Pagos Epochi - The Time of Ice

[Jass]

Ace looked at the cavern with a sick expression. "Eyes need to be right open..." He sniffled and rubbed his eyes before walking again. He wasn't sure if the other dragons will still notice his glowing, red eyes. "A-a-achoo!" He sneezed. Shivering and coughing was a pain to him. He panted as he walked, obviously tired from trying to walk in such a cold place.

 

He rammed his paws to get through the snow. Lifting your own paws is so tiring and boring... Ace thought."I'm a stupid kid..." He muttered quietly. He was sure he would lose something in exchange for that warmth. "Ah...the law of equivalent exchange..." He "joked" around before coughing. "I hope I don't have frostbite...which is very unlikely..." He sneezed. He looked at his body to find that the slime that was suppose to help him in sunlight had pretty much almost froze. Scratch that...extremely unlikely... He thought tiredly.

 

((Full metal alchemist reference...))

[TurtleDragon]

(OOC: Old post is crossed out and sorry for edit but I fixed the cold discussion; this is the edited post)

 

Well flare had decided to take a walk outside as he had a very, I don't know disturbing dream? Yes very disturbing. Well the dream almost seemed like a. Flashback? Yes. He recalled the dream as he thought this. It was dark, twisted, almost demonic. The sky was filled with fire and ice although if this WAS a flashback then that part was faulty memory, but something else was there. A large black creature that had NOTHING dragon about it other than well, looking like a dragon in appearance... Sort of. But it was large with eyes that seemed to steal his soul away with the sheer fierceness of its gaze. Then it came for him, screaming like death itself had come for flares light, to extinguish it and replace it with hatred and fear. Just then is when he woke up. Next thing he knew he was on a walk trying to regain his grip on reality but instead, finding trails of frozen slime! Well I've had an unusual day, that I can be sure of; and with that he followed the trail to find a block of walking frozen slime. He noticed it was REALLY cold so he hurried along. With utter disbelief he walked towards it and the rest was a blur... the next thing he knew he was helping the"ice" to the cave so he could melt him in the cave as, the ice was going for the cave and he was going back due to the cold so he may as well help the "ice" get to safety. Well if it was some kind of messed up dragon then yes; he needed to help it. He asked it if it was ok and waited for a response but, all he heard were murmurs and decided to just push the ice along in order to help the dragon inside as, there was definitely a dragon inside that mess. He needed to go NOW he was freezing! He didn't expect it to be this cold. Well I need to get back to the cave one way or another!

Edited September 19, 2013 by TurtleDragon

[Ayesthine]

((OOC: Turtle? I'm afraid what I told Silver also applies to you... even though Flare is covered by fire, he's still a hatchling. Not to mention, fire can only go so far. Under certain temperatures its impossible to light/sustain a fire. I'm also confused as to whom you are interacting with))

[Bacon_Strips]

(OOC: We probably need a plot-centered post so more interactions can be made.)

 

Placing the dustbin next to edge of the table, Nigh made one simple and swift sweeping motion with the hand broom, collecting the crumbs of gingerbread cookies once munched on by cheery hatchlings. The pygmy then moved himself along with the bin one foot to the right, performing the process again rapidly and successfully, functioning in a near perfect manner, much like that of a highly acclaimed robot.

 

Some bread right there, some stew over here,

a mess of salt, traces of malt,

pieces of fruitcake all about, some finely seasoned chopped-up trout,

stains of hot chocolate left and right, strawberries without a single bite...

 

The Dark Myst was rather poetic, which translated itself into his work. His actions and thoughts coordinated almost perfectly when he tried hard enough.

 

Doko demo nage tamago o debirudo, soreha, darekaga isu o kowashi araware,

Eggunoggu to gohan, nan kōkei, enbā wa, jobu kon'ya o motte imasu!

 

Eventually enough, his mind began taking English and replacing it with Japanese. No one in the caves knew about Nigh being bilingual, though he didn't think it was much to talk about. He was more focused on getting the job at hand done rather than reflecting on his abilities.

