Prologue
“I am on my way!” Echoing in and around the peaks and crests of the valley that lay between the Windswept Plateau and the Ashfall Wastes a gleeful female voice carried on the playful breezes that caressed the rocks, the plants, the water.
“I can go the distance!” A great, grey shape soared up and up, cresting one of the tallest spires.
“I don't care how far, somehow I'll be strong!” A Guardian, silver of scale blotched with darker markings like that of a jaguar, gracefully arced over the pinnacle and allowed herself to fall into the thermals billowing from below before snapping her pale yellow wings open to lift once more.
“I know every mile will be worth my while.” She twisted elegantly like a ballerina in mid-air, tucking her wings to her sides for greater height as she launched into the sky, spinning. At her apex, silhouetted by the afternoon sun, she threw all her limbs wide in triumph before dipping back into flight.
“I would go most anywhere to find where I belong!”
Camellia giggled joyfully as she finished her song, weaving her way down the pass towards the land of Fire. It was tough leaving her parents back at Prismatic Aria but, bolstered by their encouragement, the young Guardian soon found that the thrill of her Search overpowered her homesickness. She'd felt its pull grow stronger the further south she'd gone and with it so did her determination to reach it. Dead ahead now, a straight line between her and her Charge. So close! Deserving of a rest before finding out what it was Camellia fluttered above a flat rise, settling gently down and folding her wings.
With fern-coloured eyes she scanned the area she'd arrived in. Even long before finding this place the contrast between regions was striking. Grass became sparse, giving way to bare earth and rock and stone. Plants became smaller, lower to the ground, hiding in clumps here and there rather than carpeting the landscape. Here was a far cry from the lush life around the clan she'd been born and raised in with the desolate wastes coated in a fine layer of ash pulled in from the neighbouring flight's territory, sulphur burning her nostrils as she breathed, catching in her throat and making her cough and sneeze.
With any luck she wouldn't need to stay here long. It all depended on what her Charge was. Father had warned her that Guardians who set out on their Search rarely get to return home. Many would become hermits around locations, or specific inanimate objects that could not be moved.
Others began their own clans or joined others as another of their members, Acacia, had. Her Charge was the clan itself and everyone who joined. It had been difficult on her when Camellia announced her leaving, as that protection extended to the individuals making up the clan. Leaving for her Search meant tearing away a part of the other dragon.
The only other time Acacia had experienced it was with the death of Lia's sister, Amaryllis, after she was killed by a twisted dragon-like beast outside the clan boundary. Scales rattled as a shudder ran the length of her body at the memory, the way her sister had been found drained of colour and life, eyes sunken voids, black goop trickling from her mouth and wounds.
We could have been Searching together. Camellia was forced to blink rapidly as stinging tears welled up unbidden, taking several deep breaths. It had been over a month ago, yet the hurt was as fresh as if it had been that morning. Giving her head a hard shake and steeling herself the silver Guardian stood tall, facing the direction of the pull.
So I'll do it for her. This Charge will be for the both of us.
That's when the pull began to move, startling her. Up until now it had been completely stationary, making her think it was an object rather than a creature. A legendary weapon, she'd imagined. A rare, unique gem. Or... a common stone. It could have been anything, from ordinary to extraordinary. Now it was even more of anything. A living thing, possibly.
Or something was taking it away.
Snorting at the thought that her Charge was about to be stolen Lia unfurled her shell-coloured wings, crouched low then launched herself from the rise, kicking off of the edge to give her more momentum. Not when she was this close!
She twisted and turned, feeling more with her instincts than looking. What she did see, however, was a natural ramp leading down into a ravine from which the burbling of fast water arose. Two figures were upon it, making their way
up in fact. Two bipedal figures, too small to be Wildclaws like the clan-friend Verbena. Come to think of it, they didn't seem draconic at all. And too many tails. Frowning Lia tipped a wing descending in a lazy spiral.
As they got nearer it became clearer to make out details. The creatures looked like foxes, one golden-orange with a royal purple shawl about its shoulders and the other a silver-white not unlike herself and sporting a shawl of crimson red. And both were carrying a sack, pulled tightly shut so that their contents remained a mystery.
