Fireweaver

What do you know about pain?

Fireweaver was born just like every other normal dragon out there. A completely perfect and normal new Bogsneak was brought into the world. A beautiful mother, an even handsomer father. They were so lucky to be blessed with quintuplets. They were in love and they were starting fresh with a new beautiful family. It was lovely and it was perfect. Until their clan was attacked.

Pirates, being the disgusting creatures that they are, took it upon themselves to not only kill the new parents, but also to crush all of the eggs that they had been so lovingly taking care of. All of them except for one.

The shimmering deep red of Fireweaver's body shone through his own egg. A beautiful light Bogsneak, now belonging where he belonged. With the of monsters that had killed his family.

They were smitten with him as soon as he hatched. During the day he was placed of a pedestal for the way his body shimmered. He was so unlike them with the way he looked. Every pirate he knew was an ugly dull beast, made to hide in the shadows and stay there. Then, during the nights he spent with them, he was taken out and forced to watch the beasts do exactly what they did to his family to more families. Over and over, the same horrifying ordeal. The mothers screaming, the fathers fight, the children hide, but it always ends the same. The monsters win.

He got scars, of yes, but only from running as fast as he could to keep up with his "mentor," Cubus. Cubus was as brutal as he was caring. Yes, He made sure that Fireweaver was always there with them, that they were never leaving him behind, but the Ridgemaker also made him watch the killings of the innocent, without giving him any explanation as to why. Cubus was his main source of praise, making sure that Fireweaver never doubted how great of spectacle he really was. However, Fireweaver always, always, doubted the righteousness of the group he found himself having to live in.

Females were forced down and laughed at, children were killed or left in the burning remains of clans, and the ones who dared fight them back, were drowned, very slowly. Fireweaver knew that all of this was wrong, but he had to force himself to laugh along so that he may not meet the same fate.

It was when he was two weeks old that Cubus finally decided that he was going to give Fireweaver the initiation he deserved.

They all encouraged him. They all knew he was capable. They all knew he was ready.

A nest of quintuplets laid at his feet, ready to be broken. They could only be a day old, their colors still not changed from the basic green color the plague eggs offered. There was whooping and hollering before, but after Fireweaver's few moments of hesitation, it quickly died down. The encouragement became nagging and the nagging became demanding. His claws started to break the skin inside his paw. He took a deep breath. He could hear his name being called by his mentor along with a strong of insults. He released the breath. He looked at the dead couple that was laying near the nest.

They must have felt so lucky.





Fireweaver ached. He knew too much and this strange cult understood too little. He kept imagining all those eggs, every single one he had watched be destroyed, meeting in the same place and then all going out to get him. They'd all want him dead. Lives he could never imagine yet he was completely responsible for ending. Why... Didn't he do anything? Did he want to see them all die?

Fireweaver got out of his cot and left the ship, slowly walking, so that no one would hear him. He went to the nearest bar, and took the drink with the highest alcoholic content. He took it back to the ship and spread it as much as the small bottle would allow him. He then set the boat ablaze, finally, earning his name for something that would be worth something.





He was finally alone. His family gone, his mentor gone, his whole life burned at the steak. He couldn't be happier. But what was a dragon without a clan? A dragon whose flight had long forsaken him? A dragon who had no one, yet wanted nothing? He was a wanderer. He never stopped moving, in hope that nothing would ever stop him. But the more you run, the more they'll want to chase you.

Fireweaver was found. Thrown into an alley by a bunch of dark skinned dragons. He didn't bother to ask something like "why are you doing this?" or "Who are you?" He figured whoever was attacking him, he would deserve the wrath they lay on him.

"Thought you could get rid of me?" A voice asks him the question, but the fury in his voice makes it harder to understand. "You really thought you could just burn us all away, you actually thought that anyone would let you escape." With Cubus's claws around his neck on the wet ground of a deep dark alley, Fireweaver choked. He tried to stop himself from sucking in breaths to deny Cubus the ultimate pleasure, but he couldn't help but want to live. His claws started to tear into his skin. Fireweaver let out a howl into the night. He supposed he deserved this. He closed his eyes and imagined everyone he let die sucking him down into his grave. They'd be so satisfied to see him suffer like they did. He was left to bleed out alone in that wet alley.

He knew that night he should have died, but he pushed on.

Onto the nearest pub.

The darkest corner of the hideout called his name. He'd never be able to hide in the shadows while his skin shimmered, but that would never stop him from trying.

