Yen

Uh-oh, looks like this young refugee wandered a little too far from his home lair (grxndsxn, 437722), and now he's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, he'd really appreciate it if you could just return him to the home lair, to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread, here, or to the hub if you don't want another dragon in return. Please refrain from exalting him!

Important note: Please only trade this dragon on travelling dragon threads, as opposed to places such as the Auction House.

Yen would like to receive a permanent home someday, so if you'd like to adopt him after he's been travelling long enough, just let his owner know!

Owners I've Had:

grxndsxn
hyzenthlaay
Zikul
aliferum
SirensAura

---

Yen's first moments were rather standard for a dragon born into Crow Callers. As soon as he hatched, he met his family - his mother, his father, and even his brother. The young parents were excited to see their twin hatchlings, and named them Yen and Aquemini, respectively.

Although the twin Gaolers got along very well, Yen was sometimes quite jealous of his brother. Not only was Aquemini the older one, but he had a unique eye type, Multigaze. It wasn't uncommon for Yen to constantly ask his brother questions such as "Do you see better with all those eyes?", "Is it weird seeing out of your sides?", and "How come you have all those eyes and I don't?". His parents and brother would try to answer the questions to the best of their abilities, but didn't quite know what caused such a phenomenon. Yen wanted to meet more dragons with such interesting eyes, and met a few dragons with Faceted, Goat, and even Primal eyes as well.

Since Yen's parents worked at the Traveller's Lodge in Crow Callers, it wasn't uncommon for him to help them with the job - Aquemini sometimes came with as well, but had much less of an interest. Yen liked to meet some of the dragons that came to stay, and one of them was a friendly Tundra known as Amygdala. They'd spend time together constantly.

Unfortunately, Yen's peaceful living didn't last forever. One day while assisting at the lodge, a fearsome Tundra confronted him.

"Who are you?" Yen asked. Being a Gaoler, he hadn't thought of Tundras to ever be frightening in the slightest until this moment.

"I am Mirfak, and I'm seeking.. oh, I hear her name's Amygdala?" the Tundra responded.

At that moment, Aquemini approached, along with Amygdala.

"Aquemini, no!" Yen yelled, attempting to tackle him. The two ended up getting in a fight, while Mirfak watched in amusement.

"What's the problem?" Aquemini asked angrily.

"I don't trust that Tundra, and I'm not about to put my new friend in danger!" Yen responded. Mirfak raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat appalled by Yen's behavior. The two brothers stopped fighting almost immediately after seeing the beastly Tundra draw nearer.

"You don't trust me? I'll show you how untrustworthy I can be.. in fact, I know a secret about your new friend that will change everything." Mirfak told Yen.

"What would that be?" Yen asked, only for Mirfak to slash Yen's side with his claws. Yen screamed in pain, and Mirfak gave a rather ghoulish smile - Amygdala was beginning to show her feral side.

Mirfak then gasped in horror after realizing that Amygdala was going to go after him as well. The two dragons began to engage in a fight - the sight was gruesome, and seemed as though if nobody intervened the two Tundras would probably be fighting to the death.

Yen couldn't stand to watch the horrifying sight, and had to run outside.

"Aren't you gonna get help?" Aquemini asked.

"Y-.. yes.." Yen answered. By now, a large patch of his fur was turned crimson.

"I'll go get help. You stay here." Aquemini told him, but it seemed as though someone reported the incident already; the clan's doctor Patriot quickly went into the lodge with a bag of supplies and a suit of armor.

Before long, Mirfak came barreling out of the lodge and running back to his clan, and Amygdala was being carried out on a stretcher, appearing unconscious.

"I hope she's okay.." Yen said, looking closely at Amygdala. Upon closer inspection, he found that she was indeed still alive, despite her injuries.

Yen was still horrified by the event he witnessed, and tears started forming in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Aquemini asked.

"I have to go." Yen answered firmly.

"Where?" Aquemini asked.

"Somewhere away from here!" Yen insisted, getting flustered and starting to cry.

