Written by DragonTamer12

Pretty Witty looked at the shiny pearl in her claws. She knew they were important to Pearlcatchers. Studying it as she turned it about her in claws, she frowned. To her, it was just a nuisance; something that got in the way. She really couldn't understand why these pearls were so treasured. Then, one fateful day, everything changed...

Pretty Witty loved to tell jokes. She'd move throughout her clan, telling one to everyone she saw, laughing merrily as she went. More than coming up with the clever jokes, she enjoyed seeing the happy reactions on everyone else's faces. She loved seeing smiles, and was glad when she could get them out of the others, especially if they were having a bad day. There was nothing she liked better than seeing a frown slowly turn into a smile. It seemed none could resist smiling at her jokes. Everyone seemed to enjoy them.

This particular day was a day just like any other, nothing spectacular to note about it, and Pretty Witty had just laid down to chomp away on several White Lace Honeybees. As she thought about the bees, several witty jokes leaped into her mind. She smiled, marveled yet again by how quickly the jokes came to her, about practically anything. It seemed all she had to do was hear a word or see something - anything - and a joke would almost instantly climb it's way into her mind.

Stretching, she rolled over on her back, looking up at the clouds overhead. It was a lazy day, and after her meal, she was ready for a nap. More jokes leaped into her mind as she watched the clouds, and it was with those thoughts circling her mind that she drifted off to sleep. Her pearl wasn't with her, but that was nothing unusual, as she often liked to leave it at home when she went out. She always hated dragging the annoying thing with her.

When she awoke, Pretty Witty was well rested and ready to make her rounds throughout the clan, saying hello to everyone and passing along a joke here and there. She stopped by her cave first, wanting to pick up her pearl. She hated carrying the thing around, but knew that it was the acceptable thing to do, and that no one would take her seriously without it. Besides, she didn't need her claws much for talking, so the pearl wouldn't be too much of a burden.

Yet when she returned to where she left it, it was gone. It didn't concern her. Without it, she had an excuse not to carry it around. So, with a shrug, she left, making her rounds as normal, without her pearl.

It wasn't until she tried to tell her second joke to one of her clansmen that she realized something was wrong. The jokes weren't funny. In fact, she had a terribly hard time coming up with any at all. Now, she gazed about her, taking in the sights. Grass, trees, sky, flowers... Nothing was causing any witty jokes to leap into her mind. Worry filled her. Had she really just lost her sense of humor?

Stumbling about in a daze, she tried to come up with anything witty at all, but she could come up with nothing. Stopping after a long walk, she glanced up to the sky. "What's wrong with me?" She wondered aloud, placing her foreclaw on a stone before her.

The movement had been instinctual, and she glanced down to see why. The stone was a decent size, and almost perfectly round. The best way she could think to describe it would be that it looked like her pearl. That's when she understood. Though she never liked her pearl, she had been the one to create it, and like it or not, it was part of her. Instinctively. Habitually. And now, she'd lost it. Suddenly, it was as if a part of her was gone forever. Her heart sank in her chest. Whatever would she do now?

Several days later, Pretty Witty was on a search to find her pearl. She knew now that she needed it. It was a part of her, and also, it seemed, made her who she was. Her joke-telling hadn't gotten any better. It was soon obvious that she wasn't just having a bad day, for she'd had bad days every day following, and she felt sure that if she didn't find her pearl, those bad days would only continue. She'd never be witty or clever again. She couldn't stand the thought, for that's who she was, and that's what made her happy.

So now, she was determined to find her pearl. She'd searched her entire clan's lair, and all the surrounding areas, and was now moving in a wider search, biding her clan farewell for awhile. She'd search as long and as far as it took to find her pearl. She had no idea where it was, nor how it had gotten away from her clan, but she knew it was possible, as she never did pay much care or attention to it.

The further she got from her homeland, the more pearls she found, scattered about, tucked here and there in mysterious places. But none were hers. Still, she took them all with her, determining to find their owners, for she knew what it was like to be pearl-less. Each one was shiny and bright, but each one was also very unique. She couldn't help but wonder what each one held inside, as she knew now that they were more than decorative pearls. They held something within, a part of another dragon's very essence. They represented who that dragon was. Without it, they were lost, just as she, no longer knowing who they were or what they were meant to do.

