Returning to the game, Darin found himself back in the Hatchery. There were less players present, but the rest showed up as the minutes passed. A few of the young dragons tried to make conversation, but their attempts never made it past a few words. A few wings were flapped, or claws scratched, while others simply sat or paced. All in all, there were a half dozen of them awaiting their trials. The minutes dragged on, but no one dared to leave the room. There was a mix of relief and terror, when Blood Claw showed her face at last. “I see all the nameless have gathered on time. Good. Before we begin, are there any who do not wish to take the trials?” She asked.
At once the room was silent, not a tail flicked nor a wing flapped. “Then follow me young ones, prove yourself before the elders. Earn yourself a name, and make the Mother proud.” She told them, before turning about. The massive red whelp was the first to follow her, with the others behind him in a solemn line. There was no cutting in line or pushing others aside, there was no horseplay at all. Everyone knew that if they made a poor showing of themselves now, it could be held against them.
After a few minutes of walking, they entered a spacious room with a lower section by the far wall. Blood Claw led them well into the room, then stopped half way and pointed to the far back. Darin was puzzled at first, but Red seemed to know the routine and walked all the way to the back. Like a good little row of ducklings they followed, before lining up along the far wall. And there they waited, as a few more minutes passed. No one dared to speak, but even the dragoness was tapping her claws with impatience. When the elders did appear, they took their sweet time to enter the room and ready themselves. The elders had a presence of strength, and power. They carried with them hundreds of years of wisdom and experience. What they lacked, Darin realized, was showmanship.
“Oh ye, feeble hatchlings that have come before us.” The large, black scaled elder boomed out. “You have drawn our attention and ire, and such is not-” He was cut off when the green scaled elder beside him elbowed him hard.
“Damn it, Dark Flame, that’s the wrong speech.” The Green dragon chided him.
“What?” Dark Flame asked in surprise. Well, clearly they have their act together here.
“We are here to over see the Trials of Passage, not a Judgment of the Wayward.” He stated, showing traces of embarrassment as he looked out at the whelps. The blue dragoness with them offered only a wordless sound of agreement.
“Oh, bah. Fine then, you do it Vile Fang. Since you’re so sure of yourself.” He replied, not bothering to hide the glare he was giving the green elder.
“If you insist then, I guess I shall.” Vile Fang replied, before taking a moment to gather his thoughts. As the silence dragged on, Blood Claw produced two fake coughs to cue him on. When that earned her only a curious look, she tried harder.
“Please, great elders. Would you proceed with the introduction, so that we may begin with the trials?” She asked, in her most diplomatic tone. It seemed she did not tolerate fools, and she especially hated to honor them.
“Nameless ones, hatchlings and whelps, we are all children of-” Vile Fang paused when he spotted Darin. “Is that a midget?” He asked aloud. The look that Blood Claw shot him, caused cringe before he got back to his speech. But by then the damage was done, already the red whelp was snickering.
“I swear he’s a bird that got lost, maybe-” Scorch began.
“Silence!” The Den Mother roared at him, before gesturing for the elder to continue. She took such rites very seriously, they were part of her job after all. Not a single whelp even dared to blink, until the elder spoke again.
“We are all, even the tiny ones, children of the Mother. You have come before us this day for opportunity to prove yourselves. Prove to us, that you carry the essence of a dragon. Prove to us, that the blessings of the Mother are strong in your veins. Prove to us, that you are worthy of a name. We shall lead you to the first area, and from there, your trials shall begin…” Vile Fang informed them. As the elders turned to leave the room, a notification appeared.
Quest: Trials of the Nameless.
A dragon is not born with a name, they must earn one. Prove to the elders that you are worthy of a name, and a name you shall be granted.
Completion condition: Earn enough respect points from the elders to pass the trials.
Possible Rewards: A name, additional rights, the right to travel, being upgraded from whelp to dragon.
Failure condition: Fail to earn enough points or quit.
Penalty: Loss of respect. You will be stuck in the cave until you are able to pass the trials.
Darin accepted the quest without a word, he noticed that several of the other whelps did as well. Spikey and the Wyvern however, did not get a quest message. After the elders filed out of the room. Blood Claw followed, leading the whelps behind her. This march was just as quiet as the other, yet the mood was not quiet so solemn this time. When they entered the next room, Darin could only ponder at it’s function. It’s only abnormal trait was a large circular ring carved into the floor. There were markings and inscriptions carved around it, yet even as he stared they did not translate to words.
