Blueluzu's Clan

“Hey, you there!” Blue’s head snapped up at the sound of a dragon’s voice. She laid her ears back nervously as a pack of dragons surged over the rise of a hill, their paws thundering over the ground. Shifting her weight uneasily, she held her ground until they approached. As menacing as the plague dragons looked, she had not been raised to run. She squared her forelegs, bracing them against the soft, decaying earth.

They reached her in a matter of moments, surrounding and milling around her so closely she could smell the acrid tang of contagion on their pelts. Her fur bristled along her spine. “What do you want from me?” She asked smoothly, forcing an anxious tremor from her voice.

“You have crossed our borders!” A mirror dragon growled in a voice that seemed to reverberate through her chest. Another dragon silenced the drake with a pointed look.

“What brings you to our lands?” He ignored her question entirely, lashing his slim tail as he looked down at her.

Blue forced her ears forward, tipping her chin up in a subtle show of defiance. “I seek refuge.” She told the dragon, her voice even and serious. “I traveled with my family, but they were separated from me.” She ignored the snorts behind her, though they made her dappled fur stand on end. “I request sanctuary, by our Plaguemother.”

“That will be for our leader to decide.” The dragon told her gruffly, and several other pack members jostled behind her. “Take her to the King!” He instructed them, and the pack closed in around her, herding her in an unfamiliar direction. Blue snarled at those who got too close, but she allowed them to direct her.

It was not long before they moved her down into a cavern that smelled faintly of rot. Once she was inside, the pack began to disperse, slinking around the halls to tend to their own business. She exhaled sharply through her nose to clear it, picking her paws high to avoid a scattered pile of bones. A few dragons snapped at her as she past, but she glared them down easily. Her temper was becoming sorely pricked.

The dragon that had spoken to her led her down into a atrium with a high ceiling. Towards the end of the room was a large dias assembled from bleached stone. Upon it was a throne lined with pelts that seated a sizeable gray tundra. His red eyes watched her like a predator. “All hail to Larry, our King!” Came a cry from beside the dias.

Blue stopped several feet away, raising an eyebrow. “Is that your real name?” She inquired in a liquid tone.

The gray tundra smirked at her. “Perhaps.” He turned to a dragon beside him. “Where did you find this one?”

“She was trespassing!” The mirror from the pack hissed, his wings flaring.

“I claimed sanctuary!” Blue countered fiercely, bearing her pointed canines. “Is that no longer the custom in Plague’s lands?” Her muzzle contorted into a snarl. “Has this clan fallen from our law?” The room fell silent as the gray tundra contemplated her words silently.

At last he spoke. “I like this one.” The King said in a haughty voice to all those that were present. “Not all would stand up to a King.” His red eyes narrowed thoughtfully at her. “The tundra stays.”

( Story by SkyLarK )