Roleplay

(Currently, this is an attempt to get a bit of a backstory down for my trio... constructive criticism is encouraged. Please be patient, my lore on FR may not be as good as it could/should be. This first post is to provide the images/links to the trio I am starting. Dusk is a grown adult dragon while Bard and Pearl will be coined as hatchlings.) [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=59450919] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/594510/59450919_350.png[/img][/url] Along the frozen shores of the frigid land of ice, the proud parents of a small clutch gathered into their prized nest and snuggled in for the night. They were vigilant, taking turns to watch for predators and keeping themselves and their prized eggs warm. Unfortunately, even in their stalwart vigilance, did not detect the creature from the sea. A massive monster ambushed them from the water and crushed all but one of the eggs. The father defended his mate and eggs with his life. In a desperate attempt to keep their last egg safe, the mother fled. Though she was gravely wounded, and by dawn, passed away next to the egg. In a twist of fate, the egg was washed away by the sea. Eventually, it was washed ashore near the newly awakened den of Banescales... and hatched. [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57492816] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/574929/57492816_350.png[/img][/url] Pearl, a cautious and curious hatchling in a big world that once thought her kind extinct, if not completely forgotten. The song of the ancient, dead elders that protected her had been too distorted through her eggshell, and though the words were not understood, she felt them within her. She was one of the last to hatch, though she did not fly away. Pearl, stricken by sadness at the loss of the elders of her clan, wept under the large silhouette of an elder. Eventually, she crawled out of the den with a heavy heart, then paused to stare at a hatching egg along the shore... [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=59309324] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/593094/59309324_350.png[/img][/url] Dusk soared over the hot lands of scorched earth and lava. She frowned as the heat from the earth itself pushed against her, as if trying to shove her further into the sky. As she spilled some of the oppressive heat from her wings, she leaned into a turn and headed for the shore. Far below, Dusk spotted two hatchlings and flapped her bat-like wings. The two far below circled each other, appearing to take defensive stances as they moved. More heat and air spilled from Dusk's wings and she dove down. The ground was hot to her paws, but not to the point of burning her. The hatchlings hissed and snapped at each other. A tundra and a Banescale. With a snap of her own jaws, Dusk silenced them both, "And what have we here...."

Dusk landed before the two hatchlings that were circling and hissing at each other. She snapped her jaws, causing both to jump and stare at her in fright. "What have we here," Dusk asked gently. "A little Tundra boy and..." Dusk lowered her head to peer at the Banescale, "A little girl of a kind that I have never seen before this night. You are much like the others that flew away... But, you stayed behind..."
The small Banescale glanced to the entrance of the cave she crawled from and sighed sadly. She didnt yet know the words spoken to her, and the song had long since faded within her.
The tundra boy squeaked and sniffed at the broken pieces of his egg and looked out over the ocean. The icy continent was beyond the horizon, not even the jagged spires could be seen.
Dusk watched them for a moment longer and sighed, "I cant believe I'm doing this, but... you both dont seem to have a guardian, judging by the hopeless look on your faces."

Both hatchlings looked back up at Dusk and tilted their heads in different directions. The tundra slowly approached and sniffed Dusk while the nocturne watched him and remained still. "I am a friend," she spoke softly. "You both... probably dont even have names yet." The Banescale watched cautiously, curiosity sparking in her eyes as Dusk continued, "You remind me of an old man I once heard singing." Dusk locked eyes with the tundra and smiled, "Bard. You are Bard now." Bard squeaked and sniffed at Dusk's nose. With a chuckle, Dusk added, "You may not be a singer yet, but maybe you will."
Dusk turned her gaze to the Banescale and admired the little girl. "Your horns are... like pearls under the early sun. I will call you Pearl." The little girl approached Dusk and sniffed. The hatchlings sniffed each other, and though there was a small protest from Bard, Dusk quickly snorted. Bard quieted and calmed down.

"I would wager you are both very hungry," Dusk eyed the two. Her gaze turned to Pearl, "You, I... am not sure what you would eat, but judging by your horns and little claws, you might be a predator. A meat eater." Dusk turned her gaze to the ocean and smiled slightly. Fish for her and Pearl, and seaweed for Bard. Perhaps, Dusk thought, Bard should be fed first, to keep his attention occupied off Pearl while she fished for meat.
The seaweed wasnt hard to find at all. It seemed plenty of it grew a little ways off the coast. The hatchlings were surely fine for five minutes while Dusk was grabbed the plants.
While Bard ate his seaweed, Pearl sniffed a piece and gagged. Just as Dusk had suspected, the little girl didnt like plants. Dusk was away a little longer as she hunted as many fish as her hands could hold. Once she returned, Dusk gutted and deboned the fish as best she could while the hatchlings watched. A moment under her flaming breath is all the fish needed to be cooked well enough.
Pearl ate hungrily and was quickly as full as Bard. Bard seemed less aggressive with his stomach full, seeming to prefer lounging on the warm ground and soak up the heat.

