#except Veldr

[pumpkin-bread]

“Okay now, there’s no way in hell we can afford this,” Edan stated flatly, looking between the four very excited nocturnes.

“Actually, there is!” Zuehal said jovially, patting Edan on the shoulder. “Mister Marshall there seems to have a skill for digging up useful gems. In fact, Edan, I think you all might want to try to focus on that. I don’t think anyone’s tried mining out where you live. You might be sitting on a goldmine. Literally, even.”

“I don’t fancy digging too deep out there,” Edan replied brusquely. “Taboo.”

“You don’t live on a burial mound, though, do you?” Zuehal scoffed. “Not that I’m going to force you, of course. But gods, what a waste of opportunity. At least consider it, you could bring such... prosperity to all of us!”

“I’ll keep digging,” Marshall stated. “I can sniff that stuff out, I swear.”

“You should listen to Edan - ” Clade began, but then stopped himself and shook his head before looking over his own scroll. “Or... I’m sure there’s a safe way to do it, right? You said other dragons mine, right?”

“That’s right,” Zuehal nodded.

“Ugh,” Edan shook his head and growled. “Look, we’ll look into this more... later. We’ll talk about it. That’s all I’m promising.”

“And that’s all I ask!” Zuehal replied, clapping his hands together before turning back to the nocturnes. “So, let’s go over this one more time. Don’t read the scrolls until you are safely home, and I would advise you to not all do so at once. Transformations can be quite... difficult, though to my understanding most aren’t too painful. I can assure you mine wasn’t. Don’t be alarmed if you have trouble adjusting at first! You should feel normal about... a week or so after your shift.”

As Zuehal instructed the quartet, Edan checked over the rest of the group. Rorin was carrying a delicate necklace between his teeth, Solveig had a rather fancy-looking box of chocolates clutched to their chest like their life depended on it, and Ila had several small packets of what he assumed to be seeds. When he caught her eye, she smiled and headed over to him.

“Hello, Edan!” she greeted cheerily, looking from him to Angie, who was seated by his side. “And hello to you! My name is Ila!”

“This is Angie,” Edan stated, nodding toward the pale nocturne. “She’s... going to be part of our clan, for the time being.”

“Angie!” Ila exclaimed, beaming down at the smaller dragon. “What a cute name! It’s very nice to meet you!”

“Oh, th-thank you,” Angie replied, blinking in some vague surprise at Ila’s enthusiasm. “It’s nice to meet you, as well.”

Zuehal seemed to finish up briefing the nocturnes, and started to head in their direction.

“How about you come with me and I introduce you to the others?” Ila offered, holding out a hand.

“Alright,” Angie replied, carefully taking Ila’s hand and allowing herself to be led off toward Sol and Rorin.

“So, Edan, does it look like everything’s been covered?” Zuehal asked, stepping forward and holding out Edan’s list.

“Uh. Looks like it,” Edan replied, swallowing thickly as he looked over the series of check marks Zuehal had made on the page. “Gods damn, man. I still don’t really get why you’re doing this.”

“It’s an investment,” Zuehal replied simply. “And besides, I take care of my... friends, you know.”

“You’re still taking all of this,” Edan stated simply, shoving his bag of coins in the wildclaw’s hands.

“Edan, that’s not ne - ”

“Hey, I don’t have anything else to spend it on! It’s just a liability taking up space in my house, you take it!”

“Alright, alright,” Zuehal stammered. Then he laughed. “I suppose that makes sense. I can certainly use it, bring more wares your way in the future.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Edan replied with a firm nod. “Any ballpark on when that’ll be? So we can be prepared, and all.”

“I’d say... late Spring. End of Tidelord’s, start of Gladekeeper’s,” Zuehal mused. “Does that sound sensible?”

“Yeah, gives us time to rebuild our... stocks, I guess.”

“I look forward to seeing it all,” Zuehal grinned. “And to see how much bigger your clan gets by then.”

“Hopefully not that much bigger,” Edan snorted. “We already need to build another house.”

“We’ll see, I suppose!” Zuehal replied. “Do you need any help getting your bags sorted?”

“Nah, we can manage. Thank you, Zue,” Edan took a moment to bow his head, showing more proper respect for the merchant. He’d almost forgotten, entirely due to how hard is was to wrap his head around it all. He turned to call out to his clan. “Alright, everyone secure what you’re getting! Pick up a bag and strap it on! We’re about to head out!”

