Seurein

[Photosynthesis/Canopy] Skydancers can easily be identified by their appearance: a hide resembling bark, verdant wings no different from dense foliage, spines that run from the tops of their heads all the way down to the tips of their tails, and piercing golden eyes that belie their seeming elemental allegiance to Nature.

They live in typically-familial groups (called lounges) strictly within Light territory, making their homes in canopies, never building any dens, and keeping few earthly possessions. Daytime is spent lazing around on the tops of trees and high branches with their unusually-large wings spread wide. This isn't done solely for comfort — their plant-like wings suck in sunlight and process it as their main source of nourishment. While migration is not uncommon for them, any bigger lounges that form are forced to move and eventually splinter off into smaller ones as their photosynthesis is devastating at large scales, permanently eclipsing the trees and plants down below. First comes withering; later, death.

When night falls, they retreat inwards and downwards, becoming socially active. Reciting poetry, singing, and dancing under the moonlight are beloved activities for most groups — folklore is passed down to hatchlings, skills are shown off, and performances are met with great applause and chatter. They, however, all hide a great purpose: when migrants of the same subspecies intersect, young adults of the two groups prance and flutter around each other in pairs. During this dance, they weave a glowing trail with their claws and chant a personalised incantation, which, upon completion, unravels the spines on their foreign partner and reveals bioluminescent bulbs that glow with the spellcaster's power. The effect is normally temporary, but, should both members of a pair find the ritual and the lights they've received to their liking, they magically bind themselves together and become a couple. From that point onwards, the thorny growths on their backs will automatically open themselves up every night and light up the surroundings, warding away the darkness even should their partner die.