Wild were the winds that came
In the thunder and the rain
Nothing ever could contain
The rising of the storm…
In the wings of ebony
Darkened waves fill the trees
Wild winds of warning
Echo through the air…

                         - Blackmore's Night -
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[ AA SUMMER NOTICE ] 

Commotion rode through Lantessama Isle like wildfire. Eggs had mysteriously appeared in the dark caves and rumours were spreading about what they might hold. Bets were placed about whether it was a new project from Donriven who'd been having difficulties finding candidates for his shadow dragons, or that Lucas had messed up his seasons and had accidentally made Halloween dragons before they were due. Or maybe Evilness and Wickedness had finally gotten their hands on some exotic evil eggs they were now going to hatch and hadn't bothered with finding an appropriate hiding place. Or maybe smugglers had been in need to drop their load of illegally captured eggs and had been coincidentally right at the opening of Lantessama in the Elsewhere. Maybe the eggs even came from creatures within the endless void of stairways, corridors and tubes that connected the whole of the universe and it's dimensions. Maybe it was even a sign of the apocalypse (though no-one took that rumour serious).
Donriven, meanwhile, was checking the eggs and breaking his head as to why these had appeared overnight. He wasn't taking the rumours too serious since the eggs showed no signs of having travelled through the darkness. He knew he hadn't meddled with them. So who had done it?
"It's a mystery." Lucas said, gleefully happy like a child, "Just as much as how the Easter bunnies get the Easter eggs here."
"Are you still talking about that?" Cyan asked annoyed.
"Maybe this is an even bigger mystery." Lucas shrugged, "How did they get here?"
"Someone on the Isle made them." Donriven answered, "I'm certain of it."
"Who besides you would have this fascination with darkness?" Lucas asked again, getting no answer this time. They checked egg after egg until they were certain that all of them were in remarkably good condition.
"Whoever did it, is very skilled with genetics, that's for sure." Donriven said.
Clueless, the two men started to work again while Cyan and Trix were busy writing up forms and announcements to send to other places in the Elsewhere, where someone might want to adopt one of these eggs.
When the men were so enthralled by the eggs that they didn't even notice their spouses anymore,  Cyan turned to Trix and asked, "How long will it take them to realise this was your doing?"
"At the current rate, forever." Trix answered, "Apparently my image doesn't include mad scientist who likes to splice genes and create dark things."
"People should know better, you let Donriven have his way. it's a big clue." Cyan mused, "So why did you put the eggs in the Dark Caverns when the Holiday Caverns were empty."
"It'll teach Donriven not to forget my birthday." Trix smirked.
Cyan laughed and continued on the forms.

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[ AWAKENING OF THE DEMONS ] 

After a short period of busy activity only five demon eggs remained. The room was needed for other things and it didn't look like the remaining eggs would be adopted out within the next few days.
"We'll just keep them." Trix said.
"They are demons." Donriven said, trying to make his spouse see the light.
"When has that ever stopped you? At least I made these. They can't be worse than yours or Cyans."
"Or mine." Lucas added.
"Yours never are that bad honey." Cyan said.
"We could make these five a lair somewhere on the continent. I don't think they'd make trouble."
"If you say so." Donriven shrugged, already trying to hide his interest toward the five demons.
"So everyone agrees?" Trix asked.
She looked around and when nobody objcted, placed the eggs in the incubator that would hatch them. One by one the demons hatched. The soft light of the equipment not being enough to how what had hatched, the incubating of the eggs almost felt like the opening of presents. Trix opened the lid for the first time and a long serpentine green dragoness fell out. She didn't have limbs, but her build and fins were well suited for the sea.
"My name is Viverance." she said.
The next time trix opened the lid, a bright orange-yellow-red land dragon, another female, emerged. She yawned, little bursts of flames adorning her back and adding to the lights in the room.
"Gensterine." she purred before going back to sleep.
The third hatchling demon was a proud-looking grey-blue duowinged dragon. Clearly making an effort to stay awake and look menacing, the hatchling refused all help to get out of the incubator. Even in a state of malnourishment from not having hatched on time, he refused to show his weakness.
"Rauveil." he simply hossed.
The next to hatch was a brownish dragon with leathery brown wings and an odd humanesque posture. He barely reached to their knees, but his speed and agility were terrifying to say the least.
"My name is Deniul." he spoke.
The last egg to hatch revealed a pink dragoness with little black wings, black ram-horns and a black tail. She was very eager to come outside and didn't seem to have suffered as much as her siblings. Within seconds she was hanging around all that was male in gender.
"I think that one's a seductress." Trix remarked dryly.
"I knew there was something off about her." Cyan remarked while plucking the creature from Lucas' leg.
"What's your name?" Trix asked.
"Aricept." the pink demoness crooned.

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[ STORMY MEMORIES ]

Dark clouds obscured the sky when Laedrys Trix and her five demon dragons reached the lair they'd agreed upon. There was a large cavern weathered out from the cliff. Wind and water had made the inside of the lair smooth and there was plenty of room. Sea acces came easily and the way to the forests behind the beach was also open to the five of them.
"If there's anything you need just ask." Trix said.

