Blink
…
Silence, this whole bleak dark world seemed to be constantly engulfed in a thick black cloak of sunless sound-choking darkness. Silently smothering every little hiss and pained whimper occasionally escaping from the bruised dry lips of the weak downed humanoid dragoness, mercilessly dragging even the tiniest barely audible whisper into a swift silence-induced oblivion.
…
Blink
…
Everything around her is cold, dark and motionless, completely devoid of light or life and the young dragoness whimpers, one side of her face painfully pressed against the cold, pitch black floor underneath her form as she silently lies still against the hard dark ebony surface of the chamber's ground.
Her pale incapacitated body and oddly weighty limbs awkwardly sprawled across the dark freezing floor in such a bizarre and uncomfortable manner that would no doubt make anyone present wonder wherever the motionless dragon before them was nothing more than the grisly aftermath of a ruthless predator's savage dinner that was carelessly discarded afterwards when said ruthless predator had finally been able to satisfy its ravenous hunger.
Blink
….
Something just out of Shyvana's line of sight suddenly seems to leisurely approach her, silently slithering across the cold ebony floor and even though Shyvana can't actually hear or witness the vile dreadful thing actually approaching her, the young dragoness is fairly sure of the wretched bad-thing's imminent approach.
The looming sense of dread slowly crushing the currently incapacitated young dragoness' rapidly accelerating heartbeat only further reinforcing the young draconic queen's conclusion that: Yes, there is definitely something wrong and dangerous silently lurking in this dark sunless place. Patiently biding its time until it finally has a chance to hurt or startle the once small and defenseless little dragonling.
Why else would the once tiny dragoness suddenly wake up in such a dark threatening place if she wasn't actually ambushed by some scary nightmarish evil being that secretly wanted to hurt her?
The very room, dark and uninviting was also apparently the very definition of a evil mad king's or crafty dark wizard's secret dungeon after all, and captured Quinns and dashing princes would always somehow end up imprisoned in such scary places when the bad, ugly sinisterly cackling villain suddenly wished to harm or toy with them.
Those poor unlucky souls would then unfortunately remain there trembling inside their cold lightless prisons until some small brave little dragonling would finally manage to defeat the vile human sorcerer and then reclaim its rightful throne as the kingdom's ruler thus breaking the terrible sorcerer's curse that have been ailing its owner. Or at least that's what usually happened in most of Quinn's goodnight stories, anyway.
But then why would the vile evil sorcerer actually capture her instead of her gentle kindhearted owner?
Capturing brave little dragonlings instead of young beautiful maidens was definitely against the unwritten rules of crime and villainy of course! Since then no one would be able to save the poor imprisoned Quinns that would be forcefully confined inside the mad tyrant king's tallest, most fortified towers.
Had this vile cruel man gone utterly mad after all!? Had the cunning cackling tyrant actually no shred of honor or decency?! The once tiny dragon whelp dully wondered, before promptly deciding to relentlessly scratch and bite at the vile evil man's exposed ankles and toes until he actually started crying from pain.
A terrible and yet certainly worthy punishment for such a terrible excuse of a human being that would actually dare to commit such a wrong heinous act against both brave dragon whelps and kind owners. Hmp!
Grllll
The soft sound of rapidly unwrapping canvas could as well have been a gunshot for the startled young dragoness and Shyvana suddenly stiffens as the pure white sheet of fabric suddenly drops down from somewhere above the ceiling, creating a pure shinning white rectangle in an otherwise endless sea of molten darkness.
The dominant rule of silence instantly reclaiming its crown and throne as the now almost empty white slowly rolling cylinder silently bumps against the immobile dragoness' still rigid shoulder and stops next to her immobile body.
"H-hello?" utters the now spooked young dragonling, its unsure audibly wavering voice silently reverberating across the endless dark sea of un-light, rippling through pitch black nests of dark spider webs and daunting shadows.
Scared golden orbs frantically darting between this endless black universe that so effortlessly seems to choke even the tiniest spark or glimmer and the sole white stroke of hope breaking through the eerie grim motif of un-light. The sole pale visible ray of hope unexpectedly meeting the downed dragoness' wet golden gaze.
Creak, creak, creak, creak
Distant, but still clearly audible rolling sounds are abruptly gracing the dark sunless air and the young dragoness suddenly shivers before abruptly gasping in surprise when without any reason or actual apparent cause the small white screen occupying the farthest end of the sunless chamber is suddenly being illuminated.
