The Secret of the Stone

[Dream_Dragon]

Sunshy Gold moved quietly along the branches of the trees around him, creeping closer to the group of dragons. He was taking a risk here as he had no idea if the dragons were hostile or not but he was curious about them - especially about their necklaces. Some of the patterns on them even moved! However, as he was getting closer, the Neotropical flapped its wings and flew over towards his direction. "So much for sneaking up on them."

 

"Hello, Neotropical," he replied cautiously after a moment, a slight edge to his voice. He could never really get over dragons poking fun at Pygmies because of their size but he could live with it. It was what he was, after all. Besides, the Neotropical had sounded friendly enough, though he could never be sure.

 

"I am Sunshy Gold," he said warily, still positioned in a defensive mode. If the Neotropical proved to be, in fact, hostile, he would run. A cowardly thing to do, he knew, for most dragons but as a Pygmy, he couldn't possibly beat a Neotropical in a fair fight.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Dream_Dragon

[skiddajane]

 

Lotus was only asleep for a few minutes, but decided that she wanted to play with the lights again. She sat up and looked around. The lights were no longer on the ground, and she frowned. Then she realized that the Neotropical had flown over to a nearby tree. It was talking to a...Mango? Orange? Some sort of fruit. She was about to shout a question to the dragon, but realized that the fruit had moved. It wasn't a fruit after all!! It was a little pigmy! It was exactly the same size as her. Lotus laughed. She should have known it was a pigmy. She has seem them everywhere. At least 10 times, she has mistaken one for a mango and tried to grab one. Seeing this pigmy reminded her of the Nilias she shared her cave with.

 

They were a nuisance, and she couldn't seem to get rid of them. If she ate meat, the problem would have been solved as soon as she moved into the cave. Instead, she let the group of about 50 spread out on the various ledges of the cave, and sometimes even the cave floor. They never bothered to talk to her, and she never bothered to talk to them. The only time she would actually utter anything to them, was when every one of them would flock to her body for warmth in the winter while she slept. Imagine 50 dragons on you, and every one of them having super sharp claws that dig into your back. But regardless, she liked her cave and wasn't going to move anytime soon. If she did though, she would have to have an adult help her to move the 20 pounds of moss she has hoarded over the years.

 

Lotus suddenly came back to the present. She sat on her rear and looked up into the tree where the pigmy and the Neotropical were.

 

[Zeditha]

Zeditha nodded, accepting the name. "My name is Zeditha," she said. "Would you like to join our group?"

[Dream_Dragon]

<OOC: Zeditha, aren't we supposed to write at least fives sentences?>

 

Sunshy Gold relaxed a little at her response. Zeditha certainly didn't seem hostile now but he wasn't about to let his guard down. However, as soon as he heard her invitation to join the group, he practically jumped with joy.

 

"Oh, would I ever!" he cried out excitedly before shaking himself and regaining his composure.

 

"Erk...I mean, sure, why not?" he said, pawing at the tree branch sheepishly, embarrassment practically radiating off him.

 

"But...you're sure you wouldn't mind having me? Because my, uh, species are usually looked down upon...'cause of, uh, well..." he trailed off, opting to gesture to himself instead.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Dream_Dragon

[Lemniscate]

((Yes, you are supposed to write more than five sentences. If you have trouble thinking of things, have Zeditha ponder things or observe around her. Describe things in detail! Most of the time, when you post a one liner, it can be hard for someone to come up with a good reply. I understand if you have trouble thinking up additional sentences, but practice makes perfect! Perhaps only one additional sentence the next time you want to post a one liner, then another additional sentence, and you may soon find entire paragraphs sprouting from what could have been a one liner!))

[DefunctAccount]

Sparks soared over the forest, spinning and spiraling through the air. She let out a fierce roar that echoed over the woods, causing the smaller animals to flee deeper into the trees. The Falconiform Wyvern dived down, folding her wings in close to her body. As she approached the trees, she spread her wings to glide to a stop on a tree branch high above the ground. She looked out over the forest, looking for signs of life.

