Quests & Challenges

@KyaTessa added! thanks for ur interest!

[size=4][b][i]Day 14:[/size][/b][/i] "I was trying to forage when I ran into Strawe," explained Adare as she trotted alongside Rozzie. "He scared me at first, 'cause he's real big and the red is intimidating, but then I realized he was a Guardian and Pop always said most Guardians are nice. And Strawe was kinda just standing there, staring at me in wonder..." She ducked her head, though her mask hid her expression. "He pulled me under his wing and suddenly everything felt safe. He called me his charge." Rozzie's breath caught in her throat. So Strawe had finished his Search after all... but was it really worth it, if he was taken away so soon after? Adare lashed her tail, brushing against the ground. "I still needed to forage, though, so he sat back while I gathered plants. I was so caught up in it, though, I didn't see the basilisk until I heard Strawe yelling." Her wings folded a little tighter. The dark markings had spread further since Rozzie last checked, dripping onto the membrane of her wings as well as her feathers. "I turned around and I was staring right into its eyes. I might have been seeing things, but I swear it was like... bleeding black stuff." She stole a glance toward the basilisk, whom Cinnamon had blindfolded with Sinsey's bandana. They were leading her with their tail, leaving themself a little off-balance since they were carrying their pearl in one of their back feet. "It just looked wrong," said Adare, voice hushed. "I couldn't move, but then I heard Strawe growl and he flung himself in front of me. I hid as soon as I was able. I... didn't see what happened." "Is that why your feathers are changing color?" Rhiderch asked, loudly and insensitively before Rozzie got the chance to. Sinsey flicked her forehead and she shrugged. Adare spread a wing, glancing at it. “I… guess? I noticed the edges of my wings were black, but I didn’t realize the color was spreading…” “That’s concerning!” Sinsey opened his mouth to respond, but got distracted as Adare stopped walking. The Skydancer diverged off the path, calling out, “Narri! Narri, I made some new friends. They’re safe, don’t worry!” The leaves of the bushes rustled, and the head of a pink Snapper poked out. “You sure?” [img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/651185/65118408_350.png[/img] “Uh-huh. C’mon, it’ll be safe to travel with them than on our own. They’re Shadow dragons.” She glanced at Cinnamon. “Most of them, anyway.” The Snapper nodded and made her way over, bowing her head in greeting to the group. “My name is Narri.” “Rozzie. Nice to meet you. The Spiral is Rhiderch, the Fae is Sinsey, and the Pearlcatcher is Cinnamon. I take it you already know Adare?” “Yeah. She’s, like, my new best friend!” “You’re Light dragons,” Sinsey noted, crests twitching in curiosity. “What are you two doing here on your own? You’re still basically hatchlings.” “I’m not from Light, actually,” said Adare. “Or Shadow.” Her mask covered her eyes, making it impossible to guess—probably not Water, though. Rozzie didn’t see any fins. “I don’t know,” answered Narri. “I wandered a little too far while my clan was travelling and got lost and now I’m… here.” Adare sat back on her haunches, scratching at her darkened wings. “I ran away from home. I just… don’t feel right in my home Flight. Light didn’t feel right either, and this...” She looked around at her surroundings with a hum. “I don’t know yet.” “Adare and I bumped into each other by the river. I was scared and sad and she made me feel better.” Rozzie smiled. “Well, you’re both welcome to stick with us. We’re heading to the Forum of the Obscured Crescent right now. I lived my hatchling years in isolation, so I haven’t seen much… we’re gonna head out of Shadow territory after that, I think.” “Sounds good to me!” chirped Adare. Narri nodded. [rule] [item=simple gold bracelets] there sure are a lot of lost children in the tangled wood huh Honestly, I already love Adare... she might be fighting Cinnamon for spot as my favorite. As for Narri, I'm not really the biggest fan of Snappers, but this locke might change my mind, who knows lol Pinglist: @Sabariel @Stormlark @KyaTessa

[b]Day 15:[/b] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523990637213777945/778530991182053386/unknown.png[/img] [item=walrus pelt] Wooo art day! So technically this is for yesterday by site terms (and my timezone) buuut really I finished it just as orollover started so I'm counting it. Means there'll prolly be another 'locke thing later today. Cinnamon doesn't really have Mosiac (yet.) but I like it on them and it fits better than Crystal for a multitude of reasons. So for the sake of it, we're all gonna be polite and pretend they actually have and have always had Mosiac because it's MY pixel dragon minigame and I make the rules. Anyway, about the piece itself, 'cuz I couldn't resist the opportunity to drop a little lore: Cinnamon has anxiety, obviously, and between that, their parents abandoning them, and their Arcane powers starting to manifest, they often find themself plagued with nightmares and unable to sleep. The rest of the pack is very accommodating and caring, so when one of them can't sleep they find no shame in waking someone else up to stay with them. Rozzie in particular wants to be there for the younger dragons and learn how to show affection towards them in a way her father failed to, which leads to a lot of late-night talks between her and Cinnamon. It's always comforting to be under someone else's wing. Pinglist: @Sabariel @Stormlark @KyaTessa

That pic is so cute! I like the little snippet of writing too, I'll have to start over reading it's been so long since I lurked here that I've forgotten everything. It's like a new run all over again.

