New Legacies

[CYDA LUVA83]

 

It has been said, ‘All good things must come to an end at some point.’

People, planets, galaxies… everything is in an eternal circle from which there is no escape.

New ideas, ambitions, goals rise and fade again and again as the eternal wheel of time spins on and on and on…

 

But forget the grand picture for now…

What concerns us is what’s happening in a quiet little valley, where the ruins of a once thriving family reside…

 

 

“Is this all you could find?” –an elderly man’s voice broke the silence.

“Yes, granddad. I checked the entire area; everything else is too decayed to be of any use…” –the young girl answered cautiously then set two rolled up scrolls on the ground in their small camp.

“Slim pickings… you’ll get used to them. Let’s see if you’ve been brushing up on your old languages. This here looks like draconian. An old time favorite of scholars like myself, if I might add…”

 

The girl delicately unfolded the scroll and started to read the text out loud:

“A short tally of notable events in the Dragon Training Grounds.”

Date: 14th of August, 1664

 

“It seems like whatever omnipotent entities might exist out there have a bone to pick with us. The situation is always worse than the last. I fear for what fate has in store for us next. My guess is some sort of natural disaster will tear this place asunder. We’ve already seen platoons of human raiders, hoards of atrocities from the dark forest… hell; we’ve even been attacked by our own kin!”

 

She paused for a moment and dusted off the next part of the scroll, to better see what was written. “Seems whoever lived here lived a hard life.”

 

“You don’t say…” –the elderly man replied and kneeled down to better see the writing, himself. “..And was likely one heck of a linguist, this is perfect draconian right here.”

 

The girl continued...

“Just yesterday I could have sworn I felt the foulness of the void right beneath our very feet. It’s not a feeling one forgets easily, much like what you’d feel if your most hated enemy was holding a blade to your throat, that intense sense of dread that everything would end soon. I don’t even know any more. Ashur’s probably right, I’m being paranoid.”

 

“That’s a strange name…” –the girl commented.

“They were probably from down south…” –the old man replied and gestured the girl’s attention back at the scroll. She continued…

 

“I’ll be tarred and feathered if we don’t get out of here soon… For now I’ll keep the idea of moving pinned and get back to it in a more dire time, gods willing that will never arrive.

 

Signed: Varaug Plaguebane”

 

The girl re-folded the scroll and looked back at her grandfather.

“Another strange name…”

“The strangest. I’m starting to wonder if the author was a human being at all.”

“Either that, or he was an awfully large man.” –the girl shrugged and reached for the other scroll they’d salvaged. She unfolded it delicately and noted with dismay that it was badly damaged.

 

“We won’t get much from this…” –she sighed and started to read…

 

“Date: 22nd of September, 1664

 

“My worst fears have been realized, we’re dealing with an outbreak of more than just a few hostile demonic entities that…” –the girl squinted hard, trying to make out what was written, but the paper was scorched too badly there, so she skipped to the next discernible word-“…amongst us. We need to perform a mass dispersion of any and all magical flow within the structure to repel these entities. But I need another magus for this! If I do it alone I’m going to be permanently damaged, if not meet a fate worse than death itself. Being neutralized in the process.

 

…protecting this place is dear to me, but using magic is even more so.

For now, we’ll keep a watchful eye for any attempts on bringing down the barrier. Any and all possession victims will be restrained immediately. If everything goes to hell, I’m guessing we’ll be moving to Nova Scotia. Let’s just hope Keisha knows what…. and it ends here. The rest is scorched.”

 

“Curious, Alycia, get your things, we’re leaving. I’ll take the scrolls this time. The last ancient writings I entrusted you with didn’t fare so well, if you recall…”

 

“Yes, granddad.” –Alycia sighed and started to pack her things.

“So, who do you think lived here?” –she asked with piqued interest.

“A magi and his family, or clan. I believe this was the home to a group of dragons. It’s fascinating, really. I’ve only ever read of such groupings operating much like a pack of feral wolves would. No brain, all brawn. The only thing that would keep them from tearing each other apart being their survival instincts. But a society of sentient dragons, that’s something I personally have never even considered possible. Sentient dragons usually go solo, or travel in pairs of two, you see…” –the old man stroked his beard in contemplation.

 

“What happened to them?”-the girl asked her grandfather.

“I think we can both say, it was not something pleasant…” –he gestured at the moss-covered castle ruins.

 

 

There is no escaping the wheel of fate, and it had ended the dragon training grounds in a most horrible way, indeed. But those who fled to the snowy banks of Nova Scotia left behind a legacy. The story orients around them, and those who would indivertibly end up joining their road in life. The Dragon Training Grounds’s legacy and a circle at its very new beginning.

 

 

Now.

The original dragons of New Beginnings have long been dead, passed on in the tales of their children and their enemies. Their story is done. A new one must be written... We begin in Nova Scotia, where our thread of life left off. A new tapestry will be woven into the old, and now the new generation will take hold and rise.

There are no current problems to solve, no evil to defeat, no opponents to drive off. Life will come and life will go without any predetermined plot, we come up with what we like and go from there.

 

Setting.

The current setting is Kejimkujik National Park (Have fun with Google Maps! Zoom in, check out the street view, get a feel for the scenery and location.), alternate view, Nova Scotia. Life is that of a hunter-gatherer style. There are some attacks from surrounding human settlements and demon-spawn from the hills, but nothing too severe. This landscape is wild and for the most part untamed, but there isn't much to restrict you; let your imagination run wild with what could be hiding out there.

Similar to New Beginnings, Midsummer's Eve occurs in Nova Scotia as well. This means that at the peak of summer each year, demons and creatures hell-bent on destruction will run rampant. Live or die during this time, your choice. We may even have to relocate to a new setting. If that happens then this section will be updated. But who knows? Though we are on Earth, the current time could be anything. We could go to the building of the Pyramids, the reign of Julius Caesar, or take a trip to see Pope Alexander VI. The world is your oyster, just don't go too nuts with it. That means keep the times around or before the 19th century.

 

Rules.

• No godmodding.
• No powerplaying.
• Be respectful to your fellow RolePlayers.
• Ask the owner of a character for permission before severely damaging their character.
• Write fights in the realm of 'if'. Ex. "If the opponent did not move out of the way in time, they would be gouged."
• Put 'Tacos' in the Other section of your form to let us know you read the rules.
• Make sure you fill out your form completely and with a decent amount of information.
• Don't stray too far from each other, we shift areas as we see fit.
• PM your form to me.
• PG-13 rating of course. No excessive gore (i.e. explicit torture, torture rooms, overly gory deaths ect) or sexual themes.
• There is no limit to characters. Play however many you can handle.
• Have fun.

Character Sheets.

Dragon sheet

[B]Username:[/B]
[B]Character name:[/B]
[B]Sex:[/B]
[B]Age:[/B]
[B]History:[/B]
[B]Personality:[/B]
[B]Breed:[/B]
[B]Appearance:[/B] (anything special? Leave blank if they look like the sprite)
[B]Powers:[/B]
[B]Mate and Offspring:[/B] (Put N/A if they have none.)
[B]Other:[/B] (put likes and dislikes here if needed)

 

 

Human Sheet

[B]Username:[/B]
[B]Character Name:[/B]
[B]Sex:[/B]
[B]Age:[/B]
[B]Ethnicity:[/B]
[B]Occupation:[/B]
[B]Possessions:[/B]
[B]Partner and Children:[/B] (put N/A if they have none.)
[B]Appearance:[/B]
[B]Other:[/B] (put likes and dislikes here if needed)

 

Size Chart

For reference.

