"Really? I must see this for myself. It could have applications here."

"Great. Do you want me to go get a sample, or do you want to fly over and see everything yourself?"

"I'll head over there. It could be harmful to hatchlings. We just don't know enough about it." I think to myself, <It seems our feud is over. I'm glad.>

"Ah, good point. But let me warn you: my cave is a little... cluttered, watch your step when we get there."

I gave him a look. "I grew up with Father. I think I can handle your messy cave"

they left and i nuzzled isik. i could sense his need for answers to questions so i spoke to him n the forgotten language of old. the way we spoke when we had no words. from memory. i told him he was safe and i would answer all his questions if he asked them.

The sun was warm on my back as we flew. It felt good, flying with Thunder. It reminded me of the way things used to be, but only just. Without realizing it, I started remembering that day. The day he left. ((Twera's memory))

I stumbled around the cave, unable to see. Two huge shadows loomed over me. Their thoughts were filled with worry. I heard one of them speak.
"She is a fine dragon, Siik. You and Fynd should be proud of her."
Two more shadows loomed over me.
"What's wrong with her?" one of the newcomers asked.
A female voice responded. "Thunderhawk, your sister is nearly blind."
"Blind?!? How can that be? There's never been such a thing!"
A deeper male voice cut in. "Thunderhawk, listen to your mother. Twera is nearly blind. You must be there for her."
"I WON'T!" Thunderhawk screamed. I felt a rush of air as he leaped out of the cave.

We reached my cave. The floor is covered with large glass beakers filled with strange chemicals. "I've tried to find out exactly what this stuff is made of, but I can't identify the components; it's as if the stuff made of nothing." I grab a small sphere of it and let Twera examine it for a moment, then I electrify it. The sphere expands slightly as it takes crystal form.

"Fascinating." I gently touched the sphere. An idea struck. I used every bit of mind-magic I knew to explore the substance. It was nothing like anything on Earth. I started describing my findings to Thunder. "It appera to be a mineral. I've seen minerals on Earth that change to crystal, but never with electricity.
"It contains a form of magic I've only heard of. That might be what allows the change to happen. I'll have to run more tests to be sure.
"Either way, this is a substance unlike anything on Earth. You should be careful with it."

"I understand, normal materials can react violently; I don't want to know what one imbued with magic would do if things went wrong."




"Just be careful, sis..."

when isik took a break in his questions i tore off a leg of my ill. i set it by him and showed him my memories of eating deer and the way it tasted and the sent of a heard and the image of my bringing it down. he carefully sniffed t then tore at it.

"I will be." Carefully, I took the sphere from him. It was perfectly smooth and oddly cool to my claw. Keeping my eyes on the cave floor, I pickedmy way among the beakers and flasks. I found a workbench carved from the cave wall. I set the sphere on it, then began gathering some of the chemicals. "Thunder, would you mind handing me that green liquid there?"

"Huh? Oh, that stuff, sure. Just don't get any on your claws."

((Uh-oh, playin' with chemicals. >:) ))

((sounds like my area of "oh-shit-look-out-she's-gonna-blow-so­met­hin­g-u­p&q­uot­;..­...­.wi­ll it blow?))

"I'll be fine." I carefully poured a viscous red liquid on the sphere. It seemed to glow aand absorb the chemical. It glowed red and grew warm. The sphere absorbed the chemical, then started making gurgling sounds.

i laid my head on the stone floor and told isik i was going to sleep and that he should too.

"Shit." I quickly moved out of the way. "Thunder, DUCK!" The sphere exploded into blobs of red goop that flew everywhere.

smooth. real smooth.

((You DID mention an explosion, after all))
I came out from under the workbench, wiping bits of goop off my hide. "Well, I guess that puts an end to the tests."

Nemesis told me to go to "sleep" .I just got one problem dose anyone know what go to "sleep" means .Nemesis closed here eyes and that was it it didn`t seam hard so I tried it.Nothing happened so I tried it again and again and again after some while I gave up and then a strange creature appeared it was really small and making all kind of weir noises.It didn`t see me but I blocked the hole it came from when it spotted me it started running around the cave like crazy so I started chasing it.It jumped into a hole. Nemesis didn`t even wake up ,but I was feeling strange after chasing this little thing I lied down put my head under my wing and fell asleep.(dwarfs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

(happy Friday, the 13th everybody!!!)

((Wow. I forgot what day it was. Well, steal my scale and call me crazy. No wonder the sphere blew up))

((....your crazy.))
i opened my eye and saw isik laying with his head under wing. i smiled and curled up and let my tail cover my eyes. i kept my ears tuned on while i dosed.

((Thanks))

((my bf takes "weird" as a complement)now, some1 come back to the cave! plz.)