[skiddajane]

 

Oliver slowly scanned the trees for signs of prey. Seeing nothing, he continued onward towards a long stretch of barren land that was covered in snow. He had no permanent home, so he made due with what he had. Beginning to cross the snowy landscape, he felt the familiar tingle of frostbite on his left side. I need to make a shelter. He thought. He abandoned his search for prey, and began looking for a large log or rock. He found a very large, rotting log and began to dig under it. He propped it up with some boulders, and covered the top with snow. He made his "roof" thick enough to last a few hours before being melted by his body heat. After finishing his makeshift home, he stopped to admire his work. feeling satisfied, he crawled in to rest.

[TurtleDragon]

(OOC: Well Flare just went out to take a walk as the "ice block" was getting closer to the cave so he had only been out for about 5 minutes and flare is heated to the core so it's harder to cool that + I didn't mention the name of the "ice block" as flare doesn't know who is in the block of ice plus the grey was slowing the storm so it is warming up a little due to the sun coming out little bit by little bit but flare didn't see the sky.Never mind this I edited the post of problem)

Edited September 20, 2013 by TurtleDragon

[HomeForFlowers]

((OOC: I think Aye means that Flare just waltz out into the blizzard and be fine. Doll, who is an ANCIENT dragon who is HIGHLY resistant to the cold nearly DIED out there. How can Flare survive the blizzard so easily when an ancient who has more experience with the cold can't? Oh and I think it's colder than -10F out there. Even if Felix is calming the blizzard, it still isn't warm enough for someone to survive in.))

Edited September 19, 2013 by Doctortear

[Evensong]

...and then her eyes flew open and she gasped. She was lying in a corner of the hall, in the shadows. A Dark Myst pygmy was clearing the garbage left over from the feast. How much time had passed? She did not know. She stayed in her corner for a little while longer, wondering about her vision. Emerald wings... A Bright Breasted Wyvern, perhaps? A Green dragon? Maybe even a Fleshcrowne when seen in the right light... A Neotropical? A sapphire orb? That could be anything from a jewel to magic to an eye. The narrowed eyes seemed to be draconian, not that that really helps. And someone dancing... What? And them someone killd someone... She shuddered as she thought of the painful snap, the inevitable, creeping darkness. It's not real. It's not real. "It's not real." she said to herself, loud enough for the Dark Myst to hear. She mentally filed her vision away into the back of her mind. She had learned long ago that it was no use trying to understand her visions, jumbled, confusing things as they were. No, it was better not to think about them too much. 

 

[Bacon_Strips]

Continuing to clean up the feast, Nigh overheard the sound of a Specklethroat speaking. Glancing over in a solemn manner, he found that it was just Freya speaking to herself. Deciding the task at hand wasn't to be stopped, and to respect the privacy of the dragon, he continued to sweep up the food without saying anything to her. It will be best to leave Ms. Freya alone for now.....if she were to need me for something, that would be a better option than rudely butting into her business... He nodded his head in agreement to his own idea while sweeping up the remains of a pumpkin pie. It appears whoever had this for desert was full before he began...

[Evensong]

Rising to her feet, Freya sheepishly shook some dust off her scales. She hesitated for a moment, not sure where to go. Hr attention was caught by Nigh cleaning the remains of a pumpkin pie. Ooh maybe I'll have some more pie? Nah. I'm really way too full already. I guess I'll head back to my room then! Yeah. That sounds nice. She trotted eagerly out of the dining hall, calling "Hi Nigh! Merry Christmas!" as she passed. The decorations and festive spirit had put a smile back on her face and her vision was forgotten.

[MasterWeavile898]

((OOC: I think Aye means that Flare just waltz out into the blizzard and be fine. Doll, who is an ANCIENT dragon who is HIGHLY resistant to the cold nearly DIED out there. How can Flare survive the blizzard so easily when an ancient who has more experience with the cold can't? Oh and I think it's colder than -10F out there. Even if Felix is calming the blizzard, it still isn't warm enough for someone to survive in.))

(OOC: Don't forget Iceburn, who is also extremely resistant and younger. (Her metabolism is probably a bit better.) Even she can't stay out too long. And Evie, don't forget poor, almost-dead Evie.)

[skiddajane]

 

Oliver relaxed in his makeshift home and watched the blizzard outside. He was cold, but not to the point of freezing. Regardless, he was afraid to fall asleep. He couldn't see anything with the blizzard going so strong, and occasionally a gust of wind would blow snow into his face. Merry Christmas to me... He thought.

