Callalily

CALLALILLY (CAL)- Head Hunter and Gatherer

Relationships:
Bluebell- Ex-mate

The two got together out of impulse, ignoring their differing needs in favor of feeling wanted by each other. After Verbena hatched, the two grew vitriolic toward each other due to Cal's parental neglect. Their friends encouraged them to finally separate, and the space gave them both much needed time to reflect. Though they will never be as close as they once were, they've relearned how to coexist enough to be there for Verbena.

Chrysanthemum- Mate

Chrysanthemum was an obvious rebound from Bluebell, as the two couldn't be more different. Despite their obvious communication issues resulting in frequent arguments, Cal and Chryssy powered through long enough to hatch a clutch of new children. Their continued arguing was just one factor in all four children leaving home and never returning. This separation forced Cal and Chryssy to reconsider their parenting methods as well as their relationship issues. After some calm mediated talks, they reconciled and grew closer than ever before. Once Blossom was hatched, the two were ready to give parenting a second shot-- or third, in Cal's case.

Verbena, Blossom- Sons (semi-estranged from Verbena)

Cal didn't want children at first,

Lily- Granddaughter

Why Verbena agreed to use half his father's name to name his own child will forever be a mystery to Cal, though he suspects it was due to their similar coloration. The name started to make more sense in his head as Lily aged and developed an edgy and rebellious personality similar to Cal's in his younger years. He makes sure to give her careful guidance so she doesn't go down the same path he did. Her mother's overprotectiveness reminds him of his own mother, strengthening the connection further.

Belladonna, Hyacinth- Hunting partners
Azalea- Friend

The two met while Cal was travelling through the Starfall Isles. The two like to hunt and spar together often. Azalea was one of many dragons to try and mediate between Cal and his mates, hoping to teach her friend the value of family. Unfortunately, hard-headed Cal had to learn that the hard way.
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Callalily grew up near the Beacon of the Radiant Eye. His mother was his primary caretaker; his father spent most of his time outside of the lair, hunting and fighting dangerous beasts. Cal wanted to join his father on hunts; this was partly out of childlike curiosity and a desire for glory and independence, but Cal also wanted to bond with the father he hardly got to see. Unfortunately (but perhaps fortunately) for him, his mother was fiercely protective of him and forbade him from even stating any desire to hunt. While this primarily out of fear for his safety, his mother also didn't want him getting too wrapped up in his father's work, risking his life and missing out on precious moments with loved ones like his father often did. Despite all this, Cal's father secretly promised him and his siblings that they'd all get to hunt with him when they were older. Cal watched his older siblings leave the lair and go off on their first hunting trips, anxiously awaiting the day he could do the same.

Once Cal reached adolescence, he jumped for joy when his father said he was ready to learn how to hunt. When they left the lair the next day, Cal learned some basic hunting techniques. While he practiced, he realized his father was treating him more like a student than a son, with more emotional distance than he anticipated. Cal wondered if his father even cared about having him along other than having a new hunting partner. He decided to take a risk and hunt a larger animal in hopes of impressing his father, but that resulted in his tail being splinted and his father scolding him for recklessness. When Cal confessed he just wanted his father to be proud of him, he heard a whisper under his father's breath that sent him flying home in tears:

"A family is nothing but a liability. I wish I never had one."

Cal rarely spoke to his father after that day, only engaging when absolutely necessary. His mother was understandably furious with her mate's treatment of their son and the hunting injury, even threatening divorce to push a change in behavior. Cal's father played along to keep his home, but his attempts to make up with Cal were disingenuous at best. Cal's sadness from that hunting trip grew into bitterness, and bitterness flared up into anger, and anger fizzled out into numbness. He rebelled more against his family, retreated more from conflict, and communicated his issues less. To his mother's distress, he would even sneak out at night to hunt by himself. Whether this was out of spite, wanting to prove himself to his father or himself, or to reclaim something he loved from the dragon who ruined it, he'd never tell. Regardless, the advanced techniques he should've learned from his father or another professional he instead learned through injurious trial and error. Once he felt like he was strong enough to set out on his own, he packed his belongings and ran away from home. He hasn't seen hide nor scale of his father since, though he has told his mother and siblings where he lives nowadays.

(TBC)