ORIGIN - Dragonsreach

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Dread was busy enough, and content enough, wolfing down his food that he was happy to let the others speak, first. When they'd trailed off--and, more importantly, once Dread had finished eating--he looked up to Asimona.

"There is a thing called Vargas. Overseer Vargas. It has fought me before. The Alpha looks like it does, but not purple." Dread paused, thinking. "They are very large! One is bigger than I am. But they can't fly and their magic is bad. It can hurt but not bad. The big one made me land! I burned them and said the caves are ours, but they want our stones. Be careful," he added, in a rare moment of wisdom, or at least caution.

Dread blinked ember eyes, thinking; he shook himself, dog-like, so that his neck-spines all clattered. He was, as he so often was, not particularly articulate yet now, careful, he spoke deeper, and more clearly, as if putting unusual thought and weight into his words. "I do not look for fights, in the caves. I only want to hunt, and live, and have shinies, and... to protect you," he added, looking to his children, to Asimona. A rare admission but then, had it really needed to be said-? The roar of father's fury when he had heard Svartis' cries had been clear enough. "But there are things in the caves that want to fight us. I have been attacked many times. I think because we are large, and they want to kill large things, and feel strong. It is stupid, but it is what they do. Even when they are small." And a memory of Pride, then, in Cetus--"They will make us promises, and try to use our strength, and pay us as little as they can. They think we are stupid beasts." -In Dread's case perhaps not entirely inaccurate, but regardless.

"We must take care of each other." the black dragon finished, looking at his children with a faintly-worried gaze.

When he had been alone, in the caves, the threats hadn't bothered him overmuch. He was free, he was fierce; he took care of himself and cared for little else. Fearing for himself wasn't such a terrible thing, but for children-? He'd created them for Asimona, at first--she'd been lone, and he'd offered her the company of young--but now that they were here, he felt unexpectedly close to them, too. Bound to them, even.

Now, all the various monsters in the cave made him tense, wary, and weary.

@Svartis @Asimona

Asimona's tail thumped against the ground, looking down again at Blight and glancing between the small dragon and her son as she tore another chunk from the deer. Warmth crept in her chest when she realized what this was. Had he really gone and adopted this small baby dragon into their family? Did that mean her son...had a son? It was a bit of a blow to the heart at first. They weren't children anymore but adults with their own lives and dreams. It wasn't her responsibility to protect them anymore. Yet, still, she would worry about them because she still loved them. Like now, when they spoke of something big with many legs attacking at random. "I am sorry I did not hear it as well. I would have gone after it too if I had. Tore it limb from limb for hurting, or causing a hurt," she glanced at Bone, "to my family."

She looked down at Blight and blinked, expression crinkling with amusement as her head snaked down to look at him. "Thank you, little one. You must have been very brave to take such a dangerous task."

But the moment didn't last long because the moment the words "Overseer Vargas" touched her ears, she snapped her head up, anger blazing in her eyes. "THE OVERSEER?!" she roared suddenly. "Where? WHERE IS HE?! He wants only to enslave the caves, make us all his little servants. I'll bet he wants your stones to make mindless little soldiers that follow his commands to the letter! Don't let him have them!" It might have been obvious advice, but she was furious that Vargas would dare attack one of her children. He would not get away from this without tasting their righteous anger.

"I'm sorry," she growled. "He could be going after you because of me. Maybe he knows that we are related and sent someone to punish you to punish me. I made it clear to his servants that I wouldn't follow his rules and I'd fight to be free. Maybe this is him getting back at me for that." She nodded to Dread, then, agreeing with him, although perhaps she didn't quite get at what he was thinking of. She thought of that little garnet-shit and Nemean, who had toyed with her too many times now. "Protect each other. We need to be strong if the Overseer comes back for us."

She turned towards her kids, reaching for each to give them a gentle, brief nuzzle with her nose, and then leaned down to give Blight the same, apparently having already accepted him as part of her family. "Whatever others think of you, you are not mindless beasts. You are wonderful, intelligent, and you have so much potential. You too, Dread," she turned to look at her old friend. "We're family too - we must support each other."

