Operation Excavation (semi-closed. PM for details)

Orion woke with a start. It had been three nights now that he had awoken in the night. His young mind was too stressed with the deep set sentiment he had for his beloved rock. Oh, he only cold feel it's porous surface on his scales now. The soft wind, the heat of the sun beating down on him and radiating from the sun soaked stone.His eyes snapped again, having just started drifting from consciousness. He knew Devi was away on a trip for a short while with Aakesh, and the strange dragons watching the house he was in were told to keep him safe, but he knew a way out, and his young mind thought deviously of the perfect way to spend his morning.

Orion stood, wincing only slightly from the grogginess, he walked clumsily over to a balcony situated in an adjacent hallway to the large room where he stayed. He was suddenly stricken with fear. It had been a week, maybe more, since he had taken a fall from the heavens. The only way down was crawling slowly down, and the drop, if he were to slip, was much too far to land without his left wing's assistance. But, nonetheless, he continued to step up quietly over the balcony and down over the edge.

His decent was luckily uneventful, and he looked around at the comforting darkness of the surrounding trees in the distance. Walking, then quickly speeding ahead into a sprint, Orion bolted towards the now pink and blue sky that was soon to be the birthplace of the new day's sun. I should get there just as the sun has started soaking my rock! Orion thought, pushing ahead in his travel.

By the time the sun started peaking above the horizon, Orion had found himself in a predicament. His sore feet and tired body came to rest merely yards away from... well, a beach. Now, unfortunately, Orion had no idea where he was, and the beach meant he was stuck. Maybe he could find help? A dragon to carry him across the water? He refused to believe flying was an option, pushing it from his mind. But, in time, Orion began to panic. How was he going to find his rock? How was he going to get home? As he looked up and down the beach frantically, he tripped on a stick that had been lodged deep in the sand. He stood, sand stinging at his eyes and drying his mouth. He stood and stumbled over to the ocean water ahead, not aware that it was not the same as the water back at the lake that rested not a days walk from his rock. As he approached, he lay down and started splashing his face in the water, but as soon as he took in a gulp of the salty water, he coughed and sputtered, choking on the liquid that defied him and caused his insides to twist.

Orion stumbled back and cough harshly, trying to expel the terrible thing he tried to drink. His eyes were now flushed with tears from the sand and salty water, and his throat was dry from the experience. Laying down, sobs wracking his body, Orion started wishing he had stayed awake when he got here, so he could remember where his rock was. Now, though, he was in the middle of nowhere, on a demonic beach of salt, and without a clue of how to get to where he was going.

Never before has anything felt so familiar and yet completely foreign. The thrill of hunting from day to day, sleeping out in the wilderness, avoiding humans. The lack of civilization. It was the life that he had always known.

Tezz was home, and feeling homesick because of it.

He spread his wings next to his mother, Seinice, their blue scales seeming to blend in to the sky. They were quite a distance away from IceWing territory. It seemed to Tezz that he had only just arrived there that his mother wished to go and check on his sister, who had been unable to endure the harsh climate of the frigid mountains. She had instead been left with her father. Tezz didn't like his father. He missed his sister though, so he had begged to accompany his mother on the trip. He didn't know how much he would miss those pristine peaks and consistent bed.

"We're here." A gentle voice interrupted his thoughts. At his mother's words, Tezz glanced down and indeed saw the cave where he had once lived. It was a small thing, made smaller when Father decided to sleep there, residing on an island far to the east of the icy mountains. The tang of salt was heavy in the air, and it smelled of low tide. "You'll be alright by yourself here? I don't like leaving you alone, but I understand that you don't want to see your father." Seinice spoke with more than a trace of concern in her voice. "You've been doing well in your studies so far, so I trust you. But if you aren't here when I'm back in five days you are going to be in some serious trouble. I'll do the first bit of hunting for you and then I'm off to find your sister so that you can visit her, alright? Don't wander too far!" After rambling with the concern only a mother can conjure, she parted from Tezz, leaving him to explore.

The ocean here was much different from the frigid cliffs of the IceWing. The water was warmer and there were beaches leading up to them. Enticed by the prospect of going for a swim, Tezz lazily headed towards the nearest beach.

Being the busy dragon he was, Draken was always in his palace, underwater. Coming up with ideas, giving orders and making sure the seawings were happy and healthy. He almost had no time for a break, sometimes even staying up all night to get things done. He yawned as he was drawing pictures of his ideas, seeing what they looked like if they were a reality.

