Amaryllis

Sparks

The firstborn son of Royalle. Amaryllis. New clan heir, as his mother took over the leadership of the clan from the aging Freya. There were now so many dragons in their lair that they needed a strong, young, energetic leader to take care of everything, and Freya had stepped back, allowing Royalle to take the reins, and functioning as a supporting role in the clan she had started with Rubin.

GoldLeaf had done his best to raise Amaryllis, when Royalle was busy with clan matters, however, he had picked up one unlucky thing from GoldLeaf’s personality.
His inability to stay in one place for long.

Wind dragons were flighty, and since GoldLeaf had spent much of his time with them, he’d picked up the trait. He didn’t focus well, and he got distracted easily. He also couldn’t stay still, and always had to be doing something. It made him a poor candidate for a more leadership-intense role. And Amaryllis took on the worst of the wind dragon traits, and became easily irritated when he had to make decisions, or was coddled.

Amaryllis needed his space. As soon as he was old enough to fly for long distances, and strong enough to hunt for his own meals, he took off, only telling GoldLeaf that he was leaving. He understood though, and told Royalle that Amaryllis would be safe. At least, he hoped so….

Lightning cracked deafeningly in the air above, lighting up the sky like daylight. It seemed drawn to spires high on a cliff. He wasn’t sure what they were, but it was intriguing. His Arcane-nature curiosity had bloomed during his travels across the continent. He’d been to every corner…except Plague, of course. The putrid smell that had hit him as soon as he had crossed the border warned him away. He was curious, but not willing to risk his own death.

More electricity in the air. It made him nervous. This wasn’t his territory. There had only been lightning a few times since his birth on the island, and when it hit trees, or parts of the observatory, it left scorch marks or caused forest fires. The last thing he wanted was to be the next thing it hit.

Dark clouds blocked out light. Rumbles in the sky. The sun must’ve set, he thought, and he needed to find cover. As another bolt lashed its way across the sky, he saw a shadow in the distance. Another crack. More shadows. And they were moving. Drops of rain began to fall, disrupting his vision. The shadows were running now, scrambling over the terrain, a gleam in their eyes making his scales crawl.

He weaved his way through the canyon, but they were on the cliffs above him, running, leaping over him, creeping down the sides into the canyon. He tripped, injuring his claw. His wings were wet now, and he couldn’t fly.

No escape.

Then she appeared. A gilded beacon of hope, come to rescue him.

The female guardian roared, louder than the thunder, her eyes enraged. The dragons attacked her, clawing and trying to puncture her scales with their long horn-like noses. One scratched deep wounds into her thigh, another to her shoulder. She ripped into them with her teeth, and sent magic bubbling into her claws, strengthening them. Many fell to her prowess, and the remaining dragons fled, growling as they backed away into the shadows.

She inhaled, took in her surroundings, and exhaled. She was calm. Collected. No more threats. She turned to the small Fae she had rescued, and lifted him up with a claw. As she looked at him, something in her shifted. Was this it? Was this what she had been searching for? It couldn’t possibly be, this fragile thing, the thing she was supposed to protect? It didn’t make any sense, to protect something so…weak…she thought.

The Fae stirred in her grasp, his eyes widening. He saw her, white and cream in color, with a gilding of crackle that appeared the same shade as his own. Ashensnow and Shadowpath had foretold the one who matched him, to be his mate. It seemed that his line, from Royalle onwards, would all meet the one, their match of crackle, to be their mate.

She tilted her head at him, then questioned if he was alright. He nodded, eyes still wide. She placed him on her back between her wings, and carried him to her lair. Her lonely lair, that was, as she was travelling alone. A simple cave, carved into the canyon. Apparently, she’d heard the commotion, looked out to investigate, and seen the hunt. She knew, however, that meat around here was sparse indeed, so she followed.

Sola, as she’d mentioned in passing was her name, told him how she’d stayed with a few other local clans, like a clan run by a lovely guardian called Anisette. Her clan was small still, but she was welcoming. That was more than could be said about some of the others she’d met. Lightning dragons could be aggressive sometimes, even to their own. Anisette was more…curious, she supposed, than the other clan leaders. However, she had not yet completed her Search, and she had no clan to speak of.

He spoke of his mother, Royalle, and his clan in Starfall. She was surprised he had come so far, from Starfall to the lightning flight territory, just on a whim. The thought of his clan, so large, but everyone having a role, and supporting each other, made her happy. She wanted to belong somewhere. She was an excellent fighter, but her strength sometimes made others uneasy. He reassured her, however, that strength was valued, and their two main guards, Rubin and Thunderclap, we some of the most prominent members of the clan, and loved by all. It sounded like somewhere she wanted to be.

She was growing on him. Her personality…it was an interesting mix of curiosity, strength, and…something else…he couldn’t quite pin a claw on it. He wanted to get to know her more. He proposed the question as delicately as possible.

“So…do you have somewhere to stay…for the next few months?” he asked nervously.

She looked at him, puzzled, “What do you mean?”

“Well…” he began, “I was wondering if you wanted to visit my clan. I think I’m going home. I’ve travelled for almost a year now, and it’s about time I go and participate in my duties as heir.”

“Heir? You’re clan HEIR? For Stormcatchers sakes! Shouldn’t you be with your clan! Why did you leave in the first place?!”

“Well, I… I was irritable. I couldn’t stay there. Being coddled all the time, treated like I was important, never any time to myself. I couldn’t bear it. I had to leave. But now, I’ve seen the world. I’ve experienced things. And no one has come out to look for me, I’ve had enough alone time now. It’s time to go back home, and start learning to control my gift.”

She didn’t know what this “gift” was he was going on about. He didn’t seem particularly gifted here. He couldn’t even flee properly from some Ridgeback dragons! But he looked so sure of himself…

“Alright,” she said, finally, “I will come with you, as a guard. If you’re the heir of your clan, we can’t have you getting yourself killed wandering around alone.”

“But first…” he began.

“What NOW?!?!” she exclaimed.

“We have to tell my mother you’re coming. Whether you’re staying or not, she will make sure you feel right at home. We need to head to the Spire, there should be wind messengers there, and they can send word to my father.”

“Yes, yes, FINE, we’ll go FURTHER into Lightning territory and put you in more danger. It’s your pyre.”