Sorry about the loss of pictures; my computer's been acting up lately, and it's keeping all browsers except Internet Explorer from working. Make of that what you will.
Chapter 15:
The next morning, every creature on the Highland Scrub awoke to find their world drastically changed; dry shrubs became lustrous bushes, withered plants flowered for the first time in decades, and small creeks filled the lower lands. With this burst of flora came the flourish of fauna, particularly the herbivorous, who gorged themselves on the vegetation. But for the carnivorous, the scent brought out a new, different feeling in them; it was a little more feral...a little more hungry...
A little more raw.
Blue Brown's pack was no exception. They set out immediately at the peak of day, Snapper on their minds. They travelled for an extensive period before happening upon a herd of them near a makeshift waterhole. White Tip swore she could recognize one of the Snappers in the mix, but she wasn't certain. Pod relayed the plan, which was uncommon for him as she'd seen him as more of a follower...
"Here's the plan; two of us will serve as a distraction while the other two will pounce on the herd from behind."
And they did; Pod and Scalene popped up from behind a brush and started a raptorial haka, drawing the Snappers toward them. Blue Brown and White Tip closed in, White Tip's killer claw arcing with electricity. Suddenly, the Snapper that White Tip had singled out spoke. "Wildyclaw dance funny! Me no like! Bighoof killy!"
"Bighoof!?" White Tip accidentally said aloud, making the Snapper whirl and whack her with his tail. "Fancy meeting Goldie Wildyclaw again!" cackled Bighoof as the little dragon skidded across the sand. "Goldie make BIIIIIG mistake coming back for more!"
White Tip tried to stand up again, but felt a killer claw tap her neck. "Move one more inch, and you're dead." White Tip shuddered at the voice of Duskclaw. "My only regret about killing your pack is not seeing it through!" Suddenly, a familiar wall of mass bashed her off of White Tip with a chuck of his chin. "Wildyclaw is mine to killy!"
"Come now, Bighoof." came the familiar voice of Brokenhand. "Why not settle an older grudge than that?" Bighoof stood up straight, then turned to face the wildclaw. "Heh." he snorted. "Bighoof liked taste of brokyhand's arm. Bighoof taste other to match!"
"By all means, Bighoof..." hissed Brokenhand, his wounded arm suddenly pulsing with a reddish glow as his eyes glistened a similar red. With a series of snaps, cracks and squelches, plus a series of twitches from the arm, it pulled itself back into a normal position. Venomous green pus oozed from the scars on his arm, and with a quick shake, the scars and any trace of the wounds were gone.
"Today's a FREE SAMPLE!"
The two of them charged each other, tumbling over one another in a heated battle while several other wildclaws from both packs pounced on the rest of the herd. The sand was already beginning to stain red and green from Brokenhand and Bighoof's fight alone. White Tip and Duskclaw were fighting further off to the side, with Duskclaw being more on the offensive.
"No wonder you were so easily wiped out! You're a coward, just like the rest of your pack was!" snapped Duskclaw.
"You never gave us a chance!" White Tip retorted. "Striking in the dead of the night makes you just as guilty!" She unleashed a bolt of lightning at Duskclaw, only for her to duck down and rush forward, slashing at her adversary with her other claws. "Such a shame that you let compassion get in your way, White Tip. With the power of lightning at your side, you could rule the whole Highland Scrub!" Duskclaw shook her head as she beat White Tip to the ground. "But you chose the path of benevolence. And that is where you fail; caring about others just clouds your mind, makes you do stupid things just for the sake of those others. Tell me, White Tip...how would you consider that living if you just make yourself a slave to your friends and family?..."
White Tip lay there, contemplating what Duskclaw had said. She was right, in some way; she was tangled up with the family she had built up. But there was one important thing that she had gotten wrong...
"I've been through a lot in my journey for survival, and I've learned a lot of things about myself as well as the world I live in. I care for that world, as did the family I once knew. And I always believed that a wildclaw's strength came from the pack, but I was partially wrong; having strength among others isn't about having power over them. It's about sharing the load with them equally, and in that way we can scale up over time, eventually standing tall over even the strongest single leaders! That's what a family is all about, isn't it; uplifting others along with you rather than letting them feed off of scraps from your own table! So in that regard, I'm not the one who is weak..."
"You are, for denying this rule of life!" With that, a static storm erupted from her body, sending Duskclaw flying backward. She recovered quickly, only to come face to face with Blackeye. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but White Tip's right. I'm DONE picking up the scraps from the tables. Be it under yours or Blue Brawnless's pack!" With that, Blackeye pounced on her mother, the two of them joining the jumble of chaotic brawling at the base of a large dune. Both sides, however, were unaware of the immediate danger looming above them; the sand at the top, already weakened by last night's rain, was starting to slide down the dune toward the attacking dragons!
"BLUE BROWN!!" screeched White Tip. But she was too late; the tidal wave of sand slammed into the pile-up, covering the majority in the grainy soil remnant. Blue Brown's panicked face appeared for only a split second more before vanishing under the cascade.
