Garbage Day

Their world might be dead, but that didn't mean they were.

Azuka clung to the shadows of the blasted landscape. It was hard to track time now, in this world of irregular skies. Ever changed when the earth had trembled beneath their feet; since the Dark Portal was crushed from within by writhing masses of tendrils that had spilled out into the nearby canyon. Since the dying jungles of Tanaan were incinerated and leveled by the supernatural, crushing waves of fel energy that had washed over the landscape. Though hardly verdant, the damp jungles, swamps, and ravines of the ancient place were now dried and cracked. Where once a boot could hardly take a step without discovering mud now found only crimson crust. Even the salty seas were but memories of the past; only endless expanse awaited one who plunged from the side of the bloody earth, surrounded on all sides by emptiness, like a peninsula of hellfire.

If one was lucky, as she was right now, they could take shelter from the twisting, alien sky and the unnatural heat given off by the streams of demonic energy that painted the skies like veins of burning fire that danced through the skies above beneath the bones of the forest; brittle, ashen fragments of the trees that once stood defiantly against the orcs that would master them. Her wrapped feet sank into the dry fragments of red clay crumbling beneath her weight as she stalked the remnants of the jungle for prey. After all, she and the three-hundred orcs that had crossed the portal before its collapse had survived. Azuka cared not if it was a miracle, luck, or a blessing that they lived; all she cared about right now was finding prey. Survival, after all, would mean nothing if they did not eat. There were many mouths to feed, and she had to do her part if she was going to survive.

If they were going to survive, until they found a way off this desolate land. Until they found a way back to Arthak.

She didn't have time to think too much about Arthak, or she would get frustrated. That she had left his side with a battle looming, perhaps, or that she didn't have a way back to the rest of the clan. Or that she cared to get back to them at all. 

She was ashamed to have become so... attached to the Broken Blade. But it was... nice to belong somewhere, even in a broken place like this. To be a part of this broken family, she had learned, was better than to be a part of nothing. After all, if she was still alone, she would probably have been dead by now.

We fight together, Sadras had always said, or we die alone. She chuffed as her words danced through her mind, irritated that she now saw the truth behind the words. A single idle thought drifted towards Arthak, Sadras, towards Nyxxa and all the rest before her mind returned to the hunt.  They better be alive, she thought, or I'll kill them.

An aurora of fel energy illuminated the sky above as she slunk through the shattered trees, trying to minimize the disturbance she cast upon the ash-covered earth. As she stalked through the grim graveyard of a forest, a streak of green caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes as she closed the distance quietly. Quietly, she slipped her longblade out of the sheath on her leg and held it upside-down, blade pressed against her forearm as she moved closer to inspect the site. She scowled, her eyes narrowing in suspicion at what she found.

A small plant, seemingly untouched by the blighted world around it. It was about three feet high, with a handful of leaves on either side. And, from the vines, a number of small, pinkish berries grew from it. She knelt down, and with her free hand, plucked one of the berries from its stem.

It was a queer thing, unlike anything she had seen before. It was round, but with small nodules of fleshy growths on either side of it, giving it the appearance of a tiny spiked ball. She set her blade down as she knelt to the ground and drew a dagger. Remembering what Sadras had taught her, she first brought the berry to her nose and sniffed. It smelled... sweet. Taking the blade, she sliced the berry in half, as careful as she could to keep the juicy bits from touching her finger. She laid one half of the berry on her wrist, the other on the edge of her lip. She waited a few moments, watching closely for any skin irritation, burning, numbness.  Nothing.  She licked the juice from her lips. It was... really good, actually. She squinted at the berry before popping it in her mouth, stuffing it to the side of her cheek before swallowing. After a few minutes, she gave in and swallowed it. 

Seems safe, she thought to herself.  And good. Strange. The berry wasn't only delicious, but invigorating. In fact, she didn't feel hungry at all anymore. She grunted to herself and began plucking the other berries from the plant. If it was poisonous, she'd know before she got back most likely. If not, then she might have found something very useful for the clan.

Especially for Mankrik, she thought. He eats a lot. Not to mention his life-mate, Mahka, was eating for more than just she now.

She had plucked most of the berries from the plant when her ear twitched. She heard something brush against the ashtree nearby.  Instinctively, she was on her feet again, knees bent and blade at the ready. Steadily but quickly she collected her other blades from her workspace. She slipped the satchel of berries into a small satchel as she slid her feet across the earth, trying to see behind the long-dead trunk that she had heard the sound from.

