Abyss

Abyss is one of the oldest dragons in the Clan. He was born in the Ashfall Wastes, but his interest in scrolls and language led him to the Sunbeam ruins. He spent two dozen years wandering from Clan to Clan, seeing what the Light dragons had to offer. He was indifferent to the life of a lone scholar, but when he infrequently tried to join a Clan, his efforts were always met with failure.

Oh, the leaders were always happy to have him at first - a wise Imperial, fluent in Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit, able to translate texts from almost any language imaginable! They plied him with scrolls and asked him to examine ancient carvings to determine their origin. Shy but pleased, Abyss always did his utmost to serve the Clan. However, soon enough the leaders began to ask him to write a history of their Clan, or an analysis of a philosophical text, or something of the sort. Soon enough, Abyss' lack of skill in writing was made apparent. Although he did his utmost, he was a poor historian and an awful writer. Within a year, seeing that he was no longer useful to the Clan and unwilling to expend resources on him anymore, Clan leaders handed him a sack of provisions and ushered him out of the territory.

Abyss had an old-fashioned notion that Imperial dragons, being the largest and most majestic breed, were never supposed to lose their temper or betray negative emotion. Discouraged but valiantly refusing to give up, he continued to the next Clan. He found that he had the most success with young Clans who still had enough den-space to keep even a 'useless' dragon, so he frequented those the most. That was how he found the Whiteblood Clan.

Sanctuary did not expect all her dragons to be master scholars. When she eventually realised that Abyss excelled only in transcription and translation, she left him alone with all the scrolls he needed. After all, a learned dragon is always valuable, even if he is no good at transferring his knowledge. Grateful and humble, Abyss thanked her by promising his eternal loyalty to the Whiteblood Clan. He applied his knowledge to translate myths and classics for the hatchlings. His efforts were rewarded when the younger dragons began to come to him in need of advice, both educational and personal; if Abyss didn't know, his scrolls certainly did.

The only young dragon who does not come to him for advice is London. Instead, she comes to play. She coaxes Abyss out of his den to go swimming with her, to play chess, to guess riddles and explore cave systems - anything to make him pay attention to her. Bewildered at first, then angry, Abyss tried to bully her into leaving him alone - evoking only her laughter, as his fighting skills are more lamentable than his writing ones. Then he tried to ignore her, but he had to relent when her shenanigans nearly drove him insane. At last, he settled into resigned acceptance.

Delighted at his new attitude, London tried to go a step further and take him as her mate. He refused emphatically, passionately - enough to scare her away for several months. When she returned, they wordlessly agreed to drop the topic. But London has not stopped wondering - why so much emotion from an Imperial who prided himself on his endless patience?