Night Light Hatchlings

overall personality • When these ferocious beasts appear, the night darkens thrice and thrice thunder roars, and woe, triple woe to the unfortunates who witnessed the Triple Trouble...

…except not really. All three Night Lights are very adventurous, curious, and playful by nature. They like nothing more than exploring places and people, bringing innocence and, yes, sometimes trouble to those they meet. They are not necessarily hostile, but will act as predators to those they consider prey. They rarely attack unprovoked and will mostly fire at self-defense, although orders from their alpha can override this tendency. They have quite a rebellious streak and despise confinement, but will act accordingly should those they realize as authorities impose their will. They are a source of constant headache for the guards at Cursed Thorns' camp as they often (and easily!) sneak out of their own.

For the most part, think of them as kittens but with wings and plasma-breath.

Dart is the most inquisitive of the three. Eager but calculating, she acts as the leading figure of the siblings, generally having the final say in what to do next and how to do it. She is quite smart and can be stealthy if need to. However, she tends to be hardheaded and is the one with the most rebellious streak, although she is also the most sensitive and most easily moved.

Pouncer is the brute, action-guy of the trio. He is generally the first one to take action following Dart’s direction, and the first one to bring force into equation. He boldly goes headlong wherever they need to go. Dart usually use this to her advantage to bait all three of them into doing what she thinks need to be done. Pouncer is usually the one to start a fight, but does not take the fight well when he got fought back. He is also the least tact and the most easily scared between the three. Stealth is not his game at all.

overall history • No one is entirely sure how these three powerful dragons came to serve the Cursed Thorns.

Some said they were war orphans, taken in by a kind soul in Cursed Thorns camp when their parents became casualties of the war, and had since considered the camp as their home as the result. Some said they had been enchanted by a nefarious spellcaster, fighting in a war they had no knowledge about. Yet others said they were specially procured by Maleficent The Dark Fairy herself who, after seeing firsthand the destructive potential of Dragons of Berk, ordered a nest to be raided and the eggs brought to her to be raised as her personal Dragons of War. Some even argued that, since their species was almost unheard of before, the Night Lights were not born of this world: they were residents of another world where alternate history exists, taken forcefully to this world by some powerful magic. Whatever their origins were and what their intentions were, it was clear that The Night Lights were subservient to The Queen of Cursed Thorns, whether through some innate Dragon characteristics or simply as children would be obedient to their parents, no one could tell for certain.

They had been living in Black Thorns' camp for as long as anyone could remember, shooting fireballs and cloaking themselves as they played and generally getting larger and more powerful with time. Now that they were juveniles and were able to sneak out on themselves, some believed that they had been seen in some major battles where Cursed Thorns took part, accompanied by the more experienced members of the foul army. Witnesses said that three small dragons were observed burning a few buildings during the Thorns' conquest of China. Some refugees remembered being harassed by plasma blasts as they fled Paris. Yet, nothing could be ascertained for sure, including reports that they were not dangerous at all and a Nottingham citizen staunchly believed that he had met three little dragons who brought him fishes and happily played tag with his twin children.

But a few doomsayers gazed into the future and they were worried. If these three dragons ever reached maturity and still served the Cursed Thorns, they would certainly provide a massive advantage to the dark forces. Something that might help end the war once and for all.

But it would be in the far future, they said. It would take far too many years. Yet, they were also being reminded that Maleficent was a true master in the long game.

Dart couldn’t help herself. The smell, the texture, the sweet glaze of that fish has been a favorite of the three siblings for a few days now. Not just any fish. That fish, served only in this small house of this peaceful village hidden deep in a valley of this lush green land these two-legged creatures called China.

The three were not exactly paying costumers, though. Their newly mastered camouflage ability had served them well these past few days. It would no doubt be of use today as well. No doubt about it.

But what is this about that special fish just hanging from the roofpost with a rope tied to its tail, ripe for taking for anyone who goes past this porch? Even Dart found it a little suspicious.

But the lure of gastronomical wonders that is the fish won in the end.

Still cloaked, Dart lurched backward and sprang suddenly, flying straight to the target. Her clawed front paws grabbed the prize tight and she knew she had succeeded. Fly away, and they would enjoy this exquisite taste like they used to.

Only for her wings to fail and she was dragged down tumbling towards the floor. Something had wrapped itself around her wings and bringing her down! A shriek was let out as her camouflage got cancelled, and she landed on the floor with a thump, covered by an extra heavy fish net!

A two-two legged creature bigger than her appeared from behind the door and hurriedly strode towards the dragon. Dart snarled, baring her teeth at the unkown threat. She had seen him before. He was the one who brought these delicious fishes to other two-legged creatures sitting around in exchange of some shiny objects.

“I’ve wondered where our precious salt-and-soy cured fish stock had gone. I knew there was a thief,” He said, gloating over the growling creature but with wariness in his eyes, “Now what are you? Why have you…OOF!”

Something, something white and fast and heavy hit him in the sides and he was sent hurtling with a shriek. Before he knew what to do, another creature, much like the first one but colored white, was sitting on his chest, pining him to the ground while rows of sharp teeth were held just inches away from his face!

Baring his fangs once more, and with a more threatening growl at the puny creature underneath him, Pouncer, the white dragon, quickly turned around and flew away following his siblings towards the evening sky, leaving the two-legged creature sprawling on the floor.

“You know what?” He yelled, fist raised in the air at the rapidly disappearing shadows of three dragons flying to the sunset, “If you really like our fishes you can take them! We make more than we can sell each day and there are always imperfectly treated fishes! Just don’t take our good ones we sell to support ourselves!”

And he was true to his word. The next day, the three hatchlings went to the same house to find a basket filled with leftover fishes. Those that had slight defects or was slightly broken, of which people would not want to pay, but edible and delicious all the same. The three dragons, judging from their super-wide grin and ravenous speed at which they tore through the fishes, were apparently really delighted.

It went for sometime thereafter. Each evening the three dragons would show up to find a basket full of the delicious fishes and engorge themselves in the specially cured sea goodness. Overtime, they would even tolerate the two-legged creature which had managed to caught them before. He became close to them, even got to teach them how to fish and to bring them to the house to be rewarded with cured fishes next day. So it was, the siblings brought heaps of sea fishes each evening and drop them all on the back porch as they quickly tore through what had been readied for them in the basket. The small shop never had to buy another fish. Profits soared. While the three hatchlings became good fishers and went back home each sunset with belly full and lips still tingling with the savory goodness of the fish.

Until one day, when, in an especially dark and windy night, fireballs rained out of nowhere and burned most of the village, the small shop included.

Wanting to see what her little dragons could do, Maleficent, the Dark Fairy, ordered them to burn down anything they could shoot at while her vast army finally moved to overran the once-peaceful village and claimed it in her name. Of course, they still needed to be accompanied, but Maleficent wanted to see their destructive potential. And in this, they did not disappoint. All that was left of the quaint abode were burnt buildings and charred remains of what used to be an active way of life. Only a handful of the original residents survived.

It is said by the survivors that, for a few days after the invasion, as the dark army had already moved with their conquest elsewhere, there could be found a pile of fresh fishes left on an exact spot everyday, in front of what used to be a small restaurant but was razed to the ground. The pile of fishes kept being resupplied each evening seemingly by itself even as the fishes from earlier days began to rot.

But when the stench of rotten fishes in the area had became overpowering, the pile of fresh fishes stopped appearing.