[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]004[/font]
[font=Century]O[size=2]urakles[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]H[/size]ow the dragon found them, Arven couldn’t guess. The city was vast and empty, the palace locked up even if it was only Arven and his hatchlings within. And yet, as if she’d lived there her whole life, as if she knew every nook and cranny of the empty palace walls, a mirror had found her way inside.
Arven had found her talking with Aibek. Isaac was, once more, prowling around the palace’s basements. He had been tasked with keeping it clean and protected, Arven having granted him a sliver of his own power so that he could keep those trapped within the tunnels below where they belonged. But Aibek… Aibek spent his days wandering the palace. It wasn’t a wonder as to how he came across the mirror first.
“Oh, Arven!” said Aibek as soon as he saw Arven round the corner. “Look what I found!” He had been sitting in conversation, but stood and swished his tail happily. As if he’d found a new pet familiar to keep and not a living, breathing dragon.
Arven’s cold gaze alighted upon the mirror, but she only blinked at him with blank eyes. “And who is this?” he asked evenly, although surprise hid behind the words.
“She said she’d hatched out in the woods alone and walked just to find us.” Aibek grinned at the mirror, glancing between her and Arven. “She said her name is Marley.”
“Marley.” Arven landed neatly on the floor, his curling main of hair pooling around him. “How does a dragon who hatches alone acquire a name?”
The mirror spoke then, her voice light and without much intonation. She was like a fae when she spoke, although Arven suspected it was genuine indifference that dulled her words and not an inability to express otherwise. “It was told to me before I’d even hatched.” Looking at Arven curiously, Marley tilted her head. “The one who named me… I think you know of him, do you not?”
There was keen intelligence in her eyes, a deep understanding. When she spoke, an image of a Saint was painted into his mind. Arven’s crest fanned out in pleasure. Another chosen child to join his ranks, then. “Yes, child, I believe I do.” And what a fruitful child this one would be, for Saint Ourakles was a diviner. The information this hatchling could give him… Even the shadows seemed to murmur their pleasure at such a find.
“Aibek, why don’t you show your new friend where you and the other one sleep.” Arven took to the air, hovering a moment as he studied the pair. “And maybe she could tell you a little more about how she came across this city.”
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/1#post_40113304]«[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40171297]»[/url][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
How the dragon found them, Arven couldn’t guess. The city was vast and empty, the palace locked up even if it was only Arven and his hatchlings within. And yet, as if she’d lived there her whole life, as if she knew every nook and cranny of the empty palace walls, a mirror had found her way inside.
Arven had found her talking with Aibek. Isaac was, once more, prowling around the palace’s basements. He had been tasked with keeping it clean and protected, Arven having granted him a sliver of his own power so that he could keep those trapped within the tunnels below where they belonged. But Aibek… Aibek spent his days wandering the palace. It wasn’t a wonder as to how he came across the mirror first.
“Oh, Arven!” said Aibek as soon as he saw Arven round the corner. “Look what I found!” He had been sitting in conversation, but stood and swished his tail happily. As if he’d found a new pet familiar to keep and not a living, breathing dragon.
Arven’s cold gaze alighted upon the mirror, but she only blinked at him with blank eyes. “And who is this?” he asked evenly, although surprise hid behind the words.
“She said she’d hatched out in the woods alone and walked just to find us.” Aibek grinned at the mirror, glancing between her and Arven. “She said her name is Marley.”
“Marley.” Arven landed neatly on the floor, his curling main of hair pooling around him. “How does a dragon who hatches alone acquire a name?”
The mirror spoke then, her voice light and without much intonation. She was like a fae when she spoke, although Arven suspected it was genuine indifference that dulled her words and not an inability to express otherwise. “It was told to me before I’d even hatched.” Looking at Arven curiously, Marley tilted her head. “The one who named me… I think you know of him, do you not?”
There was keen intelligence in her eyes, a deep understanding. When she spoke, an image of a Saint was painted into his mind. Arven’s crest fanned out in pleasure. Another chosen child to join his ranks, then. “Yes, child, I believe I do.” And what a fruitful child this one would be, for Saint Ourakles was a diviner. The information this hatchling could give him… Even the shadows seemed to murmur their pleasure at such a find.