Edited July 27, 2014 by SparksflY

[Zeditha]

((Sorry - I mostly write one-liners when I'm tired and my computer doesn't have enough time left to write much. It's not that I don't want to write more, or that I couldn't if I tried, it's that I have under one minute to try.))

 

Zeditha grinned. "Well, we already have one pygmy, I think, and there's that new hatchling. She's pretty small. But to be honest, we're all new here. We need as many of you guys from the forest as we can befriend, to show us around." Her tail whipped from side to side absently, and a small bird was caught by the swishing tip and killed. It fell down, nearly landing on Lotus.

[Cuteseal2]

[Female Hellfire Wyvern Aria]

 

Aria was a little on guard. Since the group of necklace-wearing dragons had found out about their situation, several non-neclaced dragons had entered the field and approached Zeditha and the others. Though these dragons seemed fairly harmless and merely curious, Aria was in edge. With the human-dragons in the clearing, she had had a chance to speak with them to learn that they were not harmless, and being human, she worried less about being attacked by surprise. With the new dragons, Aria had no idea what to expect. After all, there was a severe lack of dragons back home...

 

Aria began to hear their newly-elected leader offering a place in their group to one of the dragons that had just entered the clearing and heard another voting to create roles in their new society. Aria snarled, deep and low in her throat and crept slowly backwards. When she recognized the sound as her own voice, she was momentarily startled by its ferocity and volume, but she had no intention of apologizing for her response. Just as hackles rise up on a dog's back when frightened or angry, the bristly, stone-like scales on the back of Aria's neck rose up. So much had just happened and the human-dragons were in a completely new and unfamiliar situation, yet their new leader was treating it like she was just in another one of the dreams she talked about having, rather than being in real life where the entire group's lives were at stake if they made an error.

 

Though Aria knew they would have to adapt, everyone's readiness to accept strangers into their group was terrifying to Aria. Still creeping backwards slowly, she bared her sharp teeth. And even if these dragons turn out to be sociable, she thought, who is to say the next dragon we meet won't try to rip us all to shreds... Aria was frightened and angry. Though she wanted to be like Zeditha, and even the timid Caroline, who both instantly became comfortable with the situation, Aria was having trouble coping. However, she also felt it was wrong that their leader began conversing with and inviting into the group the newly arrived dragons without so much as a word to any of the other group members. Aria understood the importance of diplomacy and kindness in forming a new society, but, she thought, those two seem to have no thought for the immense potential danger we face. Dragons have already started appearing, despite it only being a couple hours after the old man's message, so it is likely there are many on this land, some of them bound to be unfriendly...

 

As Aria looked up, she noticed many sets of eyes had been drawn toward her, likely due to her earlier snarl.

 

(Sorry, long post and some conflict...)

[DefunctAccount]

Movement in a nearby clearing caught Sparks's eye. She leaned forward, trying to look through the tree branches, but to no avail. The Falconiform Wyvern spread her wings and glided silently to a closer tree, where she had a good view of the dragons in the clearing. Sparks could see several different dragons in the clearing, but they carried an odd smell- The smell of... Humans? The Wyvern noticed that many of the dragons had colorful stones around their neck.Who are these dragons? She leaned closer to get a better view.

[Zeditha]

Zeditha whipped around at the sound of a loud growl. Seeing that it was Aria, she glided down from the tree, beckoning slightly to the pygmy with the tip of her tail. Hovering slightly before landing, she asked, "What's wrong? Can you see danger?" She raised her snout and sniffed the air, then scanned the trees that edged the clearing. "I don't see anything..." Her tail flicked and curled at the tip like a cat's, and her ears were raised, but otherwise she appeared calm.

