Arcane magic has the ability to warp space and time, and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that it has bled into every nook and unlikely cranny that can be found in Sornieth. Even in the territory of another flight, Arcane magic is far from non-existent, causing many headaches and abnormalities in areas where it has taken root. Thus, it became an important task of many mages to rid their environment of pesky Arcane magic in order to keep their clanmates and families safe. However, this job isn't without its dangers. Arcane magic is known for being capricious. Sometimes, you annihilate it without any repercussions. Other times, it bites back.

Bites back, as in the case of Vera. Originally a carefree Tundra mage living in the deepest reaches of the Twisted Wood, Vera grew up much like any other Shadow dragon - having fun and learning to play pranks. As part of her magic lessons, she was also taught to be wary of and stay away from any Arcane magic she comes across, because that sort of thing wasn't wanted in this neck of the woods. For a young dragon like Vera, however, that sort of warning was meaningless - it was just another fairy tale the adults used to scare the children, and nothing to be worried about. Thus, instead of steering clear of areas that have been rumored to contain strange magic, Vera took the liberty of tromping around and exploring the forest. Nothing bad ever happened, and so Vera became lax, not knowing that ill consequences did not befall her simply because the adult mages and exalts from the Shadowbinder had already cleared away the dangerous magic in the area.

Her lack of knowledge would be her downfall. One day, after hearing about strange creatures roaming a particular section of the woods, Vera immediately hurried off to see what new and exciting things she could encounter. It was an area close to her clan's lair, and so she made it there long before the Shadowbinder's assistants ever laid eyes on the forest. Roaming around, Vera didn't notice the mutant creatures scuttling around in the shadows, or the way that the plants seemed to glow strangely, or how that one rock was actually levitating several centimeters off the ground. It was all just another adventure for Vera, until she tripped over a tendril of brambles and went face-first into a black puddle of water.

For something that didn't look like it'd fill a teacup, the pool was surprisingly deep and Vera fell headlong into it. The cold was a shock even to her Tundra body, and she struggled underwater for what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, before finally seeing a faint glow above that must've been the surface. Doing her best to swim despite the heavy fur that dragged her down, Vera fought her way to the surface and gasped in a breath of air. Immediately, she knew something was wrong. Her sharp Tundra nose caught no scent of pine needles or mushrooms - the usual familiar scent of the Twisted Wood. Instead, wherever she was now smelled faintly of damp earth, stone, and a burning aroma that radiated from magic she'd never sensed before.

Vera managed to swim her way to shore. The puddle she'd fell into was now a giant underground lake, the cavern it was in lit faintly by what looked like clear, multicolored stones. They were crystals, she realized after taking a closer look. Was she in Earth's territory? No, that burning feeling didn't seem to be of earthly origin. Furthermore, the atmosphere was dreadfully heavy, weighing her down. Her head felt especially painful, almost as if she was wearing a giant crown made of metal. The strange sensation might've just been her wet fur, which was still dripping from her unintentional swim. Vera wasn't sure, but that had to be it. After all, it wasn't like Tundras had been made by the Tidelord.

Determined to figure out where in Sornieth she'd fallen, Vera traveled the cavern she'd found herself in for a long time. Aside from the underground lake, which had crystals, all the tunnels leading from that chamber were dark and empty, carrying a draft of cold wind. It was so dark, even Vera's Shadow eyes couldn't see where she was going. This wasn't a problem, since Tundras can usually guide themselves using their noses, but at some point during her journey, hot spikes of pain erupted from all over her body, and Vera could swear that she was bleeding somewhere, except she couldn't feel anything. She spent many days cold and hungry and panicked in the underground caves, until her nose caught an updrift of wind that meant the outside world. Vera forced her tired body to move through the strange underground space until she saw dim, white light flowing into the darkness up ahead. She sped up, desperation pushing her movements, until she stumbled out of the caverns and promptly passed out.

