Post by Beets The Beetle (Feenix) on Mar 26, 2023 22:46:01 GMT
Soon as Gary called up he was attempting ‘yet again’ to try and make pancakes, I knew I needed to get out for some air-and a buggin’decent breakfast. Ever since I’d been carried back to The Beetle Base by Diana after my beating by crazy Carlin for daring to show my face again at the fighting Pits she hadn’t let me out of her sight, not even for a quick flit to Paradise frost.
A broken wrist, bent wing, one flitt’heck of a shiner and handful of other injuries that made Dianna keep me bed bound for two weeks. Yet none of my injuries hurt more than my wounded pride. How buggin’dare someone accuse me of cheating! No one had ever said flying was against the rules before?! Why If Diana hadn’t threatened to call the Watch into the Pits-I’d have fought every single one of those…Why does being different always have to be so difficult.
It was a real surprise therefore, to run into pretty Orianna and Derthaad as I picked my moment to slip out of the attic skylight and start weaving stealthy between chimney stacks, my nostrils stinging with the smell of burnt pancake batter. I thought at first that Diana had hired in a squad to keep watch on me whilst she her own deliveries with Axel and Jeremy-neither are the best able delivering anything fragile and keeping it in one piece.
But no, they weren’t after me, they actually needed me, or wanted me that is, to help accompany the most abso’buggin’cutest little baby dragon Valethra on her first flying lesson in the mountains. Flit I’d of buggin’paid to go!
Soon with a fully healed up wrist courtesy of Orianna, and a belly full of fittingly purchased Dragonfruit pastries, I caught up with the fully assembled baby flying squad of Derthaad, Itzal, Albedo, Orianna and lightless just at their portal was closing up. I swear if I had more than two toes on these beetle feet of mine I’d of lost them by now!
We had a pleasant walk’n’flit together for the day to the edge of the turning fields, Itzal gave me a bit of a stare down when I first offered around the breakfast pastries, but if they had any thoughts about the ruckus my re-appearance at the fighting Pits had caused a couple weeks back, they resisted from mentioning it.
It was as we were heading into a deeper ridge of the sunset spires after an excited chirping awakening from a very excitable Valethra that we came across the reason Orianna had explained that Valenthra had felt drawn to this place.
Dragons. A whole flittin’herd…Flock?..Sparkle? Eh-It doesn’t matter, what matter was there was a lot of them! From cute wittle’hatchlings, to me sized dragonettes, all excitedly chirping flapping and cuddling around a truly buggin’beautiful lady in sleek shimmering blue robes with a warm smile and a rippling mane of curly white and pink hair. “Merla!?” Was the first thought that exited my mouth, causing the woman to give a rich merry laugh.
Minerva-she correctly-introduced herself to us at the Matron Mother, a guardian to all these young dragons that gathered here on this secluded ridge of the Sunset Spires each year for their annual flying lesson. It was this announcement and a strange sparkle in her gaze, that made me start thinking about other dragon ‘associated’ humans I’d come across before. But before I could put two and two together my thoughts were flittin’swiftly interrupted by a bounding pink ball of energy that pounded into me, nearly knocking me clean off the cliff.
A young pink dragon face, with large bright eyes twice as big as mine yip-growled excitedly as she rested her claws on my shoulders, her tail thumping the ground like a enormous puppy. Nuri, Minerva introduced for me, was apparently very excited for the chance to have me as a flying partner, and it was a swift glance around at the other who had seemingly paired themselves off with their other dragons, that I realised what that meant.
A pain right beneath my left bruised rib decided to pang at that moment, the ripple bringing flashes to my mind of another equally excitable dragon face, one with shimmering cyan features, a warm welcoming smile…
If I hadn’t been pinned to the spot by 200 pounds of rose tinted dragon I may have flittin’bolted. As it was..I forced a twitchy, sharp-toothed smile, and inclined my head, hoping no one spotted the tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. “Sure…T-that’d be…Great!”
After we all mounted up Minerva flashed us all a smile before diving right off cliff, and soaring back as a shimmering, glimmer violet dragon! “I buggin’knew it-!” Was all I managed to exclaim before my breath and those of my companions were stolen away yet again as each of our mounts surged forward and took their own clifftop ascents into the crisp mountain air.
It was..buggin’ incredible to be fair. Flying has always been one of my favourite things, but riding bare back aboard Nuri hundreds of feet above the cloud patched Dawnlands took flying to an other buggin’level. It did get me thinking about Qirlira though.
