Chesean
Chesean stood on the walkway around the top of the castle-crater, and looked down at his chosen home. Ryslen was like and unlike Icarus all at once. The Nidus was a Castle of sorts, but it was built into a massive mountain crater rather than freestanding in the middle of some idyllic beautiful countryside. This was the home of many humans, and many dragons -- very much like draks, they were, but few were furry and the majority had but one set of wings. Like draks, these dragons mind-paired with riders and together they fought the ills that plagued the land.
The mud drak clicked his tongue mournfully at the churned and dirty snow in the large courtyard and the large number of dragons that were coming and going. White dragons, or mostly white. This big wintery breeding event seemed to be poorly organized. There were too many mothers to fit properly in the hatching caverns; they were either crowded in, or were forced to take turns watching over the eggs. It was a fiasco, and this wasn't the first time there was a frenzy flight (and resultant clutch) had taken over Ryslen, nor would it be the last. If they were certain of nothing else, everyone was certain that there would be another Flurry.
"Thisss isss insssane." Chesean said to himself and he leapt neatly from the ledge and flew gracefully down to the ledge that led into his cave. His apartment. His 'nidulus', as these not-quite-Icarian folk of Ryslen liked to call them. He flopped down on his couch and stared up at the ceiling.
"Ehm... Chesean? Are you in there?" A young female voice, completely free of the hissy breathy accent of the draks.
"Yesss." He said, rolling over in his bed and looking towards the door. "Come in."
The human-sized door from an interior hallway opened, and a slate blue humanoid with horns and silver hair walked in. There was only one other 'person' anything like her, and that was her brother, who was much darker. Her name was Ekaisi Sannaji, and she was the closest thing to kin he had here. She was half drak, and half... something else that shape-shifted into a dragonish-human. "What can I do for you, Ekaisssi?"
The young female was colored like a rain drak, but nevertheless her face darkened as she blushed. "I'm sorry to intrude on you, but I have a bit of a problem."
"And what would thisss problem be?" Chesean asked, interested in what sort of problem the half-drak thought would warrant his attention.
"Well... I heard about some half-draks that were due to hatch on Mirus, and went to check it out. I'm just back... and I didn't come alone. I have not one or two, but four furry little draklings to watch over." Ekaisi said.
"You got in over your head on thisss one, it ssseeemsss." Chesean responded.
"I didn't plan to adopt so many, honest." Ekaisi said. "They chose me."
"That isss the way it works, generally." The mud drak responded. "And you require my ssservicesss?"
Ekaisi blushed again. "Well, I... Could you watch them for an hour or so? Two at most...? I have to get some things... some of that salve for scalemites...."
Chesean considered. "I could get the sssalve for you, if you like."
If it was possible, Ekaisi blushed even more. "Thank you, but some of the things I really need to get for myself..."
Chesean chuckled. "I underssstand. Ssshow me to them?"
Ekaisi grinned at him, relieved. "Thank you ever so much, Chesean." She said as she crossed the room to the ledge. She transformed into her semi-bipedal dragon/drak form, and with a look back at him leapt out into the air. The mud drak followed behind her, following as she led the way across the courtyard and up a level or two. She landed on a wide ledge and went immediately inside the nidulus as to make room for him to land. When he followed her inside, he found her transformed back into her humanoid form and surrounded by brightly colored draklings -- four, just like she said.
There was a water, a male wind, a brassy colored one and a bright rainbow colored one with a snow-white mane and tail tuft. Ekaisi introduced each one in turn -- "Ch'maenawia, M'siiliaaw, H'ruliaaw, and T'rianawia." The last had her back to Chesean when he came in, and turned around as Ekaisi continued her introduction.
"Kids, this is..."
"Daddy?!" T'rianawia squealed.
Chesean took a half step back.
"No, T'rianawia. This is Chesean; he's the same color as your daddy, and they both come from Castle Drockh-Tallahn on Icarus." Ekaisi continued, squatting down to get on a level with the drakling, in case she started bawling.
"Chessean!" the males charged him, and he was soon up to his elbows in draklings -- something he'd never really experienced. "Are there people on Icaruss?"
He chuckled at them. "Yesss, yesss, there are people on Icarusss. And draks, like you and me and Ekaisssi."
"Really!?" Ch'maenawia said, joining her brothers at the mud's side.
"Really." Chesean answered.
T'rianawia looked up into Ekaisi's face. "He looks like daddy." The rainbow drakling said to her.
"I know, T'riana, I know. There are lots of dragons that look alike but are not the same. Remember when we met Scith and Amitath and Ancith? They're all the same color." Ekaisi reminded her.
"Blue. I remember." T'rianawia said, nodding her head. "They matched, but they weren't the ssame."
"Exactly. Chesean matches your daddy, but he's not your daddy. Chesean doesn't have a bond, just like I don't have one, and you don't have one. Your daddy is bonded to your mommy."
The drakling considered this. "Are all mommiess bonded to daddiess?"
Ekaisi grinned at her. "Some are, but not all. Many mommies are bonded to their riders -- their Knights -- and many daddies are bonded to their Knights. And some don't have bonds at all. You don't have to be mind-paired to become a mommy."
"Or a daddy?"
"Or a daddy." Ekaisi replied. "Now, why don't you go and see what your siblings are asking Chesean. I'll be back in a little while."
The drakling bounded over to where the mud drak was being climbed on by the others, and they were all laughing.
"Thanks Chesean. I'll be back as soon as I can." Ekaisi called over the giggling, and Chesean waved goodbye with the tuft of his tail.
"My pleasssure, Ekaisssi. Sssafe travelsss."The next hour or so seemed to pass in no time at all. The draklings were full of questions and silliness, and had an unmistakable joy de vivre, and Chesean had a wonderful time.
Ekaisi returned bearing a sack full of things, and was soon tackled by her young charges just as Chesean had been when he'd come in. "Welcome back!" the draklings chimed and scrambled to be the one actually in her lap.
"Thank you, Chesean." Ekaisi said past the childlike babbling of the four halfbreeds.
"Any time, Ekaisssi. Your chargesss are delightful children." Chesean said, and took his leave.Chesean lounged on his couch and thought and thought and thought and thought about a thing that had crossed his mind while he was watching over the young draks.
It was unusual but not unheard of for draks to mind-pair with other draks... perhaps he could... perhaps he should...Chesean's arrival at Drock-Tallahn, his birthplace, couldn't have come at a better time. The three eggs of Wind Shuenrv and Desert Talan would be hatching any day, and then they would be presented to the aspirants. And luckily for Chesean, the Judge Dranal approved, and he would be there when Shuenrv announced her offspring to the world.
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Name: Chesean
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Name: Allervan
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