Arethusa

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Arethusa Clan Matriarch The First, Arethusa of the First and Honoured Mother of Clans Her Story Alone, the dragonling watched the skies from her perch on the high peak of a pink crystal spike. A small piece of crystal broke off and fell into the water below her with a loud splash as she moved one of her large claws. A flock of fallout streaks were flying circles not far away from her. She watched them tumble through the air, effortlessly spinning around one another so quickly that even Arethusa's sharp eyes had trouble keeping up with them. She was very far from home, but it had only been a few weeks since she had grown large enough to start her search. The nest she had grown in was a loveless place, her absent-minded parents more concerned with the splash paintings on the cave walls than with Arethusa. The moment she could she put home behind her. Now alone, Arethusa searched for a charge worthy of her protection. Her eyes still fastened on the wheeling streaks, she blinked once, quickly. Her purple wings were relaxed and folded beside her huge crimson body. Suddenly the streaks screamed and began moving frantically and sporadically. No longer graceful or in unison, the birds flapped their wings awkwardly and darted around in unpredictable patterns. The only thing their movements had in common was that they were moving away from something that had them terrified. Arethusa silently watched as a tiny light colored fae, almost too small to see at this distance, dove into the center of the panicked birds. It played with them, chasing one and then suddenly switching to chase another. It snapped at their wings and tail feathers with rattling, playful growls. Then, without warning, a white blast of light shot out from somewhere close to the fae. It became more of a shimmering mist as it travelled through the air. Arethusa watched with interest, the fans behind her head lifting. She had never seen magic before. The shimmer hit the fastest and furthest fallout streak, and it fell from the sky without a sound. The fae gave up the game. It left the dead bird on the ground and the scattered streaks to fly quickly in the other direction. It came towards Arethusa and she lowered her body close to the spike and did not look it in the eye, hoping that it would understand that she was not an aggressor. Somehow, the tiny fae dragons frightened her, a guardian, the largest of dragons. They looked so innocent and cute until you witnessed something like what had just happened. But the fae took no notice of her as it passed, flying above her head. Arethusa stayed where she was, watching the sky change as the day aged. The small prickle of fear that the fae had stirred in her did not dissipate when the dragon left, but instead grew. Arethusa was patient. She would wait, but she felt like she was nothing right now, completely aimless in her quest for worth. She had no direction to head in, no charge, no bond, no mate, and no family. The only thing that she did have was patience. So she waited. The day turned into night and the night stretched out before her, dark and sparkling on the field of crystals. She breathed deeply, not touched by tiredness. Only when beams from the bright sun began bouncing happily between the crystals did she stir. She left her fear in the darkness of the night and shook her wings. She roared in triumph over her self-imposed vigil, and then leapt into the air. Her wings strained for a moment under her weight and then caught, and with a mighty heave she lifted herself up and began to fly.

Bio/lore notes: Arethusa is my custom progen. She is a very hardened character, with a tough exterior but the kind heart of a mother. She found Sarpedon and knew him to be her charge from a very young age, and after both had suffered great tragedies. They suffered more together, trying to raise and keep a young family alive in a hostile world, with violence and war breaking out all over the world. They travelled a lot, and finally found their roots in a labyrinth of caves in the Ashfall Waste, guarding an important (and mysterious) powerful underground artifact. They serve the Flamecaller, training her legions and welcoming many who wish to stay with them. Arethusa is respected by the clan members, and feared by outsiders. She exerts great force of will and holds the final say in all manners of clan government, but attempts to be just and leans on the advice of the Greats, the Six, and the Voices in order to make her decisions, although this advisory/give and take is always hidden from outsiders, making the clan look like a monarchy from the outside. Everything she does is to protect her clan, and all the wayward lost children and damaged souls who have found their homes under her wings. Day to day she keeps herself aloof and is sometimes seen as unapproachable, especially in her advanced age now, but she is still dedicated to the safety and solidity of the clan.