Hatchlings

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner didn't say anything yet again when Irah offered to show him where the berries were. He wanted to thank her but he was...shy...to reply. Then again, why was he so afraid? She was a friend, was she not? His eyes flitted at her for a second but otherwise, he continued to stare at the ground awkwardly. However, he must have taken too long to reply as Irah seemed to think that he was just going to ignore her and stormed off. He stared after her as she went to Crusher. "What did I do this time?" He shrugged to himself as he slithered towards them. Oh whatever. He only needed to tag along with them till the whole mess with Evil Crusher was sorted out. Then he could go and fly alone in peace. Sky stopped as he reached the edge of the river, a little way away from the group. He stared into the water at his own reflection before it became a little distorted by the slight ripples caused by Artemis' swimming. He looked at the group talking. Why was he so awkward around others? "And just how many times have I asked myself that same question?" He frowned, averting his gaze away from the others and returning to staring at the water. It reminded him of that Waterhorse hatchling they'd met a few years ago. Too bad he had chosen not to follow them. Sky wondered if he was okay. What if Evil Crusher had somehow gotten to him? Sky returned his thoughts to the clear water. He dipped his tail in. It didn't feel too bad for a swim. Maybe later. Sky didn't feel like getting wet at the moment. Except for his tail, which was already wet.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[little lost dragon]

Crusher smiled at Irah but shook his head "Sadly I don't healed with just contact with water." he said before Artemis came over and made her offer. He nodded "If you can then by all means, yes please." he said with a nod. Having his foot healed would allow him to better defend them then as well, yes the hatchling knew how to survive no they could not take something on 10 times there current size or 10 things there own size. Or..... if Evil Crusher returned. There for he needed to be in top shape to best help them and keep them safe.

He looked over to where he saw Sky and tilted his head. That hatchling seemed determined to make things awkward between the hatchling and everyone else. Never mind have major shifts in behaver. Shy to snappy to shy to stranger even though he's been with them for a bit. It was strange as all the others adjust, just Sky refused to adjust. And seemed unable to give a reason as to why as well.

[sharlykng]

Artemis ducked back under again and critically examined Crusher's paw before covering all injury spots with her paws. She gripped it tightly and concentrated on smooth orange skin covering the area again. A sudden rush of water flowed through the two dragons and there was a dull green glow before they faded and all was normal again.

 

Artemis let go of his hind paw and surfaced. "What do you think? I did the best I could," she told him, panting slightly.

[Coryn02]

(Right, so this is Scratch's first appearance. He isn't very far from the other dragons, and since he's in a bit of a predicament, exterior influence in some way is required so he can potentially join the others.)

 

A short distance from the other dragons, one in particular was having a very bad day. His name was Scratch, and he had been captured by some hunters and taken here in their horse-drawn wagon. They intended to cross the land and sell the baby dragon.

 

The small albino hatchling thrashed about in his metal cage, clawing at the bars and making an intolerable amount of racket. The horses were quite alarmed at all the noise and were ready to run.

 

The leader of the small group of dragons threatened the dragon. "Stop squirming around, you oversized rock lizard. If you fuss too much we'll make you into a nice pair of boots. Not that your pale skin would make for good boots."

 

Another lesser member then spoke, sounding rather worried. "Emeric, why did we put it in a metal cage? These things breathe fire. It could melt the bars."

 

Emeric turned on the other man in anger. "Are you questioning my leadership? Are you?!"

 

He stammered slightly. "N-no, not at all; It's just, well, I was worried it might escape. Dragons breathe fire."

 

Emeric was still quite infuriated, and proceeded to lecture the man. "I know this things better than you. It can't breathe fire yet, it's too young. Remember your place, Timm. I'm the leader here."

 

Timm was rather defeated at this, and remained submissive.

 

Another man then said, "Maybe it's hungry. It hasn't eaten since we caught it, and that was yesterday."

 

Emeric considered this for a moment, and then gave orders. "Since you brought it up, you'll hunt something for it to eat. Make it quick, we should be moving soon." He then pointed to Timm. "You are going to get wood for the fire. I'll stay here and watch the beast. If I call, come back without delay."

