#dragonet minders

[notodysseusofithaca]

Brains, brains I won't lie! I'll eat their brains till they are zombified! Sure they might think it's deranged But they won't give it a thought After I've eaten their brains!

Dragonet Guardians designs for a potential MAP I might host.

[amethystroselily]

The minders are fascinating characters actually.

Because the only one I would ever trust with raising children is Webs, but he’s also a sad pathetic little man, and every little nice thing he does for them is completely overshadowed by Kestrel’s cruelty and Dune’s malicious indifference and him allowing that behavior from those two.

And like Kestrel and Dune had to have truly believed in what they were doing at some point. But they just seem completely disillusioned with both the queens AND the talons of Peace, and they’re taking out that bitterness out on the dragonets.

I actually really enjoy them as characters, but they are horrible people. But it makes so much sense that they are.

[retoldflames]

Retold Flames: The Dragonet Prophecy (part 1)

Minor Content Warning Spoiler for mentions of blood and Scarlet brutally Killing.

Here with the second piece of Retold Flames, following up from Succession War. For some AU world building: During the latter years of the Succession War, the Southern Scales (the Kingdom of Sand’s southernmost region, scattered with ruins across the land like scales) would experience a shift in power as the monarchy would be more focused on the war up north (attempts would be made by the monarchy to reestablish their order but would end up crumbling after a few years); leaving groups like the Outclaws of Scorpion Den and the Shore Guild (a group mainly known for their past work of excavating ruins) to gain a talon hold over the region, taking a stance of neutrality on the war (the latter group even having rumors of becoming independent from the Kingdom of Sand as a whole, gaining influence over the ruin settlements and den towns looking for safety from a rising number of outlaws in the region).

-

Asha & Hvitur: Before joining the Talons of Peace, Asha was a fierce warrior among the Mud Kingdom’s forces; Becoming a sister in claws to Kestrel during their time fighting together, making the decision to go with Kestrel in joining the Talons of Peace. There, Asha would meet Mudwing Sibs Crocodile and Bullfrog as well as their Icewing Unsib Hvitur, joining the Talons of Peace after the loss of the rest of their Sib Troop.

During their time working together in the Talons, Asha and Hvitur would grow close, eventually forming a relationship with one another; Commemorating this Hvitur gifting Asha a silver earring and Asha gifting Hvitur a large scarf, brown like her scales. It wouldn't be long however that the two would be chosen to acquire and raise the Dragonets of Destiny with Kestrel and two new Talons of Peace recruits Sandwing Dune (bringing the Sandwing egg) and Seawing Webs (bringing the Seawing egg) selected by Morrowseer (bringing the Nightwign egg) as Minders for the task. Asha would go on to acquire the Mudwing egg of her nephew and successfully bring it back to the others but unfortunately pass away due to injuries from being caught in the crossfire of an ensuing battle on her return trip. Hvitur would be less fortunate, being killed by Burn after escaping the Sky Palace with the Skywing egg; The two being lost together.

-

Kestrel & Dune: Before joining the Talons of Peace, Kestrel was a violent and fierce warrior and arena champion of the Sky Kingdom; Eventually finding a sister in claws and trusted friend in Mudwing Asha on the battlefield, helping Kestrel calm her more destructive tendencies. In time Kestrel would attempt to flee the Sky Kingdom with her newly hatched Skywing twin dragonets from a breeding program from Queen Scarlet, said queen catching Kestrel in her escape and give her the choice to kill one of her own dragonet's and let Scarlet let them live. Kestrel would choose to throw her Featherwing (Skywing twin egg subtribe) dragonet into a nearby raging river and attempt to leave with her fire scale dragonet. But Scarlet never said anything about letting Kestrel leave, leading to the new Skywing mother attempting to flee with her fire scale dragonet; Only for her talons to become burnt to the point of no longer being able to hold her dragonet (having to wear wrappings to continue being able to hold things), forcing her to flee with her dragonet left to be taken by Scarlet. Kestrel would attempt to find any sign of her Featherwing dragonet but lose hope when she finds that the river she tossed them into flows into a plummeting waterfall with no sign of the dragonet; Leaving her to decide to join the Talons of Peace but not before making one last trip to see Asha who would go with Kestrel in joining the Talons of Peace.

