Delphinium

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Mate: Saber Family: --- Occupation: Warrior

Artwork: --- Front Page: 6 - 22 - 17

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From a young age, Delphinium has enjoyed wandering and seeing new things, discovering the world one excursion at a time. He realized very young that his personality was ill-suited for the Shifting Expanse and took his leave, embarking out wherever his small wings would take him. He ended up in the Tangled Wood, lost but curious, and was taken in by Nocte.

He was raised under the nest mother Demeter's wing alongside two Pearlcatchers. Ialu and Ariel were a curious as he was, always listening with awe to the returning Archvists' tales and scrambling off into some kind of trouble or other. They were perhaps the most troublesome trio the nest guards had yet to deal with.

His companions set their sights on becoming Archivists early, eager to learn more and dig deep into the history of their world. Delphinium decided that if they were always going to be running headfirst into trouble, there ought to be someone there to make sure they survived it. He chose the path of a Warrior, planning to travel with his friends and see more of the world's wonders.

Before they had the chance however, came the Revolt. Delphinium hadn't known Sepheraph well, but he had known Aaloka, however briefly. Her betrayal stung worse than he cared to admit, for some how it had never occurred to him how someone might actually be unhappy in their clan. Nocte was kind and giving, and allowed for so much freedom, that her motivations seemed entirely unfounded. The following carnage had no basis, and that made it hurt worse.

Though he fought as best he could, being only an apprentice was his ultimate downfall. Many of his fellow dragons fell, teachers he'd respected among them. His mind was constantly torn between the fight in front of him and his friends, where they might be and if they were well, until finally he was shoved back towards the Annex. Delphinium stood his ground, refusing to enter the protection of the Annex walls, and helped to hold the ground they had left until the siege was over.

After everything, he was weary to his very bones. Being faced with his own weaknesses and watching those he had admired fall took its toll on the young Warrior, cracking wide gaps in his careful armor. There was so much more evil in the world than he had anticipated, and it had come so willingly to their doorstep to rend apart their way of life. For what? Delphinium couldn't understand it. No matter how much he trained and questioned himself, how many hours he prayed for the souls of those they'd lost, the answers never came.

But Saber did.

A hunter from the Windswept Plateau belonging to their sister clan, the Mirror went all but unnoticed amidst the dragons milling about during the relief efforts. Delphinium overlooked him, wrapped up in his own mind, but Saber was not so thoughtless. He sought the young apprentice out, approaching him despite his own awkwardness. After all the pain they'd been through, the suffering he'd been forced to witness, the sudden warmth in his soul as he imprinted was completely unexpected. Delphinium was never sure why he had been forced to witness the near downfall of his home, but he took the appearance of his mate as a sign that perhaps, even in the worst of times, there was still much to be thankful for.

Saber was good for Delphinium's confidence, reminding him that apprentice or not he still had much time to develop and change. He stayed beside him during most of the clan's reconstruction, watching over his training with a critical eye and stepping in whenever the young Wildclaw began to take himself too seriously. Even after leaving for his own clan, Saber made a point of returning often enough to be expected, but without warning, to keep his young mate on his toes.

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