Shirubake

Shirubake

---

Thomas was surprised by Euryale's behavior when approaching this hatchling's parents. The normally aggressive mirror was almost deferential, indicating which child she would like to take. When he questioned her as they walked home, she simply said "He is blessed, and blessings must be asked for."
Shirubake's gembond has gotten him a lot of attention from the other hatchlings and made him a little vain. As the oldest however, he has taken leadership of his many new foster siblings.

Now that he's gotten a bit older, Shirubake's settled down. The childhood rivalry he had with Athena has simmered to friendly, even to flirting. He's taken to helping Astrid try to find her collection, which has lead to a blooming of feeling as well. With Odysseus as the newest addition, Shirubake can commiserate with another drake. The four of them have agreed to become loose mates and share with each other. Alongside Thomas, Shirubake is one of the major mages of the clan.

---

Shirubake hurries around the nursery tunnels, tallying who made it in. The mirrors are all safe; Ulcifet was already here and the escort pair are quick. The faes were small enough to escape the grasping talons and Eos sits with the hatchlings, speaking in that soothing voice she has. Lamorai is away (when isn't he), Moros and Xinashumii loom worriedly and the boarder guard stand at the tunnel entrances. He can find everyone but the clan guard, Nemoin (whose screams mean she must not be here), Sunstealer who was out measuring for the expansion, and his mates. His three mates are all missing and he knows they were in their communal shelter but he can't leave to check on them until it's safe. He sits with Betelgeuse, radiating unhappiness as the older Imperial sits in sympathy.



They are dead. He sits numbly in one of the private dens, Betelgeuse's head just fitting through the entrance and murmuring quiet platitudes.

---

Shirubake is picking the legs off the shell bugs Betelgeuse brought him when Mirinae stalks into the room, followed by Raziel, who manages to slide her spines under the doorway. He blinks in surprise at the sight of them; of all the dragons to be visiting him, he would not have expected two of the Demon Sisters. The once spacious room is now half-full of Ridgeback as she settles to stare at them and the wildclaw plants herself in front of him. His stomach does a flipflop in anticipation of the shame they're going to heap on him for grieving inside for so long that he nearly can't believe his ears when she gruffly says,
"Do you want to come training with us?" He stares.

"Aaaaaah.. .. pardon me, but why?"
"Because we're not happy with how the Shadow assault went," His feathers droop but she bulls on. "and we want to get better. But we need a healer to keep Raziel's leg working." Mirinae nods at her sister and Shirubake looks back to see how she's healed. He helped carry her back after the assault and still remembers the flayed skin and scored bleeding muscle underneath over wet shining bone. Now that skin looks fine, but underneath is misshapen, something Time's blood magic couldn't fix.
"It's like a rusted joint." Raziel informs him. "Gets stuck. Can't move it the way I used to."
"Plus," Mirinae adds, looking at him again. "You're one of the ones who lost the most then. If anyone deserved to get in on some revenge training, it was you."

He looks down at the shell bug he was dismembering in his claws. There are a few small clots of dirt clinging to his fur from his half-hearted grooming attempts, and he thinks of Astrid's claws on his back, picking out the leaves that had gotten stuck. She would at least want him to get outside. And Athena would want him to practice the magic that made him second only to Thomas in skill. And Odysseus would warn him that the girls could be pushy and he should take it at a pace he could manage. Betelgeuse tells him it's been three weeks, Maybe it's been long enough in here. He can always come back.
"Thank you. I think I will."

---

He think he's about as stable as he used to be. He'll never be the same, but he doesn't want to be.

(Add Coralee's efforts here? And his training Kitai?)