A Lesson in Conductivity - A Pinkerlocke Challenge

[Ana]

Hmm You have a Zelda and Kelpie.. what about Iele ? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iele).. will only work if the mirror is female though

[Syleye]

Ah good to see this back. Very much enjoying the story, sorry coli is being a pain!

[Falcon]

All I can really think of is Raijin, for the Shinto god of Lightning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raijin

Really well done entry!

[Varethyn]

Day 21


It had been a few days since the egg hatched, the tiny mirror performing in leaps and bounds. Both figuratively and literally: She would not keep still, insisting on climbing on anything, everything, anyone, everyone. Needless to say Apotequil was not best pleased by this as Iele - as proud "mother" Kelpie had named her - kept knocking things over, unplugging wires, breaking vials and pulling out some of his azure plumage. His best lab coat had dusty paw prints and rips all over it. It was difficult for him to not snap at the guardian and her Charge for the carnage they'd brought to his previously immaculate (loose wires and scattered papers are favoured in this kind of environment thank you) den. More so whenever Zelda came by to check on Yue, who was slowly recovering. So many dragons, not enough space. It was a blessing that the other eggs had hatched and the children whisked away to their proper abodes. When she was strong enough Yue had asked him what the incubators and the eggs inside were for, to which he replied: "We here at the lightning farm are always busy. So busy in fact that there's little time for much else. Yet some "happy couples"", he'd mentioned with some disdain and air-quotes as if he couldn't fathom the idea, "find time to mate with one another. Most are so intent on their work that they leave the eggs here until they hatch. That way the eggs are in good care and they can continue their work a while longer and then take it in turns to care for their new children." Kelpie had been aghast at this. Even though Iele wasn't technically her blood-born child she'd felt the need to keep watch over her every waking moment. When she wasn't checking on Yue or eating that is.

Under Zelda's tender care Yue's recovery was swift. For a long time she was made to wear her bandages as the skin beneath her crystal hide was still raw and tender; the touch of anything would be painful for a while yet. For this reason she was forbidden to carry her pearl in her arms or hind paw as it would no doubt rub the wounds. Instead an old satchel Apotequil had once kept several rolled up pieces of parchment ("Hey those are important documents! For a construct we... might build. One day. Look, they're important okay?!") was offered to carry it in, which the pearlcatcher would need to hold in her mouth for the time being.

When finally Zelda had stopped fussing over Yue and Iele and Apotequil had stopped fussing over his "research" and both had disappeared out into the wastes for individual reasons - the skydancer needed to procure more supplies to help with healing and the coatl allegedly to inspect something - and Iele had curled up using Kelpie's tail as a nest Yue mustered the strength to speak with her large companion. "You're an idiot. You know that, right?"

The frilled, jade head lifted away from the sleeping mirror to fix a deep blue eye on the plague-born. "Why?" She'd done little else except sit in the middle of the white den full of machines that made her skin itch from static as she watched Iele play. How had she been an idiot this time? Iele. Fast asleep.

"You almost got us both killed because of your stupid guardian instincts."

"Iele needed me."

"The egg needed- no it didn't, you needed the egg."

Kelpie shifted, wincing at her wing. Not because it hurt, the nice rose skydancer had helped make it feel better, but because of all the metal the coatl had slapped on it to keep it stable. It felt strange. Heavy. But it stopped the pain so that was okay. Not looking away from Iele she quietly replied: "We would have died if I hadn't found her."

That was not at all like the guardian. Yue parted her long jaws to retort, yet found no words as the weight of her companion's words hung true around her. They had been exhausted. They'd had no food, no water. No shelter. Had they kept going the way they had been then the sun would surely have cooked them in their scales. They would not have been alive now. The blood-soaked head drooped in shame. Thanks to Kelpie's instinct they found water and a little food. And she fulfilled her Search. And saved a life. Yue pulled her hardened wings around herself as if the action would drive away the guilt. And yet... "Those basilisks might have killed us instead."

"But they didn't."

"No. They didn't."

Silence hung between the two dragons a moment as they digested the conversation, neither sure of what else to say. In the loop of Kelpie's tail Iele squirmed in her sleep, rolling onto her back with mouth wide open as her legs worked in the air. What had she found? Kelpie wondered with private delight. Her own little girl. All the other eggs had hatched soon after hers had. She'd never heard such a cacophony of squeaks and squeals and chirps and warbles and, and, and other noises she didn't know how to describe. Apoti-whatever hated the noise and kept shouting. That scared some of the babies. Kelpie looked after them a little while she took care of Iele. Then the parents came and took them away. All of them. Except Iele. Apo had asked her what if Iele's real parents had come. She didn't want to answer. Iele was her Charge, she couldn't let her go. The guardian lowered her head again to nuzzle the mirror. And got a faceful of claws. Good, she'll make a fine hunter when she got big.

"Thank you, by the way."

The statement was sudden, making Kelpie jump. Thankfully the little stone-coloured mirror didn't wake. "What for?" She asked, swinging her long neck around to face Yue once more.

"For saving me."

"You're my friend."

Yue's red eyes fixed on Kelpie's blue ones, full of hurt. Not the painful hurt from her injuries. The sad hurt. ""After all the names I called you. After complaining about you and your instincts. After all the times I'd said I'd rather have been alone. You stayed with me and you saved me from the basilisks."

"You're my friend." Kelpie repeated softly. "You said mean things and told me to go away. But you let me stay when I didn't leave. We talked together, found food for each other." Iele. Curled up on her side, legs tucked up against her pale belly. "You saved us first."

That was true. Yue could quite easily have left Kelpie and the egg to the feathery onslaught of those monsters. No. No she did it out of self defence so that she could enjoy the relative sanctuary of the oasis. It had nothing to do with the giant oaf. ...Right? "I was protecting myself." the pearlcatcher made herself say, instinctively pulling the bag containing her pearl closer. "I just happened to be doing you a favour. I could easily have run and left you to them. Survival of the fittest."

"But you didn't."

"No. I didn't."

"I think," Kelpie yawned, stretching her front legs out along the floor until she lay flat and tightened her tail a little around Iele, "I think we need each other."

"I'd be fine on my own." A big, sceptical blue eye glanced up at her. At her bandages, her wounds. "...when I heal I mean."

"I don't think so."

She was right. Yue was glad that Zelda returned at that point, giving her reason to cut the conversation. The plague pearlcatcher reluctantly set her satchel to one side and lay on the table, silence once again filling the room save for the usual background beeps and clicks and whirs from the machinery around them as the pink and yellow skydancer fiddled with her bandages.

"Won't be long before these can stay off." the feathered dragon announced, pleased. "You recovered well. We just need to remove the last few pieces of broken crystal and you'll be fine." She clucked in mild annoyance as the linen caught on one such shard at the shoulder, tearing the fabric a little. Yue remained quiet as her carer worked, retrieving a bottle from the pouch at her hip and rubbing a clear liquid between her talon-like forepaws before running them, carefully and slowly, over the exposed flesh. "You two had another argument didn't you?"

Yue's head shot up, crystal shards glinting in the light of the lab. "How did you-?"