 

The young dragon Scratch had decided to calm down for the time being, since he knew that if the others were leaving he might be able to escape. Emeric was still there, watching him from a short distance.

 

"All tired out, scaly beast? Resigned to your fate? All the better, since that cage is hard to fix. I should know, I made it."

 

Scratch gave the man a piercing glare. If he could get out of there, that man would die first. He was the one who had whipped him on the way there.

 

But now he was aware of a weak spot in the cage. The bars had bent slightly and if he could somehow bend them he might just slip through. The man would be no match for him alone, but there were still the others. He would have to wait for him to become distracted enough so he could get out.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Coryn02

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner paid no attention to the others. Just because he was with them didn't mean that he had to interact with them, right? It made things less awkward. Besides, it wasn't like he was needed. He was just a stupid, useless hatchling that couldn't do anything but make things awkward. Sky sighed and flopped onto the ground, resting his head on a mound of dirt. Suddenly, he stiffened. There was something in the distance. A thing on wheels that was attached to a horse. A wagon! What was a wagon doing here? Sky glanced nervously at Crusher. He should probably tell the older dragon about it. Still...couldn't he check it out for himself first?

 

With guilt tugging at his heart, Sky slithered through the bushes so that he wouldn't be seen and when he thought that he was far enough, he slipped out. It wouldn't matter - Crusher and the others would still see him, but maybe he could get back before they noticed. Sky slithered curiously up to the wagon. There was something in it. Before he could get any closer, Sky stopped. He froze. A human. "Well, of course there's a human, it's a wagon!" Sky ducked under the wagon. Hopefully, the human hadn't seen him...then again, he probably had since his scales were so bright.

 

Sky didn't like or trust humans.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

Scratch's attention was caught by a shiny form in the distance while he was being taunted and insulted by the man. What was it? It shone in many colors unlike anything he had seen. He wanted to see it more closely. He wanted to make out what it was.

 

Tuning into the fine magical field that ran through his blood, Scratch stood and focused on the form. While his vision was usually quite blurry and rough, everything now became a foggy blur of color, while the object of focus grew increasingly more detailed. It seemed to be reptilian in shape and blue in color, which he could not make out before.

 

Focusing more, he tuned into his magic more. Everything else grew more and more unclear, while the creature of his curiosity was now clearly unmistakable. A dragon!

 

Scratch had known few dragons in his life, having been more or less born an orphan and killed the first being he had ever come into contact with out of self-defense. This one seemed to be fairly young, and yet it had wings, two pairs of them at that. It wings were the source of the glowing resplendence he had seen before. It was now approaching.

 

Scratch now stared the human in the eye. The vile being had not stopped teasing him since the others had left. He was vaguely aware of the dragon he had seen earlier crawl under the wagon, but he was busy keeping the man distracted to make his move. He was going to rip open that gap in the cage and kill this man. Then he would be free again and go to get some food. If need be, he would also defend himself against that other dragon or run away; it seemed stronger than he was.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Coryn02

[Renhart]

Irah flipped onto her back and let the current take her away so she could be alone with her thoughts for a little while. The current wasn't very strong so she didn't have to worry about drifting too far without being able to swim against it. She thought about her father's quest and what it must feel like to fight alongside him. That time was drawing closer and she got more excited to begin her training with each passing day, but for now she could only imagine...

Some time had passed before Irah realized that Sky had gone missing. She swam to the shallow bank where she last saw him and and searched the area but he wasn't anywhere near the river. "Sky!?" she shouted, "Where are you Sky!?"

[Dream_Dragon]

It was then that Sky Shiner realised that the human seemed to be taunting something on the wagon, but what? Sky frowned as he listened. The human seemed like...a total jerk. Still, it would be stupid of him to give himself away to the human. Sky paused, debating what to do. At that moment, he heard someone calling his name. His head jerked up, accidentally bumping against the bottom of the wagon.

