Gathering of the Figments

Figment · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:54 am Post subject: Aeronwen

Ok, so I had this story when I was 12... I only got up to chapter 3 or 4, but would perhaps like to re-write it one of these days... Anyway, what is below, is how it started(as far as I can remember), and then a little after this, I had nowhere to go, so it faltered... So, it is going to be our new RP... And I would like to ask also, if it is ok with those who do join and post, that I be able to use your characters or idea type things if I do decide to write this story again?

~Aeronwen~

It was a cold and relatively clear night as the dragon herd flew south across the sky. They flew close together, twenty strong, and the moonlight reflected off their hard scales, showing their myriad of colours to the night.
They had been flying since the sunset, and would fly until just before sunrise, it was the best way for them to travel these days.
Aeronwen lay curled up, asleep, in her mother's pouch, safe and warm, unaware of what was going on around her, outside her safe haven. The swaying of her mother's body as she flew rocked her gently, and at that moment in time, she felt completely happy and secure.

****

The hunters hid within the shade of a big boulder, they had received a tip off that day, and it sounded as though the booty would be well worth it. But they still complained that their joints ached, the cold setting in.
The reward for one dragon these days was immense, and their mouths watered at the thought of how much they would get for a whole herd.
The man's eyes stung as he watched the sky, rubbing his hands together and breathing into them, trying to keep the circulation going. He thought he saw something in the distance, but he couldn't be sure, he rubbed his eyes and squinted, and sure enough, there he saw them, the figures flying eerily across the light of the moon.
He half stumbled, half ran around to the other side of the bolder and shoved the other men in the hunting party; they needed to wake up, and they needed to be ready.

****

Aeronwen was jolted awake suddenly, as the sound of her mother's singing stopped, and screaming took it's place, the sound of twenty dragons, screaming inside her mind.
Her mother's swaying had become more jagged, more rough, as she moved from side to side, avoiding the spears that were being shot their way.
Even in the confusion, her mother talked to her, soothing her, telling her it would be ok.
Had Aeronwen been any other colour, her mother might have coaxed her out, to fly off to safety, as he was a smaller dragon, and hence a smaller target. But Aeronwen was a white dragon, the first in living dragon memory, and she would stick out like the moon itself.
Then the soothing talk, her mother's calm voice stopped, and they began to fall.
Aeronwen called out for her mother, terrified, not knowing what was going on; for the first time in her life, she could not hear her mother's voice inside her head. But worse than that, she could not feel her.
She reached out for her, put her ear to her mother's stomach, but she could not hear or feel a heartbeat.
She could not hear her mother, as her mother lived no more.
Her mother's body hit the ground with a thud, and Aeronwen lay in her pouch, still feeling her mother's warmth, and wishing that her heart would beat once more.

The hunters when they found her, couldn't believe their luck... A dragon's body had so many uses, heart strings, dragon meat, and if you found the right surgeon, you could remove the tear ducts, and use them to produce more... But a young dragon, a living dragon, and what's more a white dragon, was priceless.

****

Aeronwen awoke, and her first thought was that her mother must have been eating rocks, as he stomach seemed awfully hard.
She opened her eyes to the bright light, and blinked at the glare that was shining down on her face. She reached out with her mind, searching for her mother, wondering where she was and what had happened.
Then it came flooding back, and she felt the pain as he mother's mind was severed from hers for good.
She stood up, stretching, feeling the ache in her body from the fall the night before, and looked around.
She was shocked to see people standing there, just staring at her, weren't they scared? Her mother had told her that humans attacked dragons because they feared them, but these just stood there looking at her.
She flew forwards at them, wanting to chase them, and their staring faces, away, she wanted to go and find the rest of her family, wherever they were; probably hiding in a cave, or the woods somewhere, waiting till nightfall again, she didn't want to be left behind.
Suddenly there was a loud bang, and she felt as though she had been hit in the face by a lager dragon, she fell to the ground and looked around in fear.
All she could see were the people, they had jumped back a bit, but moved forwards again now.
Aeronwen realized now why they weren't scared, they were protected by something... Or more importantly, she was trapped.
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pommie42 · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:27 am Post subject:

-Kweraan-

Kweraan hated that sound. It was the sound of another dragon being brought into the complex, and he had already heard it far too often. For too long had he been held prisoner here, his captors unwilling to send him on, but then who would want to buy such a crippled dragon like him?

