LightingScar » Lair » Fortis

Fortis

(#39346587)

Level 1 Coatl

Energy: 0/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

7.96 m

Wingspan

10.54 m

Weight

763.45 kg

Genetics

Sky
Petals

Sky
Butterfly

Sky
Glimmer

Hatchday

Feb 08, 2018
(6 years)

Breed

Adult
Coatl

Eye Type

Ice
Common

Level 1 Coatl

EXP: 0 / 245

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Offspring

Biography

F O R T I S

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B I O G R A P H Y

______ Native to the white plains and frigid climes of the Southern Icefield, Fortis has spent most of her life there, and has found more reasons to stay than to travel to other parts of Sorneith. Her father was much the same; he preferred to remain amongst the ice and snow, and he was her primary caretaker when she was younger. Her mother, on the other hand, adored travelling, and was almost always gone during the summer months, when the Icefield was at its most beautiful- she loved to explore new places, meet new people, and was always bringing little souvenirs back for her daughter. Fortis did enjoy those gifts when she was younger, but by the time she’d reached maturity, she had grown to resent them- they were children’s things, after all, and she was no longer a child. She disliked that her mother never really seemed to know her, and was never there, and she did hold a grudge against it.

______ However, her father more than made up for it- he was the one who first taught her how to hunt in the Icefield, how to blend in with the clouds and the sky, how to fly silently. He also taught her basic self-defense, since he believed she should be able to take care of herself if needed, but he disliked violence for violence’s sake and would always refuse any requests along the lines of teaching her how to fight properly. She’d heard of clans of great warriors, both of old and in the current age, and had always wanted to be strong like them, even if she hadn’t yet figured out what she wanted to protect (beyond her family, repaying the favor, as it were). She didn’t have very many friends; there were only three other hatchlings close to her age, and they seemed to be more content to play with one another than with her, but they did socialize occasionally. Even so, the conversations tended to be short and a little abrupt, with Fortis often accidentally ending them by being too blunt, saying something that could be construed as mean. She still reserves that trait, not quite managing to think out what she’s saying beforehand, enough so that the straightforward manner of speaking she shares with her father often comes across as rude.

______ Her first and longest trip out occurred just after she reached maturity, with her mother. Initially reluctant to join in with what she saw as a forced bonding exercise, that reluctance soon melted away once they landed in the Ashfall Waste. It was boiling hot and she disliked the weather greatly at first, but her mother led her to a blacksmith and weapon-maker- evidently a good friend. She was still determined to dislike her, though, and maintained a frosty demeanour throughout the whole meeting. At least, until her mother told her to pick out a weapon. It was then that she had an inkling that it would be a different kind of trip than she was expecting. She picked out a sword for herself, after testing out both daggers and a stave, neither of which felt right. Three days later, she received one of her own, freshly forged and perfectly balanced, the blade singing as she gave it an experimental, but clumsy sweep through the air. It felt right, the natural extension of what her father had taught her, and what she’d secretly practiced on her own, making up moves based on the fights she’d seen- few and far between as they were. She was still wary of her mother, even as they left for a more remote place, where the other dragon began to teach her how to fight. Between sessions, her mother offered explanations of what she was doing and why- she knew from her husband that Fortis had shown an aptitude for fighting, rather than any interest in further schooling. And of course, proper weapons would be necessary for any more training, which she’d known would fall under her role, rather than Fortis’ father. Fortis learned that her mother had made quite a name for herself as a fighter when she was younger, and often was hired to travel with trading caravans or, on the rare occasion, guarding and guiding travellers across the more dangerous parts of Sornieth. This explained her absences, but Fortis refused to forgive her for being gone all the time. The ease with which her mother accepted this was infuriating, and Fortis vowed to best her in at least one fight as revenge. Of course, it took a long time to happen, and between her promise to herself and its fulfilment, she was able to see much of Sornieth. Her mother also began to teach her another language, which she picked up with ease given enough practice. That too became a point of pride to master, since Fortis hated how her mother would keep harping on about how important it was to be multilingual in their line of work.

