Maranjab

Path:Byou->redsixwing->Moorising 07/07/15 ->Tanithlow 07/25/16 -> MerryClarinet 09/27/17 -> AncientDragoness 08/15/19

Maranjab set out from his own lair to visit a friend, never suspecting the journey that lay ahead of him. He brought only a week's dried crickets, and set out humming happily.

The twisting path of a Spiral's flight took him across the Sundial Terrace, until his eye caught on a patch of forest near the Western border with Shadow. A clan of dragons had carved out a tiny lair there amongst the ruins, and Maranjab settled himself there amongst them, trading stories for meals and his skills for a comfortable roost of his very own.

A year and a day passed, and the Spiral's memory of home was fading. Which way was it? Where would he find the friends he remembered? As with many of his kind, his memory was short and his attention shorter, but he trusted himself to find his way home at last. Off he set, a week's worth of crickets in hand, to seek out his destiny upon the winds.

~~~~~

He didn't get too far before he heard some laughter nearby. Curious, he flew nearer and overheard an older Tundra telling stories of "back in the day" with an amusing twist. Maranjab was fascinated by the history, while at the same time unimpressed with the humor. "These dragons are laughing at those jokes?", he thought "I can do better than that!" So he flew closer, close enough to be discovered...which could have been a bad thing, but the other dragons were friendly and welcoming. "Hail, traveler! Would you care to have a rest? We have a few extra insects to share." This worked for Maranjab, as he was getting low on crickets.

Maranjab landed and enthusiastically helped himself to a few crickets! He smiled broadly, with a cricket leg between his teeth, and introduced himself. "I am Maranjab, and while I do not know where my home is, I think I am headed in the right direction. It's got to be around here somewhere!" That prompted many questions from the helpful dragons gathered around. Maranjab's vague but amusing answers soon had them all laughing. All except for Lor, who didn't appreciate being upstaged.

After about a year in Moorising's lair, Maranjab felt the itch to travel...he felt impelled to stick around through Brightshine (and the cleanup afterwards!) but approached Bree and Dom, the Clan's leaders and advised them he would be moving on during Thundercrack Carnivale....this would give him plenty of opportunity to choose where to go next...he could talk with so many dragons! So, on a bright morning, he bade farewell to his temporary home and many new friends and promised that if he were ever back this way, he would drop in and share some stories. Lor, the one who was disgruntled at the time of his arrival, had grown to enjoy his company, and so pulled the longest face during the farewell brunch.

~~~~~


Having forgotten the image of home and the faces of the friends he had decided to visit when his journey first began, Maranjab decided to explore his world with an open mind. He would find his way home when the time was right.

He began to travel North watching as the land became a deeper, richer green and the wild life of nature became more prominent. Awed by the vibrant colours and abundant life he was seeing, Maranjab failed to notice a Beastclan ambush tracking his flight course. Just as he crossed the body of water leading to the Viridian wilds, he felt a shock of pain lance through his wing. Suddenly he was tumbling out of the sky towards a choir of high pitched shrireks and gutteral cries. The next few moments were pain, hazed and chaotic, and all Maranjab truly remembers is the Guardian warrior that came to his rescue.

When he came to, Maranjab found himself in the mighty lair of Calipso, the Guardian who'd saved him, and under the care of her clan, small as it was at the time. As his wounds healed into non-existence, Maranjab learned on various healing techniques from the Imperial Stark and Pearl Lyora and discussed history and myths with Dancer Behemoth and Imperial Ceres. He watched as rescued and nested hatchlings alike grew and flourished into agile, capable warriors and protectors under Calipso's guidance and Bravo's brazen encouragement.