I'll maker a prettier one when I have the time.

Edited April 1, 2013 by CYDA LUVA83

[CYDA LUVA83]

Approved Character Sheets.

Doomkaiser

Username: Doomkaiser

Character name: Igneel Jericho

Sex: Male

Age: 356, young adult.

History: He was born inside an ancient dragon temple with no parents. The temple, since it was near a village, was full of fresh food from rituals. For the next 100 years, he stayed in the cave and taught himself how to read, write and hunt from the scrolls scattered around the ground. Once he was able to read the dragon texts on the walls, he found a name under the centre piece, which was a giant dragon. Igneel Jericho. An inscription was also there that said: The egg that lays here is the egg of Doom Jericho and...The rest was scratched off. He took it as his name and left the temple and the village, beginning his long journey to discover who his mother was and also discover his roots.

Personality: Doesn’t really know how to talk to others, since he was alone for so long, still a friendly dragon and will leap to the aid of others.

Breed: Nebula, only needs 1 hour of sleep a day.

Appearance: He has a scar across his left eye and his right thigh from a fight when he was younger. He has this mark under his right eye to symbolize his mastery of Fairy magic: Symbol.

Visual Representation

Visual Representation {close-up}

Powers: He has mastered Fire and Fairy magic

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: He is omnivorous, although he prefers meat over plants.

 

CYDA LUVA83

Username: CYDA LUVA83

Character name: Lydia

Sex: female

Age: Currently 329 years old. Equivalent to a 27 years old human

History: She was born in the Dragon Training Grounds after the demon raid. Left there to find a new home after a while. Does not know the whereabouts of anyone else she knew from there. Trained from infancy to be a master at healing and uses this power often.

Personality: Lydia is a calm dragon, for the most part, though she does have a bit of a temper. Is a bit of the typical 'cute-girl' stereotype. Meaning she loves tiny things, will squeal when excited, and has little daydreams about an amazing future. Other than that, this white dragon does get angry easily, usually at obvious sexist comments or those who talk down to her. Considers herself to be everyone's equal. Boneheaded and a smartalec.

Breed: White

Appearance: Looks just like the sprite, has a large scar on the left side of her face on her cheekbone. No giant stick, though.

Powers: A powerful healer, Lydia possesses many abilities that aid her in the task of helping dragon recuperate and become well again. When aided by her magic, wounds close much faster and broken bones are mended. If she uses too much of her power to speed healing, Lydia will become weak and most likely faint if she doesn't stop. This white dragon can also create an ointment from water vapor that, if put on the wound, will act an an antiseptic and keep away bacteria. Lydia is quite adept at using ice attacks meant to give the opponent frostbite or freeze them in place. Lastly, she has the standard firebreath that dragons have; nothing special about it.

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: She makes a kickass dinner. Lives in this glade where she practices her healing arts.

 

Username: CydaLuva83

Character name: Rey (Ray)

Sex: female

Age: 2000+, Young adult

History: Raised in a peaceful colony. Flew away when a teenager to hunt for food. Became lost and has searched for a colony since.

Personality: Rey is quick tempered and impatient, quick to strike when angered and not very willing to back down. More caring towards hatchlings than adults. More open to those she knows well than those she doesn't.

Breed: Black tea dragon

Appearance: Because of her breed, she lacks scales, and relies on her thick hide for protection. Her muscles are toned and ripple under her skin. Her wings are larger than average for her species, giving her the ability of flight.

Powers: Fire breath, naturally. Can create magical illusions to disorient her attacker.

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: ~

 

greatguy

Username: greatguy

Character Name: Yüna

Sex: Male

Age: 28

Ethnicity: Mediterranean/Middle Eastern blend

Occupation: Fishing, strengthening a dying river

Possessions: Fishnet, stones from the riverside, a blade of grass used to tie his hair back.

Partner and Children: N/A

Appearance: 5'9, dark brown skin, curly black hair held in a ponytail, blinding white teeth, and hair all over his body. Usually smiling.

Other: Enchilada

 

Lato_Dato

Username: Lato_Dato

Character name: Lirm Dragger

Sex: Male

Age: 3

History: He lived in a rather lively mixed group of pygmies for the first two years of his life, traveling with the group as they followed another group of larger traveling dragons around. He was kicked out after an unfortunate incident with a close friend. Since then, he's been traveling on his own, living off scraps he could find and the few pickings he could hunt.

Personality: With a very impish personality, this sly devil is far more likely to tell a lie or a half truth if it so amuses him. Fond of practical jokes, he is often quite unawares of how upset or angry he can make others with his actions. Like most Nilia pygmy, he is quite loyal, though it can be quite hard to tell from his actions...

Breed: Nilia Pygmy

Appearance: He's lime green.

Powers: He can turn himself into a squishy glob of goo at will. He can move while in goo form, and is in fact surprisingly mobile for being a glob of goo. He can stick to surfaces at will, and can use it to climb to places he would not otherwise be able to reach. He can absorb liquids and pick up light solids as a goo. (think stuff like sawdust when solids. Ouch.)

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: Likes water, hates fire.

 

mickiloo97

Username: mickiloo97 (Call me Micki)

Character name: Link (He has a full name, but doesn't like going by it, so no one knows him as it, and he won't respond to it if called.)

Sex: Male

Age: 321 (Seems like a younger adult; approx. 20)

History: Link was young when his parents died, or were killed, he never understood the full story, but it happened at a very young age.  He lived with some other dragons, friends of the family they had said, but he was also unsure of them, and learned how to hunt, and whenever he would find himself missing his parents, he would look at his reflection in ponds.  One day, he dreamt about his mother and father, and woke up in the middle of the night.  He went to look at his reflection, and he found little twinkling lights in his reflection.  As he never lived with others of his kind, he never grew up to be nocturnal like the norm of his breed, and had never discovered stars, but once he did, he often found himself waking up in the middle of the night and staring at them and their reflections.  He often watched them up into the morning, and he would dash off and pretend to be asleep for his 'parent figures' to wake him.

Personality: Link has the type of personality who thinks very little of himself.  He is not brave, and when set with a choice to stand up for himself, he simply acts as if nothing happened at all, but secretly, he is very angry; at himself, at his 'surrogate parents', at the world.  Whenever he get himself into a mood, he is often found staring at his reflection in ponds, day or night.  He rarely acts on his anger, and rather broods about it until the feeling ebbs away on it's own accord.  He's a loner, and likes it that way.

Breed: Royal Blue

Appearance: Has markings like this, where the light grey/white is blue and the darker grey is silver, and without the tail spade.

Powers:

Ice

Link has the power to freeze water at his will.  Usually he takes advantage of this to make a better mirror, or to harass others that upset him from afar.  Once water is frozen, he can lift, fling, drop, toss and pretty much manipulate in anyway he seems fit, and can transform it back into water whenever he pleases, but usually leaves it to melt on it's own.

Water

Link is especially buoyant.  With a little help from his wings, he can walk across water, but he tires quickly.  He has extra-ordinary swimming skills, and can hold his breath for extremely long, although that's more of a talent than a power.

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: He loves snow and rain, and would rather choose to sit out in the weather than hide from it.

 

Aquila

Username: Aquila

Character name: Nylaeni Searflame

Sex: Female

Age: 347 (Young Adult)

History: She was born in the Ural Mountains of Russia. She never knew her parents, as she was given as an egg to a powerful Battlemage. He trained her from her moment of hatching, and she grew to be a very powerful warrior. Once she reached her first centennial birthday, she began to travel. Only recently arrived in Nova Scotia.