This time I'm gonna participate in commenting!

awwww... that's so cute! I love your style :)

@Stormlark Thank you!

@Weredogalism Lol, welcome back! Mostly on me for just vanishing off the site, but I'm glad you're interested enough to reread~

[size=4][i][b]Day 16:[/b][/i][/size] "Sinsey," Cinnamon's voice was hushed, as to not wake up the rest of the camp. He prodded the Fae gently with his claw, taking care to not scratch the rusted gear Sinsey clung to. (Cinnamon wasn't sure what that gear was from, but they knew it was important to Sinsey.) "Sinsey, wake up." Sinsey's crests twitched as his eyes finally open. "Is it morning already?" "No, no." Cinnamon sat back on their haunches, rolling their pearl under their front claws idly. The newest layer was already tarnished by smears of mud and tiny scratches where they clutched it with their claws. They weren't sure how to fix any of that, but it was... probably fine. "Sorry." Sinsey stared at them for a minute, then flicked their crests. "It's fine. Did you have a nightmare?" Cinnamon shook their head. "I need y-your help." "What is it?" "I wanna, uhm... there's a good number of us now a-and I wanna gather some food but I don't what plants a-are good or not and..." "Oh! Oh, okay." Sinsey stretched, his bright wings catching the starlight on their patterning. "Meet me at the edge of camp." "Alright." Cinnamon didn't have to wait very long before Sinsey arrived, carrying Rozzie's bag by the strap. Rhiderch was following him, her looping flight heavy with sleep. "Sorry," said Sinsey. "I couldn't stop her from following me." "Hi, Cinnamon." "Hey, Rhiderch." The Tangled Wood never slept, the creatures within having adapted to the eternal night. Rozzie's bag fit snug against Cinnamon's chest, and the warmth of Sinsey perched on his back was strangely comforting. "Here," said Sinsey. He tugged lightly on Cinnamon's mane, directing them to the foliage. "Alright, so. Shadow plants are a little tricky. Not many of them can kill a dragon, but some can mess you up pretty bad..." Sinsey was a pretty good guide, and Rhidrech showed Cinnamon new methods of how to catch insects. It didn't take long until the bag was filled, and Sinsey gave it a satisfied pat before looking up at the Pearlcatcher, crested perked in a Fae smile. "I think we're done here." "Mhm." Cinnamon was examining the last leaf they grabbed when they saw it--it was if the leaf was a scrying pool, and for a moment they were able to see an image, albeit a bit clouded, like a scratched mirror. As they watched in the leaf, Rhiderch pounced at a Duskrat, but it escaped her, running past the trio of dragons. Cinnamon looked up, dropping the leaf, just in time to watch the Spiral wind up. She pounced but her claws closed on empty air. Instinctively, Cinnamon whipped their tail around, blocking the Duskrat's path, and it ran right into their claws. "Nice catch!" barked Rhiderch, not at all upset that she'd missed. Cinnamon stared at the pinned creature, minorly unsettled by their vision--sure, they'd seen Dread in their dream, but they had mostly thought that was a nightmare... then again, Adare had been pretty spot on with her description. Admittedly a little unsettled, Cinnamon chose not to tell the others about the leaf, simply nodding. They picked up the Duskrat in their jaws, deciding they'd gift it to Rozzie. Hopefully, this was just a normal way for Arcane powers to develop. [rule] [item=pretty vermin] RNG chose Cinnamon, Sinsey, and Rhiderch for Coli so I did 30-ish rounds in Training Fields. Cinnamon is now Level 4 and Sinsey is now Level 6. Pinglist: @Sabariel @Stormlark @KyaTessa

[size=4][b]Day 17:[/b][/size] [item=salted game] Nothing too interesting. I'm writing for day 18, so that'll be up in a minute, I just realized I totally forgot to post yesterday? Despite. Actually doing the activity. So. Anyway! RNG chose... the same trio as last time! Rhiderch is now Level 6 and Cinnamon is now Level 5. The babies are getting stronger!