Zelda merely lifted a claw to the gem on her forehead, tapping it in a similar manner to those who tapped their snouts when keeping a secret. "I know a great many things about everyone in here. Your moodiness, Kelpie's joy, the childish glee of the newborn. Truth be told that is why I was not present at the mass hatching. Too many feelings at once. It was overwhelming." The charcoal pearlcatcher lay down again without response, long whiskers twitching slightly. "She really does care about you, you know."

"Kelpie?"

"Who else?" The skydancer motioned at the now-sleeping guardian, sides rising and falling with each breath. "And I know you care for her, too."

"She saved me. She didn't need to save me."

"Now now, let's not begin this again." A confused glance. "I was outside when you were talking. I know."

Friends. Helping each other. Saving and protecting each other. Yue yawned, the sweet, soothing scent of the lotion making her feel drowsy. Survival of the fittest. No one said the fittest couldn't be more than one. Maybe, then, it wasn't so bad that Kelpie didn't go away after all. No need to be alone. Yes, she decided. When she woke up she'd get to know the guardian better.

Zelda's antennae waved in an invisible breeze, taking in the energy of the emotions coming from the three sleeping dragons. A smile crawled up her beak-like muzzle as tension changed to positivity. Some fresh bandages, not many this time, wrapped securely around the worst parts where she'd removed more of the crystal. The bottles placed back in the pouch. The used linens gathered up. Then she was gone.

---
Thank you Tarn, Syleye and Falcon for the kind words I'm glad you guys are enjoying this and I'm sorry I've had to change my posting pattern. And thank you Tarn and Falcon again for the name suggestions! The little mirror is indeed a girl and Iele is a lovely name Don't worry Falcon, I like the name Raijin too and hope to get a Lightning male when I finally get the chance to buy a new dragon so he'll be given that name

I know I know I said I was going to show off the new genes in this post but the Opalesque accent looked too good on Yue in her current state to pass up. Next post for sure. Which might even be later today if I can think of enough to type up

In other news all of the icons in earlier posts -should- be fixed now xD;

[Ana]

Uhhh Love the bickering part ! Also totally need a link to the lair in question so i can go stalk the dragons. The story makes you bond with them

[Varethyn]

Day 22


Days rolled into weeks. Although it was hard to tell the time in this region of the Shifting Expanse. The perpetual glow of the electricity generated from the lightning farm not too much farther away encouraged heavy shadows to fall on the surrounding areas, emulating a dusk-like state. If one were to look they may catch a glimpse of the sun behind the darkened clouds that choked the sky, rendering it devoid of any colour that wasn't grey or black, sometimes a deep, deep blue-purple. Such a sight was rare but largely ignored by the local populace. After all, who needed a giant ball of fire way, way up in the sky to see by? Strings of lamps and bulbs and other objects somehow creating light despite not looking like they'd be capable of doing so hung along the walls of the ravine, the rocks, the entrances various dens and caves. Some of these depressions offered their own light from whatever creations lay within.

This was not so for two dragons.

She'd had enough at this point, stuck on this crummy table, not allowed to move far not by order but by the limits of her broken body. By now the wounds had healed however and, with Zelda's encouragement, it was time to rebuild her lost strength. It was tricky to get off the table she'd been resting on all this time, limbs stiffened from the lack of movement, cramped muscles complaining at the sudden movement. Of course the pearlcatcher couldn't let old habits go, waving away Zelda's proffered paws of aid. She could manage. It was going to take a while, that's all. The skydancer was not at all offended by this and stood to one side as the charcoal dragon slowly slipped to the floor. That was the first step. Now for the next.

"Wait a moment." Yue stood shakily on the stone. Every part of her wanted to collapse in a heap and wait for gravity to stop being so damn strong. That wasn't how it worked though. She needed to move. And now the rosy skydancer was making her wait again. "Tsk tsk you really shouldn't push yourself so hard." Zelda crooned sweetly, antennae taking in the emotional argument Yue was emitting. "That's not what I was stopping you for though." Deftly the healer began to remove Yue's linen bindings, tossing aside the dirtier ones and readjusting the cleanest. By this point they were merely to stop the remaining crystalline shards from catching on everything and potentially being torn out. A great deal had been removed already and the exposed skin beneath healed over. Zelda admired the new, smoother hide, running a claw over it experimentally. Yue twitched but did not cry out or flinch. Sensitive but not painful. It was also a surprise to see what she truly looked like. "There, much better." she said, tucking in the last loose end.

Yue swayed on her feet a bit as her legs struggled to keep her upright. Until now she'd hated that she'd had to carry her pearl in a bag. Now she was grateful, feeling its weight against her flank as she used all four paws to stand. That, her arms and legs were the areas that had healed the fastest with a scattering of opalescent shards still clinging to her head, her back and her tail. It wasn't until recently that she'd realised that little to no damage had been dealt to her wings, only noticing that time she'd drawn them protectively around herself. She shook her body, a few more fragments falling to the ground with a faint clatter. And hastily swept up by the eager Apotequil, the coatl placing them in a tub and sorting through the pieces. Occasionally he'd take a larger one, or a tiny one, and insert it into Plaguebringer-knew-what he was working on this time. Splaying her legs to adjust her balance Yue lifted her head to meet Zelda's gaze. Initially there was to be annoyance for the hold-up. Instead there was subdued gratitude, something she'd hoped to keep to herself but lately she was finding it easier to display her emotions than have the feathered dragon give her that strange, knowing look and cocky smile. "Thank you for your help." Yue made herself say, flicking her long tail behind her.

Zelda bowed. "It was my pleasure." She raised a talon-like paw and gestured at the cave mouth. "Go now, she's waiting."

Kelpie was waiting. Like Yue she had missed the sky, the wide openness of the plains. Being stuck inside a cave for almost a month made one claustrophobic and yearning for the freedom they'd previously loathed. Had it not been for the stifling heat of the desert then it would have been a much more enjoyable adventure. Had it not been for the stifling heat, they probably wouldn't have been together. None of this would have happened. Iele might not have happened. The guardian felt bad for leaving her friend but she needed to get out and move around. To stretch her legs and wings and tail. She still couldn't fly. She probably never will be able to again. Even with the help of the coatl, the skydancer and a few other dragons that worked here, even with the metal and the wires holding it in place, her wing never truly healed. Sure, it didn't hurt any more. Sure, she could move it freely. But the bone was wrong and putting too much weight on it would snap it again. But that was okay because Yue couldn't fly either.

This wasn't the first time she'd gone out. When Iele was big enough in her eyes it was time to show her that the world was more than a brightly-lit cave crammed with Tidelord-knows-what. Though Iele had liked it in there more than her guardian did. Stupid static. She'd bared it though, for the hatchling's sake. Even when Apoto-thingie yelled at her to take the baby out and away from him so he could work. Even when he pushed and shoved at her flank in a fruitless effort to move her himself. Except when he grabbed Iele. That made Kelpie angry. Perhaps the little one could have been given something else to chew on instead of his tail but that was no excuse to treat her like that! The jade guardian, smile wide on her snout, sat on the ledge jutting out of the cliff side where the den was set, watching her Charge rolling playfully around in the sand below. The mirror rolled, jumped and ran around, pouncing on unfortunate insects that chose the wrong moment to emerge from their holes. Zelda had given her the tail of some cave-dwelling creature, a cave jewel had she said? It still wiggled a little and made the perfect chew-toy. Until Iele got bored of it anyway. Now it lay forgotten a short way away covered in scuffs and tooth-marks.

