CrystalVision

Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself
It's only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams...

Traditional Broadsword

Apparel

Gets the job done without any frills. Disclaimer: May get the job done with frills depending on dragon breed.

2000

Circling above the little clearing, looking down on their strange little hovering encampment, Vision decided that he did not like their new home one little bit.

Well... strictly speaking, that was untrue. They were well-defended here: the thick, tangling vegetation formed a natural wall around their little floating island, and the light from the bioluminescent fungi in the grove below made nighttime lookout duty much more straightforward. His darling Grace seemed happy, surrounded by all these strange plants, and the rest of the Clan seemed to appreciate the strange beauty of the forest. Above all, they were happy to be back in the open air.

And of course it was good that they were able to welcome back the children of the Clan: Monster could guide them here using the wavelengths of the Songs, with much less interference from the landscape around them.

But the tangling vines and brambles and squat, curling trees seemed to rustle and whisper constantly, as if disturbed by creatures in the undergrowth trying to sneak by. The bluish light from the fungi was eerie and cold; it did not remind him of the welcoming twinkle of the Starwood, as some of the others claimed. Stray Shadow magic could cause weird distortions in a dragon's perception of time and space, or even reality – although back in the Starfall Isles stray magic tended to cause actual distortions in time and space, and even reality, so he was more or less used to it. Even so, his senses were constantly alert; he was constantly on guard, unable to rest or relax.

Then again, he'd felt like that ever since the Hive attacked. He'd felt very safe underwater, but the others in the Clan had grown increasingly restless. His species had originated underwater, of course: maybe that was why he had felt so comfortable in the deeps. Maybe he just needed to get used to their new home.

He made one last pass, then landed near the gateway to the encampment – nothing more than a log frame, really, with a large, gently glowing dragon standing in front of it.

He did not have to speak to Warning: the other Guardian knew what he wanted and slowly shook his head. No, he had not seen anything unusual: at least, nothing worth reporting on. Unusual sightings in the Tangled Wood were par for the course.

Vision took off again and circled till he spotted Bite, patrolling the edges of the camp from the ground, circling in the opposite direction to his flight path. She raised her cleaver in salute, then lowered it and kept going. Nothing to report from her, either, and she did not expect him to land and engage in unnecessary conversation either.

Finally, he spotted Flower emerging from her tent, with her tiny red-headed Dryad seated on her back. Privately, Vision felt it was a little undignified of Flower to let the creature sit on her like that, as though she were some beast of burden; then again, it was Flower's charge and she felt the little thing was safest there. It was not his place to tell another Guardian how to protect her Charge.

Flower launched herself into the air and nodded to Vision, and with that his watch was over for tonight.

He flew over Bite again as he circled once more to land, and for a moment he envied her: with no need to sleep, she could patrol forever, whereas he had to leave his Charge in the hands of others for a while. But when he crept into his tent – he could move very quietly for such a large creature – and looked at the beautiful face of his sleeping wife, curled up in the centre of his huge bed, his regrets went away. He arranged himself around her, rested his head next to hers, and slept.

Vision's Memories

Fogflower

Plant

A prickly, thorny, imposing flower. Its ripened heart is delicious, if you find it worth the work.

53

5