Sunbeam Lair We need to talk about Kevin

For @Ukko and @Asterr to deal with Airi; maybe @Shiori and @Kaori too?

She was completely and utterly bored.

There was not much for a girl her age to do, after all. Other than "frolic" or play with random, dangerous objects, of course, as was expected of her. She had tried that; they quickly disinterested her. She had caught glimpses of Zennyo after their initial meeting, but she was unable to summon him for long. She had nothing else to do.

Or, at least, that's what she thought until she saw the broken bird. She didn't know the species, but it's helplessness attracted her. She approached it cautiously, her attention firmly on the squawking bird as she leapt forward, grabbing its wing and pulling.

As the girls grew, she knew that she would start to see less and less of them. Of course, she would always spend as much time with them as their attentions would allow, but they were often free to do their own things. Still were they watched and kept away from the waterways, but everywhere else was perfectly fine. She trusted their abilities when it came to making decisions, and so she had not felt too guilty whilst out collecting herbs; since winter was nearly around them, she felt as if she needed to work quicker in order to collect all that she could before it was too late.

Asterr had been returning to the den in order to check-in on the hatchlings when she’d heard the bird’s calls. Curious, her speed was increased so that she might sooner reach the creature, but the scene that she’d happened upon had brought her to an abrupt stop. It took hardly a second for her to realize what she was seeing, and so towards her eldest she had gone, a frown painted across her face. At any other time, she might have picked the girl up and placed her elsewhere, but she knew not what sort of condition the bird was in. If there was any chance that it could survive, she would let it, but its fate could not be decided until after it was released from the young Draconid’s grip.

“Airi, release it,” she demanded, readying herself to inspect the bird. Within the back of her mind there stirred the dragon, though she’d settled him down with ease only moments after. Never had she allowed for Draco to take over whilst fighting, and so she’d certainly not allow for him to come forth now, before her daughter.

The bird obviously didn't like her action; it squawked and screeched, trying in vain to flutter away. Airi was merely a pup, not strong yet, but her pudgy puppy frame was more than a match for the helpless bird. To her annoyance, though, her mother arrived. Airi snorted; whenever 'kasan came, or intervened, her fun was ended. It was the same with her sisters, and it would be the same now with this bird.

She wanted more than just to pull; she wanted to see what happened. All she got for her efforts, as she released the birds, were feathers in her mouth and the slight tang of something. She spat the feathers out, looking up at her mother with an annoyed and indifferent expression. Why? She asked. It was merely a bird, wasn't it?

As the bird was released, Asterr moved closer and nosed the creature away from her daughter. It was inspected before the girl’s question was answered, though her findings were not good. It was doubtful that it would survive, given its injured wing, and so the only thing they could do for it was put the poor thing out of its misery—but the dragoness hadn’t made a move to do so. Back towards the hatchling had she looked instead, expression serious. It was time for the child to learn from where their blood had come, and why they were never meant to harass the birds.

“Are you aware of what we are, Airi?” questioned the Chieftess. “We are dragons. We are not torturers or murderers, but great creatures of lore.” She paused there, her attention being turned towards the bird as it’d tried to hop away. It was not allowed to leave, though, and so she’d directed it back towards her daughter, right where she could watch it until her point was reached. “Long ago, the dragons were chased from Earth and sent up into the stars. One dragon, Draco, had left behind eggs, from which our ancestors hatched—but no longer had they been in possession of their wings.” As the tale was told, she’d felt a stirring from the back of her mind, the beast having awoken in order to listen as history was spoken of. Continuing, she said, “Our wings were given to the birds so that they might serve as our eyes and live alongside us someday. It is for that reason that we do not harm them unless if we are in need of a meal.” They could be killed so that they could provide life energy for the dragons, but for nothing else. To murder them for sport alone was intolerable, and a great offense to the dragons that had created them.

Asterr nudged the injured bird closer to her daughter, then moved back. “You have broken this bird beyond repair,” she stated. “It cannot survive without its wings, so you must end its suffering and then eat it, that way Draco will not become upset with you. You will kill this bird, Airi, and you will remember this moment.” Watchful would the dragoness be, staring down at the young Draconid until she completed the task that was given. All the while, she could hear a rumble of approval echoing throughout her head, a message from the great dragon himself.

Mature Content Warning

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The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: implied gore below!

Dragons.

Their mother had mentioned it from time to time, these tales of dragons. From what she described, they seemed to match up with what Zennyo was — she would have to ask what they looked like for sure, so Zennyo would make sense to her.

Airi frowned at the story. Dey didnnt deserve wingss. She cast a disappointed glance at the broken creature. How come they got wings and wolves didn't? The wolves were more deserving of them than these pathetic hollow-bones things. And wait...why'd the dragons get cast away in the first place...? Questions for later.