Its faint, ghostly light slowly revealing a jumbled mess of scribbled sketches and black faded lines slowly flickering all over the soft flexible material, silently dancing against the wide white stretched canvas like drunken druids under the eerie moonlight.
The dragoness pauses then, intelligent golden orbs now solely focusing on the old messy scribbled forms and hazy objects as the first couple of inky pictures slowly start forming before the young unnerved dragoness' very eyes.
A close-up of what looks like a blurry black landscape, the enormous opening of a huge rocky cave hidden somewhere around the peak of a humongous misty mountain. There is a whole litter of snoring newborn dragon whelps hiding inside that particular cave, sleeping and dreaming peacefully, safe against all odds, curled up around their mother's big red warm frame.
The whole intimate spectacle feels kind of familiar for the intruding young dragoness and yet completely foreign like the old distant scene of a completely insignificant, long since forgotten dreamscape eternally lost under the vibrant life-bestowing sunlight of the following day.
And yet even if the pang in her chest is barely noticeable, dull and utterly confusing for her, Shyvana really can't help but feel kind of sad and nostalgic as her calm golden gaze slowly travels across the small quivering forms and pale snoots that lightly snore or rise and sniff the air excitedly.
And the young draconic queen can't really put her talon on it, but she somehow knows that this one isn't the first time she has stumbled across the oddly adorable spectacle of pale tiny slumbering forms, tossing and turning, gathered around an enormous red fierce scarlet dragoness.
A strange feeling of bittersweet pain and longing suddenly blooms inside the armored chest of the young downed dragoness and the feeling only seems to further intensify with every low sleepy sound and yelp occasionally escaping from the young peacefully slumbering newborn dragonlings.
And even though the young dragon whelps are constantly yelping and crying and shifting around their equally annoyed and loud siblings, Shyvana is somehow absolutely sure that all of the tiny newborn dragon pups are currently content. Blissful even, peacefully sleeping next to the enormous protective frame of the big crimson dragoness, all the while lazily basking inside their fierce mother's comforting scent and body warmth.
A few of the dragon pups purr and whimper, unconsciously moving closer to their primary source of warmth and Shyvana giggles when the red deep-crimson tail-whip carefully wraps around their small feeble bodies, further encasing the small purple creatures in their fierce crimson mother's reassuring draconic warmth and she herself soon succumbs to her beckoning dreamscapes.
Click
The purple dragonlings' are a little bigger now, still weak and small and puny, but definitely bigger than the previously shown newborn dragonlings.
The scribbles keep moving, the story slowly unfolds and Shyvana abruptly snorts and cracks a faint smile as she intently observes the tiny dragon whelps yelp and mewl, constantly tossing and turning inside their warm cozy nest near their sanguine mother.
Tiny pale, almost transparent heads and stubby limbs constantly twitching wildly as miniature, barely noticeable snoots tirelessly dart all over their slumbering siblings, curiously sniffing around pale plump flesh and small gray newly-formed scales, blindly exploring the mysterious new world surrounding them.
Small sleepy golden orbs and exotic hues of pure red, blue and silver irises slowly dancing behind the tightly closed eyelids of the still blind newborn dragonlings as they anxiously await for the day they too will be finally able to open their eyes and witness the exciting new colorful world surrounding them.
Shyvana can't help but smile at the puny pale beings, the young dragoness' attention practically glued on their small clumsy forms and unstable movements as they reluctantly crawl, roll or stumble all over the place, squirming inside their warm tiny nests or landing on top of their cute mewling still slumbering siblings.
And abruptly a weird soft expression of stunned wonder suddenly graces Shyvana's kind face as she breathlessly observes the fruitless attempts of a small pale little dragon whelp stubbornly trying to chew off its mother's long scaly tail. Its toothless maw repeatedly closing around the thick red armored muscle as it stubbornly keeps trying to breach its annoyed mother's hard deep-red crimson scales.
The naughty dragonling is soon punished for its rude behavior however, and Shyvana can't help but burst into a sudden fit of uncontrollable laughter when she finally spots the naughty little dragonling.
Alarmed yelps and low pleading whimpers softly escape the little newborn's squealing toothless mouth, its small ashen body twitching pathetically when the obviously annoyed scarlet dragoness suddenly descends upon its small pale frame, mercilessly dragging her soft crimson tongue all over its small scale-less body, eliciting small startled, scared sounds from the suddenly alarmed young naughty dragon-child.
