The Tribes- a weredragon/animal RP (:

[flamedraco]

Darius was at a loss of words. Everything that Mitsuko had said reminded him of the brother he had, authoritative and selfless, he would fit perfectly in the Laeas tribe. “I really don't know about this...” He muttered before that the soil around him was slowly turning blood red. “Let's talk about the topic at another date, we got to get you to aid as soon as possible first.” Unfortunately for him, Damien wasn't that much of a strong dragon. Scouting around, he saw a brief outline of a few dragons in the distance.

 

“Hey you guys over there! We need help!” Darius shouted at the top of his lungs. His realization that Darren was still alive was all thanks to Mitsuko's help, there was no way he would let her die. The silhouettes turned towards him as he heaved a sigh of relief. Now, if they could be helpful enoug...

 

“Well, well.... What do we have here?” One of the dragon spoke arrogantly. “Mitsuko, not following Nightstreak again. Why am I not surprised?” As he spoke, the other three dragons sniggered, eventually bursting in laughter as the Laeas dragon approached Darius. “And who do we have here? Another of your loner friends?” The dragon asked, before circling around the both of them.

 

“Get the hell out of here if you're not helping, you useless Laeas mutt.” Darius hissed, attempting to contain the rage. The four dragons which arrived did not even attempt to assist at all, yet they were laughing at others' misfortune.

 

“So you're one of the Sares eh?” The dragon responded, his composure was ever so calm as he went closer towards Darius. “You know something? You're in our territory. Our territory means that we can attack you.” The dragon bragged. “And as you can see, this is a pretty... one-sided battle shall we say?”

 

Immediately, Darius blew a spray of mist right into the cocky dragon's face. The dragon screamed in pain. However, the next thing he felt was a huge impact at his chest by Darius' head. The force of the headbutt was so strong that it sent the dragon flying a few meters, landing headfirst on to the river. “Good riddance.” Darius growled as the other three dragons stood at their spots, shocked for a moment. They discussed tactics with one other before they charged towards Darius.

 

“Stop this now!” A voice boomed from a distance as the trio immideately stopped on their tracks. Darius noticed a coyote in the distance as it sprinted towards them, before shifting to his dragon form. “You three, get the hell out of here now.” Darren roared as the three quickly scurried their way out of the place. After ensuring that they were gone for good, Darren then went towards Mitsuko. “How many times do you have to get into trouble? Sheesh, what has Nightstreak been doing.” Darren commented, turning his head towards Darius. “And who's THIS guy?” He hissed.

 

Similar eyes... Darius could only stand there in trepidation as he remembered what Mitsuko said. Was that Darren? He was unsure whether to ask the question or not as he nudged Mitsuko, as though trying to ask her to talk for him.

[Mitsuko]

Mitsuko paused a moment to organize her thoughts before she spoke. "Nightstreak and I had another argument, so I went ahead to patrol. I was attacked by a loner and ended up almost falling into the river. He saved me, and was trying to find help when those jokers arrived." She used her tail to indicate the direction the three Laeas dragons ran off in.

 

Mitsuko felt a nudge from Darius. I'm getting there. Don't worry. thought Mitsuko. "Darren, this is Darius. I believe you two have met." Mitsuko sank to the ground, unable to keep standing any longer. Dizzy. Oh, that's bad. At least get something to stop the bleeding. she thought.

Edited July 31, 2011 by Mitsuko

[Ethril Dragon]

Sikara flew uneasily after Athena. She grew tired after the first few minutes. Most of her focus was on flying so she completely missed the vines. "I...I just miss my mommy." Sikara said softly and it was true,she missed her mother greatly. She'd spent most of the time with her mother, her mother teaching her how to read and write. Sikara wondered for a moment if she would ever stop missing her mother. Probably when she was older, but right now she felt like there was a big whole in her heart.

 

Sikara was just about to speak up when Athena said they were halfway there. "I'm sorry Athena," Sikara said softly, weariness clear in her voice. "My...my wings are starting to really hurt." Sikara was still getting used to the fact that she even had wings. Her tail was hanging limply in the air and Sikara was starting to fly a little erratically. Maybe she could fly for a few more minutes but that would be pushing it. She was sleep deprived and half starved already, and her first flight was draining her of the last of her strength.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Fascino continued to watch Whiro, his eyes relaxed and his wings tucked close to his body. He glanced at the heron and then back at Whiro. He normally avoided attacking birds, especially water birds. Since his own animal form was a water bird he felt a connection to others. He sent a small wave towards the bird, causing it to jump into the air and away from the stalking Whiro.

