Watching the Coming

== Watching the Coming ==
=== Prologue - Hesperiidae ===
The common dragon would look upon the scarlet sky and say, "I wish for riches, followers, and a grand palace". Wouldn't all dragonkind do that? Would you?
The common dragon would spend their day farming, or hunting, or fighting. If they were so specialized, maybe they could be a painter or a weapon-smith. But no amount of painted canvas or forged armory could so much as drive that common dragon's path off of that of a commoner's. No palace life for the little dragon who supported all of the nobles, and the princesses, and the queens, with colorful stitchfixes and warrior's armor.
Aristocracy is not something that is earned, but something you are born with. Like a genetic disease. The nobles hide this disease, with fake smiles and shiny jewels. Because the common dragon would never know, they would keep longing and longing for some way to escape into nobleness. To catch a disease.
Hesperiidae did not earn her nobleness; she didn't deserve the disease. Two sides of the same glittering coin. The SilkWing dragonet was taken from her home twice, and finally delivered to the Western Pyrrhia Alliance. The Alliance was a multi-tribal center where dragons from all over Pyrrhia would gather and talk, mostly nobles. Many nobles had actually been raised there, such as Hespi's adoptive mother, Albina.
The Alliance Palace was quite the sight to behold. Sandstone walls, luxurious furniture, lively kitchens, tended gardens, silk banners, merchants from exotic kingdoms, and stunning stain-glass windows. Every dragon you saw was a different color and shape, dragons from all tribes. Typically Pyrrhian dragons, but SilkWings would be spotted often. The servants were a rainbow, fitted in different silk outfits to please their hiree. The guests would have been stocked with colorful jewelry and treasure from the merchants outside. Those who lived in the Alliance Palace would wear fine silk, treasure, and sometimes they would have jewels embedded between their glittering scales.
Hesperiidae fit right on in with the rest of the nobles.
Mid-afternoons in the Alliance Palace were lazy and quieter. The merchants would begin to pack up their shops for the day, guests would retire for dinner, and the older nobles would rest and prepare for the night. This left the dragonets and hatchlings, of course.
Hesperiidae had been playing all day, following her guardian, Albina, and taste-testing different foods from the traveling merchants. She was absolutely exhausted, as she flopped onto the red, silky couch next to Albina, a large SeaWing named Mope, a hybrid named Cloudlust, another hybrid named Mahagaine, and a cold IceWing named Queena.
The group of older dragonets were chatting, maybe gossiping about the other dragonets in the Alliance Palace. None of them had much muscle, except from play fighting. They were soft dragons, but all of them were stunning. Genetics seemed to favor all of the dragonets in the palace. They had the shiniest scales and most dazzling eyes of all the dragons in the Alliance.
Hesperiidae sat and listened for a few minutes, before Albina finally regarded Hesperiidae.
"Yes, Hespi?" She asked, taking another sip from a small wineglass filled with sweet fruit wine. The SilkWing dragonet smiled.
"Nothin'. I just wanted to say 'hello'!" Her eyes brightened as she spoke, and Albina scooped her up in her pale brown arms.
Queena, the pretty IceWing, took a sip from her wine glass, and then cleared her throat. "Ahem. I just thought I'd say this quickly, but today I received a letter that my mother would be visiting."
Everyone seemed to sigh at once. Queena's mother, Lady Ethereal, was an IceWing of control. Even as nobles, all of the dragonets in the Palace would be her servants while she was here. Hespi wondered if it was because her only dragonet was taken from her as a young one, or if she was just plain evil.
After a few moments, the more quiet and tired seeming group went back to sipping wine and gossiping. The next week or so ahead was going to be rocky.
=== One - Albina ===
Albina had a secret.
Most dragons keep secrets. Little locked-up notes that no dragon needed to know other than themselves. But Albina's secret was something bigger. It was a story retold countless times. It was life and death. It was something that most dragons would either love or hate.
Albina was an animus.
And she was quite frightened of her powers.
She only made little enchantments, like a silk set of blankets to help her adoptive SeaWing brother Mope sleep at night, or enchantments on her bracelets to notify her if something bad had happened with Hesperiidae.
Albina knew that she could never use her powers on another dragon for harm. It was cheating the universe- making life too easy. The dragons at the Alliance Palace had never spoken of animus magic. She had learned about the ancient Darkstalker through scrolls that Mope would bring home from the SeaWing kingdom.
