Reunion (Astral)

The Festival of Ascendants took many wild turns, from Kings becoming outraged to many other things, one event itself kicked it all off: Incus and Astral. If it weren't for Aurora, daughter of Astral sneaking to the draconic festival none of this wouldn't have happened. The long awaited reunion was settled, yet it had only continued after the party.

Incus had never been happier, life filled with hardships, misery, and failures have seemed to turned into a sudden spark of joy, something he hadn't felt in years. In the years living on the mortal plain he built himself a home, a cave that had a door he built all by himself! Well more like stole, but no one said he couldn't fib! He kept the home as tidy as possible and removed any small bones from it, keeping vermin like rats out, and even organizing his hoard to simply look 'pretty.' Tonight he was going to invite his mother inti his own home, he was going to show her the life he lived no as a plea to leave and make things better, but as a sign that Incus, of all his successful siblings, had survived and even thrived on his own. It wasn't until he really thought about it that Incus had succeeded where his family failed, save for his mother. Still, he wouldn't mind the chastise of his elder brothers and sisters.

Incus awaited outside the NightWing Isles, soaring high in the air around it to keep away from monsters. He awaited his mother and possibly his younger half sister, should she not be punished and sent home. His mother must have started a new life here, possibly to get away from Nimbus. If that were the case... Incus had a lot of questions for her regarding her "death." Why in the world did she fake it? And other questions similar to it, but the answers would only come later. For now he clinged onto his current feeling and never wanted to let it, he selfishly kept it close as it was the only thing he could possibly feel.

Finally all that crap having been dealt with and her daughter retrieved she could finally have some proper time with her son. She hated to let him out of her sight be she didn't have a choice with the insanity that was going down at that so called festival. She was resolved not to allow it to happen again though. She'd gotten her son she thought was dead back and there was no way she was going to lose him again. As she flew to their agreed upon meeting spot with Aurora flying at her side she couldn't help but fear he wouldn't be there. With every wing stroke that fear worsened until finally he was within sight. She didn't slow down and tackled him with her love. He was big he could take it. She was reluctant to let go, but did so anyway. Astral turned to Aurora to properly introduce him. "Aurora this is Incas your older half brother. I was mated with a dragon god before we split up and I met your father." Oh unholy curses. How was she going to explain her current mate to Incas. Hopefully that subject didn't come up until much later and she's had time to think about it.

Aurora promptly hugged Ignus herself. She was very happy to have a new sibling who was so big. He could actually give her a challenge wrestling.

"Where have you been all this time?" Astral asked her son. She realized that same question was likely to get turned back unto her later.

Incus saw the two Furies and met them halfway only to be huffed by the smaller winged lizard. He didn't know how to react at first but afterva second he gave a light hug back. It was awkward doing that stuff mid air, granted this time it's an exception. So this was his sibling... After all these years did his mother get back with Nimbus? If so, that would be quite a resolve and an even bigger mystery!

Incus broke the embrace and looked to his mother, had been since he was just a juvenile that she, "Died," and since then it had been a life struggle overall. Now that he's found his mother, Incus can relax, but that relaxation faded as soon as she asked one simple question, "Where have you been all this time?

"Let's... Get somewhere safe, I don't want to stay in the open too long." Incus said, turning and ignoring her question. He flew a few feet ahead, leading the two on to his den.

Bumping

Astral and Aurora followed along as Incus led them to his den. All the while her head was spinning on how to awnser that horrible question. Where had she been? Or what that question really meant was why did you abandon me. Eventually her mind did get distracted by the den. How long had it been since she lived in her den. Actually it didn't feel that strange. She still patrolled the borders of her current home. It was just a man made structure instead of a beautiful piece of natures marvels. No doubt since she left it some other dragon had come to claim her prestigious real estate and territory.

Aurora got into whatever trouble she could if she could find anything with which she could cause trouble with.

The time came for Astral to come out with it. It would be the first time she'd told any of her younger children if Aurora was paying any attention. "Being among my oldest kids I don't know if you recognized it but your dad wasn't the best of mates. It seemed he ignored me at every opportunity. I tried to improve things with him but he would not listen. In my depression I saw how well he still treated his children, how much attention he gave them and I was envious. When I couldn't stand it anymore I did something crazy and dumb. I offered my long time rival Paradox an opportunity to have a family I figured I could help him and myself. I transformed his body into my likeness and transformed myself into a hatchling and locked away all my memories of my old life. I was presented as Celestial Nimbus newest daughter. The new found attention was so short lived as you know and Nimbus left us. Paradox also left after the falling out. I guess he didn't sign up for taking care of a bunch of hatchlings on his own. I got adopted by Tenebris and things seemed normal for me for some time until Nimbus came back to me having learned of my secret and unleashed my memories which was hell on my pschy. Essential two different minds in one body. He said he wanted to make thing up to me but not only did he ruin my life again but he also left again. I did my best to find all my children but I found precious few. I'm so sorry, but so happy you're alive."

