Hatchlings

[Captain_Gunzou]

Taking not getting rejected as the go ahead sign he scuttled near Ranu. "When we get where ever We're going, I hope there are others who will play with us." Liger then put his front right foreleg around Ranu's back and quickly nuzzled her cheek with him beaming, then looking back towards the direction Artermis was heading with the young hatchling that was tagging along with them. "Umm how old are you? Do you wanna be our friend?"

Edited July 5, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[Renhart]

((Looks like I might need to poke XoeJane.))

[skwerl56767]

Cetn had never read a book before, but the mention of magic caught his interest. He was about to ask what sort of magic Crusher studied, but the said dragon had already returned.

One brown satchel. These dragons must be nomadic, if everything he owns is in there! Well... that certainly explains their eagerness to leave and go to a desert, anyway.

Crusher looked down at the satchel, then kept his eyes focused on a shard of something that rose up on its own! Cetn's jaw dropped open and he shuffled back a bit as Crusher turned to him, the crystal following his gaze until it landed at the hatchling's feet.

" Mihari has been collecting these. It should give you enough energy before we stop to rest for the night." He said casually, as though there was nothing unusual about that. Cetn just bobbed his head, before scooping up the shard in his paws. It thrummed with a primal energy, and felt cold like the winter's wind. He already liked it, but wasn't sure what it was; it wasn't a shinymetal, but maybe it was a shinyrock? Some of them were translucent, but they never glowed or absorbed heat like this.

Cetn was too curious about the object to think about being courteous, and forgot to thank Crusher for it. He was tempted to ask what it was, but stayed mum after glancing at Irah. She seemed smart; it would be too embarrassing for her to know what it is, but not him! So instead, Cetn just kept the shard close to him, enjoying how cold it was. However it would give him energy was beyond the Bleeding Moon, but he did feel a bit giddy resting his paw on it, and ended up smiling to himself.

[Renhart]

Crusher smirked at Cetn's amusement and said "I'll be outside if you need anything." before exiting the cave with Mihari following behind. That left Cetn with Irah who was also focused on the mana shard. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she commented, assuming that he was also admiring it. "Apparently, there's a lot more of them in this mountain, but I haven't gone that far down." Irah then looked up at the crystals on the roof. They were nowhere near as bright and magical as the mana shard, but she still saw the beauty in them. "Yeah... I'm going to miss this place."

 

Quinn came up to Irah and tapped a claw on her shoulder. The sudden contact with her cold scales made Irah jump a little and look behind her. "Oh... It's you." said Irah, sounding unimpressed. Turning back to Cetn she said "This is my friend, Quinn. She doesn't talk much, but lately she's been a little more friendly than usual."

The small blue hatchling sat beside Irah and directed her gaze at the mana shard without saying a word. The scales on her back were shiny and white with her most notable feature being the two gold stubs on her head that forked slightly.

