Dahlia is a Plague Dragon whose egg was found and hatched within her Nature clan. Since the day she was born, she was raised to act as an ambassador to Plague Flight on the behalf of the dragons. She, like the other dragon ambassadors, was staying home to celebrate the holidays when the Mimic incident occurred. She takes it upon herself to use her massive size and strength to restrain the dragon the Mimic bonded itself to.
Lotus is a Shadow dragon who is somewhat familiar with mimics, his familiar being a friendly creature of that type, and gifted with the ability to see ethereal creatures. By no means is Lotus a fighter. Using his magic, he sifts through dreams and purges nightmares from existence, allowing dragons to sleep at night, even if they are prone to terrible visions. Though he would rather flee from conflict, his loyal heart would never permit him. He faces danger even when frightened, a true representation of what it means to have courage. Although he is not sure what other dragons deem to be items of value, he hopes to help find the mimic by sensing the creature's influence over the dragon it controls. Because of nightmares, Lotus knows some of the deepest fears of even the strongest dragons in his clan. He also desperately wishes to ensure the safety of his mate, Vanda, who, as a decorator and designer of the clan, could have easily found the Mimic and thought it was a shiny trinket.
Iberis is the typical caregiver in the clan who babysits hatchlings whenever their parents are away. Even mischievous Tundras can't run off and commit an act of mischief if their guardian never requires rest. Iberis does not fight, but her armored body means she can emerge from scuffles unharmed even despite her lack of experience. Deathly afraid for the clan's recently born hatchlings who have seemingly vanished in the chaos, and also unaware of where her mate, Coffee is, she has much reason to be concerned. Because Iberis takes constant interest in other dragons to make up for her overall lack of adventuring (Because Snappers rarely stay in one place like she does usually), she is likely to know the likes of others and what dragons would hoard or deem valuable. She knows if a potted plant or a painting is what counts as precious, or if traditional gold counts. Using her knowledge of other dragons, Iberis hopes to examine their individual hoards while hidden from sight and identify items that seem to be new, and identify the mimic.
_________________________________________________
The lair was a decent size, a dense grove of trees with branches interwoven so tightly that no rain could enter. While the roots within the strange labyrinth of trees were dry within the interior, life-giving water sustained them from the outside. Rivers flowed through carefully-constructed canals and aqueducts, and the roots themselves were dense enough to handle even the heaviest foot traffic from all sorts of dragons and familiars alike. Indeed, Dahlia, Lotus, and Iberis all found their clan's lair within the Gladeveins to be a masterpiece.
Iberis regretfully looked at the Nocturne who had nearly ripped out Lotus' throat, now peacefully asleep, "Datura would neve do something like this in his right mind..." It was terrible, they would have to leave him outside. Not many creatures would dare to disturb even a small dragon, especially not so close to a clan's lair, but he still seemed so defenseless, in the Snapper's eyes.
"We have to go back in," Dahlia responded, a few too many eyes for what a normal Guardian should possess gazing back into the yawning mouth of their home. Suddenly it no longer seemed so welcome, "Both of you have mates that are still inside. If we don't, then everyone could get killed. We don't have that many Nocturnes to begin with, but it didn't make a difference. Nobody wanted to hurt their own family, and everything was in chaos."
Lotus rubbed his sore throat with a soft paw, "I'm so glad I have a mane, I might have been gone for sure..." A bird-like mask floated behind him, small, and bizarre, but he could see the wispy tail and claws attached to it. "It's not you, is it, Lupin?" The mask moved from side to side, the friendly mimic familiar shaking its head. Lotus looked down regretfully, "I'm so sorry...."
Dahlia pinched the edge of Lotus' cloak with a claw, "We're looking for a mimic, but Lupin has been with you for a long time, I don't think he would decide now of all times to hurt us. It has to be one that has hostile intentions."
The Plague dragon jerked her pale head in the lair's direction, "We need to stop talking. Keep to the walls, even if they can't see us, they can probably still bump into us or hear us."
She didn't wait for any replies before going in and pressing herself against the tree trunks, trying to make her large body as small as possible. The other two dragons wordlessly followed, Lupin floating behind them.