"She's doing well."

Kelpie swivelled her long neck around, grin widening as her friend hobbled towards her. The last few days they'd actually talked together. And not in a mean way! Yue could be friendly if she tried. They'd shared their lives before meeting, reminiscing on those first days, mourned the loss of Flora and even cracked a few jokes. This, however, was the first time since they got here that she'd seen the pearlcatcher without her bandages. "Yue. Your hide. It's..."

"Hideous?" Yue interrupted, not in an unfriendly way. She hadn't really wanted to look at herself, imagining her body to be a twisted, pink mess.

The frilled, jade head shook from side to side. "You're so pretty, Yue."

An incredulous ear flicked. "You think so?"

"Yes."

"I wouldn't have thought scabs to be pretty."

"No no, no scabs." Kelpie stared, entranced at the light, swirling patterns decorating Yue's body.

"Guess I need a mirror." The plague-born grinned and looked down at Iele, who was currently harassing a centipede. "A reflective one I mean."

Kelpie rose to her feet and shook out her body, sending dust flying with the movement, then slid down the ledge to her adopted daughter who immediately scrabbled over to say hi. "Well, Iele needs to learn to hunt." The jade water-born looked up, beaming. "How about that oasis? I bet basilisk tastes wonderful and you can see yourself in the water there!"

No! Yue wanted to scream. Why would she go back there? Those bloodthirsty monsters that almost killed her.

Kelpie noted how the smaller dragon planted herself firmly against the stone, unwilling. Then she laughed. "I'm joking." Iele. Biting at her forepaws. She gently batted the little mirror away, only to have her some straight back and continue. And she let her, because she was her Charge.

Thank Plaguebringer, Yue thought as she relaxed. She needed to move or she'd fuse with the stone so, sore body begrudgingly complying, the pearlcatcher slid down the rock to join the other two. Straight away Iele changed targets, mouth wide open in a toothy grin then clamping down on Yue's satchel and tugging at it. "Hey, that's mine!" Yue laughed, pushing the little stone dragon away. Before the next assault she flicked her tail around, brushing Iele with the furry tuft. This resulted in a squeal of delight as the little one rolled about in a futile attempt to get away from the tickle.

"Come on you." Kelpie said, scooping up the wriggling hatchling and placing her on her back. "Let's go find something else for you to terrorise." She turned to her smaller friend. "Want me to carry you too?"

Yue raised a paw in decline. "Thanks but I need to move around." With a smile she added, "I'll let you know if it hurts." Kelpie nodded enthusiastically, Iele copying the motion. "Now let's go hunting." Together the three of them wandered out into the wastes, under the watchful gaze of the rose-coloured skydancer who, once they were out of sight, gracefully flew away to find her next patient.

---
I... have no idea where the story is going to be honest. I just type up the first things that come to mind and hope xD Hope it's interesting enough for you guys!
Hee thank you Tarn A link to my Lightning lair! Also now in my signature I should write up some bios for the girls but for some reason I'm having trouble figuring out what to put. Oh yeah and pretend Iele hasn't grown up yet ^^;

[Ana]

Ohh Can i vote for Clown/Toxin for Iele..wish she had a different tert.. are you allowed to scatter dragons ? If so i love to offer you one for the mirror girl

[Varethyn]

Hee I was looking at her in the scrying workshop earlier myself, though I went for bar instead of clown but both work. Definitely agreed on toxin! I love the way the blue tint matches her eyes. Lemon underbelly isn't that bad but something closer to the others would've been nice. And yes! Apparel drops allow for either breeding if there are two compatible dragons, new genes or scattering. I do love the idea of giving Iele toxin but I'm open to scatters too Would be interesting to figure out how to add that to the story, too.

[Syleye]

Oh Bar and Toxin look wonderful on her!

[Ana]

Ive send a scatter to the pinkerton lair ♥ i always sees scatters as a magical spell being cast. Ugly scatters are curses. Good scatters are blessings

[Varethyn]

Mass coliseum grinding wooooo (not).

Day 23

Surprisingly not as difficult as I was expecting with Iele along. I did opt to stay in the Woodland Path instead of Scorched Forest in order to level her up since the team's still getting experience there. Iele is now level 5, Kelpie and Yue are level 9. I gave Kelpie Guard expecting Iele to take a fair beating but was pleasantly surprised to see her take it like a champ.

Day 24

AAAAAGH NO IT'S TOO SOO- I got tails so nothing happened yay. Since I'd have to force hardmode coliseum rules (fight in the venue suitable to the highest level dragon in the team - I use "medium-mode" rules where I can use the venue before that) Iele would certainly have died. And I'd have been heartbroken.

Day 25

Since I don't need to do as many rounds with plants (10-20) I tested the girls in Scorched Forest. Exp gain was a lot better but with the elemental attacks it was risky. Kelpie's Guard came to the rescue numerous times. She and Yue are 1/3 into level 9 and Iele is level 6.

Aaand adorableness.
Day 26



Still got a bunch of coli work to go through so hang tight!

[Ana]

That gif... soo cute

[Varethyn]

I managed to get FR to stay stable again for a while and took advantage of it to knock out the last of my coli grind.

Day 27


Day 28


Day 29


100 battles in total. Yeeesh. Yue and Kelpie are both level 11 and Iele 10. I stayed in Scorched Forest for a good portion of the grind, venturing into Sandswept Delta for the last 10 rounds or so. I'll just say that I really wish I had some more Ambush stones for them. I only have 1 right now and it seems wrong to give it to someone.

In other news:
Day 30

Familiar means new dragon!

As promised to Falcon I looked specifically for a Lightning male to name Raijin after she'd suggested it earlier. Technically that's against the rules as I'm supposed to buy the cheapest of the breed rolled xD But I didn't want to disappoint. I rolled an 8 which means I got imperial. So here's little Raijin:


I got a few materials so writing needs to be done. I'll introduce Rai when he grows up.

[Varethyn]

Popping in here to say no I haven't forgotten or abandoned this. I did come close I admit cos I had no inspiration, no ideas for the story, nothing. Reading other 'lockes that are waaaaaaaay better than mine didn't help. Specifically Lights Out (Pinkerlocke, currently inactive) and Midnight Sun (Nuzlocke, active).

I sat down today and gave a long, hard thought about where I want to take this and in a way that interests everyone. Here's my current list:
WARNING: DON'T TAKE COMPLETELY SERIOUSLY

explore scorched forest
befriend centaur
kelpie misses home
journey to so1kc
meet raijin
detour through light maybe?
stuff happens
idk
arrive at so1kc
kelpie's family is dead???? - why????
more stuff
meet some arcane dude
iele changes colour (if alive)
WHAT IS RAIJIN'S PURPOSE
wtf
new dragon happens somewhere
dragons probably die somewhere
return to plague cos why not???
i don't even
EMPEROR ATTACK COS WHY NOT
ery1 ded gam ovr (j/k)

(Serious!) Suggestions are welcome
On another note I'm going to be rewriting the last few chapters. Possibly completely. There's a few things I forgot about plus I'm generally not happy with them anyway. So watch out for that!

