Post by Mantis Shrimp on Dec 29, 2020 22:53:48 GMT
Turtle shell island was a small, inconspicuous mass of rock that was so close to the mainland it was just barely considered a part of the Bay of a Thousand Scales. Any dragon flying over it would never assume it large enough for dragons to live on and would pay it no attention. But the caverns below the island were large enough to fit a whole town of Seawings into it. Because of this, the island had become a hotspot for soldiers too injured to make it back to the deep palace, and dragons hiding from the war. Cormorant didn't want to hide from the war. She wanted to fight, and prove her loyalty to the queen. Every day she dreamed of leaving this miserable rock to join the fight. She would have done so years ago if it weren't for one thing. Her sister, Beluga. Her sister, who'd begged for Cormorant to stay so desperately she'd grudgingly agreed. Her sister who found the beautiful bright yellow dragon who'd told tales of slavery and oppression, and asked for safe harbor. Her sister who convinced Cormorant to help hide and feed the dragon for years. Her sister who'd fallen in love with the beautiful dragon from across the sea. Her sister who was now with egg, and had nobody to hunt for her but Cormornt because her useless mate couldn't kill so much as a butterfly. Cormorant gritted her teeth, trying not to think about her anger. She would never leave her sister, no matter how much Beluga annoyed her. They were family, and that was all that mattered.
Cormorant shook her head, trying to get her focus back on the task at hand. She was supposed to be searching the ocean and surrounding islands for anything that could be used to help heal the wounded soldiers that were staying on the island. There were very few healers that lived on Turtle Shell island, and they had no time to search for healing supplies, so other dragons were given that job. Cormorant hated it. She supposed it gave her a good excuse to hunt for her sister and her mate What was his name again? Oh, yes, Swallowtail. He'd told them his name as though he was very proud of it, explaining that his wings looked like the butterflies he was named after. Cormorant didn't get it. Naming a dragon after something like a butterfly sounded dumb - like something a Rainwing might be called. Beluga thought it was a beautiful name. Cormorant rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why her sister had fallen for a dragon like Swallowtail. He hated violence, and always refused to eat any of the fish Cormorant caught. Thankfully, there was an apple tree right outside the cave they lived in. Her sister was beautiful, her scales a deep forest green with white glowing scales. She could have had any dragon she wanted to, and she chose one with nothing but cloud fluff in his head.
Cormorant swam down to the bottom of the ocean, searching for seaweed that could be used to bind wounds. Once she felt she had found enough, she powered towards the surface, the wet seaweed weighing her down so she moved slower than she would have liked. She climbed onto the island where her sister was hidden, her scales dripping. She dumped the seaweed onto the beach, then dove back into the water, searching for fish she could give to her sister. Before long, she found a small beluga whale right by the island, which was odd. They normally traveled in pods, which made them hard to catch. Cormorant killed it, and swam back to the island. She grabbed the beluga with her teeth and dragged it to the cave she knew her sister was hiding in. When she got there, she saw the cave was empty except for a single bright green egg, with small patches of red swirling through it. Beluga had laid her egg! Cormorant smiled. If she laid her egg, she should be here, protecting it! Anything could have walked in here and stolen it! Dread started seeping into Cormorant's belly. No need to panic, she thought. She probably got tired of waiting and went hunting for herself. And Swallowtail left too for some reason. Cormorant backed out of the cave and started searching the island. She went away from the beach where she'd left the seaweed. She would have seen or heard her sister if she was there. She started noticing trampled plants going in the direction of the ocean and followed them, her hopes rising. As she neared a clearing, she started noticing splatters of blood and signs of a struggle. Cormorant's heart sank. She followed the droplets of blood, until they condensed and became a trail, leading towards the cave. At the end of the trail was her sister's body, the throat slashed. Cormorant let out a small, strangled noise. Her legs didn't seem to be able to hold her, and she collapsed in front of Beluga, sobbing.
