(I’m going to wait until the babies hatch before I post further
Quests & Challenges
Quests, Challenges, and Festival games.
TOPIC | Reign of Tyranny [A PinkerLocke]
[center]@AlmightyAmu @Stri
[b]Day 18[/b]
[item=Bleak Birdskull Legband]
Parenthood, in all its forms, is one of the most grueling, terrifying, yet amazing experiences that one can go through in their life. Often, there is no material reward. For Kukurbo and Osprey, this is no exception.
The huge, lumbering imperial was no stranger to taking care of small, demanding hatchlings, having done so a handful of times for his aunt, mother, and uncles. While they were petulant and caused a lot of trouble, as imperial hatchlings they also had a certain endurance to them, that allowed him to be tough and firm. For many a times he has had to cuff some misbehaving bugger upside the head for thinking that playing catch with a wasp’s nest was a good idea.
With newborn, squishy hatchlings that were very delicate and practically helpless on their own..... Well, to be honest, he was afraid to even touch the eggs, worried they’d crack and shatter beneath his claws. Maybe it was nonsensical and irrational, but he refrained from making contact with the eggs, simply watching the others cuddle and coo and sing and rock whenever they had the time.
Osprey, on the other hand, leapt into parenthood with an open mind and heart. She had no idea what she was doing, as she was an only child and hatchlings were a puzzle she couldn’t figure out. They were full of contradictions: eager to grow up and be strong, yelling that they could ‘do it on their own!’ only later to boast about their youth and vigor to the elders in the fishing village. Their preferences changed like the coming season, as one month they were all over the idea of slapping dragons awake with fish, and the next they were scratching funny faces on the skin of fruits.
All Osprey knew was that whatever was in these eggs, she wanted them to grow up happy and loved and cared for. So, every night she would tell them a story in hushed voices under gentle candlelight, cuddling them closer, their ethereal glow a soft light in the den devoid of sunlight. She started crafting toys out of twine and leather in her spare time, putting effort and concentration into every shaky stitch. Soon, the room they now deemed the ‘nursery’ was covered in a patchwork quilt of various textiles, giving warmth and a soft surface to the room. Satisfied with her work, she settled back down, tail curling around the eggs with a satisfied chirp.
Carmen and Zeschor were very willing to act as the eggs’ uncle and aunt, Zeschor in particular quite entranced with the idea of mini Pumpkins running around. He was also a contributor to the redecoration of the nursery room, stringing feathers and hollow bone round the room that played soft chimes when a particularly strong gust of wind blew through them. Often the two of them argued and bickered over color choice, Carmen leaning more towards darks and Zeschor arguing for lights. The room ended up becoming a nice, mellow yellow with vibrant pink highlights of various shades.
Carmen wasn’t as outspoken about her excitement, but it showed in her soft smile as she peeked into the nursery, the delight in her eye as more and more was added to the room. Subtle but sweet, she also was starting to warm up to the idea of Inwardly, she was very worried. The world was a dangerous place, and the group resolved to leave their temporary den as soon as the hatchlings could walk. A bone-chilling question always seeped itself into her mind as she thought about the new arrivals. Would they survive? Her spiraling doubts soon dissipated when a frantic call from the nursery came. The eggs had started to crack.
The frivolous skydancer was basically bouncing with excitement, bombarding the two new parents with numerous naming ideas. “Destiny, Stargate, perhaps.... Zeschor Junior?” The couple gave him an unimpressed look. “Lil’ Pumpkin, Squash, Chia, Chirp-a-derp,” His list went on and on, and Kukurbo and Osprey decided that Zeschor should never be allowed to name children.
Kukurbo refocused his attention on the eggs. Two of them were tilting back and forth precariously, their bulbous surfaces glowing alight with life as more cracks showed on the surface.The other two, however....They shook and twitched, episodes coming at random intervals, and there were barely any cracks at all. His spirits lessened. It was common for first time clutches to experience this. Due to the female’s body not being used to cultivating eggs, there was a higher chance that the eggs wouldn’t be fully packed with the required nutrients, essentially making them duds. The medicine that they gave Osprey when they thought she was sick couldn’t have helped, either. He shared a look with Osprey, as she knew this all too well. The only reason she was an only child was that the other 2 eggs in her clutch wouldn’t hatch.
Nevertheless, his heart skipped a beat as the sharp sound of a crack split the air. The glowing egg casting a blue light on his and the others’ faces, the egg slowly, slowly split open down the sides to reveal a single green wing. He held his breath as the newborn nocturne hatchling, [i]his[/i] hatchling, tipped the egg over on its side and crawled out, soft chirps along the way as it’s legs bumbled about on the floor. With a determined huff, they righted themself into a sitting position and blinked their eyes open. Osprey craned her neck towards the little one, speaking in soft whispers as the little nocturne chirped happily and grasped at her head.
