Radec

• Scout-Captain
• Hunting Party Coordinator

Radec's pack was always small, and (for a Mirror pack) rather tight-knit. It was just his parents, him and his siblings, and sometimes a distant relative who would run with them for a few days while switching packs. He himself had been hatched at the edge of the Crescendo, but had spent his entire life hunting from the Plateau to the Sundial Terrace and back again.

Eventually, the small familial pack grew crowded; their hunting route couldn't support the number of adult dragons they now had running. Radec's five siblings willingly bled off over the course of one last circuit, some joining other packs and the others briefly stopping to live with mixed-breed clans until they could form up with other loners. It was only Radec who eventually found himself back on the Plateau and unceremoniously left behind there. He hadn't been able to bring himself to take a mate on his last family trip, despite being more than of age; he wasn't quite sure why none of the other dragons they passed appealed to him, and while he was briefly besotted with a shy Pearlcatcher at the Terrace she never returned more than a fleeting interest. There were other Mirror packs, of course; but they were too large, and there was too much infighting.

Adecia was the first dragon who didn't shy away from him when they met; by that point he had been alone and hunting for himself for the better part of half a year, and he was lonely and angry at the world. But something about the way she and her cheerful little longneck worked together to carve out a fledgling lair appealed to him. It reminded him of what it felt like to have a family--someone to care for you, and someone to care for. His initial approaches were awkward; it had been a long time since he had to interact with other dragons. But eventually Adecia recognized his genuine desire to be closer to her, and Radec had a home for the first time in his life.

It was easier than he'd ever expected, to adjust to lair-based life. He'd never found what he'd been looking for as a migratory Mirror, after all, and he'd been hunting in a relatively small area since being abandoned anyway. This wasn't really any different from the life he'd known, except that after spending the day hunting and digging and scavenging and fighting next to his mate, he had a roof over his head and a warm place to sleep. Very soon he also had hatchlings--both biological and adopted. Clan life suits him--as long as he still gets to spend his days as the wild hunter he's always been, there's nothing that makes him happier than teaching his little ones how to fight and hunt as well.

(Jori won fifty gold pieces off of Swipp on that bet. Nobody but her was ever confident that Radec was going to stay.)

Radec's close friend Shirala led the first Beastclan band to join the Reach save for Jori's tribe. Shirala's court moving permanently to the Reach marked a sharp divergence point in its history. Before, there had been a sense of...friendly separation. Essentially, a draconic clan that shared space and friendly relations with a Beastclan tribe; they ran their own operations side by side, respectfully not interfering, and had an understanding of mutual protection. With the full integration of the Serthis band however, it became clear that this was...different.

With Shirala's addition, it was clear that the Reach had become about far more than mere peaceful coexistence. We were friends and partners; leaders had found themselves 'unofficially' sharing resources as well as the free communication they'd always enjoyed; Beastclan and dragonkind alike could answer without hesitation that their willingness to lay down their lives for one another ran far deeper than a simple political agreement.

Soon afterward, the Reach came together and radically restructured its organization. Centaur bands were contacted and treaties signed; more Serthii were brought into the fold, both in and out of Shirala's direct command; a new Council was formed, carefully crafted to consist of representatives from all species, chosen solely on merit.

Radec had no expectation that he would ever speak in Council. Even Adecia, aware of her history as the founder of the clan, the former "draconic clan leader" and the influence that status would always give her, had wisely accepted only the position of executive officer; the right to speak in Council meetings but not to vote, except as a tiebreaker.

It was Shirala, pointing out the skill with which he had once determined she herself was not a threat while also taking care never to place his clan in danger should his faith be mistaken, who first suggested him for an empty position. Radec's installment as the voice of the Reach's security was the second-fastest approval any Council member has ever received.