Maia

Day One - May 5, 2020
Maia arrives in the small clan. It's dark in the cave, save a few torches, but warm with the tight bonds that hold these dragons together. They are family. A crowned Fae guides her further into the cave. She introduces herself as Cloudberry, the female founder-turned leader of this clan. Cloudberry seems nice, and Maia trusts her. The small, blue Fae looks around at the other dragons. There are several others of her kind, but not many. The clan is dominated by Coatls and Skydancers.

Maia ends up talking to a much older dragon named Heather. She is a Tundra, and though she's by far the oldest dragon in the clan, Heather is also a newcomer. The Tundra tells her story about coming here to carry out her Vow of Poverty. Maia is so absorbed in Heather's tale that she doesn't notice two Faes approach. One of them tells the other to talk to her, as she arrived here that day as well.

The other Fae introduces himself as Verrazano. He doesn't say much about where he came from, just that he picked up his name on the way here. Heather resumes her story, and Verrazano is equally captivated. At the end of the tale, Maia asks how one would take the vow. The Tundra smiles, and tells Maia to repeat what she says. To her surprise, Verrazano joins in as well. The two agree to embark on the long, hard journey together.


Day Three - May 7, 2020
Though Kiri fights well, it seems that her and Verrazano still have much to learn. They practice some new attacks, but just can't get the hang of them. Frustrated, Maia storms off to the Training Fields for more practice. It doesn't help at all. Kiri is just as baffled, and Verrazano is, as always, quiet. When she tries to include him in the discussion, he turns away. Finally, she's had enough.

"Verrazano, get yourself together! We need to work as a team, and you're not helping!" She snaps, fed up with this nonsense. He glares at her from under his hood. Stupid hood. Maia wants to rip it off him and see his face for real. It makes her feel like he's not paying attention.

"It seemed like you two had everthing under control," Verrazano snaps back. "I didn't have any advice to offer! You cannot force me to speak when I have nothing to say!"

Kiri jumps to her feet, and yells at the bickering dragons to cut it out. If they weren't "working as a team" before, they're only making it worse now. Ashamed, Maia sits back down, staring guiltily at her feet while Kiri lectures them on holding their tempers.


Day Four - May 8, 2020
After reaching level seven, the team decides to try out the Scorched Forest. Maia watches as Verrazano masters the new move she's had so much trouble learning. She is filled with envy; fed up with Verrazano to the point where she's holding back tears. It doesn't help that she keeps receiving battlestones she can't yet use as gifts from other clans, and that the best reward the Coliseum has given them is a leafy pack. Faes don't even eat leaves!

The Scorched Forest is a roller coaster. One fight, everyone still stands and the next, the last dragon barely claims the victory. It is hard and ever frustrating. Kiri stays calm under the stressful circumstances, while Maia feels like she's about to explode from all these pent-up emotions. Verrazano, as always, says nothing; gives nothing away. How I loathe his silence...


Day 7 - May 11, 2020
Finally, the tide starts turning in their favor. The coliseum rewards the dragons with more promising loot. Everyone is on their best game, especially Kiri. Maia can relax a little, but Verrazano... he still won't talk much. Then the going gets tough. The battles get harder, with teammates barely surviving and others having to finish fights single-handedly. Maia feels the tears welling up in her eyes as she stares out at the smoking battlefield. They'd just finished a particularly hard battle. This is it. She'd finally broken under the stress and frustration. She curls up on the floor of her makeshift tent, muttering to herself "There's no way I'm good enough for this".

She hears the tent flaps rustle, and expects Kiri to come lecture her about how even great warriors, like the legendary Stormweaver she's heard so much about, lose battles sometimes. Maia does not look up. "I know what you're here for, and I'm not in the mood for one of your pep talks, Kiri."

She looks up. Oh, was she wrong about who came in.


Day 9 - May 13, 2020
Aliana takes the team to grind at the Thunderhead Savannah early to see if they can find any good battlestones, but all they discover are some familiars and a piece of apparel. Later, they go back to the Ghostlight Ruins to gain some much-needed experience, and they do. Enough to reach level 11, in fact. Soon, they will be ready to join Heather. Maia smiles at Verrazano, proud of how well they're doing. He says nothing, but returns the grin. Things are getting better all around.


