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The Dawn Sisters : Quest of Dracasis by Black Dragon

Please don't modify or put the story on a site without my permission. Thanks.
 

Chapter 1: Nest of Sand

--Que, the mother forest dragon, lay silent as a mouse. She was observing her nest of 8 eggs.
--“Not bad for my second clutch.” She thought. Que was a champion female, which meant she chose males who won at battle to be her mate. Some dragons mated for life, bur she didn’t. Choosing to be a champion female wasn’t easy either, she could be won over by dozens of males; making the breeding season more than hectic for her, but staying with a single male her entire life was not what she had in mind at the moment.
--This season, she had mated with 12 males and come out with only 8 eggs. Her pervious clutch had been 5 males and 5 eggs, so being a first timer, she assumed that for each mate she breed with, she would get one more egg. It didn’t come out that way. Que’s gorgeous body consisted of deep green for the most part with an aquamarine tipped tail, and light purple spine scales (the ones that stick up and down the thick of a dragon’s back). At a glance she looks like a ferocious monster that would eat you as much as look at you but it's an appearance that keeps most humanoids at bay.
--As Que carefully watched her eggs, she saw one of them rock. Her heart jumped as she felt again the sensation she had before with her last clutch. But what astounded her was that only one egg was rocking. Her last clutch had all but jumped out at the same time; this little one was all by its self. She watched as a small crack appeared on the egg’s surface and a tiny forked tongue appeared, flicked, and then disappeared. The little creature repeated what it had done several times before its head emerged, followed by its body, and finally its wings and tail. What Que saw was a small glittering black dragon.
--And small it was indeed, being only three-fourths the size a normal hatchling would have been. The mother lowered her enormous head to the ground and stared and the little creation. When the black dragon finally looked up and peered into its mother’s silvery eyes, she knew that this one was special. Talking telepathically to one another, the mother kept her ‘voice’ low and light.
--“Hello little one.” Dazed at the sight in front of him, he only stood, stupefied. “My, my. Aren't you the supprise of the day?” She said, amusement showing in her tone. For a moment she wondered if perhaps he knew… “Well now, my little wonder…” She spoke to him in a comforting tone, trying her best to put him at ease. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she asked him, inquisition plainly stated in her voice; “Do you know what you are?” Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she awaited his answer.
--He only looked at her, trying his best to come up with an appropriate answer. When none came to him, he simply replied:
--“Tired?” But it was more of a question than an answer for he didn’t know if that was the correct response. Que rumbled softly with laughter and gazed silently at this wonder in front of her. The returned answer was more than she could hope for.
--For no apparent reason, something else popped into his mind. Since he had mistaken his mother’s laughter for a wrong answer, he quickly retorted by saying his name: Dracasis! She stopped laughing and smiled warmly at him. The correct answer now, he guessed though neither had been wrong. She was thinking upon how she could have produced a black dragon, being a green herself not mating with a black dragon in her whole life, when she heard the faint scrapes of the other eggs.
--Dracasis was smart to break out of his shell when he did. She knew from a horrid experience that dragon hatchlings kill the weak so that their own chances to live are increased. It was natural, and she suspected that she had killed some of her own siblings when she was young but her parents would never tell her.
--This pint-sized dragon would be killed for sure if she didn’t act fast, so she opened her mouth and laid her tongue over her teeth and then told her baby to climb into her mouth. Startled at the request, he hesitated. His chances of survival were decreasing by the second so she urged him once again to climb into her mouth. Feeling the worry in his mother, he quickly scrambled onto her tongue. As soon as she felt his body press on her, she pulled her tongue into her mouth and closed her white teeth.
--She took three huge bounds toward the opening of the cavern and laid her baby on a soft patch of grass that was growing just inside the mouth of the cave.
--“Stay here.” She warned, “I’ll be back in a second.” And with that, she turned and took another three bounds back to her sand nest of eggs. The little dragon felt a small pang of abandonment that quickly faded as he saw the other tongues poking out of the seven reaming eggs. He felt quite annoyed when his mother laid directly in his line of sight, and being so small, he couldn’t walk all the way around her to see what was happening.
--Back at the nest, Que settled down to observe the battle. The first dragon to emerge was quick to attack the next dragon out. The second dragon squealed in pain as the first tore at it with tooth and claw. It took all her control not to interfere. She would have done so if it would have helped.
--With her first clutch, Que had stopped the fights as they began, but as they grew older, each temper grew quickly and fights broke out at almost every turn. If she didn’t keep a steady eye on them at all times; they would attack each other. The day she had taught them to fly was the day they killed each other. Angry tempers flared as one showed off what he could do. The battle that followed was vicious, their screams and roars still echoed in her mind as each tore at one another. The last alive fell from a dizzying height strait down onto a field shattering his backbone, tail, wings, and 3 of his legs. Cursed with the choice to end his suffering or leave him to die slowly, she did the only choice she could. Taking his Soul Song, she squeezed it closed, killing him within seconds.
--With the death of her own child in her heart, she had planed to suicide when an experienced mother caught her and told her what she had done wrong. This time she would not make the same mistake.
--As the scene died down, two were left, stuck at a stalemate. The brown trying to find an opening in which to attack, and the red easily avoiding any strike the brown could launch. As she watched the last two try to take the other down, she felt a slight stirring within her, as if her heart was saying that that was enough. Her Dragon’s Song boiled to the surface and she was worried as to why it was trying to play now. Unable to suppress it, she let it go.
--The sweet melody flooded the cavern like an ocean wave. It reached out into the mountain’s side and flooded through the many gold veins that ran through the old hill. Que seemed to glow with a faint light as she played her Song. The two battlers seemed to be lulled into a deep sleep as they settled down and closed their eyes.
--While she played the dragon Song, Que wondered why this was so different than all the other times she had played it. Her thoughts were interrupted as a second Dragon Song joined hers, a male’s! A flare of anger burst through her, “What dragon dares come so close to me during hatching?” She turned in a rapid motion to look out the entrance, no one, so she ran to the opening and looked everywhere, still nothing.
--“But the sound is stronger here, who is it?” she flung her head angrily in every direction and almost missed the tiny black creature standing, swaying back and fourth, in the corner of her den.