She knew the dangers, and she knew her limits.
And no other dragon could know.
Albina was awakened from her usual thoughts of how to hide her magic when she heard a knock at her door. Queena. Of course. What does she want now?
Albina snapped up and looked over at the pretty IceWing. "Yes, Queena?"
"Hespi's looking for you," The IceWing answered blandly, cleaning one of her claws off. "She can't find her toy."
Albina nodded, getting out of the polar-bear fur bed and padding along the sandstone palace floor. Her room had a large open balcony that looked out onto the golden sky. She had a few shelves with objects and jewelry, and a large open space in the middle with a colorful rug.
Queena moved out of the way and started down the dark hall to the other older dragonet's rooms. Albina turned away and walked the opposite way, starting towards the Great Hall where Hespi and the other young dragonets often would play, getting in the chef's way.
On her way, Albina spotted her half-brother Mahagaine. Mope stayed out of the o'Creheda family drama, but Mahagaine was the popular one who generally started it. The large hybrid was sitting next to his girlfriend, Cloudlust Favilla. Cloudlust was also a hybrid, who had only recently come to the Alliance Palace about six months ago.
Albina approached them, and caught both of their attentions. "Have either of you seen Hesperiidae? I heard she was looking for her toy." Please say yes.
Mahagaine smiled. "She found it under a pillow. She's outside, if you still need her."
"Thanks," Albina muttered, flashing a quick smile. She turned to leave.
"Hey, Albina." Mahagaine said, causing Albina to turn around quickly. "You should check on Mope. He's been in his room since we left the pavilion outside." Poor Mope, Albina thought quickly. He still doesn't think he should be here, but we forgive him.
Albina nodded, waving bye to Cloudlust and Mahagaine. She walked past the large stained-glass windows of the palace and up a collection of spiraling sandstone stairs, red silk banners waving in the wind.
Like Albina, Mope had a secret. It had only recently become known that he had eloped with another SeaWing who's chastity was promised to someone else. Everyone knew now. They called him a disgrace to the o'Creheda family, and said that a SeaWing should have never been adopted into such a prestigious MudWing and SandWing family.
Yet Albina had gone and adopted Hesperiidae, but that didn't matter. Albina had casted the enchantment to send her a mental twinge if Hespi was ever in danger. She wouldn't let Hespi make a mistake like Mope did.
Albina opened the door to Mope's room, to see the large green SeaWing laying on his bed, sketching. It was a drawing Albina wasn't meant to see, a picture of Azurina Akemia. Mope's forbidden love.
Albina sighed, and Mope's eyes widened. "A-Albina!" He closed his sketchbook in a hurry.
"You can't let Mahagaine, or Queena, or Cloudlust see what you were drawing just now."
Mope sighed. "I know...I just miss her, y'know?"
Albina stiffened. "I...I understand, but she's an Akemia who was promised, and you're a o'Creheda. Even if you are a SeaWing, the family name says that you are either a SandWing or a MudWing. You were raised a MudWing. You know this."
"These damn family names. They make no sense. Why can't we just marry whoever?" Mope growled, his dark green tail flashing something in the SeaWing language.
"You can't do that either-" Albina said, and then sighed. "You are a MudWing. And these family names? Each family of nobles, like ourselves, is like an entire kingdom on its own. It's looked down upon to marry outside of a close family. Akemias and o'Crehedas just...don't mix."
"It shouldn't matter." Mope said quietly, closing his eyes for a second. "I miss her."
"I won't tell Mahagaine you said that...just be more careful." Albina sighed. She turned to leave.
"Stay?" Mope asked. "I'll show you my other sketches."
Albina turned back around and nodded. "That would be nice."
===Two - Mope===
Mope had always been a quiet and reserved dragon. All his life, he was told he was a MudWing, just like his six other siblings. Mahagaine: his half brother, Albina, Layla, Kasket, Kokoa, and Twid. He looked the part- in his build, but other than that, Mope always felt SeaWing.
He longed for the ocean, to feel his claws sinking into wet sand (rather than mud), to breathe in nothing but salty water. He wanted to feel the currents under his webbed talons, and he wanted to find his actual parents.
But no.
Because he was a MudWing.
With siblings and no parents.
