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The Scepter Twins

Volume 1-Growth

By: Rocky Raku-n

Chapter 02 - Pen #28

On his way back to the ranch, he glances behind him to the east and chuckles again, those wyrmlings were all following, as they should be, but were moving as if to stalk him. It was cute seeing them this small, they are still cute and innocent and they won't start actually growing and gaining weight and size until the sixth month after that they just shoot up in size and mass [this is when they are considered 3rd years they aren't actually 3 years old it is just a traditional title they are usually 5 or older] this is where they start to eat burnwort and any other strain of the same plant that is aligned with their specific element (icewort, marshwort...etc) and start to practice there innate ability. As he got back to the Ranch he immediately barks the orders in drakon *get into the nest NOW* (was a rough translation) and slowly they slink into their prospective cages, at this age they cannot be trusted to run free like most of the adolescent and older wyrms .

As he is locking the cages the savory aroma of Nerma and burnwort cooked together, for a bowl of Sia's special stew, wafted by. Nerma were the herd beasts that lived in most of Synesta and especially in the area around the city of Sairon, when Roin's grandfather first commissioned the breeding ranch to be built they were already in abundance so he also commissioned a fence and corral to be built around a certain grazing area so that they could control the Nerma, they are used for everything from feed for the dragons and humans, also the fur is good for keeping warm or cool depending on how you treat the skin it can become either a leather for keeping warm or a cloth for keeping cool.

He was making sure all of the wyrmlings got tucked away in their proper nest when he caught whiff of her stew "Hmmm that smells really good, she hasn't made that stew since before we got married..." in his exaltation of her special stew he forgets to lock the last pen, number 28 the first of many coincidences and chance happenings for the two residents in this particular pen.

"Hmmm its dark again it must be safe to come out........" Syrena crawls out slowly just in case their caretaker came back, her hackles were raised and she felt as if she was about to pounce. The slightest sound caught her ears and her head scanned looking for any sign of the caretaker.

"Syrena there wasn't a click...did it lock?" her brother wyrm slinks out of the shadows and slowly nudges up to the door and touches it there is a loud creak and it slowly swings open and the pale lamp light was let in.

Syrena slowly squeezes her little slim red body out of the cage. The air had the distinct musk of wyrm, the tang of new births, and the stink of dung used for fertilizer. The shallow light thrown of by the Nerma tallow lamps didn't affect her night vision it added a sort of twilight to the dark barn. "Come on Myron lets go explore...or are you scared?" Syrena's Brother Myron slinked slowly out of the shadows and cantered in to the circle of light given off by the lamp, the light gleaned off of his bulky body adding a sinister look to his already wicked blend of yellow, orange and red scales.

"I am not scared I am just...cautious" at the behest of his sister Myron reluctantly follows. The barn was an old stone building of two stories on the 1st story the adult breeding females resided in separate areas not many breeding farm were as large as Plia Myrna Ranch which resides on the outskirts of Turgosh a small farming village on the edge of the Shadow-speak forest. It roughly resembles a horse ranch except on a gigantic scale the stalls were up to 50 hands high and 80 wide, these were the small stalls. The top floor of the eastern barn was mostly storage and supply, a maze of old crates tack and other dragon training and breeding equipment.

Myron slowly pokes his nose out sniffing the air for any sign of danger he squeezes his bulky body between the crack of the door and cage. "...Jeez what took you so long? There is no one here..." Syrena chuckles softly and moves out with a cautious Myron in tow. They wander around area that the cages were situated, walking from circle to circle of soft light given off by the tallow lamps. As they poked about they could hear the sounds of the other dragon wyrmlings sleeping, wrestling about or speaking in hushed tones. The wyrmlings would talk of the day's activities. This communication was crucial to the development of the dragons, each paired up with a prospective cage mate, they breeders tried to align polar opposites together, for example a warrior and a mage or fire and ice, their growth was doubled or even tripled by this seemingly odd placement.

The two come to a doorway leading out into a dusty hallway with many other doorways leading to different areas, dusty rooms and silent tombs were they shared thoughts of the pups. Entering the old hallway padding softly on dirty and in some places rotting carpet, dusty tapestries and small inexpensive ornaments placed here and there, almost randomly to try and throw off the drab appearance of the hall. Passing some empty rooms some full of different aged dragons ranging from near hatchling to wyrmlings about to enter impression (Sixth Years). Myron stops after passing a room full of sleeping Sixth years and looks at a very large tapestry.

Stopping as well Syrena does a double take at the dusty tapestry, sitting down and staring for what seemed an eternity their gleaming eyes took in the maelstrom of colours and activity depicted in the aging, it had caught them and filled them with a sense of pride and awe. Giant bronze wyrms with seated lancers charged through enemy lines while fire breathers seared the enemy on the ground. Swords clashed and axes fell, as lines of men crashed together while mages set spells and cantrip laying waste to thousands of men.

The two small wyrmlings break away from the impressive aging art piece and stare at each other, Myron decides to speak first "wow...impressive". A big grin spreading across Syrena's black and purple face, she laughs "hah...my thoughts exactly."

Hearing the sound of people coming down from the end of the hall they scramble and hide in a room full of old rotting riders tack and other various mending tools, all seemingly covered with what seemed a decades worth of dust. "Syrena I don't think this is a good idea...we might get punished." Myron slinked out slowly from behind an old crate his jaw slightly ajar and panting with anxiety and fear, not of getting caught but the punishment.

"Hush Myron nothing is going to happen and if were caught we just tell the truth the cage was left open and we got out." Myron still unsure of the situation he shrugs it off and decides to roll with it, walking next to Syrena his head low to the ground and swinging back and forth, while Syrena strutted proudly forward crimsons eyes scanning the hall in front of them, she was content with the fact that Roin had forgotten to lock their pen.

Reaching a crossway of two gigantic hallways, they used to be a major access way for full-grown dragons and their riders, now it seemed nothing more than an old silent tomb. The path directly in front of them was a way out. Coming slowly up to it Syrena and Myron stand in the massive doorway the orange and yellow twilight of a setting sun coming in threw the doorway, the beautiful orange sun was setting behind the western mountains and large storm clouds were all billowed up ready to come over and pour they load of rain. Turning away from the exit they examine their other options of either two dark corridors. Syrena sniffed the air expecting a trainer to come down a corridor any moment and thrash them but none came so they proceeded down the left corridor until the crossway was out of sight and only the occasional tallow lamp adorned this hall. As they walked on they slowly came to a heavy metal door with many clasps and locks and from within came an odd noise it sounded like murmuring and hissing this piqued their curiosity so they walked up to the door and pressed an ear to it.

"Are you sssure Sssiosss?" a sinister voice asks there is shuffling around then another man speaks with a tongue that was to smooth for anyone's good "Yessss can you get the two from Pen 28 before feassstday? We need to further the ssstudiessss of the Cult and we need their ssspecific blood, the ssstarsss they were hatched under and their lineage hasssn't been thisss good sssince the Age of Ramosss and hisss Great Wyrm " then man named "Sios" speaks

"Yes I am sure the two pups will be their we have many dragons and two pups will not be missed..." the sinister voice came again

"Good Sssiosss we expect sssoon, or it isss you life we will take inssstead!" The sound of chairs grating against stone floor and locks coming free set the two wyrmlings on edge, the decoded to start running

"Syrena where they speaking of us?" Myron queries in a hurried whisper " WE were in Pen 28......we have to escape I don't like the sounds of this and we are leaving now!" taking flight at full speed towards the open door they saw, it was their only escape.