"Ahh," she heard a small, strange voice say.  "Ahh, ahh."

Azuka growled in response. A single step forward in pursuit was all it took to send the source of the noise off, and before she knew it, the chase was on. The young orc darted through the trees, her braided hair flapping through the air behind her as she chased the eavesdropper. Quickly her eyes told her that her prey was not fleeing by foot; no tracks marred the earth beneath her, and the sound of small, flitting wings belied its true source of locomotion. It was quick, but Azuka was keeping pace with it as it darted in and out of the ashtrees.

And it seemed to be slowing down. Stamina did not appear to be its strong suit.

The huntress saw her mark; and pounced, leaping through the air with a snarl as she grabbed the tiny creature mid air and tucked it under her weight. The two of them tumbled across the ground for a few feet before Azuka pinned it to the ground, teeth bared at her prey, her blade inches from its tiny neck.

Its very tiny neck.

"Ahh, ahh," it said once again, a tint of fear in its cry.

The... thing she had pinned was small; no more than two feet from head to foot(?). Its small, stem-like arms curled around Azuka's wrist. It stared back at Azuka with three small, beady eyes on its otherwise featureless face, with its third located on what amounted to the creature's forehead. Its body more akin to that of a flower's petal than flesh, with a texture just as soft and delicate as it. The little one's eyes twinkled with fear, but it made no attempts to struggle free, not that it could with its small, leaf-like wings pinned to the ground.

"Ahh, ahh, ahh," it repeated, though it had no mouth with which to speak.

She had heard tales of the Primals; violent, dangerous plant-like creatures that once ruled this land. She would not allow this creature to take her unawares. She drew the blade close to its bulb-like neck, ready to end its life. Maybe Kaza could make use of its body in her medicines.

"Ahh. Zoo. Kah," it said.

Azuka's breath, held for the hunt, came back suddenly in a quiet gasp. She blinked rapidly as her mind caught up to what she had just heard.  Did it just...? No, no way. Must have been in my head.

"Ahh. Zoo. Kah!" it repeated. It almost sounded... excited? The fear in its eyes had relaxed with the young huntress's grip on it.

Azuka willed her eyes to squint, but they could only widen in disbelief at the creature beneath her weight. "How do you... know my name?" she asked the mysterious little thing.

"Ahhzookah! Ahhzookah!" it shouted emphatically, slipping out from underneath Azuka, her grip loosened by perplexion. The little fairy-like flower danced around her twirling through the air excitedly as if the young orc hadn't nearly sliced her body in half seconds ago.

Azuka watched in utter shock and confusion as the creature circled her head. "What... are you?"

"Ahhzookah," it said, as if that, itself, was an answer. The creature flit through the air to the edge of the dead forest and danced around another vibrant green plant, covered in the same sorts of berries as the one she had found just a minute ago. And it wasn't alone. There were a dozen or more of those plants lining this entire clearing, beacons of color and nourishment in an otherwise desolate hellscape.

Azuka stood back up, her blade held limp in her hand.  The berries... they're the same color.  The little one plucked a berry from its stem and floated back over to Azuka and plopped it into her hand.

"Ahhzookah," it said, cheerily before flitting back over to the plant to grab another berry.

"Were you... trying to bring me here?" she asked her new companion.

"Ahhzookah, Ahhzookah!" it exclaimed.

I... guess that's a yes...?

Azuka sighed. She didn't exactly know what... this was, or what this was all about, much less why the floral stranger knew her name, but she didn't really have time to worry about that right now. These berries, at least, would help to feed their people for a little while. Azuka shrugged. At least her hunt was over for now. If these things were safe to eat, and as filling as they seemed to be, they could be quite the blessing for the clan, especially if this... thing could make more of them.

Hopefully a blessing, at least.

Stowing her blade, she joined the flower-creature in plucking the berries from the strange plants that surrounded them, still keeping an eye on her mysterious visitor the whole time. She was relieved (or perhaps annoyed) that it was, instead, attempting to carry as many berries as its little body could, repeating her name over and over again in a vaguely song-like manner.

"Maybe Kaza knows what you are," she said aloud as she picked the last of the berries and looking back to where the rest of the Broken Blade was camped, less than a mile through the thicket. She looked back at her peculiar travelling companion, flitting nearby with a stack of berries in its tiny hands. "Stick close. And keep up. You lag behind, you become target practice. Got it?"

