ORIGIN - Raspite Needs a Home

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Beaches are supposed to be peaceful places where you can relax and overall have a good time. Unfortunately, that was not the case for Comet. Ever since the Fornax incident, large bodies of water were avoided. So why was she here? Well, it was because of the raspite. She had found the stone long ago when she was a pup, and now, she felt she could no longer take good care of it, and the solution to that would be to find someone who care for it well. Maybe even give life to it again someday.

The sand crunched a bit under her paws, and she looked around to see if anyone lived here. For a gembound to survive so near to a large body of water, they must be really strong! Comet felt quite confident in entrusting a stone to someone who lived here.

@Dread

The distant shape that shot out over the water was immense: an impossibly broad wingspan, the light shining through the membranes to illuminate them a deep red-brown. The dragon soared at great speed, circling from one island to another, seabirds wheeling around him; he didn't seem to mind their presence.

He was making his daily rounds, the protection duty he'd agreed to.

Weird gemstone hole: safe, check.

Haven's nest: safe, at least probably. He hadn't seen her there but it didn't look wrecked, at least.

Satisfied, Dread turned and circled, turning his attention to the sea below and the thin, pale strip of shore that parted it from the thick forests beyond. The white wolf along the shoreline stood out, even against the pale sand; she was snow-colored, and in motion, and nothing like anything else that lived here.

Curiosity piqued, Dread swept lower. She wasn't dragon-shaped, so she wasn't a threat to his territory, in his mind. Wings wavering and beating with bass "whumphs" between each glide, he flew down close, curving in behind her in a sweep of air that might've blown her fur a little; then he came in to land some forty feet behind her, facing her, in a loud crunch of sand.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" he called out, curious. He was preeeetty sure she was a wolf, and with childlike hopefulness that he was right, he blurted out what he hoped was the answer: "ARE YOU A WOLF?"

His voice was loud--Dread had no inside voice--but it wasn't demanding, in this case; and as he began a swift wing-walk closer, he didn't seem likely to attack, despite his size.

@Comet

Comet had been looking everywhere-- but up. Strange, wasn't it, how animals tended to be less aware of what was above them than around? Her ear caught sound of wingbeats. Like Carja's wings. That's what it reminded her of. She looked up, and saw the enormous dragon descending from the sky. Her bottom jaw dropped in amazement, the raspite falling out. Comet quickly picked up back up again though, trying to ignore the feeling of sand that was on the stone now. Her gaze followed his movement, and soon he was close to enough to ruffle her fur. Turning around to face him, she tried to remember if she had seen him before. Maybe? Maybe not.

Comet folded back her ear at the roar that was his question. It was an oh so familiar question. She didn't want to think about the last time someone had asked her that. But she did. Wolf. Not an actual wolf, just a weird fish named Wolf. That was the exact question she had been asked, and that fish decided that it was a wolf too. She still felt guilty for causing a fish to think such a thing, which is why she tried not to dwell on it too much. Right. Back to the matter at hand.

"Yep! I am!" The dragon was swiftly approaching, but she felt no fear from it. He didn't seem threatening. Comet wrinkled her nose in thought. He certainly seemed like a powerful gembound. The sand covered raspite still sat in her mouth. Could this be the one she would give it to? Would he take it? She would have to know more about him first. "And you are?"

@Dread

Dread peered down, blinking ember eyes against the bright light of Leo. Yup, this was a wolf, all right. She confirmed it herself.

"I AM A DRAGON," he answered; oh, but maybe she'd wanted his name-? "MY NAME IS DREAD. THERE ARE OTHER DRAGONS HERE THAT ARE NOT NICE," he added, glancing back and up at the other islands as he offered this rather vague warning. His memory was on Haven, shouting at him to turn back "or else." "BUT MOSTLY IT IS SAFE. I THINK."

Dread shook himself, a little, the finned spines along his neck clattering some. For a moment he studied Comet's feather; he wondered if it were her gemstone, and why it was soft-looking, like that. Wolves didn't usually have one big, soft feather--at least, he didn't think so? He struggled to remember, for a moment.

Then, abruptly, with inspiration, his eyes lingering on the raspite: "IS THAT STONE FOR TRADE? I HAVE THINGS I CAN TRADE. I LIKE THE COLOR GOLD." Half his stash had been traded back and forth until he had about half gold and gold-colored things scattered throughout his hoard--and he was always loking for more.

@Comet

She nodded at his answer. Comet would have been surprised if he said that he wasn't a dragon. That would've been a big twist indeed. "Well nice to meet you Dread. And thanks for the warning." she wondered what dragons he could've been talking about. It certainly couldn't be Carja, right? Carja was her friend. No, it had to be some other dragons that are not Carja. Unfortunately, Dread and Carja were the only dragons she had ever met. That didn't include the ones at the raid, but that didn't count since she hadn't actually met them. Like, met met them.

As Dread studied her feather, Comet studied his scales. Wow they looked tough. Did all dragons have scales? Were there furry dragons? His would be a good caretaker for the stone indeed. She shook her fur and snapped out of thinking about that.

"Oh, um..." she placed the stone onto the ground, "I was thinking I could give it to you for free actually. All you have to promise is that you will take good care of it. You can give life to it too. I saw renny do that before to another stone that had magic and it was super cool! Now I have a sibling." Comet nudged it over with her nose. She did not feel like she was going to regret this decision. Dread looked like he would take good care of the stone. And from her conversation so far with him it looked like if he revived it he would be a good father too.

@Dread

The island atop which he lightly touched down, at last, was one some hundred feet or more high at its crown. There was a hole in its side, quite high up--his main den, in fact; its sides otherwise were jagged and sheer, the surf crashing along their base. It would be impossible to reach without wings, but that was hardly an issue for the dragon.

The top of the island was a sort of shallow, bowl-shaped hollow, chosen for the ridges around it--it was only perhaps forty or fifty feet across--that left it fairly sheltered. A couple bent, wind-swept trees offered a little shade, and grasses and a few other sparse plants added a little greenery. But the divot itself--into which Dread first gently deposited Comet, and then swept back around to land in--was full of treasures.

These "treasures" ranged from random crystals and gemstones to battered, worn pieces of armor, to metal scraps and hides and bones. His greater treasures--including singing crystals and the enchanted golden collar--were in the den far below.

Dread leaned down, clearing a spot in amongst the stones and here he carefully set the raspite.

"I WILL TRY TO BRING IT TO LIFE," he informed Comet--seemingly unconcerned about having a stranger in his den. His focus--his excitement, in fact--was on the gemstone, and after a moment he leaned down.

He pressed his snout to the rock, and squeezed his eyes shut very carefully (as if this were an important part of how this all worked) and for a moment, he was still. From him, then, magic flowed: and the stone swelled slightly with life.

It would fuse to the den site soon enough, he knew. He looked to Comet, ember eyes flaring with excitement. "IT IS ALIVE, NOW!" he exclaimed. (He'd have another hatchling! How exciting!) Dread then glanced around at all his treasures, as if now they were nothing more to him than trash; and compared to a child, they were. "DO YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?" he asked--"IN TRADE?"

@Comet