Growling Thunder -Open!-

The flight to the Stormcallers had been generally uneventful, save for an occasional flock of birds to look at, or a glimpse of another traveler. Leaving the Aeria mountains, Shula felt a bit exposed after what had happened last night.

The thick grass and foliage had transitioned to sandy dunes long ago, the cloudy sky turning clear as they entered the Verula region. For her, the heat was a luxury, the warmth the desert offered a comfortable temperature for the young fire dragon. Spreading her tiny wings slightly, Shula sighed in content.

She could see the city up ahead, the great ball of thunder and lightning looming in the distance. "There it is!" she exclaimed, standing up on Silver's back and pointing. Joy turned her expression bright as she hopped up and down, although after a few seconds she slipped and almost fell, so she sat back down.

One could see the distant figures of dragons circling the storm, some departing, some entering the dark clouds. Shula's tail wagged with glee. It was a bit boring, but the Stormcaller City was her home, and it was always nice to come home. "I'll take you to meet Atlas first! He's very friendly, but he doesn't like stealing." His views on justice were certainly different to Shula's. The amount of times he had lectured her on the nature of thievery was so high she had lost count.

Leaning back, Shula relaxed, and enjoyed the ride.

The journey from the Aeria Mountains to the Verula region had been daunting, especially considering Silver had just gotten settled into her new cave. In the end, she told herself it would be worth it. A vastly different culture, new and exciting faces. This place would certainly keep her on her claws in terms of etiquette.

Perhaps the biggest thing Silver was concerned with was her attire, however. She thought that it’d be best to go with, what she perceived as, desert colors for her jewelry.

On either of her ears she’d attached two gold earrings. Around her back left leg she wore a bracelet, which was also made of gold. Hanging around her neck was a golden necklace that had some dazzling red rubies attached.

In her opinion, the colors matched the setting...but her opinion truly didn’t matter. It was up to others to judge her appearance.

The hot sun beat against Silver’s scales, making her feel even more tired than she already was. In all her life, she never thought that she could feel as exhausted as she did right now. She hoped that the city was getting close, otherwise she may just give up and collapse into the sand.

Safe to say, the white dragoness didn’t exactly enjoy this trip. It encompassed two of the things that she disliked in her life. Hard labor, and heat.

Shula, fortunately, had been good company. Despite the warmth of the hatchling’s scales against her back, she continued to be pleasant for conversation. Her excitement was building more and more with every mile closer they got to the Stormcallers.

Silver didn’t have the slightest idea of the land’s layout, but thankfully, her crimson companion would also be her tour guide.

“There it is!” Shula loudly proclaimed, extending her claw and pointing at the large mass of thunder and lightning. Based on how she almost bounced off of the ice dragoness’ back, Silver wasn’t about to doubt her that that was where the city was.

Staring at the thunderous clouds with concern, Silver squinted her eyes and tried her best to see past them.

Surely enough, groups of dragons could be seen flying in and out of the storm. All Silver could think about was how harrowing something like that would be to fly in, and she looked back at Shula with an ‘are you sure about this?’ expression.

“I’ll take you to meet Atlast first!” Shouted the hatchling, “He’s very friendly, but he doesn’t like stealing.”

“It sounds as though he is missing a great pastime,” Silver looked forward and adjusted her flight path to go through precisely where another dragon had emerged. “By the way, you mentioned before that there was a secret way for dragons to get into the city if they cannot brave the storm. Would you happen to know where that is?”

With a nervous sigh, she continued, “if not...then I suppose you would have to hold on tightly.”

Wind swirled about Caramina and solidified into a firm shield that expanded to cover her from above, and with a deep breath, she plunged into the Tempest Ring. It served as a great defense mechanism, seeing that it would effectively hinder any army that might try to come through, but it also was troublesome for anyone who left and entered the Twilight Palace frequently - more specifically, her. Caramina was always out to find an activity - outside of Stormcaller lands - to occupy her with, and today was one of those days. She had left without her signature scarf, having forgotten to bring it along, but that was fine. Kind of.

Rain spitting from the skies fell in a heavy barrage, slamming into her shield, which kept her safe from the worst of it, especially as it expanded to form an L-shape that had the shorter side hovering in front of her face. But wind still swirled and snarled around her in swift streams of cutting coolness, thunder beating out a constant, menacing rhythm as lightning illuminated the hazy, gloomy inside of the Tempest Ring. She swerved aside with an alarmed yell to avoid a bird's skull floating towards her, and Caramina briefly felt sorry for the bird before pressing forward.