 

Once the bird was gone and the water was calm again Fascino relaxed. These moments were rare back at camp that he enjoyed them when he could. He glanced over at Whiro and the climbed out of the water. He walked over to her and then laid down a couple of feet away from her; a respectful distance for two unmated dragons. His hide dried quickly in the sunlight, but his red mane was slower to lose its moisture. "We can't meet so close to the Leaes camp again," Fascino informed his female companion. "It would be dangerous for you, and I would hate to see you hurt." Fascino looked at Whiro with his brilliantly blue eyes and let his pollen fill the air between and around them "we'll need a secluded place to meet." Fascino paused "that is, if you want to meet with me again." He let his words fade off and he looked away from Whiro, pretending to be afraid of her answer.

[Jingz]

"We can't meet so close to the Laeas camp again. It would be dangerous for you, and I would hate to see you hurt." Blushing slightly, Whiro nearly missed Fascino's sentence "We'll need a secluded place to meet. That is, if you want to meet again." Whiro wanted to burst out in reply, but she would try to play "hard to get". "Well, I suppose that we could meet sometime." Noddung her head, Whiro thought that Athena would be wondering where she went. "I'm sorry, but I must leave." Standing up, Whiro left Fascino.

After crossing the border line, Whiro rolled in some of the grass. Smelling herself, she only smelled Sares. Good. Now no-one will know of my meeting with Fascino. Returning to her post, she saw Athena in the distance with the hatchling following. With her stomach grumbling, Whiro decided to go to camp. Picking up a kill, Whiro slowly ate it. Wanting to meet the hatchling, she stayed at the camp.

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena watched Sikara during the flight, and she could soon tell that the hatchling was tired. Athena wasn't surprised when Sikara apologized and said that she was tired. "Oh, Sikara, what is there to apologize for, my little brave hatchling? It's perfectly fine to be tired, and we can work on endurance later. For now, it does not matter. My top priority is getting you to camp safely, then we can rest and eat." Athena positioned herself under the tired hatchling, who was starting to fly irregularly, her tail and head drooping, and every stroke of her wing looking harder than the previous. Athena slowed down to match Sikara's pace, rising up gently until she felt Sikara's warm, feather-light weight on her back. "Now Sikara, hold on," Athena commanded gently. "But don't worry, I won't let you fall."

 

Athena flew on toward the camp, slower as to not make Sikara fall. As she was used to traveling long distances, especially in patrols and such, her wings were not tired. Athena traveled on, dragon and hatchling.

[Ethril Dragon]

Even though Athena said there was no need to be sorry, Sikara still felt bad for not making it on her own. She didn't want to let Athena down, not after everything Athena had done for her. Sikara was so focused on staying in the air that she didn't notice Athena under her until she was laying on Athena's back. Her wings collapsed gratefully and she nearly fell asleep. Sikara couldn't remember ever being this tired before! Maybe a little nap wouldn't be so bad thing after they got to the camp. Usually Sikara didn't take naps, she was a big girl! But right now it was hard to even keep her eyes open.

 

Sikara held on as best she could, unconsciously keeping her wings folded tightly against her back. She was so sleepy that for awhile she completely forgot about being nervous about meeting new people and trying to fit in. Sikara didn't even know how much time passed, her focus exclusively on holding onto Athena. She didn't see the dome at first, but as they got closer she finally noticed it.

 

She also noticed several large dragons around. Her exhaustion was keeping her calm enough not to get scared. Sikara was trying desperately not to nod off.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Fascino watched silently as Whiro left. Once he was sure she was well away, he grinned. He had dedicated a great portion of his life to the understanding of women, and he knew she had been playing hard to get. Fascino could respect that, after all what she was doing was pretty much betraying her tribe. Fascino sighed and thought about exactly how he could use Whiro. First and foremost was to find out about his supposed new child. Then he'd slowly and carefully find out everything he could about Sares.

 

After an unknown amount of time, Fascino got up and stretched. He might as well do something productive before he went to go meet with the human woman. He shifted into his swan form and lifted into the air. He'd fly right down the border between the two tribes and take note on who is around on patrol. The last thing he needed was for a Sares moron to get in the way of his meeting with the human.