[Ana]

If allowed in pinkerlocke send one of your dagons out to travel... let them have 1-10 battles in another lair and if alive/ survived the battled bring home stories/items to share with your other pinkerlocke dragons. E.g if you send her to my lair Jack and Jill would show her (insert your colisium area choise here..maybe decided by dice cast) what ever drops in 1-10 battles the dragon would bring home.. plus some stories to share about the lair visited?
Im no expert in pinkerlocke but it could be fun?

Uhh and if the dragon dies the lair needs to show their respect by giving you one unhatched egg from their element?

[Varethyn]

Day 31


This wasn't good. Not good at all. He wasn't even supposed to be here, it wasn't part of his route. But no his brothers had insisted they go cause havoc with the local centaur population. Granted, it had sounded a little fun... but he was dutiful, taking pride in the work set for him as an analyser. One who studies various parts of the Shifting Expanse and relay any changes back at base. Not necessarily the most exciting of jobs compared to others of his flight, true, but it was something that needed to be done. For... reasons. Actually he didn't know why. He just needed a job and that's what they told him to do. Except most of the time nothing changed. Boring. At least it made it faster, and he loved being fast. Fast like Lightning. His wings were bigger than most of his kind which helped a lot with that.

Now he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Too far north, close to Light territory. Specifically the small forest that grew where Lightning, Light and Water lands met. What was left of it anyway; the devastation had been noticeable from a great distance. He might even have seen it on his way to the next destination. That was where his brothers, one more green than himself and the other more blue with himself being a mixture of blue with green wings, decided to pay him a visit, point out that the forest had caught fire and that now was a good time to terrorise the horse-people that had set up camp there previously. It didn't feel right this time, much as he'd like to join in the fun. Something about mock-attacking the wintermane tribe that had settled there until the blaze overtook the trees struck him as... cowardly? He'd declined, though now an intense curiosity of what had caused the forest to burn nagged at him in the back of his mind, stating instead that he needed to finish his work: one of the oases had been showing signs of an overpopulation in grouse basilisks and he needed something more interesting than "no change" on his check-list. So they'd pulled him away by force. Both of them being bigger in body than him made this difficult to pull away until they dropped him a short ways away from the forest. May as well join in now, right?

Bad, bad choice. He coughed and wheezed as the thick, black coils of smoke made their way up the imperial's nose, into his mouth, his eyes. It stung, it burned, he couldn't see or breathe. What had those two been thinking? Now they were out amidst the fumes and the flames, whooping, jeering and roaring in attempt to spread chaos among the centaur. He'd held back, remembering how his third brother, the biggest of the quadruplets, had wound up exalted for going against his duties. Was he going to get exalted for this, too? Not that he knew exactly what that meant but if his brother had been and never came back then... probably not good.

As he shuffled lamely along the ash-covered trails one of his long ears caught the sound of roaring somewhere to his left, followed by laughter and the sound of something snapping. Hoof-beats above the crackle of fire. A terrified centaur woman sped past, didn't see him, disappeared again. A pang of guilt stabbed his heart. Enough. Those two idiots could have their fun, he was leaving. As he turned he felt something sharp prod his snout. He paused at the sensation, rolling a blue eye down to the cause. A brown-and-white male centaur, spear in his hands and a scowl on his face. The spear pushed harder against the imperial's upper lip. Not painfully but enough to make him reel back.

"Why?" Was the simple question that dropped heavily from the horse-man's lips, heavy with accusation. The large, serpentine dragon stared, momentarily shocked and confused by the suddenness of the centaur's appearance, then scowled back. A growl built up in the back of his throat. He resisted the urge to bare his fangs and unleash it. How dare this beast address him like that! He hadn't done anything!

"Why what, huh?" he retorted, pushing the crude weapon aside with a claw. "You go around poking every dragon that happens to be here with that thing? Cos if you want-" he was cut off as the centaur deftly manoeuvred the spear around the outstretched paw and back in place. In his face.

"It's because of dragons like you that our home is in flames!" the spearman replied fiercely, jabbing the tip of his weapon into the dragon's muzzle once more. "Because of you we have nowhere to live.

This was getting boring fast. "Okay look," the imperial drawled as casually as he could manage between the copper spike in his skin and the smoke pretty much everywhere else, "you're going about this way wrong. Firstly we're Lightning dragons in this part of the world. We don't do fire. Second, I came here to find out what caused the fire so I could report it and do something about it. Except I'm not going to do that if you keep waving your sharp stick in my face."

The centaur averted his gaze in contemplation, though the spear remained where it was. Then his eyes were back on the lanky blue-green dragon in front of him, narrow, unconvinced. "Dragons have forced us out of every home we have had. Our buildings destroyed. Our food and supplies ruined or stolen. We run, they follow."

"Aaaand where exactly are you going with this?" the shiny-scaled dragon replied, flicking his long tail in mock boredom.

"Why should I trust your word that you were to help us?" he demanded, irked by the dragon's demeanour.

The crystal-like dragon said nothing at first, not looking away or changing expression although the rage was building inside. "So," he said shortly, "you're saying that just cos one group of dragons decided to go nuts on your settlement all of us are now the bane of your existence? Puh-lease." he waved a dismissive paw much to the annoyance of the centaur. "Some of us are actually trying to fix these things. It's creatures like you," he pointed an accusative claw at the equine-like creature, "that give us a hard time. Know what I'm saying?"

"There were two that looked like you chasing my people."

"A pair of idiots looking to get themselves killed. Think it's fun to chase scared animals or something. I, on the other hand, don't find that fun. I think it's "uncool" as some might put it. Now if you'll kindly stop poking me with that thing I might decide to get help. I know a bunch of water dragons who'll put the fire out for you."

There was a long pause and no sign of the weapon being moved. Just as the imperial was about to give up the centaur answered, "What of our homes? Those who were injured? What about food and supplies?"

"We got healers who can look after anyone that got hurt and I'm sure there's some emergency stuff we can share with you somewhere. Homes though? Sorry pal but you're on your own there. I'm sure there's other nice forests for you to gallop around in nearby." Why was he even saying this stuff? Yeah yeah someone might actually help but what was the point of talking to beastclans? Not that he wasn't going to help - that'd be mean. It simply felt like a waste of time. Besides, even half-grown as he was he could easily overpower the horse-thing if he wanted to.

Once more the centaur looked away in thought. This time the spear lowered too. The male imperial cocked his antlered head to one side, claws tapping idly against the charred earth. "What is your name, stranger?"

Odd question. "I'm called Raijin." Raijin stated proudly, puffing his chest out for emphasis.

"Then Raijin of the dragons," the centaur continued, finally lowering his weapon completely, "I shall take your word that you will aid my people. I am Tarl Sharphoof of the Wintermane tribe." He slammed a fist against his chest as he said this. "I shall report this to our leader. We will expect your hospitality soon. However," Tarl's grip on his spear tightened, "if we learn this is a false promise we will bring battle to the dragons who walk these lands and claim their dens as our new homes."