“Aibek, why don’t you show your new friend where you and the other one sleep.” Arven took to the air, hovering a moment as he studied the pair. “And maybe she could tell you a little more about how she came across this city.”
[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]005[/font]
[font=Century]G[size=2]rowth[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]D[/size]ragons are hearty creatures, meant to thrive quickly and with great longevity. In no time at all, the hatchlings had grown quickly. Isaac in particular was an impressive size, nearly double what Aibek and Marley were. Despite their quick growth, they surely weren’t done yet. It was a fact that kept Arven somber, for he knew any mistake could ruin their lives.
“Remember all I’ve told you,” he warned the two boys. “The Saints will watch over you, guide you, but they cannot protect you entirely. Isaac, it is your duty to watch over Aibek just as it is the Saints duty to watch over you.” Aibek opened his mouth to speak, brow furrowing, but Arven forged onward as if he had not seen. “While it is important you both learn how to survive in the wilds, it is more important that you do not die.” This he said with a glance at Aibek.
Isaac sat straight and tall, eyes alight with his eagerness to start. If he was offended at Arven’s disregard for his safety, it did not show. The moment Arven said they were to leave the palace, he felt his heart swell. Yes, he would protect Aibek and understood the responsibility, but he also felt all too eager to venture out into the world without their stony keeper watching over them, and with no other expectations than to do what he would’ve done in the first place—keep an eye on his friend.
Beside the guardian, Aibek shifted his paws. He, too, was excited, but not to explore. He didn’t often get to spend time with Isaac, as the other boy was expected to watch over the lower floors. What he was watching, exactly, Aibek couldn’t be certain. He couldn’t imagine there was much going on beyond the cellar doors, something that could keep Isaac away for so long. Now, at last, he could wander around alongside his friend.
But first they had to survive Arven’s rules and warnings.
“And bear in mind that we are not alone in this world,” Arven continued. “Although the city grounds are barren, the Icefields are rife with strange dragons. Do not engage them, for they do not know the Saints. They are unclean.” If faes could express emotion, Arven’s lip would have curled at the very idea. If someone were to befoul his brood… He would bring icy hell upon them.
As he finished speaking, Marley burst into the room. Her larger set of eyes were closed as she entered, but she opened them as she came to a stop beside Arven, nearly trodding on his tail. Both boys flinched. Marley, always with a far-away look and an aloof way of speaking, did not seem to share the boys’ concern on behaving poorly around Arven. She was, always, strange and did not ever apologize for it.
“I should like some violets,” she told them. “You will find many. Bring me a bouquet.”
Arven tilted his head. “They will surely have other priorities-”
“Ourakles wills it.” Marley blinked at Isaac, having been looking expectantly at him the entire time. Arven flicked his tail in annoyance, but did not argue.
“Fine. Bring the girl violets.” Arven nodded at the two boys and ruffled his wings. “I suppose I can offer no further instruction. Be gone, and tread carefully.” He turned to look out the window in dismissal and, glancing between each other and Marley, the two boys quietly slipped out of the room. So began their training.
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40141895]«[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40329702]»[/color][/url]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
Dragons are hearty creatures, meant to thrive quickly and with great longevity. In no time at all, the hatchlings had grown quickly. Isaac in particular was an impressive size, nearly double what Aibek and Marley were. Despite their quick growth, they surely weren’t done yet. It was a fact that kept Arven somber, for he knew any mistake could ruin their lives.
“Remember all I’ve told you,” he warned the two boys. “The Saints will watch over you, guide you, but they cannot protect you entirely. Isaac, it is your duty to watch over Aibek just as it is the Saints duty to watch over you.” Aibek opened his mouth to speak, brow furrowing, but Arven forged onward as if he had not seen. “While it is important you both learn how to survive in the wilds, it is more important that you do not die.” This he said with a glance at Aibek.
