, his Light eyes darting around their little gathering. Silver nodded along with her clan - her original clan. They sat in the center of their pink cave of a lair, the iridescent crystals twinkling above them at the center like a little beacon. It served as a light source in their cave at night, mainly because it reflected light and created shimmering stripes of light all over the cave. Monarch had lit some timbers at the center, so it made the cave much brighter. Aside from Monarch’s fire and Candy’s light manipulation, the crystals on the ceiling were their only other source of light they had at night.
“I mean, I don’t mind more dragons in our clan. We could start creating roles for everyone,” the graceful Starlight said. Every word she pronounced was almost song-like. Silver felt ashamed that they had never really sat down to have a little talk, and only started getting to know them and their traits just before they joined with another clan. [i]We should really have more clan bonding. How am I supposed to lead a disjointed clan?[/i]“That way we can also be more organised-”
“And safe,” Silver chimed in. Raven shifted slowly next to her, his fluffy wings gently brushing hers. He was recovering steadily because of Hephestia’s constant checkups. Silver was glad that they had at least three healers (if Raven wasn’t hurt, it would be four). Thanks to them, they were all recovering steadily. “I actually don’t mind merging. Scarlett is really nice to talk to,” Starfire said, earning a sniff from Crystalline, her mate. He rarely spoke, and if he did, it was to chide people to shut up. He could come off as rude, especially to his mate, but Silver could see that he really loved Starfire from the way they fought together on the battlefields.
“Mirage is scary,” Orca shuddered, as she went over how he had popped out of her nest. “I was trying to take a nap, and then Mirage just popped out of my bedding,” she said, pointing to her nest with a tip of her snout. Monarch, the fiery Coatl, just laughed next to her. Silver noticed that they were best friends, they were almost inseparable. “You both would look very nice as mates,” Monarch giggled, earning a tail slap from an embarrassed Orca.
“So clan merge?” Glacier spoke, drawing the attention away from the two best friends to him. As usual, his voice was monotonous, pitch unchanging, almost disinterested. Snowflake blinked slowly, turning to Silver. [i]They’re a strange pair.[/i] Glacier seemed to be unexpressive, while Snowflake was always calm and collected. “Yes” was what she replied, looking into the eyes of every dragon in their cave. They all looked assured. [i]I hope I’m not making a mistake.[/i]
“Clan merger tomorrow, then,” Hephestia finalized, as they all turned around and disappeared into their nests. They snuffled out the fire and went to sleep. “Raven, get off me and go to your nest,” Silver laughed softly as she slid out from under him. He heaved a sigh and lazily dragged himself to his nest, while Silver whispered a “goodnight” and quietly went to her nest to doze off for the night, dreaming about clams.
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/zm9cim6xw0oxgcb/shadowmidsmall2.png[/img][/center]
[font=lora][size=4]“I look forward to leading this clan with you,” Silver said, pursing her lips together as she stared at Crystal. She really meant it. It was a brand new day, and Crystal’s clan returned with a “yes”. Hephestia gave roles to everybody including their new clanmates. Silver chose to be a trainer alongside Hephestia so that she could learn and teach at the same time. Crystal and Karina had joined to make it a team of four, and Silver was eager to test her mettle against the other Coatl. She was sure she could do well.
“Let’s start,” Silver growled, excitement and nervousness pumping in her, wanting to be let loose through the release of her magic. From her side of the training field, she whirled up a chunk of Shadow energy in her, forming it into a little sphere of black. Keeping an eye on the moving Crystal, Silver gathered up her little sphere of Shroud. Then she unleashed it at her, remembering to aim at the place Crystal was moving to, just as Hephestia had taught her a few days ago. Her Shadow magic hit her satisfyingly on her chest, much to Silver’s delight. Crystal staggered back in shock, as if she had been blindfolded, which was exactly what Silver had done - covered her vision in thick, pitch-black clouds of Shadow. Silver’s battle plan unfolded in her mind, a little reminder of how she would try to defeat her friend in this little brawl.
As Silver pulled up bolts from her subconsciousness to throw at her, she noticed a faint golden glow around Crystal. [i]Is she up to something?[/i] Quickly, she flung the bolts at her opponent. Much to her surprise, the blinded Coatl dodged all of them, tongue flicking in and out rapidly as the glow around her gradually brightened into a white glare. Silver gritted her teeth and took off, wanting to avoid the glare. As she flew around throwing bolts, she detached her icicles and sent them at Crystal. The sharp lances speared through the air, leaving frigid mist in their wake. Crystal seemed ready to dodge again, but suddenly froze. The icicles slammed into her, sending her skidding a few metres back.
Silver felt a sense of satisfaction rush through her and sent more forked lightning racing towards Crystal. Though it felt wrong blasting her friend with harm, she couldn’t help but feel joy when she managed to hit her with precision. It was like training but better, and with a real target, not rocks. Silver saw Crystal flinch backwards, still blinded, but didn’t falter as the halo of light formed a trail behind her. The brightness grew closer and closer, and Silver readied a swirl of Shadow magic, preparing to block the impact. Then the next thing she knew, there was a searing pain that jolted through her body and her vision literally went up in flames.
