Quests & Challenges

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: favoritism, jealousy, loneliness, flash flood, tinnitus[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=berserker] [i]Fortune, Favor, and Fate (Death Streak)[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] After a tense night and a restless sleep, a red dawn greeted Glimmerfall as clouds began to gather overhead. By the time the sun was over the horizon, the sky was completely gray and light droplets of rain were falling. It was as if the sky itself could sense the tension that rippled through the clan and was too timid to let more than a few droplets of water fall on its cliffs. When [b]Glex[/b] awoke and had her breakfast, [b]Naal[/b] approached her. "Our food stores are running low," she said, "I am going to take a few dragons out to hunt before the storm gets bad, since we don't know how long--" "Why must you bore me with these mundane details?" [b]Glex[/b] snapped. [b]Naal's[/b] intact head fin lowered as her mother continued, "Do you see [b]Ethir[/b] bothering me every time he makes a sword? Does [b]Serenade[/b] have to tell me about every scroll she catalogs? You believe that because you are the child of the royal, that you have some sort of special connection to me? If so, get it out of your head now. I am the royal, and part of my duty is to create new members for my clan. You just happen to be one of them." [b]Naal's[/b] heart sank and for a moment she felt as if the floor dropped out from under her. This feeling was followed by an intense rage. "What about [b]Moongleam[/b]?" she asked, "She doesn't tell you everything she does, but you always make it your business to seek her out and talk to her. And even when she speaks disrespectfully to you, speaks to you in a way that you or dad would tear any other dragon to pieces for, you still smile at her and praise her! But when I try to keep you informed, you--" "Enough!" [b]Glex[/b] roared, spreading her wings and puffing out her chest, "The way I choose to manage my subjects and the product of my own flesh and blood is my business. You would do well to do your job and stop bothering me with unimportant nonsense. You are [i]dismissed[/i]." [b]Sebastion[/b] watched the interaction with a feeling of dread and uncertainty in his chest. [b]Naal[/b] was his daughter, and he loved her very much, but [b]Glex[/b] was his everything, his world, his goddess. One of the things he loved most about [b]Naal[/b] was that she was his and [b]Glex's[/b] offspring. To see them fight like this... he didn't know what to do. But when [b]Naal[/b] planted her feet and spread her wings, lowering her head into an attack position, [b]Sebastion[/b] found himself at [b]Glex's[/b] side, postured to defend her. [b]Naal's[/b] gaze turned from her mother to her father. His eyes pleaded with her to stop, but his posture made it clear that he would attack her if she tried to hurt [b]Glex[/b]. Tears stung [b]Naal's[/b] eyes and she bared her teeth, clenching her jaw. She turned and stormed out, deciding to take time to herself before leading the patrol. [b]Sebastion[/b] turned towards [b]Glex[/b] to speak to her about the interaction, but the royal was already approaching [b]Europa[/b], who was helping [b]Ethir[/b] groom Agrezol, his extinguished jackalope. [b]Sebastion[/b] felt a pit in his own stomach. Jealous and lonely, he briefly pondered going to speak to [b]Naal[/b] before deciding to settle himself in [b]Glex's[/b] nest to reflect and wallow. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] "[b]Naal[/b], slow down!" Ignoring her younger sister's plea, [b]Naal[/b] pressed on, striking at a nearby branch that brushed against her damaged head fin. [b]Moongleam[/b] struggled to keep up with her stronger and more agile sister as they made their way through the forest. "[b]Naal[/b]!" [b]Moongleam[/b] called again, thinking maybe her sister's impared hearing prevented her from understanding the first time, "Slow dow--" "I heard you!" [b]Naal[/b] growled. [b]Moongleam[/b] huffed, "Then why didn't you listen?" [b]Naal[/b] stopped. "Because [b]Alnair[/b] is scouting ahead and we can afford to move quickly. You have to learn to keep up," [b]Naal[/b] said, turning towards her sister with ferocity, "Just like I did! Just because Mother doesn't expect you to pull your own weight doesn't mean the dangers of the rest of the world will be as kind." "Is that what this is about?" [b]Moongleam[/b] uttered a scoffing laugh, "You think I want Mom to coddle me? You think that I like the way she treats me differently than the rest of the clan?" The rain began to pound more heavily and was a steady drizzle now. "It must be nice," [b]Naal[/b] sneered, "to be the only dragon in the clan safe from her wrath. You didn't even have to try! I've tried all my life and you-- you just came along and--" "Oh shut up!" [b]Moongleem[/b] growled, "Don't give me your sob story like it's my fault! Like I asked to be born to a cruel and bossy mom and a dad who couldn't think for himself if his life depended on it." [b]Naal[/b] bared her teeth and roared, "You little brat! You can't just talk about your royal any way you want! You're so [i]entitled![/i] You think you can just do anything you want and it's a drain on this clan! Ever since the day you were hatched you were a drain! You are what got between me and [b]Xalvadora[/b], and if it wasn't for you, she would still be here!" The two sisters stared at each other in silence as rain fell on the leaves around them. [b]Moongleam's[/b] eyes were wide with hurt and disbelief, and [b]Naal's[/b] were filled with regret. This was a thought she had had in the back of her mind, born of resentment and grief, but it wasn't fair of her to place that on [b]Moongleam[/b]. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was interrupted by a loud crack of lightning that seemed to split the sky and allow a flood of rain to pour down on them. [b]Naal's[/b] ears rang from the loud and sudden noise and she clutched the sides of her head. Seconds after the lightning strike, [b]Torval[/b] rushed past them in a blur of lavender feathers. Confused by her presence, the two mirrors looked at each other before rushing after their clanmate. [b]Torval[/b] was exhausted and every muscle in her body burned. As soon as she had the vision, she rushed out into the forest after the hunting party. She knew the location where the tragedy was supposed to take place so she headed there immediately, moving as fast as her wings would carry her. She just hoped she wasn't too late. There! [b]Alnair[/b] crouched near the creek, wings pressed flat to her body and head down to keep out of sight. [b]Torval[/b] would have missed her if not for her vision. She launched herself at the Coatl, and [b]Alnair[/b] turned and nearly sank her teeth into her before she realized her assailant was one of her clanmates. "[b]Torval[/b]! What--?" "Move! MOVE!" [b]Torval[/b] screamed, dragging [b]Alnair[/b] away from the water "The creek!" The creek rose up to the two women's feet and there was a sound akin to the falls. Scrambling up the bank, they barely saw the wall of water before it swept [b]Alnair's[/b] back feet out from under her. She cried with alarm and [b]Torval[/b] held onto her, using her tail to anchor herself to a tree. With a cry of effort and pain, she pulled [b]Alnair[/b] back onto the bank and they moved further away from the river before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Moongleam[/b] arrived just in time to watch this happen and rushed towards the two women as they lay next to each other on the ground. "Are you alright?" [b]Moongleam[/b] cried. "I am," [b]Alnair[/b] said, "thanks to [b]Torval[/b]." [b]Torval[/b] was too exhausted to respond verbally, but simply gave [b]Alnair[/b] a nod. The Coatl looked at the rushing water. "...my son just lost his sister," she said, "and he's only known I'm his mother for a day. Thank you for saving me, and for sparing him more grief." [b]Naal [/b]and [b]Moongleam[/b] looked at each other and guilt tugged at their hearts. [b]Syzereld[/b] had just lost his sister and was torn up over it. They both thought of how they would feel in his situation and could hardly stand the idea of losing each other. "Back to camp," [b]Naal[/b] said, "Full bellies are not worth the lives of any member of our clan." [b]Torval[/b] and [b]Alnair[/b] walked ahead, standing close and talking in low voices about love and loss and family. [b]Naal[/b] hung back with [b]Moongleam[/b] and apologized for her accusations. [b]Moongleam[/b] said nothing, but pressed her forehead up underneith [b]Naal's[/b] chin in a gesture of affection. The two agreed that no matter what happened, no matter how [b]Glex[/b] treated them, and no matter how angry they might feel, they would always watch out for each other. [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-One[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: emotional neglect, speciesism, ableism[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=woodland headband] [i]Love and Loyalty[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] "[b]Alnair[/b], do you have a moment?" [b]Alnair[/b] turned towards [b]Warstomp[/b], who still had his alchemist's gear on as he stood with one of his front paws raised. It was difficult to tell from his tone, which was even and dull, or the expression on his face, but his posture betrayed how excited he was. He was already leaning slightly away from [b]Alnair[/b], preparing to lead her somewhere, and his tail was lifted higher than its usual position of an inch or so above the ground. "I do," [b]Alnair[/b] said with a smile. [b]Warstomp[/b] turned and paced quickly over to his workspace, pulling out a scroll and a vial of bright orange liquid. [b]Alnair[/b] followed, looking slightly apprehensively at the vial. "You were born male," [b]Warstomp[/b] blurts. [b]Alnair's[/b] apprehensive look deepens. "...correct..." she replies, waiting to see where the mirror was going with this. "Here," [b]Warstomp[/b] says awkwardly, practically shaking with excitement as he hands [b]Alnair[/b] the vial and scroll, "Drink this and then read the words on the scroll. They will alter your body so your outward appearance is female as well. Th-- the change will be instant, but in order for it to last, you will have to consume a vial of this liquid once a day for a full moon cycle. After that, the change will be permanent. It will not effect or change your breeding ability, but your scent--your pheromones--will change" [item=silhouette scroll] [b]Alnair[/b] held the vial and scroll in her claws, looking down at them both. Her first instinct was caution. Someone she hardly knew handed her something that she was being asked to consume for a moon cycle and a magical scroll...why should she trust him? But as she looked up into [b]Warstomp's [/b] pale eyes, past his stoic expression, she saw a glimmer of glee and a genuine desire to use his talents to do good. There was, of course, a chance it wouldn't work, but although [b]Warstomp[/b] was reckless when it came to his own safety, he clearly took his job very seriously and she had noticed that he did not try something on his fellow dragons unless he was certain it would work. "Drink and then read, yes?" she asked. [b]Warstomp[/b] nodded, "That's right; the order is very important. Drink the vial and then immediately read the inscription." Taking a deep breath, [b]Alnair[/b] brought the vile to her lips and threw the liquid to the back of her throat. It burned and tasted of bitter herbs. She choked back a hiss of discomfort and read the inscription on the scroll, careful to annunciate each word clearly. She felt a warmth begin in her throat and spread to her chest. From there, it engulfed the rest of her body and for a moment her blood glowed orange from within her. When the glow faded, she looked down at herself, feeling more at home in her own body than she ever had before. [b]Warstomp[/b] watched anxiously, leaning his head forward in anticipation. [b]Alnair[/b] looked up at him with tears in her dark pink eyes. As she spoke, her voice was smooth and soft, pitched slightly higher than it was before, "This... I never thought-- ...[i]thank you[/i], [b]Warstomp[/b]." [b]Warstomp[/b] shifted his weight awkwardly, lowering his head as a sudden giddy bashfulness overtook him. He wasn't familiar with this feeling; in his old clan such glee was not expressed outwardly unless it was as you were tearing at the skulls of your enemies. "H--here," he said, handing [b]Alnair[/b] a sturdy wooden case with a latch, "these are all of the doses you'll need to take. Remember; one every day until they are used up, and then the change will be permanent." [b]Alnair[/b] nodded, taking the chest and dipping her head in gratitude. "You are a skilled alchemist." She turned and paced away before he felt the obligation to respond, recognizing that he didn't seem to know what to say in response to her gratitude. She stashed the case of vials in her den, heart fluttering with excitement. For the first time in her life, she felt at home in her body. [center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/869927/86992609_350.png?mtime=ZZV12Z4srHA.