Yeah, good luck with that. Rai thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Don't worry, I promise this is not a joke." He sat up on his haunches, placing one paw over his heart and holding the other in the air in a sign of truce.

Tarl nodded silently at the gesture, turned and trotted back among the burning trees. Presumably to where the leader was. The teal imperial watched until the painted centaur was out of sight before launching himself into the air with the aid of the thermals created by the heat. What had he gotten himself into? Did it really matter that they might attack if he didn't find someone to help? Probably not. Similar thoughts rolled around as he flew back towards the Lightning Farm, where the lab he reported to was located. Yet... No he really should find help for the centaur. They'd lost their home to dragons like him and he was determined to show them that not all dragons were bad because of that single action. At least he assumed it was dragons that did it given what Tarl had said. Whatever, he'll just say his idiot brothers did it cos they were idiots.



---
About dang time I got something up.
As an aside I opted not to rewrite the previous chapters although I'm not happy with how they came out. Bare in mind though that there may be some differences between them and future chapters.

And Tarn, thank you for your suggestion but I don't think that'd be allowed. A shame as it's a nice idea. I'm not against making references to or having cameos of other Petopians' dragons though!

[Varethyn]

Day 32


I miss home. I want to go home. Yue wants to stay here. I want to stay with Yue. What do I do? Aw Iele looks happy. I'm happy she's happy. My Charge. I should go home. I miss my family. Yue doesn't want to leave. I want to stay with Yue. What do I do? Yue is better now. She's pretty. I want her to come with me. Why won't she come with me?

Kelpie lay sprawled out on the ground, gazing at nothing in particular. Iele was close by, honing her hunting skills on a lemming that chose the wrong time to poke its nose out of its hole. It had attempted to flee by ducking back inside only to tempt the little grey-brown mirror further. Now she was waiting for it, head down, tail in the air. Poised. Ready to pounce. A nose sniffed the air. A paw came down. It was gone before they connected. The cycle continued. Yue was a little further away, slumped lazily over a rock as she basked in the sunlight. It was still early morning as the sun hadn't risen far yet, making it the ideal time to relax without fear of burning and the fact that it was late in the year now meant longer nights which, in turn, meant longer periods of comfortable travel.

A good further week had passed since Yue had healed and was strong enough to move around without aid. Two weeks since Iele had hatched. During the time spent at the farm Apotequil had, begrudgingly, allowed Kelpie and Iele to stay in his lab on the condition that Kelpie didn't loaf about taking up so much space all the time. The demands had a hard time penetrating the waterborn's thick skull until Yue got angry at her, so she reluctantly left to help out with whatever needed helping. At least the simple things that made sense to her. This left Iele with Yue. For the most part the plagueborn ignored the hatchling, not wanting anything to do with it. The stupid egg almost got her killed. That thing was trouble. So Iele had entertained herself by tormenting the big blue coatl, clamping onto his tail whenever it came into reach - the feathers tickled - and he made the funniest noises when she did it. Various objects in the room went missing too. Pens, paper, tubes, broken machine parts, energy drinks, fish... What was edible was eaten and everything else got buried outside. It reminded Yue of an untrained dog, the thought somehow making her smile a little.

Conversely to her hunting skills her speech hadn't shown much promise. A few words slipped out here and there. Nonsense, half-garbled and broken. She preferred to squeak and growl. No one told her that speaking was good or encouraged it. Apotequil kept to himself, muttering largely under his breath so the furless dragon couldn't make out the words. Yue never spoke to her at all, always seeming to go quiet whenever she got close even when Kelpie was around. Kelpie was the only one she spoke to unless Zelda stopped by to check on her. It was good to finally escape at the first go-ahead.

This time though they'd been sensible - before leaving the lightning farm and at the behest of Apotequil's mate Amadia, who the male coatl had made no move to acknowledge since she'd arrived, gathered some supplies to take with them on their journey. Food, clean water, a sheet of fabric in case Yue's wounds reopened, a special lotion that was said to protect against the sun's rays and prevent burning, and a few other pieces that may or may not come in useful at some point. It had all been crammed into the yellowed satchel that Yue had carried her pearl in while she was still healing, now the pearlcatcher was happy and healthy enough to grip it in her paws again. A feeling she hadn't thought she'd miss so much. The pearl was slightly bigger now too, a fresh sheen glistening in the light.

For the past couple of days they'd travelled, headed north. Not for any reason beyond a direction. Even Yue didn't know quite what she wanted to do beyond live, guiding the trio from shadow to shadow whenever possible and hiding from the worst of the heat by slipping into overhangs, small depressions at the bases of cliffs or huddling behind giant rocks or by digging. Not so much the latter as it was hot and hard work, though between the three of them the load was more tolerable. Iele, being young and adaptable, was learning fast how to live in the wastes of the lightning realm, understanding when shelter was needed, moving slowly to avoid generating too much body heat (a massive feat considering her seemingly boundless energy), recognising which rodent holes were inhabited and knowing how long to dig after them without risking overheating. In fact of the three of them the young mirror may well be the most suited to the wasteland. This was good. As long as they worked hard and together they'd survive here for a long time.

Longer if Kelpie stopped blanking out like she had been ever since they left.

"Kelp?" Yue called over to the lounging guardian. No response. "Kelpie I know you're awake. Your eyes are open." Still no response. Yue sighed, slipping off of her rock and prodded the larger dragon in the side of the head. Kelpie grunted but otherwise didn't budge. "Okay really Kelpie you've been doing this since we left the plant. What's wrong?" The first time this happened the single-horned dragon had panicked, thinking the bigger dragon had taken ill or something had happened to Iele. Except nothing was wrong. At all. With anyone. Kelpie simply zoned out despondently for ages at a time. Progress was made painfully slow because of her and she refused to explain why she did it. Kelpie remained silent, staring at nothing. An aggravated Yue turned away and ground her already flat teeth. That was it. The last straw. Kelpie had wanted to be friends and had almost proven herself to be worth considering her a friend until now. Without a word the pearlcatcher began her three-legged lope to the north without the big green guardian.

Iele had given up waiting for the lemming to come out of its hole and started digging at the entrance. Aunt Yuu started to move away alone cause the the mirror to stop, give the hole a snort, then scrabbled against the hardened ground as she launched into a sprint to catch up. Only to dig her claws in and turn back. Why wasn't mother coming with them? She frowned, looking between the departing grey dragon and the big green mound that she considered her mother. Who did she go with? Neither had said anything. She squeaked in an attempt to ask what to do, still not yet grasping the concept of words. When no instruction came the tiny mirror planted her backside on the ground, head tilted as Yuu kept going and mum kept laying. Then she got bored and climbed up on mum, biting at the frills, the wings, the tail in an effort to make her move. It usually worked.