“We have brought you here, so that you may tell us of your ancestry and have it recorded in memory.” The blue elder told them. Some of the others did not seem surprised, but to Darin this was news. “Den Mother, if you would honor us and send the first of the young forward?” He requested. Scorch, as Darin liked to think of the red whelp, was the first to enter the circle. One of the elders spoke a few strange words and the ring began to glow with a faint white light. “Tell us of your parents, so that we may know you, and perhaps even identify them.”
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“My father was a mighty and powerful red dragon. Perhaps even of the fire clan.” Scorch began. As he spoke, the rings recorded different symbols in different colors. “My mother was a green dragoness that he claimed, he was impressed with her skill in battle and wanted her as his own.” He stated, tossing a glance at Greenie.
“Thank you, your words have been recorded.” Dark Flame informed him. Blood Claw and the elders maintained a professional mask of indifference as he stepped out of the circle. The markings shimmered and reset themselves, before the blue whelp entered the ring. The blue whelp spoke for a few minutes, in praise of their parents, but said very little in truth. The first surprise did not occur until the gray wyvern entered the ring.
“My ancestors diverged quite far from the common line, as is shown by my form.” He paused to highlight his twin tails and bird like arm-wings. “As my blood is thin, I know very little of my parents, except that they must be like me.” With that he bowed his head respectfully and walked out of the magic ring. They thanked him as before, but Darin noticed far fewer colors and symbols in the patterns they recorded. One of the elders actually sighed as Darin entered the ring.
“This should be good.” Scorch mutter.
“I can’t wait to hear this story.” Said the blue whelp.
“He’s probably too thin blooded to remember anything.” Spikey suggested. The others were wise enough, or kind enough to keep silent. Blood Claw sent them an odd look, but returned her attention to the circle and the small dragon there in.
“Just tell us what you can of your parents, little one.” Dark Flame asked in a polite voice. Even if he didn’t expect much, he still was keeping with the proper form. Darin nodded, took a breath and got ready to speak. In the back of his mind, he recalled the advice he was given. Better to speak the truth, even if it’s that you know nothing. Lies are dishonorable, his mind paraphrased. The room had fallen silent, so he began.
“My father was given the name Shadow, for his ability to move in silence for the last stretch of the hunt. I believe the name referred to being ‘as silent as a shadow’ when he needed to be. He was well larger than me, but still small by the standards of those in this room. He evolved with refined iron, granting him a shiny metals claws and a silver looking beak. Shadow was a skilled hunter, and a good warrior. It was how he met Ember, my mother. Compared to him, she did not grow much larger with time or evolution. But she did grow more powerful with her flames. She was swift like an arrow and agile enough to weave and turn. Once she evolved with flame amber, her fire breathe took on an amber tone. They sang to the mother with their people and-”
“Sang?” The red whelp asked incredulously. “What sort of defective dragons sing?” His questions, as the others burst into chatter amid the rite.
“Silence!” Roared the blue elder, restoring order in a single command. Her eyes had never left the circle and her expression was perplexed. “You said they sang?” She asked in a polite tone.
“Yes elder. All the dragons sang, together as one, at certain times. Each song was like a prayer to the Mother and related to the event at hand. Such as the planting of another great tree, to expand their forest. My memories of them end, as they stated they would sing their eggs into a deeper sleep. So that they might wake in better times.” He explained.
“Lullabies,” one of the whelps muttered, causing the others to snicker.
“Great there are more of them.” Spikey added, earning a glare from Blood Claw. The elders however, seemed to be taking him far more seriously.
“To wake in better times, you say?” Vile Fang asked, his eyes going over recordings of the circle. Darin noticed that the colors of the markings varied very little. There were only golds and green symbols, except for the odd hint of blue. Many of the others, had produced far more colorful displays.
“Yes elder Vile Fang. The third moon had perished and-”
“Idiot, there are only two moons in the sky.” Red declared, earning agreement from most of the whelps. Greenie however said not a single word, with her eyes still drawn to the markings. The elders all glared at the red whelp, causing him to fall silent for a while.
“The third moon had perished, and broken apart in the sky. All the dragons were frightened, and the mood was oppressive. They would barely talk or venture out to hunt in the forest, and then it happened.”
“What happened?” She asked.
“Some of the debris came down on the planet, and the Mother had to protect them in the caves.” He explained.
“Oh? And what was that like?” Dark flame asked, his voice now full of doubt and scorn. Darin took a break and sighed. “Well, whelp?”
“It was like the very stars were falling from the sky…” He replied, in a hushed tone. As one, the adult dragons snapped their eyes to the last segment around the circle. And for a moment, the room had gone deathly quiet.
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Author’s Note: More fun to come in future chapters. Headaches suck, so I’ll be brief. I hope you guys liked the chapter, I expect the pace to pickup a bit soon. Thank you all for the feedback, error spotting and encouragement.