Personality: Nylaeni is proud and difficult. She is cautious of other magic users but contemptful of creatures who have no special ability, occasionally attacking human villages just to cause havoc. When speaking, her voice is often sarcastic and mocking. As a hatchling she was raised to be independent and stoic and even as an adult she does not communicate well with others. Despite this, she is curious about other dragons, as she lived in relative isolation for her first century of life.

Breed: Black

Appearance: Her belly scales and horns are dark grey.

Powers: Powerful battle magic. She specializes in causing explosions of varying size and destructiveness. She also has the basic fire-breathing ability of most dragons.

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: She is rather fond of eating humans, and hoards knowledge rather than gold.

 

Mathcat

Username: Mathcat

Character name: Ekaira

Sex: Female

Age: Middle-aged - she either won't or can't pin it down any further.

History: Ekaira was raised by her mother, who guarded a prominent royal family in exchange for food and for protection from would-be dragonslayers. What Ekaira can remember of her childhood is happy enough, though what memories she still has are hazy at best. After a shift in power left her mother dead, Ekaira was forced to make her own way in the world.

Ekaira had never needed to learn how to hunt and her magical training had never progressed beyond the most rudimentary spells, but though ill-equipped to survive, she adapted and endured. As Ekaira could find no teacher, she taught herself to how to hunt and figured out on her own what the limits of her magic were. Friendly dragons were few and far between, so Ekaira was forced to rely on human aid, using her magic in clever and convoluted ways so that they wouldn't guess what she really was.

Ekaira had traveled with other dragons before meeting Inzara, but they were either paired off and looking to settle down or interested in Ekaira as a potential mate - something that held no interest for her. Inzara, though, wanted nothing more than friendship and protection. Ekaira welcomed Inzara's company, for the pygmy dragon helped her regain some measure of badly-needed stability in her life. Together, they traced rumors of a dragon colony to Nova Scotia, and arrived a few weeks before the start of the story.

Personality: At her best, Ekaira can keep a crowd enthralled with her stories - all true, she claims, for some definition of truth. She might not be used to the company of so many other dragons, but she adapts, as she always has, and has traveled with other dragons enough that small talk isn't a completely foreign concept to her. Ekaira is introverted enough to prefer to lurk around the edges of a large gathering, but is far from unfriendly. Slightly cynical, yes, but happy enough to make new acquaintances.

After years of hardship, Ekaira doesn't have much left in the way of reserves to draw on. When well-rested and well-fed, the previous paragraph describes her well. If she's missed a meal or two or is badly short on sleep, she starts to withdraw from social interaction, becoming quieter, somewhat nervous, and occasionally rather unsettling to be around.

Breed: Alt black

Appearance: She's small for her breed, somewhat too thin, and her scales and eyes lack some of the shine of a healthy individual.

Powers: Ekaira's main specialty is shadow manipulation - calling of, disguising herself via, shaping of, and traveling short distances by means of. Working with shadows requires a mental discipline that she's having an increasingly hard time finding, so she mainly uses her talent to make shadow puppets for the amusement of others.

Ekaira has limited shape-shifting abilities - enough to, with the aid of misdirection spells, shadow-weaving, and a heavy cloak, temporarily pass for human. She also knows an assortment of simple spells and has picked up various nonmagical tricks along the way.

Mate and Offspring: N/A, and it's unlikely there will ever be any.

Other: Ekaira bears no ill will toward humanity in general, despite what happened to her mother. She's not going to actively seek out human company now that she's part of the Nova Scotia colony, but she's certainly not going to attack a human on sight.

~

Username: Mathcat

Character name: Inzara

Sex: Female

Age: Young adult

History: Inzara grew up as part of a large flock of pygmy dragons that lived near a human village. They were forced to hide how intelligent they were from the humans, and that, combined with a longing for adventure, sent Inzara out into the world in search of excitement, which she quickly found.

Being a cat-sized creature with no magical talent, and thus a quick snack for most predators, Inzara quickly decided she needed a bodyguard. Ekaira wasn't quite what Inzara had in mind, but she knows the black dragon needs Inzara as much as Inzara needs her.

Personality: Inzara was never one to perch quietly on a safe branch and watch the world go by. Even the reality of what life is like in the wider world hasn't dampened her enthusiasm. Though excitable, Inzara is not easily distracted once she's set her mind to something. Inzara takes herself a little too seriously, and doesn't like being laughed at.

More outgoing than Ekaira, Inzara has been busy exploring the Nova Scotia colony and getting to know its residents. Inzara worries about Ekaira, not realizing that Ekaira has her own way of making friends, and keeps trying to encourage her to be more social.  

Breed: Pygmy

Appearance:

Powers: None.

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other: Because of where she grew up, Inzara is very comfortable around humans. She also has a fondness for human food that has gotten her in trouble a couple of times.

 

Ryujin13

Username: Ryujin13

Character name: Treya

Sex: Female

Age: Hatchling

History: none yet...

Personality: Playful and inquisitive to a fault, Treya is the embodiment of childhood innocence. She loves to explore, to learn, and to see new things. Her main fault would be the lack if discretion when it comes to exploring. Some things are meant to be hidden, and it is only a matter of time before Treya accidentally uncovers something that truly harms another.

Breed: Shadow Walker

Appearance: (anything special? Leave blank if they look like the sprite)

Powers: She can meld with shadows like all her breed, making her invisible to the naked eye. She can also shift from one plane of reality to another. She does not have control of this power however, so she will sometimes phase in and out without rhyme or reason. Her emotions trigger this power more often then not, especially anger, sadness, and fear. The more emotional she gets, the more she phases out.

Mate and Offspring: n/a

Other:

 

Psycho Cat

Username: Psycho Cat

Character(s) name: Daburu Maxii and Daburu Xolpik

Sex: Male

Age: 694

History: After an attack of a rogue Neglected on their family, both made an oath to never be as cruel, and to always help. But this has also caused them to lower their defenses, and handicaps them in battle.

Personality: Very kind, always looking for a friend. Unlike most Two Headeds, they never fight. Never kills, only eats already dead meat

Breed: Two Headed

Appearance:

Powers: Has learned how to breathe blue fire

Mate and Offspring: N/A

Other:

 

Ælex

Username: Ælex

Character name: Trox

Sex: Male

Age: 404 (Adult)

History:

Trox was born and raised in a nomadic warring clan of black dragon thugs and raiders who made a living off of stealing their prey from other clans, or even cannibalizing them when none such prey was to be found. Weened before his wings even came in, he never knew much affection, aside from the usual massive quantities of flesh he was fed every day of his upbringing.

His mother and father, much like the rest of the clan, showed little mercy, filling his days with nothing but training and hard physical labor.

When his wings came in, he joined the rest of his peers in their collective means of play. Fighting. Each and every evening, before they were given food, all the hatchlings of his clan were gathered to fight each other for their food.

Trox seldom went hungry, thanks to his father's excellent tutelage.

However, what went around, came around. In his early adolescence, Trox's clan was ambushed by several other neighboring packs of dragons, and exterminated. Barely a third of them survived by fleeing, and Trox was not among them, though he did survive. Left for dead after the slaughter, he regained consciousness, gravely injured and surrounded by the bodies of his fallen family members and clan-mates.

Once he could stand, he simply walked off, for all he knew was what his clan had taught him.

 

Stay Strong.

Keep Moving.

Show no mercy.

