#fr: FrigidTrail

[lionsongfr]

A tale from the Clan of the Lionfish

Of Charges and Guardians: Wisdom Part 1

Part 2: here

The sun was bright and warm, and a small sweet breeze twisted through the windows of the Commander’s office. The beauty of the day seemed wasted upon BlackGhost, though she did acknowledge a small wish to go dancing on the sands with her mate in such weather. But that swift thought was quickly diminished as she gazed upon her Queen, her Chosen, and she basked in her presence.

 She had seen SeaQueen a few times since their first meeting, but it never felt like enough. It was like only taking a sip when one needed to plunge their head in the sea. A chuckle from TidalKing snapped her from her reverie and she stood to attention, a faint blush of heat fanning across her fins.

SeaQueen swatted her mate with her tail, “Be kinder Tidal, you know how Guardian’s are with their chosen.”

The Ridgeback grinned, his laughter barely hidden in his voice, “Yes, they are as much lovesick for you as I once was.”

SeaQueen shook her head and nuzzled his neck, “You are still a lovesick fool.”

TidalKing laughed and returned the nuzzle before turning back to the BlackGhost and CrownOfThorns.

“Now then, we have called you both to a mission. I know the last one was…. not exactly successful and included a bit of rule breaking.”

The Ridgeback raised a horned eyebrow at the pair, and BlackGhost bowed her head in silent pain. She would not let that happen again.  She eyed Thorns, and his head was raised- a stubborn smile gracing his muzzle. His wing flapped lightly against her side and she lifted her head to meet TidalKing and SeaQueen’s gaze. Only compassion and kindness were held in their eyes, and she let out a quivering shake to wear off that bit of anxiety before mimicking her mate’s determined pose. 

TidalKing nodded, “But you have both proved yourselves from the Training Fields to the Kelp Beds, and are only truly lacking in actual dragon to dragon combat. You have fought the warriors of our Fort with great courage and strength, but that is nothing compared to the bloodshed and fear of the battlefield. However,”

TidalKing expectantly turned his head to SeaQueen who took up his speech, “However, I wish to leave the Fallen Star Fort after WaveCrest and want you two to be by my side when that happens.”

A welling of excitement and joy coiled within her chest, and Thorns gave a shout of joy that she echoed. SeaQueen raised a claw for silence and they both closed their maws.

“This will be dependent on how well you do on this mission. If I find either of you two lacking, I could leave you’re here for another year or more as I traverse the sea to Spiral Keep and back.”

She bit off a groan of fear, but the words did not dull the excitement of her mate. Thorns swaggered, his wings spread as wide as they could go in the space and his chest out he shouted,

“We shall not disappoint you, my Queen!”

He tugged on her tail with his and she followed his stance, though her voice was softer, “We shall bring honor and glory to the clan!”

SeaQueen nodded her acceptance of their war cries and motioned for them to come closer to the maps and scrolls on the desk, “Well then, come here and I shall show you what you shall be doing on this mission.”

.

.

.

CrownOfThorns heaved his pack and looked towards the skies with frustration. BlackGhost circled above, letting the warm thermals carry her effortlessly. He gave a mental curse at the Bogsneak waddling in front of him, he would have been in the skies if not for him. But it seemed the mere mention of Harpies had been enough to send the lizard bursting into the commander’s office, demanding that he be allowed into the scouting mission.  He had heard from the other warriors that FrigidTrail despised the Beastclans, but by Plaguebringer’s teeth- why his mission! THEIR MISSION!

A pat on his neck dragged him away from his anger, and he turned to face Pema, the Longneck. He lowered his body downwards and lifted his arm to let her up on his back. The old Longneck would also be coming for similar reasons as FrigidTrail, though not similar moods. She knew the Beastclans, for she was once one- though from FrigidTrail’s reaction to her inclusion one would think she was still part of their number.

Pema settled herself on his back and touched the talonclasp necklace around his neck. “Ready this thing is? Just in case?”

He nodded as he began to walk after the Bogsneak, “Ready and set. Had DayMeadow do a once over again to make sure the magic wasn’t leaking out of the stone.”

A note of worry sounded behind his head, “Use it that you shall? If the time is right?”

He did not want to think about the situation in which he would need to use the talonclap’s beacon magic, but he would not treat his friend’s question lightly.

“Yes, I shall use it if need be.”

Silence slide by for many sun lengths, and he resisted the urge to turn his head to view his passenger. Something felt off about the quiet, sure it was a mission, but the abrupt end of the conversation bothered him.

“Are you.. “

“I wish to seek forgiveness from you Thorns.”

The soft-spoken words nearly halted his steps, but he continued, hoping his thoughts would catch up with him. Pema continued, “I betrayed your speech between your mate and you, and it was out of fear for you- but still my actions eat at my hooves.”