With a gasp she burst out of the nightmare, her winds dissipating, but her mane was windblown and she looked slightly beaten up, her feathered wing seeming a bit askew  as she flew out - to see a Stormcaller hatchling she knew only by name and a rogue. The rogue was bigger than her, with white scales, a slightly exhausted expression, and so many jewels. It sparkled in the sun, annoyingly bright, and Caramina blinked before sweeping over to them. "Hey, Shula! And... Hi, new dragon."

The wind on her scales was something Shula had grown to adore. Every now and then, she'd stand to let it blow in her face and imagine flying through it, being free to wander the skies with the birds. "I wish I could fly," she sighed wistfully. "My wings are too short though." To prove her point, she glanced over her shoulder, unfolding her wings from her sides. She extended them outwards as best she could, but even then it was obvious they were tiny and frail in comparison to her body. Was she too fat? She hoped not.

At Silver's words regarding Atlas, Shula nodded. "Yeah, he likes sitting in his room all day and practising spells. He's a real nerd," she said this with amusement, but her eyes were shining. Atlas was one of her best friends. He'd provided her with food when she was starving, played with her when she got lonely.

At the mention of actually getting in, Shula hesitated. "Ummmm..." she'd never been outside the city's cloud until yesterday, so she hadn't a clue where the secret entrance was apart from the fact it was at the bottom of the storm.

She could feel the growls of the thunder resonating in her bones, and it both exhilarated and scared her. Fear turned to surprise, however, when she heard her name being called. Fearing it was one of the caretakers, Shula whirled around on Silver's back, ready to spout whatever excuse she could come up with for breaking the rules. Instead, she was greeted with a pretty face, if slightly bedraggled, gazing at her and Silver with a friendly look about her.

"Uhh.. Hello," she said shyly, ducking behind Silver's head. Her gold earrings flashed in the sunlight, the turquoise ones gleaming with vigorous. She wasn't as pretty as Silver, however she reckoned she looked fashionable.

"Do you know how to get into the city? I forgot the way in," she blurted out, peering at her with curious eyes. A long, wavy mane rode down the female's back, feathery wings extended from the sides of her long, windy body. She looked a bit like Atlas, but prettier. Obviously. Guys couldn't be pretty. Could they?

Shula slowly clambered up Silver's neck to peer from over the top of her head, wide eyes blinking rapidly in the blistering heat.

Among the storm, Silver saw many dragons enter and exit. Part of her wondered whether or not flying through that would be easier than it looked. Perhaps the storm appeared much worse than it actually was.

Of course, the ice dragoness retracted that thought the minute she noticed another emerge from the storm looking awfully disheveled. The thought of having to ruin her image was perhaps a worse concept than dying, to Silver at least.

Shula talked about how she didn’t actually know where the secret entrance was. This made Silver swallow hard. It sounded like she was going to have to brave the storm...unless she could convince one of these other dragons to help her.

As if answering her thought, Silver noticed another dragoness approaching. It was the same one she’d seen get bedraggled by the strong winds. Setting aside her current state, she observed the female as best she could—which was a little hard to do lately, as a recent run-in with a blinding flash had made it hard to see things in the distance. What she could make out was nothing short of interesting.

Perhaps the most notable of the other dragoness was her fethered wings, something that Silver was somewhat familiar with from living around other dragons in a cold climate. She’d met many dragons who possessed such plumes, which looked beautiful and comfortable to her. This dragoness was no exception, and though they were unkempt, Silver still felt like she could comfortably rest her head on them.

Another noticeable trait this approaching stranger possessed was a mane. Silver felt a pang of jealousy. Having yet another part of her image that she could style and use was something she pined for. While comfortable with the jewelry she possessed, the frosty dragoness knew that there would be so much more she could do with a mane of her own.

The third, and perhaps most obvious trait, was the strangers slender body. The way she seemed so fragile...it was catching. Silver couldn’t deny her beauty, although, perhaps a little more jewelry could be an improvement. She already began piecing together ways to decorate this dragoness, before snapping out of her trance and realizing that she had been addressed.

