The Obelisk was one of many agencies that had opened its doors to off-world dragons. The Caerlord and Caerlady were unbonded dragons themselves, so perhaps it served to promote a cynical attitude toward humans in general that they should look to abandoned dragons with particular favor. It had nothing to do with factions or developing a culture that was intolerant to humans. However snide the Caerlord might be in private about it, his mate knew that it came more from frustration than anything.
After all, there were still many dragons at The Obelisk that had been born into this world that had shortly after birth connected with a human bond. Still others had reached adulthood only to make bonds of their own with still other species. If anything, these individuals provided The Obelisk's much-needed link with other agencies, worlds, and species. Therefore, any individuals with the desire to do so were encouraged to seek out new bonds. That kind of partnership was meant to last a lifetime, and who can justify discouraging such a miracle?
With all of that in mind and more, The Obelisk had sent out emissaries of peace to expand its range to interact with those other agencies on different worlds. And any entity that chose to follow them back to The Obelisk to live would do so under one condition. That condition was that they would endeavor to strengthen those bonds between The Obelisk and their place of birth.
Anything else they chose to do, any craft or studies they chose to pursue, or even should they choose to travel off-world yet ultimately remain as residents of The Obelisk (or surrounding Dusana areas) were free to do so!
~ ~ ~
The mysterious Darkling Dawn was one of those agencies that housed a small population of abandoned dragons. Little explanation had been given for the term "abandonment," nor did representatives from The Obelisk inquire into such personal, potentially complicated information.
Soon after The Obelisk made contact with Darkling Dawn, they faced complications of a different nature. The only information they gave Darkling Dawn was that, while they were still interested, it would be impossible to transfer Blue Jerhaith and Purple-marked Red Mentia off-world until a later date.
"We have no way of knowing how long this delay will last. If more convenient and suitable homes are found in the meantime, please accept our sincerest apologies and blessings for the future."
This was part of the written document offered to Darkling Dawn. Jerhaith and Mentia kept this document, which had been carefully copied in triplicate by hand (or talented claw, who could say), one copy each for the two dragons plus the ruling body of Darkling Dawn, A'ra and Bronze Mazdath, Rahel and Gold Micath.
What do we do now, Jerhaith? Mentia asked. Her happy-go-lucky exterior was painted with worry. She had taken to her counterpart's side mainly because it seemed reasonable that they stay together. At this point in her life, she could shrug off her insecure "clinging" with a grin.
The Blue, whose claw currently pinned the strong parchment to the floor, glanced over his shoulder to the younger female. He had been here waiting, without any word at all, for much longer than she. The Obelisk had offered the first glimmer of hope in quite some time. We wait. That's all we can do.
And so they waited.
And waited.
Interminably the time passed for the pair. Meanwhile, another dragon came into their acquaintance, a duo-winged Blue named Shyirak. He did have a bond, but they were waiting for transfer to The Obelisk as well. Anyck was rather shy around other humans, but he was more than happy to devote some of his time to the care and companionship of two extra dragons. This selfless behavior did much to alleviate Jerhaith's growing, albeit private despondency, and to calm Mentia's nervousness over the whole situation. After all, why would an entire agency abandon them?
"I just don't know," Anyck replied simply. How many times had they had this conversation he did not care to count. "I have heard vague rumors that other agencies have fallen on rough times. Some continue to accept new blood while others try to focus on bolstering their current remaining assets. I'm sure we will get an explanation eventually."
Mentia sighed deeply, rocking the man as he perched atop her shoulders, attempting to scrub her down. Shyirak had already been groomed and now lay comfortably stretched-out in the sun. And at the elder Blue's insistence, the Lady had gone first. Anyck had offered to rotate whom went first each time, likewise, Shyirak demanded no such favoritism from his rider. But whenever it came up, Jerhaith declined to go before either dragon, as if it was his duty to look after Mentia. I just worry sometimes, she added with a wry groan, but I do try to keep a smile on my face.
"Only sometimes?" Shyirak teased with a soft chuckle. He meant no harm by it and his joke was rewarded with a grumble and a promise to toss mud on his sails later.
"It's understandable, girl. We're all unsure of where we stand."
~ ~ ~
Eventually word was indeed received ahead of their escort. Finally. And surprisingly to The Obelisk, the quartet had waited, with varying levels of patience, for their new home to accept them with open arms, or rather, open sails. One thing that had remained certain, was that while they often and openly discussed their unease, they refused to look for residence elsewhere. Patience and reason had fueled more of the same for theirs had become a strong bond of friendship and family. They would go together or stay together, and The Obelisk deserved the chance to prove itself.
How many years had gone by? It was enough that a young dragon, a mere apprentice when she had first ventured off-world, was now fully grown. And her mentor, none other than a senior member of the Ob'lis'ian Council, still accompanied her with such an important visit. Not only were they increasing their ranks with four new residents, but they were also in charge of smoothing over any hostility that had been borne as a result of their delay.
A flurry of wings announced the landing Green as she made landfall before new charges while the Council-dragon had gone on to meet the ruling body of Darkling Dawn, running pertinent details around in his head. Though she had grown much in her time spent off-world, she still had the unmistakable awkwardness and eagerness of youth while she addressed them. For example, she was unsure of whom to address first, especially since there was one human among three dragons. So after a moment of hesitation, during which she shook brambles and leaves from her body, she addressed each of them with fiercely alert eyes. "Greetings! I am Hrritekeir, personal aide to Councilor Galaethla of The Obelisk. He will be along shortly as soon as our preparations are in order."
