Arroyo

Arroyo was born in a Rixarfae breeding facility with all the ferocity that you would expect from a baby male of his kind. That, however, was quickly beaten out of him by the dragons that ran the facility, who "trained" him with starvation, beatings, and the worst psychological torture you could imagine. From being forced in small, solitary pools for days, to watching his family member die around him, he was considered lucky to have grown to adulthood. Arroyo didn't feel lucky, however, when he was moved to an aquatic exhibit for the entertainment of other dragons oblivious to the horrors behind the scenes of their weekend enjoyment. What his handlers didn't know, however, is that his aggressive nature was still alive within him, and after his first day at this terrible place, he was ready to fight back. After a full day of being yelled at, stared at, and commented on his "amazing coloring", he leaped out of his terribly small enclosure, and attacked one of the dragons responsible for the exhibit's business work, and terribly injured him to the point that he had to be taken away to an emergency medical center. Arroyo never found out what happened to that dragon, but that wasn't important at the time, as now he had several, very strong dragons holding him still. Arroyo wasn't very strong, and had been functioning on just instinct and adrenaline up to now. He thrashed and screamed but was quickly overcome. He was forced to take a strange liquid which made him very tired and weak. When he awoke, he was tied down in a strange place on a cold stone table. He was very dry and in a lot of pain as he heard screams of "He's awake!" and "Keep him down!" Arroyo could barely breathe, however, and sound was like an echo from very far away. He was aware of the pain, and sounds, and cold stone beneath him, but his mind was in a haze. He knew, deep in him, he was close to death. This thought was not in words, but more a deep, instinctual concept. Time was irrelevant, he could have been on that table for minutes, or days for all he knew. He drifted in and out of consciousness until one day, or hour, he was taken to a pool nearby. Now, he had been sprayed with water occasionally, the bare minimum to keep him alive, but the feel of water all around him was amazing. Only then did his mind begin to clear, and he realized that he was moving. The pool he was in was covered, but he could feel the vibrations of wheels of the cart beneath him. After some time, the cover was removed and Arroyo saw something strange. A body of water so big, he could see for hundreds of miles without an end. As a hatchling, older Rixarfae had told him of a place called the ocean, bigger than any pool a hundred times over. Arroyo had considered it just a legend, a story to keep spirits high when times were bad. But here is was, real as anything. When he was dumped in, he was so joyful, he didn't even hear the dragons muttering about his soon demise. As he swam further and further, he saw a great many things. Colorful things that grew from the ocean floor, small creatures he knew were fish, a word also taught during his childhood. This innocent glee was soon ruined, however, when a very big, mean monster he didn't know the name of slashed out at him, and bit his scales with sharp teeth. Just as quickly as it had been given, his joyful freedom was stolen away. When he came to, he saw another fae looking over him, but she didn't look like the Rixarfae he knew.
"Oh, you're awake!" she said with a smile, "Don't worry, you're safe now. You can stay with us, as I assume you don't have a pod of your own. What's your name? If you can speak yet."
Arroyo was scared, but decided to trust this dragon, he didn't have much of a choice. "A-Arroyo," he said, his voice strained, "Where am I? What happened?"
"You were dumped by the exhibit a assume," she said "We collect your kind from that area often. Now rest, all will be well."
Arroyo did, and after a long time of regaining his strength, he joined this pod and lived out his life happy. He had a purpose, a family, and for the first time in his life, true freedom.