Pinkshade Reunion [OPEN TO ALL]

King Attor of the SkyWings had been very gracious to allow the festival to be held on one of his islands. Quite a beautiful island it was, perched in the dawning sky with a crown of rosy pink boughs. Its children scattered the rich earth in the form of delicate petals who were sure to burrow into the soil to sprout into magnificent trees of their own. The LightWing Czar Wylandriah pondered taking some of the life-rich petals to bring back to the Dazzling Jungle. For once, she felt that the LightWings were inferior to another tribe, but it was for one simple reason: the beauty in a landscape. "I certainly must speak to his Graciousness about his beautification process," the czar murmured to herself. Was this all natural or had it been pruned? The pretty dragoness had her head tilted to the stained sky, her eyes dancing over the gorgeous tree. The pink light danced along her multicolored scales, and Wylandriah decided that she could not have asked for a better place to hold the Pinkshade Reunion.

Decades had passed since the beginning of the apocalypse. Lifetimes even before that, the LightWings were highly secretive, secluded from the rest of Pyrria. With the end of the apocalypse came a new age. For the first time in history, the LightWings were hosting a party in the SkyWing territory. It was to celebrate the world's survival despite Astral's selfish neglect, but today, Wylandriah was determined to prove her tribe's worth. Today, if only for a single day, the LightWings would shine, and they would be at the top of the world. For the millionth time, she checked herself over. Not a single scale should be out of place! Deciding she looked perfect, she glared over the island. Not a single decoration should be out of place either, for that matter.  The island was already buzzing with those of the Order of Starlights, but it would not be long before those of tribe and none would arrive.

The whole reunion was taking place outside. The day was simply too wonderful to be spent indoors. Wylandriah had set up a modest display of the delicacies her tribe had to offer: fruit, vegetables (both dried and fresh), fish that were exclusive to the springs and rivers in the jungle, among other prey. Tapirs and capybaras were the unique meat available. Each meat was offered fresh or cooked, as it all depended on the dragon's taste. Pools of clean water were located in various locations on the floating island for drinking. However, there were also bowls of punch available. They were the true delicacy, as they came in all colors and even glowed as if they were of the light themselves. Wylandriah let out a long sigh of disappointment as she used a wing to nudge a bouquet of rainforest flowers back into place. Altogether, the party was casual and relaxed, but also extravagant with the LightWing displays. This was a chance for the rest of the world to learn about the secretive tribe, and for the LightWings to learn of them.

"Why did I even come here?" Darmith muttered to himself grumpily and much as he detested such social gatherings of this nature...a much needed unexpected change of pace for the old dragon. If one noticed him they'd see a grizzled Guardian whose seen many a battle and live to tell of it on their body, a well-built slender build with pale grey scales and cream underbelly followed by white wings ending to a long thin tail. His true age showing from the few holes in the wing membranes, multiple old scars that mostly have faded away except for two large ones on his chest along with the throat, two horns that curved up with one chipped, and finally a wrinkled snout with a short white beard on the chin as worn out piercing blue eyes looked over the gathering lazily. Extravagant, yet somehow casual and relaxed if that's possible on a floating island that's completely dominated by the color pink with even the sky following the same sentiment.

....she would've loved to have seen it, he would've loved to spend a sunset under this sky with her with the raining petals. He chuckled to himself and shook his head with a sigh...after everything time has taken, it gave him that memory for this moment. Since he got a personal invite he may as well enjoy the festivities for the day even if its too much pink for his taste.

Looking around though noticed a rainforest bouquet just seemingly out of place and it irked him slightly. Darmith was nothing if a dragon of habit, seeing things just out of place annoyed him to a inner level he just couldn't explain and with a delicate wing nudge them back into place only to see a dragoness do the same not too far from him.  Much younger then him obviously and somehow out of all the Lightwings gathered here today, she stood out among all of them. The pink light danced along her multicolored scales of this thin, slender dragoness with large wings and long tail.

