Eldan

Though he was hatched in the isles of the Starwood Strand, Eldan spent most of his childhood days frolicking in the grassy fields of the Windswept Plateau. A kind but curious soul, Eldan always found himself in some trouble or another. Sometimes, he'd go exploring in the twisted caves that made up the territory his parents had lain claim to, and would wind up trespassing in his clanmates' homes. Other times, he'd wander off to explore the Zephyr Steppes, and would come home covered in scrapes and bruises – thanks to the creatures there.

As he got older, Eldan's curiosity mellowed out, and he began to see things from the perspective of a future ruler. His parents were leaders of a mighty clan, able to keep hundreds of other dragons from infighting. His mother, especially, was good with numbers, and spent a good deal of time managing clan resources; she always stressed the importance of her work to her son. Eldan took her advice to heart, and, by the time Eldan's coming-of-age ceremony came, he had taken over the brunt of her work.

Life was peaceful in the Windsinger's domain. Eldan often found himself immersed in ancient texts to pass the time, as it was unfitting of a future ruler to continue gallivanting around the countryside as he had. However, a time eventually came when conflict arose between his clan and the arcane dragons with whom his family had been friends for ages. In a simple squabble over food during a particularly long winter, the two clans clashed violently, and Eldan remained faithful to his duty and joined his father on the battlefield. During that battle, Eldan quickly learned that his view of the world had been much too simple, watching as his friends and family gave in to their anger and hatred.

Observant to a fault, Eldan was taken off guard by a skydancer whom he'd once called a friend. As princes of opposing clans, it was their duty to fight for their families, but Eldan refused, seeking a way to end their conflict without further bloodshed. Seeing the opportunity, his former friend lunged, slashing him across his face with razor-sharp claws. Blinded on his right side, Eldan struggled to escape, but was quickly pinned down by his opponent.

That day, Eldan watched his father come to his aid, only to sustain the injury that would be his end. Defeated and desperate, Eldan watched as the enemy clan laid waste to dozens of his friends, his aunts and uncles, and even his younger cousins. Horrified, but too wounded to lift himself from the ground, Eldan was forced to watch as the enemies raided the caves that had been his home, taking every last shred of food for themselves. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the enemy clan's matriarch dragging his own mother's limp body down a rocky cliff.

When finally Eldan woke, he found himself in a tidepool of strange-smelling water. Confused and sore, it took him only moments to remember the bloodshed he'd seen, but he couldn't bring himself to stand just yet; his muscles still ached from the effort of fighting off the enemy dragons, and the wounds on his face stung like nothing he'd ever experienced before. As he struggled over and over to climb to his feet, he was approached by a group of three other dragons – two coatls, like himself, and a fae with wings as bright and unnatural as his own.

The coatl pair introduced themselves as Acacia and Nanan, two traveling apothecaries who had been gathering supplies when they'd had to take cover to avoid the conflict between Eldan's clan and the arcane dragons. The fae introduced herself as Leonora, and told him that she'd not only helped Acacia and Nanan hide, but had tended to Eldan's wounds as soon as the fighting had let up.

Indebted and homeless, with no remainder of his family to chase after, Eldan decided to tag along with Acacia and Nanan once his wounds healed up. During the weeks he lay in the tidepool (full of remedial herbs, the others assured him), he struck up a friendship with Leonora, too, and when the time came for goodbyes, he couldn't help but ask her to join them in their travels.

Unbound by family ties herself, the mysterious Leonora agreed. She asked only that she be allowed to bring along a single egg, her sole responsibility in the world. She never named the true father of the tiny skydancer that hatched weeks later, and Eldan never asked – for little Kousa, with all his scraggly feathers and bright colors, looked exactly like the skydancer who had injured him, the traitor whom he'd once known as a friend. Eldan, despite the sorrow and rage that now lay within his heart, could not bring himself to despise Leonora or the child for the transgressions of the clan from which they had fled.

As the months passed and Kousa grew, so did Eldan's feelings for the strange fae that had saved his life. After some deliberation, he asked Leonora to be his companion for all their remaining years; she said yes, and they were wed within a fortnight. Eldan took on the responsibility of helping raise Kousa, taking comfort in the vibrant green of the child's eyes – as peaceful and warm as the fields he'd called home. Kousa had been given the blessing of the Windsinger; that alone was proof that no malice lay within the child's heart.

As the years passed on, the group happened upon more and more misfit dragons with nowhere to call home. Whether they had lost their families, like Eldan, or hailed from clans they took no pride in, like Leonora, many of them were simply too bright in color to hide very well from wandering predators. Eldan and Leonora were concerned for the safety of the poor souls they crossed, and given how they met in the first place, Eldan couldn't bring himself to leave behind any injured or lonesome dragon. As their numbers grew, so too grew the need for them to find a place to call home – somewhere their bright patterns wouldn't attract unwanted attention.

The Windswept Plateau or Starwood Strand were the most compatible with their needs, but Eldan's sore history with both places was enough that nobody dared mention that. As they wandered through each domain, their plight seemed more and more hopeless. However...