Anima

Anima is a Tundra who falls into the traditional stereotype that most races think of dragons, creatures that value shiny things and collect them into a horde. Though the difference that Anima would argue that she has is that she prefers to wear the valuables she deems important, as if to make sure that no one would be able to take her gold and so she didn't have to be trapped in one location and could move freely from place to place when she felt like moving. When it comes to gold, gems and other beautiful things she always is on the lookout for it, wanting to wear as much as she could and make herself as beautiful as possible, though she would also say that would be a difficult task because she is already one of the most beautiful dragons she knows.

Though others would often claim that her confidence in her beauty and wearing as much jewelry as she could would be her vanity, many claiming it would be her undoing to the point that she no longer wished to hear the complaints of her birth clan and left them without much of a word. She didn't really have a connection with anyone in the clan and the idea of leaving was easy and she looked forward and never back, the past couldn't be changed anyway.

Anima wasn't sure how long she traveled, but she made due with what she packed and when she ran out of treasure to spend she refused to barter her jewelry, instead heading out into the wilderness to try and scavenge for food, but honestly having no idea how to do so as she had never really had to fend for herself, her clan had taken care of her as long as she had pulled her weight in some way, shape or form. Though she did not have to wonder for long how to take care of herself, when she came across a strawberry colored Tundra who was walking through the snow of the Southern Icefield. Without thinking that it could be dangerous, she quickly approached and asked him for help, as she was hungry. Uygelk, the Tundra's name, guided her to his clan where she was given food and water and allowed to recover as she had been a tad bit underweight from not having eaten in a few days.

She only hoped that they would not ask for payment for their kindness, as she had nothing she was willing to give.

Though that fear never came to fruition. They never asked for payment, instead she was asked if she had anywhere to go. Anima realized that the dragons of this clan thought she was on her own because she no longer had a clan. And although that wasn't far from the truth she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to join another clan, because for how long would they tolerate her need to collect gold and jewelry? In the beginning they would be fine with it, like her clan had been but overtime they would become annoyed with her and demand she give her treasure to them to use to benefit the clan. This was her treasure, she had found them on her own and didn't think she should have to give it up, no matter what the other's reasoning was.

Anima wasn't a fool though. She knew the next time she found herself in a difficult position like she was, someone might not come along to help her. Or even worse, someone attacked her and stole her jewelry and gold. That was something she considered worse than death, enough that it made her stomach knot up in fear.

So, after a few days of going back and forth with herself she accepted the invitation, under the condition that no one ever ask her about her hoard or jewelry. She had thought they would change her mind at her terms, but they had whispered amongst themselves for a moment before turning around and welcoming her to their ever growing clan. They almost seemed happy to be adding a new face to the group, it was strange to Anima.

It didn't take the Tundra long to realize this clan was nothing but mismatched dragons that came from all over Sorneith.

At first this made her a little more suspicious of their reasoning in allowing her to stay, but she also realized that she wasn't left with a lot of choice. She wasn't welcomed back at her birth clan less she was willing to change, and she wasn't, and she wasn't really equipped for surviving out in the wilderness by herself.

Anima could be accused of being selfish, and in a way she wouldn't argue that. She didn't like to share her hoard and was even less inclined to even let someone look upon what she didn't wear herself. Though, deep down, there was a reason beyond just liking shiny things that she wanted to collect and wear so much gold.

The reason Anima would never admit out loud, for either shame or not truly realizing it herself, was that she wanted other dragons to notice her.

Dressing herself in gold and jewels made others take notice of her, be it for a positive or a negative reason really wasn't what mattered to Anima. What mattered was the fact that they DID notice her and would either approach her to comment, or she was at least the topic of conversation for some time, and it always got back to her when someone had been discussing her. She always found a way to be in the right place at the right time, after all.

This made Anima feel important, feel like others took time to notice her and include her in things, either in their lives with conversation with her or about her. It made her feel like she mattered in the grand scheme of things and that she could be able to use this to garner influence in some aspect. In truth though, it simply was a reminder that she wasn't so alone in that moment because others were paying attention to her. So she got more shinier and pretty gold and jewelry and adorned herself with it. When it seemed like that stopped getting other's attention she began to collect her horde, watching it become bigger and bigger and a topic of more and more conversations around her clan.

Anima never came to realize how unhealthy this was, becoming an obsession at some point and over time forgetting the real reason she had begun doing this, just knowing that she needed to collect the most beautiful gems and glittering gold.

Now she finds herself with a new clan, new dragons and a chance to gain new attention from those who didn't know her. They wouldn't be tired of her yet, if anything many of them seemed impressed with how fancy she looked, others even asking if she came from a noble line given how regal she looked? To which she replied that she was, and went into an elaborate story about how she was separated from her parents and that she needs to remain in hiding so the enemies of her family are unable to find her and end her bloodline.

If there is truth in that story, even Anima doesn't really remember. The earliest memory she has was being found by one of the members of her past clan when she was very small, she didn't remember anything before that.

There maybe some kernels of truth within her elaborate tale, but where and what they are is difficult to discern as there is no way in finding out about a past of someone who doesn't really remember the past anyway.

But not remembering her past doesn't mean that she didn't want to make a future to remember, something better that she wouldn't want to forget. If she didn't remember it and didn't seem to be able to call any of that information forward, perhaps she didn't want to remember it. That some part of her mind was trying to protect her from a memory that was too painful that her mind didn't want to face it again. Though Anima wasn't going to dig too deeply, perhaps she was scared of what she could find, or maybe not knowing made it easier for her to make up stories that was more elaborate and beautiful than whatever had actually happened to her. A story one makes is always better than reality, if you ask any good storyteller.

In this new clan she will tell a new tale about herself, while continuing to collect her gold jewelry and gems, to continue decorating herself and walking further away from a past she does not remember nor wants to remember.