Until he had fled for the ocean, exactly a year ago today. Of course none of his siblings had remembered. Of course. Of course. Of course. Why would they? It's nothing but another day, and one that they don't want to remember. But exactly 365 days ago, I was flying, and then I was swimming.
And then I saw her. Mope could recall everything about Azurina Akemia. Even her name was beautiful. Her scales were the color of a pale sky, her horns were curled around her head. Her teeth were pearly white without even a tint of any other color. Her eyes- pink. Like salmon, or a starfish. Her build was petite and she was covered in jewels, just like Mope was. She smelled like the beach and the sand, but not in a dusty way.
She was perfect.
And now Azurina was gone. And Mope could never see her again. The two of them, although...rather young, had an egg. But it was destroyed, and everyone knew. And Azurina was off to marry into some close-to-Akemia family. Nothing near the o'Crehedas. SandWings and MudWings weren't meant to mix with pearl-wearing SeaWings, even if he was a SeaWing o'Creheda.
Mope thought about this a lot. Especially today, since it had been one year since he left. Mope knew he had to move on, but he just couldn't. Not today, at least.
Mope awoke hours later, with Albina curled up on the other side of his bed. We must have fallen asleep looking at sketches. He thought, blinking and then sitting up. He gently lifted Albina in his arms, carrying her across the hall back to her room. It was well into the night by now. Hesperiidae must have missed Albina for her nightly bedtime tale. He thought as he entered Albina's room. He layed his pale MudWing sister down and turned to leave.
The Alliance Palace was dark, other than the occasional hint of moonlight through the open windows, which let in a cozy draft of cool air. No one else was out, as far as he could see, being so late in the night. That was when Mope turned the corner and bumped into Queena.
"Oh! Mope!" Queena exclaimed, stumbling backwards from the large SeaWing. What's she doing out so late in the night?
"Hey, Queena." Mope responded casually. "What were you doing up?"
"Um...well, if you must know, investigating." Queena rolled her eyes at Mope's confused look. "Look, we're dragonets, even if we seem older, we're still dragonets." She paused. "Okay, I found this weird chalice thing. Like, one made of gold. So I washed it out and went to put it in the kitchen, when I suddenly had the urge to drink from it."
Mope blinked. "Weird. And?"
Queena continued. "So I drank from it, and then I felt something. Like a wave of calm washed over me. It was just normal water that I put in the chalice, so nothing like that should have happened. And then I turned around, put the chalice down, and it was gone."
Mope nodded. "Right...Queena. I'm gonna head back upstairs now."
"No! Wait! Please help me find it." Queena nearly gasped the words out.
"Queena...are you alright?" Mope asked, puzzled. He craned his green neck upwards to look at Queena a little better. "Why do you need it so bad? What's going on?"
"I just do!" Queena snapped. "I feel like my body will shut down if I can't find it. Like my scales wil- will turn to stone!"
Mope took a step back. "Sounds like drugs." Seeing Queena's expression, he continued. "Alright, alright, I'll help you find the chalice, Queena. Where did you say it was before?"
Queena gasped, a look of panic in her eyes. "I need it," and then she passed out, flopping over onto the smooth sandstone floor.
Mope looked around, panic now in his eyes. "Help! Somebody! Help!" Mope roared, loud as he could.
The entire Alliance Castle began to wake at once, and began to rush down the stairs.
The first down was Lady Aspen, a glorious SandWing wearing a silk bedtime outfit, followed by Lady Ethereal, Queena's mother, who had apparently arrived in the night.
"What happened?!" Lady Ethereal roared, her perfect, serrated talons grasping and tearing at the smooth sandstone as she ran towards Mope. "What did you do, SeaWing?!"
"Nothing, Lady Ethereal! I swear!" Mope tried his best to get the message in that he didn't do anything. "She was ranting about some Chalice and seemed like it was really important, and then she passed out!"
"Liesss..." a SkyWing called Sir Archen growled. "A traitor like you, not even one of the o'Crehedas anymore...and such a high-ranking member of the Balluka family. You must have done something!"
"I didn't do anything!" Mope cried, spinning around as the Palace Guards began to close in on him.
A roar broke through the night. The faces of many dragons frozen in a single second was unnerving as all hell. The dragons parted to let one in particular through.
