Creative Corner

[center][font=mistral][size=7][b]Love Crime[/b][/size][/font][/center] [center][font=gabriola][size=5]A Legacy of War Breeding Challenge[/size][/font][/center] [center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4EZTVO-LIg][font=gabriola][size=5]The Song of the Same Name[/size][/font][/url][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uGG6ZIl.png[/img][/center] [center][font=gabriola][size=5]Current Generation: 3[/size][/font][/center] [center][size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2044950/1]Original Challenge Here[/url][/size][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33282731] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/332828/33282731_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [i]It was long past nightfall when Clarice arrived at the Ivory Tower. She had heard of this place from every dragon she met as she wandered the Sunbeam Ruins, bloodied and shocked, carrying a little bundle wrapped in cloth on her back. They told her that she would be cared for there, that they would see to her wounds and give her food and kindness. They told her of the astounding level of trust and generosity that they showed all their guests. And they weren't exaggerating in the slightest. When she arrived, the Fae who spotted her gave her one complete look-over and immediately called for mages, herbalists, and assistance in guiding her to a sinfully comfortable nest on the outskirts of the Ivory Tower's walled-off territory. She was immediately cleaned, treated for her wounds, and given food. Nobody asked about the sad little bundle of cloth on her back, nor did they go near it while treating her. She had to move it for them, so that they could access the lacerations that still bled beneath it. When they were done, they told her that she would be visited in the morning by one of the clan leaders, and they wished her peaceful, healing rest. She did not sleep. She kept unblinking vigil over her little bundle all through the night, and she did not even notice the rising sun until it caught the light of an approaching dragon's wings and glared directly into her eyes. She turned to see an unusually large and exceptionally lovely Pearlcatcher approaching her, with a coat like the night but eyes and wings that seemed to capture the full brightness of the sun. When she spoke, her voice was velvet. "You mourn for him." Clarice's initial surprise at the Pearlcatcher's directness quickly died as she took in the calculated blankness of her expression and the steadiness of her gaze. She gently nuzzled her little bundle, wishing she could even muster up enough emotion to cry. She had felt nothing since it happened, as though her heart had fled with his spirit. "Did you kill them? The ones who did this to you?" She blinked.[/i] Not him - you.[i] With a slight sense of apprehension, she nodded, not trusting herself to reply in just one word. She feared that when she opened her mouth, she would not be able to stop, and she could not tell his story yet. She just couldn't. He hadn't even been buried. "Do you feel justified in your need for revenge?"[/i] Why is she asking me all these questions?[i] Clarice wondered. Still, she obediently nodded. This Pearlcatcher was not disgusted, or shocked, or condemning. She was simply getting the facts. No need for dishonesty. "And what will you do now? Once you bury him, and mourn him. Will you have a clutch of your own? Will you fail them like you failed him?" Clarice growled a warning, but as the heat of anger blossomed in her chest, she realized that she was actually feeling something for the first time in days. She held onto it, gripped it tightly, afraid to slip back into the emptiness. She growled louder, the bitter sounds causing her throat to ache. She had been silent for days, but no more. "I will never fail again," she croaked, her voice harsh and raw. The Pearlcatcher considered this for a few moments, and then leaned in close, so that her face sat right next to Clarice's. "I can help you," she murmured. "You are driven by your anger and sorrow, where once you were driven by passion and pride, but what if you felt all of them? Imagine what you could do. You would be unstoppable." "What should I do?" Clarice asked, dazzled by the smooth heat of the Pearlcatcher's voice. "Find a mate. Bear him a clutch. Let only the strongest survive." "You propose that I kill my children for their weakness?" "I propose that if they are too weak to stand alone, they are too weak to live." And with this, the Pearlcatcher pulled her head back and drew up to her full height once more. "A single heir will rise, and he will know the value of strength and independence. He will bear a clutch himself, and continue your legacy. And they will be strong children. They will not die needlessly, as he did." She looked at the bundle with sorrow laced dark and deep in her golden eyes. "Bury him. Find your mate. Start a new life for yourself, a new legacy of blood and pride. And you will never have to feel that pain again." Her eyes cooled back to a blank yellow, and she turned and walked away with a casual, graceful stride, as if they had simply been discussing the weather. However, before she got out of earshot, she turned back for a moment. "My name is Galaxy. I am not the leader of this clan, but if you bring pain to any of my people, you will not live long enough to see the leader, because I will kill you myself." Her voice cut through the shimmering heat like a blade, and though Clarice knew that she meant every word of it, she was not afraid. Instead, a sense of anticipation was beginning to grip her, and she actually smiled as she responded. "My name is Clarice, and my legacy will grow so strong that not even death will stop me. My name will be carved into history. I will be eternal." [/i]

