@
Meias
@
SucreHat
@
Kaida51
@
MintyDragon
@ GoldenHeart343
Kalamari
Jaden
Kalamari shuddered, glancing sideways.
Is it gone?
Cold mud braced her skin, clusters of molting feathers clung to her in a soggy mess.
Clambering into a standing position, Kala preened her feathers, gazing at the black sky.
The Glademother was angry.
'Jaden, hurry up! I don't know if we lost it.' Kalamari called to her little brother.
She cringed as a flash met her eyes, blinding her momentarily.
He's fine, then.
'I'm here!' A squeak met her alarmed clicks and squawks.
Jaden shook off a shielding bush, revealing his glimmering scales.
Born with a birth defect that made the boy glow like a beacon, it was impossible to shake off monsters.
Shaking her head, Kalamari tutted sharply.
'Put your mud back on! I don't want to face another one of...whatever that was.'
Nodding vigorously, Jaden dropped to the ground, rolling amongst the stinky slop.
'Is this good enough?'
Kala squinted, tilting her head.
'A little more to the left.'
Inching to the side, Jaden's lustrous sheen disappeared. And so did he.
For seconds, nothing happened. Then, the jungle floor beneath him gave way, dirt, mud and rocks spraying in all directions.
'
Jaden!' Kala screeched, rushing after him.
Sliding down the slope, she tumbled forward, rolling over bushes and under hailing stones.
'Ow! Jaden! Ow!' Squealing, Kala rolled to a stop, inside a cold puddle of rainwater.
Panting, she barely heard the distant call.
'Kala! Help me...' A small voice met her ears.
'I'm coming, Jaden!' Scrambling to her feet, Kala limped towards the noise, visionless as the storm surged, torrents of rain stinging her body.
Crouching over her little brother's sagging form, she nudged him with her snout.
'C'mon, Ja-'
Wait.
Smoke?
Flaring her nostrils, Kala gently stepped over her brother, leaning towards the smell.
Smoke means fire...Fire means shelter.
A scream echoed in the distance, disturbing the Wildclaw's thoughts.
'Oh no. Jaden, we need to go. Now.'
Blinking, Jaden stirred.
'Mom?'
Letting out a panicked sigh, Kala shook her head.
'No. No, Jaden, we really need to go!' The clicks in her voice rose an octave higher, as Kala nipped her brother's neck.
Growling, Jaden's blue eyes snapped open.
'Ow! What was that for?' His voice rung out, almost definitely rousing beasts.
A blood-curdling roar shook the ground, close.
'Get up! I smell smoke. That means shelter, and it will disguise our scent.' Kala hissed, nosing her brother up.
Shaking his head in a daze, Jaden wrinkled his nose.
'I smell it!'
Kala's tongue flicked out, capturing the sharp tinge.
'Follow me.' She raced forward, taking note of a background noise in the storm;
A rhythmic beat of heavy footsteps, looming all to close.
Soon the pair spotted a dim light, barely visible in the fog.
Picking up the pace, the fire became brighter, until a cave was discernible as well.
Hitting her like a wall, Kala burst through the barricade of smoke, into a warm cave.
Several other tired dragons were hunched over the blaze. Their heads darted towards the noise.
A Coatl, a Nocturne, seemingly harmless...healers? A fierce-looking Skydancer was perched next to them, and a Bogsneak, adorned in silks and jewels. Rich? Pampered?
Either way they all looked exhausted.
What really caught Kala's eye was the Wildclaw. He seemed sturdy and native, from another region. Ragged attire was draped among his form, and he was carrying some kind of stick...
Coughing, Jaden blinked. 'Hello.' He squeaked, hiding behind Kala.
After analyzing the dragons in the cave, she stepped forward.
'Er...we come in peace?'