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I patiently listen to the exchange between Alynna and the strange dragon. They seem familiar, at least slightly.
Addressing the recent arrival, I have a rather simple question:
"Oh unnamed one, do you have a name by which you are known, or do you both perchance already know one another's names ? I for one know not yours nor even if you have one."
I pause to take a breath and resume:
"I am Yao Chi and my foxy companion, is Alynna..... "
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Thank You Thank You Kei, Yao Chi Rocks ! Thanks To You !
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"Alynna!" he exclaims. "That's right, I knew it started with an 'A.' Well it's good to meet you again, and you too, Yao Chi. My name is Arc Nova. I was out flying when I got...well...sorta lost."
Arc looked down at the tiny seed the pixie fox held. "So...is that why you guys are here? And for that matter, where is 'here,' anyway? I know the Dream has a lot of unusual terrain, but this place seems...special somehow. I can't explain it."
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The best part of wakin' up. (Image courtesy of Lhyvohn.)
I seem to recall
An ancient race, long ago
Dragons, I have heard
So much we have heard
Selfish creatures says the myth
Wouldn't share their toys
I hear they're looking
For a better place to live
What's wrong with our home?
But then I stop, think ................................ Flames of a dragon
And after some reflection .......................... That leave burns on all they touch
Think about their tale ............................... Can still light the way.
(Haiku courtesy of Luthorne.) .................... (Haiku courtesy of Sophi Naya.)
(Full image and poem list in profile.)
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Alynna smiles and head-dips at Arc Nova, blushing a little bit at being recognized by him, and steps out a few steps from under Yao Chi's wing, and nods at him about the seed.
"Well, its part of it. We're looking for a place to settle and this appears to be it, its got the right mix of mana, forest, and mountain energies for both of us, maybe some other things too.."
"I had planned to plant this seed at the welcome center, but .. well .. i know how big this seed would eventually get. And I didnt want it to interfere with everything else there..."
"There's alot that's going to happen here but first I think we need to have a look around. This place is where we're settling but it doesn't mean its just for us. It needs to be prepared, and where the seedling will be planted must be found."
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I kept my descent slow, letting my own energy align with this place as I spiraled down slowly, feeling the peace and inviting warmth of this place deeply throughout my mind and body. I saw another figure in flight descend down after the others, and though I could no longer see the original two or this new one after they disappeared beneath the giant treetops, I knew they were still there, deep in the center..
I eventually made my way below the treetops and landed a short distance away from the other three winged folk. The peace and unity of this pace melded itself with my mind, and I sat down, observing quietly.
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"I...see..." Arc said in a manner that suggested he really didn't. He was familiar with the concept of magic, and had seen other people using it on many occasions during his travels. But he knew nothing about how it really worked, or how to use it himself. He didn't want to appear rude, so he smiled and nodded his head. "Well what the heck. I've been flying for several hours now, and could probably stand to use a break. Would you mind...if I tagged along for a bit? Perhaps I could help in some way." 
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The skies ofcourse being no place for a Chakat, unless ofcourse they happen to be in an airplane or similar vehicle. Shi had spotted the strange happenings and colors in the sky and ofcourse had come to investigate being the curious 'kat shi is and all.
The sound of rustling underbrush is heard moments before that big familiar 'kat is visible as shi begins to look around at the congregating group, ofcourse having little in the way of magical senses shi cant exactly tell this place is special other than the big... well huge trees.
"Heyas... whats up?" shi mews some then notices the smaller ones and grins "Hey... its yous again... havent seen you two since the welcome center a while back... So hows everyone?" shi shoots the question off to everyone in general.
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Chakat Xantara
Everyday Helper 'kat of the unofficial MZDM Muck (muck.animaltracks.net:8888)
Find out more about MZDM Muck
Made by ChocoMay
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Grinning like a crocodile at Arc I nod to Alynna’s remarks.
"We are indeed hunting for a home …….. I think, we may have found something here."
Observing the quiet arrival of Misht, I nod also to the ebon dragon.
As the conversation continues, I note the sound of someone padding through the brush. The tread is heavy, as of someone large or somewhat massive.
Soon that sound resolves into a large chakat with a coat like snow leopard.
That could only be ……. Yes it is ……….. Xantara…..
When shi addresses us in surprise, I mantle my polychromatic wings in greeting.
"Hello Xantara"
"Alynna and I have been, er, home hunting and I think we are here, sort of."
