Future ChargeIn a side pocket within the Lucid Altar’s cavernous reaches, Scurlock settled down on a flat stone as he watched over a pack of Geodes wrestle and play with each other. A single, bright lantern cut through the dim gloominess of the cave, revealing its flattened floor. Few small stones or even pebbles jutted out of the ground, making it a perfect arena for the Geodes to sharpen their claws on each other. The walls, rounded and smooth, glittered with hints of precious stones and metals. Even the stone that Scurlock laid on flashed every once and a while as the lantern moved subtly, its light touching the stone with brief caresses. “I’m the leader of the Strata now!” declared Mantella, a young Geode who was visiting for the day from Fluorspar. She glowered at the others from atop a small rock. As she struck a valiant pose, inhaling to puff out her chest, the rest of the Geodes screamed and chirped in protest. Kt threw themselves onto the stone without hesitation, claws screeching against the hard surface as they clambored to shove Mantella off. “No! This is my rock!” yelled Mantella. “You just kicked me in the snout!” huffed Valentine. “You can’t use breath in Leader of the Strata! No fair!” wailed Kt. Galahad, unseen by the others, snuck up from behind rock and bit down hard on Mantella’s tail. She yelped in response, slithering off the rock. Scurlock lifted his head, making sure the bite hadn’t drawn blood. As he watched the Geodes, now running in circles around their rock, he grumbled as he saw a bruise developing around the bite mark. “Hey!” he shouted, and immediately the Geodes stopped in their tracks, piling into each other as they all turned their attention to Scurlock. “Be careful,” he growled, the light swinging to accentuate his face perfectly. He let loose puffs of his pneumir from his wispy ears. “You’re playing with other Geodes, not a Fugulisk!” “Sorry, Mister Scurlock…” echoed all of the hatchlings in unison, some more earnest than others. For a heartbeat, they all stared at each other, trying to avoid his gaze, but it didn’t take long before Valentine playfully swiped at Kt’s ears. The play fighting resumed immediately, though they avoided the rock now. A movement in the corner of Scurlock’s eye caught his attention. A red, black and cream Geode approached him from the side, looking up at him with wide, curious eyes. Scurlock quirked an eyebrow and waited for the Geode’s next move. “I-I’m Olivin!” the Geode finally said, his voice cracking a little towards the end. He stretched himself up on his tip toes, ears just barely reaching over the rock. “I’m gonna be a knight someday. Just like you!” Scurlock couldn’t help but crack a smile at the little scrap in front of him. “You’re gonna have to do a lot of growing, then,” Scurlock said, pulling himself up on his paws to stand at his full height, his coiled tail bobbing up and down. Olivin’s jaw hung open as he stared up at Scurlock. “And a lot of training.” “I can do it! I’ll grow big and I’ll do all of my training!” Scurlock chuckled heartily, and then swooped the star-shaped tip of his tail down to scoop up Olivin. The Geode squeaked in surprise, instinctively biting to get a grip. Scurlock deposited him on the stone next to him, sitting down on his back legs. Olivin gazed at his new view, staring down at the other Geodes scrambling around in the cave. “Do… Do most knights babysit hatchlings?” “Not all the time,” Scurlock said. “Most of my days are patrolling and drills, practice and exercise. Sometimes, though…” “You said you would be the seeker!” Galahad snapped. “Did not!” Valentine shouted. “We can’t play hide and seek without a seeker!” Kt growled. Scurlock smiled. “Sometimes I get to envy how carefree you Geodes are!Belly fo the Beast“I can’t believe this guard had a favor from dad to cash in, on New Year’s Eve of all nights…” Bryon hissed quietly into Scurlock’s ear, flicking one claw in a small gesture to dampen the noise of his speech using his magic. Scurlock shook his head at his brother. “I know, what are the odds… but our family doesn’t leave debts unpaid, and there will still be plenty of festivities tomorrow night. It's just guard duty, I’ve done it before,” Scurlock said, eyeing the Pouflon Captain in front of him. It had struck him as odd that this seemingly random Captain had managed to curry favor with their father, but the signature on the card was real. Scurlock had seen fakes, and the one presented to him was genuine as could be. Their