Shyvana laughs then, a few happy tears actually rolling down her pale purple visage, her ashen complexion instantly flaring in embarrassment as surprised golden orbs finally settle on the now familiar, loudly squealing dragonling that is currently desperately trying to escape its mother's affectionate lecture. Its soft quivering body hurriedly burrowing among its slumbering siblings in a frantically final attempt to escape the wet warm slithering torment of the amused dragoness as a red vibrant snoot carefully nuzzles its little head affectionately, possibly apologizing to the small mewling creature.
Click
A sea of dark dancing black smudges, blurry trees and inky bushes are suddenly lunging forward as if trying to dive into the unprepared young dragoness' golden vision, the old leather sack containing almost half a dozen of scared loudly whimpering newborn dragonlings violently bouncing, thrashing around wildly against the back of the heinous fleeing robber. The echo of a mournful furious roar steadily rising over the endless towering rows of treetops as the enraged scarlet dragoness suddenly discovers the empty remains of her once crowded nest, devoid of her beloved young dragon whelps.
The dragoness is roaring, the newborns are yelping and the man curses as he hurriedly dashes through endless blossoming flowerbeds and thorny vines, frantically jumping over fallen logs and ancient tree roots all the while doing his best to maintain his clumsy footing, the sack perched against his back still bouncing and squirming wildly like an injured worm pinned under a hungry eagle's talons.
The image starts fogging, the mist twirls and turns around the scarred humongous ancient tree barks, the shadows are currently merging, threatening to swallow the evil old man's form and Shyvana growls in anger, her heart suddenly aching as the obviously smug robber suddenly lunges inside a thick thorny bush and disappears.
But the image doesn't dissolve just yet, and the black scenery and inky smudged tree branches don't just fade away from existence as Shyvana would normally expect and the young dragoness' thunderous expression suddenly turns into one of pure sadness and pity as she abruptly realizes what has just transpired.
Because unbeknown to the smug thief and the enraged red dragon-mother and the critters and beasts that silently hide in the deepest, most dark of the vast green forest's countless shadows, the vile man didn't actually manage to escape with every part of his squirming prize.
There! Among the thorny leaves and tiny sweet-scented flowers, there lays a single blind softly whimpering newborn dragonlings that had actually slipped from its leather-clad prison during the latest part of the cruel terrible man's swift frantic escape.
The pale tiny form that has somehow landed inside a network of interwoven roots and azure flowers, trembles, cries and whimpers, desperately trying to attract its enormous sanguine mother's attention, but alas it seems that won't be the case that day.
And so the tiny creature's feeble attempts and desperate cries for help actually falls on deaf ears as the vile cruel man's pained screams and its mother's monstrous roars of fury easily covers the weak low barely audible sounds emitted by the scared crying little dragonling and the soft sobs that occasionally escape the puny creature's equally tiny throat.
Click
Shyvana is currently breathless, her wet golden feral wide orbs blindly staring into the ever-changing smudged form of the once vibrant pure white wall-screen. Her already pale face drained of color as she silently keeps watching the tiny dragon whelp aimlessly crawling around the thick interwoven roots and unkempt undergrowth all the while sniffling and sobbing as it blindly searches for its dear mother.
A small softly shaking pale purple body blindly bumping against hard tree barks and pointy thorny flowers until it finally exhausts itself and tiredly curls inside a small abandoned rotten tree hole. Little quivering sobs rocking its tiny body.
"It's ok."
The humanoid dragoness suddenly utters desperately trying to comfort the young still sobbing dragonling, as sad feral golden irises helplessly watch the heartbreaking events unfolding.
And even though Shyvana has already realized that these weird moving pictures are nothing more than inky black shards created by her own blurry younger memories the ashen-colored dragoness can't help but try comforting the little being before her as the sad, clearly scared dragon-child so desperately cries for its mother.
"Shhh, everything is going to be alright, little one. She is going to be there soon and she is going to take care of you. She will love and treasure you and everything is going to be fine."
But the small purple little mass of sobs just raises its tiny snoot and cries a small drawn-out whimper, curling even further inside the dark moldy hole and Shyvana can only grit her teeth and keep watching as this tiny scared younger version of herself tirelessly resumes its sad mournful mewling.
The image seems to freeze then, the shadows extend and the white canvas darkens as time seems to pass by, blurry smudges and inky scratch marks start covering the entire fading flickering image until two small youthful hands suddenly reach into the dark rotten tree hole and gently lift the tiny dragonling, before carefully wrapping it around an old discarded muddy blue jacket.