The sun was beginning to set as they soared over the trees, each dragon laden with goods from their trip. Edan was having a particular struggle; Angie’s wings were too burned to be used for long, and he’d been carrying her much of the way.

Solveig drifted toward him, Ila trailing behind. “I’m going to go see Praz,” they stated. “And introduce her to Ila. We may both stay over for the night, since it’s getting late. Is that alright?”

“Yep,” Edan nodded. “Be safe.”

“We will,” Solveig replied before veering off.

Ila offered an enthusiastic wave with both hands before following suit.

Angie giggled to herself quietly, then hunkered down against his shoulder blades as a chill wind hit the group.

“Ugh!” Hazel remarked from somewhere behind him.

“See, this is why I wanted to be a tundra,” Marshall huffed. “It’s so godsdamned cold out here!”

“It’s winter!” Edan shouted back, rolling his eyes. “Summer hits and we’re gonna have to shave you down!”

Much of the group was laughing at this point.

“...Fine!” Marshall replied, some vague amusement in his tone amidst his annoyance. “I bet I can do it myself, though!”

“It’s better for smelling rocks, though!” Angie offered, voice nervously raised to be audible.

“What?” Marshall shouted back.

“Tundras! Better at smelling!” Angie shouted. “You’ll be better at sniffing out rocks!”

“Oh. Cool!”

The rest of the flight went smoothly, the group in high spirits in spite of the growing windstorm. They threw jokes and playful banter back and forth until the wind drowned everything else out.

They landed before it became too much to stay airborne. Thankfully, they only had to walk another 20 or so minutes to reach home as the trees around them whipped wildly, at some points bent sideways with the strongest gusts.

“I hope Ila and Solveig are okay,” Rorin said worriedly.

“They are, we pretty much flew directly over Prazien’s home when they left,” Edan replied, shrugging his wings. “They might be worried about us, though.”

Up ahead, the lights from their house came into view. Edan let out a relieved sigh, speeding up to a trot as he made his way to the front door. His second sight showed that Saerun was waiting just inside it.

“Oh, good,” she remarked as the threw open the door, only to start and then blink in confusion at the sight of Angie.

“So, yea, we’ve got a new friend,” Edan began before reaching into one of his satchels and pulling a bottle out of it. “Got your wine too. Damn heavy.”

“Fantastic,” she breathed, obviously still distracted as she accepted the bottle and backed out of the doorway to allow the clan to flood inside.

Edan unstrapped the bags he’d been carrying and helped Angie get settled in. “I’ll uh, start dinner soon. I just need to rest for a few minutes.”

“Actually, Ciron and I got pretty much everything prepped already,” Saerun replied. “We can manage it. Figured you’d all be pretty tired.”

“I’m gonna use my scroll now!” Hazel shouted excitedly.

“No, I should go first,” Marshall retorted, putting a talon to his chest. “I made us the most money just with stuff I dug out of the ground! And I’m sick of being cold!”

“I have a job I’m specifically supposed to be doing when I change,” Hazel replied. “You don’t. I obviously should go first.”

“...I don’t mind waiting,” Clade said quietly, stepping away from his bickering clanmates and carefully starting to put some of their new items away.

Espen pranced off to find Ciron, a wrapped gift held proudly in her foreclaws.

Rorin watched her wander off, and then - evidently motivated - carefully made his way over to Saerun, taking the pendant from one of his bags. “Um, Saerun?”

“Hm? Yeah?” the skydancer turned to face him, raising a brow.

“Here, this is for you,” he said, holding out the necklace and looking nervously away.

“What?” Saerun asked, staring down at it in confusion. “I uh, oh.”

“You don’t have to take it if you don’t like it,” Rorin said hurriedly. “I just thought you might - sorry if I was wrong, uh - ”

“No - no! I do like it,” Saerun replied with a nervous smile. “I just... I guess I didn’t expect it. Sorry, and thank you, Rorin.”

Saerun carefully took the pendant and put it on, and Rorin trotted off and busied himself with helping Clade put things away.

Edan snorted. He wasn’t sure if he should be amused or not by how awkward that scene was.

Saerun was silent for a bit, fidgeting with the jewellery’s chain and setting up the kitchen area. Then she called out: “Hey, Cir! Can you come help me cook?”

