firephoenix15 » Lair » Jadeite

Jadeite

(#2960980)

The Tempestuous Twister / Wind Emissary

Familiar

Platewing Sphinx

Energy: 0/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

5.28 m

Wingspan

5.41 m

Weight

595.86 kg

Genetics

Brown
Tiger

Coal
Stripes

Sunshine
Okapi

Hatchday

Apr 14, 2014
(10 years)

Breed

Adult
Mirror

Eye Type

Wind
Common

Level 25 Mirror

Max Level

STR

119

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

none

Offspring

Biography

The cavern near the base of the cliffside is worn smooth by time, and is clearly one of the oldest amongst the lairs. The opening is cavernous enough to allow most dragons inside with room to spare - but it is clear that this is a more personal area. One of the upper ledges is populated with various knickknacks - semiprecious stones, small carvings, and the like. A particular piece of foo's eye glints at the forefront of this collection.

The cavern is too dark to see the far wall, but the faint outline of something lying in the shadows implies this lair is not unoccupied. A faint sniff and two - no, four - glinting, pale green eyes appear out of the shadows. One pair narrows to only slits before the figure stands and slips into the sunlight.

The mirror looks her visitor up and down with a critical eye. Her brown coloration and black wings are accented with brilliant orange marks along her legs and fins. Her entire body is strikingly patterned with stripes save for on the furthest extremities. Only the brilliant gleam of peridot in the dragon's eyes marks her as a Wind-born creature.

The mirror's nostrils flare once before she snorts derisively. "That darned fae," she muttered crossly. "I told him to be more careful about letting in strangers. Who knows what kind of trouble he'll bring..."

While disdainful, she doesn't appear angry. "Still, if you were going to cause a ruckus, you'd have done so already." She straightens slightly. "I'm Jadeite. That fae you met is my mate, and it's my job to make sure he doesn't play the fool so much that he gets us all killed. The clan welcomes you, just... don't be an idiot yourself." She sniffs again before adding, almost sarcastically amused, "If you haven't already."

Jadeite

"The Tempestuous Twister"---Second in Command and Wind Emissary

Mate of Anaster
Size: Standard, Wingspan: Standard, Weight: Standard
Coliseum Team: Alpha
2nd Dragon of the Clan (originally basic/basic/basic)
Theme: Neal Acree - "Nightsong"

B I O G R A P H Y

“You honestly didn’t think that I agreed to stay with you for the scenery, did you? I stayed with you because I decided that you were my mate, no matter how much of a bonehead you are. I told you that you would have to live with the consequences of letting me stay, you know."

The second dragon and founding member of the clan, Jadeite has been an orphan since birth. Hatching among the ruins of a clan of unknown name and origin at the border of the Windswept Plateau and the Scarred Wasteland, she is the only known member to have survived the devastation wrought upon her family. Jadeite learned quickly that the world offered no safety to a lone hatchling, and grew up learning to fight to survive. She constantly searched for a place to call home until chance encounter with Anaster allowed her the opportunity to settle down with a clan of her own. She falls within the range of smaller mirrors in terms of size; she is often irritated when this fact is pointed out to her. Impulsive and rash, first meetings with this dragon are not often remembered fondly. Suspicious of newcomers, she does not warm quickly to others and prefers to judge dragons on their actions rather than words. Jadeite is known for being blunt and somewhat caustic when approached, and her short temper makes up for her diminutive size. She is always eager for a fight, and will often resort to tooth and claw before asking questions. Jadeite is solitary by nature- an unusual characteristic for a mirror- and her experiences as a hatchling often keep her from making friends easily. However, she does have a softer side, and once she decides upon a companion, she will remain loyal to them for life. Several dragons of the clan have made strong bonds with Jadeite, and she is particularly forgiving towards the hatchlings, including her two young sons, Sho and Vyrek. She is exclusively faithful to her mate Anaster, who appears to be the only dragon who can rein in her temper, and is extremely protective of her fellow dragons. Attempts to show emotion are often difficult for her, and Jadeite is usually shy in the face of complements or flattery. Her mind is as quick and sharp as her claws, and she can strike down most arguments with her witty remarks. She is responsible for caring for the clan when Anaster cannot, and oversees any duties and makes executive decisions in his stead. The birdskulls and wraps she always wears designate her as one of the clan leaders. She also works in the council as the voice for the wind-born members of the clan, and is a valued member of Team Alpha in battle. Jadeite’s cunning and wit allow her to remain a valued leader among the clan, if a more cautious and guarded member than her mate. Arguments and threats against the clan are dealt at the risk of tasting her claws in battle; she can be both vicious and reckless in a fight if the need arises, particularly if she feels those she holds dear are threatened. She often uses her brown hide and dark coloration to blend in with her surroundings, and is quick as well as powerful. Jadeite usually resorts to brute force in battle, though her wind magic is nothing to sneeze at. As a wind-born dragon, she is a master of flight, and while she cannot match Anaster’s speed, she is highly maneuverable; she often appears to dance with the wind when airborne. The set of eyes she uses for thermal imaging are surprisingly weak, but she makes up for this disability with a very keen sense of smell.