family was lauded for their accountability, having never broken a promise, and Scurlock was determined not to break that now. But this is an awful long way down for a cell. What kind of prisoner is this? The stairs seemed to stretch on forever, each clack of hoof and scrap of claw sounding off like a scream as the noise of the world faded to nothingness in the distance. This far down, the lantern at the Pouflon Captain’s side seemed more like an alarm flame than a comforting light. Its light made the darkness beyond even deeper, and Scurlock felt his brother’s ears pin down, tail twitching with fear.The air tasted of dust, thick and cloying on the roof of Scurlock’s mouth. “Aaaaand… here we are!” the Captain announced cheerfully as they landed at the bottom of the stairs, finding themselves in a pitch dark room, save for the faint, magical glow of runes etched onto the cell bar at the back. The Captain reached his lantern up and hooked it onto the ceiling, revealing a bored-looking Pouflon who nodded at the Captain, ignoring the two Vespires. “Let’s get going,” she said, casting one look back at the cell with a scoff. The Captain and the relieved guard started walking back up the winding stairs. “Oh! And don’t forget, boys,” the Captain said over his shoulder as he left. “Don’t say a single word to that prisoner in there. ” With that, the brothers were left alone in the room, save for the occasional, quiet clink of chain from beyond the cell doors. Bryon stared at the cell bars, his brow furling in thought as his eyes traced the runes. “These are… old,” he finally said. “Esoteric, even. And strong. The amount of magic this would need could…” “Bryon?” “Sorry. I’m just thinking out loud. It's creepy down here,” Bryon confessed. He’s not wrong. “Well, one on each side, I suppose. If the magic is strong, this should be an easy night, right?” Scurlock said, almost hopefully, but Bryon didn’t reply. Instead, he sat down on the right side of the cell bars, eyes flickering in small motions. Scurlock knew that face: his brother was lost deep in thought, and there wasn’t much he could do to snap him out of it. Shrugging, Scurlock took up the right side, and silence wrapped around them. For a time. A much louder clank from a heavy shackle snapped Scurlock out of his daydreaming, and he looked over to see Bryon also staring back at him. He turned his head even further, studying the darkness beyond the bars. Something moved in there, but he couldn’t quite make out a shape, at least not one identifiable. He frowned, though, as something about the form seemed… Familiar? “Hello… Could you tell me your names?” a voice seeped out from the cell bars, interrupted by a crackling cough. The voice itself sounded almost distorted, reminding Scurlock of the few times he and Bryon had climbed too high into the atmosphere while flying, and their ears would pop any noises they tried to make out. “And perhaps… some water if I am lucky…?” No water? Even for a prisoner, that’s… “Scurlock,” Bryon whispered urgently at his side. “Stairs. Now.” Following his brother over, Scurlock noticed a water barrel over in the corner. He took a mental note of it, and unfurled his wings to block out their conversation from the prisoner. “Scurlock, he sounds like-” “Dad?” Bryon nodded grimly. “I know. Not like a doppelganger, like… a brother. A relative?” “I’m not sure, but those runes- Scur, the amount of magic in them could kill a mage if anything went wrong with the spell.” “So they definitely don’t want that thing getting out,” Scurlock concluded, looking back briefly at the cell. “Well, if the magic is as strong as you say, it should hold steadfast. I won’t talk to them, but I’ll give them a little water-” “No!” Bryon’s eyes widened in shock. “If they’re keeping them weak for a reason, I don’t want to find out why.” Scurlock felt his head start to pound, something in the air felt wrong to him.But his gut also told him it was inhumane to treat a prisoner so poorly. “Look, a little water won’t do anything,” he said, letting his wings dissipate. “Just a bit. And then we go back to watching the cell in silence.” “No, no, this is madness!” “I’m doing it, Bry, and you can’t stop me,” Scurlock said, suddenly determined. “I’m pulling the older brother card here.” Bryon watched nervously as Scurlock padded over to the water barrel, popping off the top and pulling up the ladle using his minute magic. The ladle glowed in a marbled swirl of black and yellow magic, dipping into the water and