The Search Begins
Snaedis was displeased. Snow cloaked her like a blanket as she stalked through the Clan, ignoring the dragons that cowered out of her way, and stepping around those that dared to challenge her right to be within the Clan bounds.
She had no right to be inside the Clan? Bull. She wasn't one of those freaks from Koshi Keidai, had no desire to be one of those freaks - she could smell a set up from a hundred miles away, and Koshi Keidai reeked of manipulation from the shadows. She wanted no part of being manipulated, or of competing with two other self professed Queens. She had neither the time, nor the energy, nor even the desire, to defend herself constantly.
And why would she even want to claim alliance with some shadowy "overmaster"? She was the Queen, thank you very much.
Setsuna was trotting quickly along at her side, casting apologies over her shoulder in an attempt to keep the Myrsilkains and other dragons of the Clan from getting angered enough to cast them out once and for all. Snaedis was fully aware that Setsuna was her ticket into and out of the Clan safely, that the kindly Air Glenn dragoness was the only reason that the others were tolerating her presence.
A few children scampered in her wake, giggling at the snow that was coating the usually pristine floors. Human children - well, humanoid at least, from what Snaedis could tell. Surely humans didn't come with ears and tails, or with the ability to change shape every couple seconds, right? Their caretakers looked on indulgently. They at least knew that Snaedis was no danger to their charges.
One scampered forward and snatched at the tip of her tail, giggling and laughing as Snaedis carefully - oh so carefully! Such delicate creatures, so fragile and soft. Why were they so trusting so young, only to grow suspicious with age? - lifted her tail into the air and wrapped it about to deposit the youngling on her back in front of her wings.
Setsuna laughed softly, "Big bad Snaedis has a soft spot for children!"
"Shush, you," Snaedis turned her head to bare her teeth at the dragoness, "Only because I think they're cute."
"Ohhh?" Setsuna smirked - smirked! The irritating dragoness had the gall to smirk at her! - and tossed her head. "I think it's cute. You're not exactly the world's nastiest xeno."
"... I should kill you for that." Snow gathered and fell about her, causing the child on her back to giggle in glee, scoop up a handful, and launch it back at the caretakers who were strolling along after the little procession. Snaedis tried - oh, she tried so hard! - to keep a straight face, but when she sensed the snowball land smack dab in the face of the normally stiff and proper Zane in the face... she couldn't help it. She bit back the laughter as best she could, but she knew those around her could sense it.
Setsuna just grinned, the glanced at the door in front of them and sobered up, "Dis... you never told me. Why were you so interested in coming into the Clan?"
She knelt, sending a mental thought to the child, and stayed perfectly still as the youngster clambered down her sides and scampered back to his friends.
"Dis...?" Setsuna's voice was edged with worry. "Dis, what are you planning?"
::I want a hive, Suna:: Dis finally admitted silently, deciding to not tell the rest of the Clan her plans as yet, ::I'm a Queen. I need a hive.::
"You want... what?!" Setsuna's eyes widened, "But... that's... I mean... xenos are..."
::If I am not like most xenos, then doesn't that mean that there should be others like me as well? What reason do I have to believe that I am unique in my opinions of the world?::
"So why are you..." she glanced from Dis to the doors they stood in front of, "Why come to Selverat? I thought you hated him..."
::Hate him I might, but he can keep his mouth shut. That, and he's the one man in the Clan I would trust to know where clutches of beings like I would be.::
Snaedis reached out and pushed the doors open, stalking into the den without even a bit of warning. The fire Myrsilkain - Kerkael was his name? She had only met the creature once before, and they weren't on... speaking terms, precisely - mantled his wings and snarled at her intrusion.
"You! What is your purpose here!"
She could practically feel the rage boiling off of him. The air literally shimmered with barely contained magical energy, the heat of it making her swirls of snow melt in the brief moments before she exerted her will once more and summoned it back. Harder this time, enough to douse the Fire in snow, enough to shock him into silence.