While part of the Talons of Peace, Kestrel would become known among the group as one of their best fighters; working closely with Talons members Asha, Hvitur and Avalanche (being of the only few that could get passed her temper) as well as being selected to ensure the safety of the Dragonets of Destiny and their Minders Asha, Hvitur, Webs and Dune. Something that would take a turn in Asha, Hvitur and the Skywing egg being lost (Webs going out to get steal a Rainwing to take the lost egg’s place in the dragonets), leaving Kestrel to fill in their place as minder (wearing Hvitur’s scarf with Asha’s earring hooked into it in remembrance of the two).

During his early life, Dune would bear an enthusiasm that would be squashed with the destruction of one of his wings and the loss of a leg, leaving only the desire for the war to just be done with. Something he would believe he found in a chance encounter with Morrowseer looking for a Sandwing egg for the dragonet prophecy in secret (as well as Stonemover); Convincing Dune to steal away the egg of his friend Thorn for the Prophecy, leading to him becoming one of the Dragonet of Destiny Minders.

While Kestrel (giving combat training) and Dune (giving hunting training) would raise the Dragonets as their Minders; Kestrel herself doing this through tiger parenting, pushing Clay to be a fierce Bigwing like his aunt Asha and give Skywing combat tutoring to Tsunami who would grow a rebellious streak against her minders as she got older (The dragonets as well as Dune and Webs would occasionally comment how Kestrel and Tsunami similarly act, something the two would deny in similar ways). Dune himself would be grouchy and tough grow a fondness for the others under the mountain over the years that he would only really show to Sunny (as well as to Kestrel in private) and take up more of a nocturnal sleep schedule over the years as he tutor's Starflight on the side (becoming a bit of a father figure to the young Nightwing dragonet). Kestrel and Dune would raise Glory to be a Skying dragonet for the prophecy after learning of her color changing (Glory herself would pick up a habit of just keeping a Skywing coloration from this).

-

Webs: Before being part of the Talons of Peace, Webs was a healer and trusted friend of King Gill. With a wonderful wife and son, Webs would believe that everything would be fine, until he stumbled across princess Blister and her Secret alliance with Morrowseer, Whirlpool and Queen Scarlet. They wouldn't kill Webs as it would raise unwanted suspicion with Gill, instead they would subtly force him to join the efforts to raise the Dragonets of Destiny with the threat of his wife and son being killed if her doesn't. Not wanting anything to happen to him, Webs would comply and steal away the Seawing egg of Tsunami from the Royal Hatchery and join the other minders in raising the Dragonets of Destiny in isolation. He would also go on to steal the Rainwing egg of Glory from the Rainforest after the loss of the Skywing egg for the prophecy.

Webs would be tasked with teaching the dragonets about the history of the Succession War (as well as other important things) to make a choice on which of the Royal sisters would take the throne (preferably Blister by those who sent him). He would take monthly trips down to South Den on the shores of Southern Scales to safely learn what has been going on with the war at present to teach the dragonets as well as stock up on provisions and new scrolls (much to Starflight's delight) for the others back under the mountain (Kestrel and Dune would have Webs keep an eye on the dragonets whenever he got back so they could both have time away together). During one of these trips while passing through Jade Mountain for a place to rest, Webs would stumble across Stonemover and his skulk of oddly intelligent foxes. After that point, Webs would go through Jade Mountain to make a visit to Stonemover and his fox skulk whenever he would make his monthly trip; Forming somewhat of a good friendship with the group that wouldn't really go that deep.

When it comes time for the minders to kill Glory under orders from Morrowseer (having followed the massive Nightwing’s as to not get killed with nowhere safe to go even if they did survive), Webs (enduring through apprehension of what would happen to his wife and son back in the Kingdom of Sea, even after all these years) would eventually bring up the idea of the minders running away with the dragonets so they wouldn’t have to kill Glory (Something Kestrel and Dune would initially reject at first due to them being fugitives with nowhere else to properly hid, but would come to accept the idea with a growing suspicion of why Morrowseer didn’t just take the dragonets he saw as worthy with him as well as Webs bringing up how Jade Mountain could be a good place for them to hide). The plan Webs would make with him, Kestrel and Dune rounding up all the dragonets, as well as unchain Tsunami (partially under the orders of Morrowseer so the young Seawing wouldn’t attempt to escape before he got back), at which point they begin their move to Jade Mountain where they would hide with a friend of Webs (Stonemover) until it was time to enact the prophecy. A plan that would be derailed with finding the dragonets have broken out Tsunami who has escaped through the underwater with Clay to break out the other dragonets from outside. Webs would go after the two dragonets through the underwater river and leave Kestrel and Dune to round up Sunny, Starflight and an invisibly hiding Glory for the trip (Kestrel herself would leave Dune deal with rounding up the three dragonets himself while she would go attempt to cut off Tsunami and Clay’s path of escape as well as get something for the group to quickly eat for the trip).

