Talons of Power ceremony

(Not to be confused with the Talons of Power Organization or the book, Talons of Power.)

The Talons of Power Ceremony is the ceremony/test by which all two year old SeaWing dragonets are tested to see whether or not they have the animus gene.

History

Pre-Series

After being bullied by his elder sister, Sapphire, Prince Albatross discovered his magical abilities by accidentally commanding a shell to bite Sapphire's claws off, leading to the loss of a potential candidate for the SeaWing throne, as the princess was no longer capable of performing queenly duties (such as fighting) without her claws. To prevent any other such catastrophic event and to better make use of animus magic, a "ceremony" was devised in which dragonets would attempt to enchant something simple (generally a coconut, as seen in both examples of the event) to see if they had the animus gene.

Darkstalker (Legends)

Prince Fathom, when he was a dragonet, took the test with his sister Pearl, Indigo, and five other SeaWing dragonets who'd all turned two within the last few months. During the Talons of Power ceremony, they were asked to command their allotted coconut to hit Albatross, who was overseeing the test along with his sister, Queen Lagoon. During the test, Fathom's animus powers were revealed, to the delight of his grandfather.

Talons of Power

In a flashback, Prince Turtle was revealed to have skipped the ceremonies for two years until he was four years old. He did not want to show he had animus powers and instead enchanted Princess Anemone, who Queen Coral insisted to be able to take the test, to have "artificial" animus powers. Turtle then enchanted his coconut to act like normal and boring, and succeeded when Moray pointed at Anemone's coconut, which was floating in the air. Coral ends the ceremony until then and Whirlpool reluctantly cancels the rest of the ceremony.

Procedures

When Fathom took the test, the task they were supposed to do was to hit Albatross (the main animus at the time) with a coconut. However, when Turtle took the ceremony, the test was to raise the coconut in the air.

Politics

Unlike the well-planned giftings of the IceWing animus dragons, SeaWing animi are encouraged to use their power however their queen might please, no matter the state of their soul. Because of this, their ability is often abused, as seen in the case of Albatross and Anemone. 

Recent Uses

The Talons of Power ceremony now takes place only once a year and is currently overseen by Queen Coral. All of the SeaWing dragonets that turned two that year are taken to the Island Palace and provided with a coconut, though it isn't known what variety of spell they're supposed to attempt to cast upon it. The year that King Gill was captured by Scarlet, the ceremony was canceled.

Known Contenders

• Fathom
• Pearl
• Indigo
• Pike
• Anemone
• Turtle
• Cerulean
• Octopus