And many months after he arrived, Maranjab flew from his little sanctuary a little wiser. He may never be fighter but like all dragons of Calipso's Clan, he could definitely survive. After a feast fit for kings and with strong bonds of friendship, love and brotherhood in his heart, Maranjab set a course for his next adventure...

~~~~~

While flying through the heated skies of the Ashfall Waste, Maranjab's attention was torn from the glowing lava vents by a nearby whoop of excitement. He wheeled around to discover a brightly garbed fey riding the air currents, clearly enjoying herself as she tumbled through the sky. Sensing a kindred spirit, Maranjab flew closer and introduced himself. His greeting was received enthusiastically by the fey, who named herself as Sheila. After a day of swooping through the air and chasing sparks, Sheila invited Maranjab to come share a meal with herself and her family. He gratefully accepted, hungry after a long romp, but was surprised when she didn't land right away. Sheila led him all the way back to the Viridian labyrinth, finally coming to rest in a sprawling glen full of sleepy dragons. Maranjab landed tiredly, and despite the lateness of the day was instantly greeted by many friendly faces. One fluffy pink Tundra excitedly scurried off, only to return moments later to offer him a basket of sweets. Sheila, foregoing the ground as a landing pad, perched happily on the head of a quiet, gently smiling Tundra male. "Hello, dear," he said, "and who is your new friend this time?" As Sheila rapidly chatted with her mate and the other dragons who had gathered to hear her stories, Maranjab realized that here indeed was a traveler like himself, thrilled by new places and hungry for adventure. And yet, she had a mate and a family to return to. Maranjab was intrigued, both by Sheila's apparent paradoxical lifestyle and by the extremely varied characters of this new clan, (what was glowing over in that corner? And wasn't that Coatl darker a moment ago?) and elected to stay with them for a time. Besides, those sweets were really good.

After spending many happy months with Sheila's clan, Maranjab was no less puzzled by his first observations. If anything, it was more confusing. How could one clan have so many dragons with seemingly opposing lifestyles? There were warriors and gardeners, strange spirits and friendly uncles, travelers and homebodies, troublemakers, romantics, tradesdragons, and more. And yet, they not only got along without any serious quarrels, they all seemed to know and care for each other. While normally, the carefree spiral would have shrugged it off as one of the mysteries of life, this puzzle seemed to him more important somehow. Perhaps it was the similarity he shared with Sheila, the clan's unofficial co-leader, that made it feel personal. Or perhaps the unconditional camaraderie shared by the dragons of this oddball clan was stirring faint memories of a home and family long forgotten in his easily distracted mind. Whatever the reason, Maranjab decided that he would try and find some answers to this riddle before moving on.
He found Sheila in the middle of an enormous garden, perched atop a flowering bush in full bloom. The irrepressible Spiral smiled to himself, thinking that her colors matched so nicely, it looked like Sheila had grown there. The loquacious Fae was talking to Lycopersicum, or Percy, whose garden it happened to be. They both smiled at Maranjab's approach, and Sheila urged him to admire the beautiful display the garden offered. He did so, and then ventured to try and put his bafflement into words.
"You know, Sheila, this is a really great clan. Everyone seems to get along so well, and you obviously love it a lot, since you always come back and all from your travels." He paused, not sure how to continue. "And, um, I was wondering..."
"How everyone gets along so well and why I always come back even though I have a wanderlust as strong as yours?" Sheila rapidly filled in.
Maranjab's large eyes blinked in surprise. "How did you-"
"I would like to say it's because I'm a brilliant seer, but really Toby told me he thought you would ask." Sheila chuckled. "He's really the brains of the family. Anyway, was I right? Or he, I should say?"
Maranjab laughed, both at the Fae's frankness and her rapidity of speech. "Well, yes. That's what I was wondering. About everyone, but I guess mostly about you. How do you..." He glanced at Percy, who seemed absorbed in her weeding, and continued. "How do you stay tied down to one clan when there's so much to see in the world? So many new dragons and new lands! Why did you decide to have a family, and such a big one?"
Sheila frowned in thought. Like the Spiral, explanations didn't come easy to her. Her words usually flowed and twisted rapidly like the river that rushed through the glen, and they usually made sense eventually, but in this case she thought that a more carefully phrased answer was called for. So it was that something almost unheard of happened. Someone spoke before Sheila had the chance.
