a collection of tales [[ chronocompass writing ]]

- snowflakes -
627 words

It was the perfect time of year to be practicing that type of magic that had mastery over ice and snow - namely, storm magic. A shame then, if one wasn't a storm dragon, but the Company prided themselves on knowing a little bit of everything. The five headed dragon had trekked out into the snowy wilderness, to practice in a quiet place. They had made their way to a clearing in the woods, with a cliff overlooking more trees, and finally the ocean far beyond. Perfect. Storm, the head with the most knowledge of such magic, led the way. They swept their tail across the ground to clear off a patch of ground of snow, and then they began to focus.

Tiny, brilliant snowflakes began to fall around the Company - an odd sight, since the sky was clear and bright. And then, as they reveled in their abilities, someone spoke from behind them. Loudly.

"Hey! Hey, that's super cool! You cause all the snow around here, or som'tin like that?" A brash, bold, and tiny dark dragon leapt out into the clearing, not phased at all by the size of the dragon they were approaching.

The snowflakes Storm had summoned froze in mid-air. Metal took the lead to speak, as she usually did. "No, of course not! We're just practicing magic out here where it's easy to do so. Already cold. Doesn't take much to get things to work, this way."

"Yes, I'm still new to this," Storm frowned at the snowflakes, frozen in time, and tried to will them into moving once again. They did not. "Alright, is one of you doing it?" she accused the other heads.

Another of the heads, Dark, smirked, and the two began cheerfully bickering at once. Metal sighed, and kept her attention on the new dragon. "Do you have a name? A place to be?"

The little dragon puffed out his chest and grinned. "I'm Junguru! And I'm adventuring! Neat, right?"

"Junguru..." Metal repeated. "Familiar name. Has my rider met you, perhaps?"

"Uh... I don't know. I've met a lot of people!"

"Scales, green scarf, kind of tired looking, with a metal arm?" Metal asked.

"Oh! Oh, yeah, I know him. There was this one time, with a bunch of ducks and a corn maze, and then there was a monster! Scary!" Junguru waved his arms around wildly, telling a story that only he truly understood.

Dark and Storm had continued to argue in the background. At this moment, Dark rolled his eyes, and the snowflakes started falling to the ground once more. "It was a funny joke, right?" Dark asked Storm, who laughed.

"It was alright." Storm turned her head to Junguru, and blew a flurry of snowflakes his way. The little dragon began to hop around, chasing the little objects.

"Wow!" Junguru exclaimed. "Wow. You're super awesome! I'm gonna have to see some more of this."

Ocean, who had been fairly quiet up until then, spoke up. "What about your rider?"

"Drittle? She's fine. I just wanted to see stuff on my own for a while, and look how well that's gone! I've ran into you!" Junguru paused in the running around after snow and proudly looked to the five dragons in one before him. "You got names, then? Since I've told you mine, it's only fair."

The Company shrugged, all as one. Metal did the introductions for them all. "We're the Company, together, but separately we have Ocean -" the webbed head smiled - "Storm -"

"That's me!" Storm crowed.

"I'm Metal, to my left is Dark -"

"Hmm," Dark grumbled.

"And Wind! Wind, you've been quiet, everything alright?"

"I'm busy watching. Look, out on the horizon." The group all turned to see what was out there. Friend, foe, something else?

- - - -
- snow birds -
602 words

Junguru, not one for personal space, clambered up onto the Company's back and wiggled his way up to the top of Dark's head. "Let me see, let me see!" Dark was fairly unhappy to be a platform for the odd dragon, but said nothing. She would endure.

Storm's snowflakes turned to bits of ice, suspended in the air and ready to strike in case of danger. "Wind, what do you mean?"

The feathered head of the Company smiled. "Oh, nothing dangerous! Just look! There's birds!" Indeed, several large birds were gliding through the sky, high above.

Storm let out a noise of frustration."You could have just said that up front! Scared me, you did."

"Well I'm not scared at all!" exclaimed Junguru. "Birds are pretty cool. I can't fly but if I fell, I couldn't get hurt! So all would be well."

"Really?" Ocean asked. "I thought everyone would get hurt at least a little. It is your magic?"

Dark kept her eyes on the birds, on her guard even though the birds were likely no threat. There was no way to be too careful. "It's his magic, of course it is. Not taking damage from a spill? How high up are we talking about?"

Storm had chosen to keep the ice shards, even if there was no need to use them. Gotta keep practicing that magic, after all. Junguru held on to Dark's head tightly when she flicked one ear.

"Really high up! I'm very strong!" Junguru bragged. "The best!"

"You might as well be a bird, then," Wind chuckled. "You can glide like the best feathered creature, even if it doesn't last forever."

"You bet I can! Drittle says I know dark magic super well! So I can do anything!"

Metal admired the birds in the distance. She wondered how the cold was getting to them, if they were doing alright, if they were actually just dragons. Storm's ice flakes were twirling around in the air, almost as if they were birds, themselves.

"We can fly, you know," Ocean commented. "If you want a trip in the sky, we can get you up there."

"Ocean!" Metal reprimanded.

