Galel

born in a winter wonderland

A fairy tale life

Galel was born into a very happy family, their lair filled with a close knit clan of dragons who cared for him and his siblings as if they were their own hatchlings. His parents were long time mates, clearly in love with each other and well settled into their home.

In the early days of his childhood Galel was absolutely fascinated with the world around him. Everything was white, and cold...good thing his blood ran hot. His young mind couldn't understand what all this powdery stuff was, so naturally he had to immerse himself in it. And he did, daily. But soon enough the thrill of the cold wasn't enough to sate his wanderlust. He grew older and bigger, and the world around him grew smaller and smaller.

Galel was 6 months old when he finally decided the Icelands had grown too small for his ravenous eyes, and it was time to make his own way. He said a short, but very heartfelt goodbye to his family. He knew they didn't understand his decision, to them the Southern Isles were perfect, and just the right thing for them. But they loved him nonetheless and supported his decision, making sure he knew that if he ever needed to come home, he was always welcome.

Having said goodbye to the only life he ever knew, Galel took to the sky. He flew for many days over the Icefields, his heart blossoming with the feeling of freedom, the rush of adrenaline from the adventure and the steady determination to tame the unknown. He would stop occasionally, if he saw something interesting. But the pastel dragon was a nomad, a wanderer, a loner who was never actually lonely.

Before long he had made it out of the Icefields and into the Starfall Isles. That's when things got truly interesting. So many different things, so many new things! This was what he had wanted!

Galel managed to stay put for 3 months. The Arcanists realm intrigued him so much...until it didn't. His decision to leave was as sudden as a warm breeze blowing through, and so as if carried by that warm breeze the adventurous dragon was once again swept away to another realm.

He carried on like that for a long while, bounding from kingdom to kingdom with great sweeps of his wings. His hungry eyes and ravenous mind never seeming to be able to gobble up enough experiences. Time was meaningless to the Imperial, he measured his life not in days, but in moments. Meeting someone new, tasting a new food, laying eyes on a truly fantastical sight.

It was a dream come true.

Until it wasn't. The nomadic Imp had been on the move for a year now, he had seen the beautiful cliff sides of the Starfall Isles, flown through the wind spouts of his ancestral home, swam as deep into the sea as he could go and tiptoed over the hot lava spouts of the waste. His taste for adventure was finally growing dull, and he needed a place to settle, to make a home.

This realization hit Galel when he was just entering the Stormcatchers kingdom. Perhaps it was the sandy dunes of the Shifting Expanse that reminded him of home, the desert looking so much like snow from up in the sky, the nostalgia triggering something in him. Or maybe he had just grown tired. Whatever the case, the male knew it was time to find a home.

That was the tricky part, finding a clan he fit into. Being a nomad and a wandering, especially one so far from home made it hard for certain clans to trust him, to let him in and accept him. There were a few candidates, but in the end they all rejected him. That is until he met a rather odd pair, a clan leader named Zazzles, and his mate Spark.

The two were bizarre. Galel knew how mirrors typically were, snarky, sarcastic, sharp. Their edges hard and their hearts spiky. Zazzles was the complete opposite. He was warm and inviting, kindness and honesty clearly being the two things he valued most. His mate was just as confusing, instead of the happy-go-lucky, nurturing Tundra personality Galel was used to, she was cool and distant, there but not really there. She was quiet unless she was showing off how sharp her wit was, and even when she didn't speak, her eyes said it all.

Galel wasn't quite sure what to think when the mirror told him that they were new clan leaders, just starting out and looking to make a family. But it appeared his desire to concur the unknown wasn't entirely burnt out, because he agreed.

He was hesitant at first, unsure how to navigate his way around Spark, but soon enough he grew used to her mannerisms, and she warmed up to him. It didn't take long for them to become a strongly bonded clan. After Galel came Vathys and Astrapi, a bonded pair previously from a nature tribe wanting to return to their birthplace. Then came a group of four, two bonded pairs who had decided to travel together, Silvertongue and Strawberry, and Cuivre and Odigo.

Soon enough clan life was booming, hatchlings were running around and joy was plentiful. At least for everyone else. Galel was facing the most inner turmoil he'd ever experienced in his life. For you see, the Imperial was lonely. He was already two years old without a mate, he saw how happy his clanmates were with their significant others, and the joy that offspring brought. Did he make the wrong decision making this his home? Was his soulmate out there, in some other kingdom, waiting for him?

These thoughts plagued him for weeks, doubt and worry gnawing on his soul until finally he had made the decision to leave. In the morning he would slip away, unnoticed and quiet as a mouse. Galel didn't feel good about the decision, but what else was he to do? He didn't want to be alone anymore. That was the last thought he had before slipping into unconsciousness.

When he said he didn't want to be alone anymore, Galel hadn't meant literally, at that moment. But alas, the universe had other ideas for him apparently. What a surprise those plans were though, waking up to a stranger crawling nearly on top of you, looking half dead and instantly falling asleep.