Tide

Tide…
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. In the depths of the Tide of One Thousand Currents, the Imperial stirred drowsily. Dreams of starry oceans and endless rain flickered behind his eyes. Weariness coiled in his wing and leg muscles.
Tide, we need you.
What for?
The earth. The sand has spread too far, too fast. The sunlight scours and burns hatchlings. The voice took a trembling breath. And —
Alright, alright. He shook himself awake. His breath plumed out a blast of silt, and bubbles erupted from beneath his aqua scales. His great heart surged, his body temperature rising. After stretching like a cat, he shot up from beneath the waters and hurtled into the skies.

~*~

Eons ago, Tide was a simple Water hatchling. Born to a Priest and Priestess in a clan of zealous worshipers, ritual and prayer were as essential as breathing. However, when he was barely of age, the elders of this clan noticed something — special.
One of the most important rituals was Rain-Thanking. The dragons gathered on a plateau and sang after a storm to praise the Tidecaller for the blessing.
But whenever Tide was elected to lead the chant, the rain started again.
The elders thought it a coincidence. Summer rainstorms were unpredictable and violent. Tide’s other hatch-mates laughed and congratulated him, jokingly, for his power.
Then the drought began. The misty tide pools Tide’s clan lived in dried to salt and bitter earth. The air seared and cut deeply into dragons’ flesh, drying eyes to bleariness and ache.
Worst of all were the hatchlings. The sun beat mercilessly down on the clutches of eggs. No matter how much the clan’s women tried to shield the nests with palm leaves, the eggs were cooked to breaking. The old suffered.
In a fit of sun madness, Tide’s father commanded him to sing. The young dragon saw the dire state of his clan and made his way to the plateau, wincing against the light and shielding his eyes.
He lifted his blue maw to the blazing sky and roared. His voice echoed off the bald scree below him, the salt and the bone-white sand behind him. The ocean waves crashed at his back in reply.
Nothing happened, but the clan below thought they felt a cold breeze ruffle their scales. Tide’s mother cocked her head.
Panting and dry-lunged, Tide roared again. His claws dug into the earth with the force of his desperation. Somewhere far away, thunder boomed in reply.
One more.
The last roar ended in a hacking cough. Tide sputtered, and twin trickles of blood streamed down his muzzle and pattered to the dry earth. He gasped as his lungs filled with a thick coppery taste.
His mother reached for him, grasping with her talons, but it was too late: rain filled the air. It spumed to the ground in one continuous bellow, impossible to see through and improbable to move through. The clan clustered next to one another as thunder cracked and the tide pools filled. The dry earth turned to mud beneath their claws.
When the rain slowed to a gentle lull — and the sun fell down into the choppy ocean — Tide’s mother and father went to the spot on the plateau where their son had called the storm. But nothing was there.
Where the brave dragon had stood was only empty earth.

~*~

Still long ago:
Tide awoke on a black slab of rock in the center of a waterfall. There was a misty blue glow behind the sheets of water, but all he could see were his paws and the endless, pouring water, surging into the depthless black below.
Where am I? He got unsteadily to his paws and winced, rubbing his forehead. He was shocked to see a huge, dark head behind the waterfall, wavering in the current. It thrust the water apart like sparkling curtains. It was then that Tide realized the blue glow was coming from the Tidecaller’s own scales.
With one long, black talon, the Tidecaller reached down and traced Tide’s scales. The feeling was cold and soothing, just like running water over a deep wound. Tide felt himself relax into the swirling patterns with a yawn.
So. Here you are.
Here I am. He couldn’t use his voice anymore. Instead, his voice and the other were both inside his head.
From now onward, you carry my etching — of Lightning and Water — to remind the Earthshaker and Lightweaver that we matter, too. We are of the elements in between, and just as important, though we are changeable and they are not.
Tide was dozing off again as the water poured all around him. He was unaware of the Tidecaller picking him up and setting him down deep in the sea. In the mysterious depths, the etching glittered like a precious stone.

~*~

The Present:
Tide soared into the brilliant sky. He saw the verdant forests below were drying up and burning.
With a smile, he lifted his maw and roared silently. Clouds gathered.

~*~

Short Description:
Tide is an emissary of the Tidecaller. As such, he is all one solid color — the clear, high blue of water beneath a summer sky. His hide is etched with the blessing of the Tidecaller. He can use his control over water to call storms into places afflicted by drought. He is a strong, handsome, friendly, open and honest dragon.