BurnClaw

   The great she-dragon had returned to her home to discover complete silence. Instantly, she was suspicious. The elder wyrm traveling the edges of her territory hadn't been interested in a fight, a few hastily fired spells and he had fled. She feared that had been but a ruse to get her to leave her lair undefended. When she discovered her hidden cache had been broken into she suspected her children, only one of them would take the more difficult and less powerful approach that had been used to disable her wards. Of course a strong but magically inept dragon might also use the complicated method of removing the items and may have run off with her brood, but in the short time she had gone and with no marks of a battle Lady StoneBoil was certain it was her children. She sought her scrying crystal and set to viewing her children. She couldn't locate them within her territory and had a sneaking suspicion where they might go, so she cast her eye on the Brokenstone Fields seeking the youths. Almost immediately she saw Vellisix in full flight nearing the Outlet on his way home. Thanking the FirstEgg, she cast about for Ashillizik, SickFlame, and Carvinol. She felt rather than saw the injured SickFlame and saw a quick glimpse of Ashillizik also winging home, but of Carvinol there was no sign. She couldn't feel his life force anywhere. She was vaguely aware of his life slipping from his grasp and felt the moment of his death as the world grew slightly darker with his passing. Her involuntary scream held no less anger and anguish than BurnClaw's own pained cry, but she was not aware of the true situation. She was sure Carvinol had convinced his siblings to accompany him to the territory of their father, where he had met his final fate while his brothers and sister had barely managed to escape. Fearing the intruder into her territory had been an ally of BurnClaw sent to distract her while the children brought him her most sacred treasures, Lady StoneBoil could do little but pace the ledge in front of her lair and await the return of her surviving children.
   Vellisix had fled without a thought, he had not been concerned about his sister or their missing brother, instead he was focused on living to hide behind his mother. If his siblings slowed his pursuer, so much the better for him. He was the only unwounded youth, but felt the full load of guilt. He had pinned SearAll, he had saved Ashillizik, he had shouted to follow the escaping young dragon and he knew BurnClaw wanted him. As he neared the edges of the his father's territory, he felt the warm eye of his mother fall upon him, spurring him home. He stretched his wings and endurance to their limits, finally landing in the lair at sunset. His mother demanded an immediate answer. His breath slowly returning to him, he panted out an answer blaming Carvinol for stealing the items and Ashillizik for starting the chase. A claw from his mother sent him off the edge of the mountaintop ledge. Vellisix spread his wings to brake his fall, slowly he flew back up to the enterance of his mother's lair and watched as she destroyed the walls, piled treasure and spat grand fireballs into the sky. Vellisix stared off into the distace, certain the display would direct BurnClaw to their location. Once everything was splintered and melted, she again turned her attention to her son. She inquired after his sister, seeming to already know he was her last remaining son. Vellisix denied any knowledge of her fate and ducked to avoid the second blow, but it never came. He chanced a glance at his mother and saw her staring out into the darkness, a low growl escaping her clenched jaw.

   Soon Vellisix felt the presence of another dragon and heard the beating of wings that had alerted his mother's more attuned senses. By then, Lady StoneBoil had dashed into her lair, her son followed quickly. Zizzeeriol searched through her thrashed and melted lair until she found the item she had hoped still lie among her treasures. Vellisix, on the other hand, raced to the deepest and smallest tunnels where he was sure BurnClaw wouldn't be able to reach him, should his mother fall to the great wyrm. Lady StoneBoil cursed her son's cowardice as she prepared to do battle. She was certain she could defeat the large red dragon, but pride had caught her unaware before and she refused to be unprepared. When she returned to the entrance of her lair, she held in her claw another of her rare and powerful items collected from her centuries of battle and raids.
   The strangely glowing gem was called a dragonstone and held the soul of a deceased ancient wyrm who had attempted the dangerous transformation from living dragon to an undead draco-lich. The long dead dragon had failed to transform and didn't have the power or ability to take a new host body, but retained all magic and knowledge from his millenia as a living wyrm. Lady StoneBoil had learned how to access the power of the dragonstone and called upon it's magic to accentuate her own skills. She would need all the power she could muster. The Talons had disappeared with her son, she had noticed. She suspected BurnClaw had the Talons and all dragons knew of the artifact and could use its power without the normal required study and practice. She was certain he would be wearing the artifact and was unsure how to defend against it. Lady StoneBoil paused just inside the mouth of her lair, then rushed out toward the intruder, stone held in front of her like a shield.
   BurnClaw slowly winged to the she-wyrm's lair expecting her to jump from the entrance as soon as he reached the mountain range. He spotted the large opening and wasn't disappointed. Not a moment passed between when he sighted the cave and the moment she leapt from it's confines into the air, charging directly toward him. He noticed the object in her claw but didn't recognize it, so, gathering the might of TombMurk, BurnClaw unleashed a bolt of raw electricity. That was quickly becoming his favorite of the extensive powers of the Talons. The blue-gray bolt shot from his claw causing the mountainside to light up with the odd glow. Lady StoneBoil didn't slow her charge directly at the lightning which raced directly for her heart. Before the raw energy could find it's mark and injure the she-dragon, the dragonstone seemed to spark for a second and drew the bolt into itself. With a cry of exultation, Zizzeeriol tilted the front of her body to allow both rear claws to land on BurnClaw's chest. BurnClaw was relieved to see she was willing to fight claw to claw saving her magic, especially since he wasn't sure what had trapped the lightning and how to circumvent the protection. He tipped his own head back to meet her charge in kind. The two dragons met with a clap like thunder, both scratching and biting their enemy as they tumbled through the air toward the ground.
   The Talons were still effective in a physical confrontation, but the stone Zizzeeriol refused to release seemed to drain small amounts of his life every time it came in contact with his hide. Both were bloody and slightly drained as they pulled away from each other and threw open their wings to avoid the ground rushing to meet them. Both executed perfect loops that brought them face to face at the mouth of the Lady's lair.