"You see this garden?" Percy asked, suddenly looking up at the pair of wanderers. "It's a beautiful display that you don't see when you're just walking through wild woodlands. It didn't just spring out of the ground, though. It takes careful cultivation and a lot of time. See, here there are sedum planted next to vernonia, and sometimes it's tricky to make sure one gets enough water while the other doesn't get too much. And yet, the result is much more spectacular than anything you could ever come across by chance. Our clan is like this garden. We may not seem to always have a lot in common, but we cultivate our friendships and our understanding of each other, and the result is a beautiful thing. The sort of loving family that we have here is not something you could just fly in on by chance. It's true that some of us will never see the world, and even wanderers like Sheila only experience a part of the wide exciting whole. But even if you two both sailed the skies every day of your lives, you would never see it all. So why let the lure of an unknown that might be good or might not pull you away from a certain good you already have?"
The two travelers looked at their guardian friend with mild surprise. While definitely friendly, Percy wasn't given to delivering long speeches. Then Sheila smiled and teased, "Ah, of course Percy can be wise if it has anything to do with plants. I think if she had her way, she would be planting our claws in the dirt and watering us!" Turning to Maranjab, she continued, "But honestly, I couldn't have said it better. I love traveling to new places and seeing new sights and tasting weird foods like that one dish I had with my water dragon friend, all full of-"
Catching her tangent, she refocused. "So yes, all that stuff is fun and fascinating, and I travel a lot, but it will never measure up to having a home and a family to come back to. I certainly couldn't live without the wind beneath my wings, but every adventure is more fun when you have someone who knows you to share it with. And what if something bad happens? Who do you turn to? Your clan, of course. To the dragons who know you and would cut off their tails and horns to help you. Not that they would need to, unless maybe Baldwin had some evil alchemist twin who was holding you captive for a ransom of supplies - Ah, but I digress. "Sheila shook her head, smiling at her own flightiness. "See, if someone as fluff-headed as me can keep up with friends at home, then anyone can do it. I write letters a lot when I'm on a longer trip, because as our faithful gardener here has reminded us, friendships require lots of cultivation."
Being a dragon of action as well as many words, Sheila brought Maranjab a scroll and some ink and insisted he write a letter to a friend that very day. "Just for practice," she explained, "Because when you leave here, I expect lots of letters!"
And so, when Maranjab finally moved on again, he had not only a good supply of crickets, but also a satchel of writing materials and promises to many of his new friends that he would write. Sheila's last laughing words to him echoed through his mind as he flew off in search of new adventures. "Just remember, if you don't write, I'll call Baldwin's evil twin to bring me your horns!" He smiled, and nibbled another of Sweetie's candies, his other parting present. Man, they really were good.

---

Maranjab's journey continued through Ashfall, meandering and twisting like the coils of his body. An odd fondness struck his heart for the fiery region, but he supposed it may have been born out of the passion of its inhabitants' hearts. Insofar he knew nothing but warmth from them, and felt it rather fitting, and found himself reluctant to leave just yet.

On a strikingly clear morning, he roved the skies where they shone blue, free of their customary ash clouds. Floating from updraft to updraft he watched in awe as the landscape spread out beneath him, glowing brightly by the light of the ubiquitous volcanic vents.

What he found considerably more interesting was the large, shimmering Imperial that floated past him with a jaunty wave, riding the air currents on his back. The Spiral's already bulbous eyes widened further and he angled himself to fly toward the carefree stranger, intent on conversation. He'd been quiet for far too long.

"Hello, my friend!"

The faceted, golden Imperial grinned, his goggles giving his long face a goofy appearance. He waved again, never leaving his reclined state.

"'Sup," he greeted casually. "Catchin' those 'drafts, man? Righteous."

He bobbed his head. "Yes, yes! My name is Maranjab, I am a traveler born to the Light Flight. I must admit I am greatly enjoying visiting your home."

"Yeah, I get it. Pretty groovy of you to come this far. Going where the wind takes you, I can dig it. My clan's not too far from here, if you need to catch some 'Z's or get that nosh they'll hook you up, my dude. Ma's got some fine cooking. Name's Iwan by the way. Don't wear it out bro."

Maranjab was delighted.

His happiness grew upon meeting the Clan Head, a very sweet older Tundra who, after knowing him even for a few hours, treated him as though he were her own son. He couldn't say too much for her mate, who eyed him with blatant mistrust.

Clan Salvius swiftly felt like family and he would treasure their memory for all time, the wonderfully soft scarf Cadaan made for him a treasured memento of his stay with them.

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