Helios

Helios comes from a tribe that had settled in a canyon within the Abiding Boneyard. The clan is fanatically devoted to the Plaguebringer, dedicated to spreading her glorious disease as far as possible. Their clan leader was seen as an acolyte and chosen one of the Plaguemother, and as such, all the dragons of the tribe were expected to follow his orders absolutely and without question.

Breeding was strictly controlled by the leader and his appointed officers, in order to produce the most desirable traits. What was desirable depended on the needs of the clan, or the whims of the clan leader. Sometimes dragons were bred for susceptibility to disease, and higher incidence of contagiousness. Sometimes they were bred for beauty, to be sold to make money for the clan, and to infect the unsuspecting clans that took them in. And sometimes they were even bred for resistance to disease, for those lucky few chosen to make the journey directly into the Wyrmwound, and so into the Plaguebringer's celestial service.

Older dragons, past their prime breeding age, were encouraged to travel as near as they dared to the Wound, contracting terrible sicknesses, and then on out into the world, spreading the disease as far as possible before they succumbed to it themselves.

Helios himself was slated to become a beauty breeder, expected to sire children that would then be infected and sold to outside tribes. He was repulsed by this, though he hardly knew why, and was unable to articulate it, as that life was all he had ever known. He was intended for a coatl female many years older than he was, but he was uncomfortable with the idea and unwilling to acquiesce. However, refusal to comply with the master's wishes was not really an option, unless he wanted to be dragged unwillingly into the Wyrmwound.

Beauty breeders were not considered to have much wit or worth beyond their looks, so while he grew, he was assigned the task of foraging in the Mire for the bottom-feeders and crustaceans on which the coatls of that tribe subsisted. It was on one such expedition that he discovered a wounded heartred croaker, struggling to escape despite a shredded wing and a crippled leg. Moved with pity for the little beast, rather than eat it, Helios brought the dying creature back to his nest and secretly nursed it back to health.

It was then that he realized why he was so ill at ease with his existence in the tribe; he wanted to nurture life, not destroy it. He did want to be a father, he discovered, but not here, not amid all this disease and decay, not amid dragons slavishly devoted to a destructive goddess, and not to children destined to destroy as many lives as possible before dying themselves.

He knew he couldn't stay where he was, so he snuck away in the dead of night, taking with him only the croaker he had rescued. When his clan discovered that he had renounced the Plaguebringer, several of the enforcers of the clan were despatched to bring him back. They pursued Helios for many miles, and when at last his wings gave out, he crashed to earth not far from where the Windrover Clan was staying.

When Caoimhe learned that he was being chased, she immediately broke camp, ignoring Kennar's protests, and the clan moved on as quickly as possible, hiding Helios's trail and his scent among their many members.

Though he had had vague plans to travel to the Gladekeeper's domain, Helios decided to remain with the Windrovers out of gratefulness and a growing fondness for the other members. Some of the others treated him with some suspicion at first, and Kennar watched him warily, concerned that he might bring illness into the tribe, but as time went on and the clan remained healthy, all came to accept and even welcome his presence.

He has continued his role as one of the gatherers for the clan - though each family unit often forages their own food. He has gradually built up a close friendship with Skylight, who - though at first wary of him and unsure whether she wanted such a friendship - now seems glad of his presence and the opportunity to speak her native tongue.

Though he has fallen in love with her and would very much like to raise a family with her, Helios is hesitant to speak of it. He has heard from others of her first clutch and her disappointment in them, and is afraid to send her naturally solemn and depressed nature back into a downward spiral with bitter memories, shy about expressing true feelings when he doesn't know whether she'll accept him for himself, or if she merely wants a child, and terrified that should their own children not be to her liking, she might want to give them up as well.

Instead, he has merely stayed by her side and awkwardly attempted to attract her attention by adorning himself in various outfits and body paint, hoping one of them will eventually be attractive to her and things will develop naturally. So far she has been unresponsive to his indirect overtures, but he remains hopeful.