Nodding to Arc I add:
"This large green fellow is Arc Nova, he just finished telling us that he is lost. Perhaps this is so, or perhaps not. It could be that now he is found. Time will tell."
"As for the Ebon lady that is just over there", I nod towards Misht, "We have not yet spoken"
"Anyhow, Xantara, meet Arc Nova, and Arc, this is Xantara."
I turn to the ebon colored dragon and trot my wee self towards her.
"Do you speak ?"
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Thank You Thank You Kei, Yao Chi Rocks ! Thanks To You !
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I returned the nod to Yao Chi with only a slight bit of attention. My eyes were half closed as I sat there, my tail coiled around my forelegs much like a cat, drinking in the magical aura and peaceful unity of this place. The trees were immense, and grand, and if not for the fact that I could not encompass the entire universe from a single point for a great length of time, I would've been content to stay in a place like this forever. But I was not yet at that point. This place was beautiful but eventually I would travel on past it, seeking out more beautiful places, and beautiful beings like the Dragons, Fox, and Chakat that had gathered here in this place.
When the rainbow Dragon trotted up to me I pulled my awareness back to the present and the immediate sensation of those around me. "Yes," I said in reply to him, and I lowered my head so it was level with his own, taking a good look at him, and radiating a feeling of a friendly greeting both to him and to all the others in the group.
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( Apologizing again for my long abscence, I have had terrible internet problems the last two weeks )
Alynna pads over to Arc Nova first, pressing her nose to his paw, explaining softly. "That is alright. One does not necessarily have to understand magic to perceive it or benefit from it.
She walks around with the seed, now hidden in her tails, and noses the ground, sniffing around as she tracks something .. sometimes her wings speed up and sometimes slow down...
Her ears perk a bit at the sound of another dragon landing and she walks over to them, touching noses with the black dragon. "Welcome, also to you, I'd hope you'd stay a while.." her wings fluttering and she brushes up against Misht's neck a bit before walking around chaotically, sniffing out ...
.. and looking for something .. her wings doing the fluttering, sometimes fast, sometimes slow... her ears perk at the sudden presence of another, much larger four paw.. and she recognizes the chakat very directly, and pads over to greet hir by passing under Xantara's front legs...
"Welcome, to our home .." she indicates the direction of Yao Chi .. and she leaves a little lick at the chest just between Xantara's front legs, before walking right in front of her, her wings beating so fast they're a blur... and even her tails start to glow with slight flourescence...
"I'm going to welcome .. everyone to settle here, that would come and would like to make their home among these trees, and with us... This may look like a mere forest now, even if no forest is ever a mere forest, but soon, it shall be a place for faeries, and dragons, and furry animals, and it will all begin...."
She starts walking around in a circle, at one single spot.. and then she says .. "Here." and she begins digging quickly with her front paws, her tails swishing quickly.
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Seeing Alynna's rapid excavation of a hole, it is clear that this IS the place.
Stepping to Alynna's side, I begin to sink my long curving ebony talons into the soft loam and drag generous scoops from the fresh aromatic soil.
I glance up at our companions in this glade, grinning like a joyful crocodile.
--------------------
Andrea Koupal you are an Art Goddess
"Youchy !" by Yao Chi
Overhead tumble not by plan
Ground slams claw, much pain and then
"Youchy !, youchy !", he hollers out loud
Yao Chi’s fallen, from his cloud
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Alynna's greeting to all of us in the glade passed my direct and individual notice, becoming a part of the comforting and welcoming aura of this beautiful wood, and even her act of digging the hole, as Yao Chi went over to help her, seemed another part of this place.
Until it began to appear to me the grand changes she had in mind, something a bit intangible, but awakening and strengthening the already strong magic of this wood, making even more a haven of it. I lifted my head to watch the colorful pair as they dug in the soil. They had obviously found something they'd long been seeking and their expectation was infectious. I found myself watching and listening to their activity and the woods around us all with extreme interest.
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Arc gave a polite nod to the chakat upon being introduced by Yao Chi. Though the smile on his face was due to the latter's perceptive wit. From the way he talked, Arc wondered if Yao even knew he had it.
"Well if this place is about to get a return address soon, perhaps I should just stick a stamp on my head and mail myself off to the nearest city. In the meantime, I'm glad you invited me into your home. Sorry for not wiping my feet first."