 

Seeing nothing really, he turned to head for his meeting spot when he spotted a few lower Laeas members hurrying away from something. Curious as to what was going on so close to the border, he flew over the spot. From his vantage in the sky he saw Mitsuko and Darren with an unknown dragon. 'Probably a Sares' he thought as he continued to circle. After a few minutes, he landed in the river a little bit away from the group and listened in. He'd step in if needed.

 

The more he floated there though, the more he caught wind of an...interesting scent. In his swan form it was harder for him to isolate and identify the scent, so he would have to transform into his dragon form soon.

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena finally saw the shadow of the great vine dome lurking in front of them, after a long while of flying. "Sikara, hold on, I'm going down," Athena warned the girl. She tilted down at a very light angle to make it easier for Sikara to hold on, and touched down. Athena knelt down onto the ground, to make it easier for Sikara to get off, then straightened up. "Follow me, Sikara, and we'll introduce you, then you can sleep," Athena said, noting how sleepy the new hatchling seemed. Of course. Athena strode into the camp, to the rock that she normally called meetings on. "All Sares weredragons gather to the middle for a tribe meeting!" Athena called, her voice ringing through the dome. The Maks and Sars, as well as the Rans started gathering, coming out of their dens sleepily, and the weredragons outside walked in as well.

 

"I gather you here today to welcome a new member of our tribe, Sikara. She was found on the border between our tribes, and if I hear that anything or anyone, and I mean anyone," Athena swiveled her head to glare at the carefree Maks and Sars, as well as the hatchlings, "has hurt her in a way, you'll have me to answer to." Athena continued, "She will be placed under me as my apprentice, and you will treat her with the respect that she deserves. Do you understand?" Athena looked down at them all from her position on the rock, Sikara next to her. Some dragons were craning their heads to see the newcomer, but Athena didn't hesitate to give them time. "Let's go, Sikara," Athena said softly. "My den is over there." Athena jumped off the little rock and walked gracefully over to the den, her tail swaying gently behind her. She grabbed a pile of moss along the way from an overhanging vine. "In you go, Sikara," She said, the moss muffling her voice. Athena entered and lay down the moss next to her patch of moss that she slept in. "It'll be comfortable here."

[Jingz]

Craning her head, Whiro caught a glimpse of the hatchling.She looks somewhat like Fascino. Snorting, she stood up. Walking to Athena's cave, she asked Athena if it was alright to meet the hatchling. Shaking herself of any debris, Whiro took in the hatchling's scent. Honey-like. Easy to remember.

[Ethril Dragon]

Sikara carefully and hesitantly slid off of Athena's back. Sikara realized how much bigger Athena was compared to her once more. Once on the ground Sikara woke up a little more and stayed as close to Athena as she could. There were a lot of dragons around and they were looking at her. It was to be expected of course, she was new. Sikara hurried to keep up with Athena. Of course she would have to walk faster, Athena had much longer legs than her.

 

Sikara felt a renewed sense of nerves as Athena called for the attention of the tribe. Sikara raped softly and hid slightly behind one of Athena's forelegs. She didn't like all of this attention and Sikara wasn't sure as to why it was necessary. After years of avoiding attention as much as possible, this kind of situation scared her. She just wanted to hide! Sikara was breathing quickly and she didn't notice how her breath had lowered in temperature for a moment.

 

And then the entire thing was over and Athena was guiding her away from the big rock and the crowd of were dragons. Sikara relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at Athena with awe and gratitude. Besides her mother, no one had ever protected her. Now that that immediate trial was over, Sikara felt her sleepiness wash over her again. She only half paid attention to where Athena was leading her. She was so tired that when Athena arranged the moss for her, Sikara willingly curled up on it. The moss was surprisingly soft. There was only one thing keeping her awake now. Whenever Sikara would go to sleep in the past, her mother would always curl up next to her. This would be the first time that Sikara would sleep without the comforting embrace of her mother.

Edited August 3, 2011 by Ethril Dragon

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena looked up as Whiro came over, asking to meet Sikara. "Later, Whiro. Sikara is very tired from what she had to endure in these past few hours. You will have time to meet her later, when she is awake and refreshed. I must tend to her now," Athena looked at Whiro carefully. "How was your hunting trip? You must not have gotten much, or our tribe devours quickly," Athena motioned to the empty patch of ground where the kill pile had once stood. "There should be a lot of prey," She cocked her head. "And where is the rest of your patrol, Whiro? I thought you went out with them?" Athena narrowed her eyes. "Do not tell me that you have come back by yourself," She growled sternly. "I'll send out more patrols."