The flying Fury listened as he began to borrow himself properly, almost as if readying for a descent before he slightly did. Little did he even know of Celestia as he took off before then, knowing his fa- Nimbus, would take care of the younger ones. It filled him with sorrow that still held the seething anger he felt toward both parents... well, toward one parent. Nimbus was anything but a father, deadbeat, bastard, his mentally abusive relationship, Incus always trying to prove himself even topping his brothers and sisters and at every turn he always turned his chin the other way. For many, many years before he was finally kicked away Incus wondered what was wrong with himself, was it how he looked? But when he was younger he looked much like Astral save for the eyes, save for when his scales better developed after near maturity.

"I..." Incus trailed off as he took a normal route, trying to think of what to say, and the truth would never be pretty... but then he laughed. Incus laughed so hard he slowed and tears were brought to his eyes by the madness of her explanation. He sounded insane, but calmed down as pure anger took him, but not to be mistaken by hatred.

"You... are really a piece of work, Mother," Incus said calmly, but the coldness could be certainly heard, "I waited, and waited and waited for you to come back. I begged Ark, Shardas if he was still alive, Kelarth, even Paradox to guide me to you or bring me back. Do you even know what your mate was like toward me?"

Incus soon dipped further as they began to cross the sea, heading further West to the Sky Dragon lands, and he shook his head, "Nimbus, at every turn he got, neglected me, bastardised me, and any time I was in the right? He scorned me and..." Incus left out a very, very gruesome detail Aurora didn't need to hear, "I don't need to tell you everything that happened. I want to spare your daughters ears, it was not a pretty memory to relive. But it was like I had no father, replace that with a dragon who took all their stresses, anger, resentments out on a drake who looked very similar to his mother at the time. When the worst of it came, I failed to kill myself, but just when you "died" and your facade came along? No, Nimbus finally wanted to get to know me, saying how much he missed you, leaving Celestia behind apparently made him so soft... but then? I told him how much I wanted to kill him, how much I loathed him and that there was a special place in the Underworld for... amongst many other things!"

As Incus fumes with anger, in the distance was the backside to the greatly mountainous region, "And when he kicked me out saying I was nothing but a disappointment? I felt relief, I felt joy that I was finally rid of him and the other siblings that treated me the same. And for years I lived alone, keeping to myself and maybe, just maybe, once those monsters attacked, once you left your worshippers, The Dragons to those creatures I believed maybe you'd return. Oh, you did, but the blood of dragons... Your worshippers! All dead, and their blood on your claws mother! And instead of coming back to help, you came back to retrieve your half-breed mutt! So I must ask you. Where, where in the love Shardas were you?! When all dragons needed you!" Incus fought off the tears again, his voice trembling, "When I needed you.

At this point, Incus spoke freely with no regard of Aurora no matter how much it hurt. In his rant it was more shouting than anything but even Aurora could hear the hurt, of she payed attention. Incus, for the worse of it, was a dragon who's life was shattered. He had nothing as he continues to fight off tears which hit Astral and her daughter in sprinkles, his flight wavering but correcting itself. The damage was done, and he finally asked, "Just... please. I just want to know, where were you? Everyone dying around me, I was dying inside, Nimbus did most the killing inside, Just please... where were you?"

His initial response was more disturbing than if he was just angry at her.

"I I don't know no. From what I had seen Nimbus seemed very attentive of his children. I'm sorry I wasn't more there to shelter you from his abuse. Maybe we could have found comfort in each other and things could have been different"

As Incus trailed on though it only got worse and worse as he reminded her how terrible of a mother she had been.

"I" Astral sighed. "I was hiding, hiding from it all. I turned myself human and locked my powers away to become mortal and ignore my responsibility. The monsters didn't arrive until after that happened and I was powerless to do anything about it. In fact it was a long time until I even knew what was going on. The powers that were passed on to me from Shardas, yes he is indeed dead didn't come back until I was dying of sickness and my mate restored them. Your half sister Aurora is half human. Go ahead and show him Aurora."

"No, I'm not making the same mistake Cygnus did no dragon sees my human side and no human sees my dragon side."

"Ok one, I said it was ok. Two, I already told him. And Three he's your brother, family is the exception."

"Oh right." With that Aurora shifted to her human form which wasn't any bigger or smaller than her dragon one yet. Her scales vanished though replaced with pale white skin, she grew much thinner. And long pearl white hair grew from her head. Not that dragons cared about naked humans Astral used her magic to form a black dress on her.

"Ta da!" Aurora exclaimed. No doubt this would make things much worse. Astral was already desperately trying to hold herself together for her daughters sake but she didn't know if she could keep it up much longer after this reveal.

"So you let humans domesticate you?" Incus asked more to himself but was clearly vocal about it, they quickly approached a mountainside at successful speeds, "You let your fears, you, a goddess of gods, get the best of you?" Though his voice was cold it was also calm, a disturbing mix. He looked back to the young Fury transforming but elected to ignore most of it, trying to not let the sight get to him. It was sickening, though he could care less for the half breeds and humans, Incus couldn't let go of Astrals actions.