Arc didn't know what to make of the black dragon who'd flown in. Her behavior seemed...odd, though non-threatening. Arc's attention soon drifted back to Alynna as she nuzzled his armored claws, parting him with words of wisdom before moving on to the others. And then, following a short announcement, she began to dig. Yao Chi soon joined in to help, leaving Arc somewhat baffled. He thought he understood the basic concept of what was happening, though he was hazy on the details. All he knew was that this pit needed to be dug, and he wasn't sure whether he should just watch, or try to help. Despite his many powers, none of them seemed particularly well suited for digging holes. Oh sure, he could probably take his blaster, charge it to full power and blow out a decent crater in a few seconds, but somehow that seemed a tad excessive.
So he just watched, wondering how big of a pit the two were trying to dig. "Uh...do you guys need a hand?"
--------------------
All my thanks are belong to Andrea! ^_^
The Making of Arc's Avatar Card. (by A. Koupal)
My own crummy sketches of Arc's sword and blaster.
Arc Nova's Freefall Cameo. Image by Mark Stanley, and cropped by the dark ferret.
(Full image and poem list in profile.)
Wanna draw Arc for fun? Don't be shy, send me a PM! ^_^
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Alynna looks over at Yao Chi when he starts to dig, leaving a little nuzzle as she finishes digging her self and yips softly, letting the little seed out of her paws and hopping out of the hole...
"Ok, yep anyone can help, well... we need some water, and we need to cover this seed .. you all can do what you want from that.. Once it has all it needs, things will happen quickly..."
She then curls up at the edge of the hole ... and starts to brush some of the pixie dust out of her tails, gathering a small pile of it ..
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The large 'kat meeps cutely as Alynna zips between hir front legs. The chakat is obviously suprised as shi giggles some and watches the smaller ones running around.
"So this is where your gonna plant that thing finally huh?" she asks curiously.
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Chakat Xantara
Everyday Helper 'kat of the unofficial MZDM Muck (muck.animaltracks.net:8888)
Find out more about MZDM Muck
http://www.animaltracks.net/~snowmeow/kristen1.jpg
Made by ChocoMay
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Grinning happily at Xantara, Arc Nova and Misht Soloi, I turn my gaze to the ample excavation.
There...
Down in the bottom...
Lies a wee little seed.....
But feel the waves of magical aura that flow from it like heat from a hot coal.
This seed has potential.
This seed has.......
Destiny !
"Come, come over here !"
I trill in mutliple voices.
"Come here and see !"
"Look at the seed before we cover it. Gaze upon what is, before it becomes what it soon will be ! "
I prance and dance my wee little dragon dance about the hole wherein the seed awaits its very own future.
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*Thanks Lhyvohn !*
Inner dragon freed
In polychromatic flight
Yao Chi soars the skies
Haiku by Luthorne
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I felt the magical energy of the seed as it lay expectantly in its little hole.. but yes, it did still need an ingrediant or two to make it complete for its transmutation. What would it become? That was up to the seed. It was fairly bursting with potential.
There was enough moisture in the air that some could surely be spared for the seed. I let my awareness sink into the forest and the earth once more. As I felt and focused on the moisture content of the air, I drew it towards the seed.. there was no precipitation in the hole, but a definate condensation of moisture, quite a lot more than happened through the ordinary process.
At Yao Chi's request to us I got up and came over to look into the hole at the seed, my eyes glowing slightly as I continued to concentrate on the condensing moisture, and with my more spectral senses, breathing in the energy of the seed and multiplying it back to itself. A seed of potential. Whatever alchemical transformation was its destiny would be a marvel to see..
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Alynna smiles at everyone around as she collects her pixie dust into a pile, finally, and adds it over the little seed sitting there, and then she starts to cover over the seed, putting all the dirt that was made for the hole back over onto it.
She looks up at Xantara. "Yep, I was going to plant it at the Welcome center but then I found, that what Yao Chi and I had planned, simply wouldnt fit anywhere, so here we are inna the forest. This forest is saturated in mana, and this tree is the base seed for a mana tree.."
Some of the pixie dust starts to interact with the spell Misht Soloi is casting, and as the hole fills with dirt, it also seems to saturate with water too, leaving positively wet dirt there..
