Pyrrhia Times

At Pyrrhia Times we are committed to bring you accurate information on the current events of your continent and home, Pyrrhia.

[pyrrhia-times]

Welcome to the official page of the Pyrrhia Times newspaper

Pyrrhia Times is dedicated to bringing you current news & events from all over Pyrrhia

Headquartered in the city of Sanctuary our members can be identified by a greenish stain on their talons from the ink used to print our newspaper, which is made from a special blend of seaweed and squids ink

Always check for the squidstamp seal of approval!

Read Cimmerian Currents (14/14)

Find here fic updates and artwork Main blog @halo-mango

[crimsonwyvrn]

Artfight attack of @halo-mango's characters Croak and Slag!

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Rotten eyes

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Epilogue - Entwined Tails

Slag sighed loudly. “Worst part of the job, honestly.” He grabbed the next scroll in the stack and unfurled it onto the table in front of him.

“Stop complaining and you might finish sooner.” Factchecker prodded him in the shoulder from where they sat next to him. “These need to go out as soon as possible.”

“You’re not the only one suffering through this!” Emerald called out from across the room. “We’re all in this together.”

They were working with Queen Moorhen and Coral to get this issue out, and help in their search for Auklet and Queen Moorhen’s children.

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it!” He retorted. He concentrated himself back on his task, and dabbed his stamp into the puddle of ink sitting above the scroll he had just laid out, stamping the scroll with their stamp of authentication in a mess of green ink.

The Pyrrhia Times

Vol. XXIII 5,014 AS

Royal SeaWing Family Attacked

After the death of Prince Cerulean, whose body was found burned in shallow waters near an island part of the Bay of a Thousand Scales, the Royal SeaWing family was struck with more tragedy. Princess Auklet attacked Queen Coral and her sister, Princess Anemone, with the help of Princess Ceridae, Prince Rock, Prince Warthog and Princess Jacana. After the attack, the criminals disappeared and are yet to be spotted again. Princess Anemone was seriously wounded during the attack, but is recovering quickly. “No words can describe how deeply this has affected the Sea Kingdom.” The Queen shared with us. “I urge you, if you have any information on the whereabouts of my daughter, please come forward.” A reward of a chestful of royal treasure is promised to anyone who comes forward with information leading to the arrest of Princess Auklet and her fellow perpetrators.

Mysterious Death in the Mud Kingdom

Around the time of Prince Cerulean’s death, a MudWing corpse was recovered in the Diamond Spray Delta. The body was identified as Sparrow, a farmer who lived in the nearby village. All evidence points to this crime being connected to that of the death of Prince Cerulean and the attack on the Royal SeaWing Family. Our condolences go out to Sparrow’s family.

New Additions to Possibility Library

Fantastic, Possibility’s head librarian is happy to share that a number of new scrolls have been added to the collection. Make sure to stop by next time you’re visiti-

It was well into the night when they had finally neared finishing stamping all of the issues of Pyrrhia Times. It was Slag who ended up with the last scroll. He handed it to Croak. “I think you should do the honours.” He said with a grin. “The new guy deserves to do the last stamp.”

“Come on, that’s like the lamest way to welcome our newest member!” Cried Emerald from behind them. “Let’s go party at the pub!” Beryl hooted in agreement.

“Thank you.” Croak said, taking the scroll from Slag’s hands, his talons brushing against his. He struck it with his stamp tool and held it up triumphantly. “Now Slag will stop sighing loudly hoping that we pity him and offer to take some of his scrolls.” He joked.

“I do not sigh that much.” Slag protested over the laughter, faking offence.

“So? How’s the pub sound?” Emerald asked Croak.

“It’s always the pub with you.” Factchecker complained from beside Slag.

“I’ve never been to one.” Croak confessed.

“Now we have to go!” She cheered happily. “I’m gonna make you try roasted scorpions!”

Croak’s eyes widened. “Roasted what?”

Emerald excitedly led them outside, and hurried them along the streets of Sanctuary towards the tavern. Slag fell in step beside Croak, who gazed intently around the busy streets. He’s so cute when he’s concentrating. He thought.

As they walked, he wound his tail around Croak’s so that they walked tail in tail.

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Read it on Archives of Our Own

[pyrrhia-times]

Chapter 12 - Spilled Ink

Laughter bounced off the smooth walls of the cave, making Croak feel as if the room were spinning around him. Pure shock had him rooted in place. He was vaguely aware of Slag’s presence as he loomed behind him, a growl rumbling distantly in his throat.

“You’re working with her?” Slag rumbled.

“Oh hun, we’ve been working together for a long time.” Auklet responded with a cold chuckle.

Ceridae looked at her fondly. “Why don’t we get this show on the road?” The softness in her face immediately disappeared as she set her gaze back on Croak and Slag. “Get rid of these pests.” She barked in a commanding voice.

Fear bubbled in Croak’s stomach as Ceridae’s siblings advanced towards them, low hisses rising in their throats. The stone-coloured sibling jabbed his head towards Slag, the green glow of caves washing his dark scales in a sickly green glow. “Glad we get to continue this.” His hiss morphed into a deep growl. Croak recognized him as the MudWing who had escaped Slag’s flames untouched.

Slag pushed Croak to the side and stepped in front of him. “How did you survive?” He hissed.

“Ever heard of blood-red eggs?” He rushed at Slag without notice, who opened his maw and shot a burst of flames. The MudWing spread open his wings quickly to catch the flames. Heat briefly flooded the room, but quickly dissipated. Croak stared in amazement as the MudWing’s minimal burns quickly faded, as if there had never been anything there in the first place.

Magic? Are his scales enchanted? The thoughts quickly flashed in Croak’s mind. No... I can’t see anything on him that could be enchanted.

“Oh, don’t even bother.” The dusty brown sibling to the left of him snickered. “Flames don’t bother Rock, he’s well... as tough as a rock.” Laughter echoed around the room again, twisting into a vile racket.