--“It can’t be, its not possible…” as her thoughts drifted to what she was starring at, her Song lessened, and the little black dragon stopped swaying. Realizing what was happing, she increased her Song’s level and Dracasis again started to sway. The second Song was his! The Song played with his name, his true name, the calling of his soul.
--The little dragon’s Song circled around her, caressing her, his little life was laid bare for her mind to see. She saw what he had seen, the dark inside of a shell, the huge creature that was herself, his brother’s and sister’s straggly tongues, and the soft grass that he stood on now. Then, in an instant, she thought of a way to save him. He would be eaten alive (figuratively speaking of course) by the two left in her clutch if nothing was done and so she did what all dragons do; she gave him her life.
--She poured her mind into his and picked out only stray memories that she wished to keep secret. Her first debate was the memory of her childhood, which she found he might need, being a child himself. She wouldn’t have given those to an adult, but he wasn’t even close.
--Then came her mating flights. He would learn about the opposite sex sooner or later, but decided later was a better option and so left that out as well.
--Then came the choice to let him know the difference between sexes. She was eager to know what he was so she gave him that much. An almost instant answer was “male” and she smiled at his quick response.
--Last was what she had seen with her clutch. She was at first reluctant to give him that sight, but the point of giving him what she was giving him was to help the little creature to survive. How the remaining two acted and reacted in combat might one day save his life, so she gave it to him.
--As the last set of memories settled in, he began to quiver, than shake, and then went into violent spasms. Que cut her Song dead in its tracks and quickly curled around the little creature.
--“I’ve pushed him to far!” she thought rapidly. As Dracasis’ Song faded he stopped shivering, but he also stopped breathing. Fear welled up in the mother dragon as she felt the death of yet another of her children pressing down upon her. Should he die because of her, she would not allow herself to see another sunset. Minutes passed as she starred at the little black creature, now draped on her arm, and still he did not breath. Que laid her enormous head down by the lifeless body, and a single tear rolled down her face.
--As it passed from her closed eye, she felt the ever so faint flicker of life, like a candle lit in a thick fog. She felt its light shine faintly in her mind. She opened her weepy crystalline eye and saw his chest heaving, taking in small and shallow breaths. In her mind, Dracasis said:
--“Play your Song for me please, I’m so tired.” Another tear rolled down her cheek, this one of joy, and she softly played her Song for him. She focused it onto him, caressing him as he had done to her. He quickly fell into a deep sleep and she placed him again on the soft marshy grass. Never once stopping her Song, she walked over to the other two hatchlings and picked them up. Moving with the ease of a person in love, she laid her three hatchlings together and cleaned up the mess they had made. The shells, she crushed and covered with sand, the dead bodies, she checked for life, than ate, and the blood on her babies, she licked off with a gentleness that was very unlike her. Deep in her heart, she new this time she had gotten it right.

Chapter 2: World of Mystery

--It took the three hatchlings nearly four days to recover from their exertions. Although smallest, Dracasis was also the first to wake. He seemed a bit dazed and disoriented upon first wakening, possibly from having no activity in that four-day period after being confined within a shell for an additional six months. He was also a bit confused, Que was nowhere to be seen and he was surrounded by two completely unfamiliar hatchlings.
--They smelled nice though… He glanced around the cavern and still saw no sign of his mother so instinctively cried out with a squeak. That seemed to rouse the wrong attention for his brother and sister began to wake. The tiny black was relieved when his cry had brought his big green caretaker in from just outside the cave’s entrance. She bounced purposefully over to the patch of grass they were laying on and stood over them. Que laid herself down on the soft ground and worriedly looked over her babies.
--“Everything alright…” The big green said, not really asking a question. She finished her evaluation and concluded that they weren't hurt or the such-like.
--Dracasis clambered over his siblings and scrambled up onto his mother’s right paw. She had to arch her neck quite high to see him but just being able to look at him was enough incentive for her to do so.
--“You alright little one?” Dracasis chirruped a quite yes and she smiled. His brown sister and red brother both squeaked loudly for some time, scrambling over each other in an effort to reach their mother. The brown one was successful.
--At his defeat, the little male squeaked in protest. Dracasis gave up his spot to his brother who greedily accepted. Que smiled and lowered her head and told her tiny black child to climb up on her muzzle. Unsure as to why, he did so at great trouble but finally managed to scramble up onto her nose, face to forehead with his mother. The little black went completely stiff, clawing into his mother as she lifted her head off the ground.
--“Oww, is it really that bad little one?” She asked, cringing her nose up to ease the small but sharp claws off her face.
--Dracasis quickly realized what he was doing and slowly picked his claws out from between her scales. His embarrassment was quite plane to his mother who could read his emotions as if he were displaying them to her directly. She’d need to teach them how to control those erratic dragon properties sooner or later but at the moment, that extra emotional sense was of great help. Que straitened her head just enough for her son to see over.
--It took him a moment to realize what she’d done but once he saw it, his embarrassment faded into complete awe. Over her head, just past the green horizon, a wondrous landscape could be seen. Perfectly colored at a time just past dawn. The sun lit clouds illuminated the skyline and a spectacular golden hue settled over his entire view. Dracasis was so astonished at what he saw that he clambered up his mother’s face to reach her head at which point he sat quietly, tail swinging lightly in front of her eye.
--She smiled. Now her little Teryo, the brown one, was scratching at her arm, wanting desperately to know what had gotten her little black brother so silent so quickly. Even the other hatchlings could feel the powerful emotions that the others produced; Que herself was the only mystery to them. Though she considered her little black a special of the bunch, she couldn’t abandon the other two, she had to be fair. And to be so, she lowered her head, quickly snapping the little black out of his trance and the two switched places. Teryo had a similar reaction, only she let her tail dangle just above her mother’s nose, tickling her almost to the point of sneezing but she managed to refrain from doing so somehow.
--The little red one had no such reaction at all; he seemed unmoved by the scene. Szezllith, as she now called him, might have been considered cold but after the time the previous two had spent up on their mother’s head, the most spectacular part of the sight had already passed. He was more intrigued at how such a different place could exist just a dragon length away and yet, was indifferent about the coloring and basic details that both his brother and sister had been in awe at only moments before.
