Kieron

DESCENDANT OF NAOMI great great great grandson.
This kid-Candor and Ezekiel- Sunshine* and Virus - Glitch and Error - Sundar and Willow - Coal and Naomi

* Explanation of Sunshine's and Naomi's importance is
here
Unique colors (first on site)
please do not exalt! If you fall out of love find another non-exalt home or return to northnorthwest! (268438)

Kieron is the embodiment of his curse. The Shade whisper to him, begging for the freedom he cannot give them, and encouraging him to diverge from what is considered acceptable. These suggestions of terrible, violent acts, are sometimes difficult to ignore, and Kieron often snaps at the voices no one else can hear, sometimes going so far as to claw at his head and ears. Because of this, he has become a dragon many choose to avoid, fearing that whatever makes him act so strangely will affect them or their hatchlings, or that he would eventually lash out at others. When he does lash out, it is due to his short temper, made ever shorter by the constant noise in his head. When Kieron speaks, which is quite rare, often he is cursing some unfortunate dragon who happened to stand too close or look at him too long.

But Kieron also has light within him. When the brightness within him manages to contain the cries of the Shade, Kieron feels the joy of peace. He still avoids other dragons, but he is less likely to snap at others or ruthlessly shun his clan mates. Should anyone be brave enough to engage him in conversation during this time, Kieron will not turn them away. Instead, he would cautiously nod, occasionally saying a word or two, as if he was unsure of his voice would work. But if someone can get him talking before the Shade interrupt, Kieron is unlikely to stop. He craves friendship and family, but rarely seeks it

Kieron was born in a place where shade and dragon existed together. The clan of Pendulum, where this symbiotic- mutualistic strain of shade took over dragons, who were then cut off from the outside world. Kieron was born with the Shade, but not this strain. He was cursed before he was even born, before his parents or grandparents were born. Kieron's great great great grandmother was Naomi, the Gatekeeper. Her shade lived in all her descendants, and he was no exception. The Shade lives in him, feeds off of him, and in return it gives him strength. Or rather, it did. The Shade was more visible in Kieron than his siblings. It showed itself in the color of his skin, dark shades of green with only small sections of lighter colors.

It was not long before the the Shade's mistake was noticed. The Shade touched Fae began to take more than the Shade gave. Naturally, the Shade gave power, magic, to its host, however unwanted that power may be. Too young to understand, Kieron thought it natural when his skin began to peel away, revealing a glowing golden form beneath. This stone inside of him ate away at the Shade as the Shade tried to eat away at him. But Kieron gave the Shade nothing in return. His body naturally allowed the Shade to live enough for him to harness its energy, but nothing more. He was a parasite, a curse, to the very plague that had haunted his family for generations.

Seen as a threat to the strain of Shade that was kept within the clan of his birth, Kieron was sent away before his parents could even give him a name. As young and seemingly helpless as he was, Kieron was on his own. He didn't understand why he was being sent away, nor why none of his siblings were shedding as he was. After several days spent wandering and nights spent trying to sleep on an empty stomach, Kieron came to the conclusion that something was wrong with him. Neither the Shade, nor whatever shining parasite was feeding off the Shade, had yet revealed its power to him. What else was a young, confused hatching to believe? He knew not what it was that led his parents to send him away, but he despised himself for it. He had lost all that any young hatching could ask for. Family.

After some time of traveling over a large portion of Sornieth, Kieron had realized that few dragons shared his crystal center, and those who did lacked the voices that whispered in his ear, begging for freedom. He shrugged the voices off, not yet realizing the Shade existed, let alone that he held it captive. Most clans Kieron entered didn't understand what it was about the adolescent dragon that made them quiet down and keep their hatchlings in the nest, yet a sense of gravity and danger followed him. And soon he would learn why.

Kieron first heard the word he would take as his name while traveling through the Ashfall Waste. The region of Fire would be taxing on even a full grown dragon unaccustomed to the heat, only by stealing the Shade's life force did Kieron make it as far as he did. Upon coming across a clan of merchants, Kieron began a search for something edible. This clan was isolated, dragons only left to sell their wares and trade for others, but the dragons that remained had never seen dragons with shining stone breaking through their skin. When the glow of a nearby fire made him shimmer, a merchant dared approach Kieron. The young dragon was already quite annoyed from his sleepless nights and long trek, but he only sighed and asked the merchant for food. Quickly, the older dragon grabbed a small feast worth of food, which Kieron greedily devoured. He turned to go on his way but was stopped by the merchant's clawed hand on his shoulder.
"You haven't paid."
The raspy voice seemed too pleased with itself. It bothered Kieron.

Kieron took a small pouch of treasure and threw it at the merchant's feet, but the merchant kicked it away.
"No, no. But this ought to cover it."
He tapped Kieron's shoulder, creating a clicking sound against the hard stone.
"No."
Kieron's answer was simple, and in his mind final. The merchant disagreed. He motioned for some thugs in his employ, who approached the Fae without fear. Any dragon small as he, especially one so weak with lack of rest, should be no difficulty at all.