“Yeah, sure,” the pearlcatcher replied before trotting out of the side room, an unfamiliar shawl draped over his shoulders.

“That’s a nice look,” Saerun remarked, then chuckled to herself as she slid a pan over the fire.

“Espen put it on me,” Ciron replied furtively. “I don’t know.”

“I guess it’s just a thing they do here,” Saerun replied with a shrug. “Grab some pine nuts, okay?”

Alright, so gifts seemed to make them uncomfortable. Edan frowned to himself, then sighed. That would be a talk to have later.

[inshadowofthegods]

In The White

Edan’s mother had been careful when she picked the place to build their new home so many years back, and every winter, it paid off. The blizzard hit hard, but within the tight ring of trees Edan’s clan made their home in, the worst of the storm couldn’t touch them. For several nights, they couldn’t stray far from their home. But when the howling winds finally died down, the clan was left marveling at how different the area looked. At times, it was easy to forget how young so much of his clan was. But watching Rorin, and the (former) nocturne crew marvel at the sight of the pure white snow that now covered the world around them was a very clear - and somewhat endearing - reminder. “Wow, it’s so bright! It kinda… hurts my eyes!” Espen remarked before jumping out into a particularly large bank and letting out a sharp laugh. Her newly long and whiplike tail wagged joyfully behind her as she gathered snow in her claws and started rolling it. “Gods - it’s so cold. You said you do it like this, right Edan?” “Yep, but pack it tighter,” Edan replied, smirking at the newest mirror’s attempts to make a snowball before turning back to work on uncovering the garden with Clara. “Or else it’s not gonna stick together.” “Do you think they’re okay?” Clara asked, humming to herself nervously as she dug the snow off of carefully tilled soil. “I’ve been trying to hard to figure out how to make the dirt stay warm, but it’s really hard to - ” “Now Clare, don’t worry too much,” Edan chastised gently. “The seeds haven’t even sprouted yet, and we planted the ones that can handle the winter anyhow. They’ll be fine.” “I’m trying not to, but it’s just,” Clara paused, chewing on her lip. “We don’t have a lot, you kno - oh, don’t you dare!” Edan turned to see Clara glaring up at Espen, who now had a well-made snowball clutched in her talon and ready to throw. “Hey! We’re busy, girl! Go bug someone else!” he snapped, waving her away. “Fiiine,” Espen sighed, rolling her eyes and - for just a moment - looking disappointed before gleefully charging into the longhouse. Moments later, a furious shout came from within, and Espen dashed back outside with Marshall charging after her, the remnants of her snowball clinging to his back. Hazel rushed out after, pulling Veldr along with her by his arm. “Hey, how about you get the snow off these steps?” she asked, pointing and tracing out a rough path between the two buildings in the air. “Make a walkway, you know.” “Alright,” Veldr nodded, then sighed and went to retrieve a shovel. Clade poked his head outside, shuddered visibly, then ducked back indoors. In a similar vein, Saerun was simply leaning in the doorway of Edan’s house, a blanket wrapped tightly around her as she watched the others. “Not a fan of the cold, I take it?” Edan asked, stepping back from the garden now that it was clear of snow. Saerun shook her head and chuckled to herself, briefly sticking her tongue out in a surprisingly playful manner. “Not at all. But…” she paused, nodding toward the gaggle of younger dragons charging through the snow. “It’s kinda fun to watch them.” “Mhm,” Edan nodded, turning to watch as Marshall finally caught up with his sister and tackled her to the ground as she shrieked with laughter. “I’m done!” Clara loped toward the group. “Can I play with you too?” “Ah - ” Marshal jumped up, releasing a snow-covered Espen from his grasp. “Yeah, pipsqueak, of course.” “Clara!” Espen lunged forward and grabbed the young tundra, pulling her down into a hug. “You’re so waaarm!” “Espen!” Hazel shouted. “Let her go! Don’t be weird!” “Aw, come on! I can hug my little sister if I want t - ” She was interrupted as Clara shoved a fistful of snow in her face and stood, trotting toward the longhouse. “Clade! Will you come out and play with us?” “Don’t think he will, Clara,” Edan called out. “The cold’s rough on him - especially now that he’s such a spindly thing. Best to leave him be.” Clara’s ears drooped. Espen got up and shook herself off, then made a beeline toward Edan’s house and stood in front of Saerun, cocking her head to the side. “What about Ciron? Can he come out to play?” “I’m busy,” came Ciron’s voice from within the building. “What are you doing?” Espen asked, carefully