Part of Wyrmwounded!: A casual Pinkerlocke


DESIGN NOTES:
---his jaws look more like a Nocturne's toothy jaws, something from his father.

---

First lore date was him being mentioned in the day 200 update, as a crush-
First actual piece of lore was in the day 201 update, with him writing some stories

Day 201: In which Stormcloud makes some stories.

Stormcloud was alone most of the time; Enid, Ksenija, and his sister, the dragons of the clan closest to him in age, were all fast friends, and could spend hours talking and giggling to each other over this and that. He'd never been privy to their conversations, but he didn't mind that much. He preferred the solitude that gave him time to think about the stories he wrote--and anyway, he hadn't the faintest idea what the three girls found to talk about nonstop for that long.

Stormcloud shrugged off the thought and turned back to his sketchbook. The story he'd been writing needed illustrations, and he'd recently had the idea to combine them somehow, draw out all the action of the plot alongside the dialogue. Almost like the scenes of a play, frozen on the page in the middle of each act. It would be complicated to pull off the way he was picturing in his head, but he hoped the finished product would be worth the effort it would take to make it a reality.

Smiling to himself, Stormcloud began sketching the heroine's climactic confrontation with the villain.
---
Soon after, all the others his age died in a death streak. So sad.
---
Day 207:

She only cares about me because I'm the only one close to her age left. At least, that's what Stormcloud tried to tell himself. But Ksenija seemed determined to prove him wrong, going out of her way to ask how he was doing, comment on his art projects, and generally spend time with him. And considering how busy she'd gotten with running the bathhouse lately, keeping a rather reclusive Pearlcatcher company shouldn't have been such a high priority for her.

She'll forget about me when she meets someone better. ...Well, maybe. Dating prospects were a little limited for both of them, and even Stormcloud had to admit that none of the varied bathhouse patrons had ever seemed to turn her head.

Who's to say it's even a crush, anyway? She might just feel sorry for me. This one was a little harder to talk himself out of, since he hadn't had much real experience with these matters so far; unless she made a huge banner saying "I ACTUALLY REALLY DO LIKE YOU THAT WAY, YOU NERD" and dragged him off to make a nest, he'd probably have no clue one way or the other.

...Well now. That was certainly a thought.

Heart pounding, Stormcloud took out a stick of charcoal and a fresh piece of paper, and started to draw a cartoon version of himself, holding up a sign with that exact message on it.

Hopefully he'd have the courage to actually show it to her.
---
Day 300:

"Still not sure we're going the right way," Stormcloud grumbled under his breath as he followed his father into the maze of overgrown fungi that led the clan ever deeper into the Rotrock Rim territory.
---
Day 302:

Nobody was quite sure why Stormcloud wore that Tundra mask, and after seeing the fierce glint in his eyes when he fought, no one particularly wanted to ask him, either.
---
Day 349:

Nothing was wrong exactly, just sometimes Stormcloud noticed that parts of his memory were patchy, a bit fuzzy around the edges; not really something worth worrying over, but he still decided it would be better if he didn't tell his father about this.
---
Day 380:

"...must mean there was a volcano in this area at one point!" Stormcloud nodded along as Somnia continued his cheerful geological explanation; he might not have been as enthusiastic about rocks as Somnia was, or understood even half of what he was talking about, but Storm always had time to listen to a friend.
---
Day 405:

It would be nice to have a Tundra in the clan again, Stormcloud thought as he huddled closer to the evening fire; being able to cuddle up with someone soft and fuzzy sounded pretty good right about now. Then again, they'd also have to contend with the smell of wet fur every time it rained. Perhaps they were better off.
---
Day 431:

The problem with wearing this much apparel near the Wyrmwound, Stormcloud grumbled internally, was that bits of it tended to disintegrate without warning. But at least I have enough layers that it's not likely I'll become indecent all of a sudden.
---
Day 469: (Stormcloud is the father)