Kweraan had not had an easy life, in the wild he had always been a rebelious youngster, and this often got him into trouble with his elders. An unfortunate series of events led to Kweraan being stranded in the middle of nowhere with a broken foreleg and badly sprained wing. Unable to walk or fly, he was an easy target for human hunters who took him, and without concern for his injuries, dragged him back to this place.
Thanks to his rough treatment, his leg had never healed right, and was forever bound to limping awakwardly, hisfront right leg twisting at a right angle just above his knee.
As well as this he was blind in his left eye, that the result of pressing the humans too far. Along with the multitude of horns and spines that were broken he was a sorry sight for a dragon, no wonder he hadn't been sold and freed of hearing his fellow dragons get caught, and never even able given the chance to lays eyes - or eye anyway - on any of them.

This latest dragon was placed in the room next to his, which was odd enough, for that one had never been used before. What was more, there was a crack in the wall between them. This crack was at its widest at the floor, and a little light passed through. Communication at least may be possible.
Kweraan waited for the humans to leave before placing his nose against the crack. "Dragon? Dragon? Can you hear me?"
Kweraan waited. No reply. He curled back up in his corner, resigned to his lonly solitude once more. He wondered if the humans would remember to feed him today...
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It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

Temeraire Forums
The Dragon's Lair!!

Shaye · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 10:37 am Post subject:

Celeste

Celeste looked at the new dragon. The comparison between the two dragons was tremendous. One was worn and broken, and the other was beautiful and young. The old dragon kept his seeing eye on the dragon, occasionally pressing his nose up against the barrier that separated them. Celeste spent the rest of the day watching the people watch the dragon. She'd have a chance to see her later.
Celeste came to see the dragon later on that night. The dragon was pacing and brushing the barrier with her tail and trying to fly.
"It's really no use," said Celeste, to the dragon who couldn't hear her. She was surprised when the dragon looked at her.
Celeste didn't like being here - in this wretched place. She was here with her father, who was a surgeon. Dragons were a fascination of hers, and seeing them treated like this felt like she was betraying herself. She raised her hand to the glass.
The dragon backed away and continued to try to break free even more fiercely. Little wisps of smoke spewed from her nostrils, clouding the dome that held her momentarily. She seemed like she was too tired to do much, because her enthusiasm faltered soon and she curled up on the floor of her confinement, and glared at Celeste until she fell asleep.
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~Shaye

Look. I don't understand half the things I say either.

The Bee · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:34 pm Post subject:

Cindallia~

Cindallia scuttled along the tiled floors, her claws making tiny, microscopic scratches that only she and her fellow mice could see. She was on her way urgently to the room of the new dragon. There was a rumor going around that the dragon was white, and if that was the case, then Cindallia needed to give the dragon the allegiance of the mice.

She got into the room that had for the first time been occupied. She looked around and realized why: this room was far better than any of the others in the lab. There seemed to be more machines in the room, and it looked like it was kept up to date. It was even clean, so the humans must also have been aware of the importance of the white dragon. Cindallia was trying to find a way to get to the pedestal on which the dragon's cage lay on, but she found nothing. She even tried to climb up it, but her claws could not grip the substance.

Before she would go back to the Colony, she decided to pay a visit to the crippled dragon, Kweraan. Cindallia went quickly to the other side of the room where there was a hole in the wall. She crawled through it and entered the room of Kweraan.
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~Michelle The Bee

If life is a highway I was drunk at the wheel. (Relient K)

Shaye · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:24 pm Post subject:

Celeste

Celeste watched the dragon sleep for a little while, and saw that the older dragon was still peering through the glass at her.
Celeste walked away from the young dragon's cage and moved to the next one. She looked at the broken horns and spines, and the odd angle of his leg. She wondered how he got that way. Was it a mere fight between two dragons? Or was it something more?
The dragon must have noticed her there, for it tore its gaze from the white dragon and peered at Celeste. She looked away from the old dragon. It was on odd feeling - looking at something that ancient and magical, and how it was still a slave to human beings. She looked back to the cage where the white dragon was slumbering, only to find it sitting with its head pointed to the ground in front of it.
Celeste crossed over to the cage, and found not one - but two white things in it. A small mouse was staring at the magnificent white dragon... it had scuttled through the crack between the two dragons' cages somehow...
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~Shaye

Look. I don't understand half the things I say either.