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Ethir[/b] handed weapons to Sebastion, who was taking [b]Syzerald[/b] and [b]Cypress[/b] out to train. "Go easy on [b]Syzerald[/b] today," Ethir cautioned, "he's still reeling from his loss and might be reckless or distracted. Are you sure you want to use weapons today?" "[b]Ethir[/b]," [b]Sebastion[/b] said, "You can give your input, but I don't need you second guessing my decisions. If I didn't want weapons, I wouldn't have asked for weapons." Lowering his head in respect, [b]Ethir[/b] backed off. From nearby, [b]Naal[/b] snarled at her father. "Don't talk to my friend that way." [b]Sebastion[/b] looked surprised; this was the first time [b]Naal[/b] had snarled at him. He raised his head fins tensely, "[b]Naal[/b], you know how your mother feels about--" "For Elements' [i]sake[/i], Father!" [b]Naal[/b] growled, "Have an original thought for once! Just because Mother has something against spirals for some stupid reason doesn't mean you have to talk to him like that. He's just trying to help." [b]Sebastion[/b] felt himself tense as [b]Naal[/b] spoke ill of [b]Glex[/b], "You should mind your mother's wisdom. You don't know what she knows." A bitter, mirthless laugh was flung at Sebastion. "Of course I don't," she said, "she hardly speaks to me anymore, and when she does, she yells." "That's because you're--," [b]Sebastion[/b] began only to be cut off by Ethir. "[i]Don't[/i]," the normally-docile spiral's lip curled back, "Don't you dare use her hearing as an excuse for how the Royal speaks to her. We've all heard it." [b]Sebastion[/b] bristles, "As if her actions need a defense. Whatever she decides to do is born from strength and wisdom. The two of you will understand that one day," he locked eyes with [b]Ethir[/b], "one way or another." At this, he turned and left. [b]Naal[/b] screamed with frustration and grabbed one of the spears nearby, hurling it at the stone wall. It bounced off and clattered to the floor, leaving a chip in the wall of the workshop. [b]Ethir[/b] moved over to [b]Naal[/b], curling around her and placing his forehead against her's. "Who does he think he is?" [b]Naal[/b] fumed, "He and mother can't keep treating you like that. You've been nothing but loyal and good to this clan; you were here since the beginning--since before I was hatched!" "I know," [b]Ethir[/b] said, "But it is what it is. It doesn't really bother me anymore." "But it [i]should![/i]" [b]Naal[/b] protested, "It's not [i]right![/i] It's not--" She cut off, gritting her teeth together with a growl and pressing herself into [b]Ethir's[/b] coils, seeking comfort. For a moment, both dragons held each other in silence. When [b]Naal[/b] calmed down, she leaned up and nuzzled [b]Ethir's[/b] cheek. "...I've been so scared," she said, "Because mother has been favoring [b]Moongleam[/b] for so long, I was scared of losing her love...now I realize I never had it in the first place. I won't be controlled by empty hope and promises for her approval. I'm not scared anymore." She pulled back and looked [b]Ethir[/b] in the eye, "[b]Ethir[/b]... I want you to come to the nursery with me." [b]Ethir [/b]felt his heart jump into his throat with...excitement? Fear? "But... your mother--" "She can't control us," [b]Naal[/b] said, "I'm my own person and it's time I stopped living based on what I think she wants. I love you, [b]Ethir[/b], and I want us to have a clutch together." Heart beating hard in his chest, [b]Ethir[/b] kissed the scar on [b]Naal's[/b] cheek, "I love you, too. No matter what happens, I want to always be by your side." Filled with fear, joy, and a newfound hope, the two snuck back into the nursery. When morning came, [b]Ethir[/b] and [b]Naal[/b] were curled around three healthy eggs. [center][img]https://flightrising.com/images/nests/9/3healthy_0dead.png[/img] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] HUGE thanks to [emoji=ice rune size=1][b]@voidsauce[/b] for gifting me the silhouette scroll for Alnair!!! Go check out their [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/lair/305821/2161811?name=&type=undefined][b]permababy collection[/b][/url]! [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-Two[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW:[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=tricolor caterpillar] [i]Hunting Trip[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Glex[/b] flicked her tongue, eyeing the nest where [b]Ethir[/b] lay tensely coiled around his and [b]Naal's[/b] three eggs. [b]Naal[/b] stood in front of the nest with her head raised in defiance. At [b]Glex's[/b] side stood [b]Sebastion[/b], head low to the ground, ready to act based on his Royal's command. For a long moment, nobody said anything. Rather than speak,[b] Glex [/b]kept a neutral expression and simply turned to leave the nursery. [b]Sebastion[/b] let his eyes stay on the nest for a moment longer before turning to follow. "You can't stop this," [b]Naal[/b] called after them. She felt a pit in her stomach. She didn't think she wanted her mother to show outward disapproval, but somehow her not saying anything was worse. "Why would I?" [b]Glex[/b] said over her shoulder, "There are three eggs in the nest that could hatch into healthy hatchlings. I had hoped you would learn from my mistakes and chosen a more suitable male, but I don't really care." [b]Ethir [/b]flinched, remembering his grief and Glex's cold disapproval when the one egg they had turned out to be a spiral that died before seeing their first sundown. [b]Naal[/b] snarled, "Yes you do! I know you do! You and father--" "The food stores are still lacking," [b]Glex[/b] interrupted, "Choose three dragons to go out hunting. Just because you have a clutch does not mean either of you can neglect your other duties to the clan." With this,[b] Glex [/b]slithered out of the nursery. Hot tears stung [b]Naal's[/b] eyes and she grit her teeth, growling high in her throat. [b]Galeblast[/b], who had been standing nearby, paced over to her and put a comforting claw on her back. "I know you're upset, [b]Naal[/b], but please try to keep your tone calm. The hatchlings can hear you through their shells, and even at this early stage we need to keep our voices kind and mellow to aid their development. [b]Naal [/b]huffed, trying to relax her muscles. "You're right... I don't care anyway. It doesn't matter to me what she thinks." [b]Galeblast [/b]looked at her with concern but she quickly continued, "I'm going to go choose dragons for the hunting party. [b]Ethir[/b], I'll be back to relieve you soon." She quickly slunk out of the nursery. [b]Ethir[/b] sighed, turning the eggs with care. [b]Galeblast[/b] brought fresh bedding and [b]Ethir[/b] nodded his thanks. As he tucked it around the eggs, he couldn't help but worry about the way [b]Naal[/b] was behaving. Despite what she said, her mother's opinion and acknowledgement clearly still meant a lot to her, and he felt as if it played a larger part in her choices last night than [b]Ethir[/b] had thought. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] Despite being distracted, [b]Naal's[/b] head was clear enough to focus on who she should choose for the hunting party. Dragons who were not hunting were tasked with digging deeper into the ground and trucking mined material out to build walls and towers. The cave entrance was nearly sealed off now and would be fitted with a heavy set of doors when the wall was complete. Already, runes of protection were being carved into the stones to prevent erosion. This meant that it was somewhat more difficult to choose dragons for hunting parties, but she managed to get [b]Syzereld[/b], [b]Cypress[/b], and [b]Theseus[/b] together and sent them to the border between the fields and forest. [b]Syzereld[/b] was still quiet and sullen, but [b]Theseus[/b] and [b]Cypress[/b] did not attempt to draw conversation out of him. The three dragons were out of sync at first, but by the time they were hauling their spoils and kills back to the den, they had found their rhythm. [item=leafy pack] [b]Theseus[/b] kept pace with [b]Cypress[/b], "The Royal and her daughter seem to be having a disagreement regarding the new hatchlings." He had noted [b]Naal's[/b] strange behavior and the way she, [b]Glex[/b], and [b]Sebastion[/b] had been interacting. [b]Cypress[/b] snorted, "If you are attempting to gossip with me, you can forget it. I cannot possibly express to you how little I care about the interpersonal affairs of my clanmates." "Not gossip," [b]Theseus[/b] replied evenly, respecting [b]Cypress'[/b] directness and disinterest in idle chatter, "but I worry that there is more going on in this clan than meets the eye. I have not yet had a chance to interact with the royal or [b]Ethir[/b], the young spiral, but you tended their wounds the other day. Did you notice any--?" "[b]Theseus[/b]," [b]Cypress[/b] said, "I just told you I don't care. Whether it's for the sake of gossip or not, I really don't care. All I want is to do my job and earn my keep here. That's it." [b]Theseus[/b] nodded, deciding to change the subject, "And have you decided what job that will be?" "Not yet," they admitted, "What about you? You seem so concerned about serving the clan, but I haven't heard you talk about exactly how you want to do that." He thought about it. He had strongly considered committing himself to finding the poison that was corrupting the clan and taking them out, but such an action was far too similar to an assassin's job and was dishonorable and underhanded. If he were to face evil, he'd face it head-on. In the meantime, though, there was something he could do to help protect the will and integrity of some of the fearful dragons in the clan. "Matchmaker," he said simply. [b]Cypress[/b] raised her brows in surprise, "Not what I expected." [b]Theseus[/b] said no more. He couldn't explain exactly what was going on or why he had made this choice, but he had a strong feeling that the fortune teller, [b]Torval[/b], would somehow benefit from the clan having a matchmaker who was willing to respect and listen to the will of the dragons they were pairing. He also felt that [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] may seek him out for his blessing to become a bonded pair. Whatever the case, he made a vow to himself to use his authority to protect the will and dignity of the dragons of Glimmerfall. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] When the hunting party returned, [b]Syzereld[/b] approached [b]Warstomp[/b]. The two young men stared at each other blankly for a moment, neither knowing what to say to break the silence. "Um," [b]Syzereld[/b] finally said, "I... I heard what you did for my mother." "Yes," [b]Warstomp[/b] said simply. More silence followed. "I... it means a lot to her. And it-- it got me thinking that...I'd also like to be able to help dragons feel more at home in their bodies. Do you...? Could you use an assistant?" [b]Warstomp[/b] thought about it. He wasn't sure what he'd do with an assistant, but he knew that having allies and backup was a valued opportunity that he shouldn't pass up. "Yes," he replied simply. For the first time since [b]Syzera[/b] had died, he smiled. "Great! Where do I start?" [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] "You wanted to see me?" [b]Cypress [/b]stood in front of [b]Glex[/b], who was lounging in her nest with [b]Sebastion[/b] standing at her side as she devoured some of what the hunting party had brought back while it was still fresh. [b]Glex[/b] swallowed a large piece of meat she had torn off of a carcass before replying, "You have a background in medicine, don't you?" [b]Cypress[/b] felt their heartrate quicken. Their first instinct was to deny it, but they realized it was no use; [b]Glex[/b] had seen them at work firsthand. The ridgeback silently cursed themself. "What difference does it make?" "I was impressed with the way you were able to treat me and [b]Ethir[/b] the other day when we returned from our mission," she continued, ripping at her meal with her long claws, "The clan could use a doctor." "No," [b]Cypress[/b] said, noting [b]Sebastion[/b] tense at their refusal, "I'm done with that. I want to be a nesting helper. Hatchlings need all the protection they can get, and I can use my knowledge to--" "We already have a nesting helper," [b]Glex[/b] cut them off, "What we do not have is a doctor, and I would much rather someone with experience take the job than some doe-eyed youngling who thinks they can make a difference." "I left that life behind for a reason," Cypress said, "I've seen enough and bore the blame for the loss of too much life." [b]Glex[/b] loudly tore another piece from her meal, swallowing it before saying, "You have the protection of the clan, you have a warm den and the freedom to do what you wish for the most part. In return, you will serve as the clan's doctor. I don't care to hold you responsible for the lives of our clan members, but if there is something you can do to save a dying dragon, you are going to try." "And if I don't?" [b]Cypress[/b] challenged. [b]Sebastion's[/b] head fins raised and he growled, taking a fighting stance. [b]Glex[/b], on the other hand, seemed unbothered. "You will," she said simply, "Now you are dismissed. I want to finish my meal." A growl of frustration rattled [b]Cypress'[/b] sinuses, but