Mura

_{Art by AmberscaleArt}

Longtime wanderer and sole protector, Mura ultimately fell after an arduous and lengthy battle. Called forth by his deity, who bestowed upon him her blessing, Mura was made anew. Forged from all-encompassing cosmic dust and bearing the blessing of the Shadowbinder, he set out on yet another journey, this time with new companions and replenished resolve.

Years of constant battles are taking a toll on his body, each miss a painful reminder of his own mortality.

~x~

A long time ago, a lone egg hatched.

Or perhaps it didn’t, and life just begun. Mura isn’t sure how his beginnings went, only that in one flicker of a moment, he existed. Some dragons are capable of remembering the first sights and smells they were greeted with when they hatched from their eggs. Others remember more vividly the sensation of their eggs cracking and the filtering of light as they used their claws to prod at the fissures in the shells that had sheltered them. Mura cannot recall these memories, which isn’t to say they didn’t happen or exist. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. Mura isn’t too bothered by this unknown, because that wasn’t the point of his life, and still isn’t. No, Mura’s life has been about one thing: protect.

As a young dragon, Mura had little to protect, but he still did his best. Scrapes and scuffles with beastclans and unfriendly dragons that stepped into the boundaries of the territory Mura had chosen to safeguard fulfilled his purpose for the most part. There were other dragons in this territory, though Mura’s interactions with them were minimal, and they seemed to appreciate his efforts to provide a safe area in Sornieth for them to call home. In the end, Mura was content himself, his need to protect satisfied enough though he hadn’t begun to see the signs that it was all about to end.

The territory he had sought to protect quickly emptied, the dragons and friendly beasts that had settled there moving on to other places. Few even heeded telling Mura of their departure; they were not close, and while they had benefited from his protection there was little else to offer in return. And so, Mura was alone. Wholly left and forgotten, his territory felt empty and unwelcoming as it was just him that resided there. Despite this, Mura did not give up on his need to guard and protect. Sometimes small creatures and dragons would pass by, staying for a day or two, and he afforded them hospitality the best he could. They did not have to fear attacks when they rested in his territory, but they also did not stay long enough to even consider it a home. Then they were gone, and Mura watched them leave, the ever vigilant, ever solitary guardian of this land.

His years on his own were not always quiet. In comparison to before, they were harder than they had ever been. The loneliness was one thing, though Mura never let himself succumb. The problem with being the only dragon for miles however meant that this territory, hard-fought and won, only had one dragon upon it, which made it an easy target. Mura found himself in skirmishes with others, taunted for his efforts to protect nothing but empty land. But it was his land, his home, and he would keep it safe. And someday, he deeply hoped, others would return to it, and he would have even more to protect.

Mura’s efforts came with a price. His body grew weary and battered, scarred from fights and battles that took more than just his energy. He had continued to succeed in his efforts, never once letting the territory fall to others, but his body grew tired and worn from the work that it took. One day, he awoke to the innate feeling that it was quite possibly his last. The day prior had been a terribly hard fight against a band of beastclan that had tried to take over the territory, and while Mura had been successful in fighting them off, a deep wound in his side had pulsed with agony throughout the night until exhaustion took him. Now he woke, his wings aching and the wound still bleeding. Mura knew his time had come.

This was a thought that brought a deeply weighted resignation into his core, one he did not want to acknowledge but knew it did no good to ignore. So he took his weary self on one last roam through his territory, grateful that his last day was not one full of strife like the years before had been. He gazed at vacant settlements that the dragons from before had laid and left, where some of those battles had taken place and resulted in the settlements being nothing but rubble. He passed hunting grounds, overgrown. He saw it all, every inch of his territory, until he reached a place he could not recall visiting before. Here a statue, overgrown and barely recognizable, stared down at him. The air was quiet and calm, as if inviting him to lay down and rest.

“Better place than any,” he said, his low, unused voice save for roars crackled in his dry throat. He turned his gaze back out to the territory, sighed and settled himself down beneath the statue. “Are you a god, then?” he looked up at it, and his lids closed.

