He/Him

Name Pronunciation Fer-oh-see-a Best friend Familiar Audacia Job Pack Leader (Coliseum/Hunting)

Ferocia

Extra Details

-Really flirty. Mostly targets Velvet, but doesn't have any certain preference. If he finds a dragon has a mate or doesn't even consider him a potential partner, he immediately stops.
-He keeps a list.
-Prefers to be happy, and buries sadness as deep as he can. As a consequence, bad at comforting others.
-Exceptionally forgetful.
-Gets in trouble with any clan he visits.
-Polite only in this pack, and even then it's doubtful.
-Swears up and down he has never set anything on fire in the pack. This is a lie.
-Likes beetles a lot. If given the option to, he will talk your ears off about beetles.
-Still visits Fortitudo often. Fortitudo seems like she'd shut down any mischief, but she actively encourages it. She's more chaotic than Ferocia by a mile.
-I would have Fortitudo in the pack, but my god, I picked the worst colors. There are no unexalted dragons with that color combo.
-His favorite color is purple.
-His favorite beetles are Empress beetles, Tiger beetles, and Orchid beetles.

ch. 1
Chapter One

Ferocia tidied his room for the last time. He'd been living alone for too long, and was aching for some sort of adventure. Any would do, as long as it got him out of this all too familiar world of the same house and same neighbors he always had. His mother called for him patiently, but he ignored her for the moment. If he was going to think about things, he'd have to do it in one burst or he'd forget it.
He wasn't exactly living alone. But sometimes it felt like that. His mother barely ever came, and when she was there, they didn't speak often. He wasn't going to live like that for three more years. Even if he could live comfortably like that, he'd still prefer adventure. Ferocia knew that his mother worked hard, but her life would be easier if there was only one mouth to feed. Plus, the treasure he left behind would probably help.

"Ferocia!" His mother bellowed, voice hoarse. He was quick to his talons, not wanting to upset her. She didn't deserve that. His claws clicked on the floor as he ran, or more waddled down to the main room. He’d have to get those cut sometime. He saw the food, raw silver fish with black accents and a red tinted head. He ate without question after he removed the scales in an effort not to choke. When she wasn't looking, he packed some food for himself. Then he hugged his mother.
"I love you." He said. His mother hugged back hesitantly, with a slight tilt in her head. He walked back to his room and he saw her leave the house again.

In his room, he checked that the bag of treasure and gems was doing fine. Fifty thousand treasure took him a long time to get, and not entirely what one could consider legally, but he managed. All that was left was to write a goodbye letter- he wouldn't want her wondering what happened to him for years.

I am sorry, i do nto want to live thes life. mom, I now its hard on yuu to werk all the time, so Ihavel eaved behind some tresure. be good, ok?

...He wasn't exactly a good writer or grammar enthusiast. He only knew what his friends bothered to teach him if they felt like it, since he was too poor to go to actual school. But it wasn't like any adventurers actually needed to go to school, just learn how to fight and defeat evil. Like the stories he read had said. Epic dragons just like him fighting The Shade, destroying ghosts, and helping their friends! Maybe they did have a portion where they went to school, but he probably skipped over it. Who cares about writing and reading when it isn’t exciting and fun?

Now finished, he grabbed a bag full of food and treasure. Then, he decided it was finally time to get away from this place while his mother wasn't there to stop him.

Should he really have run away? To that question, he waits for the answer.

Chapter Two

His wings shifted the air around him and he started his flight, basking in the glory of how air rushed through each and every one of his feathers and how he could feel all of it, the whipping winds, the slightly salty air, and the life that was so abundant here. Ferocia almost felt like a bird, completely in tune with his surroundings. The early joy of it began to fade after he stopped paying so much attention to flying, and more to the sounds around him. He heard wingbeats, following closely behind him. Of course something would come to ruin his perfectly sunny day.

How would he solve this…? The Windswept Plateau had that giant whirlwind around there. He was quite a slippery dragon, designed mostly for speed. If the dragons following him were heavy and slow, it would be no problem to slip them into the harsh tug of it. That would probably work.

For that to happen, he’d need to be at his best and not exhausted after hours of flight. He shot down to an island, either abandoned or never inhabited. Plants were growing in every corner of the island, life was abundant, and there were no scribbles or leftover ashes from campfires. There was a cave which he could sleep in, and a small pond in the corner of the land. First, he drank from that pond, and then he opened his bag to find that all his fish were spoiling. He forgot that the Plateau would be warmer than the Icefields. Time to hunt, in that case. He found a bag of dried anchovies and stole it quietly, probably to the dismay of a random warrior who had chosen to rest here too. They were too salted for his tastes, but he had nothing else to eat. He spotted bamboo at every corner of the island, and plenty of spider webs between them. Not food he could eat, unfortunately. Completely forgetting about the dragons who were still chasing him, and his plan, he slid into the cave and fell asleep.

He was shifted lightly, and he saw several angry faces looking at him. He recognized those faces. They were the ones of those that owned shops and had money. Enough money to support him and his mother. He grabbed his bag tightly and tried to slip out of the cave, to be met with a Guardian’s talons blocking him.

"H..hey, guys, can I help you with anything?" Ferocia asked nervously. One of the dragons leaned in for a closer look at his face, and he gulped. He saw the Guardian’s finned face then, colors green, purple, and a glowing yellow. Their horns were curved and rigid. A Gaoler beside the Guardian laughed an almost ugly laugh, and finally spoke.

"He's just a hatchling. What could he have done with all that money?" Ferocia shuffled around and gave the treasure he had back. Oh, to be dirt poor yet again.

"That's not all of it." An old looking spiral said, anger apparent on their face.