Silver couldn’t move. All she knew was that she was plummeting down, her icicles yet again misplaced as she crashed into the grass, which provided no mercy nor cushioning when she landed. Pain radiated all through her as she writhed on the ground in an attempt to block out the pain, seeing nothing but blinding gold. Silver felt like she was suffocating. A sharp noise screeched through her ears, ringing in her till she blacked out.
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]
Chapter Thirty Seven
Silver
“So I guess we’re merging clans now?” Candy questioned, his Light eyes darting around their little gathering. Silver nodded along with her clan - her original clan. They sat in the center of their pink cave of a lair, the iridescent crystals twinkling above them at the center like a little beacon. It served as a light source in their cave at night, mainly because it reflected light and created shimmering stripes of light all over the cave. Monarch had lit some timbers at the center, so it made the cave much brighter. Aside from Monarch’s fire and Candy’s light manipulation, the crystals on the ceiling were their only other source of light they had at night.
“I mean, I don’t mind more dragons in our clan. We could start creating roles for everyone,” the graceful Starlight said. Every word she pronounced was almost song-like. Silver felt ashamed that they had never really sat down to have a little talk, and only started getting to know them and their traits just before they joined with another clan. We should really have more clan bonding. How am I supposed to lead a disjointed clan?“That way we can also be more organised-”
“And safe,” Silver chimed in. Raven shifted slowly next to her, his fluffy wings gently brushing hers. He was recovering steadily because of Hephestia’s constant checkups. Silver was glad that they had at least three healers (if Raven wasn’t hurt, it would be four). Thanks to them, they were all recovering steadily. “I actually don’t mind merging. Scarlett is really nice to talk to,” Starfire said, earning a sniff from Crystalline, her mate. He rarely spoke, and if he did, it was to chide people to shut up. He could come off as rude, especially to his mate, but Silver could see that he really loved Starfire from the way they fought together on the battlefields.
“Mirage is scary,” Orca shuddered, as she went over how he had popped out of her nest. “I was trying to take a nap, and then Mirage just popped out of my bedding,” she said, pointing to her nest with a tip of her snout. Monarch, the fiery Coatl, just laughed next to her. Silver noticed that they were best friends, they were almost inseparable. “You both would look very nice as mates,” Monarch giggled, earning a tail slap from an embarrassed Orca.
“So clan merge?” Glacier spoke, drawing the attention away from the two best friends to him. As usual, his voice was monotonous, pitch unchanging, almost disinterested. Snowflake blinked slowly, turning to Silver. They’re a strange pair. Glacier seemed to be unexpressive, while Snowflake was always calm and collected. “Yes” was what she replied, looking into the eyes of every dragon in their cave. They all looked assured. I hope I’m not making a mistake.
“Clan merger tomorrow, then,” Hephestia finalized, as they all turned around and disappeared into their nests. They snuffled out the fire and went to sleep. “Raven, get off me and go to your nest,” Silver laughed softly as she slid out from under him. He heaved a sigh and lazily dragged himself to his nest, while Silver whispered a “goodnight” and quietly went to her nest to doze off for the night, dreaming about clams.
“I look forward to leading this clan with you,” Silver said, pursing her lips together as she stared at Crystal. She really meant it. It was a brand new day, and Crystal’s clan returned with a “yes”. Hephestia gave roles to everybody including their new clanmates. Silver chose to be a trainer alongside Hephestia so that she could learn and teach at the same time. Crystal and Karina had joined to make it a team of four, and Silver was eager to test her mettle against the other Coatl. She was sure she could do well.
“Let’s start,” Silver growled, excitement and nervousness pumping in her, wanting to be let loose through the release of her magic. From her side of the training field, she whirled up a chunk of Shadow energy in her, forming it into a little sphere of black. Keeping an eye on the moving Crystal, Silver gathered up her little sphere of Shroud. Then she unleashed it at her, remembering to aim at the place Crystal was moving to, just as Hephestia had taught her a few days ago. Her Shadow magic hit her satisfyingly on her chest, much to Silver’s delight. Crystal staggered back in shock, as if she had been blindfolded, which was exactly what Silver had done - covered her vision in thick, pitch-black clouds of Shadow. Silver’s battle plan unfolded in her mind, a little reminder of how she would try to defeat her friend in this little brawl.
As Silver pulled up bolts from her subconsciousness to throw at her, she noticed a faint golden glow around Crystal. Is she up to something? Quickly, she flung the bolts at her opponent. Much to her surprise, the blinded Coatl dodged all of them, tongue flicking in and out rapidly as the glow around her gradually brightened into a white glare. Silver gritted her teeth and took off, wanting to avoid the glare. As she flew around throwing bolts, she detached her icicles and sent them at Crystal. The sharp lances speared through the air, leaving frigid mist in their wake. Crystal seemed ready to dodge again, but suddenly froze. The icicles slammed into her, sending her skidding a few metres back.