B I O G R A P H Y

______ Even when she finally won her fight, over a year later, Fortis realized that while her mother was proud of her for it, reconciliation really wasn’t going to be an option for them. She still wanted to prove to the elder that she hadn’t been lacking because her mother had been gone all the time. She wanted her mother to be the one who’d missed out on seeing her grow, even if this was an opportunity for just that. Fortis continued to think that until a few months later, when her mother finally took her on a job. It was a simple task, guiding a small caravan for two weeks through the Tangled Wood. While mostly uneventful, it was still stressful, and Fortis had to fight to keep her cool. She desperately wanted to impress, but ended up being grudgingly impressed by the way her mother took charge during the one hitch in the plan- an attack by a small group of bandits. It gained the elder a newfound respect from her daughter, at the very least. While the maternal relationship would never be mended, Fortis soon came to think of her mother more as a mentor, finding it easier to separate the negligent dragon she’d known in the past from the methodical fighter she now knew and respected. It was a distinction that would last for a long time, and one that suited them both a lot more.

______ The two parted ways after a few more jobs, all of them riskier than the first, and once Fortis was much more confident in her skills. Although she still held on to some of her past resentment, she’d managed to let the worst of it go, and she and her mother kept up a correspondence (with occasional visits and spars) from then on. Fortis was eager to return to the Icefield after almost two and a half years abroad, though; she couldn’t wait to go back home. It was very much where her heart was. Her reunion with her father was warm as ever, though tainted just by a little guilt for leaving him for so long; doubtless, he’d anticipated an extended absence, but she could still see the traces of loneliness in his eyes and in the way he hovered for a good few days before finally letting her have her space. It was a strange, but quick, readjustment, and he seemed a little resigned to know that she would be following in her mother’s footsteps. She was quick to reassure him that she would remain on the Icefield, though- it was home, and she didn’t think she could stand being away for so long again. And even if she ended up in some remote corner of it, she’d make trips to visit him as often as she could.

______ This proved to be at least somewhat true- after a month and a half back home, her father mentioned almost casually that a friend of his was looking for a guard. They used to be in the same clan, before he’d left for a quieter, smaller settlement with Fortis’ mother. Of course, she wasn’t entirely certain about taking the posting- and she in fact almost declined it, not wanting to get a job solely because of a tangential connection. But she had at least agreed to a meeting, and she was one of twelve dragons that showed up. A few were around her age, though most were older, and a tournament was set up pretty soon after. It was made into a whole Clan event, and Fortis agreed to participate, satisfied that she would be able to prove herself worthy outside of the initial recommendation.

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B I O G R A P H Y

______ It was here that she met Crystal for the first time. Fortis had done extremely well in the competition, managing to make it to the final round, even though she’d lost there. She was more upset about it than she would like, and while Snowwhite deliberated on who to pick, she headed right off to the quietest place she could find so she could be alone with her thoughts and try and get herself together and ignore the bitter taste of disappointment on her tongue. She ended up a ten minute flight away, just by the shores of a frozen lake- and landed right in front of Crystal, nearly on top of the other dragon. Both let out a shriek of surprise, clearly not having expected to find anyone else in the same spot. Crystal’s book went flying, and Fortis crashed right into a snowbank after pulling a sharp, last-minute evasive maneuver. It was inauspicious, to say the least, and already high-strung, Fortis did not improve on the chaotic first impression. More than a little snappy, she asked Crystal what she thought she was doing there, not moving out of the way. Crystal stammered out an answer that sounded like ‘reading’, but her shyness wasn’t yet endearing. With a huff, Fortis settled herself down in a comfortable spot, ignoring that answer. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down- idiot though the other dragon might appear, Fortis didn’t want her seeing any moments of weakness or conflict. And so the process of thinking things through and reassuring herself that there are, in fact, other jobs in the world, was made much quicker. Even if Crystal’s uncertainty hung thick in the air, grating on Fortis’ nerves. It was painfully obvious that the other dragon had no idea what to do, whether or not to stay or go, and after five minutes of increasingly uncomfortable awkwardness, Fortis let out a sigh. She didn’t offer any sort of apology, just a brusque statement that she had to go back. She’d come there to be alone, after all, and she didn’t leave just because she felt belatedly sorry for barging in like that. If the other hadn’t wanted her there, she should’ve said something. Not that Fortis would’ve been in the mood to hear it, but at the very least it would’ve gained some grudging respect.

