Needed a place to put the bio of a dragon I'm gonna exalt and accidentally had story for. I figured I might as well share it! So here we go. I'll probably update it from time to time, idk.
His journey began soon after he was hatched--very soon. The clan of the Veldfire Furnace had decided that he was to travel almost before he was out of the shell. Many hatchlings had made the journey to the marketplace, to find a new home with a clan or a deity. It was an honor, he was told, but he was very nervous.
His Mirror mother carried him and his siblings to the marketplace on her back. Faes all, they clung to her strong shoulders as she ran tirelessly and instructed them in the important matters of life. By the time they arrived, it was afternoon, and he had learned to say please and thank you when he wanted something, to check any unknown territory thoroughly for Beastclan activity before settling there, and to always pay respect to the deities.
The market was crowded and noisy. Many other dragons were there, a profusion of colors and sizes he could never have dreamed of. Some were hatchlings like himself. Others were adults, striking out on their own. A few were experienced fighters, looking to sell their services to a clan or a deity for a hefty fee. They paraded up and down intimidatingly, boasting of the battles they had been in and the skills they had learned. He shrank back against his mother, even as she tried to push him forward to show him to best advantage.
"Don't fret, my dear. Nobody here will harm you. And stop fidgeting." But it was difficult not to, and she had to gently shove him out from under her wing several times.
Luckily, it did not take long before someone showed interest in him.
"Aha!" came a trilling voice and he looked up from chewing on his toes to see a brilliantly blue Mirror dragon looking at him inquisitively. "Aren't you a lovely thing."
He sat up, pleased at being called lovely. He had not thought of himself as anything special; many of the other dragons here had rarer genes or more interesting colors than he did. But here was someone delighted to see him. Perhaps it was because she was blue all over, like him. "Am I really pretty?" he asked, preening a little.
"Of course you are, little one! Your colors complement so nicely. And your eye spots are perfect!" He flushed a little and spread his wings out, showing them off, and the Mirror smiled and leaned in closer to look him in the eyes with all four of hers. "I can see there is fire in your eyes and in your soul. How would you like to become a warrior?"
"M-me?" he squeaked. Him, a warrior, a fighter? Like one of the veterans who commanded a high price and so much respect? His eyes bulged with excitement as he considered the possibility for the very first time. "Can I?"
"You can, and you shall. Come, little one, I will pay your adoption fee and we will go."
His mother was pleased. She nuzzled him one last time as the Mirror counted out the treasure from the satchels strapped to her side. "Mother, will I see you again?"
"Perhaps. You are going to a Wind clan, they are known for traveling. Someday they may travel past the Veldfire." His mother took the pouch of coins and purred to the other Mirror.
"Come, little one!" the Mirror said. "The adventure begins. Now, what is your name?"
He hesitated and turned back to his mother. "Mother, what is my name?"
"You do not have one yet. It is for your clan to decide. I know it will be good, though." She smiled fondly, and the other Mirror purred thoughtfully.
"Your wings put me in mind of a beautiful butterfly that travels past our lair. Blue they are, and strong of spirit. Morpho. That is what they are called, and that will be your name. Mine is Twitter. Are you ready to begin your journey?"
Morpho swelled with pride as he climbed onto Twitter's shoulders and they set off for the Windswept Plateau. He had a name, and he was going to become a warrior! Maybe he would become the greatest warrior ever known to dragonkind!
...
His ambition to be the greatest warrior ever was swiftly crushed once he met Jetfire. The Guardian was truly enormous, larger than he had thought possible for a dragon to be, and covered in armor and battle scars. Morpho squealed in terror and tried to hide in Twitter's satchel, but she laughed and gently pulled him back out and held him up for inspection.
"Be at peace, Morpho," she said kindly. "Jetfire protects this clan, he will not harm you. He only wants to meet you."
"He's huge!" Morpho whimpered, squirming in her grasp and flaring his crests in alarm as Jetfire leaned in close and sniffed him. "He's gonna eat meeeee!"
"I do not eat children," grumbled Jetfire. "Or anyone else, for that matter. This is the new mage? He's a small one. I thought you wanted to find another Skydancer."
