Sunbeam Lair See, you almost would be gone if you couldn’t wait for me

Whilst the attention of each member had been acquired, her own had drifted between them and her eldest. As the girl refused to apologize, Asterr’s frown morphed into a scowl, eyes narrowing in on the child. Truly, she could recall none others of her bloodline having ever behaved in such a way, and thus the blame fell onto their father—nature had triumphed over nurture, it seemed. The longer she watched the child, the greater her frustrations grew, but she’d yet to act upon them. Someday, she’d come to learn that her actions were most unacceptable. Extreme measures could, and would, be taken if need be, though her hope was that it might never go that far. The Draconids were peaceful beings, favouring knowledge over physical power, but their roots were anything but pacifistic. For from the dragons had they come, and, with that origin, they’d encountered great battles. All of it was history now, but that instinct still existed somewhere within them; the need to fight to survive, to burn the world around them with their will alone. The family’s beginning had been terrible, but still did the blame of Airi’s attitude fall upon Damien, as the mother refused to believe that they could possibly go back in time and act in such barbaric ways once again.

Turning away from the hatchling, Asterr regarded the rest of the tribe with a look of appreciation. Though one of her children might not be interested, she found peace in knowing that the tribe as a whole was. Thus, it was after she’d nudged Kaori close to Shiori that the tale began, each word having been remembered with great ease. “Long ago—long before any of our births—these lands housed wondrous beasts that we know today as dragons,” she breathed the last word, already having lost herself within the memory. “They had claimed both the ground and the sky, taking refuge within the peaks of mountains and then soaring through the air like birds. Many believe them to have been vicious by nature, but it was only ever out of necessity that they had filled the world with fire.” She closed her eyes, envisioning the flames and the warmth they'd produced. “The wolves had never appreciated the reign of the dragons, and it was that hatred that had brought together three of the strongest families. It was with their combined efforts that the dragons had been driven from this world, leaving only two gifts behind to prove that they had been here.”

Opening her eyes, she looked from one face to the next, curious to see their reactions. Afterwards, she’d continued by saying, “Their first gift had been the ability to fly, which they had bestowed upon the birds. No longer do the dragons possess wings, having given them up so that there might exist another species with the capability to assist their children someday.” The children of the dragons, the only remnants of their blood; the thought made her fur stand on end and pride swell within her chest. “Those children were the second gift left behind. Only one dragon, Draco, had been able to leave behind an egg, from which the first Draconids had emerged.

“The three families had not been pleased when they had discovered the children of the mightiest dragon, whose bodies had shed their scales and replaced them with fur. No longer did we appear as our ancestors had, but had instead been given the same form as the ones that had chased the dragons away—it was as if some cruel trick had been played.” Shaking her head, Asterr drew in a breath and then looked up towards the ceiling. “A war raged on, the dragons against the wolves. For how long it had lasted, no one has ever been sure and the spirits will not give us a clear answer, but it had ended with a victory for the Draconids,” she’d finished, deciding not to share the fate of the three families. So much had happened since then, much of which had contributed to the development of their now peaceful natures. Once again, the dragoness found herself looking around at her tribe members, wondering about what sorts of thoughts might be going through their minds.