Burned and Blackened Blood (G23 & loneiysong)

Nabaz left her to her thoughts. Sometimes thinking was good for the soul.

~

Balroc whirled on his magician. "What happened? What was that?"

The magician shrugged. "i know not my lord. That's far beyond my skills."

Balroic bit his lip then shook himself and went up to his office, sitting and mulling things over. What had happened? Had someone decided to take sides from within the palace?

Could they be trusted? No....whatever they had done to the witch, her followers were still here and extremely upset.

He sighed rubbing his jaw. he didn't like this.
 
The figure materialized in Marcus' room where he was nestled in between his children. The figure moved forward and slipped a small emblem meaning safety into marcus' palm. She turned and began to make her way back to the shadow trying to remain unseen.

The figure sat watching Marcus. She had kept watch over him ever since his wife called out to her. She had watched this witch, heard the prayers and fears of his fey children and decided to deliver.
 
Marcus slept on, unaware.

He did stir but not in response to her, though his hand did close upon the emblem. One of the kids snuggled closer and they both settled.

Marcus' wife had been his whole world, and now only these small pieces of her served. Their fear and upset at the flight from their home had made him very angry, but he had quelled that feeling to soothe and console them, until one by one they fell asleep in a mass about him.

He sighed a happy breath, and breathed their mother's name. He was not conscious of it, nor aware that he did so frequently when asleep.
 
She heard the name. She smiled a bit. She heard the name frequently on the children's lips and on his when he slept. The figure leaned back in the darkness and continued her vigil unseen to human eyes.

----
The golden dragon that had cried himself to sleep lifted his head wearily and groaned. He felt the rain water washing down even to where he was and sighed feeling the refreshingness of it but that was not what woke him up. The queen was, for the first time knowing her, distressed.

A figure had entered the field she had not bargained or known about. Slowly untangling himself best he could from the earth mother, he blindly moved wondering what had happened reaching out looking for a glimpse of what anyone might have seen but no one had seen nothing. He only felt the emotions. Frowning, he walked back to the earth mother and dragged his side along her feeling their scales rub and he laid against her and laid listening and watching.

----

Tirana continued to fly the rain had let up but the water in the sunlight made her scales glisten and sparkle. She stopped in mid flight hovering and turned her head as if someone were whispering to her. She blinked.
 
Mother Scale opened an eye. "What troubles you dear one?"

She longed to touch his mind as she could so many other's, but for now he was still cut off from the truth of the Thunder.

She touched his back with her tail tip. "Your color is improving."

~

Nabaz flew out from under her, folded up, then snapped his body and the water was flung free to wash down over the world below like another rainstorm. He roared then began to circle her as she hung in the air flapping her wings. "What is it little one?"
 
"The clouds...they are saying that the witch is gone...disappeared.....a black being came in the night and forced her to the dark place?" She raised an eyebrow and shook her head and rubbed her temples. She then began to fly again. "Why must clouds speak all at once like excited children."
---

"I don't feel her anymore..." he said quietly. It was strange. He could always feel her. He wasn't sure how to feel. Part of him was sad but a great part of him was relieved. He leaned against her and looked into her eyes as she commented on his color.
 
"The clouds?"

He studied her closely. "What do you mean little one?"

~

She smiled and nuzzled his jaw. "Enjoy the peace it brings then dear one. What else can you do?"
 
She sighed and reached out to him and started a link letting hear all the excited little voices from what could be the clouds sending her images of what happened. She looked at him. The voices were soft and small like children's voices but they mirrored the clouds in the sky they flew under.

-----

What do you mean?" He looked up at her.
 
"You can hear the spirits would be my guess little one. A great gift in any event. shall we fly on? If she is gone well and good. If not we need to make plans anyway."

~

"You cannot afford to go fight alone. You'd be killed. And you'd likely be attacked if you neared the castle. And if she returns who knows what can happen? So just rest. Enjoy the peace i can see in you. Go scratch against the stone there. Rub your scales."

She shuddered and smiled. "be a Dragon dear one."
 
She nodded and then continued to fly and looked around still wet from the rain and leaving a few droplets behind as she flew. She sighed softly and shook off some of the rain.
---

"I don't want to go and fight. I am done fighting. I am done being the messenger boy. I have lived several lifetimes. I have suffered many verbal abuses by both master and dragon." He sighed and rested his head across her forepaws. "I have also suffered many deaths for just the enjoyment of others." He chuckled and shut his eyes.

"I never learned how to be a dragon." He sighed sadly.
 
Nabaz laughed and blew flames back at her. "Come along little one. Only a short while to go and you will meet the Thunder. I can smell them already."