"I'm not here to deal with you," she snarled to the dragon, before turning on the equally angry human. Flames danced about his body, sparks drifted about his hair, glittering in his eyes and reflecting on his skin. "You. What do you know about xenodragon clutches in the Nexus."
Selverat's fists clenched, "And why should I tell you, beast?"
"Because if you don't, I will forcefully rip the information from your mind." Snaedis gave him a toothy grin, stalking closer as she did. Behind her, she could feel Setsuna frantically trying to calm Kerkael down, but paid it no mind.
Selverat sighed and rubbed at his head, "Why me... fine. I've heard - heard mind you! - that there's a clutch of burstling xeno-mutts running around on StarCity Station. A call's gone out for people to hunt the things."
Dis grinned, then turned to Setsuna, "I'll be going there."
Setsuna nodded, "I'll be waiting for you, then, in our usual place."
With a smirk, Dis stalked out of the room, leaving damage control to Setsuna. The Glenn Dragoness was good for something, after all.
The First of Many
It took a while of fruitless hunting, but finally a burstling made her debut.
Rather spectacularly, that is. Snaedis' constant veil of snow suddenly crackled and flared as the burstling injected a field of electricity. While it was nothing lethal (yet! Snaedis could feel the strength inherent in the otherwise low ranking xeno-mutt. A good first beginning this was!), it was still a bit of a shock!
~I am here to serve,~ the little burstling (Penopir, Snaedis knew was the burstling's name. Penopir. The first of her Hive.) looked as if she was smiling
::And serve you will,:: Snaedis responded in kind, a small smile forming on her own face. ::Now come, let's return.::
Penopir wrapped herself about Snaedis' tail, content to let the adult xeno lead her where she would. Snaedis was her Queen, and to Snaedis she would place her trust and loyalty.
Bringing Cute Into the Hive
Snaedis was going to kill Selverat. He'd left a tip with Setsuna that there were more xeno-brids to be had on the space station where she had first collected Penopir, and she had decided to investigate, only to find... this.
No self respecting xenoqueen would have one of these.. these things in their hive!
"They're very cute," Setsuna stated diplomatically, as she stared down at the little pile of hatchlings in one of the bays and sent the image to Snaedis.
The sight of the things was even worse! Bad enough that she could sense the strangeness of them, but to actually see them... all 'cute' little faces and feathery wings and bits of fluff of their front legs... it was enough to make a xeno gag. And Setsuna! That 'little' traitorous not-hive-hive-member thought them adorable. It was a pity she wasn't actually bound in to the hive - Snaedis would have shown her exactly where to shove that opinion! Xenos weren't supposed to be adorable!
"Oh, come on," Setsuna responded to Snaedis' quiet seething. "Have a heart, Dis. I'm sure they're perfectly capable of being 'xeno-y' enough for your tastes."
"That doesn't matter!" Snaedis snapped as she gave in to her annoyance and began pacing in the hallway outside the bay, where she'd retreated to as soon as she realized what, exactly was in that room. "What matters is, is..."
"They're cute."
"Yes!"
Setsuna dragon-grinned in amusement. "And xenos aren't supposed to be cute."
"No!"
"But, Dis, love, can you imagine the horror?" Setsuna settled herself out of the way of the xenoqueen's pacing and coiled her tail about her paws. "Interloper sees this cute little hybrid thing, it gives him the puppy-dog-eyes and hooks him in, then, BAM! the interloper has a gaping hole in his chest and is missing his heart. Isn't that just as terrifying as any of the rest of your little hive?"
Snaedis stopped in her tracks and swivelled her eyeless head to 'stare' in Setsuna's direction. Slowly, a wicked grin spread across her features. She'd never thought of it like that, but it was true - people hardly believed that cute things could be murderous. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all!
So perhaps she wouldn't kill Selverat... but torment? Ah, yes, that had some potential...
So thinking, Snaedis once more strode into the bay where the hatchlings were sleeping, intent on finding one to take home with her.