Pretty Witty soon found herself very far from home. It had been a long journey, and she was growing tired, especially with all the pearls she was now carrying with her. She stopped for a break, sighing as she began to lose hope of her ever finding her pearl. She pulled her pack of pearls closer to herself, feeling the pearls within. It was disheartening to think that after finding so many pearls, she hadn't yet found her own. She was so lost in her sad musings that she didn't notice a dragon come up behind her.

"That pack looks quite heavy, my dear. Might I take it off your claws for you?"

Pretty Witty jumped with a start, turning about. She found herself looking at a blue Ridgeback with a smile as wide as his face. He seemed quite charming and sincere.

She shook her head in response. "No, I'm fine, thank you. I can manage." She heaved the pack to her shoulder, ready to be off before she fell asleep, not noticing the way the Ridgeback longingly eyed it.

"You seem quite distraught," the Ridgeback said, dropping the subject of the pack. "Is everything alright?"

Pretty Witty turned to him, curiously, then sighed, dropping her head, needing to let her emotions out. "I don't know who I am anymore."

Sadness washed over her as she made the statement aloud for the first time.

The Ridgeback surprised her with his answer. "Well, with all those pearls, you could be anyone you wanted!" His smile lit up his face, mirroring the excitement she heard in his voice.

Pretty Witty studied him, curiously. "Anyone I want?" She thought about that, then frowned. "How so? And how do you know what's in my pack?"

"I have to admit, I've been following you," the Ridegback said, unabashedly. "You've beaten me to my rounds. Tell me, do you collect the pearls for treasure?" His excitement was back.

Pretty Witty was beside herself with disbelief and confusion, not knowing what to say. Finally, she just asked the obvious question. "For treasure?" After a short pause, she found her voice, shaking her head. "But, pearls are hardly valuable except to the Pearlcatcher they belong to."

The Ridgeback shrugged. "They are if you know who to sell them to." His eyes lit up as he paused to look into her eyes. "Those who know their secrets."

"What secrets? And what did you mean when you said I could be anyone I wanted?"

"I meant just what I said. Pearls, you see, can be quite useful. They hold the talents of a Pearlcatcher, and with them, one can take that talent onto themselves. Don't you see?! You could be a poet one day, and a hunter the next. A skilled tactician one minute, and the warrior to carry out that battle plan the next!"

Pretty Witty could only stare at him. His excitement was almost contagious, and the words he was speaking were incredible. Could they really be true?

He nodded. "Oh yes, Pearlcatcher pearls are wonderful things. They're more than pearls. They're potential. And many a dragon would pay good money to get their claws on them. But..." He paused, and his countenance changed dramatically. His smile faded, and sadness took him. "They can be quite a burden because of that."

He met her eyes again, genuine concern written in his own. "Are you sure you don't want me to take them off your claws for you?"

Pretty Witty leaped back, clutching the pack to her chest, protectively, frowning at him. "Why? So you can just turn around and sell them?! I think not! These belong to those who lost them."

"I wouldn't dream of selling them," he replied, unfazed by her anger. "No." He paused, shaking his head with a laugh, his grin back in full. "I'd keep them for myself. I have quite a collection already. The more I have, the more I can be, until one day, I'll be the greatest dragon in the entire Tangled Wood!"

He sighed, contentment seeming to move through him as he closed his eyes. "Ah, I'll be famous, and praise and honor will follow me around wherever I go! It'll be so grand! I'll be happy forever..."

Pretty Witty frowned. "Fame and glory won't make you happy."

The Ridgeback turned to her with a frown of his own. "I beg to differ."

She shook her head. "But you don't need that to be happy. Happiness comes from love."

"And I love fame and glory."

She shook her head, gently, smiling, wanting to reassure him. "You only think you do. What you're really looking for is acceptance. And that comes from love. Being loved for who you truly are. Fame and glory won't bring that same kind of satisfaction. They only bring false love."

"Hmmm..." the Ridgeback said, thoughtfully. Then he met her eyes once more, smiling. "Well, then, those Pearlcatchers who've lost those pearls..." He paused to nod to her pack, before continuing, "Will be better off without them. They don't need their talents to make them happy. May as well just leave them here."

Pretty Witty laughed in spite of herself, liking his persistence. "And you may as well give up."

He grinned wider as she laughed again, turning and flying off with her pack of pearls.

