Sunbeam Lair Rainmaking

@Asterr

There was a voice in her head.

Well it was more than just a voice. At time a strange shimmering creature appeared. At first it was foggy in her mind, sometimes blue-gray-green like water, sometimes gold, but it soon took shape. It was Zennyo, he called himself. He was a dragon of the rains and storms. Airi didn't care. 

He tried to be her moral compass, her guide when that didn't work. She ignored him most of the time, but he was hard to get rid of. She found herself actually sitting down to listen every once and a while, even if she didn't agree with what he said. She sat by the river, her paw idly splashing the water as he spoke.

You are the eldest. The leader.

Mmhm, Airi rolled her eyes.

Leaders do not push their sisters around and disregard their wellbeing.

'Kay, She splashed the waters again, staring at her reflection in the water. Zennyo's wasn't there.

Airi. You must listen, girl. This is important.

I don't understand why you all think I care about them. Her eyes rolled.

It is not a matter of if you do or not; you are responsible for them!

Shut up, Zennyo! She hit the water again, annoyed with his constant noise. Always always this "be a good leader" "listen to the dragons". She had barely lived half a year and here she was, all this responsibility.

There were so many ways in which the triplets were different, despite having been brought up in the same setting. Whilst Shiori sought knowledge, Airi showed her stubborn streak, the two often having left Kaori to her own devices. Neither one of them had grown to be loved any more than the other two, but there were definitely moments where the Chieftess wished that they’d be more similar. Easy to manage, to teach and to focus on, but that was not the case; a part of her knew, too, that she’d have been bothered greatly if they had ended up being identical in every way. Their differences allowed her to better divide her time between them, which was a handy process to ensure that none felt neglected. For that particular moment, it was her eldest whose being she was to be attentive of, and thus she’d searched for her throughout the lair.

With each girl having begun exploring, there no longer existed a set location at which she could always find them. So as she’d neared the lake and heard the voice of Airi, relief flooded her system. Knowing that she could have ended up looking for a great length of time, she’d felt herself to be lucky to have just stumbled across the girl. It’d been an unsettling discovery, however, worry having quickly replaced her previously felt ease. The conversation had not been heard in full, but the last sentence to spill out of her daughter’s mouth had been caught, and it’d taken the mother by surprise. Zennyo Ryūō was not an unknown entity, but the water dragon whose presence assisted in protecting the lair. To hear her child speak his name, however… well, she’d needed to take a moment to recollect herself.

It’d been with a gleam of curiosity in her eyes that Asterr had approached the water’s edge, situating herself alongside the hatchling without a word. Draco stirred within the back of her mind, her uncertainty and concern having awoken him. Through the dragoness eyes had he observed the girl, watching her carefully until the answers to his unasked questions had been discovered. And whilst she’d been interested in learning about them, too, the vessel had received not even a single response from her other half. It’d been shortly after that when she’d asked, “Have you seen him?” The him hadn’t been specified, of course, for she’d felt as if there’d been no need to do so—Airi would know.

Airi squinted at her mother, annoyed at the presence of yet another monologing adult: be a leader, be nicer to your sisters, stop speaking out to the others. They all said, they always said. Airi did not greet her mother with the kindness she deserved, with nary a hello or happy glance towards her. No, She said immediately, without a thought.

You do not even know who it is,

It's probably you! She yelled, the two authorities wearing on her nerves. She froze, realizing that mother probably couldn't see him. For once in her life, she looked apologetic, her ears pressed against her head. Who?

Little attention had been paid to the fact that she’d not been greeted, but only because she had not offered a greeting herself. She’d settled down beside her and gotten right to the point, eager to learn of what it was her daughter had seen. With a no having been the answer given, she’d frowned, certain she had heard the child speaking to someone. When she’d opened her mouth to ask again, to clarify what she’d meant, the vessel had quickly been cut off by Airi’s shouting. Closing her mouth, the mother observed her child and how she’d seemed to freeze right where she sat. It was strange seeing the girl with an expression other than her usual anger or irritation, but she’d not commented on it. There were far more pressing matters at hand that were in need of being dealt with, and so she’d focused on them. It’d become easier to do so as she’d been asked a question, too, the word having been a reminder for why she’d stopped there along the water’s edge. Looking towards the surface, she had uttered the name with just as much respect as it demanded, though less so than Draco received: “Zennyo Ryūō, the guardian of this lair.” Silver optics trailed from the lake to her hatchling once more, watching and waiting for some sort of reaction.

