Aging

Cathedral's wings caught an updraft and she let it carry her high above her companions, taking in the view from above. The air of Isla Kela was still to be savoured, her lungs still weak from their months spent in the Ashlands of Isla Pera. Cassidy had been looking keenly at her for the last few weeks of their time there, perking up at the slightest hint of a cough. Cathedral had been paranoid that she had noticed the sickness that had plagued her and was about ...

The arid landscape rolls and undulates like the back of a great beast, peppered with jagged rocks, gnarled trees, and tenacious shrubs. It is a harsh land, where everything clings to life and survives by sheer force of will. Despite the conditions, there is indeed life here. Small reptiles make their homes in the cooler crevices of rocks and caves. Small mammals burrow under the semi-loose dusty ground. But its the much larger creatures here that must be smart to survive. A dusky-purpl...

“I wish to have a walk around the grounds, cousin.” Blackmist looked up from his lounging, then down to his little cousin. “Go for a walk, then. I won’t keep you.” “A lord doesn’t go for a walk on his own! He needs guards!” Blackmist smirked, choosing not to point out that Mikhail was very much not a lord, being far too young to have a claim on any sort of title, let alone to boss him around. But he was in charge...

Ever since she donkey-kicked her way out of the egg, Cassidy's mothers knew she was trouble. Neriya and Bandit watched in bemused disbelief as the pale pink hatchling fought her way out of her shell prison. She turned her equally pink eyes to her parents, scowling accusatorily at them like they had been the ones to put her in there. Which, to be fair to the brand new hatchling, she wasn't entirely wrong. Struggling to her feet, she managed to knock over one of h...

It was midday, and in the heat and still air, the rest of Shiloh’s flock was taking a nap.  Shiloh, however, being young and restless, was out having an adventure.  While the adult therizinosauruses could easily push through the jungle’s thick underbrush, Shiloh found it much harder, his smaller frame not yet having the bulk to simply push saplings and shrubs aside.  Fortunately for him, there was an open meadow not far away, and he set out to romp around...

It is the closing days of summer, that hinterland after the solstice where the darker nights draw in but the heat lingers during the waking hours. The frolics and adventures had been had and now was the time to be lazy and try to hold onto those precious sunlit days before autumn arrives. No matter how much we want it to slow down though, life doesn’t stop for the summer… Two gangly and threadbare creatures move between shade patches at the fringes of a large open grassland. You’...

“Are we almost there, Papa?” Roxanne and her two siblings, Randolph and Rebecca, had been following their papa on the longest walk of their lives. Granted, they’d never really gone on a walk before. But still, it felt like even as the landscape changed around them from ragged rocks to river flats to sprawling savanna, Kyrien always had a different destination in mind. For three newly-mobile hatchlings, it was infuriating and exhausting. “We’ll...

The sky is salmon-pink as the sun sets. A few early stars twinkle in their secret morse-code, leaving messages for those with the knowledge. It has been a mostly clear day and only now does a bit of cloud start to build in small patches. A chilly spring night lies ahead, but it is nothing that Adiona and Juno cannot handle. Having weathered a few winters, both of them had grown into their crests and their markings were almost fully developed. Juno’s darker neck is her most contrastin...

It was a dark and stormy night…that’s how most dramatic tales are supposed to start. And how appropriate that *this* dramatic tale charts the journey of extraordinary creatures who choose a life of selfless service to others. Isla Kela is at the mercy of storms that spend their time growing fat and angry over the fathomless ocean. They reach the shores and let loose their fury in waves of heavy rain and wild rapid breaths that can uproot trees. In one such storm, a sublime...

It was midday, the sun glowing above as a Cryo had been hustling around the sands of the beach. Swimming the morning away. She was drawn to the water’s edge, more than a normal Cryolophosaurus, typically would be near the waters. The smell of the ocean filled her nose and lungs. The coolness was nice.  The tide was slowly teasing the shore’s edge as the waves of water swayed to and fro.Nightingale was at peace. Closing her eyes momentarily, she was enjoying the time alone. He...

The islands were calm, and everything seemed to be normal. Life was pretty… boring. At least, it was thought to be that way except for a small hatchling named Nightingale, of the cryolophosaurus variety. She had been snoozing calmly and curled up in the den. Matted down ferns merely stuck to the dirt and grass strands within the den. Sleeping soundly, till she was rudely awakened by her mother. The den was within a deep trunk of a dead tree that appeared to be way higher than th...

“Ah, atta girl. Keep low. You’ve got this.”Those words rummaging through the young Cryolocolophosaurus stood by another’s side. It was her father. She had a uniquely close bond to him. Who would not want to be close to another like themselves, named Frog. Of all creatures. Then again, her name was Nightingale. So melodious and precious.The air was thick, like a sauna due to the rainfall for the days prior. It felt like it was never going to end...

                “Isn’t it pretty, little flower?”                 Lotus gawked at the sight before her. She had been on this earth for all of a few months but in that time her mother had showed her a great deal. Spring made it easy to travel, keeping her warm as they wandered the isles but never too hot. There was food aplenty as they traveled, too. But Lotus had always been far more interested in the sheer amount of other children there were of so m...