Albion

Albion was born without a drop of color or a single hint of a pattern. His feathers were dull, plain gray, so painfully plain next to the bright, starry forms of his parents and siblings. The difference between him and his family was always a sore spot for the young dragon, but his parents loved him no matter what his colors were, and he was cared for just as much as his siblings.

His current appearance is an illusion. The locket he wears is enchanted to project an alternate appearance over his own, giving him the appearance of swirling patterns and tiny dotted stars, and the deep blue colors he always longed for. It is not made with the best magic; more than once the illusion has flickered or faltered, sometimes breaking down completely until it starts up again anywhere from ten minutes to several hours later, with no apparent reason for the spontaneity.

He met Aiden on his way home, a trip to visit his parents. The Mirror had lost his pack, and was wandering through the Ascent hurt and alone. Albion insisted on helping him, and by the time Aiden was well enough to pursue his pack, they'd formed a powerful bond. They bid each other goodbye, and Aiden promised to visit if he ever found himself near Albion's home clan, although it was obvious he didn't expect his pack to return to this area. They were both much aggrieved at parting, although Aiden did a much better job at hiding it then Albion. If it wasn't for his Skydancer abilities, he would never have guessed Aiden was upset at all.

Albion finished his trip and then returned home, where he moped for the better part of three months before Aiden showed up out of the blue, all by himself and declaring that he didn't really need a pack. Albion was delighted to see him, of course, and it was no surprise to literally anyone in the clan when the two declared they were mates less than a year after Aiden became a part of their clan.

They never expected to have children. They couldn't bear them naturally on their own, and it wasn't like there was an abundance of orphaned hatchlings who needed parents. But one day Drifter caused quite the ruckus, bringing in an egg she'd found washed up on the beach. She held no interest in raising it herself, and so Albion and Aiden were quick to volunteer.

It wasn't long before the egg hatched into a sickly, stunted Mirror they chose to name Bracken. As a hatchling he was weak, but as he grew older he grew stronger and healthier until he was among the fastest and most adventurous young dragons of the clan. It was on one of his many unsanctioned explorations that he found the pulsing pink egg that would soon hatch into his sister.

Albion was delighted to have another child, no matter where she had come from. Hornet was a much livelier hatchling than Bracken had been, and it wasn't long before she outgrew her brother and both her fathers.

Albion doesn't have much free time, between chasing after his wayward children and keeping his rather rambunctious mate in check, but what spare time he does have is spent creating books. He doesn't write anything of his own, oh heavens no. He has neither the time nor the expertise for that. But he copies down the poems and stories of others and binds them into lovely leatherbound books with intricate designs on the covers. Many of them are kept for his own collection, while the rest are sold or traded away.

The one book that is entirely his own creation is his journal, kept always on his person and used to document the details of his daily life. It is one of his most prized possessions, along with his locket.



Fun facts!
- His books are written on a special paper created by Maren. The pages are waterproof and extremely durable.
- His locket is not a secret. His clanmates are all perfectly aware that his appearance is an illusion, and they couldn't care less.
- He's very socially anxious and is quite shy unless he's with people he knows well.
- He can't stand spicy food. Aiden once tricked him into eating a hot pepper and he wouldn't eat anything his mate brought him for a month afterwards.