#lore chapter

The door was ajar when he came, the coatl within was mopping up the remnants of a fallen bottle of liquid. 

Llyr poked his head inside cautiously, "Hello?" 

"Oh, another visitor. That is two in one day and it's only morning still. I am quite popular this day!" Carroll chuckled, beckoning Llyr to come inside. 

"I guess Wisteria has already been by then." Llyr glanced down at the still present puddle on the ground. The inside of the hut was filled with all sorts of alchemy equipment, the cauldron and vent were in the next room over, while row upon row of bottles lined the walls. Carroll was in human form with the exception of his wings folded to his back. Several of his purple feathers were sticking out of his dark blue hair tied in a bun behind his head. On his head he had a pair of goggles perched on the top of his head and his white lab coat was stained by strange splashes of liquid. Ever since he had had his little lab accident he hadn't been able to fully remain in full human or dragon form for very long. He was more or less stuck in his half and half state until he found a cure to the problem. This didn't sore his mood though, he found it to be a new challenge. 

"Why yes. He opened the door a tad too quickly and caused the bottle to fall off of the shelf." Carroll indicated the now empty spot on the shelf by the door. "He came and left in a bit of a hurry." 

"And I guess that means you haven't seen Cheshire today?" His heart fell a bit as the question left his mouth. 

"Cheshire may see me as her preferred mate but that does not mean that I have the ability to reign her in. She does what she wishes and comes to me when she needs me. If I had seen her today I would have told Wisteria when he arrived in a huff." A concerned look grew on his face, "Could you tell me as to why he was so keen on finding her?" 

Llyr sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Someone or something vandalized the library last night... and Wisteria suspects it was Cheshire." 

"Ah..." Carroll nodded slowly. "Well... I wish you luck in finding her." 

Llyr started to move to leave but Carroll stopped him, "She tends to hide in the branches of the glowing willow when she wants to be alone. You might want to check there." The guardian nodded to the worried Carroll and left, making his way up the hill, the house behind him disappearing into the mist. 

 The glowing willow was always a site to behold. The fog only added to its majesty, each of its leaves glowed with a pale blue light that bled into the grey air around it. The willow was by far the largest tree in the Midnight Forest. It was the willow's roots that kept the maze of caves and corridors below supported with its roots. The trunk alone was large enough to house a large temple within a gap in its roots. Erebus was the keeper of the temple with his mate Nyx as his acolyte, they both lived in the hut beside temple, in another gap in the roots. His destination wasn't the temple however but a series of branches behind it that could be used to easily climb up into the heart of the branches of the tree. Even in dragon form branches could hold his weight, however he would have an easier time navigating the narrow gaps in the branches if he remained in his human form. 

He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully as he walked around the tree, he was so distracted that he nearly walked into Nyx. She shyly waved at him as he came to his senses. 

"Oh I'm sorry." He apologized to the dark haired wildclaw woman. 

 "No need to apolgize, no harm done." She said softly. She wore a long black dress that matched her equally black scales. Her bright blue eyes looked up at him as if she was trying to see into his soul. "I had a dream..." Her voice was quiet but Llyr felt his heart jump. Nyx having a dream meant she had had a glimpse of the future. 

"About who?" He asked nervously. 

She shook her head, "I do not know who... but it was a sad and strange creature. They were looking for a home." 

"A home?" He tilted his head. 

"Yes, but they were confused and kept going to the wrong places. They were lost. Sad..." She looked down at the ground. Llyr blinked, confused by the whole thing, 

"Why are you telling me?" 

"I don't know. I just felt as if you should know." 

"Okay then..." He started to move to leave, "Thank you..." He waved to her and headed towards the staircase of branches. She waved back at him and watched him leave before returning to the temple. 

 Under normal circumstances he would be enchanted by the glowing interior of the tree, the dark bark contrasted by the pale blue leaves and occasional mushrooms was a pleasant contrast. He tried to push the random thoughts that floated into his mind as he squeezed himself through the heart of the tree. 

It took him a while to find it amidst the maze of branches, but eventually he found a small nest in a hollow crossing of branches, it had all sorts of bobbles and pieces of fabric woven together to make something that, if it had been in its proper state, would have looked comfortable. However right now it was all in tatters, a mixture of bright and dark scales were scattered between the scraps of the darkly stained fabric. The whole thing made him even more unsettled, everything was leading somewhere darker then he could not fathom. 

"I better go tell someone in any case..." He muttered to himself, as he worked his way back out of the tree.

As Llyr returned to the main entrance to the hill he saw a strange scene, Cheshire, her usually vibrant purple scales were strangely dark and her eyes bright white was standing stock still, her gaze down at the ground. This alone was strange for her, if the scales hadn't given the odd nature of the scene away. 