[Bacon_Strips]

Nigh put down his broom and brush and respectfully bowed as the Specklethroat greeted him while passing by. "Aisatsu, Ms. Freya. Merry Christmas indeed." Immediately after, the Dark Myst grasped his cleaning tools firmly and resumed to work, intent on keeping his quick and effective pace going until he was finished. Dragons still sitting down and chatting after they had had their fill got up from their seats when they saw the toilsome small dragon move toward their area, not wanting to interfere out of a combination of respect and pity. Surely, one single dragon, a pygmy nevertheless, cleaning up an entire feast was not the result of willingness. That idea had been thrown out a long time ago by a realization of self-importance.

 

Once finished cleaning the feast, Nigh took the two dustbins used for the job to the Ember. It was apparent to the Ember that the tiny dragon was having trouble lifting both bins, but decided not to help him anyways. It was what Nigh would've wanted, the dragon figured, who had quietly observed him over the years. Taking the two bins the Dark Myst delivered, the Ember hoisted them effortlessly and walked to his chambers, but not before giving a silent nod of approval to him.

[Ayesthine]

Doll's heavy brow wrinkled as the cries of the hatchling grew weaker. "Go." She said, shaking her head. "I can manage on my own." She extricated herself from Kyu's hold, and ruffled her wings. With difficulty, she tore herself away from the piercing calls and limped down the rocky tunnel.

Idiot.

Doll shook her head.

You were out in the storm! You could have saved it.

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to suppress the thought.

No, I couldn't have. There hasn't been a storm of this magnitude for.. hundreds of years! We thought the ice had passed, and it was safe...

Her fracture tail lashed angrily.

Safe. Never. Never forget what happened, Doll. These caves, this EARTH, wil never be safe.

Huge, labored wingbeats swept Absalom though the narrow tunnels. As he swerved to avoid a stalactite, he grimaced in pain. The taught membrane of his wing scraped against the rough walls.

Help us, Nicholas. They must get inside!

The Winter Magi's whirling mind had been tracking the storm all through Christmas day. A sudden change in the pattern disturbed him, boding evil for all above the caves.

Hairo may have sensed it, old fool. She knows enough for that.

He pursed his lips, and flew on.

[Jass]

Although his body was practically numb, he could feel something or someone was pushing him towards the cave. He continued on however, as he would rather continue on than waste more of his time outside by looking to see who or what was with him. His paws were hurting more each time he had them ram through the snow. His wings froze onto his body, making him completely flightless in the cold blizzard. Panting, Ace wasn't sure if he was getting closer to the entrance or not, as his vision was blurred.

[Bacon_Strips]

(OOC: Please tell me if this is wrong. I will change it immediately.)

 

Setting the broom down, Nigh looked over at tables he had cleaned. They appeared spotless, almost too clean for twenty minutes of work. He did not smile at his accomplishment, but instead tried to find something important to do. I still owe the others for their hard work. The cleaning was the easy part. The sudden noise of hurried wings could be heard throughout the tunnels with a faint echo, able to be picked up with the Dark Myst's hearing. What could this be about? The sight of a stressed Absalom flying quickly confirmed his thoughts. Someone is in danger, clearly. Is it the weather?

Edited September 26, 2013 by Bacon_Strips

[Taleena Fuka]

As if she was suddenly snapped out of a trance she shook her her head, turned and then ran towards the entrance. As she ran, she telepathically said, <Thanks doll!> When she got to the entrance, the blizzard she thought she had subdued earlier had come back at full forced- no, even stronger than before! Even this much cold bothered her just a little, a caretaker who practically treats some of the coldest temperatures as her playground! Imagine what it would- She didn't want to waste anymore time thinking, and she certainly didnt want to fight with the weather when it had proved it wasnt going to listen to her today. Kyu ran through the snow with all her might despite having a hard time seeing. "If you can hear my voice, respond little one!"

Edited September 23, 2013 by Taleena Fuka

[XxDragonletxX]

Tirren could hear someone call out from the wind, it echoed into her earfrills as she flapped her wings one more time in an effort to stay aloft. Hope surged up in her chest like a rising tide as she called out with all of her might, beak agape. "I'm here!" Panting with the effort, she narrowed her eyes against the falling snow to see a gray and silvery shape trudging towards her.'Thank...Santa who ever it is!' Her earfrills perked to to hear for a response or the flapping of wings nearby.

