Halina

In the Shrieking Wilds of the Viridian Labyrinth there was a story of a savage monster preying on all manner of innocent creature. A fearsome hunter from whom no one was safe from. Near its territory, preys were scarce, half eaten carcases could be found hidden in the bush. Foragers and hunters reported sighting a furtive creature, maybe a dragon, stalking them, waiting for them to lower their guard or lose it from sight. It was dangerous to go out during the day and near suicide to leave at night without someone to watch your back. The local lairs knew that they weren’t alone in the wilderness, there was a savage lonely dragon who was from being above attacking and devouring them if need be.

When times got harder following a forest fire, several hatchlings were robbed from their parents’ nests never to be found again. A scouting party was sent to find the poor babies, but not only did they came home empty handed, they had lost one of their number to a nightly ambush. The poor Snapper only wanted to fetch some water at the nearby river. He was killed so quickly the others barely had the time to hear his scream and cover the 50 meters of jungle separating him from them that he was already gone. Something had to be done. Help had to be called. Experienced hunters answered the call and flocked to the region hoping to find the elusive and deadly predator.

It’s a clever Bogsneak and her friends who managed to capture the monster after 3 months of cat and mouse game against it. The culprit wasn’t what most expected. It was indeed a dragon, a fruit colored Wildclaw female, covered in scars that nobody recognised. Her appearance and behavior led many to speculate about her story. Wildclaws are known to be ferocious hunters and warriors, but rarely actively hunt other dragons and eat hatchlings. Her scars led people to believe she was a young traumatised warrior who lost her clan and still believes she’s in enemy territory. Curious, the Bogsneak decided not to kill her here and there, but to bring her back to her land in the Starfall Island to study her behavior and perhaps find a cure to her psychotic and delusional behavior. She gave her the name Halina and began the long journey back home.

Yet, the well intentioned Bogsneak and her two companions made the mistake to lower their guard one night which Halina used to escape from her cage and loosen bonds before killing her captors and fleeing in the night. She was in inhospitable land though. In the Northern region of the Ashfall Waste. Following trails, she managed to find her way into the Cinder Marsh, dodging the Ash Guard protecting the area to step into the lush volcanic marsh itself. Hungry she set out to hunt whatever she could find…