 

"Ow..." Sky rubbed his head as he tried to figure out who it was. Then he smacked his wing to his face. Who else could it be? It was Irah! Sky shot another guilty look at the river but he still wanted to know what - or who - was in the wagon. Were there any cracks? Perhaps he could peep through. Sky tilted his head up, his eyes searching for cracks in the bottom of the wagon. There were plenty of small cracks but nothing big enough for him to peek. He sighed. Unless the human turned his attention to something else, he was going to be stuck there for a while. Maybe he could...speak to whoever it was on the wagon? If the human could speak to it, so could he.

 

"Um...hello?" he said in a low whisper.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

At this time Scratch was nearly about to try and rip open the cage and kill the humans until he heard a small voice nearby. The dragon from earlier was talking to him!

 

If he said anything, he would probably reveal the other dragon's presence to the human, who was amazingly still insulting him. Then again, this one seemed more vigilant than the rest. That was probably why he stayed behind.

 

Then, he thought a bit more about it. The people...

 

They would probably be back soon. His brilliant 'plan' probably wouldn't work anyway. When they returned, they would probably capture that other dragon under the wagon too. Or... Where there is one dragon, sometimes there's another. Maybe this dragon had friends. They might help him escape! He whispered back, trying to find out more about it.

 

"Is someone there? Who are you?"

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner was taken-back. Whatever it was that was in the wagon, it replied! "Maybe it's another dragon!"

 

"I...I'm Sky Shiner," he whispered after a moment's hesitation. Sky didn't know what else to say. What could he say?

 

"What's it like up there?" he blurted out, before realising how incredibly dumb that sounded. Oh well. He couldn't unsay those words, anyway. Besides, he needed to know. It wasn't like he had X-ray vision.

[Coryn02]

"Well, I'm in a cage, for starters. This human hasn't stopped talking since we got here." Scratch whispered. Scratch didn't feel this was a god position for himself to be in. But he had to ask...

 

"Do you think there's a way you could help me get out of here?"

 

The human was starting to become wary, so he figured it was only a matter of time before Sky Shiner was discovered.

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner paused for a moment. The other supposed dragon had just asked him for help. Unfortunately, Sky wasn't sure he could break open a cage. He was still a hatchling. However, he didn't feel like asking Crusher for help. The wagon might move off by the time he got backup.

 

"Maybe. Does the cage have a lock?" If there was a lock, perhaps he could somehow get the key from the human. That was assuming that the human had the key, of course. And if Sky could actually manage to take down an adult human. Sky doubted that he could help the other dragon.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

Scratch was puzzled. Sky Shiner mentioned something called a 'lock'. What was it? He had heard something of the sort from the other men.

 

"Well, I don't know what a lock is, but I do know that there is a metal device on this cage that they use to keep me in. Is that what you mean?"

 

The human guarding him was yelling at him now, telling him to stop making so much noise.

 

"Maybe you could get help..."

 

That man was going to die when he got out of here, one way or another.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Coryn02

[Melomancer]

(Hey guys, this seems to be the most popular to here. I want to join, but I really doubt I can read 650 pages. Could someone give me a recap of the whole story?)

[Dream_Dragon]

<OOC: Most popular? You have no idea how many people keep signing up and poofing (including me...but I'm back ). We can talk, but let's do it at the OOC thread. :3>

 

This time, Sky Shiner stayed silent. He wanted to help but he knew that the most sensible thing to do would be to get Crusher's help. Still... Sky was shaken out of his thoughts when the human suddenly started to yell at the caged in dragon. Unable to stop himself, Sky let out a snarl. The human sounded like a bully. Sky hated bullies. Something inside of him snapped and his mood shifted again. Growling, he slithered right out from underneath the wagon. He was well aware that what he was doing at the moment was stupid but he didn't care.

 

He felt angry.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

Scratch watched the dragon slither out from under the wagon growling furiously.

 

The man there immediately stopped yelling at Scratch and had a horrified look on his face. He did not run, or even scream; He simply froze in place as he the blue dragon slithered closer.

 

Scratch watched every moment with relish.

 

'Perhaps I will not dirty my own claws in this situation, but at least I may get out of here. This horrible excuse of a human will die too, so that's a plus.'