Silver felt a sense of satisfaction rush through her and sent more forked lightning racing towards Crystal. Though it felt wrong blasting her friend with harm, she couldn’t help but feel joy when she managed to hit her with precision. It was like training but better, and with a real target, not rocks. Silver saw Crystal flinch backwards, still blinded, but didn’t falter as the halo of light formed a trail behind her. The brightness grew closer and closer, and Silver readied a swirl of Shadow magic, preparing to block the impact. Then the next thing she knew, there was a searing pain that jolted through her body and her vision literally went up in flames.
Silver couldn’t move. All she knew was that she was plummeting down, her icicles yet again misplaced as she crashed into the grass, which provided no mercy nor cushioning when she landed. Pain radiated all through her as she writhed on the ground in an attempt to block out the pain, seeing nothing but blinding gold. Silver felt like she was suffocating. A sharp noise screeched through her ears, ringing in her till she blacked out.
[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Thirty Eight[/size][/b]
[size=5]Crystal[/center]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center]
[font=garamond][size=4][i]No, no, no, this can’t be happening…[/i] Crystal had gone even paler, and looked unnaturally like a statue with her alabaster colouring and frozen stance. Raven turned towards her with a murderous gleam in his eyes. She felt her mind blank into a white slate, the shocked murmurs of her clanmates buzzing in her ears, white noise that only made her more and more panicked.
“Crystal,” he growled. “What did you do to her?” Crystal flinched back, terror-filled eyes darting everywhere except meeting his gaze. She felt like a deer in headlights. Again, she had hurt someone with her powers. Why couldn’t she just get a grip on herself? Why couldn’t she actually protect instead of wreaking havoc wherever she went?
[i]I should never have agreed to merge in the first place. This is what happens to anyone who comes near me. I should have left this clan and fled a long time ago.[/i] Tears stung her eyes, hot tides waiting to spill out, and her claws dug deeper and deeper into the ground like they were trying to leave the disgrace of their owner and flee into the soil. “I’m sorry,” she choked.
[i]I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…[/i] That was the only mantra that repeated itself, reverberating over and over in the empty halls of her mind like warning bells tolling, like accusing crowds echoing her guilt and her shame until it became the only thing that defined her. She barely noticed as Cameron stepped in front of her, blue eyes hard and defensive, wings fanned out in a shining halo that blocked the grey Tundra from her blurring vision.
“Can’t you see that she lost control? She hurt herself trying to protect all of us, and immediately you force her into a merger and a fight. If anything, I’d ask [i]you[/i] what you did to her.” Cameron’s voice was filled with a new kind of malice that she had never heard before, and the thought of how her misstep had brought out a new, unsettling side of her mate pushed her further towards the edge.
“If she couldn’t fight, she should just have [i]said so[/i].”
[i]I’m sorry.[/i]
“Did you give her a choice?”
[i]I’m sorry.[/i]
“Would she need a choice if she knew she would hurt Silver?” [i]I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-[/i]
“Say that again.” It was not a request, but a challenge. Crystal trembled at the flat tone of Cameron, the sheer rage burning in his aura. She was falling even though she hadn’t moved at all. She felt like she couldn’t breathe.
[i]I’m… sorry…[/i]
The soft chime of Silver’s icicles silenced them all as the Coatl slowly stood up, groaning softly. Her dark purple eyes looked around, unfocussed, and Crystal instantly knew with a pang of guilt that Silver couldn’t see. With a last angry huff, Raven turned to his mate, expression instantly melting into one of soft concern. “I’m fine, guys,” Silver said softly, rotating her neck. “I’m alive,” she said jokingly, but then switched to a serious tone when she heard no response. “But, uh, I can’t see.” Raven’s snout scrunched up in a mix of worry and anger, the anger no doubt directed at her, as the white glow of his healing powers radiated through the air. Cameron stepped back and wordlessly took her aside, tail plume resting gently on her back as she stumbled along him. No one said anything, as the newly formed clan split down its seams.
Then as if drawn to the strong magic still in the air, a familiar nemesis struck. The Shade was back. And this time, it was out for blood.[/size]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img]
[size=2]@Petall[/center]
Chapter Thirty Eight
Crystal
No, no, no, this can’t be happening… Crystal had gone even paler, and looked unnaturally like a statue with her alabaster colouring and frozen stance. Raven turned towards her with a murderous gleam in his eyes. She felt her mind blank into a white slate, the shocked murmurs of her clanmates buzzing in her ears, white noise that only made her more and more panicked.
“Crystal,” he growled. “What did you do to her?” Crystal flinched back, terror-filled eyes darting everywhere except meeting his gaze. She felt like a deer in headlights. Again, she had hurt someone with her powers. Why couldn’t she just get a grip on herself? Why couldn’t she actually protect instead of wreaking havoc wherever she went?
