BACK to the main page? Flying at Cy Dragonstake (Nesting at Rookery, records at Carramba)

<-- Fix is responsible for Amphithorinath, and Toko... well she's along for the ride.

Name: Amphithorinath
Bond: Fix
Gender: Male
Style: 4-winged Lightning Black
Breed: Fira/Hathian
Colors: Black, orange, silver, gold
Adult Size: Very Small
Abilities: Lightning Breath

Bonded atRing of Fire!

Name: Toko
Bond: none
Gender: Female
Style: Bipedal electric
Breed: Gift Exchange Requestie
Colors: Grey, Static, Black
Adult Size: Very Small
Abilities: Electric zappies, current/voltage control, static electricity manipulation
From: Nexus Exchange, drawn by Phoenix

(originally on main list page, moved 2023)

It was clear that the group of dragon riding mall crawlers would become the hit of the season. To hear Viddie say it, they had taken the whole of the Mall culture and impacted it to leave their distinct footprint on it.

The neighboring communities, most especially the science labs where Creepie had been created or altered (he still wasn't really able to tell anyone quite what it was), took note. Attack after attack, it seemed like the science guys were getting funding from somewhere.

Call would probably have said something - had she known. But she was off doing some other important work. The work she'd do would impact them all, some day.

One fine day however, the fight for the Mall gained a new defender in the form of a small slip of a pale colored dragoness. Static electricity danced between her neck tines and immediately everyone knew that she was meant to stay. She held herself on two legs, always watching everything around her.

"Well, do you think she could stay?" Asked Fix, who seemed to be the most appropriate caretaker of this exotic little girl. Since she'd found his dragon Amphithorinath fascinating anyway, DJ and Velcro conferred with the others, and she was given equal status to the rest of the dragons. No one would ride her - she was barely big enough for that. And besides, her electric tines made it hard for anyone to stay on her back too long - their hair would stand up if they remained!

Toko was her name - she'd only told Amphi. But most people called her Livewire or Sparky, or lint trap for that matter... She could walk through a dusty shop and clean it instantly by virtue of generating a little static and then running outside. A cloud of dust would follow her - and she would get a good cleaning by the few brave souls who liked getting shocked every couple minutes.

She was fierce and able to defend her part of the Mall with Amphi well enough, she pulled her weight. Some day, everyone knew, she and all the other females would probably start pairing off with their favored males. When that day would come though, no one could guess.

**

It had been six years since the group of Mall Crawlers had gone off to bond. The dragons had situated themselves in the mall firmly, with regular attacks of varying intensity from the science labs the whole time.

Several of the males had gone off to fly mating rituals, a couple came back winners. The youngest children born in the mall were now younger than the dragons... Yet no dragons have been born here. People could tell that the dragons were getting antsy to mate, but they didn't have a truly appropriate place to fly or lay eggs. Plus, an extended flight with the dragons distracted like that might leave the Mall vulnerable to a well-timed attack.

Quiet little Toko was the one who nudged her way toward Fix, setting him up for a great burst of static energy. Amphitorinath said nothing, of course, because he loved to see his bond rider in those comedic moments.

"... Don't even think about it, Toko," Fix said, with half a grin. "You know I can smell you now, you smell just like a piece of fried motherboard..."

Toko lowered her head and tail in defeat, equally as silly as Fix would had been, had she snuck up on him and shocked him. Amphi chuckled. It's all right, Toko, you'll get him next time. When we come back.

"Back, what do you mean 'back'?" Fix asked, putting his tools down and standing. The feeling he got from Amphithorinath was one of immense pride and happiness. "Aaaahh, I see," Fix laughed. "Well then, you two have fun. Where are you headed?"

Amphithorinath flaired his back wings, We have chosen Cy Dragonstake, though I do not know how long we will be gone, that blue dragon, Jeremoth, showed us some exceptional time-traveling techniques.

Fix looked at the dragon with a bit of concern, "Well, don't get lost. And bring pictures back of the hatchlings. I'm sure Hobbit will want to jot down a record of them."

The dragons left Fix and his workshop shortly, and vanished into the morning sky.

* * *

Cy Dragonstake welcomed the pair, and cleared airspace around the tower - though several locals wondered how much space they really needed to open, the dragons were so tiny. Amphithorinath had arranged in advance their flight time, but it was Toko's call as to when she actually went up. Would anyone else chase her? Would it really be as cut and dried as that? Amphi looked around and noticed one or two other males taking an interest. That couldn't be good - look at the size of that one, Tvinkal? While Amphi had to admit that the Ring of Fire born dragon was handsome and would probably make sturdy young - this was his flight! His female!

