AACK!! Angiks and demoks are invading my dreams! I want the dragon dreams back! I haven't actually posted since *checks* October 29. *moans* I would post tonight, but all the plot bunnies have gone into The Guardian Angiks of Demok High. I'll try to post tomorrow, but no promises, since I have tennis until 5:30, than homework and the daily Nano. But I'll try!

Random Message from Endey:

Grr. Must find that dragon and kill it.

Aleakim--

I sat in the grass, comtemplating the idea of joining these dragon lovers and Endey in the search for some rogue dragon. I supposed it wouldn't hurt, maybe I would even find another one of the Lost Blades. Or at least get another chance to swipe my stepsister's. I stood up to go tell them that I would come, but just then a horrible, burning pain erupted just between my shoulder blades. I screamed (something I don't do often) and collapsed. I was vaguely aware of the others, who had gathered around me, wondering what to do. The pain was awful, like nothing I had ever experienced. I tried to stand, to tell everyone I was alright, but I couldn't. In fact, it was all I could do to keep from screaming and crying like a toddler. After what seemed like forever, the burning finally abated some. It was bearable now, but still, I struggled to stand.

"I'm alright," I managed, weakly. The others didn't look convinced, and I didn't blame them, after they had just heard me scream louder than a banshee. My back was protesting against my every movement, so I didn't make it far before I collapsed again, this time from weakness.

I shuddered as the pain came back, just as bad as before, and it seemed like something was wrenching every bone and muscle out of its rightful place and twisting it backwards. I screamed again as I was dragged down into nothingness. I cursed as the world swirled into absolute darkness, thinking:

WEIRDEST. DAY. EVER.

@Draco: LOL!!

Me loves this thread. ;)

Anex-

Aleakim is still thrashing on the ground, and Endey's indignant yelling doesn't make anything less confusing.

"bag..." Aleakim manages to say quietly. "...herbs....my belt...."

I reach down and move her cloak aside, revealing a small pouch tied to her belt. When I take it off and open it, I discover that it's filled with herbs. I take off my cloak and lay it flat on the ground, then dump all of the herbs onto it. A few I don't recognize, but most I do.

I take one of the most benevolent ones, a small plant with violet colored blossoms, and am about to grind it into a pulp, like should be done,  when I realize that it will have to be...

"Draco, Elyana, Adela, one of you will have to rub in the herb mixture when it's finished, since the pain is in her back." I say, probably blushing profusely. I'll make it, then me and Endey will go...over there." I say, pointing vaguely to the other side of the meadow. Everyone else realizes what's going on and blushes, too.

I grind up the small purple flowers and take a few more leaves from the other herbs. Then I hand the paste to Draco and pull Endey away. My face is bright red the whole time.

I'm really confused. What's happening to Aleakim? It kind of seemed like something to do with wings, since she's a Dracei, but... I really have no idea what's going on. Can someone please explain? Thanks.

@Elyana: ah, darn it, you guessed it!!! it was supposed to be a surprise! :)

Aleakim--

After what seemed like a really, really, really long eternity of pain, (though it probably was only about a minute) I could feel something small poking its way out of my back. The sensation continued as whatever it was grew larger, and when it finally stopped I heard collective gasps and screams from the others, and I could feel the ground vibrating as the dragons moved around restlessly, or maybe even nervously. The pain stopped, hopefully for good, and I opened my eyes to find Kerra, Elyana, and Adela ogling wide eyed at me from about 2 feet away, Draco bending down as if to put her hands on my shoulders (with her hands covered in some kind of purple paste-ish looking stuff) and Anex and Endey ogling wide eyed at me from about 10 feet away, as if they'd started to walk away but then turned back.

"Do I even want to know why you're all staring at me that way?" I asked sarcastically. Draco wiped the purple stuff into the grass to get it off her hands, then stood back up.

"Well, if wings had just popped out of my back," she said, "I would probably want to know about it."

"What the dracones* are you talking about?!" I literally jumped up so I was standing, then I reached behind me, where I could feel huge, rough wings, (yes, wings) sticking out of my back between my shoulderblades.

Resisting the urge to totally go nuts and freak out, I took a deep, calming breath. A small breeze blew across the meadow, and my new wings moved a little. And I could feel them.

