Holly Daye

Winter Snowe

Evie Greene

The Chorale group met for the last time before the holiday break, discussing where they'd each be performing or how long they'd be in their vacation destination. Caroline, the clone who ran the class, was headed back to Bugtown with her clone sister Caroline who taught the Chaos Geometry courses. A couple more of them and the whole school could have her as a teacher at least once a day!

A good half dozen kids in the class would be remaining in town, while a lot of others had pooled their resourses and were going to a skiing trip. There were local activities planned, and the rest would probably be meeting at one or more of those. As the class bell rang and they headed to their next courses, the inseperable trio of Holly, Snow and Evergreen hugged and split up. They'd be back together after school, as they always were.

During 8th period they were essentially in the same place - doing very different activities. The very active Holly and well balanced Evie were on the track, practicing their different skills. And Snowe was there on the edge of the track and field hill watching with the rest of her relaxation class.

Suddenly, professor Neko, the Relaxation Tech instructor, puffed up all fuzzy and gave of a startled yeowl. The whole class followed him - well, most of the class. Some folks had just fallen asleep there on the hill.

"What was that all about?!" asked Snowe, cleaning soda off her shoulder from where one of the other students had sprayed her in surprise. "Professor Neko?"

The feline-person settled back down, but couldn't seem to get his tail to stop being poofy. "Sorry, just ... smelled something strange, something canine. You know how I get around dogs, right?" He chuckled nervously.

"Well we do now," Snowe said. She glanced around, and saw the source of his distress. It was a canine all right, but it had wings, and many tails too. "Now that's a cute puppy!" she said, and gave a little whistle to catch its attention. Though she could tell it was in a hurry to go somewhere, it trotted up to the hill anyway. Such was her ability to make friends!

The animal was clearly intelligent, and on arrival proved to be female. She barked a few times, flexed her wings - she had two pairs - and wagged half her tails while the others were standing happily up. Mentally, then, she said, would you like something?

"Oh! You ... well I don't know, you just showed up, I was wondering what you wanted here? Poor prof Neko," she glanced at the feline who was all but sprinting away down to the field. Maybe he had something to do down there. More likely he was following his spliced gene instincts and fleeing the big doggie...

The creature turned and looked, it almost appeared that she would have given a quick chase just to see what Neko would do. But instead she turned back to the students who were now gathering. I am here to recruit caretakers for others of my breed. Egyptans need company, you know. Especially those on their way. Some of the staff have offered to help raise them, but what about you? Do you have time to devote to an Egyptan like me?

Snowe jolted a little, and some of the others in the class nudged her. "Well, yeah, I guess I do! What about my friends?" They looked down the incline, to the track where the cheerleading squad was finalizing a routine, and the Biathalon students were packing their air guns away. The class bell rang, ending the school day - behind the hill could be heard the jubilant cheers of three thousand students suddenly free for their winter break!

Your friends would be welcome to try, call them over. The Egyptan said, sitting down. The staff members who were going to meet her came up the hill along with the girls. Chatting among themselves, the Egyptan and staff members decided that it would be best to find students who were staying for the break, instead of those headed off on vacations. Since these three were remaining, and had no prior committments to deal with at home, they were to each receive a coccoon that would hatch shortly.

As the girls watched, their coccoons started to break open at almost the same time. They were spending the night at Evie's place, somewhere past the beach. She teleported everyone there and her parents were pretty happy to have folks over for a holiday dinner.

What with them being 'West' of Cali and everything, not everyone from that plane of reality could teleport as easily as Evie could. Her dad did a bit of hopping, and was thrilled that they were going to play host to an Egyptan as well!

It was obvious which coccoon was whose, and certainly the little Egyptan cubs responded to their owners with glee. Greenie would lay around on the warm ground near Evie, while Puffybuffy lept around trying to fly (with limited success having tiny cub wings), and Reddy ... well he was just there underfoot nipping at Holly's fingers whenever it looked like she needed help.

"They're so awesome," Evie laughed, petting the evergreen-scented Egyptan at her side. Each of them had a different feel - Puffy was soft but sort of chilly, while Reddy was like velvet.

"But will they grow up before break ends, or do we get to bring them to school because they're too young to leave alone?" Asked Winter.