Fear quickly crossed Slag’s face. Rock noticed and sneered at him before launching himself at Slag again. They both tumbled to the ground in a hissing ball of grey and red. His body shocked into action, Croak tried racing for the passageway to the Royal Chamber. A yelp was ripped out of his mouth as sharp claws dug into his tail, the pain shooting deep into his muscle.

“Where do you think you’re going, little SeaWing?” Croak whirled around to see Princess Auklet with her talons dug deep into his tail, blood welling from the wounds and falling to the ground in wet droplets. The MudWing Princess and her siblings had Slag surrounded as he wrestled with Rock. Desperation washed over him as he saw scarlet streaking onto the cavern’s floor.

Auklet bared her teeth at him, her face distorted in an ugly grin. The Princess morphed into an unrecognizable dragon, her sharp teeth and cold eyes changing the once bright and playful princess into a cold monster. She tugged sharply on his tail, making him screech in pain.

I need to get to the Queen. Croak thought.

He dropped down to the ground, causing fresh pain to shoot through his tail as Auklet tugged him closer to herself again. Quickly, he shoved a hand into his cloth bag, wrapping his talons around the small glass bottle containing his ink. With the bottle in his hands, he trashed around, gritting his teeth against the pain. Auklet yanked him a final time, his body slipping on the bloody floor. She slid her claws out of Croak’s tale and wrapped them tightly over his throat. Her eyes were ablaze with anger as she pressed them into Croak’s neck. Croak’s talons fumbled with the bottle’s seal, already starting to feel faint. Unable to open the bottle, he used the rest of his strength to smash it as hard as he could into Auklet’s face.

A shrill scream pierced the cavern. Auklet’s hands disappeared from around Croak’s neck as they flew to her face. Green-black ink ran down her face as it mingled with her own red blood. She continued to scream and thrash around in pain.

“Auklet!” Ceridae’s scream joined Auklet’s as she rushed to her side. Croak quickly bolted down the passageway while they were still distracted. Everything around him passing in a blur, the blood pounding back to his head and roaring deafeningly in his ears.

Croak tripped over something soft and tumbled to the cold stone floor. He almost screamed when he saw a SeaWing face in front of him. He quickly recognized the standard issued armour that the Queen’s personal Guards wore. The dragon didn’t stir. He got to his feet and noticed several other guards, including the one he tripped over, strewn across the cave floor. Did they...? He sighed in relief when he saw the faint rise and fall of their chests. Just knocked out.

“AFTER HIM.” Auklet’s voice yowled down the passage. Croak quickly bounded over the soldiers, nearly tripping again, and stumbled into the heavy stone doors ahead of him.

“What’s going on?” The Queen stood at alert in the center of the room, the glow worms casting her and the large cavern in a green hue. The Royal Chamber had various desks and tables strewn across the room, each with multiple open and unopened bottles of inks and stacks of scrolls on them. The walls were covered with ornate bookshelves, all bursting with scrolls. Princess Anemone sat on an embroidered cushion, and lifted her head from the scroll she was currently writing on.

“What’s happening?” The Queen asked again. “I thought I heard Auklet scream.”

Croak opened his mouth but no words were able to escape. How do I tell her that her own daughter is betraying the Sea Kingdom?

The Queen’s eyes widened and Anemone rose quickly from her seat as Croak heard a hiss from behind him. “Where’s Auklet?” Coral asked, panic rising in her throat. “What are you doing here?”

Croak turned around sharply and saw Ceridae blocking the doorway, her chest heaving and eyes narrowed in anger. Her sibs quickly joined her at each side, Rock not among them. Slag! Croak’s heart skipped a beat. Is he still grappling with Rock?

“Your Royal Investigator here just attacked the Princess.” the MudWing Princess said coldly. “Don’t worry, thankfully we were here to protect her.”

Croak whipped back around, fear gripping him tightly as he realized what game Ceridae was playing at. The Queen regarded him with pure rage, the spines along her back bristling in anger. “You’re the one who killed Cerulean, aren’t you?” She cried out.

“No! Your daughter has been plotting against you with the MudWing Princess.” He pleaded. “Queen Coral, please, you have to believe me.”

Confusion crossed her face as she glanced between Croak and Ceridae. She was obviously torn between who to believe. Anemone stood still, a look of shock on her face as she watched the scene unfold.

“Where is he?” A voice wailed behind Ceridae, she turned and stepped aside and Princess Auklet swayed through the doorway. “I’ll kill you for what you’ve done to me!” She roared.

Anemone and the queen both gasped as the green-tinted light caught on Auklet’s face. She had managed to wipe away the ink, leaving black smears across her face and hands. A large gash shone wetly with blood in the center of her face, and her eyes were completely black, stained with ink.

“I don’t understand. Where are my guards?” The Queen asked, her voice so faint it was nearly inaudible.

“I’m not the only one tired of your Queendom.” She spat in an ugly hiss, pure rage burning in her black eyes. “The uncooperative one’s were dealt with.”

Queen Coral’s face went slack in shock, her eyes frozen on her daughter. Ceridae hissed behind Auklet, and Auklet’s face quickly flashed in panic as she realized she had revealed herself.

“Auklet. What’s going on?” The Queen demanded in a cold voice.

“What’s going on?” She said in a mocking voice. “I’m going to be the next SeaWing Queen, mother. That’s what’s going on.” Auklet snapped her teeth angrily at Croak, drawing out a small yelp from him.

Rage flashed in the Queen’s eyes. “Challenge me like a real Queen then. If you can’t win against me, you don’t deserve the throne.”

A shrill cry of laughter erupted from Auklet. “You really think I’m worried I won’t win against you? It’s Anemone I need out of the way.” She jabbed a talon towards her sister. “There’s no winning against an animus.”

Anemone stared at Auklet with a look of horror. “Auklet...” She let out in a whisper. “Where is this coming from?”

“The Sea Kingdom needs change. Someone who will properly unite our tribe with the MudWings. Someone who won’t just pretend like we’ve made amends while hate continues to brew between us.” She spat.