I deliberately tried to unfurl the strange new appendages on my back, and to my surprise, it actually worked! They opened up like sails on a boat, and with everyone still staring at me, I flapped my wings slowly.

Still trying not to run around in circles screaming at the top of my lungs, I folded the wings around my body like a bat would do, and they wrapped around my entire body easily, so I came to the conclsion that my wingspan would be about eight feet. I could now see the wings. They had a strange, almost leathery texture, and they looked scaly. My wings were dark red; the color of blood.

Draco said a choice Draconian cuss word, and everyone else nodded in agreement simultaneously, as if on cue.

"Oh. My. Lacertae**." That was all I could say in reply.

~~~~~

Yay! I love this thread so much!!!

*Dracones means dragons.

**Lacertae means lizards.

:) 

Free from the burden of math homework at last!!!

Elyana: Probably something to do with wings. Highly likely. But that is for Aleakim to know and the rest of us to figure out and/or make up.

Endey Pracea

I couldn't help it. I'm sorry, but once Anex and I were out of sight and hearing, I burst out laughing. His face was so red... it was hilarious. I'm sorry, but it was. He was so embarrassed. Personally, I didn't care. I didn't have time or energy that could be devoted to embarrassment over girls.

I was worried about Aleakim, though. She's seen me collapse plenty of times, but I've never seen her collapse. Well, there was that one time when she nearly broke her leg, but that doesn't count. She just...fell, this time, and that's what worried me. Aleakim is the strongest person I've ever met, in her personality and mentally. She's not the kind to just collapse.

Speaking of Aleakim, turns out that my half-friend is a bloody Dracaei. She's got dragon blood. And therefore, my sworn enemy. I think. I've never encountered a Dracaei before. But I've heard stories. Many, many stories. And I know what the king, Twelfight, does to them. Chops their heads off. I can get why she didn't tell me. I probably would have killed her, or come very close to it, just as I did when I almost slit her throat. Scratch that, if I had tried to kill her, she would  have killed me. She's at least twice as strong as me, and she could probably rip out my throat with her fangs. I may be a better swordsman, but when an opponent can rip you apart with their bare hands, then the best option is to usually to run. Except, no doubt, Aleakim would just jump over me and then kill me.

Okay. No more morbid thoughts. Pace. Think. Use your head, Endey. At least you have one.

Okay. Why did Aleakim collapse? Exhaustion? No. Nothing natural. The dagger? Possibly... Being a Dracaei? Maybe. A combination of the two? Perhaps. Had it happened before? Not likely. She screamed like someone knowing true pain for the first time.

Finally, I arrived at a conclusion. Aleakim was a Dracaei. The daggers had reacted with the dragon blood inside her, sparking something. What, though? The ability to change back and forth... most likely. Controlling dragons... now that was an ability I would give almost anything for. Make them jump off the cliffs one by one. No flying allowed.

Elyana came into sight. "You guys can come back now," she called. Anex was still a little pink, but it gradually disappeared as we walked back.

All four girls were sitting around Aleakim, who was half-sitting half laying down, and I drew my sword. For one reason, and one reason only. Aleakim now had wings

"No!" Draco shouted. "It isn't what it looks like! Endey, stop!"

I didn't stop. There was no way I was putting my sword away. I held it out in front of me. "What the fewmets is going on," I growled, "and somebody better explain it to me. This instant."

It was Aleakim who spoke. "The dagger is did something to me. Yeah. And now I have wings. Deal with it, Endey. Grow up and be a big boy. Put your sword down." I didn't lower my sword. One of my philosophies is that when somebody tells you to put your sword away and it isn't the tavern owner, keep your sword out.

"Give me a reason not to run you through." It was an idle threat. But I would like a reason.

Aleakim snorted. "Endey, you are such an idiot sometimes. Never mind, all the time. Now," she said, exaggerating every more and word as if speaking to a baby. "We're going to kill your rogue dragon. Okay, Endeyrory? And if you wouldn't mind, stop staring at me."

I let the point of my sword lower, but I didn't put it away. "Aleakim, if you even try-"

And the worst thing happened. I was attacked. By my own head.

