Stone of Summer stood with the hatchling Tedii-lyca Plaeras sitting between his hooves, waiting somewhat impatiently for Golden of Autumn to join them. Tedii-lyca was looking around with an air of bored interest-- if there was such a thing-- and he had the distinct impression that she was less than impressed with her current surroundings.

Well, neither was he. The sooner he got out of the sythyn-made warren and out under the sunlight, the happier he'd be. Stone and earth it might have been-- and it molded itself to his hooves as comfortably as it could-- but it was still terribly hemmed in. The problem was, he had a sinking feeling that Tedii-lyca was going to be even less impressed with that. The hatchling might have been interesting to look at-- Frisk thought she was quite pretty, in fact-- and in her ability to eat stone, but she was also... well... not interesting, not to Stone of Summer. She wasn't the sort who would go rock-hunting with him, nor was she the sort to help him lead his Dynce. She wasn't really even the sort he'd want to be friends with.

All in all, Stone of Summer was quite unhappy with the outcome of the hatching. He had his offering for Kaz, and he might well even win his leadership with her, but he'd really been hoping for... well, a friend. Perhaps it had been stupid of him, but he'd half-convinced himself that someone who ate stone would share his love of earth, and half-convinced himself that he needed a friend. After all, he'd alienated Golden of Autumn, and cute as Frisk was, and quietly friendly as Dark was, they weren't exactly friends.

Well, it was his own fault. He'd lost his temper, and now was left to live with the results.

"Where is Golden?" Frisk of Spring fretted, pawing at the stone floor unhappily. She didn't like being separated, no more than she liked being underground.

Golden of Autumn had disappeared, but not to the clutches at Star City like Stone of Summer had expected. He really wasn't sure where she'd gone, at all, to be honest, but Dark of Winter had assured him she could return just fine at the appointed time without the rest of them worrying about her. She had the same charm the rest of them did, after all.

"If she takes too much longer," Kaz grumped, lounging on a large couch across the room and looking impatient, "I'll just declare you the winner by default."

"That wouldn't be fair," Frisk protested.

"Losing for not coming back in time is perfectly fair," Kaz sniffed.

"What kind of game are you talking about?" Tedii-lyca asked, looking interested for the first time. "What would you win?"

"Never you mind," Dark told her gently. They had all decided it might be kinder not to explain the rules of the contest to Tedii-lyca, lest she think she was somehow worth less if Stone of Summer lost-- or worth more if he won, which could be almost as bad. "It has to do with leading our Dynce."

"Oh." That seemed to kill Tedii-lyca's interest; the politics of wynds probably wasn't "good enough" for the likes of her.

The portal-platform started to hum, and all eyes in the room-- even the hatchling's-- went right to it. A moment later, the humming coalesced into a light, much like the light Stone of Summer recalled from their own departure and return, which then coalesced into Golden of Autumn. It took a moment to get past relief, hope, and then despair at seeing her again to realize she was alone.

"No tagalong, Golden?" Kaz asked dryly.

"I have this," Golden of Autumn snapped back, looking both annoyed and pleased with herself, and hopped down from the platform with a clatter of hooves, revealing that she did, at least, have something.

There was a yellow, red, and black... thing, on her back, supported and held in place by her wings. It looked like a... vase, or pot, or something, and it looked heavy.

"And what is 'that'?" Kaz drawled annoyedly.

"Seeds for a vinus," Golden said proudly. "It'll sprout soon."

"What's a vinus?" Frisk asked, confused.

"A dragon that grows like a plant," Golden explained, chin held high. "Maybe even more than one."

"A plant dragon," Kaz repeated with what sounded like disgust. "Which is, right now, just a pot."

"Give it a day or two, and it'll be as interesting as anybody could want!" Golden replied hotly.

"I'm done waiting," Kaz snapped back. "Stone of Summer, you're the Lord. Now get that pot-thing out of here."

Golden of Autumn stared at Kaz with her mouth open, but then her expression turned ugly, and Stone of Summer's brief surge of elation turned into dismay. "Fine, then," Golden said, and trotted out with her tail and head held stiffly high and the pot still balanced precariously on her back.

"The rest of you, too," Kaz suggested pointedly. "Out."

Frisk hurried outside, but Stone of Summer paced out unhappily, wishing Golden had accepted Kaz's ruling. What was the point of coming to a supposedly impartial judge if she was going to still be angry?

"I wonder if plant dragons are popular," Tedii-lyca mused, walking beside him and looking thoughtfully after Golden of Autumn.

"They're brand new," Stone of Summer snorted at her. "They haven't even been born yet. They haven't had time to be popular yet."

"Well, that's boring," the hatchling grumped. "Is there anything trendy around here?"

Stone of Summer shrugged. "Jracini seem pretty popular, I guess." Anything to get rid of her, right now; he didn't want to deal with her, not when he wanted to kick something and she was too handily-sized for a good kick.

The hatchling's eyes lit up. "Oooo, I'll go look into them, then!"

She bounded off, and Dark of Winter, who had hung back with Stone of Summer, called warningly after her, "Make sure you ask about the Four Seasons Dynce to find us again!"

"Okay!" Tedii-lyca called over her shoulder, then was gone. Good riddance.

"Stone," Dark said gently. "Are you really happy being the Lord?"

Stone flicked his tail at her irritably, a cloud of dust pluming around in front of him in answer to his mood, and didn't answer. He would have been happy with it if Golden listened to him and didn't mind him disappearing now and then to look for interesting rocks or practice his magic. But she didn't, and she did, so he couldn't enjoy the power or respect of leadership.

"Think about it," Dark suggested, and trotted off after Frisk.

The next day, Stone of Summer found Golden's pot, cracked from what might have been a kick, or perhaps just a hard drop, at the edge of their Dynce's territory. It was lying on its side in the sun, and some of the dirt had spilled out. He frowned at it a moment, then, because he couldn't think of anything else to do, directed the dirt back inside and, with the help of some obedient boulders and careful nudges with hooves and horn, got it righted, mostly mended, and moved to a better spot, where it could get sunlight, shade, and water. It wasn't exactly inside his Dynce's territory, where he put it, but maybe some of the other wynds nearby would be glad of it.

Even if Golden was angry, he figured, the plant dragon seeds inside ought to have the chance to grow, after all.

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