Day 127
Pink says I have to write anyway.
Chapter 31
“I suppose it's not entirely accurate to say that I am Shade.” Ayaz' voice spoke from somewhere within the swirling apparition that once was a jaguar-spotted Tundra. Long fur now fluctuated in long, smoky wisps, encasing him in a null fire, then began to coalesce back into itself to reveal the dragon once again, albeit in a darker shade.
Across the cave Ilmatar had backed up so far in shock that she now pressed heavily against the wall, chest heaving with each frightened breath, emerald eyes wide and staring, babbling incoherently as she struggled to find her tongue. The Coatl looked like she hoped the cave would simply swallow her and end this nightmare as she cowered further against the rock.
“You see,” the creature, for how could anyone call him (it?) a dragon after such a display, “there once was a time where I was a living, flesh-and-blood dragon like yourself. At least, part of one.” He stood, taking slow steps towards his guest, lines of darkness rising off his form like a mist.
At this movement Ilmatar let out a high-pitched squeak, darting away from the
thing to keep good distance between it and the Shade-covered fragment. Aside from the exit tunnel she had few options. “How?!” She blurted suddenly, lowering herself to the floor and pressing into a small dip in the stone wall. “How could you have been- How is that- How is any of this
real?!” The Shade was a dragon's tale. A fantasy. A scary story to trick hatchlings into behaving. It wasn't a real thing. It didn't exist. Shouldn't exist.
And yet, not only did it exist it lay dormant beneath the land she hoped to claim as her new clan grounds, smothering a fragment of the Wind slab of the World Pillar – the source of her and all Wind-born dragons' power – and had taken the form of another dragon. A mockery of dragonkind. And now it intended to
reason with her?
“You have every right to be afraid.” Ayaz intoned, all hints of his previously mischievous manner faded along with the known truth and Matar's trust for the world. “But you need not be. Not of me at least.” He took a few more steps towards the skulking Coatl, stopping at a respectful distance to sit once again. “You see, I once was a living dragon such like yourself. A Tundra, as you may guess by my appearance.” He held up a forearm, long strands of fur billowing without aid of the elements.
“Not like any Tundra I've met.” Ilmatar spat from her crevice as she fought the urge to bolt back up the passageway. “Tundras are supposed to be doofy with short-term memories. You... you're...
not.” It was hard to come up with anything intelligent when the world around you felt nothing more than a brightly painted canvas lifted to reveal a bleak, miserable existence.
The Shade is real and it's right here. The thought circled her mind like a ravenous vulture.
A sound resembling a chuckle but wasn't quite left the apparition. “Not now perhaps. But then it's hard to say if I was alive or merely part of another. Close your eyes and imagine for a moment-”
“I'm not closing my eyes now knowing what is standing right in front of me!”
“You have no reason to fear me.” Ayaz repeated, unflinching at her tone. “I, or rather the dragon I was once part of, was just as afraid when he found this place.” The shadow-veiled Tundra sank to the floor, making himself comfortable as he lay calmly on the ground. “My- our? I really don't know. There was a clan living here long before you and yours moved in. A large clan well known for the arts of all kinds. As your Guardian guide may well have spoken of.”
Lore. Raising her head ever so slightly Matar recalled the jade dragon who had flagged them down, who had joined the party long enough to find this place, who had left upon seeing the ruins and claiming to document the fall and founding of the new clan. Could she have... did she or any of her own clan know about this? They were Light after all. Confusion and fear wrapped tightly about the Coatl's mind, casting doubt on every dragon she'd met on her journey.
This isn't what I meant when I needed some excitement in my life.
“We were one who did not partake in the grand festivities.” Ayaz continued, still lounging comfortably. If he saw her minute change he ignored it. “We were shy. Capable, but didn't enjoy large crowds. Our days were spend wandering the outskirts of the grounds, sometimes travelling alone to different parts of the region. Our dream was to see the fullness of the world. To not feel bound to any one place. Of course, we felt obligated to return and help our clan. Because we were kind and enjoyed supporting others.