He snorted, “Pema I would forgive you if you had done something in need of forgiveness. You saved me from my stupidity and I brought worry to you, for that I should ask forgiveness of my own. “

Pema nasally chuckled and stroked his neck, “Peace of the Sea and the Mountains be with you.”

He laughed and answered her sentence, “And with you, my friend.”

“Enough of the beast’s cursed tongue!” FrigidTrail snarled without turning his head.

Thorns resisted the urge to snap his tail at the impertinent lizard, but Pema’s shake of her head caught his eye and he resisted. With a sigh he continued on with the pace, giving a silent prayer to the Eleven to save him from Bogsneaks and their tempers.

The sun had nearly risen to its peak when they had found signs of their quarry, very obvious signs. The quarry of rocks held scribbled carvings depicting Harpies and a few beastclan words he recognized. The air smelled pungently ammonic and feathers artistically sprawled around looked to be of the right size. But it just felt…

“This is too perfect.” BlackGhost echoed his own thoughts. He bobbed his head, “Agreed, this feels staged.”

A low hiss signaled from FrigidTrail, “NO! This scent, these words I know them- it is their’s I am sure of it!”

They both watched the Bogsneak frantically scent around the stones, his fins flaring wildly. Pema was looking at the stones too, a hoof tracing the carvings and words. After glancing at the Bogsneak she switched to the language of Longnecks, though she kept her voice at a whisper,

“These carvings are fresh, but the grammar is bad and the art is crude for harpies. Harpies would not foul their carvings with droppings. Beastclans would not leave such obvious signs for dragon folk to find, and it is not a sacred place.”

CrownOfThorns relayed the information mentally to BlackGhost.

This is a trap.

Most likely, but the evidence leads out to the dunes and I didn’t see a dragon or any obvious trap for 100 meters around the area.

Well it’s a..Oh Hippogriff crap!

FrigidTrail had finished his scenting and placed himself heaving and snarling between them.

“If you are done with your beast yapping and staring at one another, we need to get on the trail before it gets cold!”

Thorns felt himself bristling, he had been chided and snapped at the whole mission by this lizard, he’d had enough!

“This is a trap an Imperial’s butt wide! Use what little brains you got rattling around in your skull, lizard breath!”

FrigidTrail snapped at his neck, and he reared showing his claws and flapping his wings in defense. A tingling in his spines was all his warning as a jolt of electricity sizzled between the two of them and he leaped back. He turned towards BlackGhost whose claws crawled with magic and he wisely kept his retort between his fangs.

“Enough!” she pointed at Thorns, “You get up in the sky, it’s your turn to scout ahead. I’ll stay with FrigidTrail and Pema as we track on the ground. We’ll stop two claw lengths before sunset and make camp.”

He sighed and gave a running leap into the skies. It felt good to have the wind beneath his wings once again, despite his misgivings. 

[lionsongfr]

A tale from the Clan of the Lionfish

Of Charges and Guardians: Wisdom Part 3

Part 1: here      Part 2: here

BlackGhost slowly woke, a blinding headache crippling her every move and thought. She heard the clinking and felt coolness of the metal against her scales, shackles crisscrossing her arms, legs and wings.  She felt the Ice magic radiating off it, and while she was not weak to such magic, it warned her against using her own with its bite.

The bright light from a campfire dazzled her eyes, shadows of Snappers drinking and eating in silence. It seemed the somber mood was caused by an arguing pair of dragons, a hooded Lightning Ridgeback and an Earth Snapper with a scar down her side. Ridgeback was sitting and speaking calmly, but his spines were raised straight in anger.

“These dragons are not CrimsonSaber and DuneDemon, they are not even a Snapper and Ridgeback. You said it would be them that we would trap, and it is only they that I wish to slay.”

The Snapper leader hissed, her anger palatable, “Those dragons are mine to kill! They slew my brother and for that their blood is mine and mine alone!”

The Ridgeback shouldered his hefty cleaver but did not utter another word to her tirade. The Snapper sat, her anger still radiating,

“We shall barter these two dragons for them. The plan shall still work.”

 The Ridgeback slowly shook his head, his spines rattling, “We caught these two off-guard with your trap. Do you think the Fort shall just tie the berserkers up with a bow and say ‘Here, have them!’. Nay, they shall come with swords armed and teeth bared.”

The Snapper leader gestured to them and BlackGhost quickly closed her eyes, “Then shall we just kill these two to send a message?”

The Ridgeback snorted, “Killing them will only lead to the whole clan being after our heads. I cannot afford to let that happen.”

BlackGhost gave a mental sigh of relief and a prayer to the Eleven.

“Well then smarty spines, how about we use them as bait for the next trap?”

