Rats!
New Brommel was a ghost town. The perfect place to drop off some rats.
"Here you are little guys," Millicent said, dropped open the container of several rats. They scurried off to the nearest covered place, chattering wildly at their freedom. "I can't say I'm fond of rats, but... with the looming threat of death everywhere, I suppose I have a greater respect for life." Millicent sighed. The town was so empty. She turned and moved back to the portal, soon to retake her place under the covered ruin that made up her and Geoff's stall in New Trismus.
The rats, sensing the dangerous giant had past, began to skip around their new environment, sniffing out the new smells, trying to find new sources of food. All except one.
A black rat sat up on his hindlegs, sniffing the air. Its black whiskers twitched for a time, and then it fell back to its paws, racing down the path the consigner had taken. Before long, it reached the travel gate; skittering up the small steps, it pressed against the ring of the gate, selecting a destination. It jumped through.
In a new place, the rat sniffed around again to confirm its location. It found the smells to be familiar, and so raced away from the portal pad before it was seen. Over the hills that to the rat must surely have looked like mountains and into the mountains themselves, it traveled until it came to a craggy rock. Almost nervously, it hopped inside, stalking quietly within. It moved deeper into the rock, jumping onto rock, then another rock, and then - black scale. Its feet somehow caught on the black scale and it struggled against it, the scales taking on the texture of tar. Soon, it sank into the tar-skin and disappeared completely, the sheen of what looked to be solid scale reforming again.
"So," said the owner of the scales, "Is that what they're up to?" Darkness moved in darkness, and black head found shadowy wing. "The blue is of no concern. The purple is off on his little journey now. And a new Academy is born..." A dark churr rustled through the craggy rock. "Perfect. An Ideal Society must have a place to learn its rules..."
The scales turned over, dark talons sheltering a new rat, just as dark as the last, with pink eyes. It leapt free of the tar-like grip that had spawned it and scurried off the way the last had come.
"Yes. Perhaps these young dragons must learn of the Ideal Society so that they can at last attain it..." The dark smile of the dragon could not be seen, but it was felt but all who fell under his sway.
...Something tells me it sounds not good for the hatchlings)