[center][font=mistral][size=7][b]Ping List[/b][/size][/font][/center] [center][font=gabriola][size=5]Let me know if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list. I will ping you with each new lore installment/update.[/size][/font][/center] [center]@Moorehen @GoldenSootball @VoxxVoleur @Preheatedlizard @ElectriWinter @IronPen @GwynISH @Drakenhart @Djoodi @Skyeset @Dreamcoyote @KAnn @queenmedusozoa [/center] [center][font=mistral][size=7][b]Affiliates[/b][/size][/font][/center] [center][img]http://s009.radikal.ru/i309/1704/2b/8e0286da716b.png[/img][/center] [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2194327][size=4][b]Breaking Point[/b][/size][/url][/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/thqlubs0dv6c1dp/beastclanshieldl.png[/img][/center] [center][size=4][b][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2214030]A Legacy of Vengeance[/url][/size][/b][/center] [center][img]https://68.media.tumblr.com/41aa28320b255310cd88257b28c4c99e/tumblr_inline_njviwo2B9Z1qg2i5p.png[/img][/center] [center][size=4][b][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2215214]Wild Warriors[/url][/b][/size][/center]

[center][size=2]@Moorehen @GoldenSootball @VoxxVoleur @Preheatedlizard[/size][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=22891036] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/228911/22891036_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Clarice buried her bundle the next morning, in a deep grave under her nest where his remains would never be disturbed. She spent the following week regaining her strength. She slept, she ate, and she did little else. Bearing a clutch was physically exhausting, but finding a mate could be even more exhausting, and she refused to show weakness to any dragon who might be fathering her children. She did not need his pity or his disdain; she needed him to be strong, and she needed him to know her value. When Kaan approached her with a white rose and a basket of fresh fish, she shooed him away. She disliked Spirals. They were silly, weak creatures, and Kaan seemed especially silly, expecting to seduce her with simple gifts. However, he was persistent. He came to her nest every morning, as the sunlight was just beginning to bleed into the sky, and with him came gifts of every manner. When she rejected food and flowers, he brought her lovely stones and scented herbs. She spat on the herbs, and the next morning he came with armfuls of silks and furs to line her nest. She did allow for that, but as soon as he set them down, she chased him off again. After a week of this treatment, with a small pile of treasures growing at her nestside, she slashed him across the shoulder. He had brought a massive sack of coins as his gift that morning, and when her massive claws scored across his frail shoulder, they were thrown away from him. The shower of gold blended with the shower of blood, and it was beautiful. To Kaan's credit, he did not yelp, or collapse, or flee. He recovered in midair from the blow, turned, and flew away with the same vibrant energy as any other day. [i]Good[/i], Clarice thought. [i]He'll leave me be.[/i] But there he was the next morning, with a much larger, bulkier sack and a bandage on his shoulder. She was about to snap at him when he shushed her. She was shocked. He had such bright audaciousness in his eyes! He wasn't afraid of her in the slightest. He opened the sack quickly with small, nimble claws, and carefully laid out several pieces of burnished iron armor. It was massive and dark and [i]lovely[/i], but Clarice was not about to let herself fawn over a set of armor from a difficult suitor. When he had laid out the last piece, she clamped down on his claws with her own, much larger ones. "What do you want from me?" she snarled, keeping her voice low. He smiled at her, a brilliant smile that extended to his bright, clever eyes. "You're looking for something that I can give you," he replied, a songlike quality to his voice. Clarice glared at him, confusion knotting her thoughts until realization swept through her. "Galaxy sent you, is that it?" He dipped his head in affirmation. "I was looking for a mate, and she quietly informed me that you're looking to start a legacy." "Not with a little twig like you," she snorted. He didn't seem bothered by her rudeness or her scathing tone. That made her scales itch. She did [i]not[/i] like this Spiral. "I may be a twig, but I am a lovely twig, and I know what I want. Do you know what you want, Clarice? No, I don't think you do. Let me tell you." He then had the audacity to slither up next to her and curl up in a pile at her side. Clarice was seriously considering how satisfying it would be to eat him when he spoke again. "You want a legacy. In order for your heirs to be successful, they must be strong. And with you as their mother, they will be. You are nothing if not strong, that much is certain." He paused, considering his next words before he continued. "But they must also be lovely and cunning, and that is where I come in. They will have a better chance of attracting any mate they might desire if they are both the prettiest and the smartest dragon in the room, especially when they are already the strongest." Clarice growled at him, but it was an empty threat. He was right, and they both knew it. That didn't mean she was going to let him be in charge of this partnership. She grabbed his thin face and turned it so that they were staring at each other. His gaze was steady, and his eyes were flecked with vitality and ambition. And he was lovely. He hadn't lied about that. She released him with a sigh. "Fine. I suppose you'll do." To her surprise, he did not prattle at her again; rather, he dipped his head in acknowledgement and draped himself luxuriously across the furs in her nest, sighing in contentment. "We will have beautiful hatchlings, Clarice. Beautiful and fearsome. Just like their mother."

