Minze

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The Skydancer looked out to the sky high above the canyon, watching the painted clouds slowly drift across the orange expanse. His feathers rustled softly in the breeze, a few pebbles scattering down the steep rock walls. He sighed, a faint smile on his face, and looked towards the Pillar, reaching high into the air, clouds obscuring the top. The clan was settling down, the noise of the day growing faint like birds stopping their songs as nightfall approached. A Nocturne walked out onto the ledge, stretching her wings.
"Time for my shift," she said, blue eyes bright. "Do you suppose the fireflies will come back tonight, Minze?" She slipped on a pair of gloves as she spoke.
"Well, Kye, it's not quite winter yet, remember?" The Skydancer looked her in the eye with a smirk. "The Festival ended only a week ago. The heat from the partying down in Ashfall Waste won't be going away anytime soon! We'll have to make sure your domain doesn't evaporate," he added with a soft laugh.
"The Sea would never!" Kye retorted, turning her head south where a great plume of smoke still lingered on the horizon. She shook her head and spread her wings, waving her tail. "Don't go crazy on me, Minze!" The Nocturne took a small running start and flew up into the darkening sky, cape flowing around her like a ghost. Minze watched her until the dragon was only a speck. They all just become part of the horizon, he thought, looking down into the Breach. A young Skydancer, still without a name, tentatively landed on the rocky ledge outside of a yawning cave. There was nothing carved into the stone, no special mural, no decoration. A faint painting was on the wall inside, the marks of countless dragon feet accented with footsteps from other creatures. A few around them seemed more recent. Shaking with nervousness, the Skydancer stepped closer to the entrance and called out a greeting.
"Did you hear that? I think someone's outside," a low voice sounded from inside the cave. A few seconds later an Imperial with bright eyes that glimmered like frost walked out, looking slightly confused. He relaxed when he saw the newcomer. "Hello there. My name's Kyan, and I'm part of a small clan here. What's your name?" Kyan looked somewhat awkward as he greeted the Skydancer, as if he wasn't sure what to say.
The small feathered dragon met his gaze nervously. "I don't.. I don't have a name," he said. "But hello there, Kyan," he smiled, trying to stay positive. Maybe I should go. This probably isn't the place for me, he thought, glancing back to the rest of Dragonhome.
"Who's there?" A new voice piped up, calm but stern. Another Skydancer, in somewhat fancy red clothing, met the newcomers' gaze steadily. He froze, standing as if he had been turned to stone.
"He doesn't have a name yet," the Imperial whispered, and she nodded.
"Well, new dragon, my name is Present. I'm sure you'll find something that suits you soon," her cold gaze softened and she walked towards him with a faint smile. "You're welcome to join us if you need a place to stay. We aren't much right now," Present looked up at Kyan, who nodded in solemn agreement. "How about we introduce you to everyone?" The Skydancer asked, turning back to the cave. "We're all excited to meet you," she added quietly, as if embarrassed. "Miiiiinze! Karif stole my leaves!" A hatchling cried from the other side of the room. He spread out his wine-colored wings as he yelled at his brother, who responded with a giggle as he hid them under his white belly. "Do somethiiiiiing!" The hatchling looked back at his father, brown eyes wide and sad.
"Fine, fine, I'm coming, Kareef. I knew I couldn't have two different gifts without someone starting a fight," Minze muttered jokingly as he stood up, glancing at his mate.
"Who knew they'd like leaves more than flowers?" The Skydancer replied, glancing up from her book. She snickered as Minze walked towards the hatchlings. "Karif, you better watch out!"
The tiny Skydancer waved his orange-tipped tail across the cave floor as his father walked closer, staring at the wall is if he wasn't doing anything. The young dragon quickly picked up all the leaves in his mouth and ran away just as Minze tried to pick him up, laughing.
"Get him, dad!" Kareef yelled, running after his brother on short legs. They chased each other around the room, Minze finally picking up Karif by his short mane and tossing him onto his back, sending the green leaves flying like a flock of birds.
"Not fair! You have longer legs than I do!" Karif spat, looking nervously over his father's shoulder. "They're so big I can't even get down!" He pressed his wings tight against his side, watching his brother run around.
"Well then grow bigger," Minze replied smoothly. "And learn to use your wings. Kareef's already learning," he added, nodding to where the hatchling was trying to move the leaves with the wind caused by his wings. One skittered over to the female Skydancer, who blew it away without looking up from her book.
"But I'm scared," Karif whined. "What if I can't? What if I fall?"