they turned to leave without arguing. They knew [b]Glex[/b] was right. Elements curse the day they wandered into this clan... [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] With a pouch full of a modest amount of coins, [b]Leban[/b] made his way to the marketplace to purchase materials to assist in mining and building. [b]Ethir[/b] and [b]Warstomp[/b] had both given him a list of a few items that they needed to create the required tools, fixtures, and concoctions. As he bought the last item--a jar of a specific type of bug for [b]Warstomp[/b]--he caught sight of a pink and black mirror who was in a heated argument with an older-looking fae. Cautiously, [b]Leban[/b] stepped close enough to hear what they were saying. [img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/906317/90631640_350.png?mtime=ZZWGpiMHdqg.png[/img] "For the last time," the fae said, "I don't need any more slimy urchans offering to work for me. I have enough employees and the integrity of my establishment." "It's not slime!" the mirror argued, "Its a protective mucus layer that--" "Ew! I don't care! Now get lost before I call the local guard!" With that, the mirror slammed the door to their establishment in the mirror's face. Frustrated, the mirror turned and slammed her tail against the door. "It's not dirty or filthy! It's just part of my biology!" At this point, [b]Leban[/b] approached, "Good day." The mirror startled and [b]Leban[/b] offered her a smile and spoke between breaths, "My name is [b]Leban[/b]. I couldn't help but...overhear you're looking for...work?" The mirror squinted skeptically at him before her eyes wandered to his scale-less skin. "What's it to you?" she asked. [b]Leban[/b] noted her eyes moving across his body, "I know a thing... or two about being rejected...based on the condition of...your skin." She looked intrigued, "Our kingdom...does not discriminate based on...such setbacks. If you are...interested, then I could take...you to meet our royal, miss...?" The mirror thought about it for a moment before replying, "[b]Maorach[/b]. But just so you know, [b]Leban[/b], I'm no fool. If this is a trap or you are trying to mug me, I have nothing to give. If you even think about leading me to harm, I'll turn you inside-out. Understand?" [b]Leban[/b] nodded evenly, unbothered. "I do. Now follow...me. I will take you to...[b]Glex[/b]." [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-Three[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW:[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=Flying butter] [i]Hunting Trip and Ingenuity[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Naal[/b] carefully took one of the eggs and readjusted its position. [b]Galeblast[/b] had instructed the new couple to turn their eggs regularly. Nearby, [b]Ethir[/b] sat in silence, lost in thought. "You okay?" [b]Naal[/b] asked. [b]Ethir[/b] paused, considering his answer, before replying, "Why did you call me back to the nursery the other night?" [b]Naal[/b] tilted her head, "Isn't it obvious?" "I thought so," the spiral moved to sit closer, coiling near the nest, "but after watching the way you spoke to the Royal about our clutch I'm not so sure." "What's that supposed to mean?" Again, [b]Ethir[/b] hesitated. "I know you care about me," he says, "and I have no doubt of your friendship and loyalty. ...but... did you really want a clutch?" [b]Naal[/b] tilts her head and [b]Ethir[/b] quickly continues, "I mean-- did you want to have a clutch because you wanted children...or did you mate with me as an act of rebellion and a statement of independence?" Guilt and hurt burned [b]Naal's[/b] scales. "How could you say that?" she barked defensively, "Of course I want-- I..." She looked down at the eggs in the nest and as if she was seeing them, really [i]seeing[/i] them, for the first time. Rings of arcane light encircled them and they behaved as if gravity had less of an effect on them as it did the rest of the world. Each one held a piece of her and a piece of [b]Ethir[/b], pieces that would soon form into a dragon. A dragon with their own thoughts and dreams and fears. But for now they sat, still and helpless, completely reliant on their parents to protect them. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she realized that up until now had been caring for her nest and huddling with [b]Ethir[/b] with a feeling of icy defiance sitting in her chest. She looked up at her friend's large eyes and pleaded, "I really do want this with you. [b]Ethir[/b], I-- I love you. I've loved you for a long time, I-- I shouldn't have-- I'm--" [b]Ethir[/b] coiled himself around [b]Naal[/b] and their eggs, pressing his forehead to her's. "It's alright," he said softly, "Look, what's done is done; I'm not hung up on the past. I...I just don't want you to miss this, incubating our clutch together and watching them grow, because you are focused on your parents and what they think of us." [b]Naal[/b] still guilt sitting heavy in her stomach like a rock. She [i]had[/i] taken [b]Ethir[/b] to the nursery in part as an act of rebellion--her mother hated spirals and had always disapproved of her and [b]Ethi's[/b] friendship. Not a single thought was given to how he might feel about that. She leaned up and pressed her muzzle against his cheek. "Thank you for being honest with me," she said softly, "and for talking to me about this. I promise I'll be more present. It truly doesn't matter what she thinks. I love you, and I couldn't be prouder of our clutch." [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] After spending some time with [b]Ethir[/b] and her eggs, [b]Naal[/b] assigned [b]Syzereld[/b], [b]Maorach[/b], and [b]Theseus[/b] to hunt and forage. The three set out for the forest without delay. On the way there, [b]Maorach[/b] kept step beside [b]Syzereld[/b]. "You took up alchemy?" [b]Syzereld[/b] looked surprised to be spoken to and responded after a moment of hesitation, "Y-- yeah." "So you're involved in making improvements to the den." "Sort of," the pearlcatcher admitted, "[b]Warstomp[/b] more so than me. He's got a bit more experience." [b]Maorach[/b] nodded and kept walking in silence. [b]Syzereld[/b] almost expected more, but didn't have the energy to pry into why she was asking. Usually when people didn't volunteer information, they would reply with something cryptic like "no reason," when asked, and he hated that. Instead, he allowed curiosity to burn within him until they arrived at the forest. [item=wildwood owl][item=leafy pack] As [b]Syzereld[/b] watched [b]Maorach[/b] skillfully stalk her prey and viciously attack her enemies, he couldn't help but notice the way her muscles rippled under her rune-printed scales. She moved with an wild determination and was quick and light on her feet. It fascinated him. His fascination did not escape the notice of [b]Theseus[/b], who had already been brushing up on the bonding vows he had learned in the Hallowed Ivy Order. He figured he'd soon be using them on the couple in the hatchery, and as he watched [b]Syzereld[/b] admire [b]Maorach[/b], he wondered if the two would eventually want to take the vows and form a bond as well. But they were young yet, too young to have a clutch of their own and thus too young to take the vows. Be it the will of The Eleven, they had time to learn and grow yet. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] While the hunting party occupied one area of the forest, [b]Sebastion[/b] took [b]Europa[/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] to train in another. He resented having to spend any time with [b]Europa[/b], but the imperial was nothing but polite to him, listening well and making sure to make himself an excellent student. [b]Skyscale[/b], on the other hand, seemed distracted the whole time. She wanted to be back at the lair and in her den writing down the most recent events of the clan. Several things had happened in the past few days, and she wanted to make sure to record everything and record it accurately. Three new eggs, a new clanmate, a few new roles filled... [b]Europa[/b] took a particular interest in [b]Skyscale's[/b] work. She was quite young, so he figured there was no way she had been around since the beginning of the clan. Still, whatever history she had recorded, however slanted or altered, would give him valuable information about the Royal and her subjects; their experiences, their losses, their fears...and from this what they were and were not willing to sacrifice. It was difficult to speak to her without [b]Sebastion[/b] knowing, but eventually he was able to slip to her that he would love to read what she had written. "If I'm to help build this kingdom up," he said, "as I hope to, I would like to know its history." "Re-- um, really?" [b]Skyscale[/b] looked bashful, "I-- well, I mean, I-- it's all there. I'm not... I'm not a very experienced writer." [b]Europa[/b] smiled with kindness in his bright, green eyes, "You're clearly skilled enough to be trusted with recording the journey of Glimmerfall from clan to kingdom. I've never read your work, myself, but I think that fact alone has to count for something. Right?" [b]Skyscale[/b] perked up at this, feeling pride swell in her chest. After that, she was eager to show him what she had written. He even offered to proofread her first drafts before she carefully recorded them in the scroll. As soon as they returned with their spoils, [b]Skyscale[/b] retrieved the scroll form her den and he poured over it, complimenting her penmanship and attention to detail. And just like that, his soft takeover was one step closer to success. [item=spiral history chest][item=leafy pack][item=minor health potion] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] The training party and hunting party returned at about the same time, and [b]Sebastion[/b] wasted no time in summoning [b]Maorach[/b] from the hunting party. The thin young mirror was tired from the hunt, but did not try to turn [b]Sebastion[/b] away. [b]Cypress[/b] was more difficult to pry out of her den, where she had been sulking since [b]Glex's[/b] declaration that she would be serving as the clan's doctor, but eventually she too joined the second training party. Training was uneventful ([b]Cypress[/b] thanked The Eleven for that) and soon the sun was lowering in the West and the party headed back to the lair. As they walked, [b]Maorach[/b] quizzed [b]Sebastion[/b] on the development project going on and how the Royal planned to improve the lair. [b]Sebastion[/b] was hesitant at first, ready to defend any challenge to [b]Glex's[/b] brilliant plan, but it didn't take long for it to become clear that [b]Maorach[/b] was genuinely curious. He explained everything to her on the way, and by the time they arrived at the lair, [b]Maorach[/b] eagerly swooped ahead, bounding off to look at the progress. [b]Sebastion[/b] watched as she stopped to speak to [b]Syzereld[/b], wanting to know more about how the alchemists were involved in the projects, and he was soon bounding after her. As [b]Sebastion[/b] contently rejoined his royal and settled by her side, he relayed everything that he observed during training. "I don't want to speak too soon," he said, "But it appears our clan may have gained its first engineer." [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-Four[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW:[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=garden tender] [i]Hunting Trip[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Ethir[/b] and [b]Naal[/b] curled tightly around their eggs, trying to shield them from the general noise and rumbling that was going on in the cave. Someone was going to have to talk to that spunky new engineer about starting her work early in the morning. Despite their annoyance, though, they had to admit that [b]Maorach[/b] was already making excellent progress and had constructed plans to build an overshot waterwheel and several mechanisms connecting to it. First, however, [b]Glex[/b] wanted her to help expand the cave itself and build up structures within it. So that is what she was doing this morning. [b]Galeblast[/b] gave the couple a gentle smile. "I'll go talk to her. The noise and movement won't hurt the eggs as it is now, but I'll need to make sure there are no explosions or anything that might rattle them." With that, he moved out of the cave to go speak to the ambitious young newcomer. For a moment, the only sound in the hatchery was the echoing sounds of tools on rock and the breaking of stones. Finally, [b]Ethir[/b] spoke. "My last hatchling," he said, "my only hatchling, died before he could even make it all the way out of his shell." [b]Naal[/b] looked at him with concern, but before she could say anything, he hurriedly continued, "I just want to let you know... and... I'd say I want to prepare you, but nothing can prepare you for the grief of burying your own hatchling." [b]Naal[/b] had nearly forgotten that this was not [b]Ethir's[/b] first clutch. They were both still young, just old enough to have nests of their own, when her mother called upon him to help her fulfil the royal's duty to populate the clan with her young. [b]Glex[/b] had blamed him when they only had one egg, and when that egg ended up being a little spiral so sickly that he didn't make it to his first sunrise. Clearly [b]Ethir[/b] had not forgotten, and the grief of it still lived with him. [b]Naal [/b]nudged [b]Ethir[/b] affectionately, wrapping a leathery wing around his thin body and over their eggs. "That's a risk," she said, "that every pair takes when they have a clutch. To take the risk with you is worth it to me, but no matter what happens, I am here with you, and I will always love you." He rested his muzzle on her forehead and the two sat in silence as the noises that rattled the walls of the lair behind the Glimmering Falls died down. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Maorach [/b]had no idea there were eggs being incubated in the cave. The royal had failed to mention that and [b]Maorach[/b] hadn't thought to ask. When [b]Galeblast[/b] asked for her to keep the work as quiet as possible, she stopped it immediately. Keep blasting and drilling and hauling rocks quiet? Impossible. A stupid request, really. Best to stop that work and instead iron out more blueprints. [b]Naal[/b] left the hatchery long enough to announce that a hunting party needed to be formed. There was still an abundance of treasure and not enough food, and [b]Glex[/b] wanted to avoid spending treasure on food if food could be gathered without cost within their own territory. Far better spend the treasure on goods and services the kingdom could not provide for itself. [b]Maorach[/b] volunteered to be a part of the hunting party, as did [b]Europa[/b]. Assessing the skill level of the two dragons, [b]Naal[/b] ordered [b]Cypress[/b] to accompany them. They were a skilled healer, but their battle skills left something to be desired, and hunting would be a good opportunity for them to improve. With wordless begrudge, [b]Cypress[/b] agreed. [b]Maorach[/b] impulsively spoke of her frustration with [b]Glex[/b] for neglecting to warn her that there were eggs incubating near the area she was to be digging. [b]Cypress[/b] had little to say about this but a snort of contempt. [b]Europa[/b] noted [b]Cypress[/b]' snort of contempt and responded to [b]Maorach[/b], saying that if she ran [b]Glex's[/b] orders and plans for improving the clan by him, he would do his best to ensure that they did not have any hidden consequences, as they did today. That way she could focus solely on her work while he helped keep her informed so she could coordinate more efficiently. She seemed agreeable to this; she didn't like working with other dragons more than she had to, and the less she had to stalk around and check in with everyone before going through with a project the better. [b]Cypress[/b] didn't care for [b]Europa[/b]. He was very friendly and gentle and kind, and those facts alone rubbed them the wrong way somehow. In some ways they reminded them of the days when they were idealistic and excited to help people through healing, but [b]Europa[/b] was plenty old enough to know better. The fact that he still maintained a calm, hopeful, almost playful attitude somehow felt dishonest to [b]Cypress[/b]. [center][item=minor health potion][item=minor health potion][item=moss-covered golem][item=tigerlily corsage][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Monsoon[/b] lay as still as he could while on the raised table [b]Ethir[/b] had built at [b]Warstomp's[/b] request. The guardian tried not to wince too badly as Ethir carefully pounded ink into his scales, tap by tap, as Syzereld looked on. "Where did you learn to do this?" [b]Monsoon[/b] asked through the pain. "My home," Warstomp replied simply, "Where I came from, warriors would get a tattoo for each victorious battle they fought in and each territory that they helped conquer." [b]Leban[/b], who was standing near Monsoon for moral support, quietly noted that [b]Warstomp [/b]did not have any tattoos of his own. It made sense; he was young when he joined Glimmerfall. No doubt he hadn't had the chance to take part in any battles before his clan was felled. Whoever felled [b]Warstomp's[/b] old kingdom--burned to the ground, from what he had said--must have been powerful indeed. Powerful or cunning...or a deadly mixture of both. "But you were so young when you joined us," [b]Monsoon[/b] continued, clearly trying to distract himself with conversation, "Were you taught the trade at a young age." "No," [b]Warstomp[/b] said, not moving or looking up form his work, "I was to be taught the trade when I was old enough; my father and elder sister bore the honor of bestowing tattoos on the warriors. I would watch, but..." he trailed off. "Well," [b]Leban[/b] said, not wanting to drudge up any more painful memories for [b]Warstomp[/b], "We appreciate you using your talents to aid the clan. Monsoon has been wanting these tattoos for a while now." "Every dragon has a natural pigment hidden beneath the main color of their scales, skin, wings, and fur," [b]Warstomp[/b] said, "This process simply brings it to the surface. Monsoon is lucky his hidden pigment is green to match the vines he wanted." At this moment, [b]Warstomp[/b] finished the last of [b]Leban's[/b] tattoos. As [b]Leban[/b] looked at himself in the mirror before [b]Syzereld[/b] helped apply the bandages, the mirror walked him through the aftercare process. [img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/758294/75829330_350.png?mtime=ZZW0soikMsA.png[/img] When the hunting party returned, a moss-covered golem happily purring on [b]Europa's[/b] shoulders, [b]Cypress[/b] immediately noticed [b]Monsoon's[/b] bandages. When he explained about the tattooing process, the healer gave [b]Warstomp[/b] a look that asked 'Why in the eleven elements would you do that?' before sighing with contempt and telling [b]Monsoon[/b] that if he got an infection he'd better not come crying to their den. The sun set, reflecting yellows and pinks and oranges off of the crest of the falls, the mist that covered the area turning a gentle, soft buttercream in the dying light before fading to a dusky blue. [b]Naal[/b] made sure the dragons appointed to take the night watch woke from their daytime slumber and took up their positions before she settled in the nest next to [b]Ethir[/b]. [b]Maorach[/b] set up a dim lantern in her den and sketched blueprints until her eyes could no longer focus. [b]Serenade[/b] and [b]Galeblast[/b] poured over the library's growing collection, while [b]Torval[/b] and [b]Alnair[/b] sat close together, drinking tea and speaking in low voices. [b]Glex[/b] looked over her clan in satisfaction with [b]Sebastion[/b] curled up by her side. Her keen, pink eyes finally came to rest on Europa, who was cuddled up with the newest familiar as he helped the still-sore Monsoon secure the animals and check in with the independent familiars. The clan was growing well, but they were still just short of enough dragons to make a self-sustaining kingdom. She could hardly count on that skinny, skittish spiral and her own foolhardy daughter to provide anything of substance. No matter. [b]Glex[/b] was almost at the most fertile point of her breeding cycle, and she had more than enough subjects to help her fulfil her duty as their royal. The bogsneak curled around [b]Sebastion[/b], who chittered happily in his throat as he nestled against her. Sighing, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment of peace with a sense of self-satisfaction. She knew better than to count on it to last, so she planned to enjoy it while she still could. [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-Five[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: death, sacrifice, terror, nonconsensual possession, mild body horror, destruction of art and literature, vomiting[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=cursed tuft of fur] [i]The Arcanist's Wrath[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Ethir[/b] pressed his large ear against one of his and [b]Naal's[/b] eggs, grinning widely. "I can feel them moving," he said, "and hear them. It won't be long now." [b]Naal[/b] gently held one of the eggs to her chest, as she had done with the other two. "You're going to be so strong and smart," she cooed, "and your mommy and daddy are here to love and care for you and to protect you. We love you so, so much!" Ever since [b]Galeblast[/b] had encouraged them to talk to their eggs, [b]Naal[/b] had been cradling and speaking softly to them as she would a hatchling. [b]Ethir[/b] looked up at her with love in his large eyes. He still remembered when they were younglings, tumbling around together and exploring the world. She had been energetic, idealistic, and naïve then, and while she was wiser now, she still had a spark of that idealism and that energy that he loved so much. He counted himself very lucky to be a part of her life, and he looked forward to raising hatchlings with her. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] The animalistic familiars flocked to [b]Europa[/b] as he fed them from bags carried to him by Sprig and Willow, a couple of the forest-dwellers who had taken residence in Glimmerfall. He felt good about his interaction yesterday with [b]Maorach[/b], and she had already visited him this morning asking if he could advise her on how many dens to plan for. [b]Glex[/b] didn't seem to notice so far, and the amount of control this gave him over Glimmerfall filled him with confidence. Not only that, but Glex continued to seek him out for banter and each of their conversations seemed to be filled with more flirtatious tail-touches and deep-throated growls. One of the things he encouraged [b]Maorach[/b] to begin planning for was another nest. It wouldn't be long now before [b]Glex[/b] dragged him to the privacy of an empty nest, and he wanted to make sure one was available for when the time came. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] As the day crept on, an uneasiness settled over the Glimmering Falls. The dry leaves on the trees rustled in a way that seemed almost restless and the falls roared particularly loudly and angrily. The grey clouds stirred high in the sky and no beasts, prey or intelligent, seemed to dare creep outside of their dwellings. By sunset, every dragon was on high alert and they were snapping at each other and easily startled. The intelligent familiars had disappeared and the animalistic ones were either trying to flee, themselves, or trying desperately to tell the dragon they were bonded to that something was wrong. [b]Europa[/b] and [b]Monsoon[/b] worked hard to calm and contain them while Ginger, [b]Monsoon's[/b] Strangler, wove herself between the guardian's legs and tried to communicate her concerns to him. [b]Torval[/b] tried consulting her reading tools, but nothing was appearing clearly to her. "Something is wrong," she uttered to [b]Alnair[/b], who was sitting nearby with her feathers raised on end, "I can't seem to connect with the magic in the land." "Something is wrong," [b]Alnair[/b] agreed, "Even when there's a storm brewing, beasts stir in preparation. The beasts are too quiet and the trees are too loud. Something is coming...and we need to warn the Royal." [b]Torval[/b] hesitated, but after a moment of doubt reluctantly agreed. When they approached [b]Glex[/b], her pupils were but slits, making her pink eyes appear uncanny and more threatening than usual. Even [b]Sebastion[/b] seemed hesitant to speak to her and crouched at her side like a nervous familiar. When they presented her with their concerns, [b]Glex's[/b] lip twitched and she growled. "It doesn't take an expert to know that," she said, "but [b]what[/b] is coming? If you have nothing concrete to report, then--," At that moment, a blinding flash of white-hot light pierced through the falls, accompanied by a thunderous boom the likes of which none of them, not even Naal, had heard before. For a painful moment of panic, the dragons of Glimmerfall were blinded and deafened. All they could feel was the sensation of rubble and water striking against them like a heavy, windswept, icy rain. Cries and roars of fear and grief erupted from each throat with no one to hear as jaws snapped, claws slashed, wings flapped, and bodies crashed to the floor and against each other. All at once, everyone froze, as if held by some invisible force. Perhaps the force was terror, perhaps it was something more; in the moment it didn't seem to matter. Without sight, without sound, they all felt a booming voice that seemed to carve itself into their minds. [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"I GRANT YOU YOUR SIGHT, AND I GRANT YOU YOUR HEARING, ONLY SO THAT YOU MAY GAZE UPON THE RUIN YOUR WILLFUL IGNORANCE HAS WROGHT."