Autumn Leaves (Clan Adeptica) (Story)

#### Late October, 2015

Cerulia glided on the autumn wind into the cave that Clan Adeptica called home, carrying an assortment of items and an exhausted Lilia on her back. "Mom, we're home!" she called out. "Do you know if Cobweb and Flamestrike are around?"

The two healers had been waiting for the fighters to return home, and were at their side even sooner than their mother was. They immediately set to work attending to the two sisters' scrapes and wounds.

"Aw, Lilly-billy," her brother Cobweb said affectionately, flying up to where she lay prone on her sister's back. "Did the big, bad Clown Chargers get you again?"

"Those guys are no joke," said Lilia. "Look at this. Wing surfaces may only have capillaries, but there sure are a *lot* of them. I'm glad I have a coli partner who can give me a lift home."

"What were you doing in the Woodland Path, anyway?" Cobweb asked as he cast Aid to seal the rips and tears in her wings. "I thought you'd graduated to tougher battles already."

"Well, yeah, we have, but it was just so *pretty* there with the leaves all changing colors. We couldn't resist. Look around - we just had to bring some of them home with us."

Indeed, Lilia and Cobweb were surrounded by red, yellow, orange, and green maple leaves, as well as many other items. Adeptica and Shadowspell came and hovered over the small hoard, exclaiming over the wealth of materials that Lilia and Cerulia had brought home, and asking if they were all right. Lilia said she would be fine as soon as Cobweb finished his work.

"I've got some of my Battler's Brew ready for you, too, Lilia," Flamestrike said from where she was busy dressing the wound on Cerulia's left hindpaw.

"Thank you," Lilia said. "I'd like that."

One of the piles of leaves on Cerulia's back rustled and seemed to come to life. Cobweb jumped, and Adeptica and Shadowspell darted away a few meters. "The leaves are alive!" Shadowspell exclaimed in shock.

"In a manner of speaking," Lilia said. "She's an Autumn Dryad. She grabbed on to one of Cerulia's legs and wouldn't let go until Cerulia deposited her on her back after we were airborne. I guess she wanted to come home with us."

"Don't ask me why," Cerulia added, craning her neck around as best she could to join in the conversation. "I already have a Shadow Serpent that I love." The Shadow Serpent in question was climbing her leg, hissing.

"I can take her away until we can find a suitable partner for her," Shadowspell offered.

"Please do," said Cerulia. Lilia nodded, and Adeptica levitated the dryad down off of Cerulia's back and onto the cavern floor, so that Shadowspell could lead her away to be housed with the rest of the familiars.

A few days after that, it was time for Cerulia's nieces and nephew, Pumpkinspice, Pelaegys, and Popsicle, to come of age. Pumpkinspice had shown a strong affinity for nature and for the autumn season, so Cerulia gave her the Autumn Dryad as a gift. The little Tundra was delighted with her new familiar, and they immediately went off to tend to the clan's modest collection of potted plants together.

"Let's hope those two don't bring home any more familiars anytime soon," Shadowspell muttered to himself. "There's hardly enough space for all of us as it is."

It was true. The clan's Guardians were responsible for all the digging and excavating that needed to be done in order to expand the lair, but Shadowspell had overheard Mustardseed speculating on how much more honeycombing this mountain could take before it collapsed onto their heads. Like most Fae, Shadowspell had grown up hearing horror stories of collapsing roost colonies, but he felt that involving himself in that discussion now would be premature, if not downright foolhardy, so he had resolved to keep his head down and do his job.

That night, though, an unexpected visitor came to him as he was finishing up his inventory duties for the day. "Good evening, Shadowspell," BlueCornMoon said, entering the hoard storeroom. "May I ask you for a favor?"

"Of course," said Shadowspell.

"Could I have one of those green maple leaves that Cerulia brought home the other day?"

"Certainly, but whatever for?"

"Those are what one uses to pray to the Shadowbinder."

"Oh." BlueCornMoon and Leota were the only ones in the clan who hailed from the Tangled Wood, so this was news to Shadowspell. He  didn't question it any further, though; he had no desire to inadvertently insult the religions of other dragons, especially not when they were four times his size. He simply handed BlueCornMoon one of the green maple leaves and wished him a good night.

BlueCornMoon walked out to the entrance of the cave, where Spica had a telescope set up and was using it to gaze into the stars. He sat on the ledge next to her telescope, letting his feet dangle over the ocean.

He held the maple leaf in his claws and began singing a soft, haunting folk song from the Tangled Wood. Its words spoke of the beauty of the night, and how the Shadowbinder was always listening for the nighttime wishes of her followers. When the song was finished, he whispered into the leaf, "I wish our clan could find a new place to build a larger lair. We already need more space, and we're going to need even more in the future."

He held the green leaf up and released it. The wind carried it out over the ocean and out of sight.

"What was all that?" Spica had left her telescope and alighted next to him.

"A song," BlueCornMoon said, "and a prayer, and a wish. Of course, it won't come true if I tell you what it was, but it had to do with your happiness, and the happiness of our clan."

"Thank you," said Spica. They looked up and contemplated the stars together.

**Previous Chapter:** The Hatchlings of Fall

**Next Chapter:** The Other Set of Elements