Satureja

A hatchling of the Arcane flight, the dainty spiral had lost count of the days since she'd joined Domeia's clan in Wispwillow Grove. It seemed to her that when one was busy, time flew by in the blink of an eye. In the past Satureja had been described with attributes that might be considered flawed. Although she still was selfish at times, she cared deeply for her fellow clan members and would never turn aside a dragon in need. This compassion combined with a innate stubbornness make Satureja a powerful and beloved queen of the clan. Each day she worked tirelessly with the other leaders in the lair to ensure the well-being and happiness of each member no matter their breed, age or origin. One evening, when the other dragons were all fed and settled in for the night, Satureja made her way to the shadowy glade near their lair. Here amongst the dancing fireflies and midnight-winged butterflies she found Domeia sitting alone. Not wanting to disturb the matriarch's train of thought, the spiral stepped delicately across the field of mushroom dotted grass to curl up beside the older female. Together, in companionable silence, the two watched as night deepened over the Shadowbinder's realm.

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biography by whoiseliza #104297


When Satureja was born, the stars glimmered a little brighter. Fixed above in the sky, pale moons watched over her. In the dominion of the arcanist all things were calm.

But everything looks different by day. Once the sun rose across the land, the joy her parents felt upon seeing Satureja turned to fear. For in the distance, underneath the shadows of islands floating above, an army had crested the rolling hills. They formed a thick, spotted haze across the horizon, with dragons on foot and approaching by sky. Encroaching on the borders of the territory- headed straight for them.

Fear spread quickly through the clan. Although the arcane flight as a whole possessed a skilled army of magicians and sorcerers, Satureja’s birth clan rested on the outskirts of the Arcanist’s territory. They were a peaceful clan who used magic for hunting, summoning, and healing. Their clan would be the first to be attacked.

Faes took aid from the skydancers; packing up what they had and latching onto the skydancer’s coats in preparation for the long journey out of the Starfall Isles. Those with family and connections moved further inward, to the larger clans where vast numbers of dragons exuded a feeling of security. Others, too old or weak to leave, made peace with their fate. Satureja’s parents had little, but they refused to put their daughter in harms way.

Journeying east, they sought refuge from the enemy, but weeks of travel wore the two spiral dragons thin. There was hardly enough food to go around as Satureja was not the only hatchling they carried with them. Near the borders of the shadow realm, her mother Dust broke into tears.

A female dragon emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching as to not scare the group of spirals away. Her fins twitched with empathy, and her voice was kind. She asked if they were alright, can add in dialouge to stretch the story here if needed and Dust was grateful to have someone to talk to. In the end, with a heavy heart, Dust asked Domiea if she would look after Satureja from here on out. Knowing it would provide her with a better life, Satureja’s parents gave Domiea their blessing, and a new chapter of her life began.

- - - - -

“Hey, watch that! That’s my tail! Hey-”

The little spiral erupted into a fit of giggles, and once again wrapped herself around the skydancer’s tail, dragging her older sister through the grass.

“Mom, Satur’s messing with my tail again.”

Domiea’s distant voice drifted towards the two, tussling in the open fields. “Now Satureja, don’t mess with your sister,” she told them, but her tone was kind. Keeping watch over so many hatchlings was tiresome work but she had chosen it for herself. Although Domiea and her mate Uojomo had hatchlings together, none of them stayed close to home. She missed having little voices around. She missed being needed. She missed being a mother.

Amunia and Satureja arrived in Domiea’s life around the same time, but there were already stark differences in the little dragon’s personalities. Amunia, while joyful, could be surprisingly somber for her size. This was likely from her earlier trauma, the devastation of her family and village, which she carried still in her memory. Amunia was several years older than her sister but she still treated her with respect. It was quite the sight to see: the cream colored spiral bounding through the grass, bubbling nonsense to her sister, while she nodded along, guiding Satureja away from rocks and ruts in the ground.

“... the whoooole place.” Satureja finished.

“What?”

“The whole place!”

Amunia looked down at her sister. “No, start from the beginning.”

Satureja took a deep breath. “When I grow up, I wanna be queen. I want to rule this whole place.”

Amunia smiled down at her. Little did Satureja know- someday they would. Looking out across the fields and to the shapes of the mountains beyond, rustling and roving with life as the setting sun painted the earth with ochre hues- it seemed like anything could be possible.


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Years passed by, quicker than they had before. Satureja grew into her shape and began to acquire the grace that comes with age. Amunia had already begun to soften around the edges and her frequently harsh exterior became mellower each year.
Lior, an Elder dragon of the Vila clan, had begun training the the two of them- in both combat and the nuances of being a ruler. Lior herself held a strong influence over the Vila clan, she was revered as and Elder and second in command only to Domiea. When she spoke, everyone’s voices died down to a hush. As she walked through the clan, the pale silks she wore draped gracefully behind her across the ground. Her job was made easier at the start, since Satureja and Amunia had long respected the older skydancer.

Lior taught them the art of persuasion, the art of negotiation, and how to communicate with leaders of foreign clans. Even through her lessons, there were some things Lior could not teach Satureja, because she carried these traits already.

She did not have to teach Satureja loyalty- rather, Lior had to make sure Satureja did not fall into selfishness. She guarded her sister from every possible danger and even when they fought, even when they argued, when the duties of the clan could not be fairly split between them, Satureja still refused to be tempted into bitterness. “You’re my sister,” she would say, pouring meaning into these words as she stared into Amunia’s eyes. “Nothing can take that away from us.”

She showed the same loyalty to dragons who were new to the clan. Each new arrival Satureja would go out of her way to make them welcome. She would ensure there was someone there to interpret if she did not know their language. Satureja would bring them food and gifts; reassuring each dragon that no matter how broken, no matter how tired and impossibly alone they felt- that they were welcome in the Vila clan, in her clan, without a doubt.

Written by macaroni33#433972


by McCrees #29653