Takenoko

Unhatched Wind Egg Dragon Eggs A soft-shelled egg that is patterned with swirls. It bounces at every sound, as if it wishes to dance with the activities surrounding it. 0

Bamboo Leaves Plant Delicious, but only if one is a panda or a tundra dragon. 20 2

Takenoko The Bamboo Sprite

Bamboo Cluster Organics A bundle of bamboo shoots, green and freshly-cut. Dragons in the Windswept Plateau often use these to build kites. 85

Tri-Color Scatterscroll Specialty Items An item that completely randomizes the colors of a dragon's primary, secondary, and tertiary genes. It can only be used once and will disappear on use. 0

Three warriors from an ice clan were hunting Gale Wolves in the Bamboo Falls when they encountered a group of Tengu. Once the birds had been defeated, they found that they had dropped a wind dragon egg. The warriors hatched the egg, and seeing that it was a tundra, decided to return him to his “natural” home on the ice. They raised the youngster as one of their own, and did everything they could to make him feel welcome. He tried to fit in, but he could never forget his first memory, the smell of growing things, and the sound of wind in bamboo leaves.

As he grew older the tundra became more restless, finally he left the ice following a faint memory of home. He made it to the Bamboo Falls at sunset, and knew he’d found where he belonged. The dragon, who at that time went by the name Mirage, settled down in a bamboo thicket for the night. He awoke some time near midnight, to hear a group of Talonok warriors talking just outside the bamboo grove. Mirage was alone and untrained, and badly outnumbered. His only hope was to stay still, and hope they didn’t notice him. The warriors departed without seeing him. He knew that it was only the darkness of night that had saved his life, had that happened in the daytime his dark fur would have given him away.

Mirage accepted that he could not live on his own. He dug up some young Bamboo plants, and taking his only known family with him, he set out to find a lair where he and the bamboo could prosper. It was not long before he came to a welcoming nature clan. The climate was mild, and the soil rich, his bamboo thrived. He planted it in a circle, and when it had grown up he wove some of the stalks into a house.

While he had put down roots Mirage still didn’t feel like he fit in. It didn’t help that his new mate, Ghost, was a plague dragon. The nature dragons viewed her with some suspicion, based on her heritage, and she did nothing to make it better. She was often talking about moving on, and how much better other flights were than nature. Other dragons of the clan were also curious about hm. One large imperial female especially kept asking him questions about his past. Mirage didn’t want to be unfriendly, but he didn’t see why it was any of her business if he’d had a mate before, or how long he’d lived where.

One afternoon he returned to his bamboo home nearly in tears. He’s had a fight with Ghost, who wanted to go back to the plague lands and live with one of their sons. Mirage didn’t want to , because he knew that bamboo could not live in the toxic soil. Ghost had said things he knew she didn’t mean, and he’d said things he regretted, and the rest of the clan had just stared at them until they had both slunk off in embarrassment. When he reached his house Mirage decided that he couldn’t stay in this clan, not any more.

Tearfully he explained what had happened to his bamboo, as he started trying to dig up a few shoots. He was going to have to leave most of it behind. Then, the whispering wind in the leaves almost sounded like words. Words telling him where to dig. Following the mysterious directions, Mirage uncovered a scatter-scroll. As he read it, and the magic took effect, he felt that more than just his color was changing.

~//~

Ghost found herself walking towards Mirage’s little house. A Ridgeback was too large to fit inside, but he’d be able to hear her apologize, even if he wouldn’t come out and talk to her. Once there however, she found Mirage gone, and a strange green dragon in his house. She asked who he was.

“I’m Takenoko,” He said, there was something familiar about his eyes and voice.

“Do you know Mirage?” She asked.

The strange tundra nodded, “Yes, he doesn’t live here anymore.”

“Well, could you tell him Ghost says she’s sorry?” She asked.

“He wanted to tell you he’s sorry too.” Takenoko said.

“Are you related to him?” She asked.

“We’re both Wind dragons, and the wind does not go back the way it came, the bamboo does not worry about the past.” The green dragon said.

“You’re right,” Ghost said, “That’s all I’ve been doing, is worrying about the past, thinking of the plague lands, and forgetting why I left. I want to see and do more, but I just keep going back to what I know.”

“What is it you want to do?” Takenoko asked.

“I want to be a lightning dragon, but that’s impossible.” Ghost said.

“Nothing is impossible.” Takenoko insisted.

“I hope you’re right.” Ghost said, “I’ll go talk to Nova, I think he has some scavenged lightning technology.” The Ridgeback headed of down the hill with her head held higher than it had been in a long time.

~//~

Takenoko still lives in the bamboo house. Sometimes the dragons come to him for advice, but they no longer ask about his past. He looks like one of them now, colored the colors of nature. Over time the Bamboo has given him more scrolls. Now his fur is dappled like the light on the forest floor. His wings have dark bars like the bamboo stalks, and as many shades of green as the leaves. Short spikes, like bamboo shoots breaking the ground, emerge from his thick fur. More and more he looks like the beautiful plants that made him what he is today.

~//~
-bio by Brushtail #80632