"Ahhzookah," the creature said imperatively. She almost thought she saw it nod...

Azuka sighed and shook her head again, realizing just how absurd this all was. Maybe that berry was having some weird side effects after all...?

Dornaa made her way to the outskirts of Garadar. She probably should have started there anyways; if there was one thing she'd learned in her time since the world trembled, it was that Geya and her family stuck together. For the most part, at least.

The young girl was one of four draenei in the town full of orcs, but she strode through the pathways that meandered through the myriad huts, tents, and humble hovels that made up the refuge without fear. Eyes of the mag'har denizens of her new home glanced to her with sad, yet hopeful smiles as she waved enthusiastically at them. She had already asked most of them if they had seen her friend around, but most had not seen her. She had asked Lokra, one of the wise orcs that had arrived with Go'el after the Earthrise, who suggested Dornaa consult the young girl's namesake. 

Humming to herself, Dornaa skipped adjacent to the babbling brooke that crossed the floating mountain before tumbling down to Skysong Lake below. As the statues guarding the edge of the world came into view, her heart jumped with joy as Lokra's suspicions were confirmed. "Geya!" the draenei called out, waving one hand in the air, her tail swaying happily behind her. Swiftly, she clopped over to where the young orc was. "Geya, I've been looking all over for- oh," she said stopped herself, clapping one hand over her head. Geya'rah was fast asleep, her head leaning against the Greatmother's stone leg. Her clumsy approach was noted by the frostwolf curled up nearby, who's ears folded back. A single, beady blue-grey eye opened as Snowfang looked up at Dornaa, only to close it and settle back down into her comfortable rest mere inches from the edge of the earthmote. Dornaa looked down at the snoozing Geya'rah with a smile, but it turned into a concerned frown when she noticed the trails of tried tears from her closed eyes.

She was crying again, Dornaa thought to herself, her heart sinking in her chest. The dranei's shoulders sagged as she pondered what to do to help. Since she had come here, the orcs of Garadar had been more welcoming than she had ever hoped to believe. And, among the other children of her adopted home, Geya'rah and her brother, Durak, had been the closest, and the kindest, among them. 

But then the earth trembled, the sky shattered, and everything changed... and now, I am powerless to help them.

She looked around, fussing about what to do, where to go, what to say. Dornaa looked to the woman who now supported her slumbering friend for guidance. Dornaa had done some growing since she had arrived, and, now standing next to Greatmother Geyah, she was shocked to find that she was almost as tall as the venerable orc was. She stood firm, her feet planted fully into the ground, her arms held out to the sides as if welcoming a downpour of rain. The elder shaman's face was turned up to the sky in an eternally lithified smile, every wrinkle and curve of her face captured more perfectly than an artisan could hope to do. Dornaa subconsciously reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Though the Greatmother was sickly when she arrived, Dornaa would always remember the brief moments of lucidity that she had shared with the aspiring shaman. Even in those brief, fleeting moments, Dornaa could see the warmth and wisdom of her many years.

I can only hope to be half so strong someday, she thought to herself.

Dornaa looked around the cliff's edge. To the left of the floating meadow upon which they stood, she saw some of the others who had sacrificed their lives to save the people that lived here, including her, her friends, and her family. Some of them stood alone, sentinels eternally watching out over the skies that surrounded them, the lavender clouds their only company. Though at a distance, she saw the stone form of Nahka, one of Geyah's many students, standing firm, her life-mate knelt on the blessed earth beside her. The orcish flute in her hands whistled across the air, the sounds dancing through the sky like a waltz of laughter and tears. Dornaa's heart jerked in her chest as she heard her song, and felt the love the two had shared as if it was her own.

What emotion, without even a word, she thought. Subconsciously, she wondered if anyone - a sibling, or perhaps her mother or father - had ever missed her so much as to create such beautiful sound.

Her eyes drifted to Geyah's other side, where, as ever, she saw Go'el. Dornaa wondered for a moment if he had left his life-mate's side since he arrived.

Even from a few dozen feet away, the difference in Aggralan's pose was in stark contrast to the Greatmother's. While her master was the picture of calm, stable, grounded serenity, Aggra's was a stance of power and control. Her face was twisted into a snarl of defiance against fate, her fangs bared to the air as her muscles bulged as she commanded the earth around her.