“You don’t need to do this, this isn’t how you fix this.” Her sister pleaded gently.

“Shut up!” Auklet cried. She flung herself across the room at Anemone. A shriek pierced the cave as Auklet sunk her teeth into her sister’s throat. Anemone’s eyes bulged in pain as she desperately tried to push her sister off of her. Croak jumped to action, rushing towards the two Princesses, blood already splattering to the floor.

The floor suddenly seemed to lurch underneath his feet, and a feeling of deep nausea slammed into his stomach. He pushed past the feeling and went to grab onto Auklet, but only found empty air where the SeaWing Princess had once been.

What? Croak didn’t have time to think. Anemone collapsed on the floor, her talons wrapped around her throat as blood gushed from her wound. The Queen roared in anguish, rushing to Anemones side. Her eyes were wide and full of fear. “Go get help. Now.” The queen ordered him.

A healer was hunched over Anemone, tending quietly to her wound. Several other healers hoovered nearby, faint looks on their faces. Croak had rushed out of the cave, stopping only when he saw Slag, who was bleeding from multiple wounds. Relieved he was still alive but without time to explain Croak quickly continued down the cave, leaving Slag behind with a bewildered expression.

He had quickly found the nearest dragon who knew anything about healing and soon the entire Palace was on high alert, guards swarming to the Royal Chamber. Ceridae and her siblings had completely disappeared after the attack, likely feeling as soon as Auklet had vanished. Weak from her wound, Anemone had explained that in her panic, she had enchanted the ink in Auklet’s eyes to make her disappear. Disappear to where? she wasn’t sure.

Slag leaned his head against Croak’s shoulder. His wounds had quickly been patched, and had not been as grave as they had first appeared to Croak. Thank the moons.

“I want as many soldiers as possible to be sent on search parties.” The Queen snapped at her guards, tail lashing. “You will find those MudWings, and my daughter.” Her voice was full of sorrow when she mentioned her daughter.

“She tried to kill me mother.” Anemone retorted from where she lay on the ground.

A complicated expression crossed the Queen’s face. Croak couldn’t imagine what must be going through her head. He looked down at his hand when he felt Slag’s warm talons wrap around his.

“Looks like we solved our case.” He said with a small smile.

“Yeah.” Croak said softly, tightening his hand around Slag’s.

“Do you want to come back to Sanctuary with me?” Slag asked shyly, “I think we could use another reporter at Pyrrhia Times.”

Warmth crept up in Croak’s chest. “Yes.” Yes. A thousand times yes. He wanted nothing more.

Read it on Archives of Our Own

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[pyrrhia-times]

Bases by @thepoisonjackal

Ceridae is the bigwings of the Royal Troop, Queen Moorhen's children.

Rock, Warthog and Jacana are her siblings.

Queens are always traditionally the bigwings of a clutch of eggs, the bigwing's sibs supporting and serving as the Queen's most personal guards. All Royally hatched MudWings are trained by the most skilled guards and soldiers in the kingdom to guarantee the next strong Queendom.

Ceridae can be recognized by her warm coloured scales, and a scar on the right side of her face she received in a particularly intense training session. She was named after a species of beetle.

Her sibling Rock hatched from a blood-red egg, giving him fire-proof scales. He was named after his rock-like colouring. He is known to be hard-headed, often ignoring the advice of others.

Warthog is a typical MudWing colouring, he has a close bond with Rock. He is quick to follow orders, and doesn't do much thinking for himself.

Jacana is named after a species of long-legged bird. She is fiercely loyal to Ceridae and would lay down her own life for her.

[pyrrhia-times]

Glowing bright

[halo-mango]

Chibi Croak

[pyrrhia-times]

Chapter 11 - Lightning Strikes

“We’re flying straight into the storm!” Slag roared over the booming thunder.

Sharp rain pelted Croak’s body as he struggled against the wind. He concentrated his eyes on Slag flying ahead of him, willing himself to keep fighting against the rain and wind. A strong gust hit him sideways, almost causing him to slam into a sea stack jutting from the water that they were flying past.

Slag caught the wind with his wings, bringing himself backwards and beside Croak. “We can’t keep flying into this storm. It’s only going to get worse.” He shouted, the wind carrying most of his voice away.

As if to prove his point, a bolt of lighting struck the sea stack that Croak had almost just crashed into. The resulting boom shook the air, making Croak and Slag flinch away in fright. A shard of broken whizzed past Croak’s head, nearly nicking his wing.

When the ringing in his ears stopped Croak said, “How long can you hold your breath?”

“What? Why?!” Slag shouted.

“I have an idea, but you’re going to need to trust me!” He shouted back as another wave of thunder roared overhead.

“I trust you.”

“Okay, follow me!” Croak dived down lower, hovering over the choppy water below them. “I hope you inherited MudWing lungs.”

“Pretty sure I did. Wait – we’re going to swim there?!” Slag shouted exasperatedly. “Do you not remember how awful I was at swimming last time I tried?”

“You won’t have to swim much, I promise. We’re going to ride sea currents to the Palace.” He said, the sound of the waves nearly drowning him out. “Follow me, I’ll drag you into the current if I have to!”

He dove down the rest of the way, breaking past the tumbling waves. Quietness wrapped around him as the water muffled the world above him. A flurry of bubbles scattered into the water and floated back up as Slag crashed into the ocean. He spun around in confusion, trying to orientate himself in the water.

I’m going to need to give him swimming lessons after all this.

Lightning illuminated the water as it struck through the sky again. Slag’s head snapped to Croak’s direction, and he gestured to his eyes as the lightning’s illumination disappeared. Right. He doesn’t have night vision. Croak illuminated the scales along his tail and back so that Slag could follow his glow through the water. Slag paddled his way to Croak, pumping his arms and legs wildly through the water. At least he’s keeping his wings tucked in close to his body this time.

Croak turned and started heading deeper into the water, searching for a current. There should be one here somewhere – Aha! He felt the pull of the water as it tried to suck him into the current.

