Haley

Uh-oh, looks like this lonely soul wandered a little too far from his/her home lair (208155, StarlitFire), and now she's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, she'd really appreciate it if you could just return her to the home lair, or to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread, here. This is not necessary, but she would be very grateful!




Haley's Story:
(If you own her at any point, please make sure to add to this!)

---

(StarlitFire, 208155)

Something had told me that the life of a dragon in solitude was never the answer. I had had a single litter of dragons at one point with a mate I couldn't even remember at this point, he had gone to the Tidelord ages ago along with the hatchlings. I'd messed around with my two brothers at times - Kacey hated me and Lorie wasn't fond of me, either - and was an outcast now in the Clan of the Brightest Ocean Shores. I wasn't happy whatsoever, and I knew it this final night. I was going to leave -- they'd probably never miss me -- and with my final steps, I left the protection of the ocean cave. They hated me for who I was, so why even bother staying?

The wind as I left never refreshed me any more than it did tonight, and I knew a new life was to come.

---

(Evaria, 3674)

Something about this land was different. I could sense it the moment I stepped over the border. I could not see the boundary, but it was clearly there and the difference between the two territories was almost unnerving. My previous home, if one could call it that, had been harsh and unforgiving, but land... it felt free. Elated, I took a deep breath of fresh air to rejuvenate my exhausted body and leaped back into the sky. I felt as if the life I had left behind had been nothing more than a bad dream that I had finally awoken from after years of torment. Never once did I regret leaving my birthclan.

That is until a dark shadow blotted out the sun. I barely had time to register the appearance of a rather large Pearlcatcher before I found myself being knocked from the air. A small scream tore itself from my tired lungs as I plummeted from the heavens and crashed down to the ground below. Frantic, I struggled to right myself, but, before I could find solid purchase, the Pearlcatcher was upon me.

"Speak yer business," he snarled, planting his paws on my wings to keep me in place. I could only whimper in fear as I stared helplessly back at him. In the light of the sun, I was painfully aware of the nasty scar visible on my assailant's neck. This was a dragon that had been in countless fights and lived to tell the tales of every single one.

"P-please..." I begged. "I mean you no harm!"

"This land is a haven for those the world has wronged." The Pearlcatcher narrowed his eyes and looked my small form up and down. "I'm goin' to let ye up. f ye mean the words ye speak, ye would do well to mind yer actions."

I nodded pitifully, gingerly crawling to my feet as the stranger backed away. He said nothing as I righted myself and instead merely watched silently. "M-my name is Haley," I offered after a moment. I kept my head low and avoided the larger dragon's eyes, hoping the submissive display would appease him. "I left my home seeking a new life. Please, could you... could you tell me where I am?"

The Pearlcatcher adjusted his stance and snorted at this, then sighed and turned to look over his wings. "Ye find yerself in the territory of the FableWings," he explained. "Ye can call me Xael. I ask ye to forgive the harshness of our meetin'. The dragons that live here have been through enough hardship. It's my solemn duty to be protectin' them from further harm. I reckon ye could stay if ye wanted, but I have to be warnin' ye that ye may find most of our members... strange. The things they've been put through have changed them."

"How so?"

"Some are crippled or deformed. Others find themselves sufferin' from various mental disorders..." Xael's voice trailed away and his eyes took on a strange, glassy look as if he were recalling events long since past. Listening to him recount the dragons he called family, I felt like I possibly did not belong. The world had wronged me, yes, but my troubles were nothing compared to what it seemed like his charges had had to deal with. Unsure whether or not the clan guard could hear me, I offered a quick thank you for his offer and quietly departed in search of lands farther from my old home.

---

(True, 190879)

I moved on from that unsettling encounter with a strange feeling fluttering in the pit of my stomach. To be honest with myself, I believe part of the fluttering was my own lingering fear, but there was also something more...something akin to admiration, maybe. The fear subsided, but the image of the scarred Pearlcatcher remained imprinted on my mind, even as I moved onward into Light territory.

I had the misfortune of discovering the Hewn City. What a dreadful place. I met a kindly Snapper on the edge of the city who told me her clan hoped to move soon to a less eerie part of the Sunbeam Ruins. She herself could barely stand their current home and had walked to the city's edge for a little relief. I could tell she was feeling anxious; she shifted her weight from foot to foot. I tried not to laugh as it occurred to me that she looked like she had to pee, dancing like that. But I listened to her words, as she had a lovely, soft voice that tempted me to let my eyelids, growing ever heavier, close shut. A simple band of copper ringing her neck glinted dully in the low light as she told me in low tones that she believed the ruins of the city to be haunted. I have to confess that I don't remember much more of what she said, for I did succumb to sleep as the Snapper talked. Her voice was truly angelic, in my defense.

When I awoke, I found myself alone on the edge of the ruins of the Hewn City. Though I reckoned it to be morning, the sky was dark as ever. My mind drifted back to the Snapper's musings about haunted ruins, ghosts. Alone, without the comforting mass of the kindly Snapper and her sweet voice, I could bear it no longer. It was just too unsettling. I had to leave the Hewn City.

---

(117146, Bluegeam)

From the ruins of the Hewn City, I flew south. Towards the land of flame and lave, maybe there my soul would be given the chance to know warmth again. But all I found was waste and destruction. This land was not kind to the small, with its beastly heat and monstrous dragons. Heading south had brought me to the wastes, and in its distance a Clan fortified by towers and walls could be seen. As being so small, slipping into this oasis was easy, the guards far too laxed. Raiding the clan's food and water was essential, my body on the verge of giving out. It was an young skydancer. Despite her age though, she looked far older than need be. Been caught, my fate was surely sealed. But instead of revealing me, the woman bestowed upon me a Pink Highnoon Hank.