Soon after, the other egg split open, the side peeling away agonizingly slowly, and a bright green imperial, with wings of vibrant orange, came tumbling out. Unlike the nocturne hatchling, this one was very vocal, letting out loud cries as it tried to make sense of what was up and what was down, what was light and what was dark. Little teeth made itself known as it writhed around on the carpet, biting whatever the mini jaws could latch onto. After a nudge from Kurkurbo, the imperial whipped its head around, ready to scream in his face, but stopped, eyes blown wide, at the gargantuan figure. Kurkurbo chuckled a bit then set his face on the floor, looking amazed at this little bundle of fire and energy, reminding him of when his niece hatched out of her egg, ready to battle. The hatchling roared, finding their next target as he started to nibble on the bigger imperial’s ear.
Carmen smiled, her mouth pulled up into a grin without her realizing. She pointed at the green nocturne, “That one’s got spirit,” and dragged her arm over to the imperial, making a meal out of Kukurbo’s ear. “That one’s got fire.” Osprey nodded softly, to not dislodge the hatchling trying to climb onto her face.
“Spirit and Wildfire. I like those names.” She glances at Kukurbo, who wholeheartedly agrees, trying to pry the tiny and unthreatening predator off his ear.
An indignant ‘what? SHE gets to name them?!’ escapes from Zeschor’s mouth as Carmen bites back with ‘All your names were terrible.’, the exchange escalating into an all out squabble as they somehow turn the conversation from ‘my names are better than yours’ to ‘I bet you can’t beat me in a race’ in less than a minute. As they shove each other trying to get outside, Osprey and Kukurbo only chuckle, refocusing their attention on their two new arrivals.
[img]http://imgur.com/QhshR3I.jpg[/img]
[img]http://imgur.com/BxEkMkp.jpg[/img]
(Because it wouldn’t make sense as a plot point to breed more, I decided that I would just write. A lot.)
[/center]
@AlmightyAmu @Stri
Day 18
Parenthood, in all its forms, is one of the most grueling, terrifying, yet amazing experiences that one can go through in their life. Often, there is no material reward. For Kukurbo and Osprey, this is no exception.
The huge, lumbering imperial was no stranger to taking care of small, demanding hatchlings, having done so a handful of times for his aunt, mother, and uncles. While they were petulant and caused a lot of trouble, as imperial hatchlings they also had a certain endurance to them, that allowed him to be tough and firm. For many a times he has had to cuff some misbehaving bugger upside the head for thinking that playing catch with a wasp’s nest was a good idea.
With newborn, squishy hatchlings that were very delicate and practically helpless on their own..... Well, to be honest, he was afraid to even touch the eggs, worried they’d crack and shatter beneath his claws. Maybe it was nonsensical and irrational, but he refrained from making contact with the eggs, simply watching the others cuddle and coo and sing and rock whenever they had the time.
Osprey, on the other hand, leapt into parenthood with an open mind and heart. She had no idea what she was doing, as she was an only child and hatchlings were a puzzle she couldn’t figure out. They were full of contradictions: eager to grow up and be strong, yelling that they could ‘do it on their own!’ only later to boast about their youth and vigor to the elders in the fishing village. Their preferences changed like the coming season, as one month they were all over the idea of slapping dragons awake with fish, and the next they were scratching funny faces on the skin of fruits.
All Osprey knew was that whatever was in these eggs, she wanted them to grow up happy and loved and cared for. So, every night she would tell them a story in hushed voices under gentle candlelight, cuddling them closer, their ethereal glow a soft light in the den devoid of sunlight. She started crafting toys out of twine and leather in her spare time, putting effort and concentration into every shaky stitch. Soon, the room they now deemed the ‘nursery’ was covered in a patchwork quilt of various textiles, giving warmth and a soft surface to the room. Satisfied with her work, she settled back down, tail curling around the eggs with a satisfied chirp.
Carmen and Zeschor were very willing to act as the eggs’ uncle and aunt, Zeschor in particular quite entranced with the idea of mini Pumpkins running around. He was also a contributor to the redecoration of the nursery room, stringing feathers and hollow bone round the room that played soft chimes when a particularly strong gust of wind blew through them. Often the two of them argued and bickered over color choice, Carmen leaning more towards darks and Zeschor arguing for lights. The room ended up becoming a nice, mellow yellow with vibrant pink highlights of various shades.
Carmen wasn’t as outspoken about her excitement, but it showed in her soft smile as she peeked into the nursery, the delight in her eye as more and more was added to the room. Subtle but sweet, she also was starting to warm up to the idea of Inwardly, she was very worried. The world was a dangerous place, and the group resolved to leave their temporary den as soon as the hatchlings could walk. A bone-chilling question always seeped itself into her mind as she thought about the new arrivals. Would they survive? Her spiraling doubts soon dissipated when a frantic call from the nursery came. The eggs had started to crack.
The frivolous skydancer was basically bouncing with excitement, bombarding the two new parents with numerous naming ideas. “Destiny, Stargate, perhaps.... Zeschor Junior?” The couple gave him an unimpressed look. “Lil’ Pumpkin, Squash, Chia, Chirp-a-derp,” His list went on and on, and Kukurbo and Osprey decided that Zeschor should never be allowed to name children.