______ She didn’t forget entirely about Crystal by the time she’d returned to the tournament, but it was easy to put the fleeting encounter out of her mind as she waited for Snowwhite’s decision with the rest of the competitors. She even struck up another conversation with the dragon that had beaten her, despite being a little bitter about the whole thing. He was nice enough, anyway, and it was a welcome distraction listening to him talk about where he’d learned to fight and comparing stories. It did wonders for soothing her nerves, even if she was sure some of her attempts at jokes had fallen flat and sounded harsh instead.

______ A hush fell over the gathering, though, when Snowwhite emerged again on the dais she’d been occupying during the competition. Fortis waited with bated breath, desperately wanting him to say her name. She didn’t- not at first, at least. The dragon who’d beaten her was selected, and shame and disappointment and a little bit of anger burned the back of her throat. She’d failed, and very much caught up in that, she almost didn’t hear the chosen dragon request a chance to take someone on as an apprentice. It wasn’t too unorthodox a request- regardless of Snowwhite wanting only one main guard, it made sense to have another one in training, just in case. Fortis was shocked to hear her own name come into the mix, though- almost too shocked to answer. She still agreed almost immediately, even if it hadn’t been what she wanted. It was close enough to her original goal, and while she normally wouldn’t settle for ‘close enough’, she was determined not to waste this chance. After all, it surely wouldn’t be too bad being taught by someone else again, and this time without the tangled past. They didn’t have the greatest start, but she managed a quick thank you, and promised to do her best, figuring that was the ideal course of action. Her mood had flipped to almost deliriously happy and relieved to have the chance, even if a small part of her thought that she should have done better, should have made it.

B I O G R A P H Y

______ Despite this, she was still able to settle in relatively quickly, given a space very close to Snowwhite’s lair, and right next to her newfound mentor’s, for ease of access. The training was less strenuous than it had been with her mother, much to her disappointment; it mostly involved shadowing them both, learning about allies and potential enemies, dragons who would be able to pass freely, and those to watch out for and alert others if they were seen. Since she was only an apprentice as of yet, she had two hours each day free to do as she pleased, though her mentor left her with the strong suggestion that she befriend members of the clan and get to know the dragons who she’d be living with. As a stranger and someone outside the clan, he warned her that it was important to not only gain their trust, but trust and like them in turn. It wasn’t something that she would have thought to be particularly daunting, but after a week, she realized just how hard it would be. All her attempts at jokes would fall flat, and nearly everything she said seemed to sound wrong- her tone too serious, or the words themselves too harshly spoken. While quite a lot of the clan members began to actually avoid speaking to her, if they could, there were a few who at least understood that she was making an effort, despite failing miserably. The most that could be said of that was that they wouldn’t take too much offense at what she said. And, of course, the hatchlings seemed to hate her, which she found a little ridiculous given that she’d only barely laid eyes on them at the tournament. It was something she thought would fade easily, but as the weeks went on and she managed to widen the small circle of people who’d talk to her for longer than fifteen minutes, they seemed to dislike her even more, actively leaving Greatshells outside of her lair as pranks, or introducing ants into her bedding. They were younglings, though, and she could (probably) make peace with that. And she’d been told specifically not to retaliate, as a lifeguard needed to be above petty tricks with children. The last straw was a great bucket of paint sloshing onto her from above, though, which stained her feathers black for nearly a week. Her mentor had been stifling laughs at the sight of her the entire time, though others hadn’t been so kind about hiding it. Especially the younglings’ laughter, which seemed to follow her around.

______ A/color]s soon as the paint had faded to a barely there grey, Fortis marched herself to the informal ‘daycare’ of the clan, an enclave to house any unhatched eggs that needed it, and separate from that, were where the young hatchlings stayed while their parents were busy. While she didn’t know which ones were responsible, she was certainly determined to find out. She stalked right in, head held high, and promptly knocked right into Crystal all over again. It took her a minute to actually place where she’d seen the other dragon, and she winced internally at it. That- had been an inauspicious first meeting, to say the least.

