Zapticuno
Hatchling
Simping for Timekeeper Cookie
Posts: 80
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Post by Zapticuno on Feb 24, 2021 22:22:17 GMT
The sun beat down on Grasshopper and his sister Planthopper as their makeshift raft of silk, wood and other materials came ashore. They had been on the ocean five days, and their food stores that they had brought along depleted save for a talonful of honey candies.
As Grasshopper wearily stepped further from the water, Planthopper came up beside him, holding the tin with the remaining candies. While he felt tired and hungry, Grasshopper knew that his sister had to be feeling the same effects much more strongly. He could see it in her face, her orange eyes seeming duller than normal. She was so small, so weak... Grasshopper had always been self-appointed guardian of his smaller twin. With their mother Miami not around much when they lived in Cicada hive, he had to be. This need to protect her showed itself much more now, seeing as their mother was dead and they were very, very far away from where they came from, on top of the fact that she hadn't gone through metamorphosis yet, therefore unable to fly. With possible dangers at every turn, who knows what would happen...
However, as Grasshopper looked around where they were, there seemed to not be much. Just sandy beach with some rocks, and, much farther away seemed to be some pile of rubble, overtaken by plant life. No danger seemed imminent, so Grasshopper placed a talon on Planthopper's shoulder, saying in an encouraging tone, "Hey, Pigeon! Y'know, I know you're tired, because so am I, but hey! We finally made it to land! Isn't that awesome?" He called his sister by one of her nicknames, hoping to ease her tension.
His sister nodded, mumbling, "Mhm, yeah, I guess. And we're alive, so I guess that's good too."
Grasshopper let out a laugh. "You guess it's good we're alive? I would think so!" Planthopper laughed in response.
"Now, sis, how about we have those candies to celebrate our being alive-ness, hmm?" Planthopper handed her brother the tin and he opened it, depositing a few of the candies into each of their talons. The tin now empty, it was thrown aside and the two of them quickly consumed the sweet treats. When they were done with those, Grasshopper began walking towards the rubble he spot earlier. While, yes, there could be danger there, he knew he and Planthopper needed to find some shelter, at least temporarily. "Come on," he said, calling back to his sister. "We need to find some shelter. I think we'll find some this way." His sister trotted up behind him, trying to keep up.
(word count: 434)
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Post by Bronzewing on Feb 25, 2021 1:55:53 GMT
ZapticunoCarmine really shouldn't be there. It wasn't in the Sky Kingdom- but sometimes the retired warrior needed to take a break and go somewhere else. She was rather close to the Sea Kingdom- in fact, this used to be their old palace, and she wondered if they still owned it. Picking up a vine from the floor and crushing it between red claws, she had a feeling that even if they did, they weren't returning anytime soon. This was...overgrown, ruined beyond belief, plants curling around the old structures. It felt abandoned and a bit creepy- especially from the signs that something bad had happened there. The old bloodstains, not washed away by the water and staining the ground, were a good sign. There was a struggle there, and she didn't want to know what it was. At least whatever had committed the act was long, long dead by now. There was no way they lived for that long, waiting on the island...besides, dragons had wings, and she would hear about some SeaWing cryptid. Besides, she could deal with stuff like that- she was a champion, after all, and had taken the lives of countless dragons beforehand. She doubted something could touch her. She padded around, long wings folded across her back, picking up plants along the way to make a clearer path for herself as she walked about. The cold wind blowing off the sea was uncomfortable for her, as she was used to warmer temperatures- but the SkyWing's internal flame helped keep her at a decent enough temperature. She got a bit further when she heard whispered voices- who was that? She couldn't make out anything much about them apart from that there were two of them- or one dragon having a conversation with themselves. She had seen prisoners mumble to themselves, but she doubted prisoners were being kept here- it was way too abandoned, and it would be too easy to fly off. Heck, she flew on so easily, what would stop a dragon from flying off? Shaking her head, she sighed. Not everything was a prisoner - maybe they were just SeaWings checking the place out. The older dragon padded towards them, wings partially out- she spread them and flew up higher, planning to look down on them in case they were hostile. SeaWings didn't have fire, after all, and she knew how to take them down- she had taken down a fair number of them, admittedly. And- what were these? Strange, four winged dragons resembling butterflies or wasps, long tails and narrow faces...she had no clue what they were, and she didn't even know any hybrids that could look something like that. These were something entirely new- and she wasn't sure what to think about them. She sure did know that she had never fought one of these,and therefore didn't know how to beat them- and Carmine never liked not knowing something. Their heads were turned away- smoke coming out of her jaws, she took to the air with characteristic SkyWing power. Moving up high before soaring down at them, she dove for them from the air, the smoke wreathing around her face. No, she didn't plan to hurt them- just make an entrance.