When she finally awoke, Vera had a flash of momentary panic as she realized that she was once again in a cave. But this one was warm instead of cold, and rather than there being hard stone beneath her, a soft carpet braced her weight. Bandages were wrapped all over her body as far as she could see, and her fur was finally free of any last drop of water. As she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, her head still feeling numb and heavy, Vera was surprised by how small the cave was. Everything was tiny, and she could almost touch the ceiling with her nose (and she would've, if her head wasn't so heavy looking up would've flipped her onto her back.) Vera was amazed by the scene. She decided that it must've been a Fae clan that had found her, or perhaps a group of Spirals? Either way, the miniature items were adorable, and Vera was, for a record time of five minutes, exceedingly grateful to the kind Fae or Spirals who had obviously rescued her.

What she didn't expect to walk through the door, however, was a small pink Tundra who looked exactly like she remembered herself to look like, but pinker and about the size of her foot. For a moment, Vera panicked. Had the Tundra been shrunk down? Was he going to do the same to her? His eyes were magenta with Arcane heritage, and in a flash Vera remembered every terrible tale her parents and clanmates had told her about the Arcane Flight.

Fortunately, the pink Tundra - Rosebud - was quite used to dealing with visitors, even large, panicking ones. He managed to calm her down before she could break everything in the room (including the room) and explained that his clan had found her unconscious outside of a nearby cavern, and had brought her back here for healing. Just as he was explaining the injuries she'd sustained from her travels, another tiny Tundra and Coatl that looked a lot smaller than Coatls were supposed to be entered the room.

The new Tundra's name was Meringue, and she had brought the clan's mythkeeper, Sakura, to explain things. Sakura told Vera that though it was his first time seeing "one of you," he was confident that he could label her as a member of a strange ancient breed that had recently returned to existence. Frantically, Vera attempted to explain that she was a Tundra. She looked like one, for heaven's sake, even if she was now bigger than a Coatl! (In hindsight, that probably should've been her first clue something was wrong, but again, she was pretty confused.) Rosebud managed to keep Vera from stampeding, and in a soothing voice Sakura explained that though the ancient breed had only recently reappeared, many dragons had been transforming into them ever since. To prove his point, he asked Meringue to summon a mirror, where Vera saw her new self for the first time.

Bigger. Furrier. And Imperial-like antlers. Vera was shocked by her reflection. It was her, and at the same time, it wasn't. She wasn't this shaggy, moose-like creature! It didn't even look like a dragon! Sure, it bore resemblance to Tundras, but… it couldn't be. She couldn't be this.

But she was.

In the end, Vera had to accept her new form. She kept her fur trimmed to the neatness of a Tundra's coat, but short of shaving off her antlers, she couldn't do much else to return her appearance back to what it was. Ashamed that she hadn't taken her clanmates' warnings about Arcane magic seriously, and fearful that her clan would reject her if they saw her as she was now, Vera made the difficult decision to never again return home. Fortunately, she didn't stay homeless for long. After all, if there's one thing Arcane dragons understand, it's unforeseen consequences and unintentional mistakes. Rosebud, after hearing her decision, offered to let her stay on Mirage Isle and become a part of his clan.

To this day, Vera remains a pivotal member of the clan as a heavy-lifter and a fighter. After all, few dragons can approach the clan, and fewer still would be willing to take a Gaoler head-on. (You'd be decapitated by those horns without ever coming in contact with the actual body of one.) While it's taking quite a while to get used to her new form, Gaolers are close enough in shape and furriness to Tundras that Vera has been able to adjust. Though the antlers are a pain, they come in handy when shovelling unwanted intruders off the Isle, which has since then become her main job. Though Vera isn't sure why, she feels a strong urge to defend her smaller clanmates - the same urge a Guardian might feel towards their Charge. Perhaps this is another strange instinct of the Gaoler race? Maybe it's gratitude towards the Tundras who had healed and accepted her. Or perhaps, just maybe, it's simply her desire to protect her new family - the one that had accepted her, regardless of what she was now.

---