Awesome art by GoodKoji!

B A C K S T O R Y

She rested quietly in her shell, protected, warm, and safe. She could feel the presence of others around her in her sleep, both large and small, along with the faint whistling of the breeze around her. Surrounded in the warmth and the song of the wind, she slept.
She was abruptly awakened by chaos beyond her shelter. The energies around her pulsed, waned, and winked out abruptly, and the breeze was drowned out with roars and cries and shrieks that assaulted her new senses. She felt her infant body curl instinctively tighter around itself, unable to do much more than wait.
A sharp rap against the walls of her sanctuary rang inside the confines; it was swiftly followed by another one, and she was suddenly aware that she was spinning wildly. Her sense of balance and direction upset, she reeled within the darkness, searching for a point of consistency. A dull thud and the movement suddenly stopped, leaving her dizzy and confused. The sounds and presences faded, and then disappeared entirely. The world around her turned cold, silent, the wind muffled and muted against the shell.
She continued to sleep.

The egg twitched, and a faint scraping sound was heard. For the past few hours, the sounds of an active creature within its confines echoed through the space, becoming increasingly stronger and more insistent with time. Finally, with a dull rap, a piece of shell clattered off of the top edge, and a small nostril pressed itself eagerly against the opening, seeking fresh air. The noises stopped for a few minutes as the creature inside rested.
The movements began anew with time, each more insistent and violent than the last. Finally, the next thud was accompanied by a sharp crack, and the egg split neatly in half. The dragon inside sprawled upon the ground, breathing heavily and covered in egg slime. She rested for a few moments, letting her body slowly adjust to this new, open world. Then the small head lifted, sniffing quietly, vivid green eyes slowly opening to adjust to the faint light of the stars.
The hatchling lurched to her feet, standing on unsteady limbs which gripped at the ground tightly. Her first few steps were difficult and unsure, but she plodded forward with impressive determination. She slipped between the two rocks that outlined the mouth of her tiny shelter – no more than a burrow beneath a scraggly tree’s roots – and tasted the air again, blinking slowly in the evening light. She crooned low in her throat, sniffed again, and paused for just a moment. Then she was moving again, footsteps growing more assured by the minute.
She didn’t look behind her, didn’t stop to investigate the broken egg shards scattered at her feet, crushed and silent and empty. She didn’t turn to look at the nest, at the tiny flecks of dried blood at the edges of the shattered shells, at the remnants – nothing but bones remained of them now- that littered the entrance of the canyon. Her senses had already told her everything – the scent of other dragons was stale, the scavengers fresher but still long gone. Her second set of eyes, while inexperienced, showed her that there was no sign of life around her.
Her footsteps quickened as she exited the sheltered canyon. A lone hatchling was a dangerous position, and she had to act quickly if she wanted to survive to see her first sunrise.