“But we were also curious.” He closed his eyes and turned away, as if a painful memory had been reawakened. “As we walked we saw another dragon enter a forbidden cave. No one knew why it was out of bounds, only that it was deemed unsafe. So when we saw them enter not once, not twice but multiple times over weeks, months, we decided we needed to know.”
“And you found this.” Guessing where the story was going Ilmatar began to fill in the blanks despite her anxieties. “Don't suppose your clan was happy with that.”
For a moment the Shadow dragon was silent, eyes still closed, head still turned away. Was he ashamed? He'd never shown shame for all the times he'd intruded upon her or the others. What could possibly have happened for him to act so differently?
Finally he spoke again, allowing his body to solidify into the rain cloud-coloured Tundra she'd known him as. “Our leader knew this was here.” He sounded bitter. “She and a select few members of the clan, including the one we'd seen enter the cave. The cave we followed.” Again an arm lifted as he opened his eyes once more to gesture at Matar. “I'm sure you figured that out.” She nodded slowly. “No one knows why but our leader and those who knew had been tasked with keeping this place safe and secret. To protect the land above from the Shade that you see now. By moving the fragment down here they'd hoped to confine the Shade and seal it away. But it found its way out.
“Even those Shadow dragons she'd enlisted could not control it. For it is not truly shade. That is simply a name we gave it. In truth it is nothingness. A hole in reality that absorbs even the most blinding of light..”
Tendons clicked and joints popped as Matar slowly pulled herself out of where she'd been crouching. While still very nervous and distrustful she'd managed to relax enough to realise just how uncomfortably painful her stance had been. Half expecting the thing sitting a short distance away to invite her over the Coatl stretched gingerly, not taking her sight off of him. “If that's true,” she began once alleviated of her discomfort, “then how is does keeping it in actual darkness help anything? If it's not real darkness itself, how does one long, dark tunnel stop it from getting far?”
Ayaz shook his head. “Honestly it doesn't help as much as I'd like it to. It seems to hide in the shadows the same as anything wishing not to be seen, splitting off to seek out new targets. But this is how the cage was designed and this is how I have maintained it.”
“And how did you come to look after it?”
For a flash the grin reappeared, then faded again as he snorted. “The dragon we'd seen coming down here was such of Shadow origin. One of the protectors. I forget what species they were, only that they were present when we... made a mistake.” Lavender eyes glinted as he fixed his gaze on the crimson Coatl again. When she did not make a guess he continued, “Remember how I told you not to touch the fragment, enticing as it may have been?”
“You touched it.” Matar answered bluntly.
The Tundra nodded. “We were enthralled by the fragment and its history. For whatever reason the Shade had been parted as I had for you so we did not think about it. By the time the protector noticed our paw was already upon the surface. They pulled us away but the Shade was interested. You saw how the shadow you cast and that of the pedestal were being pulled towards it?” Again Matar nodded, even slower this time, frowning at the implication.
“Even though our body had been pulled clear the Shade caught our shadow. Me. The Shadow dragon managed to fight the Shade back but I had been torn from my body. A strand of Shade had claimed me, trying to use me to get to them both. I fought back, a desire to return to my body but also to defend it. It is unknown how I came to be as I am now. We blame the Shadow magic involved. Neither I nor Thayvern, the Tundra I was once a part of, remember those moments, only that I had been given form and been bound to this chamber.”
Ilmatar recoiled as Ayaz gave her an expectant look, tail flicking, waiting her response to his story. How did someone reply to that? How could she even believe him after everything that had transpired over the last... however long it had been? The feathered dragon fumbled for something to say, only to stare, shaking her head in bewilderment. Nothing made sense any more, least of all what the Tundra had- Tundra's shadow had said. What was he? How do you describe a living shadow that is infected by a work of fiction and can assume the darkened form of who they once were?
As she began to force herself to speak Ayaz's head snapped upward, rising quickly to his feet as he appeared to study the ceiling. “No. Not again.” Was all that was said before the Tundra charged straight through a darkened wall, leaving Ilmatar alone with the writhing mass of Shade tendrils.