"He is indeed. Size matters not, only spirit. He has a fiery soul; he will do as well as any Skydancer," was Twitter's reply, and Morpho preened a little at her words.
Jetfire had the grace to look abashed. "Of course, of course... welcome, Morpho. You will be safe here as long as it is in my power to make it so. Ho! Gwaihir!" he called to a Mirror who was approaching. "We have a new member."
Gwaihir came up and regarded Morpho with cool disinterest from behind his bird-skull headdress. It was eerie not being able to see his face, just his cold Ice eyes shining beneath the mask.
"Hm. At least he's blue," he said after a moment, and walked away again. Morpho frowned.
"Don't worry about Gwaihir, he doesn't like anyone," Twitter explained. "Come, I will show you where you will sleep."
The lair was bright and airy all the way back. There was so much extra space. Morpho wondered what it was all for as they passed several dozen dragons. Most were preoccupied with various tasks, but some gave him a curious glance as they went past. A few waved cheerfully.
"Here we are!" Twitter announced as they came to a large alcove near the back of the lair. A Fire emblem was painted on the wall with glowing magic, and three Skydancers with Fire eyes lounged on pillows next to it, chatting with each other. They all turned to stare attentively as Twitter and Morpho arrived. "Morpho, this is the Breezy Butterfly Battalion! Ladies, say hello to your newest member."
The Skydancers came over and crowded around him. Somewhat embarrassingly, they cooed over how cute he was and assured him he would grow up to be a great big adult fae in no time. Morpho was not sure how to respond, so he just smiled and ducked his head under his wing--upon which they immediately complimented his eye spots.
He settled in quickly to life at Clan Peregrination. The Skydancers went out of their way to make him feel welcome and toasted his food with Fire magic. They also tried to include him in their conversations, but these mostly consisted of gossiping about other members of the clan, which bored Morpho to tears. Luckily, there were also plenty of hatchlings around to play with, and he spent the better part of a week running around, climbing on Guardians, and playing hide and seek.
There were also other Faes in the lair. Some were standoffish, but he managed to get on Gigantor's good side by complimenting his shimmery wings. The Shadow Fae grinned, said "Yeah, they're pretty great," and patted him on the head.
He was intimidated by Gigantor's mate, a stunningly pretty Skydancer with gold-painted wings and a Fire emblem on her brow who appraised him with an expert eye as she tried to engage him in conversatoon. The Battalion had been her idea, and it was clear she wanted it to succeed. This only made Morpho nervous. The clan clearly favored Skydancers for magic; what if that was because they were better at it than him? What if he failed? Would he be punished? Baltimore spoke of neither failure nor punishment, but the wrath of Fire dragons was infamous. He was glad when she lost interest and left.
On the morning marking his first week, Morpho made his first flight. It was sort of an accident really, he had jumped off a ledge intending to land on Jetfire and had to flap his wings madly to keep from crashing on the ground when the Guardian moved away unexpectedly. It was a delicate, fluttery and short flight, but it was his first, and it marked him as an adult.
Arthemis, the oldest (and, he privately felt, the bossiest) of the Battalion, collected him and sat him down before he could escape, and taught him how to meditate.
"Sit still!" she commanded him, and he settled onto his oversized pillow and tried to concentrate. The Battalion often meditated together, but it had not interested him. They were just sitting around with their eyes closed, humming to each other. Boring. But he was grown up now, and it was time to learn about boring things like cooldowns and wing care and meditating.
"Close your eyes and focus on the magical energies around you," Arthemis instructed. "Relax and let the magic flow through you."
Morpho was none too sure he wanted magic flowing through him, but he dutifully shut his eyes. Focusing was harder. When he tried to concentrate, he became aware of background noises and faint smells in the lair instead of magical energy. There was a slow steady drip of water somewhere close by, and the rustling of a familiar moving around in the next alcove over. And also there was heat coming from somewhere around. It was faint, but distinct. How odd. Somehow he'd never noticed it before. He turned his head left and right, trying to locate the source. When warmth fell evenly on all his crests, he opened his eyes.
He was staring at the Fire rune on the wall.
Morpho felt ridiculous. Of course it was going to give off heat. It was made of pure distilled Fire magic, even more real in its way than an actual flame. It flickered and flared like a real flame too, and it was pleasing to watch. Morpho felt his eyes glaze over with contentment as he stared at it, hypnotized by the glow.