They slowly entered, and past the dark entrance, the pale glow of blue tree sap illuminated the cavern: the nests of the many resident Fae dragons. Faint shadows could be seen in a few, no doubt the residents, desperately trying to hide. Dahlia halted, and backed up slightly, nudging a crumpled body on the ground, "Vetch tried to fend them off." She said.
A Fae with black wings had collapsed, the metallic structures he wore still crackling with a few sparks of Lightning magic. Vetch was well-known by the other dragons in the clan, a warrior who fought up close rather than at a distance, like other Fae. Even as tiny as he was, he would have boldly wrestled with an attacking Nocturne, but it seemed that he'd been badly hurt, claw marks slicing through his jacket. He twitched at Dahlia's touch, "He's alive, barely." She said grimly.
Iberis gazed at the nests, a few with glittering gemstones stuck to their exteriors, "I don't think a Fae is responsible." She said. She turned her gaze to a tunnel that led off into complete darkness "All the other dens are past the Bogsneak area. There's usually always someone over here protecting the entrance. Where's Quince?"
Lotus gazed into the shadows, "Injured." He responded. As if in reply, a pained groan accompanied a shape shifting in the corner.
A colorful Bogsneak with succulents growing all along his back, thanks to some Light magic, opened one pale yellow eye, "Lotus?" he spoke quietly, as if afraid to draw attention to himself. The tundra moved to cross the cavern to his side, but he was stopped, "Don't come over here."
There was a giggle from within the darkness of the Bogsneak area. It was another Noctune, and an elliptical pupil darted to look back uneasily. "Juniper...she's stronger...than she looks..." He closed his eyes uneasily when a pale white and black hide briefly appeared in the darkness. The laughter was even closer now.
"Get out of here." He fell silent when a beautiful striped Nocturne with greenish wings and lacy markings emerged, looking around, searching for the source of the voices she had heard. She looked directly at Lotus, but after a moment, turned and went back into the Bogsneak's area. She couldn't see the three.
Dahlia nudged Lotus silently, "We have to." She whispered.
Uneasily, they began to cross.
"I told you not to-" Quince fell silent again when shrieking laughter and a scream of terror echoed into the cavern from the darkness.
Iberis lowered her head next to the Bogsneak, "We know how to stop this," She whispered, "There's no time, but the Nocturnes can't see us."
"Then hurry...Parsnip is still...inside...." He choked, eyes closing.
Parsnip, Quince's mate.
The trio pressed forward, flinching as another chorus of freakish laughter echoed.
______________________________________________________
Calling any section of the clan's lair by the name of a specific dragon breed wasn't entirely accurate. Although the Bogsneak area was extremely dark, and even allowed some water to seep through into the ground to make it more suitable and 'boggy' for them, so many mated pairs in the clan were between different breeds that plenty of dragons wouldn't be found in their usual areas. Same-species pairs seemed a rarity, except amongst the Imperials, who all scattered their particular dwellings far from each other, even if they were close friends.
Lotus stuck closely to the left wall of the tree-made cavern, warily watching as Juniper stood over a tan bogsneak with coral-hued wings and scars on his body. One of the two ambassadors to the Fire Flight, Geum, was a bogsneak. The Nocturne had managed to flip him over onto his back, and he was closing his eyes, trying to feign unconsciousness. He was trying not to hurt her, or get hurt himself.
The Tundra silently hoped that Geum wouldn't be hurt, but he knew if they tried to fight Juniper then they'd blow their cover. Dahlia pushed him, and he kept walking. They cautiously went around Juniper, and peered into the area's alcoves where the individual dragons or mated pairs resided. Each time Iberis would shake her head, looking at the hoards.
Quince and Parsnip's hoard was nothing but the usual pile of succulents, tiny orbs of portable light magic nestled into roots sustaining them while minimizing how much light actually entered the living area. Nothing seemed unusual apart from a tiny pot of bamboo, but given that Parsnip was from Wind, it must have been hers. Parsnip was nowhere to be found.
Peering into another alcove, they saw a Spiral and a Bogsneak, both unconscious. Lantana, the Bogsneak, was far worse-off than her mate, Dock. She was covered in cuts and bite marks, no doubt, she had been trying to shield her mate. Spirals were small and delicate, a Nocturne would do a lot of damage.