Silver tilted her head a little as she greeted Shula. Apparently, the hatchling had more friends than she let on. However, the way she seemed a bit hesitant suggested that they may not have been on the best of terms at the moment.

Nevertheless, the icy dragoness bowed her head graciously. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Silver Snow.” Her tone did not bespeak her exhaustion. Despite looking and feeling tired, she let the words flow out of her maw with a well-controlled refinement. An implied pride behind speaking her own name.

After Shula had asked about the secret entrance, Silver looked to the crimson dragoness, then back the stranger and nodded her head. “Indeed. I have never visited this place. I do not believe my wings would be strong enough against such a storm.”

Caramina did not quite recognise the frosty dragoness, but it wasn't in her nature to be wary of others, especially since the young one named Shula seemed to be close and trusting of the female. She had been rather exhausted from having to travel through the Tempest Ring, her body feeling quite battered and her eyes stinging slightly. Much to her relief and a small amount of pride, she had still managed to fly properly and in a straight line, contrary to most who came out of the Tempest dizzy and much more disoriented than she was. Despite all this, she gave them both a bright smile that crinkled her eyes into merry green slits. It was brief, however, only a greeting expression, and her face soon settled into her usual neutral / curious look, especially as Shula ducked down behind the rogue's elegantly shaped head. Oh dear.

Shula was a dull hue of spikey red and limbs against the dragoness's pale, slim body, and now that she stood closer to both, she could see past the winking jewels that reflected the light in a million shattered fragments. Caramina noticed that the rogue was actually quite pretty at a closer glance, maintaining a dignified, slim air despite her rather large size. Shula was tiny compared to this dragoness, but still noticeable, and she thought them both rather cute together.

"Sorry, Shula, but as far as I know, we can get in only through the Tempest Ring... but I'll make sure to ask Rihzome for any other possible ways in the next time I see him." she said apologetically, shrugging. "I'm guessing both of you are about to head in?" She looked both of them up and down, locking gazes with Silver's pools of deep blue briefly and noting the diamonds that sparkled at the edges of her eyes. The other dragoness seemed to be scrunitising her, too, and Caramina let her.

She hoped that she didn't look too bad, but the female herself - Silver Snow? what an odd name, but okay, it didn't sound all that bad either - looked like she was in bad shape too. Perhaps she had come a long way, and wasn't accustomed to such long flights? "Silver Snow. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Caramina." The female further impressed her by managing not to let her obvious exhaustion seep into her voice, and Cara offered her an acknowledging nod at her efforts.

"It's alright. I'll escort you into the Twilight Palace if you want, and I have...an ability to protect us from the worst of the storm, though you'll still find that some wind will manage to hit you..." She gestured helplessly at herself. "So, are you ready?" Already wind was gathering over them both, hardening into a solid shield that broke into two large pieces. "You can't see those winds but you can feel them. Here, I'm passing over the control of your wind shield to you, you can shape it into whatever you want. Just use your mind to control it."

Shula said nothing during the adult's exchange, fiddling with her tiny, clawless paws. Oh, how she wished she had big, curved talons to lacerate her enemies, or to crack open an egg. It was one thing the other hatchlings had always reprimanded her for, that and her inability to fly and breathe fire. Most were able to glide by now, or at least lift a few inches off the ground. Shula? she was like an ostrich.

She glanced back at her wings now, unfurling them slightly. She didn't understand why they didn't work. Were they just too small? Probably. Maybe the bullying was why she'd chosen to stay away from her peers altogether, and take an interest in adults. Even then, they often looked at her with disapproval. However, she had Atlas, and that was enough.

Shula looked up as Caramina addressed her in a voice like woven silk. She nodded, still shivering under her gaze, even though it lacked coldness. "oh," she mumbled, and resumed her silence, letting the adults talk it out. While the two females introduced each other, Shula climbed back down Silver Snow's neck and peered over her shoulder at the long drop below. It would have made other hatchlings' stomachs turn, but to her, it was utterly exhilarating, being so high.

"Silver," she said loudly after a moment. "If I fell off your back right now, could you catch me?" being a hatchling, etiquette was not a priority, so interrupting a conversation wasn't beneath her. "Because that'd be cool! Like a trust exercise!" she hopped up and down for a moment, teasingly leaning over into open air, acting as if she were going to jump off. Then, a sudden gust of air threw her nerves to the winds, and she sheepishly plonked her butt back onto her back.