"...enjoying the festivities milady?" While a bit hoarse sounding he kept a polite tone and chalked it up to being haven't spoken to others for years other then being grunts or growls.

Destella would slowly land, followed by two of her hatchlings, Centella and Blink. The serpentine dragoness looked around, taking in the celebration. She'd lived with Skywings for some time now, so to see others of her tribe was.... It was good. She slithered through, looking at everything in surprise before noticing the other dragons there, and slowly sliding over.

Cent and Blink meanwhile started to try and find their own trouble.

Blink and Centella were not the only of Destella's offspring to arrive. As soon as the family touched the ground, Arkay scampered off alongside his siblings. A whole new place! What trouble they could have here! The hatchlings caught the LightWing czar's eyes, and her gaze lingered on them for some moments. So there were more outside of the tribe. That came as no surprise, and yet. . . There was something encouraging about it, even if they were clearly half-breeds- even if Wylandriah was reluctant to trust this serpent-like dragon approaching her. The only sign of wariness she displayed was a flick of an ear before she turned her head to the elder at her side. 

Dhelmit. She knew him. Almost everyone knew him, actually. He was one of the eldest of the LightWings, if not the oldest. He knew their first leader, Sleenia. Even if he was beyond his prime, there was no denying the respect he was worthy of. Such respect came with one after they saw the beginning and nearly witnessed the end. Yet Wylandriah again showed no sign of her mind's inner turnings. She simply smiled. "Dhelmit, darling, how wonderful it is to see you," the pretty czar gushed. "I am elated you could come. What do you think of it all? Is it not simply fantastic? And you, my dear." She turned her emerald eyes to the feathered serpent making her approach. "I am delighted to see another LightWing, though I do not recognize your face. What name should I call such a treasured guest?" 

"Dhelmit, darling, how wonderful it is to see you," even as he kept the passive smile Darmith internally grimaced forgetting he had gone a completely different name after that day back then, "I am elated you could come. What do you think of it all? Is it not simply fantastic?" Other then it all being obnoxiously pink?

"It is indeed, fantastic and very pleasant on the eyes." Then he noticed more new arrivals and felt himself smile warmly upon seeing the accompanying hatchlings scamper off on whatever little adventures their hearts wished for. The mother, a serpentine dragoness, approached them who more then likely just wished to offer a friendly greeting among Lightwings.

"I am delighted to see another LightWing, though I do not recognize your face. What name should I call such a treasured guest?" Faces came and gone for him, never really making meaningful conversation beyond a grunt or growl in his hermit lifestyle and maybe...just sought to change that, if even slightly.

"Welcome to festival fellow guest and as it seems here many know me already, but my name is Dhelmit. A pleasure to meet you and see young ones enjoying the festivities." He bowed in greetings to the serpent dragoness.

Centalla giggled a bit, pouncing Arkay with her feathers shifting from blue to yellow for a moment. She'd slide of quick, giving an innocent look.

"This place is cool!"

Destella meanwhile looked at the two dragons, coiling as she stopped and got comfortable. She'd give a nod to each before speaking up. "Thank you, both of you. My name is Destella, and those three there are some of my hatchlings. Arkay, Centella, and Blink." She made sure to keep her fangs tucked, but dipped her head a little as she thought about everything. "I was still young when the monsters came, so... not much time to really make a name for myself. In the end I found my mate, Snowscale, and eventually we ran into Attor's group." She wasn't quite sure what else to say. It was just nice to see other Lightwings again.

"I do not think it wise to go, sir!" One advisor said, amongst a few others higher in the ranks of the Order of Starlights.

"I agree, a shadow organization we know nothing about and you would let them on our land?! My lord have you lost your mind?! A close friend said.