coming back out with a full scoop on its own. Focusing on his magic, Scurlock delicately made his way over to the cell to make sure not a drop splashed onto the stone flooring. “Just a ladleful,” he said back to Bryon, and pushed the water into the cell for the prisoner to lap up. “Just a ladleful…” repeated the prisoner, heavy chains shifting and dragging against the stone.A Swift MomentErasmus stretched luxuriously as he settled down into the bay window, snuggling into the warm blankets he had piled up. Rain clattered gently across the window pane, and he looked out through lidded eyes at the fine mist the rain had created, hugging the surrounding buildings closely. His Bukkwheat yawned and rested its head down on his haunches, still licking its lips from the candy he had treated it with earlier. The serene peace lasted a good few minutes before Erasmus’ ears twitched at a sound: the thump thump thump of young Pouflon hooves on wooden flooring. He buried his snout into the blankets, hoping that if he kept quiet it might deter her.His attempt was in vein though, and he knew it as soon as the sound stopped for a moment, followed by a weight landing daintily on top of his head. Another, lighter and softer weight fell on top, too. “Uncle Rasmus! I’m bored” Poppet declared, using one front hoof to dig his head out from under the covers. His pupils shrank as light pierced his eyes. “And what, exactly, do you expect me to do about it?” “Make me not bored,” she said, sinking into the blankets as Erasmus pushed himself into a sitting position. Poppet’s doll, Puppet, fell over into her hooves, and she dragged the doll underneath her. She stared up at him with her usual blank look. “Well, I was enjoying the rain,” he grumbled. “Can’t Celia play with you?” “She’s busy talking to Uncle Locke,” Poppet said, her ears twitching curiously as she turned her attention to the rain dripping down the window. “How does rain happen?” “Er…” Erasmus scowled, searching his brain for an answer that wasn’t there. “I’m not sure, actually. We’d have to ask Celia. She’s smart about those kinds of things.” Poppet’s ears fell backwards for a second as she thought deeply, and then she fell back into a sitting position, letting herself lean on his Bukkwheat, who curiously sniffed at her before curling around her. Erasmus let his scowl soften, and dragged his tail up to coil around both of them. “Maybe if we watch the rain long enough, we can figure it out together, Poppet.”A Stranger in the RanksCrane meandered slowly through the halls of the royal barracks in the heart of Chrysanthos City, her small bag of things shuffling around on her side. So close to the very core of Pouflon society, her mind echoed visceral thoughts reminding her that she was a stranger here. Even the carpet below her claws felt strange and unnatural to her- it was tamped and flat, accommodating the hooves characteristic of Pouflons, unlike the flocked rugs in her Strata’s tower, hiding the minor damage that their claws did over time. Staring down, she could already see the tiny indents marking where she had walked. Absorbed in her own thoughts, Crane ran headfirst into another recruit. Dazed, she stepped backwards and shook her head to clear it. The other recruit stood tall before her, a brown and cream Ursuki whose body bisected at the middle with a golden coil. He looked down at her with a scowl that quickly lifted into a slight smile. “Oh you’re rather lost! This is Chrysanthos City’s Royal Academy, I’ll show you the door-'' his chipper statement got caught off as she snorted, venting out a huff of her pink pneumir. “I’m not lost!” Crane growled, pulling up to her full height, her mountain-rugged muscles flexing to show off her physique. “I’m a transfer student. From Banelaire.” “Oh, well-” the Ursuki said, stepping back to get a better look at her. “... is this the best Banelaire can send? You’re hardly a challenge for Sir Bearington, the best Knight of the lands!” “You’re not much more than a scrap yourself!” Crane rebuked, though she could feel agitation building up in her throat. A fleeting thought raced through her mind, reminding her of when Celia taught her how to count to ten to calm herself down. A fleeting thought, indeed, as Bearington raised his training sword, she stretched out her claws and narrowed her eyes at him. “Bearington!” A sharp, commanding voice sliced through the tension like a hot knife through butter, and both recruits jumped, ruffled fur quickly smoothing out. A