 

Leaving Whiro behind, Athena trotted to the rock, where the weredragons were still milling around. She growled in annoyance. "Look at what our tribe has become! Nothing more than lazy, fat weredragons! If the Laeas were to attack us right now, they would overpower us in less than a few minutes! I expect better!" Athena snarled, her eyes flashing dangerously, surveying the dragons imperiously. "All the Maks, organize yourself into patrols and go hunt. I want the kill pile filled by midafternoon! Sars, what are you doing not patrolling? I wouldn't be surprised if the Laeas were trying to invade right now!" Athena swiveled her head to glare at the Ran. "And what were you doing, not organizing patrols? Normally, we would have the kill pile full by now, and the borders would be carefully monitored!" Athena's long, golden tail lashed, and her eyes narrowed with fury. "Do you all need me to care for you and organize your patrols? You are not hatchlings! Go. Now!" Athena ordered, her power radiating over them. The weredragons scattered, hastily forming groups and rushing out in threes and fours. Athena watched the last few leave, then turned back to her den with a sigh.

 

Athena walked slowly back to her den, deep in thought. Did they need that much to get them going? How, oh how, were they going to survive the attacks of the Laeas? They had all become soft and lazy. Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, Athena strode into her den, where Sikara was lying, still awake. It occured to Athena that Sikara had probably heard her snarling. "Oh young one, aren't you sleepy?" Athena curled around the hatchling, sharing her warmth. "I'm here for you. Now go to sleep," Athena murmured softly, curling her tail.

[Ethril Dragon]

Sikara heard Athena talking to someone and she wondered briefly who it could be. Sikara tried to find a comfortable spot to fall asleep on. In her human form, she often slept on her side, but for some reason sleeping on her side was comfortable in her dragon form. She finally found a comfortable spot by curling up and tucking her legs underneath her. Still though, she couldn't fall asleep. Sikara missed her mother so much at that moment that she had to stifle a whimper and sob.

 

She heard Athena outside, and it sounded like she was angry. Sikara's little ears pressed down and she looked outside with wide eyes. What had made Athena mad? She heard something about dragons being lazy. Maybe Sikara shouldn't take a nap, she didn't want to seem lazy! Sikara tried to stand up, but she became dizzy and laid back down. Her body was just too tired to do anything other then lay down.

 

Sikara looked up as Athena came back. She tried to apologize for being so sleepy, but she only mumbled incoherently. When was the last time she'd been asleep anyway? Sikara didn't get any sleep last night, she'd stayed up all night to try and take care of her mother. Maybe she took a nap some time before dinner yesterday. Sikara just couldn't remember. Her thoughts became muddled as Athena curled around her. Sikara couldn't keep her eyes open anymore and with a small sigh she cuddled up against Athena, finally falling asleep. Sikara felt safe and protected, now that Athena was with her. That feeling of safety was what she needed to finally fall asleep.

[flamedraco]

“Wait, what?” There was a major change in Darren's tone as he looked at Mitsuko who slowly collapsed to the ground. He noticed Darius nodding to what she had said. “Are you kidding me?” He asked again, hesitating for a moment as he found himself in a rather awkward situation. He paced beside the two of them for a moment, trying to think of a solution. “Err... Darius, mind shifting to your human form?” He requested. After all, he was still unable to believe that his brother was still alive.

 

Darius did what he was told as he quickly shifted to his human form. Darren could see that his brother looked almost exactly the same, apart from the numerous amounts of cuts and scratches present on his limbs and the difference in his eyes. “Now, that's the Darius I know.” He spoke to himself. Unlike his brother, he was able to suppress his emotion better. Turning around, he noticed that Mitsuko was still bleeding rather profusely from the deep cuts present on her limbs. “And I assume that you need help back to the camp?” Darren asked, facing his head directly in front of Mitsuko.

Edited August 3, 2011 by flamedraco

[Mitsuko]

The voices of the two brothers were becoming an unintelligible blur of noise. I must have hit a major vein to bleed out this fast. she thought. She managed to grab a wad of moss laying nearby and pressed it to the wound that was bleeding the most. A vine dangled nearby that wasn't at all magical, so she grabbed that and tied it around the moss wad.

