Vidal

One of my first memories was of the auction house. All the noise and bustle. I remember feeling amazement at the sheer number of clans. The density of the amount of dragons present nearly overwhelming. I was in awe.

However it was not all happy fun times for most of my stay there. No, in fact most of the time I was in a state of sorrow. How could I be happy when no one would want me. After all I had the tertiary gene of coral smoke. I was ugly and no clan would ever take me in. This I knew to be true.

However, a small part of me no matter how hard I tried to crush it, held out hope. Surely some dragon would come along and see me and want me? Even if only for exalt fodder because that meant that they thought me worthy of their deity. Maybe perhaps some drake would look past the ugly and still want me in their clan as is.

My hope was small but I still held on to it.

It was not until my last day at the auction house that my hope started to flicker, however it was also on my last days that my hope, as well as my intuition, proved correct. I remember I only had but a few more hours in the Auction house before I would be returned to my old clan. It was then that I met MorningStar. I remember looking down just waiting for my time to be up when I felt a stare.

Looking at me was MorningStar. By her side was Char and I did not dare get my hopes up at this point. However Morningstar did not stop looking. Not when I looked away or when Char went off to lay in the shade out of the auction house. When she finally did look away I felt the tiny sliver of hope I was feeling be crushed.

I remember thinking that she had only looked to see my ugliness. I had given up. It was then that one of the dragons from the auction house came to me. Smiling at me she had told me that my price had been paid and that she would be escorting me to my new home.

After her announcement I was stunned. Didn't I still have a few more hours?? Could I not wait out my time before I had to return to my old clan. Of course I did not understand that she meant that some drake had paid my price and that I was to be escorted to my new clan.

No, instead, I thought that at the time they were trying to get rid of me and my ugliness to make way for more prettier and worthy drakes. So I did the only thing that I thought I could do in that situation. I cried. A lot. It took the attending drake quite some time before she was able to calm me down and reassure me that, no, I was not going back to my old clan and that yes I had been bought by another clan and that she was there to take me to that clan.

I was excited to see who had bought me and type of dragon they were. However before I could re met MorningStar I was surrounded by the clan. And I was even more amazed. Almost all of us had something that made us look undesirable. It was not long until I was crying.

Even now I do not know if the tears were of joy, relief, sorrow, anger or something else entirely. I just was so happy that I had found a place where I belonged. It was then that MorningStar had come back. Right when every dragon was freaking out trying to calm me down she strode in calmly taking in the scene before walking straight up to where I was still crying and for just one moment I thought I was going to be in trouble, however instead she just sat next to me, taking me under her wing and speaking softly to me until I had calmed down and slowly fell asleep.

My last thoughts before I fell into a good sleep were,
" I think I finally found a home"
In the coming weeks I was not proven wrong.
***

The next day when I had awoken from my exhausted slumber I was finally given a name. There was much talk of what I should be named and every name under the sun was discussed. MorningStar soon got tired of it and after a while she finally walked straight up to me and asked.

It took little thought because I already knew what my name should be and at the time I was just waiting for the others to realize. So my answer was swift and without hesitation.

"Vidal"
MorningStar nodded and that was the end of that.

After my naming ceremony I got to meet once more, this time more calmly, with all the others of the clan. At that time we were smaller. I got to met with Castillo who was much like me. She to had a smoke tertiary, but unlike me she accepted herself. In fact she loved how she looked. It was she who taught me to appreciate how I looked.

After that the weeks passed and I was truly very happy. I caused little trouble and I was almost always found to have a smile. It was around my second week that MorningStar had a surprise for both Castillo as well as myself. She as well as the rest of the clan had pulled together and saved for a tertiary removal scroll.

MorningStar had presented me with the scroll and I remember her smiling at me telling me that it was my choice and if I did not want to lose my tertiary then I did not have to. I cried tears of relief as i accepted the scroll. I remember Castillo taking longer to accept her scroll but soon enough I was smoke free.

From that day on wards I was the happiest dragon in the clan.

**
My clan has always held a policy of helping those in need and taking in those that were unwanted or in the eyes of others ugly. I took up the position of being the welcoming committee when I had reached maturity. I remember what it felt like to be ugly and unwanted and I wanted all those in this clan to feel welcomed and loved. Many of the young dragons that come here for the first time are scared and afraid and they do not know what to expect.

I wanted them to feel as welcomed as I did. Admittedly my first few attempts were a bit....overdone and over enthusiastic, and I might have scared them a bit more, but I grew into the role and soon the clan was always looking to me for all these types of things. I felt amazingly happy for this because not only did I have a place in a clan but I was also loved and wanted and needed.

It was then that I was nominated for Second for the clan.

MorningStar herself came to me and told me that she wanted me as her Second. It was not a big surprise that we needed a new Second, Char while a good dragon for the clan was not a good drake for the position of Second, I told MorningStar that surely there were dragons that were better suited to the position, because not only was I not born of the clan but I was still very young when she offered the position to me.

All she did was smile a very rare true smile at me and tell me to think about it, as well as maybe asking a few of the drakes in the clan. I promised and true to my word I soon asked many of the drakes if they thought I was worthy of the position of Second. I was in awe of their answers, all of the dragons including the ones born and bought were in favor of me taking the position of Second.

Many of the young ones were sad when I told them that I may not be able to play with them as much if I took up the position of Second. However every dragon in the clan was in favor of me taking up the position of Second.

So not even after a week of MorningStar asking me to take the position I had accepted. There was a small ceremony and a large feast and then I was Second.

Even now I find my life surprising. After all I went from being a unwanted dragon in the auction house, to being a Second in a clan that keeps on growing and growing. And while my duties as Second often keep me busy I always make time to meet and greet the new dragons as well as play with all the tiny hatchlings.

I find my life full of love as well as adventure. I could not ask for more.