“The void so… serine yet dark and cold.” I say with my… I guess eyes closed. “I wonder is there anything that I could do other then lay in this dark, cold, empty place,” I say and again I suddenly hear something it sounded like a… prayer or perhaps a cry for help from another. Wanting to see what caused the sound, I witness a bright flash and then I can now see with my… eyes. I'm not going to question it I’m just… glade; that I can now have sight. Looking around I see a… I guess world below me and I just know that’s where the sound came from somehow.
Looking around I see many creatures all just as cold as me but far more… frail then me. I continue to search for the source of the sound when I hear it again, but it came from a city with many creatures in it but surrounded by ice and snow, but all lay within in a patch of green with structures of crystal and timber. I search the city when I find the source it’s a shelter with a creature that has a light blue fur coat, white scales, and deep blue mane on its head and tail; as I can only describe this creature as a mix of: dragon, deer, and a unicorn but with a very long tail and with only a kind of… brown dress to wear on… herself, I guess; if the mounds on the chest are any indication of this creature's sex. She sits on the floor in front of a… shrine; dedicated to some kind of deity and with her hands in a praying steeple position and with eyes closed in prayer. Being just a bit curious as to why I heard any creature speak at all I decide to listen to this creature just as it takes a deep breath and begins to speak in a calm, peaceful manner, “o, great one who lays in the realm of spirit and soul I beseech thee. Fore me and my tribe ask for guidance and deliverance from this dying land fore the land has become stained with the blood of both loyalist and traitor alike. May you, o great spirit, grant us your faithful deliverance from this land and unto a land that remains unstained by the blood of the innocent and guilty alike, Amen.”
With what the creature said finished, the creature got up, bowed to the shrine, and left. “Curious, I should find out more about this one and what’s going on here,” I say and I proceed to then follow this creature. As the creature leaves the shrines area, I move around to the creatures’ front and I see her eyes. The creature’s eyes are the deepest most innocent shade of green mixed with blue. I stop to its side, but only for a moment and I return to continue to follow this lovely creature. As follow it I learn things about it such as it’s a mare, her name is Snow Light, she’s a Kirin, and right now she’s one of only three who are keeping the tribe together…for now.
As I continue to follow Snow Light I learn even more: she’s seen as the group’s chief, she uses her magic to help what little that can survive, grow, and is editable to grow, though this has made herself to be infertile, yet she seems to welcome it fore she feels it’s wrong to bring a child into a world that is so cold and stained with so much blood; and from what I can sense she’s not that far from the truth. She’s also one of the two leaders who remember life before… something that happened to the entire tribe. I’ll need to find out more about what happened to these Kirins’ at a later time.
As I continue to follow Snow, she stops to talk to one of the other leaders. This one has only two articles with both being a brown color and both are wraps that go around its chest with the other going around its waist, and has an orange fur coat, yellow-red scales, fire red mane, and tail, yet has soft blue eyes. This one is also a mare, but how did I sense this? …questions for another time. Refocusing on their conversation I earn that this one’s name is Blaze Light, she’s the younger sister to Snow Light, and she’s the leader of the hunters who both help to collect food and protect the tribe from attackers. Snow and Blade talk for a while before both go to find some other Kirin I have not seen as of yet.
I follow both Snow and Blaze I continue to listen to their conversation. Which is not of much interest to me and I quickly lose interest in it, but I continued to follow the two of them. As I follow them, I quickly take notice that there are alot more Kirin around now then before. I continue to follow and I soon find there one other sitting across from Snow and Blaze with arms crossed and looks rather unhappy. This Kirin has a deep green fur coat, light green scales, brown mane, and tail, with light blue eyes, and wearing a dress similar to Snow Lights just slightly less brown. As I listen in on their conversation which is oddly enough kind of entertaining. I very quickly find out why Snow was at that shrine and that the crystal empire is apparently in the middle of a bloody civil war between Sombra an umbra that wants to spread only darkness and release his race from their prison under the empire, yet he’s opposed by Princess Amora Cadenza who wants to imprison Sombra with the rest of his kin and to fix all of the damage he has caused.
As I listen in, I focus on this third Kirin whose name is: Snow Star, is a mare, she leads a group of Kirin who wish to remain neutral and to wait and see who will be victorious. However, I know from what little I learned of both of these armies that while this princess is more experienced than Sombra she ultimately can’t win this war of attrition; which is what it will come down to. I begin to feel a change and just as it came it left. Looking around myself I take notice of three thread-like lines connecting me to: Snow Light, Snow Star, and Blaze Light. I start to feel as if I need to make a decision for them and to do that, I must focus on one which will silence the other two… for a time.
