[Azura Rayume]

FF4000 --- B79A6E
"I'm being serious!" the bright Carapace shouted from the edge of the trees, his eyes narrowing at the Lavamancer overhead. Though he considered the smaller male his oldest friend- the pair had known each other since they were hatchlings- but sometimes he could be absolutely inconsiderate. Kone always felt that the Lavamancer spent too much time with his head in the clouds, soaring away and turning tricks instead of doing something useful. Something like paying attention to someone else's cares for once.

The silver and brown male spun in a tight curl, punching into a cloud before diving back down through the condensation and corkscrewing down to the grass just beyond the trees. He pulled out of his dive in time to land lightly on his toes before throwing his head back to beam at the Carapace. "Oh, lighten up, Kone!" he chided. "It's all about confidence, which is something you'll never gain if you don't quit worrying about every little tiny thing."

Kone gave small growl, turning back to the shelter of the trees, Razortail twitching in agitation. "Not everything's a matter of confidence, Evfan," he muttered, his great armored head hung low. He knew his friend was only trying to be comforting, but the Carapace was in no mood for it.

Evfan frowned, then followed the other dragon. There was very little he could do when the larger male got into one of these moods, since he would refuse time and time again to get out of his slump. Though he had always been a little on the small side, he had the flight ability to rival a sparrowhawk. He at least had something concrete to fall back on, while his orange counterpart felt as if he had nothing.

The Lavamancer shrugged as he reached the other's shoulder. "Hey, how about this," he suggested, the tips of his wings fluttering ever so slightly, "I could do a bit of something to take your mind off it? Nothing difficult, I swear. Just a little bit of weaving. Promise."

Kone didn't look too amused by the idea but nodded regardless. He would have to do something to appease the other Paragon, or he would not hear the end of it. Evfan gave a small hop of excitement, wings fully unfurling at the same time. In moments, the natural colored dragon was in the air, banking efficiently to turn around the small trees surrounding them. He might not have been the fastest Paragon to grace the plains, but he certainly was one of the most agile. Kone had to at least give him that.

"See what I mean? All it takes is a little confide-" Evfan's speech halted, punctuated with a muffled crunch and a whimper of pain. He crumpled to the ground and curled up against the base of the tree he had collided with, his breathing in shallow gasps.

Kone was beside his fallen friend in moments, instinctively positioning a muscled Hybrid wing to shift Evfan's broken form to his own back. "Uh. Uh. Hold on. I'll think of... something. Just need to find someone who can help, right?" His words were more to assure himself than his friend, who seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness. "Just stay with me, buddy. Come on, there has to be someone nearby." He extended his wings and hooked the claws overhead, then took off at a run. Someone, anyone, would be of use right now.

[Jaykobell]

The day was bright, young, and full of potential. So what did that mean? It meant that it was time for some scavenging!



Of course, that was the best part.

It was rare for the Deserthorn to really consider his job seriously. Well, maybe he could rephrase that: it was rare for him to do more than he had to do. Do one around of the territory? Done. So once the round was all done and over and nothing suspicious had been spotted? Then it was time to check beyond his usual area and to see if he could find anything interesting to play with. Even something like a broken shard or a glass bottle was interesting, and if he didn't find anything? Well, sometimes he bothered to go all the way towards the human islands in order to find some interesting stuff. It was just so interesting and fun to play and experiment with all sorts of different things!

"Tyrone!"



There came a voice behind him, which made the Deserthorn turn and look around. "Oh hey, Sanjiv! What's up, man?" Tyrone greeted the Carapace Paragon that was making his way towards him. "No, I know. You followed me to join me on a little scavenging adventure, right?"

Once the Carapace had joined up with the Deserthorn, the nonchalance attitude of the latter just made the former raise an eyebrow. "No, Tyrone," Sanjiv denied politely, his intentions completely different from what the Deserthorn had imagined. "I'm following up on you. Have you scouted the Hive's territory like you were supposed to?"

The two Paragon weren't just two wild males minding their own business. They were, in fact, part of a much bigger clan of Paragon that was located somewhere on the plains, hidden deep into one of the biggest mountains around: a clan called the Dragon Hive, home to countless Paragon that operated as a sort of society of its own. They were but two of that huge tribe, but they both shared the same duty: scouting the area around their home in order to make sure that no one was trying to ambush or infiltrate their home, or to make sure nothing was dangerous outside their territory.

To Sanjiv's question, Tyrone just rolled his eyes. "Sanjiv, my friend, I never partake in my own activities until my work is done," the Deserthorn eloquently phrased, hoping the most beautiful display of his words would convince the Carapace that he had, in fact, really done his job.