"You can't hurt yourself in here, but when we teach you, your mom will be there to catch you. Right, Present?" He looked over to his mate, who nodded. "Go on, just jump off. It's not as big a drop as you think." Minze gazed calmly into his son's eyes and smiled as the young dragon nodded, spreading out his small orange wings and jumping onto the floor with a slight stumble. He nuzzled Karif's soft mane. "One day you'll be able to do anything." "That's it, Olidia! Awesome job!" Minze cheered as his daughter flew back up onto the ledge. He hugged the small Skydancer, who had been born with the odd defect dragons had been calling "smirch." It had only affected her appearance and wasn't very obvious, though sometimes her sisters, Altair and Epsilon, would try to point it out, only to be scolded by their younger brother Michigan.
"Did you see me Karif? Did you see? Did you?" Olidia bounced, flapping her wings. The orange-winged Skydancer was standing near the cave entrance, watching his younger siblings learn to fly.
"Yes I did," he replied cheerfully, looking down at the young dragon. "You flew very well."
"I learned from watching you!" His sister said excitedly. "You're way better than me!"
Minze turned around, chuckling. "Well, Liddy, you only just started. Who knows, you might rival your older brother some day. And speaking of brothers," he turned to another young Skydancer with yellow and blue wings, "it's your turn, Mitch!" He grinned as the hatchling walked forward with wings stretched out as far as possible.
"One day, I'll fly all the way to the Southern Icefield!" Michigan yelled as he bolted off the ledge, the feathers on his wings flowing in the wind. He dipped down and slowly made his way back up, straining from the effort, with Present beneath him in case he fell. The young dragon swung his front legs over the side of the ledge, wings and back legs hanging beneath him. "I think I'm a bit stuck," he said nervously, brown eyes wide. Altair and Epsilon laughed as he tried to claw his way over the edge, but were quickly silenced when Karif gave them a sharp glance. Olidia shuffled her feet.
"Should I help him?" She whispered up to her father, who had put his foot a few inches from his son's. He shook his head, not keeping his eyes off Michigan.
"Come on, you can do it. Just a little farther." Minze tapped a claw on the ground to show where his foot was. Michigan nodded and scrambled until he could grab a hold of his father's paw, the old Skydancer lifting him up until all four feet were on the ledge. "There you go. See? You made it farther than you thought you could," he said softly. "You'll make it to wherever you want to be, it'll just take time. Amazing job everyone," he continued, lifting his head to look around at his family. "We can continue tomorrow." A gentle paw tapped Minze's shoulder, then another. The Skydancer looked up wearily, curled around three eggs. Present was out cold, laying beside him. He made out the forms of two of his daughters, the colors of their wings seeming bright against the darkness of the cave.
"Altair? Epsilon? What's wrong?" He yawned, blinking slowly as he looked around the room. "It's not even morning yet. What are you two doing awake?"
The sisters shuffled nervously, glancing at each other. "We want to leave. See other places. We thought we'd better say goodbye first," Altair said, voice shaking.
"What? Where? Why? And why now?" The Skydancer shifted uncomfortably, dark eyes glittering in confusion.
"We were thinking about seeing the Tangled Wood. We're just.." Epsilon's voice drifted, unsure how to continue.
"Tired. Of being here. We're sorry," Altair finished. "Please don't make a big deal out of this," she added. Minze sighed.
"I guess you have your mother's spirit. It's fine, I know there had to be someone who wanted to see other places. Have... Have fun out there. I'll miss you," he whispered, reaching out his head to nuzzle his daughter's manes. The two backed out slowly, trying not to look back as they left. A few moments later a Guardian poked his head in.
"Minze, Altair an-"
"I know, Smokey. Let them go," the Skydancer replied solemnly. The great dragon nodded, backing out of the room.
Minze put his head back down, pressing the side of his face against one of the rough surfaces of the eggs. They have to leave some day, I guess. "Perth, say hi to Phyress and her kids!" Minze nudged the tiny hatchling, nodding in the direction of the female Guardian. Perth curled into a tighter ball as if he hadn't heard anything. The Skydancer was considerably smaller than his siblings and when he opened his eyes they were slightly clouded. Present had guessed that he may be partially deaf as well. He sighed and looked up to Phyress, who was standing next to Karif. Adan and Aidan, two Guardian twins, were playing with Mitchell and Alyanna. Michigan had left a year before to achieve his goal of flying to the Southern Icefield, and Minze named one hatchling in honor of him, since the young Skydancer boasted similar colors to his older brother.
"Hello, little Perth," Karif said cheerfully, pressing his head against the hatchling. He glanced up at his father, earthy eyes shimmering in worry for his little brother. "Do you think he'll be alright? I mean, Alyanna and Mitchell are already close to flying. Adan's even been giving them tips," he added, looking over at the fiery Guardian, who was chattering away with Alyanna.