 

~~~

 

Ranu decided that now was a good time to rest and closed her eyes when Liger nuzzled her, but she then coughed, which startled her and she immediately put both front feet over her mouth. She looked up at Liger worriedly, not knowing what it meant. Was she getting sick?

 

((I have a feeling she's going to expect him to look after her. I'll probably add more to this later if no one replies since it's so brief. Edit: Aaaand we're good!))

Edited July 16, 2016 by Booo

[Captain_Gunzou]

It seemed like Ranu had not yet realized what was going on. Liger since he was in his egg shell, had been covered in Ash from the Volcano. It seemed like she inhaled some of that ash as she breathed to rest, not to mention she didn't notice that Liger had entwined her and his tails together while he was talking to the young hatchling. His face was away from her's but the cough didn't go unnoticed by Liger. Turning towards her, he took her arms away, then catching her by surprise pressed his mouth to hers and sucked the ash out from her body, then spat it away from them where it wouldn't get on or harm anyone."There now, your better. You've inhaled some ash from the volcano that I lived nearby. I'll need to take a rinse down whenever We get to Our designation."

Edited July 14, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[Renhart]

Ranu's eyes widened. Had Liger cured her? He did smell rather...ashy, and she didn't feel like coughing anymore, so perhaps he knew what he was doing. She was surprised though by how fast he did it and without hesitation. She didn't even seem to acknowledge that their tails were entwined which was a telltale sign that they trusted each other. But still, it felt strange for him to be so close to her so suddenly so she unwound her tail from his and looked away, as if embarrassed.

Edited July 15, 2016 by Booo

[Renhart]

((Bump...))

[Crystalluna]

( hey! i'd love to join in, but not sure where to start..? )

[Renhart]

((Hi Crystals, I can give you a brief recap on what's going on in the OOC thread if you'd like.))

[Renhart]

((Still waiting.))

[Captain_Gunzou]

As all this was happening between Liger,Ranu, and the other hatchling, Liger wasn't aware of how long the time has passed as this was happening. Suddenly Liger became alert of his surroundings and ears focused on a sound coming from nearby. His eyes started scanning in the general direction he thought of hearing the origin.Liger had this distinct feeling that something was coming to them. His scales and hairs were on end, his adrenaline was going, his nerves were spiking.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[Renhart]

Artemis kept trekking along seeing as Lucius was reluctant to tell her why he kept falling. Soon the path led them out of the dense trees and she saw Crusher looking down at her from the peak. She smiled back and called over to him. "Sorry I took so long! I got distracted when I found these two hatchlings by the river."

Crusher walked over to meet her and eyed the little dragons on her back. The Royal Crimson hatchling had strange looking eyes that resembled fire and the small blue hatchling appeared very fragile with big cat-like ears. Crusher didn't know what type of dragon the blue one was. "Ah, so they were abandoned. Did you see any signs of a fight?" he asked.

Artemis sat down and began pulling branches out of her antlers as she explained what happened. "There was a fallen tree on the riverbank that someone lit on fire, but that's it. It wasn't very big so I was able to push it into the river without burning myself. That's when I found Liger, the Crimson, hiding in his egg that was just laying there in the sand. Ranu then came running up to me, I couldn't hear or see their parents anywhere." Artemis glanced back at the hatchlings, "Liger, did you see any fighting earlier?" she asked, hoping that Liger had witnessed something before she arrived.

 

Ranu felt a little frightened when approached by the big orange dragon so she grabbed some of Artemis's mane and partially hid her face in it, keeping one eye on him just in case.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Booo

[skwerl56767]

More shinyrocks? In the mountain?

Aw, no way! And they were leaving?!

Cetn looked down into the depths of the cave, curious about the shinyrocks Irah mentioned. He of course couldn't see them, but he could almost sense their presence. An odd, pulsating energy, like the faint one emitted by the shard in his paw.

Did they ever say why they were leaving? It had to be important, if Irah was already feeling nostalgic. The best Cetn could assume though was that there wasn't enough food; or maybe they too disliked the area, and longed for something more fitting? If Crusher was as studious as he sounds, surely they weren't leaving just because of the Brute?

 