She heard Caramina mention she'd lend them 'an ability' to help get them through the storm. At this, her anxiety would stir, but she pushed images of them flying out of control to the back of her mind, flicking her tail as she glanced at the thick, grey clouds next to them. "Cool," she grinned, deciding to be positive about the whole thing.

She curled her little tail around herself, being careful not to scrape Silver's back with it, (she knew she'd kill her if she marked her scales) and bent down slightly, clinging to her back tightly.


(tiny post is tiny ;-

The moment that the stranger mentioned that she did not know of a way to enter the city other than through the storm, Silver felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Her blue eyes fixated on the storm once more, and all she could picture was her doom if she should attempt to go through. Even if she weren’t exhausted from her trip, going into the storm would still be the end of her.

She turned her attention back to the other white dragoness and nodded her head solemnly. With a sigh, she said, “indeed...we intend to go in. At least, we did until we found ourselves in this predicament.”

Perhaps the last name Silver would be introduced to was this stranger’s, so she thought that she might as well commit it to memory as best she could. “Caramina...interesting.”

There was something about this dragoness that was quite intriguing, aside from her appearance. Her eyes spoke words that she did not need to say. She didn’t seem to be judging the ice dragoness too harshly, but still keeping an eye on her regardless. Silver was doing very much the same to her, knowing full well that first impressions were the biggest insight into a dragon’s personality.

At the next proposition made by the green-maned dragoness, Silver felt that her impressions of her were certainly positive. An offer of protection from the storm was perhaps the best gift she could offer. And yet, Silver knew she would have yet another that she owed her life to. The ice dragoness vowed that by the time she left the city she would ensure she was debt free.

The thought of leaving suddenly presented a scenario to her that would be...problematic. Ultimately, she decided to cross that bridge when she got there.

“Silver,” Shula interjected both the conversation and Silver’s train of thought. “If I fell off your back right now, could you catch me? Because that’d be cool! Like a trust exercise!”

“I would rather we not find out--” Silver began, her sentence catching and her body tensing at the sight of the hatchling looking like she was going to jump. To her great relief, Shula lost her nerve and settled back down. It was times like these that the blue-eyed dragoness was extremely thankful she did not have eggs with any of her previous mates. Shula was already a talon-ful...at least, when she wasn’t busy saving her life or aiding in stealing copious amounts of treasure.

"Do not do that again," Silver scolded. "You may have saved my life, but that does not mean you can treat yours with such reckless abandon." She turned her attention back to the immediate task.

At the sight of the wind shield beginning its formation,  Silver found herself staring in wonder. She’d seen magic before, and she honestly had very mixed feelings about it. Part of her saw its use, but another part of her saw how it could undermine her and her plans. Nevertheless, she just had to trust that this shield didn’t also somehow enchant her to reveal every secret she possessed—or anything equally as awful.

When Caramina passed the control of the shield over to her, Silver tried to control it as best she could. Having never used magic before, she didn’t necessarily know how to use her mind to control it. She was a quick learner, however, and managed to make the shield big enough to protect both she and Shula from the storm. She willed it to be a simple circle, nothing too extravagant.

Looking to Caramina with a hint of frustration and concern, she nodded her head assuringly. “I am...as ready as I will ever be. The sooner we go through this storm, the sooner we can cease worrying about it. Please lead the way.”

The feeling of Shula clinging to her back made her a little uneasy. Like she wasn’t entirely sure the youngling would be strong enough to hold on. Still, this was as good of a chance that they were going to get. One way or another, Silver intended to go into that city.

One way or another, she intended to meet every dragon she needed to meet in order to get what she had been after for almost all of her life.

Mine are too, Athy, don't you worry. --

Caramina laughed at the sigh that unfurled from Silver Snow's maw, saying, "I know how you feel. The first time I was here, I was scared off, deciding it was not worth the risk to go in, and it took me about two weeks before I dared go near it again..." She could see Silver's eyes fix onto the swirling, spitting storm that rose up behind her, a formidable wall that was enough to dishearten anyone, and hastened to reassure her with a smile.

Silver's voice was thoughtful as she responded to Caramina, calling her name interesting as her blue gaze swept up and down Cara, as if once more scrunitising her - what was she thinking? Was it just mere curiosity, or a search for weaknesses to turn against her? Caramina's gaze lifted away. Even if it was the latter, she would not return the favour. She would only have her defenses up, but nothing more. She would treat Silver like how a Stormcaller should to a visitor, with politeness and warmth.