Isaac sat straight and tall, eyes alight with his eagerness to start. If he was offended at Arven’s disregard for his safety, it did not show. The moment Arven said they were to leave the palace, he felt his heart swell. Yes, he would protect Aibek and understood the responsibility, but he also felt all too eager to venture out into the world without their stony keeper watching over them, and with no other expectations than to do what he would’ve done in the first place—keep an eye on his friend.
Beside the guardian, Aibek shifted his paws. He, too, was excited, but not to explore. He didn’t often get to spend time with Isaac, as the other boy was expected to watch over the lower floors. What he was watching, exactly, Aibek couldn’t be certain. He couldn’t imagine there was much going on beyond the cellar doors, something that could keep Isaac away for so long. Now, at last, he could wander around alongside his friend.
But first they had to survive Arven’s rules and warnings.
“And bear in mind that we are not alone in this world,” Arven continued. “Although the city grounds are barren, the Icefields are rife with strange dragons. Do not engage them, for they do not know the Saints. They are unclean.” If faes could express emotion, Arven’s lip would have curled at the very idea. If someone were to befoul his brood… He would bring icy hell upon them.
As he finished speaking, Marley burst into the room. Her larger set of eyes were closed as she entered, but she opened them as she came to a stop beside Arven, nearly trodding on his tail. Both boys flinched. Marley, always with a far-away look and an aloof way of speaking, did not seem to share the boys’ concern on behaving poorly around Arven. She was, always, strange and did not ever apologize for it.
“I should like some violets,” she told them. “You will find many. Bring me a bouquet.”
Arven tilted his head. “They will surely have other priorities-”
“Ourakles wills it.” Marley blinked at Isaac, having been looking expectantly at him the entire time. Arven flicked his tail in annoyance, but did not argue.
“Fine. Bring the girl violets.” Arven nodded at the two boys and ruffled his wings. “I suppose I can offer no further instruction. Be gone, and tread carefully.” He turned to look out the window in dismissal and, glancing between each other and Marley, the two boys quietly slipped out of the room. So began their training.
[font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]update[/font]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]A[/size]ll three kids have grown into adults now. Think I'm going to get the boys to Arven's level first, and then work on leveling those three before I bring Marley to the coliseum. Hopefully when I do take her, I'll have another dragon or two to bring with her!
[center][font=Century][size=4][color=transparent]« | »[/color][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
update
All three kids have grown into adults now. Think I'm going to get the boys to Arven's level first, and then work on leveling those three before I bring Marley to the coliseum. Hopefully when I do take her, I'll have another dragon or two to bring with her!
[font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]update[/font]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]G[/size]ot the boys to level 10! It has definitely been a nerve-wracking experience thus far, and I got a couple of them almost killed twice. xD However! The exciting news it that I had a python drop, which is exactly the sort of gene Aibek needed.
So here he is now in all his glory, the first one in the nuzlocke to be gifted a gene:
[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=54145785][img]https://i.imgur.com/2NuXQMp.png[/img][/url][/center]
[font=Century](This update, and other dragon updates like it, will have a static image. Just in case someone is reading through and doesn't want any "spoilers" about future changes!)
[center][font=Century][size=4][color=transparent]« | »[/color][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
update
Got the boys to level 10! It has definitely been a nerve-wracking experience thus far, and I got a couple of them almost killed twice. xD However! The exciting news it that I had a python drop, which is exactly the sort of gene Aibek needed.
So here he is now in all his glory, the first one in the nuzlocke to be gifted a gene:
(This update, and other dragon updates like it, will have a static image. Just in case someone is reading through and doesn't want any "spoilers" about future changes!)
[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]006[/font]
[font=Century]T[size=2]ime Moves[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]T[/size]hey’d gone out several times, now. Each time brought something new to the table, some strange experience that left the boys excited and a little uncertain. Strange creatures, strange sounds. Things that disappeared when one looked a second time. Arven said that the area used to be haunted, and both boys believed him. How else would they explain the eyes in the night? Or the whispers that followed them as they gathered for food?
