Taueret
(#28748526)
Level 1 Bogsneak
Familiar
Shellion
Click or tap to view this dragon in Predict Morphology.
Energy: 50/50
This dragon’s natural inborn element is Light.
Female Bogsneak
This dragon is hibernating.
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Personal Style
Apparel
Skin
Scene
Measurements
Length
7.03 m
Wingspan
5.18 m
Weight
741.2 kg
Genetics
Tarnish
Crystal
Crystal
Cream
Shimmer
Shimmer
Peridot
Basic
Basic
Hatchday
Breed
Eye Type
Level 1 Bogsneak
EXP: 0 / 245
STR
7
AGI
6
DEF
7
QCK
7
INT
6
VIT
7
MND
6
Biography
NOT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR LENDING
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Taueret
Nickname: Tau ♦ clan purchase 
╭━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╮ Mistress of the Horizon (written by Disillusionist) ♫ Antti Martikainen - Creation of the World ♫ ╰━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╯ |
It is in this place that Taueret sleeps. Unlike other crystal dragons, her hide is dull, and only a few glints of green hint at the power within. Her wings are brighter and catch the light well, but she spreads them only rarely.
She is alone. This part of the Hewn City is not fit for many clans. Taueret cleans her gleaming hide, and she settles down into the rushes. And she watches and she waits.
She is unaccompanied, certainly, but not unheard-of. There is a reason why she makes this damp and dismal place her home. For Taueret is also called "She Who Removes the Waters", and she does so with ease. A glint of her yellow eyes and green lights flickering under her skin -- and water rushes up into the heavens, where it's eaten by the sun. She discovered this talent as a child, and nobody could explain how she did it. She was much respected for it even then, but she does not show it off or ask that it be advertised. She has her reasons. Her ways are her own.
In the Sunbeam Ruins, daylight seems to be endless. It's hot and humid where Taueret lives. Often, all she hears are the chirr of insects and the occasional breath of wind. But time strides on, and soon the sky darkens. Nighttime brings dreams of deep waters, endless waves. She dreams of stars rolling overhead, across a cloudless sky. And a starry serpent with thundercloud wings, his scales glinting with the first light of dawn.
As the day wears on, the huge shadow draws closer and closer. It hovers steadily onwards, but can't outrun the sun. Soon it casts a long shadow behind it, towards the east. And Taueret watches and waits.
The air grows warmer. And then it fills with song....
Birds! Birds of all sizes and colors. They caw and chirrup as they ride on the breeze. Amid the fluttering wings, Taueret glimpses a large shape moving steadily and unhurriedly towards her. She blinks, and sees that she has been mistaken -- there is another shape behind the first. It is a bit larger, but as deep as a patch of night. Could it be...? --But no, this dragon moves slowly, and he is ponderous. He isn't the serpent who crosses the night sky, over and over again, in Taueret's dreams.
The first shape lifts its head, and Taueret sees the glint of golden eyes. It is another dragon who's been born in the land of Light. The newcomer, a brown-and-gold Snapper, bows in polite deference. Birds swirl around her before settling on her back and wings, and on the brim of her hat.
"Greetings," she says, "I am Makeda, and he is Nebuchadnezzar. We are both of the Disillusionists. Previously of the Mirrorlight Promenade...and hoping to settle here in the Hewn City."
"Hello," rumbles the black dragon, whom Taueret presumes to be Makeda's mate. She notices that no birds have alighted on him.
Makeda continues, "I was born in this region, and my clan has told me stories about dragons who can control the waters. I believe you are one of them."
Taueret cranes her long neck. And as if it is a password, the Snapper lady says: "You are Taueret...She Who Removes the Waters and also...Mistress of the Horizon."
And Taueret acknowledges her name with a sharp and glittering smile.
"Remove that which stands between you and the sun," a voice seemed to tell her. "Cast it all away...."
It was like ripping away a veil. Suddenly the land lay steaming and bare underneath the sunlight; water rushed upwards, turning into mist. Taueret let out a cry of triumph, and then dismay -- she was still no closer to her goal. The sun still lay on the horizon, and it climbed higher and higher as she watched.
She was still celebrated for her talent, for with it, she could save a lot of damaged fields and homes. For this, she was called "She Who Removes the Waters". And she aided travelers, removing troublesome bodies of water that were in their way. She brought them closer to distant lands, and so was called "Mistress of the Horizon".
She traveled far, working her specialized magic, taking the payments and favors that pleased her. She was garbed in jewels and given many grand names. But over time, it soured -- no matter how mighty she was upon earth, she couldn't hope to reach the sky. Day after day she gazed upon the horizon where the sun rose and fell. "Mistress of the Horizon" indeed!
One day, Taueret lifted her favorite gold collar. She admired her reflection in the gleaming metal -- and beheld the sun behind her, glinting...almost taunting.