[DefunctAccount]

Sparks froze when one of the dragons looked in her direction. She tried to blend in with the leafy treetop, but her black body stood out against the green leaves, and the blue fire on her back gave off an eerie glow. She quickly ducked behind the trunk, hoping the dragons in the clearing wouldn't notice her.

[Lemniscate]

Caroline sat down slightly awkwardly after Zeditha flew off. Well then...ok. A thought occurred to her. Shouldn't they build buildings? It was a clearing after all. The old man could have chosen some random piece of forecast, but he chose a clearing. That had to mean something, right? A loud growl interrupted her, shattering her thoughts and startling her. Jumping, she moved backwards. She pressed herself to the ground, trying to shield herself with her wings. It wasn't like she was scared of everything, but the growl was loud and fierce. Looking around, she puzzled over where the growl came from. Seeing a black dragon giving off a eerie glow, she meeped and shrunk lower. The other dragons were all bigger than her, yes, but maybe the new dragon wouldn't eat her if she was nice to it? Maybe the new dragon just wanted people to notice it and not run away. Growling was hardly a good way to do that, but maybe the dragon didn't know how to be nice. Creeping slowly over to it, she said in a tiny voice "Hi. Don't eat me. Are you trying to join our group?"

 

((So, Caroline thinks Sparks growled. And Sparksfly, please put the dragon image at the top of your post or do something like put:

 

(Sparks - Female Falconiform Wyvern)

 

If you don't know how to/can't put an image.))

Edited August 5, 2014 by Silverphoenixx

[DefunctAccount]

(OK, I'll try to put an image in this time)

 

Sparks jumped at the sound of the growl, watching the dragons to see which one did it. She tried to hide further behind the tree as one of the dragons looked at her, but when the Drake asked if Sparks wanted to join them, she slowly crept out from her hiding spot. Unlike most Falconiform Wyverns, Sparks was curious, and she wanted to know what was going on here. "What do you mean? Who are you?" She inquired.

[Cuteseal2]

[ARIA- Female Hellfire Wyvern : Last seen growling near edge of clearing,agitated]

 

In the corner of her eye, Aria noticed as the timid Caroline welcomed yet /another/ wild dragon into their ranks, and she let out another deep grumble. "Seriously Zeditha, Caroline. You've just been elected leaders, albeit through a little bit shaky measures, so you are the ones in charge of leading and protecting this group, no? How is inviting these other dragons into are group, whom we know nothing about, watching out for the group? It's reckless! Are you two thinking at ALL of the potential danger in this situation? What if a dragon were to come along and be harmful? Our defenses are down and we could all be dead within the minute! Aria was exasperated and stopped speaking to calm down and catch a breath. She looked up after her short speech to all the sets of eyes showing different emotions at her outburst and felt a bit ashamed but did not back down because Aria knew their safety was vital.

[Lemniscate]

"I'm Caroline. You're not eating me right?" She said. Still covering herself with her wings, she peeked out at Aria when she spoke. "Well, maybe if we were nice to them, dragon who originally were going to eat us would decide to be friendly!" She said. "Plus, we can only defend if we have enough dragons. I think we have enough dragons to start building now though, since you're so worried about safety." Skittering away from the glowing dragon, she drew a plan in the dirt. "We can put the leader's quarters in the center and expand outwards from there. The next ring can be the lead hunter, lead fighter, and backup leader. After that, we can have normal sleeping areas and surround the border of the clearing with thorns and branches. The clearing's big enough to fit all that. Maybe even a watchtower and an eating area. We can surround the area first to get defenses then build the normal houses. I was thinking of building crosses of wood and filing the gaps with thorns for the border. Of course, we still need an entrance. We could either build a gate or have flying dragons escort other dragons in and out. Escorting would be tiring though, so I would rather build a gate." Realizing that she was rambling a bit, she stopped and let the ideas sink in. "So, does that sound good?"