He wondered when she would smell the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of scents he was picking up and all of them undeniable Dragon.

~

She laughed. "That is why you are here with me dear one. To learn. For now you must rest. Then I will teach you how to be what you already are. Now shhhh." She began to stroke his head and horns soothingly, thrumming softly to him.
 
The gold dragon sighed and returned a meek little purr and rolled so his belly showed to her showing his submission as he fell asleep.
----

Tirana smelt them all at once. It was like smelling a bunch of different aromas, but she could pick them all out. She looked at Nahaz canting her head with a soft smile and continued to fly beside him keeping her eye out for dragons.
 
She smiled and covered him with a wing and wrapped her neck about his head, giving him a soft pillow.

~

"Patience little one. Perhaps another two hours and you will see them."

Every moment made the scent and presence stronger.

Nabaz smiled. "That witch could be on my back and not feel a thing." He chuckled at the thought. As he flew on he seemed to be forming something of a glow, his dark scales becoming edged with emberous smolderings throughout his length, making him seem a massive flying bed of live coals.
 
She stopped and looked at him. He looked at his marvelousness and beauty, but she also worried about the safety.

"Um...Nabaz...your on fire....". She hovered in mid air and knew she was an idiot as she was saying it but she needed to. She flew over to him and in her fear and desperation her dragon sense took over and she roared a strange and melodic type of roar that would tremble a humans and dragons bones but not in an umplesant way, the heavens opened and heavy sheets of cold rain poured down upon just Ana as.
 
He smiled and burst forth before and above her, flaring his wings as he unleashed a wall of flame and flew into it. As he emerged he was coated in flames that trailed after him in curls and streams of fire, making him burn yet brighter and seem even larger.

He rumbled and his voice filled the sky as he spoke in their true tongue. "No little one. Now i am on fire."

He roared and her storm dissipated.

He was a body of heat so great even she could feel it now. And the roar had forced a change.

Far below she could see what at the moment seem a small island's coastline.

Nabaz burned in silence for some time as the coastline grew and grew and grew until it was a landmass easily triple that of her homeland. It was oddly white, and was surrounded by other large floating masses of white.

As they drew closer however she could not see any white save on the coast. Instead she saw colors. Writhing masses of colors of every hue, shade, and possible. Blues so light they were nearly white, so dark they seemed almost purple, reds so soft they seemed little more thana dream of the vibrant color, and other so harsh that even blood could never be so red. There were greens like fresh grass, and like the thinnest pea soup. Gold, silver, bronze, platinum jade, amethyst, onyx, firestone, and more. Pinks, yellows, browns, oranges, browns, purples, violets, greys, whites, blacks, and so many many more. They were living rainbows within rainbows.

She could see purples like herself had massed together, and as they drew closer, Nabaz unleashed a roar unlike anything she had every heard. It deafened her in it's volume and intensity.

But even he could not match the sheer force of so many Dragons as they thundered together in their greeting of welcome.

This time it was not the mere sensation. Literally all of creation shook with the power of the Thunder. And as one they rose up, a living curtain of color, unending. They stretched from horizon to horizon, and before them they continued to rise from the land in an unbroken stream of Dragons.

Nabaz smiled as they flew on, and the Thunder flew to greet them. They met the Thunder and were surrounded by thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Dragons. Of every age, size, shape, color, and strength. And as they met they began to sing. There were no words to the song, but simply an endless harmonious note of welcome and love.

Nabaz stayed near her, but it was clear the song was not for him. But for her. For Tirana. She was being welcomed home.
 
If her kidnapping had never happened she would have basked in the radiating love and warmth. But flying in the middle of all this attention it made her feel dirty. It made her all to aware of what had happened to her and the dragon that was growing inside of her. She wanted to curl up into a ball and die. She shut her eyes and continued to fly trying to drown them out. Tears of shame rolled down her face. This was the worst punishment she had to endure. Each dragon she heard, or saw was like a personal barb.

She clenched her jaw trembling. She was suffering from a panic attack but still she flew even though she could feel every muscle siezing and the little stow away in her womb feel like a million tons. She built a wall around her mind shutting herself off.
 
Nabaz gripped her shoulders and lowered his head rumbling into her ear. "Nay little one. This is not punishment. You have no reason for shame here. You are a Dragon come home. A Dragon who gave us sight of lost brothers and sisters. We do you honor."

The Thunder trumpeted and even as they flew they bowed, then shifted creating a tunnel for her and Nabaz to fly through to the ground. They also breathed fire and the tunnel filled with flames of every color, touching her with their sincere love anf gratitude, even the life within her.

"Come little one. Do not let her destroy your truth. Your future. See what your new family has waiting for you."
 
