Neonel

Quiet
Is strong
Learned from the best
Favorite color is purple, is honored to have some
Secretly fuzzy

Scattersight 1 - Unusual
Scattersight 2 - Uncommon

Hit the front page on 5/31/22!

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When Neonel first came to the Canyon, the clan residing inside was still in it's youth. There were few dragons, and most who did inhabit the place seemed largely aimless. Then, the two travelers came. They were fighters, warriors. The small clan provided them hospitality on their journey, and they agreed to share their teachings in gratitude during their stay. Neonel and another young one, Magicant, were the first to jump for their lessons.

The four dragons traveled to places that Magicant and Neonel had never seen before. They thought that it would be easy at first, but they were wrong. They went straight to the deepest, darkest reaches of the Mire, where they trained day and night with little rest. During this time, the young purple Wildclaw and the similarly aged midnight Imperial bonded greatly, protecting one another from every threat. At first, the warriors led them - eventually, they led themselves. The two would, at that time, become the strongest warriors in the clan, versed better in combat even than the Matriarch.

Upon returning to the Canyon, they found that it had begun to grow. The traveling warriors bade their farewell, and Neonel and Magicant became the new trainers for a time. They would share what they had learned with their allies until the time that Zentangle, the powerful pink Imperial, came along to take their place. His prowess and knowledge were even more vast, his experiences more varied - and he made an excellent teacher. The two were happy to hand over the mantle of mentor, and soon began traveling around Sornieth together, doing odd jobs and spreading the warrior's ways to clans who would hire them.

They traveled to clans high in the massive trees of the Everglade, clans deep in the dark forests of the Bramble, and clans in the farthest reaches of the Icefield. On one journey, Magicant and Neonel visited a clan who resided at first within the Tangled Wood, but then made a long trek to the Cloudscape Crags, where they would stay. At first, the training went without a hitch, and Magicant and Neonel became temporary bodyguards to this clan. One day, however, Neonel strayed just a bit too far into the Reclaimer's Glacier, a massive expanse of nothing but snow and ice, and would emerge forever changed. He saw a flash of black, a dark dragon nearly his size. It's body seemed to reflect the white all around it like it was made of glass, and the next thing he knew, he could no longer fly. He crashed to the ground and lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he was cold and stiff and could see nothing. He was back within the clan who had hired him, in their medical ward. He had been cursed, his wings eternally bound with frozen chains, only surviving because of his raw strength in combination with his flight affiliation. Magicant was safe and unharmed, luckily, but Neonel would not fly again.

Whilst inside the cave, he learned of the purple Coatl who had heard the commotion and followed, discovering him collapsed in the Glacier. She was the shy sort, and kept away at first. Newly crippled but soon recovered enough to walk once again, Neonel was encouraged to stay within the clan's territory in the mountains, leaving Magicant to complete their training alone. He insisted on fighting again with his partner, but the clan's healer, Tia, would prevent him from leaving. Becoming restless, Neonel was unsure what to do.

Eventually, the Coatl, named Daisy, began to approach the Imperial in his dejection. Neonel spoke of his home in the Canyon, and the shy Coatl listened without falter. After some time, Neonel found himself with quite an affinity for the girl. The two grew closer during his stay, and after learning that she was not happy with her residence there, he suggested they meet each other back at the Lightning Clan. She agreed. After Magicant had finished their job, the two best friends reunited once again, before making the journey back home.

Upon their return to the Canyon, now bustling with activity and wealth, the two knew they would not be fighting together again - Neonel was injured too badly, and Magicant's fighting ability had come to surpass his. They agreed not to leave the clan again, and they remain best friends to this day. Daisy, also, has since become Neonel's mate, and the two live happily within the Canyon, raising a clutch together. Neonel's son, Neo, traveled back to the clan that Daisy had come from, in an attempt to locate the dragon who had harmed his father.

However, since that time, that dark crystalline dragon has also come to reside within the Canyon, and what's more - the two have been assigned to fight together. Since his body has recovered in spite of the curse, Neonel's ice magic nearly rivals her own. Winterkin often has to mediate fights that spark between the two, but there's no arguing that their power and affiliation with Ice magic has surpassed most known normalcies.

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When Neonel opened his eyes, he could see only snow. Snow, forever. He felt so... cold. It was unnatural. Cold was his power, his element. Why now did it feel so unwelcome? The sound of raging wind and chains unpleasantly rattled through his ears. He tried to cover them with his wings, which to his dismay, would not move. As the blizzard howled and stung his hide, Neonel wanted desperately to move, to escape, but all of his limbs felt to be frozen in place.

He lacked the energy to investigate why, and soon was again taken by sleep.

...

This time when he awoke, it was dark. He lay on his side, his body covered with various blankets. He lifted an arm to rub his eyes. His realization of regaining mobility came slow, but as it did he attempted to jump up, only to be pulled back down by his wings and lose most of the blankets. His wings were heavy! He cried out, craning his neck to see what was wrong.

To his horror, his wings were bound tightly to the point of disfigurement in icy chains. Neonel began to struggle, in hopes of breaking the chains, but as he did so, the pain quickly made itself relevant to him.

"Stop, stop!" The rhythmic voice of a coatl called out, and Neonel turned quickly to face them, breathing rapidly.

He recognized their bright, pastel colors. It was Tia, the head nurse of the clan he was hired by. "Please calm down, you'll only make your injuries worse." She hummed, tilting her head at him and frowning.

He hesitated, glancing back at his wings. His struggle had not enabled him to move his wings in the slightest, in fact, now he was bleeding. Sighing, he settled slowly back onto his side, his breathing somewhat labored from the new trauma.

Tia circled around Neonel's bedding to check his wings. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." She clicked. "Now I have to apply more salve. Do not attempt to get up again. If you're lucky, we may not have to amputate your wings." As she set to work on his new injuries, terror filled Neonel's mind. Amputate? How could he survive without his wings? But with those chains, how could he survive with them? He shook his head, trying to clear his fears.

"H-how did this happen?" He stammered, trying to keep his head still, but he shivered from the cold.

"We think it was some kind of curse." Tia hissed from behind him, covering him again with the blankets he had thrown off earlier. They warmed his body, and his shivering slowed. "As you've probably guessed, these are not normal chains. The ice, it doesn't melt. You are lucky to be aligned with the same magic that was used on you, or else you may have died."

Suddenly, Neonel remembered his compatriot, who was not Ice-aligned. "Magicant!" He cried out. He had not seen the small purple dragon since he had fallen from the sky, before Neonel was knocked out by their unknown attacker. "Where is he?"

"Don't yell. He's fine." She hummed rapidly, irritated by his outbursts. "We found him first, and his injuries were easily treatable. He doesn't appear to have been affected by the curse. Right now he's resting in our other ward."

Neonel sighed with relief. He and Magicant had been partners in battle ever since the two learned to fight. He hoped to see the Wildclaw again soon.

There was a pause as Tia finished tending to his wings and circled back around to check his coverings, and add more if necessary. The warmth was a reassurance to Neonel, as the chains seemed to be pulling the heat from his own body.

"Thank you for finding us." Neonel said quietly, closing his eyes.

Tia flicked her tongue, raising her frills. "Actually, it was not me. It was my apprentice. Daisy." She gestured to the entrance of the ward, to a dark coatl Neonel hadn't even seen until then. Her deep purple coat blended with the shadows of the cave, and she flinched upon being pointed out. She turned away nervously, frowning back at Tia, who chuckled softly.

"Daisy, huh?" Neonel sighed, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Thanks, Daisy."

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