Fortisimus

“My father, he used to be a mine-boss in cairnstone rest. Oh? You want to know more about father? He was an Obelisk named Altrue. He and my 27 other dads kept me safe through my childhood. I thought I would always be with the miners, but then Altrue passed away. He was the glue that kept us together. I tried to take his place, but I was a far better hunter than a miner. So I left, in search of a clan to protect with my arrows. Still, I regret not being able to at least help the troupe continue my father’s legacy….”

~~~~~

Fortisimus’ egg was abandoned at the doorstep of a powerful mine-boss that was working in the mines at Cairnestone Rest. Who his parents were, no one knows. Many speculated that he was sired by one of the miners, and his mother left his egg in hope he would be raised by his father, or that his mother was one of the travelers passing through who accidentally fell expectant with him. Either way, the mine boss, an old Obelisk named Altrue, took the egg in and doted on it with a love that many of his subordinates had never seen before. The miners were even more surprised when the egg hatched into a Wildclaw, as many of the miners had never seen a Wildclaw among their ranks before since most commonly Ridgebacks, Snappers, and Guardian dragons were hired to work the mines due to their size and strength.

Fortisimus grew up around the mines in Cairnstone rest, with not only Altrue’s watchful eyes on him, but the rest of the miners’ as well. The entire troupe of 27 miners almost became parents to Fortisimus in one way or another alongside Altrue. Many kept Fortisimus occupied while on their breaks, while others kept a watchful eye on him when he went to join them in the mines. Many days were spent keeping the young Wildclaw from trouble, but at the end of the day he always stayed safe, and ate with all of the miners at their campfire, sitting by Altrue’s side, gleefully listening to the riveting stories Altrue would tell him every night in the company of the miners.

The Miners quickly learned that having Fortisimus with them was actually a boon, as the young Wildclaw had lightning-quick reflexes and sharp senses that would help the miners stay out of danger themselves. Fortisimus always seemed to sense when rocks were about to fall or when something was lurking deep in the mines of Cairnstone rest, alerting the miners that they were in danger far before they would realize it themselves. At first, some of the miners thought that he was just a youngster playing a prank, but after some cuts and bruises, and a near-death experience for one of the miners, they began to take him seriously. Eventually, Fortisimus took up archery in his teen years, learning to shoot a bow and arrow with eagle-eyed precision, so he could pick off any lurkers in the tunnels rather than keep interrupting the miner’s work.

Even with his integral role among the miners, Fortisimus never caught onto mining itself. He found it difficult to tell different types of rocks from one another and never understood how his miner parents would be able to read veins of earth to find valuable stones and minerals. He understood power dynamics, land bids, and trade negotiations even less, as there seemed to be a stand-offish nature around the such and silent communications between bosses. As much as Altrue tried to teach Fortisimus the ways of mining, both dragons were only met with frustration with one another. Altrue wanted Fortisimus to eventually be able to take his place as all of their troupe adored the wildclaw and adversaries were intrigued, if not scared of him, but Fortisimus was content with hunting and protecting the mining troupe instead. Altrue supported Fortisimus’ ambitions in the skills he excelled at, but stubbornly tried to keep pushing Fortisimus to learn the mining trade, eventually causing the two to grow apart.

However, tragedy eventually struck the troupe. One of the tunnels they were mining out of collapsed. Fortisimus was able to alert most of them to the rumbling and nearly everyone got out, but no one could find Altrue. They tried to dig out the tunnel, but to no avail. His body was never found. The entire troupe was distraught and unsure what to do, looking to Fortisimus to keep leading them in Altrue’s place. Fortisimus didn’t know what to do himself, the dragon he had always looked up to as his father was now gone. The troupe tried their best to stay together, many of the miners trying to help Fortisimus learn more of what Altrue was trying to teach him, but to no avail. When other mine-bosses heard what happened, some tried to help Fortisimus and his troupe, having known and respected Altrue. Others tried to undermine him, offering to hire members of Altrue’s troupe out from under Fortisimus.

After losing some of the troupe and failing to keep up on profitable mining and bids, Fortisimus gave up. He went to the mine-bosses that were friends of his father and begged them to hire the remainder of Altrue’s troop. Many agreed, hiring on the younger members, but some of the older members stubbornly refused to leave Fortisimus’ side, having pledged themselves to Altrue and by extension Fortisimus. Fortisimus, however, knew it was all in vain, as he couldn’t seem to lead them to profits no matter how hard he tried. Eventually Fortisimus persuaded the older miners to retire, leading them to the Terraclae where they could live out the rest of their lives in peace, perhaps even teaching younger dragons the trade of mining.

Afterwards, Fortisimus felt the need to get out of Dragonhome. He felt like he’d failed his father’s troupe, and now the region held too many painful memories. Unsure where to go, he went south through Greatwyrm’s breach, hearing that there was a ferry that ran between Dragonhome and the Starfall Isles from a Fjord near the Canyonwalks. He’d heard that the Starwood Strand was a beautiful place where the hunting was rich and many dragons made their homes to live near, yet out of, the city Astrolodome. Fortisimus hoped he could find a new start there, and maybe learn something more fantasy-like, remembering the stories Altrue regaled and how he’d paid more attention to the legends than the things Altrue had actually tried to teach him. So he took a chance and got on the ferry that would navigate through the Crystalspine Reaches and eventually land on the shores of the Starfall Isles near the Strand.

Bad luck followed Fortisimus however, because he sensed a storm coming while on the ferry and warned the others. No one took him seriously, and the captain was even infuriated by this, as it could incite panic on the ferry. Then, when the storm hit, the boat was thrown into one of the curved, crystalline mountains, capsizing it. Dragons were thrown into the water, and Fortisimus himself was knocked unconscious due to the impact.

When Fortisimus awoke, he was on a mossy shore, soaked to the bone and lucky to be alive. His lungs burned and he struggled to blink his eyes into focus. Luckily, he hadn’t lost anything in the shipwreck, but he himself felt thoroughly wrecked. Slowly, he stood on the shore, looking around him. Purple, twinkling trees swayed in a gentle breeze, and his eyes widened. The currents carried him to the Starwood Strand. A bitter laugh forced its way from his chest and he recollected himself, beginning to trek into the glittering woodlands. He figured he’d better find a clan to join up with.

As he walked, a shriek caught his ears. He could tell by the voice it was a dragoness in danger. He took off after the sound, seeing that a Basilisk was standing over a pale fae dragon. With one quick shot, Fortisimus sent an arrow for the monster’s eye, killing it with deadly precision. Quickly he ran up to the Fae, who looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. She wore light, gold and white robes that seemed stained with dirt from the encounter

“A-Are you okay?” He breathed in a gentle voice. “It didn’t hurt you, did it?”

The Fae’s frills perked up. “I’m okay” she breathed. “But what about you? You’re shaking.”

Fortisimus let out a shuttery sigh, not realizing that exhaustion had caught up with him. He lowered to his knees next to the Fae and said nothing.

“We should go back to my clan,” The Fae said. “We have healers, and if you need somewhere to stay, my mom will be glad to have you,”

“Your mom?” Fortisimus asked.

“Yes. The Queen of the Lapidia,” the Fae said. “Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

Fortisimus looked at the fae, dumbfounded, but nodded and shakily followed the fae anyways.