Irah jumped and looked behind her, making Cetn look up in curiosity. She murmured something before bringing a small blue hatchling into view.

" This is my friend, Quinn. She doesn't talk much, but lately she's been a little more friendly than usual."

The hatchling just stared at Cetn, like one of those creepy dolls he once found abandoned in the woods.

" Um... hi?" Was all he could muster. Quinn was pretty, that was for sure, but right now he just felt awkward the way she stared at him. She looked down at the shinyrock Crusher had given him, like she was thinking, but still not a word came out.

Maybe Cetn was the only one who felt awkward, but still he blurted out: " I'm Cayhajkpstnederm-uhhh, er, Cetn! Just call me that!" He forced an anxious grin and gave Irah a look that said "She's always like this right? Right?" " You look very nic - uh... You're... you're very...... uh... we should go meet up with Crusher."

At this point his mind was just telling him to shut up, so he stuffed the mana crystal in his mouth and promptly left the cave, reproving himself the whole way about his bad impression to the others. It wasn't even that awkward! How could he go and make a fool of himself like that?

Hopefully it doesn't stick. He thought glumly. Though, he couldn't shake the image of Quinn's poring eyes staring right into his head. That was just unnerving!

Edited July 22, 2016 by skwerl56767

[Renhart]

Irah sighed. "Quinn, I told you that it isn't nice to stare. You made Cetn uncomfortable."

"Sorry. I really like those crystals." Quinn said blatantly.

"Yes I know, but you need to try to make good first impressions or you'll have a hard time making friends." said Irah like an older sister would.

 

After watching Cetn make a fool of himself, Sky slithered over to the entrance and looked outside to see what Crusher was up. He was chatting with Artemis who had returned with not one, but two little hatchlings!

Of course she found more of them... he thought gloomily and felt that familiar anxiety creeping up just by looking at them from afar.

 

((Just keeping things moving while waiting for Gunzou.))

[Captain_Gunzou]

Liger put up a reassuring foreleg around Ranu, before looking at Crusher. A mother and her cubs came to the beach, and the mother was fishing when she scooped me and a fish onto the shore. The cubs were curious about my egg and began poking and examining it. I tried to hold in a sneeze, but couldn't. The tree that was in my line of sight nearest to me caught fire and started coming down. The mother had screamed in fright and dashed to where her cubs were. Then she decided to get out of there cause my father was flying overhead looking for me. He spotted my egg and came down to retrieve my egg but was confronted. A dragon with a white spine and a skull on his head came out and confronted my father." "What do you think you are doing here?!" "I came here to look for my son!" "Yeah!, Right!" "He killed my dad, and pushed his body into the river before leaving a bit later."

Edited July 25, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[Renhart]

Crusher and Artemis exchanged looks of surprise. If what Liger was saying was true then it was all the more reason to leave, even if some of the details were vague. "I guess I'll go gather everyone," Crusher said flatly. "Irah, Mihari, and Quinn will ride with me. I'm sure you'll be keeping a close eye on those two little ones."

 

The next day...

Ranu blinked the blurriness from her eyes and looked around. The clan had spent the night in the forest in an area surrounded by thick bushes and Ranu was one of the first to wake up. Everyone was in a circle with a campfire in the middle, but the fire had to be put out at dusk so that it wouldn't attract unwanted visitors. The youngest hatchlings curled up with Artemis, including Ranu, but Quinn wasn't particularly fond of Liger so she slept on the opposite side of him with Artemis separating the two. Ranu didn't understand what was wrong and had no issue sleeping with the Royal Crimson even if she was initially worried about sleeping near his spiked tail.

It was early morning now and Ranu noticed that Irah was just beginning to wake up as well. Irah pulled herself up with her wings like it was a chore, hunched forward, but she then promptly lay down again. As she did this, Ranu noticed that her eyes were stained with tears.

 

Irah felt too miserable to get up and practically let herself fall back down. The night before was one she wouldn't forget as Sky pulled her aside while everyone else was asleep.