But the Carapace was older and more experienced, so such things as silver tongues didn't quite work all the time on him. "Saw nothing in particular, then?" Tyrone still stood out from the rest of the Paragon at the Hive because of his origins. The Deserthorn hadn't been born and raised with the Hive, but instead had lived with humans for a long time before changing lifestyles. His tendency to be lazy and sometimes forgetful with his partner had the Carapace check more often on Tyrone than the others to make sure he did his job correctly.

That said, the moment he asked if the Deserthorn had seen anything unusual, Sanjiv noticed a shape coming right towards them from across the plains. "Like that?"

"Like what?" Tyrone questioned as he tilted his head at the Carapace's sudden change in expression, and the Deserthorn looked over his shoulder behind him to figure out just what was putting that red Paragon's wings in a knot. That was when he, too, noticed the red and orange male dashing straight for them. "Well," Tyrone started, turning back to Sanjiv, whom had a rather displeased face at this point, "now I have noticed something unusual, and it's coming right for us," Tyrone finished, smiling happily at his supervisor and hoping that would be enough to make the Carapace happy.

But not quite. "Thank you for your incredible display of skills, Tyrone," Sanjiv answered as he made his way past the Deserthorn and towards the running Paragon.

"You're very welcome," Tyrone laughed as he turned around and slowly followed the Carapace. "Sometimes I impress even myself."

But now was no time to pay attention to the nonchalant attitude of the Deserthorn. "You over there! Stop!" he growled from his position, loudly enough for the other Carapace Paragon to hear. "You're going to breach into our territory. Who are you?"

[Azura Rayume]

Stupid Evfan and his stupid stunts and stupid not paying any stupid attention. No matter the fact that he was irritated, Kone kept moving, hoping that someone would come along who could at least direct him to some form of help. Foolish as his friend might be, the Lavamancer was pretty much all he had out here. Their own small band of Paragon had seen the Carapace as only a burden, brightly colored so that prey would see him, entirely useless as a young thing, and had kicked him from among them. Evfan was the only one to stick by him, and the two had left that group far behind them a long time ago.

His mind preoccupied and feet moving without him paying attention, the Carapace failed to notice the other Paragon until the red one started yelling at him. Instantly, he snapped from his thoughts and skid to a halt. After a slight hesitation, the feathered ridges of his wing joints raising like hackles, he growled low out of instinct. For a moment he viewed the two dragons in front of him a threats, crimson and black figures who stood as a danger before him.

A soft thump on the side of his neck snapped his attention away from the strangers, and his head swung around to meet the pained look on his friend's face. "Can you.. stop... being so... you... for five... minutes?" The Lavamancer's words were laced with the pain that coursed through his chest and wings, his sentence broken by pants and gasps. Kone, while relieved that Evfan hadn't died on him (not yet anyway), he couldn't instantly make himself good at communicating.

The bright male turned back to the other two, bringing his head low and moving forward slowly in what he hoped was a submissive position. "Please." He winced at the word after not having to ask for anything from anyone by Evfan for so long. There, he paused, feet still working but tongue momentarily dumb. Kone shook his head; this was for his friend, and things could be catastrophic if he messed up now. "Please help. He's... He's hurt."

[Jaykobell]

It wasn't until the stranger Carapace got closer to them that the two clan Paragon noticed that he wasn't quite all by himself. While not very easy to see, there was definitely another Paragon on his back, and he didn't look so good.

Despite the injured Paragon on the trespasser's back, it was hard not to growl back when the Carapace did so. Sanjiv retaliated with his own growling, although Tyrone didn't do much in terms of threat or defense, and simply watched the scene unfold. While he didn't have many external injuries beyond bruising and looking pretty beaten up and pained overall, the Lavamancer's voice made it quite obvious that he wasn't feeling well.

Sanjiv dropped the defensive position when the stranger took some steps forward and pleaded that they help his injured friend. The Lavamancer didn't look well at all, and the Carapace looked so panicked that it couldn't be an act. His mate was part of a flying group, so he'd seen Paragon with internal injuries quite often before — including Paragon with external injuries, and those were fairly more difficult to look at. "We live in the mountain a little ways ahead," Sanjiv explained to the other Carapace as he spread his wings. "My friend here will guide you there. I'll go ahead to find our healer so she'll be ready to help him right away."

With that said, the insect-winged Carapace turned to the Deserthorn. "Tyrone, guide them to the Hive while I get Nyala," he instructed, throwing around names that would probably make little sense to the two newcomers, but that were completely understood by the Deserthorn. With his instructions given, Sanjiv turned around and started dashing towards the mountain, eventually jumping into flight and flying faster than he ran, despite his frail-looking insect wings.

With only the three of them now, Tyrone didn't seem all that fazed at the fact there was an injured Paragon looking for medical attention, two Paragon that were complete strangers to him, and the fact it was two against one were this actually a ruse. But hey, he was cool with that. "Okay, so. I guess the introductions will have to wait until your friend's not slipping in and out. I'm assuming you can run with him on your back? If anything our healer will meet ya right outside our forest barrier," the Deserthorn said as he folded his wings tightly over his back. "Over this way, if ya follow me!" he guided as he turned around and started running in the same direction his partner had gone, with Tyrone periodically checking over his shoulder to make sure the Carapace and his sick buddy were still following.