[Taleena Fuka]

"Yes! I can hear you!" She could see the faint image of the little one! When the little one was fully in sight, she carefully embraced the hatchling with her tail, and nuzzled the hatchling. "It's alright now, I got you. Everything will be alright! Grab a hold of me, and we'll be where everyone else is very soon!"

 

[Bacon_Strips]

Feeling a sense of guilt for being rather nosy in others' situations, Nigh decided to try and find where Absalom could've been headed to. Although it was true that there were a lot of tunnels, the Dark Myst figured the Winter Magi was headed to another dragon, and it was likely that there were dragons outside. Oh dear, it is the weather now isn't it? There's probably a dragon out there who is freezing to death, where Mr. Absalom is headed. Though the weather outside was usually too cold for him to survive at this time of year, Nigh headed over to the entrance to the outside, hoping to be of some assistance in the caves if it was necessary.

[XxDragonletxX]

The hatchling gripped onto the Ribbon-tailed danger tightly with her tiny fingers on the very tipy-top of each wing. In no time, she would be huddled with 'the others' safe and warm with a new home to be in. It sounded wonderful to her, and she loved it. She closed her eyes and tryed to imagine all of the wonderful things that would come to her.

((Sorry for the short post))

[Ayesthine]

((Ready, set, go!))

 

You sit, tightly curled and bulging blind eyes closed, crushed against the cold walls of your home. The reddish-orange light of the setting sun filters through the porous shell. You shiver involuntairly, and scrunch your thin body tighter together. The stagnant air confined within your egg nearly suffocates your young, inexperienced lungs. The chilly outside air steals into your bones, and your breath comes out in clouds of white. Your egg is jostled roughly by unseen claws, and the orange light is extinguished. Someone, using some strange and twisted foresight, has wrapped their stolen plunder, which includes you and a few other eggs, in a rough woven blanket. Your egg crashes into another, and you quiver uncontrollably from the impact. Momentary vertigo overwhelms your senses as you are lifted into the air yet again. The bundle of blanket you've been wrapped is crushed into a gunnysack, and the whole thing is slung over a hard, bony shoulder.

 

Manic laughing permeates the layers of cloth and rings in your childish ears. You wince and turn away, but the raucus noise follows you. You don't know it, and never will, but your village is destroyed. Your mother and father were slaughtered mercilessly by looters and thieves, and their meager and hard-won possesions were rifled through without concern for privacy or respect. Your house, where you have grown silently in warmth and comfort for six months, is burned to the ground. The rocking-chair where your mother would sit, smiling at the sight of your brightly colored shell, was twisting through the air as smoke. She would cradle you and sing, caressing the egg that housed you with gentle, work-worn claws.

 

Not that any of that matters anymore, even if you remembered it. The tiny village of your creation is nothing but a soot smear on the snow. The bandits and soldiers that wrecked the village stole anything of value, and carried off all the eggs. You were one of them.

Unfortunately for you.

 

A distant, pained cry of a wailing mother is cut short. She, along with her brood of eggs, had hidden in a snowbank. She was given away by a terrified hatchling, and killed on sight. Her frostbitten wings lay sprawled across the ground, splashed with blood and bitterly cold snow. Her serpentine neck is bared to the air, split open by a gruesome slash. The eggs the dragoness had so desperately protected were rooted out and placed in your bag. Their weight crushes you further, and the top of your egg is dented. You mewl pitifully and your mouth forms a frown in protest to this harsh treatment. No one can see you, and the cry goes unnoticed.

 

 

It feels like hours, days, weeks have passed in the tiny oval that is your egg. Your shivering, frozen limbs grip eachother tightly against the cold air. The pungent smell of musk and fear oozes from the blankets enveloping you, and your tiny nose wrinkles. The bag that holds you swings freely from the claws of a gliding dragon. The motion is almost comforting, but the crude noises and harsh laughs of your capturers disturbs your attempted slumber.

The bag lurches beneath you as the raiding party descends. A few of the dragons dissapear into a yawning chasm, slipping through a crack in the craggy wall. The dragon in charge of the eggs grabs you, and sends you hurling through the air.

