Life is going to throw you a curveball. That's a fact. Get used to it like everyone else does. But it's not like you have to be unprepared for it. In fact, expect it. The more you do that, the higher chance you have at surviving it. The higher chance you'll have that someone will want to tell your story like I do Helenite.

She was born to the Light flight, like many other dragons. At that time, she was a shining red Ridgeback. All the males in her birth clan swooned over her because of her sheer beauty. The way her scales caught the light and glinted in the sun. Her sleek, elegant body. Her agile gait. She was the most beautiful dragon the other members of the clan had ever seen.

Of course, she cared little for beauty. There were far more important things in life. The Ridgeback understood that from the moment the first male tried to make a move on her. And that was very early in her life. Her parents had given her the name Helenite, unaware that it would soon become a name rather well-known in the Sunbeam Ruins.

Helenite was very intelligent. Like a stereotypical Light dragon, I suppose. She was always in love with the written word, always seeing it had far greater power than any warrior. She was clever and quick-witted. Skills she possessed were all very practical, such as problem solving and analytical thinking. Helenite was also an excellent public speaker.

Years passed and she grew into adolescence. Most of her focus was dedicated to her studies. A Ridgeback always in pursuit of knowledge is what she was to everyone else. To herself, she only learned about things that interested her. She often deduced that it was more curiosity than it was an eagerness to learn more and gain knowledge.

There was only one problem. Her entire life, Helenite heard stories about the Scarred Wasteland. The sheer bitterness and hostility of the setting of Plague deeply intrigued the young Ridgeback. To satisfy her curiosity, the dragon spent a lot of her time reading stories of dragons from the Scarred Wasteland. All it did was out her in an even deeper state of awe.

Helenite didn't make her decision until she finally came of age. It happened on a calm, quiet day. The clan ambassador returned from his trip to Plague, looking like he'd just gotten into a battle with a Tunnel Hydra. Wounds and bruises all over his body, and he looked absolutely exhausted. Helenite’s curiosity only peaked as she heard him tell the story of the hell he'd been through.

She announced that she would be leaving for the Scarred Wasteland come morning, and she wouldn't be coming back for a very long time, if ever. Most of the clan was very opposed to this, but Helenite convinced them it would be okay. She'd done her research. She knew self defense and hunting and everything she would need to survive there. She wasn't afraid.

After saying her goodbyes, the next morning came all too quickly for her friends and family. They watched her gather her things to leave, and they waved sadly as Helenite stretched her wings to full length and shot into the air. The Ridgeback paused in the air, giving them all one last wave. Then she did something very out of character for her laid back personality. Helenite threw her head back and gave a mighty roar. She was ready.

The Scarred Wasteland was very different than she'd imagined. Helenite was shocked at the brutality of it. The stories hadn't been able to convey just what it was. Everything was dying. The few things that lived seemed to be constantly at war with one another. Helenite watched as one creature fought and devoured another, only to be murdered by a dragon a few seconds later.

She shuddered. Not what she'd been hoping to come across. But she supposed she'd have to learn to live with it and get along with it. That's what she needed to do if she wanted to learn more about Plague. Helenite was all of disgusted, disappointed, and afraid. But she was also excited. She could finally learn about Plague. She decided to make her home a few miles out from the Wyrmwound.

Days passed and she began to adjust. Living there was tough, but the Ridgeback gal was tougher. She managed quite well for a Light dragon in a place she had no real business in. Helenite soon began to conduct experiments around her home. That's when she found something both interesting and extraordinary.

A natural volcano. But it was tiny, like a geiser, and it didn't have lava. Inside was a radioactive green sludge. Obviously toxic, so she didn't handle it directly. But she did spend long periods of time with it without taking true scientific precautions. What she did was simple. She spent weeks trying to get to the bottom of her own modern marvel. It was a miracle.

Of course, radiation doesn't have a good effect on anyone. It certainly didn't have a good effect on Helenite. The weeks of exposure slowly began to mutate her. Just made her sick at first. Then she began to get worse. Very sick. Nearly to the point of literal death. She would have died if not for the Order of the Colossus. A team of scientists working to do something that had never been done before.

The Order was out to “convert” a dragon to Plague. They wanted to change the element of a dragon and see if they could survive it. These scientists found Helenite, almost at the point of death, outside their territory. They helped her and healed her and made her better. But the radiation had taken its toll. The only option was to finish what the mutation had started.

They continued their process. When Helenite woke up, she was very, very different. In fact, she was afraid she wasn't even the same dragon. The process hadn't just changed her abilities as a Light dragon. Her personality and appearance were all drastically changed as well. She wasn't sure wether to thank or hate the Order of the Colossus.

Her wings were now leathery and scorched, looking as though they'd been run ragged from a journey she hadn't taken. Strange oozing bumps covered her skin, disgusting odors emitting from each. Decay followed her everywhere she went, and fresh wounds decorated her body at all times. Part of her face had mutated as well, the skin hardening and fading to look like part of a skull. She was no longer beautiful.

Seeing her reflection, she nearly cried. But she didn't. Because her new thought processes didn't allow it. Her high IQ had disappeared, replaced with sarcasm and a desire to fight. Her curiosity has been replaced with cold indifference, and her friendly carefree attitude was now an isolated and bitter one. She didn't care much about anyone.

Eventually, she moved on. She found a clan among everything she'd been through. There, she found herself a mate, whom she did care about, but never said she loved him. At least not aloud. The two of them were partners, and they treated each other as such. Helenite had more important things to worry about than romance anyway. Most Plague dragons would agree.

She and her mate had many children. She was proud of all of them. From the sweetest of them to the most violent. Jadrev, her mate, felt the same. Whether they served Plaguebringer, found clans of their own, or possibly even stayed with the order, she looked at them like only a mother could. Proud and with a sense of accomplishment at the great bloodlines she had continued.

Only once in her life did she almost lose a child permanently. Her son, Kylar, was one of the few to stick around a while. She was most particularly fond of him. Unfortunately, he was very reckless. And because of it, he got hurt a lot. It wasn't a real concern. Kylar was just young and wild, like every other Plague born dragon. Helenite hated to admit that she had those days when she'd first been converted too.

But the catch was that he didn't care if he got hurt all that much. One day he foolishly challenged a Wartoad. The young dragon nearly died. Helenite rescued him just in time, but she feared she was too late. His wounds were severe. This was the only time she showed true, frantic emotion. Of course, it was mostly anger at the doctors trying to help Kylar.

Many hours later, he was okay. But he would never be able to battle again. He was pretty much useless in that department. Of course, as a Plague mother, Helenite was disappointed for him. The boy had always lived a good fight. But she loved him regardless. Even despite his disability, he was her son. And that was enough for Helenite.

Moving forward, Helenite is happy with her life for the most part. She isn't the friendliest or kindest of dragons, but she does care deeply for her family. The Ridgeback spends a lot of her time thinking back on all this, wondering if she did the right things. She realizes it's too late to change anything, but she desperately wants to learn how she should treat the situation next time.

Helenite is a fine warrior. And a fine mother. She has adapted very well to life in her clan, a life she hadn't expected in Light. Honestly, the more she thinks about it, the more Helenite is sure she wouldn't change any of it. Despite her yellow eyes, she feels like she makes a much better Plague dragon than she ever did a Light dragon.

written by CayCay






lineart by sunflic

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Non-exalted offspring:

--up to Taiyo--

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