Clan Adeptica's First Starfall Celebration (Clan Adeptica) (Story)

The mountainside reverberated with the sound of rock breaking. Devon and his Guardian children and grandchildren were working hard to expand the network of caverns that made up Clan Adeptica's lair. They were the largest members of the clan by far, so this task always belonged to them.

It was a beautiful autumn morning. The sun shone boldly, and the many colorful crystal formations in the lair glowed and sparkled even more brilliantly than usual. The very air hummed with magical energy today, the first day of the Starfall Celebration.

Adeptica had arisen before dawn to go and make a request for more space, which had been granted at a discounted rate thanks to the recent string of victories in battle by the Arcanist's exalted forces. The Guardians had set to work almost immediately upon her return.

Sheena waited in the central chamber, idly tracing a pattern in the dust with one claw. With this expansion, there would finally be enough caverns for every mated pair in the clan to have one all to themselves, if they so desired. Sheena, for one, desired it very much.

"Sheena!" Heath called out to her from somewhere deeper in the caverns. She ran to his side.

"Hold on to my claw and close your eyes," Heath said.

Sheena did so. He led her forward a few steps. She felt smooth, slightly-warm stone under her feet.

"Open your eyes," said Heath.

She was standing in the middle of a newly-hewn room, big enough for both of them to move around freely (which was saying something), yet somehow still small enough to feel like home (which was even more remarkable, and a testament to his skill and how much he cared for his mate). As in the rest of the lair, the walls and ceiling were studded with colorful crystals.

"I love it!" Sheena exclaimed.

"I made it just for you, my little shooting star," Heath said.

Sheena ran around the room, examining every crevice and crystal. "It's perfect!" she said. "I can't *wait* to start a family here."

"Neither can I. I thought about it the whole time I was digging it."

Sheena hopped from one foot to another. "My body and my magic aren't ready for that yet, but my mind and my heart are ready *right now*. Hey - what do you think about adopting a hatchling?"

"You mean, from the Auction House?"

"Yes. There must be plenty of hatchlings who would love to have a clan to grow up in. We can't have any children of our own until after Starfall is over, but I'm ready to be a mother now. Also, I feel like celebrating, and I think we could use some of that Arcane color scheme around here."

"You care about Starfall? You were hatched in the Abiding Boneyard. What would your parents say if they could hear you now?"

"I wish my parents well, and I hope they enjoy their festival next month, but this place is my home now. I like it here." She caressed his cheek gently with the tip of a wing.

"I love you too," Heath said. "All right, let's go and talk to Grandmother about it."

Adeptica agreed with Sheena that a new adoptive member of the family was a wonderful way to celebrate the season. She gave the young couple her blessing and enough money to pay the adoption fee for many hatchlings.

"You sure you want to do this?" Heath said to Sheena as they approached the Auction House. "If you don't feel comfortable coming back here, just say so."

"It's all right," said Sheena. "There's nothing better than passing the kindness you were shown along to someone else."

They browsed through the busy hall until they spotted the most adorable Spiral hatchling they had ever seen. Her crystalline pink scales sparkled in the mid-morning sun, and her purple wings shone. Sheena hurried over to her, and Heath followed.

"Look at you!" Sheena cried. "You are just the cutest thing! Do you have a name, little one?"

"My name is Enchantment," the hatchling chirped.

"Couldn't be more perfect," said Sheena. "I think we just found our festival baby. Thank you, Arcanist. I promise to love her and raise her to honor you."

"Are you sure this is the one?" said Heath. "You know you're signing up for the most difficult parenting experience there is."

"Yes, I know. I figure if I can handle her, I can handle anything else the Plaguebringer *or* the Arcanist can throw at me."

Heath chuckled. "That's why I love you - you always have the greatest attitude. Welcome to the family, Enchantment."

At the end of the clan’s day out, Heath, Sheena, and Enchantment met up with Snowblossom so that they could travel home together. Snowblossom had spent her day at a cooking contest. She and a number of other contestants had been challenged to create five dishes, each using a set of four ingredients in whatever way the contestant chose. A group of judges had judged each dish on its taste, presentation, and creativity, and selected a winner. Snowblossom proudly held up her certificate and her blue ribbon.

"*First prize?!*" Sheena said. "That’s amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thank you," said Snowblossom. "The grand prize for the top contestant was... this." She showed her clanmates the small, blanket-lined wicker basket that had been hanging by its handle from her elbow. In it was a round, seed-pod-like Nature-element dragon egg, its leaves glowing faintly green.

"Wow," said Sheena. "Going to hatch it right away?"

"No, not until after Enchantment grows up." The little Spiral had wound herself around her adoptive father’s foreleg and was twisting around and around. "It looks like she’s going to be a clawful."

**Previous Chapter:** When Heath Met Sheena

**Next Chapter:** The Hatchlings of Fall