Croak turned around to grab Slag, but he slammed into Croak, knocking them both into the ocean current. He quickly grabbed hold of Slag’s hand, so he wouldn’t accidentally drift away. Well that’s one way to get into the current. Slag flashed him an apologetic grin and squeezed his hand tight.

The current pulled them along swiftly. Croak occasionally dragging them into a new current if theirs veered off path.

We might make it on time to warn the Queen. Croak thought optimistically, the current tugging them along towards the Sea Palace.

Croak’s hand tingled from being clutched by Slag’s. Croak could see the old Summer Palace rising out of the water ahead of them. The island’s cliff walls rose sharply from the grey ocean. The worst of the storm was behind them now, but thunder still grumbled off in the distance.

Please let us have made it in time. A pang of anxiety struck his heart as he thought of being too late to warn his Queen.

The underwater currents had carried them swiftly to the palace, and neither had seen another soul on their way. Croak hoped that the violent storm raging above the ocean had slowed down the MudWing Princess and her sibs.

He squeezed Slag’s hand to get his attention and pointed to the surface. They could fly the rest of the way now, the waves above them having calmed.

They rose into the air, rain pelting Croak’s back and wings as they flew up and above the Sea Palace. His hand felt empty now without Slag’s talons in his. The dense green vegetation opened up, inviting them back into the Palace. They soared down to the visiting level, Croak nearly slipping in his rush.

“Where is Queen Coral? We need to get to her. She’s in danger.” Croak couldn’t hide the fear in his voice as he called out to the guard stationed on the level.

His grumpy expression quickly morphed into wide-eyed alertness. “What? Where’s the threat? The Queen is in danger?” His head whipped around rapidly as he tried to find the source of the threat.

“We don’t have time to explain, please, take us to the Queen.” He pleaded.

The guard briefly looked at them with suspicion before nodding stoically. “Right, you must be the Royal Investigators.” Then he launched himself off the pavilion and dived down, disappearing from view.

Croak rushed after him, Slag following closely behind. The guard waited for them in front of a large waterfall that flowed out from the cliff wall. Once they reached him, he dove into the waterfall, disappearing in a green splash.

“What the?” Slag muttered beside him.

“I can hold your hand again if you need.” Croak suggested, a little smile on his lips.

Slag’s eyes widened and Croak swore he saw his already crimson face turn even more red. Without responding, he dove into the waterfall after the guard. A warm feeling formed in Croak’s chest, but he pushed it aside and dove into the waterfall after him, wings pressed tightly against himself.

Behind the waterfall was hidden a cavern tunnel lit by a faint green glow coming from the ceiling.

“Are those glowing worms?” Slag asked in awe.

The guard ignored him and said, “the Queen and her daughters are in the Royal Chamber. Keep going down this tunnel. It’s the last room. I’ll stand guard here.”

“Thank you.” Croak called out behind them as they rushed down the tunnel. The ceiling was indeed covered in small worms that slowly blinked. It was like looking up at the night sky. Croak briefly stumbled, not looking where he was putting his feet.

Soon the roaring of the waterfall faded to a low hum behind them. “Where are all the guards?” Slag wondered out loud.

A chill crawled up Croak’s spine, he quickened his pace to a sprint, Slag also speeding up behind him.

Why isn’t the Queen guarded? What’s happening?

The tunnel quickly widened into a larger cavern, the tunnel continuing past the room, twisting away in a bend. Relief washed over Croak as he spotted Auklet sitting in a stone chair padded with bright cushions. She sat up and threw the scroll she was reading aside as she spotted them.

“Auklet! Thank the moons.” Croak panted. “You’re in danger – Your mother and Anemone too – Ceridae – She’s on her way to murder the Royal family!”

“Oh, I know.” She said in a calm voice, examining her dark green talons with an uninterested look.

“What?” Croak’s voice choked. His claws screeched on the stone floor as he came to an abrupt stop, Slag slamming into him from behind.

“Two birds with one stone, not a bad idea.” A familiar voice rang out in the cavern. Ceridae stepped out from around the bend with a grin on her face, her siblings following suit. “Oh how I love the way your mind works.”

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Read it on Archives of Our Own

[pyrrhia-times]

"Ceridae opened her maw and Croak stared in horror as the glow of deep flames illuminated her mouth."

[pyrrhia-times]

Chapter 10 - Strong Arms

Distant voices stirred Croak awake. Disoriented and nauseous from his pounding head, he couldn't make out what the voices were saying. The words distorting into what sounded like another language.

Croak tried moving, but his limbs were bound together tightly by twine. His head dropped painfully to the ground as his body was dragged over a log, jolting awareness into him.

“Hurry up, we don’t have much time. It won’t be long until they notice he’s missing.”

“He’s heavier than he looks, you try carrying a whole dragon by yourself.” A voice just ahead of him huffed.

“What about the other investigator?”

“There’s no time. We’ll leave this one as a distraction. We’ve got to hurry up our plans.”

Croak could make out four oddly familiar voices. Despite his panic, he kept his body slack out of fear that they would knock him out again if they realized he was awake.

“Why did that SeaWing have to be a Prince? Anyone else and we wouldn’t have these stupid investigators after us.”

“I told you we should have left the body in the cave.”

“Enough.” A feminine voice barked. “We need to strike now before Anemone suspects anything. The Queen won’t be a problem once we get her little animus out of the way.”

Croak’s body involuntarily stiffened. Panic was starting to rise in his chest, constricting it tightly. The Royal family is in danger.

“Hm? Looks like our guest has woken up.” One of the voices chuckled. His cover was blown.

The dragon who had been lugging him let go of his tail, making it hit the sand beneath him with a loud thud. The bag around his head was swiftly untied and lifted off of him, light flooding into his eyes and making his head pound even harder.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, casting the beach and its visitors in pale blue light. Four vaguely brown shapes stood in front of him, his vision still blurry. Trying to concentrate on their faces only made him wince in pain.