The name made her freeze, as if her true name had been spoken. In a way, it was. Airi felt something come over her, though she fought against it, pushing the intruding presence away as best she could. Airi gestured to where she saw Zennyo, who hovered intently at her side, pushing at her anxiously. He's right here,

Not a second went by during which the mother was not watching her eldest, fascinated by the potential discovery. She had heard tales of other dragons taking vessels, but never had they dared to claim a Draconid—in the past, that is. Now, however, with Draco’s descendants so far from home and residing within the lair of another beast, one had gotten ballsy. To bear witness to something of the sort occurring back home would have sent the elders into shock, but Asterr could not find it within herself to be worried. A deal had been made with Zennyo Ryūō long ago so that he might protect the lair and tribe alike, and so she doubted that he might ever bring harm to her daughter. It helped, too, that there existed no bad blood between him and Draco, whose opinion mattered most of all. He remained present, attentive, but also assertive; though the mighty dragon had accepted the presence of another, it was important that he always made it clear just which of them ruled over the other. The way in which the Chieftess held herself—head high and muzzle pointed downwards—reflected the will of her shared soul, whether she’d even realized it or not.

A glance had been cast in the direction that Airi had gestured towards, but it had not remained there for very long at all. Instead, the dragoness said right away, “I cannot see him.” Concern should have laced her tone, given that any mother might worry about hearing their child speak of seeing things that weren’t there, but she knew better. “I saw him once in a dream, but I will never again lay my eyes on him, nor will anyone else,” she continued. “Just as none others besides myself and the dead have seen Draco.” Leaning forward, she sought to lock eyes with her child. With hardly any pause, she'd explained further by saying, “He has decided to intertwine his soul with yours, to allow for you to see him, and so only will your eyes be able to meet his. You have been given a great gift, Airi—a partner in life that will never part ways with you.” It was the greatest of gifts she could imagine, and she was glad to know that at least one of her daughters would always have someone there to watch over and protect her.

Unconsciously Airi bristled at her mother's dominant stance, wishing that she was larger now, moreso than she had before. She fixed her mother with a cruel possesive gaze unseen in children her age, reacting to the subtle motions she made, guided by her own draconian-spirit. Zennyo was a kind soul, contrasting fiercely with Airi's corrupted one, but there were times when he had to agree with her possessiveness. This was his land after all. Airi, however, perverted such thoughts in a way that made them more aggressive than their truth, as evidenced now by her cold stare.

But I want him to leave, chi-chi, She pouted. Like most children she tended towards hyperbole. She relished the thought of being even more special than she already was, but Zennyo's nagging was tiring for her. It's like having you in my head all the time. I don't like it.

apologies for Airi being a terrible child/person

She’s cute, so it’s okay, lmao.

During lessons taught so long ago, she had learned to live as one with Draco. It had been a treacherous journey to take, the soul of a dragon being so strong and forceful that she’d nearly crumpled beneath his aura once or twice in her youth. Yet, ever since then, she’d found a way to live with him constantly being there, always sharing his opinion in one way or another. So many had helped her, such elderly wolves with the greatest of minds, but Airi had only one to learn from. There were other Draconids around, that could not be denied, but none knew of the pressures that came along with being a vessel. For that reason—and that reason only—the Chieftess knew that she would need to begin teaching her daughter the proper methods of restraint by herself before Airi grew too large. The bristling of the hatchling’s fur, although nothing more than a simple gesture, was a sign: the training needed to begin as soon as possible, lest the dragons be permitted to tear the world to pieces with the young dragoness’ body.

