• The Plagued Earth •

[Fiirewolvar]

Astra seemed to have been travelling for ages, though it had only been a short while, maybe an hour or so. She was trying to find somewhere to live - though she was unsure exactly why she had to find somewhere to live, shouldn't that be an adult's job? - and to hunt. She'd come across one cave but had found it to be inhabited by a bear, and it was too far from the birth-cave anyway, for in case she needed another hatchling's help. She was now heading back to the birth cave, her balance and speed slowly improving. She heard running water suddenly and realised how hot and thirsty she was. She set off towards the source of the noise, soon coming across a huge lake. Finally! She would get to drink! She headed towards the shore, slipping a bit on the wet mud, and when she reached the lake shore she was covered in mud and grass. She drunk a bit then leaped into the lake, splashing around in the shallower parts, then trying to swim, getting clean in the process. Finally she flopped down on the lake shore, tired, and after looking at herself in the water, and wondering slightly why her teeth stuck out like that (Was that normal?) she fell into a deep sleep.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Fiirewolvar

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem's heart almost stopped when she heard a voice. Not just any voice, a male voice.

Oh please, oh please, don't be speaking with me. I can't handle males at all. Please, oh please... Clem lifted her head and had to bite her tongue to keep from yelping. The red hatchling from before was looming over her. Clem's eyes locked onto his for a brief moment before she glanced down. Those curved muscles, deep voice, rancid scent... it was all so terrifying! Clem ducked her head and wrapped her tail closer to her, slightly squeezing her side. Panic flooded her mind and she couldn't think straight. Why did he have to come up and talk to her? Why, oh why did he have to pick her? Of all the people here, why was she interesting? She wasn't anything special. Just a frail pink ball hiding in the corner. She didn't stand out like Michiru with her fancy colors and singing and Spira with her wings and intricate silver patterns. Why her? Of everyone he could of talked to, why her?

"U-Um.." Clem started as she moved her head up. She looked up at the red, for once noticing the eye patch. "I-I'm Clem-en... Clementine..." Clem's eyes darted back to the ground and she nervously shook. I'm a big brave dog. Big brave dog, big brave dog...

[kronosdragon]

Sunder-Eye backed off a little, sensing her unease. Maybe she was more like him than he had previously thought? He lowered his stance, laying on his belly to be more on her level. His voice softened to his usual, almost plaintive tone.

 

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to st-startle you!" he said apologetically. "I, um..."

 

His voice fell to a near whisper.

 

"M-My name is Sunder-Eye. Y-You looked like a nice, quiet hatchling to talk to. Many of the others...th-they're a little scary, and really loud..."

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem's heart raced madly as the hatchling laid down on his belly.

I'M NOT A BIG BRAVE DOG, I'M NOT A BIG BRAVE DOG,Clem's eyes shifted back and forth and breaths became shaky. Her body shook uncontrollably and the scent of fear, of the red hatchling could recognize it, lifted from her scales.

"U-Um... Ye-Yeah.." she said with a small nod. "Some p-people he-here are really, really, lo-loud." Clem's eyes flicked over to the cave wall as she tried to regain her composure.

You can do this. This isn't so bad. Clem told herself. But what if he bites me? What if he attacks me or calls me mean names? another voice in her head argued. What would mother think? What would mother think? She would disappointed! She would think Clem was stronger than that. She would push Clem forward. Yeah! Clem shouldn't be afraid. She should face her fear. Taking a deep breath, Clem looked back over at Sunder Eye.

"Nice to meet you, S-Sunder Eye."

Edited October 16, 2013 by Doctortear

[kronosdragon]

He gave her a small smile, pushing on the edges of the leaf that covered his eye and making them crumble a little.

 

"It's n-nice to meet you too."

 

He backed up a little more, seeing that she was practically oozing fear. Was it something he'd said? Or was it because he was so big? Surely he didn't seem like that much of a threat...

 

"I'm sorry for scaring you, I-I didn't mean to. I'm just...alone. I-If I'm b-bothering you, I can go away," he said softly.

[HomeForFlowers]

Guilt filled Clem's mind as Sunder admitted that he was lonely. It's my fault, if only I was brave...

N-No, it's not you're fault," Clem insisted. She lifted a shaky paw into the air and moved it towards Sunder. She hesitated as she realized that Sunder may not be comfortable with her touching him. Instead, Clem gently placed her paw next to his.

"I'm not afraid because you're big and scary," Clem said slowly. "I'm afraid because you're a... you're a...." The word "male" slipped from Clem's tongue as she tried to say it with little success.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Doctortear

[kronosdragon]

Sunder-Eye looked at her expectantly, unsure of what to think. What was he that made her so frightened of him? He wasn't that big, was he?

 

"I'm a what?" he asked, his tail curling around his back leg.