~~~

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she followed Sky through the bushes. Shy's bleak expression earlier had implied there was, but it wasn't exactly rare for him to look unhappy. He didn't immediately reply and stopped to turn around and look at her. "I'm sorry but..." he began, struggling to say it. "I think it's time I say goodbye." Irah just stared at him with a 'Huh?' expression at first before looking away to hide how upset she was. She feared this moment would come for so long and it almost felt unreal.

"But why now? Are you mad at us?" she asked, sounding hurt. Sky assured her that it wasn't anyone's fault and went on to explain that he felt like a burden to everyone and that they didn't deserve to put up with him any longer. He also mentioned that seeing the two hatchlings that Artemis found made him realize how much the clan had grown and that he felt he was no longer of any help. Irah retorted by saying how Crusher would praise him as a hunter and reminded him of the hatchlings they had lost in the past year. "As good as him? Crusher could probably feed all of us in one day if he wanted to. And I don't just mean that we've grown in number, you yourself are getting stronger by the day and soon you'll be able to hunt on your own." Sky's voice then became softer. "Besides, I think I'd be happier on my own, but that doesn't mean I won't ever come looking for you again. I'd ask you to come with me, but I know you won't leave Crusher behind."

Irah's wet eyes glanced up at him briefly before looking down at the ground. "You're right. I can't leave my dad, not now... And if that's what makes you happy then I won't stop you, but please be careful."