A few dragons were standing awkwardly in the area of the hill entrance. The snowy white tundra doctor Achenar was cautiously trying to get close to Cheshire, slowly taking steps forward. 

 Llyr was a little to the side of the entrance and when he looked at the crowd he saw Thalia catch his eye. She rushed towards him but this was a mistake. As the skydancer broke away from the crowd, Cheshire's gaze snapped toward the movement and in a split second she jumped at the young woman. Thalia was barely able to let out a cry of surprise before she was slammed to the ground by the other, equally small woman. Llyr watched in horror as a black mist escaped from Cheshire's body and seeped into Thalia's. Those who were close to the scene backed away quickly, afraid of the black mist that was engulfing the skydancer. When the mist dispersed Thalia was in her dragon form and let out a terrible shriek of pain, her body writhing about violently. Cheshire fell to the side, her body suddenly going still as if discarded. Llyr gasped and rushed forward. 

"Stop! No one touch them!" Achenar leaped forward, holding her arms out to block his way. Llyr came to a halt, his body already in the motion to go to Thalia's side.

"Why?" He was torn, he wanted to protect his niece, how could he just stand by and watch her in pain. 

"Whatever it is, it is infectious. Touching Thalia will only make things worse, we don't need a guardian thrashing about!" Cheshire had gone still, her chest going up and down quickly as she labored to breath. Thalia on the other hand was in her dragon form, clawing at the ground and making a strange sound, like two pitches trying to harmonize but never reaching pitch. 

"But we can't just leave them laying there!" Llyr shouted angrily, pointing at the two of them. 

Achenar looked at the two dragons on the ground. "No... This is not the place to care for the sick." She looked around at the dragons that had started to gather. "Maybe.." She muttered to herself before calling to a tall imperial woman who was rushing forward. "Dusk gather some blankets and go find someone to part wards on them. Melanie may be the best one to ask. We will have to wrap these two up and carry them down to the infirmary." 

The dark haired woman bolted into the the main part of the lair. The wait for her return was a terrible one, Thalia stopped clawing the ground and curled up into a ball, her whole body shaking. 

Achenar had to stand in front of Llyr, even though technically he could push past her easily, he didn't move. She had been right, a large guardian would do far more damage then a small skydancer or spiral. 

The crowd around them was instructed to disperse and some were instructed to do tasks to help. Soon all that remained standing was Achenar who was studying the condition of Cheshire and Thalia from a small distance, Selene who had joined them after hearing the commotion, Starchaser and Nightingale who had been the ones who had dispersed the crowd, Aeoleus who was taking notes in his notebook and Llyr who was standing in shock and dismay. 

Selene's voice broke through Llyr's frozen state after a period of time that he couldn't quite recognize. "You are not alone child. We will find out what happened and help them." She put a hand on his shoulder and all he could do was nod. Dusk arrived with arms full of white blankets, each had a soft pink glow to them, a rather tired looking Melanie followed behind her. 

The poor librarian skydancer was used to putting wards on small things like books, doing large blankets was a little more then her usual tasks. With the aid of Achenar, Starchaser, Nightingale, Dusk and Selene the two dragons were wrapped in the warded blankets and carefully placed upon litters that had been made for them. The litters were picked up and carefully taken into the hill, their destination was the infirmary that Achenar was in charge of. 

The stars were very visible in the sky when they arrived at the lair perimeter. It was hard to not find the lair, the massive glowing willow tree was visible from a good distance away and even more visible at night. The perimeter was a line of longs, all wound together with the vines that thrived off of the dead wood, their little berries creating more stars amidst the forest floor. 

 The great gate that lead into the lair was open as usual, the large figure of a lavender winged guardian sat by the gate, her head moving as she scanned the area. 

 "Lair Mother we return!" Nightingale announced when they got close enough. The lavender winged guardian dissolved and a woman rushed towards them. Her hair was a pitch black with a streak of lavender running down the side. Her dark purple eyes beamed as she patted her hands on Nightingale's shoulders and then reached up to do the same to Starchaser. 

She leaned forward to kiss Llyr on the forehead, making him groan and rub his forhead. "The warriors return safe and sound!" Selene gives the three of them a warm smile. "You must go have dinner. Cinder has outdone herself today!" 

Starchaser nods and says in soft tone that sounded strange coming from him, it was a tone that was reserved only for Selene and quiet moments with Nightingale, "It is always good to be home Lair Mother. I will come later to take watch." 