Kukurbo refocused his attention on the eggs. Two of them were tilting back and forth precariously, their bulbous surfaces glowing alight with life as more cracks showed on the surface.The other two, however....They shook and twitched, episodes coming at random intervals, and there were barely any cracks at all. His spirits lessened. It was common for first time clutches to experience this. Due to the female’s body not being used to cultivating eggs, there was a higher chance that the eggs wouldn’t be fully packed with the required nutrients, essentially making them duds. The medicine that they gave Osprey when they thought she was sick couldn’t have helped, either. He shared a look with Osprey, as she knew this all too well. The only reason she was an only child was that the other 2 eggs in her clutch wouldn’t hatch.
Nevertheless, his heart skipped a beat as the sharp sound of a crack split the air. The glowing egg casting a blue light on his and the others’ faces, the egg slowly, slowly split open down the sides to reveal a single green wing. He held his breath as the newborn nocturne hatchling, his hatchling, tipped the egg over on its side and crawled out, soft chirps along the way as it’s legs bumbled about on the floor. With a determined huff, they righted themself into a sitting position and blinked their eyes open. Osprey craned her neck towards the little one, speaking in soft whispers as the little nocturne chirped happily and grasped at her head.
Soon after, the other egg split open, the side peeling away agonizingly slowly, and a bright green imperial, with wings of vibrant orange, came tumbling out. Unlike the nocturne hatchling, this one was very vocal, letting out loud cries as it tried to make sense of what was up and what was down, what was light and what was dark. Little teeth made itself known as it writhed around on the carpet, biting whatever the mini jaws could latch onto. After a nudge from Kurkurbo, the imperial whipped its head around, ready to scream in his face, but stopped, eyes blown wide, at the gargantuan figure. Kurkurbo chuckled a bit then set his face on the floor, looking amazed at this little bundle of fire and energy, reminding him of when his niece hatched out of her egg, ready to battle. The hatchling roared, finding their next target as he started to nibble on the bigger imperial’s ear.
Carmen smiled, her mouth pulled up into a grin without her realizing. She pointed at the green nocturne, “That one’s got spirit,” and dragged her arm over to the imperial, making a meal out of Kukurbo’s ear. “That one’s got fire.” Osprey nodded softly, to not dislodge the hatchling trying to climb onto her face.
“Spirit and Wildfire. I like those names.” She glances at Kukurbo, who wholeheartedly agrees, trying to pry the tiny and unthreatening predator off his ear.
An indignant ‘what? SHE gets to name them?!’ escapes from Zeschor’s mouth as Carmen bites back with ‘All your names were terrible.’, the exchange escalating into an all out squabble as they somehow turn the conversation from ‘my names are better than yours’ to ‘I bet you can’t beat me in a race’ in less than a minute. As they shove each other trying to get outside, Osprey and Kukurbo only chuckle, refocusing their attention on their two new arrivals.
(Because it wouldn’t make sense as a plot point to breed more, I decided that I would just write. A lot.)
Day 18
Parenthood, in all its forms, is one of the most grueling, terrifying, yet amazing experiences that one can go through in their life. Often, there is no material reward. For Kukurbo and Osprey, this is no exception.
The huge, lumbering imperial was no stranger to taking care of small, demanding hatchlings, having done so a handful of times for his aunt, mother, and uncles. While they were petulant and caused a lot of trouble, as imperial hatchlings they also had a certain endurance to them, that allowed him to be tough and firm. For many a times he has had to cuff some misbehaving bugger upside the head for thinking that playing catch with a wasp’s nest was a good idea.
With newborn, squishy hatchlings that were very delicate and practically helpless on their own..... Well, to be honest, he was afraid to even touch the eggs, worried they’d crack and shatter beneath his claws. Maybe it was nonsensical and irrational, but he refrained from making contact with the eggs, simply watching the others cuddle and coo and sing and rock whenever they had the time.
Osprey, on the other hand, leapt into parenthood with an open mind and heart. She had no idea what she was doing, as she was an only child and hatchlings were a puzzle she couldn’t figure out. They were full of contradictions: eager to grow up and be strong, yelling that they could ‘do it on their own!’ only later to boast about their youth and vigor to the elders in the fishing village. Their preferences changed like the coming season, as one month they were all over the idea of slapping dragons awake with fish, and the next they were scratching funny faces on the skin of fruits.
All Osprey knew was that whatever was in these eggs, she wanted them to grow up happy and loved and cared for. So, every night she would tell them a story in hushed voices under gentle candlelight, cuddling them closer, their ethereal glow a soft light in the den devoid of sunlight. She started crafting toys out of twine and leather in her spare time, putting effort and concentration into every shaky stitch. Soon, the room they now deemed the ‘nursery’ was covered in a patchwork quilt of various textiles, giving warmth and a soft surface to the room. Satisfied with her work, she settled back down, tail curling around the eggs with a satisfied chirp.
Carmen and Zeschor were very willing to act as the eggs’ uncle and aunt, Zeschor in particular quite entranced with the idea of mini Pumpkins running around. He was also a contributor to the redecoration of the nursery room, stringing feathers and hollow bone round the room that played soft chimes when a particularly strong gust of wind blew through them. Often the two of them argued and bickered over color choice, Carmen leaning more towards darks and Zeschor arguing for lights. The room ended up becoming a nice, mellow yellow with vibrant pink highlights of various shades.