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Zapticuno
Hatchling
Simping for Timekeeper Cookie
Posts: 80
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Post by Zapticuno on Feb 26, 2021 22:12:25 GMT
Bronzewing Grasshopper stepped carefully over the pieces of rubble scattered around, and he sometimes had to tear some plants out of the way with his talons. These ruins seemed to perhaps be of some old palace. What were the dragons like that lived here? he wondered, gazing curiously back and forth. It was a bit spooky, to be honest. The place seemed long abandoned. As Grasshopper continued searching for a place to use as shelter, he turned to look back at Planthopper. She wasn't behind him. Feeling panic rise up, he retraced his steps. He found her a bit of a ways back, behind a large chunk of what perhaps was part of the palace's walls. She was staring at something, shaking. "Grasshopper.. is-is that..." Coming closer, he caught a glimpse of what had scared her. A dark red stain. Grasshopper whispered the end of her question before she could. " ...Blood." Grasshopper immediately moved to block his sister's view of the blood and to move her away from it. "Easy, easy," he said softly, sitting down and holding Planthopper close to his chest. He stroked the back of her neck for some time- it oftentimes was the way he calmed her down. After a few minutes, her shaking stopped, and she looked up at her brother. "Let's get going again," he said, "and stay right next to me, okay Pigeonhopper?" A small smile graced his face. "Okay, Grasshopper," she said, a bit hesitantly. As the two of them continued walking, she loosely wrapped the end of her tail around one of Grasshopper's bag legs, as if chaining herself to him so they wouldn't be separated. Grasshopper opened his wings out so that they would almost be like a cover for her. Here and there another crimson patch would be spotted, and Grasshopper would do his best to steer away from them. They walked some more before Planthopper's ears pricked up. She stopped and turned around, yelling, "Grasshopper!" As he turned around, he saw what she was yelling about: A large, red dragon, with smoke fuming around their face, was diving right towards them! Instinctively, Grasshopper pushed his sister out of the way. The two of them flattened themselves against the ground, plants getting in their face. (word count: 375)
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Post by Bronzewing on Feb 27, 2021 1:25:10 GMT
ZapticunoCarmine dove down, claws held outward- not to attack like the two strange dragons were probably thinking, but to stand right in front of them with claws curved straight into the ground. Arching her neck she looked down at the pair of them, a bit amused by how they flattened themselves against the ground- she was used to dragons lunging up and striking out at her underbelly when she dove, or something else- as long as it was more violent and less hiding on the ground. And what were these? Not hybrids- definitely not hybrids. Their wings didn't have the batlike quality that Pyrrhian dragons had- more like butterflies than anything she had ever seen. Were they dragons? Were they not dragons? What were they? She had never fought something like that, and she would have remembered if she did- such an unusual dragon. They seemed...quiet, just sitting there, crouched against the ground as if they were waiting for her to crash into them. Were they waiting for her to hit into them? Were they going to look up anytime soon? She just stayed there, looking down at them, flames still coming out of her jaws.