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The ground around the seed, reacting to the spell that Misht Soloi has just cast, continues to collect mana from the surrounding area. The feel of the draw can be felt by anyone with such magical awareness. The ground begins to saturate, leaving a soft spotin the loamy soil around the seed. The soil begins shudder softly. A small seed sprouts. It has a twiglike stem and tiny featherlike leaves along its length. Alynna moves a few steps back, giving the seedling room. She then yerfs softly at others: "This is going to be immediate and immense, I can tell. Follow me away from the seedling now..."
She gives the seedling room, and hopes the others will do the same. The seedling continues to grow, thickening and stretching upwards. Every few moments a few new branches break through its stem, which is hardening and forming vertical grooves and ridges in it’s bark. The tree, growing magically, seems to be striving towards its true age. The surrounding forest shifts, yielding a miniature earthquake in the local area that causes the leaves of surrounding trees to rustle.
Alynna proceeds with Yao Chi to a point fifty meters away from the tree. Slipping under Yao Chi’s wing and poking her nose through his soft feathers, she watches from her vantage point underneath him. Both wait for the others to move to the 'minimum safe distance'.
The Mana Tree, continues to grow rapidly. Its size now approaches that of the greatest of sequoias, and it shows no indication of stopping yet...
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The big chakat ofcourse looks at the tree start to grow and blinks some... Well shi wasnt expecting that so shi heeds Alynna's warning and decides to move far enough away from it so shi wont get caught up in it. The whole thing is so far over hir head its not funny, shi just sorta watches now and waits.
"So umm... is it supposed to do that?" shi asks, pointing at the rapidly growing tree.
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Chakat Xantara
Everyday Helper 'kat of the unofficial MZDM Muck (muck.animaltracks.net:8888)
Find out more about MZDM Muck
http://www.animaltracks.net/~snowmeow/kristen1.jpg
Made by ChocoMay
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Alynna looks up at Xantara for a few moments, and nods a little bit at her.
"Its reacting to alot of things," she notes aloud. "The natural mana of the forest, the pixie dust that was added to the soil, and another, more watery spell. So yes, this was definitely the best place to put it.."
And certainly it seems so, as the tree thickens and grows, its mass reaching the size of a large building, a natural skyscraper of sorts, built only of wood, the leaves of the tree seem to blanket the sky in green, and only small bits of sun reach to the forest floor for almost three large fields in a circle around the tree, and its growing starts to slow and stabilize ...
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Holy Simolians !
I trill sweet nothings happily to Alynna as she shelters beneath my wing. The tree however grows much faster than I had anticipated. I observe in shock as it seems to flow from the ground like some sort of CGI Hollywood special effect for Jack and the Beanstalk.
She told me it would grow really fast, but I took that in relative terms.
In fact, I had anticipated that we would be growing this tree for years before we could really make any kind of a home in it. But this ?
"Honey ?"
"Honey ? Are we far enough away ? It looks like it's gonna overtake us ?"
But even while I say this, I am more astonished by the sense of the magic flowing all around us into the amazing tree growing before us. From the magic wood all around us, flow torrents of magic. All into this very clearing. The ground seems alive, the air to shimmer with it and even from my core I do believe that I can feel a fount opening up.
I am afraid.
Is my soul about to be plucked from out of my very person ?
I find that I can stop it, but could not explain how it was done. Still this gives me some comfort. Opening my spirit and my mind to the tree, I begin to contribute tentatively of my own life essence, willingly. As my confidence builds, I allow more and more of my magic to flow, finding that I feel very well and good as I do so. After some minutes, in fact, I am actually astonished at how much I am giving. I have no clue where it is coming from save out of my own self.
The Mana Tree.
It is magnificent.
And it smells so alive, so incredibly green.
I inhale deeply, savoring the aroma, full of life and promise.
Good God, I never knew such a thing was possible. Not ever.
"Alynna, this is incredible"
My head rises up and up and up upon my neck to see the height of the tree. This could surely rival the Bodhi Tree itself. The girth of the tree increases at an amazing rate also.
" Honey, lets give this behemoth more room. I think we are still too close "
--------------------
Andrea Koupal you are an Art Goddess
"Youchy !" by Yao Chi
Overhead tumble not by plan
Ground slams claw, much pain and then
"Youchy !, youchy !", he hollers out loud
Yao Chi’s fallen, from his cloud
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Alynna smiles for a few moments, and her colorful rainbow wings flutter a bit as she watches the tree from under Yao Chi's soft wings. She had considered the possibility of the Mana Tree growing at such a rate, but didn't really expect it.