stepping past Saerun and poking her head in through the doorway. “I’m meditating - focusing my magic,” the pearlcatcher replied, annoyance in his tone. “But you do that every day!” Espen protested. “The snow will be gone in a few days! At least come out for a little bit.” “Might be better training if you try it in a new environment,” Saerun suggested, smirking a bit at the young mirror’s effort. “Calm amidst the storm, and all that.” “It’s too distracting,” Ciron protested. “That’s the point!” Saerun rolled her eyes. “You’ll need your magic most of all when things are crazy, so practice it when it’s crazy!” The pearlcatcher grumbled and stepped outside, much to Espen’s delight. The mirror jumped back and forth beside him - and even leapt over him as he stomped out into the cold, evidently trying to shut out everything else. But that didn’t last long - deep, thundering footfalls and excited chatter from just outside their territory caught everyone’s attention. Ila flew into view first, her back to the rest of the clan as she coached the group behind her. “We’re here! That’s the last of the big banks, just push on through!” Prazien eased her massive form through the trees and shook her head and wings, loosing the snow that covered much of her. “Ugh, finally,” the imperial sighed, smiling in greeting as she looked over Edan and the rest. “I can’t recognize a thing out in that snow.” Solveig trotted into view and Prazien crouched down, allowing the pearlcatcher to help their hatchlings down. “Hah, your son’s already bigger than you!” Marshall remarked, pointing at the imperial hatchling with amusement as he leapt down on his own. The infant pearlcatchers waited patiently for Solveig to pick them up one-by-one, cradling their pearls close to their chests as they trudged their way through the snow toward the buildings. Looking over the triplets, it occurred to Edan for the first time that neither Solveig or Veldr had pearls. Strange. Once all four of her children were safely down, Praz braced herself and shook her entire body, sending snow and pine needles flying in all directions. Then she let out a pleased huff and trotted into the clearing. “Hello, Edan,” she said, lowering her head to be at level with him. “Are we on time?” “Yep,” Edan nodded. “The stews should be ready to come off the heat any minute now. We’ll have ‘em outside, make it more fair for you and all.” “Oh, I don’t mind if you want to eat inside!” the imperial waved a foreclaw dismissively. “There’s no need for everyone to be in the cold! I hardly feel it at all, honestly.” “Eh, it was already planned,” the mirror replied. “We’ve all been getting used to the temp so we can go for a hunt later. …Except Clade.” “Ah. Which one is that?” “The spiral,” Ila offered before heading inside, one of the little pearlcatchers holding her tail and following along behind. “Ah, the water one,” Prazien replied with a knowing nod. “Should have figured… anyway. If you insist, I won’t protest. We did come here for, uh… family time, as it were.” “Hm,” Edan nodded. “How have you both been doing? Was the storm rough on you?” “Not so much,” Prazien shook her head. “We blocked the cave’s opening and kept the snow out. The worst part was digging it back out… the ground was frozen solid. I’m glad we… we buried the fifth before the storm hit.” Edan nodded again, unsure of how to respond. “Four is… a good hatch,” Prazien stated simply, shutting her eyes and nodding to herself. “Maybe you should take those eggs that Edan’s been trying to hatch by his fire for like, months,” Espen interjected, her initial excitement wilting when Edan gave her an at once stern and horrified look. “��Be…cause you must be very good at hatching them, and… uh…” “I have… my talons full,” Prazien replied, tilting her head. “But… maybe after these four are grown. If those haven’t hatched yet. Found eggs can take a while.” “Um, yeah, that makes sense,” Espen replied before turning and stiffly walking away, her tail dragging on the ground. Ciron rushed to walk beside her, and she said something inaudible that resulted in the pearlcatcher gently thumping her shoulder with his wing. Fortunately, Ila came out of the house, two large steaming pots, bowls, and several loaves of bread towed behind her in a wagon. Rorin followed behind, holding it all steady as they made their way out into the snow. And just behind him, the pearlcatcher hatchling followed, holding another loaf of bread proudly and carefully. She dashed toward her mother and held it out. “Oh, did you carry that all this way,” Prazien gushed. “What a good job!” Edan let out a relieved sigh at the change of mood, then clapped his talons together and called out. “Alright, everyone. Food’s done! Come grab a bowl when you’re ready!”