-

Clay (Our Perspective): During his time being raised under the mountain, Clay would be a caring Bigwing to the other dragonets (taking an interest in scrolls about healing brought by Webs so he could help whoever the other dragonets got injured); Something he would have trouble doing with Kestrel pushing him to be a fierce Bigwing like his Aunt Asha (Kestrel would use her flame breath to mend Clay's surface level wounds after a combat session due to being hatched from a blood red egg allowing him to mend his wounds with intense heat and forgo needing mud to do so like other Mudwings, though the process would cause him pain that she would see as toughening him up). It's only when it is his hatching day that he (as well as the other dragonets) would get a bit of leniency from Kestrel (with convincing from Dune and Webs) in what the dragonets can do that single day. Something that wouldn’t be for their sixth hatching day as Morrowseer would make an unexpected appearance, leading to Clay and the other dragonets not having the day for themselves and Tsunami being chained up. Clay would spy on the minders once Morrowseer left and after seeing Kestrel seeming willingness to kill Glory for Morrowseer as well as her and Dune’s initial rejection to running away with the dragonets, Clay would sneak back to the other dragonets.

With Clay telling the other dragonets of what he overheard (unaware of the Minders actual plan), the dragonets would go with an idea proposed by Tsunami many times before (being the rebellious dragonet she is) and make their own escape without the Minders, this time with the weight of saving Glory from being supposedly killed by Kestrel. They would be quick to work getting Tsunami out of her chains, burning some of the scrolls they have (much to Starflight’s dismay) and create flames to heat up the chains binding Tsunami with help from Clay’s flame breath from being warmed up himself; Allowing them to bend apart the chains binding Tsunami and free her. Following this, Clay and Tsunami would travel through to find an exit to help the others escape from the outside (being led by Tsunami who somewhat knows the underground river passages from sneaking away when everyone else is asleep and Webs is away traveling), but not before seeing Glory turn invisible to hide and not get caught by the minders and having the idea to make a smoke signal for Tsunami and Clay to find a way back to the others.

Eventually, with a bit of trouble for Clay while traveling through cold underwater caves, he and Tsunami would succeed in escaping through the underground river and find themselves in the outside world. The two would take a rest to gather themselves and take in the night sky for a short period before making their way to break the others out, a rest that would be interrupted by the appearance of Webs (figuring out with the other minders that the two were escaping through the underground river, taking chase after them and quickly catching up to them from being both more knowledgeable on the underwater passages as well as being a more experienced swimmer than the two). Webs would slow down the two long enough to explain about his plan that he convinced the other minders of doing in running away with the dragonets, something that the two (especially Tsunami) wouldn’t really be convinced of as true with their minders general attitude towards the dragonets. Their conversation would be cut short as they would have unexpected company in Queen Scarlet with an entourage of guards, said guards proceeding to subdue the three of them under Scarlets orders. Clay would be given a painful choice by Scarlet (seeing him care for the two Seawings), choose one of the Seawings to die and she’ll let the other live. Clay wouldn’t be able to make a choice, not wanting to see either of them die (much to Scarlet’s thrilling enjoyment). Eventually Scarlet would make the choice for Clay (becoming irritated at how long it is taking him) and force him and Tsunami to watch as she pierces Webs neck and leave him to squirm freely on the ground as he bleeds out, crawling away into the river they are next to (talons latched firmly to his neck as his hand covers his wound to prevent himself from bleeding severely) and passing out as his body begins drifting down river, seemingly dead. Clay would be shocked by this sudden turn of events, even more so not long after as Scarlets guards would be ambushed by Kestrel (having to take a longer path to catch the dragonet) and allowing Clay and Tsunami to make an escape (Tsunami herself taking charge as Clay is getting is getting his bearings together).

