Julong

My Julong is a very quiet, solitary herbalist who spends most of his time away from the clan, nesting the caverns of the Southern Icefield. He sometimes goes to the Windswept Plateau to see his clan mates but only once ever month or so! The rest of the time they come visit him. He doesn't mind company, but likes living by himself, in the peaceful wilderness.

“Oh. . . hi, what’s your name?” Julong had never encountered such a beautiful dragon. He sat quietly, shifting his paws as she talked merrily, tossing her head as if she had not a care in the world. He was entranced by her brilliant, shining character; her continuous chatter was more interesting than he would admit, and she kept smiling through it all, her optimism tangible through the light, lovely wind. She told him her name was Yangliu, and that she lived around here. Undeniably, Julong had been staring at her gorgeous eyes through most of the conversation, but he also appreciated how she offered such information so easily, as if the entire world deserved to know her name(which they didn’t. . . nobody deserved to know such an amazing dragon). She was bedecked with flowers and leaves, a dove floating about her, attracted to her mere presence. Her simple beauty was accentuated by the leaf garlands around her neck and tail. She was so fresh, so different from the many dragons he had encountered in the past. He felt reborn, standing next to her.

“Hey, I think I’ve seen you before! Ju-long, right?” The second time he saw her was just a day after his arrival in his new lair. He had been shy beyond belief, words sticking to his tongue like sweet sickly honey. He hadn’t dared to say a thing, for fear he would ruin his reputation before he even had a chance to remake himself. He wanted to be a better version of himself, now. He wanted to strip away the bonds that had been wrapped around him for so long. He wanted to be New And Improved Julong—the Julong that Yangliu deserved. Now she was standing before him, in all her former glory, and he felt like a fish as he dumbly nodded, his jaw gaping. She chuckled and said, “No need to be shy! I, for the record, think it’s so cool that we managed to find each other again! Like, wow. It’s, like, destiny.” She beamed sheepishly, scratching her head. “So, um, do you want to go hunting or something?”

That day had not changed him. He had not become New And Improved Julong. In fact, he was as shy as before. He found a job as the clan’s herbalist and was always either picking herbs or reading books. He was undeniably a nerd, but Yangliu helped accentuate that nerdiness and turn it into something he could be proud of.

by Aquira <3