[Azura Rayume]

The moment he heard the word "healer," Kone perked up. Whoever these two were, they had access to someone who could help! He was embarrassed about his initial reaction to the pair, though his mind reasoned it as rational due to his previous experiences with others, but he seemed to have not offended them too badly.

He registered the Carapace's words, though the names he used had little meaning out of context. He assumed Tyrone was the black male, considering the response the name brought from the other. He would have said a thank-you in advance, but the red male was running and in the air before he could say much of anything.

His gaze traced the other Carapace's flight path toward the mountain. It would probably be easier to get their by air, but he had no guarantee he could fly with Evfan on his back. After watching the other leave for another second, he shifted his attention to the Deserthorn. He nodded in response, backing the motion with a shaky voice. "Yeah, I can run." The dark male had a point; proper introductions could wait.

His gait started as a trot, trying to keep his movements as smooth possible since he had no idea what kind of shape his friend was in internally. "You heard that, right, Ev?" he asked quietly, smiling nervously at the Lavamancer while his pace sped up to keep the Deserthorn in sight. "They know a healer. You're gonna be fine. Everything's going to be alright." The last part was more for himself than his companion.

Evfan gave a growl in response, the sound changing to a whimper by the end. "Great..." he grunted, groaning with the effort of staying awake. "Hurry."

[Jaykobell]

Perhaps Sanjiv had left too quickly, but then again, even Tyrone knew that the first good medicine for an injury was a quick and efficient reaction. By having the Carapace flying ahead to warn their healer, it gave an advantage to the injured Lavamancer, since they won't have to look for medical attention once they get there. In theory, half the battle had already been fought and won.

Tyrone would turn around to check on the two strangers now and again, just to make sure that they were following. Despite his easy-going nature, the Deserthorn was not a lazy or sloppy worker. He did do his work right, and he did put his work ahead of everything else. He was a hard-worker and he worked well. He'd been assigned to guide the two to the Hive, and that was exactly what he was going to do. As long as the Carapace could see Tyrone, then he would get to the Hive in no time.

The trek wasn't that tedious or far away; fortunately for Kone, who was, in fact, carrying a Paragon on his back, the plains were mostly straight, leaving little room for bumps or holes and which made for some smooth running. All they had to do was run up to the forest surrounding the mountain, and once they'd crossed that, they would get some medical attention for the Lavamancer.

The trek through the forest was a little more tedious, with trees and bushes sometimes getting in the way. Wings firmly folded over his back, Tyrone periodically looked over his shoulder to make sure the two wild Paragon were doing fine. If the Carapace ever needed help, he was there to push debris out of the forest path, or to get a branch unstuck from his way. The Lavamancer didn't need those extra scratches and bruises.

Finally, after some branches and bushes acting as an obstacle course, the trio managed to make their way through to the other side. While they would have to be saved for later as well, the sights of what lay beyond the forest barrier of that mountain was astonishing.

A mountain holed everywhere with dens all lined up nicely for comfort, an enormous clearing filled with countless Paragon that sported all the colors of the rainbow and the ones in-between, and Paragon of almost all species lived in this wild society.

Once in the clearing, Tyrone, stopped in his tracks and took a look around to find Sanjiv and, hopefully, Nyala. He noticed the Carapace waiting just nearby, but the Paragon with him wasn't the one he'd expected to see.



Following Sanjiv was another male Carapace, this one with a completely different color scheme than the red Paragon's. In his jaw was a huge bag, which the black Carapace was holding on to as the two males trotted towards the trio.

"Tivoli?" Tyrone questioned Sanjiv as the two Carapace stopped a few feet short of the trio.

"I couldn't find Nyala," Sanjiv admitted, irritation flaring in his voice as he sighed. "But Tivoli is fine today, so he can help, fortunately." With that out of the way, the conversation turned from one Carapace to the other. "Tivoli, the Lavamancer is injured. The Carapace is his friend." While it hadn't been confirmed, the fact that Kone had asked them to please help the Lavamancer made it pretty clear to Sanjiv that the two were friends. No wild Paragon would've cared for another.

With a brief history of the situation, the black Carapace blinked slowly as he turned to the newcomers. The fact that they were strangers to him seemed to matter very little. He dropped the bag on the ground to free his mouth, so that he could actually speak. "Hmmr... Okay," came the reply from the black Carapace, whom had a surprisingly high-pitched voice despite his gender and age.

Tilting his head to Kone and blinking a few times, Tivoli took a short pause before speaking again. "Um... Do you mind putting him... down? Do you know what hurts?" While the questions seemed a little broken, the essence of said questions still stood, and would help the Carapace judge what he had to do to help the injured Paragon.