Kalalova had taken to spending most of his free time fiddling with the workings of the cooling mechanism he and his brother had rigged up for Maeve's part of the lair; he'd felt oddly guilty about this at first, like it was taking time away from other things the clan needed, but his father had just smiled fondly and said "Your mother liked tinkering with things too." Now, every time he tightened a bolt or adjusted the tension of a spring, he felt like she was right there with him, looking on and offering advice.
---
Day 472:

The problem with wearing so many pieces of clothing, Stormcloud thought with a certain amount of amusement as he sat down to see to the day's mending, is that, no matter how careful you try to be, at least one of them is always in need of repairs.
---
Day 496:

Stormcloud smiled at the first rays of sunlight breaking over the horizon; the days were getting noticeably longer at last, the air was warming, and even the strange and toxic plants around the Wyrmwound were budding and unfurling their leaves in preparation for spring.
---
Day 524:

There wasn't really a need to hunt for the clan's own stores at the moment, as every dragon currently in the clan was able to eat the much more abundant (and easier to obtain) plants and insects native to their territory, but Stormcloud still led a hunting expedition out every couple of weeks or so; meat was in high demand in other clans, especially those with large numbers of Mirrors, and their own clan was always on the lookout for advantageous trading opportunities.
---
Day 534:

The clan's annual spring cleaning filled the air with dust as the various hides, furs, blankets, and woven mats they used as bedding were thoroughly shaken out; it always made Stormcloud's eyes water terribly, but the comfort of sleeping on a freshly-cleaned bed afterwards was well worth a few sniffles.
---
Day 542:

"Cook everything thoroughly" was a guideline that applied as much to those native to the Scarred Wasteland as those born outside it; Plague dragons might be more inured to the various hazards of their homeland, but there was no telling when some previously unknown pathogen might find its way into one's lunch. Stormcloud knew all this, of course, but he still sometimes wished he lived in a place where he could enjoy a salad without having to boil it to death first.
---
Day 543:


Stormcloud rinsed off his claws thoroughly before entering the lair; the hides and skins the clans produced to trade were highly sought after, but the process of curing them left a distinctive scent that wasn't the most appetizing to bring in to one's clanmates right before a meal.
---
Day 557:

"What do we even need a wagon for?" Stormcloud asked, shaking his head at the contraption.

"For science! And reasons!" Tanis said, standing proudly beside her creation.
---
Day 581:

"Why is everyone staring?" Vespa whispered as the clan made their way through the market. "It's creepy."

Stormcloud winked up at the little Mirror riding on Tanis's back. "They're all just jealous because our clan is so stylish."

Vespa brightened. "Oh! Okay. Am I gonna be stylish too when I'm grown?"

Stormcloud gave her a fond smile. "I have no doubt of it, little one."
---
Day 598:

"I've been meaning to ask: why'd you stop wearing that mask, Dad?" Stormcloud said. "You had it for so long that it's been strange trying to get used to the way you look without it."

Xenea shrugged. "I started wearing it it for the intimidation factor, I suppose; all too often, other dragons only take you seriously when you're scaring them silly, at least in these lands."

He shifted into a more comfortable position on the basking rock he and Stormcloud were sprawled on, catching the last rays of the warm afternoon sun.

"Our clan's better established now, though," Xenea continued. "We have allies and even friends in the neighboring territories, and I don't need to look like the big, mean leader who'll battle anyone as soon as look at them anymore."

"You'd still do that, though," Stormcloud pointed out.

"Of course I would," Xenea said. "I just don't need to advertise the fact."
---
Day 613:

"I wonder what it is that makes this clan so attractive to Pearlcatchers," Stormcloud mused as he watched their newest addition chase a juicy-looking beetle through a patch of weeds.

"I'm sure I don't know," Tarboro drawled, looking up from polishing his pearl.
---
Day 714:

"I've heard it adds a good flavor to food," Xenea said, looking over the sample of blue mineral that had been brought back by the foraging party, "but personally, I've never had an... apatite for it."

Stormcloud groaned and covered his face with a claw. It seemed the older his father grew, the worse his puns got.