The Pull was coming from them. Which though? One of the fox-things? One of the sacks? Both creatures? Both sacks? The contents or the sacks themselves? All of the above? While the pair seemed better suited to run on four legs they made short work scaling the rest of the ramp on two as they hugged their cargo close to their furry chests. As they made it onto flat ground they stopped, placing the sacks on the hard ground and sitting as one would expect the animal they resembled to. That was her chance. With a few more beats of her large wings Camellia lowered herself to the ground, the creatures stiffening as they caught sight of her.
“Hi!” The Guardian greeted warmly, beaming with barely restrained excitement at finding her Charge. Was this how Father and Acacia had felt when they found theirs? “My name's Camellia! I'm looking for my Charge!” Glee overtook reason, the dragon spilling information to the strangers without stopping to consider if the were even friendly. “What are your names? And what are you? I've never seen anyone like you before, you look cool!” She was practically dancing with anticipation.
The two foxes stared at her, then at each other. Gold with surprise, silver blank. Hand-like paws gripped the burlap containers tightly as they were dragged close to their bodies, waves of tails wrapping around them. What creature had so many tails? How many did they even have? Lia's own lashed behind her as she counted. Five. Well, the silver one had five. That she could tell anyway; The pair were lacing them together in a weaved wall of fluff. A series of guttural sounds left them, barking and grunting to one another. Lia waited patiently.
After several minutes of yipping and growling, gekkering and snarling at one another the two creatures turned to face Camellia again. “Dearest dragon.” The silver one began, smoothing out her long fur. Lia noted that it was covered in ash. “You have actually arrived at the perfect moment! My mate and I,” they gestured at her golden counterpart, who was also dusting himself off, “had to flee our den around the back of the land of fire.
“You see- Well, there's no need to explain why we were living down there. Not now at least. What you do need to know is that it went deep into the earth.”
“But,” the golden-furred one took up the explanation, “one day geothermal activity began to rise. Lots and lots of fresh new magic began pouring from deep in the belly of the world, sending up magma and destroying our home. As it got hotter we simply started by moving upward where the air was, relatively, more comfortable. The longer it went on the hotter it got. The higher we were forced to live.”
“Until one day we discovered,” the silver fox took back over, “that our original den had been flooded. We had no chose but to leave.”
“Except,” chimed in the gold one, “there was a passage that had been blocked by rubble for the longest time. We had no need nor interest to clear it so when the rising lava did that for us, we were ever so surprised to see what lay inside!” For dramatic effect they stared expectantly up at the spotted dragon.
Prickling with anticipation Lia leaned down. “What was it? What did you find?”
“A vault!” Waving her arms the silver one took on a mysterious voice such as an adult telling a spooky story to a hatchling. “A vast, underground vault from ancient times! We believe it to have once belonged to a thought-to-be-extinct breed of dragon: Banescales.”
Clicking his tongue in dismissal at their companion's act the orange one stepped up, allowing his four tails to reveal the burlap sacks the pair had concealed. At his movement the silver one did the same with her five.
Seriously, Camellia thought,
who needs so many tails?
“There was only a limited time,” gold fox explained before the silver one could put on any more theatrics, “so we poked our heads in only briefly. The floor was already covered in lava and rising fast. All we could see at first were bones.”
“Dragon bones!” Silver fox waggled her fingers mysteriously, to which gold rolled his eyes.
“But!” Gold turned to pull over the sacks. Lia's heart skipped a beat as the sensation of the pull grew stronger. Whatever was in those bags was her Charge for sure! “We were able to rescue these.” Air caught in her throat as she tensed, waiting and watching as the drawstrings were loosened, the tops allowed to yawn open.
Inside each bag was a round, rust-red object lined with ridges and big enough to fill the sack entirely, leaving little space for them to be sealed as well as they had been. “Are those...” she gasped in awe, “eggs?”
“Banescale eggs.” Silver confirmed with a nod. “And they're alive. Magically enchanted against... cold, funnily enough.” She shot a questioning look at Gold.
“A story for another time.” Dismissed the other with a wave of a hand. “Right now we need your help, O dragon.”
Camellia bristled with pride. Help! She'd found her Charge and she'd get to help someone! Bouncing on her toes she blurted with little thought, “Yes of course! How can I help?” Her cheeks hurt from how large her grin was. Every moment in her adventure got better and better. A grand expedition to find the missing piece of her self. Exploring the world, even if it didn't get further than the edge of the Windswept Plateau. Finding two odd creatures carrying eggs from an ancient species. Eggs that would be her Charge!