Had Juniper alone done all of this, or had she worked together with another Nocturne?
Realizing there was nothing in the area, they proceeded past it, and were greeted by another chorus of giggles.
______________________________________
"Stay back! I'll rip you apart!" A female Wildclaw snarled, her face covered by a dark mask, skulls hanging from armor and a black-and-white-cap adorning her head. Primula was a strong fighter, and her mate, Sangii, coiled up behind her as if ready to strike, was well-versed in the use of ice magic. Even so, Primula clearly didn't want the Coatl to fight. Looking further in, the clan archivist Almond, another Coatl, and Driea, yet another of the breed, were both cornered inside Primula and Sangii's alcove.
All of the clan's Coatl's were currently trapped, and depending on Primula to keep the Nocturne's from coming in. The Nocturnes, however, didn't seem to care that they were there. When Primula moved to step forward, she was met with a swift slash of claws to knock her back. They were being held prisoner, the trio realized.
It was only two Nocturnes, but they were both powerful. Hellebore, one of two Earth ambassadors, laughed frighteningly, her lovely gemstone adornments seemingly dirtied from fighting. The other Nocturne, Yaari, who had yet to receive a new name since coming into the clan, as was tradition, was also there.
That left only one Nocturne unaccounted for, Ginger, the mate of Vetch, who seemed to be nowhere near the Fae who was injured by the entrance.
Primula snarled again as she was beaten back, and suddenly glimpsed the three from the corner of her eye, and waved a claw as if to warn them to flee.
The two nocturnes looked in their direction, and then immediately turned their focus back to her. The Wildclaw's red eyes widened, but she didn't have time to think before Yaari tackled her.
"Run!" Dahlia growled, as Hellebore charged into the alcove.
They had broken past Primula's defenses and the Coatls were at the Nocturne's mercy.
The three ran across, and finally, they arrived at the largest part of the Lair.
__________________________________________________________
The Imperials and Guardians home had patches that allowed light through the trees, with exposed water below them. Even then, it was wide enough here that the massive dragons could walk without ever getting wet.
Cries of pain greeted them, and they approached the first alcove, bringing them face-to-face with a young adult imperial with red wings and reflective black scales. At the sound of Dahlia's footsteps, he flinched back, and an array of green eyes opened all along the sides of his body. Aderyn was born with far more eyes than normal, for whatever reason. Apparel was an option for any dragon except for him, it seemed. The eyes were tougher than normal ones, but even though fabric didn't seem to hurt them, given he could close them, he was bothered by half his extended vision being blocked.
"Dahlia....Iberis?" He lifted his head and turned to look at them, revealing ugly cuts along his side, some having deliberately targeted his eyes.
"Aderyn, sweetie, what happened? It doesn't look like a Nocturne did this!" Iberis touched a flat foot to his face in horror.
"A Nocturne? No..." He shook his head, "I didn't see a Nocturne. It was another Imperial that did this."
"Who?"
"Zinnia. If it had just been Nocturnes, the larger breeds could have stopped them. But an Arcane breath-user? Our strongest fighters are all away on expeditions to bring back gifts, we stood no chance."
"Is anyone else still able to do anything?" Lotus asked,
"Where is your father, Lycoris?" Dahlia followed.
"Mom and dad are both out cold. Zinnia didn't kill them, thank Gladekeeper...but I'm the only one who is even conscious right now."
"Then stay here and pretend to have fainted." Iberis told him. She looked up at Dahlia, "Where is Zinnia's alcove? The mimic must be there."
"This way," The Guardian growled, "I hope we can do this. Iberis, if she attacks I need you. You're arcane, so you have natural resistance to whatever she does."
___________________________________________
A gigantic pink Imperial with an enchanted cloak, and brilliant magenta crystals growing from her body, hunched over a pile of gold and gemstones, seemingly talking to herself. "Oh, we will find her, no worries, your rule is assured." There was an abnormal, high-pitched fit of laughter following this, truly uncharacteristic. There was no way she was in her right mind.
Zinnia's magical prowess in the Arcane arts was signaled by the crystals, the aura that she gave off so powerful they sprouted on her Jaguar-patterned scales seemingly from nothing, and even covered her clothes. A close friend often helped her remove them, should they become too troublesome or large, but Zinnia for the most part left them. It was her pride and joy as a dragon of the Arcane element, even if she was loyal to Gladekeeper. She did not care if the spikes on her body frightened anyone.