"No, not to fall!" Ocean said. "I mean, Junguru here holds on tight and we glide on over to somewhere new. See the birds, be birds ourselves. Might be fun."

Storm's ice flakes pointed towards a nearby hill, another cliff in the vast, snowy forest. "Perhaps there?" she asked.

"Ooh, I want ta go there! We're really gonna fly?" Junguru asked, hopping up and down on Dark's head. Dark grimaced as a paw nearly poked one of her eyes.

"If you'd like," Wind agreed. Working as one, the Company backed up a few steps, then ran forwards and leapt off the cliff. For one heart stopping moment, they fell - and then they flew. The Company rose up into the air, and Junguru held on for dear life, cheering all the while.

"This is amazing!" he cried. "Let's go chase those birds!"

And so they did - the Company powered towards the far off birds, and the birds, seeing a five headed, large dragon speeding towards them, left in a hurry. Alas, some up close time with birds was not to be. The Company - and Junguru with them - looped in the air for a time, and eventually made their way back down to the previously mentioned landing spot.

"Hold on, now," Ocean said, and the Company dived towards the ground, cold wind whipping past, before they pulled out of the dive and lazily made their way back into the air, and towards the landing spot.

- - - -
- voice on the wind -
603 words

"So cool! That was so cool!" Junguru cried, as the Company landed and the small dark dragon leapt off onto the ground, landing in a clumsy but energetic tumble. "Can we do it again?"

"Perhaps in a bit," Metal offered. "Storm's still got to do more magic practice, right, Storm?"

"Yeah! Just imagine all the pranks and tricks I can pull if I get better at all of this!" Storm agreed. They closed their eyes, focusing.

"I thought it was just that you can make snow," Junguru said. The cheery dragon rolled over onto his back and smiled up at the sky. "Are there good prank opportunities just from that?"

"Not just snow," Storm said with a frown, upset. "I can do more than that!"

Wind added her own thoughts. "Storm magic changes probabilities, makes chaos, imitate sounds..."

"Woah! Imitate things? Like what?" Junguru interrupted.

Storm shrugged. Small snowflakes were swirling around again, the creation of the dragon. "I'm not as good as Wind would be at that, but I can do different voices, sounds of animals, the like."

Junguru was starry eyed. "I wanna see! I wanna see! Can you show me?"

"Well, I suppose." The Company took a seat in the cold snow below them and Storm cleared her throat. "Here, you say something first."

"Uh, I'm a bird! Squawk!" Junguru said, in a hilariously squeaky voice. "Do that!"

Dark was trying very hard not to laugh. "Yes, please do."

Storm took a breath, raised her head to the sky, and called out in a loud voice, imitating Junguru's words quite well. "I'm a bird! Squawk!" The sound echoed across the land in front of them, carried on by the wind. "Good? Bad?"

"Not bad, Storm," Ocean said encouragingly.

"Not bad? That was so good!! I wanna try, can I try? You say something and I'll copy it!" Junguru rolled back over onto all four feet and jumped over to the edge of the cliff, ready to send his own voice out across the wind.

"Alright then," Storm agreed, and said in a very growly voice, "Raisins are better than chocolate chips."

"They're what?" Dark exclaimed. "No way. Just no."

Junguru puzzled over how to say the words for a moment, then opened his mouth and spoke in a voice that wasn't quite the same, but was still very low and gruff for his size. "Raisins are better than - ack -" He coughed and sputtered. "Ouch, that hurts my throat! Doesn't that hurt you?"

"Not really," Storm said. "I suppose that's part of the magic, you know?"

"Wow. I'm impressed! I've just gotta practice so I can be as good as you someday!"

"We're all good at different things," Ocean added. "You have your own type of magic, just like we have ours. Storm's is just good at that type of thing, and you can speak to ghosts if you'd like to, I imagine."

"Ghosts?" Junguru gasped. "Hmm. I don't know if I'd want ta do that. But cool!"

The little dragon had begun to shiver. The Company watched in worry. "Do you need a break out of the cold?" Metal asked. "We could always head back in to town."

"That would be nice! Really nice. We could fly there, and play fun games, and have a sleepover! And - oh, I could invite Drittle over, too!"

The little dragon began to climb up onto the Company's shoulders again. Wind smiled. "I'm not sure if all of that would work out, but I think a visit would be alright."

The Company lifted off into the air, and began the flight back to Salvus.

- - - -
- hot cocoa -
604 words

Salvus was a cozy place - bustling and full of life, and at the same time a good place to rest and recover from the adventures of the wider world. The Company had brought Junguru to a peaceful building at the edge of town. They had opened a fairly large door and squeezed inside, and Junguru had followed. Now, the snow bright and cold outside, it was quite nice to be indoors, with a fire raging in the fireplace and warmth all around.

The Company had made some mugs of hot chocolate - five for themselves and one for Junguru, and the group sat down on the warm floor. Junguru stayed close by the fire - the tingling sensation of warming up was quite nice, after so long being so cold. Brr. He raised the mug up to his mouth and flinched at the heat of it. "Ouch! How hot did you make this stuff?"

"Oh no, is it not good?" Ocean fretted. She had been in charge of making the drinks, and now feared she had made it wrong.

