Lyliannai

She was cold.

The tiny little hatchling shivered in the biting cold of the nighttime. The frigid air felt like it would freeze her claws off, causing the tips of her wings to go numb. Sniffling and letting out a plaintive, weak cry, she felt tears begin to form in her eyes.

It was so dark--there was no moon in the sky this night. The darkness seemed to creep in all around her, making her feel like it would consume her whole.

She was scared.

What had happened to Mother and Father? The last thing she remembered was being with them and her brothers...the tempest that had caught them mid-flight had come out of nowhere. Before she had known it, she had been ripped away from them in the cold, frigid winds of the storm, tumbled about in the harsh gales. She had been completely at the mercy of the elements, and they had tossed her about in the air like she was nothing more than a speck of dust. Then, everything had turned black.

All she knew when she had awoken was the cold, chilling air.

That, and the fact that she was all alone. And she was absolutely terrified.

Plaintively, she cried out for someone--anyone--to hear her. Oh, how she desperately wanted Mother's warmth, Father's gentle nuzzles...was she doomed to be alone here, in this cold, dark world, forever? She was too scared to even move...to do anything but call out for someone to hear her.

She could feel the hope slowly draining out of her. Any faint glimmer of hope for her parents and siblings to come back, to find her and take her back in, had been snuffed out. She curled up in a tiny ball, beginning to cry, allowing for her tears to fall.

"Hey!"

An unknown voice, but it was still a voice. So she wasn't alone in this desolate, cold wasteland!

Looking up from her small, curled ball, her eyes widened as she saw another hatchling gliding down near her, landing carefully on the snow and looking at her curiously. He was a Mirror dragon...she hadn't seen many Mirrors near her home, and as such, was a bit startled by the way that he had four eyes, which regarded her with curiosity and caution.

"Who're you, and how'd you get here?" the Mirror hatchling roughly demanded of her, eyeing her now with suspicion. She squeaked in response, trying to hide herself away from his intense gaze.

"I-I...I'm no one special..." she managed to respond, her voice quivering with fear. "A-and I got lost...f-from my parents...a-and...I-I'm so far away f-from home..."

He still seemed suspicious of her, she noticed. Up and down, he eyed her, before letting out a huff. "Well, I guess I can't let you freeze to death out here," he said bluntly. "I'm Abaddon. Follow me; I'll take you back to my clan."

For a hatchling, he seemed rather blunt and forward. Tentatively, she looked up at him with her green eyes, seeing him turn around and begin to get ready to fly. He looked back at her. "Well, are you coming or what? Or do you WANT to freeze to death out here?"

She let out a soft squeak, scrambling up. "I-I...I'm sorry. I'm coming..." she whispered, extending her feathered wings and preparing to follow him. Anxiety began to pool slowly inside of her, causing her nerves to become sensitive and feel like ice was running through her veins. Would she be all right, or...could this hatchling be taking her to a certain demise?

Wordlessly, she followed him, too scared and tired to be much of a conversationalist. Besides, Abaddon didn't seem like he wanted to talk much, either, which was fine with her. Admittedly, she was a bit scared and intimidated by him, for some strange reason. He just seemed so...angry and prone to a temper, especially considering that he was a hatchling just barely older than she.

Nervously, she followed him deep into the frigid lands of the Southern Icefield, soon coming upon an area that seemed to actually hold life. He landed on the ground, and she gently landed beside him upon the soft, white snow, looking around her in awe.

The caves were different than the ones back at home, which were nestled under the great roots of trees, inside of small caverns, protected by flowers and leaves and other foliage. These caves were made of ice, standing as beautiful sculptures against the cold winter winds, safe from the harsh cold gales that surely held the power to easily uproot great trees from the earth.

Seeing that Abaddon had started to walk forward, the young dragoness quickly followed him, wishing to grow smaller and ultimately disappear. Other dragons that belonged to this clan had begun to whisper amongst themselves, looking at her. She couldn't make out the emotion in their eyes. Were they wary of her, or curious? Did they trust her, or did they fear that she would hurt them? All she knew was that she was certain that she stood out like a sore thumb, and self-consciously, she followed Abaddon's lead.

