Quasar

Cold wind blew through Quasar's thick fur coat. He tucked his small wings close to his body and continued through the billowing storm. He had places to be and he wouldn't let anyone stop him; not his mother, not his father, and definitely not a storm. The Icewarden would have to try harder to keep him in the gods forsaken place. Being a sentry was not the life he wanted. He was better than that. Quasar would not spend his years pulling ice from his fur and defending some stupid prison.

The hollowing wind pulled Quasar out of the recesses of his mind. He had heard rumors from the inmates; the one good thing about being at the prison. The rumors stated that there was a magic portal. It was a way out. The prisoners hoped to escape their eternal fate, but Quasar hoped to escape the bitter wind of the Southern Icefields. He felt no attachment to his family or to anything else he was leaving behind. That wasn't the gaoler way. He was taught to only value what was important. Unfortunately for those who raised him, he found no value in them.

Quasar peered into the storm. Maybe the rumors were just that, rumors. Fallacies and idle tales of trapped dragons. The rumors claimed that the portal was in the Fortress of Ends and could only be found during the worst of storms for those who needed it most. Perhaps his desire was too selfish for the otherwordly magic to take notice. Perhaps his destiny wasn't to escape, but to become victim to his own element.

The cold seeped into Quasar's bones. He shivered. The feeling of cold was uncommon to him. His thick fur usually kept the cold away, but the storm battered him and beat him down. Despite his shaking legs and blurring vision, Quasar pressed on. He would either find his way out or die trying.

Something glimmered in the distance. Green light cut through the storm and drew Quasar in. Pain shot through his legs with each step, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't give up when he was so close.

The portal was real. Quasar couldn't believe his eyes. It was real. He carefully ran his gnarly talons over the smooth black stone. The runes of all the elements were carved on the outer rim. He peered curiously at the glimmering arcane symbol in the center of the portal. Perhaps the Arcanist would be the one to save him from his icy prison. The air around the portal was warm and humid. It felt like paradise to a dragon who had only known ice his whole life.

Quasar took one breath to steel his nerves, then stepped into the portal.

Quasar's vision swirled around him for a moment. He felt like he was in the ocean. Then, his feet hit solid ground. He opened his eyes to see something... strange. He had expected to end up somewhere in Sornieth, but this place wasn't Sornieth.

Something grabbed hold of Quasar's conscience. It whispered to him and told him to come closer. Quasar looked back at the portal he had come in from. For a split second, he thought that maybe he should go back, but the whispers were too strong to be ignored. He turned away from the portal and ventured deeper into the strange new land.

After walking for a while, Quasar found himself at a reflecting pool. Strange creatures stood stooped at the pool, drinking the water. They barely acknowledged Quasar's presence as he walked into the water. He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't want to walk into this water. But the whispers told him to go deeper; they told him they would keep him safe. Quasar's head dipped below the surface of the water.

When Quasar emerged, he felt strange and different. He turned back to the pool and caught a glimpse of his reflection. He was a hatchling again! He scrambled away from the poor, frightened. This place was doing strange things to him and he had to... leave?

The creatures seemed to take more notice to him now. Some even began to walk towards him and nose at his horns and fur. He wanted to get... closer? He wanted to touch the creatures.

No.

Quasar wanted to leave. He had to leave. He had to leave before this strange land corrupted his mind...

But the water had been so warm.

And the creatures were so friendly.

And he hadn't tried that delectable fruit over there.

Quasar figured he could stay a little longer, if only to satisfy his curiosity.
-*-

Quasar lost track of how much time he had spent in the strange land. Time passed strangely and differently. He had given up long ago. He awoke with the first light of the day and began his daily routine. He started by going to the reflecting pool.

Oh. That was new.

Quasar's eyes had changed. He hadn't noticed it before, but it suited him. And he was loving the new vibrant shade of his fur. He felt like he fit in with the creatures. He belonged to the portal now. He would stay here forever.

"No!"

Quasar blinked at his own reflection. Did it just speak to him? He tilted his head curiously and reached out with one talon to poke the reflection. As Quasar's talon touched the water, a hand shot up out of the water and pulled Quasar in. He thrashed about in the water. It was no longer warm like he remembered. It was cold and suffocating, just like...

It was just like the Southern Icefields.

Quasar emerged from the water, sputtering. He had spent too much time here. He was trapped in this strange land just as he had been trapped by the Icewarden.

Quasar shook out his mane. No longer would he be a prisoner. He pushed the strange whisperings out of his mind and took off running. There had to be another portal somewhere.

There!

Another portal stood in the distance. Quasar ran towards it as fast as he could. The land called to him, telling him to stay at home and enjoy the water. Quasar shook the thoughts from his head and kept running. He pushed off the ground and went flying through the portal.

Quasar crashed into a pile of sand. Other dragons were milling about, cleaning up sand and building electric contraptions.

Other dragons.

Other dragons!

Quasar couldn't remember the last time he saw another dragon. But maybe... he didn't want to see other dragons...

No. That was ridiculous. Quasar turned around, but there was no portal behind him, only the endless expanse of the Stormcatcher's territory. He stood up gingerly and took in his surroundings. If memory served him correctly, he was far from the Icewarden and far from the arcane lands. He had no desire of returning the the Southern Icefields and he feared what might happen if he came upon another portal. He could feel it within himself, he had already been irreversibly changed and he didn't want anything worse to happen.
-Lore by Reiyn