The Thrill of the Fight (Clan Adeptica) (Story)

=== The Chronicles of Clan Adeptica ===
==== Chapter 4: The Thrill of the Fight ====
August 8-9, 2015
Days turned to weeks, and the trio of hatchlings grew to their full stature. As soon as they were of age, their father took them out into the Training Fields to begin their lives as hunters and warriors. To his delight, all three of them took to it with great enthusiasm. Lilia adorned the scales of her upper forearm with a Scratch battlestone as soon as she could get her claws on one. When in battle, the stone granted her phantasmal claws that felt weightless to her, but were as powerful and deadly to her enemies as the claws of either of her Guardian sisters. She quickly learned to use them with equal effect, which made an odd contrast to the innocent, gentle nature she exhibited when off the battlefield.
While Cerulia and Lilia usually fought together, Talia usually teamed up with their father, Devon. She became a proud and strong hunter and warrior, and her ability to help provide for the young clan was invaluable to her father and Cerulia.
One day, while she was out on a solo hunting trip, Talia stumbled upon a battle in progress. A lone Mirror, his shining obsidian skin marked with bright aquamarine circuit pathways, was attempting to hold off a party of centaur spearmen, and was evidently not faring very well. Talia's warrior spirit came to the fore and she dived into action, landing right in the middle of the battle and defending the Mirror with a furious barrage of teeth and claws. When all the centaurs had either fled or fallen, the astonished Mirror offered her a share of the deer he had killed, which she gratefully accepted.
As they shared their meal, she learned that his name was Jareth and he had come to the Starfall Isles in search of new lands and new adventures, as so many dragons hatched on the Windswept Plateau did. She offered to let him come back to her clan's lair to rest and recuperate from the battle, and he accepted. The two forged a strong bond in the weeks that followed, learning that they shared the same love of danger, excitement, and battle. When he was strong enough to return to the hunt, he and Talia proved to be extremely efficient hunting partners, and they enjoyed nothing more than the time they spent together out in the fields and forests. They realized very soon that they were meant to be mates.
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