It was like peering into a mirror, with Go'el leaning against Master Aggra's statue, one hand scratching the slumbering mass of white fur that was Snowsong, his own old frostwolf. Like father, like daughter, Dornaa thought, glancing back down at her sleeping friend. She puzzled on what to do, when the sound of the stream reached her thoughts. 

Just be there, it said to her. Just be there for her. 

Just like the stream, like the water - no matter what happened, it was always there.

Dornaa nodded. "Okay," she said to herself. Carefully, she folded her fur skirt beneath her as she knelt by Geyah'rah, gently taking her friend's hand in hers as she leaned her head against the statue of the Greatmother, her horn brushing gently against her stone skirts.

"Mhhmah..?" a muffled sound eked out from the young mag'har as her bright blue eyes flickered open. "Was I...?" she said with a squint as her faculties returned to her.

"Good morning, Geyah," Dornaa sang to her friend with a giggle. Dornaa released the orc's hand as she rubbed the back of her neck - she had hardly been resting in a comfortable position, after all.

"...Sorry," Geya'rah said, bashfully. "I didn't mean to doze off. I just... came out here to think."

Dornaa frowned, cocking her head to the side. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Geya nodded, pulling her knees up to her face. "Yeah," she said.

"You look like you were crying," Dornaa asked after a moment, gently prodding her friend to open up. It was obvious she had a lot on her mind. Given everything that had happened to her, she had every right to be down in the dumps.

Geya'rah huffed and then remained silent for a long moment before speaking. "Durak and I... had another fight," she said. "He was being mean to Father."

Dornaa's heart sank. Durak had taken their mother's sacrifice the hardest out of the two of them, and their father's return after the Earthrise only incensed him further. "I'm sorry, Geya. Do you... want me to try to talk to him again?"

Geya shook her head. "It's not worth it, Dornaa. He'll just... yell at you next."

Dornaa scoffed. "I'd like to see him try," she said, posturing. The little draenei sat up straight, buffing out her chest. "Just you watch, Geya! I'll show him what happens when you talk to a lady like that," she said. 

Geya'rah laughed, and Snowfang's ear twitched. Geya shifted on on the earth, crossing her legs underneath her. "He's gone anyways. He went down to the mainland after we fought."

"Again?" Dornaa said, crossing her arms.

"Again," Geya echoed with a sigh.

"He knows we aren't allowed to leave the town. Kroll said its too dangerous right now, with the elements all out of balance."

"Tell that to him," Geya'rah said. "I'm afraid he might not come back one of these times,"

Dornaa gave a confident smile to her friend and squeezed her shoulder. "Then we'll just have to drag him back if he does." Dornaa's tail flicked as she sat up. "You probably didn't eat lunch yet, didja? C'mon, Geya! Let's go get you some food. Maybe we can go bring something out for your dad and Snowsong?" The draenei hopped up to her hooves and offered a hand down to the orc with a bright smile.

Geya'rah looked up at her friend. Taking the draenei's hand, she stood up and gathered her things. Turning back to the statue of the Greatmother, Geya'rah some of her wild brown hair from her face. "I'll see you later, Grandmother," she said quietly to the statue, offering a smile and bow of her head before turning back to Dornaa.  "Let's go, Snowfang," she said to the lazy frostwolf, who got up with a stretch. Her jaws clapped shut after a long yawn, stretching her paws in the grass as he stood up and followed the two girls.

As they ambled back to town, Dornaa looked down at her friend.  Determined to cheer her friend, the young draenei wove her fingers between Geya's and pulled her ahead, skipping wildly down the path, loudly (and poorly) singing an old orcish nursery rhyme about a talbuk swimming in the water that she had heard a long time ago. Geya eeped as she struggled to keep up as the draenei pulled her ahead, but quickly enough did she catch up to Dornaa, half laughing and half singing. Snowfang's tongue popped out of her mouth as her ears perked up to the sound of the girls' song, as she bounded after them, running circles around them as they sang, drawing no small amount of attention, and quiet laughs, from some of the other villagers as they went.

It might not have been what she always expected Home to look like, but she knew this was where she belonged.

She woke up.