Incus landed roughly, collecting himself in front of a large set of pillars leading to a massive iron doors with carvings of an ancient yet lost language... yet, this language should have been known to even gods as the first Draconic Language. Great water falls fell on either side of the door, roaring and blocking most sound. Incus spit rapid fireballs to bonfire torches built of iron but clearly secreted a seemingly lasting oil, giving the great doors lumination. To the side of the doors was a much smaller bated gate that could easily allows thirty foot dragon to slip through and Incus did just that, open it and waltzed through. Inside was slightly humid, streaks of water falling from the cracked curved stone ceiling leaving a stream that lead out of the path.

It grew just a tad warmer before he finally emerged into a great cavern. Pools of water and hot springs littered the entire cave and were no means shallow, trees of various fruits grew while the ground was dominated by primarily clovers, moss, and Moon Flowers that shine brilliantly as the moon shone brightly through a large crack of this sanctuaries roof. He quickly fired rounds of flame bolts at the large metal bonfire pits that quickly caught flame, providing better light than the moon and heat nearby. The area was massive, to say the least, and it was almost as if it were its own habitat. Bats flew above and small critters like foxes and raccoons hid from the dragons. Toward the back was an open smaller room that had a bed of hay which had vines growing all over it, but close to it was quite the hoard of gold and silvers, from coins to boons to Shardas knows what.

Though as soon as they would enter the well lit area, Incus spoke, "Why do you have so many problems? Someone who holds so much power, why did you give away your power like that? And why, of all creatures, did you bed with a human? What do you see in them? I want the truth." At this point he sounded like a racist but that wasn't the case, no, he was wanting to understand the biggest question of all. Why did she leave dragon-kind for the Humans?

"Uhh Aurora why don't you go play outside. And don't stray far. If I have to go looking for you, you're going to be in more trouble than you already are." After Aurora left she turned back to Incus this time with a serious look on her. "Fear is actually what prevented me from almost making the biggest mistake of my life. I was going to kill them. All of the humans. I was going to massacre them all with a simple blink of my eyes. Why shouldn't I. They'd been a nuisance to dragon kind for a very long time with no perceivable redeeming value at least not to us. But one thought in the back of my mind stopped me. Presumably my predecessor made them and even with all they've done hadn't removed them himself, why? Sentimentality? I didn't want to make another impulsive decision that while seeming like a great idea at the moment almost always turns out to be a mistake. So I disguised myself as a human and enlisted the help of a capable looking male as far as humans go to help me out. I actually started to have fun learning their culture and grew close with the human that was my guide. I had more fun with him and he treated me better than Nimbus ever had. I was charmed and finally having what Nimbus never gave me. I didn't want to give it up. So I hid from everything again and I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was actually my mate who pushed me to take up my responsibility again. They aren't too different from dragons really. Well I mean they are wildly different I still have a hard time getting used to it from time to time, but they aren't any different in their right to be here." Astral sighed. "Anyway it's because I have so much power I have to be oh so very careful with what I do with it. It's ironic I have so much I can't do anything."

As Astral sent Aurora away, she gave an explanation as soon as the hatchling left. Incus looked at her hard as if trying to decide on what to say. That power came with responsibility, he understood that, he understood she had every intention on killing the humans off but in some twist of fate she spared them and even decided to love amongst them. Humans, something Incus could care less for, mattered to his mother apparently as a creation of Shardas. She couldn't kill them, and granted he never viewed them any less than a dragon. The idea they were like his kind stunned him, but he would not accept that, not until it was truly proven. For now, he kept it in the back of his mind.

Incus clearly contemplated on what to say but this wasn't about mankind, it wasn't even about the Dragons. He got his answer and he didn't know whether to be angry or understanding. She let her fears take over regardless of the events that took place, but her not knowing what was going on? Even if for a short time when her powers were gone? That was ignorance to Incus. He gave a harsh shy and walked a few feet away, trying to think of what to say in a moment that nothing could be said. This was about him and her.

"I want to know one more thing, and I don't care if you've told me already," Incus started in a quiet tone yet cold, carefully keeping his emotions in check, "If you were so willing to turn yourself into a hatchling, go through all this struggle, allow Nimbus to hurt you again, give away your powers... Had it ever crossed your mind, to take any of us with you? I don't know if I understand your fear or whatever you were going through, at that time, I honestly don't know if I should pity you, continue to be angry, or just understand it... But if Nimbus treated you that way, what made you think he would have treated us any differently?"

Astral was having a hard time keeping up. His questions melded into the next to the point she didn't even know what he was asking. But it didn't matter as that was all forgotten once his concluding words left his mouth. While she had been apologetic and ashamed to some extent a moment before. Now she was angry and growled at Incus, her son. "You have no idea what I've been through. What I've had to fight internally and externally. At your age I would have given anything to have parents, bad or terrible. Fear has nothing to do with anything, you know nothing. For your sake I hope you never find out just what place I was in and what it was like. And I have never said that. To ignore the survival instinct of fear or chase after it is as foolish as trying to seek death and overcome it. I wish you well Incus. If you ever want to visit you can find me on the outskirts of the human village of Kryo. Good bye." With that Astral turned around and left.

"Come on Aurora let's go home."

Aurora was surprised to be leaving so early normally mom spent a lot of time socializing with others. She wasn't going to question it though. "Bye big brother! Hope to see you again soon!"