Cinder

Born in a nest hosted by Lewa, tale below by Disillusionist!

A wildfire swept through the forest, scorching a tree dragon’s nest — but the dragons have magic of their own, and even their eggs can survive fires. The lone egg hatched into what seemed to be another tree dragon with a bark-brown hide. But her wings and mane were brilliant orange, not leafy green. She opened her eyes, and they shone with fierce, hot light.

Perhaps it was why her parents abandoned her. The dragons of Oakheart, coming to tend the scorched forest, found her. They took her back to the clan — they were not surprised, for they’d seen something like this before.

Sooty had hatched the same way. His egg had been ensorcelled with a fiery spell, and he’d erupted from it, a tiny hatchling with the raging power of a wildfire. Oakheart had helped him. And now it was his turn to help this hatchling.

The clan called her Cinder. Unfortunately, their other children couldn’t understand why she glowed with fire. Anything that’s different attracts ridicule, and they mocked Cinder: She couldn’t touch their toys because she burned them; her fire was a curse, for she was a bad dragon!

Cinder erupted into fury — literally. As the hatchlings ran, screaming in terror, Sooty rushed over. He found Cinder sitting alone, apparently not upset. He might have preferred it if she were; he watched uneasily as she pounced on the toys, incinerating them in her paws. “Gone! All gone!” she declared triumphantly.

Unlike Sooty, this dragon was secure in her power — too secure. “She is young,” Bard consoled the Fire Keeper. “We can still teach her.”

Cinder was sent to the Sunbeam Ruins and there, she was taught meditation techniques to calm her temper. Sooty was often in attendance, ready to quench any fires she set. Over time, less of his help was needed, and he got used to patiently waiting for Cinder to come out of her reverie. He saw the look of immense peace on her face and wondered what she was thinking of.

“I remember the forest,” Cinder said later on. “I remember when I was born, a crackling noise everywhere, then coming out and seeing everything black and smoking.”

Sooty asked nervously, “Is that all?”

“No, not at all! It’s so dead and hot...but then it grows cool. And then the plants start growing again.” Cinder’s eyes shone, and that look of awe returned to her face. “They’re stronger than before. The fire made the forest better for them.”

Sooty remembered the awe he’d felt as a child when he’d made the same discovery: that fire could destroy, yet also renew. Listening to Cinder babble about it, he was relieved. He declared, “You can be like that fire, too: renewing, not destroying.”

“Yes, I want to be like that. And I will be!” Cinder promised. Her eyes blazed with the truth of it, and Sooty knew that she would be all right.

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
all edits by other users


She makes and keeps small soft plushie dolls of every tundra in the clan. She doesn't exactly play with them, she just sets up tea parties in wildflower meadows and talks to them sometimes. Sooty tried to talk to her about it, but she said it's the easiest way. When she tries to really talk to them, she can't act like a normal dragon. This way she can be friends with everyone like she wishes she could be. Sooty isn't sure this is healthy, but at least she's not sticking pins in them or burning them. It's just like she can literally only socially cope with other dragons if they're imaginary friends. He checks the collection, every so often, just to be sure.

Tundras by CobaltCupcakes:
Bard
Cookie
Leto
Iocosus
Nightwish
Gabrielle
Ghostlight
Marshmallow?
James
Carbonel
Dova
Pan
Sycamore
Leoven
Dirge