Coralle was kneading the ground with her claws, her fluffy pelt puffed up with an excitement that she could not quite contain within her. When her mate had delved into the darkness once more after his latest update on the expedition she had almost broken her vow to explore anywhere but underground. Somehow she had reigned herself in, but it was almost painful not to follow Yaz. Not just for the excitement, but for the urge to discover something new with him.
Her ears pricked forward and she flared her wings out in a display of excitement when she caught a glimmer of his jewelry shining in the lanterns of the dug out tunnels. He was hauling something behind him, adjusting his grip every few moments before his beautiful scales were shining in the fading daylight once more.
“Yaazanya!” Coralle called, as though he could not have heard her excitement as he excited. She rushed up to the Ridgeback, winding under his paws like a cat so that he was forced to stop moving in order to not crush her. “What’d you find?!”
His chuckle was his only response, because she was too busy crawling under his belly and peering up at the marvel Yaz had uncovered. A statue, something she had never seen before. Her mouth opened in a little ‘o’ of surprise, and she tilted her head up so that she was looking at Yaazanya from below his chin.
Even from here she could see his smile.
“Velya says that they are a new breed, that the Earthshaker made to protect us,” Yaz’s smiling mouth turned down at the corners at this, as though troubled. Coralle’s eyes widened and she looked in awe at the statue before them. It did seem extraordinarily lifelike to her, and she could feel a hum that seemed to sing in her heart.
She was Earth Flight after all.
Before Yaz could continue, Coralle reached out with her front paws and gently touched the paws of the statue. They were massive, though she was not particularly large in any case. Even so, she was startled when she felt a surge of warmth rush from the stone, and she saw Yaazanya step back with a look of alarm out of her periphery.
“Yaz?” Coralle began to ask, but then there was a flash of bright light, she could feel the ground trembling beneath her paws, less like an earthquake and more like a steady, rumbling growl. She was forced to close her eyes against the light, shielding herself as best as she could with her wings.
When the light faded, Coralle blinked and found herself looking down out the statue, which was now more than hued stone and brightly colored. The dragon’s jaws parted in a wide yawn, as though waking from sleep, and he shook out his thick pelt before meeting her astonished eyes.
“Mm, didn’t expect that,” said the dragon, his voice was warm but lazy.
“Coralle, you’re one of them!” Yaazanya exclaimed, and Coralle spun to look at him. Her mate’s eyes were stretched wide, and he was looking at her with an expression of wonderment. She looked down and found that her paws were wider, her pelt thicker than before. She was bigger.
“Oh!” Coralle said, grinning, “That’s new.”
“You’re Earth Flight? Maybe that was the reason why you’re an Obelisk now,” said the newcomer, his jaws parting in another yawn. “Earthshaker knows, he probably had some reason for the change.”
“This danger we need to be protected from?” Yaazanya’s tone was serious.
“This sounds like an adventure!” Coralle grinned, tail curling up behind her. “If the Earthshaker changed me into this new kind of dragon I must have something important to do!”
“Not alone,” Yaz insisted gently, and she looked to him and hummed in agreement. He relaxed, leaning forward until he rested his chin on top of her head. “Well, this is easier to do without worrying about squashing you.”
She laughed, turning her gaze to their new friend and grinning, “And you, you’re our pal now! Family, right Yaz?”
“Something like,” Yaazanya agreed with a soft chuckle.
“Do you have a name to call yourself yet?” Coralle continued, the Obelisk had curled up in front of them, resting his head on his paws. His jaws parted in yet another yawn. He tilted his head to one side as though the question perplexed him.
“I suppose… you may call me Vasek,” he said.
“Welcome to the family Vasek!” Coralle cried, and the Obelisk nodded before drifting into sleep. It didn’t bother Coralle much though, Vasek had opened up a whole new chapter for her. Adventure was on the horizon, and Coralle was determined to make sure that all of Sornieth remembered her name.