By then, a large crowd had assembled around the small group, with curious Paragon looking at the scene that was unfolding in front of them.

[Azura Rayume]

The trip was surprisingly short, at least by the Carapace's initial guesstimate after watching the  red male fly away. A short dash across the plain carried them into the forest, though the transition from the grass to the woodland left him far more thankful for the first part of the trip. With his wings canopied overhead, he was able to keep a majority of the branches off of Evfan, though his membranes got a little beat up in the process. The occasional assistance from the Deserthorn with something he could not avoid or brush off himself was appreciated, and he offered a word of thanks after each one.

Once Kone pushed out from the edges of the trees, he trotted to a stop not far from the other Paragon. Though his mind was still fraught with worry for his friend, his gaze strayed from the task at hand, staring around him from their corner of the clearing. The rest of the space, the sky above, the side of the mountain, all full of more Paragon than he could ever recall seeing in his lifetime. His heart beat heavily against his breastbone with a mixture of excitement and fear; he had barely even been able to handle two strangers on his own! Maybe he would just be left to his own devices until Evfan was better. After that, he would at least have a familiar face to associate with and help him out when he got overwhelmed.

The Carapace's pale gold eyes traced their way down the mountainside, eventually coming back to what was right in front of him: two of his own species hurrying their way. He recognized the red one as the male who had gone for help, but the darker male was another new face. Tyrone registered the new dragon as a friend, both familiar Paragon naming the other as "Tivoli," so Kone swallowed the aggressive reaction that sprang to mind. These two would not have gone out of their way to lead him this far only to bring him into the face of danger.

The bright male unhooked his wings when asked to put his injured friend down, laying down to make the shift from his back to the ground easier on the Lavamancer, who still was jarred enough to provoke a sharp cry and wince of pain from the smaller dragon. "Sorry," he muttered, righting himself and raising back to his feet before turning back to the black Carapace. "Ev, he ran into a tree while flying through the trees not far from your, uh, forest border. He's usually really good at those kinds of things but he... He looked back to say something to be and crashed," he said quickly, nervous for both the situation in general and the need for medical attention for his friend. Part of him felt that this was all his fault, though he had neither intentionally distracted the Lavamancer mid-flight nor dallied long in finding help. "I know his chest is really bruised, and he might have something broken. I don't know what though."

Evfan, having pulled his limbs close to his injured frame, wings crumpled against his sides like useless bundles of feathers, looked up at the four dragons around him with a hazy stare. He would have lifted his head and contributed more to the conversation if moving anything on his front half hadn't sent a wave of pain through his body. Once Kone mentioned his possible broken bones, he gave a grunt and managed to hiss through gritted teeth, "Collar... bone..," before returning to his still state of misery. Whoever these Paragon were, he hoped they would able to help, starting with something to stop the pain.

[Jaykobell]

Whereas the orange Carapace was very agitated, the black one who was, in fact, supposed to help, didn't seem fazed at all by the situation. When given the brief story of what had happened, Tivoli tilted his head slowly to the side, as if he hadn't understood a single word spoken to him. "Oh," came the reply from the seemingly unqualified male, whom looked more like a passerby than an actual healer Paragon.

Regardless of his initial reaction and his attitude, the Carapace seemed to have an idea of what to do. Shuffling through the bag with his muzzle, the black male eventually pulled out a glass jar from inside, which was filled with a sort of gel-looking substance. Tivoli then sat next to Evfan's broken form quietly, as if the two were just getting comfortable for a little friendly chat. The black Paragon then lowered his head closer to the chest of the Lavamancer, tilting his head this way and that and sniffing out the bird-colored Paragon.

For a moment, stress could be seen all over Sanjiv's face. The truth of the matter was that Tivoli wasn't quite as reliable as Nyala was. The latter was a blind Sandshark, but regardless of her handicap, she was the official healer of the Hive. Tivoli was more of a poison expert, although he did know how to treat injuries like their healer could. That wasn't the problem: the problem was that Tivoli wasn't healthy mentally. The fact that the Carapace could speak coherently today was a good thing, because certain days left the black male with a tongue that couldn't speak anything understandable. Still, Sanjiv was not unsure if Tivoli had the mental capacity to remember what he did know how to do, despite them needing him.

But the stress turned out to be for nothing. After observing the chest area of the Lavamancer for a bit, Tivoli took the cap off the jar and started spreading the gel-like substance over the chest of the injured male. The gel was cold to the touch, but it quickly turned hot and soothing afterwards, numbing off the intense pain the smaller male had had to endure until then. While it wouldn't help the pain he felt in his wings and limbs, it would at least numb the pain he felt by the collarbone and the chest cavity.