--It didn’t bother her that he wasn’t overly emotional, she knew some weren't that way. She was just glad for the health of her three children. The diversity didn’t hurt either, her last clutch had been three colors also, but it had been out of five as well, plus, she’d never seen a black hatchling. That part puzzled her more than anything. She didn’t have extensive knowledge of color and heredity ore breeding in general, but she did know that very few non-black mother's had ever produced black babies. Not that she feared him, she was very glad indeed that she did, but wasn’t certain how she'd done it. It would take a black mate, at least, to help her in that area and she knew with undoubted certainty that she hadn't even been around a black male while in heat.
--But even with her uncertain doubts, she marveled at his glossy black hide. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen and was, secretly, jealous of his good fortune. From her years of hearing gossip from the other dragoness' she'd learned of the unruly nature of blacks. How “awful it was to watch a black eat,” or “what a nasty temper that creature had” and especially the “rape-like tendencies black’s showed when near heated female.” She didn’t believe a word of it, knowing quite well that not of those who did the gossiping had ever laid eyes on a black dragon in their life. She had moved to this particular hillside just to get far enough away from all the gibberish that was constantly spurting from their muzzles. And even if half of what they talked about were true, she had no intention of letting her children end up like that.
--But enough of that; she pushed her current thoughts to the side as she viewed her three babies all lined up looking hopefully at their mother. She grinned, guessing that they must be ready to do something after nearly three days of nothing but sleep. The little black one stood, took a step forward and sat back down, tail twitching in anticipation.
--“Thirsty?” She said, using her telepathic mind-speech. She’d felt a new emotion from her babies and matched it quite quickly related it to thirst. “I see… Alright little ones, come with me and I’ll show you where we can get a drink from.” Subconsciously counting them, she turned and walked to her cavern’s entrance, then stopped to wait for the trio.
--It was a slow and tedious process in which Que had to walk at an antagonizing crawl-pace. She’d given a thought of just carrying them but decided they had to learn to walk as well as get used to the land that was their home as well and didn’t. They arrived at a rough section of a particularly large and very long river called Cloud Myst. Que stopped to decide which way would be quicker to reach a softer patch of water for her children to play in and drink from. The bold an undeterred baby black, however, didn’t stop and padded lightly over to the lake’s bank.
--He leaned over, stuck out his neck and let out a sharp peep as the end of his tail was pinched by a large set of pearl white teeth. Slowly and carefully, Que picked up and set down her little dragon hatchling at her side. Once back on the ground, Dracasis turned and let out a gruff squeak of annoyance at which his mother only grinned.
--“So you think your ready to swim rapids huh?” She mused, “Well, you just might be, but not today please. You just follow me and when we get to where I want to be, you three can play in the lake all you want.” Dracasis stood up and wagged his tail impatiently; Que led the way northward.
--The trek to the lakeside was just as impetuous as the walk to the river, slow and tedious. When they arrived, the mother was supprised to find that she wasn’t the only one who had a similar idea. Ca’Detra, a rather small green-ish blue drake with bright red diamond spine scales laid quietly at the lake’s edge, aquamarine tail-tip dangling in the water and eyes closed, no doubt enjoying the marvelous morning sun light. Que wandered over to her long time friend and sat, causing just enough noise to rouse her from her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly at first but the quickly snapped open as her head shot up when she realized who had woken her.
--“Que!” She burst out jumping to her feet and giving her long time friend a look over. “Ohh, its such a sight to see you again, it’s been much too long.”
--“Indeed it has.” The mother replied, curling her neck around her friend in a dragonatic hug. It was then that Ca’Detra saw the three hatchlings tagging along at their mother’s heel. She gasped.
--“Is that what you’ve been doing all this time?” She asked, eyeing the green playfully. Que turned her head to see what she was indicating and turned back, beaming grin on her face.
--“You’ve found me out, that is what I’ve been doing.”
--“They’re so k-ute!” She said and laid back down as Que stepped aside.
--The contrasting dragon looked them over as the three sat, all in a row. She tilted her head and they did the same. She grinned and they copied.
--“They’re sooo cue-t!” And the trio began peeping in mock words as they had not yet learned to use their voices. Ca’Detra began laughing out loud.. “Awww, your so lucky ya know that?”
--Que had reached maturity after Ca’Detra should have. She’d been diagnosed by some of the elder dragons and concluded that she was sterile and unable to produce offspring. The aquamarine dragoness had been in depression during Que’s entire first gestation period and that was when they had lost contact for the most part. The three settled down after a moment and the mother dragon began to introduce them.
--“This is Teryo,” she said pointing to the brown hatchling who promptly stood, walked a few steps and sat back down. “and Szezllith,” she continued as her red colored son followed Teryo’s example. “and this is Dracasis.” She finished. Dracasis, however, did not do what the others had done but instead wandered all the way over to the lying female and sat directly in front of her, starring directly up into her eyes.
--“Well hello little one.” The little black peeped and clambered up onto her head, Ca’Detra giggled as the little hatchling settled down between her eyes. She slowly raised her neck up and the tiny black peered at his new surroundings from a different angle.
--The little black stood in awe once again, completely astounded. The blueish dragoness mused a smile and mouthed out: “Curious?” to the green mother who promptly nodded her head in answer and agreement. Without moving her head Ca’Detra shifted her eyes over to the lake, and then back at Que. Not exactly quite sure what was being indicated, Que tilted her head with a confused glance.
--“The lake silly, they can play in the lake can’t they?” She asked using her mind speech. Que perked up and nodded a solemn yes, which caused the red spined creature to smile.
--The little black broke from his trance when Detra lowered her head just over the water’s edge. Unsure if he could proceed or if he would, once again, be picked up by his tail, he turned to his mother. Que gave a warm, loving smile toward her son and nodded yes to him. Drac smiled and immediately dashed off the blue-green’s nose into the cool waters. The little black let out a quiet yelp as was completely unprepared for the sensation. Que was immediately on her feet but Ca’Detra only laughed as Dracasis adjusted to his new surroundings and quickly began enjoying himself, plodding around in circles.
--Teryo and Szezllith both dashed after their brother, playful squeaks emanating from the three. The green dragoness settled back down next to Detra and watched her little ones play.
