text: A year had passed since Kindling's landing and a small city was forming from the efforts of the folk trying to provide shelter for everyone. In an ideal world, a city that houses a dragon would be built using materials that aren’t easily flammable, like stone, but the limited tools the survivors were left with meant that their choice in material was also limited. Wood was abundant on the island, so that is what the folk were forced to use. On one calm evening, as everyone was settling in for the night, the dragon landed from her evening patrol. She had been flying around the islands daily, looking for the other dragons and survivors. As the firebugs danced against the darkness of the night, the dragon laid down to sleep with the rest of the city. The sky was calm and a light breeze swept across the island. The city of Kindling drifted to sleep. Suddenly everyone was woken up by what sounded like thunder, only a thousand times louder. Folk jumped out of their beds to see their city in flames, accompanied by the harrowing screams of those trapped in the blaze. In an instant the folk sprung into action to try and extinguish the flames. Trying desperately to save those trapped in the fire, the folk realized there weren’t many to save. The fire was so intense and sudden, most of the victims had burned to ashes in an instant. The fire took three grueling days to extinguish. Forty-eight Askissa were lost that night, many more suffered injuries and lost their homes. Two years after the tragedy the damage had long ago been repaired and life had moved on. A sneeze from the dragon was determined to be the cause for the inferno. Suggestions were made on moving Kindling’s pen to the outskirts of the city, but as the island was quickly filling with folk and the land was needed for farming, any plans of moving her fell through. Housing her on another island was also considered, but it was thought to be too inconvenient. Many citizens demanded King Tivriul to do something to make the city safer. Stuck between exiling a beloved icon and savior they all owed a great debt to, or risking the lives of his folk, the King came up with a compromise; he ordered for the creation of Royal Fire Guard, a specially trained subset of the Royal Guard, whose task was to extinguish any fires. Fire safety regulations were also written into a law. It required new houses to be built in a way that allowed to folk to more easily escape in case their house caught on fire. Old houses were modified to fit the new standards. These actions seemed to ease the concerns many citizens had, and the Royal Fire Guard proved themselves to be an effective, as the city experienced fires from other sources. During one bright day in late midtide, a strong gush of wind picked up colorful powder from the flower fields and carried it over to the city, covering it like a blanket. The younglings had a great time crafting balls out of the powder with the help of some water, and throwing them at each other. A few of the folk however seemed to get weird sneezing fits and watery eyes from the powder, but it didn’t seem to be too harmful. Doctors advised the ill folk to stay away from others and the powder, until their symptoms lessened. In her pen, Kindling was becoming agitated. Described by a caretaker, the dragon paced back and forth, huffing loudly. All efforts to calm down her failed and the majestic creature broke out in a panic. Attempting to lift off to the sky, her wings kicked up some of the loose powder, and before anyone could react, a massive fireball erupted. As the flames incinerated the city once more, devouring everything in its path, King Tivriul’s fire safety regulations and the Royal Fire Guard were put to the test. Countless citizens were able to escape their homes, and many joined to help the Fire Guards in fighting the colossal fire. The Royal Palace, Hearth, was opened for folk who has lost their homes. While the city burned for days, killing countless of unfortunate souls and destroying half the city, the dragon had disappeared. Last seen battling to stay in the air as she violently sneezed, she had eventually vanished from sight. She was thought to be dead, if it wasn’t for her haunting cries during the night, coming from one of the neighboring islands. After days, the last bit of fire was finally smothered, and seeing the devastation and destruction of their city, the folk demanded that if the dragon was to ever return, the city must be able to withstand fire. Steps were taken to stop the dragon from sneezing in the first place, with the King ordering the field flowers to be eradicated, and anyone growing them would be harshly punished. Dig sites were also opened, with the hopes of finding stone. With barely any tools available, the folk resorted to using their paws, clawing the ground until their paws bled. Only a few stones were ever extracted, as the ground was mostly soft dirt. While the grown folk tried desperately find solutions, the younglings of the city played in the dug up dirt. Saevi Claypaw, a young mother, was playing with her cub and helping him to make a figurine depicting of his father. When she returned home that day, she put the figurine on a shelf above the hearth, to show to her husband when he came home. As she was cooking dinner, she knocked the figurine off the shelf and it fell right into the fire. Cursing herself, she carefully fished the miniature from the flames, and noted how it had hardened. She carefully examined the miniature, running her claw along every nook and cranny. As she idly caressed the figurine with her paws, she had an idea. For days she experimented with the new material, noting down the optimal time the material should be exposed to fire, how the material wasn’t flammable at all, and how it could also hold liquids, making it an ideal material for bowls and vases. Saevi had bigger plans than just bowls and vases however, she wanted to try and build a house out of the material. In her notes, she wrote down how the material most likely would need supports, as it could be too soft to hold its shape until properly hardened. She convinced her husband to buy her a plot of land, so she could try and build her first house. The family had been planning on moving into a bigger house and after a long conversation, Saevi’s husband agreed to use the house money to buy a piece of land. Excited and full of energy, Saevi rose up early every morning and