Tythus

The Chambers

• The Grand Library: YAFiction

Changing Winds Clinic & Hatchery

• Changing Winds Clinic: Syblene
• Changing Winds Laboratory: Lege
• Nesting Grounds: Sonrisa
• Hatchling Nursery: Relojito

Bamboo Grotto

• Bamboo Grotto: Ragnarok
• Windsinger Initiates: Ambrose

The Arboretum

• The Arboretum: Drosera
• The Hidden Falls: Lemna
• The Bog: Bogglet

Sunbeam Grotto

• Sunbeam Grotto Tide Pools: Inesperado
• Sunbeam Grotto Kelp Forest: Taino

The Amphitheatre

• The Amphitheatre: Augusta & Krystol

The Lotus Moon Tea Room & Day Spa

• The Tea Room: Loriel
• The Day Spa:
• The Lily Pond: Ponzu
• Radiant & Glowing Friends: Joie

Pan's Brewpub & Inn

• The Kitchen:Kovychna
• The Dining Room: Rumtugger

The Gathering Place at 3-Bridges Crossroads

• The Information Kiosk: nasdaq

The Docks at Triana Bay

• Xylarr

The Canyon

• Olympic Village: Rosidot
• The Koi Pond: Muheir

The Twisting Crescendo

• Birds' Eye Obsevatory: Torius
• Windsurfer Training Center: Aerial

The Caves

• Beastclan Bosses: Mohydine
• Bug and Crawlies Beastclans: Amaryllis
• Fae & Veilspun Beastclans: Lemna
• Fauna Beastclans: Axel
• Feathered Beastclans & Harpies: Shamal
• Feline Beastclans: Illuvia
• Flora Beastclans & Dryads: NaPuaPikake
• Gathering Beastclans: Scout
• Koi Pond Beastclans: Auditryce
• Marine & Maren Beastclans: UhaKai
• Night of the Nocturne Beastclans: Pukalani
• Robotic Beastclans: Wydget
• Serpentine & Reptile Beastclans: Tropica
• Spectral Beastclans: Lupe
• Warrior Beastclans (Centaurs, Longnecks, Raptoriks, & Serthis): Zeila

• Clan Archives: Zostefereaux
• Hatchery Logs: Sonrisa
• Reedcleft Rag: Norris
• Dewette's Diary: Dewette
• Prize Lore: Librati

Wishlist: LouisComfort at the Crossroads
Skins & Accents Wishlist: Lillicut at the Crossroads

Cats: Juno
Corgis: Bobzurunkle
Owls: Shamal
Stoats: Polarid

January 2nd

Munro

Talisker

Tythus had headaches throuhout his childhood. Squinting, with or without an accompanying headache, had become a habit. Perhaps it was glare from the sunshine beating down in the Grotto. Perhaps he just needed glasses.

When he was placed in an apprenticeship under Zostefereaux, filing and proofreading in the archives, he was sure of it; the finer print seemed to shift and dance before his eyes, though ironically it eased in dimmer light.

His big promotion came when the Matriarch decided to open the clan to outside trade. He was sent with their first delegation to a Foreign Festival: The Gladeskeeper Gathering in the Viridian Labyrinth. His responsibilities as Clan Representative were easily dispatched the first day; he had all their registration paperwork filled out before their arrival and until time came to sign out of their tent space on the final day, he was free to explore. Phenophon took his performers out to scout for talent; the other young dragons were abuzz with excitement. Kasimir was out at dawn to the merchant market. When Tythus offered his company, the Pearlcatcher made it clear that he didn't want a novice hanging about to cramp his style. So Tythus followed his nose and ears to the food court, where buskers were already performing for the early customers at the four corners of the huge square. It was just after dawn, but the sun was bright and most of the tables already full, so he took his scones and sought a corner in the shade.