"I'm going to bring Reddy with me anyway," Holly said. "I've seen them around campus, I can't see why not."

So they agreed, in two weeks at the end of Winter break, they'd be finding the other Egyptan owners and letting their trio mix with the others on campus.

Name: Reddy
Type: Santa's Little Helper
Age: Teen, Male

Name: Puffybuffy
Type: Snowball
Age: Teen, Female

Name: Greenie
Type: Needles
Age: Teen, Female

It took until almost the end of the school year, before the Egyptans were actually grown up. Half a dozen others were there, in the newly made 'Attendant Animal Care Shelter' on campus. Flitters, small dragons, cats, frogs, Egyptans and Ferilons sat in comfort in the large room, it was much bigger on the inside than the outside, some kind of magical portal or filter or something allowed that to happen in many areas of the campus. But it was especially helpful here, where the animals needed room to run or bask in the ...

"Is that a sun under the ceiling?" Asked Snowe, "I mean... indoors?"

"Yes, it is," said one of the attendants. "Your Puffybuffy stays clear of it, we have a 'nocturnals and light-aversive' area for those types." He waved his hand at the dome off to the left, where it was shaded and kept cool. Though the Egyptan was in no danger of 'melting', the Snowball cub along with her companions liked it in the cool shade better than out here where the other sunny-day types romped. They were in good company, though, and had never complained.

"Well it's ... been fun," Holly said, sadly. "But I won't be coming back next year, I've graduated. These two will be here again... Maybe I should volunteer some time here so they can be together like they have been..." The other girls agreed, their older friend would be sorely missed when they got back to school for their Soph year. And how could they possibly spilt up the trio of wintry Egyptans!

Name: Reddy
Type: Santa's Little Helper
Age: Adult, Male

Name: Puffybuffy
Type: Snowball
Age: Adult, Female

Name: Greenie
Type: Needles
Age: Adult, Female

(had been page holiday2)

Though the time would pass slowly, Winter and Evie finally graduated and the trio were attending C4 - Crescent City Community College - together.

They'd always been quite popular with people because of their singing voices, and remained on the chorale and singing groups wherever they could. But also, their Egyptan friends were always a hit especially when carolling. The group went around to the dorms on Carramba's campus, to cheer up the folks who had been left over the holidays, those who couldn't return to their homes because they were too far away - in space or time or dimensions - or just didn't care to head back to their families. But they also went into the staff and faculty apartments, singing up and down the halls until the adults came out of their condos and listened.

Two men standing in the back seemed particularly interested, though not for singing purposes. The blond haired man sang along wonderfully, while the black-haired one merely smiled and swayed a bit. As the group of listeners split up, Crazy Doc Sanger and his room mate Gabriel (the angel, gabriel, you know the one?) hung back and waited.

"Your Egyptans are doing well," Sanger said, "and you three really sing beautifully."

"Thank you," Holly said, with a bit of a blush. "We take cookies and ribbons for thanks," she laughed.

"Actually," Sanger said, "you should really take your songs on the road, get out a little farther than just Carramba."

"We're still going to college," said Winter, "but thank you."

"You could do that too," the dark-haired man said with a bit of a smile. "I think you should come see what we've been holding on to," he indicated their apartment. Normally the girls wouldn't consider going into the apartment of the school's Interrogation professor - but his room mate was an angel after all, and trusted him, so they did.

"Are those eggs?" Asked Evie, "sweet! What are they?" The Egyptans too were padding around the place, sniffing everything, and wound up staring at the gently rocking eggs. There were several eggs, some big and some small, colorful and drab. Some were rather warm and wiggling. It was to those that the trio were drawn.

From one came a pastel white with lovely markings, who gazed at Winter and gave off a cooing noise. She immediately latched on to her, learning that her name was Locci-Baykith.

Another showed a bright red and black wingless dragonet, who stumbled up to Evie and pressed his wet nose into her hand. "I like him! He's named Sasum," she hugged her new friend, as Greenie came to investigate.

Though there were two eggs and only one of the girls left, they both hatched and promptly scampered (in as much as they could) toward Holly.

"I'm CoriCori, and this is Xaedith," the red with black wings said - they were ... much bigger than hatchlings, how exactly was this happening? In fact the room seemed much smaller with the newly 'hatched' dragons.

