The Princess's Feathers

On an obnoxiously sunny day in the Royal Gardens of Ellyntide, the main characters of The Princess’s Feathers were lined in a row upon the broad, grassy lawn where events were held. Three Lithans, a conspiracy of Lemurs, and one handsomely-dressed Rabbit. This was not at all a strange occurrence, for the events taking place that day were strictly non-canonical. The reason for this impromptu gathering, however, couldn’t be more important.

“98% of Lemur species are threatened with extinction, and 31% are critically endangered,” Queen Kelani spoke into a hand-held microphone, her voice projecting across the crowd of Ellyntidians gathered at the palace. “In the miserable Human world, today is celebrated as World Lemur Day. A day to raise awareness of the most endangered mammals in existence.”

As the Queen spoke, Prince Sofl grew noticeably concerned. “So, we’re endangered in the Human world?”

“It’s worse than that,” Duncan explained. “Without significant intervention, many species of Lemuridae could go extinct in the next 20 years.”

“The situation is quite dire,” Kelani confessed.

The young Prince shivered in fear. He grabbed his tail from behind his back and muttered, “That’s terrifying. I hope never to visit such a dreadful place.”

“Honestly,” Nakino said, shuffling his wings. “That’s genuinely awful. It almost makes me feel bad for preying on our delicious Jadian Lemurs.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Calypso grinned, tipping his cap as he gazed skyward at the black Lithan towering above him. “There’s still plenty of us Jade Lemurs around. It’s the Human world that needs help.”

“Bristlebody’s right,” Asha chimed. The Dragoness was lying in the grass next to the Queen. “But Mother, what can we do to help those filthy, hairless apes raise awareness?”

Kelani smiled wistfully. As she stared into her daughter’s draconic eyes, she briefly contemplated resting her hand against Asha’s feathery muzzle before ultimately deciding that one line of self-indulgent fanservice was enough. “I find the best way to bring awareness to Lemurs is to simply talk about how cool they are. Did you know that Lemurs live in matriarchal societies?”

Kuro raised an eyebrow. “Matri-what?”

“Oh, you know,” Asha smirked. “A society where positions of authority are primarily held by women. Kinda like Ellyntide and Sarlain.”

“Really?” Kuro squawked. “That’s a thing!?”

As a cloud of soot-plumaged feathers drifted onto diminutive-sized main characters, Kelani gestured her arms wide in such a way as to indicate, ‘Um, do you know who I am?’

Kuro reeled in pleasant surprise. “That’s… incredible. That sounds really nice. I wish we had that in the flock.”

“Why don't you become a Lemur and join us?” A coy little smile curled across Princess Lucy’s muzzle as she spoke.

Kuro snorted. She lowered her head to Lucy’s level, feeling disappointed when she didn’t detect her fear-scent. “I’ll stick to helping the Lemurs in the Human world. Thanks.”

A murmur rose from the crowd as the Princess of Sarlain stared down the huntress from the Snowfell Flock. Hoping to recapture their attention, Asha raised her voice and asked, “So, Mother. What’s the best way we can help the Lemurs in Madagascar?”

Kelani drew the microphone close to her muzzle. “Open your hearts to Lemur conservation by opening your wallets! Check the links in the author’s note to find out which organizations you can send your hard-earned fiat currency to. You can also purchase some swag merch for this year’s World Lemur Day. What better way to spread awareness of Lemurs than by covering your disgusting, hairless body with depictions of beautiful, majestic Lemurs? You have to wear something, so it might as well be a Lemur!”

The main characters nodded, convinced that Lemur Conversation was seriously cool and worth considering.

“And… there!” Nakino said, his voice accentuated by a metallic ‘ding!’ emanating from his cell phone. “I just donated $50 to the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. I’m doing my part to help Lemurs!”

ROARRR!!!

At that moment, a Dragon’s cry split the air like the wail of singing Indri. Everyone present gazed skyward to see a Lithan, clad in a brilliant silver plumage, circling in the thermals above Varecia.

“One of your friends?” Calpyso guessed, gazing past the Kin healer.

“I’ve never seen that Kin before in my life,” Nakino rumbled. “Asha, do you know who that is?”

The Princess shook her head. It seemed nobody knew who this mysterious Silver dragon was. Slowly, they circled down from the sky until they were at the same level as the great Elder Tree. They circled around the back side to reach a soft landing in the grass just before the assemblage of main characters. With their potent noses, the Lithans could instantly detect this outsider was a drakon, though not like any drakon they’d ever witnessed before. As a glimmer of light reflected off his strange, golden headpiece, he smiled and folded his wings tight, beginning a slow canter across the grass. Virescent eyes focused squarely on the one he flew so far to meet.

“Nakino,” The drakon called to the healer in a warm voice brimming with confidence. “Meu querido gavião negro. Injustiçado porém não esquecido, pois seu coração é meu!”

Nakino ruffled into a black ball of fluff. The others could swear they saw him blushing beneath his feathers. Who was this dashing, confident drakon? Where did he come from, and why was he interested in Nakino? As the Silver drakon approached, his scent wafted into Nakino’s nostrils; warm and inviting, like the summer day surrounding them. Green and gold eyes locked together, and Nakino found his racing heart began to ease. He felt safe in the Silver drakon’s glow. They needed no words to express their affection for each other.

Something compelled Nakino to close his eyes. He felt conflicted, unwilling to lose sight of the Silver drakon for even a wingbeat. But soon, his restless heart stilled. He closed his eyes, and their muzzles locked together in ecstasy.

They made out.

Watching this wholesome scene from afar, Asha sat in pointed shock. “What… just happened here?”

“Something utterly non-canonical,” Lucy grumbled, flicking her tail.

“It’s more than that,” Kelani smiled. “Good things happen to those who donate to Lemur conservation.”

With that, the meeting in the garden concluded, and the main characters returned to their respective roles in the story, all the more happy for donating their money to a worthy cause. Nakino and the Silver dragon lived happily ever after in Felra, dutifully donating plenty more money to Lumur conversation.