Pebble

Pebble is a calm, but happy Fae, who knows better than most how quickly tragedy can strike a family. The cursed magic that had nearly turned Amber into her namesake had lain dormant for so long, only to resurface when none of them expected it. Well. Pebble had her suspicions as to why, but she kept her beliefs to herself predominantly, save for mentioning them to Zinfandel, Gypsum, and Amethyst when an Onyx Cobra was found in her sister's roost.

Unlike her siblings, Pebble had been contending with the magic since her birth, her wings slowly crystallizing before becoming solid gem slabs. Thankfully Colette and Delen had entered the clan at that point, and quickly rigged her a pair of mechanical wings like their own. Sustained flight was never and would never be possible for her, but with the mechanical wings' assistance, she was at least able to flutter to nearby places.

Movement in general was often difficult for her, as hauling around her wings left her constantly fatigued and aching, so for most of her childhood she tended to stay in the library with her parents. By the time she was a young adult, she had begun to feel trapped and isolated, a feeling that was broken one rainy summer evening. Pebble had tried to go out and fetch some fireflies to try and make her father smile, and found herself stuck quite far from the lair. As she sat under a massive leaf and tried to figure out a way home, a pair of legs went by, stopped, and came back, the head of a Wildclaw peeking under her shelter a moment later. Lesedi had found her, and the feeling of being raced back to the lair had left Pebble feeling more free and happier than she had in years.

Lesedi approached her again soon after the incident, and had offered to carry her anywhere that she wished to go, whenever she wished to. Initially Pebble had felt guilty for accepting such an offer, but after Pinja's death and Mawar's departure for war, she found her heart to hollow and her suffering too great to stay stationary, and reached out to the Wildclaw. After an hours-long trek to the edge of their territory, Lesedi made her offer once again, and this time, Pebble accepted.

Lesedi and Pebble are never found apart most days, which has led to Gypsum taking Lesedi off of any battle rotations, instead putting her solely on scouting missions, which allow her to take Pebble with her with no fear of endangering her. There are some days where Pebble feels overwhelmingly like a burden, but Lesedi always lays down around her, nuzzles her with her head, and lets her talk out her fears and inhibitions before responding to each one. The Wildclaw has never regretted her offer, and she makes certain that Pebble knows it.

Despite her own condition being relatively stable, Quin had crafted her a necklace similar to her mother's, still lost from losing so many children so suddenly, and Pebble accepted it willingly. She was quite certain in her own health, but if it made her parents feel even the slightest bit better, then she would wear it always.

Some late, moonlit nights, Pebble sometimes feels as if she can still hear Damaris's voice, or see the way that Pinja's ruby gems would flash in the fire light. Sometimes their voices speak to her, whispering kind things, and asking her to tell them all to her parents. And other times, when the night sky is dark and full of clouds, with lightning cracking down, she simply feels two very familiar weights resting against her, cuddling under her wings as the lightning lights up the sky and the thunder shakes the Behemoth. She is at peace because of them, and for them.