Diorite » Hibernal Den » Domino

Domino

(#51905464)

Level 1 Pearlcatcher

Familiar

Snowfall Elk

Energy: 50/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

6.21 m

Wingspan

5.84 m

Weight

714.15 kg

Genetics

Orca
Giraffe

Silver
Hex

Orca
Thylacine

Hatchday

May 18, 2019
(5 years)

Breed

Adult
Pearlcatcher

Eye Type

Earth
Unusual

Level 1 Pearlcatcher

EXP: 0 / 245

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Offspring

Biography

D O M I N O
K N I G H T
Gentle | Good-hearted | Peaceful

Every castle should have a princess, or at least that was what the children thought. But the princess had gone away. She had left another dragon in charge, and it hadn’t taken long for the hatchlings to warm up to him.

The stranger came from very far away. It wasn’t just his eyes that told them that; it was the way he spoke, the stories he tossed casually into the air. The hatchlings treasured those stories, just as they were entranced by the shapes he folded from paper. It wasn’t uncommon for them to find the Pearlcatcher seated in the garden, origami sculptures around him.

“Tell us where you came from!”

“Again?” The Pearlcatcher feigned consternation. He couldn’t hide the twinkle in his eyes, however, and the children giggled excitedly.

“Why don’t we try somethin’ new? I ain’t got pictures,” and the Pearlcatcher held up a piece of paper, “but I can make origami shapes t’ show ya what I mean. How ’bout it?”

He was met with a storm of cheers. He appreciated that. His story hadn’t always been happy, but this way, he could pretend...

His forepaws moved. And he folded a shape.

Strength
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Reflexes
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Charisma
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Intelligence
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Magic
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THE DOMINO

That was his name. His mother had given it to him, for it was a game of dominoes that’d lured her to this squalid town. She’d fallen ill soon after, and the only gift she’d managed to leave Domino was his name.

There was nothing from his father, who was a beggar of the laziest sort. Although Domino was loved by the townsfolk for his quick wit and keenness, his father did not feel the same way. Any affection he had for his son was soon superseded by greed.

Domino was sold to one of his father’s gambling partners. This was not an improvement, for his owner was an unkind dragon. He was frequently beaten and berated, and it wasn’t rare for him to be imprisoned for days, away from the light.

He endured the abuse for a few years and then one day, grown pitifully thin, he managed to slip out a window. He ran into the chilly midnight air, determined to get as far away from the town as possible. He had known only misery there. Surely anywhere else would be better than this.

He was partially correct. While he was no longer trapped, he wasn’t safe, either. The world was especially unkind to one such as him, an uneducated hatchling with few redeeming qualities and no clan. He wandered ceaselessly, never staying in one place for long. In Dragonhome’s wilderness, his only constant companions were the heat and the dirt, hunger and fatigue.

Still, he felt a fierce satisfaction at being able to fend for himself. As the years passed, he grew more capable, more self-reliant. The wilderness, previously so inhospitable, began to feel like a home. And perhaps it would have stayed that way, had he not met the Wildclaw.

THE RIFLE

“You awake, kid?”

A gruff, growly voice. Domino opened his eyes.

He ached all over: he’d been crossing a rickety bridge during a thunderstorm, and it’d given way, sending him tumbling into the river. He remembered clutching his pearl to his chest, fighting through the water...and then a shattered timber had slammed into his face and everything had gone black.

Apparently this stranger had plucked him out and patched him up. Domino eyed him distrustfully: a gray Wildclaw, some decades older than him, with flashes of blue and brown across his hide. His clothes were worn, but well-made—he was obviously an experienced traveler.

“You hungry? You probably don’t remember, but I picked you up two days ago. Well, you’re awake again....Something tells me it’ll stick this time.” His grin, while humorless, wasn’t unfriendly, and he held something out: a long iron barrel with a lever at one end.

“Can you use weapons, boy?”

The Wildclaw became Domino’s master. In later years, Domino would learn that he was Princess Freila’s uncle, but back then, he was simply the young Pearlcatcher’s teacher. Domino was given board and lodging and taught how to handle weapons. These were mostly used for protection, for as the Wildclaw declared, there were other ways to fight.

