Musings of a King (Cradore and/or Rylatha)

(This takes place after the feast)
Baldirak sat in his den, a low rumbling growl being emitted from his throat. His claws were buried in the earth and his eyes, though closed to others' sight, were dark instead of pale. His tail swayed slowly back and forth then touched the ground five times. With each tap, a pillar rose from the earth and the king became encircled by them. The pillars had a symbol carved on them. He laid down then on his left side, taking a deep breath to relax himself further. For about ten minutes, Baldirak laid within the circle, immersed in a sort of dream state. Finally he stirred and sat up, pulling his claws from the ground. His eyes paled again as he opened them and he destroyed the pillars with a sweep of his tail. He stood and made his way over to a shallow pit at the back of his den, his limp unnoticeable with how he stumbled. With a tired sigh, the earth King laid down to rest. He called for Rock, who ran in and bowed. "You called, Liege?"

"Yes, Rock. I would like you to find Rylatha or Cradore, both, if you can. I want to speak with them."

Rock nodded then bowed again before leaving. "Certainly, sir. "

((You didnt...... YOU DID!!!! ))

Cradore was sleeping when he heard someone call his name. He woke up and looked out of his large cavern. He saw a sterward?(royal guard? idk) And Cradore called for him to come. ”I am Cradore, what do you want? and whats your name son?" Cradore nodded as Rock explained and told Cradore his name. Cradore began walking towards Baldirak’s den.

The King heard his friend before he saw him. He smiled and lifted his head, looking toward the entrance of his den. "Cradore, good of you to come." he called out as he sat up. He raised a 40ft slab of rock beneath him so he would be at Cradore's eye level. There ought to be a rule against being taller than the king/queen.. Baldirak thought with a chuckle as he waited.

"Barrel-roll! Dive! Stall!"

Rylatha threw her orders at her Great Eagles, training their flight skills. They haven't been in a fight in a while, and Rylatha hoped that her beloved mutations wouldn't get into a fight again; but considering the possibilities, what if there was a fight? What if her Eagles' flight strategies were rusty?

Thus the reason for Rylatha training her animals.

The goddess was distracted from her training when an EarthWing she heard of by the name of Rock caught her attention. She was concerned at her brother's wanting to see her. Did she do something wrong? Or was there danger afoot?

Rylatha answered her King's summoning and arrived to his den. But then she saw him.

Cradore.

Her fiery amber eyes widened slightly, and she felt her cheeks burn hot. Rylatha landed softly beside the Royal Guard. She glanced sideways at him, then looked at King Baldirak Sapiens Draco.

"You called?"

Cradore nodded to Baldirak and bowed to his king. ”I wouldn’t ignore you, I can’t its illegal"
Answered Cradore. Then he heard another dragon come in. He turned around and it was Baldiraks sister. He bowed to here and said ”You look exquisitely radiant today, your godliness."

He chuckled at his answer then looked at his sister as she walked in. "I did, Sister. Glad you could make it. I wasn't expecting you both, however, I thought you might be busy." He watched silently for a moment as the two greeted each other. He had seen something when he peered into the future. But for now, there were other, tribe-related matters to tend to. "Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, to business." Baldirak stamped his left paw on his perch. A stone door rose in front of his den to block prying ears. "I don't want this to be known to everyone, yet. You both know of my ability to see through time. I used it just minutes ago, that I might learn something of our future. This Haven... it is safe and unknown to the other tribes. It will always be safe--the vast network of tunnels make it so--but it's time we let the world know where our new city lies. This is inevitable, of course, at some point, we must re-establish trade. But there is something else, the real reason I called you here. I want to divide the tribe..." he paused to let this sink in.

The words rang in Rylatha's ears like funeral bells. She wasn't really sure what her brother meant by that; of course, it meant 'let's have two or more different parts of the EarthWings!' but how..? What did this honorable, noble King intend to do? What does he have in store? It had to be important; why else would he call her here, along with Cradore?

"How?" was all Rylatha spoke, her fiery-colored gaze clouding with confusion.