______ The other dragon looked absolutely terrified for a minute, as Fortis stared her down, trying to figure out what to say. She managed to mumble out a quiet apology for running into her (the implication being both times), and she would have continued on to try and make it sound better, if she hadn’t spied a couple of hatchlings giving her their best attempt at a death glare. The little gremlins were plotting something, and she glared right back at them until they scampered away. Good. She then turned to Crystal, doing her best to gentle her tone a little, given the fact that the other hadn’t said anything yet and her ultimate goal of being approachable, making friends. It didn’t quite work- she still sounded kind of annoyed as she asked whether or not the hatchlings had any kind of supervision, because they were really starting to get on her nerves and surely someone had to be keeping them out of trouble.
Talking to the other dragon proved to be remarkably useless, given that she was barely able to stammer out a proper response. Fortis did her best to be patient, and asked to speak to the person in charge- only for Crystal to finally tell her that she was the one in charge. Things went downhill from there awfully quick, with Fortis muttering that it was no wonder the hatchlings were out of control with someone as obviously weak-willed as her trying to handle them. It was a petty thing to say, and she realized that almost as soon as it came out of her mouth, but before she could manage another apology, Crystal told her to leave in a rather shaky voice. She was tempted to insist that she stay, but Fortis knew enough to realize that it would just make things worse.

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B I O G R A P H Y

______ And thus started a proper campaign to get Crystal on her side and the younglings off her back. She decided to approach it strategically, which she thought her mentor would be proud of; he was, but thought that she needed to relax and not overcomplicate things, especially since he knew she wasn’t going to properly outline any sort of plan to do it. Instead, she took to spending a fair amount of time hanging around Crystal and the young dragons, only occasionally saying things- it was, she assumed, the best course of action, since talking is usually where things went wrong for her. Her excuse was that someone who wouldn’t just let them run wild needed to be watching them, which didn’t do much to endear her to Crystal. It did at least shift the location of the pranks, though, with most of them taking place at the enclave rather than in her nest. Small victories. And even they petered off, as the hatchlings got more used to her presence. She also got used to Crystal being there, and managed to avoid literally running into her any more times. They started talking, with Fortis kind of awkwardly engaging in conversation, and Crystal doing her utmost best to reply properly without annoying the other, but it soon mellowed out into longer conversations that both started to enjoy. Talking to Crystal soon became the part of Fortis’ day that she looked forward to the most; it was easier to do that than to talk with anyone else, and she even felt that the other understood her. At the very least, they both seemed to have similar difficulties when it came to chatting with other people, but more than that, Crystal was- well. All the things Fortis never thought she’d admire. Soft, patient, strangely cute. And, if Fortis was willing to admit it to herself, beautiful.

______ The months passed by and the two of them grew closer, though Fortis was only barely acknowledging her little crush. It wouldn’t do any good, and she knew that Crystal probably wasn’t going to go for someone who’d been kind of awful to her in the beginning. Not that Fortis had managed to be nice to anyone then, but she certainly had improved enough since then. Besides, she hadn’t come here for romance, she’d come to help guard Snowwhite- and, if she did say so herself, she was good at it. Her apprenticeship was coming along well, and her mentor had praised her on multiple occasions, the most significant of which was pointing out a few dragons who most certainly didn’t belong at the Solstice celebration, and then quietly and efficiently removing them from the premises. The best part of that night had, by far, been when Crystal paid her a quiet compliment for a job well done, though, saying that she was always happy to know that Fortis was around to protect them. She couldn’t help but smile at that for the next few days.

______ The peak of her apprenticeship happened in its ninth month, when Snowwhite announced that she would be taking a trip to visit another Clan leader, deeper in the Icefield. Fortis and her mentor would be accompanying her, as well as two advisors, as it was more of a diplomatic mission than any sort of friendly visit. Well aware that this would be the test that would truly decide whether or not she would remain an apprentice or graduate to a full-fledged guard, Fortis took it more seriously than anything before. She stayed up memorizing names and faces, learning the route they would be taking, and then even flying along some of it one night, just to scope it out for potential dangers and traps. She knew that she didn’t want to spend another nine months as an apprentice, and that her mentor would consider her fully-trained after this, even if she wasn’t chosen as a guard, but she didn’t want to leave the Clan. Not when she’d settled down here so easily, made a few friends, made a real home for herself. And certainly not when Crystal was here.