"The gel makes the pain leave," Tivoli explained to the Lavamancer, although he was speaking loud enough for the other Paragon to hear. "What else hurts?" He would start by spreading enough pain-relieving gel to let the Paragon be able to stay conscious. And then he would move on to... to something else. He would figure out once he got there.

[Azura Rayume]

Evfan winced at the touch of the dark Carapace, shrinking away as best he could and pulling a face from the cold. As the gel warmed, however, he felt some of the tension in his chest and the ache from his bruises begin to fade. Moving still brought a stab of pain from his collarbone, but even that was slightly lessened than it had been on the trip over. "T-thanks," he said, lifting his head slightly to look the larger male in the face. "I... I can't move my wings." He was sore from the base of his neck to his elbows, but the gel made the pain mostly tolerable for the moment; the immobility, however, was cause for concern. "And I don't know if I can walk."

Kone shifted uneasily from one side to the other, watching the exchange between his friend and Tivoli impatiently. He had his own reservations about allowing the black Carapace to tend to the small Lavamancer, but he was willing to put that aside if it meant getting some help. Once he noticed the expression of the red male, however, he began to reconsider. What would be the reason for such a reaction from someone who knew the healer? Was it only because this Paragon was not the one he had gone to look for, or could there be something else behind the stress?

Movement from his companion broke his train of thought, and he craned his neck over to get a look at the Lavamancer. "At least you can move... sort of." he commented with a sheepish smile, the worry showing though in his face. "I can always carry you again if you want."

Evfan shot the orange Carapace a sideways glade. "I would rather not if avoidable. Just because you could doesn't mean it's the most comfortable way to travel."

[Jaykobell]

At the mention of the bigger injuries of the Lavamancer, Tivoli's mind seemingly went blank. The Carapace stared at the injured Paragon for a while in silence, tilting his head this way and that, as if the movement would help him remember. Hmm. Broken wings, and he probably couldn't walk. To be truthfully honest, Tivoli wasn't so much a healer as he was a poison expert. He knew some basic injury treatments, but he wasn't anywhere near Nyala's level. Being presented with such severe injuries left the Carapace at a bit of a loss.

Seeing Tivoli's lack of response beyond the head-tilting, Sanjiv got even more uneasy. He knew better than anyone that Tivoli wasn't the brightest at times, but he'd answered and reacted just fine earlier. Now, it seemed like the Carapace's good day had just gone out the window. If the Carapace stayed quiet any longer, Sanjiv would feel bad to giving the wild Lavamancer bad medical attention. "Any idea how to fix that, Tivoli?" Sanjiv asked, hoping the verbal cue would motivate the poison Paragon's mind to think of something.

But the question just made things even worse. "Oh, I have no idea," Tivoli answered shamelessly, letting his head twist around awkwardly as he turned to face Sanjiv. "But I'm thinking about it," he added, acting like no one's life were on the line, even though the Lavamancer's condition could most likely get even worse if nothing got done fast.

Tivoli's answer left Sanjiv gasping with his mouth wide open, while Tyrone blinked with some disbelief at the reply. "N... No idea?" Sanjiv echoed, feeling his heart sink. He couldn't tell if Tivoli was genuinely thinking about a solution, or if the Carapace truly had no idea what to do. He wasn't a healer, that was the problem.

When the situation seemingly couldn't get any better, there suddenly came a strong breeze from overhead as another Paragon joined the crowded and busy fray that was happening all around Evfan. "Sanjiv!"



The dark Sparkdrake landed in a flash, having suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Landing with a small cloud of dust all around, the female straightened up quick. Everything about her felt lightning-fast, and she'd probably been the source of that sudden breeze they'd felt just now. Unlike the other Paragon that were considerably naked, this Sparkdrake sported a small emblem on her chest, which was held onto her body thanks to a leathery-like strap that curved around her shoulder and stomach.

"Sequoia!" Sanjiv exclaimed with relief as he saw the dark Sparkdrake, whom he had sent on a mission to find their good healer. "Did you find her?" he asked, although the lack of a blind, grumpy Sandshark somewhat made him feel like his question was obsolete.

"Nope," Sequoia answered, and much like Tivoli, her tone indicated that she felt like nothing was all that urgent. "But I did find this little thing!" she added right away as she bent down, flattening her belly and neck against the ground so that the Paragon that had been sitting on her back could slide down on the ground.



A bit smaller than the blue Sparkdrake, the purple and gold female slipped down from Sequoia's back slowly, looking around a little nervously. Head hanging low, it looked like the purple Sparkdrake was edgy, as if she were expecting someone to come and bite her head off — quite literally.

"Oh, hi, Peony," Tivoli piped up suddenly as he tilted his head towards the two Sparkdrakes that had suddenly. "Hi to you too, Sequoia," he added, turning slightly towards the blue Sparkdrake, again acting as if he weren't doing anything important.