Caramina wanted to know why Silver was here in the first place, and how she'd found Shula, grown so close to her; because as far as she knew, Shula didn't like adults much (and neither did her caretakers like her), or perhaps it was just the select few that she harbored a dislike for. Hmm...

Shula suddenly spoke up, interrupting their conversation, only to ask a question that filled her heart with alarm. A surprised "no!" broke past her lips as Shula leaned over the side, but the wind seemed to knock some sense into her as she settled back into her place. Much to her surprise, Silver admonished her, and... Saved her life? What had happened? How had Shula, such a young one, done such a thing? Surprise flickered past her face but once again, she kept her questions to herself. Perhaps, she mused to herself, the bond between them was due to a dangerous adventure... Leading to Silver's life being saved, by Shula, somehow... she wished she knew the details.

Caramina observed Silver closely, noting the slight awe that leaped into her eyes at the wind that gathered into a solid shield, invisible, but you could feel it. She seemed...wary, somehow, as if this was her first experience with magic, but she learned fast. Caramina could feel her winds gathering into a simple circle, leading her to think that despite her fancy appearance, Silver was not like that at all, or maybe she was just starting off simple. She was a cautious dragon.

"Alright," she nodded. "Brace yourself. And I mean it. The storm's terrible." Turning, her shield once more leaped into the shape she'd previously used, and, once more checking that Silver was behind her, dove into the storm.

It was no harsher than before, but no gentler, the winds shrieking into her ear in an agonised, shrill manner, whistling past her as droplets of rain and hail bounced off her shield with a thud that she could barely hear past the barrage of noises that hit her. Lightning carved a jagged shape into the misty, heavy clouds that hung above them like suffocating guardians that seemed to jeer as more rain fell, fat and heavy, hissing past her. She spotted more skeletons of poor animals whose lives had been claimed, and some fragments of a dragon, scales and claws that she avoided, seemingly lonely as they were once more swallowed up by the blinking light of the nightmare. If Silver ever got lost, the wind shield would gently nudge her in the right direction.

The flight was short, thankfully, and they burst out into blissful peacefulness, the skies above now clean and silent, the massive palace rising up in front of them. "Welcome to the home of the Stormcallers," she said, turning around to face Silver and Shula.

At her action of leaning over Silver's shoulder, Caramina would quickly exclaim 'no!' Which would made the hatchling jump. She huffed with indignation at Silver's scolding, shrugging in response to her wise words as she sulked on her back, a pout on her face. One of her flaws was: if she didn't get her own way, on came the tantrums.

Her fins would flick at Caramina's story. Two weeks? She thought, feeling dismayed at the thought of being locked out for days on end. She hoped Silver wouldn't lose her nerve. So far, she had proved herself a valiant friend, but Shula was still unsure. Shifting her position anxiously, she bit her lip, but kept the sulky expression on her face.

She felt as if there was some kind of 'tension' between the adults, like two panthers circling each other, testing each other, for what she did not know. However, it did attract her attention, the pout sliding from her mouth as she observed the two. She wondered, for a moment, if Caramina knew who she was. She'd known her name, did that mean she knew what a boisterous little devil she was?

As the wind shield formed around them, Shula took a breath, afraid there would be no air inside the bubble. After a moment or two, she gave up and exhaled. "It's not that bad," she tried to assure Silver. "It's loud, but it's not too harmful.. I think the way old Anita would describe it would be 'all bark and no bite,'" pleased at her remembering the phrase, Shula smiled, tail wagging.

When Caramina dove into the storm, Shula took a breath. "She seems nice," was all she said, shaking with nerves as she dug her talons into her scales, not hard enough to hurt, but it might have stung a bit as she clung on tightly. The last time she had done this, she'd been safely tucked away into a satchel. Today, she was on her own against the storm.


When Silver would dive in, Shula would shut her eyes.


The wind was like a siren, a thousand wolves howling in her ears. Shula whimpered as some of them grazed her small body, but the shield thankfully protected her from the worst of the winds. However, a particularly strong gust made her lean. Shula was a babe, not a strong adult. Holding on would be harder for her.