I should never have agreed to merge in the first place. This is what happens to anyone who comes near me. I should have left this clan and fled a long time ago. Tears stung her eyes, hot tides waiting to spill out, and her claws dug deeper and deeper into the ground like they were trying to leave the disgrace of their owner and flee into the soil. “I’m sorry,” she choked.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… That was the only mantra that repeated itself, reverberating over and over in the empty halls of her mind like warning bells tolling, like accusing crowds echoing her guilt and her shame until it became the only thing that defined her. She barely noticed as Cameron stepped in front of her, blue eyes hard and defensive, wings fanned out in a shining halo that blocked the grey Tundra from her blurring vision.
“Can’t you see that she lost control? She hurt herself trying to protect all of us, and immediately you force her into a merger and a fight. If anything, I’d ask you what you did to her.” Cameron’s voice was filled with a new kind of malice that she had never heard before, and the thought of how her misstep had brought out a new, unsettling side of her mate pushed her further towards the edge.
“If she couldn’t fight, she should just have said so.”
I’m sorry.
“Did you give her a choice?”
I’m sorry.
“Would she need a choice if she knew she would hurt Silver?” I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-
“Say that again.” It was not a request, but a challenge. Crystal trembled at the flat tone of Cameron, the sheer rage burning in his aura. She was falling even though she hadn’t moved at all. She felt like she couldn’t breathe.
I’m… sorry…
The soft chime of Silver’s icicles silenced them all as the Coatl slowly stood up, groaning softly. Her dark purple eyes looked around, unfocussed, and Crystal instantly knew with a pang of guilt that Silver couldn’t see. With a last angry huff, Raven turned to his mate, expression instantly melting into one of soft concern. “I’m fine, guys,” Silver said softly, rotating her neck. “I’m alive,” she said jokingly, but then switched to a serious tone when she heard no response. “But, uh, I can’t see.” Raven’s snout scrunched up in a mix of worry and anger, the anger no doubt directed at her, as the white glow of his healing powers radiated through the air. Cameron stepped back and wordlessly took her aside, tail plume resting gently on her back as she stumbled along him. No one said anything, as the newly formed clan split down its seams.
Then as if drawn to the strong magic still in the air, a familiar nemesis struck. The Shade was back. And this time, it was out for blood.
Tirtouga | FR +16 | she/her
EYYYY THE CLANS ARE TOGETHER!!! And just in time, by the looks of it!
EYYYY THE CLANS ARE TOGETHER!!! And just in time, by the looks of it!
@
Petall
Things are getting dark...
@
Petall
Things are getting dark...
Tirtouga | FR +16 | she/her
[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Thirty Nine[/size]
[size=5]Silver[/size][/center]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img]
[font=lora][size=4][i]When would the Shade ever stop attacking at the most inappropriate moments?[/i]
“Stay close to me,” Raven growled as he fired a thick cloud of grey-white magic at the tendrils of Shade swarming around them, inflicting pain on her clan mates as they themselves did it back. Rave just barely healed her, but it was enough to let her see. She remembered seeing nothing when she came to her senses, all she saw was [i]white[/i]. She also recalled how angry her mate was a while ago, and she had expected him to explode or even attack Cameron. The fierce side of Raven brought a little shiver in her, an addition to the chills she was already experiencing, from the after-effects of Crystal’s potent Light magic. Although she should feel upset, or even angry, she felt no sense of spite toward Crystal for hurting her.
Silver watched Raven fly up to get a better view of the land, but never too far from her. Silver could move, she could see, but she felt weak. Crystal’s magic was so strong to the point that it left her so dazed despite some healing. Now with the Shade attracted to them due to their little fight, she was even more vulnerable, with only Raven as a shield to protect her. Silver squeezed her eyes shut hard in an attempt to squeeze away the fading light. It did not work. [i]I wonder if I cause such harm to others.[/i]
Silver took flight, not wanting to be left on the ground. It was easy. Then she tried to summon some lightning and to her surprise, it worked. Electricity surged through her, but what came out killed her happiness. Dim violet sparks fizzed weakly on her paws before dissipating into nothingness. Silver sighed. “Stay down, and save your energy,” Raven hissed upon noticing her fly by his side, frowning at her wings batting gently in the air. Like a scolded child, she nodded and reluctantly landed back on the ground, keeping an eye out for the Shade. It could and [i]would[/i] attack her because she was vulnerable, and had lots of power the Shade would gladly feast on. With this in mind, she began to walk slowly on the grass, fighting the urge to flop back onto the ground. Raven ensured that he was never too far from a paw’s reach, so if the Shade were to ever hurt her, he was just a tap away.