left to work on building the house. She had drawn up a plan for what the house should look like, together with her husband, as the plan was that the family would move into the house once it was finished. The house looked very practical, almost boring, but Saevi figured the house should be function over form. Many days after working hard, the house was finished, apart from blessing it with fire. She did notice that just the sun and warm air had hardened the material, but not enough for it to be structurally sound. She filled the house with anything flammable; sticks, leaves, old furniture, piling it high around the walls. Before setting the monstrous pyre on fire, she, her husband and their cub pressed their paws against the soft wall, marking the house as theirs. Saevi felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as she watched the house she had painstakingly built be consumed by the flames. Saevi had notified the Royal Fire Guard of her intentions, and while the law did not make it illegal to burn down your own house, the Royal Fire Guard arrived to make sure the fire wouldn’t spread. A crowd on onlookers had also formed, a fire in the city had the folk spring to action to help put it out. Just this time it was not needed. Saevi and her family enjoyed the blaze, to the confusion of everyone. The crowd murmured to themselves, deeming Saevi and her husband insane for burning their own house down. But when the fire died down, much to their surprise, the house was still standing, unharmed. The Royal Fire Guard had to hold back the curious congregation, as they wanted to take a better look. Once the pack had been dispensed, Saevi and her family could move into their new home in peace. The next morning, there was a knock at the door. Saevi opened it to find King Tivriul accompanied by his advisors and the Royal Guard. She invited the King and his entourage in. They had arrived to see if the rumors of a fireproof house were true. Saevi explained to the King and the advisors how she had discovered the material, its qualities and how she built the house. She demonstrated with bowls she had been making how the material could be hardened and even the King himself crafted a small figurine. Thoroughly impressed, the King thanked her and her hospitality. The same evening, a royal messenger arrived at the house to bring Saevi an offer for becoming an advisor for the rebuilding of the city. She accepted the offer instantly. Together with builders and advisors, Saevi drew up a plan for the new city. The plan was meticulous and detailed, taking into consideration current needs, but also preparing for future expansion. The plan also included a rebuilt and improved Hearth and likewise Kindling’s pen, if the dragon was to ever return. The King approved the plan and the work started swiftly. First, houses would be built on empty lots, folk would move into the newly built houses, the old neighborhood would be demolished and rebuilt using “clay,” as the material had been named. The plan however had a problem; the island just didn’t have enough flammable material to harden all the new buildings, even if they recycled the old wooden buildings, chopped down all of the island’s trees and used all of the furniture too. Everyone knew only the dragon could solve the issue, but she had not been seen since the second fire, and her cries had faded long ago. Queen Ygriet, who was very fond of Kindling, had been trying to organize a campaign to get the dragon to return, but due to fear of bringing controversy on her husband, she was forced to plan in secret. Having heard of the problem Saevi and her team were facing, the Queen was able to use her already laid up plans quickly in motion, and the campaign for Kindling’s return attracted most of the folk to help out. Under Queen Ygriet’s direction, folk would cook massive pots of Kindling’s favorite foods, to try and lure her back. Bits of food were also left on the edge of the island, with torches to guide her back. Meanwhile, the builders were able to finish some houses, but mostly work was halted. One midday, as some younglings were collecting dried leaves and hay at the edge of the island, they noticed a large shadow flying past them behind the clouds. The cubs screamed and ran to alert everyone else. Soon all the folk came out of their houses to witness the shadow circling the island, before it dove underneath it, emerging from the other side and revealing itself from behind the clouds. The folk cheered as the dragon had finally returned. She circled around the city a few times, before landing in the middle of the excited crowd. The folk rushed to greet her and she wrapped her wings around everyone. The Royal Family arrived to personally welcome her back and offer their sincerest apologies. Kindling seemed to have accepted the apology and all was well in the kingdom once more. After so long in self imposed exile, Kindling was not in the best of shape. She was malnourished, had cuts all over her, and her nails and teeth were unkempt. She was fed, washed and given some healing herbs to give her her strength back. The next day, after she had properly rested, Saevi approached her to ask her for a favor. The dragon was visibly confused as she listened to Saevi’s request, and despite being shown detailed plans and the effects fire had on clay, the dragon firmly refused, shaking her head from side to side. It wasn’t until Queen Ygriet herself spoke to Kindling, that she agreed. Saevi and her team quickly got back to work. The dragon sped up the process so much, the builder’s were struggling to keep up. New districts were popping up as fast as the builders could build them. The last buildings to be finished was the new Royal Palace, Hearth, and Kindling’s pen. Both sat in the middle of the city, on the opposite sides of the river. Considered to be the most important buildings and the most beautiful, they truly were the crown jewels of the city. With Saevi’s plan being finished, the city erupted in celebrations. She was rewarded with a key to the city in a prestigious ceremony. She would continue to work in city planning until her retirement, ensuring her vision for the city was executed properly. Her house with her family’s paw prints still stand today. Kindling the dragon served the Kingdom of Kindling as a protector, an icon and an occasional helper for the forge masters until her death. A city born of fire, risen from the ashes.