Creative Corner

[columns][item=Dried Flowers][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 15[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]Writing[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- "May I sit with you?" Azami paused as she approached Doodle, stopping a respectful distance away from the nocturne who was curled up in front of the fire as she watched Brush and Sketch tumble about on the other side of the room. As Azami approached, she lifted her head and smiled at the larger dragon, nodding her head and gesturing to her side with a claw. "Of course!" Azami returned Doodle's smile and settled herself down beside her, sighing softly as she got comfortable, resting her head on her claws as she turned her gaze to Doodle's brothers herself. "You've travelled a lot haven't you?" Doodle asked, causing Azami to look up at her for a moment. "I have. I've travelled all the way from the Sunbeam Ruins, through the Shifting Expanse and the Ashfall Waste, even spending some time in the Sea of a Thousand Currents." She replied, smiling softly as she thought back on her travels. "Do all guardians travel as far as you to find their Charge?" Doodle asked curiously, wondering if Azami had travelled a long way for a guardian or not. "Some travel much further, sometimes even for years before they find their Charge. Though some find their Charges close to home and have no travel involved in their Search." Azami explained, smiling a little as she thought about her own Search, and the journey she'd taken to get here. "So, will you continue your Search? Or have you found your Charge?" Doodle grew a little hesitant at this question, almost not wanting an answer in case Azami was going to leave them. Azami paused before she responded to Doodle, not yet wanting to admit who her Charges were. "My charge is here, I can feel it. Though I'm not certain what it is yet. I suppose time will tell." She eventually settled for saying, giving Doodle a soft smile. "So you will be staying here?" "If you and your brothers are happy for me to stay, then yes." Doodle smiled happily, turning her gaze back to her brothers who were locked together as they wrestled, Brush's mouth clamped down firmly on Sketch's tail as he held Brush's legs tightly in his grip. "I'm happy for you to stay, and I think my brothers are too." Doodle replied happily, Azami smiling herself at the response. "We like your company." "Thank you." Azami lowered her head shyly at the compliment, still smiling softly. She would be happy here with the siblings, and hoped they'd be happy with her too. Though if Doodle was any indication to go by, she knew all three of them would be pleased for her to stay, and she had no intentions of ever leaving. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Biography[/b][/u][/size] [size=4][i]Azami[/i][/size][/center] Azami found Brush, Doodle and Sketch while they were still searching for a place to make into their permanent home. She herself was on her Search for her Charge, though unbeknownst to the three siblings, she realised not long after meeting them that they were her Charge, or Charges to be more accurate. Though she didn't want to be overbearingly protective, and knew that they were a little wary of her at first, she hasn't told them that they are her charges, and she's well aware they can protect themselves. Still, she was grateful when the siblings let her stay with them and since then, she's lent a claw wherever she could to help them whilst also making sure they're as protected as they can be. Azami is a very softly spoken dragon, and a gentle giant; violence is a last resort for her, though she'd do anything to protect her Charges. And while she's older than the three siblings, she's happy to defer to them to make decisions and lead the way. Azami is closest with Doodle out of the three siblings, despite being close with all three of them and the two enjoying sitting together and chatting while Brush and Sketch are, more often than not, off play fighting with each other. While she's still young and inexperienced, Azami isn't entirely sure in her capabilities to protect her Charges, and it's a blow to her confidence at the moment, though she hopes she'll get better with training and practice. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] I really was stuck for inspiration on what to write today! Though as I wrote Azami's biography, I decided to show a little more of her and Doodle's relationship, as I've sort of decided the two would be quite close, and I realised I haven't really shown much of a relationship between the two yet. And as for the art for day 12, I think I might try my hand at drawing their home in the tree, though I can't guarantee it'll be any good. I'm objectively worse at scenes/backgrounds/landscapes than I am at dragons, but I'll give it a go and upload it when it's done.