 

Personality:

Simpleton comes to mind, apart from understanding his primal urges and the methods of satisfying them, Trox has the mind of a hatchling, but none of it's cheer. Instead his mind works the way a boulder would. It doesn't mind you just sitting there, but if it's pushed too hard, it will roll over and crush whoever was pushing on it. Thankfully, he also has the curiosity of a hatchling and the will to learn, even if it is just the most basic of things. His vocabulary is barely large enough to be able to communicate with others, though he is still missing a lot of words and phrases.

 

Breed: Black

 

Appearance: Just like the majority of his clan, he's of a larger then normal stature, and clearly well built around the limbs. His back and front are covered in protective scales, thick, sharp and messy from having constantly taken damage in the hatchling arena. He has one large easily noticeable scar running from his lower lip, down his neck, and ending at his left arm joint. The rest of his scars are not that easily seen. His eyes are a dim red, much like the rest of his species.

 

Powers: He has no magical abilities what-so-ever. Trox's power lies in his strength and tenacity. He was brought up to be and remains a warrior through and through.

He takes cuts, pummeling and bites, then just keeps dishing it out, able to ignore the vast majority of the pain he's in. He deals punishment through brute warfare, preferring to charge right into his enemy and tear them apart in a frenzy of rage-induced bloodthirst.

The years spent gorging upon the flesh of his prey and sometimes his fallen enemies have molded his metabolism and sent it into overdrive. When he falls in battle, his body rapidly starts to mend itself and preserve what little life's left within it. Where others would bleed out or die of a concussion, Trox can only be executed, with a direct mortal injury that ends his life then and there. Be that to his brain or his heart.

 

Mate and Offspring: N/A

 

Other: Password Approved.

Edited June 4, 2013 by CYDA LUVA83

[CYDA LUVA83]

Reserved for Character Sheets.

 

Edited March 3, 2013 by CYDA LUVA83

[Carnivorous M.]

((-challengeacceptedface-

 

Currently slapping together some character sheets right now. Mwahahahaaaaa!

 

...damn, wasn't time for the evil laugh yet. Oops.

 

Anyhoo, do we have a rough map of surrounding environs? It doesn't necessarily have to be done in graphics, either, it'd just be good to have an idea of where various things are.))

Edited March 11, 2013 by Carnivorous M.

[gistofeverything]

((There are no pressing errors in this roleplay. Approved.))

[CYDA LUVA83]

((Thank you, Gist! :'D

Edit: Here's your opening post.))

 

The evening was quiet and relaxing. Birds chirped as the crickets and toads in the grasses and by the streams joined in on the natural symphony. The gentle rushing of water could be heard as the percussion nearby. And every now and again you heard a branch snap and fall to the forest floor. Loud avians cawed as they flew over the forest, free to roam wherever, and the deer who kept the clearings' grounds uniform bugled now and then. Concentrated in a small area near the center of what would someday be known as Kejimkujik National Park was a colony of dragons. Some were hunters, some warriors, healers, nursemaids, and some acted as a band of leaders.

They are the descendants of the fabled Dragons of the Grounds; a mighty league of reptiles that defended their comrades in the promotion of justice and equality; dragons who, if all else would flee, would fight as champions. Of course they had their fair share of idiots, what kind of group does not? But even the lowest ranked contributed greatly to the success of the group.

Sadly the Dragons of the Grounds had to leave their home for yet a second time and go back to the present-day land of Nova Scotia in order to be safe. A few of them rejected this idea and went out on their own. A couple flew to Egypt, some to the British Isles, and a few to Asia, but let us focus on those who stayed in North America.

The majority of the group lived on the island of Nova Scotia until their life gave out and their legacy was left carved in each stone. Their children live on, and that is where we pick up today. Welcome, my friends, to New Legacies.

Edited March 10, 2013 by CYDA LUVA83

[greatguy]

((I hope the humans don't have to be descended from the dragons e__e))

 

Yüna let out a a mighty bellow. The Pygmies had interfered again! The former waterfall that he had taken months to build had no water flowing over it now, for the river was choked with algae.

 

Yüna reached into the algae and pulled it out, and saw what had caused the congestion. The Pygmies had gone all out this time and actually seemed to have worked. They had taken the stones he had used for the walls and converted the waterfall into a dam with them. And since the rocks were uneven, they had to patch the gaps with something--in this case, algae.

 

Sighing, Yüna kicked the dam over, leaving the original waterfall. The river here formed a natural canal; the riverbed was slanted so that water flowed much more heavily in the middle, making it easier to build walls since a rock of the same size as one in the center of the canàl would be elevated, causing water to flow across the waterfall instead. But now that the walls and the algae were removed, water flowed around the centered rocks rather than over them.

 

As Yüna gathered mud to patch gaps, he wondered if he could find some Nilia Pygmies to train. They were highly loyal, he knew, and would make a good defense force against the other Pygmies that delighted in destroying his waterfall .

[Lato_Dato]

((probably not X3))

 

Lirm Dragger was a happy Pygmy. He had a place in life once again. Traveling alone for so long did have some uses, he mused, but it didn't beat living in the safety and security of a group. Not by a long shot. This other group of pygmies had seemed all too eager to take him in - and the promises of lavish amounts of food they had pretty much guaranteed him pleased his stomach greatly. All he had to do, to be accepted into the group, was one job; make sure their latest prank went off without a hitch. Quite an easy job, all things considered; Lirm thought highly of himself when it came to pranking others. They had directed him to a human place - belonging to one called Yüna, he seemed to recall - and began tutoring him gently about the human himself. One thing they had mentioned had stuck out to him - the waterfall. The poor thing had apparently taken two whole months to build it!

The choice was clear.

 

This... had been a bad idea. Not the damming the waterfall, no, that had been an excellent, ingenious idea. The bad idea, unfortunately, had come shortly afterwards. He had finished damming the waterfall to the best of his abilities, but as he turned to leave, his work complete, a thought struck him.

What if the prank didn't work? What if the prank was a complete flunk, and he went back to the pygmies and wasn't allowed in because he'd failed the test?!

What about the food?! The glorious promise of food!?

Something had to be done. He had paused, looking back at the dam, and considered it. What if he stayed behind, to see if the prank worked? Such a thing would not have been possible, unless...

Shortly afterwards, his next plan, his terrible, disastrous idea, had been committed to. Floating amongst the slimy, gooey algae, he smiled silently to himself, despite the discomforting sliminess of the algae. Now, he could make sure his prank worked, and not be found at the same time! The human wouldn't even be able to see him! He would just be a harmless pile of goo...

 

Now, if Lirm had an ounce of sense, he would have realized by now that this was a terrible idea. Unfortunately, he did not yet possess this sense. He sat. And waited. And then waited some more. He waited so long, he began to grow sick of all the water and algae drifting through his gooey self. But, just before he decided to give up the ghost, his quarry came into view - the human. If he had been in physical form, he would have let out a sadistic chuckle at the sound of the human's anguish; instead, he watched in silent glee as the human practically sprinted over to his wonderfully created dam in order to inspect the damage caused. Then, the human did an unexpected, terrible thing. He kicked the dam over. Now, normally, being kicked at in this state would have been no worry to Lirm; but, this was not normally. He had spent several hours submerged in that dam, and had grown quite weak and diluted as a result. The kick scattered his strength. He spent several moments drifting, before feeling a sensation almost like.... falling?

He didn't know. What he did know, was that he had to turn back to normal. Before this situation could get any worse than it already was.