As Silver shuffled on the grass trying to get her bearings, she saw a little flash of black whizz by on her left. She knew instantly that the Shade was after her, and she immediately began to panic. All the chaos of the battle suddenly faded away and only centralized to the tendril. She couldn’t fight back properly to match the Shade’s strength. Silver darted off to the right in panic, at the same time leaping into the air and carrying herself onto her wings. To her dismay, the Shade didn’t give up that easily, rising to her level. “Raven.” Her voice was shaky with fear. She decided to land and run, since running took up less energy than flying. The Shade still pursued, moving at a strangely slow pace. [i]As if it’s taunting me.[/i] The black Tundra was too absorbed into his fighting, unable to hear her. “Raven!” she said, louder this time as she began to dash away from the looming scar of black. He finally answered with a blast of white, drowning out the tendril that was chasing her. “You okay?” he asked, eyes scanning her to ensure she was safe. Silver nodded and smiled gratefully. “Maybe you should hide somewhere instead, but not too far in case it attacks you and we’re unable to get to you,” he suggested, earning another nod from Silver. With a bob of her head, she rushed away from the battle, aiming for a grove of trees untouched by the battle. Every step she took seemed to make her feel a little lighter, and she knew she was healing slowly.
But just as she was running toward the cluster of trees, she heard a blood-curdling shriek. Silver whipped her head around in shock, eyes darting around the battlefield to look for the source of the petrified scream. Her dizziness seemed to disappear, replaced by adrenaline. A collage of colours on the ground caught her eye, making her gasp in pure shock. [i]No. No no no. This can’t be happening.[/i] A flurry of emotions - anger, fear and sadness - whizzed around her brain, causing tears to spring out and blur her already failing vision.
Bobba, the colourful Tundra, fell limp to the ground, her furry vibrant coat matted. And she never moved after that.
[i]The Shade killed her.[/i]
The Shade seemed to realise everyone had stopped to stare at Bobba, and it did a little victory dance, much to Silver’s anger. The tendrils swooped and swerved around the limp dragon, twisting around and eventually rising into the air to form a mini tornado. Silver felt growing anger surge through her, wanting to seek revenge for Bobba against the Shade. Electricity sparked to her claw tips, fuelled by rage, but she wasn’t strong enough to propel a bolt at the triumphant entity. All Silver could do was watch from the grove, eyes narrowed to slits in fury. [i]I just lost a clan mate.[/i]
As if things could go any worse, Silver saw the tornado coming for her. All her anger evaporated into cold fear, locking her paws into place. Her eyes widened as she turned her attention to the Shade which whirling quickly to her. Silver hastily summoned a feeble orb of Shadow magic and hurled it to the Shade, but it seemed to do no damage when her dark orb simply ricocheted off the tornado. Her fear seemed to multiply when she saw her futile attacks, making her breath unsteady and shallow. She saw Raven bashing his way to her, his wings catching the air as he took flight and flew to her rescue, readying magic to destroy the Shade cornering her. Silver looked down, bracing for the impact of Raven’s magic when it hit the Shade. But instead of seeing Raven’s white coloured magic overwhelm the darkness of the tornado, Silver saw pastel colours flash past her vision and then a howl rang out.
“COWARD!” Silver heard the pastel figure bellow. She looked up to see Candy, Bobba’s mate, throw himself at the advancing Shade, howling in pain as it killed him slowly in its grasp. His movements slowed as he entered the tornado, wincing in obvious pain. He made no effort to fight back, only standing there as Silver stared in horror, not wanting to lose another clan mate just like that. Gritting her teeth, she fought the weak sensation from the aftermath of Crystal’s powers and mustered her strength, unleashing her blades and lightning and Shadow magic, throwing all she had at the whirlwind of the Shade. “Candy, move away!” she heard Raven shout at the suicidal dragon, his voice clearly showing the same sentiments as Silver. Then he fired his own magic at the evil entity, combined with the other dragons’ attacks. She lunged forward, grabbing Candy who refused to budge by the tail, making him yelp as she shoved him away from the blows of her clan mates.
And just like that, the Shade vanished, dissipating into a fading black cloud. Everyone paused, panting. “It’s gone. But not forever,” Karina, the fierce dragon from Crystal’s first clan noted, observing the remaining specks of the retreating Shade. As if staged, their whole clan suddenly turned to look at a crying, wailing Candy, grasped between Silver’s shaking paws. Silver exchanged glances with Crystal, who frowned sadly at the now-whimpering dragon. She felt her own tears welling up, and she blinked them back furiously. [i]I will not cry in front of my clan.[/i]
In a shaky voice, Silver turned and whispered to Candy, “What were you thinking? We can’t lose you like that.”
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]
Chapter Thirty Nine
Silver
When would the Shade ever stop attacking at the most inappropriate moments?
“Stay close to me,” Raven growled as he fired a thick cloud of grey-white magic at the tendrils of Shade swarming around them, inflicting pain on her clan mates as they themselves did it back. Rave just barely healed her, but it was enough to let her see. She remembered seeing nothing when she came to her senses, all she saw was white. She also recalled how angry her mate was a while ago, and she had expected him to explode or even attack Cameron. The fierce side of Raven brought a little shiver in her, an addition to the chills she was already experiencing, from the after-effects of Crystal’s potent Light magic. Although she should feel upset, or even angry, she felt no sense of spite toward Crystal for hurting her.