She felt her talon slipping off her shoulder and only had time to say "SilverImFalli-" before a wind would blow her hind legs clear of her body. Shrieking, Shula's front claws clamped down on her scales, making black marks on Silver's body, tearing them a tiny bit. Kicking ferociously, Shula tried to get a grip, but the winds, despite the fact they were protected, were pushing her this way and that.



(Yas, but my posts are tinier ;-

(If the post is not a one-liner, then it’s certainly big enough. Also, I'm glad you went with Shula almost falling off. I was actually planning on having something similar happen if Shula didn't get put into a precarious situation. We are totally on the same brainwave lol)

Even with Caramina’s reassuring words, Silver still wasn’t certain she and Shula would make it through the storm in one piece. Truly, they did not have many other options. Ducking her head a little, the ice dragoness followed their newfound ally.

Bit by bit, the storm began to pelt the shield that Caramina had provided for them. The wind could still be felt, however, and it was extremely violent. The sheer force of it knocked Silver off course. She would right herself soon after, and kept flying forward.

In essence, that was all one needed to do in order to make it through this. Don’t look at anything else but what is straight ahead of you. Nothing else mattered but getting to the other side.

Silver’s wings ached. Her body demanded rest, but she pushed herself through it. She kept her goals in mind. Thinking about her fortune, her power. How making it to this city could possibly lead to a series of events that change her life forever. It was perhaps the only thing that kept her from faltering.

Suddenly, she felt slightly less weight on her back. This was followed by a burning pain along her scales. Silver let out a roar of agony and frustration. She turned and looked to the source of the feeling, seeing that Shula was barely hanging on.

Silver’s first instinct was to try and kick away. To let Shula fall so that the pain would cease and her scales wouldn’t be marked any more than they already had been. Reason crept into her mind, though, and she knew that doing such a thing would likely lead to her being regarded as the scum of Nuira. On top of this, she still needed to repay her debt to the young one.

Silver leaned her head back and clamped her icy maw around Shula’s neck. She pulled the hatchling away from her back, then proceeded to clutch her in her talons and hold her tightly against her chest. Once sure the hatchling was secure, she moved her mouth away from her neck and looked forward.

Momentarily lost, the frosty dragoness felt the winds guiding her in the right direction. She followed them hopelessly. Her eyes filled with anger and fear.

Almost as quickly as they started, the winds ceased. The weather had become suddenly calm, and the sight of a beautiful palace was practically glowing before them. They’d made it to the city of the Stormcallers...but Silver couldn’t quite enjoy it as much as she wanted to. Not with the scratches on her back still hurting and her body still aching from strain.

Silver looked at Caramina, who welcomed them to the city. Then down to Shula whom she was still holding onto. She grimaced at the youngling, looking quite upset with her. Even though falling off wasn’t exactly Shula’s own fault, the exhausted dragoness still wanted to blame her.

Returning her attention to Caramina, Silver spoke in a very serious tone. “Thank you for assisting us. If you would be so kind, I believe I need to see a healer.” She turned and looked at the scratch marks on her scales. They weren’t the deepest scratches, but they certainly left a mark. Ensuring they didn’t get infected was perhaps the only real medical concern.

“And…” Silver looked down at Shula again, “...are you okay? You nearly fell off back there.”

Forgot about this rp lmao, so sorry ;n; --

Caramina hoped that the rogue - Silver Snow - and the hatchling on her back was fine, and if Caramins was naive enough to hope for it, completely unscratched. Was the shield big enough to cover both of them, though? Had Silver been in enough control of it? When she turned around and saw no one emerging from the storm, her heart had burst into a gallop, panic seizing her chest and earning a gasp.

Silver at last appeared, and what she noticed first were scratch marks stretching down her side, damaging the pretty white scale. Her eyelids lowered a bit in concern as she considered what could have happened, and Silver's next words confirmed her suspicions. Shula had nearly fallen off - and Caramina dreaded to think what would have happened if Shula had been lost to the storm. She would be torn apart, tossed around like a limp toy, without any protection from the savage wind spitting around her.

Thank goodness the young one was safe, though visibly shaken; though what happened made Caramina decide, firmly, to ask Rihzome for an alternative path into the heart of the Stormcallers, unable to bear the thought of any similar events occurring in the future.

