Ariazar

Bio credit for the story goes to ArcaneShadows and can be found at her shop here by clicking this link

Name: Ariazar (Ah-ree-ah-zar.)

Familiar name : ArcaneShadow

(Story by ArcaneShadows[over all part 2])

My name is Ariazar. I am a dragon of many colors, and I don't mean that by real colors. (I actually only have a few of those) I am often called different or strange because of my relationships. But I have learned not to become angry because of other dragons' teasings and pokes. I learned that a long time ago. I guess you have to learn, if life decides to rain down harsh on you. Well, I should probably tell you what I've been moaning about so you actually understand what I mean. I guess I'll start at the beginning…

I was born beside another dragon. This dragon was a guardian, and his name was Sarz. From the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew with all my heart that I loved him. Sarz was a handsome dragon, he was kind, he was wise, and he was strong. I loved everything about him. I saw him as he truly was on the inside. A dragon with a strong yet easily breakable heart. It was a tender heart. I did not want to break it. I was a bit afraid of trodding on that spectacular, fragile big heart, so I stayed away from him at first. But then I realized I was breaking Sarz's heart even more by staying away, so I let him come. Again, I felt fear that I wouldn't want him and I would break his heart, but it never happened. I was careful. I knew that his heart would not break. I thought it never would. I was wrong.
Months later, after our relationship had formed fully, I found him sobbing, hunched over two bodies. They were the bodies of two adult manticores.
"I had to. I HAD to, Araizar." He had hissed at me.
"Shhh...It's okay. It's okay." I calmed him.
"Now he's all alone. All alone."

It turns out that in battle Sarz had killed two wild manticores attacking him. Later he had found out that the manticores had a newborn cub they were trying to protect from Sarz, and now that cub was left as an orphan. Sarz decided he would keep the cub and care for it until it grew to adulthood. He named the cub Manis and eventually grew very attached to him. And it turned out Sarz decided to keep the manticore instead of releasing it into the wild when it reached adulthood, deeming Manis his familiar. At first, I felt something like jealousy coursing through my veins. I wanted Sarz to love me, and me alone, not some stupid cat! But eventually I became accustomed to Manis's presence and grew to like him just like Sarz did. Still, I wished I had my own familiar, because I couldn't be with Sarz ALL the time like I used to, because he had a new mate. But a familiar could be with me, day and night. A companion to lay by my side, and talk to me, and protect my from harm. So I ventured out to find one.

After searching in forests, in lakes, in the sky, in the ground, and just about everywhere, I gathered up a handful of potential familiars. The first was a Ruby Webwing. Too many eyes. The second, a Warcat Protector. It might have helped me with my protecting issues, but I had never seemed to like Warcats; always so serious. The third familiar was a Blackwing Croaker. It was cute, but not necessarily helpful. I discarded it too. The fourth familiar was a Fan Scorpion. I was getting desperate by then, but still, I thought that I would really not like a giant insect prancing around my den. Suddenly, I heard a growl and something stepped out of the shadows. Jewelry jangling gently, the ghost manticore lifted his head to meet my eyes. His gaze was sharp and icy blue, and his barbed tail swept around him threateningly. Sharp claws raked into the ground, and huge wings buffeted the air as the manticore turned to me. He was a beautiful creature, with the face of a human but the body of a beast. Shaking his ebony-black mane, he stared at me. For a long time, we both just stared at each other. Then the manticore launched forward letting out a roar loud enough to wake the Icewarden from his slumber in the Arctic. At first I thought the manticore was aiming for me; I thought I was about to die, I thought the creature would rip out my throat without thinking twice. But the ghost manticore halted right before me, and I saw it was holding the disemboweled head of the Fan Scorpion. It bowed, laying the head down before me with a grace I didn't think possible for such a huge creature. The head was tribute, a peace offer. The manticore had given me a peace offering. "Yes." I whispered. The manticore purred and rubbed its head against my leg. At this time, the other familiars I had rounded up thought it a good time to flee. Screeching, hissing, growling, they stumbled over each other to get to the forest or the water or soar high into the sky where no one could get them. The manticore watched them leave with a satisfied expression, tail twitching. "You really are strange." I told him. "Arcane even." The beast turned to me with an unfathomable expression. "What's your name?" I asked him. The manticore's gaze hardened until his eyes looked like chips of ice. Was I making him mad? Sad? I had no idea what he was trying to tell me.