[center][size=2]@Moorehen @GoldenSootball @VoxxVoleur @Preheatedlizard @ElectriWinter[/size][/center] [center][item=unhatched light egg][item=unhatched light egg][item=unhatched light egg][/center] Five days had passed since Clarice and Kaan had laid their clutch. Three lovely eggs, perfectly round and radiant, surprisingly sturdy despite their glassy appearance. For five days, she had watched over them, observed them slowly growing as they absorbed sunlight and warmth. Kaan had brought her food every day, as much as she could have needed or wanted. He polished the eggs every morning with a soft cloth, clearing every speck of dirt until they were immaculate. Clarice didn't see the point, but it kept him quiet and occupied, so she didn't stop him. After five days, they were finally going to hatch. Clarice could feel it; they had started pulsing with hot energy, and a thin series of cracks had spread across the smallest one, like a delicate spiderweb. Kaan was curled up on her right shoulder, watching, completely absorbed in the anticipation of the moment. Clarice, however, was absolutely calm. She refused to get her hopes up about these hatchlings. Hope was a dangerous thing. However, she did huff quietly when the first egg finally began to crack open. Kaan scratched her shoulder gently, reassuring her, "They will be lovely, my lady." As he spoke, the egg snapped open and shattered like glass. There was a flash of light, and out of it came a tiny, serpentine form. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=133&bodygene=9&breed=7&element=8&gender=0&tert=150&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=42&auth=48a548427cb8e3021f2a09be598dc073bdeb79bb&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] The Spiral uncurled gracefully out of the remains of his egg and met Clarice's gaze with his own brilliant golden eyes. Despite the eye-burning brightness of his colors and pattern, he was a very calm hatchling, and there was certainty in the way he moved as he slowly began exploring the nest. "He's lovely," Kaan murmured. "So bright! So striking! And so well-behaved." Clarice didn't respond. Rather, she reached down and gently touched his nose to hers. "Caesar," she said. He said nothing, just pawed at her nose with a tiny hand before he slithered away to examine the various nesting materials. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=55&bodygene=0&breed=7&element=8&gender=1&tert=118&tertgene=0&winggene=10&wings=153&auth=c95e5c6a4752ee532e8428c4fd5ee81a6158cf83&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] She turned to the next egg as it hatched. This time, the flash of light was much brighter, temporarily blinding her. She heard the small growl of her newest child before her vision had cleared. As she blinked away the spots of light, she was met with the unflinching gaze another Spiral. Tiny and dull-colored, but so lively! As she watched, the hatchling seemed to size her up, consider taking her on, and think better of it. Seeing her smaller brother, she turned on him and immediately began scuffling with him. Clarice realized, as the male took his beating with silent snaps of his little jaws, that he was a mute. "She's stronger than him. And louder," she commented. Kaan shook his head. "She's not nearly as pretty, though. She doesn't look like a leader." "Maybe," was the only response Clarice gave. When the hatchling took a break from abusing her brother, she laid a massive claw on the Spiral's forehead and said, "Octavia." The hatchling responded with a yap before resuming her scuffle. Clarice turned and placed a claw gently on the final egg as a network of cracks spread across its surface. Instead of shattering like the others, this one cracked into several large shards, and the flash was replaced with a small wave of heat. Clarice watched as a large, solid shape slid out, then unfolded its wings with a snap. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=54&bodygene=0&breed=2&element=8&gender=1&tert=91&tertgene=0&winggene=10&wings=141&auth=2ae34136a2dcc654ce1e6b7e1a06de36c38d088a&dummyext=prev.png [/img][/center] "She's big," Kaan murmured with a quiet huff of surprise. Easily twice as big as her Spiral siblings, and with a much sturdier frame, the young Guardian looked for all the world a giant. Clarice allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. "She's a Guardian," she replied simply. As she watched, the hatchling trotted right up to her and immediately began gnawing on one of her claws. "My, my, so bold!" she said, chuckling admiringly at her newest daughter. She pressed her nosetip against that of her newest daughter and murmured, "Antigone." The hatchling looked up at her with clear adoration in her eyes, then turned to examine her siblings. She squeaked loudly when she saw them fighting, then darted off to place herself physically in between them. The Spiral female looked like she wanted to contest this sudden forced peace, but as the Guardian stared her down unblinkingly, she thought better of it and slipped off to go sulk in the corner of the nest. Clarice watched and waited. Their time would come. Soon, they would have to forget each other and throw themselves into battle, ensuring their own survival before that of anyone else. She growled softly in anticipation, knowing that one of these distinctive three would pass on her legacy of battle and blood, knowing that she could not interfere to save her weak son, her proud Spiral daughter, or her gentle-hearted Guardian. One must reign supreme. One must survive and continue her legacy of war. For now, she turned to Kaan and gave him an affectionate nudge. "We did well," she said. "See? I told you. Strong and beautiful, just like their mother."