He put his hand on Selene's shoulder and she patted it softly. "You don't have to, but if that is what you want to do I won't say no." Selene replied. "Now go eat, you all look half starved." She chuckled softly as the three warriors entered the lair. 

They followed a worn path through a winding row of trees, the sound of the soft brook that gave the clan it's name could be heard now. Soft lanterns of blue light were being lit and raised onto their stands on the sides of the path. A skydancer with softly glowing gems on his feathers was flying to reach a lantern high in one of the trees. He looked down at the warriors and Llyr waved up at him. Luxaeterna or just Lux waved back before blowing a magical blue flame into the lantern. 

 The outside domain of the lair was quiet and although it wouldn't remain that way for long. Soon the dragons that had been within the safety of the cave system beneath the great willow, would come out to do their daily activities and the night would become nearly as active as the day. 

Over the even air, a distinct sound of a rich chanting grew as they came to stand at the base of the hill, looking up at the willow now. Within its roots was the temple that Erebus and Nyx kept so diligently. The chanting now came from Erebus as he chanted his prayers to the Shadowbinder. 

"Come on Llyr." Nightingale's voice broke throw his enchanted stupor as he had apparently frozen in place upon hearing the midnight imperial's chant. Shaking his head he followed after her. The lanterns were all aglow now. They entered the wide mouth of the hill, the circular entrance had many branching paths that lead to other parts of the lair that was under ground. 

"Take that thing you found to Wisteria. We'll be taking what we found to the hoard." Starchaser motioned to one of the entrances as he and Nightingale moved towards another. 

"Right..." He said, glancing down at his satchel with a feeling of unease. He started to move towards the door when a familiar voice made him pause, "Uncle Llyr!" He spun just in time to catch the young woman before she collid into his back. 

"Woah there Thalia." He laughed, “Careful I'm still in my armor" 

"You were out all day!" She looks him over and notices a distinct dent in his armor on his side. 

"Are you hurt?"

"Just a bump, nothing serious." Llyr relied, in truth it hurt but he didn't want to worry his precious charge. She had her mother's beauty, with her long dark hair cascading down her back. She was dressed in glistening blue silks, he had worked hard and long to get her something to equal his devotion to her. Her mother was his sister Echo, and she was with her clan in the shifting expanse. 

Thalia looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, her brows pulled together in a frown. "You were being reckless again weren't you?" 

Llyr grimaced, "As I said, it's nothing. Come on. I have to drop this off with Wisteria before I go for dinner." 

Thalia folded her arms and sighed, "And after dinner we are going to Achenar to get your wounds looked after." 

“Why can’t you just eat these moles?” Aaron asked, gesturing to the recently captured pile of meat he’d hunted down. Admittedly, Aaron hadn’t really known what he was doing when Serra told him to go hunt for non-fish items, but he wasn’t about to admit that to the snobbish half-bird creature. Being a piscivore, he really didn’t know what meat items were edible and inedible. Apparently the snakes he’d brought back were poisonous. He knew their gem-like hide looked too good to be true.

“Have you looked at these things?” the Harpy prince demanded, holding up the animal in question and holding it as far away from himself as possible. “They have two noses. And four ears! And they are BLIND! Aeeeeuck!” Cortez flung away the mole. “I cannot eat that!”

Aaron tucked his head between his front paws in exasperation. “What do you eat?”

Cortez propped his wings on his hips. “Sun flecked fieldmice!” he screamed.

“Why do you need those?!”

“They make my feathers shine.”

“Nothing else does that?”

“Noooooooooope!”

“But I’d have to fly all the way to the Labyrinth for those!”

“Yeah. So?” the prince asked, preening.

Aaron bared his teeth, digging his claws into the floor.

The prince sighed and began to pick through the pile with an air of disdain, and a grimace on his carefully crafted face. “So tell me again, because I still do not understand: Serra is Queen, but you are not her King? How does this work?”

Aaron sighed, laying down, propping his head in his hand and drumming the claws of his other on the ground. “We just work together to steal things. How hard is that to understand?”

“But your titles? You are not mates?”

“Nooooooooooo-ooo-ooooooo are you kidding?” Aaron grimaced. 

“But why not?” the Harpy asked, a Hellbender in his talons. 

“Our babies would be so ugly,” the Ridgeback remarked.

“But,” Cortez popped the Hellbender into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it regretfully. He shuddered and regained his composure. “You would have babies.”

Aaron cocked a brow. “But . . . they would be ugly.”

“Isn’t your top priority to sire as many nests as possible?” the prince asked. “To increase your population and gain the advantage in battle? Beautiful offspring is always preferred when the chance arises, but your numbers are more important to your cause, no? You can always carve masks or other such devices to improve your appearances.”