Then there was a Talis born brown, Raihath. Amphithorinath actually felt a bit of kinship with the brown, in an odd way. Because their riders were both a bit... geeky? But still - this was not a good sign! The other males were much bigger than he, and probably had more experience in flights. But, shortly, it wasn't going to matter much. Toko had given a little trill, the noisiest she'd been in months, and with that she took to the air.

She rose quickly into the low clouds, her strong wings leaving a vapor trail when she dipped below the white layer. She could be seen but barely, her markings made her seem like a line of darkness in an otherwise white cloud.

Amphithorinath wasted no time in getting himself into the air. His four wings, while they seemed like they'd get in each other's way, were hardly an issue. He was quick in the air, unlike the brown Raihath - who was stronger and could clearly last much longer in the air. Behind but only because he'd been looking the other way and hadn't heard Toko's trilling call, Tvinkal sprang up and swept along the ground rather than heading into the clouds. He kept his head up, and eventually rose to join the chase.

Still in the lead, but worried now that he'd lost his prize, Amphithorinath cast around, his masked-marked eyes searched the clouds and looked for the telltale sign of ... Toko!

She had begun a sharp dive from the clouds, trailing more vapor and giving off a sheen of ... static? Amphithorinath grinned to himself - he pulled back a little, letting his arm-wings rest while he glided with his back-wings. He knew this game... He'd watched Toko do mock-flights, and what happened when...

Tvinkal went for it, rising as she dove. Brown Raihath was building speed, though he was still nearly three times the little female's size and knew he had to hold back anyway. Tvinkal, with his muse rider watching below (grinning like an idiot) began to shadow Toko's every move. She had to admit, he was a very good flier. Quick, for a larger sized dragon. But quickness wouldn't have much to do with his action. Having gotten close enough that his strongest urge was to reach down and grasp the female, wrap his tail around her body...

She gave off a tremendous static shock! It zapped him, not with a hard electric jolt but with a stinging tingle, leaving Tvinkal numbed and wondering why his wings wouldn't respond to his flapping urge... He plummeted downwards, but caught himself and shook out of his surprised stupor before crashing. Glancing up, he saw that Amphi and Raihath were now circling the spot where Toko had rocketed back into the clouds.

Wary now, the brown wondered what had just happened. Had she thought to him? Had she bitten him? He hadn't quite seen, they were below him at the time and he barely even saw Toko in the process. She had shot past him on her way back into the clouds, and Raihath could have sworn he heard the female laughing.

Amphithorinath flew into the clouds, more secure now that there was only one other male in the flight. The clouds here at Cy were so much cleaner, he didn't have to shake off his head so often - the purity of the water, not so much acid... He smelled his female before him, sooner than he saw her. She was leaving a tremendous trail - to one as he, who was also a lightning typed dragon.

But though he was bold, he was not big! Brown Raihath came thundering through the clouds, breaking Amphi's concentration and causing Toko to give off a surprised squeek. He almost caught her with one quick paw, but suddenly Raihath knew he was much too large to be pursuing such a female. His neck was longer than she was! Before he got zapped too, Raihath gave a bugle of defeat and circled down to the ground.

Amphithorinath's excitement at this was now overwhelming. Toko was ... somewhere... where? Again he searched and now had to put all four wings into chasing her. For a tiny little dragoness, Toko had a lot of endurance and had been up there for almost twenty minutes at this rate, showing little sign of fatigue.

Thunder grew in a rumbling pattern above, their stirring of the clouds was actually making a big difference in the weather. Toko appeared to Amphithorinath's left, giggling, leaving a trail of sparks behind her. Her neck spines glowed, and suddenly she opened her mouth --

Though it was not lightning like Amphi could breathe, Toko's breath seemed to sparkle in the air, dispersing into the clouds and reappearing below onto the ground as shocking 'hailstones'.

That's a new trick, Amphi commented. He belched out a concentrated blast of lightning, shaking the clouds. Toko sped downwards, but drew up back into a clear spot in the skies (growing rarer with their stirring the clouds) and Amphi followed her. They spiraled together up above the puffy clouds, into the afternoon sun. As they paired, thunder and lightning began to rumble through the skies of Cy Dragonstake. It would certainly be a well-remembered flight!

***

Since Cy Dragonstake vanished (thanks AOL, thanks a lot) their nest will be placed at the Rookery, and they're sure to find some good bonds and sponsorships both there and through the Nexus.