[/size][/color][/font] All at once, their sight returned to them in a rush of pink light and the noise of the falls suddenly filled their ears. Before them lay ruin. The wall they had been working to build was in pieces, scattered around the center of their lair. A hole had been blown in the rock above them and the falls poured in through it, sweeping away tools and materials. Their treasure stores had been completely emptied, flooded and swept away by the current. Somehow, the hatchery lay far enough back that it seemed to be one of the only things left standing. That, and the statue of [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] that sat in the center of the den. A small meteorite seemed to have struck them, laying everything to waste. But they had no time to grieve. With horror, they watched the smoke from the meteorite and the mist from the falls lingered together and formed a tendril that glowed a pale pink. Before anyone had time to process what was happening, the tendril whipped out towards [b]Glex[/b], striking her and violently entering her nose and throat. The bogsneak opened her mouth wide and threw her head back as the mist and smoke disappeared into her, making her throat and innards glow pink. For a sickly moment, she sat in silence, jaw unhinged, unable to make a sound. When she finally found the ability to make noise, the sound that tore from her was a loud, gutteral scream of fear and pain. She thrashed her head back and forth, sobbing and slamming her body against the wall. She gagged and tried to vomit to no avail and slammed her gigantic tail against the ground. Her body curled in on itself and twisted before she seemed to loose control and collapse. [b]Sebastion[/b] screamed in horror, but was held in place by the invisible force, as they all were. After a moment, her shoulders rose, one after the other, as if they were being pulled by strings. Her feet found hold on the ground clumsily her head was lifted, no expression, eyes closed. An arcane symbol glowed pink on her forehead. [b]Glex's[/b] eyes shot open, bulging unnaturally large, glowing brightly and filled with fury. In that moment, the other dragons' movement was given back to them and they all fell to their knees, wings flattened, heads resting on the ground, eyes downcast in fear of their god. [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Fools..."[/size][/color][/font] [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] muttered, almost to himself, before flaring [b]Glex's[/b] wings and baring her teeth as he bellowed in a voice that sounded like a second meteorite crashing to the earth, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"FOOLS!! This clan earned my ire once, and once I gave you the chance to improve yourselves, to grow and make your kingdom a haven for those seeking knowledge. I have allowed you to grow and thrive and [i]how[/i] do you repay me?"[/size][/color][/font] With a glare in its direction, and invisible force caused [b]Moongleam's[/b] statue of [color=#8b324d]The Arcanist[/color] to be thrown thrown against the wall, shattering, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"By engaging in acts of foolishness and greed in my name! Too long I have allowed you to blindly stumble forward, succeeding only by chance and the luck of idiocy! Well no more..."[/size][/color][/font] "Please!" [b]Serenade[/b] cried, "Many of us had no idea of the ire you held towards this clan, nor did we know of its promise." [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Be that as it may,"[/size][/color][/font] replied [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color], [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"I have no sympathy for those of you who joined this doomed clan later. You all have minds to comprehend the flippancy with which your Royal treated her subjects and this land--my land! Most of you were not forced to follow her, and yet like hatchlings trailing after their mother, you would have followed her to ruin!"[/size][/color][/font] The rage in his voice quieted for a moment, an almost empathetic tone crept into his voice, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Believe me when I say destroying you by my hand is far more merciful than allowing you to meet the fate she would have lead you to."[/size][/color][/font] "No!" [b]Monsoon's[/b] clanmates turned to him in shock and horror. [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] allowed silence to hang in the air for a moment before turning Glex's head almost all the way around to peer at him, keeping her body unnaturally still. [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Say it again, boy."[/size][/color][/font] [b]Monsoon[/b] felt his legs shaking and his voice came out with a squeak, but he repeated, "No." The god's eyes stayed locked on him and he kept his eyes down as he continued, "[color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] I know would not destroy a thriving clan based on an event in the future--an event that can be changed!" Glex's mouth hung open, her face still expressionless, as The Arcanist laughed mirthlessly, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Is that so? Amuse me, boy; what would your concept of me do, hmm? Tell me, You Who Knows, what I would do with dragons who followed a leader that spits on the spirit of The Arcane from whence she came?"[/size][/color][/font] "I don't know," [b]Monsoon[/b] admitted, "but my mother taught me that the future is flux, that there are images of possibilities, even great probabilities, but that even the gods themselves do not know what is set in stone until it has already come to pass." [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Then she only half educated you,"[/size][/font] The Arcanist[/color] replied quickly, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"The future is fixed until there is a Will to change it. Like a body in space, it will obey its course forever until something interferes."[/size][/color][/font] "Then please," [b]Monsoon[/b] begged, "Let us be the will to change it." [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"No. I gave this clan that chance once, and I am not wont to give such chances twice. What difference is there now? What makes this time different from the last?"[/size][/color][/font] [b]Monsoon [/b]considered this, and [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] allowed him time to think. The Guardian shakily got to his feet and strode over to where [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] stood in [b]Glex's[/b] body. "There are dragons here who want to learn," he says, "and who want to better themselves. I see it every day, and I believe that they will do great things if given the chance. I..." tears fill his eyes and he chokes back a lump in his throat, "I believe in them...and I am willing to offer up my life to you to vouch for them." "Monsoon, no!" Torval cried out, and Leban attempted to pull himself to his feet and charge towards his brother. [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] held them fast with a glare before turning again to [b]Monsoon[/b]. [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Surely,"[/size][/color][/font] he says, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"You realize that this sacrifice means far less in light of my intention to destroy your clan."[/size][/color][/font] "I understand," [b]Monsoon[/b] says, "But as a mortal, it is the the most valuable thing I can offer you." His voice quivers and he tries to block out the sound of his mother's sobs and his brother's wheezing cough as he fights against the force that holds him. [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] considers this before straightening [b]Glex's[/b] body, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"Hear this,"[/size][/color][/font] he booms, [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"I accept this guardian, Monsoon, a found egg of nature origin, into my domain. Let his sacrifice not be in vain, and rebuild this mockery of a clan to be a house of knowledge and growth."[/size][/color][/font] [b]Torval[/b] wailed in despair, and Monsoon winced. "...may I go to her?" [size=6][color=#8b324d][font=bookman]"No. She must let you go."[/size][/color][/font] [b]Monsoon[/b] nodded, tears falling from his face as grief sat tight in his throat. All at once, [b]Glex's[/b] eyes stopped glowing and the glow was concentrated in her chest. Again, she opened her mouth unnaturally wide and a pink light force seeped out of her throat and nose. She collapsed on the ground, gagging loudly and choking on her own vomit, crawling backwards as if she could get out and away from the horrible feeling that gripped her. The pink magic exited the cave and expanded, forming the shape of [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color], towering above the dragons below and beckoning [b]Monsoon[/b] forward. [center][img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR86Jnkx63-tWFC2Q1nslPwGcKPKrjEYU_8YdcfH4_UoGyMGNJTPLyK40DMgtr3vXx2stY&usqp=CAU.png[/img][/center] Ignoring the way is feet feel like iron and his tears blur his vision, Monsoon steps forward. Ginger slithers to his side and without looking down, [b]Monsoon[/b] utters in a tight voice, "No, girl... you can't come with me. Ta-- take care of Ginsing and Leban for me, okay?" [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] leans down and scoops up Monsoon in his arms. For a moment, time seems to slow as [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] looks upon each member of the clan. [b]Torval[/b] hears in her heart, like a sense, the acknowledgement of how difficult it is for her to lose her child. [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] reassures her that [b]Monsoon[/b] will be cared for and happy, and that because she raised him on stories of [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] and his deeds, she will carry his blessing with her. [b]Skyscale[/b], [b]Torval's[/b] daughter, also catches [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist's[/b][/color] attention. Little [b]Skyscale[/b]...who at such a young age took up the task of recording the clan's history. He made sure to preserve her records, quietly giving her his blessing as he restored them to her. [b]Europa[/b] was fascinating to [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist's[/b][/color], and he saw in the emperor dragon the potential to control [b]Glex's[/b] vulgar disregard for life and learning. Quietly, he bestowed his blessing on the calculating and clever [b]Europa[/b]. As quickly as he had appeared, [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist's[/b][/color] vanished, taking [b]Monsoon[/b] with him and leaving ruin and grief in his wake. For a long moment, the only sounds were the roaring of the falls and the bitter weeping of [b]Leban[/b] and [b]Torval[/b]. [b]Sebastion[/b] crouched at [b]Glex's[/b] side as she recovered. "What do we do, my Royal?" he asked in a small voice. [b]Glex[/b] still felt weak and ill, but she straightened herself, answering quietly, "Have everyone light torches and salvage what they can. Second priority is to make sure everyone has a dry, warm, protected place to sleep. We will rebuild." [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-Six[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: mention of familiar death, hatchling death, infantile seizures, suffering, hopelessness[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=five-toed pilco] [i]The Scholar[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] The morning following [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist's[/b][/color] wrath was a grim one. Water gushed loud and endless through the hole created by the meteorite, the main area of the lair, once little more than wet ground with sparse puddles, was flooded to the point where only [b]Europa[/b] could walk through it without being swept off his feet. [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] huddled nervously around their eggs while[b] Galeblast[/b] carefully checked and turned them; they were supposed to hatch any time now, but the movement within them had become weak, if not stilled entirely. [b]Torval[/b] had only just gotten to sleep after spending the night sobbing, and [b]Alnair[/b] sat with her under one wing and [b]Leban[/b] under the other. The ambassador was recovering from a horrible fit of choking that almost saw to it that [b]Torval[/b] lost both of her sons in one night. Nearly everything was ruined. Food stores were completely wiped out. [b]Serenade[/b] was working hard to salvage what she could of [b]Xalvadora's[/b] writings, but everything else in the library was a lost cause. Many of [b]Ethir's[/b] weapons had been washed away. [b]Europa[/b] had managed to recover most of the familiars (or their corpses) but some were still unaccounted for. Blueprints and data regarding the caves expansion were torched, and [b]Maorach [/b]bemoaned the hole in the roof of the cave that likely compromised the cave's integrity. Glex's eyes still bore a hollowness to them as she took in the ruins of her clan. Losing control of her body and being helpless to stop destruction as it rippled through her clan, destruction that was only stopped by Monsoon's sacrifice, changed something in her. She remembered using [b]Monsoon[/b], whom [b]Torval[/b] and [b]Quickstrike[/b] took in as their son after they found his egg near his parents' corpses, as blackmail to keep [b]Torval[/b] from leaving the clan after [b]Sebastion[/b] killed [b]Quickstrike[/b] in a duel. Of course [b]Leban[/b] could also be used as blackmail now, since [b]Monsoon[/b] had accepted him as a brother and therefore [b]Torval[/b] had taken him as her son... [b]Glex[/b] had also ensured to further secure the fortune teller's tie to the clan by ordering her and [b]Galeblast[/b] to have a clutch, resulting in [b]Skyscale[/b]. [b]Glex[/b] watched now as [b]Galeblast[/b] approached [b]Alnair[/b] and they spoke to each other in low voices. Nearby, [b]Skyscale[/b] was staring at the scroll containing the clans history as if it were a heavy stone she'd be forced to carry on her back. Watching them and the other dragons that huddled close to each other, she felt a hollow disconnection. When she and [b]Sebastion[/b] had failed their coup and broken away from their clan, [b]Glex[/b] imagined that she'd build an army or loyal and doting supporters who worshiped her as their goddess. But what had she given them to worship? For the first time in her life, the bogsneak woman felt...small. As if summoned, [b]Sebastion[/b] appeared at her side at that moment. Gently clearing his throat to announce his presence, he gingerly sidled up to her, watching her body language as he pressed his face against her jaw in an affectionate, submissive gesture. "My royal," he said softly, "the clan awaits your instruction." She didn't recognize where it came from, but a cold resolve gripped [b]Glex[/b] then. The feeling of smallness did not go away, but her spite grew enough to overpower it for the moment. [i]Her[/i] clan. [i]Her[/i] dragons. They needed [i]her[/i]. They [i]needed[/i] her. "Training is not to halt," she said, "Take the weakest, least experienced dragons out to train as usual." [b]Sebastion[/b] dipped his head, "As you command, my Royal." As he left, [b]Europa[/b] approached [b]Glex[/b]. When [b]Sebastion[/b] and he brushed shoulders in passing, [b]Europa[/b] braced himself for a resentful growl from [b]Sebastion[/b]. But the mirror seemed entirely focused on whatever command [b]Glex[/b] had just given him, walking passed Europa without acknowledging him and instead approaching the alchemists, [b]Warstomp[/b] and [b]Syzereld[/b]. "My Royal," [b]Europa[/b] began, bowing low, "[b]Maorach[/b] informs me that until we have time to investigate the structural integrity of the cave, we cannot assume that it is safe to stay here." [b]Glex[/b] took in this information in silence, her expression unchanging. Just when [b]Europa[/b] was about to repeat himself, [b]Glex[/b] raised her head and bellowed loud enough for the entire lair to hear, "Gather whatever supplies are necessary and salvageable. We must move out of the cave until we know whether or not it is secure." A murmur of voices rippled through the cave as dragons hurriedly prepared to leave the cave. At that moment, the hole in the roof of the cave spat out a squirming, flapping mass of pink and brown feathers. The splash it caused startled all dragons present, and everyone held their breath as they waited, wings flared, head fins raised, teeth bared, for whatever had just invaded their den to surface. [img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/905510/90550940_350.png?mtime=ZZV21BCn1vg.png[/img] A coatl's head shot up from the surface of the water, gasping desperately for breath. Quickly, [b]Europa[/b] gripped the strange dragon in his jaws and dragged him from the water by the back of his neck. "Oh, thank you, my kind fellow! When I was sucked down into that sink, I thought surely--" the coatl stopped short when he realized that [b]Europa[/b] had not released him from his jaws, instead looking up at Glex. The stranger followed [b]Europa's[/b] gaze to meet [b]Glex's[/b] snarling glare. "Oh--!" he yelped with a mix of surprise and disgust, "I mean-- hello, madam. I assume you are the royal here. ...ah...yes, upon further examination it seems I have landed myself in the middle of your clan. Terribly sorry about that! Oh and it seems you've recently experienced--" A sudden realization seemed to hit him at that moment and he gasped, making some of the tense dragons watching him flinch. "You...wouldn't have happened to experience a meteor strike here recently, would you?" [b]Glex[/b] roared with fury, causing the coatl to shrink back as much as he could manage with Europa's teeth holding him. "What right have you to ask questions of us? [i]You[/i] have invaded [i]our[/i] home. Explain yourself! ...or my friend here may just get a little twitchy." Europa disliked the idea of being the muscle, but to make Glex's point, he exhaled hot breath onto the coatl's back. The message was clearly received, as the stranger replied in a shaky voice, "Terribly rude of me, yes! I-- I am [b]Austreben[/b]. An astronomer. See, when watching the skies last night I noticed this most unusual touchdown around this area. Immediately I came to investigate. I have been traveling and watching the skies, and I journeyed all night to this location to see if I can figure out what happened." He took a moment to look around and take in the grim expressions and ghostly silence that gripped the dragons around him. "...from the looks on your faces, whatever it was caused terrible destruction." [b]Glex[/b] considered the new dragon for a long moment before nodding to Europa to release him. Once free, [b]Austreben[/b] breathed a sigh of relief. "[b]Austreben[/b]," [b]Glex[/b] said, "Make yourself useful and help carry supplies out of here. I'll allow you to stay and study whatever you think you'll find here, but in exchange you have to make yourself useful." [b]Austreben[/b] bowed his head, "It would be my pleasure, madam!" [b]Glex[/b] snorted, "And stop calling me 'madam." "Yes, royal." [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Sebastion[/b] trained [b]Syzereld[/b] and [b]Warstomp[/b], deciding to shift his focus from offense to defense. He realized that he had been focusing so much on making effective attackers that he had not properly trained the dragons of Glimmerfall in defense. [item=meditate] [b]Syzereld[/b] returned to the cave, but [b]Warstomp[/b] insisted on staying. He was always eager to battle train, but [b]Sebastion[/b] figured it may also be an attempt to release some pent-up fear and make an attempt to regain a sense of control. He did not object. Theseus joined the training party, bringing some dulled weapons and a battered shield with him. Keeping with the theme of defense, Sebastion instructed the pair on how to properly defend from different types of attacks and disarm opponents wielding swords. [item=minor health potion] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] Once the cave had been evacuated and the eggs carefully placed in a newly constructed temporary nest, [b]Galeblast[/b] examined them once again, the clutch's parents looking on nervously. "It doesn't look good," [b]Galeblast[/b] said truthfully, "These hatchlings are developed, but if they are to hatch, they will need help." Immediately, Ethir fetched his whetstone--which [b]Syzereld[/b] had salvaged for him--and sharpened a pair of scissors until they cut smoothly and efficiently. It was Cypress who cut the flexible shells of the eggs, using their steady hand and ability to make precise and accurate cuts. The first hatchling--a little mirror--began squirming immediately when retrieved from the egg, but something was wrong. The way she moved was not normal for a hatchling, and it was clear that she was seizing. [b]Ethir[/b] held her tiny, writhing body in trembling claws for a moment that seemed both to last an eternity and not long enough before [b]Cypress[/b] and [b]Galeblast[/b] whisked her out of his claws, rubbing her chest and prodding at her in ways that [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] did not understand. After a moment, [b]Galeblast[/b] laid the now-limp body down and [b]Cypress[/b] inhaled sharply before saying, "Let us check the others." [b]Naal[/b] covered her mouth and cried out in grief and[b] Ethir's[/b] vision blurred with tears. But they had two more eggs to tend to; they had to move on quickly. [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/91140733][img]https://i.imgur.com/LxVCTxl.png[/img][/url][/center] Again, Cypress made a skillful cut, this time in the shell of the second egg. Immediately a foul smell came from it, and [b]Ethir's[/b] and [b]Naal's[/b] hearts sank. The hatchling, another mirror, that was scooped out of the egg was cold and unmoving. [b]Cypress[/b] made a visual assessment and [b]Galeblast[/b] put a claw on the hatchling's body before looking up and shaking his head. [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/91140735][img]https://i.imgur.com/jliLpsX.png[/img][/url][/center] "Please," [b]Ethir[/b] whimpered, "Please...the last one..." Using surgical precision, [b]Cypress[/b] made an opening in [b]Ethir[/b] and [b]Naal's[/b] last remaining egg. Galeblast carefully retrieved the long, snakelike body of a spiral from the egg. Despair fell on [b]Ethir[/b] and [b]Naal[/b] as they beheld the stillness of their third baby. But she wasn't still, not completely. Her head moved back and forth shakily and her tiny fingers and toes twitched and wiggled. Immediately, [b]Galeblast[/b] set her down and began rubbing her body while [b]Cypress[/b] fetched warmed towels. The two worked in tandem, swift and silent until the third child, [b]Ethir[/b] and [b]Naal's[/b] little spiral, was squirming and moving with the erratic clumsiness of a healthy hatchling. Her parents rejoiced and wept bittersweet tears. All at once, the child opened her eyes and a hush fell upon those who beheld her. [center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=9&bodygene=19&breed=7&element=9&eyetype=6&gender=1&tert=151&tertgene=14&winggene=25&wings=174&auth=8b52acc01a2b17f29306f69a796899b72693c0c8&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] As the child opened her eyes, deep and vast as space, for the first time, an arcane symbol etched itself onto her forehead. The child began to cry and her parents immediately held her close and comforted her. As they looked at each other their eyes asked the same question: "What does this mean for her?" [center][img]https://flightrising.com/images/nests/9/1healthy_2dead.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day X[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: mention of death, mention of hatchling death, grief, fantasy species-ism, mentions of murder[/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item= i t e m ] [i]Omen[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] felt sickeningly small as they stood together holding their daughter as the clan stared at her in shock, awe, and fear. They had considered trying to hide her from [b]Glex[/b], then considered running away and taking her with them. But where would they go? Certainly there were places they could stay if it were just the two of them, but bringing a hatchling along with them added a whole new level of risk. It just wasn't fair to force her to take such a risk if there was another way. [b]Glex[/b] regarded the child with an unreadable expression. She flicked her large tongue and was pondering what to say when [b]Austreben[/b] nosed his way forward. "Fascinating!" he cried, looking at the child. [b]Naal[/b] clutched her closer and [b]Ethir [/b]curled tighter around them both. [b]Austreben[/b] didn't seem to notice. "And this child was born immediately after [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist's[/b][/color] visit, is that right? Remarkable! One must wonder if it was the vibrations from the--." He was cut off by a loud, low hiss from [b]Glex[/b]. [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] were visibly distressed by his babbling, and he lowered his head in shame. "T--um... terribly sorry." He took a few steps back, taking his place in the crowd again. "He may be right," [b]Warstomp[/b] said, "The proximity to such a concentration of magical energy likely had an effect on all of us to a small degree, but for a hatchling to absorb that much raw energy could result in a mutation like this." [b]Glex[/b] eyed the young alchemist, but did not correct him as she did [b]Austreben[/b]. She was well aware of the delicateness of the situation. As much as she detested the fact that her first grandchild was a spiral, there was no changing that this wriggling, freak-eyed worm was her daughter's daughter. That alone made the hatchling's existence a sensitive thing, but the eyes... the Royal wasn't sure whether she should sacrifice the hatchling or promise it a place at her right hand. What was [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist's[/b][/color] game here? "[b]Torval[/b]," [b]Glex[/b] summoned the fortune teller forward, "What do you make of this?" The skydancer stepped forward, addressing the crowd, "Traditionally, hatchlings born with primal eyes signify great fortune or blessing to a clan. It is seen as a sign of the gods' favor for such a child to be born. Every clan and kingdom has different traditions as far as these dragons' roles in their society, but it is agreed upon that they are good omens." She made a sweeping gesture towards the frightened couple and their new hatchling, "[color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] gave this clan a chance, thanks to--," her voice cracked, and she swallowed the lump in her throat, "thanks to my son's sacrifice. I believe this is a sign that we will be rewarded for our acolyteship." [b]Glex[/b] squinted skeptically at [b]Torval[/b], thinking that it may well be her bias speaking. But murmurs among the clan seemed to signify that most dragons either agreed or were undecided about the merit of [b]Torval's [/b]explanation. "Then we will take it as such," she declared, earning a sigh of immense relief from [b]Naal [/b]and [b]Ethir[/b]. "She will not be raised any different because of this gift. She is not to be shown special favor or scorn unless she earns it for herself. Like the rest of us, she is to pull her own weight as soon as she is able." The Royal approached her daughter and [b]Ethir[/b], looking down at them and letting silence hang in the air for a moment before asking, "What is her name?" [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] looked at each other. They had already agreed on a name before bringing the child before the clan. "[color=53000E][b]Arcana[/color].