I can’t flittin believe it’s almost been a year since I first saw her appear in a flash of pixies and sparkles back on Evenbloom Hill, or that I even considered going claw to claw with her should she have shown up to ruin Coll and Velania’s date. How wrong I was…
It was during my reflecting that I watched everyone go through some aerial maneuverers with their new scaled friends under the instruction of dragon eyed Minerva. Even Valenthra after a few worrying plumes managed to keep airborne with Orianna taking wing besides her in the form of a watchful mother eagle. Then I felt everyones-including the glimmering eyes of Nuri on me as it was soon our turn.
Well, I may never have gotten to fly like this with Qirlira, but I could make a tribute to her with it, and in a flash of shimmering blue scales, I dove from the little dragon’s back in a Beets-sized form of Qirliria the Bright, Nuri soon diving to join me in a glittering dance of pink and blue against the clouds.
As we circled round to meet after a series of thrilling loops, I locked talons with Nuri, our wing beats falling into sync as we shared a laugh of exhilaration together.
It was then in that moment I remembered Zanthir’s words, that the best way to honour Qirliria’s memory was to live my life as me, myself. With a bow of my head I let the dragon glamour fall away, sending a sparkle of pale scales sent swirling into the wind, save for the small crescent moon-shaped patch that remained upon on my wrist. I felt Nuri’s gaze fall upon it and a silent look understanding come as her gaze met my own.
“Do you trust me?” I asked, feeling a wash of warm emanate from the mark to the very tips of my fingers. Without even a word Nuri smiled and bowed her in affirmation, and as one we let out wing beats halt, turned out noses to the wind and plummeted.
Down, down we span, faster and faster out bodies splicing through the wind like loosed arrow, not thinking of our intended target, just enjoying the flight, the empty peaceful twirling swirl of-
“BEETS!-PULL UP!”
A female roar from above, distant yet loud enough to pull me from my thoughtless trance, a panicked yapping following suit as I realised I could no longer feel Nuri’s grip in my own. I opened my eyes, and looked down to see ground, a beautiful flowering meadow, coming up to meet me-MUCH TO FLITTIN’FAST!
With a droning surging roar I kicked my wings into high gear, beating them as hard and fast..and..with the barest of inches I pulled myself from the dive, my wingtips clipping the petals on the flowers as I surged across them. They were beautiful…THAT WAS TERRIFYING! Coll must’ve felt just the same way when he fell, I thought as I made my way back up to the party, right before he…
Minvera’s face was raked with concern as I rejoined the circling, though not caused by my and Nuri’s flit with death. No, something was wrong, the winds all of a sudden felt..different.
It was then, the storm hit.
Back we flitted, fighting against the wind as surged around us, threatening to pull us into it’s grasp should our steads falter. I squinted to try and see how my friends were faring, getting ready to dive out and help them should they need it. But then a sudden tremor and series of panicked yip yeowls from Nuri severed that plan from my mind, I had someone who needed me here and now. Though I could not understand her words, I sense the fear clouding Nuri’s mind, causing her wing beats to stutter. I had felt it all to many times myself.
I hugged her, crawling slightly up her neck before moulding myself against her form, trying to keep my voice loud but steady above the rippling winds “It’s okay, I’ve got you You’re with me now…We’re together..Y-you’re not alone!” I didn’t move, just held her close as I egged her on, not stopping until I felt the winds ease a little as the reassuring shadow of Minvera’s wing sheltered us from above. “This doesn’t seem right! This can’t be a normal storm!” I yelled up at her.
“I suspect it isn’t, it is something more.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, “You think something’s doing this?”
“I think something sent this our way.”
I reached into the folds of my belt and felt the shaft of my beetle horn buried within it. I hoped I wouldn’t be needing it. But if came to a fight, I wasn’t about about to let any of these dragons not make it home safe.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the winds fell, and we made it safely back to the shelter of the Sunspire ridge. Almost exhausted, Minvera disappeared off to return with some kills that we roasted on a spit-myself having to try very hard not to just give over to my primal urges to dive into the delicious raw juicy tatters that our young dragon companions were stuffing themselves with. With comforting weight of food in our bellies, I cuddled up with Nuri close to the fire to tell her a story, using the spokes from my beetle horn to carve a crude drawing into the mud, of a brave dragon, with a smile as large and bright as the moon.
I didn’t see the meteor storm the others mentioned much later that night as we made our leave. All I remember is Orianna waking me gently, guiding me out from the warm curled sleeping embrace I had been sharing with Nuri. Waiting just long enough for me to give her a final kiss on the snout and a stroke through her feathered mane as I whispered. “I’ll see you again.”
I don’t know if I had been fully awake as we rippled through a portal into Darting Height as Derthaad mentioned seeing something, some terrifyingly huge dragon silhouetted against the clouds during that storm. But I did know something, I thought as I settled into my hammock, hugging my pillow close to me.
No one better intend to cause harm to those sweet dragons.