Day 10 - May 14, 2020

Things are certainly getting better, especially for some dragons. The team starts off the day at level 11, and by the end they are exhausted but satisfied with level 14. Things between her and Verrazano are getting better, but she can't help feeling like he's hiding something under that hood. It sets her off, lacing interactions between the two with distrust. Her juvenile curiosity begins to get the better of her, and it makes things frustrating. What is he hiding? Why won't he tell her? Does he trust her at all? Things have gone from better to worse, and soon she won't be able to take it anymore.


Day 11 - May 15, 2020

After all the hard work the previous day, the team decides to take a day off. Maia spends the morning making friends with Midnight, a calm, motherly Skydancer. Only later in the day does she bring up the trouble she's been having with Verrazano. Midnight frowns, looking over at the other Fae. She explains that he's not the quickest to trust everyone. "Be patient," she offers. "You hardly know him. He'll tell you anything he wants to tell you in time."

Maia stalks off, frustrated. She wants to know now, and isn't entirely convinced that Midnight is telling her the whole story.

Day 15 - May 19, 2020

After reaching level 17 and upping their strength, the team heads to the Arena to gain some much-needed experience, and hopefully find those critical battlestones along the way. The enemies they face are often aligned with elements Maia is skilled in fighting against. The team does well, even if the open arena makes the battlefield very hot. When noon (do dragons have noon? oh wait they do, "highnoon hanks") rolls around, the dragons retire to their tents and take a break. Heather tends to their injuries. It's going to be a long day in the Arena, but it's going to be worth it.

Her prediction proves correct as they are rewarded with an Ambush stone. Though Maia only has one accessory stone, and it's not even that good, she knows Verrazano needs another one. She pushes it towards him.

"Here," she smiles. "You need it more than I do."


Day 24 - May 28, 2020

It's a long journey to the Mire. Maia had been picturing something more dismal and gloomy like the last venue, but to her relief, she can even see the sun. Many plants grow here, but not nearly as many as the Rainsong Jungle, which they still visit from time to time in search of Bladed Flatleaves. They find quite a few of those in the Mire too. Despite the relaxing scenery, Maia cannot forget yesterday. The gash on her side still hurts, but no longer affects her fighting. The memories are what scar more easily. Why did he lie to her? She thought they trusted each other enough by now! And worse, he won't talk to her, let alone even meet her eyes. They both seem distracted- and Heather notices this as well.

"What's got the two of you so lost up there?" She scolds. "Out with it, both of you!"

Verrazano tugs his hood further over his eyes, as if to hide his face. Maia snorts.

"I don't know if I can trust him anymore," she admits snappily. "I think he lied to me yesterday when I asked him something." Verrazano has nothing to say about this.

"Well, as a team, communication is important, and trust even more so," Heather says. "You both need to learn to confide in each other and me if something is going to get in the way of things. But you also need to remember that you can't know everything- dragons will tell you what they want to tell you at the right time."

The two Faes nod guiltily. Maia watches Verrazano walk to the edge of camp as a light rain sets in. She still wants to know what he's hiding.


Day 25 - May 29, 2020

The Kelp Beds are a nice venue, Maia supposes, though Heather (being a water dragon) is enjoying it more than the two Faes are. However, she likes the Golden Porpoises that live here. Between battles, she chases the one that started following them yesterday around. The two get along reasonably well. Thus, Maia has been charged with taking care of it until they return home. She doesn't mind.

What she's mad about is that Verrazano is still hiding something. She tries to put herself in a good mood; tries not to think about it, but it resides in the back of her mind as she scratches the millionth Mammertee they've faced day. As she waits for Heather to treat her wounds. She sits on the ground outside her tent, which is on a rock in the ocean near the beds, but Heather doesn't come. Instead, it is Verrazano.

"Heather went to go collect some driftwood for a fire," he explains. "She told me to fix you up." Verrazano quickly gets to work, not meeting her eyes. Maia waits, not wanting to bother him, but she desperately wants to know. She opens her mouth to ask, but before she can, Verrazano begins to speak.



Additional Information:

- Maia has a hard time picking her favorite food, but she especially likes beetles and crawly things.

Darkwood Titan

Insect

Often mistaken for small boulders, most dragons overlook the Darkwood Titan as a food source. Manage to bring one home, however, and you may feed a nest of hatchlings for days.

25

3

Frostbite Beetle

Insect

As this beetle is able to consume frozen plants with ease, its bite can be painful even to dragons.

20

2

- She's an honorary member of Kiri's scouting crew.

Art and Stuff
Art by Adrenaline <3


Art by Iloveotters100