With a hiss, she flung down the collar and crushed it under her foot. She ripped away her ornamental chains. Gemstones and crystals were irreparably cracked.
Gold is the sun's own metal, she realized, and most of her accoutrements were gold. For a moment, she was incensed -- and then she calmed herself. The jewelry had been given by grateful dragons to complement the color of her scales. They had not meant any harm. But the irritation gnawed at her and then bloomed into an obsession, and so she went away. She let it be known that she was no longer rendering her services, and she pointed would-be customers towards the Water flight's territory. The journey would be longer, but there they would find other skilled hydromancers to help them. And they did -- Taueret was left alone.
She traveled towards the Hewn City, where there were many crumbling buildings to shield her view. It was distant and unpleasant enough that only the most desperate dragons would dare seek her out. Taueret felt a bit bad, but her private irritation towards the sun was stronger, and she burrowed into the cooling mud of the river's banks.
She slept. In time, her sleep lengthened, and her dreams grew more vivid. Sleeping, waking...sometimes it was hard to tell which was which. But in her best dreams, the sky was dark, and there was no bright and brilliant sun to taunt her. A serpent crawled across the glittering sky, his belly reflecting the stars.
In her sleep, her frown was smoothed away. She let out a sigh of relief.
Makeda answers, "It is our home."
Taueret thought so. She doesn't like the idea of dragons moving near here. Evidently the more hospitable parts of the Hewn City have now been filled, and this new clan has been forced to seek out less desirable territory. She says to Makeda, "And why should your home concern me?"
It's Nebuchadnezzar who speaks up. His voice is as full and deep as the bottom of a well. "We have heard of your miraculous ability to remove waters. The ground here is damp. It's too soft to support our lair. Our terraformers can only do so much....We require your aid."
"And what will you give me?"
"We have jewels. We have gold." Nebuchadnezzar puffs himself up proudly. Gold leaf has been painted onto his midnight skin, and it catches the afternoon light. Taueret closes her eyes and turns away.
"I want no jewels. I need no gold," she sighs. She burrows into the mud and slips away as easily as a fish sliding through water.
Nebuchadnezzar growls. He lifts a foot, preparing to stamp, but Makeda nudges him with her shoulder. Her flock takes off in a whirling flight. By the time the sky is clear of feathers, the two Snappers have already started back towards their lair. It continues to hover, and doesn't come down to earth. The dragons set up makeshift shelters instead and go to sleep upon the soft, damp ground.
She spies the mage keeping it afloat for the first time. It's a young Spiral, wrapped in a glittering cloak, his eyes closed in meditation. He's curled up in a neat little coil in the shadow of the building. At intervals, he yawns.
The other dragons are going about their business. A tall Ridgeback is fishing from the river; it takes a moment for Taueret to see the small Mirror next to him. A well-dressed Coatl is building a fire. He lowers a pair of goggles over his scarlet eyes and invokes some magic. He lets out a surprised whoop as fire belches up into the air.
With the clan so active, it is some time before Taueret is noticed. The dragons mill around before cautiously greeting her, "Hello." She nods back, but does not reply.
"Have you given some thought to our offer?" Nebuchadnezzar asks.
Her crest stiffens. "I do not want jewels," she reminds him -- an instant before the cooking Coatl flutters forward.
"Ned told us about that. Perhaps some spiffing apparel instead?" he queries. His eyes, behind his goggles, are cheerful, but Taueret can barely see them -- they're blotted out by the sun.
She slinks away again. The dragons crowd around the old Coatl as his feathers droop. "Was it something I said?"
"We have fish," says the hooded Mirror. She holds up a sunfish, and true to its name, its scales shimmer in gold. Taueret turns away.
"We have all sorts of interesting artifacts!" sings out a white Ridgeback. In her eagerness to show her things to Taueret, she knocks them over, and a box of half-moon spectacles tumbles out onto the ground. Some of the lenses are still intact...and glittering....
"Wait, come back, I'm sorry for the mess...!"
The building doesn't touch the ground, not even once. The young Spiral seems perfectly capable of making it levitate permanently. At one point, Taueret creeps towards him, and he looks up to reveal huge, glittering pink eyes.
"Have you made your decision yet?" he asks. Light crackles briefly through his crystal body. In a lower voice, he tells her, "You'll get there eventually, you know."
This troubles Taueret more than she would care to admit. For once, when she walks away, it's not because she despises the sun.
She makes a point of coming around after sundown. Two clan guards, an imposing Guardian and an Imperial, scowl at her. They do their best to ignore the second Guardian that appears between them, swirling out of the night. "What are you looking for?" the lady Guardian murmurs. Lines of light glitter across her blue-green scales. "Where will you rest?"
Taueret opens her mouth to answer, but the Guardian vanishes, her laugh drifting through the darkness. The guards shiver and refuse to acknowledge that she was even there.