[columns][item=Scholar][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 16[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]No Death Streak[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- With the building of their new home complete, the small group of dragons decided to take it easy the next few days, spending the time relaxing in their new home, and getting to know each other a little better as they enjoyed the safety of a new home. The weather had turned colder again, and a few flakes of snow drifted down from the sky, though didn't stay long before melting and it seemed all the denizens of the woods were doing the same as they were; hunkering down inside and keeping warm. Logically, they knew they wouldn't be able to relax like this forever, if nothing else they'd need to go out and get food, but Sketch and Brush were particularly interested in exploring the woods around their tree, learning more about the land and hoping to maybe find some new friends, or a nearby neighbouring lair. But for now, they rested, enjoying the warmth and each other's company. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] No death streak is good for keeping dragons alive, but terrible for providing inspiration for writing! But I am glad they're all still alive, and I'd quite like another dragon to have to join them, though we'll have to wait and see what Pinkerton gives me in the future.

[columns][item=Dayglo Thresh][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 17[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]10-20 Battles[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- Azami had decided she wanted to start doing her bit in protecting the siblings and their home, knowing that while they could protect themselves, she herself had a duty and right now she knew she wasn't very strong. So she spent the day training with Brush and Doodle. Brush taught Azami everything he knew while Doodle mostly hung around in case of accidental injuries, though she had a few tips and pointers of her own to give as Azami trained. Azami was a fast learner, and quickly picked up on the techniques the siblings were teaching her, though much more practice would be needed for her to really reach her true potential. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] I took Brush, Doodle and Azami into the Woodland Path today to get Azami trained up a little and I got through all 20 battles with no incidents. Though Brush and Doodle are nearly level 7 which is concerning for any upcoming death streaks Pinkerton might have for me!

[columns][item=Dragonhorn Coral][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 18[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]Writing[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- As the weather grew colder in the air, Azami began explaining to the siblings about the elemental festivals that were often held throughout many clans, and that as the weather reached its coldest across all of Sornieth, even in the Ashfall Waste, that's when the Crystalline Gala was held. A celebration of the Icewarden and his subjects, and all the good that can come from the cold and the ice. The siblings were fascinated with this knowledge, and wanted to learn more about all the different celebrations there were, though Azami explained she wasn't the best person to teach them about the other elements, coming from the Sunbeam Ruins and the Lighweaver's domain, she best knew about the light festival. Though with more pestering from the siblings, she explained what she knew about how her clan used to celebrate the various elemental holidays, including the Crystalline Gala. ----- ----- Azami shook herself awake as the morning sun broke through the leaves and with a sigh and a heave, she stood herself up, stretching her legs and wings as she yawned widely. She'd been traveling for a number of weeks since she'd embarked on her Search, the farewells and well wishes of her family and old clan still ringing in her ears, even after all this time. Of course, while she hadn't been searching all that long, and had only visited a few of the domains in Sornieth, she did wonder if she'd ever find her Charge. A tireless journey, most guardian's called it. Though Azami couldn't help but think that wasn't very accurate as she yawned widely again, sitting down as she continued trying to shrug off her tiredness. Constantly traveling certainly was very tiring, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss a warm cave to curl up and sleep in at the end of a day. Yawning for a third time, Azami turned her gaze upwards to the canopy of leaves and bamboo shoots above her. The Windswept Plateau and its denizens were the latest on the list of her travels, having headed through The Sea of a Thousand Currents, The Shifting Expanse and The Ashfall Waste prior to reaching the Windsinger's domain, each more different and diverse than the last. Really, her time in The Sea of a Thousand Currents was short; she'd only gone briefly to pay homage to her ancestors home, and to wonder where the