 

Scratch also lunged at the bent section of the cage, which bent much more than expected. It was almost large enough to escape through.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Coryn02

[Dream_Dragon]

<OOC: Does the guy have the key?>

 

Sky Shiner debated whether or not to temporarily blind the man with his wings but decided not to. He lunged towards the man, intending to latch on to him and, somehow, find a key in his pocket or something. However angry Sky was right now, he had no intention of harming the man.

 

However, if the man reacted..unpleasantly...Sky just might hurt him.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

<OOC: Does the guy have the key?>

 

Sky Shiner debated whether or not to temporarily blind the man with his wings but decided not to. He lunged towards the man, intending to latch on to him and, somehow, find a key in his pocket or something. However angry Sky was right now, he had no intention of harming the man.

 

However, if the man reacted..unpleasantly...Sky just might hurt him.

<No, he does not have the key, but the cage is pretty much broken. The main issue here is that he does have a knife. While he was vigilant, the man could potentially hurt Scratch with it if he tried to escape.>

 

The man was screaming now, fearing his own death. He was knocked to the ground by Sky Shiner. He scrambled away, trying to put distance between himself and the dragon. He was also reaching toward a leather sheath on his hip, which contained a knife.

 

Scratch still couldn't escape, because the 'lock' was preventing him from making the hole in the cage any bigger. He simply watched.

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner nearly scoffed. How had the human even managed to capture the other dragon if he was this scared of a mere hatchling like him? Sky glared at the man. "All bullies are mere cowards - like the disgusting rat you are!" Sky, unaware of the human's suspicious movements towards his hip, turned away in disgust and slithered off the man. His main focus was the other hatchling, not the human. He kept his ears on alert, though. Sky was not taking any chances. Sky flapped his wings, completely forgetting Crusher's rule (not that he was going to fly high up anyway...), and flew up, landing inside the wagon. He cocked his head, surveying the Albino hatchling in the cage, which was bent to an extent where the hatchling could almost get out, but not quite. He thought for a moment before he came to a conclusion.

 

"I have no idea how to get you out of there," he admitted. Perhaps he should have called for Crusher after all. The Magi dragon would probably have smashed the cage open in no time. Or maybe use some of his magic to open the lock.

 

"Do you...have any ideas?" Sky asked.

 

<OOC: Yep, I'm off to bed now and gonna let the others catch up. Good night!>

Edited December 21, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

Sky Shiner nearly scoffed. How had the human even managed to capture the other dragon if he was this scared of a mere hatchling like him? Sky glared at the man. "All bullies are mere cowards - like the disgusting rat you are!" Sky, unaware of the human's suspicious movements towards his hip, turned away in disgust and slithered off the man. His main focus was the other hatchling, not the human. He kept his ears on alert, though. Sky was not taking any chances. Sky flapped his wings, completely forgetting Crusher's rule (not that he was going to fly high up anyway...), and flew up, landing inside the wagon. He cocked his head, surveying the Albino hatchling in the cage, which was bent to an extent where the hatchling could almost get out, but not quite. He thought for a moment before he came to a conclusion.

 

"I have no idea how to get you out of there," he admitted. Perhaps he should have called for Crusher after all. The Magi dragon would probably have smashed the cage open in no time. Or maybe use some of his magic to open the lock.

 

"Do you...have any ideas?" Sky asked.

 

<OOC: Yep, I'm off to bed now and gonna let the others catch up. Good night!>

<It's morning/noon over here, but good night anyway.>

 

"Well, my first idea was to crack the cage open. But I can't break it from this side, since that device keeps the cage shut. Didn't you call it... A lock?"

 

The cage's padlock was indeed keeping the cage shut, and the door mechanism was reinforced by metal plating, which did not move in the slightest no matter how much Scratch hit it.

 

"If you can break it from that side, I might be able to slip through. I don't know if you can break it, though.

 

 

The wicked human was now making his retreat, not standing much of a chance against a dragon, even a young dragon.

