Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ebony knew he simply spoke the truth and accepted it, knowing that he was right. But as he stretched before her, she couldn't help but openly admire every inch of him, purring just at the sight of him.

It took her a few moments to be able to speak just from the desire he brought out in her, "The spells were done by a Siren who has taken up doing that work in the village. He's a vain creature and a constant flirt, but harmless and entertaining," she told him, her eyes moving greedily over him.

She couldn't help herself. He'd been gone a long time and she'd missed him. She was even considering whether or not they could slip away for a few hours...

Ebony woke up more silently, her sleep only slightly disturbed by vague dreams that she couldn't remember when she woke up.. As Lao moved into silent prayer, she moved to take care of the last minute details. She prepared a special satchel for each of her children, all of them handmade by herself over the last few months from each of her brood's first shed scales. Within each satchel were a few things she felt they would need as they set up their own lairs: a box to keep their shed scales in that contained the special kit used when making garments from the scales, special herbs she'd gathered and dried for them to use for healing and cooking, another smaller box that contained basic sewing supplies for making their own bedding and human clothes.

From there, each satchel was added to with individualized items for each of the brood: for Kane, a special herb mixture for fireproofing his bedding and clothing, his first shed tooth fixed on a chain that wouldn't melt, and a small heartstone to remind him that he was never far from her heart. For Aria, a small pouch of earth to remind her that she shouldn't keep herself in the clouds forever, her very first shed scale on a specially treated leather that she could wear in her human form, and a bird's feather to remind her that her winds should be just as gentle as they could be turbulent. For Shira, a small seashell on a delicate chain that was the first project they'd done as mother and daughter, a waterproof firestarting kit, and a delicate mirror. For Karina, a set of jewelery for her feline form with a box containing the tools and instructions for making more, a book of recipes for both food and medicines, and a piece of slate with the image of her siblings carved into it to remind her of her family. For Arden, one of the crystals from his room here set on a chain that he could wear in human form, a piece of slate carved with the images of hi and his siblings as fledglings on it during their first flight, and a woodcarving kit. Finally, for Shen, a piece of his shell now carefully shaped into a ring as a reminder that all life is as delicate as the small piece of shell was, a piece of slate with the image of himself and his siblings as hatchlings to remind him of his own beginnings, and one of her daggers forged in the Goddess' forge and cooled with her own shadows; the dagger was a powerful piece and not one given lightly, for it was a Dragon-Killer.

For all of the brood, she'd included one more item to the satchels: a sash to be worn in their human forms made from the scales from herself, Lao, and the dragon the sash was meant for. It was to remind them that the bond between parent and child was never fully severed even when they left to start their own lives, and to tell everyone who saw it that they came from powerful parents and were not to be trifled with.

She set each satchel with the box containing the stones she'd had made for them and found herself fussing with them, wanting them to be set up perfectly when each of their children came to leave.

She knew Lao would have things to say to the girls before they left, just as she was supposed to say something to the boys. But she suddenly felt like letting out a keening sound since they were leaving. It was absurd, of course, and she knew that well.

So she kept herself busy with setting everything up then shifting it all so that it looked right to her.

But all of that stopped when Shen appeared from the tunnel that lead to the deeper rooms. She froze when she saw him, her throat tight with emotions. Then she took in a deep breath and turned to Lao and nudged him gently before moving to sit at the entryway, the gifts for their firstborn at her feet as he approached.

She wasn't sure what to say at first then took in another deep breath and nosed the gifts towards him, "Shen... I am proud to be your mother and always will be... I know your life won't be easy with the responsibilities you will eventually take on... But, as your mother, there are a few things I should say... For all of the difficulties you will face, look for the beginnings, the origins. Problems always have a cause, something that starts the whole thing rolling. It will not always be obvious. Sometimes it simply starts in the shadows. Where there is a beginning, there is an ending. Look for one and you will find the other.

"Other than that, you must remember to enjoy life, my son. Stop to listen to the bird sing, or smell the flowers as they bloom, or watch the fish swimming through the water, or feel the warmth of your own hearthfire. Enjoy it all. For when you forget that, you forget why you live as the ages pass. And never forget that you are loved. For you will always be my son..." she told him softly, hoping that she was doing the right thing with her words as he opened the box containing the carved gem she'd had made for him.

She gave a gentle purr at his surprise over the carved hatchling and nodded to him, "Everything has a beginning, Shen, even a dragon..." she whispered softly as he nuzzled her in thanks then moved to his father.

Arden came next and moved to nuzzle her first then opened his box. She noted his peaceful understanding when he saw the scales she'd had made for him and gave a small nod to him, "Yours is not an easy task, Arden. To try to bring balance and peace to your brothers will never be easy. At times, you will wish to give up. But all of life must be at balance or chaos will ensue and all life will eventually perish. Remember this when dealing with your brothers and with your own life. For you must live your own life as well, not just spend all of your time keeping peace between your brothers. Your life will demand eating, keeping your lair clean, washing your scales, tending your own mate when you find her, and eventually providing for your own brood. So live your life for yourself, not for everyone else," she told him softly then accepted another crooning nuzzle from him as he moved to stand with his father and Shen.