Gradually he realized he could feel the rune, not just the heat but the pull and flow of the magic that powered it. It called to him, like to like, hot and glorious. He craned his long neck closer to the burning emblem, breathed in its heat, and--
--sneezed a few sparks.
Morpho abruptly came out of his trance, embarrassed. One of the Skydancers giggled, and Arthemis glared at the offender.
"That was good!" she said encouragingly. "You learned how to get in touch with your element and harness its power. With practice you can learn to identify the magic in all the elements, read a dragon's aura, use your elemental abilities in battle, and much more. For now we will practice meditation again. Focus on the emblem."
Morpho suppressed a sigh. This was going to take him a while.
Surprisingly, it only took him a few hours to master meditation to Arthemis and Twitter's satisfaction. Once he knew how to focus on magic, it was easy to tune in to the energies around him and tap into them. His first expedition to the Kelp Beds was swiftly organized. Morpho tried not to squirm as one of the clan's Water dragons cast a spell that would allow him to breathe underwater. Then, after a quick meal to make sure he was at full fighting strength, he hopped onto Jetfire's shoulder and they took off for Starwind Bay, with Gwaihir close behind.
It was a short flight to the bay, which looked out to sea. Far in the distance, the huge pink crystals of Arcane's land could be seen to the north, and a few stray ice floes to the south marked the beginning of Ice territory. The rest was ocean, vast and inscrutable. Jetfire turned to Morpho.
"Stick close," he said. "It's dangerous down there. Marens and octoflyers and abyss strikers--and Mantarunes, of course. Gwaihir and I will do the fighting, you just keep out of the way and watch. You'll get the hang of it soon enough."
"It's never soon enough," Gwaihir said, yawning and showing his teeth. "Soon, maybe, but what a pain in the--"
"Enough," Jetfire interrupted him. "You are not to discourage the younglings."
"Sure," Gwaihir muttered. "Let's go."
Morpho clutched tight to Jetifre's shoulder armor as they plunged into the sea. Maybe battle wouldn't be that bad.
TO BE CONTINUED...
His journey began soon after he was hatched--very soon. The clan of the Veldfire Furnace had decided that he was to travel almost before he was out of the shell. Many hatchlings had made the journey to the marketplace, to find a new home with a clan or a deity. It was an honor, he was told, but he was very nervous.
His Mirror mother carried him and his siblings to the marketplace on her back. Faes all, they clung to her strong shoulders as she ran tirelessly and instructed them in the important matters of life. By the time they arrived, it was afternoon, and he had learned to say please and thank you when he wanted something, to check any unknown territory thoroughly for Beastclan activity before settling there, and to always pay respect to the deities.
The market was crowded and noisy. Many other dragons were there, a profusion of colors and sizes he could never have dreamed of. Some were hatchlings like himself. Others were adults, striking out on their own. A few were experienced fighters, looking to sell their services to a clan or a deity for a hefty fee. They paraded up and down intimidatingly, boasting of the battles they had been in and the skills they had learned. He shrank back against his mother, even as she tried to push him forward to show him to best advantage.
"Don't fret, my dear. Nobody here will harm you. And stop fidgeting." But it was difficult not to, and she had to gently shove him out from under her wing several times.
Luckily, it did not take long before someone showed interest in him.
"Aha!" came a trilling voice and he looked up from chewing on his toes to see a brilliantly blue Mirror dragon looking at him inquisitively. "Aren't you a lovely thing."
He sat up, pleased at being called lovely. He had not thought of himself as anything special; many of the other dragons here had rarer genes or more interesting colors than he did. But here was someone delighted to see him. Perhaps it was because she was blue all over, like him. "Am I really pretty?" he asked, preening a little.
"Of course you are, little one! Your colors complement so nicely. And your eye spots are perfect!" He flushed a little and spread his wings out, showing them off, and the Mirror smiled and leaned in closer to look him in the eyes with all four of hers. "I can see there is fire in your eyes and in your soul. How would you like to become a warrior?"