"Uh, nothing? No name?"
The manticore had nodded slowly.

"How about Arcane? Since you are arcane. I guess that isn't our deity though. My Master is Shadow flight, soooooo? What do you think. ArcaneShadows?"
ArcaneShadows nodded slowly again.

"ArcaneShadows it is then!"


And well, that was how our meeting pretty much went. And we've been mates ever since. Araizar and ArcaneShadows. ArcaneShadows and Araizar. Now I've have someone to cuddle with. Someone to protect me. Someone to talk to me when I'm lonely, someone to cheer me up when I'm sad. I have ArcaneShadows.

As soon as Sarz saw ArcaneShadows he loved him too. And so did Manis. It was all four of us together then. I was so happy, all bubbly and laughy inside, if you know what I mean. And I'm so glad now. So happy and glad I have this relationship. It is a tie that will never break. No matter how many fights we get in, no matter how strong one creature pulls on the string, it is our fate to be together like this. I don't really care what happens along the way. Cause I know, me and ArcaneShadows and Sarz and Manis, I know we are forever.

(Story by ArcaneShadows)



Bio credit for the part2 story by Disillusionist (over all part 8) goes to Disillusionist and can be found at her shop here by clicking this link


(part2 story by Disillusionist ([over all part 8])

Sarz’ trophy room show-off didn’t go off with a bang, as I’d hoped, but I wouldn’t call it a whimper, either. After the tour was over, we had a lot to talk about. Like his skirmishes with the Longnecks, or facing off against the undead in the Ghostlight Ruins...You know, that sort of thing.

We were tiptoeing around the Wartoad in the living room, so to speak.

It was a few days after the tour. Honestly, it’d helped a lot; Verisal was no longer so chilly and bitter towards me....I wished I could say the same about her familiar, though. That Artemis was really protective. I never should’ve made that crack about eating her....And Thalissi, well, Thalissi was just there. This is not meant to throw rocks at Thalissi, honest—at this point, having someone who was “just there” was better than having someone who was chewing me out for my sins.

I asked ArcaneShadows if he thought the situation in the lair had improved. He shrugged his massive wings and wrinkled his nose. “Barely,” he answered. “No one’s talking to each other much, and when they do, it’s just the usual bland pleasantries. ‘How’s your day?’ ‘Oh, it’s good, thank you. Really warm weather we’re having today, eh?’” A dramatic pause. Then, “‘How’s your day?’” he repeated. The sarcasm in his voice spoke volumes.

I couldn’t help grimacing at him. “Thanks, Shadow, I really needed to hear that.”

“Yes, you did.” And now he looked deadly serious....Well, more serious than usual, anyway. “Look, Ariazar, your plan to win over Verisal before telling her the truth has landed us in a whole world of hot water. Smiling and making polite noises won’t fix this. You’re going to have to do something about it.”

“Yeah, yeah...” I decided to go talk to Sarz. Honestly, though, it was a good thing ArcaneShadows had scolded me; otherwise it would’ve been days before I’d started moving. He hadn’t approved of how I’d befriended Verisal without telling her the truth about our family.

Sarz listened to my words. I knew he’d say the same thing as ArcaneShadows, but at least he would be kinder about it. “I’ve done my part, Ari,” he said, shrugging his burly shoulders. “It’s time they got to know you better, too.”

I gave him a wretched look. “Yes, Sarz, but what should I do?” I really enjoyed reading, but that wasn’t the sort of thing you could do in a group, and Thalissi in particular didn’t seem to enjoy it. I also realized I wasn’t sure if Artemis could read. There was also cuddling, but, well, due to recent events, that was out of the question.

Sarz blinked slowly, thoughtfully. He quieted down as he began to think. Yes...Sarz’ advice was always good. I pressed close to him, and almost absently, he put one wing around me.

At last, he mused, “It stands to reason that you should try something they can enjoy.”

“I know,” I answered glumly, “but what, exactly?”

