PROLOGUE
The border lands between Dragonhome and the Tangled Wood are a place of contrast. Open, nearly barren land with hardly a tree to interrupt the rocky terrain, cut off by a dense line of thick brambles, vines, and underbrush that mark the edge of the Shadow Flight territory. Normally, there is little to find in this area, save for the occasionally traveller soaring overhead. Today, however, the rapid clicks of a running Wildclaw break the silence, followed by the fierce screech of an angry Nocturne.
A dark scaled Wildclaw races across the barren stone of the Earth territory, clutching two eggs in his claws. His eyes dark between the way ahead and the sky, where a furious Nocturne mother gives chase. She gives a screech before unleashing a blast of energy towards him, the Wildclaw just managing to dodge as the attack sends dust flying around him. He was a fast runner, but she was just as fast a flier, and he knew she would outlast him at this rate. The thief looked about desperately, scanning the Tangle Wood boarder for an opening he could slip through. He could not see one amongst the thick wall of brambles, but he did see another option: a crag in the stone held a puddle of dense fog. It was an odd sight in such a dry area, but it was the only hiding place for miles. Kicking up pebbles as his claws skidded against the ground, he turned abruptly into the crag, sliding into the fog as he clutched the eggs close to his chest. Soon he couldn’t see more than armslength away from his face, the stoney wall his only anchor. His heart pounded in his chest as he clutched the wall tensely, waiting for the sound of the Nocturne’s screeches and wingbeasts, as she was surely on his tail.
He panted, waiting. His pounding heart was all he could hear. But no other sounds came. Not a screech, nor scraping claws, not even flapping wings. It was oddly quiet… Something wasn’t right.
Though he wanted to stay hidden, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was very wrong. Cautiously, the dragon awkwardly climbed up from the crag with the eggs pressed against his chest with his other arm, peeking out of the fog. He half-expected to come face-to-face with an angry Nocturne mother, but instead, he was met with an empty, grassy plain. The thief blinked, crawling out of the fog in confusion as he looked around.
This wasn’t Dragonhome…where did all the grass come from? Why was there a forest where the brambled wall of the Tangled Wood should be? And why was everything so…bland? It was as if everything had been desaturated and dulled, a mist hanging over the air, blocking out the sky. Was it even still daytime?
“Where…?” The Wildclaw’s musing was interrupted by the sudden shriek of a distant creature, shadowy movement catching his eye in the mist. It wasn’t safe here either. He started to back up into the foggy crag only for some massive beast of feathers and protruding bone to lunge at him! He jumped back, narrowly avoiding the monster’s claw as he flapped his wings and lifted off the ground.
“What the-?! Forget that!” He was about to fly up further to escape its reach and get a look around, when something above swooped over him, forcing him to drop to the ground to avoid it! He barely caught a glimpse of a scrawny, bird-like creature flying overhead before it disappeared back into the mists above. He didn’t have long to think before the monster in the fog was lunging again, the dragon leaping away before making a run for the trees. He had to assume there were more monsters at every turn, so he needed to find safe shelter and fast.
If there was one thing he was good at, it was running. Weaving between trees, he searched for a hollow, or den, or anything that could shield him from view. The mist limited his sight, and where ever he looked, he swore he saw shadowy creatures watching him from the branches. Echoing cries of monsters motivated him, even though he was starting to tire. Finally, he found his sanctuary, a large, partially uprooted tree that had enough space under its roots for him to hide beneath. Folding his wings against his body, he wiggled between the roots, digging the soil with his feet to open the space enough for him to fit in. After a few minutes of work, he had dug a big enough den for him to hide within, packing the loose dirt into the surrounding roots. It would need more work to be fully safe, but he needed a moment to catch his bearings… He looked over to the two eggs he had been carrying, tucked into the back of the freshly dug den.
“Gods…What have I fallen into?”
pinglist: @cartographic