Anaster had been aware of the eyes on him for several hours now; he quietly continued his business as though nothing was wrong, carefully placing his gathered insects in a ceramic container for storage. The surrounding glade was silent save for the occasional bird song, but his magic was alerting him to a strong presence, one that he would rather not cross. However, the way the shadow stalked his movements implied that he may not have a choice in a matter.
The subject decided to act a few moments later. A blur of teeth and claws burst from the reeds with a scream of challenge. Anaster only had a few moments to judge his opponent – it was larger than him by a fair margin, and he knew instantly he was no match for it in physical battle. However, as much as his instinct told him to flee, he was unwilling to give up his prize – the sheltered cave carved into the steep cliffs. Opening his crest as wide as possible and fanning his wings to their fullest, he leapt onto the nearest rock and shrieked back in answer, trying to look as large and intimidating as possible.
To Anaster’s surprise, the creature skidded to a stop in front of him, tail twitching but all other posture conveying calm. It sat on its hindquarters and cleaned its face several times with one paw, as though it had not just attempted to claw the smaller dragon to pieces.
It was a mirror dragon, the small fae realized; deep brown in color, with a darker underbelly and shadowy black wings. Two pairs of spring green eyes regarded him carefully from the chocolate brown mask of its face. Long, dainty fins twitched and flattened against the narrow skull. It was smaller than most mirrors; however, a svelte, muscular figure told Anaster that this dragon was beautiful in its own right, but not to be trifled with.
He was interrupted in his observations by the dragon itself, which spoke offhandedly to him, “You’ve got some guts, standing up to me like that. Or stupidity, one of those two.”
“What business do you have here?” he asked, crest and wings still fanned in an attempt at intimidation.
“Depends on who is asking,” it- she, Anaster amended, as the voice was female – replied. “I was thinking I could have this cave to myself, but I suppose I was mistaken.”
“Sorry, but you and your friends can leave; this belongs to someone.”
“Relax,” sighed the mirror, “I’m not going to chase you out; it’s not worth the effort.”
Anaster slowly lowered his wings, then his crest, and sat down facing the mirror. He cocked his head as he realized something. “You’re… alone?”
The dragon paused in its grooming, sniffed the air, and retorted quickly, “So are you.”
The fae tilted his head further. “It’s unusual for someone like you not to have a pack,” he reasoned more to himself than to her, “have you lost your way?”
“No.” the voice of the mirror was sharper now, as though he had just crossed a line, and the lip curled to reveal sharp, pointed canines. “Why the suspicion? Think I’m trying to chase you out of this stupid little cave? I told you, it isn’t worth the trouble.”
Anaster, slightly alarmed, retracted a little, crest flattening. “No, not at all.” Looking away from the piercing eyes, he noticed a deep cut across the sleek hide. Something seemed to have attempted to slice open the mirror’s hind leg – and nearly succeeded. “You’re wounded.”
The mirror glanced over at the injury. “A scratch,” she grunted, as if she didn’t notice anything.
Anaster wondered if the creature was not trying to attack him for fear of preserving her own life; she would still be a formidable opponent, but the fact that she had not yet struck implied that she must be in a lot of pain. She was likely only trying to find somewhere to stay to nurse her own wounds, he reasoned, she must have a pack to return to, but she can’t keep up. “Hold on,” he said, standing up from his perch, “I’ll get some bandages.”
The mirror tilted her head and blinked. “Spare me the concern. I just tried to chase you out of your own home. Aren’t you afraid?”
“You won’t be able to last with that leg,” retorted the fae, leaping from rock to rock within the cavern. “You need help.”
The mirror watched him disappear into the depths of the cavern, and then snorted. “Stupidity it is.”