Under her paws, she feels magical energy being pulled in towards the tree. She digs her paws into the loamy soil under her, even as if she were planting herself into it. She smiles a little bit at this as she allows the secret of the tree to culminate.. even as she feels that the tree would take energy from her and the rest of the wood, she also knows that it will produce more than it took shortly thereafter.
She looks up at Yao Chi for a few moments, as she senses energy drawn from him into the tree, and then something happens that causes her wings to flutter, uncontrollably, she feels some of his magic flowing through her own body, at a quick rate, overtaking her.
Instinctively, while she doesnt know how it feels or if it is a bad or good situation that is occuring, her tails wrap about Yao Chi's tail, and she only nestles against his scaly lower belly that much tighter, even as his energy passes through her, and mingles with her own. Some of this mingled energy even makes its way to the tree. The energies themselves, made up of different elements, become completely visible and appear to be a swirling rainbow spiraling towards the tree not unlike a whirlpool made in water.
As the energy flow begins to slow and the tree reaches its size limits, she regains some composure. She notices however that the tree is yet still growing towards us. She listens to Yao Chi's statements about the tree, and then opens her mouth to speak:
"The Mana Tree is slowing its growth but I feel I may have underestimated how it would grow already, in such a magically fertile wood. I believe you may be right, let us take a few more steps back."
And she prepares the best she can, to follow Yao Chi even further out from the massive Mana Tree until it decides to stop growing. It seems from observation that it may reach that point soon. But as she walks she feels something different..
She feels the odd presence of parts of her that feel like they are part of her but also not part herself, and she starts to contemplate exactly what that is. She looks over at Yao Chi again for a few moments, looking contemplative, and that contemplation being a question of if Yao Chi also notices something different...
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--
Alynna the pixie fox
Check out the NCD MUCK!
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Arc held a confused expression on his face as he watched the planting of the little seed. He could tell that a lot of magic was involved, but only because he knew what it looked like, not because he felt anything. For a moment he wondered if he was missing out on something.
Then, suddenly, a sprout grew from the soil, and then continued growing. And growing. And growing. Arc stepped back with the others, amazed, and wondering just how large this thing was going to get. Without realizing it, he stood protectively in front of the others, on guard for anything unexpected, but not sensing anything truly dangerous.
He kept a nervous eye on Alynna and Yao Chi. They were the ones who led him here and planted the seed. Surely they had done something like this before and knew what to expect. Everything was perfectly under control.
Right?
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"What're you lookin' at?" (Image courtesy of Quaidis.)
(Full image and poem list in profile.)
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As Alynna and Yao Chi retreated from the rapidly growing tree, I turned and followed them, settling down several feet behind where the two colorful ones had stopped. I lay among the foliage there, basking in the flow of energy that came from the surrounding earth and trees, feeding into the mana tree as the tree itself replenished and expanded on that energy, weaving itself into the energy of all of us, of all the world around it. I opened my own soul willingly to the mana tree, welcoming its inclusion to the single entity that all of us in this entire forest were a part of.
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Alynna glances up at Arc Nova, and she senses an aura of panic on him, or perhaps just nervousness. She walks around him slowly and meets his eyes.
She nods a little bit as if to acknowledge his feeling on the matter, and explains to him softly, to reassure him, though truthfully. "Nothing is in complete control, however everything is in cooperative direction."
She seems to be right about this as the growth of the tree ceases, and its draw on the forest, including its rainbow patterned energy display, fades. It now stands majestically over everyone, even the sequoias treetips are still within its upper branches. The trunk itself is well over the size of a large house in area, though still firmly circular.
In the front of the tree, a hole large enough to fit dragons, the kind notably larger than Yao Chi, is steadfast at the bottom of the tree itself. It seems parts of the inside are hollow.
Rooms have been formed from the shaping of the trunk itself even as it grew, and pathways winding through it have attached it all together, even so far as allowing walkways for creatures as much as 3 meters high and 4 meters thick, easy passage.
Alynna also offers a smile to Misht Soloi as she approaches the entrance, waving quietly for her to follow along, noting aloud: "I can sense that part of you is part of this place now. A place for you is now guaranteed." She makes sure she never gets too far away from Yao Chi as she draws close to its opening.
"I suppose I should.. try to explain what happened.." she said, as she peeks into its entrance curiously..
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