Dusk frowned as she watched over the two. Bard warmed up to Pearl soon, and they both began to playfully tease each other. Dusk had no idea where Bard had come from. She could only conclude his egg washed ashore and hatched. Pearl, on the other hand, must have been born during the night. Perhaps she couldnt fly, Dusk wondered. Perhaps Pearl hatched before she was quite ready and hadn't developed her wings quite enough for sustained flight.
Whatever the case was, Dusk couldnt just leave the two. They would surely die on their own. As reluctant as she was to take the two, she knew she had to. At least until she found someone to take care of them.
After a while, Dusk lead the two further inland, and gathered the hatchlings under her wings. Both had begun to appear exhausted from their frolicking, and the night was almost upon them. "Under my wings, little ones," Dusk said. "We will stay warm together."

It took weeks to travers through the Shifting Expanse and the Sunbeam Ruins. The two hatchlings grew a bit as well during the travels, and on quite a variety of plants or meat. During the third week, Bard learned how to fly, though could only for about a mile before he had to rest. Pearl wasnt far behind, though once she figured it out, she could fly a bit further.
Dusk wondered about her breed. Every chance they had, she asked in various towns and cities about what she was. Though the vast majority had no clue, a few did mention Banescales and some really old battle. To Dusk's sadness, she wasnt able to learn more.

Finally, they made it to a small fishing village along the shore. "This is where we will make the final leg of our trip," Dusk told the hatchlings. "We will take a boat across a small section of the ocean, to another village. We will be on the outer reaches of the Gladekeeper's realm. It is the realm I grew up in."

The crossing was thankfully quick, to Dusk's relief. Being confined to a small boat with two hatchlings wasnt one of her preferences. Though, she silently admitted, the two were growing on her.
Travelling through a forest was another matter. The hatchlings wanted to explore. Bard wanted to sample every other plant, and almost ate a poisonous one. Pearl managed to catch several insects along the way. So far, they hadn't crossed any insects that stung back.

Finally, Dusk lead them to her small lair, tucked under the roots of a very old tree. For decades, even before Dusk had settled in, the tree and its Dryad had been slowly dieing.
When the trio approached, the tree stirred. Well, more the Dryad had awoken enough and joined them on the ground. He coughed and wheezed, then stared at Bard with curious eyes.
"What is the matter, ancient friend?" Dusk asked.
The Dryad pointed a gnarled finger at Bard, "This tiny Tundra has..." He let out another hacking cough, "A certain spark in his eyes..."
Bard squeaked up at the old Dryad.
"You are tired," Dusk sighed softly.

The ancient dryad shambled down and sat before Bard, "My time is... sooner than you expect."
"You always say that."
The Dryad nodded and placed a gnarled hand on Bard's head, "You are destined for great things..."
A chilling silence befell them. Dusk held her breath as her scales itched. Pearl kept very quiet and still.
The Dryad leaned forward, old body creaking like a bending tree, to rest his head against Bard's head, "May the blessing of this old Dryad... help you become a gift to this world..."
The Dryad's body turned to dried leaves and cascaded to the ground as a surge of natural magics engulfed the trio, with Bard at the center.
Dusk stared in wide-eyed horror. She turned her eyes to the tree, and as it shed it's own leaves, she let out a mournful cry.

Bard cried softly and sniffed the leaves curiously. Dusk shook her head in disbelief, "No, no, no... Old Dryad, please, no." Tears poured down her cheeks as she gently picked up a dried leaf and held it gingerly.
Pearl joined Bard and sniffed some of the leaves. Then she looked up at Bard and squeaked quizzically, tilting her head. Bard's eyes glowed with the element of nature. Dusk gasped and lowered her head to peer closely at Bard. Though tears blurred her vision, she could see it, too.
"Come along inside, little ones," Dusk sniffled and swallowed hard. "This will be our home for the time being-... It's... It should last us a few weeks. The Dryad let me live here, but now that he's- gone... My den will eventually be retaken by the natural magics in the ground."

[url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44962833] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/449629/44962833_350.png[/img][/url] Years ago.... Ieni flew over the dense canopy of the jungles as his breathing labored. He had flown far and without rest- too far, he feared, for he could not last much longer. There had to be an openeing big enough for him to dive through and land. There had to be! When he thought his strength was spent, Ieni finally found an opening and dove through. Branches scratched his red scales, drawing lines of blood over some of his body. The sweat stung as it found the cuts. With a huge sigh of relief, Ieni landed on the ground and collapsed. His eyes rolled in their sockets, and the last thing he saw was the sillouet of a rough looking tundra and an old voice, "You are far from home, young coatl..." [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=59210431] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/592105/59210431_350.png[/img][/url] Samshin flew in the direction Ieni flew, knowing he would have gone this way. Her instinct told her, and so far, it hasn't failed her. At least, it usually didn't fail her. Ieni just -had- to be this way... The monstrous creature they fled from was far behind her, but for as hard and fast Ieni had been flying, he would need to rest very soon... [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=59988728] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/599888/59988728_350.png[/img][/url] An old tree, marred and gnarled by the tests of time, stood out among much of the jungle. It was one of the oldest, but still far from the most ancient. And bound to it, was a tundra, its Dryad. The keeper of the tree, and those around it for miles. The Dryad helped the jungle grow, a helper and nurturer to the life around his home tree. One day, a red coatl nearly crashed down upon him. "You are far from home, young coatl. Are you-..." the Dryad slapped his mouth shut and placed a hand gently on the coatl. Labored breathing and clammy scales, "Oh, you are not well... Dusk?" The nocturne wasnt far. She slinked from the shadows, "I came when I heard the crash. I feared- oh!" "Hurry, let's get him inside."