Minze smiled as he looked over at the hatchlings, though it faded when he looked back at Karif. "I don't know. Olidia only had a problem with her appearance. I guess it had to happen that one of these lovelies wouldn't be all right." He closed his eyes, tail brushing the wall. "We're still trying though. We wouldn't just give up. I can feel it, he'll be better one day." "That's the spirit!" A Spiral shouted gleefully, swirling around the rock ledge. "Come on, go a bit higher!" The saffron warrior was dancing around Perth, who had finally been getting the hang of flying. Pardofelis, recovered from his battle in the Boreal Wood, had volunteered to help the young Skydancer. Minze cheered from the edge of the stone, watching intently as his son circled around towards him. The dragon's vision had mostly cleared, though he was still rather small and retained his hearing problems. Just as Perth landed safely on the ledge, his siblings ran out, wings spread, doing somersaults in the air. He watched, panting, eyes half closed against the midday sun. Pardofelis joined in with the two Skydancers, singing.
"I'm proud of you, Perth. I knew you had it in you," Minze said, chest puffed out in pride. "Do you want to go at it again?" Perth shook his head, staring at the floor.
"I'm not cut out for this. I'll just be like Zilthai and use the steps whenever I have to leave," the dragon responded gloomily.
"Nonsense. You'll get the hang of it, I promise. Your mom will be very happy when she hears that you flew today." The traveling Skydancer had gone out to the Starfall Isles to visit a new clan and hopefully make an alliance. "And maybe next time you want to give it a shot I can ask Zephyra to help you out. I'm sure it'll be much easier to learn with some real wind under your wings. How does that sound?"
Perth looked back up at his father. "Will she take me to the Plateau?"
"She can if you want. We can do it whenever you'd like." Minze smiled, walking back into the cave without even looking at the three dragons still dancing in the air. The Skydancer walked excitedly to the cave entrance. The clan was getting a bit crowded, but a gathering party had stumbled across a young dragon in need of a home. Perth trotted along at his side. His siblings were both fully grown, though he still remained much smaller than them and hadn't grown any larger for months. He followed his father like a shadow almost anywhere he went.
"She seems fine, though it seems her leg is giving her trouble," a brown Imperial said, her voice echoing across the cave walls. "Just a few bruises is really all there is."
"Thank you, Ivory," the gentle voice of Present sounded. "Come on, little one." She almost bumped into Minze, lifting a young red Skydancer onto her back.
"Who's this cardinal?" Minze asked, following them back to their spot in the cave system. The young dragon's head popped up.
"Din," she chirped. "I like that. Din."
"Din it is," Present concluded. "Well, welcome to Vri'i, Din." Din dipped her head in thanks, slipping off Present's back when they got into the room. She held her back left foot slightly in the air as she looked around.
"I see why they call it Dragonhome," the Skydancer commented, looking around at the flowers hung on the walls. She looked over at Minze and Present and her eyes seemed to water slightly. "Thank you for bringing me here. I hated being so alone."
"Well," Minze said, walking her over to a nest, "you'll never be alone here." "Are you sure about this, Mitchell?" Sandstone's voice bounced off the walls as Minze was walking out to get some fresh air. The Wildclaw warrior and his son, Pardofelis, were getting ready to investigate a cave that had been overridden with aggressive beastclan members.
"Yes. The clan can only support so many dragons and-" The Skydancer looked over Sandstone's shoulder, hanging his head. "Hi Minze."
"What are you guys doing?" Minze's voice caught in his throat. "What's going on?"
"Mitch was just sayin' how the clan is gettin' big an' he wants to serve the Earthshaker," a gray Wildclaw piped up. "An' he wants to make sure he's ready, an' I want to escort him, so we're goin' with Sand n' Pardo to th' cave thing."
Mitchell shuffled his feet. "Thanks for the explanation, Ama," he muttered.
Minze took a step back. "Oh. Well.. That's fine. That's great that you want to go do that, Mitchell. I'm sure these two will help you learn," he dipped his head to the two warriors. His breath shuddered and he walked slowly towards his son, the one who had been named after another dragon who had left. "Be brave out there, Mitchell. Stay safe." He pressed his head against the young dragon's shoulder and stepped back, leaving the four to step out onto the ledge.
"I'll make you proud, dad," Mitchell said, eyes glittering, before taking off after the others.
"I already am," Minze said quietly, watching the shape of the dragons grow smaller until they were mere specks and finally disappeared. With a sigh, Minze put his head down on the cold stone surface, watching as night took over and stars began to shine, distant points of light in the vast, dark expanse of the sky. He was half asleep when he heard claws brush the ground and felt another dragon press against him. He let the soft humming of Present lull him into sleep, the cold night wind nothing compared to the warmth beside him. His heart swelled with pride for all he had done and knew that his mate felt the same.
The two dragons, one a silent traveller that seemed cold on the outside, the other a goofy but loving father, slept through the night, only stirring when a dragon quietly spread their wings to start their morning patrol.

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Minze is a very quiet and peaceful Skydancer, and the mate of Present. He is somewhat of a goof, reserved but excited to play with younger dragons. An easy smile always rests on his jaws.


by my sib nappez!