The small toddler, barely capable of standing on its own two feet slowly stands up then, pressing its small whimpering cargo against its little sun-kissed chest before soft affectionate fingers slowly brush against the tiny dragonling's still trembling scaly forehead, eliciting squeaky scared yelps and high-pitched startled mewls from the spooked newborn creature.
The girl's mouth then moves, rosy lips tirelessly whispering kind words and soft reassurances in a language too foreign and unknown for the small creature to actually decipher their meaning, but the gentle soothing strokes slowly dispels some of the miniature dragoness fear and the calm serene tone of the child slowly puts the tiny dragoness at ease, as the heart-wrenching sobs finally cease and the scene starts fading.
Click
Even more old blurry images eventually start parading in front of the now calm content dragoness. Each one of them happy and soothing, bathed in the soft gentle light of her familiar memories, completely different from the previously shown forgotten bittersweet moments of a nest filled with dragon whelps and the desperate heartbreaking lament of the young pale dragonling.
Small curly lines turn into soft warm blankets covering a still blind little hatchling, deep shades turn into two slumbering forms sleeping side by side near the fireplace and messy pencil work finally gives way to a diligent young girl watching over a small purple lizard-pup as it finally opens its blurry golden eyes and stares right into two twin kind lakes of amber.
Click
More and more images slowly form before the young dragoness very eyes appearing in quick succession. Quinn is feeding the newborn dragon whelp, carefully holding a small bottle filled with warm milk near the eager drooling maw of a ravenous little hatchling. And the kind girl affectionately smiles at her young sated tiny firecracker before gently wiping off the excessive milk leaking from the miniature dragoness' tiny purple maw.
Click
Quinn is reading her a fairytale and the tiny dragonling is intently listening to every little word and small detail flowing out of its owner's ruby lips, bouncing around excitedly with every new colorful sentence and exaggerated description, practically hanging from the kind brunette' every word as the young girl vividly describes the adventures of the Tiny Scarlet Scale. A small brave and curiously identical to her little dragonling that tricks villains and saves princes from the clutches of evil bandits.
And Shyvana's already wide smile abruptly threatens to split of her entire face when a smirking scout loudly wonders if maybe the famous Tiny Scarlet Scale might possible be one of the ecstatic little dragonling's distant relatives.
The sudden implication causing the already excited dragon whelp to abruptly throw back its head and mewl in approval, its whole unsteady frame abruptly straightening as if to look bigger and nobler and its tiny purple suddenly chest puffing out in pride.
Shyvana laughs then, mirthful golden orbs practically siphoning each new delightful memory as she keeps lying across the hard black freezing floor. And so engrossed is the young purple dragoness in this heartwarming show of love and affection that she doesn't actually notice the shades around her slowly dissipating or the once impenetrable dark walls surrounding her silently fading away, giving way to shy almost unnoticeable rays of sunlight.
0000
Shyvana blinks, golden tired eyes slowly opening, confusing blurry shapes leisurely turning into messy small piles of old books and a wide variety of everyday objects. A warm figure is currently leaning against the bed, soft lips affectionately pressing against the exhausted dragoness' clammy, sweaty forehead, gentle sun-kissed digits soothingly brushing against pale purple flesh and white ashen hair.
The image then blurs and the world starts fading once again, but Shyvana just smiles and silently welcomes the approaching darkness, because she has already guessed the identity of the familiar kind shadow and the worried gentle voice shakily calling her name.
Sleepy note: So here we have another needlessly long chapter that doesn't actually accomplish anything. I feel like I am randomly just punching keys and they magically start forming sentences at this point. That's just the only logical explanation I can think of for instantly writing 3k words instead of 500 or something to loosely describe Quinn's and Shyvana's first encounter.
The original plan was just for Quinn to use strawberries or meat in order to lure home a gluttonous purple little dragon whelp and then describe Shyvana's sudden awakening after we skipped the fight scene.
Although I have to admit that I like the image of a young Quinn excitedly roaming through the woods while carrying a huge cardboard box which she intends to use to capture any monsters and dragon whelps she encounters. Hey, at least you didn't have to read a chapter where the evil child-Quinn randomly starts kidnapping newborn dragonlings, snatching them from their mother's embrace.
Another amusing part is that Shyvana confuses Quinn and queen since they both sound the same and actually thinks that Quinn is a fairytale character or a kind princess. I also skimmed through my short collection of terrible Shyvana drawings and decide to use the weird mutated piglet-Shyvana sketch as the cover. The sketch bears no resemblance to the chubby white and purple lizard I have in mind, but hey, drawingdisaster, remember?