The Grey Dawn · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject:

Thur

Thur lowered the rifle. Scum like this deserved to be wiped from the earth. The dragon continued it's flight unaware. Thur pulled the trigger, sending the enchanted arrow through the dragons wing. A net exploding from the arrow, enveloping the dragon. Another catch. Thur smiled.

(I love mixing magic and technology.)
_________________
Remember, a velociraptor can run at 10 m/s (indoors) and it knows no fear.

Figment · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject:

~Aeronwen~

This place was so strange to Aeronwen, she curled up to sleep, to dream of her mother, but she couldn't... This place was too strange.
She found herself rocking subconsciously from the left to the right, imitating her mother's soothing flying motion, but the ground was just too hard, too cold, too alien.
There were new sounds, sounds that she had never heard before, such as the sound of people talking... They spoke in words that she understood, but in voices that were so incredibly high-pitched to her ears.
She was only young, all of eight weeks old, so many things in this world were new and confusing as it was, without being left alone, without her mother, in some kind of dome that was inescapable... She began to feel panicked and had to force herself to relax, to breathe.
A tear rolled down her jaw and dropped into the dust on the ground, she watched as the dust pulled the small amount of moisture into it, and thought about how incredibly alone she felt.
She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, there were numerous creatures around, from the huge right down to the very tiny, most absorbed in their own thoughts, their own activities.
But she sensed one word, one thought on three of the beings' minds, the white dragon.
The girl had spoken to her... What did she mean by that? Was this some kind of ploy by the humans... Did they hope to get into her mind, to discover her secrets, whatever they might be?
She pretended to sleep, she didn't want to give anything away, at least until she figured out what was going on.
She closed her eyes again and reached out again, for the other two shapes, the smaller one was scuttling across the floor towards the larger.
She found herself listening to their thoughts as they spoke with each other, they were talking about a change, about something that was set to happen, something new.
Aeronwen snapped back suddenly as the larger shape focused in on her.
It seemed he had felt her, and she was afraid.
"Dragon, can you hear me?!" came a deep voice at the crack, not the high pitched voice of a human, but the deep, rumbling voice of the kind she longed to hear, the voice of a dragon.
She stood up and moved closer to the voice and tried to speak, "Ye.." She cleared her throat. Her herd had communicated almost solely through thought, and Aeronwen had not had any practice with her voice, her vocal chords were not very strong.
She cleared her throat and tried again, "Yes, I am here, who is asking?" her voice came out hoarse, and slightly strangled to her own ears, she hoped the other dragon didn't notice and think her weak. She needed to be intimidating, firm... She needed to be able to survive on her own, or at least give the impression that she could, even though she felt like weeping.
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pommie42 · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:24 pm Post subject:

-Kweraan-

Kweraan had almost given up on hearing an answer when one came. The dragon was young, almost too young. Kweraan could already work out what must have happened... the young dragon's mother would be dead, and she captured. For the voice was distinctly feminine, if weak.
Kweraan hurried back over to the narrow crack as fast as his crippled body could manage, "This is Kweraan, of the Scalyr Clan, what is your name?"
Suddenly, Kweraan backed away from the wall as a small, white, furry thing came scampering through the crack. Just a mouse, he had seen it around for days now, and there were times when he was sure it was speaking to him. Kweraan ususally ignored it, and he settled back down once it had passed him, waiting for the youngster to respond.
_________________
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

Temeraire Forums
The Dragon's Lair!!

Shaye · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:41 pm Post subject:

Celeste

Something odd was happening. The dragon had crossed its cage and went over to where a rather large crack in the wall was and she was holding her snout in a way that looked as if she was listening for something.
The dragon seemed disconcerted. She was swatting her tail in a way that looked as if she was trying to find a place to rest it on. She began to relax the longer she sat there, but there was still an edge to the way she was holding her body.
Then, a small mouse skirted along the claws of the dragon and disappeared through the crack.
The oddest thing about these events was that it wasn't only what she saw. It was what she heard - no, thought - that was more odd. There were small portions of a conversation that she could hear played out in her mind as if on a badly tuned radio station.
"...you must be careful... they will kill you if you are no use..."
Then the conversation stopped. The white dragon pressed its snout harder into the crack. Something was going on in the other room...
_________________
~Shaye

Look. I don't understand half the things I say either.