The mirror had been reluctant to let him touch her flank, but she eventually relaxed, letting Anaster wrap the bandages with care. He hopped back to admire his work; she was still bleeding, but didn’t appear to be in any more danger. “Done,” he announced, hopping back to a safer distance.
The new dragon flexed her leg experimentally before sitting down again. “Helping the one who just tried to take away your territory,” she sniffed, “you really are dumb.”
“I couldn’t just leave you like that,” Anaster replied. Glancing behind him and pausing for a moment, he added, “and you can stay for as long as you need.”
“Dumber still,” the mirror retorted, but the way her fins perked up indicated her interest. “Mirrors don’t make good roommates with others.”
“There’s plenty of room,” argued the little fae, “there’s even space for a dozen dragons. Besides, you shouldn’t be going anywhere with that injury. You can stay until you’re healed, and you can rejoin your pack afterwards.”
The dragon looked away from him and sighed. “Fine,” she said, making her way into the mouth of the cavern. She curled around and lay down, adding, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Anaster’s crest fanned slightly at the prospect of a new, albeit temporary, companion. “What should I call you, then?” he asked.
The mirror paused for a long moment, and she gazed at him for a long while. “It’s Jadeite,” she finally said.
Anaster reared up onto his hind legs, smiling faintly. “Welcome, Jadeite.”

Jadeite crouched low to the ground, both sets of eyes riveted to her prey. She silently stalked her quarry, and struck without mercy when the time was right. The little sparrow never saw it coming.
“Are you sure you should be walking around on that leg?”
The mirror snorted. “It’s too boring in the cave. Stretching my muscles will do me more good than harm.”
“You’re very good,” Anaster marveled, leaping up to pluck a moth off of the nearby reeds. “I’ve never seen anyone catch something so quietly.”
Jadeite bundled up her prey and continued to move forward. “It’s a gift,” she said, sounding somewhat pleased at the praise.
“How do you do it?”
“No one gives away their best tactics, fae.”
“You could stand to use my name every once in a while,” Anaster huffed.
Jadeite seemed to ignore him. “Besides, it’s something I can’t teach. I smell out prey more than I look for it.”
Anaster tilted his head, impressed. “You can smell it out? That’s amazing; I thought most mirrors use their eyes more for hunting.”
“We do,” she replied, voice surprisingly low, “but when the going gets tough, you can’t afford to be choosy.”
Anaster deemed it unwise to press farther.

"Look at this!”
Jadeite reacted only a fraction too late, and the stone dropped straight on her head. “Hey!” she snarled with fins flat against her head, rearing back to get a close look at her companion.
Anaster’s crest was fully fanned in excitement, and he appeared not to have heard her. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
The mirror looked down at the pebble. It was rounded and rubbed smooth, a deep brownish-black with a lovely sheen. Iridescent strips of golden-yellow were dispersed across its surface. “Beautiful,” she deadpanned. “Why did you drop it on my head?”
Anaster seemed puzzled now, and his fins drooped uncertainly. “It’s for you,” he stated, as though it were obvious. When Jadeite only stared at him, now apparently stunned, he clarified, “It’s foo’s eye. It’s a pretty shade, and it catches the light wonderfully. It reminded me of you.”
Jadeite broke the eye contact and hissed, batting at the rock with a foreclaw. “I’m not some stupid stone,” she muttered.
Anaster smiled when he found the stone nestled on a tiny ledge the next day, carefully placed to catch the morning light.

Anaster heard the howls first, and lifted his head to look at the horizon. Jadeite soon joined him, fins erect and alert. Far in the distance, beyond the swaying tops of the reeds, they both could see the shadows slipping across the plains.
“There’s a group of mirrors,” Anaster noted.
Jadeite snorted. “I’m not blind.”
“Think this one is yours?”
The dragon refused to look at him. “No. It couldn’t be.”
The fae looked down at his companion’s leg; the scratches were healing nicely. The bandages had been removed, and the wounds were only scabs now. They would likely heal without a scar.
“You’ll be completely better soon,” he said quietly. “Once you’re healed, you can go and find your pack again.”
Jadeite was unusually silent, and laid her head between her paws. Anaster looked back out at the horizon, and the two sat in silence, shadows spread across the cave in the sunset.

