Hawthorne

Role: Builder

As soon as Hawthorne realized there was a new dragon among his Clan, he wasted no time in introducing himself to him. Rouge warned that the newcomer was hardly friendly- he was a former rogue, after all- but Hawthorne dismissed it. He needed to see this dragon for himself. And when he did, he was so happy- he looked practically the same as Hawthorne! He knew immediately that he wanted to become friends, and slithered over to the dark Mirror dragon.

"Hi, I'm Hawthorne," he piped excitedly. The Mirror gave the Spiral dragon a quick glance before looking down again, ignoring Hawthorne. Hawthorne didn't seem to get the message, and thought that the Mirror hadn't heard him the first time. "Hello, I'm Hawthorne! What's your name?"

"Can it, will you, you over-sized noodle?" the dragon snapped, pulling his wolf pelt farther over his head. "I don't want to talk. I'm going hunting. Leave me alone."

Hawthorne just couldn't take no for an answer. "Oh, you're going hunting? Can I join? I know all the best spots!"

"Listen, wormy, I already told you I don't want to talk to you. Go away." The Mirror dragon barred his fangs, cracking his tail in annoyance before storming off. Hawthorne felt disheartened. No-one refused to talk to him like this before. He slithered off to his sleeping quarters for an afternoon nap, his spirits dampened.

When he woke up, it was the evening- thunder clouds rolled off in the distance, stopping Hawthorne from seeing all the painting-like beauty the sunset had to offer. He emerged from the warm wooden hut and into the open space in front of him, where a few Clan members were gathered. One of them was the dragon he'd met before, lying off to the side with his front legs crossed. Hawthorne wasted no time, and before the former rogue could even see him, Hawthorne was by his side.

"Hey, we kinda got off to a bad start," Hawthorne began, speaking quickly in typical Spiral dragon fashion. "Mind telling me your name?"

"Yes, I do mind," the Mirror hissed, getting to his feet. "Get away from me, or I'll attack."

"C'mon, please!" Hawthorne begged, desperate to befriend him. "Just a quick chat. Like, two minutes. Tell me your name, where you're from, you know..."

Before Hawthorne could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp sting on his muzzle, followed by liquid running down the side of his face. It tasted metallic- blood. The newcomer was serious. He really didn't want to talk.

Hawthorne was too stunned to react. He saw a flurry of other Clan members pounce on the dark purple dragon, subduing him under their weight. Summerwind had come to his aid and led him to her medical tent, but Hawthorne moved subconsciously, not able to grasp the situation around him.

"That's a nasty scratch," Summerwind observed, pressing a damp rag to his muzzle. "That rogue... I had a bad feeling about him, but I thought that I was being too harsh. But, seeing him attack you... what was Rouge thinking?"

"No, it's my fault," Hawthorne said sullenly. "I- I was being annoying."

"Nonsense! That's just the way of a Spiral dragon- chatty and energetic. You were just trying to make friends the best you could."

Hawthorne disagreed, but said nothing. After Summerwind finished applying soothing herbs to his snout, he returned to his sleeping hut, curling up in a ball. He couldn't sleep with the stinging pain in his muzzle, so he thought of other things to pass the time. He was almost about to drift off until he heard a knock.

"Hawthorne?" a familiar voice called from outside. The dragon didn't wait for an invitation, stepping right inside the small wooden building. It was the dragon from earlier. The one who attacked him. Hawthorne cowered, covering his head under his blankets.

"Hawthorne, I'm really sorry about earlier. Rouge talked to me. I've never met a Spiral before, so I didn't know... I... I'm deeply sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

Hawthorne raised his head, the blanket sliding off his face. His face was no longer sullen- his mouth was drawn back in a beaming grin, and his eyes sparkled. "What- really? You mean it?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. The name's Acanthus, by the way."

"Oh, Acanthus! Can we be friends?"

"I mean, I..."

"Great! I have a feeling we're going to be best buddies!"