Tidelord might've gone. Of course, Azami had been born under the Lightweaver's protection and with natural light magic flowing through her, but The Sea of a Thousand Currents was her ancestral home and the Tidelord the deity who created guardians. The loss of the Tidelord, while the event happened before her birth, wasn't only felt by the dragons living in his domain. It was felt by guardians and water dragons all over Sornieth, and Azami had grown up hearing of worries and thoughts of where the water deity might've gone. Though as she'd felt no instinctual pull to a Charge in the Tidelord's domain, she'd moved on, making her way into the Shifting Expanse and then the Ashfall Waste. Both lacked in giving her any kind of pull towards a Charge, despite both being fascinating places she'd have loved to stay longer in, but the nature of the Search was ongoing until she found her Charge and her days of wandering were over. Azami tilted her head slightly as she listened to the birdsong, enjoying just sitting there and listening, even if she'd need to begin traveling soon enough. But the singing of the birds, and the gentle whispering of the even present breezes through leaves and grass, was a beautiful sound to hear, and wonderfully calming. It was no surprise to her, sitting here like this, that the Windsinger's children were so carefree and peaceful when they had this ever present soundtrack to listen to from birth. Though she couldn't sit here forever, and the instinctual pull to keep searching roused Azami from her daydreams, pulling her to her feet and with a shake, she stretched her wings out, flapping them once, then once again in preparation for another day's flying. Humming softly she looked up into the canopy of the trees, realising she'd have to exit the forest on foot, having wandered into it on foot the night before. The branches above her were too densely packed for a dragon of her size to take off and make it through without incident. Sighing, she folded her wings back in close to her body and set off walking through the trees, deciding that although she enjoyed flying, listening to the natural music around her was a fair trade for walking on foot. Though as she continued, she paused, hearing voices through the trees, and accompanying those voices was a strong pull, stronger than anything else she'd ever felt in her life. Continuing towards the source of the voices, she broke through the trees into a small clearing, blinking in surprise at the sight of three small nocturnes closely huddled together. "Who are you?" One of the three nocturnes called out, his body purple and his wings a lovely dark green. Azami gently lowered herself down, knowing she was much larger than the three nocturnes and she didn't want to scare them more than they already were. "I'm Azami. I'm not going to hurt you." ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] I quite enjoyed working in some FR lore into this, it's not really something I've ever done in great detail to any of my lore dragons. I'm a wind clan and the Tidelord's disappearance happened (if I remember correctly) before I joined, so I only really got into the whole lore of it not that long ago. In hindsight, I should have probably used today's writing prompt to write more about the story progression, though I'd already started on what I posted here. But I'll likely use this idea in the future for when Pinkerton gives me another day of writing, so you'll get to see this idea written out too :D And I know it's been a while since day 12's art prompt, but without getting into too much detail I've been going through a rough patch so motivation for drawing or anything like that has been low. Hopefully, things seem to be looking up a little more for me so I hope to have it done soon, or at least get it started sooner rather than later.

[columns][item=Micro Deer][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 19[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]40-50 Battles[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- The day that dawned was bright and sunny, although still cold as the chilled breezes continued to blow in from the Southern Icefield. Wanting to continue her training, Azami asked the siblings if they'd be willing to train with her some more, and Brush and Doodle accepted, the three heading out to train among the trees and bamboo. And after a day of intense training, Azami, Doodle and Brush were exhausted and the three ended up curled up fast asleep in front of the fire, Sketch soon joining them as he didn't want to miss out on a nap. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] All 50 battles went smoothly in the Woodland Path, though there was one tense battle near the beginning where Brush took every hit in a round with a crit and got quite low for a brief spell until Doodle healed him up. Azami ended up reaching level 6 and unfortunately Brush and Doodle tipped over into level 7, meaning that currently any death streaks will happen in the Scorched Forest, but at least everyone is a similar level for now.