"Any brave and bold enough to enter the lair of Clan Pyre and raid our stocks deserves to have their deeds recognized. Congratulations" She said. With this hank, many in the wastes would recognize it and know I was under the protection of Clan Pyre and it's matriarchs. With this, I would be able to travel out of these wastes and continue my journey with no harm done onto me. Gven enough supplies to last my travels out of the clan's territory, I thanked the young skydancer and left before others became aware of my presence. Such a kind skydancer, yet so much sadness in those eyes. Never was her name revealed to me, but i know our souls had connected.

---

(208155, StarlitFire)

I had somehow made it back home. But how? It was too much for me, I couldn't see Kacey for all it took, but I could try to stay distant. And that's what I did for a while. I did my best, and I finally left after a while. It was time to go.
I had been through two dominances without being seen, it was that obvious that I was not wanted here, and thus, it was time to go. I wanted to find the kind Skydancer who had met me, to make her feel better, to feel better about life in general.

---

(72969, BirdOfInk)

I decided I wanted to go back to the Ashfall Wastes, to find her, the Skydancer. So I headed south- too far south. I somehow managed to bypass the Flamecaller's territory entirely, and ended up in the Southern Ice Fields. I really wish I hadn't...it's frigid here, and lonely, there's an eerie feeling I can't shake.

I found a forest, it looked to be a suitable place to set up camp for a while, but ever since I arrived I couldn't shake this horrible feeling of unease. I was lost deep in thought, trudging through the deep snow, when I bumped into something solid and cold.

"Oh! A visitor! Well, hello!" A fur coat clad male Nocturne chirped happily at me, bright eyes peering down at me.

...

I stayed with the Nocturne for a while, Larua he said his name was. As far as I could tell, there was no clan nearby, just Larua and his camp in the middle of the woods. He shared his food, water, and shelter with me. He was kind, and provided me with a nice warm coat as well. But I had this strange feeling about him, something was... off? Surreal? I couldn't shake this sense of dread every second I stayed with him, so I left in the night while he slept.

On my way out of the Southern Ice Fields, I met an injured Shalebuck, it had a heavy gash in his leg. I wrapped up the wound and fed him what food I had left from Larua. After that, he began to follow me. Perhaps I should give him a name.

---

(307307, SoggyPeach)

I came upon a clan of dragons in the Land of Fire. Though rather new, I could tell that it was a tightknit family. Upon thinking I realize I missed my family. But I shook my head to get the ridiculous thought out of it. I encountered a few travelers in this clan who had stayed, but seemed to be packing up to leave soon. I exchanged stories with Maestrom about our adventures. He seemed to have a small dragon with him. I shuttered at the thought of having to fear for a little one with me on my journey. I ended up saying my farewell rather early in the day. The clan gave me food and my Shalebuck, whom I've named Vox, and I started on our next adventure.

(289263, Twistedstripe)

With my new familiar, and new courage, I decided to fly North/west, into the Scarred Wasteland. The journey there was splendid and peaceful, but as soon as I reached the border, I immediately changed my mind: the smell of rot and disease made my lungs burn, and I began coughing madly, my eyes began to tear with every inhale. I suddenly felt weak, and Vox was no better. We quickly fled from the border, and recovered from the awful experience behind some nearby cliffs, which blocked the awful smell. I then realized the sun was beginning to set, so I made a small shelter for the night, and after a small meal, I slept.
...
The next morning, I was met by the awful smell again, but this time, it was not because I was near the border. In confusion, I opened my eyes to see darkness, for the entrance to my shelter was covered by something. Or, someone. After an awkward silence, the dragon poked her head inside, and smiled. The female Nocturne at the entrance told me that her name was Yoruba, and that she saw me at the border the day before, and felt sorry for me. She came by to say hello, and check on me, and we ended up talking for a while.

"There's a nearby pack I am staying with who are open to visitors. I'm sure they wouldn't mind another guest."she told me. I shook my head. I was not going back there. The smell was to......terrible. "But you must! It's not as bad as you think! The pack is really nice-ok, maybe not as nice as others-but It's much better! Plus, you're a traveler, right? They love travelers!" I still refused. There was a pause. "You are afraid of the smell, are you not? Here, I have something to help." She took out what looked like a mask, and placed it in my talons. She was wise with her words, and after some hesitation, I finally agreed. She smiled and helped me clean up.

I put on the Tanned Rogue Mask, and, after more hesitation, forced myself, as well as Vox, into the wasteland, with Yoruba in the lead. After what seemed like hours, they arrived at a small clearing, filled with dens made out of various materials. Astaroth, the leader, and her close friend, Vaedren, came out to meet me, and after a chat, led me to my den. For a den made of rotting roots, it was quite comfy. I made a bed for Vox, and after a nice, plump insect, Vaedren came and asked some questions, and wrote all my replies down in a battered book, and once she left, I slept once again. I woke early the next morning, packed up and ready to leave, but was met with Yoruba once again. She said goodbye, and wished me luck on my journey. I did the same. I was about to give back the mask she gave me when she shook her head. "Keep it. You will need it." I thanked her foe the gift. She pointed me to my next destination, and off I went.

(91546, MissMad)