Can I be put on the ping list please? Your writing is awesome.

@Preheatedlizard Sure thing! And thank you ;v;

Hehehehe, I'm surprised but I do love Kaan. My own clan needs more dragons like him.

Ah, and I did add this challenge to my affiliate's list by the way. ^^

And now I need more Kaan.

@FallowFreckles

Please add me to the pinglist!

@ElectriWinter Sure thing! :D

@VoxxVoleur Yeah, he's definitely growing on me. ;v; I was going to exalt him after the hatchlings grew up...but...he's such a cute boy...

[center][size=2]@Moorehen @GoldenSootball @VoxxVoleur @Preheatedlizard @ElectriWinter[/size][/center] Okay, everyone! Hatchling assessment time, since the first generation hatched yesterday and I need to make decisions :D [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=133&bodygene=9&breed=7&element=8&gender=0&tert=150&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=42&auth=48a548427cb8e3021f2a09be598dc073bdeb79bb&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] [center] [b]PROS[/b]: Piebald Gene Upgrade, Spiral Breed Upgrade, somewhat matchy Primary and Secondary colors [b]CONS[/b]: That not-so-matchy tert color D: [b]POTENTIAL BREEDING PLANS[/b]: If Caesar is our victor, I'm gonna do one of two things: I'll either try to breed the purple out of that tert, maybe going for a nice Light-themed color scheme OR I'll try to get him to XXY, with the X being a nice gold and the Y being a blue, which I should be able to breed him down to. [/center] [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=55&bodygene=0&breed=7&element=8&gender=1&tert=118&tertgene=0&winggene=10&wings=153&auth=c95e5c6a4752ee532e8428c4fd5ee81a6158cf83&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] [center][b]PROS[/b]: Paint Gene Upgrade, Spiral Breed Upgrade [b]CONS[/b]: Bland colors [b]POTENTIAL BREEDING PLANS[/b]: I'm not crazy about any of Octavia's colors. If she emerges successful, I'll do what I did with Clarice and breed her to a much different dragon in hopes that I get a better color combination.[/center] [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=54&bodygene=0&breed=2&element=8&gender=1&tert=91&tertgene=0&winggene=10&wings=141&auth=2ae34136a2dcc654ce1e6b7e1a06de36c38d088a&dummyext=prev.png [/img][/center] [center][b]PROS[/b]: Paint Gene Upgrade, very pretty Primary and Secondary colors [b]CONS[/b]: No Breed Upgrade :c Also very little color coordination [b]POTENTIAL BREEDING PLANS[/b]: Antigone is very cute, but I'll be a little sad if she's the winner. If she does come out on top, I'll find her a nice Uncommon, maybe with Thicket Paint or something similar (it's really pretty :o), and try again.[/center] Any thoughts? Ideas for breeding plans? Is anyone hoping for a particular hatching to succeed? Let me know!