Kage

ORIGIN STORY

~Dark clouds roll along the western horizon and the distant boom of thunder heralds the arrival of a massive thunderstorm. This was not unusual for the Shifting Expanse, the parched land often crackles with energy left over from the frequent storms that pass through. The sky darkens quickly as the clouds come ever closer to engulfing the whole of the expanse.

In the distance a small cloud of dust moves almost as rapidly towards the edge of the territory. It stops suddenly as the first drops of rain fall from the sky above and changes course heading instead to a nearby outcropping of mesas. The slight drizzle becomes a steady downpour and washes away the cloud of dust obscuring the runner, revealing the silhouette of a lone Mirror dragon that rushes towards the voluminous cliffs of the mesas.

Lightning traces an arc in the sky and thunder pounds at the solitary dragon's eardrums. It notices a large crack in the base of a mesa and dives in before the sky has the chance to send a second bolt arcing across the sky. The Mirror shivers even though the desert air is still warm from the heat of the day. It shakes its lean, smoothly scaled frame dry and cautiously pads into a deeper chamber of the newly discovered cavern.

This chamber is wider than the entrance; containing a high vaulted ceiling riddled with stalactites that drip onto the small mounds of stalagmites below. The Mirror dragon switches to infrared vision and sees the cavern in greater detail. There are three more crevices that seem to lead to different chambers, its curiosity piqued the dragon chooses the middle one and ventures deeper into the caves. The thunder fades as it puts more space between itself and the world outside and it grows calmer with every step.

The tunnel winds downward gently sloping in some places but giving way to steep gorges in others. The Mirror is thankful that the tunnel is wide enough for her to glide over such pits. The path ahead widens into another chamber much smaller than the one before. A faint rustling noise from the back of the chamber makes the Mirror's crest stand on end. The sound could only come from the leather of a dragon's wings. The Mirror takes a step forward, head lowered in anticipation of a fight. A hoarse voice cuts through the tension like the arms of a Scythe Kamaitachi in battle.

"Please, could I have some water?"

The Mirror steps into the darkness of the next tunnel to find a ragged ball of fiery fur. It circles around and stares into the eyes of the Tundra dragon that had called out for aid. It is a male, his Cyan eyes were half shut with exhaustion and his once downy coat is matted and caked with dirt. A strange smell surrounds him; the Mirror had never encountered such a sweet floral scent in all of its brief life. The scent relaxes the Mirror as it stoops down to throw the male over its shoulders and calms its nerves as the two make the perilous trip back to the surface.

Thunder rolls overhead and rain pours down on the two weary dragons, revitalizing them to their core and igniting a bond that would mark the beginning of a new era in their lives.
This was the beginning of their clan.~