[pumpkin-bread]

Anyone wanna scry Veldr’s coli find while I keep grinding levels?

I know carmine has blue with a lot of genes, AND gloom can get red in some, but be as creative as you want.

Any breed (except imps obvs) is fine.

Her id is 52691325 for ease of copying, and, as always, if I use your scry you will get a prize.

[pumpkin-bread]

Edan's mother had been careful when she picked the place to build their new home so many years back, and every winter, it paid off.

The blizzard hit hard, but within the tight ring of trees Edan’s clan made their home in, the worst of the storm couldn’t touch them.

For several nights, they couldn’t stray far from their home. But when the howling winds finally died down, the clan was left marveling at how different the area looked.

At times, it was easy to forget how young so much of his clan was. But watching Rorin, and the (former) nocturne crew marvel at the sight of the pure white snow that now covered the world around them was a very clear - and somewhat endearing - reminder.

“Wow, it’s so bright! It kinda... hurts my eyes!” Espen remarked before jumping out into a particularly large bank and letting out a sharp laugh. Her newly long and whiplike tail wagged joyfully behind her as she gathered snow in her claws and started rolling it. “Gods - it’s so cold. You said you do it like this, right Edan?”

“Yep, but pack it tighter,” Edan replied, smirking at the newest mirror’s attempts to make a snowball before turning back to work on uncovering the garden with Clara. “Or else it’s not gonna stick together.”

“Do you think they’re okay?” Clara asked, humming to herself nervously as she dug the snow off of carefully tilled soil. “I’ve been trying to hard to figure out how to make the dirt stay warm, but it’s really hard to - ”

“Now Clare, don’t worry too much,” Edan chastised gently. “The seeds haven’t even sprouted yet, and we planted the ones that can handle the winter anyhow. They’ll be fine.”

“I’m trying not to, but it’s just,” Clara paused, chewing on her lip. “We don’t have a lot, you kno -  oh, don’t you dare!”

Edan turned to see Clara glaring up at Espen, who now had a well-made snowball clutched in her talon and ready to throw. “Hey! We’re busy, girl! Go bug someone else!” he snapped, waving her away.

“Fiiine,” Espen sighed, rolling her eyes and - for just a moment - looking disappointed before gleefully charging into the longhouse.

Moments later, a furious shout came from within, and Espen dashed back outside with Marshall charging after her, the remnants of her snowball clinging to his back.

Hazel rushed out after, pulling Veldr along with her by his arm. “Hey, how about you get the snow off these steps?” she asked, pointing and tracing out a rough path between the two buildings in the air. “Make a walkway, you know.”

“Alright,” Veldr nodded, then sighed and went to retrieve a shovel.

Clade poked his head outside, shuddered visibly, then ducked back indoors.

In a similar vein, Saerun was simply leaning in the doorway of Edan’s house, a blanket wrapped tightly around her as she watched the others.

“Not a fan of the cold, I take it?” Edan asked, stepping back from the garden now that it was clear of snow.

Saerun shook her head and chuckled to herself, briefly sticking her tongue out in a surprisingly playful manner. “Not at all. But...” she paused, nodding toward the gaggle of younger dragons charging through the snow. “It’s kinda fun to watch them.”

“Mhm,” Edan nodded, turning to watch as Marshall finally caught up with his sister and tackled her to the ground as she shrieked with laughter.

“I’m done!” Clara loped toward the group. “Can I play with you too?”

“Ah - ” Marshal jumped up, releasing a snow-covered Espen from his grasp. “Yeah, pipsqueak, of course.”

“Clara!” Espen lunged forward and grabbed the young tundra, pulling her down into a hug. “You’re so waaarm!”

“Espen!” Hazel shouted. “Let her go! Don’t be weird!”

“Aw, come on! I can hug my little sister if I want t - ”

She was interrupted as Clara shoved a fistful of snow in her face and stood, trotting toward the longhouse. “Clade! Will you come out and play with us?”

“Don’t think he will, Clara,” Edan called out. “The cold’s rough on him - especially now that he’s such a spindly thing. Best to leave him be.”

Clara’s ears drooped.

Espen got up and shook herself off, then made a beeline toward Edan’s house and stood in front of Saerun, cocking her head to the side. “What about Ciron? Can he come out to play?”

“I’m busy,” came Ciron’s voice from within the building.