"Yen, wait-" Aquemini continued.

Without a second word, Yen began to run away.

"Yen!" Aquemini yelled. Yen continued to run, trying to pretend he couldn't hear his brother.

"Yen, come back!" Aquemini continued.

Finally, Yen was far enough away that he could no longer hear his brother. He kept moving, feeling as though anywhere would be a safer place. It wasn't until later when he realized that he was being a little too harsh on his brother.. he hoped he could come back one day to apologize, but only when he felt safe enough for him to do so.

Several days later, he woke up to see that he was just outside of a clan.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked.

---

Clan Mavenlark could spot a runaway from a mile away. One might even say it was their specialty as a frequent boarder of travelers, many of whom did not take to the road willingly. Morana treasured her position as one of the first friendly faces hatchling refugees in particular would meet on what could end up being a lifelong journey on the road.



"Friend, you look lost. I won't presume that you need my help, but if you do, I'll be in the forest for a while longer."

"I...need help." If there was one thing Yen was good at, it was leaning on others in times of need. His previous outburst wasn't exactly indicative of that, he acknowledged, but it was as good a time as any to start practicing that particular talent of his.

Morana smiled, hiding her surprise. She found younglings to be far feistier, harder to convince to her side. She wasn't about to complain about the sudden change of pace, however. "Of course, friend. Are you in need of food, shelter? I don't know if you can tell, but above us" - she motioned to the ceiling of the tree canopies above them, above which a large crystal spire towered - "but we are relatively close to my home clan, Mavenlark. We regularly provide free lodging and food to young travelers such as yourself. After my hunt, I would be happy to take you there."

Was that what he was now? A traveler? Yen rolled the title around in his mouth. It didn't sit quite right, but not enough so to protest it. "I would appreciate that."

"Of course, friend...ah, what was your name? As I get older, my memory goes in and out."

"I didn't say. My name is Yen."

The wildclaw extended her hand for a shake. "Morana. Say, Yen, would you like to help me on my hunt? I just need you to keep your eyes peeled for a particular breed of boar that the artisan dens tend to really enjoy..."

That's how it began, Morana and the young Gaoler's friendship, as it did with all who came under the wildclaw's wings. As he grew into adolescence, Morana taught the Gaoler the ways of the hunt - how to nock an arrow, how to sharpen knives against flint, the best ways to bring large kills to their knees. All the while, he stayed in her den - a large padded cavern head-to-toe in kill trophies, some of which he barely recognized as beast.

When the day came that he felt the need to take to the road again, he scarcely knew what to say to his caretaker. He barely understood the urge - he still didn't think of himself as a traveler.

As it turned out, he had to say nothing. She merely draped a pelt across his back and smiled.

"Go, and take what I've taught you to a clan in need of it. In doing so, you will find your home."

And so he did.

---

"A new plagueling joined the clan, huh?"

Yen had arrived on the Mirrorlight Promenade and found his way to the local tavern for the a drink. He felt nervous there; he wasn't one to frequent taverns, but he had found his journey long and hard.

However, his relaxation had come to an end. Though physically smaller than him, the Mirror beside him seemed to hover over the Gaoler, and he shifted uncomfortably to face her.



"Hey, I'm talking to you!" the Mirror remarked, obviously impatient with him. Her armor clacked with each movement towards him. "You're from Plague aren't you?"

"How did you know?" he replied, "I'm a long way from home by now."

"I can always tell," she answered, a mischievous smirk manifesting, "I can see it in your eyes. I'm Varicella, the Plague rep around here. Let me show you around tomorrow."

Eventually, Yen would come to find comfort in her blunt remarks, the sickly rasp of her laugh, and the clank of the armor she was always adorned with. During his stay, she was always there for him in her own way. When Yen announced that his stay was over, it was bittersweet for both of them.

"Go out there and show 'em how great Plague can be," she smiled, "And get in a fight or two for me while you're at it."

---

Continue Yen's experiences here!