Sarz lifted his wing. He curved his neck around and grinned at me. “Dunno,” he answered, and then he winked. “Why don’t you ask them?”

~ ~ ~
I had this half-baked notion of going into the nearby town, maybe treating the ladies to a drink or two. I mean, girls liked sweets....Right?

Thalissi seemed to like the idea; she shrugged and smiled faintly. Verisal was just a bit more vocal. Verisal, I’d noticed, was always vocal. “I don’t mind going to town with you and Thalissi. But I’m not hungry. I merely need to purchase some things. If Artemis and I are to stay here, I would like to make her den more comfortable as well.”

I gathered that Artemis wouldn’t be coming with us, which was honestly a relief. It’d just occurred to me that she was really tough and would be able to eat me. On the plus side, Verisal had implied that she and Artemis were seriously considering settling down with us. “Give them time,” I imagined Sarz saying to me. “Ari, just give them time....”

I looked at Thalissi. “How about you, Thal? Do you need to buy anything?”

She shook her head. “I thought about staying here...but Sarz is busy with some things. So if it’s all right, I’d like to accompany you and Verisal.”

Ahh, so she was getting attached to Sarz already. I envied Sarz. It was so easy for him to charm others....I’d need to finagle some more tips from him. Out loud, I answered, “We’d be glad to have you with us.”

Verisal sniffed and moved away to prepare. I got the strong impression she was thinking, “Speak for yourself, Ariazar.” Whether or not it was true, though, within minutes we were on our way. Sarz said goodbye to us, waving from among the mass of manticores. Manis was already back to his usual rambunctious self; ArcaneShadows hadn’t wanted to tag along. I guess I should’ve expected that, since he tended to get antsy around too many dragons. Artemis hadn’t offered any comment, but then again, I’d noticed she wasn’t really sociable, either.

I drew closer to Verisal as we glided through the air. “What d’you plan to get for Artemis?”

“A surprise.” She looked back at me, and with that sly smile on her face, it was all too easy to believe we were lovers on the banks of the river again, just the two of us. Ah, I had flubbed that one spectacularly....

Thalissi must’ve noticed the grumpy look on my face. With a beat of her wings, she drew abreast with us. “Do you need help, Verisal? There are three of us, and I spent some time in this town before joining Sarz. I’m somewhat familiar with the place.”

We landed just outside the town. Verisal rocked back, absently preening her wing feathers. “Hmm...Artemis likes lovely things.”

“But of course; she’s a lovely manticore herself,” I couldn’t resist saying.

And Verisal grinned at me again. Away from Sarz, she seemed more...relaxed. I guess she just hadn’t gotten used to him yet. “That she is. She takes a great deal of pride in her appearance, you know.”

Yes, I knew. Artemis had been incredibly scruffy when we’d first picked her up. But then she’d taken an interest in jewelry and combing out her mane....The transformation had been quite startling, but in a good way.

Thalissi quickly understood. Her eyes warmed as she said, “We should head to the marketplace. They will have lots of lovely trinkets for Artemis, I’m sure.”

“Can you take us there?”

“But of course! It’s not far. Just follow me....”

The two of them fell into step alongside each other as they entered the town. I was left to trail after them like a balloon on the string. I felt a bit left-out at first, honestly....But as minutes passed and I saw the two of them talking with each other, I realized it wasn’t so bad. They probably hadn’t even meant to leave me out; it was just something they did without thinking. And looking at the two of them now, laughing together over something they’d noticed, I started to feel a lot better. Maybe they’d change their minds and leave Sarz and me after all....But at the very least, we’d helped them make new friends.

Thalissi was as good as her word. She led us to the marketplace where the bazaars were—tailors and metalsmiths, too. I have to admit that I wasn’t very familiar with the town because I preferred to stay at home and read books. Sarz and Manis had usually done the shopping for our lair.

“What’s your budget?”

Verisal tossed her head. “Only the best for my familiar,” she declared. She looked a little bit snooty as she said it, and I couldn’t help smothering a laugh.

That was a mistake, sort of—they heard me, and they turned around to squint at me. “Ladies, please...” I held up my forepaws. “There’s no reason for you to—”

“Ariazar has to make himself useful, doesn’t he, Verisal?”