Silver watched Raven fly up to get a better view of the land, but never too far from her. Silver could move, she could see, but she felt weak. Crystal’s magic was so strong to the point that it left her so dazed despite some healing. Now with the Shade attracted to them due to their little fight, she was even more vulnerable, with only Raven as a shield to protect her. Silver squeezed her eyes shut hard in an attempt to squeeze away the fading light. It did not work. I wonder if I cause such harm to others.
Silver took flight, not wanting to be left on the ground. It was easy. Then she tried to summon some lightning and to her surprise, it worked. Electricity surged through her, but what came out killed her happiness. Dim violet sparks fizzed weakly on her paws before dissipating into nothingness. Silver sighed. “Stay down, and save your energy,” Raven hissed upon noticing her fly by his side, frowning at her wings batting gently in the air. Like a scolded child, she nodded and reluctantly landed back on the ground, keeping an eye out for the Shade. It could and would attack her because she was vulnerable, and had lots of power the Shade would gladly feast on. With this in mind, she began to walk slowly on the grass, fighting the urge to flop back onto the ground. Raven ensured that he was never too far from a paw’s reach, so if the Shade were to ever hurt her, he was just a tap away.
As Silver shuffled on the grass trying to get her bearings, she saw a little flash of black whizz by on her left. She knew instantly that the Shade was after her, and she immediately began to panic. All the chaos of the battle suddenly faded away and only centralized to the tendril. She couldn’t fight back properly to match the Shade’s strength. Silver darted off to the right in panic, at the same time leaping into the air and carrying herself onto her wings. To her dismay, the Shade didn’t give up that easily, rising to her level. “Raven.” Her voice was shaky with fear. She decided to land and run, since running took up less energy than flying. The Shade still pursued, moving at a strangely slow pace. As if it’s taunting me. The black Tundra was too absorbed into his fighting, unable to hear her. “Raven!” she said, louder this time as she began to dash away from the looming scar of black. He finally answered with a blast of white, drowning out the tendril that was chasing her. “You okay?” he asked, eyes scanning her to ensure she was safe. Silver nodded and smiled gratefully. “Maybe you should hide somewhere instead, but not too far in case it attacks you and we’re unable to get to you,” he suggested, earning another nod from Silver. With a bob of her head, she rushed away from the battle, aiming for a grove of trees untouched by the battle. Every step she took seemed to make her feel a little lighter, and she knew she was healing slowly.
But just as she was running toward the cluster of trees, she heard a blood-curdling shriek. Silver whipped her head around in shock, eyes darting around the battlefield to look for the source of the petrified scream. Her dizziness seemed to disappear, replaced by adrenaline. A collage of colours on the ground caught her eye, making her gasp in pure shock. No. No no no. This can’t be happening. A flurry of emotions - anger, fear and sadness - whizzed around her brain, causing tears to spring out and blur her already failing vision.
Bobba, the colourful Tundra, fell limp to the ground, her furry vibrant coat matted. And she never moved after that.
The Shade killed her.
The Shade seemed to realise everyone had stopped to stare at Bobba, and it did a little victory dance, much to Silver’s anger. The tendrils swooped and swerved around the limp dragon, twisting around and eventually rising into the air to form a mini tornado. Silver felt growing anger surge through her, wanting to seek revenge for Bobba against the Shade. Electricity sparked to her claw tips, fuelled by rage, but she wasn’t strong enough to propel a bolt at the triumphant entity. All Silver could do was watch from the grove, eyes narrowed to slits in fury. I just lost a clan mate.
As if things could go any worse, Silver saw the tornado coming for her. All her anger evaporated into cold fear, locking her paws into place. Her eyes widened as she turned her attention to the Shade which whirling quickly to her. Silver hastily summoned a feeble orb of Shadow magic and hurled it to the Shade, but it seemed to do no damage when her dark orb simply ricocheted off the tornado. Her fear seemed to multiply when she saw her futile attacks, making her breath unsteady and shallow. She saw Raven bashing his way to her, his wings catching the air as he took flight and flew to her rescue, readying magic to destroy the Shade cornering her. Silver looked down, bracing for the impact of Raven’s magic when it hit the Shade. But instead of seeing Raven’s white coloured magic overwhelm the darkness of the tornado, Silver saw pastel colours flash past her vision and then a howl rang out.
“COWARD!” Silver heard the pastel figure bellow. She looked up to see Candy, Bobba’s mate, throw himself at the advancing Shade, howling in pain as it killed him slowly in its grasp. His movements slowed as he entered the tornado, wincing in obvious pain. He made no effort to fight back, only standing there as Silver stared in horror, not wanting to lose another clan mate just like that. Gritting her teeth, she fought the weak sensation from the aftermath of Crystal’s powers and mustered her strength, unleashing her blades and lightning and Shadow magic, throwing all she had at the whirlwind of the Shade. “Candy, move away!” she heard Raven shout at the suicidal dragon, his voice clearly showing the same sentiments as Silver. Then he fired his own magic at the evil entity, combined with the other dragons’ attacks. She lunged forward, grabbing Candy who refused to budge by the tail, making him yelp as she shoved him away from the blows of her clan mates.