[Bacon_Strips]

Skylene paid heedful attention to Kalana's advice while staring off into the open to reflect, not even noticing the clear panic the Striped displayed after unknowingly sharing her opinion. "Well..." she replied, still staring past everything around her, "I thought I didn't care about...this dragon for a long time, but then I recently realized I do kinda care about him, especially after he-" She quickly stopped herself from giving too much detail or information before resuming. "I do care about him, but I'm not sure if my heart would hurt him." I'm not even sure what my heart feels anymore... "I'd usually be more worried about making myself happy, but he.......he's just different.....I dunno......Maybe I should think about this some more. Thanks, Kalana. I'll be sure to remember your words and opinion." This led to Skylene wondering where the Tsunami could be. He couldn't have just left, could he? He has to be here somewhere, right? She began showing signs of worry herself. Had her words affected him too much?

Edited October 16, 2013 by Bacon_Strips

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem stumbled over her words as she tried to explain what was wrong. "You're a... m-..al..." Clem licked her lips and twitched her tail. Just spit it out already!

"You're a male," she said silently. It took a moment for Clem to realize what she said but, when she did, her eyes widened and her paws trembled. She laid her head on the ground and covered her head with her free paw. She let out a small whimper as she realized how silly that sounded. That sounded stupid. He's going to laugh at me now. Watch, he's just going to be laughing all over the place...

[kronosdragon]

"Well, I guess I can understand..."

 

Sunder-Eye cracked a smile.

 

"I think others like me would be p-pretty scary, huh? Y-You don't have to worry about me...I'm pretty harmless. I can't even catch my own food. Unless that food happens to be bugs, but bugs are icky..."

 

He made an almost comical face, sticking his tongue out and furrowing his brow disgustedly.

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem lifted up her paw and blinked at Sunder. He was making an incredibly silly face. Clem couldn't stop herself from letting out a shy giggle. Maybe, Sunder wasn't so bad after all. He wasn't laughing at her and he resembled mama more than he did a big scary male. Like Jean... Clem shivered at the thought of the pink hatchling and glanced in his direction. Her heart ached when she saw Michiru was beside him.

Maybe she likes him more than she likes me... Clem looked back at Sunder and felt a twitch of anger in her head.

Sunder like me. I don't see him picking scary old Jean over me.

Clem removed her paw from her head and let out a small yawn, her pick mouth opening wide, exposing tiny white teeth.

"You're... you're not so bad, Sunder," Clem said softly.

[kronosdragon]

He was surprised that he wasn't feeling much of his usual anxiety, and the compliment made him feel better.

 

"Th-Thanks," he said softly. "Can...Can we be friends? I know I'm not much, but..."

 

He cast his eye to the side.

 

"But I'm just as afraid of being alone as I am being with others, if that...makes any sense."

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem pondered Sunder's words for a moment. "Y-Yeah, I can understand that," she said with a nod. Clem picked herself up and sat herself down onto her haunches. She flexed her paws in and out, letting her claws scrap the ground below.

"I don't see why we can't be friends," Clem said gently. "My only other friend is..." Clem couldn't keep her gaze from falling on Michiru. A pang of hurt entered her heart and her gazed lingered on her friend. Slowly, her gaze dropped to the floor and she shuffled her paws.

"My other friend is with Jean now," Clem said quietly. She couldn't stop the disappointment from entering her voice. Clem was willingly for Michiru to be with other people, but why did she have to be with Jean?

[kronosdragon]

"Well, then...we can keep each other company, when Jean isn't around," he said, following her gaze to the other hatchling.

 

"I...W-We should..."

 

He fought to find the words to say.

 

"B-Birds of a feather, flock together, right?"

[HomeForFlowers]

For once, Clem gave Sunder a grin, a toothy one at that. "Y-Yeah, we're a flock," she chirped. "Or a pack. Oh! Are we wolves? I'm not sure I would want to be a wolf." Clem scratched her chin and thought about it. "Wolves are pretty mean," she stated. "They bite and eat things. I don't think I like wolves..."

[kronosdragon]

Sunder-Eye shuddered at the mention of wolves.

 

"No...No, wolves are not good...I almost ran right into some today. They're pretty scary."

 

He sat up on his haunches, relaxing a little bit. He absently scratched at his bad eye, momentarily forgetting that the patch was there and accidentally tearing through it with his claws. He looked down at the crumbles of dried leaf in his paw.

 

"Oops..."

[LegendOfKorraFan]

Rico lifted his head at the scent of... dragon blood? Rico darted his eyes behind him to see if Lucifer was bleeding, but the only blood on him was goose blood. Rico looked down at himself and saw his body's elixir of life ooze from his snake bite. His chest felt numb and his neck was getting stiff, but he knew the venom's effects would wear off soon.

Rico turned back in front of him and smelled the air around him. The scent of blood was faint, but definitely there. Yet, that wasn't the only thing he detected; two other dragons, one had a familiar smell, and the other foreign. He pawed at his muzzle in annoyance. Too many smells hurt his head.