"M-me?" he squeaked. Him, a warrior, a fighter? Like one of the veterans who commanded a high price and so much respect? His eyes bulged with excitement as he considered the possibility for the very first time. "Can I?"
"You can, and you shall. Come, little one, I will pay your adoption fee and we will go."
His mother was pleased. She nuzzled him one last time as the Mirror counted out the treasure from the satchels strapped to her side. "Mother, will I see you again?"
"Perhaps. You are going to a Wind clan, they are known for traveling. Someday they may travel past the Veldfire." His mother took the pouch of coins and purred to the other Mirror.
"Come, little one!" the Mirror said. "The adventure begins. Now, what is your name?"
He hesitated and turned back to his mother. "Mother, what is my name?"
"You do not have one yet. It is for your clan to decide. I know it will be good, though." She smiled fondly, and the other Mirror purred thoughtfully.
"Your wings put me in mind of a beautiful butterfly that travels past our lair. Blue they are, and strong of spirit. Morpho. That is what they are called, and that will be your name. Mine is Twitter. Are you ready to begin your journey?"
Morpho swelled with pride as he climbed onto Twitter's shoulders and they set off for the Windswept Plateau. He had a name, and he was going to become a warrior! Maybe he would become the greatest warrior ever known to dragonkind!
...
His ambition to be the greatest warrior ever was swiftly crushed once he met Jetfire. The Guardian was truly enormous, larger than he had thought possible for a dragon to be, and covered in armor and battle scars. Morpho squealed in terror and tried to hide in Twitter's satchel, but she laughed and gently pulled him back out and held him up for inspection.
"Be at peace, Morpho," she said kindly. "Jetfire protects this clan, he will not harm you. He only wants to meet you."
"He's huge!" Morpho whimpered, squirming in her grasp and flaring his crests in alarm as Jetfire leaned in close and sniffed him. "He's gonna eat meeeee!"
"I do not eat children," grumbled Jetfire. "Or anyone else, for that matter. This is the new mage? He's a small one. I thought you wanted to find another Skydancer."
"He is indeed. Size matters not, only spirit. He has a fiery soul; he will do as well as any Skydancer," was Twitter's reply, and Morpho preened a little at her words.
Jetfire had the grace to look abashed. "Of course, of course... welcome, Morpho. You will be safe here as long as it is in my power to make it so. Ho! Gwaihir!" he called to a Mirror who was approaching. "We have a new member."
Gwaihir came up and regarded Morpho with cool disinterest from behind his bird-skull headdress. It was eerie not being able to see his face, just his cold Ice eyes shining beneath the mask.
"Hm. At least he's blue," he said after a moment, and walked away again. Morpho frowned.
"Don't worry about Gwaihir, he doesn't like anyone," Twitter explained. "Come, I will show you where you will sleep."
The lair was bright and airy all the way back. There was so much extra space. Morpho wondered what it was all for as they passed several dozen dragons. Most were preoccupied with various tasks, but some gave him a curious glance as they went past. A few waved cheerfully.
"Here we are!" Twitter announced as they came to a large alcove near the back of the lair. A Fire emblem was painted on the wall with glowing magic, and three Skydancers with Fire eyes lounged on pillows next to it, chatting with each other. They all turned to stare attentively as Twitter and Morpho arrived. "Morpho, this is the Breezy Butterfly Battalion! Ladies, say hello to your newest member."
The Skydancers came over and crowded around him. Somewhat embarrassingly, they cooed over how cute he was and assured him he would grow up to be a great big adult fae in no time. Morpho was not sure how to respond, so he just smiled and ducked his head under his wing--upon which they immediately complimented his eye spots.
He settled in quickly to life at Clan Peregrination. The Skydancers went out of their way to make him feel welcome and toasted his food with Fire magic. They also tried to include him in their conversations, but these mostly consisted of gossiping about other members of the clan, which bored Morpho to tears. Luckily, there were also plenty of hatchlings around to play with, and he spent the better part of a week running around, climbing on Guardians, and playing hide and seek.
There were also other Faes in the lair. Some were standoffish, but he managed to get on Gigantor's good side by complimenting his shimmery wings. The Shadow Fae grinned, said "Yeah, they're pretty great," and patted him on the head.
