As you leave the woods, you come across a small cottage seated in the middle of a lush meadow that's in bloom. "Who lives here?" You wonder as you step toward it. For a moment, the only sounds around you are the whispering of the trees and the babbling of a small pond beneath which you can see tiny fish darting to and fro.
As you venture forward, you are taken offguard by a pair of alabaster shapes that hoist themselves out of the water, hides gleaming wetly and stare at you with a friendly expression.
~Greetings! My name is Maximus, a repair merdragon. Beside me is my friend Obleo who was abandoned at the sands.~ the creature tells you. ~I've a mate!~ Obleo grins broadly. ~The lovely Wave Saraphin!~ ~Yes and below is their marriage certificate.~ Maximus smiles.
"BLAST! I almost had them that time!" the unusual feline grumbles, fluttering her blue wings in an annoyed manner before turning her attention to you. "Hello...I'm Kyodai, a winged isle cat. The reason I may look a bit different from the other blue-winged cats you'll see is because I was one of the firstcomers given only to those who helped judge the feline contest." she explains. "Karma feels especially honored to have me...by the way, have you met Karma yet?" You shake your head in the negative. "Well, then perhaps I ought to introduce myself to you." a voice says, making you whirl around.
A fair-skinned young woman approaches you, astride a chestnut stallion. Her white hair trails behind herself in a wispy fan and even from here, her purple eyes are striking. On her shoulder is perched a purple dragon with interesting markings. As she nears, the horse snorts and prances nervously.
"Shh...its all right Elum." she whispers, stroking the horse's mane gently as he calms under her touch. "Hello stranger, have you come to visit?" she inquires.
~Well of course they have!~ the dragon on her shoulder pipes up. ~Technically, they wouldn't be a visitor if they weren't VISITING, now would they Karma?~ "Yes I know, Mudos." she tells the dragon. "I was simply asking. That's all. One can't be too careful with who they allow into their homes these days. You've become quite cocky since you've found a mate, haven't you?" she inquires, making the dragon blush. ~I'm sorry...but yes, Peridot has bewitched me.~ he sighs.
~Bah, if this person were bad, surely the minis would have sent up a warning.~ As though on cue, a colorful quartet of minidragons alight on a branch, chittering excitedly.
"Oh! How rude of me...traveler, I'd like you to meet my minidragons." Karma smiles. "The brown is Kyoiku, the dream is Amalphia, the healer is Leetah, and the tan is Daimoah...all shelled at Kalenik."
~Don't forget me!~ an earth dragon cries, alighting beside the healer and nuzzling her lovingly. "Oh yes...and this is our first mini shelled from the Fen sands, Lethnot. He's recently taken little Leetah on as his mate." she adds. Here is their certificate.
After bowing to you slightly, the minidragons take to the skies again, circle the house once and then disappear into the woods.
Where the other dragons left, more appear, eyeing you curiously from the bushes. ~Hi!~ the brown says excitedly. ~I'm Clayton, the gray female is Donnamakite, the creator is Kami, the animal female is Vermatrix, the yellow is Kooky, and the tan is Hermoine!~ he says introducing them all. ~Sorry we were a bit wary...you see, we have a rather important charge. Protecting the eggs and hatchlings. You can't be too careful with the egg thieves that have passed through recently. Would you like to see the babies?~ you nod as the four of them pull back the canopy of branches, revealing a small glade with more minis.
~That gray female there is O'ercast, the creator female is Eidrich, the healer female is Mender, the animal male is Abe, the weather male is Molluck, the pink is Shortcake, the black male is Ranmoth, and the burgandy male is Zanthrax.~ Clayton prattles on. ~The adults you see here were raised in this very glade and when babies ARE present here, the recently-grown ones are keeping the unborn and hatched company! I can't wait to go on a flight of my own with my beloved Lilka!~ he sighs.
~I say! Don't forget us!~ a voice chirps. Aside from the others sit a scholar and a healer atop a book. ~Good day to you, my name is Makito...a scholar male. Beside me is my sister, Windkin, who was abandoned on the sands but has found a home here with me. Its nice to have family around!~ The healer looks up at you after her brother has finished. ~Hello.~ she says gently. ~I know as an abandoned I ought to be skittish, but I'm not. In fact, I like people!~ With that, the two of them go back to reading.
As you turn away from the reading pair, something zips past you, missing you narrowly. Confused, you whirl to look and see what it was and for a moment, see nothing. ~*Over here!*~ a musical voice says, enticing you to turn your head to the right. At last, you see it...a tiny, nearly invisible dragon. that stares at you through colorful eyes. ~*Ah, NOW you can see me!*~ the dragon chirps. ~My name is Twilight, a very rare crystal dragon.~ she bows. ~*My bondmate was fortunate enough to have acquired me as a houseguest...would you care to read how? I help keep watch over the hatchlings by day, really, since I have nothing better to do.*~ she tells you.
Away from the others sits a burgandy dragon who has busied herself with a bush of small rosebuds. She breathes deeply of them before turning to look at you with cool green eyes. ~Hello.~ she bows. ~I am called Desert Rose. Unlike the others, my bondmate isn't Karma. Instead, I've bonded with her sister...however, her sister has no knowledge of how to care for a mini and so I stay here and she visits me frequently.~
"Its a hard task caring for so many dragons...apparantly too hard for some." Karma tells you sadly as she approaches a treebranch where huddled upon it are two rather timid-looking minis, a fisher male and a burgandy female. "These two were abandoned on the sands by their owners and I opened my home to them...however, once a mini has been abandoned, they're never quite the same." she sighs, leaving the two to their own devices. "That's about all I have that I can show you out here..." she says thoughtfully. If you'd like to come inside, I'll meet you there." saying so, she mounts her chestnut horse and canters behind the canters behind the cabin.
As you are about to leave, you notice a small purple female dragon scuttling toward you, its eyes bright and a pair of feathered wings on its back. "HI! My name's Mystee!" it squeals, having not yet mastered telepathy. "Have you come to play with me?" You smile but shake your head. "Oh...well, okay. But if ya change your mind, I'll be here!" the dragon grins, trotting away.