 

Even with the makeshift dressing Mitsuko's vision was giving out. Colors were blending and the world was spinning. Mitsuko laid her head down. She thought she heard a voice nearby, but couldn't make out the words. Then everything faded to black.

Edited August 3, 2011 by Mitsuko

[Jingz]

Aaugh, that Athena. I did bring stuff back, and the Maks ate it! How was I supposed to know that I was supposed to be patrolling today? I thought I was at my normal post! Huffing, Whiro turned tail and flew to her post. Punching a bush, she just wanted to scream. Scentung the air, Whiro noticed nothing unusual. Hah! Athena is too worrisome. I don't think that Nanashi would allow them to attack us. Curling up on her post, Whiro closed her eyes.

[Ethril Dragon]

Fascino was just going to stay back and out of the way of the three. If anything were to happen, he knew Darren could take care of the lone Sares. His plan changed though when Mitsuko seemed to loose more and more focus to the world around her. He frowned, his mother would not be pleased if he allowed one of the clan to die. Being a former Sar, he had a great deal of knowledge on battle wounds and how to take care of them. It was his duty as a Ran to look after his clan members. With a sigh, Fascino left the water and shifted into his human form.

 

His red and white robes swirled around his feet as he walked over to Darren. He frowned at the Mak. "Darren you are slack in your responsibilities today." He commented as he went straight for Mitsuko. Fascino knelt down to get a better look at her wounds. "Tribe members come before the enemy." Fascino looked up at Darius, his eyes calm and calculating. He didn't take the time to even address the Sares, he reached into a pouch hidden by his belts and started pulling out bandages and a small jar of paste from a healing plant.

 

Being a former Sar had trained him to always be prepared for wounds such as these. A person couldn't risk an injury like this when in the middle of a battle. Fascino gently removed the vine and the moss, using the moss to gently clean as much of the blood off as he could. He then opened the small jar and got as much of the paste onto his fingers. Quickly, to avoid any more blood loss, he spread the past around the wound and then proceeded to wrap and bind it with the bandages. That would hold and stop the blood loss until they got back to the tribe where the wound could receive full attention.

 

He had fulfilled his duty as Ran for the time being. Now he had to worry about the Sares dragon.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Ethril Dragon

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena watched Sikara fall asleep slowly, feeling the little hatchling's body relax. When she was sure that Sikara was deep asleep, Athena gently and slowly uncurled herself from around Sikara, piling more moss around her to keep her warm. Athena then walked out, glad to see that none of the patrols were back yet. The kill pile was still empty, however, and Athena wanted to give Sikara something to eat when the hatchling awoke. She shook herself and stepped out of the camp. Being a former Mak, although having gone through training when she had been turned a Ran to be versatile in both, Athena was a quite able huntress.

 

Athena tasted the air, smelling for any sign of prey. The forest debris crackled under her feet, making it impossible to hear the delicate scuffling of prey. Athena shifted into her lion form, her bones rearranging themselves, and her wings and snout shrinking. The lioness padded through the dappled shadow of the trees, listening for sounds and continuously smelling the area. Then she found what she was looking for. A rabbit stood out against a patch of sun, nibbling on little forest flowers. She crouched, sneaked forward until she was in leaping distance, and jumped onto the little critter, breaking its neck. The rabbit was gone without a squeal.

 

Picking her catch up, Athena was about to head back to camp, when a strange thought struck her. Fascino, the Laeas Ran. Wasn't he... His project... Sikara. Athena growled. So Sikara was part of the Ran's project? Athena was one of the few who knew of his goals and his actions, and she didn't approve, especially after Sikara. If he was going to make the hatchling go and live a harsh life like Sikara's had been, definitely not. Troubled by this new discovery, Athena shifted into her dragon form, padding slowly back to camp. She would tell Sikara later, when the shock of being a weredragon wore off of the little hatchling. As she stepped into camp, she noticed that a group of Sars were back. "Well?" She asked, dropping the rabbit.

 

"Everything is quiet where we checked, Athena," one of them reported. "Nothing but songbirds."

 

"Where did you check?" Athena asked. "Did you meet any other patrols?"

 

"We checked along part of the Laeas Border, along the gorge. We met a hunting patrol, but that was it," the weredragon replied.

