Espra and Ressonor

Espra walked around the side of her house. She and her nephew, Ressonor, who was in fact more like a brother to her shared this house with her parents. Ressonor's parents, his mother the sister from her father, had died when he had been too young to take care of himself. Her parents had taken in Ressonor before Espra was 5 years. She couldn't remember the time when he had not been her brother.
Another thing that made their bond stronger was that they looked like each other. Both of them had faint brown hair that lightened substantially in Summer. They were both rather small for their age, Espra was 16, Ressonor 17 and loud mouthed. They were considered rascals when they were younger, always working on some plans to get more fun out of life. As long as they didn't upset anyone they didn't get in trouble for it at home.
But this day might be the day they would really get into trouble. When Espra took the corner she saw Ressonor standing. She had always known when he was up to something, she was surprised her parents couldn't tell. He always looked like this, daring, sticking out his chest as if he was a prized rooster. Boys and their pride!
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"Nothing." he said, smiling a bit nervously.
"You don't hide anything from me!" she said, "Spill it!"
Ressonor sighed. It was true, Espra sometimes knew him better than he new himself. She could do that with more people, like she had watched into their minds and seen how they worked, though Espra just insisted that she made connections easy.
"Faerie draks." he said.
"What about them?"
"Wouldn't you want some?"
"Maybe vulpa's would be more suited for work on a farm.
"Nah. They could get sidetracked in the woods." Ressonor said.
"And faerie draks couldn't?" she asked.
"Ok they could... I just want to get a faerie drak."
"Just one?" she asked.
"Just one... that's how bad I want one."
That was right. Ressonor mostly saw things big and let the details to Espra. It was most likely why they were such a good team. When Ressonor started to think small it meant that he was really focused. A rare thing.
"How are you figuring this could happen?" she asked.
"Generally you walk into a castle, ask nicely and they give you eggs." Ressonor said, "It's so easy it's hardly worth being called a plan."
"But how do we get there." Espra asked, "We're days away from the nearest Castle."
"Only by Foot! Today I saw a Knight and I talked to him. He's willing to take us to Chindor Castle, a young castle on one of the islands."
"Us?" Espra asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well I knew you'd want to come along."
"Did you know?"
"Of course, we always want the same things once one of us tells the other what it is we want."
"It's that easy for you maybe." Espra said looking rather make-believe shocked.
"It's that easy for you too. Remember the raspberry treats? Hate them... yet when you want some I feel like I would die if I didn't get some as well."
"Interesting... You should get yourself checked out." Espra said.
"Come on. Lloyd is waiting."
"Lloyd?"
"The Knight." Ressonor said, "One word of advise: Do not comment on his hair. Nearly ruined it all for me."
While Espra pondered what the hair-thing might be they came closer to the local pub. Which was only half a mile away. 5 minutes of walking at the most.
"Lloyd?" Ressonor asked when they got closer.
"Yes?" someone said behind them. 
When Espra turned she could nearly kill her nephew. It was easy to say you shouldn't comment on a hair-thing. It was another deal entirely when that someone was standing in front of you, bright pink hair going in all directions.
"Eh... Hi." she said, trying to not burst out laughing.
"When can you take us?"
"Now in fact."
Lloyd whistled and a plant drak -what else?- walked from behind the corner. The male let Lloyd help them up and then flew off. Espra and Ressonor knew the drak was going to make a portal next, but when they went through, they were surprised at how it felt. Nothing like anyone else had told them.
They surfaced at the other end of the planet, flying above a castle on a cliff, looking out over the waves.
"Chindor Castle." Lloyd said.
He dropped them off and disappeared without as much as a direction. A little bit lost they stood in front of the castle and waited.
"Need anyone?" someone asked.
"Faerie drak eggs." Ressonor said, smiling widely to show his good intentions. Of course his smile mostly just frightened the female knight. She looked at Espra who nodded and looked more sane. Finally the woman shrugged and led them in. They passed hallway after hallway and finally entered a small room filled with sand and little boxes.
"Take an egg and wait for it to hatch, then feed it." she said left, "I'll be down the hall if you need me."
There they were, alone in the small chamber, each with an egg in their hand.
"This feels stupid." Espra said, "What if they are duds?"
"Then we take other ones." Ressonor said.
Like they meant to prove him wrong, the eggs suddenly started shaking. Ressonor's sprung first. Suddenly he was no longer holding an egg, but a golden-red Fire Faerie drak. Espra's hatched only seconds later, a soft green-blue water who chirped hungrily as she got up.
While they were feeding them they discussed names.
"Mine will be Douwe." Ressonor said.
"Unusual..." Espra commented, "I think I'll just go for plain Mocca." she grinned.

Fire Faerie Douwe (m) and Water Faerie Mocca (f)

"Now what's next?" Espra said when her Faerie drak had went to sleep on her arm, it's nails pressed gently in her skin, "How do we get back?"
"Should we get back already?" Ressonor asked, like most children he had dreamed of pairing a drak at least once in his life.
"I wouldn't mind staying... but we'll be missed at home. Summer is coming."
"It will take months before it's Summer!" Ressonor argued. "Besides, there are two clutches nearly full. I say we fill those up. Full clutches usually mean imminent hatchings."
"I know. You're not the only one who dreamed about it." Espra said.
"So will you do it?"
"We would be far from each other in different castles." Espra objected. "It's one thing to stay away together, but alone?"
"No harm will come to us! We're in the safest places on Icarus."
"If you don't count accidents involving draks sitting on people!"
"That's never happened?"
"Oh no? I'm sure it has, I mean if someone as irritable as you walks past they're bound to sit on him. Or you for that matter."
"Like they wouldn't hesitate when you walked past!" Ressonor told her, "I mean, you're the one who gets all my plans in working order."
"Somebody has to!"
"So why not now? It would just be another scheme. Another one of our plans."
"Now it are suddenly our plans?" Espra asked.
Ressonor threw his arms back in frustrations. Why did she do this! She never used to fight back like this. Was puberty finally hitting her? Wasn't puberty suppose to come sooner?
"I'm doing it with or without you." he finally said holding down his foot.
"Ok, I'm going along. But first thing after you pair is send me a message."
"Only if you do it too."
"Where are we going?" Espra asked.
"I'd like DesCas."
"Then I'll take Dun Keiba." she finished.

Espra and Rain Deneduri  -  Ressonor and Desert Plurios

Back to Castle DesCas
Espra is aspirant at Dun Keiba
Ressonor is aspirant at Castle DesCas
Faerie draks from Chindor Castle
Background image was found here