The short trek back to the main clangrounds was spent in silence. Anvindr, the very limp Vegin draped over one shoulder and down his back like some comically long red scarf, kept flicking his gaze around, twisting his neck this way and that in case the whatever-it-was that killed Venilia came back. It was times like this the Spiral was grateful for having such huge eyes when they were otherwise only good for attracting dust and tiny flies and all other irritants that seem to go right into the most sensitive part of the face despite the amount of space around them.
Nervously he would every so often switch his attention to the young Ridgeback; while Meifeng had grown considerably over the last few weeks she was still very much a hatchling. Vegin suddenly felt a lot heavier as Vin realised that he needed to protect her since Vunguza had remained at the pond to delegate with the maren.
“You are unnerved.” The dragons jumped at the suddenness of Nathrach's observation.
“Should we not be?” Vin countered, harsher than he'd meant to as he turned to face the serthis. What frustration the spindly dragon may have held for the serthis fell away at the puzzled look the snake wore.
Ociara bared a similar expression. “Much still to learn.” she explained brokenly, the draconic words yet unfamiliar to her. “Know not dragon for fear. See fear in dragon is wrong.” Clicking her tongue the harpy spoke to Nathrach in the beastclan language.
“Your kind isss known for terrorizing and killing.” The serthis translated once Ociara was finished. “To sssee dragonsss feeling terrorized themssselvesss isss not sssomething we would expect. It isss...” He paused for a moment, having some trouble finding the words himself. “Both pleasssing yet dissscomforting at the sssame time.”
“You like it when we get scared?” Meifeng piped up curiously, wincing slightly as her voice peaked squeakily. “Why?”
Vin waved his free arm between the pair as the serthis got ready to tell the young one about the animosity between dragon and beast. “Another time. L-let's just focus on getting back while we- while you can still see.”
Stupid. When you have a quirk you expect everyone around you to also have that quirk. No, they can't see in the dark like you can. Moron. The vicious thought that entered his mind caught the Spiral off-guard and he shook his head to rid himself of it.
It was such a small detail beneath a much larger problem. Yet this always happened. Any slip up he made, any mistake any
anything that was bad or ended up bad even if it wasn't by his own hand the memories would invade and remind him at every single convenience. Killing someone by accident? Understandable. That was the kind of thing you'd expect to haunt you. But Deities forbid you say a wrong word, or you put something somewhere it wasn't supposed to without knowing it didn't go there, or someone else broke something and suddenly you're the one breaking it or someone else upset another person and now you're having that conversation with someone you like and upsetting them
even though it never happened and then you're alone and no one likes you and-
Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP.
As Anvindr broke away from the mental assault he became aware that the others were looking at him. Had... did it show? Was it obvious that he was having another bout of “wandering thoughts”? Oh Gods what if they asked? How do you explain something like that? For once something everyone had and yet it hit him so hard and-
“Yes or no Vin?” Meifeng pouted as if she'd already asked once.
Oh. They'd asked him a question and he'd missed it.
Another mistake. He could easily ask her to repeat the question. But he really didn't want to risk explaining his issues. But they might not ask and just be annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention. But then they'd be annoyed. “Um... yes?”
Please don't have just signed up for something dumb. ...I signed up for something dumb, didn't I? The Spiral deflated in despair, almost dropping the still-unconscious Vegin in the process, as Meifeng cheered and began prancing and bouncing around. Turning to the familiars for guidance his spirits only flagged all the more at the amused way they looked at him.
“The ssspiny one asssked to ssstay with you tonight and learn alchemy together.” Nathrach elucidated with a wry smirk.
Oh bugger.
It was in that moment that Anvindr realised that the small group had made it back to the centre of the clan grounds already. Casting about he spotted the tree Noelani and her hatchlings were living under, making a sharp beeline towards it. No point hurting Mei by saying no now. Then again there was no way to tell when Ilmatar would be back and it would be unfair to let a hatchling, even one so large, to sleep on her own after seeing something like that.
“Who's there?” The Wildclaw's demanding voice shouted from her hollow. “If it's that stupid Tundra tell him he can-”
“It's us! It's just us!” Vin pleaded, poking into the burrow with his arm up. Instantly the pale dragon calmed, letting out a relieved sigh as she lay down to be used as a living climbing frame by the tiny Imperials again, though she lifted a brow at Vegin as Vin deposited the ruby Spiral on the ground.