Carmen wasn’t as outspoken about her excitement, but it showed in her soft smile as she peeked into the nursery, the delight in her eye as more and more was added to the room. Subtle but sweet, she also was starting to warm up to the idea of Inwardly, she was very worried. The world was a dangerous place, and the group resolved to leave their temporary den as soon as the hatchlings could walk. A bone-chilling question always seeped itself into her mind as she thought about the new arrivals. Would they survive? Her spiraling doubts soon dissipated when a frantic call from the nursery came. The eggs had started to crack.
The frivolous skydancer was basically bouncing with excitement, bombarding the two new parents with numerous naming ideas. “Destiny, Stargate, perhaps.... Zeschor Junior?” The couple gave him an unimpressed look. “Lil’ Pumpkin, Squash, Chia, Chirp-a-derp,” His list went on and on, and Kukurbo and Osprey decided that Zeschor should never be allowed to name children.
Kukurbo refocused his attention on the eggs. Two of them were tilting back and forth precariously, their bulbous surfaces glowing alight with life as more cracks showed on the surface.The other two, however....They shook and twitched, episodes coming at random intervals, and there were barely any cracks at all. His spirits lessened. It was common for first time clutches to experience this. Due to the female’s body not being used to cultivating eggs, there was a higher chance that the eggs wouldn’t be fully packed with the required nutrients, essentially making them duds. The medicine that they gave Osprey when they thought she was sick couldn’t have helped, either. He shared a look with Osprey, as she knew this all too well. The only reason she was an only child was that the other 2 eggs in her clutch wouldn’t hatch.
Nevertheless, his heart skipped a beat as the sharp sound of a crack split the air. The glowing egg casting a blue light on his and the others’ faces, the egg slowly, slowly split open down the sides to reveal a single green wing. He held his breath as the newborn nocturne hatchling, his hatchling, tipped the egg over on its side and crawled out, soft chirps along the way as it’s legs bumbled about on the floor. With a determined huff, they righted themself into a sitting position and blinked their eyes open. Osprey craned her neck towards the little one, speaking in soft whispers as the little nocturne chirped happily and grasped at her head.
Soon after, the other egg split open, the side peeling away agonizingly slowly, and a bright green imperial, with wings of vibrant orange, came tumbling out. Unlike the nocturne hatchling, this one was very vocal, letting out loud cries as it tried to make sense of what was up and what was down, what was light and what was dark. Little teeth made itself known as it writhed around on the carpet, biting whatever the mini jaws could latch onto. After a nudge from Kurkurbo, the imperial whipped its head around, ready to scream in his face, but stopped, eyes blown wide, at the gargantuan figure. Kurkurbo chuckled a bit then set his face on the floor, looking amazed at this little bundle of fire and energy, reminding him of when his niece hatched out of her egg, ready to battle. The hatchling roared, finding their next target as he started to nibble on the bigger imperial’s ear.
Carmen smiled, her mouth pulled up into a grin without her realizing. She pointed at the green nocturne, “That one’s got spirit,” and dragged her arm over to the imperial, making a meal out of Kukurbo’s ear. “That one’s got fire.” Osprey nodded softly, to not dislodge the hatchling trying to climb onto her face.
“Spirit and Wildfire. I like those names.” She glances at Kukurbo, who wholeheartedly agrees, trying to pry the tiny and unthreatening predator off his ear.
An indignant ‘what? SHE gets to name them?!’ escapes from Zeschor’s mouth as Carmen bites back with ‘All your names were terrible.’, the exchange escalating into an all out squabble as they somehow turn the conversation from ‘my names are better than yours’ to ‘I bet you can’t beat me in a race’ in less than a minute. As they shove each other trying to get outside, Osprey and Kukurbo only chuckle, refocusing their attention on their two new arrivals.
(Because it wouldn’t make sense as a plot point to breed more, I decided that I would just write. A lot.)
[center]@AlmightyAmu @Stri
[b]Day 19[/b]
[item=Dodo]
Small talons scrabbled eagerly across the nursery rug, shrill squeals coming soon after Wildfire pounced, tackling Spirit as they tumbled in a ball back into the nest. “I gotchu!” Wildfire triumphantly proclaimed, puffing out his chest and side-eying Kurkurbo, not-so-subtly waiting for praise and cuddles. Spirit let out a playful, drawn out, “noooo” in protest, attempting to swat at his brother’s face.
Kukurbo lazily opened one eye, and yawned before smiling, exposing rows and rows of slightly yellow teeth. “Good job, Wildfire. Keep that up and you’ll become a great warrior one day.” Wildfire’s grin rivaled the sun as he tried out a ‘menacing’ growl, which wasn’t very threatening due to his small teeth and big eyes.
Zeschor sidled into the room, a sly grin on his face. “What’s all this screaming I hear? Has someone...” The skydancer paused for dramatic effect, always glad to put on an entertaining show for the children. “Been murdered?!” He mock-gasped, loudly, as Wildfire tilted his head and Spirit stuck his tongue out and closed his eyes, playing dead.
