Morishka

Morishka and Kelasteal are lifebonded mates. They will breed with the males of their clan to produce eggs, but their true love is for each other. Each wears a ring with a stone that reminds them of the beauty of their mates' plumage.

Morishka is the more delicate, feminine one of the coupling. She likes things that are elegant and pretty, and has no taste for violence. She worries for Kelasteal when she goes to fight, but tries not to let it show. Even though she is the more romantic of the two, she has no sweet nickname for Kelasteal, preferring instead to call her "My Warrior".

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Morishka had lived in a peaceful village that was raided and destroyed. She and many others were taken captive, while several of her friends were killed in the attack. As they sat trapped, they worried with each other about what their fates might be. Sometimes one of them would be taken away and never returned. None of the captives wanted to think about what might have happened to them. Several days later, they heard more sounds of fighting as a new clan swept through, hopefully here to rescue them. In the ensuing chaos, a blueish Skydancer female stumbled onto their makeshift prison and immediately set them all free, urging them to run. As Morishka tried to follow her friends, she felt herself receive a huge clawed blow to her back, and fell to the ground. Struggling to keep moving, she saw the blue female leap over her, and heard the impact as she struck the dragon that landed the blow. She managed to get herself turned around just in time to see the Skydancer tear the throat of the attacker. Horrified, she met the other girl's eyes and tried not to be sick. The female was panting heavily, and blood was dripping from her feathers. As they both opened their mouths to speak, they heard the sounds of more enemies approaching. Without making introductions, the female grabbed up Morishka with an amazing strength and carried her swiftly away. Finding a spot that seemed to be well situated away from the worst of things, she deposited Morishka there and said quickly, "You're injured. Stay here, and I'll come back for you," before darting away. Morishka sat in shock, unable to respond. She wanted to run, but knew that that was impossible now. Her attacker had given her several painful lacerations that made movement impossibly difficult.

Soon after, the fighting ceased and the blue female made her way back to where Morishka was huddled. Without a word, the female began to treat her wounds, beginning with her leg. As she finished there and moved to work on her wing, she said to her, "I'm Kelasteal. Sorry we had to meet like this. Once you're healed up you can go. My clan doesn't take prisoners," If she had been fighting against them, Morishka might have found those words ominous. But right now she just found comfort. "I'm...Morishka. Thank you for saving me," she finally replied. Kelasteal gave one of her hands a gentle squeeze as she promised she was only did what any decent dragon would have done for another. As she moved to take her hand back and finish her bandaging, Morishka tightened her grip. She realized she did not want to let go just yet. She reached up and ran her claws through the feathers on Kelasteal's head, cleaning away some of the blood that had spattered there during her fight. She saw the warrior's eye widen, and almost stopped her grooming, thinking that perhaps Kelasteal was unused to this sort of touch. Yes, she decided, that was probably it; a warrior like her probably never experienced gentle contact from another dragon. She would likely pull away from her. But to her pleasant surprise, Kelasteal just said, "Oh...uh...thanks..." and bent her head awkwardly to let her continue the preening. As she cleaned the blood from Kelasteal's feathers, Morishka calmed even further. She was noticing how very lovely the little female was underneath all that gore and grime. A strong, aggressive warrior she might be, but she was still very feminine and beautiful. Very pretty indeed. Morishka was surprised to find herself thinking this at all. She reasoned that the receding adrenaline and fear was causing this apparent attraction to her savior, as the chemicals in the brain were never trustworthy when they were in flux like this. But, she thought, what if it's more than that?

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Morishka revealed that she had nowhere to go now that her village lay in ruins, and Kelasteal offered to bring her to join their clan instead. It took a long time for them to realize their feelings for each other, and even longer to act on them. Neither of them was sure how the other one might have felt upon learning that a female was falling for them. They spent lots of time in each others' company and became best friends. One night, after Kelasteal knocked back some of Merlot's strongest brews, Morishka found herself being treated to the warrior's confessions of love. As Kelasteal tried to explain herself in a way that would exonerate her if her feelings were not reciprocated, Morishka answered her with a passionate kiss.