Her head was s̸̰͈͈̞̥͓̗̯̥̘̣̬̤̈̌̓̒̄͐̌͋͗̑̆́́͌̕͜ ̵̭͙̺̽̃͂p̶̧̡̱͉̼̀̐͋̃̌͑̈́̄̕ ̷̢̱̟̓̓̍̅̀̀͒̃͘̕l̶̢̛͍̀̀̈́́̓̏͠ ̴͙̙̝͙̝̈́ḭ̶͔̻̗̜̬̱̞͙̼͉̯̀̈́̒͛̈́̏͐̒̈̀̏͛̚ ̷̧̛̰̣̮͈̤̪̹̺̀̏̇̉̂͊̇t̴͙̟̦̩̣̬̺̼͓͊̇̇̐̓̀̆̔͜͝ͅͅ ̷̛̙̝̹̝̰̳̫͌̽́͊̾̂́̑̃͊͝͠t̸͙̠̮̳͖͈̻̰͚̗̖̖̲͍͆̈̔́̌̆͘̚ ̵̧̡̼̞͔̜̦͈͚̬̖̜̪̤̂͛̀̅͘ͅí̷̡̲̌̔̂͊̃͌͗̍̿̕̕͝͠ ̵̧̧͓̩̠͙͔̪͚̈́̀̑̅̈́̓̎̕͠͝n̵̦͔͎̠̼̪͈̞̱̺͈̺̠͙̦̂̚ ̷̡̨̹̭̙͖̻̮͇͖͍͇̊̾g̷̢̱̘̣̞̘̤̩͈͓͛̋̄͜

What happened? 


She turned her head towards the sundered roof that had begun to collapse. Too small to force her way through... but she didn't have to. No, she didn't have to. Slowly, the dragon moved towards the cracked entrance and placed a claw on it as she began to climb out of the hole, far too small for her large body. As her body began to brush and strain against the stone, she closed her eyes and dared the stone to stop her.

Her flesh passed through the stone as if it wasn't even there. As if she wasn't even there.

She stretched her aching wings as she flew for the first time in her life.

Do I know how to fly?

Her body did, though her wings ached from the experience. They struggled to hold her weight in the air, but she wouldn't allow herself to be stopped now. She looked around at shattered land she had forced her way out of. A strange complex of steel and fury, rent asunder by an invisible blade. The sky churned like a symphony of malefic rainbows, spewing violet lightning like a thousand arrows from the million stars that hid behind the enemy's line. The island she flew above (or perhaps below, as direction had no meaning) was surrounded by a sea of stars and water as the world collapsed all around them. It was as if the world itself was shattering to pieces with her mind.

She started to fly in a direction, though she knew not where or when. She knew only that she had to leave this malefic place behind. Leave before she returned.

There was nothing for her here.

She stopped in mid air. No, no, that wasn't right. There was something for her here.

That was when she heard them. Brutish cries of war from the red-skinned creatures down below. Somehow, they, too, had survived the world's collapse, and they wished to chain her again. They would never chain her again.

But as they brandished their weapons, it was not against her that they braced. Indeed, they spun around to ward off another, only for their bodies to be consumed by a spray of ethereal energy, their flesh and bones incinerated for the experience. A second dragon erupted from the complex's wall, another of the red-skinned monsters consumed in his massive jaws. The fangs of the viridian-scaled behemoth as he flew over the strange mountain-prison, a trail of ethereal mist in his wake. She heard the beast cry out in pain, but he was silenced as the dragon flew directly into one of the wooden watch towers. Her kindred dragon passed through the structure unharmed - but the jailer did not, as his body broke against the wood and fell to the dirt in a pile of green blood, now freed from the other dragon's maw.

"Nori!" the dragon shouted at her as he flew closer and closer. 

Nori, the name passed through her mind, familiar and unfamiliar in equal measure. Is that me?

"How do you know my name, Barthamus?" she asked. Bartham. His name?

It was his name. She knew his name. She knew his name! She knew him!

Without realizing it, the two dragons were flying towards one another. In mid air the, dragons embraced one another, their wings folding tightly around one another as they intertwined their tails and necks together like strands of hair in a braid that was always meant to be tied.

"You're safe!" he exclaimed as the two plummeted towards the ground. "You're safe,"

More of the humanoid creatures that had imprisoned them were flooding out of the compound. "Not yet," Nori said. The two great dragons struck the earth... and passed through it harmlessly. The marauders froze, puzzled as they braced their weapons, searching the ground for answers that evaded them completely. Like ghosts haunting the earth itself, the dragons leapt from the earth like sharks from the sea, fang and claw rending their would-be jailers asunder. Nori's tail swiped one of the assailants clean off of of his feet as she took to the sky once more.

The dragons made a loop in the air together.