Rico padded on forward, following the fragrance of blood. Then, all of a sudden, Rico heard a cry for help, but in his mind. He knew it wasn't him talking to himself, in fact it was a females voice, one that he knew all too well. Sindri. Rico's bore his teeth and flared his nostrils at the thought of her. He didn't know why at the moment, but he didn't care. Rico was going to finish what he had started and enjoy every second of it.

 

 

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem let out a small gasp as the leaf fell. "Oh," she said softly. "Let me get that for you." Clem brushed her paw against the rocky cave floor and grasped the leaf in her paw. She began to hand it over to Sunder, but when she looked up, her heart seemed to slow.

T-that's right... He has a ruined eye. Trying to keep herself from staring at her new friend's deformity, Clem stared into his normal eye. "T-Take it," she whispered. "Although, I don't think you really need it..."

Edited October 16, 2013 by Doctortear

[kronosdragon]

He took the leaf and tied it back on with the grass.

 

"No, I do need it...I d-don't want to scare anyone with this," he said, trailing a claw along the crippling scar. "I-I know it makes me look hideous," he added with a sad smile.

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem tilted her head to the side, confusion setting upon her features.

"Why does it matter if you're pretty or not?" she asked innocently. "So what if you're not the best looking person in the world? Your appearance doesn't matter. It's how you act that matters. If anyone judges you for looking different, then shame on them! You deserve better than judgmental peers." Clem gave Sunder a worried glance. "Though, if you feel like you need it, then I suppose you can wear it." she said uneasily. "If you don't feel comfortable without it, then go ahead and wear it. Just don't think you're scary, okay?" Clem playfully batted at Sunder's nose; a small giggles crept out of her mouth.

[kronosdragon]

His mouth hung open for a moment before confusion set into his features.

 

"But...everyone else is so pretty, especially you and the one that looks like night, and the one that's blue and white...They all look so nice and I'm...I'm just broken."

 

He sighed, looking at her confusedly.

 

"Not to mention I think I'm...too scared to really...to be of any use to anyone. But...thank you, for the encouragement."

 

He gave her a small smile.

 

"It really does mean a lot."

[HomeForFlowers]

Clem frowned at Sunder's words. Her mind struggled with Sunder's words. How could she reply to that? Oh! What about mum? Everyone listens to her and she's broken!

"You haven't seen my mama, have you?" Clem asked Sunder. "She's a really important person that everyone listens to, and you know what? She's crippled. Her right foot is completely limp. It flops all over the place and makes her look.... less than appealing. But you know what? People aren't afraid of her. She's does just fine with that floppy foot of hers." Clem paused for a moment to, licking her lips as she continued.

"If she can be an important and liked person, despite her deformity, than so can you. I see no reason as to why you can't."

[kronosdragon]

Sunder cocked his head.

 

"Your...mum?"

 

He was a little confused.

 

"Wha...What's a 'mum?'"

[KoalaNoob]

Kalana began turning around to leave, but she hesitated and froze mid-stride before turning back around to face Skylene. Her thoughts were in complete and utter turmoil, tangling together in such a frenzy that Kalana couldn't hope to understand just one of them, let alone all. Instead of trying to, she squeezed her eyes shut and began wimpering pitifully, like a young hatchling who just lost its mother. The longer she stayed in the position she was in, the more thoughts joined the party in her mind, until no more would fit. Somehow, she squeezed more inside, from her own will. What should I do?! Skylene is right there! A well-respected dragon is right in front of me, and I'm just having what looks like a seizure!

Edited October 17, 2013 by KoalaNoob

[Fiirewolvar]

Astra had woken up again after a dream in which she was able to breathe in water and she realized what a bad idea it had been to go to sleep here, on the banks of a river, where anything could get to her. She shuddered at the thought of a wolf or bear crossing her path as she slept and looked around. She needed to find a shelter - that was for certain. She also needed to get better at fighting - illusions wouldn't hold foes off forever and she could only cast 2 every hour or so. She sat and drank a bit more water, but still felt a bit foggy. This, she realized, was the first time she'd ever seen night, and she felt empowered. She could see very well at night, and felt like she'd be able to run forever. That was perfect - she'd be able to find a cave tonight. She started running into the forest.

A short while later, she decided that the night did seem to empower her. She could definitely run for longer, at least. She'd moved slightly away from the river and was standing in a clearing, panting slightly - though she could run for longer, she couldn't run forever. She looked at the trees around her, and suddenly heard the snap of a stick breaking. A moment later, another creature - a weasel - stepped out into the clearing. It was small but hissed loudly and Astra couldn't help but notice its sharp claws and the menacing way it stared at her. She growled half-heartedly and hoped it wouldn't notice how scared she was.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Fiirewolvar