Silver was visibly exhausted, her neck still arched proudly though her eyes held pain, and perhaps a bit of annoyance, at having her impeccable scales ruined. However, it would be easily fixed with the magic of a healer. Cara let the winds around them disperse and return to wherever she summoned them from. Silver obviously could not focus on the beauty of the Twilight Palace with the pain of scratching plaguing her, so Cara said, "Of course. We will get a healer to tend to you two as soon as possible. Please follow me."

Saying this, she swept down onto a landing protruding from the massive structure where the majority of the Stormcallers resided in, and strode along the corridors, stopping before a door that opened when she knocked, a slender face peeking out. "Inisha," Caramima greeted. "We need your help. Those two just came through the Tempest Ring."

The healer nodded and stepped out, her dark brown gaze gentle as she took in the two and tilted her yellow-scaled head, silently asking who would want to be treated first.

(LOL IKR? We're SO in sync! XD)
(It's fine Arty XD The amount of role-plays I've forgotten is just insulting XD)


The wind tore at the little hatchling clinging to the white scales, screaming in glee as it prepared to claim it's new victim. Something shot past her, a skull or something similar, and Shula squealed as she hung by her paws, tiny, stubby 'claws' digging in harder to Silver's scales. All consideration of her friend's appearance had been thrown to the wind, all Shula cared about was staying alive. The whites of her yellow eyes shone in her face as her earrings whistled in her ears. She could see the grey winds racing around them, and as she slid down Silver's shoulder, Shula thought; so this is how it ends? I'm going to be blown off Silvy's back and get torn apart by the storm. Hooray. Yay. Hoorah.

Strong jaws clamped down on her body and Shula suppressed a shocked yelp as she was peeled away from the scales that kept her alive. For a moment, she thought she was a goner and prepared a scream, but then she felt warm breath on her neck. Silver! Safe, secure talons wrapped around her and Shula buried her head in Silver's chest, whimpering as she curled up from the storm, numb from the trauma of the situation.


When they emerged from the clouds, Shula relished in the stillness that followed. She could still hear the wind, but now it was behind them. Still, fear kept her eyelids glued together, her claws resting against Silver's chest and gently clinging there. She felt her eyes on her and knew she must be angry with her, but she didn't care at the moment. Silver could yell at her later.


She heard Caramina and Silver talking, but they were muffled by the voices in her head. You almost died. You fool! What were you thinking?! Shula curled up tighter into the fetal position, tiny wings clasping her shoulders. “...are you okay? You nearly fell off back there.”


Shula slowly looked up at Silver, yellow eyes wide. She saw her face, the true severity of the situation hit her. A soft sob escaped her as her eyes filled with tears, the only warning Silver would have to cover her ears. Shula's fins flattened against her cheeks,


and that's when she began to bawl.


"WAAAAAAH!" tears streamed down her cheeks, almost immediately evaporating as she wailed and howled, no amount of coaxing and cooing would soothe her, it was blatantly obvious. "WAAAHAHAHA! WAAAAH!" Kicking out almost defiantly, Shula flapped her wings and threw her little tantrum until she could tantrum no more, falling against Silver's chest as they approached the massive building where the majority of tribe members lived. Her sobs turned into little wheezes, chest bouncing rapidly up and down as the healer appeared.

Shula stayed silent, too tired after the whole thing to speak for herself, eyes closed. One of her earrings, the left turquoise, was gone.



(UUUUUUGH, TINY POOOOST IS TINYYYYYYYY. Im so sorry guys, I don't give you much to work with ;-;


Also, uh oh, Shula tantrum XD)

((Is okay, it's better than taking forever to reply like me xD sorry.

Also just realized that all three of us apologized to each other in the last three posts, which is kinda funny.))

There was a high-pitched ringing in Silver’s ears, as though the winds were still blowing against them even though they weren’t . She felt a little light-headed, but nevertheless had managed to compose herself to the best of her ability. Making it through the Tempest Ring alive was her main priority, and she’d made it through. For the time being she didn’t even want to think what her return trip would be like.

As she stared down at Shula, awaiting her answer, she began contemplating their friendship. This hatchling was no doubt a great asset to her, but was also very susceptible to precarious situations. Then again, so was Silver. No great reward was ever achieved without putting oneself at risk—of death or otherwise.

On the other talon, if something were to happen to Shula on any of their adventures, there was no doubt that Silver would be pinned as responsible. The dragoness who pushed a hatchling into a dangerous lifestyle until it finally caught up to her. Perhaps the duo would acquire great treasures...but that was nothing when compared to what could be lost.

