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Description
The Storm (without names)
by ERAyers

It was still nights like these that let the mind wander. A young man ran slender fingers through dark hair as he lay alone in the large bed, tired yet unable to sleep in the soft glow of a mana lamp. It was their first night in the manor, a home, an actual stationary roof over head he could call that. The last time he had this was his brief childhood reprieve on his uncle's farm. This house had a place for everyone in his little extended family, so that they could all be nearby. What seemed ages ago, it had just been his elder brother and him. Now there was quite a few more he could depend on besides just his brother snoring away down the hall.

There was his companion dragon, asleep in the caverns beneath the house so he wouldn't have to polymorph. He reach out with his mind to see the drake's dreams blink by like fireflies, mostly images of flying. He felt the semi-conscious mind of another brush past his. The companion dragoness of his fellow rider, and dare he say girlfriend, who was currently residing in the guest wing. Near that wing was the empty room of his adoptive mother, she was often away on missions, but she always came back. This he understood, for he was a wanderer as well, sometimes going off on solo missions. That was how he came across the young, orphan sorceress. She was just a little girl when he saved her and took her under his wing, now she was a young woman seeking out an apprenticeship and he couldn't be more proud. The one he was most proud of, his dearest treasure, his son lay safe and sound just across the hall.

He knew the calm night would not last though, for he smelled the humidity raising all evening. He felt the energy building an hour before he saw the flash or heard the distant boom. Rain began to pitter-patter on the roof, a sound he never tired of. Another flash of lightning and crack of thunder was followed by a sound that had the whole house up on edge. The boy of five years screamed at the top of his lungs when the thunder woke him. A third flash sent him dashing into his fathers room, leaping onto the bed and curling up beside him.

The boy buried his face into his father's shirt as thunder rumbled across the night. The familiar smells that lingered on cloth and skin were all that held back his tears, saddle leather and sword steel, ancient trees and ozone. The arms that embraced him weren't big and muscle bound, but they were far stronger, for they held the promise of never letting go.

The pounding of feet on floorboards was heard as he comforted the boy. A loud thump and yelp as his brother obviously fell flat on his face made the child flinch. The young man rolled his eyes as he brushed back feathery white locks to place a light kiss on his sons forehead. The elder came limping in rubbing his wrist.
“What happened? Whats wrong?” He asked, but received no answer.
Further inquiries of what was wrong were completely ignored as one by one everyone showed up at his door. The two dragons in their polymorphed human forms were the last to come.

The drake sat on the edge on the bed, reaching out in thought with that now monotonous question.
The young man chucked a bit, which got everyone's attention, even his son's, “The storm scared him.”
“Is that all?” the drake chuckled as wide tear-filled eyes looked up at him, “Wanna see something really cool?”
The boy looked to his father, who smiled back, before sitting up to watch. The drake was a stormmancer meaning he could control the elements found in storms, wind, water, electricity, and ice. The boy stared as the drake clapped his hands together, chanted a few strange words and moved them slowly apart. A tiny cloud formed in the drake's cupped fingers, a little grey puffy thing. When the cloud suddenly lit up, the boy gasped. It started with just a tiny line of light, but it fanned out in slow motion from there.
The boy pointed to the bolt, “Lightning?”
“Yes that's a lightning bolt,” answered his father with a wink to the stormmancer, “A mini one being held still, but lightning all the same.”

The boy was fine with the next flash of real lightning. It was the crack of nearby thunder that sent him cowering. The sorceress stepped up and motioned to the cloud which was held up for her. She poked and pinched at the puffy cloud until she had a figure playing ninepins. The boy was so entranced when they made the figure move that he seemed to forget the storm outside.

His fellow rider came over, “I think that's your best one yet.” She praised.
“I think she's right,” He said when the drake smiled sheepishly, “I have a spell preservation globe on the mantle. How about you put it in there so he can keep it.”
The drake smiled and nodded as he saw the big grin play across the boys face. His yawn was even bigger, though. He looked up at the Rider and asked her, “Sing da lullaby?”
“Of course.” She answered as the little one lay back down next to his father. She started to sing the Elvish lullaby that had been her favorite as well. As she sang, the younger noticed the dragoness tending his brothers wrist.

By the end of the song, the drake and sorceress had finished the globe and the boy was sound asleep. He gathered his son into his arms with fluid grace, careful not the wake him, and carried him to his own room. As he gently lay the boy down in bed, the drake placed the globe on the nightstand, “Goodnight.” they thought to each other before he left. The game of ninepins continued on its way as he stood guard over his son's sleep, a child of prophecy of the child of prophecy.

By the time he finished tucking the boy in and walked back out to the hall, everyone but his brother had gone. “How's your wrist?” he whispered.
“It's alright now,” he whispered back, “just glad it wasn't my face this time.”
They both shared a silent laugh before going back to their rooms. This time, sleep came easy.