She looked up and frowned. "Nabaz, with all due respect, you have not been what I have been through. I know this is not a punishment, but, it still feels strange, not right." She swallowed whispering into his mind. She continued to fly and shivered feeling their flames feeling better with every lick of their flames. Of course Nabaz told her not to blow flames at a dragon she did not know, but she didn't care. She felt the fire and it felt good.

She smiled and nodded and continued to fly with them and continued to fly with them and nuzzled against him.
 
He rumbled. "No little one. But i have been through worse. And seen worse. More times than you can imagine. The life within you will be a blessing because you have this new family. Know and enjoy that."

The Thunder continued to circle them until at last they landed. Nabaz lay against a snowbank, letting it hiss against his hot scales, as the Thunder began to move by Tirana, greeting her as sister and friend, and touching snouts, or tunning their tails along her scales, or their wings over her backs. Despite their endless numbers this went quickly and oddly gently.

Then a hole opened in the earth and a Dragon raised her head out of the hole and blew flames into Tirana's face. "Welcome dear one. You are home."
 
Something in her bristled and she growled low in her throat to him. The first warning to him. "You can never experience something worse as rape, Nabaz." She watched him stopping.

She let it go for now as she greeted the Thunder and nodded to each one and greeted them in their respective manner.

"Thank you." She lowered her head gently.
 
Nabaz did not answer. But his eyes told her that she was wrong.

But now was not the time for such an argument.

When they had finished greeting her, they moved to him, bowing, and many stayed bowed before him, greeting him as father.

He looked upon them and smiled. "hello my dear ones. You have grown strong...." He looked toward empty places between them. There were so many, but they had positioned themselves in such a way that they had made neat rows, which made the empty places in the rows all the more apparent. His eyes focused on these places for some time, especially on several nearest him.

Mother Scale thrummed, then began to sing. This song was not the happy song of greeting, but one of great loss and hurt.

Then unbidden Tirana experienced another vision. This was of Nabaz himself. He was flying with young Dragons that simply had to be his. No others would dare be so wild and playful with him. And he was laughing.

Until suddenly darkened creatures, tainted members of his own race had set upon them. The battle had been furious and Nabaz had fought like one possessed, but the numbers were endless. Finally he was laid low, badly hurt, and chained to the earth by hundreds of hellchains, that dug and tore into his flesh without mercy.

And as he was chained, his children were brought before him, savaged, raped, and all but four were murdered. He nearly drowned in the blood of his own children that day. In fact it seemed he had, and his tormentors had been dancing on his corpse, taunting his four beaten and raped daughters, who were screaming as they tried to seek shelter under their great father.

Then Nabaz had awakened. He had torn the chains loose, wrecking incredible damage to himself, and slaughtered his foes while guarding his daughters.

The vision ended as the same four daughters came forward and took their places. They were large and beautiful females now, built like their father, and leading long lines of grandchildren and great grandchildren and so on. Each was strong, powerful, and well respected by all Dragons, but Nabaz turned his head away from them.

Not in shame of them. But of himself.

As one they nuzzled his head and turned him back, to greet his descendants, including his latest batch of great grandchildren. He smiled at this. "Greetings dear ones. You honor this old scalebeast far too much."

They giggled. "We honor you in paltry sums for all you have done Great Father."

Nabaz smiled then nodded toward Tirana. "Go greet and honor our newcomer dear ones. A truly Great Dragon and Mother."

The females erupted at the news, though the four she had seen in the vision looked at their father, then moved closer to her, speaking solely to her mind. "Come dear lady. You must rest. You have been through the greatest trial any Dragon can endure."

Nabaz caught her eye. I did not mean to downplay what you endured little one. But you did survive. And you will have your revenge. This I swear to you. You will have the witch's blood in recompense. And anything else you wish. This time he was entirely unaware of the vision she had been granted, and of course no one was going to tell her the truth they assumed she did not know.

The four moved her to a little bowl in the snow. "Will you sup with us?" The Dragons were still singing the song of loss, and the four informed her they would for some time. Their children brought out massive slabs of meat, and stared at Tirana in awe.

One very brash young fellow got caught sniffing her tail very near her rump and his mother and aunts swatted him with their wings.

Nabaz looked over from his snowbank, where he was speaking with his other children, and the other elders of the Thunder. His daughters smiled and waved. He huffed smoke, then turned as one of the other grandchildren caught his attention with a hunting story. He listened attentively and patiently, even encouraging the tale happily.

The four, their names were Athis, Xuri, Gela, and Pota did not pester Tirana about how she felt, but instead were busy trying to feed her and keep her comfortable. They did clearly know what she had endured, as they never mentioned it, or the life growing within her.