But the Shade sought self preservation even in its current state, as did Kieron's unconscious mind. The combined magic of Shade and Stone, Dark and Light, escaped from him. The plague of power that was ingrained in his very DNA was at last revealed to Kieron. He remembers nothing after the moment of blinding light and dark until he came to, surrounded by what he could only assume were the remains of those who angered him.

Terrified, Kieron tried to flee. His panicked mind and proud curse kept him from finding a way out of the area that had formerly been a market of sorts. Dragons watched him. Some with fear, others with anger, and one with pity. This one dragon who felt not fear nor hate was the safest place the young Fae saw, so he went for it. The dragon did not fear his approach, but rather welcomed it. This strange dragon calmly led the creator of such destruction away from the group that was slowly gathering the courage to come out of the shadows.

This dragon offered a name, but not their own. They seemed to sense that the Fae they had saved was without a name, and addressed him as Kieron. When the younger dragon showed confusion, they explained:
"Kieron comes from two words. One meaning black or dark, the other meaning light. You are of dark and light. Destruction, but also the possibility of good. Accept both, or be yourself destroyed."

Kieron didn't question these words, he was too shaken. But he listened to what the dragon said next with increasing excitement. The dragon told of a clan located within the Shifting Expanse, a clan of dragons who had once been cast out, as he had, but had now come together to form a place where no questions were asked and all were welcome. Even one like Kieron would be welcome there.

His gaze following the stranger's pointed claw, Kieron came to the conclusion that no where else would be better for him. Before he could turn to thank the dragon, they were gone.

Kieron found that the clan he had been directed to was not exactly that, nor was it as perfect as the dragon had described. At first Kieron saw no one. On occasion a bit of wind would fly through the Carrion Canyon, sending dust floating into Kieron's eyes. Irritated and tired, he began to look for a cave in the side of the canyon large enough for him to sleep in. Instead he found the Citadel.

At first Kieron was excited. The building seemed the most likely place in the area for a clan to live, so Kieron entered and called out. Only the rasping of dust on stone greeted him. Confused, Kieron slowly walked deeper into the building. Even if no clan was here, perhaps he could spend the night there. Not only had he trekked from the Ashfall Waste to the Shifting Expanse, Kieron had expended much energy destroying the merchants. The Shade wanted to recuperate.

Kieron's need for self preservation coupled with the Shade's extraordinary abilities give him a heightened sense of his surroundings. Kieron knew he was in danger even before the dragon, covered completely in some sort of protective material, jumped out and began forcefully pushing him towards a darkened room.

Too weak from the day's ordeal, Kieron could not rely on the Shade for help. He clawed at his attacker but soon heard the scraping of metal across the floor and the click of the lock. Kieron was the newest resident of the Canyon Home for Dangers to Sornieth.

The facility still in its infancy, the staff had little guidelines for dealing with a dragon such as Kieron. Many, including the dragon who had directed Kieron to this place, a ruse which he very much regretted falling for, chose to push Kieron to his limits. Popular past times among the staff included seeing how long it took for them to get Kieron to try and scratch them through the bars of his cell door and making fun of him while he conversed with the Shade. Kieron knew they wanted a reaction. He didn't want to give it to them. But between his own temper and the pride of the Shade he gave in much too often.

Eventually it would be too much for Kieron. Eventually it was. A few jokes at his expense came with every meal Kieron received, but when his already meager rations were cut, a precaution to keep the Shade weak, Kieron decided he had had enough. At first it was just reaching through the bars on the door and clawing at his tormentor, but Kieron was angry. The Shade was angry. Kieron felt the Shade moving within him, felt the shiny stone under his skin grow warm with his rage.

Kieron remembers more of what happened that time. There was the same blinding light and complete darkness, but there was also a moment where the world seemed to freeze as everything around Kieron, every living thing, was destroyed.

It was several days before anyone else came to the Citadel. When the new staff did arrive they found only a single patient. Kieron is treated with more caution now. He receives little interaction with others but is not bothered by it. He has gathered that only one or two of the former staff survived his outburst, and they only lived because they were outside the Citadel at the time.

The new staff of the Home were kinder to Kieron. It was in part for their safety, and in part because the new management was kinder. Instead of provoking him, the staff worked to help him control both the Shade and the parasite. Slowly Kieron began to feel more in control of the power within him. He still had bad days, but they were becoming more and more infrequent. Kieron was, on his better days, encouraged to walk around the complex and interact with other dragons. Soon Kieron even made friends.

When the Home lost funding and closed down, Kieron was at first devastated. The only dragons that had ever treated him as an equal were forced to seek work elsewhere. Kieron misses them often, but remains in better control of the Shade




By GhostG4ming

By northnorthwest

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