Marley didn’t seem bothered. She hardly seemed interested in adventuring past the palace at all. Most days she disappeared within the many halls of the grand estate, vanishing for hours at a time only to return when it was time to eat. When asked, she said she was “learning a great deal” and that she didn’t have time to play guardian. Isaac had taken offense to that.
And what Arven did all day, no one could guess. When he wasn’t harping Isaac to watch the underground or telling Aibek he needed to read more, he too was hard to find. And he never changed in appearance, never looking tired or upset or like he felt anything at all. Granted he was a fae, but even fae grew tired, didn’t they?
And beneath the palace, past the silence of the underground tunnels and beyond the cold drippings of the cellar, hundreds of dragons waited in the dark.
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40171297]«[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40481621]»[/url][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
They’d gone out several times, now. Each time brought something new to the table, some strange experience that left the boys excited and a little uncertain. Strange creatures, strange sounds. Things that disappeared when one looked a second time. Arven said that the area used to be haunted, and both boys believed him. How else would they explain the eyes in the night? Or the whispers that followed them as they gathered for food?
Marley didn’t seem bothered. She hardly seemed interested in adventuring past the palace at all. Most days she disappeared within the many halls of the grand estate, vanishing for hours at a time only to return when it was time to eat. When asked, she said she was “learning a great deal” and that she didn’t have time to play guardian. Isaac had taken offense to that.
And what Arven did all day, no one could guess. When he wasn’t harping Isaac to watch the underground or telling Aibek he needed to read more, he too was hard to find. And he never changed in appearance, never looking tired or upset or like he felt anything at all. Granted he was a fae, but even fae grew tired, didn’t they?
And beneath the palace, past the silence of the underground tunnels and beyond the cold drippings of the cellar, hundreds of dragons waited in the dark.
[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]007[/font]
[font=Century]B[size=2]eneath the Palace[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]A[/size]rven pressed his nails into the wall. They scraped against the stone, leaving sharp white lines scored across the surface. His eyes, pale white and hidden beneath the mask of wisping black, were fixed on the magical barrier that separated the caves from the cellar. The barrier was translucent, and through it Arven could see the vague outline of an imperial. The colours of the other dragon were a mix of sunset hues, golds and pinks made dull in the dark light of the cave.
For a long while, the two had been watching each other in this strange way. Not entirely seeing each other, but seeing enough to know the other was there. There was Arven, smug and proud and, oh, so sure of himself. And there was the imperial, tall and impressive and waiting. Always waiting. Did he expect to win? It was foolish, Arven thought, to imagine freedom.
Dawn broke. Arven knew this, even in the dark of the cellar, because his magic shifted around him when Aibek woke. The fae was tied to his prodigy with magic, strings of arcane energy keeping them bound. Only when Aibek stirred did Arven give up his vigil, rising slowly to approach the magical barrier.
And, as he did with every new dawn, he offered up a chance at salvation. “Take the Saints,” he said simply.
The imperial, with a deep voice and an aggravating calm, replied with the same even tone: “No.”
“Then wilt in these caves, a flower cut from the stem.” These words Arven presented with barred teeth, the edges of which poked out from beneath the mask.
Without reply, the imperial faded into the darkness of the caves. The barrier continued to radiate its dark energy, and Arven tapped his claws against it before turning and flying up the passageway that would return him to the palace. To the real world.
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40329702]«[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40653477]»[/url][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
Arven pressed his nails into the wall. They scraped against the stone, leaving sharp white lines scored across the surface. His eyes, pale white and hidden beneath the mask of wisping black, were fixed on the magical barrier that separated the caves from the cellar. The barrier was translucent, and through it Arven could see the vague outline of an imperial. The colours of the other dragon were a mix of sunset hues, golds and pinks made dull in the dark light of the cave.
For a long while, the two had been watching each other in this strange way. Not entirely seeing each other, but seeing enough to know the other was there. There was Arven, smug and proud and, oh, so sure of himself. And there was the imperial, tall and impressive and waiting. Always waiting. Did he expect to win? It was foolish, Arven thought, to imagine freedom.