[columns][item=Blue Racer][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 20[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]40-50 Battles[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- "Hold on, I think I see something over there." Azami called out, breathing a little heavily from the training she, Doodle and Sketch had been doing. The afternoon sun was lighting up the forest in a warm glow, despite the constant chill in the air, and the ever present gentle breezes were blowing gently through the branches. Doodle and Sketch paused themselves as they glanced over to where Azami was looking, but not before looking at each other with a slightly concerned expression. They were wary of being ambushed by angry and territorial creatures, though they knew they were stronger now than they had been. Azami slowly headed through the trees, pausing as she heard a rustle of leaves. After a few moments, and after the rustling had died down, she continued forwards, gently pushing the branches back. A burst of pink feathers and screeching filled the air and Azami leapt back as behind her both Doodle and Sketch readied themselves for whatever it was that Azami had uncovered. Once she'd recovered from the initial shock, Azami headed forwards again, this time more determined. And when the screeching and the occasional talon swipe came out from the branches this time she was prepared and able to deflect the attacks with ease. Looking down she caught sight of a very pink owl, clearly disgruntled and one wing held awkwardly beside its body. "Oh, you're hurt. Can I pick you up? I'm not going to hurt you, I want to help you." Azami said, gently extending a claw forwards, though pausing as the owl screeched at her again. "Please let me help you." She murmured softly, slowly moving her claw forwards again once the owl had calmed down. This time the owl let Azami gently scoop it up in her claws, albeit slightly disgruntled. "What is it?" Doodle called out, curiosity finally getting the better of her as she moved a little closer to Azami. "An owl. A sakura owl, I think. And it's hurt." Azami explained, turning to reveal the owl to Doodle and Sketch. Doodle gently approached as Sketch craned his neck from afar to look at the owl in Azami's claws. "Maybe I could try healing it." Doodle suggested, though really she had no idea what she was doing when it came to animals. She'd only ever had to patch up dragons before. Azami shook her head with a small smile. "Thank you, but it's alright. I've seen familiar injuries treated before in my old clan. I think I can manage." Doodle would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved that Azami turned down her offer. "Well, let's get it inside then." She suggested, flapping her wings and rising into the air, Sketch and Azami following suit. Once inside, Azami set to work busying about the sakura owl, gently cleaning a few scrapes and scratches, and bandaging up the wing. And once she'd done, the owl looked incredibly disgruntled, all its feathers puffed up in annoyance, but it was also much calmer and clearly not in as much pain as it had been before. "Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need for your wing to heal, and I'll make sure I look after you all that time." Azami said with a smile as she cleaned away the supplies she'd used. After a small pause, the owl hooted softly causing Azami to smile happily in response. "And if you do want to stay longer, I'd love for you to be my familiar." Another softly hooted response. "Well in that case I suppose I should give you a name. How about... Blossom?" ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] I was training with Doodle, Sketch and Azami in the Woodland Forest today. Doodle got to level 8 and both Sketch and Azami made it to level 7. I also got a lot of familiar drops, but only decided to give one to any of the dragons, a Sakura Owl to Azami. And that's how I'll mostly be giving these dragons their official familiars, is through familiar drops in the coliseum. I might occasionally give them the Pinkerton familiar, but we'll see. And all dragons are ready to go into the Scorched Forest, though I think I'll wait until I have a day of 10-20 battles before I head in there.