He was going to give up on the pub after a day of healing. He planned to move on and find a clan he had hurt. Find someone who would curse his name to make amends with him. But then he imagined all the dead bodies they had left behind. There was no one left to make amends with.

He was going to leave that night, he couldn't stand the happy jest that came with drunken idiots, but then a very pretty young Fae dragon showed up.

She was trying to coerce others into joining her clan because she couldn't handle the scarred wastelands. Fireweaver was embarrassed for her pathetic attempts at begging for help. She was looking for fighters and warriors, but she wanted someone friendly. She didn't know what fighting did to kind minds. Fighters weren't friendly, sociopaths were friendly.

Once the bar had lost all its occupants, leaving the Fae and some idiotic recruit, Fireweaver spoke his mind.

"What do you know of pain?" He said, quieter than he had meant to. Luckily enough, he saw the Fae's ears flick about in response.

"Excuse me?" She called out to him. The Pearlcatcher that the Fae had recruited looked obviously taken back, almost scared about the outburst. Fireweaver cringed at the innocence shown in both of their well lit faces.

Fireweaver angled his head so it looked like he stared downward, but his eyes gazed up over his table from under his brow and at the childish dragons.

"I said 'What do you know about pain?'" He answered her question. Her unfaltering gaze at him made him slowly gain respect for her. He slowly figured it out. She seemed too nice and childish because no one would talk to her the way he would. So, he let it all out. "You speak of getting hurt, protecting your lair, and making a family. You say you want to endure this pain so that others won't have to." He stands to show his grounding. "You think going out and getting attacked by mice and dryads is pain. You don't know anything about pain." He looks right into her eyes, showing off his own presence by making his body as big as it gets.

"... I don't," She admits, her pride not faltering. "But I am willing to know everything about it so that my family doesn't have to." Fireweaver feels a fire light up within his chest, but he doesn't let that show, keeping his expression hard and judging. "Everything I have, my family, I won't let their lives be taken because they have to fight for me. Their lives are theirs to make. My life is to give them everything I can." The Fae holds her breath for just a moment. "Life gave me nothing, so I'm giving it all of me. For my family." He feels chills. He realizes suddenly the opportunity she is laying at his feet. This new Fae knows nothing of his previous life, and most likely, she doesn't want to. He thinks hard. If it is just her hunting and gathering, the clan must be small. No one would recognize him and the only work he would have to do is keeping a Fae alive. He can't believe he's doing this.

He allows himself to finally relax. "That's what I wanted to hear." He smirks. "You got a lot of passion, kid."

"I know-"

He cuts her off immediately, "But you have a long way to go."

She visibly gulps. "I can handle it."

He walks right up to her, five times her size. She stands her ground. He's almost impressed

"Fireweaver."

"Seingfree."





"Phareverona, huh?" Fireweaver asks coyly to his date.

"Haha, yeah," He watches her face grow a deep red. "I picked it myself."

"I like it a lot... Is it from something?" He asks, truly curious about anything she has seen that would somehow inspire her to choose her name.

"It's a story my mother used to read me." She laughs and waves he hand. "Just a way to remember her, you know?"

"That's amazing," Fireweaver says practically under his breath. He had never considered a mother reading to a child. "I'd love to see someone read to a child."

"Really?" Phareverona sounds intrigued.

"A bond where you just enjoy hearing someone's voice must be incredible." Fireweaver quickly regrets the comment, scared that he will ruin the date by making her push questions onto him that would kill the mood.

"Do you want kids?" She asks. He looks up, very surprised.

"I've... never thought about it," He answers honestly.

"I think you'd make a great dad."

"... Dad?" He never imagined having a child let alone that child calling him 'dad'.

"Well, I see the way you speak with Siengfree's children. You sure put a light in Enderdeit's eyes." Fireweaver feels himself blush. "I mean, if I had kids, that's how I'd want them to look at my partner."

"Partner..." He looks down, so embarrassed that this is the conversation. Phareverona is ignoring the sad things he mentioned and putting in something else entirely.

"Fireweaver..." A claw rests on top of his.

"Yes?" He asks excitedly, looking up at her too fast and knocking over a vase. She giggles. He blushes more.

"We should..." She hides her face. "We should..." He leans in closer to her as she starts to speak quieter. "Could I... stay with you tonight?" Fireweaver couldn't believe this was real.

"Yes!" He says. He shouts just a little too happily. She only giggles as he shies away in embarrassment.