" Hello human, I am Coalsmoke, a featherdrake. If you look at the edge of our jungle, you will find a portal to our homeland. This is Barkwood, my cousin. He is very cheerful right now, as he has just found a mate, Crystal Gala I have heard she is very beautiful. I know she has a very kind caretaker, Kiva is an enthusiastic friend of all featherdrakes. The creature called a Coalsmoke turns slightly, and by all appearances, goes to sleep! The featherdrake called Barkwood sighs and turns toward you. " Don't mind him. Being the elder makes him think he's old and feeble. Personally, I think he's silly. Why don't you go meet Ocean Storm and Skydance, and watch out for the ginalls, the can have a very nasty streak" he says, and goes back to his activities.
You walk up to a large root, and find another of these " featherdrake" creatures busy at work there. You notice a very small blue featherdrake, that you suspect is the now grown up Skydance, as well as a small, shiny egg. You are awakened from your kind of trance by the featherdrake's voice.
" Welcome, welcome, to the featherdrake nursrey. I am Ocean Storm, the young Skydance's elder brother. She is just a barely an adult now, but already she is very beautiful. We are very excited! The long awaited hatching has finally come! We recieved the crystal! She is lovely, isn't she?" he says breathlessly, and flaps back over to his charges.
You look up, terrified. All you see is three pairs of shining black eyes staring at you. " What are you doing with our eggs?" inquires the eldest. Upon closer inspection, you realize these creatures look like very small leopards. " Um, pardon me for saying so, but, you look like cats, and to my knowledge, cats don't lay eggs". " They are not ours precisely, we are caring for them here, like babysitters. They are Featherdrake eggs, two of the many creatures adopted by the Lady Starbreeze. In any case, one of them hatches today. It is a Coal Male from wild clutch #2. She likes to make their homes as much like their real habitat as possible. They should hatch soon. If you are interested in adopting your own, follow me " So where do you come from, and what are you?" you ask timidly. " We are Ginnals, found by the Lady Starbreeze herself at The Silver Unicorn
A beautiful woman walks up and places a tanned hand on the lead ginnals back, stroking her. " I am Aseta, an egyptian goddess of nature and life, a sister to Isis. My other sister, Celeste, resides with the other cyberpets here. Forgive Fer'tyu, she is just suspicious. It is her nature, she can no more help it than you or I can help breathing. But I also would like to know, why are you here, disturbing the newborn Skydance?"
" In any case, pink thing, you did not answer my question: What are you doing with our eggs?". " I wasn't doing anything to them, I swear! I was only looking!" you protest. " Calm down, youngling. What is your name then?" she asks. " Skysong" you reply nervously. " I was named for my mother's dragon. " Dragon? When were those around?" the elder Ginnal enquires. " During the time when the barrier between immortal realms & mortal realms somehow was destroyed. Tortall was thrown into chaos at that point." " I see. Tell me Skysong, who are your parents?" " My parents? Daine Weyrinsra and Numair Salmalin" you say nervously, fidgeting with the locket around your neck. " YOU are their daughter?" the Ginnal says, clearly amazed. " Yes. What is so amazing about that?" you enquire. " Do you not know that your father is the greatest mage living, your mother is the daughter of a god, your grandparents are both gods, and that your mother communes with every living,. breathing thing alive?" the ginnal asks. " Of course I know that. But that is them! Not me! I haven't done anything like them yet". You say quietly. " We really must be going, but it was fascinating talking to you, Skysong. If you ever need us, you need only mind call. We already know you can do it, considering that you have so much magic, wild magiciked and gifted! Amazing! We really must get back to work though, we are to guard these eggs until they can fend for themselves. We shall meet again, Skysong, I promise it" the ginnal says, then turns, holding the eggs, and dissapears. In the depths of the forest, you see a small creature.
" It's an Angecur! We just recieved it! It's all the way from Angecur Valley! Angecur's are VERY rare you know, we are very lucky indeed to be allowed to foster one! It just hatched! I can't wait till it's older.... It'll be wonderful to have somebody like myself to play with. Lady Starbreeze plays with me, but she's a human, so it's different than when I play with another animal. All the same though, I like her lots, and I'm happy here. She's from Angecur Valley " the strange, dissembodied voice says. You try to find the owner, but to no avail.
Will you venture to the jungle?