Dawn broke. Arven knew this, even in the dark of the cellar, because his magic shifted around him when Aibek woke. The fae was tied to his prodigy with magic, strings of arcane energy keeping them bound. Only when Aibek stirred did Arven give up his vigil, rising slowly to approach the magical barrier.
And, as he did with every new dawn, he offered up a chance at salvation. “Take the Saints,” he said simply.
The imperial, with a deep voice and an aggravating calm, replied with the same even tone: “No.”
“Then wilt in these caves, a flower cut from the stem.” These words Arven presented with barred teeth, the edges of which poked out from beneath the mask.
Without reply, the imperial faded into the darkness of the caves. The barrier continued to radiate its dark energy, and Arven tapped his claws against it before turning and flying up the passageway that would return him to the palace. To the real world.
[font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]update[/font]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]G[/size]ot an egg while scavenging today! Hatched it and got the newly named [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=118152&tab=dragon&did=55333662]Caelum[/url], a lovely little guardian. Excited to write a lore blurb for them when I get a chance!
[center][font=Century][size=4][color=transparent]« | »[/color][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
update
Got an egg while scavenging today! Hatched it and got the newly named Caelum, a lovely little guardian. Excited to write a lore blurb for them when I get a chance!
[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]008[/font]
[font=Century]A[size=2]strix[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]T[/size]hey’d found the lake ages ago. At first, it was nothing more than a place to linger when they didn’t want to go back to the palace, to Arven’s too watchful gaze and Isaac’s tiring chores. It was by no means a beautiful lake, half-crusted with ice and covered in the litter of fallen leaves, and the chill that crept into their bones was hard to ignore after a few hours. But still they went, only once in awhile when Arven wouldn’t miss them, and after some time the two boys even showed Marley—although the strange mirror was never that much fun to hang around. She said the strangest things, and it only seemed to worsen at the lake.
“The water congeals,” she said one day, seated beside Aibek as they watched Isaac poke at the ice to free a pointed stick. Like a child he could be at times.
“What was that, Mars?” Aibek had been lost in thought, and he was also in the bad habit of not entirely listening to Marley when she spoke. “Say something?”
Marley yawned, rows of sharp teeth seeming to stretch out as she did so. “The water,” she said again, “it’s congealing. Nice and slow like. It’ll be some time.”
Aibek blinked and looked towards the lake. It was still, hidden beneath the layer of ice. “What will?” he asked.
“Hm?” Now it was Marley’s turn to not listen, her gaze getting that far-away look it did when she was deep in thought. Her Saint always seemed to be tugging at her head.
Rolling his eyes, Aibek stood and shook the snow off his coat. “Isaac!” he called. “We should get going, lest Arven comes fluttering out of the woodwork and tosses us in the dungeon.”
Aibek immediately forgot what Marley had said, and didn’t even think to recall it until weeks later. They trudged along in the snow, the sun hanging low and limp on the horizon behind a wreath of clouds that encircled the city. It was well into the afternoon, but not too terribly cold. They were told to gather supplies and food, their stores getting low.
Leading the charge, Isaac was silent. Aibek instead made conversation with Marley, who wasn’t speaking in riddles for once, and kept an eye out for any passing birds that they might fly up to catch.
“Well, look at that!” Isaac, the stoic sort at times, sounded reasonably surprised. The other two peered around him, eager to see what had caught him off guard, and were met with an interesting sight.
The ice on the lake had shattered, splintering out from the center and with great chunks shoved out of the way in a clear path towards the shore. There were no footprints, however, as it had snowed just the previous night.
“Ah,” said Marley.
Isaac looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Ah?” She did not elaborate.
When they returned home—packs laden with stored food, bellies full from the fruits and meat they’d picked at along the way—it was to a dark palace. Not even the light Arven kept on in their sleeping quarters was lit, and so the trio trudged along with only the moon to illuminate their path.
Marley hummed a strange note, and the other two slowed to a stop to turn and look at her. She was staring at a spot of black in the snow, head lowered to sniff at it. She blinked at them with her smaller eyes, head tilted.