He soon decided to actually take a break, as all he's been doing was coming with ideas for seawings, as that was his job, he was the king. He got up and left his throne room, bringing his journal along. He would go a beach, as that would be his spot when it came to taking brakes. He would always relax on the beach, write in his journal and relax, trying to take his mind off things.

He left the palace, journal and quill in paws. He began to swim up to the surface rather slowly, as he was a hit fatigued because of all the hard work. He swam up to the surface. Shaking the water off his scales as he stepped onto the beach. He checked his surroundings first as always and wasn't expecting what he saw. A small crying hatchling not far from where he was. He tilted his head, confused on what was wrong. He took a couple steps toward the hatchling. "... Hey um... Little guy?... Is there something wrong?" he asked, not wanting to startle him.

(If there's something wrong with this, please tell me)

Orion's soft murmurs halted at the sudden question that floated towards him on the wind. Eyeing the dragon that had seemed to appear out of thin air, Orion turned and looked at him skeptically. "I..." He croaked, but his voice was still sore from the copious amount of salt that was eroding at his stature. "I need... My rock..." Orion inched towards the larger dragon fearlessly, trying to get his words as legible as possible by closing the distance. "I need m-my... My rock... It's ov...over there...!" He rasped out, trying to maintain a decent composure and appear older than he was in the face of the older dragon. His puffy red eyes had made it impossible to hide his previous sobbing, which he sure was overheard. "It's... on the other side..."

Orion teetered on his feet, his dehydration starting to come into light, his currently sandy colored scales paling, strange and unusual colors and patterns slowly surfacing. Orion was determined to stay awake, but he would need water if he was going to make it all the way across the vast expanse of the ocean. If only Orion could comprehend just how far away the other side really was...

Draken didn't know what to think when the little lightwing began to speak and mention something about a rock. he didn't know what a little hatchling was doing out there. He realized that the little one could easily get hurt by any evil dragon out there. He began to think of what to say, keeping his eyes on the little one, looking around the little guy, he didn't notice any thing hurt or bad, he looked fine.

"Hey... Um... Little guy?... What're you doing out here?... Do you have a home or something?.... Is there something wrong?" Draken asked, a bit worried for the little guy, but at the same time, glad that he could find a small cute hatchling out here.

Orion felt despereate. "I d-drank... That water... *caugh* and I got.... A bad throat..." Orion motioned to the salty sea water sitting not far from them. "M-my rock is on the other side... I c-can't swim! My.... My wing is broken!"

Orion wheezed, realizing now that his dehydration was going to get the better of him even is he got help. "I'm so s-sorry....! I need.... I need water!" Orion croaked, pleading that the older dragon help. His blue scales sure made it seem like he knew how to help. Orion knew the blue dragons from his rock could swim all day long and not even notice. Maybe this dragon was the same.

Draken started to realize what the problem actually was, the little guy seemed to be trying to get across the water to his rock, at least that's what Draken assumed. He could also tell that Orion was dehydrated and that his throat hurt a bit. It was becoming a bit more clear that he needed to help the little lightwing get across.

Though, he didn't know how to solve the dehydration problem, as he had no water abilities, it was a bit ironic for the Seawing King to have no water special abilities. But Drake could in fact swim. "Um... I don't know how to fix your water problem, little guy... Though, I can get you to your rock, if that's what your asking?" Draken replied, willing to help the little hatchling.

Orion nodded earnestly, not wanting to speak too much. Although... No he couldn't. There was a small lake near the rock with a river above it that had the best water. Orion, curious if te dragon could do such a thing, motioned to the water. "Big..." He said, trying to reference the distance required to travel across. As far as Orion could tell, it went on past the horizon, but then again his eyes were a bit blurred and teary still after trying to cry out the evil waters.

Draken got a bit more confused on the lightwing's response. He didn't really know what to say or do, scared that if he did something, then it could be what the little hatchling did NOT want. "Um.... Do you want me to swim you over to that rock?" he asked, pointing to the Rock the little one was pointing at. He didn't know if that's what the hatchling wanted as he couldn't quite get what the little one was talking about.

Orion squinted up at the larger dragon, nodding furiously. Wait... That rock? Orion glanced over but the glare and his stinging eyes still kept him from seeing anything. Oh well. As Orion turned to the older dragon, he stumbled slightly. Regaining his balance, he nodded again and smiled up at the dragon as best he could.

Draken smiled warmly at the little lightwing as he nodded. Draken then lowered his head for the little hatchling to get on him. "Ok.. climb on my head and get on my back, I'll take you over there." He said, feeling good about himself, seeing as he was helping a hatchling. He was glad he did, as he would feel a bit guilty if he didn't help the little guy.