--“So what's the good word these days?” Ca’Detra asked, starting a long-lost conversation with her long-lost friend.
--“Good word?” She questioned, never once taking her eyes off the three in the lake.
--“What’ve you been doin’ silly…” She said, giving her friend a playful shove.
--“Aaahhh!” She yelped, “I’ve been busy tending to those three,” She said pointing, “what have you been doing?” Finishing with a return shove.

--While Que and Ca’Detra continued their recollection of the past, Szezllith, Dracasis, and Teryo were busy splashing and having fun. Of the three, Drac was, by far, the better swimmer but tried hard not to let the other two know it, frequently flopping into the water or missing a stroke and splashing himself. By the end of their trip, the other two had the impression that their darker brother was a horrible swimmer, but he didn’t mind. They didn’t do a whole lot, being a first time, they spent the majority of their stay learning and experimenting with different strokes, how to stay afloat and how to swim underwater. Drac tried hard once to catch a scaly slimy creature that swam fast, too fast, in fact, for him to do so, but he had fun trying. When Que called them out to leave, the three cried and squeaked enough to allow them to play a bit longer.
--Ca’Detra was all smiles for the extra time but once she finished her last story the green one called her babies out and no amount of crying and complaining seemed enough to change her mind this time. Eventually, reluctantly, the trio left the water soggy and waterlogged but all the better. Que said her good-byes and told her friend where she could be found if ever she had the time. Ca’Detra nodded her head and laid back down as the family left for home.
--She laid her head down, wishing she had a home to go back to as well…

Chapter 3: Dawn of a new day

--The next few months were a blur to the dragon family. Even with all her memories of her previous clutch, she’d forgotten just how quickly hatchlings grew. All three were a good five times their original size and growing just as rapidly still! At the moment, they were about half her size, Dracasis included, and today none of them could seem to calm down. In fact, Que herself was having a hard time keeping control over her emotions.
--Today was their first real hunting experience. Sure they’d chased and occasionally caught small animals like rabbit or a herring, Teryo even chased down a cleaver little charmeekia, a fox-like creature with a tail its own body size. She let it go, not having much hunger after the meal supplied by her mother but Que couldn’t believe it herself until her daughter came strolling up the path with a squirming red-coated meekia in her mouth. Plum worn out from struggling the entire way back, when she let it go, the poor thing managed only a careful trot back the way it had been brought. She’d made up her mind four days ago to teach them how to hunt, and kill, their own food, and today just happened to be the day she’d said she would take them.
--Dracasis, of the three, seemed the most laid back but she knew as well as he did that her little black son already knew how to hunt from what she’d given him as a hatchling. She also hoped that teaching Teryo and Szezllith would take all day so she could see those two off to bed and have the opportunity to watch her son at night. The black and red dragon were down at the bottom of the hill, just at the edge of her territory rolling around on the few patches of green grass left.
--With winter settling in, she’d have to finish stuffing the young ones for food would be scarce during the cold season. She was almost glad that her first clutch had died, as horrid and gruesome as that might sound. What she’d learned with her previous clutch she was applying to this one, like not interfering with their baby battles and how she nearly starved her first clutch to death during their first winter. No, this time she’d stuff them silly and teach them how to find their own food before the first frost set in on the land. When she was little, her parents used a hibernation technique of which she disapproved of, greatly. She found it was more of a waste of those three to four months they stayed all bundled together in that cramped cave but she also knew that, with her family, it was necessary.
--They’d shared a territory with several ‘neighbors’ and two or three of them did not hibernate. If any more than that didn’t do as she and her family had, the food supply for all of them would have run out too fast for any of them to survive. But one of Que’s main priorities when choosing her nesting grounds was to be sure that she was isolated. She’d done a good job too, with the nearest neighbor a good day’s flight away.
--The green one shifted her weight and Teryo, who was just outside the cavern entrance, was up like a rocket at the disturbance. Light on her toes, she swung around to see if her mother was preparing to leave. Disappointed, she only smiled and turned back to lie down. Que grinned, and this time did get up, making not a sound and tipi-toed over to her daughter. Showing true huntress skills in her endeavor, she maneuvered over directly behind her daughter and quietly asked:
--“Ready to go little one?” Teryo was on her feet and facing her mother by the end of the word ‘ready.’ Que grinned and the brown dragoness swatted at her with the front of her wing which only served to tilt her off balance. Que laughed and the two boys at the bottom of the hill stopped brawling and glanced up the hillside. They were able to hear her speak but unable, at this point, to speak back to her. They still relied on telepathy so all their responses were like a hidden call.
--“Are we going?” Drac yelled out to his mother with his red brother pinned under his weight. Szezllith pushed the big black nuisance off him and slid out away from him, acting as if he’d won. “Race ya!” Drac called out head-butting his brother and dashing up the hill.
--The red cried out after him and chased as quickly as possible, which only served to wear the little red one out as Drac beat him easily. Que giggled as both reached them, Teryo and herself, panting and wheezing. The brown female walked up to the victor and held his head lightly in her paws.
--“Guess what!” She whispered to his mind.
--“What?” Dracasis whispered back on the same level. Teryo looked around as if making sure there wasn’t anyone who could over hear them and turned back.
--“I go first cause your too tired to.” The little black collapsed with a smile.
--“Sounds good to me.” Teryo giggled and Szezllith screwed up his face in annoyance.
--Que gave her two sons a few moments to catch their breath as she explained the basics to them. Dracasis listened intently, mainly to reinforce what she’d already ‘taught’ him. Though hard, the brown one managed to sit still long enough for her mother to finish. Szezllith, on the other hand, barely heard a word she said. Que paused once in her explanation when she noticed the red wandering off in his mind, dreaming the day away. It wasn’t until Drac nudged him with the end of his tail that the little red zoned back in on the conversation, only to wander off again a few moments later. The green mother gave him an eyeful, but continued on as if she didn’t care, he’d be asking all sorts of questions later and she wouldn’t answer them, no matter how much he pleaded.