For a vessel of any celestial being to wish that their partner, a piece of their soul, be removed was a painful thing to hear. Asterr did not doubt that several others must have thought the same thing in the past, but always had they come to see the error of their desires. Whether or not the same could someday be said for her own child, she was unaware but knew that she couldn’t leave it up to chance. “You will no longer wish him away once you realize just how great of a gift you have been given,” the woman voiced, exhaling in the process. Airi was a problematic child, she truly was, but the Chieftess loved her just as much as she did the other two. And, like the other two, she wanted the best of lives for her. “You and I are more alike than you know,” she began. “You may not like us at this exact moment, but you will someday grow to see that both Zennyo Ryūō and myself are here to guide you. He will protect your mind whilst we both teach you, and I will protect you in every other way.” The dragons always protected their vessels, and the Draconids their family, and the girl would be no different. “You do not have to like us,” Asterr continued. “But you will have to learn from us.” Otherwise, there was no way of telling what sort of trouble might arise.

Zennyo appeared then, standing next to her mother. He had the same expression as her: calm, reverent, proud, condescending. Airi scowled at them both, disgusted at how she could never escape such scrutiny, not even within the confines of her mind. She tried curling away from Zennyo's presence, but he was a dragon, she, despite being his vessel, was a mere mortal. A child at that. He was overwhelming, especially now when her icy wall melted in the face of anger and frustration and stress and confusion. Airi let out a low whine as she felt her head being stabbed with pain from the pressure of both of them at once. 

Teach me then, She finally conceded. If her mother was going to be useful, she would help her learn how to control this beast. She was right; she would never like her mother, or Zennyo. But if she was going to live with them, they were going to have to be useful to her.

Upon hearing a whine, she shoved her ears forward, curious and attentive. The cause behind the sound was easy enough to assume, for Asterr had experienced just the same as her daughter was not too long ago; not much time had passed since her days as a stubborn youth. Though she didn’t smile, the Chieftess was glad to hear the younger vessel give in, her feeling towards the matter formed from a number of reasons. So much could go wrong in such a short span of time if a dragon was left to reign over their vessel, which was the sort of thing that she wished to avoid. It was without even a nod of her head that she’d agreed with the wishes of her eldest daughter, far more eager to teach than her exterior suggested.

“Being the vessel for a beast of any kind is all about finding balance,” began the woman, silver eyes never straying from the hatchling’s face. “You cannot fight your partner, and you cannot let him take over entirely, either. He is not your superior, nor are you his—you two are equal to one another, which is why your souls were able to join as one without leading to your death.” In the past, she’d heard tales of those from the branch families having grown so jealous that they’d attempted to fuse their souls with that of a beast, but each attempt had ended in failure. The power had been far too great for any of their bodies to contain, thus having caused for them to be torn to pieces on the inside. Each story had been more horrific than the last, but never had the warning that accompanied them been any different: do not play with power that is greater than your own. “You must accept the dragon as being one with your mind, body, and soul. Only then may your lessons truly begin,” added the mother, her tone having neither raised nor dropped in pitch the entire time.

Balance. Mother had said. Airi knew nothing of the sort. There was no such thing as balance in her mind. Either one side won or the other. To her, what Asterr had recommended was domination over the Dragon that inhabited her body. She did not want to work with him, she wanted to control him. It was her body after all.

The woman continued, and Airi found herself continuing to despite this idea more and more. The thought of being equal to a Dragon was a beautiful feeling in theory, but the Draconid found that the reality was much more inconvenient. She remained silent, Zennyo's glare remaining the same, just as her mother's had been. She furrowed her brow, not satisfied with the final statement. What will you teach me?

The specifics of the lessons could not so easily be spoken. She knew what to do, she knew what to say, but was at a loss on how she might better explain. Hardly a moment later and she’d answered with, “Everything.” Of everything that she could have said, her given answer was as direct as she could make it. “Once you are ready, I will teach you everything. Our history, about the dragons, and much more,” was added thereafter, but that was as far into detail as she would go. Asterr told her, “I will share with you more details once you have learned to accept the other half of your soul,” and then left it at that. The information could be given only after a vessel had come to terms with exactly what she was, as per tradition, and the dragoness would not alter that process.