darkSpyro

OoC: I assumed he was a dark dragon. My bad.

Shadmé crawled away, hoping she wouldn't be followed. Being with others after being alone so long was getting on her nerves. All that bickering one moment, and fussing another! She was an adolescent, near-adult fire and dark dragon- she could take care of herself. She'd only joined them to...make sure Shade was alright. Shadmé turned around, wondering if she should go back for him, then sighed. That would be weird. Maybe it would be better if she left, with nobody knowing what happened. She continued moving near-silently away from the group.

"I'm not Shadmé," Spiral shrugged to Shade, "but she went through there." He pointed to an opening in the undergrowth that was slowly swallowing itself up.

"Shadmé Where are you?!" he called out searching for the her. Looking for her was probably the best thing for Sky to do right now. Or else he would have done something he will regret later.

"I'm not trying to test you, I'm being honest, I certainly can't kill myself in my condition, so only you can, everyone else here wouldn't, or you heal me and I never bother anybody again" Kihei said

"Pretty Wings, do you like me?" Isis asked Sky

Spiral flapped his wings. "Honestly, you should stop trying to garner self-pity, Kehei. Be a dragon and suck up your pride. You might be completely wrong, and that's all right. There's no need to get all psycho-depressed. You have a family that loves you, you're in good health. You seriously don't need to act like your life's gone down the gutter because you can't have an Orb that will probably kill you."

Shadmé's ear twitched as she heard voices. That was quick. But she pressed her ears flat to her head and continued on, although a small flicker of doubt rose into her. If they're searching...does that mean they care? She stopped moving at this point, thinking. Although some of them are really annoying...we have watched out for each other. That thought made her snort aloud. But what do I have for them in exchange for protection? Fire, darkness? Sky had every element! And the little ones make me squirm. What am I good for, anyway?

"They just keep me around to entertain Isis" Kihei said

"That's not true, you're a joy to be around, you're always brightening our day" Makil said to Kihei "I think when you got hit, it messed up your head"

"Shady wants to find her too" Isis said to Sky "I just want her to like me, she's a nice dragon, I know it"

"I know.." Sky said to Isis, "Shadmé!!! C'mon Where are you?" Sky called out again

Nefarian was still brooding over Crystal's dismissive note to him, ordering his silence, he wasn't used to people more powerful that him, so he began to sulk. Eventually, however, he'd gotten over it and was shadowing Shade as he followed Shadme into the undergrowth, pushing through the overgrown foliage with his Infernus Claws and making the way easier for Shade to go through, even though Shade wasn't aware of it. Eventually, he would begin to notice the smell of singed plantlife, but he hadn't yet.

((What happened?))

OoC: Ah, alright.

Spiral shrugged. "I'm not your advisor. If you wanna kill yourself, kill yourself. I'm not gonna stop you. I'll just say that after all that's happened, you're lucky to be alive and have dragons that look up to you." His gaze turned to the sky, where it was getting later. He scanned the darkening sky for the first star.

Shadmé continued crawling away, although her heart was aching to turn. Her tail snapped a small tree, breaking it over her path. She watched it crack and go down.

Shadmé froze, looking up as Shade loomed closer. "I'm sorry," she confessed. "All that bickering was...giving me a headache. I came out here to think. And what I think is this." She took a deep breath. "I'm not cut out for this group thing. There's nothing I have that's special, and I'm just...not used to it. I don't know if I should stay." Her claw scraped in the dirt.

Isis flew ahead of Sky and saw Shadmé "You are special! You're kind and you care about our health and... You're just awesome in every way!" She said as she hugged Shadmé

Filled with surprise at the sudden drop-in Shadmé hissed and flattened herself to the ground, rolling so the newcomer would be thrown off. Backing away and spreading her wings menacingly, her amber eyes filled with horror when her gaze landed on Isis. "N…no!" She reached a paw out to poke the dragon, then withdrew and shrank away. "I can't do this! Trusting others…playing nice…it's not me. I'm…I'm sorry Isis. I'm not any of those things, I never have been." Her ears flattened as she drooped her head, seconds away from tearing off into the sky.

"But I think you are, and I've seen it, the way you've protected Shady and the way you've treated me, it proves that you're a nice dragon... And we love having you as our friend" Isis said as tears filled her eyes "Pwease don't go!" She cried as she ran over and gave Shadmé the biggest hug she could

Shadmé just drooped even more, engulfed by Isis. Sure, she could protect them...but she wasn't nice. She hadn't done anything to Isis to make her care. And yet she did, anyhow. Shadmé tried to find any way to prove that there was something wrong with that- probably a result of parenting, given how her parent acted, mixed with her naïveté- but her heart wasn't into making excuses. "Get off," she stated gruffly, then swallowed. "Er...please." She flashed a helpless look at Shade, his words reaching her ears at last. True, she had helped Shade...why? Was it because he'd been helpless? Or maybe because...she saw herself in him. Quiet, protective, and solitary. Something about him made her curious, and she couldn't help it. Everyone else had their friends or family, except maybe Sky, Spiral and Shade as well as Shadmé herself. What Isis was showing her...was to be there for others. Maybe her purpose in the band of dragons was to be a steady post for those three to lean on. Makil, Isis and Kehei were the softies, friend-making section of the group. Sky had the elements and his knowledge of history. Spiral had knowledge of practical matters and geography. Shade was the protector. And Shadmé could try her best to keep them bound as well as assist Shade. Feeling more secure about her place, she began to try and shake Isis off again. Leave the parenting to Makil and Kehei, bleck. "I'll stay," she decided. "You two are right. I'm sorry for running off."