much taller Pouflon walked between them both, her coat adorned with muted browns, grays and whites. Underneath impressive antler-esque horns, her eyes glared down at Bearington, piercing through him. He shuffled uncomfortably in place, sheathing his sword. “Don’t you have drills to attend, Bearington?” the Pouflon asked, prompting the Ursuki to nod and immediately bolt in the other direction. Crane stuck her tongue out at him as he retreated, but quickly withdrew it when the Pouflon turned towards her. “Don’t mind Bearington, his experience hasn’t caught up to his ego yet,” she said with a chuckle. “My name is Marleau, what’s yours?” “Crane,” she responded, letting the tension in her muscles melt away. “You said you’re a transfer student, right? Someone told me that there was a new initiative to swap students between Chrysanthos City and Banelaire.” Crane nodded. “Then I think you’ve got an initiation ceremony to attend to! Let me show you the way.”A Lick of FireWood cracked against wood, Crane’s training sword crashing against Auster’s own wooden sword. The edge of Auster’s sword splintered, a wooden chip flying off the edge. His eyes went wide as he stepped backward with the force of Crane’s push, digging his hooves into the sand of the training ground. She gave no ground, and this close together, Auster got a good look at her face, so unlike the Pouflons he was used to. Her Vespire face narrowed down to a tapered nose, accentuated by midnight fur lined with purple and blue streaks. Her pale, pink eyes sparked with a flame that shocked him by the intensity, and Crane jumped on his distraction. She relaxed her strength for just a moment before exploding forward. With renewed energy, Crane surged upwards and slammed back down with all of her weight. Her sword met his before the rest of her came crashing down, all of her kinetic force channeling directly to his bones through the fragile wood. The sword cracked open down the middle while Auster crumpled down to the ground, his brain scrambling as the force coursed through him like a shockwave. He dropped his sword instinctively and gasped, while Crane beamed down at him. “Y-you know it’s just training!” he exclaimed, shakily standing up. “You don’t need to, um, go so hard…” Crane dropped her sword next to him, looking down at him quizzically. “What’s the point of practice if I don’t give it my all?” “Not to harm each other, for one!” Auster responded, working his way back up to standing, albeit with trembling knees. Crane stared him up and down, leaning close to sniff him. “But you look fine? And I don’t smell a hint of blood on you! Come on, we can go another round!” Auster groaned as Crane snatched up her sword and ran to the other side of the training area once more.Always Gold, Part 3Shaking his head clear of the wine’s influence, Bryon perched on the very edge of a familiar cliff. Looking down, two miles of sheer cliff face stretched out before him, ending in a crystal-clear lake. The lake reflected the stars overhead, blazing a trail through the deep indigo sky and illuminating the night. Pine trees crowded around the lake’s edge, creating a dark mass of spectators for the stunt they were about to pull. “Ready?” Beside him, Scurlock scratched at the edge of the cliff, sending pebbles flying down. His older brother’s eyes glinted as he smiled at him, and Bryon shot back an equally crooked smile. He nodded, bracing himself against the cliff, waiting for his brother’s signal. “Go!” Scurlock shouted, and both Vespires threw themselves over the cliff's edge and into a free fall. Twisting in midair, Bryon’s coiled tail bounced with his maneuvers as he worked his way over to the left side of the lake and turned himself rightside up, claws facing the ground. Gravity propelled them faster and faster, both of them rocketing towards the frosty surface of the lake. Just as he passed the very tips of the treeline, Bryon’s wings shot out from his sides, sucking in air from the sudden force and pulling water up from the lake into a wave. On the other side, Scurlock did the same, and both of their waves came crashing down in the middle where they collided with a loud slap. “Ha! Perfect!” Scurlock whooped from the other side of the lake, gliding his way down to meet Bryon on the shore. The gravelly sand crunched beneath their claws as they watched the aftershocks of their stunt still rippling through the lake, coming to sit side by side. “You really know how to cheer me up, Bry,” Scurlock said. “Of course I do! I’m your brother,” Bryon said, shoving Scurlock in the side, though the behemoth of a Vespire didn’t feel the force at all. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better one!”Always Gold, Part 2“What a boring party. Dad keeps saying we have to socialize and ‘get ourselves out there’, but I don’t see him talking to a bunch of windbags all night!” Bryon swayed in place a little as Scurlock ranted, still lightly buzzed from the vintage the host of the affair had handed out. Whatever it had been, it had been potent and unlike his older brother, his slight form couldn’t handle liquor that strong. He closed his eyes as Scurlock went on, enjoying the way the breeze cooled his flushed face. Behind them, the mansion of a much older Vespire flooded light into the backyard garden they had fled to for some relief. Even then, Bryon heard others muttering and talking in low murmurs elsewhere in the garden. Dim fairy lights illuminated the small patio they had found, catching the gilding on the ornate bricks beneath their claws. In the distance, Bryon could still hear the violinist playing a slow, elegant tune. “At least this gala isn’t breaking out into a fight like the last one,” Bryon said at last, snorting as he thought back to two weeks ago. “Hey, I’d give anything for a fight!” Scurlock replied, flexing his large claws. “Maybe if someone challenged me to a duel in dad’s honor, we’d actually get somewhere tonight.” “No one would challenge you, Scur,” Bryon said, this time laughing heartily. “You scare half the nobles just by walking into a room!” The violinist’s song drew to a close, and Bryon felt the air of the party start to pivot behind them. He rolled his shoulders and butted his head against Scurlock’s burly shoulder. “Come on, I think the party’s winding down. Let’s say our goodbyes to the host and then we can go for a round of Cliff Swooping before we go home.”Always Gold, Part 1A sound. Frantically, the Geode within pecked and harried at the shell surrounding him, instinct driving him to push against the rough lining. It yielded slightly, the crack above him widening by the tiniest margin, but still held steadfast. Frustration and desperation grew in equal measure, fear clutching at the Geode’s rapidly beating heart. Oxygen, though he didn’t know that it was, ran out fast and he understood that to be dangerous. Another sound, closer. Chirping and shuddering, the Geode curled up his stumpy limbs together, gathering all of his dwindling energy. With a mighty shove, the Geode burst outward, coiled tail springing out and slamming into the shell. The crack suddenly exploded through the Geode’s shell, shearing it clean in two and allowing the now-hatched Geode to flop out onto the cavern floor. The shell lay split and motionless, lined with golden crystals that sparkled. Above him, a dimmed lantern crackled with a faint heat, casting a dull glow into the gloom. His eyes adjusted to the new light slowly, even painfully despite how low it was. The cavern seemed to stretch out and above him for miles, the walls eventually vanishing into darkness he couldn’t see beyond. The Geode shivered as a chill wind settled onto his fur, and he crouched low, instincts screaming at him of danger. “Hello?” From just beyond the lantern’s circle, a broad head poked out of the darkness, eyes lighting up with recognition. The Geode barely had time to understand what he was looking at before the larger Vespire rushed him, towering over him by several heads. The Vespire circled around him a few times, sniffing at him and nudging him with a snout much larger than the Geode’s body. “Hey, look at you, little buddy! You got mom’s whiskers!” The Vespire curled down around him, long fur draping over the Geode and instantly warming him up. The Geode chirped and moved in closer, his wide eyes trying to take in all the details. It overwhelmed him, but he recognized one thing: the Vespire’s tail coiled in a corkscrew, just like his own. “Don’t worry, little bro!” Scurlock said, his voice pitching up. “Mom and dad will be here soon.”Ambush!Scurlock’s eyes darted back and forth, searching through the pine trees surrounding the carriage he and the other trainees were protecting. The dusk sky lit up orange before dying into an indigo at the horizon, forcing the trees to cast long shadows that stretched out over their forms. His ears perked up at the sound of something crunching- was it pine needles on the forest floor? He stopped and peered closer, tracing