He seemed to be leading her towards a place that was larger and more elaborate than the other icy caves. Maybe it was the home of the leader of the clan...? Expectantly, he turned towards her, noticing her hesitation.

"Come on. You're gonna meet Leto, the Matriarch," Abaddon said curtly, jerking his head in the direction of the structure behind him. "Just follow my lead. You'll be fine."

On trembling legs, the little Skydancer followed the Mirror, passing through the crystallized curtain of what seemed to be enchanted ice as she entered the cave behind him. Hearing the soft jangling of the icy crystals, the dragons that seemed to be conversing inside of the cave turned around. Abaddon gestured for her to wait at the doorway, before he walked right up to the dragons, going specifically over to the red Coatl and speaking to her in a hushed tone.

The young dragoness felt a shiver travel through her spine as she met the intense red eyes of the crimson Coatl in front of her. Slowly, the female Coatl approached her, seeming to be staring into her heart and soul, as if searching her for her true intentions. Timidly, she looked up at the elder dragon, before casting her green eyes down to the ground once more, very intimidated by the sheer intensity in the gaze of the Coatl.

"I am Leto, the Matriarch of the Of Myth and Terror Clan," she suddenly said, her voice rich and intense, curt and to the point, much like the Mirror hatchling had spoken. "My son, Abaddon, tells me that you are lost, and have no home. Is this true?"

"....Y-yes, ma'am," was the soft, whispered response from the little Skydancer. "I-I...got separated from my p-parents...in an ice storm...a-and I-I have no idea h-how to get back..."

"It is too dangerous for anyone to travel the skies now. The winds are incredibly harsh, especially around here," Leto stated. "Even if you are to eventually return to your home, you must stay here until the weather clears up. If you go out there again and try to fly, you will die. Do you understand?"

The hatchling nodded, her body shaking and trembling fiercely with her anxiety. Seeing this, Leto sighed and shook her head gently. "Do not worry. You are safe here, little one," she said, seeming to make an attempt to soften her voice. "I simply am concerned for the safety of my clan. As long as you promise to not hurt anyone, and to stay loyal to your clanmates, you are welcome here. Understood?"

She nodded once more. "Yes, ma'am," she repeated. "I understand...th-thank you for helping me, and allowing me to stay here..."

"Of course," Leto responded, nodding to her in return, before looking to Abaddon once more. "Why don't you show her where the hatchlings stay? I'm sure she would like to get comfortable here."

Abaddon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine," he muttered, going towards the Skydancer once more, and she nervously shook her wings out for a moment before folding them back against her, one of her nervous habits. "Come on, I'll show you around, and then I'll show you where you'll sleep tonight. I guess you're tired," he told her, leading her outside once more.

"...Thank you," she told him meekly. "I was...very scared. Thank you for bringing me to your home..."

"Don't mention it, really. I couldn't just leave you out there to freeze," Abaddon responded in a flippant tone, shrugging with his shoulders slightly. "At least now, you'll have a chance at survival. You're fragile as a flower, I'd guess, being born in the Viridian Labyrinth, and all. Just follow my lead, and you'll be fine."

She felt herself smile the slightest bit, the ends of her mouth twitching up just a touch. "Okay, Abaddon. Thank you."

And thus, the Skydancer began her new life in the Of Myth and Terror Clan.


A softspoken, pretty lady, this Skydancer has a regal air about her, much like her mother. She is proud of the fact that she is, technically, a princess, as she is the daughter of an (albeit exiled) queen, but she does not draw attention to this fact. She prefers to treat herself to nice things, but does not demand attention for being royalty. She enjoys dressing herself up in pretty things, such as silks, and loves anything sparkly! She is very sensitive, though. She takes what others say to heart very easily, and if someone claims that they have a problem with her, or does not like something about her or the way she acts, she gets very self-conscious and tries her best to make others happy, even if it goes against her personality or something that she is comfortable with.