Rhain

he/him ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Rhain ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welsh name meaning "lance" or "spear" ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Aside from the clan leaders and their guard Lilac, Rhain was the first dragon to arrive at the clan. Since then, he has taken many roles such as mage, book restorer, father, and now herb gardener. He has white patches on his face, shoulders, and wingtips from his vitiligo. Rhain is a humble pearlcatcher who does not feel the need to carry his pearl everywhere, instead tucking it away in his hollow when he is not tending to it. He lives with his mate Alumina and their children a small ways away from the central clan. When he is not helping his mate garden or dye fabric, he spends his time relaxing with a storybook, studying spells, or playing with the hatchlings they foster. He occasionally uses simple spells to encourage plants to grow as a way to worship Gladekeeper, and prays for good luck for his family as he does so.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Even when he was still a hatchling, Rhain was obsessed with becoming a powerful mage and studied magic feverishly. Aside from reading books and practicing as many spells as he could, he wanted to understand the deeper workings of magic. He had not traveled far from his hatchclan when he found Pileju's clan, and decided to reside there to continue his studies because he was intrigued by the hidden magic within the clan's largest tree. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Since he was essentially the first outsider dragon to join the clan, he had to spend a lot of time helping it slowly grow; he lent a claw to gather food or build shelters whenever he wasn't busy reading. Among the next newcomers was Alumina, a fluttery purple skydancer who did not like to leave him alone for some reason. He found her constant prying annoying and tried to avoid her for a while, but eventually he got used to it and even explained some of what he was studying to her. Having never grown up around skydancers, he was surprised to learn about their ability to sense the emotions of others with their forehead gem. Here he was studying how to harness magic, while some dragons were born with innate magical abilities. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Rhain went from begrudgingly tolerating Alumina's presence to welcoming it, and enjoyed questioning her about how her magic worked and what she could sense. Alumina obliged because she was just happy to spend time with Rhain. It was pretty obvious to everyone that Alumina had always had a crush on Rhain, but he did not acknowledge that and pushed those kinds of feelings away to focus on his studies.

Mate Children

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ As Rhain spent less time buried in his studies and more time exploring his wilderness home with Alumina, he learned to appreciate the ways of Nature. He became more conscious of the living things around them and avoided harming plants and insects where he walked. He even set aside some time to encourage plant growth with magic, and used it as a way to decompress and quietly honor Gladekeeper.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Of course, learning about magic was still important to Rhain; he spent hour reading, practicing spell-casting chants and movements, and questioning Pileju about the magic of the clan's largest tree. But as he aged from fledgeling to adult dragon, his youthful pride dissipated and he balanced his studies with clan work and quality time with other dragons. One such dragon was, of course, Alumina, who by now had become a constant in his life. He had grown accustomed to her energetic tendencies, and enjoyed spending his spare treasure on simple jewelry to see how happy it made her. He found that he cared less about learning about the skydancer's magic, and more about just seeing her again. He wondered if Alumina could sense the confusing feelings that were swirling in his mind.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ "What am I feeling right now?" Rhain inquired out of the blue one day. He had asked the question dozens of times before when learning about Alumina's abilities, but by now he understood them. Over the past few months that question had become an inside joke asked during playful moments, but right now, as the pair relaxed quietly, Rhain was being serious. Noticing his tone, the fluffy skydancer peered at him inquisitively, making his face grow warmer.
‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ "No way" she exclaimed. "You like me! I knew it!"
‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ "I..." Rhain stuttered, flustered at her excitement. "I do- what do you mean you knew it?"
‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ "I suspected that you liked me, and not even because I'm a skydancer. You keep hanging around me even though you know all there is to know about skydancer magic. But now you admit it!" She fluffed up her feathers proudly. She had become more mature as an adult, but now her youthful giddiness was reemerging.