A pair of shadows flitted over them, doubling back on themselves and each other periodically. Kelpie's eyes drifted to the sky as a pair of skydancers lived up to their callings, spiralling and pirouetting and diving and gliding with so much grace. They didn't even do it on purpose, it was how they were. Iele stop chewing my horn. Did she actually say it? She thought she said it. Guess not. The skydancers dipped close to the cliff they'd been sheltering under that night, inspecting the various cracks and holes in its face before moving on, twisting and soaring. Kelpie missed flying. What were they doing? No really Iele that's annoying me now. Still no sound. She was sure she was talking though. Oh well. Ah they were looking for somewhere to stay too? There were two of them, one with yellowish wings the other pink and both were white. So pretty, their thin wings looked almost like butterfly wings. That was silly, butterflies are insects. Dragons aren't insects. Looking for a new home maybe? ...home.

"I want to go home."

Yue paused to flick a long ear back to catch the hushed words, barely audible both because it was quiet and a fair distance separated them now. Twisting her long, patterned neck the pearlcatcher regarded the guardian with puzzlement. ""Home"?" She echoed, wondering if what she'd heard was correct. Kelpie still didn't move. Were her eyes shinier than usual? ...oh. "Why didn't you say so to begin with?"

Kelpie rolled back onto her feet, remaining seated on the hard, cracked earth. "You mean we can go there?" she chirped hopefully, looking up at her friend with big, deep blue eyes.

A small sigh, then a nod of confirmation. "I was starting to get used to life in the desert." the pearlcatcher mused idly, more to herself than Kelpie. "I think exploring somewhere a bit more hospitable might not be a bad idea is all. Come on, grab the hatchling and let's go."

The guardian unfurled her legs and leapt forward with glee. Which faded promptly. "Her name is Iele." she corrected, miffed that her companion refused to see her Charge as her adopted daughter.

"That thing's egg almost got me killed. Or did you forget that?" Yue rounded on the bigger waterborn, placing a paw on her still-bound chest for emphasis. Granted that was only there to stop the last fragments of crystal from catching on anything but it still landed the point.

Kelpie's frills sagged. "It wasn't her fault..." she retorted defensively but not harshly. It was partly true after all.

Planting her foot back on the ground Yue sniffed at the remark, not saying anything more about it. No point. "Let's go." She repeated, turning to resume their northward march."

"We go? We go?" piped a tiny voice, the slate-coloured owner weaving in and out of the guardian's legs. Not the first time she'd spoken but possibly the first time it was anything coherent. Even it was a broken imitation of what her mother had said when it was time to leave the really loud place. Kelpie gazed down adoringly at the little one, previous hurt washed away by pride at the mirror's progress. Then both of them fell into step behind Yue to continue their journey.

They hadn't gotten far - truthfully they could have gotten further by this point but Iele would not leave that salamander alone and since Kelpie encouraged the little mirror to hunt it Yue had to finally kill it with a blast of air so they could move on - when a large shape, long and thin, flew overhead. The cherub-patterned pearlcatcher glanced up to see what it was, arching a brow to see a young imperial crossing the skies from the direction they were headed. Not too much of a surprise, simply unexpected. Redirecting her attention to the road ahead Yue was made to pause as the same shape came back over. Craning her neck she watched as the antlered dragon coiled around on itself and descended towards them. Great, now what had they done? It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume Iele, here she looked back at the mirror in question who was still busy playing with that damn lizard, had broken a wire or something when they weren't watching. The laughter shared by the small, lightningborn and her guardian died down, coming to a halt as the green-winged blue imperial came in to land.

"Hey! Are you guys headed to the Sunbeam Ruins by any chance?" he asked cheerily as he alighted in front of them with something of a flourish. The trio of girls stared at him.

"Uhh not particularly?" Yue responded slowly, unsure of what to make of the dragon before them. Not just because of his question; he appeared to have been suffering the same effect herself and Flora had - crystallized. And yet he was able to move and fly freely. She narrowed her eyes in a manner of both suspicion and mild jealousy.

"It's just that," the lanky imperial resumed with an odd edge to his words - was he hiding something? "you were headed north and there's kind of a forest that was set on fire that way and I kinda maybe promised that I'd help them out but I forgot all my water pals had left a few days ago and hey you're a water dragon aren't you?" he babbled until spotting that Kelpie's eyes were the deep-blue that signified the more aquatic flight. "Would you mind sorta maybe helping me out with this?" he shot her a hopeful sharp-toothed grin.

Yue and Kelpie remained wordless, the former staring in slack-jawed disbelief as the latter slowly attempted to process what had been said. A lazy gust of wind looped past, taking with it a small amount of loose sand and dust kicked up by Iele as she padded towards the bigger dragon. He was shiny like aunt Yuu's wings were but Yuu couldn't move her wings too well. She also hated Iele getting close to her so Iele never figured out why they were so shiny. They kind of looked like the shiny stones the big blue feathery dragon had in his den. Were they covered in stones? Or or or! Were they actually stone? She had to test this, slinking forwards on her belly with the intent to bite.

It was the imperial who broke the silence. "Okay seriously I reeeeeaaally really need you to help me." he pleaded, shifting his weight from paw to paw anxiously. To Iele's annoyance this took her target out of reach each time she attempted to clamp down, in the end giving up with a grumble and plonking herself down next to her mother to resume her game with the lizard. "I did promise to help but I can't on my own but I also really need to get back to the research lab so I can hand over my report. Not got much time here."

"I don't get why we should help you." the grey pearlcatcher countered. "I mean you're the idiot here who got himself into-"

"I think we should help!" Kelpie blurted, bounding forwards a little. "Don't you think it'd be nice to help someone Yue?"

Yue raised a claw to interject, ultimately biting back the words about to spill out. It would be good to get the centaur on side, particularly seeing they needed to go that way to get to the Sea of a Thousand Currents. Yet... "How do you plan to do that?"

That shut her up. The guardian deflated, no real answer coming to mind. "I thought maybe you'd know." she admitted lamely.

"We'll figure it out when we get there." the male cut in, unfurling his wings with the intent to fly back. "Come on! Let's go!" When neither stretched out their own wings and instead began to walk again he scowled. "Not like that!" he cried, waving his long wings to demonstrate. "Fly! It'll be so much faster."

Yue and Kelpie exchanged glances. Sorry to burst your impatient bubble," the plagueborn replied tiredly, "but my wings are sort of crystallised and my friend," the word was ground out, not the one she would normally have used but calling her anything else might have been found questionable, "busted one of hers. Also we have a two-week-old hatchling who doesn't know how to fly. Walking it is." As if on cue Kelpie extended her damaged wing to reveal the mechanism attached to it and Iele scampered out from under her mother to stare up at the long, blue-green dragon with big, light-blue eyes.

The teal imperial gawked at them as if such a thing had never occurred before. Of all the dragons he had to meet he had to find probably the only three in the Shifting Expanse who couldn't fly. At least those who weren't snappers, no offence to those guys. "You... can't fly." he echoed. "You can't... that's... ugh!" he turned and paced back and forth a few times as if the motion would fix everything. When it didn't he turned back to the females. "Okay fine, we'll run instead. Now let's move!" With that he began running rather ungainly compared to the grace of his flight but still pretty impressive speed-wise before any objections could be made. Yue and Kelpie looked at each other again, shrugged and followed.

