Cichol

While still softly nestled inside his egg, Cichol's parents knew he would be a unique individual.

From the very second his egg fell into the nest, the sheer heat of the shell began to burn and char the shrubbery and twigs it landed on. It glowed with a bright, but gentle yellow light.

His mother nicknamed him "The Dull Sol" as she speculated his egg appeared to resemble the great sun that shone down from the skies above. (Though, this 'sun' didn't strip you from your eyesight if you stared at it too long.)

His shell could not be touched, as even brushing a claw against the egg would leave a burn, therefore his parents couldn't incubate his egg correctly. This wasn't a problem though, as the heat that radiated from the shell was enough to self-incubate the little dragonling. He was taken from the nest, and placed in a small pile of rocks that Aldioph had gathered from around the Reedcleft Ascent. These rocks held him in place, and couldn't burn away like twigs and plants could. So, for six days, he spent time growing and developing inside his burning hot carapace.

His mother, Aydin, was naturally anxious, being a Spiral. Her mate would constantly have to calm her worries. She believed he would never hatch.

"Selene.. My dear, why won't Dull Sol hatch? His brothers.. Sisters.. They're all here. All healthy. Perhaps his heat wasn't enough to incubate him!? What is wrong with our child.." She said, as a tear formed in the corner of her light green eye.

Selene glanced at his inanimate egg, perched on it's pile of warm rocks. "Honestly. You worry too much. He will be fine, give him time. He'll find the strength to hatch."

And sure enough, they saw a twitch, and a small, rough crack began to travel down the side of the shell.
Small squeaks and caws could be heard from the inside, indicating that Cichol, The Dull Sol, had survived the intense heat.

"My baby! I had lost all hope!" Aydin cried.

---

(this next part may seem weird, but read about pearlcatchers in the Encyclopedia. This is really how they obtain their pearl!)

Cichol immediately consumed his shell, and regurgitated the most incredible pearl his clan had every seen.
It seemed to burst with light. A light which bounced and flooded the whole cave. It shone as bright as a star, and deep within the pearl there was movement of colour. Warm colours. Colours of the sun.

Though suddenly, the happy mood was shaken.
Cichol dropped his pearl, and in an agonising cry, rolled over onto his side.

The pearl was burning. It's surface, like the eggshell, too hot to touch. Even for Cichol. His whole paw was steaming hot.
His parents rushed toward him, and carried him to a pool of water where he could rest his leg to ease the burn.

His pearl, this incredible pearl, was left in the cave- beaming light across the rocks. The other newborns in the cave were intelligent enough to stay away from it, yet they glared at it with curious eyes.

His clan knew, that a Pearlcatcher cannot develop a personality without his pearl. He cannot learn, grow, love, or succeed- without this burning sphere of light clutched in his talons.

They had to do everything in their will to find a way for Cichol to maintain this pearl.

Ahpoidla, a beautiful guardian female, was the member to come up with the idea that saved Cichols pearl.
She was an expert with fire, and things that burn. She was also a craftswoman, who had immense skill in creating and forming all kinds of armor.

And so, after long nights of planning, and many experiments to test her works- she developed something incredible. A piece of glistening golden armor. Crafted from the most pure gold she could find. These pieces of leg armor were infused with the magic of light and protection itself.

The Luminous Legguards.

These unbelievable things, when worn, saturated Cichols legs with strength and shaped his claws to become practically invincible to the heat.

---

To this day, Cichol goes nowhere without his legguards. Some may call them his most prised possession, but those who claim this are wrong.

His pearl, which his clan fought so dearly for him to keep, is what he adores and cherishes the most. It's light has given him guidance in the worst of times, and it's truly a treasure which brings good fortune and blessing to his clan.

Cichol, and his pearl, were definitely worth saving.

---

@PixelSpiral



I made his pearl the sun.

@PixelSpiral



Here's the hatchling version of Cichol with a sun pearl. Doesn't look as awesome because hatchlings don't wear accents or apparel.