 

He must have been out for a second - the confusion, pain and the sheer strain of pulling himself back together had taken a lot out of him. Lirm squirmed lethargically in the mud for a second, before letting out a pitiful whine. Oh, how badly that plan had gone!

Edited March 15, 2013 by Lato_Dato

[greatguy]

Yüna suddenly stood up and stared at the lake from which the river flowed. Pygmies were scavengers, so if he could catch a fish and leave it by the road, Pygmies would certainly be attracted!

 

However, the elements had devised a plot to foil his plan, for the combination of the sun, wind, and rhythym of the waves lulled him into a light slumber. Sitting against a rock, fishing stick in hands, Yüna slept for an hour.

 

By the time he woke up, no fish had bitten yet. Pulling the stick back towards him, he realized the problem—he hadn't put bait on the hook! Sighing, he reached towards the fish he had brought with him for this purpose.

 

Yüna paused.

 

'Wait a second, why did I come out here?' he asked himself.

 

Yelling loudly at his stupidity, he threw his fishing stick into the lake and grabbed the fish. Walking towards the forest, he breathed threats against the pygmies that had caused all this.

 

When he found a bush, he set the fish down in front of it and gathered rocks. He set them down on the opposite side of the bush and waited for the pygmies to come to the meat, hands set to throw rocks to scare away any other scavengers.

 

 

[Lato_Dato]

Lirm breathed deeply, getting the feeling of fresh air back to his lungs, wholly glad to be alive. That plan had gone terribly! Where was the human?! Jerking to a sitting position only earned him dizziness, and to the poor Pygmy's dismay, loss of sight. His only choice was to sit there for a moment, the sound of blood rushing in his ears, before his sight returned. He looked around, alarmed. There was no human here... There was no anyone here, either.

So, hopefully, not a thing had witnessed his failure! He could likely attribute his lateness to getting lost or distracted. He wasn't a native to these lands, after all... They would probably buy it. Getting up to his feet, Lirm attempted to wipe the mud that had encrusted itself to his scales with his paws. This was not working. He'd just have to show up covered in mud. With a sigh, Lirm began trudging halfheartedly out of the mud, hoping that all hopes of food this evening were not dashed...

[Mathcat]

Given the unexpectedly early start to the day, Ekaira was feeling a little too tired to be particularly social, so she'd decided to find a quiet place to bask in the warm morning sun. She'd finally found a position that didn't just cause her sore muscles to ache more, and was finally getting properly comfortable when the sound of flapping wings broke the silence. It was Inzara, of course, come to check up on her.

 

The pygmy dragon landed a couple of feet in front of Ekaira's nose and peered at her in concern. "All off by yourself on a nice day like this. Are you feeling unwell?"

 

"Just tired. I slept just fine," Ekaira clarified, "until the dawn chorus started up. No, not the avian kind. You haven't been serenaded yet by the local ochredrakes? One of them in particular must have thought I was shouting encouragement, and by the time they all left, there was no getting back to sleep." She yawned. "I swear I heard giggling at one point - probably those misfit pygmy friends of yours."

 

"But why go off on your own? Everyone's been so friendly, and I'm sure you're not the only one who's been pestered by the ochredrakes. Why not bond over a common complaint?"

 

"Because it's good to be alone from time to time," Ekaira said, knowing that Inzara wouldn't accept this explanation, as she hadn't before. Ekaira knew Inzara had a point, though, so she got to her feet, wincing as this put strain on already-sore muscles. "I should mingle more, though having said that, I notice you're not with the flock."

 

"I was worried about you - and for good reason, it looks like. You should see a healer, if you're in that much pain."

 

Ekaira shrugged, and regretted it. "It's nothing serious. I just overdid it a little yesterday. The joy of flight, and all." The novelty of not having to worry about some opportunistic archer turning her into a pincushion had kept Ekaira in the air longer than had been strictly wise, and she was paying the price today. "That and, well, the usual trouble."

 

"Serious or not, you're seeing a healer." Inzara flew up and landed in her usual spot on Ekaira's back. "I'm making sure of that."

 

Ekaira chuckled. "Oh, of course you're coming along. I'll need someone to prompt me when it turns out I've completely forgotten the healer's name."

 

She walked along in silence for a time - flying was out of the question - and then casually returned to the topic Inzara had been avoiding. "So, why aren't you with the flock, really."

 

"Concern for you?" Ekaira could feel Inzara shift nervously, but already knew this wasn't the whole story. "And, yes, I'm a little overwhelmed," Inzara said sharply. "The misfits have been singling me out to make fun of me, and then they get their friends to laugh, too. Most of the flock is nice enough, don't get me wrong, and the leaders always reprimand the misfits when they get the chance. Still, it only takes a couple of troublemakers to make life unpleasant. I do have ideas for holding my own, though, now that I've settled in. Given everything else I've faced so far, a few misfit pygmies are nothing."

 

Ekaira nodded. "If I can do anything to help with that, let me know. You've done enough to help me, after all." Stopping Inzara from worrying about her so much would be a start, and Ekaira knew just what to do. Inzara had been traveling with Ekaira long enough to know that if Ekaira could manage a decent story, then she wasn't too badly off.

 

"There's a story about misfit pygmies, you know," Ekaira began. "With a color scheme that makes them look like some magi's fever dream, it would be surprising if there weren't." She could feel Inzara settle down as she spoke, and knew the pygmy dragon was listening intently to the story. Ekaira was also interested in how the story would turn out, for that matter, as she was making it up as she went.

 

"Now, once there were no misfit pygmies - just normal pygmies in various shades of yellow and brown. There might have been nilias, there were definitely seawyrms, but there wasn't a single misfit pygmy to be found anywhere in the world. Pygmies in those days loved pranks, even more than they do now, and there was one flock in particular that was notorious for their mischief.

 

"This flock wandered the world, spreading annoyance as they went, until they came to the cave of a particularly curmudgeonly magi. This magi was so compulsively tidy that he arranged his hoard by size and color, and he saved his worst curses for anyone who disarranged so much as a single coin. The flock could hardly resist such a tempting target, so they flew in after he left one morning and spent the entire day creating chaos. Then, they flew a short distance away to wait, confident that their dull colors would allow them to blend in and keep them from getting caught.

 

"The magi came home to a cave that looked like it had been redecorated by an overenthusiastic tornado, and knew immediately who was responsible. He wasted no time in finding the most inventive punishment for the pygmies that he could think of - a spell that would change their colors to make it impossible for them to hide ever again. Then, being unkind as well as reclusive, he waited with delight for the sound of wailing as the pygmies discovered what he'd done.

 

"To his surprise, he heard cheering instead. Far from being dismayed, the pygmies welcomed their new bright colors, considering them a mark of their skill - something to forever set them apart as champion troublemakers. And so it has been from that day to this - you can always easily spot the misfit pygmies in a flock." Ekaira sighed. "And how this story might help you, I have no idea."

 

"It's a very convincing story, though, given that I don't think either of us knew what a misfit pygmy was before we came here," said Inzara. "I can't see them lasting very long in the outside world once collectors got wind of them. It's a true story, though, like all the others?" she teased.

 

"There's truth in all my stories, yes, if you look at them the right way," said Ekaira. "I'll leave you to determine the truth in this story, though."

 

"Because you've forgotten where the healers live and need to spare all your concentration for remembering?" Ekaira nodded. Chuckling, Inzara gave Ekaira directions, and they were soon at their destination. Walking had helped loosen up stiff muscles a little, but Ekaira knew she was still limping a little. Yes, seeing a healer was definitely a good idea. She'd been so used to fending for herself that it was hard to remember that she had access to other resources, now.