[columns][item=Jar of Side Scales][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 21[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]Writing[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- As the weather grew colder, perhaps in preparation for the Crystalline Gala, the small clan of dragons spend the day inside warming themselves by the fire and playing games with one another. Only Azami didn't join in as many of the games, instead looking after her familiar to make sure it was well looked after and its injuries were healing nicely, slowly growing closer with Blossom at the same time. And while the day was uneventful, it was peaceful and pleasant. ----- ----- "It'll be the start of the Crystalline Gala soon." Azami said with a smile as she noticed her breath fogging as she breathed out. "The crystal what?" Sketch asked, frowning over at Azami while shivering at a sudden gust of cold air. "The Crystalline Gala. It's the ice flight's festival." Azami explained a little more as she lifted a log up, the three siblings diving forwards onto the bugs below, scooping them up into small satchels ready to take back home. "The ice flight has a festival?" Doodle asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked over at Azami, moving back so the log could be placed back down now all the insects had fled or been gathered up. Azami smiled at the siblings and their looks of confusion and bewilderment. "Not just the ice flight, but all the different flights. I can explain them a little more to you if you want. Once we get back, of course." Azami chuckled softly as she watched her breath again. It was far too cold to stand outside talking. Though, obviously not as cold as the Southern Icefield, but plenty cold enough. A chorus of agreement rose from the siblings, causing Azami to chuckle again and the small group turned back towards their home, taking their spoils of bug hunting back with them with the intent of getting warm and cozy once they were back. It took a little while longer to get the stash of bugs locked away securely, and then the fire lit and warming the main room, but once everyone was settled, Sketch snacking on a couple of daddy longlegs, Azami was ready to continue her explanation. "As you know, there are 11 different flights in Sornieth, each with a different deity reigning and protecting. And in the past, these 11 different flights used to fight terribly, until the world grew weary of war and peace was achieved." Azami paused. "Mostly. In an attempt to keep this time of peace, it was decided that when the natural conditions matched that of a particular flight, then a celebration would be held. The Flameforger's Festival in the height of summer, when the sun is blazing and temperatures soar across the lands. The Mistral Jamboree when winds, both strong and weak, race across the whole world, making soaring through the skies a breeze. And the Crystalline Gala when the whole of Sornieth is at its coldest, even in places like the Ashfall Waste." "And what's the point of these festivals?" Sketch mumbled around a mouthful of spider. "To celebrate all that is good within each flight. And to honour the deity that rules over them." Azami paused thoughtfully for a moment. "And, for dragons who have moved away from their place of birth to remember home, and the family they left behind." "So what's good about the ice flight?" Brush asked, not out of malice, but ignorance, and Azami knew this. "I'm not an expert, but I'm told the ice holds secrets, ancient beings slumber within the ice, and the ice keeps us safe from those beings. At least, that's what I was told in my old clan." She explained. "So you celebrated the Crystalline Gala in your old clan too?" Doodle asked, intrigued and excited at all this new information she was learning. "Oh yes, we celebrated all the different flights' festivals." Azami responded, smiling as she remembered the festivities that used to take place. "Can you tell us what it was like?" Doodle leant forwards excitedly, eager to hear what Azami had to say. "Of course! Listen closely, and I'll tell you what they all were like. For a hatchling, they really were the most spectacular and wonderful events to happen..." ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] And so we had the writing idea that I had a couple of days ago. I'm looking forwards to this years Crystalline Gala, though I look forwards to all of the flight festivals! :D I might continue this at some point, not only did I start it late so I didn't have much time to finish writing before rollover, but I didn't want to make it ridiculously long either. So breaking this up into smaller chunks might be fun. I also might try writing about Azami's experience of the festivities from a different perspective, and it might be fun to save each one for each of the different festivals. Assuming Pinkerton gives me materials at the right times, and this doesn't end before we get through all the festivals! It'll also give me time to brush up on my lore of all the various flights :D