the outline of every tree to look for abnormalities, yet the pines gave up no sign of an unwanted intruder. The crunch didn’t repeat itself, leaving only the sound of the carriage’s wheels turning and creaking. “Ambush!” A fellow trainee in the front screeched as they were jumped, a form darting forward to kick out their legs. Scurlock bolted to go help his teammate, but another Vespire intercepted him, smashing into his shoulder at full force. He instinctively tightened his muscles and dug his claws into the dirt, holding steadfast as the attacker bounced off his shoulder. “Uh, this might have been a bad target! He’s like, three times my size-” Scurlock whirled around on the attacker, confused as the Vespire seemed to be talking to nobody in particular. The Vespire bore a red coat with a black mane like Scurlock’s, though his chest shone a bright white. Golden claws tipped his feet, and a unicorn horn crowned his forehead. Even as the attacker crouched low in preparation to spring, his face seemed uncertain, eyes shifting uneasily. “Not on my watch!” Scurlock yelled, slamming one massive paw down in front of the attacker. The Vespire lept back in response, then sprang forward, using Scurlock’s leg as leverage to rush up and onto his back. His claws ripped and tore at the fur there, digging just a little too deep and lacerating Scurlock’s skin. Scurlock screeched at the pain, but his fury overrode whatever he was feeling. With a ferocious roar, he bucked, tail tip swinging in a wide arc to connect squarely with his opponent’s jaw. “Ye-ouch! I told you he’s too much for us!” “Shut it, you!” Scurlock whipped to the side, using the momentum of his weight to hurl the attacker off of him. His opponent crashed into the forest floor and rolled back onto his feet, his three tails lashing in unison. Scurlock stepped forward, black and yellow pneumir spouting from his mouth and ears. His attacker growled back at him but held his ground, both Vespires staring each other down. “STOP!” The tension in the air shattered as their Captain shouted and jumped between them, snapping both of them out of the bloodlust. Scurlock loosened his shoulders and coughed, while his opponent cowered at the shouting. That’s hardly the Vespire that was trying to flay my back two seconds ago! “This was a practice scenario, need I remind you!” the Captain scolded, looking at both of them with fury. “I expect better composure from you, Scurlock, and you need to control yourself, Eternity.” “Ah- I’m sorry, I don’t know what overcame me,” Scurlock muttered, ears flattening as he felt his cheeks flush and warm. “I-I’ll do better next time,” Eternity said, avoiding both the Captain and Scurlock’s eye. “Good,” the Captain growled. “Now go get checked out at the infirmary for any injuries, and then I want twenty laps around the lake from both of you!”WingmanThe crowd chattered relentlessly around Scurlock and Bryon, though it did part easily for Scurlock’s massive form. The two brothers strode side by side, enjoying the mild spring weather during some much-needed time off from their respective jobs. With the carnival in town, they had decided to pay it a visit together, taking in the colorful tents and numerous craft stalls. Bryon, it seemed, had another agenda in mind. “So when are you going to begin courting somespire?” Scurlock did a double take, frowning. “You know I don’t do well with all that… romance stuff,” he said, shrugging. “Besides, the Academy keeps me busy. I don’t have time for that.” “Eh? Weren’t you the one going on about family lines and noble obligations the other day?” “I didn’t mean both of us have to find someone! Just… one of us, and you’re the one who likes to attend social gatherings and parties and all that stuff.” Bryon scoffed. “Come on, there has to be someone who’s caught your eye. What about Bramble? He’s into all the gym stuff like you. Or Sadine, they’ve been eyeing you pretty blatantly the last two times you were in the same room. Or-” “I said no, Bry!” Scurlock growled, rage suddenly roiling in his chest and forcing the glowing markings of his furnace to ignite and spark with energy. “I don’t want to pursue any of that romantic junk. Just because you want to doesn’t mean I have to. Now drop it.” Bryon raised an eyebrow, taking one step back at the display of anger. “I didn’t realize how strongly you felt about this.” “Neither did I,” Scurlock admitted, taking a deep breath to calm his furnace. “Sorry. Can we move on to something else?”