It took Sanjiv a few seconds to understand why Sequoia had brought over the small purple Sparkdrake, Peony. "Magic!" the Carapace exclaimed as he finally caught on. "Yes! Peony, can you use your magic to heal this Lavamancer? He hurt himself and got some massive injuries." Maybe the Lavamancer would get the medical attention he needed, after all! While Nyala and Tivoli used traditional herbs and medicines to help injured Paragon, Peony had been born with an exceptional talent: magic healing. While she couldn't heal major injuries, doing something like just reconnecting the bones or getting rid of the pain would probably help the Lavamancer immensely.

But despite the situation at hand, Peony looked positively insecure about doing such a thing as healing Evfan. "I... I'm not really supposed to heal anybody," the Sparkdrake admitted timidly, fiddling with her hands and looking away shamefully.

The response confused the red Carapace, but he pressed on nonetheless. "Peony, please? Nyala isn't anywhere near, and Tivoli just admitted he has no clue what to do."

"I'm still thinking on it, though," Tivoli piped up next to Evfan, the comment not insulting him or rubbing him the wrong way. "I think you would do a good job, though, Peony."

With the situation explained to her, the purple Sparkdrake seemed a little bit more at ease. "Ah... Okay, then," she answered quietly as she slowly got up and made her way closer to Evfan, the fact that she had no idea who this Lavamancer was not really helping her anxiety. While she'd also noticed Kone, she was trying to focus on one stranger at a time.

Sitting down next to Evfan, the Sparkdrake spread out her wings and stretched her hands over the chest area of the Lavamancer. Closing her eyes, what followed was the Sparkdrake trying to focus her energy; her Ecliptic orbs started glowing on and off, and even her Sparkdrake hairs were letting out sparks as she focused. Her face turned into a frown, with the female straining to pull off powers that she, quite honestly, never really got to use as much as she would like. Once she felt focused enough, the Peony applied the lightest pressure on Evfan's chest. To the touch, Evfan would feel as if small sparks had entered his body, mixing in with a feeling of warmth and light as well.

After the tingling feeling, Evfan would feel as if the broken collarbone and other broken bones in his chest had been magically stuck back together, as if they had never been broken just a few minutes ago. The pain was completely gone, and the injuries in that area, at least, seemed to be completely gone.

Letting a deep sigh and letting her wings flop next to her, Peony opened her eyes. It seemed like that had worked, but using magic to heal such a big injury left the Sparkdrake slightly dizzy and light-headed, as well as tired.

"Did that help?" Tivoli asked as he tilted his head for the millionth time in the last minutes, his question clearly aimed at the Lavamancer still being treated.

[Azura Rayume]

If Kone had seemed calm before, that illusion was broken the moment Sanjiv started to doubt the healer. His posture shifted once Tivoli confirmed that he was having a bit of trouble, going from swaying in agitation to quietly stomping his frustration and worry into the dirt beneath his paws. "He's thinking about it?" he said, his voice only loud enough for the red male to hear. "What does he mean, he's thinking about it?"

Evfan, while glad that he felt a bit better, stared up at the dark male in disbelief, jaw slightly open from amazement. The dull throbbing in his chest, the ache that stung him when he breathed, left him unable to really say much, the effect of the gel helpful but beginning to wear off. He stared in dumb silence, not certain if he could say anything or if there really was anything to say, wondering if this male was really a healer at all.

A shout from overhead and the rush of wingbeats drew the eyes of both males to the arriving female and passenger, both Sparkdrakes strikingly different than either Carapace already in the company of the two wild Paragon. Kone, torn between the desire to stay by his friend and that to escape a potentially stressful situation, half shuffled back from the group, thick neck still craning to watch the Sparkdrakes and Lavamancer. This was an odd bunch they had stumbled into, he realized as the group grew from five to seven.

While Kone disconnected himself from the group and tried to not pay attention to the details- the fewer he knew, the less he had to be stressed about specifically- Evfan made an effort to listen in on the conversation of the others. Magic? He was unfamiliar with magic, seeing as how none of the Paragon in their home tribe or any they had come across since leaving had the talent for it, so he had no way of knowing whether the skill was one he could trust or would ever work. Magic was something he had heard in hatchling stories, not in real life.

When she moved closer, his anxiety got the better of him. Well, what better it could anyway. The bird-colored Lavamancer tried to edge away from the strange female, unsure of how he should react in this situation. His gaze strayed to Kone, who did nothing but make him more nervous by staring helplessly and stomping around, then shifted back to the female as she started glowing. Wait, glowing?

The prick from her touch was an odd sensation (was this what magic felt like?) followed by a spreading warmth. The tension and nagging pain in his breast subsided, replaced by the awkward feeling of bone and muscle shifting slightly, putting its own pieces back together. The experience was not unpleasant, but something he would like to avoid repeating in the future.