[columns][item=Celestine][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 22[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]Writing[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- The first few flakes of snow of the winter began falling from the sky in the late afternoon, driving Brush and Sketch back inside from their exploration of the surrounding forest. Brush wasn't keen on the cold or the snow, but being a fire dragon Sketch was particularly repulsed by the cold weather, and almost horrified when the snow started falling. Azami later found him, his face pressed to the window, as he glared out at the snow. Doodle found the falling snow almost magical, though she much prefered to stay by the fire keeping warm, even if the snowfall was barely enough to lightly coat the ground, green grass still poking through the white coating. And despite their various reactions and subsequent feelings to the growing cold and the falling snow, the three siblings couldn't deny that they were all hugely excited to see their first Crystalline Gala, and hear the stories Azami promised she'd tell them, at least the ones she remembered. ----- ----- The Crystalline Gala was always a sight to behold. Towering ice sculptures, created by the ice dragons most skilled in their natural element, soared high into the air depicting scenes and stories from the Ice flight's history. With help from shadow dragons, Shade-touched beings were trapped within the ice, while gaolers patrolled and guarded, some even battling the horrific creatures. These stories carved into the ice were often accompanied by tales around a campfire, tales of the Icewarden and his children, both the tundras and the gaolers that preceded them. And of their ongoing mission to battle the Shade away, protecting the lands of Sornieth. For the goal of the goalers and the Icewarden was not to simply protect the Southern Icefield, but to protect all of Sornieth and dragonkind from the evil that was the Shade. And the reason for the ice was simple. Trap the Shade-touched beings within the depths of the ice and keep them there for all eternity. Of course, in later years with the reappearance of the ancient dragons, of gaolers and banescales, more stories came to light. Stories that had perhaps been intentionally forgotten. Though, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors, the modern dragons who heard these stories from the ancients began telling them alongside the ancient traditional stories. While all the elemental festivals are times of peace and celebrations, with growing unrest in the world many of the dragons feel the need to share the stories of their ancient counterparts, to perhaps learn and grow from these mistakes. The ice sculpture towers and the stories depicted and told were not the only elements of the Crystalline Gala. After all, it is a period of celebration, and how better to celebrate than with the traditional foods found and eaten in the Southern Icefield. And the stories of the ancients were not the only stories to be told. Often times the tales of the clan were told alongside the well known tales, told around a roaring bonfire with the ice glimmering in the background. And these stories often held their own knowledge to impart to the young hatchlings who would listen wide-eyed at the amazing and fantastical tales of their ancestors, both from their clan and the original ice dragons and the Icewarden himself. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] And Pinkerton blessed me with another material, so more writing to be had! This is kind of a description what your generic Crystalline Gala would be like, though obviously every clan does their celebration differently. And I think the next time I get the chance to do some writing (hoping it falls actually during the week of the Crystalline Gala to make this perfect) I'll describe how our little clan here holds their first Crystalline Gala. Tbh, I'm getting really into the lore of fr. I've always been pretty interested in it, but with this I really have a motivation to weave it into a story, though in some aspects that can be what a Pinkerlocke (or Nuzlocke) is about :D So while this was rather generic and not very centered on our little clan, I'm really enjoying myself and I hope you're all enjoying reading it!

[columns][item=Scarlet Yuccaweave][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 23[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]Writing[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- The day began with the small clan deciding to start getting their home ready for their fist Crystalline Gala, a task that started with dividing up the jobs between the dragons. Despite being a fire dragon, and his hatred of cold, Sketch had insisted on making the ice sculptures, something no one had been able to talk him out of. Brush had instantly leapt on the idea of making mountains of paper decorations, a task he demanded Azami help him with, once she'd fetched some ice for the ice sculptures. And that left Doodle to try making some traditional ice flight meals, as traditional as Azami could remember them anyway. And so the small clan got to work, beginning to prepare themselves for their first Crystalline Gala, and first ever elemental holiday. ----- ----- "I'm not sure I'm doing this right." Sketch frowned as he backed off from the lump of rapidly melting ice in front of him. Crude shapes had been hacked out of the ice and a puddle was forming on the floor around it. "Well, for a start I think it should be moved away from the fire." Doodle commented, looking up from the recipe she was trying to