“Oh, yes.” There was that smile again, only this time, it was almost a smirk. “I was thinking about making him carry all our purchases home, but do you have anything in mind?”

What!? Thalissi could carry the bags home; she was a lot larger than I was! I felt compelled to protest against this injustice, but before I could speak, Thalissi murmured, “He’s about the same size as Artemis.”

“Oh, gods,” was what I said instead.

And Verisal’s slim face shone with a grin. She turned to a nearby merchant. “Excuse me, madam, but you wouldn’t happen to have any silk dresses for sale, would you?”

The merchant replied that she did. I felt like screaming, “No! Don’t tell her anything!”

“I would like to buy some ornaments and clothing for my familiar, but she was unable to come with us. This obliging fellow” —and she put a hand on my shoulder and pushed me forward— “will model for us instead.”

“It’s not fair!” I burst out at last. A shadow loomed over me as Thalissi bent down. “Why, Ariazar...We don’t mean anything bad! We just want to buy the best gifts for Artemis. You wouldn’t say ‘no’ to helping out Verisal’s dear friend—would you?”

It was too easy. I gave up, holding up my forepaws in surrender. “Whatever you ladies say.”

“As it should be,” Verisal declared. “Now, then...” She took a red silk dress from the merchant. “Try this on for size.”

~ ~ ~
We actually lost hours in there. Just hours of looking at clothes and accessories, trying them on...talking, laughing all the while. Enjoying ourselves. Having fun.

Check that, having fun with each other. And yes, Verisal and Thalissi tried on their share of outfits, too. They agreed I shouldn’t have all the entertainment. Verisal was really keen on buying plenty of jewelry for Artemis, and it wasn’t long before she ran out of money. Thalissi stepped forward then: “Would you like to borrow some from me?”

“Borrow?” Verisal blinked. “That’s very kind of you, but I haven’t settled down and found employment yet; I’m not sure when I can repay you.”

Thalissi waved that aside. “It’s not a problem, Verisal. All right, how much d’you need...?”

The money changed hands, and Verisal went to pay for the rest of her purchases. She came back, smiling triumphantly and looking more at ease than she’d been in the past few days. “That was very entertaining....Thank you, Thalissi. I appreciate your generosity.”

Thalissi smiled back. She inclined her head graciously. “We should thank Ariazar, too. He was such a good sport today.”

“Ah...Yes.” Verisal chuckled. Her eyes shone as she looked at me. “Thanks for playing along, Ari. Couldn’t have had fun without you.”

“I’m the life and soul of the party,” I chortled back. To be perfectly frank, while I didn’t go in for crossdressing, I hadn’t really minded trying on all those clothes earlier. It had given the ladies something to bond over—and for me, that was what really mattered right now.

We left the bazaar and soon found our way to the town square. The smell of cooking drifted to us on the wind, and my stomach growled. Verisal squinted skyward. “I think it’s time we had something to eat....”

Thalissi straightened up again. “I know some good places. Wait here and I’ll get a table for all three of us.” She muscled her way through the crowd and disappeared into a large, bright building.

Verisal and I sat down beneath the shade of a great, spreading tree. I heard her let out a small but contented sigh. “Today was better than most, I guess.”

I had to agree. “I’ve made some mistakes—” I began, but Verisal cut me off with an impatient wave. “There’s no more need to talk about it, Ari. Least said, soonest mended, as they say.”

She spoke a bit snippily, but there was no real irritation behind it; it was just her usual stern, formal voice. I smiled up at her. “So...how are you and Thalissi getting along?”

“Quite well, actually. She is a gentle soul. She said she’d spent some time in this town....Do you know each other well?”

“She’s closer to Sarz than she is to me, but yes, I know a bit about Thal.” I was silent for a moment, debating whether I should tell Verisal or not....The problem with sharing sad stories is that some very cruel drakes use them as ammunition against others. But Verisal...I knew her well, too. Even if she actually disliked Thalissi, she would not stoop so low; she would not use Thalissi’s past to mock or demean her.

“She had a hard childhood,” I explained quietly. Dragons meandered past us in a colorful stream, but my words were for Verisal alone. “From what I understand, her mother treated her harshly....It got to the point where she ran away from home.”