Evfan pushed himself up from his prone position, the small male both looking and feeling a lot less pitiful than he had a moment before. His legs still wobbled, and the muscles in his chest felt a bit weaker than normal, but at least everything functioned relatively normally. He craned his neck over to the purple Sparkdrake, lips pulled up in a small smile. ”Thank you,” he said, trying his best to convey exactly what he felt through the simple statement. ”I really mean it… Peony, was it?” He glanced to Tivoli and chuckled. ”Yes, it helped. I don’t think I can thank you all enough for this.”

”Oh, I think we can,” Kone interjected, finally letting his social failings get the best of him. ”Thank you all very, very much for fixing my friend here, but you’re all probably very busy Paragon and wouldn’t want the likes of us hanging around, right?” He gave a nervous laugh and hoped they would agree with him; now that their crisis was over, he and Ev should just go back to their solitary lives, not worrying about any other dragons and not caring to see them either.

”Kone!” The scolding tone brought a whimper from the Carapace. ”You don’t just ask for someone’s help, then skip out and go on with your life.”

[Jaykobell]

When the wild Paragon picked up on Tivoli's admittedly inappropriate answer, Sanjiv couldn't help but to smile sheepishly. What lack of foresight; when he'd spoken to him, Tivoli seemed fine, capable of thinking on his own and capable of making decisions. Now that he was in the heat of the action, Tivoli proved to be far from capable of dealing with the situation at hand. Sanjiv had no idea what to answer the anxious Carapace, but obviously, he had to say something if he wanted Kone to stay calm.

Fortunately, Sequoia's arrival made it all better, and as quickly as they had arrived, Evfan had been healed by Peony's unusual magic. Sanjiv couldn't deny that he was relieved. Had Tivoli been forced to keep healing the Lavamancer, things probably would've kept going downhill. That was when it really became a problem that the Hive only had one healer; if a Paragon got injured while she was away, it often left them stranded. But that was a discussion for another time.

Sighing deeply, Peony let her arms drop, her entire body almost flopping into exhaustion. She didn't get to use her magic often, even though she had been born with such an incredible talent. It was... a somewhat frustrating situation for the Sparkdrake, including it being very stressful. If word got out to Nyala that Peony had healed an injured Paragon — Hive or not — the Sandshark would be off with her head.

Even though Evfan was very grateful for her help, the Sparkdrake could only muster a very sheepish, awkward smile. "You... You're very welcome," was all she managed to answer through her insecure smile, hoping the healer wasn't anywhere near their general area. She hoped she would be dismissed soon so that she wouldn't get too much attention from the others. She didn't need some watching Paragon to spill the beans and say how she'd used her magic to do Nyala's job.

But the situation quickly turned sour as the Carapace caused a little ruckus, with the two wild Paragon bickering on how to thank them for helping Evfan, or rather — how they really didn't need to besides just saying "thank you".

The group was taken aback by Kone's sudden need to just flat-out run away from all of them. At least, that's what it felt like to a lot of them. "Your friend's right," Sequoia, the dark black and blue Sparkdrake piped up at the wild Carapace. "We didn't have to help, you know," she reminded the two of them, her voice probably a little bit harsher than she's meant it to be.

"Sequoia, don't be that way," Sanjiv interjected as he stepped right next to the Sparkdrake. "We're glad your friend is okay, and we don't mind having you hang around if you don't mean any trouble," the Carapace assured, hoping that would put the other Carapace more at ease. Evfan seemed a little bit disappointed in his friend's response as well, so Sanjiv thought it better not to gang up on the wild Carapace so much. "Besides, Peony couldn't use enough magic to heal your friend's wings, and he still looks... a little unstable on his legs," Sanjiv pointed out, wondering why Kone sounded so very anxious to just leave.

"You could stay here a bit until all healed," Tivoli piped up, the green and purple Carapace still sitting on the ground where Evfan used to lay, tilting his head almost to the point of falling over.

"We would have to ask our leader, but I know he wouldn't have any objections to let you guys stay for a while," Sanjiv confirmed, trying to give the pair a smile to make them feel more comfortable. "I would prefer that you guys leave once your injuries have healed, rather than leaving you open to the other wild Paragon." After all, not all Paragon were as peaceful or helpful as the Hive, so there was still the chance of the Evfan and Kone getting attacked from smelling Evfan's injuries or by just seeing him looking weak and injured.

[Azura Rayume]

Evfan shook his head, sighing. He knew that Kone didn't mean to be rude; he just wasn't very good at dealing with social situations when there was nothing highly important to keep him focused. Now that the most pressing part of the Lavamancer's recovery was in the past, it was only a natural reaction on the part of the Carapace to want to escape. He probably would have been fine with only one or two other Paragon, but being surrounded by a small herd of other dragons did very little to ease his unnaturally strained state of mind.