“Uncle Zesch! Avenge mee!” Spirit yelled, as Zeschor ‘s eyes gained a new shine of mischief and he swiped Wildfire straight off Spirit and dangled him up in the air, pretending not to hear the imperial hatchling’s whines.
“No fair! It’s two against one, and you’re bigger than me!” Wildfire writhed around from where he was being gripped by the scruff, clawing and yelling. Zeschor nearly dropped him because imperial hatchlings are [i]heavy[/i], but he managed to get a hold on him, shaking him a little bit. After a bit more struggle, the grumpy dragonet let out a growl of frustration before going limp, defeated.
Zeschor chuckled, before plopping the imperial down on his posterior, repositioning his hat. “Carmen’s found us a live dodo while she and Osprey were out hunting! She’s very excited about it, I could practically see her drooling.” He, a skydancer himself, couldn’t understand why she liked meat so much when insects had crunch, but to each their own. Food preferences aside, it still made his day to see the kids practically light up at the prospect of a proper dodo meal.
“Dodo....” Spirit seemed entranced by the idea, already trying to construct an image of the creature in his mind. “Osprey said those were like a chicken... but more bald. And with a bigger beak.” Wildfire gave him a weird look, his imagination conjuring up some kind of amalgamation of a bald chicken with a giant beak. His nose scrunched up at the thought. Was that really Auntie Carmen’s favorite food?
“Dodos sound weird.” The light green scales on his face rippled as he scrunched up his nose in confusion. Zeschor shook his head until a screech catapulted itself into the room in the form of a frazzled Cerise. He whipped around, following the squawking bird to the entrance. Spirit and Wildfire moved to follow, but Kukurbo tripped them with his tail, answering their scandalized looks with a “No going out of the nursery.”
[img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/525056/52505567_350.png[/img]
The pink skydancer came across Carmen and a huge, dark-scales snapper with an electric blue belly. He prepared a spell, sneaking around the corner, just in case. [i] Was it the Uprising? What if they were caught? What if we were separated?[/i] He clutched the gathering energy in his claw tighter, thinking of the two excitable hatchlings and the new family, new purpose he found. [i]I won’t let that happen.[/i]
“Please, you’ve got to help me! I’ve gotten separated from my group, and my familiar just ran off.... I have no idea where I am, and I can’t find my sweetcheeks Donut anywhere!” The snapper pleaded to an uncomfortable Carmen, who twitched when ‘Donut’ was called. Zeschor let go of the spell he was holding, finding his claws were trembling, with a relieved sigh. He came up to Carmen’s side, whispering in her ear.
“Threat?”
“No.. um..” She paused, shifting her feet, whispering in the corner of her mouth to the snapper who was now whimpering on the floor all her troubles and woes. “Actually, they”re quite harmless. I’ve been trying to get her to move on, but she”s really adamant her pet was here. Er... The dodo I found earlier.... I think it’s hers.” She grimaced, a look of guilt coming over her expression.
“Did you eat it already?!” Zeschor hissed as he kept the strange snapper in view, still oblivious to the two”s conversation right in front of her. If her beloved familiar was eaten.... He shuddered, thinking of some other snappers who, quite literally, ‘snapped’ and gave him some half-body bruises after he botched their precious weapons” upgrades.
“N-No! I didn’t! I.. um... I was preparing it..” Carmen took a deep breath, her eyes wide with panic. “andIcutit’slegoff.” The sentence exhaled in one breath went too fast for Zeschor to hear, but whatever it was, it was not good news. “You what?!”
“I. cut. it’s. leg. off.” Carmen bit out, her grimace increasing in intensity. Zeschor balked at her, mouth wide open. He was about to ask her to repeat herself again when the snapper turned to them, dragging both her arms down her face. “I’m doomed! I was told to stick with the group, like, a million times. A-Are you guys sure you haven’t seen a dodo meander on by here? [i]I saw her,[/i] I saw her jump into that bush right there!” She pointed to a bush near the entrance of the den, her expression anxiety-ridden.
Zeschor shut his mouth, a nearly hysterical look. [i]How do I end up in these messes?[/i] He turned and stomped into the kitchen, leaving the frazzled mirror to stall. Everything was fine. Everything was under control. (If he repeated it enough, maybe it would eventually come true.) On the kitchen counter, there was the dodo who started it all, currently trying to get used to its now, one leg. The stub was still dripping with blood, a sizable red puddle under the creature’s [s]feet[/s] foot. Sighing, he rubbed his talons together and cast Aid on the dodo, which immediately caused the ruffled feathers to smooth as he could see the pain flow out of the poor thing. He took a leftover rag and quickly wrapped the wound, delicately taking the dodo by its feathers and taking it to the front.
“DONUT!” The snapper squealed happily, squeezing gently on the creature who gave a death glare to Carmen, who shrank back. Zeschor smoothly interjected after the snapper was done crying tears of joy. “We found them outside like this. Took it in to patch it up.” Carmen gave a jerky nod, inwardly very thankful that Zeschor was able to come up with something.