@Thewarywatcher13
@kingofeli
@Scorpius
@Elzerei
Was listening to this while typing the second to last segment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBWFTxxoak
Chapter 15:
The next morning, every creature on the Highland Scrub awoke to find their world drastically changed; dry shrubs became lustrous bushes, withered plants flowered for the first time in decades, and small creeks filled the lower lands. With this burst of flora came the flourish of fauna, particularly the herbivorous, who gorged themselves on the vegetation. But for the carnivorous, the scent brought out a new, different feeling in them; it was a little more feral...a little more hungry...
A little more raw.
Blue Brown's pack was no exception. They set out immediately at the peak of day, Snapper on their minds. They travelled for an extensive period before happening upon a herd of them near a makeshift waterhole. White Tip swore she could recognize one of the Snappers in the mix, but she wasn't certain. Pod relayed the plan, which was uncommon for him as she'd seen him as more of a follower...
"Here's the plan; two of us will serve as a distraction while the other two will pounce on the herd from behind."
And they did; Pod and Scalene popped up from behind a brush and started a raptorial haka, drawing the Snappers toward them. Blue Brown and White Tip closed in, White Tip's killer claw arcing with electricity. Suddenly, the Snapper that White Tip had singled out spoke. "Wildyclaw dance funny! Me no like! Bighoof killy!"
"Bighoof!?" White Tip accidentally said aloud, making the Snapper whirl and whack her with his tail. "Fancy meeting Goldie Wildyclaw again!" cackled Bighoof as the little dragon skidded across the sand. "Goldie make BIIIIIG mistake coming back for more!"
White Tip tried to stand up again, but felt a killer claw tap her neck. "Move one more inch, and you're dead." White Tip shuddered at the voice of Duskclaw. "My only regret about killing your pack is not seeing it through!" Suddenly, a familiar wall of mass bashed her off of White Tip with a chuck of his chin. "Wildyclaw is mine to killy!"
"Come now, Bighoof." came the familiar voice of Brokenhand. "Why not settle an older grudge than that?" Bighoof stood up straight, then turned to face the wildclaw. "Heh." he snorted. "Bighoof liked taste of brokyhand's arm. Bighoof taste other to match!"
"By all means, Bighoof..." hissed Brokenhand, his wounded arm suddenly pulsing with a reddish glow as his eyes glistened a similar red. With a series of snaps, cracks and squelches, plus a series of twitches from the arm, it pulled itself back into a normal position. Venomous green pus oozed from the scars on his arm, and with a quick shake, the scars and any trace of the wounds were gone.
"Today's a FREE SAMPLE!"
The two of them charged each other, tumbling over one another in a heated battle while several other wildclaws from both packs pounced on the rest of the herd. The sand was already beginning to stain red and green from Brokenhand and Bighoof's fight alone. White Tip and Duskclaw were fighting further off to the side, with Duskclaw being more on the offensive.
"No wonder you were so easily wiped out! You're a coward, just like the rest of your pack was!" snapped Duskclaw.
"You never gave us a chance!" White Tip retorted. "Striking in the dead of the night makes you just as guilty!" She unleashed a bolt of lightning at Duskclaw, only for her to duck down and rush forward, slashing at her adversary with her other claws. "Such a shame that you let compassion get in your way, White Tip. With the power of lightning at your side, you could rule the whole Highland Scrub!" Duskclaw shook her head as she beat White Tip to the ground. "But you chose the path of benevolence. And that is where you fail; caring about others just clouds your mind, makes you do stupid things just for the sake of those others. Tell me, White Tip...how would you consider that living if you just make yourself a slave to your friends and family?..."
White Tip lay there, contemplating what Duskclaw had said. She was right, in some way; she was tangled up with the family she had built up. But there was one important thing that she had gotten wrong...
"I've been through a lot in my journey for survival, and I've learned a lot of things about myself as well as the world I live in. I care for that world, as did the family I once knew. And I always believed that a wildclaw's strength came from the pack, but I was partially wrong; having strength among others isn't about having power over them. It's about sharing the load with them equally, and in that way we can scale up over time, eventually standing tall over even the strongest single leaders! That's what a family is all about, isn't it; uplifting others along with you rather than letting them feed off of scraps from your own table! So in that regard, I'm not the one who is weak..."
"You are, for denying this rule of life!" With that, a static storm erupted from her body, sending Duskclaw flying backward. She recovered quickly, only to come face to face with Blackeye. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but White Tip's right. I'm DONE picking up the scraps from the tables. Be it under yours or Blue Brawnless's pack!" With that, Blackeye pounced on her mother, the two of them joining the jumble of chaotic brawling at the base of a large dune. Both sides, however, were unaware of the immediate danger looming above them; the sand at the top, already weakened by last night's rain, was starting to slide down the dune toward the attacking dragons!
"BLUE BROWN!!" screeched White Tip. But she was too late; the tidal wave of sand slammed into the pile-up, covering the majority in the grainy soil remnant. Blue Brown's panicked face appeared for only a split second more before vanishing under the cascade.
Then all was still.
@Thewarywatcher13
@kingofeli
@Scorpius
@Elzerei
Was listening to this while typing the second to last segment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBWFTxxoak