Crescendo

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Lore

Blinking back tears, Crescendo did her best to memorize her father's words. Not just his words, but everything about him. The hood that held such symbolism for him was cast aside in the snow. He wouldn't need it where he was going. Chime had already left. She wished that her mother had been able to say goodbye, but she knew time was of the essence and if her brother had any chance of survival, her mother's timely departure was his only hope.

Music, her brother from their small clutch of two, had been taken. A rogue dragon on his journey to seek out the Icewarden had snatched the young hatchling in the middle of the night. With every guard and scout on duty for the Glass Shatter Clan, the dragon had still somehow been able to slip into the lair and steal one of the hatchlings. Rumor had it that the dragon had bribed one of the outcasts of the clan, how else could their security measures have been breached? It was no matter now, Music was gone. It could only be assumed that he was taken as a sacrifice for the time, if and when, the rogue actually found his deity. Or, perhaps he was taken in as a slave to the rogue, someone to carry his belongings and work for him at his whim to help him survive the harsh realm of the Icewarden.

Crescendo knew her father needed to act quickly. He needed to find his mate, Chime, to join her in her search for their son. Embracing his daughter, he assured her that she was strong enough to make it on her own in the Glass Shatter Clan. To be a representative of their family, the Snow Song. He handed her a scroll. It was his story. The story of how he came to the Glass Shatter and how he had met her mother. It was all she had of her family's history and she would read it every night in the days that passed. Before leaving, he gave her one last thing. His trusted familiar, a Frostbite Hummingbird, that had faithfully stayed with him since he was a young hatchling embarking on his own journey from the Southern Icefield. He shared an emotional attachment so strong to the familiar, that as long as the hummingbird should live, Crescendo would know that her father was alive and safe.

Watching her father walk away, Crescendo took a deep breath and unrolled the scroll. She would miss her family, but she took comfort in knowing that they would live on in the words etched into the parchment:


"The beauty of winter. The purity of ice and snow. Everything looks so fresh, so new. So breathtaking, so enchanting, that you almost miss the blood stained tracks in the snow."

Blister never intended to leave his birth clan in the Southern Ice Fields. The lair was filled with beautiful skydancers, and his parents were no exception. Like typical skydancer parents, they fawned over each hatchling. Unlike his siblings, who adored the attention and thrived on it, Blister resented it. He hated having his elders dote on him and whether it existed or not, he read into their comments on how adorable he was as condescending insults.

Things grew worse as he got older. Like his parents, Blister grew into a beautiful and elegant skydancer. He hated the looks he got from the females in the lair, each vying for his attention, hoping he would choose them for his mate. He equally hated the jealousy that flashed across the faces of the males who secretly wished they looked like him. His physical appearance, a source of envy for many, was a curse for him. No one saw him for what he was, they only saw him for his outer beauty. He was adventurous. He was curious about the world around him. He sought knowledge and yearned for an intelligent conversation just once.

It was belittling to him when it was assumed that he would only be interested in talking about trivial matters. Who cared about the best way to position your feathers so they glistened in the sun like the surrounding ice? Why was appearance so important? Why was everyone so concerned about the mate he should find to pass on his colors to their offspring?

He started wearing a hood to cover his face. Maybe if he could conceal himself then others would look past his appearance and see him as an individual with his own thoughts, his own opinions. Instead, he received an onslaught of remarks about how he was too pretty to cover himself up. He refused to remove the hood. He thought as time passed that the comments would subside. He was wrong.

The other young males within the clan constantly tormented him for his hood. It's possible that they were jealous, even with his hood he was getting more attention from the females of the lair. When the teasing began, Blister would become silent. He ignored them and tried his best to remain calm. One male in particular hated being ignored. Even after the rest of pack grew bored and went on their way, he refused to relent. He would follow Blister and continue laughing at 'the pretty boy, hiding his pretty face. What are you hiding under there pretty boy?'

Typically calm and reserved, one day while he was alone with the pestering male, Blister snapped. He wheeled around and reared up, slashing at the other dragon and striking his chin. The other dragon stood in shock. A flood of emotions rushed through Blister and he couldn't restrain himself from taking out his pent up frustration on the other male. The rival was considerably larger, but Blister was fast and agile. He bit and scratched, striking at the dragon with unsettling grace. A final blow was delivered and his rival began to scream. Blood began to flow from where his eye should have been. He began twisting on the ground in pain and the snow turned a brilliant red. Other dragons heard the screams and flocked to his aid. He couldn't see, the other dragon was blinded. Blister should have helped. He should have been the one to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. He could have rushed to get the clan's healer. He could have done anything. But he didn't. He ran away. Without a second thought or a single look back, he fled. He traveled many days, not allowing himself to dwell on the horrific scene he had left behind. He didn't stop until he ran into another young skydancer in the Shadow realm.

She looked him over cautiously. (to be continued)

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Bonds | Relations

Toxin Friend

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Goals | Notes