“Thank you so much! Is there anything I can do to repay you?” Her voice was wobbly and she seemed as if she could burst into tears again at any moment. Donut, on the other hand, was content to be back with their owner and snuggled deeper into the snapper’s embrace. “I could- um, trade you something, or...”
Zeschor interrupted, noticing the dawning horror in her eyes as she scrambled for an answer. A very open book kind of dragon, he noted. “Do you perhaps know of a... certain establishment in the Earth domain?”
She piped up. “Oh, you mean the Rebellion base?” Realizing her mistake, she clamped a talon over her mouth. Zeschor felt hope bloom in his chest. They weren’t dead, or gone, or disbanded, or captured. The movement Pumpkin spoke of really did exist.
“Yes, that. Our group plans to travel there, but it would be nice to have a dragon who knows the area accompany us. Unless, of course, you want to get back to your group as soon as possible.” Zeschor kept his voice as serious as possible. This was business talk time, and he could save the theatrics for later. He could see Carmen blink. surprised, in the corner of his eye.
The snapper gulped at the mention of her group. “No, no, they can wait. I’ll take your offer! Donut is so precious to me, I just have to repay you.” She held an arm out, wobbly smile still plastered on her face. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
[/center]
(Ho boy these just get longer and longer don’t they)
@AlmightyAmu @Stri
Day 19
Small talons scrabbled eagerly across the nursery rug, shrill squeals coming soon after Wildfire pounced, tackling Spirit as they tumbled in a ball back into the nest. “I gotchu!” Wildfire triumphantly proclaimed, puffing out his chest and side-eying Kurkurbo, not-so-subtly waiting for praise and cuddles. Spirit let out a playful, drawn out, “noooo” in protest, attempting to swat at his brother’s face.
Kukurbo lazily opened one eye, and yawned before smiling, exposing rows and rows of slightly yellow teeth. “Good job, Wildfire. Keep that up and you’ll become a great warrior one day.” Wildfire’s grin rivaled the sun as he tried out a ‘menacing’ growl, which wasn’t very threatening due to his small teeth and big eyes.
Zeschor sidled into the room, a sly grin on his face. “What’s all this screaming I hear? Has someone...” The skydancer paused for dramatic effect, always glad to put on an entertaining show for the children. “Been murdered?!” He mock-gasped, loudly, as Wildfire tilted his head and Spirit stuck his tongue out and closed his eyes, playing dead.
“Uncle Zesch! Avenge mee!” Spirit yelled, as Zeschor ‘s eyes gained a new shine of mischief and he swiped Wildfire straight off Spirit and dangled him up in the air, pretending not to hear the imperial hatchling’s whines.
“No fair! It’s two against one, and you’re bigger than me!” Wildfire writhed around from where he was being gripped by the scruff, clawing and yelling. Zeschor nearly dropped him because imperial hatchlings are heavy, but he managed to get a hold on him, shaking him a little bit. After a bit more struggle, the grumpy dragonet let out a growl of frustration before going limp, defeated.
Zeschor chuckled, before plopping the imperial down on his posterior, repositioning his hat. “Carmen’s found us a live dodo while she and Osprey were out hunting! She’s very excited about it, I could practically see her drooling.” He, a skydancer himself, couldn’t understand why she liked meat so much when insects had crunch, but to each their own. Food preferences aside, it still made his day to see the kids practically light up at the prospect of a proper dodo meal.
“Dodo....” Spirit seemed entranced by the idea, already trying to construct an image of the creature in his mind. “Osprey said those were like a chicken... but more bald. And with a bigger beak.” Wildfire gave him a weird look, his imagination conjuring up some kind of amalgamation of a bald chicken with a giant beak. His nose scrunched up at the thought. Was that really Auntie Carmen’s favorite food?
“Dodos sound weird.” The light green scales on his face rippled as he scrunched up his nose in confusion. Zeschor shook his head until a screech catapulted itself into the room in the form of a frazzled Cerise. He whipped around, following the squawking bird to the entrance. Spirit and Wildfire moved to follow, but Kukurbo tripped them with his tail, answering their scandalized looks with a “No going out of the nursery.”
The pink skydancer came across Carmen and a huge, dark-scales snapper with an electric blue belly. He prepared a spell, sneaking around the corner, just in case. Was it the Uprising? What if they were caught? What if we were separated? He clutched the gathering energy in his claw tighter, thinking of the two excitable hatchlings and the new family, new purpose he found. I won’t let that happen.
“Please, you’ve got to help me! I’ve gotten separated from my group, and my familiar just ran off.... I have no idea where I am, and I can’t find my sweetcheeks Donut anywhere!” The snapper pleaded to an uncomfortable Carmen, who twitched when ‘Donut’ was called. Zeschor let go of the spell he was holding, finding his claws were trembling, with a relieved sigh. He came up to Carmen’s side, whispering in her ear.
“Threat?”
“No.. um..” She paused, shifting her feet, whispering in the corner of her mouth to the snapper who was now whimpering on the floor all her troubles and woes. “Actually, they”re quite harmless. I’ve been trying to get her to move on, but she”s really adamant her pet was here. Er... The dodo I found earlier.... I think it’s hers.” She grimaced, a look of guilt coming over her expression.