“Well?” Isaac asked, impatient from the cold. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you have a look?” Marley nodded behind them, and they both whirled around, wishing, not for the first time, that they had Marley’s eyes for heat.
But perhaps it wouldn’t have done them much good in this scenario, for the figure didn’t look very alive at all. It was a smallish thing, vaguely in the shape of a guardian, but dripping something into the snow. (Water? Sludge? It was slow moving like syrup, dropping in fat clumps and laying thick upon the ground, but never seemed to run out.) The creature looked at them with pure white eyes—ice?—and yawned.
“I think they’re tired,” Marley said, trotting past the two boys and peering at the little creature. “Let’s go show Arven what we found.”
“Mars-” Isaac didn’t sound so sure.
“Oh, don’t start.” She didn’t wait around for permission, and instead slid into the dark of the palace. Isaac and Aibek exchanged glances, but followed after only a beat of hesitation.
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40481621]«[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40762680]»[/url][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
They’d found the lake ages ago. At first, it was nothing more than a place to linger when they didn’t want to go back to the palace, to Arven’s too watchful gaze and Isaac’s tiring chores. It was by no means a beautiful lake, half-crusted with ice and covered in the litter of fallen leaves, and the chill that crept into their bones was hard to ignore after a few hours. But still they went, only once in awhile when Arven wouldn’t miss them, and after some time the two boys even showed Marley—although the strange mirror was never that much fun to hang around. She said the strangest things, and it only seemed to worsen at the lake.
“The water congeals,” she said one day, seated beside Aibek as they watched Isaac poke at the ice to free a pointed stick. Like a child he could be at times.
“What was that, Mars?” Aibek had been lost in thought, and he was also in the bad habit of not entirely listening to Marley when she spoke. “Say something?”
Marley yawned, rows of sharp teeth seeming to stretch out as she did so. “The water,” she said again, “it’s congealing. Nice and slow like. It’ll be some time.”
Aibek blinked and looked towards the lake. It was still, hidden beneath the layer of ice. “What will?” he asked.
“Hm?” Now it was Marley’s turn to not listen, her gaze getting that far-away look it did when she was deep in thought. Her Saint always seemed to be tugging at her head.
Rolling his eyes, Aibek stood and shook the snow off his coat. “Isaac!” he called. “We should get going, lest Arven comes fluttering out of the woodwork and tosses us in the dungeon.”
Aibek immediately forgot what Marley had said, and didn’t even think to recall it until weeks later. They trudged along in the snow, the sun hanging low and limp on the horizon behind a wreath of clouds that encircled the city. It was well into the afternoon, but not too terribly cold. They were told to gather supplies and food, their stores getting low.
Leading the charge, Isaac was silent. Aibek instead made conversation with Marley, who wasn’t speaking in riddles for once, and kept an eye out for any passing birds that they might fly up to catch.
“Well, look at that!” Isaac, the stoic sort at times, sounded reasonably surprised. The other two peered around him, eager to see what had caught him off guard, and were met with an interesting sight.
The ice on the lake had shattered, splintering out from the center and with great chunks shoved out of the way in a clear path towards the shore. There were no footprints, however, as it had snowed just the previous night.
“Ah,” said Marley.
Isaac looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Ah?” She did not elaborate.
When they returned home—packs laden with stored food, bellies full from the fruits and meat they’d picked at along the way—it was to a dark palace. Not even the light Arven kept on in their sleeping quarters was lit, and so the trio trudged along with only the moon to illuminate their path.
Marley hummed a strange note, and the other two slowed to a stop to turn and look at her. She was staring at a spot of black in the snow, head lowered to sniff at it. She blinked at them with her smaller eyes, head tilted.
“Well?” Isaac asked, impatient from the cold. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you have a look?” Marley nodded behind them, and they both whirled around, wishing, not for the first time, that they had Marley’s eyes for heat.