Many days later, she found herself in The Shifting Expanse. She'd long since given up on finding her pearl, determining instead to find the owners of the pearls she already carried. But as she glanced to the pack beside her, the Ridgeback's words came back to her.

Stopping for another break, she opened it slowly. He was right. She could be anything she wanted. She wouldn't need to find her pearl. At least with one of these, she wouldn't be pearl-less.

Slowly, she pulled a pearl out of the pack. As she held it, she felt strength fill every fiber of her being. It was an amazing sensation, heightened because of her knew knowledge about pearls. She clawed at another one, pulling it into her lap. As she closed her eyes, line after line of poetic verse flowed through her mind.

Taking pearl after pearl out of the bag, she contemplated her possibilities. She could be Pretty Wise, or Pretty Strategic. She could be Pretty Strong, Pretty Clever, or, if she took the Ridgeback's option, any of the above. She could be Pretty Resourceful, having whatever she needed to do whatever her clan needed of her.

The thought was tempting, but she knew it wasn't her. She couldn't stop thinking about all her lovely jokes and how they'd brought joy to her clan. No, non of these pearls were her. With a sigh, she put them all away, continuing on her journey.

It wasn't long before she found a clan. Peering her head inside, she looked around. "Pardon me..." She called. "Are any of your Pearlcatchers missing their pearls?"

She was soon greeted by a coral-colored Fae wearing a crown made of bones. "All of our pearls are accounted for."

"Oh, alright," Pretty Witty said, with a nod. "I'll just be on my way then."

"You look exhausted. Would you like to stay the night?"

Pretty Witty turned back with a smile of gratitude. "That would be lovely, thank you."

"This way," the Fae said, leading Pretty Witty forward. "My name's Honestchild, by the way."

"I'm Pretty Witty." She shrugged. "Well, I suppose I still am. I've lost my pearl, you see, and without it, I'm not sure who I am anymore."

Honestchild cast her a confused look. "I thought you were returning pearls, not looking for them?"

Pretty Witty shrugged. "I am, but I wouldn't mind it if I found mine in the process."

Honestchild regarded her for a moment, then nodded and continued on. "Honestly, I never liked how Pearlcatchers held their pearls so highly."

"I didn't either. Until I lost mine. And along with it, my wit. What makes me who I am."

"My dear Pearlcatcher, what we do doesn't define who we are... Who we are does. And you're quite beautiful."

Pretty Witty shrugged. "So I've been told most of my life, but I don't see it being very useful."

Honestchild let out a slight laugh. "Yes, I agree, but I was talking about an inner beauty."

"Inner beauty?" Pretty Witty questioned, not understanding.

"Not many would take it on themselves to return missing peals to their rightful owners."

"I just want them to be happy," Pretty Witty said with a shrug.

Honestchild nodded. "I know. You just can't seem to not spread happiness and joy."

"How do you know?" Pretty Witty asked with a frown.

"I go many places and see many things, miss Witty. I saw what you did for that Ridgeback. You tried to bring a bit of joy into his life."

"Hmmm..." Pretty Witty said, thinking on that. "I always thought it was my wit that brought dragons their joy."

"No." Honestchild said. "It's you."

Pretty Witty smiled. For the first time since losing her pearl, she felt truly happy again.

After that first night, the clan's leader, Ms. Pinkie, asked Pretty Witty to stay longer and get her energy back. Pretty Witty couldn't help but say yes. After all, here in this clan, she had found herself!

So it was, that she found herself staying indefinitely. She continued her journey to return the pearls she'd found, and soon had returned all to their rightful owners. But more then returning their pearls, she knew she'd brought them a bit of happiness. She still hadn't found hers, but, thanks to Honestchild, knew she didn't need it.

Then, one day, Honestchild arrived with the news that she'd found her pearl. As she approached her with the news, Pretty Witty shrugged. "I don't know," she said, with a grin. "I kinda like being Pretty Pearl-less."

She and Honestchild both broke into laughter.

"Guess you don't need this to make you witty." Honestchild said, handing her the pearl.

Pretty Witty took it, nodding. She hadn't thought about it, but she had been able to come up with a few witty comments since joining the clan. She hadn't made a mistake in that decision. They really had helped her find herself.

So she stayed with the clan, never stopped collecting and returning lost pearls, and remained Pretty Witty.