[DefunctAccount]

 

Sparks just looked on with confused eyes as the dragons rambled on about who knows what. "Woah, slow down! First, you invite me to join your group, and now your planing on building a city? Will someone please explain what's going on?" The flames on the back of her neck blazed brighter as her confusion became agitation. Falconiform Wyverns were known for being easily angered. Sparks tried to calm herself, but the flames on her body refused to blaze smaller.

[Zeditha]

Zeditha sat back, in thought. "To tell the truth, I'm a little wary of strangers," she said. "But on your argument, how do I know none of you are about to attack me? For all I know, all of you are secretly plotting to rip my wings off and dump me somewhere in the forest. So, a little trust, and a little instinct. I don't know how I know, but I get the feeling a mirror-winged pygmy and a pacifist hatchling aren't exactly plotting to kill us all... Although I have no idea about the blue-and-black wyvern here." She padded closer to Sparks. "Hello," she said. "if you want to hurt us, fly away now. If you're just curious, or want to join us, feel free to come in." She sat back, throwing a smug, patronising look at Aria. "I think the most dangerous one is the big dragon who's growling loudly and being paranoid. What about you?"

[Cuteseal2]

(Aria-Female Hellfire Wyvern)

 

Aria felt ashamed, not able to help feeling that Zeditha was right. Though they did know those in their group were human, they knew no more about each other than about the newly appeared dragons. Not to mention, her growling and paranoid actions had probably frightened everyone more than anything else, so despite her embarrassment, Aria approached the three newcomers and apologized for her violent reaction to their arrival. Aria couldn't help feeling a little down though. Despite trying to protect her new friends, she had only succeeded in alienating herself...

 

Why do I always do this... she thought. Mumbling apologies, Aria stepped back and attempted to fly a little ways to clear her head and calm down. She managed to get off the ground, despite some shakiness, and flew over some trees, hitting her stomach along their tops, before landing in a smaller clearing by the edge of a cliff. She tried to calm her breathing and heartrate, but somehow the only thing she could do was cry.

 

Aria had been through a lot in the past day or two and all her anxiety had built up, only to bubble out now. I thought I could at least try and make the best out of this situation and make some friends, but I guess I'll never change... Aria tried to reach one of her large rocky paws up to her face to wipe away the wetness on her face, but was unsuccessful and managed to slice her face with her claws a little in the process. Emotionally exhausted and in pain, Aria laid on the ground, curled up as tightly as she could, and tried to sleep despite the quiet sobs lurching through her body.

 

((Also, I liked your response Zeditha! Good for a leader Aria means well, she just gets anxious... ))

[DefunctAccount]

(Sparks- female falconiform wyvern)

 

Sparks closed her eyes and sighed, trying to control her anger. Why were these dragons avoiding her questions? "All I'm asking is who you are and why you want me to join your group. And what's this talk about building a city? A lot of dragons come to these woods, and they wouldn't appreciate a bunch of strangers taking their territory away." The falconiform wyvern turned to the dragon named Zeditha. "No, I do not want to hurt you. I just want to know what you're doing here. Then, I'll decide if I want to join you."

[Lemniscate]

((Zeditha, you have to do the same thing with the images.))

 

"We're not building a city, we don't have the materials or technology for that. We're simply going to build a small camp. The forest seems pretty big, I'm sure we can come to an agreement over the land. Perhaps we'll give the residents a monthly prey payment?" Caroline said. Noticing that Aria had flown away, she felt bad and wanted to help. However, she was unsure how and though that she would make it worse. A small smidgen of memory told her that she had once tried to comfort someone before, but they had gotten angry instead. Shifting uncomfortably, she was torn between the choices. Should she try to comfort Aria? Or should she just wait for her to do her own thing and come back? Even after her mind had made the connection that it must have been Aria growling, she still felt a little scared of the glowing dragon. The human dragons were bigger than her, but she knew that they were human and most likely wouldn't harm her. The glowing dragon's word didn't soothe her much either, she didn't want to hurt them now, but she might later. Choices were what always got her. One choice would be risky but potentially make her feel better, the other one was safer but would lead to her feeling guilty. She wasn't much of a risk taker, so the safe choice appealed to her, but the guilt was suffocating. Sighing softly, she finally decided to check on Aria. At least if Aria got angry Caroline could always tell herself that she had tried. "I'm going to go check on Aria and see if she's alright now. Can you take care of the other dragons for now Zeditha?" She asked. Finding Aria would be easy since she had left a trail of broken branches.