Verisal sucked in a deep breath. “I’m terribly sorry to hear that.”

“So was I. Thalissi seems to be making lemonade out of lemons, however. She still doesn’t like to read—her mother used to scold her for that—but she’s doing well, all things considered.”

“She has a magnanimous heart,” Verisal agreed slowly. “I have met dragons who’ve had hard childhoods....Many of them used it as an excuse to be stingy or downright cruel. But there isn’t any of that within Thalissi. In spite of everything, she remains kind.”

“She learned from her father. He was the only one who protected her, but I’m afraid he passed away when she was still young.”

My words might’ve fallen on deaf ears. Verisal seemed to be thinking carefully now. She looked at me, and I saw a determined glint in her eyes. “Let us buy her a present, Ariazar.”

I had to laugh at that. “You haven’t got any money,” I reminded her, but before she could protest, I winked and took a pouch of money out from my vest. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Well, why didn’t you lend me money earlier?”

“I was going to, but Thal stepped forward. So I guess, in a way, I owe her. Let’s pay her back together, Verisal.”

“Right...” We stepped closer to each other and bent our heads as we started discussing what gift would best suit Thalissi. I don’t think we’ve ever bounced around ideas so fast—but as I’ve said, Verisal and I had gotten to know each other somewhat before she’d met Thal and Sarz. We were on the same page now, so to speak....But would the story have a happy ending?

~ ~ ~
We had a good meal, and then Verisal said, as if it’d only just occurred to her, “Thalissi, Ariazar and I would like to buy some treats for the manticores. Where should we go?”

“Why, to the familiar pens. There should be specialized food shops nearby.”

“Thought so.” I grinned at Verisal again. See, this was our plan: After buying meat for the manticores, we planned to stroll past the familiar pens. We’d pay close attention to whichever one Thalissi wanted....If we couldn’t purchase it now, there’d be another day. We would come back for sure.

We didn’t get very far, though. “Back...Get back.” A Wildclaw blocked our way. He was shaking his head. Verisal and I tried to peer over him, and Thalissi simply sat down. “What’s going on?”

“Manticore got loose. They’re trying to recapture it now.”

It? “You mean ‘him’ or ‘her’?” I inquired.

The guard shrugged carelessly. And then he squinted at me. I thought he was going to scold us, but instead, he said, “Here, I’ve heard o’ you. You’re that drake what lives with Sarz, aren’cha?”

“Yes...”

“You’re the manticore dragons! You’ve got a whole pride of ‘em knockin’ about in your lair, so’s I’ve heard....Can you help us?” He stood aside, gesturing towards the meat market.

My instincts told me to refuse. It was true that Sarz and I had manticores as friends, but that’d been a coincidence, nothing more. And they were very intelligent, tractable manticores, at that. What if this manticore was a feral beast like the Shade-touched one in the trophy room— “Oh, sure, let’s go!” was what I said instead.

Thalissi flapped her wings once. It sounded like a thunderclap. I felt a touch on my shoulder and looked into Verisal’s blue eyes. “That’s awfully daring of you, Sarz.”

“We have to try,” I answered lamely. Thalissi seemed to take it as a signal, and with another flap, she lifted off from the ground. Verisal and I went after her, and we followed the shouts and noise from the marketplace.

We were directed to a butcher’s shop. The staff were already outside, and one of them pointed towards the back of the building. “In there,” he buzzed. His fins were quivering madly.

We could hear thumps and crashes coming from inside the shop. I asked the Fae, “What’s back there?”

“Cooling room,” he droned. He fluttered his wings, agitatedly fanning himself. “Storage for meat. It’s very cold.”

“Ah. So how do we get in?”

We heard another crash. The shop staff cringed back. I pressed, “Well?”

The matter was decided once and for all when Thalissi shouldered the door open. It burst inward with a tremendous clatter, and we heard the clink of bolts hitting the floor. The rest of us winced and groaned, “Ooooh!”

Thalissi didn’t hesitate—she just strode in. What was waiting for her in there? Verisal and I traded looks, and then we ran forward to join her.

~written by Disillusionist (254672)
all edits by other users

(part2 story by Disillusionist ([over all part 8])