Nadia

Nadia was a gentle Snapper to any dragon who wasn’t on her bad side (though she’d been known to lash out at even those she considered close to her). Born to serve the Starfall Isles, Nadia took her role as Goddess of the Arcane very seriously in the Forum of the Obscured Crescent. She can often be found watching over her clanmates as they practiced ancient Arcane traditions such as crystal healing and herbal magic, experimenting with new spells, and stargazing late into the night. As a Goddess, however, she also required sacrifices to placate her. While the ritual was relatively quiet, the clan nonetheless gathered in festivity every three days to restrain Nadia’s more aggressive side and to ensure the continuity of Arcane influence in the clan.

Many mistook Nadia’s bubbly and lighthearted personality for perpetual kindness and innate innocence. Few dragons recognized her uncanny quirk to switch from being filled with childish glee to a mad dragoness in seconds. During these moments, her Primal eyes glowed with a voracious energy, and all those near her fled in fear. It never took long for Nadia to devour the closest victim in one bite, and with the bulky strength of a Snapper, Nadia easily crushed any others who stood in her way. Before the chaos could die down again, the Arcane Goddess would revert to her usual, perky self, swishing her tail back and forth happily. While Nadia adored bringing Arcane influence to the clan, she wasn’t opposed to the fear her unpredictable behavior caused throughout the clan.

During the Starfall Celebration, Nadia divided her time between perfecting her enchantments and collecting magical shards. The sacrifices offered to her continued in routine nonchalance as the clan acknowledged her power without compromising it. From time to time, Nadia met with the Gods and Goddesses of the other Flights to discuss future plans for the clan’s expansion. She enjoyed discovering new cultures and lifestyles, being particularly intrigued by the Water and Shadow Flights, and was endlessly fascinated by the different dragons that made their way into the clan.





Art done by-Wintaclu

Story

Only the moon and stars provided any light in the Forum of the Obscured Crescent. Nadia sat alone on an old swing set built by the Night Nymphs in the shadowed forest. Her Mainecoon purred by her side, keeping the seat warm whenever Nadia decided to weave through the trees. Even Goddesses with their immense power needed breaks every now and then.

Nadia never minded being alone—it gave her time to think, and sometimes just to daydream. Although she loved interacting with her clan and looking over the Arcane apprentices, the soft glow of the Wispwillow Grove gave her a comfort that other dragons couldn’t supply. With the absence of the Arcane territories that Nadia had grown up with, she had to find solace in the darker and more ominous forms of magic and trickery in the Shadow Flight. She missed the infinite universe that she could see from the Starwood Strand, and the endless aisles of tomes in the Observatory. Nadia could spend hours, nights, even weeks brooding by candlelight as she absorbed an endless amount of knowledge. No such pleasure existed here.

A noise startled her from her thoughts, and she twitched her tail.

Covered in a tiny leaf blanket, a Snapper hatchling emerged from the grove, covered in luminous fungi and murky fairy wings. Nadia cocked her head as the Snapper whimpered, scampering towards the swing set where the Mainecoon looked up quizzically. Nadia watched from the trees, unsure if she should approach the stranger.

The hatchling shivered. Using her small wings for a boost, she jumped up on the empty swing set seat, the leaf blanket falling away in the process. “Uh,” she mumbled, and hopped down again to retrieve it. She repeated this a couple times before giving up and laying upon the ground, huddled into her blanket.

Finally, Nadia approached.

The hatchling gawked at the much-larger version of herself. A full-grown Snapper could easily crush her beneath one of its thick, blunted nails, or snap her in half with its impressive jaw. From the dried blood peeling from Nadia’s chin and leftover bone wedged in her teeth when she smiled, the hatchling had no doubt the adult Snapper had devoured a few smaller dragon in her days. The hatchling cowered. The Mainecoon licked its paw.

“What are you doing out here?” Nadia asked.

The hatchling whispered, “Um, looking for my clan in the Plague Flight. I, uh, wandered away for a bit, and when I came back, they’d left.”

Nadia nibbled at one of the silks adorning her shoulder, formulating a plan to return the quivering dragonling to her original Flight.

“Well, come on,” Nadia said, enveloping the hatchling in a hug. The Mainecoon yowled in envy, and jumped onto Nadia’s back, snuggling into a ball. “Let’s see if we can find them. It’ll be an adventure.” Nadia tried to comfort the dragonling, but the small creature shook even more, uncertain of Arcane Goddess’ intentions.

The two Snappers traveled by foot, both resting their wings against their backs. After some time, Nadia lifted the hatchling onto her back. Sparks of Arcane magic flitted around Nadia’s head, illuminating the world in pink hues that looked like shimmering snowballs. It brought a type of brightness to the usually dark world of Shadow, and the hatchling visibly relaxed, eventually falling asleep. Nadia wasn’t sure where she was taking the tiny Snapper—she wasn’t traveling in the direction of the Scarred Wasteland, for she had no desire to step foot in that boiling, disease-infested expanse—but she didn’t quite want the hatchling to join her clan either.

Nadia exhaled a gust of smoke as the world awoke to the colors of dawn. Her tail twitched again. Her thoughts that had been calmed by night started racing. Unknown to the sleeping dragonling on her back, Nadia’s next move would be entirely unpredictable.
( by lostgirl)