The fact that, in one way or another, most of the Paragon in their group insisted that they stay added to the pressure the bright male felt, his head bowing low in a futile attempt to escape their eyes without actually moving. He had become quite good at shrinking into the background regardless of his colors and size, but here he was surrounded, and the gesture did nothing.

Seeing that Kone had decided to shut his trap and try and hide, Evfan thought it best to return his attentions to the group. The Carapace would snap out of it eventually, once he realized he would have to adjust and no one was judging him. This might be just the kind of thing the larger male would need in his life, too, seeing as how his past experiences with large groups of Paragon had been less than stellar.

"I would greatly appreciate your hospitality, should your leader permit," the small male said, giving Sanjiv and Sequoia a weak smile. "You're right in saying that I'm not quite up to speed; I would rather have a bit of time off to make sure I'm fully functioning than risk getting my head bitten off. Kone will come around, too, if given time. He isn't very used to having so many Paragon around, and he usually gets picked on when something like this happens."

From his awkward crouch, Kone gave a slight protest. "You don't have to tell them that, Ev." Why the Lavamancer felt it necessary to tell everyone that kind of thing, he may never understand.

Ev ignored him, instead continuing to speak. "If you wish, we can follow you to meet your leader as soon as you are ready."

[Jaykobell]

At least the Lavamancer was a little bit more comfortable speaking, compared to his more timid Carapace friend.

From the little group, Sanjiv was somewhat the unspoken leader of it, so it was up to the red Carapace to handle the conversation. At Evfan's description of Kone, Sanjiv smiled at the pair. "That's all right. He's not the only one around here who's timid. Everyone has a place here, so I'm sure you'll both fit in just fine during your stay here," the red male assured, giving a confident nod. Their leader, Izotz, always managed to figure out where to place certain Paragon, even if they were timid or didn't have strong hunting skills.

"I can bring you to our leader now, then. He lives in the bigger den by the plateau," Sanjiv explained as he tilted his head towards the area in question, which could still be reached by foot, should a wingless Paragon need to speak to the leader. "If you follow me, I'll lead you there."

With that said, it was like a universal cue for all the other Paragon. Tyrone had already left the group a little while ago, but the first one to leave was Tivoli, whom awkwardly got back up on all fours. "I will see you around," the black Carapace piped up as he made his way back to his den slowly.

"I'll bring Peony back to her place," Sequoia added right after the semi-healer Carapace as she pushed the purple Sparkdrake back onto her back, making the smaller and younger female squeak with surprise. "And then back to flying practice!" Once Peony had latched on tightly to Sequoia, the dark Sparkdrake spread her wings and gave herself a strong push upward, and the two females were gone just as quickly as they had arrived.

With everyone else gone and the curious watchers spreading away, only Sanjiv was left to keep the two company. "It shouldn't take too long to reach the den," the Carapace assured as he started making his way towards the closest ledge against the mountainside that lead upwards towards the den they were going for.

"We can always talk a little on the way there," the male proposed as he figured the walk would only be awkward if all three males remained quiet. "In the commotion, I don't think you got to meet anybody. I'm Sanjiv," he introduced himself, giving a small sheepish smile. "What are you guys called?" He remembered the Lavamancer saying his friend's name, but Sanjiv figured the two might like to formally introduce themselves instead of jut giving off their names in passing.

[Azura Rayume]

As Evfan spoke with the others, Kone managed to right himself into an almost normal posture, though he still managed to look dejected. He would have to go meet more Paragon? What kind of crazy plan was Ev getting him signed up for away? They would probably think he was stupid and useless anyway, just like the last place, and just tell him to mind his own business and not eat too much while the Lavamancer was actually helpful. They seemed nice enough not to chase him out at the first sign of weakness or panic, but that was only judging by the ones he met here; there was no telling what the leader or the mass of other Paragon would think of him.

Evfan could tell his friend was brooding on the idea of staying here longer than the afternoon, but he chose to ignore the silent self-criticism. After all, this was something the Carapace would have to learn to deal with; there was a high chance that they would be running across solitary and clan Paragon for as long as they wandered, and the larger male couldn't just shut down every time he met someone new.

"It's a pleasure, Sanjiv," the bird colored Paragon said with a smile. He had been picking up on names and hints of them, but the red male was one that had escaped him. "I am Evfan, and my less-than-talkative friend is Kone." The Carapace grunted in response to his name, though he was more preoccupied with watching the mass of Paragon in the valley and sky, yellow gaze flicking from one group to the other with a mixture of fear and fascination.

Ev agreed with the idea of conversation, though he figured Kone would be less than interested in such an activity. "It has been some time since we've seen a group of Paragon, let alone one this big. Mind if I ask about your clan's history?" To his knowledge, clans like this had a hard time sticking together once they got so big. This place seemed to have been here for quite a while, and he wondered if it was an oddity or if his conceptions were off.