He was intimidated by Gigantor's mate, a stunningly pretty Skydancer with gold-painted wings and a Fire emblem on her brow who appraised him with an expert eye as she tried to engage him in conversatoon. The Battalion had been her idea, and it was clear she wanted it to succeed. This only made Morpho nervous. The clan clearly favored Skydancers for magic; what if that was because they were better at it than him? What if he failed? Would he be punished? Baltimore spoke of neither failure nor punishment, but the wrath of Fire dragons was infamous. He was glad when she lost interest and left.
On the morning marking his first week, Morpho made his first flight. It was sort of an accident really, he had jumped off a ledge intending to land on Jetfire and had to flap his wings madly to keep from crashing on the ground when the Guardian moved away unexpectedly. It was a delicate, fluttery and short flight, but it was his first, and it marked him as an adult.
Arthemis, the oldest (and, he privately felt, the bossiest) of the Battalion, collected him and sat him down before he could escape, and taught him how to meditate.
"Sit still!" she commanded him, and he settled onto his oversized pillow and tried to concentrate. The Battalion often meditated together, but it had not interested him. They were just sitting around with their eyes closed, humming to each other. Boring. But he was grown up now, and it was time to learn about boring things like cooldowns and wing care and meditating.
"Close your eyes and focus on the magical energies around you," Arthemis instructed. "Relax and let the magic flow through you."
Morpho was none too sure he wanted magic flowing through him, but he dutifully shut his eyes. Focusing was harder. When he tried to concentrate, he became aware of background noises and faint smells in the lair instead of magical energy. There was a slow steady drip of water somewhere close by, and the rustling of a familiar moving around in the next alcove over. And also there was heat coming from somewhere around. It was faint, but distinct. How odd. Somehow he'd never noticed it before. He turned his head left and right, trying to locate the source. When warmth fell evenly on all his crests, he opened his eyes.
He was staring at the Fire rune on the wall.
Morpho felt ridiculous. Of course it was going to give off heat. It was made of pure distilled Fire magic, even more real in its way than an actual flame. It flickered and flared like a real flame too, and it was pleasing to watch. Morpho felt his eyes glaze over with contentment as he stared at it, hypnotized by the glow.
Gradually he realized he could feel the rune, not just the heat but the pull and flow of the magic that powered it. It called to him, like to like, hot and glorious. He craned his long neck closer to the burning emblem, breathed in its heat, and--
--sneezed a few sparks.
Morpho abruptly came out of his trance, embarrassed. One of the Skydancers giggled, and Arthemis glared at the offender.
"That was good!" she said encouragingly. "You learned how to get in touch with your element and harness its power. With practice you can learn to identify the magic in all the elements, read a dragon's aura, use your elemental abilities in battle, and much more. For now we will practice meditation again. Focus on the emblem."
Morpho suppressed a sigh. This was going to take him a while.
Surprisingly, it only took him a few hours to master meditation to Arthemis and Twitter's satisfaction. Once he knew how to focus on magic, it was easy to tune in to the energies around him and tap into them. His first expedition to the Kelp Beds was swiftly organized. Morpho tried not to squirm as one of the clan's Water dragons cast a spell that would allow him to breathe underwater. Then, after a quick meal to make sure he was at full fighting strength, he hopped onto Jetfire's shoulder and they took off for Starwind Bay, with Gwaihir close behind.
It was a short flight to the bay, which looked out to sea. Far in the distance, the huge pink crystals of Arcane's land could be seen to the north, and a few stray ice floes to the south marked the beginning of Ice territory. The rest was ocean, vast and inscrutable. Jetfire turned to Morpho.
"Stick close," he said. "It's dangerous down there. Marens and octoflyers and abyss strikers--and Mantarunes, of course. Gwaihir and I will do the fighting, you just keep out of the way and watch. You'll get the hang of it soon enough."
"It's never soon enough," Gwaihir said, yawning and showing his teeth. "Soon, maybe, but what a pain in the--"
"Enough," Jetfire interrupted him. "You are not to discourage the younglings."
"Sure," Gwaihir muttered. "Let's go."
Morpho clutched tight to Jetifre's shoulder armor as they plunged into the sea. Maybe battle wouldn't be that bad.
TO BE CONTINUED...