Cradore stayed silent thinking this over. He would likely be silent for a while. He was shocked confused and slightly angry.
((Short post, deal with it ))

The king watched their reactions. It was expected, of course; his plan did seem... unusual. Perhaps madness ((Cue Polonius qoute from Act II Scene II of Hamlet)), even. Baldirak shifted on his paws a little, bringing his right to rest on his tail instead of the hard ground. And then he continued, "We will retake Earthil. Whatever resides in the Lush Forest now, be it Dragon or Human, we will drive them out. Our old city will be in ruins but we will rebuild. But this Haven is essential to us and can't be abandoned entirely. So, once Earthil is ours again, the tribe will be divided. Half of us will return to the surface, the rest will remain here. The reason is tactical. As I said before, the other tribes have only seen a few of us since we were driven out. Even after all this time, they make think us small in number. I reason this would keep us safe from war or invasion for awhile. Anyone would agree, while it would be wise to strike while we are vulnerable, it is wiser to wait until there is something of value to take from us. Right now, all there is, is land likely overrun with Humans. And then there's the tunnels. In the event of war we can conceal part of our army. Our enemies would never expect it, if the forces in front of them were all there were. With the Haven still functioning, we can have twice as much, enough to store in the tunnels beneath the IceWings' territory. And we can produce twice as much armor, weapons, and trinkets for trade. I have seen this, but most is possibility. It depends on what the two of you think. I may have the only word, but I value your opinions. So, what say you?"

((EEEEEEEEEE SHAKESPEAAAAARE))

Rylatha blinked. Now that the King explained it, maybe division in the Tribe wouldn't be such a bad idea. Plus, she did miss the Forest she grew up in; there were many good memories there. She remembered that when she was a Hatchling (she was blind then) she carved her name in braille within this cavern near the Hatchery. But, the goddess also held good days in the Haven. How could she forget the hatching of her sons and daughter? She wouldn't want to leave the Haven forever.

"Good idea," she said. "But, maybe the Haven can serve as a refuge as well? Like, if we were attacked again, we can shelter there. But then, we couldn't if the other Tribes knew of it."

Cradore stayed silent and his face became neautral. He pondered the pros and cons of this idea. He looked at Baldirak and sighed. " We wil need someone to lead below ground and above, so we might need a lieutenant and a queen, not that you need to go mate searching or anything!" Cradore advised.

Baldirak seemed pleased with their answers. "Of course, Sister. As I said, the Haven is essential. If need be, those of us who live on the surface shall return here. I realize everyone has grown attached to this place, while at the same time longing for the old home. So, every two moons, we will cycle out the population. Everyone will get to live in both places. Although, all would be free to move between the two as desired. Non-Citizens should give some warning, of course, especially if they are the only ones of their rank.The only constant will be myself; I will remain in Earthil once it is reclaimed. If I were to move between the homes, the other leaders would suspect and eventually discover this place. And you're right, Cradore; this means we will need a Lieutenant to ensure the continued thriving of the Haven. Which brings me to the other reason you're here. You and I served Cosmos as Royal Guards for a long time. Suddenly I found myself a King... It is time, I think, you too were promoted. I would make you my Lieutenant, if it appeals to you. This reminds me, I must officially restore the Guardians and Royal Guards. And we will need a Messenger.I would suggest one of your animals Rylatha, but a Tracker would work best, I think. One traveling above ground would draw attention after awhile. Ahem, as for that comment about mate searching, Cradore... I don't plan on looking for one anytime soon."

Cradore looked at Baldirak in bewilderment as he was told that he could be promoted to lieutenant. Cradore bowed, then laid down. His head spun. He looked at Baldirak.”Im not entirely sure im best for the job, my lord." Cradore said shyly. He looked away from Baldirak and glanced at Rylatha. He then shot his gaze back to Baldirak. ”But i will do what i am asked of." He stood up and bowed again. He chuckled as Baldirak said that he would be looking for a mate. Cradore nodded and blinked twice. He was kind of happy right now.

The king chuckled lightly. "Of course you are, else I would not have chosen you." He lowered his chair and stepped onto the ground. He moved around a little, loosening the muscles in his leg. "Another matter. How is Rhune doing, or have you not met him, yet?"