--After her seminar, she stood with Teryo quick by her side, Szezllith behind her and Dracasis trailing at the end. She wasn’t exactly sure on what she was going to have them hunt… Dervanna was too large and not doubt to aggressive for her young ones to handle… Katana might do, but even she considered them small for her babies… Eventually she came to a conclusion she’d never thought of before, a jerruse! It was rather large, and semi-aggressive, but it seemed to proved just the right challenge for them, in her mind at least. A jerruse: being six legged meant their stamina and endurance would be tested, they had a pair of butting horns so they would have to say on their toes or risk being injured and yet it was just smart enough that they would have to be quick to act and even quicker to react.
--Yes, a jerruse would suit them fine. It seemed odd, in her entire lifetime, she’d only hunted a handful of the strange beasts and yet it seemed the perfect challenge. She shrugged it off as mere coincidence and trudged onward. With the end of fall approaching, the grasses were tall and a glorious golden brown for as far as the eye could see. The day was not particularly windy, but even the slightest breeze caused a ripple-like effect on the tall grasses.
--Being at the top of a downward sloping hilltop, all four of them watched for a moment as the magic of the day revealed itself to them. No one talked for that brief moment; not even Szezllith made a sound to interrupt but stood transfixed as well. An ocean of beauty lay out for the world to see but only that family of four stood in witness of the spectacular site. Eventually even the winds themselves stopped, as if to say the magic had passed but remained within them. They all took it to heart and when it all ended, Que let out a long sigh as if finally being able to witness something precious for the first time in a long time.
--Her recollections were cut short as a gruff grunt from something nearby echoed on the planes land below. Teryo stood on her tippi-claws to see above the grasses but found herself no match for nature’s wild growth. Que was able to stand high enough and so found what they needed and immediately ducked back down under the cover of the grass. Que led the way, trampling a path in the landscape for her children to follow. When they were near enough, they stopped and the green mother told the first contestant to climb onto her back, Teryo did as was told.
--Que lifted her up so she could see her target and once found, let the huntress to-be slide back down to the ground.
--“That’s dinner.” She said softly. “I can only give you so much advice my dear, the rest is just instinct.” The brown huntress-in-training gave a worried look. “Don’t be frightened, they’re more scared of you then you should be of them. Keep your eyes on one target and one alone, don’t stop no matter what your mind tells you, even if you come within feet of another, don’t try and go after the new one. It won’t work, trust me.” She said with a grin, Teryo smiled back. Her daughter still looked anxious so Que bent down to the side of her head and whispered in low tones, “And don’t be afraid of not catching anything, us girls are naturals at this stuff plus your day-dreaming brother over there doesn't have a clue what to do anyway.” She finished and pulled her head back with a wink, Teryo perked up.
--Teryo turned toward her unseen target and began a brisk walk toward it.
--“Not so fast, my love, supprise is your best ally. We have all day, no rush.” She called out to her daughter’s mind.
--Immediately, the anxious brown dragoness slowed her approach. Instinct was in control of her at that time, she knew what to do and what not to but everything else was pure experiment to the prowling huntress. She crept low in the golden brown grasses, keeping out of sight of both her family and her prey. She was supprised at how strong the animal’s sent was from here… It was a musky odder, somewhat offensive to the nostrils but full of hidden code that she could not yet decipher.
--At about twelve yards away, she stopped. She could almost feel it, like a beacon in the horizon, drawn to it with an unknown lust. She lay down and peered a head-length forward, piercing through the grasses to a trampled and eating section where, to her supprise, several of her prey were standing. She froze, completely confused now. They all looked alike; four horns on each, four stout long legs, bland brown color and small vertical black stripes… For a moment, she thought of turning and fleeing before they saw her, but stifled the urge before it overtook her.
--“Choose one you know you can catch, and keep your eyes firmly on that single target.” Her mother’s crystal clear voice rang in her head.
--She looked at each one in turn, jerruse after jerruse, trying desperately to pick one out of the crowd. It seemed like such a lost cause, trying to do all this effort just to do what she knew her mother would do for them anyway. It was in her confused thoughts that she almost glanced right over it, just barely different from the rest but the large black dot that rested in the center of its back made it an appealing target. Her glitter golden eyes narrowed as she tilted forward and leaned her back up.
--With the little growl of pleasure she let loose, every one of the jerruse turned and faced her. Fortunately her brown coloration blended well with the surroundings and they didn’t notice her until she started the chase. Cramming every bit of energy she had into that first initial stride, she burst from her hiding place nearly on top of the one closest to her. Her body wanted to tear itself away from her current path and follow the first one, but her mother’s words stuck with her and she kept up the chase with her initial target.
--In a blur, nine separate jerruse blended into an ocean of brown fur, lined with black striped waves. Her large black dotted target was the only thing that kept her from being washed into the stream of fleeing creatures. Her stamina faded rapidly being completely unaccustomed to the chase but fortunately, the scene faded just as quickly as it had begun. She reached her target and blindly swiped at it with a fore-paw, luckily knocking it off balance enough to send it sprawling to the ground, at which point, the young Teryo tackled the jerruse and held it’s throat within her mouth while gasping for breath.
--The brown spotted jerruse struggled ‘till its last breath but eventually succumbed to the dragoness’ deadly bite. The other jerruse, whom had not been targets stopped some fifty yards away and turned, alarmed but just as exhausted as the brown huntress. When the creature took its last breath, she dropped it on the ground and continued panting, but called to her mother in a joyous but tired voice.
--“I think… I think I did it…” She announced between gasps. Que stood and lead her other children over to the weary female.
--She sat directly in front of Teryo and smiled with a joy unheard of by any dragon. Teryo did her best to smile back as the adrenaline faded from her system and she returned to a normal state of being.
--“You did very well, my love, very well indeed.” It was an unexplainable feeling, perhaps a sense of acclaimed joy at her accomplishment, but she knew, by the magnitude of the emotion, that it was not something she had ever experienced with her previous clutch.
--While Teryo recovered, Szezllith sniffed the deceased jerruse and Dracasis cuddled her sister affectionately. Teryo rubbed noses with her black companion for a while until he told her what an outstanding job she’d done. She blushed, dragon style, and then turned away to face her mother.
--“Now what?” She inquired, knowing full well how hot she felt.