"Just hot," Junguru said.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Storm grinned, pausing from sipping her own drink. She winked, and a jagged block of ice formed in the air and floated over to Junguru's drink, where it lightly dropped in. "Give that a minute and it should make it a bit cooler for you."

"Ooh, thanks!" Junguru poked the ice with one claw. "Fancy."

Wind was watching the fire, a peaceful smile on her face. "I'm glad we ran into you today. It seems every time we head out to practice our magic we meet someone new, isn't that right?"

Dark agreed with a nod. "Yes, last time it was that energetic winged creature, with the brightly colored dragons. And this time it's you. I wonder what it is that makes that keep happening. Maybe our search for quiet isn't a good idea. We're always running into folks whenever we try."

"Oh!" Junguru said. "Oh, did I really interrupt you guys earlier, then? I really wasn't intending to, I just like adventures. And cool magic!" He tried the hot chocolate again. "Ah, perfect this time!"

"A bit, perhaps, but it still led to something enjoyable, didn't it?" Metal offered. "Storm's still able to practice things, we have some fun conversations, and I don't have to spend any more time in the cold."

"So true," Wind laughed. "Bless you, Storm, but I hate being out in the middle of winter for such a long time. You need to start lending your cold resistance to the rest of us."

"Bah," Storm said, "You all just don't appreciate winter enough." To prove his point, a small dusting of snow fell across the room, and everyone else protested.

"Hey!" they all said at once, even Junguru, who looked quite happy to be able to see more magic even if it meant being more cold.

"Teeba's going to make you clean this all up now," sighed Dark, as snow fell onto her scales. "I hope you know I'm not planning on helping."

"Alright, alright, I'll fix it," Storm sighed, and she waved the snow away. The drinks were still warm enough and the fire was still raging in the fireplace, so the room remained fairly warm.

The five headed dragon and the small dark dragon spoke for quite a while longer, until the sun began to sink below the horizon. It was time to return home. Junguru jumped up and looked out the window. "My rider's probably waiting for me. Could I maybe get a ride home? It's a long way back."

- - - -
- snow flights -
604 words

Junguru hopped on the Company's back and climbed back up to Dark's head, settling between her ears. "Onward, faithful steed!" the dragon cried. "Homeward!"

The Company got a running start, feet moving across the snow, and when they had built up enough speed, they rose up into the air. "Where are you saying home is again?" Metal asked, leading the way on picking out the flight path.

"Drittle's waiting for me out by this one pond? One with all these cool reeds and rocks. You know that place?" Junguru asked.

"Ah!" Wind said. "I get that. We've been there once or twice." The Company changed course in the air. Storm was still throwing that magic around, determined to practice at every opportunity. Snow was left in their wake, a trail of magic and wonder to track where in the air they had been. It wasn't especially helpful, but it sure looked pretty.

"The pond's east, we're going too far north," said Dark. The Company turned once again.

"Do a trick, do a trick!" Junguru asked, and they obliged.

"Alright, hold on," Ocean said, and they twisted around in the air, in a sort of exciting barrel roll. It was dizzying, but also wonderfully exciting. Once it was complete, she said, "How was that?" No response. "Junguru?"

"Aaaaaaa!" came a call from below. The Company glanced downwards, all five heads at once, and gasped - Junguru was falling!

They dove down in as fast of a manner as they could. "We've got you!" they said, all of them - it was too urgent of a situation to focus on their separate selves. They only had one body, and needed to work together to do this properly. Finally, thankfully, they got close to Junguru, and claws reached out and caught the small dragon.

"Woah! Good catch. Sorry, my fingers got all slippery," Junguru apologized, completely chill and unworried as the Company raised back into the air, still scared from the sudden close call, and Junguru held in their claws.

Metal let out a breath. "Now is not the time to see if you can actually just be fine after falling a couple hundred feet. Terrifying, my goodness."

"Eh, I would 'ave been fine. But your concern is very nice! Thanks for caring," the little dragon chuckled. Nothing seemed to phase the odd fellow. It was really quite worrying.

"Let's just get you home," Dark said, a sentiment which everyone agreed to. The one issue of flying was the cold wind that whipped past. Everyone was ready to get back inside, except for Storm, of course.

The Company and Junguru made their way across the landscape until they found the previously mentioned pond. When they reached it, Junguru pointed energetically. "There it is!" The descent began, as the Company returned to the ground, and at last they landed down at the edge of the pond. Drittle stood at the other end, scarf wrapped tightly around her in her own attempt to fend off the cold.

"You're here!" she said, and Junguru hopped eagerly over to give her a hug, which she hesitantly accepted.

"Drittle, right?" Metal said. "Teeba sends his regards. We've heard a lot of good things."

"Er, thanks," Drittle said to complete the formalities. "Junguru, we're going home now," she told her dragon, who had climbed up onto her back and curled up into a warm ball.

There was no response from the small dragon. He had fallen asleep already. Drittle smiled and shook her head. "Thank you for bringing him back."

"Of course," Metal said cheerfully. "He's a delightful dragon. And we had fun hanging out."