B I O G R A P H Y

______ The day before the trip, she skipped her visit to Crystal and the hatchlings to pack and prepare. She knew that it might have been just a little cowardly, and she hated herself a bit for it- Crystal was sure to ask about what she was going to do afterwards, and Fortis wasn’t sure how she would be able to say that she was considering leaving. She did think that Crystal would likely encourage it- not because she wanted to be rid of her, but because there were still many opportunities outside the Clan. It wasn’t something that she wanted to hear, especially because it made sense. The avoidance would have worked wonderfully, if Crystal hadn’t shown up outside of the little cave she’d begun to think of as home, timidly asking if she could come in. Fortis had finished packing by then, and couldn’t really make herself seem busy- there were no excuses to deny the other entry.

______ Fortis was extremely aware that Crystal had never been over before, and the air seemed to be charged. This was different from any of their other interactions, somehow more personal, and Fortis couldn’t help but look around her room, as if she were trying to figure out what Crystal would think of them. The conversation was a little bit stilted at first, just the sort of meaningless pleasantries that neither of them enjoyed but Fortis had learned to endure, before Crystal finally asked why she hadn’t shown up that day. The other even sounded hurt, which made her feel guilty about the whole thing, even as she replied with the truth. A moment of silence stretched between them, and Fortis attempted to break it by asking about any plans Crystal had in the two weeks she’d be gone. It went unanswered, with Crystal instead asking in a quiet voice if she would be leaving for good, if she didn’t end up getting the post. Before, Crystal had always reassured her that she would, when the apprenticeship was over, and the doubt from the other made her heart skip a beat. A little hesitantly, she answered that it would make more sense for her to leave; she’d have the experience to take a job elsewhere, but the reply didn’t seem to satisfy Crystal, who repeated her question, a little more insistently. Reluctantly, Fortis answered that she didn’t want to leave. When pressed to elaborate as to why, she couldn’t help it, she just blurted out that she wanted to stay because of Crystal. It was quiet again after that, and Fortis was so sure she’d said the wrong thing, she was ready to tell Crystal it was okay, that she could go, they’d just pretend this never happened. She could deal with the rejection, if she had to. She would deal with it. But Crystal still wasn’t saying anything- she didn’t say anything other than ‘Good’, murmured so quietly Fortis could barely hear it. It made her breath catch, and she thought her heart was going to pound right out of her chest, when Crystal followed it up by saying she’d prefer it if Fortis stayed, that it would in fact mean a lot to her. Hardly daring to hope, Fortis took a step forward, with Crystal offering the same small, shy smile she’d fallen in love with. Very slowly, she inclined her head, just to lightly nuzzle against the other, face buried in her soft fur. She couldn’t quite bring herself to ask for confirmation, but her voice was even as she went on to confess properly, taking the simple route of saying that she liked the other. Romantically speaking, in case clarification was needed. Crystal responded by pressing closer, rather than saying anything, but it was all that Fortis needed to know. Crystal had never been one to wear her feelings on her sleeve, after all, and her knees nearly buckled in relief.

______ They spent the night together, staying up talking and cuddling- and bemoaning their timing. Fortis fell asleep with Crystal right next to her, and it was the best night’s sleep that she’d gotten in ages. Parting in the morning was painful, but Fortis would do her duty, and she’d be back, anyway- even if she missed Crystal like an ache the entire trip. She couldn’t let herself be distracted by it, though, and she didn’t; she was meant to be guarding Snowwhite. The trip there was uneventful, and the diplomatic side of things were boring, but she conducted herself well. Despite the fact that the guards for the other clan were more than a little rude, obviously trying to provoke them. It would have worked, if she hadn’t been warned against it, and hadn’t been quite so determined to impress. On the way back, there was an ambush, with Fortis and her mentor both sustaining some injuries, but they’d fought hard, and managed to get away, if not chase down the culprits responsible. It stung, retreating like that, but Fortis knew that it was the right call to make. They were a small party, after all, and taking the fight to them wouldn’t have done anything but worsen the circumstances. The trip was, overall, a success- trading and a territory dispute settled, and Fortis was offered the position of lifeguard, which she more than happily accepted. It was everything she ever wanted, made all the sweeter by the fact that Crystal was right there with her to celebrate.

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