Byndyr

Byndyr hatched in the middle of the Tangled Wood, in a dark and knotted brush. Three others came from the same nest, the eldest of their parents children. Shade, Byndyr's mother, was called away by the Shadowbinder to serve her for the rest of her days. Tytan, his father, found a new mate and had more children while raising Byndyr and his siblings. Tytan was summoned by the Shadowbinder soon after Byndyr reached adulthood. ...................................................................

Byndyr's brood stuck with the younger children, raising them in the absence of their parents. As the hatchlings reached adulthood, all of Tytan's children went off on their Search. One went to the Icefield, another to the Sea, a third to the Plateau, and a last to the Wasteland. The rest stuck to the Tangled Wood, their homeland. ...................................................................

Byndyr found himself first in the Sunbeam Ruins, the Lightweaver's domain. He had searched throughout the Tangled Wood and found no Charge. He was drawn to the south of the Ruins, where he found a Pearlcatcher. She was a perfect embodiment of the Light flight. Bright, in her coloring and her personality both, she shone out. Byndyr was the last of his siblings to find his Charge. He knew that Shysha wasn't his Charge, but he ignored his feelings, telling himself that she had to be; she was perfect. Byndyr made Shysha his charge, knowing full well it wasn't right, but the shame of being only half a dragon was too much for him. He guarded Shysha, slowly falling in love with the bright girl. She complemented his darkness in ways that no one else ever could. ...................................................

Her springy optimism slowly began to change Byndyr's own pragmatic outlook. All the while, he felt guilty for faking his charge. He knew he was being drawn to the Shifting Expanse, but he ignored it, preferring to stay with Shysha. Byndyr became closer and closer to Shysha, the two inseparable, and not only because of his Charge. The guilt ate at Byndyr while, all the time, his love was growing more and more. He couldn't fight it. He knew he'd rather fake his charge than leave his love. Byndyr and Shysha moved into a lair together, she finally consenting to allow a Guardian into her lair. Byndyr watched over her night after night, and day after day. ...................................................

Byndyr had never so enjoyed his days as the ones he spent in Shysha's company. They traveled the Ruins, visiting dragons across the land. Finally, at one place in the east of the Ruins, Shysha and Byndyr mated for the first time. Byndyr had finally fulfilled his love. He was exultant; their children would be perfect, part shadow, part light, a perfect middle ground, the best representation of Byndyr and Shysha's love. ..............................

After their mating, Byndyr felt the drive stronger than ever to head to the Expanse, so he took a day to go and visit the border of the Ruins and the Expanse. Shysha stayed in the west of the land at their current lair, tired and preparing for eggs. She began making a nest for the eggs to stay in. One that would be a perfect mix of shade and sun, of light and darkness, of Byndyr and of Shysha. ..............................

At the border, Byndyr knew he'd have to go to the Expanse, or forever stay as far as he could. The pull at the border was almost too much for him to resist. If he could convince Shysha to come with him, he'd go as soon as he could. With that prospect in mind, he flew back to their lair. He would be able to take his children with him to the place of his true Charge, and not be a fake Guardian. ..............................

When Byndyr approached the lair, he saw, from the air, a peculiar sight. There were some odd stains and heaps outside the cave. He felt his gut clench as he descended and saw Serthis bodies. Here and there, a few Serthis were strewn across he entrance to his lair, blood staining the ground. Byndyr hurried in, fear and anger rising simultaneously in his maw. Another body here, another there, all Serthis still. Dread clawed at his mind. Shysha wasn't a warrior. She took joy in peace and in dancing and in singing, not war and blood. Her light countenance wasn't built to fight, to kill. Shysha was not a killer. Byndyr moved faster and faster the more he saw. He pounded towards the nest, where his future children would be born. As he reached the back of the lair, his heart was pounding. A roar of fear escaped his throat. ..................................................................

He saw two Serthis moving in the distance. He pounced on them, tearing them to pieces in an instant. He looked around and saw a nest, destroyed, a substance oozing out the sides. Another roar escaped him. Crushed egg shells lay strewn about in the nest, his children dead before they even lived. Byndyr turned and, the sight forever preventing him from ever being whole again, saw his mate dead at the floor of their lair. Her bright skin marred by incisions and dark blood, her precious pearl tossed aside, bloodied prints on the side. His last roar of the day, the last in a long while, his loudest and longest yet, bellowed out his lament for all to hear. His thundering howl faded into sobs as he curled his massive body around his wife's, surrounded by the remnants of their children. ..................................................................

Byndyr couldn't stand the Ruins after his failure to protect Shysha. She hadn't been his true Charge, but he had loved her, and that should've been enough for him. But he had failed. Byndyr received news that all of his siblings, save one, had finished their duties in protecting their Charges and had already left to serve their respective gods. He was the only one who had failed. Byndyr knew his Charge was in the Shifting Expanse. He spent the week mourning and digging a grave for his small family. On the last day of the week, he buried Shysha and their children. Byndyr stood above the grave for a moment and let out a lament that shook the dirt beneath his feet. He let loose with a burst of flame that singed the air. Lastly, he placed the flag of the Shadow realm in the grave to mark its place. That finished, Byndyr let his last farewell bellow out to the heavens and then he ran. He ran and he ran and he ran, pushing his grief away. He went south, heading for the Expanse. ..........................................................