"I will," he said and leant in to hug her. She hugged him back and they stood there for a moment in their embrace before Sky finally broke the silence, saying that he planned to leave quietly to avoid drama, but that he wanted to say goodbye to her first. She then walked back with him and they then exchanged a final farewell before he slipped away into the night.

~~~

Now, Irah couldn't bare to look over at the now empty spot where her best friend had laid, extending his glowing wings to catch the heat of the flames. She rolled over to face away from the group and pretended to still be asleep.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Booo

[Renhart]

((Bump.))

[Captain_Gunzou]

Liger woke up half awake and began to head towards the nearby river. Going little ways, He sneezed and the spot at his feet sizzled before he continued onward sniffling. Once reaching the river Liger dove head first into the water then sprang to the surface half awake."Ahh, that got me woken up somewhat." He took several leafs and began scrubbing himself free down of the ash that covered his body. He made sure to get every nook and cranny that was possible for him to get using sand also. When Liger had completely finished he went to a nearby bush to make a pit stop before heading back to the clan.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[Renhart]

Crusher had been sleeping under a low hanging tree, the tips of his wings gently rustling the branches as he began to stir. His green eyes then fluttered open and he raised his head to survey the group laying around what was left of the campfire he had built. Liger was already awake while everyone else appeared to still be sleeping. "Good morning everyone, it's time to rise and shine. We have a big day ahead of us." he announced, sounding hopeful for what the day would bring. He then stretched his front legs out—his sharp claws digging into the grass—and yawned with his jaws wide open.

 

Ranu was awake but was still beside Artemis and watched Liger wander off before he returned looking a lot cleaner. "Liger!" she chirped, liking the sound of his name and quickly stood up to greet him.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Booo

[skwerl56767]

The flight had been interesting enough, to say the least. Cetn's wings ached from keeping up with way more experienced dragons, but as long as he held the frigid shinyrock Crusher had given him in his jaws he would gain just a taste of winter; that little push needed to help him with the toil of flying. Now, he had accidentally bitten off a piece and swallowed it after nearly dive-bombing into a tree, but he wasn't going to tell anyone; " Thanks for the present, but I ate some of it"? No way, that would be embarrassing!

Suffice to say, Cetn was gleeful when the group decided to land and rest for the night. He was tempted to wedge the shinyrock in between his wings in order to help soothe the aches, but he was afraid of rolling over and accidentally losing it; or worse, grinding it into a fine powder! Nah, that's worse than swallowing the tip, let's not risk that. So of course, he held it close to him in a posture a human would recognize as hugging a teddybear. Thank goodness he didn't roll over in his sleep at all.

 

" Good morning everyone, it's time to rise and shine. We have a big day ahead of us." Crusher boomed. Cetn was jarred awake, at first feeling a rush of adrenaline at the sudden noise only to eventually recognize it as the dragon's telepathy; having stayed up all day and slept at night, his normally-nocturnal senses were confused.

" Huh? What?" He asked groggily, only becoming more confused when he found himself stretched out on a rock despite remembering being curled up. " The sun's still up... er, down.. No wait, was it the moon?" He looked up at the sky, only to squint and look back down.

Blegh! His scales! They didn't look any better than a tree's bark, orange and peeling like that! Speaking of which, he needed to sharpen his horns on something before they went dull from flying into so many branches last night... er, day. Or was it early morning?

 

Cetn shook his head clear and slid off the rock onto the ground; the dragon's version of rolling out of bed. He dropped the icy shinyrock, blinked a couple of times, and waddled around a bit to stretch his legs only to stumble into Irah, who was hunched up like she was still napping.

" Oh sorry, I didn't see you there." He immediately apologized, his mind more alert than his wits. He noticed that she was shielding herself with her wings, but brushed it off as just being the way she slept, to block most of her body from the sun; if she was anything like him she wouldn't want her scales peeling up either!

[Renhart]

((Crusher actually doesn't use telepathy very often, but he's a chatty fellow. Quinn is the only one who uses it almost all the time.))

 

Irah was still lying with her wings over her head when Cetn bumped into her. "It's fine..." she mumbled and stood up, brushing off pieces of grass that stuck to her midsection.

 

Artemis was barely awake and hadn't noticed that Liger was gone for a short time. "Good morning...!" she yawned and immediately began preening her scales, preparing herself for the day ahead.

Quinn sat behind Artemis to shield herself from the bright rays that shone through the trees, watching Liger with disdain. She didn't exactly know why she disliked him, something about him just didn't sit well with her. Maybe it was his strange eyes or the fact that he seemed to have little control over his fire-breath. Whatever it was, she wanted to keep her distance from him until she knew that he wasn't going to be annoying or cause trouble.

 

Crusher got up and walked out from under the tree to stretch his wings. He glanced in Cetn's direction and noticed that his scales appeared discolored. "Is there something wrong with your scales? he asked. "You look like you might be allergic to something."

[Captain_Gunzou]

Liger with blood shot eyes zig zagged up to Ranu," Hey Ranu,(Yawn) morning. Hope you had a better night than I did.(Yawn) I was traumatized with reliving my dad's death Again. I hope breakfast is something that'll give me a lot of energy I'll need it.(Cough)"

Edited August 11, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[Renhart]

Ranu did a complete circle around Liger, looking closely at how clean he was now. His scales sure looked a lot better, but he didn't sound very happy. And like Irah, his eyes said that something bad had happened. Ranu then thought that maybe she could make him feel better the only way she knew how. She crouched down then pounced onto him, hoping that playing rough would cheer him up.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Booo

[Captain_Gunzou]

Liger not prepared for the pounce flailed; Unfortunately the back of his head hit a big hidden rock that was poking out of the ground. Up the two went again into the air before he and Ranu rolled multiple times on the ground before he was thrown astray and slumped out cold not getting up. There was a medium size welt where he got nicked, and it was black and blue the Size of a plum.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Captain_Gunzou

[skwerl56767]

Cetn didn't think much about Irah's response; he didn't know her well enough to know if something was wrong or not. Maybe she just wasn't used to him.

"Is there something wrong with your scales? You look like you might be allergic to something." Crusher asked him. Cetn blinked and looked at his flank. Where his wing shielded it from the sun the scales were flattening back out and regaining their blue coloration, but where the sun struck him they were still a bright, rusty orange.

" Oh, it's um... I don't know." He admitted. " This always happens when I'm in the sun for too long. It's mostly uncomfortable. Er, nothing bad has happened yet, anyway." He folded up his wings so they wouldn't drag and headed over to some shade cast by a tree. As he plopped down on the dirt he heard some tussling, and saw a small red hatchling tumbling about.

Right. Yesterday he met that hatchling, Liger. And that hatchling was... Rangu? Ranul? Something like that. And that dragon was Arty-Mist... er, Artemis. He hadn't spoken to the three that much; he said "hi" and that was it. they seemed nice though.

Cetn looked over his shoulder, and spotted Quinn giving Liger her steely gaze. It's almost like she's plotting something. He thought, half-serious, half-amused. He then stretched and asked no one in particular: " So! Any plans for breakfast?"