So it was he discovered the entrance to the gene clinic, tucked behind a trellis of Dustbowl Ivy. Curious, he hurriedly finished his breakfast and entered through the beaded curtain that kept out flies and other spring insects. At first he mistook the venue for a photo studio, what with the portraits covering the walls, but closer inspection revealed them to be Before and After shots of their clientele. Tythus was amazed; he had never met a dragon who had undergone such a complete gene change as the many displayed there. That a dragon could so totally reinvent themselves had never occurred to him before. He noticed a magnifying glass on the counter and snatched it up to get a detailed look at some of the pictures.

"Excuse me, are you here for an appointment?" Tythus nearly jumped out off his skin; he had been so entranced, he hadn't noticed the lovely Pearlcatcher who had entered from the back hallway. He felt suddenly and inexplicably embarrassed, and grasped for anything to explain his presence.

"Oh, what? No, of course...I...was looking for an optometrist?" He gingerly replaced the glass on the counter.

"Let me ask Olive. She knows everyone," the dragon was gone in an instant, leaving Tythus standing awkwardly alone. In his nervousness, he picked up the magnifier again, twirling it in his claws as he did his best to NOT look down the back hallway. It was only a quick moment and then a tree-toned Skydancer emerged.

"Good Morning! Unfortunately, Everbloom's optometrist is closed for the festival. His office is opposite the fountain, but you won't find anyone there." She eyed the magnifier. "Are you looking for reading glasses, perhaps?"

"Huh?" Tythus dropped the magnifier back onto the counter. "No, not at all! Eyes just fine, thanks." He winced, hearing how strange that sounded. "Well, maybe I do have an occasional squint in the sun..."

The Skydancer gave him a once-over. "That's...curious..." Then she held out her claw, all business. "I'm Olive, Genetics Physician. Did you have any other questions, now that you're here?"

He tried to make light chit-chat as he figured out how to extricate himself from the clinic and his embarrassment, but Olive's candid demeanor soothed him and set him at ease and then the questions had just poured out. She met his curiosity with enthusiasm. He learned that there was an actual thing called Gene Incompatibiity and far from being a procedure sprung from vanity, a gene change could be a truly affirming process. Olive had even convinced him to allow her to examine his eyes to check his "squint."

The moment of truth had come just after her eye examination, when she doused her lantern and flipped back the curtains to let the sunlight in. The sudden brightness flashed off Tythus' crystal scales and he pulled back, bringing his claws up to shield his eyes. Olive immediately shut the drapes again and approached Tythus, reaching out slowly to draw his claws down from his face.

"Tythus, have your eyes always been sensitive to chromatic refraction?" Her paws were gentle and cool as she touched the area beside his eyes. "It's okay. The window is covered." She gave him a cloth to dab his eyes, which were tearing from the sudden flash of light. Patiently she explained his condition and how rare and devastating it could be in crystal dragons, whose prismatic scales reflected the sunlight so readily. "There are new, developing treatments to adjust a dragon's vision, but it is risky and, well, expensive. While it may appear more extreme, genetic changes to the wings and body of a dragon are relatively common practice and are more thoroughly understood. Think about it, will you?" She handed him a pair of sunglasses. He looked at them dubiously. "These will help you temporarily, at least when you are out in the sun." She chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry, they'll make you look hip. I imagine you'll have a fan following by the end of the day!"

The breakfast crowd had cleared out when Tythus finally left the clinic. He found a table in the shade and lowered himself into a seat. His head was swimming and he could feel a distinct vibration under his skin, like someone humming in a library. He couldn't stop thinking about what Olive had said, about all the pictures he had seen. He began to understand why watching his mother at combat practice in the Grotto always left him with a headache. Her flashing crystal scales were beautiful and intimidating, but as he gazed at the scales on his own claws, sitting safely in the shade, he didn't think he would really miss them. He had thought that he had simply outgrown his headaches, but now he realized it was because he worked almost exclusively in the caves that held the Clan Archives. Now that he thought about it, there were few crystal dragons in the clan, and most of them lived at the Grotto. More and more pieces were sliding into place.

A pair of young dragons, both Ridgebacks, passed his table and waved. Perhaps the sunglasses weren't so bad after all.