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[ INVITATIONS TO A MASKED BALL ]

"There's something here." Aricept remarked, batting her long eyelashes against her pink skin.
"Animal?" Rauveil asked without looking up from his studying place. He was reading a book and didn't feel like getting disturbed. Just beside him, Gensterine was looking passionately into the blazing fire. Next to her Deniul was practicing with his scythe. Viverance was outside no doubt, swimming in the cove, or maybe on a trip further into the ocean.
"I think so. Ne Deniul! Come look!"
Lately Aricept had been unleashing her charms onto the earth demon and he didn't seem immune to them.
"You better come take a look." he said.
"Why? Is it some kind of unusual critter?"
Rauveil stood up and even Gensterine looked away from the dancing flames in front of her.
Before them the strangest white critter stood at the entrance of their lair. It was white and the sun seemed to make it sparkle. It had whispy outcrops from the top of it's back until halfway it's body, knotted and woven together like thread.
"What do you think it is?" Aricept asked.
"Can i eat it?" Gensterine added.
"It doesn't seem to be all that large." Deniul said.
"It's obvious it's a dragon-type creature." Rauveil sighed.
"Really?" Aricept asked.
"It's an invitational flitter." the voice of Viverance sounded from the other side of the lair.
"How would you know?" Deniul asked.
"I passed Lantessama and saw them flying around. There's more than just this one. Apparently we're invited to come to the next halloween hatching. We'd have to dress up though."
"Too much of a hassle." Rauveil said.
"But I want to go!" Aricept whined, stomping her foot and attacking Rauveil with weak scratching attacks.
And whenever Aricept wanted something. She got it...

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[ HATCHING ]

All Hollow's Eve was scraping quietly and sinisterly at the door of the Lantessaman Sky when the last preparations for the large Balle Masquée were being finished. An hour later all guests had gathered, all in costume, some more exotic than others, which of course pleased Cyan. With drinks in hand the gathered crowd stood surrounding the mountain of eggs in varying shapes. Chatting could be heard above the softly playing music, sometimes Screams and laughter sounded. And then, suddenly...

Crack!

This time the water demon Viverance, who'd stayed behind at Lantessama at this year's Demon Clutch, was the chosen target. A small, eager male water serpent dragon with a mask covering his entire face and a body the colour of pure rapid waters swirled around him, trapping his long serpentine green body effectively.
"You wait!" Taki exclaimed who in his enthusiasm, announced his name to the entire cavern in a wild shriek, "Wait wait. You can't go yet!"
Cheers sprang up in the distance when another dragoness, a female winged fire, medium in size and warm colour to the eyes hatched and walked toward the candidates. For a moment she stood there, not knowing what to do, but the next a form broke through the crowd. One of the other resident demons, a female Fire demon named Gensterine, walked onto the sands, clearing away any unwanted misfits that would want to take what was hers.
"You are mine." she stated, "Do not forget it Ageha."
Four more eggs broke open in the center of the cavern. Two serpent dragons, a Water and an Eastern slithered off into the crowd, while the two winged ones, a Water and an Air, kept their distance a bit.
It was the Eastern serpent, a murky green dragoness with a beaded mask and short stubby feet that reached her target first. The pink demon Aricept. Lashing her tail impatiently she waited for Aricept to bend closer to her. Then with a single, barely audible whisper she stated, "Shitchi." making it sound like she had outed a threat.
The second to bond of this small group of four, was one of the winged dragons. A dark-coloured female with tiny wings and a pointy mask that continued down her spine as a ridge of thorns, moved quietly and calmly through the crowd, going over them all with her eyes as if they were mindless statues. Finally she stood in front of Rauveil, the most strict and severe of the Lantessama Daemons.
"I can see us agreeing over many things." she said, "My name is Ibara."
"I can see us disagreeing as well." Rauveil added, not budging under the pressure of her gaze, "I look forward to hearing your opinions."
"Hear them you shall."
The two of them were interrupted by the high-pitched squeals of Taki the Water serpent again as the last of the foursome, a very shy female water serpent about the same size as Taki, meaning small, approached Viverance.
"You came you came you came!" Taki kept shouting, making both Viverance and the newly arrived hatchling look slightly affronted and almost terrorized.
"It's ok Nori," Viverance said calmly, "He'll shut up, see." she quietly wrapped the other water serpent into her tail, squeezing him until no sound could leave his body. Reassured, Nori cuddled up closely to her bond and fell asleep.
A wild pursuit went in motion on the feeding tables as two cocktail dragons, an Apple male and a Strawberry female were fighting for the same little piece of orange. As they hissed and nipped at each other, neither of them noticed a third, a male Tequila, sneaking of with it. When they finally realised what had happened, the piece of fruit was long gone and the chase continued. The Apple and Strawberry now allies raced to capture the renegade Tequila. Within seconds they crashed into Gensterine, who, quietly petting Ageha did not wish for any interruptions. The demon hissed and turned to flame, only to find three more dragons bonded to her. Cursing she swatted them away and continued trying to keep from noticing them.
Another serpent finally slithered from in between the eggs. His brown body was covered with leaves that formed a crown on his head. Slithering, sometimes showing the tiniest speck of a long serpentine tongue, the Earth Serpent reached Deniul, the antropomorphic Daemon.
"How nicsse of you to wait for me to eatch." he said.
Deniul smirked and handed his newly arrived bond some meat that he'd been stashing away for later.
That left two dragons on the sand. One of them, a grey-coloured Eastern runner with a ridge of wispy, flowing mists walked, and then suddenly flashed from one side of the room to the other. For a moment he had certainly been invisible.
"Can I join you ladies?" he asked when he'd reached Aricept and Shitchi. "You see I love the swamp and I see we are of the same opinion."
While the clock started to count down to midnight, counting the tolls in the night air, the last of the dragons, a very large, very beautiful Earth Serpent dragoness in the darkest shades of green stood tall. Leaves and vines sprung up all over her body, obscuring her face.
And then, the hatching was over.

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[ THE AFTERMATH ]

Visit the Dragons.

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