One might argue that this was a step up from sleeping rough in the wilderness. But Domino, having wandered for nearly all of his life until that point, missed the excitement of being on the road. Out there, he’d felt more alive. He’d been freer than he was now, with the cabin walls all around him and a training schedule beckoning every day.

He learned much from the old Wildclaw. And when he felt that he had learned enough, he packed a bag and strode off into the night, leaving his master to wonder where he had gone.

Had Domino taken the time to consult his teacher, he would’ve learned that knowing how to fight is no guarantee of safety. In fact, there are times when it ushers one quicker into danger. Domino caught the eye of a requisitioner, who convinced him to join a band of mercenaries. “We’re like family here! We look out for each other,” they cajoled him, all smiles and friendly words.

Oh, he made friends in that band, all right. He found dragons he began thinking of as brothers, as sisters. But they were mercenaries, and ultimately, a mercenary’s loyalty was to money. When money beckoned, friendships crumbled and familial bonds were forsaken. Domino learned to hide his wariness behind a brilliant smile, to joke and laugh with dragons he was sure would knife him at any moment. He was learning again, though something told him he’d been through all this before...and then it hit him. This feeling of distrustfulness: once again he was a hatchling of tender years, waiting for his father to trade him away for gold coins.

THE BOOT

Fire. Smoke. Domino awoke to the chaos of a fight. This wasn’t unexpected, for the mercenaries had been hired to fight someone else’s battle, but there was something wrong, a strange tension in the air....

He rolled over—and came face-to-face with a cannon barrel. Ball lightning blazed at the end of it, and Domino squinted, trying to see past the light. His heart sank as he recognized the Skydancer holding the cannon.

His brother. Or almost-brother. They’d fought together, laughed together, helped each other...But in the ways of mercenaries, all those were forgotten, and there was only treasure to be had. Still, Domino’s heart broke. He hadn’t thought this particular dragon would be the one to draw a weapon on him.

“Don’t make a noise,” growled the Skydancer. He hauled Domino up. “Grab your pearl, any stuff you’ll need...”

“What’s going on?” Domino dared to ask.

“The revolt’s crashing down. Not a good place for you to be.” He smiled tightly, and Domino saw the anxiety in his eyes.

He scooped up his pearl and clothes, and then suddenly he was stumbling outside—his almost-brother had given him a hefty kick. “Go. Run!” And then in a louder voice: “Over there! They’re making a break for it!” Away the Skydancer went, charging in a completely different direction, whooping and hollering to draw attention. And Domino fled, once again rushing headlong into the vast and unknown night.

THE TOWN

There was no more paper. The hatchlings looked at the origami shapes, and then up at the Pearlcatcher. “And then...?”

“Why, y’ know what comes next. I came here, to this very town, and Her Highness graciously agreed t’ let me stay here.”

“Do you like the Princess?” one of the hatchlings chirped. Her fellows squealed at this bold question, and she flushed and argued, “I mean, she’s really nice! Isn’t she, Mister Dom?”

“That she is, kids.” Domino smiled warmly. “But the sun’s gettin’ low and it’s time y’all went home. We’ll have more stories another time.”

The hatchlings trilled out their goodbyes. Domino waved them off, and then he gathered up his papers and began the slow trudge back to his house...well, Princess Freila’s house, really.

He’d never seen his almost-brother again. More and more often, Domino found himself thinking of him and other dragons he’d befriended. Perhaps it was because he was no longer preoccupied with living hand-to-mouth. Here in this town, he was safe enough to tell stories, to reminisce and to dream. And now the night was descending...

His feathers bristled. The night. There were odd moments like this when memories resurfaced and he found himself asking, “Is this it? Time for me to run again?”

Night passed. The sun rose...Domino opened his eyes, and he was still there, still in the same peaceful town. Perhaps he would run again someday, forced by danger or by wanderlust...but it looked as though today wouldn’t be that day.

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
all edits by other users

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Exalting Domino to the service of the Earthshaker will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.

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