“Did you eat it already?!” Zeschor hissed as he kept the strange snapper in view, still oblivious to the two”s conversation right in front of her. If her beloved familiar was eaten.... He shuddered, thinking of some other snappers who, quite literally, ‘snapped’ and gave him some half-body bruises after he botched their precious weapons” upgrades.
“N-No! I didn’t! I.. um... I was preparing it..” Carmen took a deep breath, her eyes wide with panic. “andIcutit’slegoff.” The sentence exhaled in one breath went too fast for Zeschor to hear, but whatever it was, it was not good news. “You what?!”
“I. cut. it’s. leg. off.” Carmen bit out, her grimace increasing in intensity. Zeschor balked at her, mouth wide open. He was about to ask her to repeat herself again when the snapper turned to them, dragging both her arms down her face. “I’m doomed! I was told to stick with the group, like, a million times. A-Are you guys sure you haven’t seen a dodo meander on by here? I saw her, I saw her jump into that bush right there!” She pointed to a bush near the entrance of the den, her expression anxiety-ridden.
Zeschor shut his mouth, a nearly hysterical look. How do I end up in these messes? He turned and stomped into the kitchen, leaving the frazzled mirror to stall. Everything was fine. Everything was under control. (If he repeated it enough, maybe it would eventually come true.) On the kitchen counter, there was the dodo who started it all, currently trying to get used to its now, one leg. The stub was still dripping with blood, a sizable red puddle under the creature’sfeet foot. Sighing, he rubbed his talons together and cast Aid on the dodo, which immediately caused the ruffled feathers to smooth as he could see the pain flow out of the poor thing. He took a leftover rag and quickly wrapped the wound, delicately taking the dodo by its feathers and taking it to the front.
“DONUT!” The snapper squealed happily, squeezing gently on the creature who gave a death glare to Carmen, who shrank back. Zeschor smoothly interjected after the snapper was done crying tears of joy. “We found them outside like this. Took it in to patch it up.” Carmen gave a jerky nod, inwardly very thankful that Zeschor was able to come up with something.
“Thank you so much! Is there anything I can do to repay you?” Her voice was wobbly and she seemed as if she could burst into tears again at any moment. Donut, on the other hand, was content to be back with their owner and snuggled deeper into the snapper’s embrace. “I could- um, trade you something, or...”
Zeschor interrupted, noticing the dawning horror in her eyes as she scrambled for an answer. A very open book kind of dragon, he noted. “Do you perhaps know of a... certain establishment in the Earth domain?”
She piped up. “Oh, you mean the Rebellion base?” Realizing her mistake, she clamped a talon over her mouth. Zeschor felt hope bloom in his chest. They weren’t dead, or gone, or disbanded, or captured. The movement Pumpkin spoke of really did exist.
“Yes, that. Our group plans to travel there, but it would be nice to have a dragon who knows the area accompany us. Unless, of course, you want to get back to your group as soon as possible.” Zeschor kept his voice as serious as possible. This was business talk time, and he could save the theatrics for later. He could see Carmen blink. surprised, in the corner of his eye.
The snapper gulped at the mention of her group. “No, no, they can wait. I’ll take your offer! Donut is so precious to me, I just have to repay you.” She held an arm out, wobbly smile still plastered on her face. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
Day 19
Small talons scrabbled eagerly across the nursery rug, shrill squeals coming soon after Wildfire pounced, tackling Spirit as they tumbled in a ball back into the nest. “I gotchu!” Wildfire triumphantly proclaimed, puffing out his chest and side-eying Kurkurbo, not-so-subtly waiting for praise and cuddles. Spirit let out a playful, drawn out, “noooo” in protest, attempting to swat at his brother’s face.
Kukurbo lazily opened one eye, and yawned before smiling, exposing rows and rows of slightly yellow teeth. “Good job, Wildfire. Keep that up and you’ll become a great warrior one day.” Wildfire’s grin rivaled the sun as he tried out a ‘menacing’ growl, which wasn’t very threatening due to his small teeth and big eyes.
Zeschor sidled into the room, a sly grin on his face. “What’s all this screaming I hear? Has someone...” The skydancer paused for dramatic effect, always glad to put on an entertaining show for the children. “Been murdered?!” He mock-gasped, loudly, as Wildfire tilted his head and Spirit stuck his tongue out and closed his eyes, playing dead.
“Uncle Zesch! Avenge mee!” Spirit yelled, as Zeschor ‘s eyes gained a new shine of mischief and he swiped Wildfire straight off Spirit and dangled him up in the air, pretending not to hear the imperial hatchling’s whines.
“No fair! It’s two against one, and you’re bigger than me!” Wildfire writhed around from where he was being gripped by the scruff, clawing and yelling. Zeschor nearly dropped him because imperial hatchlings are heavy, but he managed to get a hold on him, shaking him a little bit. After a bit more struggle, the grumpy dragonet let out a growl of frustration before going limp, defeated.