“What are you doing?” Espen asked, carefully stepping past Saerun and poking her head in through the doorway.

“I’m meditating - focusing my magic,” the pearlcatcher replied, annoyance in his tone.

“But you do that every day!” Espen protested. “The snow will be gone in a few days! At least come out for a little bit.”

“Might be better training if you try it in a new environment,” Saerun suggested, smirking a bit at the young mirror’s effort. “Calm amidst the storm, and all that.”

“It’s too distracting,” Ciron protested.

“That’s the point!” Saerun rolled her eyes. “You’ll need your magic most of all when things are crazy, so practice it when it’s crazy!”

The pearlcatcher grumbled and stepped outside, much to Espen’s delight. The mirror jumped back and forth beside him - and even leapt over him as he stomped out into the cold, evidently trying to shut out everything else.

But that didn’t last long - deep, thundering footfalls and excited chatter from just outside their territory caught everyone’s attention.

Ila flew into view first, her back to the rest of the clan as she coached the group behind her. “We’re here! That’s the last of the big banks, just push on through!”

Prazien eased her massive form through the trees and shook her head and wings, loosing the snow that covered much of her. “Ugh, finally,” the imperial sighed, smiling in greeting as she looked over Edan and the rest. “I can’t recognize a thing out in that snow.”

Solveig trotted into view and Prazien crouched down, allowing the pearlcatcher to help their hatchlings down.

“Hah, your son’s already bigger than you!” Marshall remarked, pointing at the imperial hatchling with amusement as he leapt down on his own.

The infant pearlcatchers waited patiently for Solveig to pick them up one-by-one, cradling their pearls close to their chests as they trudged their way through the snow toward the buildings. Looking over the triplets, it occurred to Edan for the first time that neither Solveig or Veldr had pearls. Strange.

Once all four of her children were safely down, Praz braced herself and shook her entire body, sending snow and pine needles flying in all directions. Then she let out a pleased huff and trotted into the clearing. “Hello, Edan,” she said, lowering her head to be at level with him. “Are we on time?”

“Yep,” Edan nodded. “The stews should be ready to come off the heat any minute now. We’ll have ‘em outside, make it more fair for you and all.”

“Oh, I don’t mind if you want to eat inside!” the imperial waved a foreclaw dismissively. “There’s no need for everyone to be in the cold! I hardly feel it at all, honestly.”

“Eh, it was already planned,” the mirror replied. “We’ve all been getting used to the temp so we can go for a hunt later. ...Except Clade.”

“Ah. Which one is that?”

“The spiral,” Ila offered before heading inside, one of the little pearlcatchers holding her tail and following along behind.

“Ah, the water one,” Prazien replied with a knowing nod. “Should have figured... anyway. If you insist, I won’t protest. We did come here for, uh... family time, as it were.”

“Hm,” Edan nodded. “How have you both been doing? Was the storm rough on you?”

“Not so much,” Prazien shook her head. “We blocked the cave’s opening and kept the snow out. The worst part was digging it back out... the ground was frozen solid. I’m glad we... we buried the fifth before the storm hit.”

Edan nodded again, unsure of how to respond.

“Four is... a good hatch,” Prazien stated simply, shutting her eyes and nodding to herself.

“Maybe you should take those eggs that Edan’s been trying to hatch by his fire for like, months,” Espen interjected, her initial excitement wilting when Edan gave her an at once stern and horrified look. “...Be...cause you must be very good at hatching them, and... uh...”

“I have... my talons full,” Prazien replied, tilting her head. “But... maybe after these four are grown. If those haven’t hatched yet. Found eggs can take a while.”

“Um, yeah, that makes sense,” Espen replied before turning and stiffly walking away, her tail dragging on the ground. Ciron rushed to walk beside her, and she said something inaudible that resulted in the pearlcatcher gently thumping her shoulder with his wing.

Fortunately, Ila came out of the house, two large steaming pots, bowls, and several loaves of bread towed behind her in a wagon. Rorin followed behind, holding it all steady as they made their way out into the snow. And just behind him, the pearlcatcher hatchling followed, holding another loaf of bread proudly and carefully. She dashed toward her mother and held it out.

“Oh, did you carry that all this way,” Prazien gushed. “What a good job!”

Edan let out a relieved sigh at the change of mood, then clapped his talons together and called out. “Alright, everyone. Food’s done! Come grab a bowl when you’re ready!”