PSL: Dragon Fails

[goldeneyeball]

THREAD LOG
First impressions are important.

Comments

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW can't help but be a little fascinated. Would his diet suddenly change one day?]}

When's that?

[stabbywheelfeet]

Lame times. The lamest.

[He gets his wing nipped for the quip, before Ratchet answers, as matter-of-factly as possible.]

Before we have teeth to chew the ores with, and while carrying offspring. It's actually rather bland compared to gold, I would say.

[goldeneyeball]

Hmmmmm. I think we're going to have to agree to disagree, sir.

_{[As a hatchling, he'd chewed on his share of gold and he remembered the empty cold taste.]}

Have you tried cattle?

[stabbywheelfeet]

Fair enough.

[His question earns a pointed look of disgust from Sideswipe, who even goes so far as to poke his tongue out.]

Gross.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW just rolls his eyes at Sideswipe and keeps to himself until they come back to the Ore Eaters cave. He lands with a little stumble and tucks in his wings.]}

I promise I won't be a bother.

[stabbywheelfeet]

There's sure to be some empty space you can temporarily occupy...

[It looks like just. A normal cave entrance. It's completely nondescript. Heck, it looks like a bear probably lives there, and not dragons. In they go!]

[Down a long, long tunnel. With a whole bunch of twists and dead ends and branching paths. It's a literal maze until it opens up...]

[On a grassland.]

[Okay, so it's a small grassland. The other side of the huge cave can be seen from where they stand, but there is grass. And a few small, scraggly trees. All of it surrounds the fabled Lake, where deer and other herbivores are milling around. There's light from a few scattered openings in the cave roof, just enough to allow the plants to flourish around the water.]

[More cave mouths line the walls of the huge cavern, these with little ledges and... other dragons! Metallic-looking dragons!]

Yeah, pretty sure you won't bother anyone, Noodlebreath.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW actually accordioned up when the glade apepared. His front end stopped long before his back end. A beautiful meadow with a pond and live animals was not something he ever thought he'd see underground. His long gator jaw hangs open and for once some of his youth shows in his face again.]}

Oh, wow...you live down here?

[stabbywheelfeet]

[Both dragons end up turning to look at him for a second. With Sideswipe tilting his head back and forth. Curiously. That's a new look for noodlebreath.]

[He's busy studying said noodle dragon, so his dad answers for him.]

We do. It's the last safe place left in this area.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[Once the shock wears off, the long dragon waddles out onto the green and wipes his face on the grass before dropping down into an undignified roll. GRASS! ON HIS SCALES! IT FEELS SO GOOD.]}

Did this whole area used to look this way?

[stabbywheelfeet]

Who knows? No one's been alive that long. Except maybe my other father.

[And cue Ratchet just. Sighing. And padding past them both.]

Speaking of which, he sound be informed we're back.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW is on his feet again in an instant. He doesn't want the big black dragon coming back and seeing him wallowing around on the last green place.]}

Should I come?

[stabbywheelfeet]

He'll probably eat you.

[And WHAP goes Ratchet's tail across the back of Sideswipe's head. He hunkers down, huffing angrily.]

If you want.

[goldeneyeball]

<sub>[Despite the grim circumstances, he can't help but snort once again when Sideswipe gets reprimanded. Perhaps it's because as a hatchling, he was the one who was always in trouble.]

[His smirk soon fades though. As scary as the big black dragon is...he feels like he should see him again in person now that their silver idiot was safe.]</sub>

I'll come.

[stabbywheelfeet]

Your funeral. Don't say I didn't warn you, Noodle.

[But, even so, Sideswipe is a bit... slow to follow his parent. Dragging his heels. He might have said it was JW's funeral, but it's looking like he's expecting his own.]

[Clearly not bothered by the sulking, Ratchet just makes his way to the cavern wall, and starts climbing up to the second tier of caves -- up the wall like he's walking up stairs. And toward one large cave mouth in particular.]

[goldeneyeball]

_{[He gives one last longing look at the peaceful lake and grazing animals before taking wing and drifting behind the gold and silver like a stray kite they found while out exploring.]}

Uhm. What would you like me to call you? So much was happening, I'm so tired, I think I forgot. Mr...?

_{[Dragons called each other Mr. right? The long dragon frets and starts feeling out of place all over again.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

Ratchet. My partner is Ironhide.

[And that's when Sideswipe cranes his neck around to roll his eyes at JW.]

Or if he's really cranky, it's "sir" and you play along or else he eats you.

He does not eat anyone.

He could.

Stop frightening the guest.

[And with that, they're THERE. On a ledge with black and gold scraped along the edges, just the barest trace here and there of silver -- blue and red, too.]

[goldeneyeball]

Mr. Ratchet. Right.

_{[He lands gingerly and presses his dinky wings to his sides and flattens his sail again. He wants to look as small and non-troublesome as possible. JW eyes the traces of ore on the ledge and can't help but wonder if this family used to be bigger.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

[And in they go. It's bigger than it looks from the outside, since it's meant to hold a air of fairly large dragons. There's basic furnishings too, shelving carved out of the rock, smooth depressions in the floor serving as seating. There's a fire burned down to coals at the back of the cave, in front of a deeper depression, this one with sides like a nest bowl, and lined with animal skin.]

[... it's also full of huge, black dragon. Who appears to be sleeping.]

[Regardless, it seems like this is Sideswipe's cue to try and duck behind his noodle-y friend, while his parents have a sappy reunion.]

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW has been taking the tiniest politest babysteps and being quiet, but when Sideswipe tries to use his pipe cleaner ass as something to hide behind, he lets out a startled little honk.]}

Hey!

_{[He winds his tail around Sideswipe's shoulder and tries to shove him away.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

Hey! Don't push me!

[As he. Just. Shoves back. With his feet. Because this is what mature adults do in any world or universe.]

Be quiet!

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW lets out another squawk and turns, raring up on his hind legs so that he can push against the silver dragon with his talons.]}

Stop being a cabbage!

_{[It was something his humandad said.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

What does that even mean!!

[And that kicks off a shove-war, in which Sideswipe tries to pounce on the noodle-shaped dragon, like a big silver cat. Complete with cat-like chirping sounds.]

[Ignoring the baleful, one-eyed stare from across the room. Good job, dumbass, you woke your old man.]

[goldeneyeball]

A cabbage! A cabbage just sits there! Just like you!

_{[He manages to wind in and around the other dragon's paws but it's not long before he runs out of room to loop and becomes trapped.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

I'm not sitting here! You are!

[And he's wriggling and nipping at the other dragon, mock-growling the whole while. And generally making a lot of noise... up until...]

QUIET.

[Sideswipe just goes completely still, his eyes going very wide. Slowly turning his head toward the back of the cave to stare at his very awake older parent.]

[Oops.]

[goldeneyeball]

<sub>[Lets out another startled honk. Without realizing it, he winds himself around what parts of Sideswipe he can reach and bunches the rest of himself up.]

[Oh.]

[Right. The reason they were up here.]</sub>