I was vaguely aware of my sword falling out of my hand as I fell to the ground, clutching my head. Why? Why? Why did there have to be so many dragons in one place. All the emotions and connections and anger and contenment and sadness and fear and.... sleep? and discomfort and satisfaction that the little boy dragonkiller was hurting and screaming and bond to this girl and that girl and little dragon close bond with little girl and smugness and laughter and confusion and why was little boy dragonkiller still screaming and girl dragonkind with wings and hurt and concern and and and and and.

And then I came to Aleakim's mind. I barely got anything from her, but she was genuinely a little bit scared of what was happening to her, and just the tiniest bit concerned for me.

And then the attack ended. I kneeled on the ground, still clutching my head, sweating. "You okay?" Adela asked, alarmed.

"Fine in a minute." I waited that long, then got up. I slid my sword into the sheath.

"So." Draco said. "Care to explain what that was all about?"

"Nope."

OK, so tiny tiny bit of story branching there, but not enough that anything's messed up. :) Sorry! (why does every branching problem involve me?!) So, I think we're good. Right?

So, by "we're good" I meant that it's basically the same post just from our 2 charries' points of view. If it's confusing, we can ignore my post. That's fine w/ me if anybuggy wants to.

Finally, a weekend with fewer than 50 different homework assignments! I hate my language arts teacher. :(

Elyana-

My head was spinning from everything that had happened. First I found out that Aleakim was not only Kerra's stepsister but also a Dracaei, Kerra's dagger just happened to be one of the Three Lost Blades of legend, Aleakim had suddenly grown wings, Endey had collapsed on the ground, and we were making plans to kill a dragon.
"Aleakim," said Endey, trying to avoid looking at her leathery red wings, "you said you know where the rogue is?"
"Basically," she said. "I know it's near Mt. Marren somewhere, but-"
"She," I corrected automatically. "Dragons aren't 'its'."
"Whatever."
The two slayers discussed tactics and routes, but I got completely lost at about the fifth sentence. Although Kerra, Draco, and Adela understood just about as much as I did, Anex seemed perfectly comfortable with this kind of thing.
"How can you stand listening to them?" asked Adela with a shudder when Endey and Aleakim moved on to dagger techniques. Anex just shrugged.
"I got used to it a long time ago," he said. "It's the only way to keep the dragons safe." I sighed and wandered off with Xell. He was even more disgusted by the slayer talk than I was.
"Well, that's about it," I heard Endey say. "If that dragon is ever going to end up dead, we've got to start now."
"Everyone get ready, we're heading for the mountains," said Aleakim. "Pack your stuff and mount your dragons." I started tying my bag around my waist, and Xell shook out his wings. Draco asked Ferr something in Draconian. After a moment's hesitation, he sighed and agreed.
"Endey, you can come with us," said Draco, somewhat reluctantly. "Kerra, can you take... oh, right."
She shot a glance at Aleakim, who was testing out her new wings. They weren't really dragon wings, as they looked thinner and smaller, but they were pretty close. All the muscles and tendons seemed to work the same way, and they had the same leathery texture as Xell's.
"Do you think you can actually fly with those?" I asked, partly out of curiousity but also because I didn't want to have to ride with her.
"That's what I'm hoping to find out," she replied.
"So why don't you try?"
"Well..." Aleakim trailed off, and I realized that she had no idea how to use her wings. I guess she never really took the time to learn how dragons fly, only to kill them as quickly as possible.
"I'll bet I can help," I said. Aleakim opened her mouth to protest, but quickly reconsidered.
"Sure," she replied. "What should I do?" I called Xell over, seeing as he was the one who actually had wings, and he came.
"You kind of have to bend them like this," I said, as Xell demonstrated, "and then this way... yes, like that... no, not exactly... now you've got it. See, you're trying to catch the air currents under them so they keep you up, not just flap as fast as you can. Now try it again... see there, you've got it!" This went on for a while until Aleakim seemed incredibly bored.
"Think you can do it?" I asked.
"I thought you'd never ask!" she replied. "Do I have to get a running start or something?"
I shook my head. "Just jump." Aleakim took a deep breath, spread her wings, bent her knees, and jumped into the air.

---

I'm going to start on my long-procrastinated science project now; I leave it to you to continue this.