"That's... a lot of fire." Yue commented dryly as the scorched forest came into view, the blaze still burning strong further back. She shot Raijin a piercing glare. "Now what?"

The imperial withered with a nervous grin. "I, ah, kinda hoped we'd have thought of something by now." He cleared his throat as he tried to regain some composure. "I figured Kelpie would be able to use some water magic or something to help put it out."

"Don't give her ideas..." the pearlcatcher muttered to the lone male. Too late, Kelpie perked up at hearing her name.

"I can help! I know some magic!" she beamed triumphantly. "Mum and dad taught me before I left home."

"Perfect!" Raijin declared, motioning them to move in. "Then all you need to do is use that magic on the fire and we'll be done in no time."

The jade-scaled guardian bounced on the tips of her paws a moment then skipped happily after their new friend. Use your magic on the fire. Easy. Oh, wait. "Uhhh oops." she said, stopping suddenly.

Raijin looked over his shoulder at her. "What is it?"

He was met with a sheepish grin, the deep-blue eyes averted. "I need to be near water for it to work."

Scale met scale as the lightningborn brought a paw to his long face. "There's always gotta be something with you guys. First you can't fly, now you need water. What next? Need glitter to sleep?" A bit weird of a remark perhaps, though given the other limits it could well have made sense.

"No, glitter makes me sneeze." Yue clarified. "And sneezing keeps me awake. Come on you've got to admit that it makes perfect sense to be near water to use water magic."

"But lightning-born dragons can make electricity!" the imperial argued, a lance of electricity running up his antlers and fluffing his mane with static to prove the point. "And I heard that a plague-born's breath kills anything it comes in contact with." Note to self, don't let her breathe on me.

"I guess it depends who's using it." the pearlcatcher replied with an odd sweetness to her tone. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned the plague breath thing.

Defeated the teal imperial motioned for them to follow. "Fine fine, there's a river on the other side of the forest. You can use that."

"What's your name?"

He whirled around, surprised by the question. Had he not told them? No, there hadn't been any reason to. He'd expected this to be quick: find a water dragon, have them put out the fire, everyone was happy and went their separate ways, the end. It was taking longer than he'd initially hoped though and it would be rude not to answer. "Raijin." He replied, a hint of pride in the word.

"Raijin, nice! I'm Kelpie." the guardian responded. "And this is Iele. She's my Charge. Say "hi" Iele." She reached down to nudge the mirror with her snout.

"Ai!" Iele squeaked with a toothy grin, dropping the salamander on the ground then reaching to pick it up again. "Ai!" she repeated, muffled by the reptile.

"Cute." Raijin commented with a smile. "And you...?" he said to Yue.

"Yue."

The imperial blinked. "I already said my name is-"

"My name is Yue!" the pearlcatcher almost shouted. That joke was old the first time she understood that it was a joke back at the Scarred Wasteland. "Y-U-E. Yue."

"Jeez fine." Raijin replied with mock-annoyance. He thought it was a good joke personally.

"And what's with the way you said it anyhow?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's so special about your name to make you sound so proud about it?"

"Well..." Raijin drawled, purposefully drawing out the word much to the real annoyance of the pearlcatcher. ""Raijin" is the name whatever creatures came before dragon and beastclan called Stormcatcher. Something about God of Lightning anyway. That can only mean Bossman. Therefore I'm named after Bossman in the language of that ancient creature. Pretty neat right?"

"...Just show us where the river is." Came the unimpressed reply.

It was a surprise to Yue to see her larger companion actually proving to be useful apart from keeping the slate monster away from her. Her red eyes widened in awe as Kelpie managed to draw the water out of the river, forming it into a wavering orb and then tossing it at a fire-smothered tree. The result of the opposing elements was an explosion of steam and a load hissing sound, followed by a light cracking all accompanied by the dripping of liquid. When the off-white cloud dispersed it revealed the blackened husk of the tree, cracks in the bark belaying the orange heat still trapped inside. Steam continued to rise as water dribbled out of the ragged holes, running over the hot wooden skin. Iele squeaked with fright, ducking behind her adoptive mother's thick green legs from where she peered out cautiously.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Raijin whooped jubilantly. Then he pointed towards another tree. "Let's do that again. Keep it up!"

Spurred on by her accomplishment Kelpie guided more water into the air, forming a much bigger ball this time. Iele liked that part, jumping out of hiding to revel in the droplets falling from the ball, letting them fall on her like rain and catching some in her mouth until it was tossed into the fire. The same effect from before only amplified followed, a gout of steam rose thickly into the skies amidst the black smoke, hissing and popping. Something cracked loudly, a branch falling perhaps. That's when Yue's ears shot up, eyes widening again not in awe but realisation of what was happening. This couldn't continue. Not only was it slow, it was damaging what was left of the forest under the force of the water being thrown at it. She turned to speak only to be drowned out by Raijin's encouragement and cheers.

"Awesome! Keep going! More!"

Yue tried again. Too late. As the words to stop left her muzzle the guardian somehow managed to redirect what seemed like half the river's flow into the forest. A giant wave arced over the four dragons, splashing down hard onto the trees. It rushed in amongst the foliage, uprooting what few plants had managed to survive or even thrive in the fire's wake. Weaker trees toppled, breaking from the impact or each other's weight as they fell upon themselves. Even the imperial had ceased in his exuberance at the sight as Kelpie continued to drown the landscape.

"Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no." He panicked, hopping from side to side as the same realisation struck him. If that wave continued, what was left of the centaur's camp would be flooded, washed away. And then he'd be in trouble. A shock of red made him snap his attention to the glowering pearlcatcher. No words were spoken, he simply leapt into the air where he flew in the direction he'd seen the spearman earlier. Yue in the meantime tackled Kelpie in attempt to make her stop her magic, explaining to her what would happen if she kept it up the way she was. The magic stopped and the water receded, drenching the trio as it passed over and returning to its rightful course.

"Idiot, idiot, IDIOT." Yue screeched from her perch on Kelpie's side, having managed to topple to startled guardian. "What were you thinking?!"

"I was... helping..." Kelpie murmured meekly, not quite grasping what had gone wrong. The plague pearlcatcher simply made a disgusted sound, hopped down and slumped in the sodden grass, tail flicking irritably. She was helping, yet she'd done something wrong again. Kelpie lay in the puddle that was forming around her, resting her head on the ground as she thought hard. It didn't make sense. Tears threatened to leave her eyes. Iele was playing in the puddles, having fun. That made her feel better.

It was a fair while before Raijin returned, on foot this time and trailed by a brown-and-white centaur male carrying a spear made of copper. The horse-man's expression was unreadable, Rai's that of a child waiting to be scolded for being naughty. Yue rose to her feet, shaking moisture out of her furry mane and tail as she trotted over to join them. Kelpie remained motionless in her puddle, Iele having a whale of a time clambering on top of the guardian and slipping back down again. The repeated actions made the waterborn's scaly skin slick, perfect for sliding on. Neither looked at the approaching pair.

