Gamma

To put it simply...well...there is an oddity among oddities in the Jingang Clan. Other members of the clan started noticing it several years ago after a particularly harsh hatching season. Only three eggs were laid, and only one hatchling was left by the WindSinger.

The little guardian dragon that was left was particularly beautiful even newly born. The rainbow of his wings provided him with endless praise. Most of the praise would be from his sister Chuhua, who was born on clutch earlier than his. "Such a handsome lad you are." "You've captured the rainbow in your wings have you?" She would say, and many others would pipe up to agree with her. Most would think that over the years this would cause the young Gamma to become conceited and greedy for attention.

Well...no...Gamma in fact became sick of all the attention very early on. Once he became older he down detested any remarks about his so called beauty that he made it his mission to seem as off putting and outrageous as possible.

To put it simply...he succeeded. Oh WindSinger did he succeed in his venture. It started with his Radioactive Slime familiar; aptly named Mucus. It ended up with Gamma mish-mashing together a whole spectrum of clashing things to decorate himself with. For a long time it was hard for other dergs to so much as talk to him, which suited Gamma just fine at first. "If they only praised me for my looks, then they don't deserve the right to know me." He would often say.

But one derg still showered him with praised and adolations; Chuhua hadn't changed how she interacted with him at all. "I love how you've combined those jet boosters with your steam wings!" "You're looking very wasteland raider today, I love it!" Eventually others began to follow her example. "Those acid greens do contrast nicely against your orange mask!" "Mucus is looking especially slippery today; I wonder if that means he's happy? I hope it does!"

Gamma didn't understand. His plan had failed! He became distraught. He loved trying to find creative and startling ways to match up his often garish clothing. But if it didn't keep people, especially his sister, from focusing on how he looked; then what good was it? Having seen Gamma so very put out by the seemingly unending praise from his sister; his great grandmother and the Head of the clan, Chilali, asked him why he seemed so ruffled. Gamma told her everything; the praise, his plan, its failure, and Chuhua's never ending loop of praise. Chilali reacted in an unexpected way —

— She laughed, she guffawed, and she patted Gamma on his talon and said, "I remember when you first hatched with your sisters. Everyone was so very happy, but they were also so very cautious to get close to you three." Gamma, surprised, asked why. "Well — " Chilali replied, " — that year the WindSinger had yet to come to take his promised hatchlings. So many of our Clan's hatchlings have been exalted. Many of the parents here still remember those times; when the life you just brought to the world could just as swiftly be taken from your forever more. Your mother and father had already had to exalt one hatchling before your clutch hatched. That moment of pain had made them wary, and cautious when you all hatched. Then the WindSinger came, and chose your sisters to take with him; leaving you alone. You had been separated by the only two other souls you had been allowed to form any bond with, although brief. No one else had so much as spoken to you three before the WindSinger came.

Chilali became teary eyed at the memory. "I beg of you not to think of us any less for it. We all had suffered from the exaltations of our young ones. I know it isn't any excuse, but please believe me when I say that we all regret it."

Gamma became puzzeled; "I understand. The love hasn't been lost on me, believe me. So why did they coddle me so much."

Chilali chuckled mildly at that. "After your sisters were taken you fell ill. You wouldn't eat, you would barley sleep, all you would do is weep, and quietly at that. You didn't know who to turn to for your needs." Chilali's expression became awed, and dazzling suddenly, "It was one of the most extraordinary things when Chuhua was the first to coddle you. During your hatch she had been traveling with your grandmother to the Nature Territory. When they got back, Chuhua took one look at and loud as a lark said "Ah! Look Granny Presea! Look at that hatchling!" She came running up to you, took her from your mother and just as loudly said, "Look at him. Look how pretty he is! His wings are so pretty! And you know what?" Chilali looked over at Gamma and he gave her a confused look. She smiled warmly at him. "After she said that you smiled, laughed, cooed at her, and you started to get better and better after that."

Gamma was mystified, "Why did I start getting better?" Chilali kept smiling warmly, "Hatchlings need lots of love, affection, and attention to survive. We didn't know this at the time, but our hesitance at bonding with you had left you alone in the world, and had caused you to sadden so very much that it caused you to go ill. When Chuhua hadn't hesitated to love you and adore you right off the bat it had given you the bond you needed to be happy and be healthy. We saw this, and we tried to make up for our folly."

Gamma was stunned, shocked, mystified, and awed by the notion. He had been rendered speechless.

Chilali chuckled once more, "Your sister is your closest ally, and most devoted supporter. There will never be a time when she doesn't love you or any of your unique quirks, and the same goes for our clan. But, Chuhua will always be there front and center to give you the attention you deserve. She loves you. Now its times you either return her love and support by being less of a clout about it, or you spend the rest of your life unhappy because you'll continue to allow yourself to be annoyed by her love for you and the love of our clan."

Gamma knew that he would be more that stupid and stubborn if he didn't take the first option. And so, his days of trying to thwart the attentions of others were over, he and his sister close, and eventually inseparable. But he never went back to dressing in a more expected fashion. To this day he still finds joy in making himself look outrageous and out of the ordinary, and to this day his sister can be seen cheering him on.