Jadeite moved quickly enough to avoid the falling projectile, but this time the object was not inanimate. “What the…?” she started, foreclaw raised to dispatch her opponent.
“Don’t!” Anaster shouted, dipping down to flutter about her head. “He won’t bite, I promise!”
“He?!” she asked, bristling and prepared for battle. The little brown ferret squeaked and darted away, scampering over the uneven ground.
“You brought an oversized rodent into the cave,” Jadeite asserted, though she put her paw back down.
“He’s not a rodent, he’s a ferret!” Anaster retorted back. “I found him by the river – it seemed like he needed a home.”
“A home? I eat these kinds of things for dinner, fae.”
“But he’s cute!”
“Cute isn’t a factor when you’re starving.”
At that moment, the ferret decided that the mirror dragon was, in some ways, the safest place to be, and scrambled right between her front paws. Curling around her foot, it blinked imperiously up at Jadeite, who stared back incredulously. Anaster looked almost mournful as he announced, “He’s for you. Look, he even likes you already.”
Jadeite blinked several times at the ferret before she sighed and sat down. “Fine,” she ground out, “but don’t say anything if you find his pelt on the floor next time you walk in.”
Anaster’s crest perked again almost immediately, and he pranced away with almost undignified pride. Jadeite glanced back down at her new companion and announced, “And you are just as stupid as he is.”

Jadeite healed without any sign of injury, as Anaster had predicted. However, as the evenings passed, the mirror did not leave the cavern; on several occasions, she left the small steppe for long periods, but she always returned. Nonplussed, Anaster continued to welcome her back into the cavern, confused about her reluctance to leave.
However, he did not expect her reaction when the mirrors did find her.
A shadow passed over the mouth of the cavern, and Anaster lifted his head from behind his wings; he had been napping in the shelter of his nest, and poking his nose out of the intertwined leaves, he could see it was almost evening. Jadeite had been sitting below him; now she was at the cave mouth, staring down a mirror almost the same size as her. Iridescently green with mulberry purple wings, it was a well-built male with peridot-colored eyes. Faint howls across the steppes told Anaster that this one was not alone.
The male mirror sniffed Jadeite and tilted his head in interest, snorting loudly. No more than a flare from her nostrils told Anaster that she was also identifying his scent. The male seemed submissive as he approached her, but the way his claws flexed showed he was not ruling out a battle. Jadeite reared her head back and hissed faintly, but it did not sound aggressive.
Anaster sat in the shadows of his nest as the mirrors conversed with one another in their own language, trying to read their body postures to evaluate the situation. After a few minutes, the male growled softly, stepping back almost invitingly; Jadeite responded with a rumble from deep in her throat, mouth slightly parted to reveal just the hint of teeth. The conversation grew increasingly more frustrated as the minutes passed, with more aggressive posture and bared teeth than before; Anaster lifted his head, instantly concerned.
The talk unexpectedly cut off as the male mirror bared all his teeth with a shriek of challenge. Jadeite wasted no time in leaping forward, cuffing her adversary across the side of his head. Snarling, she knocked the mirror over and pinned him down in the blink of an eye, wings fanned open and one claw placed on his neck. Jadeite lowered her head and roared right in the mirror’s face; the stranger snarled back but flattened his fins in submission. After a long pause, the brown mirror stepped back, and the male scrambled away back into the reeds.
Jadeite turned back towards the cave just as Anaster swooped down towards her. His crest was flattened in irritation; as much as he wanted her to stay, the mirror was throwing all of her opportunities away. “What are you doing?! You could have gone back home if you didn’t…”
The mirror snapped. Whirling around so fast that even Anaster back-winged in alarm, she snarled, “I don’t have one! I’ve never had one! So if you don’t want me, stop trying to sell me off to someone else!”
Anaster did not try to follow her when she turned tail and disappeared into the brush.