put together. Sketch scowled over at her. "It's ice, Sketch. It'll melt in no time next to those flames." Grumbling and muttering under his breath, Sketch hoisted the chunk of ice into his arms and moved it away from the fire. "Better?" Doodle glanced up again. "It still looks like it's melting." "Oh shut up." "How's the ice carving going?" Azami called out as she walked into the room, paper chains of blue and white paper streaming from her back and wings, and even more paper decorations clutched in her claws. Behind her, Brush followed, brandishing a whole ream of different coloured papers, beaming from ear to ear. "It's melting." Sketch announced grumpily as he looked over at Azami. "Well... maybe that's because it's so small. I tried to find a big chunk of ice, but I had to carry it back with me, and most of the ice floes have melted by the time they reach the shores of the Windswept Plateau." Azami said apologetically. "He also had it too close to the fire." Doodle piped up, grinning as Sketch glared over at her. "That'd also cause it to melt." Azami agreed with a chuckle before she turned to Brush. "Wanna start hanging these up?" "Oh hell yeah!" Brush grabbed the end of a paper chain and soared up to the roof, the paper decoration streaming behind him. Once reaching the roof he hovered for a few moments before diving back down and beginning to rummage in a toolbox, tossing the unwanted tools aside. Meanwhile Azami gently untangled herself from the various paper decorations she was covered in and moved closer to Sketch, as Brush once again soared up with the paper decorations fluttering behind him. "This is awful." Sketch grumbled as Azami approached. Giving him a gentle smile, she looked over the attempted ice sculpture. With how rapidly the ice was melting, any semblance of dragons or monsters had long since gone, replaces with ever softening curves. "This is only your first attempt. And you are working with your natural opposite element. Perhaps it maybe wasn't the best idea for you to try the ice sculpture." Sketch grumbled and muttered under his breath again. "I could always go out and get some more ice if you wanted to try again." Azami offered with a gentle smile. With a dramatic sigh, Sketch flopped to the floor, lying in a heap not unlike the ice block melting beside him. Azami chuckled softly. "We could also leave it there for today and try again tomorrow. There's still a couple of days before the Crystalline Gala officially begins, so you've got a few more attempts to get it right." She said, scooping Sketch up and forming him back into a dragon-like shape, prodding him a couple of times to stop him from flopping straight back down to the floor. "Eugh." Azami chuckled again, though turned as she heard a screech from behind her. Looking around, Brush had somehow got himself completely tangled in the paper chains and decorations, though Doodle had got to her feet to free her brother from his chains. "Well, for the rest of today you could always help Brush or Doodle." Azami suggested, turning back to Sketch who flopped around dramatically a little more. "Or you could come out hunting with me. We're running a little low on meat supplies." Sketch pouted for a few moments as he thought, though at a glance over at the still hopelessly tangled Brush, and Doodle trying her best to free him without destroying the decorations, he looked back at Azami. "Hunting sounds good." He agreed with a grin. "Great. Then let's go." ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] At this rate I'm going to run out of things to write about! I've got no new dragons coming in, nothing exciting happening in any of the battles and Pinkerton keeps giving me writing prompts! If he keeps on giving me materials, I might have to save the writing prompts for a little later until I have something to write about. Because I don't really want to write about all the different festivals now, I think it'll be nicer to write about them during the months those festivals take place. But we'll see what tomorrow brings. Though having said all that, I did enjoy writing today's little piece. Especially Sketch's dramatics :D

[columns][item=Powerful Serthis Poison][nextcol][color=transparent]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][nextcol][size=7][b][u]Day 24[/u][/b][/size][/columns] [right][size=2][i]Writing[/i][/size][/right] ----- ----- With one more day before the start of the Crystalline Gala, the little clan spent the day finishing off decorating their home. Doodle had finished an array of what Azami believed to be traditional ice flight dishes, dishes which her brothers could barely stop themselves from eating. Brush finished off decorating the rooms with his fancy paper decorations, flying all over the place and making sure they were firmly fixed in place, as Sketch eventually managed to finish an ice sculpture. It was rough and not very beautiful but there were clearly dragons carved from the ice, and even something that vaguely resembled a prison. It had been placed on the landing platform to stop it from melting too quickly, and Sketch was enormously proud of his work. Azami had spent the day gathering more food, in case of any visitors; a common occurrence during the flight festivals, and then writing down the stories she could remember from her old clan, wanting to have