Silver knew, deep down inside, that she may be returning to her cave alone when her visit here came to an end.

Shula didn’t look well. Her eyes filled with terror. For a moment the white-scaled dragoness worried that the youngling had somehow managed to read her thoughts. Then, the crimson dragonet began wailing, kicking, and screaming. She was behaving much the way that Silver imagined whenever she thought of hatchlings.

The sound was grating, and made Silver have various violent thoughts about things she could do to quiet Shula. Such thoughts made her positive that she was not ready to have eggs any time soon.

Silver acknowledged Caramina’s lead, and followed closely behind her. Shula cried the whole way. Every. Single. Moment. Whenever Silver thought she was done, she would start back up again. The hatchling could have easily doubled as an alarm for the whole city at this volume.

After they finally landed, the ice dragoness was relieved to hear Shula quieting down at last. No doubt wearing herself out with all of her kicking and shouting. Whoever this healer was, her presence so far seemed like a godsend for quieting down the young one’s tantrum.

When the healer asked who should be treated first, Silver pried the hatchling away from her chest and held her up to the healer. “See her first. She nearly fell off of me from the storm.”

Turning to Caramina, Silver said, “I must say, healers perhaps are kept the busiest in this city. Especially, with the Tempest Ring...they must not be short on patients.”

Pfft, speak about being polite... xD --

Caramina had not been quite sure whether taking them into the Tempest Ring was a good idea; the winds were simply too ferocious, and there was a myriad of risks, of possibilities: Shula falling off, Silver's wings being pinned to her sides either from terror or from the winds, lightning striking into either of them, Cara's winds failing to work... But they were safe now, leaving the storm behind, and Caramina exhaled in relief before turning around, only to find that Silver wasn't there. She appeared soon enough, much to Cara's relief, though with a wound trailing down her scales and looking like she'd been dragged through the mud. Shula, on the other hand, looked equally bad, and Caramina decided to keep her questions to later. Though, she really wanted to know how Shula had survived through the Tempest Ring in the first place to find Silver...

Shula was wailing, loud sobs tearing from her throat, and Cara was suddenly reminded of an alarm clock knocking sense into her. She winced and flew faster; she had never been one to handle crying hatchlings well. Entertaining them, yes, giving them affection, also a yes. Dealing with their tantrums? No. She briefly felt a pang of pity for Silver, who was probably having the sound piercing right into her ear. And that mark ruining her scales... Truly, hatchlings could be a pain. Cara made a note to give Silver the biggest, most comfortable bed the Stormcallers had to offer after all this, provided that the dragoness was planning on staying.

Cutting through Shula's wails, she asked, "How long do you intend on staying here?" Not why are you here, where you came from - just how long, as they walked and walked, the flames in the sconces brightening and dimming as they passed, though Cara was wondering Silver's origins. What had happened to forge such a bond Shula and the dragoness. And her intentions.

She really needed to stop acting like someone was going to jump out and stab her through the back, Cara reflected, and shot Silver a smile when she heard that Shula was going to go first. The dragoness, for all her regality, did have a soft, warm heart underneath the frosty appearance... And that made her feel slightly more at ease, more approving of the stranger.

Inisha nodded and stepped forward at Silver's request, her tail sweeping Shula onto her back. The healer's face was graced with a look of concern for Shula, and she looked up with her alert, pale-brown eyes. Two silver horns jutted out from the back of her skull, holding a grey frill underneath that were supported by three smaller spikes. Small black spikes lined the spine of her lean wyvern body, which stood at around fourty feet tall, her scales thick plates of yellow and gold, her wings holding a grey membrane.

With a dip of her head, she turned and headed in, the door shutting behind her. She would give Shula a soft plushie to cuddle and sob into, while preparing a drink to soothe, smoking with pale blue gas that glittered as it twirled in the air between them. Inisha turned and bent down, nuzzling Shula gently and giving her the drink, a colourless liquid that was still in its sparkly red cup, little dragons of blue and white dancing across its surface. She couldn't speak though, her tongue was missing.

Outside, Caramina said, "I'll be back," and left Silver, to find a spare room and marking it with a sign that said 'Taken', and soon returning to Silver. "Hey, is it okay if you share a room with Shula?"