A story for some of my flight rising clan lore.

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The nursery of Haven was beginning to grow quiet as the hatchlings settled down for a nap. A single pearl catcher stood guard over them while carefully tending to her pearl. She wasn’t here by choice and it was clear she didn’t care much for watching her clan mates’ snot nosed brats.

The little ones began to stir and the pearl catcher tried to ignore it for as long as she could.

“Ow! You poked my eye! Get your pokey spines away from me!” Cried one of them.

“As long as you keep your wings out of my nest! And at least I have horns, all you have is nubs!” Said another.

The two hatchlings tumbled and the pearl catcher whipped around and glared at them.

“Go to sleep you little brats or else the witch will come and take you away.” she growled.

Cautionary tales are good and well, but they only work after the first time the hatchling hears it. The older of the two hatchlings quickly hid his face with his wings and ran back to his nest, while the younger one scoffed at her keeper.

“A witch? Some old hag is going to come and whisk me away? Not a chance!” the hatchling growled.

“Watch yourself. It’s true. I’ve had my own children taken.” She said, turning back to polishing her pearl. “I’m supposed to guard you from dangers like that, but naughty hatchlings aren’t worth the bother.”

The younger hatchling still wasn’t convinced, but began to fluff her mane out anxiously anyway, betraying that the pearl catcher had her at least a little. “Oh y-yeah? I’m not afraid.” She huffed at her keeper.

“The story began around the same time that the clan moved here. Our beloved leader was kind and gentle, accepting all weary travelers and orphaned hatchlings alike into Haven. It truly lived up to the name in that time and most dragons taken into safety decided to stay after the storms had passed.” The pearl catcher began.

“She was harmless looking when they first took her in. An imperial hatchling from the Scarred Wasteland whose parents had perished in the blizzard. She was quickly taken in by the clan and cared for. She was given food and water and a warm nest to sleep in, right where you’re sleeping now.” She said, gesturing to the nesting area.

“However, no matter how much they cared for the hatchling, she only seemed to get worse each day they kept her. Just chills turned into coughing, fever, and soon it spread to all the other hatchlings in the nests too. Eventually, even the eggs began to rot and then shatter into pieces. Hatchlings began to die off one by one, and as they got weaker, the plagueling got stronger until she was the only one left in the nest.”

The pearl catcher looked back at the hatchlings to find the older one curled into a ball and sobbing while the younger one was eagerly awaiting the rest of the story. She rolled her eyes and continued.

“Soon after, she was old enough to leave the nest. Things only got worse from there. As a plague dragon, she only brought destruction when she practiced her trade. Her magic spread disease constantly through the clan. No eggs would hatch and the clan was heartbroken.” she said, gazing longingly at one of the nests. She let her gaze linger for a moment before getting back to the story. “As she grew older, we began to call her the witch. Anyone who crossed her came down with a terrible disease, anyone who got too close got worse. Her own mate even was reduced to a shambling corpse until a lightning dragon build him a new body out of metal. Eventually, the clan had enough of her. The council was formed and she was banished into the cold night air.”

She quietly turned back to the entrance, keeping an eye out int he caves. “The clan went back to normal for a while. Dragons were no longer getting sick and hatchlings were running around the camp again. It was then that things began to get worrying. On the coldest and darkest nights, when even the fire pits can’t warm your bones, a red eyed figure has been seen sneaking into the clan. Like wind, it’s untouchable. It comes in fast and nearly invisible save for the two red glowing orbs. It heads straight to the nursery and right past the guard. I can’t do a thing to stop it. It pools as a dark mist all around the room and engulfs one of the hatchlings and smothers any sounds before rushing out as quick as it came with the hatchling still inside it. Those nights the whole clan mourns.” She takes a moment to glare back at the hatchlings inside, both now cowering in the corner. “And naughty hatchlings make it harder for me to keep watch. If you want to stand any chance of surviving the witch, then you had best stay quiet.”

The soft sound of feathered wing beats echoed through to the pearl catcher and the hatchlings screamed and hid. Thankfully, it was only the other guard coming to take the pearl catcher’s place.

“Did you tell them about Cendrine again? I swear, I don’t know why you keep talking like she’s some demon. She really wasn’t that bad… just… misunderstood is all.” said the coatl.

“She killed my children and I have no reason to forgive her. Besides, it keeps the little ones quiet so you can watch for real danger.” the pearl catcher spat.

The coatl sighed and curled up in front of the nursery and cooed quietly to them. “Don’t worry little ones, she’s not really as bad as she seems.”