 

((No, I don't usually write this much. I just got long-winded for some reason.))

[CYDA LUVA83]

Lydia relaxed on a sun-dappled rock in a small glade, warming herself in the light. Stretching her feathered wings, the white dragon stood, having sunned for about two hours now. Earlier that day Lydia had helped a small hatchling by retrieving potions for it to take back to its mother, and the deed made her feel just a bit better about herself. She had told the small child to come back if its mother became even more ill, and gave it a map so it could find its way home from her glade.

 

Such was the life of a healer, alas. Finding new dragons, patching them up, and sending them on their way. No one ever stayed for very long, be it they healed or otherwise, and that was the fact that made her wings droop at the end of the day. To put it simply, Lydia was lonely. After leaving home, she had not yet found a clan to call her own or a companion to travel with. There was a little diamondback rattlesnake, though, that the healer kept near to her. He was useful for creating certain anti-venoms and acting as a pair of ears when she felt like rambling on.

 

Sadly, a non-magical snake was exactly that, a non-sentient animal who could probably only understand the tone of her voice, not the actual words she was saying. Lydia longed for other dragons to live near to. She longed for company, conversation, for indeed the white dragoness was a very social girl. Oh well, for now her little rattlesnake would be good enough company for now. Looking down at the reptile, Lydia cocked her head. "Do you think anyone new will come to see us, Mopey?" She asked as he gently coiled himself into a neat spiral around one of her horns. As per usual, the snake offered no reply. "Perhaps someone will. Perhaps you'll need to help me make more anti-venom." Still no response. "Gods, I wish you could talk."

 

The white dragoness shook out her wings, collecting the fallen feathers and pushing them into a pile so she could keep her home and medical area clean. Walking to the edge of the glade, Lydia pulled a large rock away from the ground, revealing a cleanly dug hole beneath with potions galore. At first she had just wanted to get them all in one spot, under the rock, but now the potion bottles needed labels and organizing. She'd start with labeling the poisons, not wanting to accidentally mix them up with the actual healing potions. Setting the bottles out in front of her in rows, the female sorted them into further categories until everything was organized by color, consistency, effect, name, and of course, what it actually was. Putting all the potion bottles back in the hole, Lydia pushed the rock over it to conceal them.

 

It was good to have a large supply of potions to back up already adept magical ability. Say you were a medic on the battlefield and had run yourself to exhaustion. You could use the potions instead of trying to force every last ounce of magic from your body. That was the mindset behind keeping her potions and poisons organized like so, so make sure she would be ready in case of an emergency. Sitting back on her hind legs, Lydia uncoiled her snake from her horn and held him wrapped around her paw. Don't you get bored? Being silent all the time?

[Aquila]

Nylaeni perched on a crumbling cliff, peering down into the black waters of a very deep lake. She slowly curled her claws, causing even more pieces of stone to flake off. There were several large, eel-like creatures living in this lake, and she wanted to catch one. Even if it didn't taste good, the catch would be a challenge. But she needed one of those blasted creatures to swim close to the surface. Or, at least, close enough for her to see it. If she had to wait much longer, Nylaeni was going to go to sleep and try again at night.

 

But no, there—a strip of silver, breeching to catch an unfortunate bird flying too close to the surface. She crouched and leapt off the ledge, wings folded tight to her sides as she dove towards the lake. She flared her wings and hit the water at an angle, sending a huge splash arcing into the air. She kept her focus on the eel-creature, ignoring everything else. Her claws extended and sunk into its scaly flesh. The eel turned, baring sharp teeth. Nylaeni had not expected this, and jerked her head back to avoid getting bitten. Instead of getting the soft scales on her nose, it got her neck. It closed its jaws firmly, cutting off some of her air supply. She flapped her wings once, twice, strong muscles straining to lift the eel away from the water.

 

The eel did not let go, so she used her back claws in an attempt to weaken it. Her attempt worked, and the eel dropped from her neck to latch onto a front claw, wriggling all the while. Nylaeni growled in pain—the scales around her claws were smaller and weaker. The stupid creature was going to bite off her claw. She rose into the air, struggling to keep a grip on the slippery thing. Her claws helped her keep a grip on it as she fought with the eel in the air above the lake. All she had to do to kill it was bite it in the right place. If only it would just. Stop. Moving. She thought, punctuating each word with a blow from the paw that wasn’t being bitten.

 

Finally, it let go of her paw and tried to bite her face again. She sunk her teeth into the creature’s throat and kept them there until it stopped moving. Satisfied that it was dead, Nylaeni removed her claws from its flesh. She was holding it near its head so the rest of its long, silver body dangled. The unbalanced weight made her tilt her head slightly, and she hoped no other dragons were watching.

 

Nylaeni landed in her cliff top eyrie rather awkwardly. She winced when she put too much weight on the injured paw and used a combination of limping and hopping on three legs to drag the eel into her den. She used her tail to flick away a mixed clutter of bones, half-eaten kills, and gravel before she set her kill down and sniffed it. Fishy, of course. She didn’t like fish, but the fight had made her hungry, so she tore into the carcass. Cold, She thought haughtily. Proper prey is warm. Oh, well. She crunched a few bones, swallowed, and took another bite as she inspected the injured paw.

 

Three claws had actually been effected. The sharp, silvery part of one claw dangled, but it would grow back. The other two claws had tooth marks. She bit off the dangling part to keep it from breaking any more and took another bite of eel before returning to her inspection. Many of the tiny scales around all three claws had been torn off, leaving the paw red and bleeding. She really ought to see a healer, lest it get infected. Nylaeni cleaned the claw as best she could, then used her tongue to pick a small bone out of her teeth.

 

She finished the eel and spread her wings, letting out a loud, spontaneous roar as she burst out over the lake and soared off in the direction of the nearest healer she knew. She didn't really like seeing healers. Most of them were White Dragons, who tended to disapprove of her. Let them disapprove. Honestly, I can't stand pacifists. Ridiculous, the lot of them. An oddly white boulder caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes and focused her magic, compressing the energy until the rock exploded in a burst of white gravel. She was pleased with her skills, and practiced blowing up random things until she was a few miles away from the healer's den.

Edited March 17, 2013 by Aquila

[CYDA LUVA83]

Mopey slunk off of Lydia's paw, slithering up her arm until he came to rest in between her shoulder blades where it was warmer. A series of far off explosions caught the female's attention, causing her to lift her head curiously and look to see what it was. Whatever made the noise was far way for now, so she and Mopey would be alright for the time being. If she needed to move off for a little bit to avoid a rampaging spitfire, she would.

 

Looking back at the resting snake at the base of her neck, the dragoness tilted her head out of wonder that he hadn't bitten her yet. The bite of a small rattlesnake wouldn't be fatal for a large dragon, of course, but their poison could still do a fair amount of damage. Dragons were much bigger than snakes to begin with, a lot even ate snakes regularly, so why didn't this one seem frightened of her at all? Maybe it was because she found him as a tiny baby and caught his food for him. That seemed like a good enough reason.

 

Lydia stretched her body before sitting down in the corner of her glade, bored that nothing had happened during the bulk of the day, as usual.

[Lato_Dato]

Lirm picked up the pace, his face set into a stony scowl. His wings ached too much to make flying seem an appealing option, and besides, the sooner he got back to where the rest of the Pygmies were, the sooner he could sink his fangs into some tasty food. Heavens above knew he needed the food.