Orion did his best to clamber on to the back of the larger blue dragon, but couldn't help slipping the first try. Mustering himself up, he tried again, this time shakily making it the rest of the way up. With a sigh and an excited smile, he lauded down on the back of the larger dragon, and before he could even remember how exhausting this confusing and crazy morning with the devil water was, he passed out peacefully, a content purr rumbling out of him.

Draken chuckled slightly when the hatchling failed his first attempt. He was happy to see a cute hatchling try his best on anything and was delighted when the lightwing finally made it onto his back. Hearing his purs, Draken then went into the water slowly, keeping his back above the water for Orion. He then began to start swimming to the destination aka the rock. He had hoped that Orion wouldn't wake up and happened o be sea sick and hoped that Orion wouldn't fall off. To his surprise, he made it across the river without any problem, then laid down next to the rock. Getting prepared for the hatchling's reaction.

It was the perfect day for exploration. The sky was bright, the temperature wasn't sweltering nor chilly, and there were two new dragons below.

...wait what?

Tezz landed a small distance away, and slowly approached the clearing that Draken and Orion were in. Questions raced through his mind. Were there other dragons living here? Were they friendly or hostile? He had to find out. Do he set about sneaking towards the clearing, thirsting for knowledge. He was as stealthy as a 55ft dragon could be. Which is to say, not very.

Orion didn't expect to be able to wake up, let alone at the right time, but his timely yawn and stretch helped him lull up and off the dragons back. Before he could fall anywhere else, hey leaned into the older dragon and purred. He wanted to say his thanks, but he needed water that wasn't demonic. Pulling away from the larger dragon, he started lumbering towards the line of trees in the direction of the tasty lake, not even fully awake enough to notice the larger dragon keeping an eye on him.

Tezz gasped softly as one of the dragons headed towards him. He tried to stay hidden, and it seemed to work, as he seemed to have remained unnoticed. Though he didn't know where exactly that dragon was going to, as the only thing in that direction was a saltwater lake. Maybe he was going to get some fish to eat? They were too small for Tezz to eat, but this dragon seemed half his size. Maybe he was hungry?

Orion perked up a bit as he got closer to what seemed to be the lake he remembered. His attention hadn't even wandered over to the surrounding rocks or the trees that, unlike his lake, seemed to droop, and their leaves seemed like sad appendages limping lower to the ground. As Orion approached the lake, he stopped and glanced back at the larger dragon that got him here. He wanted to thank him, but his voice was dry, and instead he nodded. Orion then turned and walked back to the water. Finally! Oh man I'm glad I found some nice water! Orion started down, approaching the water with his head down lower and approaching the water like he was preparing to scoop up a fleeing rodent. As he approached he stopped and smelled the air. Something was wrong... But oh well. Orion wasn't going to be able to handle any danger unless he revitalized himself. He dipped his snout just under the water, and began gulping, however as soon as he realized what it was, he once again threw himself back and sputtered. Devil Water AGAIN??!! Orion coughed, gagged, and even expelled some of his breakfast as he once again recovered from the sudden intake of salt. As Orion lay there he began crying, feeling like everything was going terribly for him. "The-the bad water! Devil w-water is chasing meeee!!!"

Tezz watched as the smaller dragon bent down towards the lake. What are they doing? They'll never catch any fish like that! Then he realized. They were trying to drink from it.

"Hey, you can't drink from there!" Tezz shouted in concern, bursting from his hiding place. "You're just going to get sick! ...Yeah, like that!" His concern was interrupted by the convulsions of the other dragon. He didn't seem hostile, he just seemed sick. They needed to get some fresh water, and quickly. But the nearest source wasn't for another 15 minutes flight away... "H-hey, get up! Can you fly? You need to get some actual water!"

Orion stood slowly, but then sat down again. His weakness didn't let him even comprehend that there was a dragon that appeared from seemingly nowhere. All he knew is that this new dragon said something about new water. Feeling like he could sing after hearing that, he tried to stand again but ended up just sitting back down. Orion lazily responded about flying with a raspy and clearly pained voice. "I... Uh... No no cause flying is... Bad...!" With that short chug at a sentence, Orion shakily flopped on the ground and started breathing heavily, still a bit teary eyed from his experience.

Tezz glanced around in a panic. The situation was bad. This dragon was clearly dehydrated, and couldn't make it to the nearest water. What about the dragon that they had come with? Maybe they can do something? No, they were probably too far away. Who knows if they were even friendly. So there was only one option. Tezz didn't like it.

