Stormtail

None truly know how his curse came to be, how the gems settled upon his skin and feathers. It was simply that he wandered out of sight from the Flight's nursemaid one day in the woods of Shadow. He was found after a day of searching, unconscious in what they suspected to be a Veilspun ring, his once starry night sky feathers now marred.

From that day on he could see Beyond. Yenveld secluded him to his own chambers, under the guise of protecting him from others and giving him his due. But he knew the truth, that the others feared what he knew. What he could pluck from the aether without so much as a thought. Every now and then the others would approach him and seek his wisdom; originally he had been glad at the company. But as he grew older and time grew on, he became only bitter. They were not there for him.

On a quiet night after a day of no visitors, he noticed the chamber door open and a small Veilspun slip inside. She was darker than any shadow in the lowlight and still her scales glittered as she twisted in the air; it as if calling all the light towards her until it was pinprick stars on her form.

He knew this one. The others did not know her presence, nor how her claws buried into their very foundations. And he kept her secret. She was the one spot he could not see, and she sought his advice often.

"I have a question," he had asked one night, long ago. His voice low, barely above a whisper, but it still held firm.

"What would that be?" He knew she was smiling, even if he could not see it. Could not know it.

"Did you do this to me?" The words had almost caught in his throat. There was a tremble in his wings.

She had only replied with a giggle. The sound of it still rang in his ears sometimes. The way it wormed through feather and skin to settle into bone with her answer. It was all he needed.