Mother Scale herself finished the song, and drew the golden along with her as she went among the others. her children were innumerable. Graggle was kept near her, but he was greeted warmly and openly by the others, who nuzzled him and welcomed him home as brother and friend. She did deftly keep him on away from Tirana by sending some of her sons to fetch him food.

She was easily the largest Dragon present. And many were even larger than Nabaz himself, including the four daughters that were tending to Tirana. Mother Scale was larger than even the four of them combined. Her head was larger than Tirana's whole form multiplied as many as ten times.

Her scales were a soft earthen brown, and her eyes filled with maternal love. She nuzzled Tirana's neck softly as she spoke. "You have been greatly wounded dear one. Would you rest? or join us in the planning of justice and revenge?"

Nabaz stayed entirely out of this.

Mother Scale smiled her eyes flashing now with the dangerous side of maternal love. "Will you let them make you nothing more than a victim dear one?" Her eyes grew bright with the rage and her scales shifted to a more golden brown, as if she was clay that had been fired. "Shall they fear the name Tirana and regret ever daring to even speak it?"

She growled low and dangerous. "Come Sister Dragon. Shall we war?"

Nabaz was watching now. He remained silent, and would not even let Tirana speak to his mind for the moment. This was a place that he would not interfere. She had been the victim. She had been betrayed and used. Her future was her decision. She was a Dragon. The very epitome of freedom.

He did hope though. Hoped that she would burn forth. He knew it was within her. Would she free it?
 
She was hit by the image and stood there. Her heart was breaking for Nabaz. She couldn't breath. She tried, but it felt like she was submerged in ice. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't breath. She was forced to watch. Tears rolled down her face. She trembled softly. When the image left her, she took a deep breath and came back to herself. She drew a quick claw over her eyes and shook her head. She took in a deep breath trying to collect herself, but she was just all to aware of all the pain and cruelty in the world. When Nabaz caught her eye she felt his voice flood her mind and she lowered her head again. "I am sorry Nabaz," She said into his mind. "I over reacted. I trust you not only as mentor but as friend."

She looked up when she could and saw the daughters and watched. Tirana smiled and moved forward and nodded and greeted them. "It would be an honor to sup with you lovely Dragons." She lowered her head at the honor and went with them. Lowering herself to the snow, she watched Mother Scale and bit her lip and kneaded the snow beneath her claws watching the many beautiful dragons all around her.

She did not know Graggle much except from her dream that was just a ghost now. Graggle blinked at the bright sun. He had never seen the sun with his new eyes, so he just stumbled around blind. Finally giving up, he shut his eyes, and huddled close under the earth mother keeping close under her.

Tirana was picking at the meat and ate and looked up as the large dragon spoke to her.

She rose and nuzzled back best she could remaining quiet. She thought about it. She was tired of war, tired of raging, and didn't want these beautiful dragons to risk their lives for her. She swallowed. Reaching down into herself, she realized, that she herself had caged herself more than her brothers ever succeeded in doing so. Her dragon had become her. Enraged, she snarled and smoke billowed from her nostrils and from her mouth.

Her scales took on a pure purple hue and she opened her eyes as her scales curled a bit and she snarled. "I am Tirana of a noble and ancient clan of powerful dragons. I will not be held down or kept in submission. Too many of my brothers and sisters are kept as simple pets. If not for mmyself, then for them, I will seek justice against this worker in the profane and the obscene." She snarled and lashed her tail angrilly.
 
Mother Scale chuckled and bowed. "Thank you dear one."

Nabaz raised his head and winked at Tirana. "We shall fly forth Lady Tirana. Soon."

When he spoke even Mother Scale bowed in respect. He rumbled. "Come brothers and sisters. We need to eat. Then Lady Tirana will assist us in planning the attack on her home. The city is to be protected, not ruined."

He scooped a large patch of snow together, then blew something like liquid fire onto the snow. It became the city. "We have seen much of the city over the years. But Tirana lived there all her life. She will aid greatly in our plans. Eat. Then we will discuss."
 
She smiled and returned the bow. She smiled and nodded and walked to him and then began to tell them all about the home she was from. The insides and outs. She pointed out each and every hidden area she knew about and the underground tunnels and creeping passage ways. She then waited for any questions.
 
As she pointed them out, the paths traced themselves out in different colors.

Nabaz had indicated each one, asking for the sizes and dimensions, gathering intel carefully.

When she had done this he smiled. "See? Already she has given us great advantage in this battle. A true Dragon." The others nodded, rustling their wings, impressed with her knowledge.

he looked at Tirana. "So little one, what are your questions?"
 
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