Fyllo

Leaf in Greek

-Equive

Backstory

Fyllo has very little memory of his life before joining his current clan. He came there as a hatchling, lost, frightened and confused with the world around him. He can remember looking up at a bright sun, watching clouds race across the dawn blue sky's he wondered where he was, where his family were. It took the young Imperial a few hours to learn how he could get his legs underneath him, how to stand up. Eventually, he could stand reasonably well with the occasional help of a tree to lean against, and soon after that, he could move his legs well enough to walk. Fyllo smiled with joy. In just a few hours of his recallable life, he had managed to move. He made a high pitched squeak like noise and sped up a little, careful to avoid anything in his path. The journey was long and hard, leaving the poor hatchling exhausted and close to collapse. His legs shook as he tried to lift them, unresponsive as he attempted to speed up. After a few more struggled steps, he collapsed in a heap, panting heavily. Fyllo couldn't move any more. His wings lay spread around him as he closed his eyes to rest, hoping that maybe, when he awoke, there would be another dragon their to aid him. Their, Fyllos memories end as he drifted into the dark abyss of sleep, accompanied only by a splash of colourful dreams and sound. The dreams faded after a while, like the sun fading over mountain tops. Fyllo felt at peace as he was descended into the true darkness of sleep.
It seemed a long time later that he awoke, the blinding sunlight flaring into his eyes, making him wince. He suddenly noticed that he wasn't on the ground, but held tightly in a dragons Talons. From what he could see, the Talons were a deep black scarred from years of use. He flinched as he awoke fully, the blurry ground coming into direct focus as he was carried over it. Fyllo noticed how at peace he felt, how at home he felt in the clutches of this unfamiliar dragon. His sharp gaze quickly picked out the species of his carrier. An old male Imperial, dark brown goggles pulled down over his eyes. His face seemed to also be scarred, like his Talons, but he had a soft, determined look in his eyes, a look that said he was on a mission, whatever that may be. A heavy tiredness pulled at Fyllo, coaxing him back into blackness, even if only for a short time. He attempted to brace himself against it, but the young imperials eyes had already closed and with a last exhale, he slid back into the depths of slumber.

This time, when his eyes opened, the sun still shone, but outside of where he was. He lay on a thick, fur coated pelt, warmed by his scales. He could see a stone wall surrounding him, and realised that that was what he was leaning on now. Directly ahead of him was an opening, leading out to an oval shaped area bustling with dragons of all shapes and sizes. A sharp pain arced through his Talons, causing a high pitched shriek to erupt from his throat. Fyllo was breathing heavily when the pain subsided to a dull throbbing, but when he looked at his torn paws, he could see the damage the harsh terrain of the forest had done. He sighed and moved onto his stomach, surveying the cave in greater detail. He tried to find the old Imperial that had brought him here, but could see no traces of him whatsoever. Fyllo spread his wings around himself again, flexing the muscles and ensuring that they were not damaged in any way. As he looked at the moss coloured scales he thought again of the forest, of the green grass and dark leaves, the fresh almost mint like smell that had filled his senses. He shook his head to clear the thoughts, focusing instead on standing. As soon as his Talons were beneath him, a searing pain shot through them, radiating across his entire body. Fyllo gritted his teeth, determination plain in his eyes. He straightened his back legs, pulling himself upright despite the zaps of pain. Eventually, he stood, albeit leaning against the cool stone wall, but he stood. Fyllo held his head proudly, claws scraping the ground in an attempt to lessen the pain. He was content with just standing still, chest shuddering with shallow breathes. A shadow appeared above the hatchling, extinguishing the light that had pooled before him moments ago. Fyllo craned his neck to look at the shadows face, he had figured out that it was a dragon of some sort, but did it mean to hurt him? It's features looked old and scarred, rough and tired. In Fyllos mind, he imagined it's what his grandfather would look like if he had ever met him. The old Imperial sighed deeply and sat down, large, widened eyes flicking over Fyllo almost quizzically. "Who-who are you?" Fyllo croaked. His voice had never been used, at least not to his collective memory, and as if in punishment for this fact, the words seared his throat, the pain building and then spreading upwards into the back of his mouth. Fyllo steeled himself. He would not wince. Even as a hatchling he knew not to show weakness in front of others, it was a pathway for mockery, and possibly even battle. His young mind pictured the brutal battle scenes, only himself and his enemy left standing. He shook his head. Back to the present. The old Imperial opened his mouth to speak "Hello, I am Anzu, I'm a Blacksmith" he said, indicating his soot coated goggles and black dyed claws. Fyllo gathered the few words he knew, although he had no idea how he knew them. "Hi, Anzu, I'm....." he broke off mid sentence, his brow furrowed deeply in concentration. Fyllo didn't yet have his name, no one had ever given him one. Anzu seemed to understand immediately "Of course, you don't have one" he spoke his thoughts aloud, then his eyes drifted back to Fyllo "Would you like me to give you one?" He questioned, claws tapping the floor in a slow, steady rhythm. Fyllo, not knowing what else to do, nodded nod awaited the older Imperials decision. Anzu closed his eyes for a second before his face lit up "Fyllo! Your name can be Fyllo, it means 'Leaf' in Greek" he said, his tail swishing the air. The newly named hatchling tasted the name on his tongue, repeating it a few times and deciding that he liked how it sounded. Anzu wasn't done speaking yet "...and you will be my apprentice".

