Grudge

Family Pitch Mother Ripto Father Nerve Brother/Enemy Items Glass Knife Trinkets This find is in excellent condition, but can only be used once. 78 Bonepriest Venom Organics Used in the production of dastardly brews and vile tonics. 26 Oozing Tusk Organics The tusks on Blueridge shells are not poisonous, but the mucus coating them is full of bacteria that frequently causes wounds to fester. 40 Ice Crystal Organics A perfectly formed ice crystal. Incredibly valuable, until it melts. 35 Relationships Miroslav Leader Rumble Friend Avalar Charge, younger sister Factions Glass Shatter Her birthplace The Borderlands Her home

G R U D G E Blunt/Hot-headed/Resentful "Violence is unterrated. There are monsters in this world and the only way to deal with them is with claws and teeth." Personality Grudge is a serious, constantly angry dragon who is prone to avoiding company and staying in shadows. She is exellent at hiding and despite her large size it's difficult for most dragons to notice her presence. Cast away from her birthclan as a hatchling, she often has trouble trusting others and doesn't form friendships easily. There are few who understand her and she is determined to keep it that way. Strength Wisdom Charisma Magic Speed ◆◆◇◇◇ ◆◆◇◇◇ ◇◇◇◇◇ ◆◆◆◇◇ ◆◆◆◆◆ _ Lore Glass Shatter She just wanted to look around the lair for a little while. Her mom had shook her head when she had asked for a permission to leave the cave but she hadn't really said she couldn't go, right? It couldn't be that bad. She wouldn't go far. Only a quick look at the icy mountains daddy always talked about and then she would return. And when her parents would see she was fine, they'd understand there was no need for her to hide the whole time. She quickly pulled back the fabric that covered her tiny home and ran outside. It was better than anything she had expected. The snow was so beautiful and the distant sun felf so good against her scales. She had even found couple of young centaurs that had invited her to play with them in the forest. Playing with others was a rare treat for her so she had eagerly agreed. But now it was getting dark and the centaurs had ran away, leaving her alone in the middle of a snowy, dimly lit forest. "This isn't fun anymore," she whispered to herself. It was so cold. She wished her mom would be here with her. Or her daddy, even though he would be mad at her for leaving. She just wished she wouldn't have to be alone here. Suddenly she heard a sound coming from behind her. Whe hastily turned and saw a large shadow looming above her. It was a male guardian, one with large horns and strong, sturdy build. "Daddy!" she yelped, relieved she had been found. The guardian growled and lowered his head. She felt a shiver go through her spine. It wasn't her daddy. "What happened to your face?" Her voice was barely a whisper. The guardian bared his teeth. "Run." She ran. Her parents took her away the next morning. "It's not safe for you here," her dad murmured and told her to follow. Her mother turned away, as silent as ever. Her father walked her outside the clan. He told her about Nerve, told her about his defect and the grudge it had sparked in him. He told her that because of his ugliness he hated everything beautiful and that he would kill her if she stayed. "But why?" she asked. "Why don't you do something about him?" Her father mumbled something and pointed to a high mountain at a distance. "Go there - you can find someone who will take you away from here. Stay away from wolves, don't eat rotten meat and in the name of eleven, don't come back!" Then he turned and left his daughter alone in a blizzard.

Exiled

The journey to the mountain took her two weeks. It had been tough but she was used to hiding and rarely met anyone else. That's maybe why she was so suprised to find out what waited her on top of the mountain.
"Come inside, honey," the elderly tundra said and curled her tail around her. "You must be freezing!"
She followed the tundra without saying a word. They passed by multiple cabins and caves that all seemed to be full of dragons.
"You don't have to explain anything. You are Ripto's daugher, right? I can see you take after your father quite a bit."
"Thanks, I guess..."
"You are not the first one of his children to come here. Usually he handles this business by himself but everyone needs a helping hand from time to time."
She frowned. What was she talking about?
"But don't worry. You'll make a fine assistant for the Icewarden, I'm sure of that."
She stopped. The tundra looked at her, confused.
"What's wrong, honey?"
She didn't anwser. She had heard horror stories about exalted dragons and the way Icewarden treated his subjects. She had heard that his followers were forbidden to leave his side, to have children or mates, to ever stop working.
She would rather die than live like that.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get you all patched and cleaned up for your journey."
The tundra placed her paw to her shoulder.
That was the first time she had ever hurt anyone. Her claws cut through the furry coat like blades. The tundra yelled. Other dragons around them turned to watch, starteled. She didn't even realize she was running until she fell to the ground, exhausted.
The night had already fallen and grey clouds hid the moon, making the scenery even darker than before. She heard voices from behind her, calling her name. She closed her eyes. They'd never find her.

Ambush


"But what's your name?"
She looked at the fae in front of her. The little thing was so determined to fill out every single line in his stupid paper it made her want to rip his throat out.
"None of your business!" she growled.
The fae looked insulted. "Okay, okay, geez... No grudge here." He scribbled something in the paper and handed it out to her. "Show this to the boss and he'll hand out your gold."
She grunted and grabbed the paper. This job had been a difficult one. The centaurs had been prepared and she had been noticed. It had escalated quickly and she was honestly suprised she had escaped with so little bruises. And when she had finally got the eggs back, she had noticed the others had already left with the boat so she had been forced to fly all the way back.

