Schifer

Lore notes have been shared with and approved by @LightArchon, whose lair contains the dragons linked in this lore.

Lore notes:

Shifer was a very quiet and shy hatchling. He was very close with his mother, clinging to her side far longer than any of his siblings. His heart is kind and soft, but his backbone was soft as well. As an adult, he could often be found helping about the clan, particularly fond of the hatchlings. He had no real time for personal interests as he always helped where asked of him. Thankfully, he found genuine joy in doing so.

The first time he ever truly felt a desire of his own, was his attraction to Aluala. He found her beautiful, if unattainable, and spent as much of his attention on her and easing any challenges in her life as he could manage. His heart was a tangle and the thought of expressing any of those feelings was a terror worse than death. What he never accounted for was for someone else to take an interest in his attention. Aluala's dearest friend, Kantan, was not keen on sharing the ridgeback's attention.

The bogsneak was known for her arrogance. She was not particulary social and she was driven. This lead to a rather standoffish yet commanding nature. She began inserting herself between Shifer and Aluala. The pearlcatcher was overwhelmed by her presence. Cowed into subservience he did as she asked but often found the genuine joy in assisting another was lacking. It was clear to Kantan that her task had been accomplished in dividing the pearlcatcher from Aluala, when an idea hit her of how to solidify that victory forever. Not a week later, she declared publically that Shifer would be joining her in the nesting grounds.

Fear. All consuming and heavily weighted terror settled deeply in the pearlcatcher's gut at the proclamation. He had never been to the nesting grounds with a partner before. This was not something he and Kantan could discuss. The bogsneak looked to him for any objection and whether it was truly there or not he could only see challenge in her eyes. He felt he was being dared to deny her claim. The fear churned like ice chilled eels writhing deep in his gut but his world truly froze when he heard a quiet voice beside him.

"Congratulations. You two are a good match."

Aluala stood with a delicate smile on her face and Shifer's world sank. His heart fell and the world quieted to an incoherent hum. He nodded softly and forced a smile at each wave of congratulations. He was not forced into their coupling. He insists that to this day. He simply resigned himself to the fate that what happiness he could find there was all the world had to offer him.

Shifer was so dedicated to his eggs with Kantan. The bogsneak often left the nest to patrol the clan's borders or simply find a quieter place but Shifer was determined to be the best father he could be. He often forewent sleep just to ensure all was well with the eggs. He poured all of himself into their care. When they began to hatch was one of the greatest moments of his life. Kantan returned to his side by the time Laud was tumbling from her shell, having missed Onu's hatching. Drei was the last to blink his eyes at the bright light of the world and Shifer's heart was full. He could never regret having been part of a pairing born without love because such love resulted from it. He wished he had questioned Kantan's insistence that he had done enough while they were on the nest and should rest. He protested for a few days but when she remained steadfast and did her part in caring for the hatchlings, he simply felt relief that she was finally taking a true interest. He relented, leaving her side to go visit his mother and spent hours telling her of the three hatchlings that held his whole heart. He could not imagine how hard his world would crash around him just moments after.

Returning to the nest, he found it empty. The structure itself was dishevelled and unkept. Panic choked the air from his lungs as he beat his wings to survey all he could, desperate to find his young family. When his eyes settled on Kantan, alone and resting, ice cold dread consumed him. His metallic body felt heavier than lead as he crept towards her and dared to ask after their children. The calm on her face as she told him they had found purpose training for service in other clans still haunts his nightmares.

He screamed.

For the first time in his life, rage poured from him as he wailed and screamed at her. She looked on, unmoved by his emotion, as he broke. His outrage was so deeply consuming that he couldn't breathe. Intense pain beyond physical consumed him and burned deeply within. The bogsneak had no reaction until a harsh sound broke his raving.

His pearl cracked.

His very soul was damaged by this pain and he launched himself at the other. No harm came to her despite his intentions as the clan members drawn to his cries drove him away. He remembers his mother's heartbroken face as he walked from the Lightweaver's borders. He wishes he had a chance to say goodbye. To tell her he loved her.

He drifted for years after that. He felt like a husk of himself. Most days he spent sleeping, trying to cling to the memory of his hatchling's faces. Their eyes alight with wonder at the world around them. He had no purpose. He had resigned himself to allowing fate to pull his strings and drag him along.

The first spark in the darkness of his depression was finding Ancel. He had stopped in a clan for surprised when an argument crashed into his awareness. Mostly because one member of it crashed into him physically. The large pearlcatcher was continuing to shout while arguing with someone about the nature of some work he had been doing and claimed was not truly appreciated. His apology was breif and honestly quite rude. It was so unlike the pity Shifer had grown accustomed to tuning out that he found himself following to watch the other. Ancel muttered to himself the whole way back to a ramshackle laboratory. Everything about the pearlcatcher screamed poorly contained chaos and Shifer found himself truly interested in being present in the world for the first time in as long as he could remember. He isn't sure how long he watched the pearlcatcher putter and pack away tools and tinkered... Somethings, but the sun had dipped to kiss the horizon by the time pink eyes landed on him.

"O-oh! Hello. Apologies I forgot to turn out the lantern. I'm packing up for the day, possibly indefinitely. Did you need something urgently?"

Shifer hadn't spoken since leaving his birth clan and found his voice missing as he tried to answer. Ancel seemed more worried by this and began checking him over with surprisingly delicate hands considering their size. The older pearlcatcher found himself amused and couldn't help the hoarse chuckle that bubbled from deep in his chest, startling his new companion. Ancel seemed relieved, if a bit sheepish at their proximity, and offered Shifer some paper and charcoal to write instead. That day was the first of many spent in each other's company as Ancel fought with all he had to find his place in the world and Shifer followed to offer protection and unyielding support. Shifer knew the feeling in his chest was love, but to commit to such a thing meant addressing the fear of losing the only thing to bring light back to his life. It wasn't until Ancel slowed down enough to realize his own feelings that the pair's friendship bloomed into something more.

~Modern timeline~

Can often be found fondly entertaining his partner's desire to nap in a warm space by allowing the larger pearlcatcher to lounge scross his own sun warmed metal hide. It might look rather comical to a stranger but Shifer is merely glad he was built so sturdy.