ZR-:MC: Before the Last

*Clink...clink...clink*
Zirra listened to the sound of her claws scratching the stone floor as she paced back and forth in the nursery. She looked up at the purple dragon egg nestled gently in a bundle of straw. She stared, wondering what kind of dragon lived inside. Dragons in this world all had one element based on their color. What element would a purple dragon have? It's color has never been seen on the scales of dragons before. Maybe it was a hoax, a lighting disfunction. Maybe it would hatch into a fire dragon or whatever other element, only having a discolored egg. Well, today was the day Zirra would find out the truth. She had heard that there was a giant wise bird living in the Shattered Grove who knew all the secrets of every creature. In fact, it was this bird who chose the new guardians of the elements each Turn of age, meaning that this bird may well have lived since the beginning of time. Today Zirra's Foster parents, who adopted her as an egg and raised her since but were now, however, ignoring her greatly after the arrival of the purple egg, would be leaving the cave on a group scout for food, leaving her in charge of their child, the purple egg. While they were gone she planned to take the egg to the bird and find out about this purple egg, and know what it was for sure.



"We're leaving now Zirra," said Phonorius, her foster mother. "Watch over our egg, it means so much to us." Zirra only nodded, feeling left out. Her foster father, Mesphito, walked passed her to the egg, not even glancing in her direction. He nuzzled the egg with the tip of his nose.
"Daddy won't be gone long, little one," He cooed. "We're just gathering food for the clan. Don't hatch while we're gone." Phonorius walked up to his side.
"Yes, Mommy and Daddy will be wight back," she said in a hatchling voice. "Mommy wuvs you so much. So so much."
"Daddy wuvs you too," Mesphito added, also speaking in a hatchling voice. Zirra rolled her eyes. What in the lands were they doing? It was an egg. It's not like it can hear them. Mesphito and Phonorius finally left, bidding one last farewell to their egg, and practically forgetting Zirra was there. Zirra stared at her paw. Why did they ignore her so? Was it something she'd done? Or maybe it was the egg. Yes, that must be it. They're so indulged with the arrival of a newly colored egg that they've no time for their adopted daughter. Zirra began wondering what it would have been like had the egg not been born. Would she and her parents have enjoyed walks through the forest together? Would Mesphito take a day to teach her how to hunt? Would Phonorius tuck her in her straw bed at night and call her "Zee Zee" like she used to? Zirra shook her head and held it firmly high. No, she was nearly a full grown adult now and she didn't need love and affection anymore. She would not spend a minute thinking of what might have been. She must focus on the 'now' for it was the only thing that mattered.

"Okay little guy," Zirra said to the egg when her parents were long gone. "I'm taking you for a little flight today, and I will find out just what's so special about you." Gently she picked up the egg in her paws, careful not to scratch it with her sharp white talons. She then walked to the cave exit on her hind legs, raptor style. Exiting the caves she blinked at the bright rays of the sun and stretched out her massive wings. It felt good to feel the breeze on the membranes and to stretch out the muscles on her shoulders where her wings were attached. The glorious warmth of the sun filled her muscles with adrenaline, and she crouched down to the ground, rose her giant wings skyward, and then eagerly leaped into the air, her wings beating down as her back legs pushed up. She was then airborne, inhaling deeply at the fresh air blowing at her face. Higher and higher she rose, far above the clouds. She looked down upon the world, looking at the specks of willow trees and strings of large rivers. After a moment of searching she finally found the Silver River, which she then followed, leading her to the Shattered Grove.

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"Well, here we are," Zirra said after landing in front of the waterfall that bared the cave of the bird behind it. Closing her eyes she beat her wings together against her body which propelled her forward and with a loud splash she passed through the wall of water into the cave behind. Fanning her wings by opening and closing them she shook off the water that drenched them. She felt no water on her body however, for the top of her was coated with a glistening armor and her black scales were as hard as rock so the water quickly dripped off her down to the ground. Yes, her scales were a beauty and stronger than most dragon armor. It would take a lot to penetrate them, and this Zirra was very proud of.
"Legendary bird of wisdom," Zirra called into the darkness, "I bring a new creature to show to you, for I wonder what it may be exactly."
Silence.
Zirra stood, staring impatiently into the darkness. "Master I seek your wisdom!" She called again.
Silence.
Wasn't that the way they addressed the bird in the books? Why was there no answer?
Frustrated, Zirra opened her large maw and let out a deafening roar into the cave.
Still silence.
This was the right place, wasn't it? It had to be. She heard the stories of other dragons in the clan going to visit this bird. How he lived in a cave behind a waterfall in the Silver River. Not to mention the books she read about him.
Was this even the right waterfall?
Still walking on her hind legs and holding the egg, she ventured into the cave.

After walking deep into the cave, shrouded in utter darkness she finally began to see a light. Quickly she walked faster towards it, getting closer and closer until finally...
She came into a giant room with floors and floors of shelves lined with books. In the middle of the room was a colossal roaring fire and sleeping on a bundle of straw in front of it lay a giant black bird. Zirra could tell at a distance that this bird was indeed very old. His feathers were unkempt and ruffled as if it were in battles, and in some spots they were greying. As Zirra walked closer to it she could see that the bird was nearly as big as she was, for Zirra was abnormally much larger than dragons her age. When she was at a comfortable distance she called out to it again. "Master." The bird slowly awoke with a great rumbling noise inside it's body. It rose it's big head and slowly turned it around to face Zirra.

"Not another curious mind, I'm trying to sleep," the bird said and slowly turned it's head back around and began nestling it back in the straw.
"Wait!" Zirra said. "I have only one question for you and I will leave right after."
The bird groaned and again slowly rose it's head and turned it back around.
"What do you want to know youngling?" the bird asked.
"This," Zirra said, holding up the egg. "It's a dragon egg, but it's purple. That's not a color anyone has seen before. What element will it be? Will it even be purple? What is it exactly?"
"I thought you said you had one question," The bird replied, annoyed.
"W-..I mean..well all I want to know is what it is." Zirra said.
"It's a dragon egg fool," the bird said, turning it's head back around.
"I know that!" Zirra yelled impatiently. "What kind of dragon?"
"That is not for me to say," the bird replied, nestling it's head back down in the straw. "I know what it will be, but I will not say. You all must see for yourself." And with that, the bird began snoring.
"Hold on!" Zirra yelled, but no matter how hard she tried, the bird was very sound asleep and would not wake back up.
Zirra growled. "I came all this way for nothing," she said, turning back to the exit.


SPLASH!
She flew back through the waterfall into the forest. She stared up in horror at the sun. Sunset!
"Oh no!" She thought, "They'll be long back by now! Oh, what will they do when they see the egg is gone?"
Scared, she leaped again into the air and flew as fast as she could back to the clan's cave.
She flew so fast that she just barely noticed the egg slip out of her paws and plummet to the earth. Desperate, she dove after it, speeding as fast as she could against the wind to catch it in her outstretched arms, but the egg was too far away and it splashed into a river rapid. Zirra dove in after it and frantically tried to grasp it in her paws, but the river was too violent and the egg too slippery. Zirra lost sight of the egg as the river violently shoved her into rocks and clogged down her throat. With one last desperate effort, Zirra leaped out of the rapids onto land, coughing water up violently. She then looked up to see none other than Mesphito, holding the purple egg in one paw and murder in his eyes.
"We're..going..home," he said in a slow, loathing voice.
Zirra suddenly felt very sick.