“Hello little investigator.” The largest of the group loomed over him as he lay on the sandy beach. She leaned down and gripped his snout with ice cold talons, pressing them painfully into his skin. “You’ll be a nice little distraction for your friend.”

Croak’s vision was finally able to focus on the face in front of him, his eye’s widening in Alarm. Ceridae? He recognized the MudWing glaring at him with intense eyes. Queen Moorhen’s daughter.

Ceridae opened her maw and Croak stared in horror as the glow of deep flames illuminated her mouth. Without thinking, he illuminated all of his scales at once. The MudWing Princess flinched as bioluminescent light flooded around her. Her siblings roared out in confusion.

A hot blast of air scorched the left side of his body as a spurt of flames shot past him. Croak trashed around, managing to snap the rope binding his wings together. In pure terror he tried to take off, flapping his wings in a frenzy. Without his arms and legs to push him off he only succeeded in kicking up sand and dust into the air.

He heard coughing behind him as his captors struggled with his blinding glow and the sand clouds now spinning around them.

“HELP!” Croak screeched into the morning air.

“Get back here you slimy little squid!” Ceridae roared behind him. He felt another hot blast of air and saw a flash of orange light competing with his own glow. He didn’t have much longer until the sand settled.

Croak desperately tried to stand but tripped over his tied limbs hitting the sand hard beneath him. His lungs burned as he struggled to fill them with air.

A loud roar tore through the air before the sky was split by a streak of red hot flames. Recognizing the roar, Croak nearly burst into tears. He came for me.

He heard a shriek behind him, hoping it hadn’t come from Slag, unable to see what was happening where he lay collapsed on the beach. He continued to struggle against his restraints hoping to snap the rope around his wrists.

I need to help him. He thought, a new flame of panic rising in his chest. Slag was strong, but he would get himself killed fighting a Royally trained troop of MudWings.

Finally the rope broke with a loud snap. With his hands free he moved to his legs, his shaking talons helplessly trying to slice the twine tying them together. He wasn’t going to get to Slag on time.

His hands froze as the sound of wing beats filled the air. Croak glanced up at the sky and saw the soldiers from the Delta village descending with their spears onto the beach.

One of the soldiers landed beside him, sending up a small cloud of sand. “Are you all right?” She asked.

“I’m fine.” He stammered. “Slag- He needs help.”

A deafening roar made him and the soldier flinch. “Fall back!” Ceridae yelled. She kicked sand into the faces of the soldiers approaching her, and took off into the sky.

Two other MudWings took off and joined her in the sky, heading east. Croak’s heart rammed in his chest. He searched the beach for Slag’s body, fearing the worst. His breath caught in his chest as he finally spotted him grappling with a dark, nearly black, MudWing. The MudWing kicked him sharply in the stomach, causing Slag to stagger. The dark MudWing spread his wings, lifting off the beach to join his siblings.

Slag roared in rage and sent a plume of fire into the sky after the MudWing. Croak was sure he saw flames enveloping the MudWing, but he appeared on the other side of the plume and continued into the sky, scales untouched.

In a moment Slag’s rage was replaced with fear as he swivelled his head in Croak’s direction. Before Croak knew it, Slag was slamming into him and wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

“Thank the moons.” He gasped. “I thought I lost you.”

“I could say the same.” He let out in an airy breath.

“Are you all right?” Slag loosened his grip on Croak to look at him, eyes squinting against the light from his bioluminescent scales.

“Sorry.” Croak said quietly, realizing that he had never turned off the light of his scales.

“Don’t apologize, it was your scales that helped us find you.” The bigwings of the soldiers said. “We might not have got to you in time without them.”

Slag stepped away from Croak slightly, “I thought I heard you scream in my dream. When I got up, you were nowhere to be found. I was lucky to bump into them and get their help.” He nodded thankfully to the bigwing. “Thank you.”

The bigwing nodded back awkwardly. “Just doing my job.”

“I overheard them talking while they were still dragging me to the beach. The Royal family is in danger. I think they’re plotting to assassinate the Queen and her Daughters” Croak told Slag and the soldiers. “The dragons behind the murder of Prince Cerulean and Sparrow are Princess Ceridae and her siblings.”

“What?” One of the soldiers hissed, all of them tensing.

“How do you know it was her?”

“We met her at the MudWing Palace. She was making friends with Auklet.” Slag uttered in a tense voice. Croak’s stomach sank. Poor Auklet thought she was making a friend, but she was just being used for information.

Silence washed over them as the severity of the situation was realized. “We need to go to the Sea Palace. Now.” Croak said.

The bigwing of the soldiers nodded gravely. “We’ll make sure this information reaches Queen Moorhen as soon as possible” He signalled his siblings and they took off into the sky, the sun now half visible over the horizon.

“Good luck!” He called over his shoulder as they headed back to the Delta village.

Slag wrapped him in his strong arms once again and whispered, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.”

Croak squeezed his arms tightly around him in return. “But you did get here on time, that’s what matters.” He said softly. “Come on, let’s go before we can’t catch up to them.”

Slag reluctantly let go of him, and spread his wings, ready to leap into the air. “And I thought I liked to rush straight into danger.” He said with a chuckle.

They rose into the air together and headed after Ceridae and her siblings, dark clouds covering the horizon.

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Chapter 9 - Muddy Talons

Croak woke up to the sound of snoring.

He let out a face-splitting yawn and rubbed his eyes. Once he’d blinked away the morning blurriness from his vision he stared around in confusion. Brightly coloured blankets and pillows were strewn about the room in a giant mess, and Slag lay curled up beside him snoring loudly.

All at once the events of the previous day came rushing back to him. The SeaWing Prince’s funeral, travelling to the MudWing Palace, overhearing murderous voices from under a Palace door, their escape, and presenting their investigation to Queen Moorhen.

Overwhelmed by the combined anxiety of all the events from the previous day, Croak covered his face with his talons and pressed his eyes shut. Slag continued to snore loudly beside him, and Croak concentrated on it, finding it oddly comforting.