Clay with Tsunami would find the smoke signal the others made and make their way back to Sunny and Starflight with Dune (Glory would stick to staying invisible). The Dragonets and Dune would attempt to gather themselves to escape after the news of Webs death, but they would be cut off by Scarlet and a majority of her guards (Leaving some to deal with a captured Kestrel, thinking the former champion has gotten rusty watching dragonets). The dragonets would be subdued by Scarlet’s Guards (much to the dismay of Dune valiantly attempting to protect them, being subdued himself), being interrupted by Kestrel making a sudden return (covered in blood that is mostly not her own). A deal would be attempted by Kestrel for Scarlet to take her and let the others go, something the queen would deny as she snaps Dune’s neck (leaving Sunny to grieve for Dune and enraging Kestrel greatly for what Scarlet had done). Clay would watch as Kestrel would attempt to strike at Scarlet who would be protected by her guards, allowing Tsunami to break free and help the other dragonets. Something that wouldn’t last with Kestrel and Tsunami being knocked out by the guards who would knockout Clay, Starflight and Sunny as well (not taking any chances).

[wuzhere75]

I love WoF AUs that go “what if different eggs got taken for the dragonet prophecy” and we get a different set of dragonets for an alternate version of the 1st arc.

So yeah I decided to make my own (I’ve gone through a couple of different iterations, but this is the most current.

The quirk here is that I basically thought “wait what if the dragonets where everything Morrowseer had wanted”. Like they just ended up with with a perfectly normal set of a Mud, Sand, Sea, Night, and Skywing. No replacement-that-is-of-a-different-tribe-because-one-of-the-guardians-fucked-something-up. No obvious hybrids. They get left alone for another year, and emerge from the cave to the chaos of the events of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd arcs all at once.

(Also another quirk is that they are all related in some way to a canon character; Asha and Hviter are also still alive)

Bigshadow (She/They)

-She’s the big soft himbo-type character. Due to severe nearsightedness, they’ve always had difficulty reading/writing. The guardians just assume she’s dumb, but she really loves learning and art.

-I can’t remember if it’s canon that Secretkeeper and Morrowseer had tried to had dragonets before Moonwatcher and that they had “lost” them, but I decided for this AU, an attempt had produced a viable egg and Morrowseer decided “what would be a better dragonet to lead the dragonets of destiny than my own”, stealing the egg and flying through the night to the cave.

-Due to this, Bigshadow was partially exposed to the moonlight of the Brightest Night, giving her somewhat unreliable psychic powers. Most of the time she misinterprets them as being very weird dreams/intrusive thoughts.

-Shortly after Morrowseer did his year-prior check in, they start to feel a strange presence in their dreams and swear they hear someone calling to them from outside the cave when things are quiet (*cough* *cough* Darkstalker).

Mangrove (He/They) (yes I know there is already a canon character named Mangrove; it’s a sick name)

-Gumpy quiet sad man who’s in to medicine and nature

-In this universe, Gill gets a “funny feeling” during the Brightest Night and decides to take what would be Tsunami’s egg so he can “be with his new daughter during her hatching”. Webs, then, takes one of the male eggs instead when he breaks into the hatching room.

-The AU Sandwing minder; Jackal (more on her later), was a little too rough on him when was younger during fight practice (maybe I should have featured a scar somewhere in his design?). Due to this, he abhors violence.

Mole (She/Her)

-The softly spoken nerd who gets picked on for not being the big strong meatbag Mudwing the guardians had wanted. She has a secretly love for war history and is probably really good at strategically fighting (in a real world AU she would be an American Civil War or WWII nerd).

-Asha couldn’t get Cattail to give up Clay’s egg, so Crocodile (remember that lady?) gives Asha “her” blood red egg (she actually stole it from her sister, Toad) at the last minute.

-I originally had her as being from a non-blood red egg Crocodile just painting red but the Sandwing minder probably just would have incinerated her.

Coyote (Any Pronouns) (I’m not sure about the name; I wanted something related to new world deserts but not named after a cactus and I don’t feel like Gila or Mesa fit).

-Apathetic bastard who hates everyone except her adoptive siblings (basically as far as you could get from Sunny without being an outright evil asshole).

