R A I N A SECOND IN COMMAND "GLITTERING GRACE AND BEAUTY" Origins - Raina came to the clan when she was very young, a few days after Archad. She, too was raised by Dreame, though she received not quite as much attention as Archad did. Because of that, she taught herself much of what she knows, including magic. At a young age, she cast a spell upon herself to turn her feathers into crystals, and, while it was fun for a time, the young dragon had performed the spell improperly, and it became a permanent feature. But Archad doesn't care- He still sees her as beautiful, crystals and all. Personality - As a young dragon she was rebellious, confident, and headstrong, always disobeying Dreame's orders and exploring where she shouldn't have. As a young woman, she has grown wise, understanding, yet still every bit as confident in her abilities. You can always count on Raina to be the voice of reason in an argument, and she frowns upon war almost more than her mate, Archad, does. Relationships - There could be no one Raina loves more than Archad. As a young girl, she scoffed at the idea of true love, but now, she could not live without it. She dotes on their son, Cloude, spoiling him probably more than she should, and, while she does love her son, she acts as a mother to all the young women and girls in the clan. If only Nocturia hadn't run away... Perhaps she'd have a daughter to love as well... She has also become good friends with Aquapix, who is currently teaching her how to knit. Clan Role - Raina was never good with the whole "leadership" sort of thing, so, as second in command, she manages the clan's finances, making sure that they have enough to budget for food, materials, clothing, magic items, et cetera, as well as being in charge of selling off items, and unfortunately, unwanted hatchlings. She still remembers what it was like to be unwanted as a hatchling, so sometimes it hurts her to look into their wide eyes as she send them off to a new home... But the clan has to eat, somehow. Magic - Raina is exceptionally skilled in the magical arts, however, being mostly self-taught, things do go awry every now and then. She knows a wide variety of Arcane and Earth spells, and is dabbling in a little bit of Shadow and Light magic at the moment as well. True to her pacifist nature, she prefers not to use her magic in battle, rather, she uses it to make sure everyone in the clan has a well-decorated corner of their lair.

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Arcanist's Blessing
STORY BY MAGICMAKERROSE

The little Skydancer opened her eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the light filtering through the trees. She was still getting used to living here, where the light was not always constant and did not reflecting off of crystal pillars. The light here was tricky- It did not always show itself, and it was often scattered, appearing in places where you would not expect it to appear.

She closed her eyes again, going back to rest.

Not a few moments later did a Fae approach her, nudging her to wake. “Come on, Raina. Rise and shine. It’s a beautiful day today!” Raina groaned, and rolled over. “I don’t want to get up,” she complained. “It’s too early.”

“No it isn’t, you silly birdbrain! The sun is already nearly over the treetops!” This was a different voice, a young male Skydancer who she knew as Archad. Or, sometimes, when she felt like making him mad, she called him Archie. Raina opened one eye. Both Archad and Runestone were there beside Dreame, the fae, who insisted that Raina call her “mother”.

Sometimes Raina called her “Nightmare” when she wasn’t around.

“Last night mom came back with a new hatchling. A Coatl. She wants us to introduce ourselves,” piped up Runestone. That got Raina’s attention. She hadn’t met too many Coatls before, and she did love meeting new dragons, no matter who they were. Suddenly, she was completely awake. “Well then, we must introduce ourselves!” She said, already off on her way.

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New hatchlings were always kept inside the cave on their first night- It was safer in there, and there was a musical hum to the walls that soothed them, useful, since they were in a place that was usually unfamiliar to them. Raina stopped just outside the entrance, and let the others catch up to her.

“Now, remember, children, I get to talk to him first. Then you can come in,” Dreame reminded them all. “Yes, mother!” Responded all but Raina, and they watched the tiny Fae disappear into the cave. Not a few moments later did she reemerge, beckoning them forward. They followed her beyond the mouth of the cave, to a small nest where the hatchling had been sleeping. He was an icy blue, much paler than any of them, who were all shades of purple and deep blue. He seemed to glow in the dim light of the cave. His feathers were shimmery, and parts of him were encrusted in gems. Despite his cold look, his eyes were very much a bright magenta- A sure sign that he was indeed another Arcane dragon.

Archad was the first to speak. “Hello,” he said, “My name is Archad. What’s yours?” The hatchling looked around before speaking, seeming to be trying to search for Archad’s voice. “They… They didn’t give me one. But… Dreame calls me Chryss.” “Chryss?” Archad seems to nod to himself. “That’s a good name. It suits you.” Chryss seemed flattered. “It does? Oh, well, thank you, then.”