After several deep breaths, Croak’s body settled back into a quiet state. He lifted his head again and took in the room anew. The candles on the walls were nearly burnt out, no longer resembling candles, but blobs of melted wax.

It must be morning. Croak thought.

Almost as if he had summoned it, he heard a soft knocking on the door before it opened and a Palace guard stuck her head in. “Breakfast is ready. I’ll be waiting outside the door if you need some more time to wake up.” She said in a whisper, noticing Slag still unconscious in a pile of pillows.

“Thank you, we’ll be right out.” He answered her. She shut the door behind her with a soft click.

“Wake up,” he said to Slag. “Time for breakfast.” He hoped the mention of food would wake his friend from his sleep, but he continued to snore away.

He nudged Slag with his tail next, and wasn’t anymore successful. So he grabbed hold of Slag’s shoulders and gave him a good shake, finally managing to rouse him from his slumber. Slag’s head shot up and swung around the room, he had a look of deep confusion on his face.

“Where in the buffalo dung are we?” His morning voice was scratchy from having slept with his mouth open.

“Queen Moorhen’s Palace.”

“Oh yeah.” He blinked a few times, the confusion leaving his face. “We need to get out of here.” He said with a concerned twinge to his voice.

“I still don’t trust that Moorhen doesn’t know what’s going on.” Slag tapped his claws against the hard clay floor nervously. “And there’s what we overheard from the hallway too.” He whispered.

“Whoever is behind this isn’t happy about our investigation.” Tightness returned to grip Croak’s chest as he thought about what they heard while eavesdropping.

‘We need to get rid of them before they find out too much.’ That can only mean one thing. He thought nervously.

A look of determination entered Slag’s eyes. “They might not like it, but we aren’t going to be scared off. We’re going to find out who murdered Prince Cerulean.”

Slag rose up from the mass of pillows he’d slept on and shook off the loose blankets he’d somehow gotten under.

“We need to go back to the Delta village and find out more about the drowned MudWing.” He started towards the door.

“Wait!” Slag’s hand paused, hovering over the door handle. “Can we at least go have breakfast before we leave?” Croak asked.

“Breakfast? How come you didn’t tell me there was breakfast?”

Croak felt rejuvenated after getting a night’s rest and a full belly of food. He had been impressed again by the variety of food the MudWing Queen had served for breakfast, enjoying several roasted quails and a large ostrich egg himself. He’d lost count of all the different things he’d seen disappear into Slag’s maws.

I still don’t understand how he can eat that much. He thought with a small smile on his face. It’s like his stomach is an endless pit.

After stuffing their faces they had excused themselves before the Queens and left to travel back to the MudWing village along the Diamond Spay River. Croak’s wings protested slightly from flying again, but the majority of his soreness had thankfully disappeared.

They soared over thick swamp forests that covered large areas of the Mud Kingdom. The branches of the trees grew in dense twisted knots that would make it impossible for a dragon to travel through, not that it would be pleasant trudging through the squishy marsh soil.

Glad to have wings. Even if they are uncooperative most of the time.

As Croak stared into the thick clumps of trees, he found that the chaos of it all was beautiful in its own way. The trees made homes for all sorts of birds and other small creatures. It created a small sanctuary for these creatures away from the dragon world.

If I were as small as a bird, I could just fly into a clump of trees and disappear. That’d be pretty nice right now. He thought longingly. The dragon-sized world felt too big and dangerous sometimes.

“Hey.” Slag flew up beside him and lightly brushed his wingtip against Croak’s. “You’ve been quiet all flight, are you feeling alright?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be okay. I think.” He was unsuccessful at keeping his voice steady. “I’m just feeling freaked out about what we overheard. Do you think they’re going to follow us?”

“Probably, yeah.” Croak’s face twisted in worry at Slag’s response. “Don’t worry, I’d fight off a whole army if it came to it. We’ll keep each other safe.” He said, giving Croak a reassuring grin.

Croak could spot the MudWing village now, its distinctive clay houses rising up from the earth. He pushed his anxious thoughts to the back of his head as he and Slag flew into the village, heading straight for the village center and landing on the compact well-trodden path that snaked through the settlement.

“Do you remember which hut Fawn was leading us to?” He asked Slag, hoping he’d have a better memory. All of the tall curving houses looked too similar to Croak.

“Not a clue.” Slag answered, scratching the back of his neck as he peered around.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to stick their rumps back where they don’t belong.” A familiar voice sneered from behind them.

Croak spun around to see the soldier and his troop who had chased them away from the village the last time they’d been there.

Slag walked up to them confidently, meeting the group partway as they stalked toward them. He opened his cloth bag and plucked out the scroll Queen Moorhen had given them, and threw it to the feet of the soldiers.

The bigwings snatched the scroll in his talons and unfurled it clumsily with a questioning glare pointed at them.

His face contorted in concentration, then in quiet rage as he finished reading. Faced with the words of his Queen he had no choice but to let them continue their investigation. He threw the scroll back onto the path, “just don’t cause any trouble.” He hissed before continuing along the path with his troop, passing them without another glance.

“I guess they wouldn’t appreciate us asking for help?” Croak said with a nervous laugh.

“Definitely not.” Slag snorted.

Croak looked around them again, trying to find any familiar landmarks that would at least point them in the right direction. While searching, he caught sight of familiar dappled scales and called out, “Fawn!”

She looked around in confusion before spotting him and Slag. Her eyes widened, “what are you doing back here?” She called as she walked towards them.

“We got permission from Queen Moorhen herself to continue our investigation” He answered her.

“You went and talked to the Queen?!” She said in awe. “Is she as beautiful as everyone says?”

Croak felt his wingtips flush as he tried to recall the Queen’s beauty. “I, uh, yes, she was amazing.”

AMAZING? That’s the best you could come up with to describe the MudWing Queen?? Croak cringed inwardly.

Fawn’s eyes twinkled. “I hope I get to meet her someday.”

“Would you be able to help us find the siblings of the drowned MudWing again?” Slag asked.