She looked up at her mother, then down at the bird. She was to eat it? Assuming that she wanted to waste her time going through all those annoying feathers. Airi's lip curled; she looked up at her mother once more, a face of disappointed disgust before she placed her paws on the bird's head, pressing down until it crunched underneath her weight, pathetic as it was. She wouldn't even bother eating such a thing.

The girl frowned in response to Airi’s statement and shook her head. “There are many younger souls within our family that might agree with you,” she voiced. “But you must understand that the dragons do not make mistakes. They gave their wings to the birds for a reason, and we must respect their decision, however ancient it may be.” So long ago had their family received its beginning, and yet so little had changed since then. Still were the dragons to be respected and honoured, still were their decisions and thoughts not to be questioned. Always did their arise at least one young, curious soul that questioned it all, but rarely did their disbelief remain after the tales were all told and the history learned. She could only hope that the same might eventually be able to be said about her eldest.

Asterr did not intervene as the bird’s life was drawn to an end. She’d done nothing more than stand there, making sure that the child did as she’d been told. And as she’d realized that the girl might not complete the rest of her tasks, she’d felt as her body grew rigid. There were very few things that were able to rile the Chieftess up, but such blatant disrespect of the dragons—of Draco—was something that would hit the mark every single time, without fail. It was during said moments that, despite how much control she might be able to demonstrate, Draco would always be able to brush himself along the surface.

“Eat it,” she repeated, gazing down at the girl with a frown on her lips. “You will eat it right now, or you will lose your chance at living another life after this one. Do you wish to live alone in the darkness for an eternity? With all of those that have wronged our family or the dragons in some way?” It mattered not that she was the child of the vessel, for such titles mattered little to celestial beings.

She had yet to see more majestic birds like eagles and owls, and so thought the dragons idiots for giving wings to such small, pitiful creatures whose heads so easily broke underneath a small girl's weight. She huffed, eyes rolling at her mother's insistence. Everyone makes mistakes. Gods shouldn't be any better.

Airi's lips curled at her mother's in disgust, but she did not want that. Darkness was frightening, and loneliness...well...she did not want that. She could not live without other people, unfortunately. Airi glared at her mother, then bit into the bird, coughing at the feathers.

Every inch of the child’s demeanor suggested that she’d once again disobey Asterr’s command, which bothered the woman greatly. For as long as the girl glared, she’d held the stare with one of her own, refusing to ignore her behavior. They were related, there was no doubt about that, but such ties alone would not save Airi from punishment. Never would she harm a hair on the heads of any of them, but there were far more ways to get a point across than through aggression. She’d considered her options, too, when at last the frail body of the bird had been bitten into, pleasing the vessel.

For as long as it’d take her to eat it, the dragoness would watch. Every cough caused by the feathers would be ignored, lest she began to actually choke, at which point she would have stepped in. In the meantime, she’d asked, “Would it not have been easier to eat it in the beginning?” Her voice had been devoid of emotion, struggling to keep herself from giving another lecture. “There are rules for a reason, Airi. If you do not learn to respect them, then you will find yourself all alone,” she’d said instead, a sigh hanging off of her last word. Since her previous mention of being left all alone had delivered results, she couldn’t help but wonder if that might be the key to teaching her eldest.

Every bite of the bird tasted of ash rather than juicy meat. The feathers that covered the avian creature were like twigs covering its body. She did not know why anyone would want to eat it, nor why any being of great power would allow such things to have the power of flight. She wanted to tear off its wings, thinking in her head that perhaps that would grant her flight, but looking at the feathers that covered it, she thought not. All the while as she ate Airi glared up at her mother, angry at her for forcing her to consume something she despised. A niggling voice in her head told her that this was right, that this is the punishment she deserved for disrespecting the Dragon's will, but Airi ignored it.

03.06.17 — Ending added.

The anger was not something that Asterr had bothered with concerning herself over. With time, it would dissipate, and her daughter would come out of the experience as a better dragon for it. Little more had been said as she’d watched the girl continue eating, and she’d even kept herself from interfering. A part of her believed that the point had been gotten across and that she should let the child go off and play whilst she took care of the bird herself. Meanwhile, the other half of her refused to even consider sending the girl off on her way. She had tortured the bird, she had killed it, and so she would be the one to eat it. “It will get easier as you grow,” she’d said, making a poor attempt at offering a bright side to the matter. “Once you have finished growing, the feathers of such small birds will not bother you.” Although she hoped that her child might never have to resort to hunting the creatures of the skies, it’d still been something worth mentioning. Then, as more of an afterthought, she’d added, “Finish up and we will return to the den.” Because being in a cramped space with the one that had forced you to eat something was totally what every kid wanted to do, amirite?

As soon as the child had finished, Asterr led her back to the den, content with the lesson she'd decided to teach. Surely the girl would resent her for it, but it would be well worth it as long as the point was gotten across. No matter, Asterr would be able to sleep that night with a light heart, as well as during the nights that followed.