The forest towered above him, making him feel small and insignificant. Not that he wasn't used to the feeling; he was a pygmy for crying out loud! Among the smallest of all the dragons! Even a medium sized dragon would find it easy to squish them under a talon...

Overcome with jealousy, he growled, stalking through the forest like an angry cat. Until, at least, a particular aroma hit his nostrils. A particular aroma... Of fish. His favorite food! Well, all foods were his favorite, but still! Drooling slightly, he decided he might as well invest some time into investigating this delicious smell. It might turn a profit after all, and it was present; something that the ambiguous promise of food from the local pygmies was not.

It wasn't long until he found the source of the delightfully fishy smell. Some idiot dragon had just left it lying there, right next to the bush! Well, finders keepers!

Lirm pounced on the fish with gusto, tearing at it with his teeth. He hadn't realized how hungry he was! Boy, this was his lucky day!

Edited March 17, 2013 by Lato_Dato

[mickiloo97]

((Gah! I hadn't realized I'd been accepted. ^^' Sorry Cyda.))

 

 

"Link! Up, up! It's almost noon, you lazy pile of scales!"

 

Rolling over onto his side, said 'lazy pile of scales' yawned wide, his chin almost bumping against his chest. Link looked up and saw the 'relatives' he lived with practically standing over him. Oh, he couldn't stand them, but he had no where else to go, and they wouldn't let him live on his own yet. Something about not knowing responsibility...

 

The Royal Blue shrugged in his mind's eye, and heaved himself up with one mighty lift. He shook off the dust that had settled on his wings during the night, and left the small, barely-a-cave, heading out to the small pond beside their humble abode. Looking down into the water, all his painful memories and resentments returned to him, but he couldn't bear to look away. The shriek of a neighboring dragon tore his attention away, and decided it'd be best not to look back again.

 

Using his wing as a giant scoop, Link lifted up some water and let it drizzle over his back, head and neck, not bothering to shake it off. He looked around. The small clearing they resided in wasn't exactly the safest place to stay because of the vulnerable nature of the place, but it was encircled with dense forest, like most of the area, and the cover it provided sufficed. Link sighed, and entered the shadows, looking for some more shut-eye. He was suppose to be nocturnal, after all.

Edited March 18, 2013 by mickiloo97

[greatguy]

Yüna chuckled as he saw the blue, muddy Nilia Pygmy approaching. Mwahahahahaha, now no more green Pygmies will bother me again!

 

Silently, he leapt out of the bush and jumped up so that his stomach was right above the Pygmy.

 

But then, while in the air, Yüna made a startling realization.

 

Wait, how do I catch this thing?, he asked himself.

 

((I know this should be longer, but I'm not sure I can add more without controlling the Pygmy))

Edited March 18, 2013 by greatguy

[Lato_Dato]

Lirm, to his credit, had a few acceptable excuse for not noticing Yüna the moment he leapt out from behind the bush. For one, he had his back turned. For a second, he had his eyes closed. For a third reason, he was tucking into some delicious, delicious fish, which always excuses letting one's guard down.

But, no matter the excuses, the result was the same - he was swiftly pinned beneath Yüna's belly with a muffled squeak of surprise. He spat out the fish, panicking and absolutely pinned.

It had been a trap! That delicious, delicious fish had been a trap! It should have been a crime!

It was almost enough to make him want to curl up and cry...

 

((Feel free to add Lirm generally abusing your character in the next post lol. Also, can I spell your character as Yuna? It's a bit of a hassle to copy and paste every time I wanna type his name derp. Also, if you are having problems with posting, PM me with complaint. I'll make the post more interesting.))

Edited March 18, 2013 by Lato_Dato

[greatguy]

(Yep. The umlaut just makes it funner )

 

Yüna heaved himself up, groaning. The small creature under him had a hard head, and Yüna was discovering it.

 

Holding the Pygmy so it couldn't escape, he studied it, vaguely aware that his arm was being bitten. The dragon was small, and muddy, and blue, and angry, so Yüna supposed that it was the sort of Pygmy he had been looking for.

 

"Okay," Yüna said, yawning. "You're now my bodyguard, I guess. Now find a girl Pygmy and make some more sold--bodyguards.

 

For some reason, this angered the Pygmy even more, and it thrashed wildly, trying to escape Yüna's grip on its wings, chest, and tail. Yüna held it firmer, and it howled in pain. It renewed its biting attack on Yüna.

 

"Why do you hate me so much?" Yüna asked, staring at the small body with a passive detatchment.

 

((Feel free to control my character as well a bit.))

[Aquila]

Nylaeni circled around the healer's sunny clearing a few times, spiraling downward. The last time she had startled a dragon it had been a Magi, and they had blown a rather large crater in the ground before realizing neither meant the other harm. While Nylaeni was always up for a good fight, she didn't want to get on the bad side of a healer. Insufferable pacifists they may be, but (she grumbled a bit whe she admitted this to herself) they could still save her life. Once she was sure the healer had spotted her, Nylaeni landed with all the loving grace of a rampaging Hellfire Wyvern. She winced as she once again put weight on her injured paw, and hopped around a bit until she could settle back onto her haunches. "Hi." she said, eyes flicking curiously to the small rattlesnake between the White Dragon's shoulderblades. Nylaeni had been here before, and she dug through her memories for the healer's name. Alisa? Lyssa? Whatever. Something along those lines.

[Mathcat]

The only healer in residence just then seemed to be the white dragon Kioren. Ekaira actually remembered his name without prompting, to her surprise, though not for a good reason. Kioren hadn't made the most favorable impression on Ekaira when they'd first met, and she hoped his curtness then had been the result of some job-related frustration and not a character trait.

 

Kioren was examining a collection of herbs spread out in front of him, and seemed not to have noticed Ekaira's arrival, so she cleared her throat. "My apologies for bothering you, Healer Kioren," Ekaira began, knowing it was best to start as respectfully as she could.

 

"What?" snapped Kioren, before Ekaira had a chance to say anything else. He looked up from his herbs and gave her a cursory once-over. "You don't look sick or injured, so why are you bothering me? If you expect me to waste my time and magic on a stubbed toe, you're gravely mistaken." Kioren then returned to sorting through the herbs, clearly having decided that Ekaira wasn't worthy of his attention.

 

Well, Ekaira was no stranger to rudeness, and could resist the urge to reply in kind. She spread her wings slightly, as a signal to Inzara to not get involved just yet (no point in giving the white dragon just cause to be annoyed at them), and addressed Kioren again. "I'm unused to flying, given that I've always made a very tempting target for any watching humans. I strained a few muscles yesterday, which normally wouldn't be a cause for concern, except that they're putting extra stress on some old injuries. All I'm asking for is some sort of salve or balm I can use." Such had been effective in the past, and she'd practically bought it from the humans by the gallon. Ekaira also wanted to know whether or not anything could be done about the pain that was the end result of years of untrained shapeshifting, but wasn't going to push her luck - not with Kioren already so irritated at her.

 

"Well, I have none to offer, and if you think I'm going to waste any magic on you when there could be someone with real injuries staggering my way in an hour, you're gravely mistaken. Your foolishness got you injured, so you can deal with the consequences." Kioren glared at Ekaira, who met his gaze without backing away. She'd be a poor black dragon if she let this temperamental healer intimidate her.

 

Ekaira walked toward Kioren, slowly yet deliberately, adjusting posture and expression to something that had never failed to cause troublesome humans, at least, to back down. Inzara, for her part, stayed silent. Ekaira caught a momentary flash of fear from Kioren, and then he merely looked annoyed again. "Okay, fine. Just enough to take the edge off. After that, leave."