This better be worth it, she thought when she approached the leader of the lair. She was a pearlcatcher dressed in silks, looking at her with a fake smile on her lips.
She handed her the paper.
"Ahhhh," she said, with a hint of disgust in her voice. "So you are the one who returned our eggs to us? You certainly look like... you have seen some adventure."
She kept her mouth shut. She knew what she looked like. There was dirt and blood all over her scales. She hadn't washed herself in weeks.
"The payment," she stated blankly. The pearlcatcher blinked. "Yes, yes, of course. She looked at the paper. "Five thousand gold pieces for your help, my friend... Grudge? Oh my, what an unusual name."
Grudge? Huh. The fae had a sense of humour, all right. She pondered the name in her mind. It wasn't too bad.

As she walked away from the lair, her thoughts turned towards Nerve. She had thought about him a lot lately. She had only seen him once but she already knew everything she needed to. He was a monster. It was his fault that her life had turned out the way it did.
She slid her claws through the ground. The veins under his brother's skin were exposed to all the world to see. How easy would it be to slash one of them open and leave him to bleed to his death.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an arrow that flew through the dark forest and hit her straight to the neck.
She roared. The centaurs. She saw one of them approaching from behing and shashed it away with her tail. She was a hrown-up guardian. One arrow wouldn't be enough to finish her.
She was just about to rise to her wings when she felt something. It was a nauseous, sick feeling in her stomach that quickly took over every nerve in her body. Her breathing got funny and she couldn't see. She heard noices all around her - the centaurs were surrounding her.
Her last thought was the image of her brother looking down at her.

Home

"She's waking up! Go get the boss!"
Grudge hissed. Where was she? Who was talking? She lifted her head and tried to rise to her feet.
"No no no, stay still!" There was a gentle but firm touch on her shoulder - somebody forced her to the ground again. No, not ground. She was laying in a bed made of moss and covered in colourful fabrics.
There was movement behind her and soon a head of a dragon appeared above her. It was an imperial, one with dark, dim scales and a worried gaze.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking down at Grudge.
"Who are you?"
The imperial smiled carefully. "My name is Rumble and I'm the healer of this clan. Our lord found you in the forest... It was the centaurs again. But enough about that. How are you feeling?"
"Fine, I guess."
"Good to hear that! I was honestly getting worried when you weren't waking up..."
The imperial started chatting to her and Grudge soon drifted off to her own thoughts.

She stayed there. The forest was mostly quiet and the others that lived there had learned to leave her alone. The only one who still bothered to check on her was the imperial, Rumble. She didn't mind too much. He was annoying, sure, but it was tolerable. It turned out he had briefly crossed paths with Clan Glass Shatter, too.
"It was a scary place," he had admitted one day. "Everyone there was so... Cynical. Except Rave. I wonder how she's doing nowadays..."
She had a job, too. She was guarding the clan's southern border, driving away any unwanted visitors and making sure no serthis or centaur unfortunate enough to wonder in left the place alive. It was boring and dull but she managed. It was better than boynty hunting for sure. She had a roof above her head and a warm meal every day. The others trusted her and she wasn't bothered by them in return.
In short, everything was fine.

Yet she still couldn't forget.
Couldn't forgive.

Every night she dreamed about her brother. Dreamed about going back to the clan and ripping his throat open, spilling his blood until there was nothing left of him.

So she went back. She was prepared, her claws sharp and coated in venom that she had stolen from the imperial. She found a shadowy spot from the woods and started waiting for an opportunity. She hoped her parents wouldn't find her. Or Aries. Anyone else she could handle.

She didn't need to wait long. There were footsteps coming towards her. She braced herself for the upcoming battle.
The creature that emerged from the snow-covered bushes was a tiny guardian.
Her scales were black and white, the patterns similar to her own. She didn't seem to notice her.
Grudge gasped and the hatchling turned her head. Her eyes were white and wide. So innocent.
Nerve kills all of his siblings.

She stepped out from the shadows.

Epilogue

"You can't fix me, you know." her sister told her one day.
"What?"
Avalar looked at her, eyes calm and cold. "I mean you shouldn't waste your time on trying to make me something I'm not."
Grudge gritted her teeth. "I don't know what you are talking about."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do.."
Maybe she was right. Grudge had always thought of herself as a broken thing, something that could be fixed once she got justice, removed the things that had wronged her. Her sister, on the other hand... Maybe she was right. Maybe you really couldn't fix something that had always been twisted.
"You are my sister. I'll always love you," she tried but the words sounded pretentious even in her own ears.
Ava scoffed. "Please. I'm getting tired of repeating myself. Things like us will never have a normail family. You know father exalted two of our sisters immediately after you took me. How's that for a family love?"
"Stop it."
"The best you can do is just forget about it all - Nerve, father, me, everyone. Go away and start over somewhere else. Let it go. Don't think you must stay here because of me."
"But I do."
"You are an idiot, you know."
Ava was already gone when she finally anwsered.
"Yeah. I know."