--“I guess I should have told you this before you went off and got your first catch, but…” She added the remainder with a tone of sincere strictness, “You never kill an animal unless you need to. You should only hunt when your body tells you its time to eat.” Teryo nodded, agreeing completely. She didn’t think she could do this unless absolutely necessary anyway. Que turned to the carcass only to see her ruby colored son with his tongue covered in blood. “Stop that!” She scolded him, bopping him lightly on the top of the head.
--Light as it was, he was unprepared to resist such an act and so the small action sent his head dipping into the dead creature’s neck. He quickly lifted his head, now ringed with a light layer of darker red. He looked so sheepish that Teryo burst out laughing. The unhappy red gave her an undermining stare but sloughed off his embarrassment enough to wipe his face on the trampled grasses. He eyed his mother strangely and she smiled.
--“Its not your hunt, dear-heart, your sister did all of the work and so gets to eat what she wants.”
--Szezllith wasn’t very happy about that but there wasn’t much he could do. Arguing with her would lead him nowhere so he let the matter drop and wandered off to lie on the misty grasses. Drac turned and lead Que off to the side, claming to want to know more about the jerruse, of which the green mother easily obliged. Although she felt somewhat shy about doing so, hunger eventually forced her to tear into the dead animal. Hunting took a lot out of the hunter it seemed.
--It didn’t take her long to finish the entire animal but by the end of it all, Dracasis was the resident expert on jerruse and Szezllith was in full-blown slumber. The rest of the jerruse stood at the very edge of the clearing, ever on the alert but loathe to leave such a bountiful feeding area. Que decided they should find another pack of animals to hunt, these ones already knew they were here. She nodded to her daughter to come to her and she complied but hung her head with a shy/embarrassed look for having stuffed herself so.
--“Its alright, my dear, why did you think I didn’t feed you this week?” She reassured her, holding her head in her forepaws. “Drac, go get your silly brother.” The black nodded.
--He walked slowly over to Szezllith and nudged him in the side. The sleepy red blinked open his eyes and starred blindly at his dark brother. Dracasis continued to nudge him until he finally rolled over onto his stomach in annoyance.
--“C’mon, were leavin’ with or with out you.” He said playfully and nudged him one last time. Decidedly beaten, Szezllith stood and stretched, noting he’d taking a good nap but not much worth in terms of sleep while waiting.
--Que and Teryo lead the way and the two males followed behind the girls. It wasn’t easy for either of the brothers to hear what they were saying but it seemed to Drac that they were discussing the good and bad points in his sister’s first hunt. In reality they were whispering about what they thought the boys would do. To keep them off track of their discussion they threw out tid-bits of information like ‘next time’ and ‘that was good but.’
--The green mother took them home for a while, she wasn’t sure where she could find hunting grounds of such quality as she had for Teryo but it didn’t seem like Szezllith would be needing it anyway. He hadn't been paying attention the entire day and she doubted he’d even come close. Not that she didn’t have high hopes for her other son but the outcome looked bleak. Once home, she gave them another hour to rest of which Szezllith gladly resumed napping.
--Dracasis, however lead Teryo off into the meadow and promptly asked, “How’d you do it?” sort of questions. Teryo giggled and ran through all of what she’d done, the actual physical stuff. But only after a bit of prodding from her ‘older’ brother did she add in what she felt when she did certain things. Most of it she had to leave blank because it went by so fast she didn’t have time to really register the feeling or log it into her mind. Drac sat quietly the entire time, interjecting a question or two when needed. Que couldn’t understand how in the world her three hatchlings could be so different and yet all alike.
--Teryo was the super-emotional and over-talkative type, full of expression and a love of everyday life. Szezllith was completely indifferent. Non-emotional and, not insensitive, but less caring about what lie on the inside. Typical male, she mused. But then there was Dracasis, her little black miracle, a complete mystery. He was very caring, very sensitive, took in his surroundings and was an unparalleled son as well as brother. But he also seemed so withdrawn, so taken back by the very nature self-expression. He could always find something to make Teryo or herself smile but could never do so for himself.
--At this point in his life, being so young, it didn’t worry her much. He was bold and adventurous, capable of anything, she thought, if he wanted to do it. Still, today was not the day to worry about it. She made her way over to the sleeping red and decided he’d already gotten off easy for snoozing. She planted her muzzle snuggly under Szezllith’s side and then proceeded to lightly shake him awake. When he mumbled that he was awake, she snapped up her head and sent him flying crying out, “No your not!”
--The now fully awake red yelped at suddenly being air born but quickly ended his holler as his chin met the ground. Que padded over to her fallen son who gave out a small snort of contempt.
--“Well…” She said with a bit of thought, “maybe you might have been awake…” And smiled at the chaos she’d created. Her other two children were up in a jog and by her side before their brother had recovered from the ‘blow.’ “Its your turn, sleepy.” She announced. Szezllith mumbled something incomprehensible but Que ignored him. Anxious to see what he could do, she led them toward another favorable hunting ground.
--Teryo bounced around the whole way to the new hunting area until her mother scolded her for making such a ruckus while on her brother’s hunt. She calmed down and walked quietly next to Drac. The next area was more of a rocky hill area, not as concealed but just as easy as Teryo’s situation. Que led her around to the back of a hill where she could smell the jerruse. She kept them down wind to give her clueless son a chance for he’d need all the extra help he could get to pull this off.
--“Alright you big red lug, have at it. Keep in mind everything I’ve told you today and you should do fine.” There was a smug satisfaction in her voice as he showed a look of worry. “Go on, lets see you catch your first dinner.” Not quite sure how to proceed, he slunk off to try his luck.
--Szezllith made his way very slowly, trying hard to recall anything that might be of use during his hunt. Nothing came to mind. He reached a point where he could hide behind a few bushes and stopped a moment to think over his strategy. Que led her other two children up to the top of a hill where the heard of jerruse were visible. At the moment, she couldn’t see her son but knew he’d be along eventually. Now, sweating it out on the playing field, he was quite conscious of how much he had missed when his mother had explained it to his brother and sister. He made careful plans, picking out what looked like the easiest targets and deciding on the closest. If another of his targets came within reach, he’d change to that one, otherwise he’d just stick to his current target.