Yes, there were risks, however when considering the factors at play it was possibly for the best. Not everyone needed to show their cards, not every kingdom needed to make their presence public. But it certainly would have been nice to know they were there, to know there was another people so close to home that they could have built up relations and aided one another. Even if the beasts of recent armageddon made it potentially impossible it was still... Would have still been something. But what was done was done. For now it was good knowing at least relations could start even if the views of both cultures were opposite... But Attor was not so easy to trust. That is why this little debacle was an act of good faith for better or worse. None of this let him feel easy nor was it easy, only by messenger and scroll, discrete locations, did the two leaders communicate, and Attor was very specific about where this little gathering would take place; including the rules and laws.

And now as the day was cool and fair did Attor fly through the air with a pair of guardsdrakes, one Sky Dragon and another Light despite the fact Attor stated he did not want the company of guards. It felt like he was being paranoid which in truth his anxiety was through the roof, and despite that he seemed as calm as could be. Besides, there were guardian and scout class Starlights out and about as usual and perhaps even they watched the island the gathering was taking place as they passed. A present was made seven moons prior to this get-together which had been carefully wrapped in refined fibers from the softest flora in the Sky Dragon territories. No one else made this gift besides Attor, which after several tries he finally got the carvings right. Why were caves so hard to traverse these days?

"Say, Tohlven, what do you know 'bout the Czar?" The SkyWing female asked addressing her comrade.

"Honestly? Don't know. After that announcement the rest of the Light Dragons were just as surprised as you were. Never heard of this group before." The male LightWing Tohlven replies.

'Hopefully I'm wrong and things go swell...' Attor thinks to himself as the trio starts to edge closer to the massive colorful floating island. The island was pruned and designed the way it was as a testament to the Eastern dragons and the trials of the invasion, a memorial, but that wasn't disclosed. The large pink flowered tree in its center had names of those who'd fallen carefully carved with delicate care, from hatchlings to adult dragons, civilian to soldier and noble, it seemed like ages ago since that fateful day. And now it was the dawn of a new age, a time of rebuilding and much reclamation, however all agreed that the old Sky Ruins would remain vacant in respect and memory to the war that took place.

Upon their arrival Attor had eased himself onto the soft grass beneath, his wasp-like wings folded into his back plating. His appearance was an alien one, while dragonic in nature, it was also not as so. The Sky King was of a unique nature from all others, his appearance allowed him to easily be distinguished among the ranks it would have been difficult not to figure out who he was. Then again, some individuals were that dull.

The Sky King looked around at the gathering and let loose a low but silent breath held in for the past seconds. He was not one for social gatherings, but it was a chance to learn more about these new neighbors. His eyes scanned the scattered crowd, mostly it were LightWings, very few SkyWings were present, "Dhelmit, darling, how wonderful it is to see you, I am elated you could come. What do you think of it all? Is it not simply fantastic? And you, my dear, I am delighted to see another LightWing, though I do not recognize your face. What name should I call such a treasured guest?"

Ah, there was the distinguished... Hrm... The words weren't quite there. Attor gazed calmly at the exotic looking dragoness, her colors and slender appearance made his mind stop for several seconds. In stark contrast these pallets seemed to be of glamorous design, exotic yes but in reality most likely used for attracting mates in the primitive sense. Pretty or beautiful were the two words that came to mind, Attor meanwhile had a pallet natural to venomous or toxic creatures, designed to blend in with the environment belonging to a jungle than that of a mere forest. The Czar to what he guessed was lighter and more gracious in her design, whilst Attor was more natural and simple in his, yet they both had colors that weren't found in other dragons yet they were opposite of each other at the same time. This one is particular.

"Sir... Shouldn't you... You know, announce yourself?" Tohlven whispered to his leader.

"I'm not above these individuals today, best to let them approach us than to force ourselves, yes?" Attor calmly responds, using his stinger to carefully lower the wrapped gift near the ground between his two paws. He would wait his turn, no sense in rushing things, besides, it gave him time to gaze at such eye candy. If the female was seeking to show off she definitely worked her magic...