She was dressed in layers of robes and carried a staff. Her eyes glimmered with the feeling that she knew she was all-powerful here. The other royal adults were simply ambassadors, or nobles, or even kings and queens. She was the Empress, and the only NightWing who lived in the Alliance Palace. She was known for having the three rare NightWing powers, mind-reading, future sight, and prophetic visions. Her scales were a smooth black with a pale white-purple underbelly. Her wings were filled with a thousand galaxies as she opened them to silence every dragon once and for all.
"The Baronet is innocent." The Empress spoke simply. "This confirms my suspicion of someone else here in this palace. Someone said to be little, or useless, or innocent. Yet old enough to know what she is doing. And her power is dangerous; I have seen it in her mind, even if she has tried to protect herself from my powers."
Dragons began to look around violently, swinging their heads and craning their necks. Who could the All-Mighty Empress be thinking of?
And in the background of it all, a pale MudWing named Albina was slowly picking up her SilkWing dragonet, Hesperiidae.
Because she knew they were going on the run.
=== Three - Hesperiidae ===
Hesperiidae had absolutely no idea what was going on. All the tiny SilkWing dragonet saw was her older friend Queena on the ground, and a bunch of dragons yelling at her Uncle, Mope.
And then the Empress, a regal NightWing who she only saw at fancy dinner parties, had looked right at Albina. So Albina walked away quickly, and gathered some things. They only had seconds before the others, friends turned enemies, would be there.
And now they were running.
Hesperiidae latched onto her MudWing mother's back as she ran over the smooth sandstone, and to the nearest balcony. They had nothing with them but a small satchel with some snacks and coins, and of course the jewelry they were already wearing.
Albina threw herself onto the balcony and Hesperiidae squeaked, and looked behind them. The Empress was floating in the air at the end of the hallway, and below her the Palace Guard was racing at them.
Hesperiidae didn't know why. What did Albina do? Did I do something? Hesperiidae considered for a second, before Albina swung around again, spread her pale brown wings, and took off into the nearly-morning night. Dawn was approaching soon. The air was cool and fresh, and the moon was nearly hidden by the horizon line of Pyrrhia.
They soared above the quiet village, Albina rushing and flying as fast as she could. Hespi looked behind them again to see the fastest guards- SkyWings- flying after them.
"We have to lose them!" Albina panted, curving her wings so that she could dart behind a tall pine tree. The SkyWings slowed for a minute, as Albina and Hespi still had the advantage of darkness with them. SkyWings didn't have night vision. And there were no SeaWings on the Palace Guard, only SeaWing guests and Mope.
"Take off your jewelry, but keep the silk on." Albina whispered.
"Why?" Hespi asked. "And why are we running, Albina?"
"They don't like us anymore." Albina said. "Now please, do as I say." Albina was already taking off her jewelry, only keeping on the colorful string bracelets on her horns. She dropped the remaining treasure in her satchel as the SkyWings began to return to the palace. Albina knew that they would be getting more supplies to go on a hunt for them at dawn.
Hesperiidae quickly removed her jewelry, but kept her silk on. She handed the objects to Albina, who hid them in the satchel. Albina turned her head to look to where the sun would soon be. The sky was beginning to turn orange in the far distance. "We have to keep moving. I'll explain everything to you soon, little one."
Albina took off again, spreading her wings and gliding in the opposite direction of the town and palace. They were heading east from where the Alliance Palace was located (which was in the hilly area next to Possibility, closer to SkyWing territory, but still sandy). They were flying in the direction of further Sky Territory, closer to Jade Mountain Academy.
Hesperiidae sat in silence as the sun began to rise. She turned her pale green face towards the sun, leaning on Albina. They had been flying for maybe two hours at this point. The hunting party sent by the Empress would be out looking for them by now.
After a few more minutes, Hesperiidae finally spoke. "Can we stop soon Albina? I'm hungry."
"Yes, Hespi. I think now would be a good place to stop, we can camp down by this little river." Albina pointed down to a tiny stream where there was a bank of mud and smooth stones. The MudWing curved her wings and glided down.
"I don't have a lot of food, little one, and I'm afraid I don't know how to catch anything." Albina gritted her teeth. Hespi sighed, and suddenly wished she had gone to those hunting lessons that Sir Archen offered a few times. Albina looked sullen. Maybe I can help a little!