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Zapticuno
Hatchling
Simping for Timekeeper Cookie
Posts: 80
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Post by Zapticuno on Mar 2, 2021 22:03:10 GMT
Bronzewing When the other dragon landed, Grasshopper looked up. They weren't attacking them like he thought they would. Just standing there, looking down at him and Planthopper. Grasshopper stood up, placing himself between the other dragon and his sister, who stayed pressed against the ground, shaking a little. Seeing as they weren't in imminent danger of being ripped to shreds, Grasshopper decided to give the dragon a good look-over, noting every feature. The dragon opposite him was certainly much older, seeing their large size. Their scales were a deep red, and a line of gold scales went down their back. Their orange wings were large and bat-like, unlike any dragon's wings he had seen on the regular back home. The only dragons he could think of that had wings anything like that were LeafWings, and Grasshopper had never seen one in person, just drawings. The dragon was also covered in scars, meaning they certainly had been in plenty of fights. While the dragon hadn't attacked them yet, that doesn't mean it couldn't happen... The dragon also had flames and smoke still spewing from their jaws, and Grasshopper was amazed and confused by this. The only form of fire he knew coming from dragons were flamesilk SilkWings, and those were fairly rare. With them, the fiery silk came from their wrists, not their mouths. How could a dragon have fire within them without being cooked from the inside? Baffeled by this, he continued to stare at the strange dragon for some time. After a bit, however, Grasshopper snapped out of the near-trance he was in. He couldn't let himself be distracted by the wonders of this dragon! He needed to know who they were, what their plans were. He tried to hold himself up, show he wasn't scared, but undoubtedly, the young dragon was intimidated by the red dragon. And so when he spoke, his voice was a little shaky, "What- what was that all about?! Why did you dive at u-us?" A bitter taste began to rise in his mouth. It was the brown fluid which caused irritation that he could spit at others, an ability granted to him for being part HiveWing. His mouth always tasted of it, but Grasshopper had gotten used to it, the taste becoming barely noticeable until it began pooling in the bottom of his jaws, like what was happening now. This often happened on instinct, when he felt the need to protect his sister. Now was one of those times. (word count: 415)
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Post by Bronzewing on Mar 3, 2021 14:03:22 GMT
ZapticunoCarmine looked over them same as they looked over her- what strange dragons they were! She had no clue what they were, but wouldn't show confusion on her face- maybe it was old habit, but Carmine had learned that whenever something new came up, she had to be ready for conflict. If something unusual came into the arena, a second of confusion could lead to the death of her. No- she wouldn't lose to some weird hybrid they brought in, or a strangely colored NightWing, and she sure wouldn't let her guard down towards what appeared to be two entirely new tribes. Antennae on their heads, white and gray bodies- not IceWings, not NightWings. One was lacking wings- and she wasn't sure whether that was an injury, something they were born with, or...their tribe just didn't have them. Either way, that would give her an advantage- I don't need to fight these dragons! Old habits die hard. she thought with a small shake of her head, quieting down the smoke from her jaws. At least she wasn't a firescales- she guessed that the instant those dragons saw a firescale, they would panic immediately. For good reason- they seemed in awe at her fire already, so what would they do if they saw a dragon made of fire? "What are you." she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You're not from here, are you? I would know if dragons like you existed here." She twitched her wings, the long wing bones folded at her side. She kept her body in a defensive pose, clicking her jaws as she spoke. You're lucky I didn't burn you. she thought- before removing the thought. She no longer needed to fight everybody she saw. These dragons hadn't yet done a thing to her, and so she wouldn't do a thing to them. She looked around quickly, only taking her eyes off them for a second or two. Where had they come from- across the ocean? How long were they even out there- and how did they know Pyrrhia existed? The concept of a second continent didn't matter to her, as issues going on across the waves would not be of concern to one retired Champion and the Kingdom of Sky. Unless, of course, these were scouts for an invasion force... She wondered whether or not they had any natural weapons. No wings was already a drawback, but maybe they had venom, acid, something that she didn't expect. But of course, due to their reaction to her flame, she doubted they had that.