“What happened out there?”
Well the thing is there was this confrontation when a group of beastclans came in but they meant well because they were seeking refuge but one got scared and threw acid at a female Imperial who was looking to join us with Vegin here but she didn't come with us when Mei told us about the eggs so we went to look for her but she was dead and now Matar is down in a cave with Ayaz and Vegin's gone catatonic and now we have beastclan familiars-
“There was a fight and Venilia got injured and now she's dead and Matar went off with the Tundra.”
That is not at all what I wanted to say.
There were three loud squeaks of complaint as the hatchlings were all but thrown from their mother's back, as she pushed herself up on her forearms, wings splayed and teeth bared. “A fight? Someone
died? Again?!” That's right. It had felt like they'd been living here for some time but in actuality it hadn't been that long since they lost Isaura to poison. Something they were still yet to figure out. What... what if whoever did that was involved again now?
“Um, you didn't know her?” Vin tried unhelpfully. When Noelani didn't back down he swallowed hard, backing up as he heard the approaching footfalls and slithering of the others.
Oh no...
“What happened out there?!” Lani demanded again, stalking towards the Spiral only to stop as she caught scent of Nathrach and Ociara. “You... you let
beasts in?!” With the snarl that left her Vin was afraid she was about to jump out and tear them apart.
They were seeking refuge because they were outcast from their clans and the serthis is the one I spoke with at the river before they're good I promise-
“Ilmatar let them in after the figh- it wasn't actually a fight but things went wrong and-” Before he could finish let alone chastise himself further the Wildclaw screamed, throwing herself from her den and expertly pinning Ociara beneath her talons, sickle claw pressed against the harpy's throat.
“
Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you and feed you to my children!”
Panicked Ociara began babbling in beasttongue, beckoning to Nathrach as the two of them tried, and failed, to remove the offending dragon. “We want to help you!” The serthis exclaimed, shooting Anvindr a sharp glare as the Spiral yanked at his horns inside the den. “We are outcassst. We ssseek ssshelter and believe we can be of asssissstance here. Your leader allowed it!”
It was at that moment that Whisper returned, slamming heavily onto the ground and storming over to his mate and her captive. Words were thrown from dragon and beast but whatever was said was lost to Vin's ears as he rammed his head into the solid root-bound side of the hollow.
Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! If only he could say things properly. If only he could speak the words on his mind and not blurt some half-arsed mockery of what he was thinking of.
“Vin? What's wrong with this one?”
Spinning around so fast that the world kept going for a few seconds the Spiral dizzily regarded the rather wobbly-looking Ridgeback that had sneaked in behind him. “Wha's wrong whi wha?”Aaaand there's the headache. Slapping his bony hands over his face and sucking in a few long breaths Vin took a moment to steady himself before inspecting what it was Meifeng was so interested in.
And immediately regretted the decision.
Hatchlings tended to be far more resilient than most would think. Fragile as they look if they fell they got back up again. Sure they complain about it. Loudly. But they got back up none the worse for wear. So when Lani had bolted upright and sent the little ones scattering neither of them had had second thoughts as to their health. Indeed the blue boy and purple girl had already set about tussling with each other.
Then there was the mottled boy.
“Mei, stay here.” Vin told the minty Ridgeback, giving her the 'stay here' gesture with his hands as he slid out of the hollow. Sheepishly he approached the ongoing argument between Noelani and the beasts as Whisper loomed over all of them. “Um... excuse me?” If sight had physical effects then Vin would have been thrust many miles under the ground as all four pairs of eyes turned to him, each one baring their own level of anger. Crumpling under their scrutinising gazes the Spiral forced himself to say, “L-L-Lani an-and W-Whis-per c-could you p-p-please come inside?”
The two larger dragons exchanged glances but the Wildclaw did not budge until the Imperial nudged her with his snout, humming gently to her, punctuating the sound with grunts. With a huff Noelani released Ociara, who scuttled away quickly to join Nathrach, and marched back into the den.
And gasped in horror.
“You! What are you doing in here?!”