--Unfortunately for the young red, he’d picked one of the worst possible creatures to start with. It was relatively small but size isn’t always the determining factor. He picked one of the young adults, just entering its prime. Swift at foot, smart, very agile… even experienced dragon hunters wouldn’t hunt out of necessity with such a target in mind. But being under instructed by his own fault, the young red hadn't a clue what he was up agents and about to go head long into a fight he had little chance of winning.
--Szezllith checked himself one last time, corrected his posture, dug his claws into the sand and launched himself from the bush. First mistake. Before he’d closed half the gap between himself and the target jerruse, they were on the move, springing away in leaps and bounds. All but a claw-full of the hunted beasts stopped prancing away as the target group was identified. The little red dragon saw another of his targets slowing and shifted himself away from his first to try and tackle the second. Another mistake. Loosing much of his speed and traction, he nearly fell over his own feet trying to accomplish the shift.
--Upon the hilltop, Que only shook her head in disappointment. She knew this would happen.
--“Looks like your going hungry today little one.” The green mother said aloud. Teryo smiled, Drac didn’t.
--Down at the hill bottom, Szezllith was becoming quite tired and agitated. As soon as he shifted the entire heard did as well. Those he’d been chasing slowed their pace and his new target, along with several others were galloping at an alarming rate, putting distance between them that he didn’t want to be there. He ran as hard as he could, all the way to the point where he thought he might even catch up to them when he heard aloud pop and his left hind leg went numb. He yelped out loud as he went down, face once again in the dirt. He skidded a ways, tail in the air until finally coming face to muzzle with a rock, not inches away. He slumped down to the ground, quietly hissing as he let his leg fall.
--Que hissed and winched at what had to be one of the little red’s most painful, and no doubt, embarrassing moments. She flung open her wings and glided down the hill as her other two children jogged lightly to the bottom. She reached his side long before the others and assessed the injuries. Aside from the leg and being quite dirty, he looked all right. She stood there looking at him square in the eye as she folder her wings, look of amusement planted firmly on her face. He looked up at her, as if asking for help but turned back to looking at the rock when he saw her smirk, knowing quite well what she was thinking.
--Dracasis slid to a stop next to his mother, looking his red brother over a few times. Szezllith had a racking pain in his stomach that he guessed came from his hard landing but, with his face in the dirt, he couldn’t quite tell anyone that. The little black’s face had quite a worried overtone and Que patted him lightly on the head.
--“He’ll be alright, the big lug. It’s a hard lesson but now I think he’ll start listening to what I have to say wont ya?” She said, not really asking. Drac’s expression still didn’t change.
--He took a few steps toward his fallen brother and stopped bolt still; jaw gaping in horror. Que looked at him, now anxious herself as to why her son was acting so odd. The little black turned his head toward his mother, as if about to explain, then turned back to Szezllith, look of shocked horror still on his face. He quickly shuffled over to the fallen red, stepping quickly around the fallen wings and placed a claw on his back, just between where the wings joined the back. He immediately removed his claw as if burned and turned back to Que with an even more shocked look upon his muzzle.
--His mouth flapped open and closed as if trying to say words that would not come. The green mother was now all astir with her son’s reaction and demanded, half heartedly to know what was going on. Dracasis turned to look at Szezllith once again and rapidly turned back to his mother, trying desperately to say what would not leave his mouth. In a burst, he blurted it out telepathically.
--“He’s dieing!” Both Que and Teryo heard it, which got the young brown female unhappy as well.
--“WHAT!” She all but screamed and rushed over to her youngest son’s side.
--“Wha’dr you talking about Drac? I’m not dieing, my chest just hurts that’s all…” Szezllith managed to pull his head out of the dirt long enough to talk telepathically to his black brother.
--The little black gasped in a breath and quickly involved himself in moving to the other side of the fallen red. Once on the other side, he lightly rolled his brother onto his side, trying to be as gentle as possible. Szezllith hissed a bit and Que starred; jaw working soundlessly as well. All down the front of her hatchling was a deep gash, spilling bright red blood onto an already drenched ground.
--From about the base of the neck to his stomach was a cut about two and a half inches deep caused by a steadily incased rock within the dirt that he had slid on. Que rushed over to her wounded child, rolling him fully on his back as the little black dragon stepped tentatively out of the way. Szezllith hollered in pain as he finally realized the extent of the damage, which was, obviously, not just a strained muscle.
--Drac’s head raced, this was terrible. He clutched his tail nervously as his mother prodded around the wound, trying desperately to stop it from bleeding. The little black closed his eyes and shook his head back and fourth. Teryo nervously fluttered around to the other side of Szezllith and watched her mother work. She did numerous things, none of which worked.
“Is he going to be alright?” Que looked blankly at her child for a moment.
“I… I don’t know dear.” Teryo gained absolutely no comfort in that comment.
--Szezllith groaned, he was loosing consciousness as his lifeblood left his body. His head felt light headed and groggy, not at all like himself. But the pain was gone, somehow numbed by his own inability to keep himself awake. Drac whimpered but neither of the girls paid him any heed. He did it again and still no response. A final time caught his mother’s attention and she looked at him, quite startled at what she saw. He seemed to glow with a very faint light. Though her darker son’s luminance was quite intriguing, Szezllith’s injury required much more of her attention so she looked back down at him, trying to close the gash. Drac cried out and took off running.
--His eyes were still closed as he left the horrific scene but in his mind’s eye, he could see the landscape perfectly. Not exactly sure where he was going, or even why he was running, he let his body carry him away. His wings were open, giving him a little extra lift and speeding him on his way but… on his way to where? Que cried out after her fleeing son, not sure what had happened but another groan from Szezllith made her turn her attention back to him.
--He ran out of sight, his body ached with the strain from his efforts but he could not coax it to stop, nor slow. He must have run for hours on end because by the time he stopped, he was in a completely unfamiliar area. His entire body was sore now but still, it pressed him on. He opened his eyes and entered forest-like surroundings. A low murmur could he heard just ahead, almost like… singing? He pressed onward. Not long into the forest itself, he found a lake with an aquamarine dragon, no dragoness enjoying a soothing swim in the lake.
--“Help!” He cried out to her.