Runestone was next to speak. “Hi Chryss. I’m Runestone. I’m the youngest one here. Raina calls me Roonie. Uh, please don’t call me that.” He added on the end, just to make sure. “Who’s Raina?” Chryss asked, seeming to search again. “That’s me.” She said, finally speaking. “Why do you keep looking around like that? She’s right here.” Runestone interjected.

But Raina understood. “You… You can’t see, can you?”

Chryss shook his head.

“Well, that’s okay. Nobody’s perfect!” She thought for a second. “Oh, hey! Archad! Your wings!” Archad nodded. “Here, feel,” he said, extending a crumpled wing to Chryss. “I can’t fly. My wings never developed.”

Chryss seemed deeply touched by the gesture. “You’re… Archad, was it? Will you be my friend?” Archad seemed taken aback. “Well, of course I will! We’re all your friends, right?”

Raina nodded. “Mm-hm.” Runestone grinned. “Ditto.”

But, just as everything seemed to be okay, Chryss crumpled to the ground and began whimpering. “No, stop, make it stop!” He cried. “I don’t want to! Not now! I can’t!” “What’s going on, mom?” Archad cried. “What’s happening to him?” Dreame gave him a sad look. “Chryss suffers from… Prophetic visions. He can’t control them.” After seeing that the hatchlings were no less consoled, she tried again. “He can see the future, but he can’t control when he sees the future. A terrible trickster cursed him when he was only just born.”

“Can we help him?” Runestone asked.

“I’m afraid not.” Dreame sighed. “Only he can learn to control his ability, which he will do, I think, in time. But until then, you are to keep a careful watch of him at all times, understand?” The hatchlings nodded. “I can do it.” Offered Archad. “Good boy.” Dreame grinned. “Such a leader.”

Chryss opened his eyes, but the vision was not yet done. He seemed to stare right at Raina, though Raina knew he couldn’t see her. He spoke in a low and menacing voice. “You will cast the spell, but you should not. You will not think before you do, yet you should. Remember this when you cry of your own curse, for it will affect your family for generations, staining your legacy like a plague. When your child cries of unattained magic, do not weep, for you will know in your heart that it was your foolishness that brought about this curse. Beware- The crystal spell.”

What nonsense, thought Raina, I’m never going to have a child. I don’t even like babies. I’ll cast whatever spell I want, thank you very much.

But even Raina’s careless nature could not shake off his words. Chryss had frightened her, he had frightened all of them, and they would do their best to ignore that fact, but it would always be there, a sharp reminder that, while they might all share imperfections, Chryss’s ability went far beyond that. Chryss had a curse- And to a dragon, that word held immense power.

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That night Dreame put the little dragons to bed, and then settled in her own nest above them in the tree. When Raina was sure she was gone, she opened one eye, then the other, until her bright magenta eyes were peeking around the clearing, looking to see if her friends were as awake as she was.

“Psst! Archad!” She whispered.

He perked up almost immediately, but still pretended to be sleepy. “Raina! You should be asleep.

She grinned. “But then we’d miss the meteor shower!”

Runestone was roused. “There’s a meteor shower tonight?” He asked, jumping over to see what was going on.

Raina nodded. “I think it’ll be good for all of us to go and see it. All of us.” She emphasized, while tilting her head at Chryss, who was the only one of them who was soundly sleeping. “It’s a sign of the Arcanist’s blessing, and we want to make him feel welcome, don’t we? Come on. Help me wake him.”

They nudged Chryss awake. He was ready to go the moment they said “meteor shower”, expressing how much the idea of space fascinated him.

“I can’t see it.” He said, “But what I can imagine it looks like is the most wonderful thing, better than any gift sight can give me, and if I really did see it, I would probably be disappointed by what it looks like, anyways.”

The four of them all gathered in the clearing, sitting down and looking upwards to the stars. The sky seemed to taunt them with how still it was, and not a speck of light moved for what seemed like a very, very long time. And then, as if a cage of falling stars had suddenly been let loose, it began. They streaked across the sky, one after the other, a brilliant lightshow. Every dragon, in their minds, silently thanked the Arcanist for his beautiful creations, accepting this signal of his blessing into their hearts.

Even little Chryss was filled with wonder, feeling the amazement from his newfound friends at his side. Quietly, he asked Raina, “Could you describe what’s happening to me?”

She smiled. “It’s the most wonderful thing.”