“You seek your Charge, which could be any of myself, my sister and these eggs.” Gold continued, fanning his excessive amount of tails behind him. “We seek a new home and a safe place for these eggs to hatch. I think the actions required are obvious.” A hopeful light glinted in his eye.
Both foxes clamped their hands over their ears as the young dragon let out a high-pitched squeal of delight. “Even if my Charge is just those silly bags of course I'll help you!” She was so giddy at this proposition that she would have fallen off the ledge had she not staggered the opposite direction first. One would be forgiven for thinking she were drunk.
“We have a deal then?” Silver asked as she relaxed. Gold stuck a finger in an ear and wiggled it.
“Of course!” Lia paused as if a switch had been flicked. “Oh! You never told me your names! Or... what you even are. Do you mind? I don't mind if you'd rather not but, you know, if you're gonna join my clan and all...”
Another exasperated exchange of glances. “I am Sonata,” the gold one said with a polite bow, “and this is my mate, Nocturne. We are kitsune.”
Inspired by her victory in finding her Charge Camellia's flight home was significantly shorter than her winding journey that took her from place to place. And the fact they were going in a straight line, that helped. Still, powered by thrill and adrenaline it took mere days for her to carry the kitsune pair and the eggs back to Prismatic Aria and clan Rising Chorus. Uneventful it was, stopping only to rest and stock up on food and water, the mountain-encircled clan came into view.
Here the Guardian only flew them to a hill overlooking the naturally defended lair. Pausing momentarily to catch her breath Lia scanned the area warily before trotting cautiously towards the enchanted forest entryway.
“Forgive my ignorance,” Nocturne called from the dragon's back, “but why not fly in over the cliffs? It seems an easy enough task to me.”
A chill ran down Camellia's spine, paranoia causing her to whip her head around and slow her pace, listening intently. “There's a magic barrier,” the response was hushed, like she were afraid to attract unwanted attention, “so we have to go in through the forest.”
With equally puzzled expressions Sonata and Nocturne cast their gaze around at their grassy surroundings. The plains, however, appeared empty. “Why the caution?” Piped up Sonata, more curious than worried.
“There are...” Camellia swallowed, the memory of discovering Ryl's colourless body resurfacing. “There are... things... out there. Attracted to someone inside.” She felt the kitsune pair shifting between her wings. “The barrier was made by our mage, Ayaz, to keep them out until we can figure out a way to get rid of them for good.”
Had one paid close enough attention then they'd realise that the plains being devoid of any life was not a good sign. No deer. No rabbits or mice. Birds tended to arc away from the site as if a pillar blocked their way. Behind her Nocturne and Sonata began chattering in their fox-language again, tones becoming that bit more questioning.
“Don't worry,” Camellia reassured them, and herself as well, “once we're inside we'll be perfectly safe.” They just needed to get there. Lining herself up with the gap in the arched trees the silver-scaled Guardian took a breath, then charged, eyes squarely on that opening. Her feet thumped the ground as she ran. Streams of green and yellow and brown became muted with shade as she bolted through the clan's entrance.
Don't look until you've stopped. Don't look until you've stopped.
Then she stopped. Panting with the exertion Lia blew out a breath with relief, a pressure she wasn't aware of releasing as her passengers let go of her scales. Probably should have warned them. Regardless, they'd made it. And without a single growl or snapped twig! Proudly she tottered towards the risen plaza.
It had been several years since the clan had first been founded by leader Ilmatar. Even now it was a shadow of how it had been described to have been in its glory days, yet was a far cry from how it was described to have been found, too. Far too large for the amount of dragons who lived there to fully restore it they contented themselves simply with it being clean and with the most obnoxious damages repaired. Lupin, the clan druid, and his dryad friend, Willow, had done a fantastic job re-weaving the damaged branches that formed the hanging bridges between the giant trees.
“Camellia!” Called a flat, squeaky voice from one of said trees. A grey-and-blue shape flitted from a large ball of sap dangling from a sturdy branch to land on her nose, tiny arms wrapping around her snout in the best hug a Fae could give a Guardian. Giggling, Lia lifted and gently placed a claw over Allium's back. “You're back so soon.” Allium buzzed, twitching their fins in a series of motions. Happiness. Confusion. Relief. Worry.