The Scout

Fyllo quickly discovered how wise his new master was. He learned everything there was to know about the forest, the clan and his world within his first week. Fyllo was filled with an eagerness to learn, so much so that he would often go in search of questions and new information to fill his mind. The first important event that Fyllo experienced in the clan, was picking his job. The bright, burning flames of Anzu's forge seemed strange and interesting to Fyllo and he spent many days cooped up inside with the furnaces burning all around him. He had a gift for creating jewel coated blades and shields, sculpted to perfection with the aid of Anzu. Although this became his greatest hobby, Fyllo felt as if something was missing. He was athletic in build and thought that standing hammering weapons all day was a waste of his abilities. He began to look into other jobs, and finally found one that suited him perfectly. The Scout Patrol. A perfect blend of running, exploring and fighting. There was also an extra opportunity to train to be a Warrior. Fyllo was overjoyed at this and signed up straight away, telling Anzu of his choice ecstatically. The Blacksmith approved and congratulated Fyllo, telling him that as long as he still helped out in the forge there was no problem with his choices.

Fyllos excitement carried all through his three day try-outs, and even the final battle against n Everglade Lasher familiar. Fyllo can remember the vicious battle vividly. He was still a hatchling, his harder, glossier adult scales only just growing over his current soft ones. Fyllo can recall his fats paced, electric charged footsteps, the whistling wind sailing over his horns, only adding to his sky high excitement. His instructor had stopped abruptly, their mouth curling upwards into a grin. "Awright, Fyllo, there's yer quarry" Fyllos wings fluttered as he moved forwards at an adrenaline charged pace. He could see his goal clearly now, basking in the early sunlight as it sat atop some sodden marsh plants. In a second, its eyes snapped towards him, green body illuminating with hatred. Fyllo took up the attacking position, watching as it slid from its perch and onto the sun stroked ground before Fyllo. The Imperial bared his teeth, glaring into his opponents fierce amber eyes. They stayed like this for around a minute, sizing each other up, predicting attacks, planning strategic defence. The Instructor nodded his head approvingly, noting Fyllos strong position. Then, like a flick of a switch, they leapt. The familiar sunk its inch long teeth into Fyllos leg, breaking off and flashing up his back to attack the soft spot between his horns. Fyllo hissed through his teeth and rolled, dislodging the creature in the single movement before dashing back into the fray. Like clashes of thunder they met, wings beating the air, fangs glinting in the sun. The Instructor simply observed, as usual, caught up in the spirit of the battle. A roar was heard and then the fighting stopped, only clutches of floating dust and heavily breathing competitors the sign it had ever existed. The familiar, battered and bloody, looked up at Fyllo with something like adoration in its eyes. He had one the fight, and it was happy to join the clan as his companion. The familiar bowed low, its amber eyes striking even now. Fyllo looked as bad as it, coated in a layer of cuts and bites from sharp fangs. He dipped his head and also bowed, signalling that he accepted the familiar and acknowledged that the battle had been won. That was the first day of Fyllos Scouting career, a career that would lead him to the love of his life.

Leaf

A month after Fyllos initiation he had gotten to know everyone in his scouting party. He had instantly noticed a young female Coatl called Leaf. She wore a beige hood that seemed to give her luck with surprise attacks and scouting. He was often paired with her due to their similar ages when the groups were assigned. They grew to know and depend on each other as Leaf was also a part of the warrior regime. Every second that Fyllo spent with Leaf felt like a dream. They were often found chatting to one another after a day long Patrol, and then at night they would sit by the large lake near the Clan lairs, watching the intricate network of stars together. Over time, their friendship became more. They fell in love with each other, now scarcely ever apart. Fyllo felt that this feeling was strange, it was something similar to what he felt for Anzu, except that that was more of a fatherly relationship. Around Leaf he felt like the strongest being on Earth, as if he could take on the Deities with one wing tied behind his back. A firework of feelings hit the young Imperial when she smiled her bright white smile at him. The thing that most attracted Fyllo to Leaf was not her looks, but her intelligence. He quickly discovered that she had brain power to match Anzu, possibly even enough to give him a challenge. He envied her for this and listened carefully whenever she used a word he had not heard of before. As months wore on, they only grew closer, always at each other's side, never tiring of the others presence. Anzu had watched all this silently, a quiet smile on his lips as he watched the hatchling he had saved grow up.

By Kiradog234