 FrigidTrail had decided this was time to awaken, awaken he did with screams and hisses of anger. Ghost dodged his flailing limbs and tail as the Snappers piled upon him, knocking him back unconscious. She resisted the urge to save Frigid, it would only lead to both of them to being hurt or killed. The Snapper leader stared at them, an ugly snarl crossing her face,

“If he keeps that up we shall have to kill him, least he alerts every dragon- be it land or sea.  We only need one dragon to bait a trap, yes?”

As the Snappers left his prone form, BlackGhost stood over him, her wings covering his body protectively. She bowed her head, keeping her voice low and pleading,

“I shall keep him calm as possible, so please, please do not hurt him again my lady.”

The Snapper crew laughed uproariously, mocking her words and actions. The Snapper leader cackled,

“I am no lady! But keep him quiet, or else he shall be gull food by the morning.”

The crew went back to drinking and talking as she shivered over those last words. They were made in jest but she was sure that they would be a deadly promise if she could not hold her part of the bargain. The light of the fire danced, scattering the shadows with the movements of the crew. She almost didn’t notice the small, irregular shadow jumping and pointing. With joy she felt the mental presence of her mate, CrownOfThorns, but she dared to not use her telepathy to contact him. The runes of the shackles could alert the guards to even the smallest magic from her.

She carefully watched the figure point behind her and change into wave shapes. She turned her head, cautious of jangling the chains, the sea was not far behind her. If she could get to it she could swim away with FrigidTrail, despite the difficulties of the chains. But to do that she would need…she took a claw and scratched out “Distract” to the shadow figure. The figure nodded and disappeared, and she swiped her claws across the word. Now I can only wait. She held FrigidTrail close to her chest and readied herself to run.

 CrownOfThorns stood on the cliff overlooking the camp made by the trappers. The piece of his shadow came back to him, showing the carving of the word. She had gotten his message, but how could he distract them? He looked around the barren landscape, pacing silently and hoping for an idea. He noticed a small fissure in the cliff face and he dug at it with his trident. It felt a bit loose, maybe… He put his whole weight into the trident and with a snapping sound it broke.  He bit back a curse and looked over the cliff, hoping the trappers hadn’t heard him. No, it looks like they didn’t hear it.  He pulled out the pieces of the trident, tossing the top and keeping the pole just in case.

He placed a claw on the rock, it still felt loose, like a tooth ready to pull. Maybe if he hit if from the sky, with all his force it would fall. It would be risky, but either way it would a be a distraction. He walked away from the cliff side, far enough that his wing beats would not be heard as he pushed his way into the sky. He flew upwards, higher and higher, his wings yelling at him to stop. He stopped, but only for a second, and then he fell, his war cry screaming from his maw as he hurtled downwards, hitting the rock face. It gave with a sickening crunch, taking him with it.

 As soon as BlackGhost heard the familiar war cry she was running. She heard the crash of rock and screams behind her, but she paid no attention to it. Only the sea and holding FrigidTrail was her worries, and despite the chains tangling her every step she made it to the shallows. As she made it out to deeper waters, large forms circled her. Whales, whales everywhere! And the largest Snapper she had ever seen. The dragon’s merry brown eyes smiled at her, and her mind sounded with a booming thought.

HERE TO HELP.

She laughed with happiness as a whale helped to get FrigidTrail afloat and the others splashed their might tails against their pursers.  She turned her head back towards the shore to hear the sounds of Seaside Trumpets blaring and the roars of dragons fighting. The warriors of Fallen Star Fort had arrived!

More dragons popped up next to her, helping to take FrigidTrail to safety and ask if she needed help. She shook her head and swam to shore, desperate to join the battle and find Thorns, but the battle was over just as it started. The Snapper crew and leader had surrendered before the warriors, but fearfully she realized the Ridgeback was missing. Her eyes wandered the field of battle till they reached the landslide, and she began to run.

Her steps were halted by her shackles and she tripped, a steadying claw picked her up and she realized it was SeaQueen! She made to bow and was halted by her words,

“Where is CrownOfThorns?”

She babbled, “I heard his battle cry and the rocks falling, he must still be there, trapped in there!”

SeaQueen turned to her warriors, pointing to the rocks with authority,

“Everyone, get to digging that landslide and look for Thorns! On the double!”

SeaQueen helped her hobble to the slope as the dragons began to carefully remove the stones and sand from the pile. A cough sounded as a mouth broke through the dirt, and the dragons focused their efforts on the spot. Soon Thorns was out of the rubble, bruised and battered but nothing broken. He moaned as he stood up, spitting out grit and gravel he yelled,

“I wish to stop being buried please and thank you gods!”

An infectious and relieved laughter rippled from the warriors. Ghost grabbed him and held him tightly with happy tears in her eyes.