[size=4][b][i]Day 18:[/i][/b][/size] Rozzie more than welcomed Cinnamon's gift. A single Duskrat wasn't really all that much, but they looked so happy when she thanked them for it, and their smile was infectious. Apparently, they'd gone out foraging in the night, which explained why she'd briefly woken up to Sinsey stealing her bag. Cinnamon had emptied the plants and insects onto the ground and was excitedly explaining and describing them to Adare and Narri, echoing what they'd learned from Sinsey. Rozzie watched, amused, for a while, until an itch of hunger in her stomach distracted her. She stood up and stretched--and winced. Huh. Her shoulder was still stiff and achey. She hoped that wouldn't become a problem... The gears in her bag clanked against each other as she situated it over her chest again. She flicked her tail, making sure the twist she'd taken from Strawe was secure, then nodded to herself. "I'm going hunting!" she called out to the others, who were eagerly attempting to cook the plant matter over the small campfire. "Don't have too much fun without me!" "Stay safe!" replied Sinsey. His crests fluttered with nervous agitation as Rhiderch zipped around the fire. Rozzie laughed to herself, setting off deeper into the grove. Once she deemed herself far enough away from her chaotic little pack, she took off her bag and hid it in the brush. She concentrated on her heat vision and lowered into a crouch, waiting for something to enter her view. An unfortunate grouse was her first prey, and then a rather unlucky rabbit. She preferred the rabbit, really--birds were annoying to eat raw, with all those feathers--but she wasn't all that picky. There wasn't any point in trying to be in the middle of an epic adventure. She was trying to decide whether it would be worth it to hunt down something else, she caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. She stiffened, careful not to make a sound as she turned to it. She could see something in her heat vision, something dragon-shaped. She couldn't resist her curiosity. Rozzie was careful as she crept into the bushes. She kept her wings folded tight to her sides, her tail low but still off the ground, her crests lowered. She stopped as she reached the edge of the undergrowth, making sure the brambles and leaves hid her form before taking a long look at the dragon in front of her. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/47232087][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/472321/47232087_350.png[/img][/url] The white Mirror was a solid bit bigger than Rozzie and her tail lashed as she tore into a grouse. Scars adorned her back legs and tail, only somewhat covered by the strange metallic apparel. Her crests bristled and her runes flickered threatheningly, despite the fact she was in no danger. Rozzie was a little unsettled by her, for some reason, but... there was something about her that felt familiar, and it wasn't just the rosette pattern on her bright blue wings. Rozzie just couldn't put her claw on it. As Rozzie watched, a fox-like Beastclan creature walked up to the scarred Mirror. The creature had pitch black fur, and was adorned in robes of some kind. Over their shoulder, they carried a bag that looked practically identical to Rozzie's. The Mirror's head snapped up from her meal as the creature approached. She growled and sprung at them, but they expertly dodged the attack. The Mirror seemed to relax just a tad once she actually looked over the fox, who put a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. The Mirror shrugged them off, moving to return to her meal, but stopped short. Her head turned, slowly. Oh no. Rozzie tried to back away, but it was too late. The mystery Mirror was already staring at her with those terrifying bright red eyes. Rozzie tumbled out of the undergrowth and did her best to look non-threatening, flattening her crests and wings and pressing herself against the ground. her gaze darted around, searching for a way to escape. If the other's hind legs were as faulty as they looked, then maybe Rozzie would be able to outrun her-- Then, strangely, the white dragon's growl died in her throat as her eyes landed on Rozzie's back. Her head tilted. "Strange." she said. her voice was rough and gravelly, raw from disuse. "Strange?" Rozzie squeaked. The white dragon huffed. "You're not my problem." That... didn't answer anything at all! She turned away, flicking the edge of Rozzie's wing with her tail. "You've survived this long somehow, so you're not hopeless. I won't walk away like this next time. So either be ready to fight, or stay out of my way, [i]Rozzie[/i]." The use of her name pierced Rozzie like an arrow of ice. She scrambled to her feet, staring wide-eyed at this mystery dragon who somehow [i]knew her name.[/i] "W-Wait! Who are you? How do you know me?" The other Mirror ignored her questions, breaking into a run and disappearing into the grove. The fox creature spared Rozzie a blank glance before stepping gingerly over the grouse carcass and trotting after the dragon. Rozzie sat back, dumbfounded. [rule] [item=berserker] DEATH STREAK: False! (Thank god.) Adare and Narri are now adults, just in time for RNG to select them! So they're both level 2 now. Rozzie was also chosen, and is now level 6. Battle item seems big enough for a big plot point right? Right. Helvetica (the mystery Mirror, if you don't click her BBCode link) won't be joining the 'locke, though--nor will any of the other dragons from my main lair whom I plan to include later on. I am definitely playing loose and fast with the rules here. ha ha dramatic story go brrr Pinglist: @Sabariel @Stormlark @KyaTessa