After what felt like hours, Cormorant finally stopped crying. She took several deep, shuddering breaths, steeling herself. She turned to her sister's body. The red of her blood stood out in stark contrast to the deep green of her sister's scales. Cormorant's eyes filled with tears again, but she blinked them away, refusing to cry any more. She studied her sister's claws, which were red, not from her own blood, but the blood of her attacker. So it wasn't an Icewing. It probably wasn't a Seawing, which leaves a Sandwing, Mudwing, or Skywing that could have killed her. Cormorant swallowed, and begun to dig in the clearing near her sister's body. I won't let you get eaten by crows, Beluga. Once the hole was deep enough, Cormorant grabbed her sister and shuddered. She ignored the urge to cry again, and dragged her sister into the hole, and carefully covered it with dirt. It was painfully obvious that it was a grave dug for a dragon. Cormorant didn't want to think about that, so she thought instead about how eventually the forest would grow over this spot. Then nobody would know what happened here except for Cormorant.
Cormorant walked around the island again. Her talons felt like they were made of stone. There was no sign of Swallowtail. Whoever killed Beluga must have taken him. What they wanted to do with him, Cormorant had no idea. She hoped he didn't have to see Beluga dead. Cormorant blinked hard and turned to the cave. She knew what she had to do. She stepped inside and recoiled at the sight of the dead beluga whale. Cormorant had cut its throat, the same way... She swallowed hard. Trying not to look at the whale, she grabbed the egg, and nearly felt like crying again. Red and green. Green and red. Why did the egg have to be red and green? Every time she looked at it she saw spatters of blood on green scales and had to swallow a lump in her throat. She knew she couldn't just abandon the egg, but why did keeping it have to be so hard? She dove into the water, the seaweed she was supposed to collect forgotten. As she approached the entrance to the island, a guard approached her. He flashed a greeting at her. "Cormorant." She struggled to remember the guard's name, and then responded. "Reef. I found this egg on an island. I'm going to protect it until it hatches. I won't be able to collect healing supplies anymore." Reef raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes flicking to the egg then back at her, evidently noting that the egg was bright green, and Cormorant's scales were a bright teal. "Allright. Will you keep it in the hatchery?" Cormorant was grateful that he hadn't asked any questions. She was about to nod, then she remembered that the dragon inside the egg was only part Seawing. She shook her head. "I want to protect this egg personally. Too many sharks get into the hatchery. I need to make sure it hatches." He nodded, and moved aside, allowing her to enter. She swam up to the higher caves, where the water line ended. The lower-class dragons and the dragons who would bleed out if they were kept underwater lived here. She stalked to her cave and placed the egg in the warmest spot in the cave where she also wouldn't have to look at it every day. Every time she looked the red and green egg, she had to stop herself from crying. She shook away her sadness, turning it into something harder. Why do I have to take care of this stupid egg? It's not my responsibility. When it hatches, everyone will look at me. They'll think he's mine, and they'll wonder why he doesn't look like a normal Seawing. She growled at the egg, already angry at the dragonet inside. She knew she would have to harden her heart if she was going to take care of this dragonet. She couldn't very well melt into tears every time she saw it, and if she had to be angry with it all the time to stop herself from crying, then that's what she'd do.
Word count: 1551
Cormorant shook her head, trying to get her focus back on the task at hand. She was supposed to be searching the ocean and surrounding islands for anything that could be used to help heal the wounded soldiers that were staying on the island. There were very few healers that lived on Turtle Shell island, and they had no time to search for healing supplies, so other dragons were given that job. Cormorant hated it. She supposed it gave her a good excuse to hunt for her sister and her mate What was his name again? Oh, yes, Swallowtail. He'd told them his name as though he was very proud of it, explaining that his wings looked like the butterflies he was named after. Cormorant didn't get it. Naming a dragon after something like a butterfly sounded dumb - like something a Rainwing might be called. Beluga thought it was a beautiful name. Cormorant rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why her sister had fallen for a dragon like Swallowtail. He hated violence, and always refused to eat any of the fish Cormorant caught. Thankfully, there was an apple tree right outside the cave they lived in. Her sister was beautiful, her scales a deep forest green with white glowing scales. She could have had any dragon she wanted to, and she chose one with nothing but cloud fluff in his head.
