Friends Are As Good As Dead (SilverShadow)

[Brisinger987]

"Apparently you two aren't related. Now. What is Seh'lvah fuming about?" Veraxitoc held the hatchling close to his chest again, knowing that as long as the hatchling was there, he wouldn't get angry.

"I... I... I slept with Hari'lah..." Methusela's head dropped, ashamed.






"He slept with the other teenager in the colony. He has the potential to sire bloody hatchlings, Nightspinners can do that if they don't scent Nightspinner when mating. He's a complete idiot! I can't believe him!"

[SilverShadow]

"Ohhh..." Tanith said, realizing why she was so riled up. She glanced back toward Veraxitoc, hoping to be relieved of talk-duty.

[Brisinger987]

Veraxitoc caught Tanith's eye, and nodded. She could leave if she desired. This small revelation was none of her business, and if she didn't want to be involved, she could leave.

"Do you realise how risky doing that was?! You could have hatchlings Methusela, I explained full well what the dangers of doing this are, but you obviously haven't listened. From now on, you are to stay within sight of a trusted adult or Elder. Don't think about arguing this point Methusela. When I have sorted out naming this hatchling, and someone to look after it with me, then I will discuss this with you. Not before."

[SilverShadow]

Tanith nodded gratefully and took off without a word, deciding to spend the night by the lake before she moved on.

[Brisinger987]

Veraxitoc fetched and tended to the so far unnamed hatchling. Then when he felt it was the right time, he curled around the hatchling, and slept.

He tried to remember names of fallen comrades. Fallen brothers and sisters.

Calling her Loreiaka was too close to home.

Alethana? Perhaps. Moritha was a good name too. And Orithe. He would ask around.

[SilverShadow]

She snuggle up with him, falling asleep instantly, completely unconcerned with things like colony politics and appropriate names.

[Brisinger987]

Veraxitoc woke up the following morning, hoping to ask Tanith about the names he had thought of. Hopefully the names would be alright.

[SilverShadow]

((Aethrie it is. :)))

The hatchling, sensing his movement, also awoke. She yawned and squeaked. Then her belly rumbled, making the loudest sound she had emitted in her short life.

[Brisinger987]

"Someone's hungry..." He gave a small nudge to the young hatchling, and picked her up. He would ask Tanith to watch her while he caught something small for the hatchling to eat.

As he flew over the lake, he spotted Tanith asleep.

[SilverShadow]

Tanith, sensing she was no longer alone, was awake in an instant and looking up at the sky. Oh. Just Veraxitoc. Nothing to worry about. She flicked her tail at him in greeting.

[Brisinger987]

Veraxitoc slowed himself down, set the hatchling down, and then landed himself. Picking the hatchling up by her tail, between his lips, he walked over to Tanith, and set her down.

"Can you look after her for half an hour while I find some food for her?"

[SilverShadow]

"Uhhh...sure," Tanith agreed hesitantly. "...only half an hour right?" She had never fancied herself great with kids, and was always afraid she'd do something to break them.

[Brisinger987]

"Yeah, and think of a name for her? I can't think of one..." Veraxitoc said, before abruptly turning round and taking off, in search of decent sized game. He would let the hatchling gorge on meat until she was full, then he would eat the rest.

[SilverShadow]

"Sure, no pressure or anything," Tanith muttered to herself, looking down at the hatchling helplessly. "What should we name you, little one?" she mused aloud, watching the baby roll around in the dirt.


The hatchling looked up at her and squeaked affectionately. The dragon standing over her looked...she struggled to form the thought...notwithhappy. It was the best her speech-less mind could come up with.


Tanith ran through names in her head. Dragons she had known, dragons she had heard of, dragons from stories her mother used to tell her... "What do you think? You gotta help me out here kiddo, I'm no good at the name thing," she informed the hatchling. All she got in return was a grin and a squeak. "No, I don't think Veraxitoc would approve of calling you 'Squeak'," she said with pretended firmness. That got a giggle from the baby.

[Brisinger987]

Catching the food was simple. Swoop, grab and torch. Within minutes he had the food. Of spotting it anyway. He would double time it back, fly lower, faster, smaller. He hoped the baby wasn't allergic. And he had chosen the fastest, strongest looking deer. Less chance it was diseased or ill. A strong, healthy deer.

As he flew back, his mind wandered. What if it was Loreiaka's? That would make it his. Or Methusela. What if, all this time, he really was Methusela's father, his real father. That would make life simple. So simple.

"I wish I could ask her. I wish I could say sorry..." He muffled a small sob. Then a louder one. By the time he got back to Tanith, his eyes were streaming.

[SilverShadow]

Tanith looked up as she heard the beating of wings and saw Veraxitoc swooping toward them, a large deer clasped in his jaws. But wait, his face was wet...what...then she silently gasped. The great Veraxitoc was...crying?!

[Brisinger987]

Veraxitoc curled his lip, blowing fire over the deer to make the cooking thorough, and partly because it dried his face. He landed next to Tanith and the hatchling, and set down her meal.

Clearing his throat, he spoke in a slightly shaky voice.

"This should do..."

[SilverShadow]

The baby gave him a suspicious look. His voice sounded funny. But she was quickly distracted by YUMMYFOODGOODSMELLS! With another startlingly loud tummy grumble she sprang on the deer, her jaws stretching wide as she dove in.

"Black," Tanith said softly, using the shortened form of his nickname Black-night. "What's wrong?"

[Brisinger987]

"What? No, nothing's wrong, why do you ask? What made you think something was wrong? Nothing's wrong." The whole sentence came out as rather rushed, and he didn't look at her. It reminded him. Everything reminded him.

[SilverShadow]

Tanith raised an eyebrow at him, then turned away. He was a proud dragon, and that was something she understood well. If he didn't want to talk, she wouldn't push it. "The names we've come up with are Pillaira, Lilith, and Aethrie." The baby dragon paused her nomming to shoot Tanith a look, and the older dragon sighed. "And," she added, her voice resigned, "upon her insistence, Squeak." The hatchling grinned triumphantly before going back to her half-devoured deer.