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Svartis

Svartis's eating had gone from ravenous chomping of deer to subdued nibbling - then nothing. Blight'd finished his chunk, and was in the midst of talking until he'd blown out all the air in his little lungs. The black dragon chuffed his way again, hobbling away from it - leaving the carcass for the little one to clean up - and towards his mother's refreshing coolness. He sat awkwardly at her side, fiddling with his own front claws and growing oddly quiet in the face of Dread's warm, fatherly speech.

A faint niggling grew in the back of his mind, an admission he didn't want to make to himself, I am weak. Overlaying that was a more conscious thought: I can grow stronger. It resonated in time with both his parents' ultimate conclusions - that they should take care of one another, support each other.

Slowly, he rocked back up, pushing his snout underneath Asimona's when she nuzzled him, giving praise and her love - then waddled over to Dread. They weren't particularly affectionate in such a manner, more prone to light bouts of wrestling and teasing such as brothers did, but... Svartis couldn't remember if he'd thanked his father for protecting them, keeping them fed, going after those monsters and making sure they stayed away.

He went for a light shove against the muzzle, fins pressed down, a soft "thanks, Dad." And he turned to the rest, calling, "I'll practice my magic, so I can protect myself better - and all of you." Svartis swallowed, almost choked up, "I love you all."

@Bone

Asimona's outburst took her by surprise. Her mother had never, in her memory, shown anger; and she flinched. Bone shook herself, then, blinking.

"I don't think it's because of you, Mom--it said it wants our stones. I saw it in Canis, like... the next day?" she hazarded. "It said if we 'cooperate' they won't have to 'kill us,'" she added, drily. "But there's a fortune-teller there who talked to it and calmed it down--the one called Alpha? The one who attacked you," she added, to Svartis. "I don't know why they want our stones, but Giggle--the hyena?--knows them, I think. The both of them. Or knows of them, at least," she amended; it hadn't escaped her that the hyena didn't seem outright friendly with Orthoclase-Alpha.

Bone shrugged. She hadn't seen fit to mention this before because, first, she'd just arrived to the gathering and second, it wasn't all that much new information. "We might have to kill them first. I don't--really know how to fight, though," she admitted.

Svartis' blurted mushiness had her smirking, though, and she moved closer to ever-so-gently jostle him--gently, because they were both wounded, and recovering, still. "I love you too, you little dumb ice-maker," she told him, in what was probably a typical, gentle tease.

Blight listened calmly, quietly, to Dread's little speech, understanding very little of it. Asimona's sudden roar, then, had him squeaking and scramblng to hide under the other dragons, a tangle of tiny wings under their feet.

Shadows, so nearly dispersed, flashed back up to swaddle him, as if an instinctive reaction and an attempt to hide. He was still scrambling away when the others went back to speaking, as if nothing had happened; Blight turned, glaring sullenly up at her.

A moment later it was mostly forgotten, shadow fading as he attempted to clamber up Svartis and onto his head, neck and shoulders, climbing about, at least intelligent enough to avoid any wounds. "I love you, Dad," he chirped cheerfully, though he fired another brief, wary glance at Asimona, whom he now thought of as The Loud One.

Dread was not one for detailed planning, but it didn't escape him that being alone, right now, would be dangerous for any of them. And Bone-... Bone was right.

"We should kill them," he agreed. If they planned to kill the dragon family, it only made sense that they should strike first. "The one ran to the bone-place. We can go together and kill them. Don't go anywhere alone," the black dragon added, in a tone of warning.

"Practice fire," he told Bone. "When you two are better we can all go. Together. We can kill them so they don't kill us. So they don't take our stones. So they don't make us 'servants.'"

He rocked back, half-upright on wings and haunches, peering at his family--to see if they'd agree with this.

@Asimona

Bug arrived.

She was late. She was still family, though she'd never met Asimona; usually she was curled asleep in the sun at the edge of Dread's den, or prowling around the various parts of the cave. But she'd seen the gathering, recognized Asimona from Dread's description (big, white, icy, curly horns--hard to miss, really), and brought A Gift.

As cats do.

And, apparently, cat-dragons.

She tried to announce her arrival with magic, at the same time beating little, black leathery wings to land carefully, a large mouse dead in her little jaws.