But perhaps it wouldn’t have done them much good in this scenario, for the figure didn’t look very alive at all. It was a smallish thing, vaguely in the shape of a guardian, but dripping something into the snow. (Water? Sludge? It was slow moving like syrup, dropping in fat clumps and laying thick upon the ground, but never seemed to run out.) The creature looked at them with pure white eyes—ice?—and yawned.
“I think they’re tired,” Marley said, trotting past the two boys and peering at the little creature. “Let’s go show Arven what we found.”
“Mars-” Isaac didn’t sound so sure.
“Oh, don’t start.” She didn’t wait around for permission, and instead slid into the dark of the palace. Isaac and Aibek exchanged glances, but followed after only a beat of hesitation.
[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]009[/font]
[font=Century]G[size=2]rowing[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]T[/size]hings were not so bad. As other dragons joined the halls of the palace, things seemed a little less quiet. A little less lonely. Arven, with his cold gaze and unnatural fae stillness, was not as hard on Isaac. Caelum was silent and undaunted by any task, like a mindless gollum that could not say no. Thus, Arven began to rely more on the slimy guardian for menial tasks, and slowly Isaac's only duty became keeping an eye on Aibek and, as always, disappearing beneath the cellar door at night.
Perhaps it should have been easy, but as the boys aged so, too, did Aibek's desire for adventure. He had a hungering curiosity for the world, the kind of want to know things that made Arven's crest twitch. [i]Sating your curiosity[/i], the fae would often say, [i]is a pleasure that will only last a moment.[/i]
[i]A moment is all I need[/i], Aibek would whisper to Isaac late at night, curled in the same nest with Isaac's winding tail curled protectively around them both. Not for the first time, Isaac wondered if Aibek knew what lay beneath the castle. If he had seen and had yet never said anything. Isaac couldn't be offended if he had; how long had he been keeping the secret for Arven?
Marley, it was no surprise, took an instant liking to Caelum. Like a dog, she followed him around. "I had predicted your arrival," she would boast, teeth gnashing with her joy. "We are tied by red twine."
Caelum, not understanding, would only tilt his head. "You cannot tie anything to me," he corrected, dragging a claw through the ooze that constantly dripped from his scales. "It would not hold."
Although it wasn't clear what Caelum's Charge was, it was certain that he had imprinted on something within the palace. Of all the tasks Arven gave him, he would finish all of them so long as he did not have to go outside. Perhaps Marley knew what it was that kept Caelum bound to the palace, but she did not say. She did not care.
And Isaac? He had never felt the draw of the Search. He had never even thought about it. It seemed untrue to say Aibek was his Charge, because wouldn't he have felt that jolt? That knowing? Or perhaps it had happened already and he missed it. Perhaps he had come into the world, egg clinging to his scales, already bound to the thin purple dragon in the nest beside him. It was enough to go out with Aibek every day and watch him wander through the snow, to wake up and know that his only responsibilities were to hunt for Aibek. To guide Aibek. To watch Aibek grow. Was that what a Charge was? Was his life already laid out for him, a straight path that only ever forged after his childhood companion?
Would he complain if it was?
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40653477]«[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_41553862]»[/url][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
Things were not so bad. As other dragons joined the halls of the palace, things seemed a little less quiet. A little less lonely. Arven, with his cold gaze and unnatural fae stillness, was not as hard on Isaac. Caelum was silent and undaunted by any task, like a mindless gollum that could not say no. Thus, Arven began to rely more on the slimy guardian for menial tasks, and slowly Isaac's only duty became keeping an eye on Aibek and, as always, disappearing beneath the cellar door at night.
Perhaps it should have been easy, but as the boys aged so, too, did Aibek's desire for adventure. He had a hungering curiosity for the world, the kind of want to know things that made Arven's crest twitch. Sating your curiosity, the fae would often say, is a pleasure that will only last a moment.
A moment is all I need, Aibek would whisper to Isaac late at night, curled in the same nest with Isaac's winding tail curled protectively around them both. Not for the first time, Isaac wondered if Aibek knew what lay beneath the castle. If he had seen and had yet never said anything. Isaac couldn't be offended if he had; how long had he been keeping the secret for Arven?