((On it. I WAS going to wait for Thunderhawk, but obivously not. And don't all guys?))
I leapt out of Thunder's cave, trying not to damage some delicate-looking experiments of his. Nemesis should know about that mineral. She might have even heard of it. I flew fast and far, sending a mental warning just ahead of myself.

i raised my head at the mental warning. i used my tail to tuck isik under my wing. i stared at the entrance to the cave just as twera flew in.

I was a little more careful on my landing this time, grabbing the edge of the cliff for balance. "I've never seen anything like that mineral. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen," I said, trying tio clean a last bit of red goop from my normally spotless scales. "I tried pouring a liquid over it and it exploded. Well, first it kind of absorbed the liquid, then it gurgled."

i pondered this. "what absorbs then spurts back out? if i saw the material i might be able to name it but.." i trailed off looking at my opened wing. i glanced at twera to make sure she got the message. "i have a feeling..that material is connected to the roots of eden. and so is the clat that brought s here. go check on her. call for help if needed." i added mentally, <i will come if you call. no matter is isik is awake or no.>

"Of course," I replied, bowing. Even though Nemesis and I were as good as equals, I never forgot my respect for the elder dragon.
I took off, heading back to our cave.

It was nearly dark by the time I got there. Luckily there was enough sunlight left to see the ledge by. Everything was exactly the way it had been when I left. Except for a few things. An ancient-looking book, probably the one Thunder saw, was lying in the middle of the cave. Clat's bedding was mussed and so was mine. There were a few embers in the fire pit and no sign at all of Clat. This was not good. <Shit,> I thought to myself. I would have used a more colorful epithet, but now was not the time to display my knowledge of such things.
<Nemesis, I think you'd better get over here…>

((Well that's what I get for playing Assassin's Creed...))

I wipe the red goop off of my face. "That was weird. I wonder if that reaction was caused by the magic Twera detected..." I sigh. "Well, one more property discovered. Better go after Twera, She's probably getting us in trouble somehow."

i got the message and quietly walked to the cave entrance. i spread my wings and took off.i flew as fast as i could and landed n the dark cave ready for anything. <what? where s clat? why is that book here?!?> i recognized the book. it was from an old, deep memory.

<I don't know. She could be anywhere on this blasted planet.> I could feel my anger rising. Clat would pay for this…

((for what?))
"let's not be hasty. i'll track her sent in the morning." i sad and flew back to my cave. i curled around isik and fell asleep.

((Probably the explosion))
Pissed, I tried putting the bedding back the way I'd left it, but it wouldn't go. The fire wouldn't restart, either. Seems everything was conspiring against me today.

((I'm slowing you guys down :( ))

I fly over the river and glance down. I look again, confused. That'a weird, the valley seems a little shallower than before...And the air smells different.

Thunderhawk didn't notice that his cave was empty after the explosion...

((It's fine, really. Not like we're going to flame you for it))
After severalminutes of attempting to put the cave back in order, I just gave up. I started poking around the cave. There was one small detail that had escaped my notice before…
The cave was narrower inside than it was outside. Even stranger, the two side walls were of different thicknesses. But why?

"perhaps all is not as we see it." i said to myself.i could not sleep so contacted thunder and twera with my mind. <what is the news?> i asked

<It seems there's a hidden chamber. She must have done it while I was asleep.>

<interesting. keep me updated>

I started tapping the rock. It had a hollow, wooden sound. <Nem, I think you should see this…> I said as I ripped part of the wall off. Inside were thing I had hoped to never see again. There were things Mother had once spoken of. All of these things carried some unspeakable evil.

<being small sucks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>

With a shudder, I pulled one of the objects from its niche. It was a sword, ancient and crusted with dried blood. Dragon blood, I was sure. I could hear the dying screams of dragons long dead as I touched it with my mind.

I land in Twera's cave and find it empty That's weird, Twera just said that she found something here, but there is nothing and no one here... I call out, <Twera, where exactly are you?>

<In here,> I called, in response to Thunder's question. <There's some things you should see…>

((Sorry, I started the circumstances to temporarily remove Thunderhawk from the main plot in case my computer completely whacked out, and guess what? My internet broke down!))

((What are the odds? I know a couple low-tech solutions to your problem))

Twera's mind-voice seems to come from right beside me <But, I'm right here to... What the heck is going on here?!>

<Right here.> I poked my head out of the hole I'd made in the wall. <You'll have to make the hole bigger if you want to come in.>

((Is it you or Twera that doesn't get what I'm doing?))
<I don't see you, or a hole... as a matter of fact, I don't see any sign of there ever being a dragon in this cave.>

((Both.))
<What? But I can see you just fine.> I stepped out of the hole, still carrying the ancient sword.