"Wait," Holly said, "you're not saying you're both ... for me?"

"Presents like this come to those who deserve them," Xaedith said.

"But you're not even a hatchling!" Said Evie, who was struggling to keep Sasum from climbing all the way over her shoulder and into the balcony.

"That is true," the black and red dragon said, "but who says eggs must hatch merely newborns?"

The trio of girls looked at the two man standing there, who innocently looked around and hid the remains of the basket. It was of course a dimensional portal, but the young women didn't need to know that.

Instead, what they needed to know was where they were going to keep dragons like this while they were at school!

((from Molly, link to Starburst))

Name: Locci-Baykith

Gender: Female

Colour: Pastel Red/Green-marked White

Length: 20'

Parentage listed on this page: Kyji-Zetath formerly morel 2005; CLAIMED BY SHARD 2022

Sponsored by: Winter

Name: Sasum Pulgun, the red deer.

Sponsored by: Evie Greene

Size: 4'7" at rear hip

Powers - Basic psionics (very weak teleportation and telekinesis, and rudimentary telepathy) and 'holiday spirit' Giftie from Kilandaia

Name: CoriCori
Sponsored by: Holly Daye
Gender: Female
Colour: Red-Black markings
Species: Starburst Mutt
Size: Medium-small
Abilities: Holiday cheer, improbable stealth in winter conditions, snowflake creation (breath), knows every carolling tune ever written

Name: Xaedith Uena'Aisi
Sponsored by: (NPC - adopted by Shard) - Holly Daye
Gender: Male
Colour: Black-Red
Species: Supermutt (Old World / Whorling / Blood Court Vella Crean / Gryvern / Lesser Kynnese / Schattarneki / Geperna / Whorling / Featherdragon / Danachian / SCD / Iullerbrillan)
Size: Medium
Abilities: Telepathy. Verbal Speech. Teleportation. Assisted Firebreath. Conjure Fire. Influence Fire. Blood Magic.

Both from Starburst

(had been page holiday3)

It was a year after their wonderful bonding to the dragons, that Holly, Winter and Evie went carolling again. They'd never gotten out of the habit of course, and now that they had dragons, they decided to take it on the road a little. Or into the air. There were several such groups now, some of them even had dragons that sang. CoriCori and Sasum were able to help the girls' singing, Sasum happily amplifying their voices (as they were still seated upon the dragons' backs, Evie on CoriCori since Sasum was quite small). It was Sasum who first got a weird look on his muzzled face.

He tilted his head, looked up into the sky.

I am needed, I think... I would like to go somewhere, if that is all right?

"We can go wherever you want to, Sasum!" Evie chuckled. "Where to?"

The other dragons looked toward their little partner, and the Egyptans started yipping excitedly.

With that, the flurry of snow that almost blinded them when they all took off, landed at the empty street: they were already gone through the multiverse.

***

"Oh I hope he gets in, this is so exciting!" Evie said, clapping her mittened hands together in a muffled way. All the dragons that had gathered at Malnev were sort of like him. Okay, some were massive, others small like him; but all of them had one thing in common: they were deer-dragons. Antlers galore, some had wings, some didn't, it was clear that one or two were also his species! A big flight, with special dragons made for each other!

However that wasn't all the attendees - there were visitors watching, from scattered dragonries and worlds. One of those seemed to take an interest in this little group. It wasn't subtle, either.

She was white as snow, but her wingsails dark as an evergreen tree. A truly lovely dragon, from a distance. Her eyes swirled blue and happy sparkling silver. She tripped over a small rock in her path, tumbled face-first into the snow. But undaunted, she continued, ever looking right at Xaedith, the object of her affection apparently.

She tripped again, staggered sideways and bumped into a tree, loosing all of its powdered snow onto her and Xaedith. However, the black and red dragon didn't much mind. He tossed his head, getting the glowbobs out of his eyes.

Clearly young, this white-green didn't stand much taller than Sasum, but she would definitely grow. Xaedith pushed his nose toward hers, a draconic greeting that she gleefully echoed - butting his head and making both of them wince backwards.

"Ooooh what a klutz," Winter muttered. She then suddenly realized that this dragoness was heading toward her. Winter's eyes went wide.