Marley, it was no surprise, took an instant liking to Caelum. Like a dog, she followed him around. "I had predicted your arrival," she would boast, teeth gnashing with her joy. "We are tied by red twine."
Caelum, not understanding, would only tilt his head. "You cannot tie anything to me," he corrected, dragging a claw through the ooze that constantly dripped from his scales. "It would not hold."
Although it wasn't clear what Caelum's Charge was, it was certain that he had imprinted on something within the palace. Of all the tasks Arven gave him, he would finish all of them so long as he did not have to go outside. Perhaps Marley knew what it was that kept Caelum bound to the palace, but she did not say. She did not care.
And Isaac? He had never felt the draw of the Search. He had never even thought about it. It seemed untrue to say Aibek was his Charge, because wouldn't he have felt that jolt? That knowing? Or perhaps it had happened already and he missed it. Perhaps he had come into the world, egg clinging to his scales, already bound to the thin purple dragon in the nest beside him. It was enough to go out with Aibek every day and watch him wander through the snow, to wake up and know that his only responsibilities were to hunt for Aibek. To guide Aibek. To watch Aibek grow. Was that what a Charge was? Was his life already laid out for him, a straight path that only ever forged after his childhood companion?
Would he complain if it was?
[right][font=Century Gothic][size=5][color=55422f]010[/font]
[font=Century]T[size=2]ime Flows[/size]
[size=1][size=1]@Bebblesnipe[/size][/right]
[center][img]http://orig05.deviantart.net/5090/f/2015/147/f/b/fr__ice_by_baelfin-d8uyn6u.png[/img][/center]
[font=Century][size=4]D[/size]ays passed, the dragons aged. Two others joined their ranks, adolescents with no inkling to share their past. Ever the generous host, Arven welcomed them with due kindness. He allowed them room to stay, and did not question them on their strangeness. Perhaps he felt he could defend his children if he so needed to. What was a couple of dragons against a powerful mage?
There was Slania, a tundra, with a penchant for forgetfulness and an inability to speak. She instead relied on her companion, Taz, to do the speaking for both of them. Taz was an eccentric sort, full of stories that did little to explain the history the two dragons shared. It seemed, if Taz’s stories were to be believed, that in their short lives the two dragons had gotten into all sorts of things.
Isaac was intrigued with them, although he often refused to admit the fact. He enjoyed their dynamic, how Taz seemed to know exactly what Slania wished to express without her ever having to do so. And Taz certainly had no qualm with sticking by Slania just to help her speak. They never seemed to tire of Slania at all, it felt like.
With so little experience of the outside world, Isaac found he could listen to their stories for days. Aibek, too, loved to settle in towards the end of the night and prompt Taz for another tale or two.
And, in the corner, Arven watched.
[center][font=Century][size=4][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/2#post_40762680]«[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967/3#post_41755672]»[/url][/size]
[size=2]([url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2730967#post_40077210]back to index[/url])[/font][/center]
Days passed, the dragons aged. Two others joined their ranks, adolescents with no inkling to share their past. Ever the generous host, Arven welcomed them with due kindness. He allowed them room to stay, and did not question them on their strangeness. Perhaps he felt he could defend his children if he so needed to. What was a couple of dragons against a powerful mage?
There was Slania, a tundra, with a penchant for forgetfulness and an inability to speak. She instead relied on her companion, Taz, to do the speaking for both of them. Taz was an eccentric sort, full of stories that did little to explain the history the two dragons shared. It seemed, if Taz’s stories were to be believed, that in their short lives the two dragons had gotten into all sorts of things.
Isaac was intrigued with them, although he often refused to admit the fact. He enjoyed their dynamic, how Taz seemed to know exactly what Slania wished to express without her ever having to do so. And Taz certainly had no qualm with sticking by Slania just to help her speak. They never seemed to tire of Slania at all, it felt like.
With so little experience of the outside world, Isaac found he could listen to their stories for days. Aibek, too, loved to settle in towards the end of the night and prompt Taz for another tale or two.
And, in the corner, Arven watched.