"These are the ones?" Tarl asked, voice as devoid of emotion as his painted face was. Raijin nodded weakly as the centaur gestured at the girls, then hung his head shamefully. The spearman nodded in response, the wet earth squelching under his hooves as he closed the gap between himself and the other dragons. He gave Yue a pointed look when she fell into step beside him, noting that she was trying her best to remain emotionally neutral. It wasn't working well, he could see the anger in her narrow red eyes. Kelpie did not stir when he approached her. Iele, distracted by the appearance of the strange creature, fell at an odd angle, landed noisily in the water and scurried under a big, red wing where she cowered in fright. This made the guardian tilt her head to regard the centaur. A trickle of liquid escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek where it joined the lines of water splashed over her face.

"I'm sorry." was all she whispered before rolling her head back onto the ground, watching the wisps of steam and smoke dancing in the air above them. Significantly less smoke this time, she noticed.

Silence filled the damp air for a time, no one sure of what to say. Yue twitched her whiskers, gazing off to watch the now-calm river as it flowed by. Raijin loitered at a distance, flicking his deer-like ears and generally not wanting to be there. Kelpie stayed laying on her side with Iele huddled under a wing, watching warily.

"My home is destroyed." Tarl finally spoke, soft but firm. Yue's eyes narrowed further. Raijin flinched. "First by fire caused by one of your kind. By dragons. Then again by water, brought upon us by you." Kelpie sniffed audibly, her large body trembling.

"I-it was my fault!" the imperial blurted, cantering over to join the group. "I told her to do it. I thought it would help with the fire. I didn't mean to... to wash everything away." He drooped, feeling a complete tool.

Tarl regarded the crystal-like blue dragon stonily. Then continued, "The blaze destroyed much of the forest. The flood prevented the rest from dying." All eyes went to him at that. His closed and he lowered his head. "Our camp is in ruins, this land unfit for a new one. However the water will soon drain and life will once again flourish. It will take much time but the wintermane will have a place here again the meantime, he cracked a wry grin, "it will make for good farmland."

A dumbfounded Yue blinked a few times before speaking. "You mean... you're happy about this?"

"Not happy exactly. We still have nowhere to live until the forest dries out. However the ash formed from the fire now soaked into the ground will make the earth more fertile, rich in nutrients good for growing crops and plants for animals to feed on. Many trees survived the blaze and the forest will soon regrow. It will take time but it'll be better when that time comes." The centaur extended a hand towards Yue, who stared at it a moment before taking it her paw and shaking. A gesture she wasn't accustomed to. Tarl turned and did the same for a relieved Raijin, waved farewell to the group and trotted back into the scorched forest.

"...So I did good?" Kelpie asked, fixing Yue with a hopeful look.

"You did something." replied the bewildered pearlcatcher as she watched the centaur leave. "I'm not sure what exactly, but you did it. Oh and do us all a favour and don't use your water magic for a while, hm?"

A few moments later, after refilling on water at the river, the group were found following the bank eastward. It would've been a simple matter to swim across the water, however yue didn't trust the weight of her wings and outright refused to be carried by Kelpie or Raijin. So the next best option was to find somewhere to cross. None of them had said much since the incident, still lost for words at the event. Yue still wanted to question the imperial for his condition yet it didn't feel like the right time. Another question took its place.

"Didn't you say you had a report to hand in?"

Raijin baulked as if not expecting the question. "Did I say that?" He smiled at her. And it quickly faded under her scrutiny despite being half his size. "Ugh okay fine I did. I don't really need to go hand it over though, it wouldn't make a difference."

"Why not? After our time spent at the lightning farm I assumed all lightningborn to be diligent on their work."

"We are. For the most part. Or rather everyone is to the point where several dragons have the same job. I'm the fastest of those who do my route but it doesn't matter if I'm the one who hands in or not. Probably for the best. I'm usually going too fast to catch everything anyway, heh." A total lie of course. Not that there were many doing the same job, that was true. All data was good data when it came from multiple sources. It'd hurt a little not to have his report. A little. At least he hoped so and that no one would come after him to have him exalted.

Yue rolled her eyes at that. It didn't sound out of the ordinary however given how busy lightning dragons tended to be. That said. "So why are you still here?"

"You got me. Actually I don't know. Guess I wanted to see something that isn't sand, cactus, rock or machinery."

"Have you never been outside the Expanse?"

"A couple times maybe. Not long enough to really experience it. And that's what I want, an experience. Like Kelp over there flooding the forest. That was cool."

Just then, as if summoned by the very word, hoof-beats approached rapidly from behind causing the pair to turn around to investigate. Tarl cantered up, slowing to trot then to walk until he was level with them, breathing hard. "I'm glad I found you, dragons." Yue and Rai exchanged glances. "Do not fear, it is not to chastise you further about the forest. Here antlered one." He withdrew an object from a pouch at his flank, something none of them had noticed previously. Maybe he hadn't even had it? "This was left behind shortly before the fire broke out. I have reason to believe it belongs to the one who started it." Raijin reached out tentatively to take the object, round and metallic. Glove-like. Lightning-made? Maybe, though it didn't fit any breed of dragon he knew. Traces of arcane energy could be felt. Perhaps a child of the Arcanist.

"Thank you." Raijin spoke, then tilted his head. "Why give it to us though?"

A hint of amusement danced in Tarl's eyes. "I recall you mentioning that you wanted to find the cause of the fire yourself. This may help you with that."

"Oh right. I did." It had been meant as a means to throw the angry equine off when they first met. Now he apparently was being sent on a quest. "What of my- What of the other imperials that were terrorising you?"

"Gone." the spearman concluded. "They got bored of their game and flew away before your allies caused the flood."

Damn, wish those morons had gotten caught in it. "That's good. If they have any brains they won't come back."

"We hope the same, Raijin of the dragons. I wish you well in your search. Fare thee well." And with that, he was gone save for a rhythmic beating of hooves fading into the distance.

Raijin watched him go, then turned to Yue and over at the oblivious Kelpie currently leaving them behind, then back to Yue. "So... you kinda maybe wanna help me with this?"

Yue covered her eyes with a paw.

---
I may(be kinda sorta) have made up the part about the forest being more fertile with the ash and water thing. I did hear that somewhere in the world lands were rich and fertile after being showered with soot from a volcano so I tied it in a little. Likely incorrect but who cares this is Sornieth not Earth.

[Varethyn]

Day 33


Day 34


Day 35


I got a tails on the battle stone so no death streak this time around. In total I think I did around 60-odd battles, more than the designated amount, as I started with Yue, Kelpie and Iele then switched Iele out for Raijin once she'd levelled up. All three were close to levelling up again at the limit so I kept going. Yue and Kelpie are now level 12, Iele 10 and Raijin 7. They may gain a little extra experience here and there as I attempt to farm a few chests on that account as well *cough* <_< I have 21 there already what.

[Ana]

I absolutly adore your story!!! Its amazing and fun and exiting. ♥♥

[Falcon]

Excellent writing! Raijin absolutely kills me, I love his personality and his interactions with Yue are pure gold. The little cameo of sorts you included for Kagetsu and Sorcha made me smile, and I've been needing that today, thank you. Everyone has such diverse and unique personalities, and it leaves me wanting to know more about them.

...is it bad that I started shipping Raijin x Yue? *coughs and slinks off*