-In this AU, Dune never left the Outclaws (the dragonet that would have been Sunny is raised among them). Due to this, a different Sandwing minder was chosen from the TOP; Jackal.

-Jackal was…umm…very devout to the prophecy and willing to “weed out anything that wasn’t promised in the prophecy” (she probably would have killed both Glory and Sunny immediately, Starflight not having psychic powers probably would have set her off as well).

-Jackal stole the egg of her brother, Corsac, a general in Blaze’s army. Corsac and his wife, Bison, caught her in the middle of the act, but she got away (they would later have a son, Pronghorn, like the one from JMA).

Shrike (They/Them)

-The artsy goth kid who loves supernatural stuff (they go wild every time Hviter or Webs starts talking about amunism).

-Kestrel in this AU either doesn’t have Peril/Sky in the first place or chooses to fuck off into the mountains with her kids (perhaps with the help of Soar/Chameleon?). Maroon (name also pending), a different Skywing, is instead chosen. Due to Maroon being less “high profile” than Kestrel, he is chosen to steal the Skywing egg, being more familiar with what hatcheries are more or less highly guarded than others (unlike, say, Hviter).

-This version of the dragonets have made a giant cave mural with the help of Asha and the Maroon. Shrike is the primary contributor to this mural even though the other dragonets have “grown out of it”. Mostly, they paint Bigshadow’s “dreams”.

-They are intrigued by Bigshadow’s dreams and is the only one who thinks they are more than just dreams.

-They make jewelry out of bones from the prey animals the guardians bring them (originally I was going to include a necklace with some skulls and stuff, but that shit’s hard to draw).

-I had no smooth way of tying to fit this in but he is either the half-sibling or cousin (I haven’t decided) to the Skywing False Dragonet, Flame.

[pippastrelle]

I'm rereading Wings of Fire (starting with "the dragonets of prophecy") and it is good! I love the dynamics between the dragonets from the very beginning. You get such a perfect picture of their love for each other, as well as how being raised in such an abusive environment creates their clashes and their different reactions to conflict.

In general, I've always adored how they did the prophecy. Yeah, turns out being trained from birth to fulfil a destiny leaves each of the children desperate to escape and with no knowledge of the world they have to save. Each of the minders are so convinced of their righteousness but were still horrendous parents.

Also, I love Clay. I relate so hard and it's just sweet perspective in how much he cares for his friends, as well as how he struggles to manoeuver conflict to do so. The other dragonets works great as distinct characters and as a group.

[syngigeim]

Day 3 - Scale

“Aubin! Aubin! Aubin!” Kal Myhk said, fluttering into the Elezen’s face.

Aubinaux sighed. When he became a child-dragon’s minder, well, technically he knew full well when but that was beside the point. “Yes Kal?”

“My back itches. I think my scales are loose and I can’t reach them.”

“Right then. Come along,” Aubinaux said, heading inside for the table. Kal chirped in agreement and flew after him, settling down on the table. The dragonet sat in from of Aubinaux, his back towards him, and Aubinaux set to work. He placed his hands to the top of the dragon’s back, and gently moved his hands along it, feeling for any sort of loose scales. When he did so, gently he focused on lifting it free, pulling it naturally out. And once he was done with the loose scales, Aubinaux just gently scratched Kal’s back. The dragonet gave a gentle sound, something like a cat’s purr, at this. Whatever it was, it seemed to travel up Aubinaux’s fingers and up his arm, and a feeling of contentment washed over him.

“Can we go to the pile of pillows? And can you read me something?” Kal pipped up and said.

“I’m certain I can manage something,” Aubinaux said, with a smile. There was nothing pressing he needed to do today, so a nice afternoon reading to his overly eager dragon friend sounded quite nice.

[justspillingink]

Heyo, fellow insomniacs! This’ just a quick post to say sorry about the lack of artwork today, between the interent dying on me & my grandpa almost buring the house down, I didn’t exactly get much work time.

However, this’ is also a post to say that the next chapter of Tarantula’s Terrarium is in progress & should hopefully be up sometime next week (if the house doesn’t catch fire again)!