As pink sparks flew from her spiky adornments, however, the trio could only be aware that one of the worst-possible dragons had become bound to a mimic. An Imperial, the largest possible breed of dragon, dangerous for a Guadian to tackle alone in physical battles. A powerful Arcane dragon; although the clan belonged to Nature, and such dragons were naturally resistant, plenty of Non-Nature dragons lived there, and not a single member of the trio was born to a nest under Gladekeeper's protection.
"She's not a Nocturne, so she will probably see us," Lotus whispered, "I sense something amiss in her hoard. Something in there has to be the mimic."
"Lotus, I need to get close so I can pin her down. Iberis, you lead. Once I have her, the two of you need to hurry and catch that mimic." Dahlia said, lowering her head, preparing to charge.
"I'll go first," Iberis said, and the Snapper stepped out of the dark alcove into the light, the sound of her footsteps alerting the deranged Imperial.
Zinnia swiveled around and tilted her head to one side, bright pink eyes spotting the newcomer.
"Hehehehehehe!" The laughing was very unnerving, "Oh....was it Iberis? How good to see you!" She giggled again, "Where have you been? We've been looking for you."
"You must be Zinnia, I'm aware I'm quite famous, being the only Snapper in the clan, but I don't believe we've formally met." Iberis said as if nothing were wrong, keeping her voice pleasant, and continuing to approach slowly.
"Indeed, we haven't! But glad all the same!" Her voice became a hoarse sort of whisper, although it projected through the entire room as if deliberate,
"We've been expecting you."
"You have?" Iberis did not stop approaching, and was very close now, gazing up at the Imperial's face.
"Yes, silly! But where are the others?" Her head tilted sharply to one side. "Dragons have gone missing, and we can't have
that..."
Iberis shook her head, "Who's missing? You keep saying 'we' but who are you referring to?"
A sharp cackle emitted from Zinnia at this, "Oh....my new friend...you'll love them, and so will everyone else, once we
find the ones we need to find." Her voice became thundering and harsh at the last statement.
"Iberis, Lotus, quick! Find that mimic!"
Dahlia came charging and leapt onto Zinnia, spreading out her wings to help her pin down the Imperial. Sharp magical crystals scraped against tree roots and piles of gold as the mimic-controlled dragon was pinned on her back.
Zinnia screeched, and her tail lashed around, digging the razor-sharp crystals on it into the Plague ambassador's back,
"What are you doing!?" Her roars were deafening.
Iberis quickly rushed into the hoard, tossing around piles of gold coins. Zinnia seemed to like classic treasure, but because the Snapper didn't know her, she was at a disadvantage of finding anything out of the ordinary. Lotus emerged out of the shadows, Lupine, the Masked Phantom familiar, came down from the leaves above, having hidden himself, "Lupin, surely you can find it."
The Tundra began rapidly sorting through coins himself, as Dahlia endured painful lashes from Zinnia's spiny tail against her back, "Hurry!" She yelled, clearly in pain.
Iberis saw Lupin begin circling a golden lamp. "There!" She shouted, and dove for the sparkling lamp.
The lamp twitched, and suddenly floated away out of reach, a green mist spewing from its opening, coiling around and rearing up as the form of a cobra hissed at the two. "That's the mimic!" Lotus cried, "We have to catch it!"
The serpentine mimic swirled around as if attempting to flee, when it froze. Nobody else would see anything other than a floating mask, but Lotus saw ghostly blue claws wrapping themselves tightly around the lamp, "That's it! Hold it Lupin!"
The Tundra leapt and his claws wrapped tightly around the lantern, as the mimic whirled around and hissed in his face.
"No! Leave my friend alone!" Zinnia screeched, as she finally rolled and tossed Dahlia off her back. She turned to attack Lotus.
"Don't even think about it!" Dahlia roared, tackling her again. An errant bolt of arcane energy flew at Lotus, but Iberis stepped into its path at the last minute, gasping with pain when it struck and dissipated over her scales.
"Get it out of the cave! We need its control gone!"