Wylandriah lowered her rump to the ground in a sit. Even that movement was graceful, and she coiled her long tail over her front feet, folding her wings neatly as she gazed calmly at the serpentine dragon before her. "I, too, was but a child when the apocalypse began," she crooned politely behind a confident, smoldering emerald gaze. "How fortunate that you found a home at last. I am the new leader of the LightWings, Czar Wylandriah." Her green eyes flickered, running back over the festival. "Our numbers have always been low, but our strength never wavered. That will become ever clearer to all visitors today." There was a veiled challenge in her voice- not towards Destella or to Dhelmit, but rather to the Tribes who were not yet present. Though she did not think she had any reason to concern herself with an invasion, she had no clue what was going on in their leaders' minds. After all, there had been some attempted trespassings in the years past. If any Tribe posed a threat, Wylandriah was determined to deal with them and show that the LightWings were not to be trifled with.

As she spoke, movement caught her eyes. Wylandriah looked up and, just in time, spotted the Sky King himself make a landing. Across the way, she smiled at him. Snootiness aside, she knew it was gracious of Attor to offer this island. It would be polite to regard him right away. "If you two darlings will excuse me," she murmured sweetly to the dragons surrounding her, "I have His Majesty to thank." As she departed, she whisked her tail elegantly behind her, allowing it to trail sensually along Dhelmit's jaw. It lingered alluringly for a few moments before Wylandriah stepped out of range, though it did not seem to be intentional. Her confident smile remained on her face as she approached Attor. She bowed once she got close, spreading her wings and lowering her head in reverence. "Well, if it isn't the sovereign himself," she purred, lifting her eyes to meet his face. "I know I've given you a thousand thanks for lending us the island, dear, but I still have much more to give. Is there anything I can do to repay the favor?"

Watching the Czar so elegantly move herself from Dhelmit and Destella, Attor easily noted several things that he didn't need his Moonstone for. The first being the way she looked, of course the woman had spiffied herself up for this little gathering but nonetheless the closer she got the more unnatural she looked, almost prosthetic in nature. Secondly her movements seemed more forceful from her own actions, though she had the elegance of flowing water, it was something that the Sky King could care less for. He was not impressed. Attor straightened himself and mellowed his thoughts, ready to respond to whatever the female would throw at him.

"Well, if it isn't the sovereign himself," Wylandriah purred, lifting her eyes to meet his face. "I know I've given you a thousand thanks for lending us the island, dear, but I still have much more to give. Is there anything I can do to repay the favor?"

Undo the blemishes, and let your natural beauty free, Attor thought as his cool gaze met that of the Czars. How best to respond? Then he spoke, "Indeed you have, and your thanks are always welcomed. There is no need for repayment, Czar, this was merely an act to kindness. And from the looks of things I am to assume all is well?"

No signs of disgust, no sour expressions or tones, all words were kept even and cool, respectfully so. Attor would never dare allow his internal feeling surface, however he wasn't a fool to fall for the glamor of the Czar who could easily put a spell on any male... Or female. He was one more fir simplicity, which is why oddly enough he felt more attraction toward the Night Dragons. He still wish he had Amore, but that was an age ago. Beyond that, his focus was redirected to the matter at hand.

"Ah yes, I had almost forgotten," Attor lowered the leaf wrapped gift ti the ground, "It took some time, but hopefully it will suffice for a decent craft." Inside the wrap was a carefully carved amethyst hummingbird with its beak dipped into a sapphire Mimosa flower, no imperfections, completely smooth saved for the necessary points and edges, a true piece of art made with care.

Darmith, for all his centuries living as a hermit, never expected the young showoff dragoness to be the Czar....the new Lightwing leader. He felt his legs to be a bit weak and slowly let himself down to the ground with a grunt....an emotion he never thought he would feel after so long, he felt embarrassed. Not just embarrassed no, just inwardly cursed his own luck, twice now he's met the Lightwing leader without realizing it.

He barely noticed her leave to go greet an important dragon, a strange looking one, that had guard drakes with them. She said they were the sovereign....ah, the Skywing leader right and he only knew that because he heard they looked weird. "I'm getting too old for this." Murmuring the thought outloud without realizing and noticed the serpent lightwing, Destella, still next to him. His scales changed to the color of pink from embarrassment rather then frustration.

