Snow and Romance and... danger (Destella)

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I'm sick of being tossed around by storms....
Snowscale painfully got up, his left foreleg bent at an odd angle. He snarled quietly to himself and promptly fell down a hole into a large, spacious cavern.
"Oh fantastic..." he muttered under his breath, fully aware that he was dead meat if a monster found him.
He wandered for a few moments, keeping his injured forearm close to his body. After a moment he could take the pain no longer, and fell to the ground with a roar of dismay.

((It’s ok. Glad you could post.))

Destella smiled when she heard what Shade had to say. As far as she knew, she had never reminded anyone of someone else. She also couldn’t help but chuckle at Crescylla. It was always fun to watch her run around and ask questions. Des had also noticed her mate was more at ease than he had been in a long time. She couldn’t blame him after everything that had happened. It was just nice that Snowscale finally seemed at peace.

Snowscale finally noticed a scar on the back of Shade's shoulder. He frowned, but didn't ask about it.
"Tell me more about our visitors. Just so I at least don't blunder and say something bad."
Shade shrugged. "Well, there's Horizon...
he's a bit... odd, so don't judge him. That half-dragon you met briefly, Durza. He just doesn't say much, and heck knows what his story is. Rowan, my best friend,
who I'm pretty sure you'll like... and I think Jace is coming out, but I don't know if he's with his twin brother or not."
"Twin brother...?"
"Rayg."
Snowscale started. "He has a brother??"
Shade nodded. "You weren't the only one whose life got messed up by Firebrand."
Snowscale said nothing, but shivered at the name. "I still don't understand why me."
Shade nodded. "You're not the only one who wonders that, my friend."
Ronin and Jeffry reappeared, slightly damp from water, as if they were washing something off. "Okay, we're all good. I took care of the... problem."
Crescylla looked up at Snowscale. "
Can I go out now to show Shade the main cave? Please?"
Snowscale had to laugh. "Sure, go ahead."
The hatchling quickly went off, Shade in tow. Ronin remained behind, nervously rubbing one of his obsidian knives.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just thinking."
Snowscale knew Ronin was hiding something, but didn't ask about it.
Maybe I'll ask him later...

Destella smiled as Shade explained who all were coming. It would be interesting to see all these new beings, but she did wonder about this twin of Rayg’s. She also frowned slightly, and her feathers lost some of their color. She still partially blamed herself for him leaving. At least watch Crescylla brought a smile to her face. She then noticed Ronin. What was going on with him? The dragoness snuck her mind stone into her tail and thought to Snowscale.

”Any idea what’s going on with him?”

Snowscale shook his head. No, not really.
He just seems a bit down for some reason...
The drake wandered over, then sat next to Ronin and Jeffry.
"Something wrong?"
Ronin gave the dragon a pained look. "Just... old scars."
Snowscale caught a ragged scar on the halfling's back, and wondered what had caused it. Suddenly, he was assaulted by images, which he could see in his mind's eye clearly.
Ronin, laid out in a dark cell, with another of his kind using some sort of rope to lash his bare back. Then images of the same other halfling doing unspeakable tortures to the young version of Ronin.
Snowscale staggered. "Great stars, is that what your family did to you??"
Ronin looked up at him in surprise, while Jeffry lightly nudged him with a soft warble. "Yes...
Deathhollow seemed to know I would be like my mother."
Snowscale laid down next to the pair. "Want to talk about it?"
Jeffry glanced at Ronin with his large intelligent brown eyes. They seemed to have a momentary mental conversation, before Ronin began. "Well,
my name was not always Ronin. Once, I was one of them, a Deathhollow pawn to be used at my uncle's command. I used to be called Vrisk Deathhollow, before Mother died from some sort of plague. Then I ran off with Jeffry here, and made it to the homeland of the Vilidin. You dragons would love that place... it has two waterfalls and enough space for an entire tribe. Anyways, their former leader before the Scattering Tempest, he met me on the grounds, took me in, and I stayed with them for months until Deathhollow found the place and demanded them to hand me over.
"They didn't, thankfully, which resulted in my.. family... attacking them. The battle was over almost before it began, and, well, it marked a new beginning." Ronin let out a sigh.
Snowscale thought about it for a moment. "Well, you still have the Vilidin, right?
Aren't they your family?"
Ronin nodded a bit. "That they are,
Snowscale. That they are. Jeffry here, too."
Snowscale lightly poked him with his tail. "Cmon, let's not worry about this right now. Crescylla would definitely pick up on your mood."
"Alright. You go ahead, keep an eye on her. I'm going to try and get a nap in..."
Snowscale nodded, backing away and going back to Destella's side.
Well, at least he could talk about it...