Description
The Storm (without names)
by ERAyers

It was still nights like these that let the mind wander. A young man ran slender fingers through dark hair as he lay alone in the large bed, tired yet unable to sleep in the soft glow of a mana lamp. It was their first night in the manor, a home, an actual stationary roof over head he could call that. The last time he had this was his brief childhood reprieve on his uncle's farm. This house had a place for everyone in his little extended family, so that they could all be nearby. What seemed ages ago, it had just been his elder brother and him. Now there was quite a few more he could depend on besides just his brother snoring away down the hall.

There was his companion dragon, asleep in the caverns beneath the house so he wouldn't have to polymorph. He reach out with his mind to see the drake's dreams blink by like fireflies, mostly images of flying. He felt the semi-conscious mind of another brush past his. The companion dragoness of his fellow rider, and dare he say girlfriend, who was currently residing in the guest wing. Near that wing was the empty room of his adoptive mother, she was often away on missions, but she always came back. This he understood, for he was a wanderer as well, sometimes going off on solo missions. That was how he came across the young, orphan sorceress. She was just a little girl when he saved her and took her under his wing, now she was a young woman seeking out an apprenticeship and he couldn't be more proud. The one he was most proud of, his dearest treasure, his son lay safe and sound just across the hall.

He knew the calm night would not last though, for he smelled the humidity raising all evening. He felt the energy building an hour before he saw the flash or heard the distant boom. Rain began to pitter-patter on the roof, a sound he never tired of. Another flash of lightning and crack of thunder was followed by a sound that had the whole house up on edge. The boy of five years screamed at the top of his lungs when the thunder woke him. A third flash sent him dashing into his fathers room, leaping onto the bed and curling up beside him.

The boy buried his face into his father's shirt as thunder rumbled across the night. The familiar smells that lingered on cloth and skin were all that held back his tears, saddle leather and sword steel, ancient trees and ozone. The arms that embraced him weren't big and muscle bound, but they were far stronger, for they held the promise of never letting go.

The pounding of feet on floorboards was heard as he comforted the boy. A loud thump and yelp as his brother obviously fell flat on his face made the child flinch. The young man rolled his eyes as he brushed back feathery white locks to place a light kiss on his sons forehead. The elder came limping in rubbing his wrist.
“What happened? Whats wrong?” He asked, but received no answer.
Further inquiries of what was wrong were completely ignored as one by one everyone showed up at his door. The two dragons in their polymorphed human forms were the last to come.

The drake sat on the edge on the bed, reaching out in thought with that now monotonous question.
The young man chucked a bit, which got everyone's attention, even his son's, “The storm scared him.”
“Is that all?” the drake chuckled as wide tear-filled eyes looked up at him, “Wanna see something really cool?”
The boy looked to his father, who smiled back, before sitting up to watch. The drake was a stormmancer meaning he could control the elements found in storms, wind, water, electricity, and ice. The boy stared as the drake clapped his hands together, chanted a few strange words and moved them slowly apart. A tiny cloud formed in the drake's cupped fingers, a little grey puffy thing. When the cloud suddenly lit up, the boy gasped. It started with just a tiny line of light, but it fanned out in slow motion from there.
The boy pointed to the bolt, “Lightning?”
“Yes that's a lightning bolt,” answered his father with a wink to the stormmancer, “A mini one being held still, but lightning all the same.”

The boy was fine with the next flash of real lightning. It was the crack of nearby thunder that sent him cowering. The sorceress stepped up and motioned to the cloud which was held up for her. She poked and pinched at the puffy cloud until she had a figure playing ninepins. The boy was so entranced when they made the figure move that he seemed to forget the storm outside.

His fellow rider came over, “I think that's your best one yet.” She praised.
“I think she's right,” He said when the drake smiled sheepishly, “I have a spell preservation globe on the mantle. How about you put it in there so he can keep it.”
The drake smiled and nodded as he saw the big grin play across the boys face. His yawn was even bigger, though. He looked up at the Rider and asked her, “Sing da lullaby?”
“Of course.” She answered as the little one lay back down next to his father. She started to sing the Elvish lullaby that had been her favorite as well. As she sang, the younger noticed the dragoness tending his brothers wrist.

By the end of the song, the drake and sorceress had finished the globe and the boy was sound asleep. He gathered his son into his arms with fluid grace, careful not the wake him, and carried him to his own room. As he gently lay the boy down in bed, the drake placed the globe on the nightstand, “Goodnight.” they thought to each other before he left. The game of ninepins continued on its way as he stood guard over his son's sleep, a child of prophecy of the child of prophecy.

By the time he finished tucking the boy in and walked back out to the hall, everyone but his brother had gone. “How's your wrist?” he whispered.
“It's alright now,” he whispered back, “just glad it wasn't my face this time.”
They both shared a silent laugh before going back to their rooms. This time, sleep came easy.