Zeschor chuckled, before plopping the imperial down on his posterior, repositioning his hat. “Carmen’s found us a live dodo while she and Osprey were out hunting! She’s very excited about it, I could practically see her drooling.” He, a skydancer himself, couldn’t understand why she liked meat so much when insects had crunch, but to each their own. Food preferences aside, it still made his day to see the kids practically light up at the prospect of a proper dodo meal.
“Dodo....” Spirit seemed entranced by the idea, already trying to construct an image of the creature in his mind. “Osprey said those were like a chicken... but more bald. And with a bigger beak.” Wildfire gave him a weird look, his imagination conjuring up some kind of amalgamation of a bald chicken with a giant beak. His nose scrunched up at the thought. Was that really Auntie Carmen’s favorite food?
“Dodos sound weird.” The light green scales on his face rippled as he scrunched up his nose in confusion. Zeschor shook his head until a screech catapulted itself into the room in the form of a frazzled Cerise. He whipped around, following the squawking bird to the entrance. Spirit and Wildfire moved to follow, but Kukurbo tripped them with his tail, answering their scandalized looks with a “No going out of the nursery.”
The pink skydancer came across Carmen and a huge, dark-scales snapper with an electric blue belly. He prepared a spell, sneaking around the corner, just in case. Was it the Uprising? What if they were caught? What if we were separated? He clutched the gathering energy in his claw tighter, thinking of the two excitable hatchlings and the new family, new purpose he found. I won’t let that happen.
“Please, you’ve got to help me! I’ve gotten separated from my group, and my familiar just ran off.... I have no idea where I am, and I can’t find my sweetcheeks Donut anywhere!” The snapper pleaded to an uncomfortable Carmen, who twitched when ‘Donut’ was called. Zeschor let go of the spell he was holding, finding his claws were trembling, with a relieved sigh. He came up to Carmen’s side, whispering in her ear.
“Threat?”
“No.. um..” She paused, shifting her feet, whispering in the corner of her mouth to the snapper who was now whimpering on the floor all her troubles and woes. “Actually, they”re quite harmless. I’ve been trying to get her to move on, but she”s really adamant her pet was here. Er... The dodo I found earlier.... I think it’s hers.” She grimaced, a look of guilt coming over her expression.
“Did you eat it already?!” Zeschor hissed as he kept the strange snapper in view, still oblivious to the two”s conversation right in front of her. If her beloved familiar was eaten.... He shuddered, thinking of some other snappers who, quite literally, ‘snapped’ and gave him some half-body bruises after he botched their precious weapons” upgrades.
“N-No! I didn’t! I.. um... I was preparing it..” Carmen took a deep breath, her eyes wide with panic. “andIcutit’slegoff.” The sentence exhaled in one breath went too fast for Zeschor to hear, but whatever it was, it was not good news. “You what?!”
“I. cut. it’s. leg. off.” Carmen bit out, her grimace increasing in intensity. Zeschor balked at her, mouth wide open. He was about to ask her to repeat herself again when the snapper turned to them, dragging both her arms down her face. “I’m doomed! I was told to stick with the group, like, a million times. A-Are you guys sure you haven’t seen a dodo meander on by here? I saw her, I saw her jump into that bush right there!” She pointed to a bush near the entrance of the den, her expression anxiety-ridden.
Zeschor shut his mouth, a nearly hysterical look. How do I end up in these messes? He turned and stomped into the kitchen, leaving the frazzled mirror to stall. Everything was fine. Everything was under control. (If he repeated it enough, maybe it would eventually come true.) On the kitchen counter, there was the dodo who started it all, currently trying to get used to its now, one leg. The stub was still dripping with blood, a sizable red puddle under the creature’s
“DONUT!” The snapper squealed happily, squeezing gently on the creature who gave a death glare to Carmen, who shrank back. Zeschor smoothly interjected after the snapper was done crying tears of joy. “We found them outside like this. Took it in to patch it up.” Carmen gave a jerky nod, inwardly very thankful that Zeschor was able to come up with something.
“Thank you so much! Is there anything I can do to repay you?” Her voice was wobbly and she seemed as if she could burst into tears again at any moment. Donut, on the other hand, was content to be back with their owner and snuggled deeper into the snapper’s embrace. “I could- um, trade you something, or...”
Zeschor interrupted, noticing the dawning horror in her eyes as she scrambled for an answer. A very open book kind of dragon, he noted. “Do you perhaps know of a... certain establishment in the Earth domain?”
She piped up. “Oh, you mean the Rebellion base?” Realizing her mistake, she clamped a talon over her mouth. Zeschor felt hope bloom in his chest. They weren’t dead, or gone, or disbanded, or captured. The movement Pumpkin spoke of really did exist.
“Yes, that. Our group plans to travel there, but it would be nice to have a dragon who knows the area accompany us. Unless, of course, you want to get back to your group as soon as possible.” Zeschor kept his voice as serious as possible. This was business talk time, and he could save the theatrics for later. He could see Carmen blink. surprised, in the corner of his eye.
The snapper gulped at the mention of her group. “No, no, they can wait. I’ll take your offer! Donut is so precious to me, I just have to repay you.” She held an arm out, wobbly smile still plastered on her face. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
(Ho boy these just get longer and longer don’t they)