Jadeite watched the incoming storm from the safety of the cavern mouth. Anaster had gone off to search for food, and had not returned yet. Since her outburst, they had been relatively alienated from one another, speaking only when necessary and avoiding eye contact whenever possible. Her companion was normally so talkative that the quiet was almost unsettling.
The clouds billowed, roiled, and rolled overhead, and Jadeite’s fins flattened. The snowflakes began to patter down in small clumps, which rapidly began to coat the ground in white. In time, the entire plain was a howling blizzard. Jadeite lifted her head and squinted outside from the shelter of the cavern, but there was no sign of any life. She laid her head back down between her paws.
No sign of life but a small egg hidden in the shadows…
Her claws dug into the rock, chipping the edge.
Only the bones of those who lived there remaining…
The snow was bitter cold against her hide, but she ignored it and jumped in after only a shiver or two. The snow was already up to the middle of her legs, forcing her to slosh awkwardly through the powder. She lifted her head and sniffed, then again, deeper and more insistent. The cold assaulted her nostrils, and she snorted steam before trying again. She was almost ready to roar in irritation when she found it – it was faint, but it was there. Jadeite instantly began to wade away from the cavern, following the scent brought only by the wind.
She didn’t know how long she was out there – the whipping snow made it hard to tell time –but she trudged doggedly across the plain. Her eyes couldn’t see anything more than a tail-length from her nose. Jadeite almost lost the trail several times, but the faintest whiff on the howling wind would bring her back to her senses.
Finally, she stopped in the center of a steppe, sniffing deeply, the trail once again lost. Jadeite had been sure that the scent had been getting stronger but now she found no trace of it. Straining with eyes and ears now, she tried to find any trace of the little fae, and desperation clawed at her insides. The snow was almost to her stomach now, and the wind seemed intent on penetrating her hide. Finally, her fear getting the best of her, she reared back and called out for her companion.
“Anaster!”
She almost missed the answering squeak, but her ears perked at the noise. She sniffed again, deeper, straining with her second set of eyes – and there, a flicker of a heat signature in her vision. Jadeite leapt through the drifts to reach it, claws carving at the snow.
Anaster had taken shelter under a tiny rock outcropping at the edge of the steppe, trying to escape the cold. Jadeite found him curled in small upon himself, only a ball of fins and wings, a small sphere of magic surrounding him to keep away the snow as best it could. The poor fae was almost frozen through, but the small heat his body gave was just enough for the mirror to sense. He stirred and opened one eye a slit as she swept the icy covering off of the magical shell. “Wow,” he mumbled, voice hardly above a murmur, “you weren’t joking about how well you could smell anything out.”
Jadeite let out a long breath. “You’re such a moron,” she replied, for once too relieved to care that her voice carried none of its prior edge. She nudged the little fae onto her snout and draped him across her back, then began to race across the grassland back to the cave.
“Hey,” Anaster said after a few moments, “you finally said my name.”
The mirror turned her head slightly to look at him. “Well, you won’t hear it if you die on me, so you’d better stay breathing if you want it to happen again.”

It was another week before Jadeite finally told him the whole truth. Anaster had managed to survive the ordeal without anything worse than a few days of sneezing fits, and conversation had become much easier between them.
“I’ve never had a family to begin with,” she said one day, almost no emotion in her voice.
Anaster sat beside her silently, fins falling flat.
“Some rival clan must have tried to invade the lair, and I was knocked into some kind of crevasse. Nothing tried to get me there.” She paused for a moment before continuing, voice low. “There was nothing to hatch to but bones and dust after that.”
Anaster looked away towards the sunset. “I’m… so sorry.”
“I didn’t know them to begin with. I’ve lived on my own ever since.” Jadeite slowly lay down with a sigh. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Believe me,” the fae only replied, “I understand more than you know.”