then written down so she wouldn't stumble over any of her words while reading them out. Of course, the best storytellers knew the stories off copy, but she wasn't a storyteller. But she was the only one in the clan who even knew the stories. So that job was hers. And as snow began falling from the sky once more, the dragons drifted to sleep, their home fully decorated and excited for the start of their first Crystalline Gala. ----- ----- Doodle squinted as she saw a flash of blue on the ground below, darting between the scarce trees and frozen over ponds. Glancing up at the others flying in front of her, she hesitated before swooping down lower to try and get a closer look at whatever it was she’d seen. Gently, she alighted on the ground, beside a small copse of trees and a pond that had ice and a light dusting of snow covering the surface. Breathing out, her breath fogged in front of her face as she glanced around, trying to catch sight of something, anything. After a few moments of waiting, Doodle glanced back up into the skies, seeing her brothers and Azami flying even further away from her, having not yet noticed she’d stopped. Of course she knew the way back home, but she also knew it wasn’t particularly safe out her all on her own. With a sigh, she flapped her powerful wings and prepared to rise up into the air. Though before she could gain any altitude, she froze as a flash of icy blue darted across the frozen pond. The ice beneath its feet splintered and cracked apart, sending a winter hare tumbling into the freezing water below.??“Oh…!” Doodle gasped softly as she watched the creature, having sunk into the water itself, dip its head below the surface and after a brief struggle, it lifted its head back up, the limp body of the winter hare held in its mouth. Only then did the creature seem to notice Doodle, pausing and staring straight at her, both dragon and creature locked in eye contact. And there they both stayed, until Doodle found her voice, and gently lowered her wings back down to rest beside her body. “Hello there, I’m Doodle.” She announced in a gentle voice after clearing her throat. The creature flared the fins along its back and snorted in response, pawing its foot in the icy water with a splash.??“I don’t want to hurt you, maybe we could be friends?” Doodle knew it was just a creature, though she also knew some creatures were intelligent to understand common draconian, even if they couldn’t speak it. Maybe this was one of those creatures. As the creature continued to stare at her, Doodle decided to take a step forwards, gently reaching out a claw. She knew she needed to catch up with the others, but she wanted to befriend this creature, if she could. The creature took a hesitant step back itself as Doodle approached, causing her to pause. Frowning she wondered what she could do to try and gain its trust. All she had on her was a few leftovers from the festival food she and the others had got at the Trading Post earlier that day. Reaching into a small bag strapped around her middle, Doodle pulled out a small handful of shrimp and placed it down on a section of ice that hadn’t been broken up by the creature’s attack. “It’s for you. I want to be friends.” Doodle explained with a smile, before backing off from the creature. Once Doodle had backed off a respectable distance, the creature slowly moved forwards, gently placing the hare down as it sniffed at the shrimp before beginning to eagerly eat it. Doodle smiled happily. She hadn’t been particularly keen on the shrimp in the first place, so at least it was going to a good cause here. ??“You know, if you come with me, I can give you treats like that more often.” Doodle suggested hopefully once the creature had finished eating, licking its lips in a satisfied manner. Tilting its head slightly, it gazed at Doodle with an almost curious expression, and she waited with bated breath, hoping the response would be good. After a few more moments of pause, it gathered up the hare and she thought that was that, it was going to turn and run off into the copse with its prize. Though to her great delight, it stepped closer, and as she reached out a claw, it didn’t shy away and she was able to gently stroke the creature.??“This is fantastic! Come on, I’ll show you the way home!” Doodle flapped her wings and rose up into the air, hovering a few meters off the ground as the creature watched her curiously. “This way, you’ll love it, I promise!” She said, grinning from ear to ear and turning in the direction of home, glancing back to see that the creature was trotting after her. Of course, if this creature stayed, she supposed she should name it. And after a few moments of thought, the perfect name came to her. She'd call it Shatter. ----- ----- [center][size=5][u][b]Pinglist[/b][/u][/size] @Sightlesz @Naxxar[/center] And even more creative writing. I really don't know what to do for this at this point, so I'm going to wait a day or two and see if any inspiration strikes. But as always, I'll continue writing the little bits of progression, even if nothing really happens in them. Edit: added on the writing I did, which turned out being Doodle meeting her familiar, a bluefin charger. This actually takes place on Day 25 when the group are returning from the Trading Post as that's when the familiar dropped in the coli for me.