"H-hold on! I-I'll get you some water!" he hurriedly said, before taking off at a run. He was looking for a rock, or something to find as a basin. He didn't have to look long, as there was a large outcropping nearby. Breaking off a piece of it to use, Tezz took a deep breath. 'Come on, focus.' he thought to himself. Looking around to make sure he was indeed alone, Tezz conjured his magic, filling the makeshift bowl with water. 'If only ice was that easy to make...' he thought, carrying it back to Orion. "H-here! Drink this!"

Orion wheezed, hoisting himself enough to timidly sip the water. It tasted fantastic compared to how his day was going. Quickly sucking down the rest he lay back down and continued to breath heavily, but it was a content breath. "Thank you.... You are so.... What is your name?" This time Orion sounded much more relaxed and curious, but still pained all the same. He glanced up at the new dragon as he asked, looking for the response and trying to finger out who he was. Maybe he had seen him before? Maybe. Sighing after the glance, he lay down and began breathing evenly, his eyes struggling to stay open, but he did manage to squeak out "Thank you... So much..." and with that, his eyes heavily drooped shut and sealed over his sleeping form, a content sigh ending the scene of drama.

Tezz sighed with relief as the other dragon drank the water on his own. He didn't remember how to take care of someone who was too weak to drink. "Oh, I'm Tezz. What's your name?" He asked, responding to Orion as he weakly tried to speak. However, he quickly noticed that they had fallen asleep. Sensing the crisis was over for now, he collapsed to the ground himself. This was not how he had expected his day to go.

Looking around, he noted that the dragon that had accompanied the one he had just saved was nowhere to be seen. Had they delivered the dragon then left? Were they trying to find fresh water somewhere? Or... had they simply left them here to die? He shuddered at the thought. Regardless of what had happened, they weren't in the immediate area.  That meant that he was now the one responsible for the safety of this unconscious dragon. Yikes. This area was home to a few predators for a dragon of that size, and some scavengers might test their courage at the prospect of an easy meal. He had to get them somewhere safe. With a sigh, Tezz went about moving Orion to his back, using some nearby vines to ensure his unmoving form did not slip off. With these preparations enacted, Tezz began a slow, careful flight back to the cave he was calling home for now.

Orion awoke with a start, not remembering where he was. He was about to call out but heard something in the distance, and decided to go and figure out just what. As he emerged from what appeared to be a cave, the light blinded him temporarily, and he hissed slightly at the shock of it. Taking a second he glanced over and spotted the dragon who had helped him with the water. Of course! He was helping him by letting him stay in his cave! Maybe he knew where his rock was!!! Clearing his throat, albeit a little loudly, he spoke up with a much clearer and brighter voice than the day before. "H-hello!? Hi! Hi you saved me! My name is Orion, and I was wondering if you have seen my rock? It's big, it's in the middle of a slope and there are like no trees around it! I used to sleep on it until a monster brought me... to..." Orion stopped, and blinked as tears now formed around his eyes. How could he have been so foolish?! By now there was no way Devi wasn't worried sick, and Orion planned to be back after one morning! It had been a WHOLE DAY!!! Orion a let out a sniffle and a whimper, before shuddering and beginning to bawl and sob uncontrollably.

Tezz was startled by the sound of a clearing throat. He had been dozing off after the ordeal he had undertaken after Orion had passed out, and the fatigue was showing. After the long flight of making sure the other dragon stayed atop his back, he had lain them down on his bedding, and gone huntinget for resources to care for his unexpected guest, such as fresh meat and a basin of clean water. Not that he minded, they seemed friendly enough, and he was a little lonely out here by himself. He could use a friend...

Tezz was about to respond to the string of comments and questions when Orion started his lament. "W-What? C-calm down, please!" He sputtered, frantically rushing to the young dragon's side. "W-We can find you a rock later ok? It'll all be OK! But you were just very sick, so you need to rest! I found some food and water for you, as well as a couple of herbs that I think could help if you need them, so please calm down!" Tezz hesitantly put a wing on Orion, trying to comfort him. "I-I'm Tezz, and it's going to be fine!"

"I think..."

Orion was too busy crying to understand much of what he heard, and he tried to choke out what had upset him. "My dad is g-gonna kill me! I s-snuck o-...." Orion was overtaken by sobs once again and he resorted to curling up and hiding himself in his wings. He wanted to be home, he wanted to see the city and meet new friends, he wanted to get to know his new dad so much but he was here and not there. He was with this dragon he did not know.