And just like that, the Shade vanished, dissipating into a fading black cloud. Everyone paused, panting. “It’s gone. But not forever,” Karina, the fierce dragon from Crystal’s first clan noted, observing the remaining specks of the retreating Shade. As if staged, their whole clan suddenly turned to look at a crying, wailing Candy, grasped between Silver’s shaking paws. Silver exchanged glances with Crystal, who frowned sadly at the now-whimpering dragon. She felt her own tears welling up, and she blinked them back furiously. I will not cry in front of my clan.
In a shaky voice, Silver turned and whispered to Candy, “What were you thinking? We can’t lose you like that.”
[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Forty[/size][/b]
[size=5]Crystal[/center]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center]
[font=garamond][size=4]The world froze in a standstill when the Tundra crumpled to the ground. Attacks stopped flying, magic stopped ringing, and even the panicked cries of animals came to a complete halt. Every dragon and familiar simply stopped dead and turned to face the colourful mass of still-warm fur and the wispy Shade curling in a mocking imitation of a victory dance above.
Then just as suddenly as it froze, the world jolted back to action around her, a flurry of colours and moving bodies shrieking, roaring, lunging for the Shade, a kaleidoscope of lights that stretched and coalesced around her, streaking and rushing away like lifelines slipping into the dark abyss that was the Shade. Everything was flowing fast, too fast, and Crystal felt like she was stuck in the time she never wanted to stay in, a still figure in the sea of motion.
Trapped.
The merger had been a promise of better things to come but instead it left her spinning in a neverending spiral of breathlessness, a maelstrom that she couldn’t reverse. Everything was flowing too fast for her to comprehend, so she clung on to her magic and her instincts and just [i]survived[/i]. Everything she could muster came rushing out from her in a single torrential wave, sweeping everything in its path up, up, up, and then down with a mighty crash. Everything seemed to blur and focus into a single grey mass, and she aimed for the centre and sent a flurry of pink bolts like shooting stars, and the world went terrifyingly black and white for a second, and she was there, back in her own skin, unfocused gaze blankly resting on the struggling Spiral.
The truth dawned on her slowly, like feathers slowly drifting down to land on her until they eventually pressed sense into her with their crushing weight. She numbly went about the usual after-battle procedure, mechanical movements carrying her through. [i]We made it through this attack. We can make it through more.[/i] That was the thought that she repeated in her mind like a prayer, a mantra, a silent cry into the universe. Then suddenly a candle in her heart flickered and faded into a wisp of grey smoke, all the colour of the flame no longer visible.
Bobba was [i]dead[/i]. They had lost the first dragon to the Shade.
She tried not to think about it. She really did. But the more she pushed it away, the more it squeezed itself into her thoughts, an errant thread that kept poking its way into the tattered tapestry of her thoughts. [i]Bobba is dead. Candy nearly died. How many more will sacrifice?[/i] In a tauntingly infuriating way, it seemed like a math question that she had been exposed to during her brief stay in the Coatl clan.
[center][i][font=garamond][size=4]If a Coatl has twenty-eight fishes, and he eats one and a half, how many fishes does he have left?[/i][/center]
[font=garamond][size=4]Crystal wanted to scream in frustration. The rapid pace and stress of the recent events threatened to grind her to dust, and the only thing keeping her sanity intact was the promise, no matter how far away, that everything would eventually straighten out. Eventually. Eventually.
[i]Bobba is dead.[/i] Her thoughts were becoming more and more repetitive, a litany of worries and tensions shouting out loud over and over again. Irritably, she pawed at the grass, claws digging deep into the packed earth in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the pressure on her. Her magic started to swirl around her, fuchsia mist that enveloped her in a starry haze. She would have cried had Karina not stepped in.
“Do you want to spar?”
Naturally, Crystal hesitated, remembering the harm she had unintentionally inflicted on Silver. Then she reconsidered. Karina had gone through the trance magic with her, fought by her side. She trusted the warrior’s experience and toughness. “Alright.” As soon as the word left her mouth, Karina was charging at her, slicing a gleaming golden arc through the air as she leapt straight for the white Coatl. Nimbly, Crystal spun out of the way, trailing magenta sparks that crackled at her claws.
Shimmering blows rained down upon one another, both sides clashing time and time again, circling, searching for weak spots. Crystal could feel the tension evaporating from her, bit by bit, vaporising in the heat of battle. Then a gust of cold wind fluttered over her scales, and with a smirk she started to prepare a sneak attack. Quietly, all while dodging Karina’s slashing attacks, she started to absorb the rampant Ice magic no doubt unleashed during the battle with the Shade, and she felt her body temperature drop. Everything seemed in slow-motion as her eyes narrowed with the effort to keep her plans secret.