So the Bogsneak goes away, towards the river she calls home. A swim will calm her, she thinks. It will cool her mind. But someone else already has the same idea.
Half-buried in the mud is a tremendous Imperial. As far as Taueret can tell, he is shimmering white. Here and there, spiky armor pokes up and white bulbs flicker dimly. Their light is cold and white -- like the moon, Taueret realizes. Or the stars....
The floating lair obscures much of the sky in her part of the world. She has actually forgotten about the stars. Only briefly, but...
"Don't mind me," growls the Imperial. "I'm just taking a nap."
"It's a bit early for a nap now, good sir," Taueret tells him. A shadow flits at the edge of her vision, and she turns to look full into the face of another Imperial, this one a murky black. She blinks her orange eyes and then lopes away.
The white Imperial continues, oblivious to Taueret's gurgle of surprise, "I nap all the time. I don't really sleep. I dream...I have such strange dreams...."
"Dreams?" Taueret's crest rises up. "What kind of dreams?"
"Mostly of strange small...things. Small things with two arms and legs, like the Talonok...but without feathers. They are...odd." The white Imperial raises his head. He looks towards the floating building. "They built that edifice. It was a playground for them a long, long time ago. They sported about through its halls and held many competitions...and then the great light came and they were gone. They left their sports stadium behind. It has served us well as a home. We did not want to let it go," and he smiles, "and so we took it with us."
Taueret decides that she likes this dragon. He is chatty but doesn't immediately offer her things in exchange for her assistance. That sort of thing gets tiring after a while. Taueret makes herself comfortable in front of him. "Why do you not sleep inside it?"
"Jubilant -- that's our Arcane mage -- decided it would not be a good idea while the place was levitating. Something about magical energies interfering with each other and blah blah blah. I didn't entirely understand it, but he certainly knows what he's talking about."
"Do you not miss it?"
"Of course I do," the Imperial growls. "It is more comfortable inside than it is out here. My narcolepsy is the only thing that's helped me sleep at all -- if you can call it sleeping....I had a lovely pool within the foundation of the stadium, and our architect was kind enough to carve it out before Jubilant floated the whole thing across the Sunbeam Ruins. We scared a lot of dragons with it -- and that's why we're now here. This is the only area with enough space for our lair to sit on."
Taueret cocks her head. "You have cared for it very well."
"Certainly," the white Imperial yawns. "It has cared for us, too."
And he goes to sleep upon the damp, marshy ground. His mate steps out of the darkness and pulls a wrap around his shoulders. "Sleep well," she murmurs, stroking his brow. And then she turns to gaze at Taueret with fiery eyes. "He likes it out here more than he lets on. We have more opportunities to interact with our clanmates, and he does like that....Our part of the lair has become lonely since our children left home."
"Where did they go?"
"Other clans." The Imperial dragoness smiles. "Other homes. You have traveled far, too, I believe."
"I was outrunning the sun," Taueret wants to say. She knows it's a stupid thing now. She looks up at the floating building....Soon, morning will come again, as it always does. Night and day, night and day...But all she needs is a place to sleep. It's tiring, trying to outrun the sun, and even if one weren't doing that, one still needs a place to stay.
"Stand still." The realization is like a lightning bolt striking her mind. "Stay where you are. For the light touches everything in time...in time..."
"You'll get there eventually, you know," the Arcane mage said earlier. He was young, but his eyes were wise beyond his years, full of playful wisdom.
And then that female Guardian, with the mocking laugh: "What are you looking for? And where will you rest?"
Taueret says to the dark lady, "Yes. I traveled very far. You have traveled even farther; I see it in the color of your eyes."
"You should not ask what I was looking for," the Imperial says lazily. "My reasons are my own."
"That's fine." Taueret's smile flashes again. "But then, what do you have now?"
"I...No, we have a home."
Jubilant lets out a triumphant shout as the lair comes down to earth. It sinks into the ground with a great rumble, its foundation driving beneath the soil. Into the darkness.
The clan moves back in, and Taueret slithers among their ranks. As Rhian mentioned, her and Regius' children have left home, and the lair's underground catacombs belong to Taueret now. She sleeps in the comfortable darkness. And again, she dreams.
She has more time to think now. Her dreams always bring her such sweet relief....But then, why is that so?
Maybe it's because she never sees the sun in them...or maybe it's because she can always see that starry serpent instead. She can look up and always see him...there....
"Someday." She opens her eyes. As she makes her way towards the staircase, she tells herself, "Maybe soon."
She can look at the sun without flinching now, and she smiles. The day doesn't last forever. Soon night will come again. Night and rest...
Relief.
Credits & Notes:
* Dragon Trivia: Makeda's clan was in the Hewn City at the time of her purchase, and also when I wrote this story some months later.
* This story was mainly written to explain how the clan expanded (moved) into the Hewn City.
* dividers were made by me
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