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Zapticuno
Hatchling
Simping for Timekeeper Cookie
Posts: 80
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Post by Zapticuno on Mar 18, 2021 20:25:37 GMT
Bronzewing Grasshopper shifted back and forth a little as the red dragon spoke. He debated whether or not to truthfully answer the questions asked by them, but he decided he'd better say the truth. The dragon obviously didn't recognize their tribe- as he didn't recognize theirs. Swallowing the bitter fluid that had begun to pool in his mouth, Grasshopper answered the other dragon, trying to keep an edge of nervousness from creeping into his voice. "Uh, no. We're from... very far away. Took us a few days to get here, my sister and I. And, well, as for what we are.. dragons, obviously? Our mother was a SilkWing, our father a HiveWing. I'm assuming none are around here." After he finished speaking, he turned to look back at his sister for a moment, who finally stood up again, pressed close to her brother's side. Thankfully she wasn't shaking now. (word count 148)
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Post by Bronzewing on Mar 19, 2021 2:00:28 GMT
ZapticunoCarmine stared into their eyes, still wondering what in fact they actually were. Definitely foreign dragons, but from where, she would have no clue. It was definitely far, likely rather pretty, full of stuff she had never seen... "Very far away." she repeated. "Well, a few days- that definitely is a long way." It always took long to fly across Pyrrhia, but across the ocean? What would drive these dragons to do this, to fly so far, so fast, to a place that they might not even know of the existence of? The names- SilkWing, HiveWing- she had never heard of those. "So I'm guessing you both are some sort of hybrid." She looked over their strange features and colors, the shape of their bodies- and the lack of wings! "Of...flightless dragons." She would be able to take a flightless dragon in a fight- it would take seconds! SkyWings were known for their flight abilities, and these dragons didn't even have that going for them. No, Carmine, we're not fighting everybody! she thought with a sigh. "And no, I've never heard of those. I'm a SkyWing, champion of the arena-" She regretted saying that. It would definitely take her a long time to get over retirement- or more specifically, the disuse of the arena. "You two came alone?"
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Zapticuno
Hatchling
Simping for Timekeeper Cookie
Posts: 80
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Post by Zapticuno on Mar 19, 2021 20:15:21 GMT
Bronzewing Grasshopper nodded. "Yes, very far away. Pantala. Came over here by raft- I pulled the raft for a while when we first left, but after that we mostly just sat on the raft, eating some of the food we brought along. That's all gone now though..." "And yes, we are hybrids. But no, not flightless dragons! SilkWings don't develop their wings until they turn six and go through metamorphosis, when they also gain the ability to make silk. I never had to do that," he spread out his diaphanous wings, "though my sister still needs to. I still have silk though." He held out a talon and looked at his wrist for a moment before setting it on the ground again. "Huh, never heard of a SkyWing before either. And a champion? In an arena? Don't really have either from here we're from..." (word count 144)
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Post by Bronzewing on Mar 20, 2021 13:53:23 GMT
Zapticuno"So you both are from an entirely different continent." she said, looking over the two. "A raft? Probably took the both of you absolute ages to get here." They had to have brought tons of food- or the journey really wasn't that long. Oh, how she hoped that there wouldn't be a ton of weird butterfly dragons coming over someday! That wouldn't be fun at all- imagine Pyrrhia having to deal with all of these new tribes! At least she was taking it well- or at least, well enough. She didn't actually attack them, at least. "So you're hybrids, but not flightless ones." What two tribes would make this- or more specifically- what would these tribes even look like? They had never heard of a SkyWing- so they probably weren't of any Pyrrhian tribes. Very strange. "So you're flightless for only some time of your life? Dragons here are born with their wings- do you really learn to fly that late?[/i[" Imagine not knowing how to fly until six! She knew how by...three? Four? Some early age, years before six. "I'm guessing you don't have fire either." Sh set a nearby shrub on fire- just to show it off before stamping it out with a heavy claw.
"SkyWings are dragons like us- and we used to have an arena for...violent sports. The champion is the one who survives the longest."
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