Creative Corner

[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] Introduction [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] ----- [/center] [size=4][b][i][emoji=peacock feather] About the author[/i][/b][/size] [indent]Hello! I joined Flight Rising very recently after hearing so much about it from my dear friend @Petall over the last couple of years. I held out as long as I could, only because I knew I would dive in headfirst as soon as I joined. And oh boy, have I ever! I've spent the last month gathering dragons with the seed of a story lingering in the back of my head, and it's finally to put that down in writing somewhere. I don't know how often I'll be able to update because I do work full-time, but I'm hoping this will be a nice creative outlet to get the writing juices flowing. I am a nature lover at heart, as most of my friends can testify, so of course I joined the Nature flight for my first foray into this site. And oh, it's so nice to build a story where I'm comfortable in my element (pun intended).[/indent] [size=4][b][i][emoji=scroll 2] About the story[/i][/b][/size] [indent]As with everything I do, I started diving in and researching the site history and lore. I already knew I wanted to play with the idea of the harshness of the wilds, but I wasn't sure if there was precedent for Nature being a gentle flight. Then I read about [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/wiki/wiki/article/chapter-3-the-third-age]The Third Age[/url], and saw the ebb and flow between Nature and Plague that was baked into the history of the dragons. It took a bit for me to find [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=wiki&article=99]The Seed and the Sickness[/url]. But oh, once I did? Any concerns I had about touching on Nature's viciousness left me. I saw the [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/world-map?poi=76&view=land&viewpin=true]Pox Consulate[/url] on the World Map and knew exactly where my dear dragons would find their home.[/indent] [size=4][i][b][emoji=acorn] About the dragons[/b][/i][/size] [indent]I have a few groups of dragons within the clan that I already have ideas for. Please note that I will also be diverging from site canon for many of these characters! [LIST] [*][b]The Keepers[/b] - The founding members of the clan. Those tasked with the care and fortification of the grounds. [*][b]The Hive[/b] - The bees and fireflies and beetles. Their spirits are strong and they spend their days making gifts of what little kindness Nature shows them. [*][b]The Watchers[/b] - Those above, watching Something Stir in the apiary below. [/LIST] I may end up with more groups, but these are it for now! I will add them to the corresponding character listings as they are introduced to the story. [/indent]

[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] Pinglist [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] ----- [pinglist=44882] [/center]

[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] Table of Contents [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] ----- [/center]

[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] The Keepers [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] ----- [columns] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/100371101][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/1003712/100371101.png[/img][/url] [nextcol][color=transparent]_______________[/color][center] [size=4][b]Galatea[/b][/size] [i]The Anchor[/i] [nextcol] [i]A carefully mended statue rests in a clearing. A pulse of magic runs through the cracks left in the stone. The statue cannot speak. It has no flesh or greenery. Still, when the shadows fall and the stars shine just right, one cannot help but see a smirk on its lips and a flash of knowledge in its eyes. [/i] [/columns]

[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] The Hive [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] ----- [/center]

[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] The Watchers [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] ----- [/center]