[little lost dragon]

Crusher looked at his foot after Artemis healed it. It felt strange hurt a bit at first when the hatchling placed pressure on the damage. But now it felt much better. He smiled and nodded "From what I can currently tell, feels as good as new." he said smiling before about to call for the other 2 before he heard Irah calling Sky's name. His expression went from relaxed to a oh no look. He was up right away heading over to Irah. He looked around "Sky?" he called out loudly before sniffing the air. The hatchling had not vanished too long ago so the traces of scent where still around. Moving onto the river bank after signalling the others to follow to not lose them as well he found where Sky seemed to get and stay on dry land. From there he began to follow the scent. But a tang entered his nose after a few moments. Humans.

He raised his head narrowing his eye's. As he got closer the scents got stronger. Last time they fought humans there was a lot of spears and arrows that had to be dealt with.

He finally cleared the last bush to over hear the talk of a lock being there. He looked around for the human or humans. "Sky, I can have you wondering off like this." he scolded "You had a few close calls already last time." he stated before looking at the Albino "You get my attention for these matters....." He said clearly focusing on the lock before it clicked popping open "Human pad locks, dealt with them since I can remember. Come on, both of you, before the human returns." he said braced in case humans jumped out of the bushes. Normally he'd cloak but he was protecting hatchlings here. He would not use them as bait or risk it.

Part of why he brought Irah and Artemis was too keep them close by so he knew where they where. And if something where to happen to them he would be able to be right there right away. "Sky, I know you wanted to help, and there's nothing wrong with that, but needlessly placing your self in danger can have dire consequences, if I don't know where you are I can not keep you safe. And like any of the others, I don't want anything of that nature to happen to you." he sent

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner watched as Crusher unlocked the Albino's cage. He didn't say anything as Crusher chided him for wandering off, nor did he reply when Crusher sent him the telepathic message. He merely resumed his silent, neutral state and did not look at Crusher. He would have liked to argue back but he didn't bother.

 

"Are you coming with us?" he asked the Albino quietly.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[Coryn02]

Sky Shiner watched as Crusher unlocked the Albino's cage. He didn't say anything as Crusher chided him for wandering off, nor did he reply when Crusher sent him the telepathic message. He merely resumed his silent, neutral state and did not look at Crusher. He would have liked to argue back but he didn't bother.

 

"Are you coming with us?" he asked the Albino quietly.

Now that he was free, Scratch's first instinct was to run as fast as he could and never look back. But then a large orange shape came into view with several others behind. As it came closer, it was made apparent that this was an adult dragon with several hatchlings.

 

The orange dragon lectured Sky Shiner and then broke the lock without even touching it. It then told the two of them (including Scratch) himself to come along before the humans returned. That they probably would. And if they did, they'd probably not try the same thing as last time. Scratch was still a bit confused by the turn of events. How did that lock get broken without being damaged?

 

Scratch still didn't know what to say when he was asked to go with them by Sky Shiner. He figured that he didn't stand much of a chance alone, so he should go with them at least for a little bit. He also needed food, which was how he got into that situation in the first place, so maybe they'd have some.

 

"Yes, I'm coming."

 

Scratch walked out of the cage, whose door swung open easily. Focusing into his magic slightly, it was easy to distinguish the three dragons that just arrived. The adult scared him slightly, reminding him a lot of something from earlier in his life. Not that he'd had much of a life.

[Dream_Dragon]

Sky Shiner gave a slight nod in acknowledgement. It was all he could do as the familiar feeling of awkwardness crept into him. Now silent, he slithered past the Albino hatchling and jumped off the wagon. It occurred to him that he hadn't asked for the hatchling's name but he decided to ask for it later. Right now, his emotions were jumbled up. He felt awkward, shy, and guilty at the same time. His eyes on the ground, he sent a telepathic message back to Crusher.

 

"...Sorry..."

Edited December 22, 2013 by Dream_Dragon

[little lost dragon]

Crusher looked at Sky and nodded when he got the telepathic message. He looked back at the ablino hatchling "Looks like you might have a story, for now, lets get you to safety." he said in a hushed voice. After the hatchling had gotten behind him he began to back up his eye's scanning the area for movement. Did this new hatchling have living parents? If so where where they? And if not what happened to them?