Cormorant swam down to the bottom of the ocean, searching for seaweed that could be used to bind wounds. Once she felt she had found enough, she powered towards the surface, the wet seaweed weighing her down so she moved slower than she would have liked. She climbed onto the island where her sister was hidden, her scales dripping. She dumped the seaweed onto the beach, then dove back into the water, searching for fish she could give to her sister. Before long, she found a small beluga whale right by the island, which was odd. They normally traveled in pods, which made them hard to catch. Cormorant killed it, and swam back to the island. She grabbed the beluga with her teeth and dragged it to the cave she knew her sister was hiding in. When she got there, she saw the cave was empty except for a single bright green egg, with small patches of red swirling through it. Beluga had laid her egg! Cormorant smiled. If she laid her egg, she should be here, protecting it! Anything could have walked in here and stolen it! Dread started seeping into Cormorant's belly. No need to panic, she thought. She probably got tired of waiting and went hunting for herself. And Swallowtail left too for some reason. Cormorant backed out of the cave and started searching the island. She went away from the beach where she'd left the seaweed. She would have seen or heard her sister if she was there. She started noticing trampled plants going in the direction of the ocean and followed them, her hopes rising. As she neared a clearing, she started noticing splatters of blood and signs of a struggle. Cormorant's heart sank. She followed the droplets of blood, until they condensed and became a trail, leading towards the cave. At the end of the trail was her sister's body, the throat slashed. Cormorant let out a small, strangled noise. Her legs didn't seem to be able to hold her, and she collapsed in front of Beluga, sobbing.
After what felt like hours, Cormorant finally stopped crying. She took several deep, shuddering breaths, steeling herself. She turned to her sister's body. The red of her blood stood out in stark contrast to the deep green of her sister's scales. Cormorant's eyes filled with tears again, but she blinked them away, refusing to cry any more. She studied her sister's claws, which were red, not from her own blood, but the blood of her attacker. So it wasn't an Icewing. It probably wasn't a Seawing, which leaves a Sandwing, Mudwing, or Skywing that could have killed her. Cormorant swallowed, and begun to dig in the clearing near her sister's body. I won't let you get eaten by crows, Beluga. Once the hole was deep enough, Cormorant grabbed her sister and shuddered. She ignored the urge to cry again, and dragged her sister into the hole, and carefully covered it with dirt. It was painfully obvious that it was a grave dug for a dragon. Cormorant didn't want to think about that, so she thought instead about how eventually the forest would grow over this spot. Then nobody would know what happened here except for Cormorant.
Cormorant walked around the island again. Her talons felt like they were made of stone. There was no sign of Swallowtail. Whoever killed Beluga must have taken him. What they wanted to do with him, Cormorant had no idea. She hoped he didn't have to see Beluga dead. Cormorant blinked hard and turned to the cave. She knew what she had to do. She stepped inside and recoiled at the sight of the dead beluga whale. Cormorant had cut its throat, the same way... She swallowed hard. Trying not to look at the whale, she grabbed the egg, and nearly felt like crying again. Red and green. Green and red. Why did the egg have to be red and green? Every time she looked at it she saw spatters of blood on green scales and had to swallow a lump in her throat. She knew she couldn't just abandon the egg, but why did keeping it have to be so hard? She dove into the water, the seaweed she was supposed to collect forgotten. As she approached the entrance to the island, a guard approached her. He flashed a greeting at her. "Cormorant." She struggled to remember the guard's name, and then responded. "Reef. I found this egg on an island. I'm going to protect it until it hatches. I won't be able to collect healing supplies anymore." Reef raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes flicking to the egg then back at her, evidently noting that the egg was bright green, and Cormorant's scales were a bright teal. "Allright. Will you keep it in the hatchery?" Cormorant was grateful that he hadn't asked any questions. She was about to nod, then she remembered that the dragon inside the egg was only part Seawing. She shook her head. "I want to protect this egg personally. Too many sharks get into the hatchery. I need to make sure it hatches." He nodded, and moved aside, allowing her to enter. She swam up to the higher caves, where the water line ended. The lower-class dragons and the dragons who would bleed out if they were kept underwater lived here. She stalked to her cave and placed the egg in the warmest spot in the cave where she also wouldn't have to look at it every day. Every time she looked the red and green egg, she had to stop herself from crying. She shook away her sadness, turning it into something harder. Why do I have to take care of this stupid egg? It's not my responsibility. When it hatches, everyone will look at me. They'll think he's mine, and they'll wonder why he doesn't look like a normal Seawing. She growled at the egg, already angry at the dragonet inside. She knew she would have to harden her heart if she was going to take care of this dragonet. She couldn't very well melt into tears every time she saw it, and if she had to be angry with it all the time to stop herself from crying, then that's what she'd do.
Word count: 1551