"A-apologies, this elder tends to ramble without realizing it." Darmith coughed to clear his throat and noticed her hatchlings playing. "Their wonderful names...Crystal would've loved to have met them."

Des watched as the leader walked off to talk to Attor. She then looked at Darmith, who seemed to be beating himself up a bit. She smiled when he noted her hatchling and that someone named Crystal would love to meet them. Wait. Would've loved to meet them? She gave a somber look, but still had a smile.

"Thank you. I assume Crystal is your mate?" She didn't add more, but had somewhat guessed the response that'd come.

Though the SkyWing king insisted there was no need for repayment, Wylandriah's head was still alive with ideas. While it was her goal for the LightWings to be largely independent as a tribe, there was no need not to cultivate alliances and friendships with those from other lands. She might need their help some day. "Yes, we are absolutely flourishing," Wylandriah confirmed breezily, her tailtip flickering. "I say the survival of my tribe- the survival of us all, truly -is proof that we are fully capable of standing alone without divine interference." As it was meant to be. While the apocalypse had driven the LightWings away from their original capital, their new home proved more useful and cozy. While Astral had banished the monsters, it had also caused problems seeing as the monsters have become a new food source. How ironic it was that the moment the gods returned was the moment that dragonkind had gotten used to their plight and was even taking advantage of it.

Though Wylandriah was an expert at putting up a confident front, surprise betrayed her expression as Attor lowered a leaf wrap before her. "For me?" Interested, she opened it with careful movements of her long, prehensile tail, and her emerald eyes lit up. "It's. . . stunning." That was no lie, and the breathiness of her voice portrayed that. "Did you make this yourself?" She adored hummingbirds, not as food but as companions. She wondered if Attor knew that or if his choice of craft had been unintentional. She picked up the charm with her tail, bringing it to her face for a closer look. It glimmered attractively in the sunlight.

"Thank you. I assume Crystal is your mate?" Darmith froze and his scales turned to a pale pink with a mix of storm cloud gray. You senile fool! His face turn to one of grimace...but eventually felt the raging storm of old memories settle to that of a forlorn longing and for the first time in decades, felt his shoulders sag and head tip forward as if finally struggling to bear his own weight. His scales now finally returning to the original pale gray and the light in his eyes partially dimming.

"....was." He weakly responded. "....before the monsters...much, much long ago even before meeting Sleenia....I was, was going to be....a father." It hurt him to say it even with such a weak voice, the memory still cut deep all these centuries later of that day...the day Darmith died and out came Dhelmit.

"Yes, we are absolutely flourishing, I say the survival of my tribe- the survival of us all, truly -is proof that we are fully capable of standing alone without divine interference."

"Indeed, just when the Order started to take advantage of the scourge the gods show up and erase them. A shame in some sense, those creatures certainly became a resource." Attor more or less agreed, mentioning the recent armageddon that had passed and ended... In an odd way. Just when they were starting to understand the beasts, the gods rid Pyrria of them which was indeed unfortunate in many ways but good in far more others. Now dragons can refocus their efforts on rebuilding. That was what he spent most his life doing was rebuilding and losing, but now there was paranoia where there hadn't been before especially after almost dying four times at the very beginning of his journey. That whole set of months were something special, and it allowed all dragons in the survivors group to shine and connect with one another, allowing for trust even if many were enemies back then.

"It's. . . stunning... Did you make this yourself?"

Did Wylandriah almost break her character? That was something of a first, or perhaps not as the Sky Wings, despite not being Earth dragons were half decent carvers and crafters. Attor nods with a soft smile, at least glad the colorful female appreciated art at its finest. He then said, "Indeed. Hummingbirds are curious critters, they help with pollinating our many crops and gardens, I've always been fond of the funny little things. I wanted to go for something simple for the bust and that's what came to mind, took me awhile to create it too, however I would only want the finest gift for my neighbor afterall."