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[center] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_3395423]Introduction[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370706]Table of Contents[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370708]Keepers[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370709]Hive[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370710]Watchers[/url] | | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3395423#post_58370705]Pinglist[/url] | ----- [size=7][b][emoji=bramble][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=amber mosquito] Prologue [emoji=amber mosquito][emoji=glimmer tile][emoji=bramble][/b][/size=7] [size=5][i]The Beast & The Bramble[/i][/size] ----- [/center] [center][i]The rot is not kind. It shows no care or sympathy for life. All the rot knows is to spread itself farther - to break skin and claim the remaining nutrients of a creature for itself. The rot knows not of pity or sorrow; its only concern is growing stronger to survive. The rot would sooner claim its own brethren if it meant it got a moment longer to fight. And when the rot finally moves on, it will not turn back to thank the ruin left in its wake.[/i][/center] A hungry seed wakes in the belly of the beast that first ate it. A radicle breaks free of its shell, searching for the soil it knows must be nearby. It must root. It must grow. Instead, it finds itself on the edge of a small pool of liquid in a small cavern. Maybe once, the cavern was a stomach. Maybe once, the pool was made of roiling acids. But now, the root can safely drink in this place. It finds enough nutrients in the sludge to facilitate its search for sun and ground, and a second root joins the first, snaking through the cavern until it finds a wall. The wall yields to the root’s might. The growth digs through flesh instead of soil, and it revels in the sustenance this body provides. Maybe soil is not worth the trouble, it thinks to itself. It does not know what thoughts are yet. The plant redirects its efforts inwards instead. It will claim whatever the bestial biome has left. It will grow strong on the remnants of marrow and sinew. It will- The root finds another root. It stops just short of this new competitor, confused. This new root does not feel like kin. The growing plant takes a millisecond to consider whether to change directions before deciding it will not be a cowardly type of thing. It burrows through the center of its find. [i]Pain.[/i] The dead beast and the growing plant convulse as root meets nerve. Electrical signals pass between them, screaming [i]why why why why [b]why[/b][/i]. Roots sprout stems and branches, hoping to escape by force but only entangling themselves further in this home. Flowers burst from a skull. The beast opens its eyes and the plant can [i]see[/i]. Wait. No. They can both see. The forest watches the birth of a creature unknown to it. It is a horrible, plague-marked monstrosity of death and life. But it is life, is it not? And the death bit seems to have passed. So they let the infant wander into the woods, berries sprouting along its fur as it goes forth. ----- [center][img alt=""]https://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/familiar/art/50746.png[/img][/center] It takes a month for Pygmalion to remember how to use hands. It takes five to remember how to speak. In the time between, he finds the ruins. In a gnarled, overgrown section of the woods, the reborn groundhog finds a ball. It sits nearly as tall as him, sparkling beneath a layer of dust. As he steps around it, he feels a crunch beneath his foot and finds a tooth carved of stone. Then he finds a finger. And a claw. He digs. He eventually finds enough pieces to remake the general shape of a draconic hand, its long clawed fingers curling perfectly over the ball he had first found. This forest grumbles as he searches for more pieces. The beast has no business here. It is meddling with things it cannot understand - things the trees ripped apart before its first life. They move in to dispatch him. A branch moves in to skewer the beast through where its heart once sat. [i]It will not be a cowardly type of thing.[/i] Pygmalion's hand reaches behind him immediately, catching the branch in his hands and snapping it from the large tree towering above him. [i]We will not be a cowardly type of thing.[/i] Briars grow from his hands and the groundhog dives for the tree’s roots, tearing up earth with little effort. His teeth make quick work of the first tree’s foundation. His plants suck greedily at the flood of sap and nutrients flowing from the tree’s wounds. Between the water and sugar, the bush in the groundhog drinks the memories of this forest. First a glimpse of a beautiful stone clearing not yet touched by growth. Then an image of statues, each lovingly carved and placed in rows. The groundhog sees his pearl. He sees the day the statue was made in the image of its model. He sees the day the trees moved in and tore through every bit of stone, leaving nothing but rubble. [i]If we get a second chance, then so does she.[/i] Given purpose, the beast and the brambles tear through routes for three months until every tree that had witnessed his pearl’s destruction was itself destroyed. Then the creature finally speaks. “I am sorry, my dear. Let me find your pieces and make a home.” [center][i]The root is not kind. It shows no care or sympathy for life. All the root knows is to spread itself farther - to break soil and claim the remaining nutrients of a world for itself. The root knows not of pity or sorrow; its only concern is growing stronger to survive. The root would sooner strangle its own brethren if it meant it got a moment longer to fight. And when the root finally moves on, it will not turn back to thank the ruin left in its wake.[/i][/center] ----- [center]@pinglist-44882[/center] I've been working on this intro ever since I got this familiar :) Hopefully I can finish the second half of the prologue bit soon and then get into the real clan stuff. Hope you enjoyed!