I focus on Snow Light and direct her to declare an exodus from this place, and for Blaze to support the decision. After that, I watched as they made a plan: first the fighters would secure several of the transports; second, they’d load up as much of the tribe as possible, third escape and find a new land to call home. “Not the most imaginative plan, but will have to do…for now.” I say as I watched them continue to make the finer details and I see the thread-like lines disappear. “Curious, but perhaps this is why I’ve awakened from my slumber. I need to be the guide or perhaps even god of this tribe.” I say now with much greater interest in this tribe.
The next day I watch as the tribe’s fighters kill or knock-out the guards, commandeer and load the transports quietly and all without raising even the slightest alarm on either side. However, just as the airships take off one of them decides to make a lot of noise which gets the attention of Sombra who sends: an umbra commander with eight divisions each consisting of two-hundred soldiers. Sombras' forces rushed to intercept the Kirin and the Kirin fighters readied to clash with Sombras' forces, but then I saw a thread-like line form, yet it is connected to the ground between Sombras' forces and the Kirin. Looking to the line I saw away to buy time for the Kirin. Focusing on the thread-like line I order the ground to shake and for a fissure to open up between the Kirin and Sombras' army.
With the fissure now open Blaze Light ordered the fighters to board the transports, and with the transports airborne, I feel something. I feel as if I need to follow the Kirin, and not really having anything else to do. I follow the transports and I then see two rather moderately large-sized reptiles flying after the transports. Focusing on them I find that their dragons and they wish to go along with the Kirin.
The dragons then settle on an area with both dragons landing on one transport each. Not seeing any problems with them I focus back on to the three Kirin leaders and I find that their wanting to choose between four locations and again a thread-like line appears to connect me to the Kirin leaders. Not wanting to make the decision of a new home for them I settle on to Snow Star and direct her to call for a vote with the entire tribe taking part. After all, I can’t make all of these decisions for them now, that and I didn’t want to baby them after all the time. I will only do so much for them at any given time.
Snow Light pov; earlier that day after praying at the shrine
When I finish my prayer and leave the shrine I felt as if some-creature was watching me. It must be one of Sombras spies again. Letting out a sigh I go to collect Blaze because despite my reservations she has the total support of the hunters and other skilled fighters. Walking around the camp I find Blaze outside her tent sharpening a stone-tipped knife. “Blaze, good to see your awake this time,” I say to my sister who stops sharpening the knife and puts it away. “Well, this is the last meeting to resolve the issue of what we must do before the entire tribe splinters apart…(sigh) let’s just go before Snow Star makes the call because we did show up.” Says Blaze and we both hurry to the meeting.
We run through the camp and not long after we start running, we see the meeting spot. We slow down and take our place in the meeting across from Snow Star. “well, well, well you two finally show up I was about to call for a vote on if I should make the decision in your absence.” Says Snow Star who looks at us with her arms crossed. “As if we’d let you make this decision on your own epically after what,” I say as me and Blaze take our seats across from Snow Star.
We talked about possible solutions ranging from joining the war on the loyalists, or Sombras sides, joining the war by ourselves, even just remaining neutral in this needless conflict, but as the negotiations went on I felt that there was a fourth option that we have thus far neglected to bring to the table. “What if we left the crystal empire and search for a place to make our home,” I say and both Blaze and Snow Star stop talking at the same time. “Snow Light, that…is not such a bad idea it would most certainly be granted a couple years of hardship, but we could grow into our own culture and civilization without the interference of others.” Said Blaze with a tone that said that she agrees with me despite the isolation of our race and tribe. Snow Star moved to protest, but most of the tribe agreed with me and so held her tongue.
Smiling I looked to Blaze and said, “do you have any ideas on how to leave this land that won’t end I grievous losses for the tribe.” “Actually, believe it or not scouts have found an airfield containing several transports called airships. These machines can reach great altitudes far out of range of any magical attacks. “alright, well here’s the plan: Blaze and her warriors will attack the airfield at tomorrow night and take down the guards, next anyone who can pilot these airships will be first followed by the children, supplies, and adults; finally once take-off is achieved rush up to the clouds and from there chart a course for a new home.” I say and all were in agreement and so for now we rested, but tomorrow we’ll pack up and leave with hopefully few if any losses.