 

Though Kioren's personality left much to be desired, his healing skills did not. The old pain remained, but Ekaira was certainly used to that by now. Inzara stayed quiet until they were well away from Kioren's den, and then flew up to hover in front of Ekaira's face. "Well, they certainly didn't make him head of the healers because of his charming personality, did they? I admire your patience. Shall we try someone else? Selroa seems nice enough, if much too shy, even though I hear she's not at Kioren's level."

 

Ekaira shook her head. "Kioren's the best they've got, and I don't want some half-trained apprentice trying to fix me. I can't even tell how much damage I did to myself though shapeshifting without knowing what I was doing, so someone lacking experience is only likely to make matters worse. I've lived with the pain for this long, after all. Besides, if it gets bad enough, I'm sure I can convince Kioren to treat me. I suspect he'd have been a last resort in a more prosperous colony, but certainly not for lack of skill."

 

Inzara had returned to her place on Ekaira's back. "No, for his complete lack of charm. I say we go find a nice, quiet spot to sunbathe, or else see what the flock's getting up to. The misfits won't dare try anything while you're around, and maybe you can suggest some mostly harmless pranks."

 

Ekaira was given no chance to respond, for just then a quiet voice came from nearby. "Excuse me?" Ekaira looked around, and spotted a small nilia pygmy crouched under a bush. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but are you looking for a healer?" Ekaira nodded. "My brother says he knows a really good healer, but she lives quite a long flight from here. She healed his broken wing so well that it doesn't even ache in bad weather, so I'm sure she could help you."

 

"That sounds encouraging," said Ekaira. "Can you give me directions?" The nilia did so, and Ekaira thanked her, even though she had no idea how to translate the directions into something that made sense for someone her size. Landmarks that were obvious to a dragon the size of a small cat were likely to be almost impossible to see at the normal height and speed of a airborne dragon her size.

 

After the nilia flew off, Ekaira turned her head to look at Inzara. "And what does that equate to for me?"

 

"It'll take us a while to get there, especially since you'll have to fly slowly and low to the ground so we don't miss anything. Are your wings up to more flying?"

 

Ekaira spread her wings a little, flexing them back and forth. "I think so. Kioren can heal, at least, and it'll be worth a little pain if we can attempt to entice a friendly healer back to the colony."

 

Even with Inzara to navigate, Ekaira still had to backtrack a couple of times, but at last she landed near the healer's glade. Right away, she discovered one fact the nilia pygmy either hadn't known or had forgotten to tell them. "At least you'll have immediate medical attention if that snake bites you," said Inzara, a slight trace of smugness in her words. As long as she stayed on Ekaira's back, she'd be well out of the rattlesnake's way.

 

"I seem to recall hearing that snakes are a symbol of healing among certain human cultures," Ekaira said, rather dubiously. "I'm not sure the snakes in question were venomous, though." She wondered if the healer were foolhardy, to be that close to something that might kill her, or just very confident in her abilities. Still, Ekaira had come too far to turn back, so she'd just have to trust that the white dragon knew what she was doing.

 

Ekaira realized that she'd been standing at the edge of the glade for long enough that her hesitation would be obvious. She hoped that the healer would take that as politeness, not to approach while she was busy with another patient. Ekaira walked forward, not bothering to hide the pain that was causing her to favor her left side, until she was close enough to make it clear she was waiting for the healer, yet still far enough away not to be eavesdropping.

 

((No, really. I usually don't write this much at one time.))

[Doomkaiser]

The land breathed as the wind glided softly through the tall trees, the birds chirping as the flew from their nests to the skies above.

 

A shadow flew low over the land, it's black shape standing out against the land, causing all the woodland animals to flee under it's menacing shape and speed. The shadow dived in to a clearing and landed with a loud boom, it's speed transfering in to the poor deer it had landed on. The shape was a dragon, a nebula infact. He was proud of the quality of deer he had caught and instead of taking it to a safe spot, decided to eat it right there.

 

'Igneel, you've outdone yourself yet again.' Igneel thought, savouring the flavour of the freshly caught deer, all the while being alert for any threats that might come his way.

[mickiloo97]

A large boom was heard in the not-so-far-off distance, and Link turned his attention to it. He debated within himself. Go towards it? Maybe someone was in trouble and was injured. But did he honestly care? He did, a little bit, only for the welfare of his own kind. At least, that's what he'd always told himself. It was mostly true, he was concerned with the mortality of dragons as a species, but as individual, he wasn't too thrilled with them. Other dragons were so... Feral. Aggressive. Of course, he didn't have anything against aggressiveness; anything other than envy.

 

His mind reeled out of his deepening, brooding thoughts and refocused them on the sound. Maybe he should check it out because he was bored..? He didn't have much else to do at the time. All there was to do nowadays was to survive, and he had already accomplished that for the time being.

 

He rolled his eyes. Link stayed to the shadows of the forest, remembering and pinpointing where the boom came from. He wasn't sure of the accuracy of his decision, but went with it anyway.

 

The smell of death and blood and prey filled his nostrils as he walked. Was that a good sign? Maybe someone was hurt... He didn't know if this was the original source of the boom he was tracking, but he was going to surge ahead and figure out what smelled so...

 

Link stepped out into a clearing that he couldn't exactly remember, but he might have just lost his bearing somewhere along the way. The first thing his mind could comprehend was, well, the smell, then the blood that covered the dragon's muzzle, then the deer. The Royal Blue paused, unsure of how to continue. His first reaction would have been to turn around and amble away, like it had never happened, but then he remembered that he was probably the only one of the two dragons to be completely fine with that. Still thinking about what the most appropriate action would be, he spatted his first and only thoughts.

 

"Oh, uh. I thought someone had crash-landed and gotten hurt; that was quite a thump. I'll leave...?" Under his breath, he continued, 'Because you probably don't feel like sharing and I don't want to get hurt...' However, he didn't move a muscle, but he did flinch and squirm under the pressure that undoubtedly only he felt. Link blinked and sighed, pinning his wings tightly against his back in nervousness.

[CYDA LUVA83]

Lydia stood when Nylaeni landed in the clearing, the face of the dragoness before her a familiar one. "Oh, hello." Her tail swished from side to side lightly behind her, the tip trailing the grass and leaving a small imprint. The snake on her back looked up at the black dragon, tilting its head and tucking further into the scales of the white dragon's back. Walking over to Nylaeni, she offered a small bow of greeting before noticing her paw. "What did you do to injure yourself?" Lydia asked. If the dragoness had scraped it, jabbed it, had it bitten, or anything else, she needed to know. Another loud thud in the distance caught her attention for a moment, but the white dragon disregarded it for now.

A few moments later, Lydia saw something out of focus in the corner of her eye. Another dragon. "You can come rest up here if you need to." She called out to them, motioning with her wing to the space that the rest of the glade had to offer.

[Mathcat]

Well, at least this healer was more polite than Kioren. Ekaira decided to take the healer up on her offer, and found a comfortable spot to wait that was closer to what was going on. She kept her distance from the healer's black dragon patient, though, as she hadn't always had especially good luck interacting with others of her breed.

 

Carefully stretching out, Ekaira pretended to close her eyes, though she kept one open slightly to observe the healer. Inzara, being small enough to be generally considered cute, knew she didn't have to hide her interest, so she flew from Ekaira's back to a nearby tree, the better to see what was going on.

 

((See? Shorter this time.))