Jadeite hit the ground hard, beaten and battered, but immediately tried to struggle to her feet. Everything hurt from head to tail, and she was half-blinded by the cut above her right pair of eyes, but she still found the strength in her to snarl at her opponents, wings flaring. Only two were left now – she had not had the time to count the initial number, but the rest of the pack had abandoned the endeavor. No matter how the pair of shadows moved, she twisted and hissed aggressively to keep them at bay, away from the creek that marked the entrance to Anaster’s clan.
Another rush and Jadeite brought her claws down, feeling the talons strike their mark. A shriek and she was hit by a lashing tail, almost launching her into the shallows. The wildclaws retreated for a moment, eyeing their opponent warily. Jadeite was still for a moment; then her claws dug into the earth, and she hauled herself painfully to her feet. “Come on, then!” she shrieked at them, trembling with the effort of standing. One of the wildclaws rushed her, and she sprung up to swipe at its face.
A few more minutes of battling and Jadeite was nearly spent, panting heavily as she lay on her side, only half out of the water. The wildclaw pair -both heavily injured but still able to stand- slowly approached her, intentions clear. Jadeite had no more strength to fight back.
The intruding dragons were caught unaware by the blast of magic that suddenly caught them both and sent them flying. The wildclaws tumbled into one another, fouling up their next attack with their own claws. Their shrieks of alarm and anger were renewed as they turned to face their new opponent. Jadeite only continued to lay against the earth, vision slowly darkening.
“Jadeite!” was the last noise she heard before she blacked out.

When Jadeite next opened her eyes, she was back in the cavern, and she could feel bandages across almost every inch of skin. Everything still ached, but Jadeite could tell that she was beginning to heal. Anaster was sitting beside her, fins fluttering with worry. She sighed and closed her eyes again, muttering, “The mopey look doesn’t suit you.”
“And you’re the one calling me an idiot.” Jadeite could not remember a time when she had heard Anaster speak so angrily before. “You tried to take on an entire pack of wildclaws on your own!”
She shifted position and tilted her head, responding flatly, “Most of them were a pack of cowards and fled after a few good reminders to stay out. Besides, they were trying to take the cave. I couldn’t let them take over the lair.”
“You could have died, Jadeite!”
Anaster’s voice rang within the cave, and Jadeite opened her eyes again to look at him searchingly. A long silence stretched between the two of them.
“I love you.” Anaster’s voice was blunt now. “I love you and I want you to be my mate and look after this clan with me. So don’t tell me this cavern is important enough to risk your life, because it isn’t enough for me to risk yours.”
Jadeite stared at him for a long moment before uttering a short snort. “Really…” she sighed, and there was a rare softness to her voice, “you are the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.”
Anaster’s fins flattened at the response. “Hey, who are…” he began to protest.
“You honestly didn’t think that I agreed to stay with you for the scenery, did you?” she continued as if he had not interrupted. There was the faintest smile on her face now. “I stayed with you because I decided that you were my mate, no matter how much of a bonehead you are. I told you that you would have to live with the consequences of letting me stay, you know.”
Anaster blinked, then made a pleasing thrum deep within his throat as he pushed his face against hers. “So you knew.”
“For a long time. I was waiting for you to say it first.” Jadeite sighed. “And you managed to say it in the most ineloquent way possible.” She slowly managed to wrap her tail so it drew the fae to her side.
“For the record, you pushed me into it.”
Jadeite hummed. “Then I guess I can let it slide for now.”