She shook the dreamy look off her face. “Right, follow me. I’ll bring you to their hut.” They followed her down the village road, taking multiple turns down forks in the road. Croak was grateful to have been able to find Fawn, or else he and Slag might have wandered the village all day in search of the sibs’ hut.

“Here it is.” Fawn stopped in front of a hut with a large field stretching out behind it, a clump of cows were grazing on the thick swamp grass in a far corner of the field. “I’ve gotta run back to my troop, my sibs will be wondering where I’ve run off too.”

She turned and headed back in the direction that they’d come from. “Good luck with the investigation!” She called out with a wave of her wing.

Slag lifted a knuckle and tapped it against the wide door. Croak heard shuffling from inside and a voice called from inside, “Who is it?”

“Queen Coral’s Royal Investigators. We’d like to ask a few questions about your late sibling.” Slag said to the door.

The door swung open to three pairs of narrowed eyes. “What do you want to know about Sparrow?” The largest brown-greenish MudWing asked.

“We heard he drowned. Do you have any more details about the circumstances of his death?” Slag asked.

“He was drowned down the river, some ways from the village.” The MudWing’s eyes softened in sorrow as he remembered the death of his sibling. “Gar and the other soldiers in the village immediately blamed the drowning on the SeaWings,” he continued. “But when we found him, the riverbank only had MudWing talon prints.”

His face grew dark. “Any dragon in Pyrrhia could drown a MudWing. All it’d take is to hold their head underwater long enough. We all saw the talon prints in the riverbed.” His two siblings nodded in agreement.

“Do you think a MudWing killed Sparrow?” Croak asked, nearly in a whisper.

“I don’t think a SeaWing did it.”

Croak sat down beside the riverbed. His head was swarming with questions and theories. He let out a deep sigh and concentrated on the sounds of the water rushing past him.

Sparrow’s siblings had invited them into their home to rest their wings until they decided on their next course of action. Slag and him had discussed theories well into the night, but Croak still couldn’t wrap his mind around a MudWing drowning a member of their own tribe.

Unless they wanted it to seem like a SeaWing did it.

Slag had long since fallen asleep, but Croak couldn’t get his mind to rest. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the sounds of waves washing upon a rocky shore. Images of his home appeared faintly behind his eyelids. Croak’s thoughts stilled somewhat and he slowly felt a wave of calm wash over his mind.

Suddenly a cloth bag was thrown over his head. It muffled the startled scream that made its way out his mouth.

Croak felt something hit his head hard and his mind stilled completely as darkness washed over him.

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[pyrrhia-times]

Size differences

Listed in order of largest to smallest

Slag

Beryl

Emerald

Factchecker

Croak

[pyrrhia-times]

Some headcanons of mine: IceWings are on average the largest tribe due to Bergmann's rule (big thing in cold environment). Probably the smallest tribe would be SeaWings or RainWings. I'd say MudWings and NightWings would be pretty tied in size and stature, with MudWings being slightly larger on average. ALSO in my head the reason Slag is so big is because he's a hybrid and the resulting mixture of his genes lacks the regular growth-limiting gene that both the tribes would have aka what happens to lion+tiger hybrids

[pyrrhia-times]

Poor Croak just wants to sleep

In chapter 8, while writing the scene at the end of the chapter where they go into the guest room, I just kept imagining the pillow room from AJ classic lmao

[pyrrhia-times]

Chapter 8 - Mama Bear

Three moons, they’re going to kill us.

Before Croak’s body could even react to the sound of the footsteps approaching the door, he was shoved away from it by a red blur. After a quick moment of disorientation, and being shoved along again by Slag, Croak’s legs finally started working. They raced down the hallway together, too panicked to think about what direction they were heading in.

Run. Don’t trip. Just keep running. Croak repeated in his head like a mantra as the candles along the walls whizzed past them. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he could hear nothing but the sound of his blood rushing.

Is that sunlight? Croak wondered, unsure if his brain was imagining the small glow of light in front of him. The light steadily grew in size as they sprinted down the hallway towards it.

They both tossed themselves out of the hallway and back into the cool afternoon air of the theatre, the last echoes of singing fading as the MudWing finished her song. They skidded to a stop behind the Queen’s guards, one of them offering them a raised eyebrow before turning their gaze back to the stage.

Croak took in several gulps of the fresh air, struggling to calm his heart. The quiet that had settled over the theatre heightening his anxiety, sure that everyone could hear his heart hammering in his chest. Too close. That was way too close. Shivers passed through his body from horns to claw tips, the reality that they were free from danger not quite settling over him.

Croak startled as a feeling of warmth wrapped around him, and looked over to see that Slag had placed his wing over his shivering body. Slag’s gaze was filled with concern.

“Thank you.” He whispered, meeting his gaze. His heart already calming under the warmth of Slag’s scales.

Just then, noise erupted in the theatre again as dragon’s rose from their seats, clapping and cheering, as the MudWing singer bowed gracefully. She rose from her bow and blew a few kisses into the audience before disappearing behind the stage curtains with a whoosh.

Queen Coral turned her attention away from the stage and opened her mouth to speak to Moorhen, but snapped it shut and whirled around frantically as if searching for something.

“WHERE’S AUKLET!?” She bellowed, causing Moorhen to flinch away from her, and the guards to startle.

The SeaWing Queen rose from her seat, flinging her wings open in panic. Her eyes were wide with fear as she swung her head around in search of the Princess. The guards jumped to action immediately and started searching the crowd for the Princess, her emerald green scales absent among the shades of brown and amber that made up most of the audience.

“AUKLET!” The queen shrieked as she flung herself directly at Slag and Croak, making them jump apart. She flew past them and wrapped her arms around Auklet, who had just emerged from the hallway behind Slag and Croak with a group of MudWings.

“For moon’s sake! WHERE were you! You almost scared me to death.” The Queen was shaking her by the shoulder’s now, turning Auklet’s annoyed look into a sour one.