"It's ok Shadmé, you're just not used to having others by your side through better or worse" Isis said as she let go of Shadmé

Shadmé froze as Shade walked up, but didn't snap. Being with Shade wasn't uncomfortable, compared with everyone else. She guessed that was because she'd gotten to know him first. Finally, she closed her eyes and relaxed against the gesture. "Me too," she replied back. She smiled at Isis, the young dragon. "You're right," she said. That's something I have to get used to now.

"Ok Shady" Isis said with a smile before flying back to the group "Hey guys! Shady and Shadmé are gonna find the Light Avatar" She said when she got to the others

"That's nice" Makil said

Shadmé smiled back and nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll come with you." Her gaze flicked to the sky. "Where would they be? They've been coming to Sky…should we try to find Sky again? Or do you have any idea?"

Shadmé cocked her head and looked toward the mountain, then back to Shade. It just seemed like a regular mountain to her. But she refused to give up on her dragon friend. After all, Shade was the one with the light elements, not her! She had to have faith. Besides, it was the only lead they had. "Alright," she agreed. "We should go check, then. That's a good start." She opened her wings and flew above the trees, hovering and waiting for Shade to follow.

Shadmé glided on a wind current, a few wing-beats behind Shade. "So…" she started. "What was your old world like? I remember you saying it was darker than this one, but that's all…were there other dragons, too?"

"Ah, I see," Shadmé murmured. "Did you have a family, too? Or…a group of friends at all?"

A look of sadness came over Shadmé's face at Shade's last statement. "I'm…so sorry for bringing that up," she whispered. Shade must be lucky that he escaped, then…but with all that loss, she could bet he didn't feel lucky. She flew a bit closer. "I don't have family that I know of, either. I just kind of fly and roam around." After a hesitation, she added, "You're the first dragon I consider a friend, Shade."

Shadmé smiled, genuinely, then looked up. "Huh. It's getting dark out. Shade, look." She pointed to the setting sun, which was starting to dip under the horizon. Waves of pink and purple bathed the reddening sun, turning the sky near them a darker blue.

Shadmé nodded her head and flew after Shade, landing beside him. The dark blue of the sky was fading into indigo and navy, and a star or two was becoming visible. Her tail-tip twitched slightly as she watched the small balls of light a moment more, then turned to Shade.

Spiral smiled as the stars began to poke out. He longed to become one of those star-reading dragons, who used the stars to interpret the future. For fun, he decided to utilize what he knew and pulled out a scroll, which had a chart of stars and their meanings written on it. He rubbed his sharp teeth with his tongue as he thought.
Those two stars mean light and wind. I wonder what that's supposed to mean.

"Yes," Shadmé breathed. "I loved flying at night because there would always be a smooth wind blowing, and stars in every direction. They're like…little specks of hope." She wondered for a brief moment if Shade's world had stars. If the sun was far away, then wouldn't the stars be far away, and fainter?

Makil pondered what Isis said "We'll catch up with them tomorrow sweetie" He told Isis as he patted her head

After the patting, Isis walked over to Spiral "Hey Spiral, what are you doing buddy?" She said as she looked at the chart Spiral had

Spiral turned to the young dragon, eager to share his knowledge. "Ah, I am Starwatching! A skill that goes back several generations, it is gifted to dragons who have the ability to spot things where others cannot." He puffed his chest out proudly. "These dragons have the knowledge to gaze into the first stars, and interpret a message! I wish to become a Starwatching dragon one day, and this-" he held out the chart- "is a guide! I am trying to memorize the whole thing." He pointed to a star on the chart, then one directly above their heads. To an outsider, it just looked like a regular star. "Put simply, it is like a language in the stars! This one means light."

"Cool! Could you tell me what some of them mean buddy?" Isis asked as she smiled at Spiral

Spiral squinted up at the sky. "Of course! The one in front there means wind. The larger one to the side means dragon. So we've got light, wind and dragon." He twirled his tail, in thought, then his blue eyes lit up. "Over there! The tiny one means come, and the one behind us means two." Spiral smiled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say we should expect some company."

"Like a dragon with the power of Light and Wind?" Isis asked

"Don't forget about that one!" Spiral replied, motioning to the star behind him. "Two. Two dragons, I believe. But yes, we should expect those elements."

"Wow," Shadmé said to Shade. "Your star had a lot of history." She was impressed with how he was identify the star apart from all the rest. It shone brightly, and it truly was a beacon of hope. "I'll bet your night sky was pretty," she murmured aloud. "All that darkness wouldn't hide stars. It would make them more visible!"

"Oops! Is there any other stars I should know?" Isis asked