“Maybe I shall be reborn,” he mused with a half-chuckle. The dead leaves he had sat upon were comfortable, the scent of their crisp rot and death a smell he welcomed as his chest heaved one last time.

A dream took over Mura’s mind, and he vaguely had the sense that he should not be able to dream. He felt himself taken apart - not painful, but in a way that felt as though he reached the cosmos and felt everything with every nerve - scattered like dust. These microscopic particles of Mura traveled far, mixing with stardust and ice from comets. They swirled around, dancing on the edge of planetary rings and creating nebula across the cosmos. And then they were called back, like a child being called in for supper, and they streamed through the depths of space till Mura saw himself laying under an overgrown statue of the Shadowbinder. Yes, he knew the name now. He knew many things, enlightened by the cosmos, and watched - felt - himself become reborn.

When Mura opened his eyes, he stared back out into his territory. His eyes adjusted to the light, used to the harshness of burning suns thousands of lightyears away and the dark depths of black holes. A ray of sunlight caught on his side, now healed of the gaping wound, and shining with a metallic sheen he did not have before.

“Oh,” he said quietly, and stood. His form had been blessed; gifted by the Shadowbinder with the power of the cosmos. His body felt strong, powerful yet again, and his mind felt refreshed. Mura flexed his wings, turned to the Shadowbinder’s statue and bowed low.

“Thank you for these gifts,” he said humbly, making a silent promise to provide what he could to his god for the second chance at life he had been given. He would protect this land for as long as he continued to breathe, now gifted with the tools to do so.

And fight he did, returning to battles with those that made themselves his enemies with a vigor and power that had been unseen before. He fought hard, harder than before, and grew accustomed to these new abilities. His body would grow a second skin that was stronger than any armor he had worn before, protecting him and giving him strength unheard of. He continued like this, clearing and keeping his territory safe as he had before, waiting until the Shadowbinder showed him what the purpose of this was for.

It took some time, though Mura never gave up hope. It was not uncommon for other dragons or friendly beastclans to pass through his territory, but Mura would always approach them prepared to stand his ground if he had to.

“State your purpose in these lands,” his voice, gruff and direct, called to the dragon. Then he paused, taking in the sight. He knew this dragon, he realized.

“Hello Mura, it’s been some time.” the dragon called. Mura blinked, then approached cautiously. As he did, his muscles remembered them more and more. They had fought together once, side by side when the dragon had traveled to the territory so long ago. It was the only time that Mura had ever had a companion willing to fight alongside with him, a sensation he was unfamiliar with but had secretly enjoyed. It was brief, lasting only for a moment before it left, and it had been a lonely affair afterwards that Mura had buried deep and pretended he hadn’t felt.

“You are back, for how long?” Mura asked. The dragon chuckled.

“Forever, I think.” they replied. Mura frowned. “I take it you do not like that?”

“No-I mean, I do.” Mura said quickly, unused to conversation. The dragon laughed. “Why?”

The dragon shrugged, looking around the territory.

“Feels like home here more than anywhere else, I suppose.” they said, looking at Mura. Unsure how to respond, he nodded. “A beastclan is coming this way, should be here soon. Need a hand?” Mura knew he wanted to say no, but he recalled they weren’t the type to listen to him anyways.

“I don’t suppose I have a choice?” They grinned and shook their head. “Alright then, welcome home.”
_{Additional lore by Awaas}

~x~

Despite Mura's insistence on acting alone when defending his clan from monsters, he avoids not the accompaniment of allies; but, rather, the clamor of other clanmates. He often passes on opportunities to split spoils between large groups of dragons - after all, he can fare for himself, and he prioritizes the clan's safety. His temperament was obvious to most - except one, who even had the confidence to approach Mura when he was in combat. And, to all dragons' surprise, Mura did not seem to mind Lamont's company either. With the ridgeback alongside him as both his partner and ally, Mura is showered with both praise and teasing quips from Lamont often.
_{Additional lore by mawile94}

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_{Banner art by HailForTheStorm}

^{宇宙の塵から
鍛造された
守護竜}

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