“Relax mom.” She said in an annoyed hiss. “I was just trying to actually socialize with dragons my age.” She signalled to the troop of young MudWings standing behind her with a jerk of her head.

The Queen studied the MudWings with a scowl. “Auklet, if you want to go off with friends you need to tell me.” She said through gritted teeth.

“I’m my own dragon mom. I’m not attached to you anymore, and I don’t need your permission to go for a walk with my friends. In a guarded Palace.” She hissed back holding her gaze with the Queen’s defiantly.

It was well known that the Queen was extremely protective of her daughters, having lost all but three of them over the years, and ending up with thirty-two sons. Queen Coral’s first daughter Orca had been an animus dragon, and had enchanted a statue in the Royal Hatchery to kill off all heirs to the SeaWing throne to secure her place as the next Queen. She had died challenging her mother for the throne, and for years afterwards her statue continued killing off all heirs. The Queen continued having clutches of eggs, with only her sons surviving. Distraught and feeling like she could trust no one but herself, Queen Coral stayed with and protected Princess Anemone’s egg until it hatched, barely eating or sleeping until she knew she was safe.

The Queen’s oldest daughter Tsunami, who had been stolen from the Royal Hatchery before she had hatched, discovered and put a stop to the statue, protecting Auklet’s egg. The Queen had kept both Anemone and Auklet on harnesses while they were dragonets out of fear of losing them even after they had hatched.

“We are going to talk about this later, Auklet.” She flashed to her daughter in aquatic, ending the argument, for the meantime.

“I see Auklet made quick friends with my daughter Ceridae.” Queen Moorhen stepped past Croak and Slag to stand beside the SeaWing Queen. “Don’t worry Coral, all Royal MudWings are trained by our finest soldiers. She couldn’t have better company.”

This seemed to put Queen Coral at ease. She let go of Auklet, who shook herself and joined Ceridae and her siblings as they got seats for the next performance.

“Now, what was it that you wanted to discuss with me again?” Moorhen asked Queen Coral.

Croak stared around at the MudWing throne room in awe. He had never seen such a display of wealth before in his life, and quickly wondered how the SeaWing’s throne room compared. The large room was illuminated by ornate candles and the remaining rays of the setting sun shining from behind the throne.

Moorhen was framed beautifully as she sat on her throne, a large beautifully carved slab of marble. Queen Coral was sitting on the visitor’s throne beside her, which was nearly as impressive.

They leaned close to each other as they talked. Croak strained his ears to hear their conversation over the rustle of a small river that twisted through the colourful tiles of the room.

“I’m sorry to hear about your son.” Moorhen said to Queen Coral. “The news hadn’t reached me. Oh I feel so horrible, if I had known I wouldn’t have made you wait all evening to talk.”

“It’s alright, I should have sent word of the news before my visit.” The Queen conceded. “What I’d really like to discuss is the cause of the death of my son. I’ll let my investigators do the rest of the talking.” She gestured to where he and Slag were standing.

Slag didn’t hesitate to present themselves in front of the throne, taking a small bow. Croak followed in his footsteps, making sure to step over the small river and not in it, and was relieved when Slag started doing the talking.

“Your Majesty, my partner was the one who happened upon the body of Prince Cerulean while out fishing. His body was found burnt to the point of nearly being unrecognizable.”

Queen Moorhen stiffened. “What? Burnt?” She said in a faint voice.

“After discovering his body, local soldiers brought it to the beach of a nearby island, where I arrived to take on the investigation.” Slag continued. “While searching the island me and my partner found scorch-marks and MudWing talon prints in a cave on the island. We have reason to believe that this was the scene of the crime.”

Queen Moorhen’s eyes went wide in shock. She looked at Queen Coral, who put her talons over hers in reassurance.

She genuinely seems surprised. Either that or she’s an amazing actor. Croak thought.

Slag continued his explanations of their investigation, eliciting a gasp from the MudWing Queen at the mention of the drowned MudWing in the Delta village. Hearing Slag talk so formally made Croak feel fuzzy. He wasn’t used to this version of Slag.

When Slag had finished Moorhen sat in silence for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “Thank you. You have my verbal and in a moment you will have my written permission to travel wherever in my kingdom you should need to continue your investigation.” As soon as she finished, a dragon rushed to her side with a scroll and a pot of ink. She dipped her talon in the ink and turned to Coral, “we’ll get to the bottom of your son’s death, and the other murder in my kingdom. Please, I hope you know that I would never order my tribe to ever kill a SeaWing, Prince or not.”

“I know Moorhen.” Queen Coral looked at her kindly. “I trust that you didn’t have anything to do with this. What I don’t trust is the conspiracies that will come from this. I don’t want our tribes to grow even more distant.”

Queen Moorhen finished writing her scroll, and stamped it with her official seal, rolling it up and handing it to Slag. “Please know that that soldier wasn’t acting on any orders, if anyone else gives you a hard time just show them this and it’ll shut their mouths.” Slag bowed in thanks, and Croak quickly followed him into the bow remembering that he was currently in front of two Queens.

When they were standing again Croak realized that Slag hadn’t mentioned the conversation they had overheard in the palace hallway earlier to the Queens. He doesn’t trust Moorhen fully yet.

They were both dismissed from the throne room and led away by a rugged looking guard who was covered in scars. Croak wondered if they had been a soldier in the SandWing Succession War. He was thankful to be too young to have ever seen a true battle in his life.

The guard deposited them at the doors of a guest room and wasted no time stalking off to whatever other important duties they needed to do. Croak opened the door of the room and couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face.

“Are all rooms in the Palace like this?” Slag asked in awe. Every corner of the room was covered in brightly coloured pillows and blankets thrown all about to create a colourful nest of coziness.

“I call the giant purple pillow, moons that looks comfortable.” Slag said before flinging himself down on several pillows at once, including the purple one.

Croak was just happy to have somewhere to rest his achy body before they continued their investigation tomorrow. He let himself forget about the whispering voices he had heard from under the door, and quickly drifted off to sleep beside Slag.

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