He forced himself to store the memories away in a hidden place. He didn't need the reminders often. Byndyr knew he'd never forget Shysha or their children, but he knew he couldn't dwell on them. He was broken and he'd never be the same, but he needed to find his Charge and protect them. As he moved across the Expanse, he ran into another Guardian. This one was dressed like a rogue or a nomad. The Guardian introduced himself as Kaladin. Byndyr knew he needed to follow this dragon if he was to find his Charge. Kal nodded in understanding and took Byndyr to his clan. The Clan of the Survivors was small at the time. Only a few dragons had banded together under the Survivor. All were broken in some way or another. There was Kal, the rogue leader. Vin, the cracked Fae. Dalinar, the general. Navani, the tortured mother. Heavenflame, the angry raider. Byndyr knew that somehow, this clan was his Charge. ..........................................................

Byndyr quickly grew to love the clan. He had mingled with another Lightning clan, the clan of Kalyna, before he had run into Kaladin and dallied with the clan mother there. She had given birth to his first three children. Two had left to serve the Stormcatcher, but the third stayed with her mother in Kalyna's clan. Byndyr, now in the Survivor's, met with Rysn, a newcomer who arrived shortly after he did. They had two children. After their births, Rysn realized that her purpose was to take one of their children and serve the Stormcatcher, just like so many in Byndyr's life had. Jezrien, his son, stayed with him for years, but eventually left as well. Byndyr soon became Dalinar's second in command over the warriors in the clan. He didn't like the power; not thinking himself strong enough to lead others. He was too harsh, too broken, too lonely to fight with others. .............................................

After his promotion, Byndyr had two more children with Vin, the Fae who had been the first member of the clan. He felt abandoned and lonely. The only way he knew to fix it was to keep finding new mates. For those short moments of pleasure, he forgot his loss. Shysha faded only in those times and when he was knee deep in blood. Only in war and love did he not feel pain. Vin wasn't enough to satisfy Byndyr's needs. She was too broken as well. Byndyr went on a solo vacation to the Windswept Plateau. There, he met the Clan Flugel der Freiheit, where he found Aurora. She was a welcome break from the Lightning dragons. Byndyr stayed in the windlands for a time, and had two children there. Byndyr broke Aurora's heart when he left, but leave he did, with one of their children, back to the Survivors. .............................................

As he arrived back at the clan, he was angry. None of these women were Shysha. Not one brightened the darkness in him. They were only temporary reliefs. He saw Heavenflame as he arrived. Her anger matched his. Byndyr took her to a cave hidden from the rest of the clan and there they stayed for days. Their angers, his of darkness, hers of fire, burned and roared in that cave. For once, Byndyr was with someone who had anger like his. Anger he could match. Heavenflame and Byndyr both, after a few weeks of many trips to the cave, sated some of their anger, but knew that her fire and his shadow would never fit together long. Flames push the shadows away. Their four children, of which Saima was one, grew with that anger and became warriors whose fierceness never was matched in the clan. .............................................

Byndyr is a warrior. He is driven to always protect and fight. Unlike most Guardians, he didn't just find one charge, he moves from charge to charge, always trying to protect. He has become the second in command of the army of the Clan of Survivors. He doesn't think he is fit for command, but prefers to wade into battle, slashing and clawing through enemies. He has a multitude of scars throughout his legs and chest, and one on his cheek. He feels loss when he isn't fighting, the rage of a battle is where he feels joy. Pixel Headshot by @LarkoftheRiver
Drawing by @FallingFreely
The fuiran ran. Byndyr charged after it, not willing to let it go. Not after what it had done. He chased it down, running for hours, the nightsky fuiran dodging him in the dark. Byndyr couldn’t let it go, his Charge had been in danger, and this fuiran would pay the price.

The afternoon had been a bright one in the Expanse. Byndyr had been with the Clan of Survivors, having lived there for a few weeks now. He was getting familiar with the leaders: Kaladin, Dalinar, Vin. He’d met the only dragon newer to the clan than himself, her name was Rysn. He’d been out scavenging with Kal when he had heard shouts from the lair. Kal and Byndyr rushed back to see the fuiran attacking one of the nests. Byndyr had been furious. He chased the fuiran all evening.

Finally, he caught up to the beast. It managed to elude him for hours, but now he had it. Byndyr slammed his claws down onto the creature’s back. He growled in anger. The fuiran begged for his life. Byndyr said one word, “Why?”

With a yelp, the fuiran answered. “To survive,” he said. Byndyr was angry, but the pragmatic answer struck him. Survival was the aim of the clan. To survive, to make it through. How could he fault the fuiran for doing what he and the clan tried to do every day?

Byndyr forced the fuiran to its feet. He let Gyvwyt, the fuiran, come back to the clan with him. On the walk back, he instructed the beast in the ways of the clan. One did not attack the others. One did help the others survive. We take everyone. As long as Gyvwyt agreed to help guard and scavenge, he could join the clan. Gyv agreed quickly.