Reunited At Last... (All Colony members)

[Brisinger987]

Loreiaka felt a belonging in this seemingly uninhabited valley. There was plant and animal life, but no intelligent inhabitants. Not that she knew or had seen. There were rumours of several different dragons living here, but if there were she hadn't seen them. Instead, she had decided to sleep in a cave, one she thought was uninhabited.

She just felt right here, natural, normal. She felt like she was with her own kind here. She belonged.

She slept the night in the dark lit cave, the only light being what refracted from the pool of water. She didn't even notice Methusela sleeping in the corner. His scale tips were tucked away, while hers were out, making them both harder to spot.

Methusela woke up, and the first thing he spotted about her was when he tripped over her.

She jumped, yelling as the dragon tripped over her, whereas he just laid on the floor, slightly dazed. Then he processed the information.

He ran from the cave entrance, shouting and raving, whereas she just stood at the cave entrance, terrified and confused.

"MOOOM!! DAAAD!! UNCLE VER!!! SOMEONE WAS IN MY CAVE!!!" He screamed across the valley, as he sprinted down to the lake.

Veraxitoc and Seh'lvah both heard him screaming across the valley, and both stood up, trying to wake up and process the information.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Shamgar was just waking up that morning, after practicing all night with his father in the art of the sword. It was tiring, and he had slept well that night. Then he heard Methusela. Without even stopping to grab breakfast from a stream, he grabbed his new sword (which he had purchased from a blacksmith  in town), quickly got the straps fitted, and went off to where Methusela was. He looked kind of comical, with his goggles, satchel and sword, but he didn't care. He just wanted to protect his son.

[Brisinger987]

Methusela was sat, tail between his legs, pointing at Loreiaka, who hadn't moved out of confusion. Seh'lvah had followed Shamgar out, whereas Veraxitoc had already gotten to Methusela. He too sat with his tail between his legs, trembling and muttering.

"MOM!" He ran over to Seh'lvah when she landed and sat by her side. Veraxitoc didn't do anything but tremble. He didn't move.

"I don't know who she is, I went to sleep last night and my cave was empty, I woke and she was just there! I didn't see her until I tripped over her!" He hugged Seh'lvah, genuinely scared.

"It's ok sweetie, it's ok, we'll sort it out."

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Shamgar looked at the new dragon with curiosity, but also kept a firm grip on his sword, ready to draw it should the need arise. He knew he couldn't kill a dragon, but he could fight one. Landing beside Seh'lvah and Methusela, and put himself between them and this new dragon. He would much rather get himself killed then let his family get hurt.

[Brisinger987]

"What's y-your name? ANSWER ME!" He could feel himself breaking and it was clear he would break.

"U-uncle Ver? She looks like a Nightspinner...." Methusela stepped forward in front of Shamgar, curious.

"My name is Loreiaka... "

[Colonel Mustard]

Tzetchil returned from her late-night flight sated and ready for some rest. She had snatched an unwary mountain goat from a crag, punctured its neck with a fang, drank its blood and (once she'd snapped off its horns to make digestion a little easier) swallowed it whole. Her flight back to her cave in the valley was slower, weighed down by her meal and the rumbles of her stomach as it prepared to digest the whole animal, but she got back just as the sun was rising, which suited her just fine; her vampiric nature meant that, while she could survive sunlight, it left her aching, weakened and irritable. The idea of a day spent napping and letting her meal go down suited her just fine.

He brow furrowed as she saw a crowd gathered outside one of the valley's caves; Verixatoc, Seh'lvah, Shamgar and that little whelp Methusela. Her curiosity piqued, she spread her huge, green-feathered wings out for a slow descent, and landed only a short distance away, long serpentine body coiling underneath her as she landed, resting on the one pair of legs she had.

"What's going on here?" she asked as she landed.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Shamgar turned to see Tzetchil land. He thought about answering, but the words escaped him. He wasn't sure what it was about the feathered dragon that unnerved him, but he never could bring himself to talk to the dragoness.

Turning back to face the intruding dragon, who called herself Loreiaka, he flew up in the air a little bit, just enough to get off the ground, and drew his sword. He saw the way Veraxitoc was reacting, and didn't want to take any chances.

"Why are you here?"

[Brisinger987]

"No... Nononononononono... YOU'RE NOT REAL!! YOU CAN'T BE!!!" Veraxitoc was freaking out. He had killed Loreiaka. Unless her ghost had just come back to haunt him.

"Uncle Ver..."

"Veraxitoc calm down... It can't be the same Loreiaka."

Loreiaka stood where she was, the gryphon looking rather menacing.

"I don't know you..."

[Colonel Mustard]

Craning her long neck up, Tzetchil could see what the cause of the fuss was; a new arrival. And, judging from the fuss Verixatoc was making, she didn't seem welcome.

She hovered at the edge of the commotion, unsure of what to do, and made a brief moment of eye contact with Loreika. With that and a few brief nods, she managed to wordlessly ask the question of 'how do we calm him down?'

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"I guess that makes two of us!" Shamgar said, still holding the blade. He wouldn't move, not unless this new comer did something with ill-intent. Looking back, he saw and heard Veraxitoc freaking out even more. Well, then......

[Brisinger987]

"Veraxitoc, lets go off and calm down, she seems harmless..." Seh'lvah led Veraxitoc away from the scene to calm down for a few minutes, leaving Shamgar, Tzetchil and Methusela to keep an eye on Loreiaka.

"I didn't- Did I do something wrong? Was it something I did?" Loreiaka was confused, so she just sat down where she was.

"Uhhh, you snuck into my cave!" Methusela blurted out at the dragon.

[Colonel Mustard]

Tzetchil let Seh'lvah lead Verixatoc away from the scene, and with her typical crawling slither, moved close to the new arrival.

"As far as I can tell, you did nothing wrong," she said to her. "But from what I've seen, you know Verixatoc from elsewhere. What are you, girl? A friend or enemy of his? Are you a friend or an enemy of us?"

[Brisinger987]

"I don't know him though... I didn't think any dragons lived here... I don't understand any of this..." She sighed, feeling like she had upset someone really badly.

"Well don't think I've forgiven you for sleeping in my cave..."

[Colonel Mustard]

"Methusela, please," Tzetchil said. "The adults are talking."

She turned her attention back to the new arrival.

"No doubt Verixatoc will have an explanation for us all once he has calmed down a little," she said, keeping her voice as reassuring as possible. As the most senior member of the colony present, the job of finding out about this new arrival and getting her settled in comfortably must fall, Tzetchil decided, to her. "But in the meantime, why don't you tell us your name?"

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Feeling that there wasn't any real threat, Shamgar sheathed his blade and landed. He didn't take his eye off of the new arrival, however. Was he being paranoid? Perhaps, but he didn't want anything to happen to his son.

[Brisinger987]

"I've already said, my name is Loreiaka. I don't know anyone here, although I have deja vu seeing that other dragon, Veraxitoc." She looked at Methusela intently, before she reached out a paw towards him.

He responded in kind and when their paws made contact, a flash of white light occurred.

"WOAH!! MY EYES!" Methusela recoiled.