 

"Okay then. Good job, and you may rest," Athena told them, picking up the Rabbit again. She headed back to the den.

[Ethril Dragon]

"Stupid Demon girl."

 

"Ugh stay away from me."

 

Sikara whimpered as she walked down the street to return to her home with her mother. Suddenly a rock was thrown and it collided with the side of her head. Sikara cried out in pain and rubbed her head where it had hit. Another rock was sent flying at her and Sikara started running. The people continued to taunt her as they started trying to grab her hair and kick her. She was used to it though, this kind of thing happened on a regular basis. Three shadowed men stood in her way and she started to shake.

 

"And there's the dirty brat." Sikara's eyes went wide as suddenly the scene changed and she was in her and her mother's little hut. There was a still body lying just a few feet from her. "We could have a little fun. No one would care." Sikara ran out of the hut and ran as fast as she could through a forest. This seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Hey! I know, let's break her legs so she can't follow us back!" Strong arms grabbed at her and she screamed.

 

There was an answering roar and a shadow passed over them. The three men vanished and Sikara was left sitting in the forest alone. She sniffled and looked around.

 

"I'll protect you from now on little one." A voice said from behind her. Sikara turned and saw Athena standing there, her gold scales glittering in the sunlight.

 

Sikara woke up at that point. and she looked around in confusion. Surrounding her and the bed of moss, was a thin dome of ice. She looked around again before pawing at the ice. The ice was thin enough that it shattered with only a little bit of pressure. Sikara sniffed at the ice and licked at it. It was just plain old ice. Her stomach grumbled and she curled up to try and smother the sound.

 

'Athena had said I could eat whenever I wanted.' Sikara thought softly to herself as she looked around again. Athena wasn't in the den. She stood up and went over to the entrance and looked out. Would it be alright for her to leave without telling Athena? Then again she didn't want to get in the way or anything. Maybe she should just stay right here. Sikara's stomach grumbled again and she whimpered softly. Just the idea of being able to eat was making her stomach grumble louder.

[Mitsuko]

Mitsuko was drifting in a world of broken, disjointed colors. It was a though several masterpieces had been broken and the pieces blended haphazardly together. This will never do. thought Mitsuko, and with a wave she transformed the twisting colors into a fantastic landscape not of this world. All around her was a landscape of hills covered in a soft blanket of turquoise-blue grass, dotted with gorgeous red flowers shaped like bells. Giant trees reached up to entwine their branches with other great trees growing upside-down on floating islands. Other lesser trees reached up as though dying to be united with their long lost loves above them. As a sweet breeze flowed softly over the landscape, the flowers knocked gently together, making a sound like crystal wind-chimes playing in perfect harmony. She reached out to touch one, and it's petals felt like the finest velvet. Pools of water, perfectly clear dotted the landscape. As Mitsuko approached one the water rose up like a living thing, and proceeded to twist itself into fantastic shapes.

 

I could stay here forever. thought Mitsuko, a smile playing around her lips. Then something cold yet comforting wrapped itself around her arm. She looked down to see a hand, though for some reason she could not see any details of the hand, as though it had no substance. The hand-without-substance was attached to an equally insubstantial arm, and it was starting to pull on her, hard. She was frightened and tried to resist but more hands came from nowhere to seize her, dragging her away from her wonderland.

 

The horrible hands dragged her into a memory she had thought she'd locked away long ago. She was in a room that looked as though it was dug by hand out of a dirt mound. Which was essentially what it was. Chained to a boulder embedded in the wall were two children, a boy and a girl. The girl looked up as Mitsuko entered. "You're too late," rasped the girl, obviously malnourished and abused "Ichiro's dead." Tears had left tracks all down her cheeks, and the managed to jerk her head slightly to where the boy was chained up, just out of the girl's reach. Trembling, Mitsuko walked over to the boy and looked once more at her brother's face, frozen forever in death.