Next came Kane who seemed fairly subdued as he approached her, his head lowered as if in apology for his anger towards her the day before. She simply gave his muzzle a brief lick then gave him his gifts and watched as he opened his box, "You are the embodiment of fire, Kane; tempestuous, quick to anger, and full of pride. But you must remember that fire has another purpose in life. It isn't there just to burn, it's also there to warm and comfort. Fire is also the flame of passion and the burn of love. Remember your heart, my son. Never forget that you hold compassion, love, and gentleness within you and you will never stray from your true heart. Don't let your flames consume the good in you. Instead, let them fan that flame rather than your anger and rage. You will make a good father one day and a choice mate, but no female dragon will stay with a mate who is consumed with rage and self-importance. Rather, she will either leave him before a brood is laid or kill him in his sleep," she told him softly, not realizing that she was mirroring Lao's advice to him as well.

But he apparently took it well and nuzzled her affectionately before going to stand with his brothers.

The girls came next, Aria first. She moved to accept her gifts quietly from Ebony, opening the box containing her carving and offering a soft croon for the sapphire carved into the mountain peak with her whirlwind surrounding it. She nuzzled Ebony for the gifts then moved to her father as her sisters approached Ebony for their gifts, giving her the chance to accept whatever blessing or parting words he'd give her.

One by one, they each took their leave, leaping to their wings from the ledge and flying out over the islands to find locations for their new homes. Ebony watched them leave then finally turned to Lao and nuzzled him, sliding her smaller form under his wing as she let loose the soft crooning keen of watching her first children leave home.

It was a very emotional moment for her and she had no idea what to do now. The children would only return here when they'd found suitable lairs to collect the things from their rooms here to set up their homes. Admittedly, they wouldn't be that far away, but they were now grown and off to live their own lives.

Ebony had never expected to be a mother at all or to be someone's mate. She'd never experienced a Rite of Adulthood with her own parents. Now, here she was, Mated to the male she'd dreamed of as a child, a mother watching her first children leave after seeing them through their own Rite.

What she wasn't expecting was for instinct to take over. For all that dragons were a progressed species, they were still primal and instinctive beings, after all. And instinct, now, demanded that she challenge Lao to another flight, another mating...

She crooned softly to him and moved out onto the ledge, letting the sunlight hit her dark scales as she looked at him over her shoulder briefly. Then she took off into the air and roared her challenge to him, inviting him to catch her again if he could...

Even as Lao closed in on her, Ebony turned on a wingtip then into a steep dive, giving him a teasing croon as she passed right by him and moved through the skies like a living shadow. She knew full well that he'd eventually catch her, but she always made sure that he worked for it. It worked them both up for when he finally took her to the ground and claimed her, making the event so much better for the both of them.

She moved down through the trees briefly then back into the clouds, constantly teasing and taunting him with challenging roars and small croons. As far as she was concerned, he might be an old dragon but that didn't mean he couldn't stretch himself a bit to catch her.

It was an act that was actually older than Lao that allowed a male to prove that he was a worthy mate to a female. As a side effect, the better the flight, the better the brood that could be laid later...

Ebony caught sight of him behind her as she dove for the trees and pulled up enough to skim the treetops before angling to land at the edge of the trees, shifting on the way down so that she landed on bare human feet to run towards the lake.

Yes, she knew full well how much he hated water but knew he'd come to hate it a bit less since becoming her mate.

She let out a delighted laugh when she felt his breath along her bare back and ran faster, sending her dark hair streaming out behind her even as her body formed the unique mating display of scales and small spikes that she'd worn that first night with him. It was always a toss-up on what he'd do when she headed for the lake, so even now she had no idea what he would do to catch her. But she knew it would certainly be worth it when he did...

Ebony skidded to a halt with a soft gasp then turned to run in the other direction, moving like the shadows she held sway over. She barely escaped him as she got to the trees and moved among them, using the shadows to hide and make him truly hunt her down.

She finally stopped for breath at the edge of a clearing, crouching on a treelimb in the shadow of the tree as she waited to see what his next trick was to catch her. She knew that in this moment, she was prey to be hunted down. But she loved it and the anticipation of him catching her was only making her desire for him rise as each moment passed...

Ebony managed to stay in the tree for a good while as she watched the cloud of dust move through the forest around her, loving every second of this. But as much as she loved being chased by Lao, she loved being caught even more.

So she finally dropped out of the tree on her own and moved into the clearing to wait for him, knowing full well that it wouldn't be long before he got to her. He'd proven himself to her long ago and really didn't have to do so now. She simply couldn't help loving it when he chased after her like this, always a challenge for her to evade him for as long as she could, or as long as she wanted to be chased.

So she simply waited for him now in the center of the clearing, crouched low so she could ride the 'waves' of earth he kept sending her way to keep her off balance and out of the trees, her dark hair falling all the way around her and almost hiding her from view in the tall grass.