The dragons watched in awe as Jadeite leapt upwards, airborne in only two bounds. Feeling the wind whistle across her wings, she arched her back and twisted in a whip-quick turn that sent her flying over the head of the crowd. She swept low enough just to nearly graze the top of Tenobia’s head, spiraling skillfully around Shyscale before skyrocketing up into the air. Jadeite flew like she was dancing, constantly jumping and side-slipping to the next gust of wind with ease borne from both instinct and practice. Climbing to the edge of the edge of the cloud cover, she folded her wings and let gravity take over. She plummeted towards the ground, hardly even flinching as the air tore at the leading edges of her wings. At the last second, she opened their wings to the fullest extent, turning the dive into a flyby at breakneck speed. Zenthra murmured her approval to the agreeable Tenobia, and Coel nodded slightly in acknowledgement.
After a few more minutes cavorting in the air, Jadeite gracefully touched down for a landing, her claws touching earth with barely a whisper of the grass. She raised her head and looked behind her at Anaster, who had been watching the proceedings from the cavern mouth.
“And they thought mirror dragons couldn’t fly,” she said, her head and tail held high with pride. “They cleclearly haven’t seen a wind mirror in proper flight.”

Jadeite growled as the little white mirror grabbed her fin in its baby teeth, pulling her head to the side. The lavender fae on her back chortled at the sight, climbing up Jadeite’s neck to rest atop her head. She shook her head free of both hatchlings, only to find her fin once again in the mirror’s mouth.
“Anaster,” she hissed, head comically tilted as the mirror tugged on her none too gently. “help control your brats.”
The fae only twitched a fin in her direction, clearly enjoying the sight. “I just had them for the last few hours. Besides, they’re your ‘brats’, too.”
Jadeite was mercifully reprieved as Sho suddenly yawned, releasing the fin, and cuddled to her side, falling asleep with the speed and abruptness common in all babies. Vyrek quickly scrambled to lay beside his brother for fear of missing out on something, and both hatchlings were snoozing in moments.
Anaster walked over to the trio as Jadeite nosed her children into more comfortable positions. “Our own little family,” he mused.
Jadeite nodded in agreement. “I never expected this,” she replied, affection in her gaze as she watched over the hatchlings.
But perhaps it is better than I had expected, after all.

"What is going on with this?!”
Anaster’s voice was calm. “You told me yourself, some markings don’t come in until well after adulthood. You saw what happened with me.”
“But I didn’t expect this!” Jadeite stepped out of the shadows, her brown hide now vividly patterned with stripes, like that of a tiger. The edges of her wings were also marked with similar, lighter patterns along the trailing edges, and her tail, fins, and legs had taken on a striped, burnt orange tint. “And I definitely didn’t expect it to happen overnight!”
“You’re being dramatic,” he soothed, leaping down to join her. “The stripes have been coming in for almost a fortnight now.” Anaster nosed her gently. “Besides, I think they make you look beautiful.”
Jadeite quickly looked away, suddenly shy in the face of his affection. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered.

She looked at the cavern mouth one last time, gazing up at the multi-colored prints that marked the outside of the lair. This was her first true home, and the thought of leaving it made her strangely uncomfortable.
“Are you going to miss it?”
Jadeite turned to look at Anaster, who had left the rest of the clan to meet her. Sho and Vyrek were not far behind.
She snorted and turned away. “No.” she paused, and then added, “What is there to miss other than a bunch of stupid stones, anyway?”
Anaster smiled. “Nothing at all, I suppose.”
She finally stood and trotted away from the cavern, not even pausing to look back when Anaster protested her leaving him behind. Once he caught up, he asked, “Ready to take the lead?”
Jadeite smirked back. “You don’t even have to ask.” Her trot turned into a flat out run, and at her roar, the rest of the clan moved to follow her, fanning out in formation as they began the journey to their new lair. Anaster swooped next to her, keeping pace with his mate; Vyrek flew directly above them, and Sho was at her other side in an instant. Jadeite raced across the steppes, her pack at her heels.
There’s nothing to miss when all that matters is with me right now.

Art by GingerArcanist!

Bio template by @Mibella, find it here.

Amazing art by FalconRex121!

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