The two dragons broke into a run, carrying the angered mimic with them, as Dahlia fought to stall the Imperial under its control.
They kept going as a trio of Nocturnes flew past. Juniper, Hellebore, and Yaari had all heard the commotion, and were clearly coming to rescue their 'master'. Despite this, they could not see Lotus or Iberis, and the mimic's protests did not seem to attract their interest.
"Go!" Aderyn raised his head, and turned, rising to his feet, as injured as he was, and running to follow the Nocturnes, intending to help Dahlia if possible.
______________________________
The moon was high in the sky as Iberis and Lotus broke out of the lair, "We need Shadowsong!" Iberis said.
"Shadowsong! We've found the mimic!" Lotus cried.
The mimic hissed and spat at the two, but now there was only silence.
"...what do we do?" Lotus asked worriedly.
It was at this moment that a high-pitched laugh came from the cavern, and Zinnia burst from the clan's lair, "That wasn't very nice!"
A halo of arcane energy appeared around the Imperial's head as she readied an attack.
"Where's Dahlia!?" Iberis demanded,
"Alive, but barely!" Zinnia said, carefree, "My nocturne friends have her trapped!" She laughed as a bolt of pink energy was sent flying their way.
And promptly nullified by a pillar of vines that seemed to come from the sky above.
"What?" Zinnia hissed.
A melodious voice filled the air, and Zinnia began to look sleepy, before promptly collapsing on the ground. The serpentine mimic, the source of trouble, seemed even more enraged, as its form lost all cohesiveness, and dissipated, the vapor retreating into the lamp.
The two looked up expecting to see constellations, but instead, they saw a familiar black Nocturne with wings mottled by various colors.
"Ginger!?" Iberis cried.
The Nocturne, who was known for her remarkable lack of copycat tendencies, landed, and her claws gripped the lantern, Lotus relinquishing it.
Ginger kept singing, as a chorus of Nocturnes followed Zinnia out of the cave, and promptly fell under the spell of her melody, also collapsing into slumber.
Dahlia and Aderyn, both heavily injured with cuts and wounds all over, burst out of the lair and stopped, mystified. Aderyn must have freed Dahlia from the Nocturnes.
Ginger continued a bit, before stopping, and falling silent, looked down at the lantern, "I should have stayed home, had I known. I had thought our own clan would be safe from mimics, but it seems I was arrogant."
"....you?" Iberis asked with disbelief.
"I am a special kind of Nocturne. One who fights mimics." She said, looking at the few conscious dragons present. "Where's Datura?"
"Asleep, someone named Shadowsong freed him."
"Another someone trying to protect the clans." Ginger held the mimic lamp and turned it over in her claws, "Everything is safe now, but dragons are probably hurt."
There was a touch of sadness in her eyes. "Is Vetch...?"
"I'm okay." A monotone voice replied, as the Fae limped from the darkness to stand next to Aderyn and Dahlia. Geum soon appeared, followed by Quince, and Parsnip, as well. Dragons from the entire clan were slowly emerging to see what had happened.
"I should have stayed home." Ginger looked at her mate regretfully.
"You were protecting all the dragons. Not just us." Vetch replied.
"Well..." She turned her focus back to the lamp, "I'll be taking this, then."
She opened her wings and vanished with the mimic in tow.
Everyone turned to look at Vetch for answers.
The Fae did not know what their looks meant entirely. "We can discuss it later. She will come back when that mimic has been disposed of. We need to treat the injured."
Dahlia cracked a grin, even as messed up as she was. "Who would have thought the one missing Nocturne would be saving us."
"Let them sleep." Vetch looked at the unconscious ones who had been under the Mimic's control. "They won't remember any of this. Don't hold it against them."
"I know." Iberis walked over to Zinnia, "If we told them, they'd feel guilty."
"Well, let's spread the word that it's safe." Lotus said.
"Where are the hatchlings?" Iberis asked, suddenly looking worried again.
Two tiny hatchlings, a Spiral and a Bogsneak, emerged next to the other dragons. "They were hiding with me." Parsnip said. "I wasn't going to let someone hurt them."
"Well...let's get things cleaned up. Before the sun rises." Vetch said. "We will pretend an enemy Beastclan did this."
