Lulu

"You are Unlucky." These words are your first memory, spoken to you by a figure you would have many nightmares of afterward. They come from the mouth of a small dragon--fae, like you, you later realized--with pits for eyes and a twisted feathered skull upon its head.

On your bad days, you think the name fits. You were born legally blind, able to discern colours and shapes, but words on a page have only been blurs to you. You are clubfooted; your back left leg is permanently turned inwards. You were not hatched in a communal nest, surrounded by love, but alone in a forest, abandoned by your parents. You do not know who they are. Hunger has been a frequent companion of yours.

On your good days, you think that dragon, whoever they were, could not have been more wrong. Despite your disability, you did not die in that forest. Despite your helpless youth, no beastclans found you. (Sometimes, you wonder if you had unseen help. Perhaps Lightweaver, or maybe your parents?) You were found by a guardian. She fed you your first real meal--the joy of that meal is one of your favourite memories--and she brought you to the inn where you spent your youth. While you never felt like you quite fit in, young as you were relative to them, they kept you company and kept you safe. You were the lovable urchin who hung around the kitchen staff. Unable to rely as on your back legs like others did, your wings and arms grew strong. Where you lacked in sight, you found in scent and taste. You happily became the kitchen taste tester. Life in the inn helped you to learn that you were not the boy that everyone thought you were initially. You found a new name, Lulu, and nothing made you happier in those days than others recognizing you for the girl you were.

As you matured, you became more involved. You worked for your share, and you learned to cook. You were hungry, hungry for knowledge, hungry for experience. You watched all the travelers who came and went from the inn, and you began to desire their life. Rather than set off with nowhere in mind, you began to plan. You talked to the guests; you asked them where they came and what it was like there. You could listen to these stories for hours. You decided to go to the Labyrinth. The thought of all the potential, the new ingredients, the new recipes entranced you. One traveler you talked to said they came from somewhere called Botany's Grove and that the dragons there could use a chef like you. (Evidently, the food they had was not the best.) They agreed to guide you there. Within a week, you packed your bags, said your goodbyes, and were off for the forests.


After spending a short time in Botany's Grove listening to the Elders talk about things they have seen. Lulu decided to expand her knowledge and set out to visit other lairs. Hopefully picking up new recipes along the way!