--Quite startled by the sudden addition of another dragon to her private pond, Ca’Detra jumped out of the water and shifted her head around to find her intruder/guest. Seeing the familiar black standing at the edge of the inner forest, she took a step toward him.
--“What's wrong little one?” She asked and then repeated the question telepathically, just incase he couldn’t understand speech.
--“Szezllith… He’s hurt, bad.”
--“Bad? How bad?”
--“Bad enough that I had to come find you. You can heal him can’t you? Please…” She cut him off.
--“Yes I am. I don’t know how you knew I was a healer, even Que doesn't know.” She paused, “If its that bad, just tell me where he is and I’ll go see what I can do.”
--Drac touched her mind lightly with his Soul Song and she had an instant picture of the damage done and the distance he had traveled. Two things really amazed her, how he’d gotten that far so quickly and the fact that he could already use his Song… She shook off her curiosity and took to the air.
--“You head back to your mother, I’ll be there shortly…” She was still puzzling over his abilities but made as quick a flight as she could to Que. That little black had reached her in less time than it took to circle around the pond!

--In flight, Ca’Detra was at Que’s side in next to no time. Her arrival was a complete surprise to Que, but her presence was comforting none-the-less. Landing a bit of a distance away, she quickly rushed over to the fallen red and assessed the damages with her own eyes. It was pretty bad, a dark pool of blood, darker then the injured dragon’s scales ringed the ground below him and the gash was, for the most part, untreated. Que was no healer, that was obvious, but Detra wasn’t here to discuss her lack of restorative power.
--The little brown Teryo was at her brother’s head supporting it with a loving touch, trying her best to keep her cool in this drastic situation. Her golden eyes glittered hard with worry but Ca’Detra’s calm, sun-yellow colored eyes displayed a wave of understanding and acceptance of the situation. Teryo nodded to an unsaid question and continued her vigil over her brother’s body, being sure to remain calm for her mother’s sake. Que took a step toward the aquamarine water drake, a look of pure despair on her face as she starred her friend.
--“Detra…” She tried to say something but couldn’t quite choke out the words. Ca’Detra laid her clawed hand on her friend’s shoulder and only made a “Shhh” sound. She nodded with a little tear in the corner of her eye and stepped back. Detra moved next to the fallen red.
--By now, Szezllith was unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady. Laying a steady claw on his chest, she felt the beat of his heart; also steady but not strong. It was becoming a difficult chore for his heart to pump blood out of his body. Since the wound was torn, it wouldn’t be an easy task of healing but she was confident he would survive. What’s more, she was happy to see that, when all was said and done, he probably wouldn’t have a scar either! She didn’t say anything of the sort; it wasn’t the type of thing a worry-excited dragoness needed hear form someone trying to save her son’s life so kept the good news for later. Biting off the tip of one of her fore-claws, she spat out the cut claw into her hand and placed it in the injured dragon’s mouth. He swallowed it quickly, involuntarily of course.
--She traced the path of the broken claw along the surface of his body as it made a trip from his mouth to his stomach. She smiled as it reached its final destination. There was no damage to any of his inside, only a deep gash on the outside. No doubt it had been very close but nothing was more than bruised from his hard fall. She put her muzzle close to the wound and sniffed it…
--It had the beginning of an infection but nothing she couldn’t handle. Opening her mouth, she laid the length of her tongue on the center of his wound. The pink muscle was soon red and she slid it back into her mouth. Mainly dirt, it seemed, nothing bad just unpleasant for the most part. She held up both claws and, with one, cut the other down her palm. A thick-looking blue substance bubbled at the surface, Detra had an unsurprised look that was quite contrary to Que’s reaction. She kept to herself but the uncertainty ate at the edge of her consciousness.
--What was she doing? Should I let her continue? What is that stuff? Where’s Dracasis? How’d she know I was here? A good hundred questions kept her mind from interrupting Detra but she really wanted to know the answer to some… all of them. The slit on her claw as a stinging pain but it didn’t last long. As her… blood began to contact with the air, it darkened to an almost royal blue. It didn’t drip as was expected, but the flow stopped quite quickly, I was a drake’s gift. It was nearly imposable to make one bleed to death for their blood clogs rapidly, not to mention it’s several times as thick as dragon blood. She waited patiently for just the right time, and when that time came, she quickly scrapped off the dark blue substance from her claw and lathered the wound with it.
--Que gasped, stepping forward, but Teryo put herself between the savior drake and her confused mother, forcing her to look into her worried golden eyes. Que only nodded and stepped back, Ca’Detra pretended not to notice the scene. With the first layer of blood scraped away, a new, lighter coating slid out from beneath her skin and began coagulating once more. Again waiting for that perfect color, she scratched it off and sponged it into the wound. She repeated her actions quite a number of times and by the end of it, she felt dizzy. Even a little loss effected drakes on a much higher scale. With thicker blood, any loss was a hard-won battle by their bodies.
--The given blood from the drake continued to change all the way to an almost black-blue. Finally finished, she heaved a heavy sight and stepped back. Within the wound the strange colored substance marked where the injury was. The green mother took a tentative step toward her fallen son, then stopped and glanced at Detra for conformation that it was all right to precede. The aquamarine water drake only nodded her weary head and stumbled a little distance away. Half falling to the ground, she was instantly asleep.
--Teryo left Szezllith’s side only a little while after Detra’s collapse and walked tentatively over to her. She was breathing so and she looked all right, the self-inflected wound on her claw finally having a chance to do what it was designed to do. The buzzing of insistent flies just beyond Detra’s head caught her attention. The carrion insects were feasting on the blood trail her brother had left on the rock not but a few feet from the savior drake’s head. A wave of disgust washed over her and she quickly made her way to the site, dug out the rock and chucked it as hard as she could across the field. Landing with a solid thud some distance off, she then covered the blood trail with a bit of dust and dirt. A few bugs continued to circle the area but found their feast no longer where they expected and so went off to another place.
--Teryo watched Ca’Detra sleep with awe. She’d just saved her brother’s life, an amazing feat if ever there was one… Some day, she wanted to be able to do the same. Perhaps, just maybe, Ca’Detra could teach her some tricks…
 
 

To be continued...

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