Athabasca

Athabasca was born of Pearlcatcher parents in the Shifting Expanse, but he yearned for something more than a life of toil and being shouted at by the Stormcatcher. One dark night, he made a break for it, heading for the ancestral home of all Pearlcatchers: the Sunbeam Ruins.

There, he studied the crumbling architecture of a lost civilization and felt something spark deep within him. Curiosity! Who had created these ruins? What were their lives like? Where did they go?

His investigations took him far and wide, from the Hewn City to the murals and obelisks of Dragonhome. His ultimate goal was to venture into the heart of the Shadow Realm to explore the Forum of the Obscured Crescent...but alas, it was not to be.

While following up on rumours of vast underwater ruins in the Sea of Thousand Currents, Athabasca made the mistake of holding his pearl in his mouth, hoping to protect it from maurading maren. Instead, he nearly drowned, choking on the manifestation of his accumulated memories and experiences.

When Athabasca washed up on the shore, he found himself irrevocably changed. His fine whiskers were now a shaggy beard, and his beautiful tufts of fur were replaced by armored fins. He found himself rejected by Pearlcatcher society for lacking a pearl, while Guardians refused to accept him as he was without a Charge.

Aulavik and Aniakchak came across Athabasca during one of their pilgrimages to the Southern Icefield. Due to his recent experiences, he was hesitant to tell them his story... but fortunately for them, any potential awkward silences were filled up by Aniakchak's rhapsodies on the nature of beauty.

Athabasca was astonished to discover that Aniakchak found beauty in everything. The sound of branches rattling in the wind... the sensation of snowflakes stinging one's face... pebbles worn smooth by wind, and fragile newly-formed ice crystals. All these things were beautiful. As he listened to the Pearlcatcher poet, Athabasca began to understand that there was more to beauty than he had known.

It may be some time before Athabasca can learn to find the beauty in his new imperfect form. But for now, he is content to be amongst friends who see his gifts rather than his flaws... and are willing to indulge his passion for archaeology and mystery-solving.

(Quotation from London Snow by Robert Bridges)

Please return me to twotone!