Destella simply watched the exchange from where she sat, trying her best not to look into Ronin’s mind to see what Snowscale saw. All she knew was it was bad. The feathered serpent silently listened to what her mate and friend said to each other, smiling at some of Ronin’s more positive remarks. Once Snow came back over, the snake-like dragoness leaned against him, and spoke up.

”Reminded me to never let anyone hurt you our Crescylla the way Ronin’s been hurt.”

The drake nodded. "Small I may be, but I'd go Jeffry-style and maul the bloody heck out of them." He nuzzled his mate, hearing Crescylla's giggling from the other room.
Ronin had his large hat over his eyes, leaning casually against Jeffry's back. The owlbear didn't seem to mind, gazing at the dragons with his huge eyes that seemed to speak of his intelligence.
Wonder what his story is...

Destella smiled her mate’s response, giving him a nuzzle in return. She then decided to see what her little daughter was doing. The serpent had noticed Jeffery watching her and Snowscale. She began to wonder what he was thinking, and unknowingly being using her mind stone.

Instantly, a new presence appeared in her mind. It was very similar to Ronin's, only had an unexplained power behind it, almost a divine might.
Ah, you do know how to use them! A voice said pleasantly in her mind. You have no idea how long its been since someone mind-spoke to me other than Ronin.

Des was startled by the presence. So much so that she accidentally let out a flash, inadvertently, and temporarily, blinding anyone in the room who’s eyes were open. She looked around, her feathers darkened and her blue feathers turned red, sad and mad at herself doing that. She mumbled out ”Sorry” before going back in her mind, and using the stone again. ”Wh-wh-who are you?”

The owl bear blinked a few times, his pupils VERY small, but they soon returned to normal size. Snowscale and Ronin, on the other hand, yelped almost in unison and covered their eyes.
"What's wrong??" Snowscale cried out.
Oops. Sorry to startle you. The voice seemed to make a churring sound, almost like laughing. Anyways, everyone calls me Jeffry. Pleasure to finally be able to speak to you.

Destella was quick to came up to Snowscale, wrapping her tail around one of his forepaws. She then looked at Jeffry before shakily speaking. ”I.... I heard Jeffry.”

Snowscale looked at the owlbear in surprise, but Ronin tipped up his hat, appearing to have just been resting, not sleeping. "You did? Well, I suppose it was about time one of the mindstones found him, anyways. Most of the Vilidin can't."
Jeffry chirped agreement.

Des tilted her head to the side when she heard what Ronin said. She wondered why that couldn't hear him. The feathered serpent looked at Jeffry before eyeing Ronin. "Why can't they hear him?"

Ronin shrugged. "No idea. Might have to do with the fact that's he's a golden one, but then again Jeffry seems like a normal owlbear half the time."
Jeffry looked up at Ronin, but didn't seem to agree nor disagree.
Snowscale's head tilted. "Odd."

Destella looked at Jeffry for a moment, then eyed her mate. ”Wait. Can you hear him, Snowscale?”

The drake frowned. "I don't think so. The only one I can hear is Ronin."
Ronin shrugged again, but hopped onto the owlbear's back. He then rode off into the other room, the sound of Crescylla laughing emanating from the main chamber.
So much for Ronin's nap...

Destella smiled as she heard her daughter’s laughter, though she still wondered about Jeffry. The serpent quickly slithered into the main chamber to see what her Crescylla was up to.