The Grey Dawn · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:54 pm Post subject:

Thur

"Did you hear?"
"It was white!"
"New dragon."
"Did you hear?"
It was the talk of the town. Garash had caught a white dragon, and Thur was interested. A white dragon. Something new. Something interesting. Something he had to see. He walked towards Garash's holding pens, a smile spreading across his lips. He could feel something from here.
_________________
Remember, a velociraptor can run at 10 m/s (indoors) and it knows no fear.

trinity · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:22 am Post subject:

Miracle

Miracle had been sitting in the back of the room listening in on the mens conversation. She had been meant to go with them to take down the group of dragons but incidentally they had forgotten to tell her when they left. It didn't matter that she was equal to them in the hunt all that mattered was she was a woman. They allowed her to stay in the group as she was a pretty wall ornament when they needed one but all the men treated her like she was less then them.

When they began to speak of a white dragon her curiosity got the best of her and she listened more closely. Apparently they had captured the dragon alive and was keeping it next to the old mangled dragon they'd had for years. Miracle was quite fond of the old dragon and almost killed the man who had caused it to lose its eye. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, she found an uncooked package of meat and took out two piece.

After passing the men who were still talking, she walked outside where the dragons were kept. When she got there she noticed it was a bit crowded. She recognized Celeste and Thur who were both marveling at the white dragon. Ignoring them she walked to each dragon and slid the meat in through the gap in each cell.
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The Bee · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:29 am Post subject:

Cindallia~

The mouse was frustrated at the crippled dragon. She knew that in the times of her elders it was possible for all animals--whether they were magical or not--to speak to each other. But Cindallia couldn't figure out if the way had been forgotten by both, or if Kweraan was just ignoring her because of her size.

"Kweraan!" she tried shouting. She shouted over and over. When that didn't work, she decided to climb up the wall to get closer to the dragon's head and tried shouting again. This time she swore that the dragon jerked his head a little towards her, but it was marginal, and she couldn't be sure.

Cindallia was about to give up and go back to the Colony when an idea struck her. As a final attempt to get the attention of the crippled dragon, she scrambled back down the wall and onto the floor where Kweraan's feet lay. She climbed up one claw and bit as hard as she could on the skin that was thinly covered with scales, right where the skin met the claw.
_________________
~Michelle The Bee

If life is a highway I was drunk at the wheel. (Relient K)

Shaye · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:53 am Post subject:

Celeste

Celeste noticed a somebody was standing beside her and also staring at the dragon. She turned. It was Thur.
If there was a single person she hated on this wretched complex - it was Thur. Most of the men here enjoyed killing the dragons for the money they were worth, but Thur enjoyed killing them. Period.
Celeste grimaced at Thur, and as he opened his mouth to say something, she turned on her heel and left the room.
She was going to the crippled dragon's room.
When she got there she was surprised to see that this dragon was staring at a small mouse. This was so odd. Was the mouse able to communicate with the dragons? No. No, that's impossible. There was a quiet noise from the corner of the room, and Miracle was standing there as if she was frozen while heading towards the dome.
Celeste and Miracle got along pretty well, but they had only ever met in passing.
Celeste walked over to Miracle.
_________________
~Shaye

Look. I don't understand half the things I say either.

The Grey Dawn · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:42 pm Post subject:

Something was strange here. Thur could only see two dragons, but he clearly sensed a third presence. As weak as it was, it definitely was reaching out. Thur walked over to the wounded dragons cage. He smiled at the damage it had endured. It was the dragon whose eye he had removed. On it was a small mouse. Thur was intrigued. A mouse. A mouse was trying to communicate to a dragon. Thur sat down and watched them.
_________________
Remember, a velociraptor can run at 10 m/s (indoors) and it knows no fear.

trinity · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject:

Miracle

Miracle had the feeling that the old dragon wasn't fond of any human he had ever come in contact with. She had spend much of her time feeding him when she was able and even spoke to him when no one else was around. He didn't seem to care or ever perk up at her appearance but she kept trying, she didn't know why but she felt a kinship to this dragon. Maybe it was because he was the only male who didn't choose to treat her ignorantly, he merely chose to ignore her, which was almost better.

She heard someone walk up behind her and turned around to see Celeste. Miracle didn't much mind the girl, she was sweet and spent almost as much time around the dragons as Miracle did herself.
"Hello, Celeste," Miracle said. "How are you?"
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