[DefunctAccount]

Sparks- Female Falconiform Wyvern

 

Sparks sighed and closed her eyes, the flames on her back dimming. Well, she got an answer to one of her questions, and probably scared that dragon out of her mind in the process, but she still wanted to know who these dragons were and where did they come from. They didn't seem like a threat, but they were a bit… strange, and she wanted to know what was up. The Falconiform opened her eyes and looked calmly at the other dragon, trying to show that she wasn't a threat. "Look, all I want to know is who you are and why you're recruiting dragons for your 'group'. I've never seen you in these woods before, and I want to know what your doing here."

[skiddajane]

 

Lotus jumped back as the bird nearly hit her. She hadn't seen Zeditha's tail hit it, so she had no idea where it came from. It landed right in front of her. She stared at it, wide-eyed. It was a small bird, mostly green and yellow. A finch of some kind. Its neck was twisted at an odd angle. Lotus stared at the little dead bird, and started to cry. Tiny streams of tears were flowing down her tiny face. She decided to run away from it. It was things like this that lotus started acting weird around. If the bird were still alive, she would have been able to fix its neck, she was sure. But the little thing was as good as dead and there was nothing Lotus could do about it. She ran through the forest towards her home. Her little cave filled with all those annoying pigmys that she both hated and loved. Poor birdy.. She thought.

[Zeditha]

((Soz - I have limited time on my computer, so it's hard. Neotropical.))

 

Zeditha turned back to the new dragon. "To be honest, I don't think any of us are quite sure yet," she chuckled. "We're going to survive first. We want you, and others like you, to help us, because we're all strangers here. You know where the best fruit might be, or the places where the water is clear. We don't. As for others - if they wish to hurt us, we will drive them off. After a few days, we won't be defenceless. And if they wish to join us, we would be happy to take them in, provided they do their share of the work."

[DefunctAccount]

(Female falconiform wyvern)

 

Sparks nodded slowly. What the dragon said made senses, they needed as much help as they could get to survive. She knew a lot of dragons that wouldn't be as friendly towards them as she was. Not to mention all the rivaling clans. The falconiform did know a better place for them to stay, where they wouldn't be attacked. She turned to Zeditha. "I will help you, but I won't join your group. Not yet, anyway. I also have something to show you, but I think you should round up the rest of your group first." She said, as the white hatchling ran off.

Edited August 9, 2014 by SparksflY

[Lemniscate]

 

Caroline sighed as she got ignored, taking it as a yes. Now that Lotus had run off, she needed to round up more dragons. She didn't even get acknowledged. Oh well. She decided to find Aria first, flying above the trail that she had left. When she finally came to Aria, she found her sleeping and seemingly having just cried. Landing, she shifted around awkwardly and walked to her. "Umm...hi." She mumbled. Caroline had no idea whether Aria had heard her or not, but she continued. "I hope you're okay..." Well, this wasn't going well. "I know you're sincerely sorry. Would you like to tell me why you're crying? It's ok if you don't." She tried to sound caring, but she probably sounded more nervous than anything. Oh...this wasn't good. Aria probably thought she was scared of her. "I'm not scared of you. I know you were trying to protect the others. I just sound nervous...well...because...I'm not good at comforting people and I don't want to make you angry." She said, trailing off to a quiet mumble at the end. "Do you want to come back?" This was said a bit louder, but not by much. She had probably just said the worst comforting speech ever.