"Ok look kid,” Aaron said, rubbing his eyes, “we’ve got a bunch of dragons out there who can’t seem to stop siring nests. Why do you think your kind is having such a hard problem getting rid of us?”

“Because you are stronger and much larger than us?” he guessed eagerly.

“True. And there’s more of us.”

“Hmm.” Cortez brought a wing to his chin and looked away in thought.

“So is that your schtick?” Aaron asked, using his tail to pull over the basket of fish he’d caught this afternoon.

“Excuse me?”

“Siring nests,” the dragon asked, pulling a Rainbow Trout from the basket and popping it into his mouth. “Is that all you do?”

Cortez shrugged, donning that nervous smile of his. “I haven’t actually . . . sired any . . . yet.” He picked up a gecko and eyed it sadly.

“But that’s your job?”

He sighed. “Yes. And preserving our artistic culture.”

“Why is that your job?” asked Aaron, popping more fish into his mouth. “I mean, I get the siring thing but there’s no one else to do the artistic junk?”

“No. The females are called to the skies to defend the clan and wipe out our enemies. Us males are left at home to study history, music, art.”

“So what, is there only, like, two of you in the whole flock?”

“I am the first male that Flock Perelle has had in the last fifty-three years,” the prince explained.

“Wow,” he remarked. “What happened to the last one?”

“He was eaten by a dragon.”

Aaron choked on his fish bones. I can only imagine the panic they went through when they read the ransom letter.

“And they are not my birth flock, either,” Cortez went on, sweeping his tail feathers out of the way to he could sit on his hindquarters. He tore the meat off a toad with his talons. “I was born in Flock Sava near the Great Pillar, but I was the fourth male there; the sisterhood ordered that I be moved to the only flock in these mountains, considering their low birth rate and lack of heritage keeping.”

The Harpy prince sighed, eating the toad meat dejectedly. “Talona and the sisterhood always say we are one flock, but I notice too many differences just between Sava and Perelle to believe it is true.”

“Like what?”

He thought a moment. “Well, the Harpies of Sava dealt with dragons more on a daily basis, but things there were more joyous. It might be because I had brothers, but even the females there were more . . . how do you say . . . carefree? That is not the right word, I think, but to compare, the females here are . . . harder?” The prince mumbled under his breath a minute, frowning intensely. 

“Stricter?” Aaron offered.

Cortez brightened. “Yes! That is a good word to use!”

The Ridgeback chuckled. “What’d you expect, you’re the only guy they’ve had around in fifty-three years. Do you think they’re gonna let you go that easily?”

Cortez shrugged. “They were not very good at keeping you from taking me.”

“I knocked them out, why do you think we made it here without running into any trouble? They’re out of practice.”

“This is true.” He scoffed. “As if I could get away so easily.”

Aaron cocked a brow. “How do you mean?”

Cortez cocked a brow right back. “If you must know--” He looked around innocently, as if he were checking to make sure no one was listening in. He looked back at Aaron and waved his wings a little. “These are useless to me,” he whispered.

Aaron frowned, thinking hard to understand what the prince meant. “You can’t fly?”

Cortez shrugged. “Why do you think I have been on the ground this entire time?”

“You don’t even know how to fly?!” Aaron burst out.

“My brothers were going to teach me, but I was sent away before they could. The scouts from Perelle that came to get me carried me all the way here, and when I asked to be taught to fly the matriarch thought it was a terrible idea.”

“How do you get around everywhere?”

“I’m carried or flown. They made me a fancy litter to transport me in.”

“Wow, you are pampered.” Aaron eyed him contemplatively. “You’re not very old, are you?”

Cortez shook his head. “Why do you think I have not sired nests? I am too young.”

“Ah.” Aaron ate the rest of his fish and changed the subject. “So how long do you think it’ll take your flock to pay your ransom?”

Cortez shrugged. “It is hard to say. Aerylis is a stubborn female, but she will comply eventually. The ransom might already be paid if I were ready to nest, but as I am it might take a day or two for her to comply.”

“Do you think they’ll all come after us?”

He scratched his cheek. “I think not. Aerylis does not want to risk loosing so many warriors for one prince, and you and your Queen are formidable dragons. If need be you two can escape into the mountain with me until they pay; then they would definitely comply.”

Aaron nodded in understanding. “You know, when you’re not screaming about being fed, you’re alright, Cortez.”

“And you are not as brutish as I have been told.” Cortez offered with a smile and a motion of his wing.

“Thanks.”

“But I would like nicer meats next time.”

“Fine.”

“I have one more question: do you use your nose as a spear?”