Then with a snap of her wings she sent a literal blizzard roaring for Karina, icy fractals whirling and merging until they formed a single, glittering fragment. Snarling, the Wildclaw spun away, claws gleaming wickedly in the reflected light, and in a quick, sharp movement the ice shattered, frozen chips raining down like scintillating moonlight rain. The glacial chime of the icicles rang out through the clearing, soft and clear, and Crystal felt a weight in her heart start to lift. Grinning, she charged back towards Karina, fending off attacks from West who had joined the now three-way battle.
In the aftermath of death, the crystal rain began to play a song of hope.[/size]
[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img]
[size=2]@Petall[/center]
Chapter Forty
Crystal
The world froze in a standstill when the Tundra crumpled to the ground. Attacks stopped flying, magic stopped ringing, and even the panicked cries of animals came to a complete halt. Every dragon and familiar simply stopped dead and turned to face the colourful mass of still-warm fur and the wispy Shade curling in a mocking imitation of a victory dance above.
Then just as suddenly as it froze, the world jolted back to action around her, a flurry of colours and moving bodies shrieking, roaring, lunging for the Shade, a kaleidoscope of lights that stretched and coalesced around her, streaking and rushing away like lifelines slipping into the dark abyss that was the Shade. Everything was flowing fast, too fast, and Crystal felt like she was stuck in the time she never wanted to stay in, a still figure in the sea of motion.
Trapped.
The merger had been a promise of better things to come but instead it left her spinning in a neverending spiral of breathlessness, a maelstrom that she couldn’t reverse. Everything was flowing too fast for her to comprehend, so she clung on to her magic and her instincts and just survived. Everything she could muster came rushing out from her in a single torrential wave, sweeping everything in its path up, up, up, and then down with a mighty crash. Everything seemed to blur and focus into a single grey mass, and she aimed for the centre and sent a flurry of pink bolts like shooting stars, and the world went terrifyingly black and white for a second, and she was there, back in her own skin, unfocused gaze blankly resting on the struggling Spiral.
The truth dawned on her slowly, like feathers slowly drifting down to land on her until they eventually pressed sense into her with their crushing weight. She numbly went about the usual after-battle procedure, mechanical movements carrying her through. We made it through this attack. We can make it through more. That was the thought that she repeated in her mind like a prayer, a mantra, a silent cry into the universe. Then suddenly a candle in her heart flickered and faded into a wisp of grey smoke, all the colour of the flame no longer visible.
Bobba was dead. They had lost the first dragon to the Shade.
She tried not to think about it. She really did. But the more she pushed it away, the more it squeezed itself into her thoughts, an errant thread that kept poking its way into the tattered tapestry of her thoughts. Bobba is dead. Candy nearly died. How many more will sacrifice? In a tauntingly infuriating way, it seemed like a math question that she had been exposed to during her brief stay in the Coatl clan.
If a Coatl has twenty-eight fishes, and he eats one and a half, how many fishes does he have left?
Crystal wanted to scream in frustration. The rapid pace and stress of the recent events threatened to grind her to dust, and the only thing keeping her sanity intact was the promise, no matter how far away, that everything would eventually straighten out. Eventually. Eventually.
Bobba is dead. Her thoughts were becoming more and more repetitive, a litany of worries and tensions shouting out loud over and over again. Irritably, she pawed at the grass, claws digging deep into the packed earth in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the pressure on her. Her magic started to swirl around her, fuchsia mist that enveloped her in a starry haze. She would have cried had Karina not stepped in.
“Do you want to spar?”
Naturally, Crystal hesitated, remembering the harm she had unintentionally inflicted on Silver. Then she reconsidered. Karina had gone through the trance magic with her, fought by her side. She trusted the warrior’s experience and toughness. “Alright.” As soon as the word left her mouth, Karina was charging at her, slicing a gleaming golden arc through the air as she leapt straight for the white Coatl. Nimbly, Crystal spun out of the way, trailing magenta sparks that crackled at her claws.
Shimmering blows rained down upon one another, both sides clashing time and time again, circling, searching for weak spots. Crystal could feel the tension evaporating from her, bit by bit, vaporising in the heat of battle. Then a gust of cold wind fluttered over her scales, and with a smirk she started to prepare a sneak attack. Quietly, all while dodging Karina’s slashing attacks, she started to absorb the rampant Ice magic no doubt unleashed during the battle with the Shade, and she felt her body temperature drop. Everything seemed in slow-motion as her eyes narrowed with the effort to keep her plans secret.
Then with a snap of her wings she sent a literal blizzard roaring for Karina, icy fractals whirling and merging until they formed a single, glittering fragment. Snarling, the Wildclaw spun away, claws gleaming wickedly in the reflected light, and in a quick, sharp movement the ice shattered, frozen chips raining down like scintillating moonlight rain. The glacial chime of the icicles rang out through the clearing, soft and clear, and Crystal felt a weight in her heart start to lift. Grinning, she charged back towards Karina, fending off attacks from West who had joined the now three-way battle.
In the aftermath of death, the crystal rain began to play a song of hope.
Tirtouga | FR +16 | she/her