Blaze light pov; following day after meeting edge of airship airfield
I looked to my bow, then my quiver full of arrows, and finally my knife. All of them crudely crafted but would have to do for now. Looking at the sombrian watch tower I drew an arrow and notched it with my bow. Looking back to my sister who was busy keeping the newborns and children quiet and I remembered who I most wanted to survive this I drew my bow, took aim at the guard, and released. With just that one arrow the guard fell and I moved in while loading another arrow. As me and the other hunters and warriors moved, we kept taking down guards with most being kill on the sombraian behalf while the loyalists were knock-outs.
With all the guards either knocked-out or dead, I signaled for the pilots to move-in with everyone else getting ready to move and board the airships. Once the pilots got onboard the children and supplies were the first things to board with the expecting mothers second, then the skilled workers were next to get on board, and finally everyone else. Once everyone who wasn’t a hunter or warrior was onboard the airships then started to make alot of noise and Sombras’ forces started to converge on the airfield. Me and the other fighters got ready for a fight, but then the ground shook and a fissure opened between us and Sombra’s forces. Looking to the airships I saw that three of the five had taken off and I made the decision, “everyone board an airship any still here is getting left behind.” I shout out so everyone can hear me and I run to the airship my sister is while I drop my bow and quiver of arrows. Running as fast as I can I board the airship Snow Light is on and I search for her.
I search for her all while the airship shakes and rumbles until it stops. Now that the airship stops shaking and rumbling, I then continued to search for my sister and perhaps even lover.
Snow Star pov; abound an airship with Snow Light and Blaze light, on the bridge deck with navigation charts on a table.
After the airships finished their rough takeoff and got into a line formation with each airship side by side, and with bridges build using some of the extra supplies a meeting was called on the central most vessel to plot a course for a new home. but there were too many possible destinations to decide on but in the end, it came down to four options with each being highly defensible, but the choice would have to be made using several century-old information from before the first of the great winters’ frosts.
Colossal Rest: environment: hidden mountainous hot spring/grove, climate: cold year-round, resources: low, population support: poor, habituated: unknown, status of habitation: unknown
Hidden Valley: environment: hidden mountain grove, climate: chilly year-round, resources: low to moderate, population support: alright, habituated: no, status of habitation: unknown
Twisting Towers: environment: mountain range with deep caverns, climate: temperate, resources: poor to low, population support: great, habituated: yes, status of habitation: one Ursa family that is probably alive
Peaches Fall: environment: hidden valley waterfall/grove, climate: temperate, resources: great, population support: moderate, habituated: no, status of habitation: unknown
Looking over our options I couldn’t decide on where to go, then I got an idea the for better or worse would impact the whole tribe, “let’s have the whole tribe decide because this is a decision that none of us can make on our own.” I say and both Blaze and Snow Light agree and so we copied the options onto many, many sheets of paper and got ready for distribution of them to each member of the tribe.
Then we heard a banging sound coming from outside and that’s when a Kirin ran inside and spoke from the doorway, “ma’ams we got some unexpected tagalongs.” Looking to each other we gather the sheets and exit the bridge to see two adolescent dragons on the two left most airships. Looking to the Kirin that rushed in we silently agreed on something for the second time today, “since you were so kind as to interrupt our meeting you get to distribute these sheets to the entire tribe and we expect you to collect all of them later tonight, understood.” The Kirin only nodded, collected all the sheets, and left to distribute them about the tribe.
Turning to face the dragons we approached them and just like that we got their attention. “Ah, so you Kirin managed to get away with these airships.” Said the closest dragon who sounded female and did so with a smile. Then the other dragon moved its head to look at us and it sounded male but kept a straight face, “we wish to join you on your exodus. Fore the fighting in the crystal empire has reached a fever pitch and is no place to start a family.” Next the female spoke and this time it also had a straight face, “we can prove you with from other dragons. So long as you don’t mind us building a horde nearby your village.” Looking to both of them I ask, “Is that all you desire: a home, and a safe place to raise your children; and in exchange you’ll protect us from other dragons.” Both of the dragons’ answer, “yes.” I look to Blaze and Snow Light, neither moved to raised a counter-argument as to why these two should be denied. Looking back to the dragon coupe I tell them, “very well so long as you uphold your end of the agreement. We see no reason to ask you both to leave.” The draconic couple looked at us and smiled before saying, “thank you,” and going to rest on the airships.
Looking to snow and Blaze light I sigh and say, “at least they’re only adolescent dragons and not adults otherwise we would have lost two-fifth of the tribe, and at least we can still kind of move around on those two airships decks that they’re resting on.” And both Blaze and Snow Light walk back to the bridge cabin. “It’s gonna be a long flight to our new home,” I say and go to follow them into the bridge cabin.