"Let's get out of here," Barthamus said. "Before they recover.

"Wait," Nori said, realization dawning on her.  "There's more. More here. We weren't alone... We were, but then...?"

"I..." Barthamus shook his head. "I can't... remember anything."

Suddenly, a shaft of wood struck Barthamus's side. He faltered in the air for the briefest of moments before catching himself. Nori roared as she spied the crew of assailants on the edge of the citadel, reloading the primitive machine responsible for striking her beloved.

Instinctivel, she swooped down on the four humanoid beasts and opened her maw, unleashing her rage down upon them. Their shouts, and their foul weapon, were reduced to dust as she swooped back up into the air to check on her mate.

Her mate.

Their children.

"Bartham!" she called to the other dragon, her other dragon, her only companion in this dark place, using her own strength to support him as she plucked the projectile from his scales. "Our eggs! We have to rescue our children!"

Realization dawned on him, evident as his eyes dilated. Wordlessly, the two turned their gaze back down to the ruined complex, knowing what they had to do. The pair dove towards the complex, ready to pass through its walls once again and rescue their eggs from inside.

Their attention was drawn by a horrible sound from above them. It was something between a screeching roar and a laugh. They turned, only to see a massive black wyrm crash down upon the edge of the ruined towers, crumbling under her sheer weight as one massive, blazing claw dug its way into the wood and stone. The onyx-scaled behemoth looked down at them with contempt in her blazing orange eyes. She was wounded; arrows housed themselves all over her body, and many of her scales had been tarnished through spell and sword. A seeping wound on her chest leaked a globule of molten blood on the building below, boiling the stone on contact.

And yet, she looked no less hateful, no less powerful, because of it.

Sinestra. She knew the name well.  The one who had taken ẻ̵͈̳͈͍͉͈͖̝͍̺̄͌͒͑͗̋̀̔̔̿͋͝͝v̸̛̞̦̒̄̈̽͂͌̚͝ȩ̶̠͚̪̘̪̬̜̥̩͖̞͕̥̟̈́͊̂͆̏͐͗̂͑̽̊̇͘͠r̴̢̙͎̘͖̖̟̹͋̓̔̈́͗̇̇̒̉̆͘͝͝y̸̯̣̱̼̺̑͋̇̄̉͒̋̃͗̇́̂͆t̴̠̳̪͇͎̯̻̤̩̥͐͐̾́̓̌̈́͗̍̋͂̀͘͜h̷̤̪͒̋̆͋i̵̛͔̝̖͎̝͇̰͆̈́̏̈́̅n̷͖̭̖͙̱͓͎͉̙̫͆͊̿͗̈́̄̾̀̆͘͘ͅͅģ̷̨̛̟̪̖̼̞̥̱̺͍̲͇̏͌̒̀̂͘ͅ.

"Well," the black wyrm began, surveying the chaos the couple of dragons had unleashed upon her prison, "I leave for a few months... and this place falls apart... quite literally. I suppose it is what you get for trusting orcs." Her eyes flickered to the broken corpses of the red-skinned jailers they had redecorated the complex with. More of the beasts had already begun to swarm out of the building, but now watched as the three hulking creatures postured at eachother. "And it seems my dear, sweet little pets are stretching their wings. How romantic," she crooned maliciously, raising her body above them, like an eclipse over the flickering, storm-wracked skies above them. "But I've had a very bad day, you see, so my darlings would be wise not to test my patience." Like a lion stalking its prey, she crawled down the buildings, each step burying itself into the earth as simply as a knife stabbed through flesh.

"Nori," Barthamus implored, "get as many of our eggs as you can and get out of here."

"Not a chance," she said. "I won't leave here without you too. We take this monster together."

Her beloved growled, but relented. Even weakened, Sinestra was still larger than either of them. In a flurry of action, the three dragons exploded into action, clashing in the sky above the prison Nori had known her whole life. Barham reached her first, raking across the larger wyrm with his claws. The black wyrm's counteractack was swift, but  the first claw passed right through Bartham. Sinestra's face contorted into spite and curiosity as her attacks passed through the dragon long enough for him to circle around back and breath a swath of destructive energy across her right wing and back. The black dragon plummeted to the ground, catching herself on her claws with a groan of intrigue and pain. Wing still scorched by the energy, she laughed. "That... is no green dragon ability I have ever seen before," she mused aloud. "My... what an interesting mutation..."  The black dragon lunged forward, swatting Barthamus from the air and pinning the dragon to the earth as she drew her face closer to his.