 

"No!" Mitsuko didn't know it, but she had spoken just loud enough for the others in reality to hear "Why?! Why wasn't-" She was cut off as the hands returned again, dragging her out of memory and threatening to drag her back into cold, comforting darkness.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Mitsuko

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena walked into the den, surprised to find Sikara awake. There was a ring of ice around her. Was that Sikara's breath power? Athena moved toward Sikara. "Did you have a nice sleep?" She asked gently, dropping the rabbit. Athena heard Sikara's stomach growl loudly. "Hungry?" Athena asked, a smile playing at her lips. "I caught something for you, don't worry. None of the hunting patrols are back yet, and I thought you might want to eat. Athena smiled, a kind look in her eyes. "Don't worry," she said, anticipating Sikara to be worried or to feel bad. "I'm not tired, and I was hungry too. I thing we can share the rabbit, don't you think? There's certainly enough for both of us," Athena reassured gently, grateful that the rabbit was a large one. She smiled. "Did you wake up just now?" Athena asked. "If you were hungry, and I wasn't here, you could always go pick from the kill-pile. Remember that. Not that there was any food on it today," She added on, a frown creasing her features. Then her face smoothed out into a smile again. "No matter. They've gone out to hunt."

 

Athena crouched down next to Sikara. "Don't be scared of eating this rabbit. I know it'll be your first time eating raw meat, but I promise you it will taste natural, and remember the food chain. If we didn't eat animals, then they would overpopulate, and the chain of nature would unbalance, and everything would be in risk of dying out." She looked at Sikara, trying to decipher how the hatchling was taking this. She smiled reassuringly. "You can have first bite. You sound hungry."

[Ethril Dragon]

Sikara eeped softly and looked up at Athena a little guiltily. She still didn't know if it was ok for her to even leave the den. Maybe she should have tried sleeping a little longer? Yes she was hungry, but she could go past the hunger. She'd been doing that all her life. Sikara looked at the dropped rabbit and wondered what she was supposed to do with that. It looked dead. Was she supposed to cook it? Her mother had started to show her how to cut and skin animals, but she wasn't very good at it. Sikara always got a little sick when trying to prepare dead animals for dinner. She looked from the rabbit up to Athena.

 

The rabbit was almost bigger then her; something that Sikara found surprising. All the rabbits she'd ever seen were small and fluffy. "Athena..." Sikara hesitated. "I slept ok, but when I woke up there was a...a dome of ice over me." Sikara said a little fearfully. Maybe Athena had put it there to protect her. The ice had melted into slush by this point.

 

"But...what about the fur?" Sikara asked nervously. She didn't like the idea of eating fur. What would it even taste like in her mouth? Should she use her new claws to cut into the rabbit and cut away the fur? Once the fur problem was taken care of what would the meat even taste like? She was used to cooked food; then again she and her mother hadn't had meat that often.

 

Sikara crouched down next to the rabbit, her ears plastered back against her head. She huffed and glared at the rabbit. She was making this way more complicated then it had to be. She'd seen a wild dog catch and eat a rabbit once. Sikara put one paw down to hold the rabbit still as she tentatively bit into the rabbit. The taste of fur was weird in her mouth but she got past it to get into the muscle of the rabbit. She pulled her bite off of the rabbit and chewed at the surprisingly good tasting meat.

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena looked at Sikara's expression, worried. "Sikara, you seem worried... you know that you're free to do whatever you want here, right?" She paused as Sikara talked about the dome, which must have explained the ring of ice, which had by now turned into slush. "Oh, there's another thing I must explain, and I think we can talk while you eat. Weredragons have breath powers, like dragons would breathe out fire, I'm sure you must have heard of that?" Athena paused to listen to Sikara asking about the fur. "You can spit it out if you want, the fur counts as scraps and we bury it or throw it away," Athena replied. Then as Sikara bit into the rabbit, Athena smiled and continued, "So, weredragons have breath powers, but it's not just fire. Mine is frost, and I can create frost or lower the temperature."

 

Athena opened her mouth and breathed out as an example, her breath coming out in a cold, foggy puff. "You must have a very similar power, something like ice, to have made that dome. Don't worry, it's perfectly normal." Athena reassured the hatchling. She crouched to take a swift bite of the rabbit, which had cooled down but was still considerably warm. She savored the flavor on her tongue, before swallowing and spitting the fur out onto the ground. "Do you like it?" Athena asked Sikara.

[Ethril Dragon]

Sikara listened as Athena explained the breath powers. She was...interested if a little scared about the idea of a breath power. Was she really the one who had created that dome of ice? She chewed on the meat for a few minutes before swallowing. She forgot about the whole breath thing for a moment and took a second bite out of the rabbit. Athena had been right, the rabbit really was delicious. It was better then the bread and honey her mom had gotten that one time.