"HI! I BROUGHT FOOD, TOO. FOR YOU. ASIMONA!" A bright whisper, echoing despite Bug's mouse-full mouth. She dropped the mouse before Asimona, nudging it toward her (trying, apparently, to prove that a cat-dragon could contribute as much as an actual dragon), and then actually spoke. "Hello. I'm Bug!" She then wrapped a brief, purring line around the legs of both her siblings, before moving on to snag a bite of the far larger cave deer.

A fair trade, apparently; family shared, after all.

bg texture by Eddi van W. on Flickr

Asimona nodded grimly, expression dark with concern. She didn't want to take her family to war - she knew that they were strong and independent now but they were her children and she worried about them if they were to go into a fight. "I'll help you, if you need, Svartis. Keep practicing creating ice and mist and casting your shadows." She would have to dust off her skills as well. She hadn't been in a proper fight since the battle against the Matriarch in Hydra.

"Oh, Giggle knows them? Did you ask her about them at all? If we have more information that might help-" She paused when the little cat suddenly barged into their gathering, holding a mouse and laying it in front of her claws. She looked down with surprise. She...had never seen this creature before, but looking at its wings, its color, and the shape of its tale, she figured it was probably Dread's...whenever he had decided to make it. "Hello, Bug. Is this for me?" If she was a dragon, and she was Dread's blood, then she belonged with them too. She leaned down and snapped up the little mouse she'd been offered in a single bite. "Thank you."

She stared at the cat-dragon for a moment. Would Dread expect them to take her to war as well? Was there anything she could do in the face of Vargas and what she presumed to be his monstrous children? And even if she was gifted with magic, would she be able to keep up with such gigantic creatures?

She sighed softly. "We should prepare, at the very least, and watch out for them if they decide to attack us before we're ready. If you do see them, call for us as loud as you can. I'll make sure to be there this time."

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Svartis

"We might have to kill them first. I don't - really know how to fight, though."

That was the thing, wasn't it? Svartis's weight fell side to side, the whites of his eyes flashing as he looked to each of his family members - even the late-arriving Bug. Dread and his mother were strong magic-users, but he was imagining an entire nest filled with monsters just like Alpha; they couldn't hope to survive against so many. Svartis had thought his own magic was good, too - but that beast'd given him no room to cast, no chance to think long enough and focus enough that he wouldn't wind up punching holes in his own wings.

"The Alpha is... brutal. I burnt it with steam and it kept hanging onto my leg," he admitted by way of offering... something to work around in strategy. Brute force in return, maybe.

The black dragon shook himself, though - looking steeled and determined as the clan comes to an agreement - they must kill to protect. He'd practice his magic (he rumbled a "thanks, mom" as she'd offered) and hold their enemies down in ice while Dread, Bone - Bug? swept by with fire and brimstone.

Bone came up to him, jostling him gently while Blight clambered up. Svartis's eyes narrowed with brief, brotherly glee, and he bumped her back: "fire hazard." His son chirped his confessions of love, and his heart warmed with a "I love you too, bud." Wholesome and soft.

Once Asimona was done accepting Bug's most gracious gift, his head swung towards her, "we can find a cooler spot in here and - freeze it up. So you can stay close until we kill them or... figure out what else to do. Magic practice and you can... stay here with us." Svartis looked hopeful that she'd say yes.

@Bone

Bone gave a gentle nudge back to Svartis--and one to Bug--before turning her attention more seriously back to her parents.

This was as solemn and well-spoken as she'd ever seen Dread; Asimona, too, seemed worried. She considered Svartis' suggestion of ice.

"You could maybe use one of the places down in the canyon? There's running water down there, and sometimes you can find shadier places. It's still warm, but... it might be easier to cool off. A bunch of plants have been growing down there, though," she added. "I'm not sure if someone's growing them or why they're groing now, but it might be best to leave those? So more cave deer are here. More to eat."

"I don't think she knew a lot, but I can go back and ask her? She is offering to train me a little, myself, but not with fire. She didn't seem to get along with them, anyway. She said she thinks they're from a time before--uh, a time of noise, a time of--authority."

The white dragon turned, nodding briefly to thin air; after a moment's focus a small, fiery wisp of phosphorescent blue-green popped into existence and bobbed there, hissing quietly. "I'll practice my magic, meanwhile."

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