Nori leapt towards the greater dragon with her own follow-up, but Sinestra's massive, club-like tail met her side, sending her sailing towards the complex. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she allowed her body to fade for as long as she could as she passed through the steel walls of the prison, finally slamming against one of many as her power waned. As she righted herself, her left rear leg buckling from the pain, she found herself surrounded by the four-legged servants of Sinestra - her dragonspawn children. Before she could even prepare, they were on her, charging at her with glaives primed to pierce her flesh. She rolled over to one side, allowing her superior size to throw them off. One, two of their blades pierced her scales, but the others were forced back. She gasped as he life's blood spilled on the ground. Letting out a fierce roar that shook the very compound she was trapped within, she spun, her wings beating the room as hard as she could, throwing the attackers backwards. Her tail lashed out and snapped one of the monster's legs as her claws dug into their flesh. She screamed like a cornered beast, overpowering the dragonspawn one by one. But they still outnumbered her, and more were coming by the moment.

Another, a bipedal dragon-like creature armed to the teeth, appeared behind the group, a sinister grin across his snout. He threw a long, hooked spear at her which buried itself into her flesh before tightening as the creature pulled at the chain that now attached her.

"Not so fast, little thing," the creature said. "My Queen isn't finished with you just yet."

The slit of Nori's pupils tightened into a thin line as she inhaled.  "I will never be a prisoner again!" she roared, her very words turning into raw energy that shred scale and sinew from bone. The dragonspawn that survived, wounded as they were, doubled back, their bipedal master releasing the chain in pain as his body crumpled under the pressure of her attack. The magenta dragon tore the hooked spear from her flesh, her body flickering, as if she was threatening to disappear, as scales and blood were rent from the open wound. As the survivors closed in on her, she realized the danger she was in. Bartham was right, she thought, I must retreat. I must... hope he will survive. That he will escape as well. Mustering up what strength she had left, she dove into the complex once more, her tail flicking away the pursuing dragonspawn as they rushed her.  She swam through steel and stone, passing through wall after wall after wall, panic washing over her as she sought her eggs.

There!

Dozens of her eggs, tucked deep within a natural volcanic cavern that the complex was built within. She knew there were more... but she had no time. As quickly, carefully as she could, she gathered as many eggs as she could clutch close to her body. It was not long before the sound of her pursuers reached the chamber.

She glanced at those she had not yet gathered.  Forgive me, she mourned silently. As the dragonspawn poured into the egg chamber, Nori took to the sky and flew up as hard and as fast as she could, leaving some of her beloved children behind. Willing the mountain itself not to bar the passage of her and her children, they passed through feet and feet of stone for what seemed like ages. The air transfixed her lungs as she held her breath for as long as she could. Just when it seemed she was about to collapse from suffocation, she hit the open, twisted air above the mountain.

She banished the fatigue from her wings as she flew, and flew, and flew. She dared not look back, for she feared to see the body of her beloved Bartham on display as a warning. She feared to see Sinestra in pursuit chains ready to bind her to her cell once again. She feared to see the ghosts of the children she abandoned haunting her as she fled with the lucky few she was able to save.

She clutched the eggs she was able to rescue close to her chest as she flew, a tear streaming from her eye, though she knew not if it was from the nether winds or sorrow. There was no sky, nor was there earth. It was as if the monstrous place she had escaped had sequestered itself within the stars themselves.

But she had to keep flying. She had to build a new life for herself, for her children. She had to find a home for them amidst this... emptiness.

She flew for what seemed a thousand centuries before she spied tall peaks below her; a respite from the endless space that threatened her and her children if she had faltered for but a moment. Mustering what strength she had left, she flew as hard as she could towards the mountains.

As she landed on a blasted plateau, she could barely prevent herself from collapsing from exhaustion. It was all she could do to cradle her eggs against her own body as her lungs practically gave out.

"It is going to be alright, my children," she whispered to the eggs. "We are safe. We are finally safe, and we are going to build a new, happy life. And your brothers and sisters... your sire... they will all be a part of it. We will all build a life for ourselves, together. How does that sound?"

Yakun, she thought to herself. 'A new life,' in the draconic tongue. A word that had many meanings all wrapped in one, as most words in her mother tongue did.

Then I will be Noriyaku.

The dragon coiled herself around the eggs as fatigue quickly overtook her.