 

The sudden flight is brief and terrifying, but the landing is no better. The hard, compacted snow rushes up to meet your egg, and the shell is irrevocably cracked. The crackle of the broken shell fills your ears.

Your journey, however, is not over. The ground you have been thrown against is slanted and slippery. Darkness closes in as you skid around twists and turns. Nausea overcomes you. Gravity pulls you down, down, down into the freezing earth. The loops intensify as the tunnel ends. Your egg is sent spinning out into space, and you land in freezing water with a resounding splash.

 

You sink, swirling streams of bubbles strung out in a line as the water closes in. The liquid seeps into your egg, and you struggle to breath. Your limbs flail out, kicking and clawing the smothering shell. Water closes in over your nose, your eyes, your ears, your very being. You struggle, suspended in the rapidly cooling water. The cold grips your heart in claws of steel, and your desperate breaths take in nothing but water. Freezing, frozen, ice-filled water. Your heart slows dangerously, but the life pulsing through your young veins hasn't given up.

Grinding, grumbling, crushing ice forms around your egg. Ice is everywhere, replacing the water in shuddering cracks. Slivers of ice stab your skin, and freeze your lungs in place.

A laugh, far more chilling than the crystal prison your body is trapped in, echoes in your mind as your life ebbs away...

 

 

Lask's brooding eyes bore holes in the freezing pool. Eggs of various color and size bob haphazardly below the churning surface. The thin green corners of the Ice's lips stretch into a smile. "YES, DEARS. FREEZE. JUST AS I DID, YESS." A caressing claw scrapes along the pockmarked shell of an egg. Lask crouches low, frost streaming from his nostrils. "COLD IS THE ONLY WAY." A hissing laugh escapes his parted mouth. The wild glee in his eyes at the death of his experiments is sickening. A hatchling, squirming in a rough woolen sack, whimpers loudly. More whines rebound around the darkened cavern. "OH, HUSH, YOU SICKLY LITTLE CHILDREN. WHEN YOU SEE WHAT I HAVE MADE YOU, YOU WILL THANK ME." The chorus of cries ends sharply as the temperature plummets. A stream of mist pours from Lask's mouth, and the intent in his expression is clear.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Ayesthine

[tapir]

A dozen ivory claws came scraping along the cave entrance floor. Two thick, leather wings billowed out to slow his landing. Knock flapped once more and straightened himself up, taking the time to shake the snow from his feet and brow. "Bloody blizzard," he huffed. The lean brown dragon jaunted further into the cave.

 

Knock arrived at the inner entryway. "Papers-?" a guard began to ask. The dull spitfire quickly swallowed his words as Knock locked eyes with him. "M-m-my m-mistake-"

 

Sprawling tunnels and side-caverns, ravines and catacombs woven loosely together by rope bridges- all were cast sparsely in the light of scattered fires, and around each fire hunched husks of dragons. Knock settled himself around one such vacant flame. He brought his tail up to his front claws, where he attempted to bring feeling back to his numb extremities.

[Taleena Fuka]

((Last call for those who are/will get lost in the blizzard or want to join in on the last part of the party. My chara will no longer go out to save others unless one of the caretakers tell her to))

 

She smiled as the little one clung onto her. She could see the entrance of the cave nearby, but she wanted to make sure that no one else needed help. The blizzard was getting really strong now and this would probably be the last time she'll be able to go out or she'd miss the ending of the party. Something that all caretakers should attend and supervise. Besides, the chances of surviving out here for more than an hour for normal dragons was getting slim.

 

She decided to get the little one inside the mouth of the cave first and then scanned the outside surroundings one last time.

[Jass]

Ace wobbled towards the cave, hoping that someone would see him. He held onto his consciousness, hoping that someone could actually help him. Or, at least, get to the entrance. And then I'll sleep... He thought. Ace sighed. Gah...My life is boring... He thought. Worst. Snow day. Ever. He hated the cold conditioning out there. He had never experienced so much numbness and pain outside. Ever. Then again, I never really go outside anyway... Ace turned his attention back to the cave. Am I almost there yet? He thought as he tried to speed up. The albino panted as he had his paws ram into ice and snow, although they hurt. I hope my paws aren't bleeding... He was glad though that at least he could feel some nerves like pain.