Whisper was beside her like a cyan bolt at the cry, Anvindr wriggling between them to get a better view. Ayaz was there now. In the minute he'd slipped outside the Tundra had made his way inside. The Spiral turned to Meifeng, who was staring in amazement at the dark-furred dragon.
“Get away from Keano!” Whisper had to put a clawed hand around his smaller mate to prevent her from leaping at Ayaz, who was sat coiled around a very muted Imperial child. Vin's hands shot to his mouth as he watched the colour seem to fade from the tiny life, flicking between him and the Tundra wrapped around him. “
What have you done to my child?!
Where is Ilmatar? The two had gone off together hadn't they? Why was he here and she wasn't?
“I have done nothing.” Ayaz's voice was worryingly low compared to his usual creepy, bouncy demeanour. Though there was no lack of creepiness as he began to gently caress the one Noelani had named Keano. “I am so sorry little one.
“That's a laugh.” Lani snorted, pressing against her mate's grip. Even the two playing hatchlings had stopped their fun to watch now, as had Nathrach and Ociara managed to slip in beneath the larger dragons to see what was the matter. “Sorry for what? Sorry for sucking the life out of him?!” Her eyes glowed dangerously as her elemental magic became unfettered in her rage.
Ayaz shook his head sadly. “Was he this dull when he hatched? Did you not notice how he lacked the lustre the other two have?” Why was he speaking like that? Why did he suddenly care so much to put on such a serious tone?
A sorrowful whine filled the room and all looked to Whisper, who had turned his head away. “Per-per? What is it?” Lani asked with a softness unexpected from someone so upset. Another whine followed by short chuffs, then the Imperial bowed his neck to inspect the still child with his lone eye. “He... was like that?” A low rumble. “He... why didn't you say he looked ill? He looked fine playing with Pavan and Maili.” More chuffing intermixed with growls and squeaking. “E-even so that doesn't excuse
him from barging in and-”
“To explain further,” the Shadow Tundra interjected tersely, “your son had a weak heart. He was strong to begin with but something caused stress enough for it to give out.” Those weird eyes narrowed as he regarded Noelani. “You are quick to blame me and yet you didn't even care for him yourself.”
“
I cared for him with all my heart you wretch!” Doubling her efforts to break past Whisper's paw the Wildclaw struggled and snapped her teeth at Ayaz, flailing claws leaving streaks of pure Light magic in their wake.
Doing his best to avoid flying limbs Anvindr wound his way over to Meifeng, the Ridgeback being the only one present at the time of Keano's need. “Mei, did you see what happened? T-to the hatchling?”
Tilting her head to one side the spiny dragon took a moment to recall the last few minutes. Because that is all it had been – minutes. “Well after Lani got up those two,” she pointed at the now cowering and keening pair, frightened by their mother's display, “started making noise and I went to go play with them but they started playing together anyway. But that one,” she pointed at the muted hatchling between Ayaz's paws, “kept wriggling around on the floor. I thought he was playing too so I didn't do anything. I was gonna get them together and play with all of them but then that guy," she pointed at Ayaz, "suddenly ran in through the wall! You shoulda seen it, it was so cool!" Then as a disinterested afterthought she added, "Oh, then you guys came back in.”
“So right after we'd all left...” Vin trailed off as he returned his gaze to Keano, who was decidedly not wriggling around any more. That still didn't explain how Ayaz tied into all of this. The Spiral studied the Tundra intently as with each stroke over the still form more colour seemed to fade. Hadn't that been what he did with Venilia, too?
“There was more than I thought...”
“Wait, say again?” the charcoal Spiral asked, catching the other dark dragon muttering something.
Teeth bared in a disgraced grimace as Ayaz lifted his head to meet Anvindr's sight. “If you all plan to stay here then there is something you should be aware of. After the little one is... taken care of, I will fetch Ilmatar and share with you all the secret this place holds.”
“T-take... care of?” There must have been some magic in those three short words as Noelani's anger was all but replaced by fear and sorrow in a heartbeat. Lower lip quivering she asked, “Y-you don't m-mean he's...?” Ayaz nodded solemnly and the Wildclaw collapsed into Whisper's hand, wailing as he drew her close to his chest.
“I truly am sorry.”
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