 

Her eyes closed as she savored the flavor. To her it was a tangy and yet sweet flavor and the texture was perfect in her mouth. "It's great!" Sikara said as she swallowed. The hunger that she'd taught herself to control started to overwhelm her and she had to fight herself not to take a third bite. Athena had told her earlier to not eat too much right away, but she was so hungry. After two bites of the rabbit she was already feeling full, but it tasted so good and she wanted to taste it again.

 

Athena's frost breath distracted Sikara enough to forget momentarily about her hunger. She tilted her head slightly and grew more curious. If she focused could she do something like that? Sikara took a deep breath and then let it out. Nothing happened. She frowned and tried again. This time the temperature just in front of her snout cooled. Her frown deepened. She made a dome of ice in her sleep and now she could barely change the temperature in the air.

[sapphiredragon73]

Athena

 

Athena smiled. "I'm glad you like it. You can eat more, Sikara. two bites are not going to sustain you for very long. Eat as much as you want, but just until you feel full, okay?" Athena leaned down and nuzzled Sikara's head. "You worry too much, Sikara. You don't need to worry, not while you're in the tribe, not while you're with me. I won't let anything hurt you, I promise." Athena sat back and blinked at Sikara, smiling. She took a bit of the rabbit, which was still less than half-eaten. Was the little hatchling really that small? Surely she could eat at least one more bite without getting a stomachache. She smiled as Sikara breathed out, cooling the air around her muzzle. The hatchling looked confused, and perhaps, a bit frustrated.

 

"I think right now, your breath depends on how you feel. Later on, you'll be able to form ice when you want to, but currently, it's just how you feel, changed slightly by if you concentrate." Athena looked at Sikara, tilting her head. Could she possibly make ice without emotion? "It's normally like that with all hatchlings, but do you want to try to make ice?" Athena paused, and her eyes rested upon the half-eaten rabbit. "After you take another bite of food, so your hunger won't be bothering you."

[flamedraco]

“Oh great, that annoying stuck-up Ran again.” Darren thought to himself as he obediently watched Fascino who helped Mitsuko in easing the pain. “Hmmph, they never thought me THAT when I'm in the Maks...” After noticing that Fascino has finished, he immideately turned to Fascino. “By the definition of slack, you mean chasing off a bunch of revolting and vain Maks teasing our oxet here?” He questioned before turning his head towards Darren. “That Sares dragon saved Mitsuko from falling down the river.” He explained, pointing his claw towards Darius. The cliff he was sitting on had a perfect view of what was going on at the time. “I'll explain everything later.”

 

Out from the blue, Mitsuko shouted. “Mitsuko!” Damien yelled as he quickly rushed towards the dragon, checking that if she was okay. Just as he was about to do so, he was stopped by Darren who stood in the way.

 

“Sorry Darius but you have to get out of here, this is a Laeas-only area.” Darren spoke, sighing as he looked at Mitsuko, who requires immediate medical attention. Darius glared at his brother for a moment, before finally deciding to follow his advice. Shifting into his black-bird form, he gave one last look at his brother before taking off towards his own base. Darren sighed again as he glared at Fascino. “So what, are you going to help or not?” He asked, holding Mitsuko from a side, in an attempt to carry her back to the base.

[Ethril Dragon]

Sikara was still hungry, so when Athena said it would be ok for her to eat more she didn't hesitate. Sikara took a third bite of the rabbit and then licked her muzzle clean. The rabbit really was delicious. She was able to finish off another two bites before she started to feel too full to eat anymore. Sikara was small and it would take some time before she would be able to gain any substantial weight. She would probably always be small compared to others were dragons her age.

 

Sikara sat back from the rabbit and looked up and Athena with big eyes. If she could use her breath power then she wouldn't be weak any more. She would be able to be useful too! "I-I had a nightmare," Sikara said slowly. "Is that why I made the ice dome?" It hadn't been a complete nightmare, although it had definitely started out as one.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Fascino knew that expression that Darren was giving him. He knew that many of the younger dragons did not like him. They thought he was stuck up and snobbish. It wasn't as if he really cared what they thought, he had earned his rank in the tribe. He was still one of the best warriors the Leaes had. "They will be dealt with accordingly be myself or Nanashi when we return." Fascino replied to Darren's response. Fascino stepped back and away from Mitsuko so he could shift into his dragon form. "Place her on my back. It will be faster if we fly back.