"We can try!" Hesperiidae smiled, grabbing the older dragon's pale talons. "How hard can it be to catch a fish! And you can use your fire to cook it!"
Albina sadly smiled. "I'll try, little one." The morning was now fully upon the two, being around six a.m. The sky was pale blue with speckles of orange and gold. The clouds were whispy in the sky and a golden light was casted upon the stream. Albina sat up, sighed, and crouched by the river. Hesperiidae knew that Albina had gone on a few hunting lessons, but it had never been a special interest of her's. Albina preferred arts.
The two sat for a few minutes, and then Hespi spotted a flash of silver. "There!" She whispered, pointing. Albina messily leapt into the river, thrashing around in it until her claws wrapped around something. Two somethings! Two wriggle-scraps that could hardly be called fish, but hey, it was food. They were around the size of half of Albina's arm.
Hesperiidae and Albina were both used to the large saltwater seafood brought in by exotic SeaWing kingdom hunters, such as swordfish or manta rays. But the fish were good. Albina used her fire and the two of them enjoyed the food. Albina broke off a piece of bread that she had brought in her satchel and Hesperiidae had found a beehive.
Honey-drizzled nature biscuits were definitely a keeper's recipe for Albina and Hesperiidae.
The two set off again after about thirty more minutes of rest. They were well in the mountains by now, but they still had to keep moving.
Or else they'd be caught, and Hesperiidae had no idea what would happen to them next.
=== Four - Mahagaine ===
Mahagaine was angry.
Now two of his siblings were disgraces to the famed o'Creheda family.
In fact, Mahagaine was fuming. The only thing keeping him grounded was his girlfriend Cloudlust.
His littlest sister was an animus. She could be out there breaking the entire world right now.
So yes, Mahagaine was angry. Very, very, very angry. The Sand-MudWing waltzed around the Alliance Palace, dragging and thrashing his large tail, scratching at the smooth sandstone under his talons. He had already torn up two silk banners in his anger and if he could he would tear up a third. No more after that, however, because Mahagaine was a noble and he needed to keep somewhat of his composure.
Albina was an animus. She had powers, and she was now more important than he was.
Mahagaine stood up and angrily began to stomp up the stairs to see the Empress again. For the fourth time. Cloudlust followed closely behind. "Mahagaine, you can't bother her again!"
As he approached the Empress, the black NightWing turned around. "Baron Mahagaine, please. Our finest hunters and trackers are working on finding Baronetess Albina and the SilkWing dragonet. There is nothing we can do but wait."
Mahagaine growled. "C-can't you, like, use your magical NightWing abilities to see her?! Seriously! My little, empowered sister and her child are aristocrats, they won't survive a week!"
"We will find her well before a week passes. It is best not to waste a majority of our energy on her." The Empress said quietly. "Leave me, Baron. I must think. Do not return again today or I will not hesitate to confine you to your room."
"But-" Mahagaine started, but Cloudlust stopped him.
"Come on, Mahagaine. The Empress needs time." Cloudlust said, spinning her boyfriend around and pressing her snout to his forehead, causing him to relax a little. "Let's go find something to eat. Albina will be fine, if she really has these powers then she can use them if she needs help."
"Okay, okay." Mahagaine hesitated. "Let's go, fine, fine."
Cloudlust lead him back down the steps and outside, where a few older dragonets were sipping wine, including his other siblings, Layla, Kasket, Kokoa, and Twid. Queena was there as well. Layla was a deep brown and orange MudWing who was wearing many layers of silk, Kasket was a lighter brown dragon who wore polar bear furs, Kokoa was a little more of a swampy green brown, and he wore momentous amounts of jewelry. Twid wore a few bands made from colored strings from Albina. He was the smallest, other than Albina.
Mope was currently behind held in a questioning cell. As a noble, he was still given extremely proper treatment, but he was suspected of helping Albina in some way, even with the Empress saying he was innocent earlier that morning.
Cloudlust draped herself onto one of the couches, and Mahagaine sat down slowly. There was an awkward silence over everyone.
"Are we going to talk about-" Queena began, but Cloudlust quickly shushed her with a glare. Queena snapped her jaws shut, closing her eyes. Stress hovered over the group as the day began to pass quicker and quicker.
...What other secrets could my other siblings be hiding? Mahagaine thought, his eyes closed again. Mope had a secret Akemia lover, and Albina is an animus. What else?
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
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