I like him! Can I keep him? Oh wait, can you keep me? I won't get in the way I promise, seriously. She tucked her wings down toward her sides, pulled down her neck and wrapped her tail around her feet to look 'small'. See? You won't even notice me!

"Oh I think we'll notice you, that's okay! What's your name? We'll take care of you, little one." Winter laughed. As the dragoness unfolded her wings, her tail got caught around one of her spars, and she literally rolled onto her side trying to untangle herself. The dragon's name was Ruiath, and she nestled next to Xaedith with a purr. He seemed to like this whole arrangement too, which was nice.

They all looked at Sasum, now, whose eyes widened, and he scampered off to sign in to the flight here at Malnev!

***

It was past most of the Holidays, and the trio and their assorted friends came back to Carramba after exhaustive flights and frenzies and all. There was still a tree or two up in windows in houses, but almost all the decorations had been taken down from the malls. They'd have to get back to their regular college classes, now.

Well, almost.

They reached their own spacious apartment - they'd decided that rather than stick at home all this time, they took advantage of the Dragonry sponsored dorms near C4, sponsored by the likes of Alabaster, SilverKnight and the others who had a stake in the up and coming draconic lifestyle of the city. Crescent and Talon cities were slowly but surely leading the way in dragon-human integration.

It looked like the door to their hallway had been moved open a little, which was odd this time of year. It wasn't frigid but they liked to keep the doors shut just in case... But they all noticed that the half-dead plants that their neighbor (who was really pretty weird and they never expected to have any kind of dragon to his name) kept were fully blooming and looked quite pretty right now. How had he managed that? It smelled of evergreens, the holiday smells that they all loved.

The Egyptans sniffed something, and by this time the girls knew there would be something interesting nearby. They weren't aggressively barking, so it was friendly, whatever it was.

It turned out to be a rather unique looking creature... Another wingless dragon, and one which Sasum trotted up to to investigate. She was darkly green, like... like the shadows of a Christmas tree! And upon her crown-shaped head were glowing lights, almost as though they were from a decoration! A big bow adorned her tail. Their Christmas tree hadn't been taken down either, and they all had expected to see it brown and crispy. But instead, it was vividly alive, and it was due in absolutely no doubt, to this new dragon they would befriend.

"Matilda," she announced, bowing. Their dorm was accomodating for the smaller dragons, but she was a little too large for comfort there. "I took the liberty," she showed off the living plants and the holly draping everything, "I hope you do not mind."

"I love it!" Evie exclaimed, rushing up, "it's lovely! Ooh, you're cold to the touch - like ice!"

"Of course I am, I am an Ice Queen after all." She didn't say it with any kind of venom, just to have said what she really was. It was obvious that Evie was latched on to her, and though she didn't have wings, she would be more than big enough to actually ride, unlike Sasum.

Now they were complete: everyone had two dragon friends, and an Egyptan! They had all manner of abilities around them, not the least of which was Matilda's to put frost over things, and help their plants grow. So they formulated a plan...

The Holidays never had to end!

And they won't, even in 2013!

Bond: Uarkar (Winter)

Name • Ruiath
Age • Young
Gender • female
Species • Dragon (Darkling Dawn bred)
Height • 6'2" shoulder
Color• white green
Abilities • Telepathy, teleportation, very minor telekinesis, fire production (assisted)

Name: Matilda
Gender: female
Species: Ice queen
Abilities: Freeze, cure, grow plants
Size: 12'
Colour: dark green
Personality: reserved, wise, outgoing

Sponsored by: Evie Greene (and Sasum)

(had been page holiday4)

It had become quite the tradition, this trio of girls and their attendant pets, dragons and such, that they look for any spare dragons that might have slipped through the cracks or become lost on their way to their proper bonds. So it didn't surprise anyone when they encountered a batch of 'red and green' dragons from the Healing Den in 2013!

A lovely threesome of wayward dragons - some quite intense - approached. Holly was the first to realize that she'd Impressed her beautiful dark green and red dragoness. After all, Oquefinith's powers included 'surprise!'

Winter was also surprised, but not from a power - more because the similarly-sized and also-green dragon that approached her was male, and spoke out loud to her! "If you're ever in need of cheering up, I'm sure I, Lewensth, can do the job!"

It was Evie who got to tell her friends that their last member, Alster-aili, was a distant relative of Xaedith's!