Here’s a quick look at the first draft’s opening:

Snowy howling winds battered the glass walls of Tarantula’s Terrarium’s greenhouse, nearly drowning out the rambunctious laughter within. The bonfire lit up the shelves of succulents and blooms in a warm glow as tiny dragonets dashed in and out of the shadows. Tula— Or Tarantula, the elderly hybrid owner of the florist shop— smiled at the younger dragons’ enthusiasm in the midst of this freak storm. 

Stoking the embers, Tula turned the squirrel-pops over, mouth-watering at the warm, homey smell. Popping a few onto her plate, she turned to the second dragon tending to the flames. 

Azured— the shipwright daughter of Furybreaker, Cryo, and Expanse— was bouncing between the boiling cauldron of water and spooning cocoa powder and marshmallows into drinking bowls. Tasting the air, the Icewing-Skywing hybrid cocked her head with a smile, snatching a snack from Tarantula’s plate.

Tula gasped in indignation as Azured loudly crunched on the breaded treat, smirking at her old egg-minder. The Sandwing snorted, “honestly, you’ve changed since you were a dragonet.”

“But ’ve always been stealing your food?”

Tarantula laughed, “yes, but ya used to have some style about it.”

The azure dragon grinned. “Guess 've gotten rusty!” The two dragons snickered as the younger hybrid finally poured the water for hot chocolate. 

“Snack ‘re ready!”

Once again: if anyone has any suggestions for stuff you’d like to see, want to geek out over fiction, or just scream, drop in an ask!

[thinkofduty]

[ prompt #24 - unctuous ]

"You're being awfully clingy," Valesiya grumbles. "Would it kill you to find a different perch?"

The dragonets squeal, offended. Of all the relationships she has fostered in the wake of the Dragonsong War, this is the last one she could have imagined herself undertaking. A former priestess of the See living amongst heretics is preposterous enough, as is cohabiting with two men, unmarried as they are, but to willingly let broodlings clamber over her? To take them in day after day as though they are children?

"But you're warm!" squeaks Vyrnyr, ever the more troublesome of the duo. "And our claws hurt!"

"If they hurt, it's because you spent all your time holding onto my skirts. You're both heavy."

Around her shoulders, the warm body of her other ward shifts, making itself comfortable. "Are we?" Deiofal asks. "You've never complained before..."

"Yes I have!" Val protests, but it falls upon deaf ears. She has to still, for the dragonets have decided to move, though for her comfort or theirs, she is uncertain. Claws prick through her clothes and scrape at her skin; she feels a stitch give under the combined weight of them. "Watch it-"

"My claws hurt too," says Deiofal, now hanging over her shoulder and partway down her back. With his weight distributed thus she finds herself unbalanced, and reaches to steady him as she has seen Aymeric do so many times with his fussy old cat; too late does she remember the arm she lifts has nothing below the elbow, and flounders for a moment, lost. "Make them better," the broodling adds, heedless to her suffering.

"Yes, yes!" Vyrnyr agrees, and proceeds to pull itself up her dress. It is like caring for children, thinks Valesiya: excitable ones, young and tireless, not beasts far older and more intelligent than she. "With the wax!"

"I have no idea what-" Valesiya starts, and then frowns. The only wax they keep in the home is armour polish, thick and unctuous, for those few and far between times Estinien decides to clean his arms and armour. "... have you been playing with it again?" she asks firmly. The last time, he had not been happy to discover claw marks, nor had any of them been particularly delighted to discover the excess smeared across the skirting boards. Neither dragon so much as thinks about making a peep: highly suspicious. "Have you?" she demands.

Vyrnyr decides then is the best time to let go her skirts, and falls to the floor with a little thud that once upon a time had worried Valesiya's heart. She doesn't so much as pay it a moment of mind, now. "No-oo-o," she says, and thwaps Valesiya's ankles with her tail. "C'mon, I'll go get it-"

"You will do no such thing," says their minder. "Not unless you've something to repay him with. That polish isn't for you."

"He should hide it better," Deiofal says, and she reaches with her good arm to smack his rump gently. "Hey!"

"It isn't a toy," Valesiya sighs, knowing that given enough time they will both wear her down. "If he says it's fine, then I will, but only then- hey-"

Two small leathern bodies spread their wings and launch themselves into the air; she's battered with wings, though she knows it is in no way an assault on her. They depart without another word, though she can hear their childlike laughter echo through the Mists as they go off in search of permission.