Though they had received word ahead of time, the quartet was, for the moment, speechless.
Despite himself, Anyck almost bristled with indignation before he could catch himself. They had sent such a young dragon, and a Green at that, to come meet them after all this time? She was so ill-prepared that she had obviously tried to fly through the woods, though her almost sprite-like form made it a tempting challenge. Perhaps they were not the most important people to join the agency, but...
Mentia, on the other hand, could hardly believe that a dragon about her age had been sent off-world to entice other dragons home. She had no rider, which sounded typical of The Obelisk, if rumors were to be believed. Did that mean that perhaps Mentia could one day do something just as important?
Shyirak exchanged a look with Jerhaith. Both were a little subdued but for different reasons. Shyirak was dubious. They could continue to live here at Darkling Dawn, where it was quiet. He would not complain nor would he resist, in action or thought, but he really was unsure about this whole situation. But Jerhaith was merely reflective. He had grown protective of his companions and did not want to make a mistake about their future. But the more he watched this girl, barely more than a hatchling, the more he was convinced of their resolve to do the right thing. Surely, after all this time, they had come to make amends, even knowing that these four might very well hate them. Nodding inwardly, Jerhaith sighed and finally offered the young aide dragon's smile. Go on.
At first their reactions were not encouraging to young Hrritekeir, but Galaethla had warned her that this would be a tough sell. She gathered all of her courage and focused it away from putting up a good front to speaking her piece. She needed to tell them all about the greatness of The Obelisk and what was so special about it. She needed to tell them some rules too, and other important stuff that she must not forget. She ended up saying a whole lot more than Galaethla would have needed to say, but perhaps it was this one Blue's final nudge that had inspired so much from her. Was he... Alskyrian too?
"So there are a few things I need to cover before anything else, since I'm not sure if you were given much information about us. So please bear with me, and then you can ask all the questions you want," she winced, "or throw rotten fruit, or yell at me, as the case may be..." She trailed off a bit sheepishly as she regarded everyone. She was met with a mix of surprise and she thought she saw the ghost of a smile somewhere... Something tickled her hide and she shook off one last twig from between her shoulder and wing.
"All right. The Caerlady and Caerlord are Cream Cerane and Black Scarth, respectively, both of Alskyr. The majority of our Council is made up of unbonded dragons, including Councilor Galaethla. Color and size do not equate rank at our agency, only merit does. Since no one has stepped forward nor nominated anybody else, our Caerleaders have remained in position for many years. At The Obelisk, we have striven to forge and maintain ties with other ruling bodies, with mixed success. Without going into too much detail for now, there have been some environmental complications that have prevented the continued interaction with other agencies. That is why your transfer was delayed. However, since you have agreed to continue with the transfer, you will be asked to take on some important responsibilities as residents of The Obelisk. First is that you help us to rebuild and grow. How you do that is up to your abilities and interests. Secondly, you will be asked to maintain relations with your home of origin, namely Darkling Dawn. You may be asked to sponsor dragons or to act as ambassadors between the two agencies in other capacities."
An exchange of confused looks passed between the trio of dragons and their human caregiver (even from Mentia, whom was having difficulty keeping a straight face with Hrritekeir's antics). Rebuild?
While the young Green caught her breath, another dragon, an older, middle-aged Brown approached. There was something similar between the two, which may or may not have been through blood relation. Locale, then. They were both Alskyrian dragons from a specific region. This could only be Councilor Galaethla.
"Do you accept these conditions?" He asked in a strong but kind voice that rumbled through his chest and reverberated faintly in the air around them. He smiled and added, "Of course you are free at any time to decline. You are also free to ask any questions, especially concerning the delay. And, as Hrritekeir mentioned, we would expect some measure of anger on your part."
How to answer that? There was no mistaking it, the Green had mentioned rebuilding the Caer. Their words did much to suggest that something devastating had struck their home though they had yet to mention any details. What had happened to The Obelisk?
~ ~ ~
In the end, Galaethla and Hrritekeir escorted two dragons and a dragon-rider pair back to The Obelisk, as they had hoped. Perhaps it was Brown Lee's levelheadedness and charisma that had lured them in, or perhaps it was a sense of morbid curiosity that had attracted them to their new home. Or perhaps it was a sense of loyalty and determination that circumstance had not quite killed within them. It was probably a combination of the three, especially the latter.
None of them received quite what they had expected when they finally made it home. Anyck was the first to say it, shortly after they arrived over Dusana Island with a blast of cold, moist air with a hint of green that gave way to crisp, dry air. Soaring high above the countryside, his begoggled eyes narrowed. Instead of circling over an obelisk-shaped spire, they approached a very tall, very narrow, mountain peak composed of dark-grey or black colored stone (the hazy sunshine made differentiating between the two difficult). This didn't look like anything he had seen on a map of Dusana Island. Shyirak, I don't know where we are, but this isn't Alskyr.
~ ~ ~
Anyck / Jerhaith / Mentia / Shyirak / Story