“Yup!” The Guardian had to be careful how she threw her head in pride. “I found my Charge!
And got to come home with it, too!” She beamed widely, giggling.
“Oh you did, did you?” A gasp left her as a familiar purple shape lumbered into view, followed closely by a larger, white one. Both were covered in dirt, giving away the fact that they'd been digging again. Cleaning out more old dens for repurpose, probably. With a laugh Aster bumped his body against hers, nuzzling her face with his own as Allium scurried to relative safety between her horns. “I'm glad you got to come back. Now come on, show us!”
“Please!” Magnolia added, nudging her mate playfully though no less intrigued. “We were so worried about you.”
Puffing out with all the pride she felt Camellia pulled away slightly to bare her back to her parents. “Ta-dah! Meet my new friends! My Charges are in the bags.” She practically vibrated with the pent up energy her joy brought her.
“Greetings mighty dragons!” Sonata was first to speak up, fabric rustling as he no doubt bowed. “It is a great honour to be here.”
A slight tickle on her head made Lia wiggle, as Allium leaped from their perch to land down between Sonata and Nocturne. “It's nice to meet you!” They chirped pleasantly, holding out the smallest hand to them.
“It was good fortune for all of us when Camellia came by.” Nocturne explained with a hint of mischief as she bent to take the offered hand. “If you could, Camellia dear, we'd like to get down.”
“Right!” Kneeling down and extending a wing to make it easier for them the kitsune disembarked from her back, sliding down her side to reach the grass as the Fae glided down between Aster and Magnolia.
Once firmly on the ground and the dragon stood back up the fox-people bowed again together, then took up their sacks from their own backs to display to the spectators. “Our home was destroyed.” Sonata began.
“So we fled.” Nocturne continued, fiddling with the string on her bag. “And as we did found these!”
“Which your daughter has claimed as her Charge!” Finished Sonata, who had already undone his pack. The burlap surrounding the eggs fell, revealing the precious cargo in their full glory.
White hands flew up to Magnolia's mouth as she stifled a delighted gasp. “Eggs! Your Charge is abandoned eggs!”
Aster sighed humorously, followed by a chuckle. “You and eggs. I'm surprised you haven't dragged me back to our den since Cam an- Since Cam was old enough to leave on her Search.” Purple scales clattered at the jolt that stopped him from uttering the name of the lost child. All tension immediately melted away as Maggie playfully slapped him over the back with her tail.“Kitsune, eh?” The male Guardian continued, addressing the newcomers to change the subject. “Didn't realise there were any in these parts.”
Nocturne lifted a paw and parted her jaws to speak, only to be interrupted by a loud cracking sound. “Wait, really? Already?” She stepped back to marvel at the two ribbed eggs, now both quivering and wobbling in their nest of burlap.
“Dragon eggs have a knack of knowing when the time is right.” Her mate mused, also making room for the soon-to-arrive hatchlings. “Hope you're ready, Lia, cos you're about to be a mother!”
Words escaped the young Guardian as the world around her fell away. In this moment, this bewitching moment, it was only her and the wobbling eggs. Claws dug into the soft earth below her paws as she bit her tongue in attempt to stop herself from helping them free. Minutes passed that felt as long as hours. Scraping sounds emanated from within the thick, ruddy shells as the tiny lives fought to escape their prisons.
There! A crack formed in one. The other toppled, rolling slightly. An arm shot out to steady it, only for Lia to snatch it back again. Should she? Shouldn't she? Her paw hovered, ready to act if needed. The crack grew longer. A hole was punctured in the one that fell over, a foot adorned with wicked talons kicking and grasping at air.
The first one split neatly, small fragments falling as the two halves were pushed away from each other as a pointed snout nosed its way to freedom. The second all but exploded, sending pieces flying. A bit hit her. She barely noticed, nothing else mattering as two hatchlings the likes clan Rising Chorus had never seen lay mewling in their makeshift nest of sack and shell.
<Coming Soon!>
If a dragon faints in the Coliseum it is dead and must be exalted/adopted or else removed from the challenge.
- Rolled a 2. Humorously enough this is also the mob that KO'd Cardinal.
- Rolled a 2
- Rolled a 4 so little Shrike already has a familiar, yay!
< "No more food, eh? I can accommodate..."