[/b]" [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Galeblast[/b] agreed to watch over [color=53000E][b]Arcana[/b][/color] while [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] buried their other two hatchlings, who they had named [b]Hex[/b] and [b]Myst[/b]. It was a solemn thing, laying the tiny bodies side-by-side in a deep grave. They buried the children near [b]Xalvadora[/b], and after they spent a time weeping bitter tears, they sat together in silence before [b]Naal[/b] asked, "Do you think she's watching over them in the Arcanist's realm?" [b]Ethir[/b] gave her a bitter smile, "You know she didn't believe in an afterlife. She very bluntly said that unless [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] himself took a dragon into his realm, any other stories about the afterlife in the gods' care were was just that--stories made up to comfort grieving people." "Like us," [b]Naal[/b] said, mirroring [b]Ethir's[/b] bitter smile. "Yeah," [b]Ethir[/b] said, putting his forehead against her's, "And I'll bet that it'll make a great story for her to tell [b]Hex[/b] and [b]Myst[/b] once they're old enough to understand irony." [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] After a few more minutes, [b]Naal[/b] had gone back to be with [color=53000E][b]Arcana[/b][/color] in the nest. [b]Ethir[/b] had requested to stay a moment longer, to which [b]Naal[/b] told him to take all the time he needed. After staying for a beat longer at the grave of his children, he moved to sit at [b]Xalvadora's[/b] grave, remembering the night that he and [b]Naal[/b] had spent sleeping atop it. He wondered what his relationship with her and [b]Naal[/b] would be like today if she had survived that emperor attack. He'd like to think that they'd all be able to share a nest. As his thoughts wandered, his eyes drifted to the memorial he had erected for [b]Ironhawk[/b] when he was still a youngling. He found his feet carrying him over to the crudely-built memorial, and he carefully brushed leaf-fall and dirt off of it. A noise at his side startled him and he whipped around to see [b]Torval[/b] standing behind him, looking startled herself. The moonlight reflected off of her light feathers as they lowered from their flared position. "[b]Ethir[/b]--! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The spiral shook his head, "That's alright I was just-- you can come join me." [b]Torval[/b] came and sat beside him, and it was at that moment that he noticed another memorial not far from [b]Ironhawk's[/b]. [b]Torval[/b] caressed it tenderly. It was much more well-maintained than I[b]ronhawk's[/b], [b]Ethir[/b] realized with a tinge of guilt. It was then he realized-- "[b]Quickstrike[/b]," he said before thinking. Torval didn't flinch, but instead became stone-still. She hadn't heard her lost girlfriend's name spoken by another dragon in a long time. "Yes," she said, "After she was murdered, I erected this in her honor... I had noticed the memorial that had been built apart from the graves and...I figured it was an apropos place to build a memorial for another dragon whom this clan had failed." "If this were the place to build memorials for dragons failed by this clan, then it would contain one for every dragon in our graveyard as well," Ethir said bitterly before realizing, "...you came here to build one for Monsoon." Moonlight glistened off of the tears forming in [b]Torval's[/b] eyes, "[b]Moonglow[/b] is making a statue in his honor, but... I thought he should have a place next to his mother as well." [b]Ethir [/b]allowed for a moment of silence before asking a question that had been on his mind since [b]Glex[/b] had dismissed them from the clan meeting earlier that evening, "[b]Torval[/b]... you didn't tell [b]Glex[/b] the truth about my daughter, did you?" [b]Torval[/b] paused. "Not the whole truth," she answered presently, "It is true that in many clans primal eyes are seen as blessings and those who have them are revered. But in some clans they are seen as a demand for sacrifice and are raised and trained to be offered up to the gods, sometimes as soon as they are old enough to have their first nest." [b]Ethir[/b] cringed at the thought, "You omitted this to protect her." [b]Torval [/b]nodded and he continued, "and what does the birth of a dragon with primal eyes mean, if anything?" Torval's eyes turned towards the stars, "Normally it is impossible to say what something means for certain; no omen is closed and the future is flux. But an appearance of a primal-eyed hatchling the day after [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] destroyed our clan and forced us to start from the beginning there's only one thing it can mean, for better or worse: Change." [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Fourty-Seven[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: [/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=bloody arm bandages] [i]Rebuilding[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] The dragons of Glimmerfall were up with the sun, muscles sore and jaws clenched in determination. [b]Glex[/b] oversaw the reconstruction of their cave home, mostly making certain that everyone listened to [b]Maorach[/b], their engineer, and followed her orders. "It's not gonna be easy," [b]Maorach[/b] said, looking at the cave's walls, "But it looks like by the luck of The Seven, it'll be possible. We should start by erecting supports and then clearing away some of this rubble." While most of the clan worked tirelessly on restoring their home behind the falls, [b]Naal[/b] commanded several others to hunt and gather food and supplies. She was admittedly a bit distracted, her mind being on [color=53000E][b]Arcana[/b][/color], but knowing that [b]Ethir[/b] was watching over the hatchling brought her comfort. [b]Sebastion[/b] took some of the salvaged weapons and began training [b]Austreben[/b], as [b]Glex[/b] had commanded him to early that morning. He brought along [b]Moongleam[/b] and [b]Alnair[/b] to assist. And it was a good thing they did; clearly the scholar had never seen combat or even held a weapon before. They had their work cut out for them. [item=bloodscale tail guard] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Warstomp[/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] stalked through the underbrush of the forest, seeking out prey and any edible plants they could forage. The beginning of their journey was silent until [b]Skyscale[/b] called [b]Warstomp[/b] over to help her identify a rather large cluster of mushrooms. "They'll do," he said, "But we need to be careful. At the right temperature they are safe and high in nutrients, if rubbery, but without cooking them they contain a deadly toxin that the warriors of my old clan used to tip their arrows with." As the two of them began gathering the mushrooms, [b]Skyscale[/b] asked, "You've mentioned your old clan a few times... they were... aggressive, weren't they." "They were warriors," [b]Warstomp[/b] said without looking up, "All they cared about was taking down dragons who stood in their way or refused to bend to their will. They taught me how to defend myself and how to fight from the time I could hold my head up. If not for their teachings, I wouldn't have survived after the clan was--" He cut off, returning to picking the mushrooms. "Don't pick them all," [b]Skyscale[/b] instructed softly, "we have to leave some so that they can mature and spread their spores." [b]Warstomp[/b] stopped, keeping his eyes downcast. "...what does it matter? We're eating these because we're desperate. They're dangerous and not desirable for food if there are other options. What does it matter if they all get wiped out?" [b]Skyscale[/b] came to sit beside [b]Warstomp[/b]. "We're very lucky to have these mushrooms; their nutrition will help feed our clan--our clan needs them," she said softly, "And I think that their texture would be lovely in a soup. Maybe... maybe they just need to be in the hands of someone who knows how to use them for something other than their poison." [b]Warstomp[/b] picked another mushroom, holding it between two claws and looking at it, "What if someone only left one mushroom? And...and that mushroom was the smallest and weakest? What if it's one that doesn't have a lot of poison? How will--? How--?" [b]Skyscale[/b] touched [b]Warstomp's[/b] face and tilted it upwards towards him. "[b]Warstomp[/b]..." she said softly, "I've been meaning to ask you for a while now... Your name...it doesn't suit the person that you are choosing to be. A person who...I think..." she wrapped both hands around his claws that held the mushroom, "takes all of the best qualities from his past and will help them shine in his children in the future." [item=scroll of renaming] [b]Warstomp's[/b] heart beat hard in his chest, "Wh... what name? I mean...I've only ever been [b]Warstomp[/b]." "Is there a name that you like?" she asked, "Maybe the name of someone from a story?" [b]Warstomp[/b] thought about it, then his bright eyes rose to meet her's. "There is," he said, "[b]Thoth[/b]. He is from an ancient story. He was wise and intelligent...his wife was a scribe." [b]Skyscale's[/b] pulse quickened. "[b]Thoth[/b]..." she repeated, "I'm sure his wife was very proud of him and was eager to see what the future held for them." "A little scared, too...?" [b]Warstomp[/b], now [b]Thoth[/b], asked timidly. "Definitely a little scared," [b]Skyscale[/b] said with a smile as she leaned in closer, pressing her forehead against his, "But I think...she probably believed that together they could rise to any challenge." At this point, the pair bundled their mushrooms up and abandoned their task, searching instead for materials to build another temporary nest. [center][img]https://flightrising.com/images/nests/9/2healthy_0dead.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]

[center][size=6][font=garamond][color=#58525f][b]Day Forty-Eight[/b][/color][/font][/size] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/7fb9d0a572944a3e860d16cc94486716/319aad204b84e3c5-db/s500x750/ca3f28103a6d33d320a7722208b218eb6ac314a5.png[/img] [b]CW: mild suicidal ideation, fade-to-black, second-hand embarrassment [/b][center][size=4][font=futura][color=#58525f] [item=lucky woodtreads] [i]Frustration and Mistrust[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [color=53000E][b]Arcana[/color][/b] was working on winding herself around [b]Naal's[/b] forlimb, experimenting with getting her body to move and grip the way she wanted it to. "Not too tight," [b]Naal[/b] instructed gently, "We squeeze prey, not mommy." "Mommy!" [color=53000E][b]Arcana[/color][/b] repeated before unhinging her jaw and wrapping her mouth around [b]Naal's[/b] thumb. Ethir giggled, "Seems she has other ideas!" "Oh that's it," [b]Naal[/b] said with a chuckle and mock anger, "If you're going to try to eat me, then I'll just have to eat you first!" She bent down and nibbled dramatically at [color=53000E][b]Arcana's[/color][/b] rune-marked scales with her front teeth. The spiral child wriggled and released [b]Naal's[/b] thumb, squealing with amusement as her coils unwound from her mother's limb. Nearby, [b]Galeblast[/b] was instructing [b]Thoth[/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] as the young couple nervously and clumsily tried to incubate their eggs. "Don't be afraid to move them," [b]Galeblast[/b] instructed [b]Thoth[/b], "I know you're concerned that you'll hurt them, but it will do more harm if they're left in the same position for too long. Here; take one in your hands and gently turn it upside-down in a rolling motion. Never flip; always roll." [b]Thoth[/b] handled the egg with the care that he would handle volatile chemicals, rolling it over with care before placing it down tenderly. "That's right!" [b]Galeblast[/b] encouraged, "Even at this stage, the love and care you put into them will be felt by them as they get ready to hatch. Studies have shown that talking to hatchlings while they are still developing in the egg greatly increases--" He was interrupted by [b]Europa[/b], who cleared his throat softly. "So sorry to interrupt," he said gently, "But [b]Maorach[/b] requires your input." [b]Maorach[/b] had been working around the clock to prepare the new hatchery. As soon as [b]Thoth[/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] had announced that they had two eggs together, [b]Glex[/b] had ordered that the hatchery be prepared before anything, realizing that the future subjects of her kingdom needed shelter more than the matured subjects, especially now that the first snow was threatening to fall. She had made good progress, but now required the input of the nesting helper. "Of course," [b]Galeblast[/b] smiled, "Thank you for informing me." Before he left, he approached [b]Skyscale[/b], who was gingerly settling herself in the nest beside Thoth. He pressed his muzzle against his daughter's head and muttered gently, "your mother and I couldn't be more proud," before following Europa into the cave behind the falls. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] "Room to expand my tail," [b]Maorach[/b] muttered irritably to herself. She had just finished arguing with [b]Galeblast[/b], who insisted that the hatchery needed to be big enough to accommodate at least three nests at this point. Three! She had already built two, which she felt was not necessary. Not that she normally wanted to cut corners in her work, but she was in a hurry. Really, with one hatchling and two eggs, she felt that only one nest was needed, but she figured the order for two nests came from [b]Galeblast's[/b] bias because one of the nests held his daughter's eggs. So fine, she agreed that two were acceptable. But [i]three[/i]? And for what? Just in case? So one was just supposed to sit empty? "[b]Maorach[/b]!" The mirror startled badly and whipped around, hissing sharply at the person who had called her name. There stood [b]Syzereld[/b], holding a container of corrosives. "I called your name three times," he said, "You were just zoned out." "I wasn't 'zoned out'," [b]Maorach[/b] snapped, "I was [i]zoning[/i]. You know? That thing that I've been assigned to do?" [b]Syzereld[/b] carefully set the container down, "Whatever. Here are the materials you asked for. These should weaken the rock enough for you to chisel away at it quicker, but you'll have to make sure to clean the cave out thoroughly before bringing any hatchlings in." "Got it," [b]Maorach[/b] said, examining the contents of the container. She noted to herself that [b]Syzereld[/b] wasn't carrying his sister's pearl; usually he had it in a pouch at his side. He noticed her gaze and his whiskers twitched with agitation before deciding to give her an answer. "You think I'd risk having [b]Syzera[/b] around corrosive materials? Mother is watching her." "You really should have an extra layer of protection for your own pearl," [b]Moarach[/b] pointed out. "Don't tell me how to live," [b]Syzereld[/b] snapped. "[i]Wow[/i]," [b]Maorach[/b] said, holding up her claws in a mock defensive position, "So sorry, I didn't realize we had a new Royal around here. What's your problem, anyway?" "My problem," [b]Syzereld[/b] said, sitting himself down and running a claw through his hair, "Is that I'm not getting any straight answers around here. Nothing has been certain since [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] came and destroyed everything. Every time I ask anyone a question, they either don't know or give me some cryptic not-an-answer answer. And I'm sick of it!" "Wow..." [b]Moarach[/b] said again, this time with a slightly softer tone, as she picked one of the smaller containers of corrosives out of the crate Syzereld had brought "I didn't realize you were gonna come here and unload more than the materials I asked for, but here we go." [b]Syzereld[/b] glared at her, "You asked." She considered this before laughing, "I guess I did, huh?" "And what's [b]your[/b] deal? Snapping at me and then turning around and laughing?" "You wanna know? Huh?" [b]Maorach[/b] said, "I'm exhausted. [i]Exhausted[/i]. I'm ready to fight [color=#8b324d][b]The Arcanist[/b][/color] myself for making so much cursed work for me, leaving me to clean up after his mess. If he was gonna come and throw his wrath around, he could at least have the courtesy to wipe us out, but no. He simply makes a mess that we have to clean up. The royal told me to build the hatchery, fine, so I spend all this time getting the space ready and now it isn't big enough for a third nest. Hah! Who besides the lovey-dovey young and stupid [b]Warst[/b]--or--[b][i]Thoth[/i][/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] would be dumb enough to have a clutch in the middle of all of this destruction? But no. I have to make room for a third nest [i]just in case[/i] there's another clutch. At this point I feel like I'd be better off back on the streets of the Arcane Capitol." As she spoke, she came closer to [b]Syzereld[/b], and they were now nearly standing chest to chest. He stood stock-still, stunned, as he watched the lighting in her eyes as she spat her anger with straightforward venom. Something about the way she refused to mince her words and simply said what she thought without the pretense of elegant care or the seething backhanded poison some of the others spoke with was...attractive. "You just gonna stand there with your mouth open like that?" she asked. Her voice, still taught with frustration at her situation, was now laced with something else. Her eyes surveyed him before she spoke what was on her mind, "Because you look kinda cute with that stupid expression plastered on your face." Without another word, he closed the distance between them, tackling her to the ground. The two growled and snarled in a mock fight, kicking over one of the smaller containers of corrosives in the process as they both consented to use each other as a punching bag to take out their frustrations. By the time [b]Syzereld[/b] hurriedly slunk out of the hatchery-to-be with a precious bundle in his arms and [b]Maorach[/b] got back to work, she was forced to accept that maybe [b]Galeblast[/b] hasn't been so unreasonable for requesting her to build a third nest after all. [center][img]https://flightrising.com/images/nests/9/2healthy_0dead.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Sebastion[/b] had managed to convince [b]Ethir[/b] to help him fashion some crude training weapons for his students to practice with. [b]Galeblast[/b] and [b]Theseus[/b] worked to hone their unarmed skills while [b]Austreben[/b] practiced some more with weapons. He was beginning to get the hang of them, but his stance was still unbalanced and his follow through needed work. [b]Sebastion[/b] worked directly with him while [b]Galeblast[/b] and [b]Theseus[/b] spared with each other. [item=minor health potion][item=sap] "You certainly have your work cut out for you lately," [b]Theseus[/b] commented as he prepared to direct a blast of thought energy at [b]Galeblast[/b]. [b]Galeblast[/b] charged and attempted to interrupt the spells preparation, but [b]Theseus[/b] dodged out of the way just in time and the nocturne overshot, landing on a tree, "Indeed," he said, "And from what I've observed, your services will be needed before too much longer." He launched himself off of the tree and towards his sparring partner. With one beat of his powerful wings, [b]Theseus[/b] launched himself backwards into the air before firing the bolt of magic at [b]Galeblast[/b] with a grunt. "How so? Is there a pair who wishes to take the mating oath?" [b]Galeblast[/b] narrowly avoided being hit and launched himself up into the air underneath [b]Theseus[/b], swiping at him with claws tipped in clay to dull them. A dark red dust stain was left on [b]Theseus'[/b] flank, but he turned around and whipped his feathery tail at [b]Galeblast[/b] and threw him off balance before any more damage could be done. Landing clumsily with a heavy grunt, [b]Galeblast[/b] righted himself and turned again to face [b]Theseus[/b], answering, "Gh-- Not that I can say with 100% certainty. But [b]Naal[/b] and [b]Ethir[/b] will likely come to you, and I think [b]Thoth[/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] won't wait long before following their example." [b]Theseus[/b] folded his wings and launched himself towards [b]Galeblast[/b], who dodged out of the way just in time. "Careful," he said, "Planting the idea of a dragons' intent before they have spoken of it themselves can be a harmful practice." Using his position against him, [b]Galeblast[/b] launched himself onto Theseus' back and pinned him. "This is true," he grunted as [b]Theseus[/b] tried to get free beneath him, "but given the fact that--gh--[b]Naal[/b] is[b] Glex's[/b] daughter and the royal clearly doesn't approve of the union, I thought I ought to give you time to formulate how you'll handle the situation." He managed to get his clay-tipped claws under Theseus and make a mark across his throat. Panting, [b]Theseus[/b] stilled himself. "I have been bested," he said, and [b]Galeblast[/b] rose, helping [b]Theseus[/b] to his feet before the paladin continued, "If two consenting dragons wish to form a bond, they are both of the maturity that allows them to have a clutch, and neither is being coerced, then I will see them bonded. That is my right to do, and their right to decide." [b]Galeblast[/b] frowned, "Just...please be careful. My dear friend [b]Torval[/b] has been on the wrong end of [b]Glex's[/b] manipulation for a long time now and it has trapped her--trapped both of us--in Glimmerfall." Theseus glanced nervously over at [b]Sebastion[/b], who was just dismissing a bruised and exhausted [b]Austreben[/b]. "I've known there has been corruption within the hatchery for some time," he admits quietly, "But I did not yet know what side of it you were on. Meet with me tonight and we will discuss this further." [b]Galeblast[/b] nodded and the two continued to spar in silence as [b]Sebastion[/b] made his way over to observe and give pointers. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bNl3T2B.png[/img][/center] [b]Austreben[/b] hobbled back to the camp on sore feet. Sebastion had worked him hard, and the scholar was beginning to wonder if staying under the clan's protection was worth the physical toll he was taking every day. Although he had to admit he was getting more comfortable using throwing knives. He stopped by one of the hastily-built shelters to look through [b]Serenade's[/b] measly collection of books. With a slight pang in his heart, he watched as she sadly applied an anti-molding concoction to each page of a book that appeared to be hand-written and had art of a dragon skull on the front of it. [b]Skyscale[/b] was also present in the tent, taking a break from incubating eggs to spend time recording the clan's history in that huge scroll of hers. He was still learning about the social dynamics of the clan, but he knew that because the librarian, Serenade, and [b]Galeblast[/b] were so close, [b]Skyscale[/b], [b]Galeblast's[/b] daughter, saw Serenade as an aunt of sorts. He settled himself in a corner of the shelter and began paging through the few botonny books that remained. His stomach growled and he was reminded of the surprisingly tasty soup that was made from the mushrooms [b]Thoth[/b] and [b]Skyscale[/b] had brought back the other day. He flipped to the section of the book titled "Mushrooms and Mosses." It always fascinated and frustrated him that fungi were included in books about plants. Really, they ought to be in a class by themselves. Nobody grouped bacteria among plants; why do they group mushrooms so? As he read, he looked again at the anti-molding solution [b]Serenade[/b] was applying to the mysterious death-journal. She must have had to work so hard to keep her collection mold-free in that dark and damp cave. Why, it's the ideal climate for fungi to thrive. It was then the idea struck him. "[b]Skyscale[/b]!" he exclaimed, and the nocturne jumped, creating an ink smudge on her scroll. [b]Serenade[/b], who was usually fairly serine, rattled the tip of her glowing tail and hissed in her sinuses in [b]Austreben's[/b] direction. "I'm sorry--! [b]Austreben[/b] quickly said, "I... I wanted to know if you and [b]Thoth[/b] had taken a print of those mushrooms from last night by chance." "No," [b]Skyscale[/b] answered, trying her best to keep her work from smudging further and wondering if she could turn the stain into an illustration, "No, we didn't." "Ah..." [b]Austreben[/b] paused for a moment, not satisfied, before continuing timidly, "Do...do you know where I can get more?" [b]Skyscale[/b] sighed, "Yes... when I return to the nest, I'll have [b]Thoth[/b] seek you out to show you where they were. But please don't try to eat them before cooking them properly." "Oh I'm aware, yes, yes you're quite right," [b]Austreben[/b] nodded. [b]Skyscale[/b] hunched over her work again and Serenade lifted her head higher out of her coils, "I think," she said, "You ought to wait outside. You may borrow the book. In the future, be mindful of library courtesy. Just because this isn't a fancy building in the heart of the Arcane Capitol doesn't mean it is any less of a library." [b]Austreben[/b] cringed inwardly. "Of course. Terribly sorry, madam." He gave an awkward dip of his head and scurried out of the shelter. His next step was to inform the Royal that he would like to take on the role of gardener. [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/3451e92fadd25f8a5234d2503c9f37ff/319aad204b84e3c5-de/s640x960/68e76877fb682fd26a796b895460040e4af2f2be.png[/img] [pinglist=6058] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922/1#post_28920485] [emoji=left wing size=1]Image source[emoji=right wing size=1] [/color][/font][/size]