"I.. gave most of it to my mother. She works hard, really hard, but she never gets enough treasure in return.. I thought I could help her with this, but now you have to take it back, don't you..?" Ferocia responded. Right after he said it, he realized how much of a guilt trip that was. He should really remember to think before speaking.

The spiral tsked and the Guardian looked at him softly for just a moment. He saw a Tundra in the back look slightly regretful. "You shouldn't have done that." The Guardian scolded him. I know, he thought, but she would've kept living like that and it would've been sad.

"But.. well, we have to help our neighbors. I didn't know myself she was struggling at all." The Guardian continued. Ferocia sighed in relief, finally letting himself relax.

The spiral flopped around impatiently and started to head back. All the other dragons left as well, except the green and purple Guardian. "So, kid, let me give it to you straight. You are my charge." She said. Ferocia tilted his head in confusion. The Guardian sighed.

"It's a thing with Guardians. I protect you with my life until I die, or live in shame for the rest of my living days." She explained. Ferocia, wondering what he had done to deserve that, nodded his head blankly.

"Since you're leaving, I have to leave with you too, to make sure you're safe." They said, face frills drooping.

He barely understood, and rather than taking time to think up an answer, took off again towards the Windswept Plateau. He was rested enough, and saw no reason to stay there any longer.

"You know why I left?" Ferocia asked suddenly. A sudden impulse, to which he followed as always. Perhaps that wasn’t his best habit. He trusted the Guardian next to him, though, believing what she said to be true. As he spoke the words, his face shifted into a slight smile. The Guardian shook their head.

"I want adventure." He continued. "I want to be able to see sights, all of them if I can, and meet dragons outside of my home. I want to make friends, and enemies, and be my own dragon. I don't want to just survive, I want to live."

The Guardian looked at him. "That's surprisingly wise for someone so young." The rest of their flight was spent in almost comfortable silence.

Ferocia and the Guardian landed on the lush grass of the wind territory. Ferocia spent a minute catching his breath, breathing in the crisp air. It had a different taste than cold ice air. More... free, like he wanted. And sort of like paint, glue, paper, and other crafting materials.

"You know, you never told me your name." He said, panting lightly. "It's.... Fortitudo." She responded.
"I'm Ferocia." Ferocia said. They walked around a bit, chatting and getting to know each other. Ferocia often carried the conversation, and Fortitudo followed his lead with a slight smile. They lost track of time, and forgot about their surroundings. It was almost day again when Fortitudo looked around.
"Hey, you don't suppose that we meant to go in this forest, do you?" She asked him. Ferocia also looked at the trees surrounding them and stopped.

"Nope." Ferocia thought about it for a while, and realized that this forest could bring some of the adventure he hoped for. Surviving on almost your own, everything being tough and hard to get through.. It was almost like they were on the run! Except it was self inflicted. He began scavenging around for some food for Fortitudo.

"So, are we going to get out or-" She stopped speaking when she saw him. "Guess we're staying here for the night." She went off to look for water.

They set up camp that night, Ferocia breathing a spark of fire onto a pile of sticks. Fortitudo looked at him in amazement. It wasn't often a dragon learned an element outside of their own. She quickly fixed her expression when Ferocia looked at her.

"Just so you know, I'm actually.. not that old. It's just my size and others' lack of knowledge about Guardians." She said. Ferocia nodded.

"I figured as much." He replied. Fortitudo moved to smack him with her wing in warning.

"Okay, okay! I didn't have any idea. You are pretty big." He corrected himself. Ferocia shoved away her wing, or almost did, because as soon as he reached forward she flinched away. They both lay down in silence, experiencing one of Fortitudo's failed conversation starters. Ferocia drifted off to sleep, not before noticing that Fortitudo’s eyes were wide open and scanning the area.

Ferocia woke up to sunbeams on his eyes, and he yawned. He rubbed his eyes and wandered off to look for the water Fortitudo found yesterday. Fortitudo followed after him. "You're going in the wrong direction." She advised. Ferocia yelped.

"You're way too quiet for someone that big." He said. She chuckled and led the way to the water. As he drank, Fortitudo was constantly tense.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, wiping water off his face with arm feathers.
"There's somebody there." She whispered back. A deer stepped out of a bush, green, wooden, alive, and ready to fight. The limbs were twisted and imbued with magic. It lurched toward them, inky black darkness slipping out of its limbs. Could that be some of the Shade? Ferocia stumbled backwards a bit. He spit out the orange liquid inside his stomach and watched it ignite. The deer cried out, deep and bubbling, then fire burned away its horns. The deer rushed toward Ferocia again and Fortitudo blocked the attack with her wing, barely wincing. Ferocia spit out the same burning splash at the deer, and one of its front legs crumbled into ashes upon contact.

The deer wobbled slightly, leaping to attack Fortitudo, but its legs failed it as it jumped. Overcome with exhaustion, the shadows finally slipped out of it and left the deer lying down on the ground. Ferocia stared at it in amazement. His combat lessons were finally paying off. He helped up the deer and gave it to Fortitudo to hold for a minute. Fortitudo looked annoyed. Her face, not being of many emotions, snapped back to normal. Nothing would get in or out.

Both of the dragons went to the camp to drop the deer off. Ferocia stayed to watch it, and Fortitudo walked away to fish. He waited, bored, for an hour before his impulses caught up to him and he ran off to look for a way out of the forest. It wasn't long before he got lost again. He tried his best to find his way back through scent, but it was hard to do by himself. His scent wasn't a very powerful one, and while it was useful in the past for getting the treasure, it wasn't of any use to him now. So he sat down and waited.

Chapter Three
Fortitudo

Back at the camp, the deer woke up. Frightened, it looked around quickly. A distressed Fortitudo was looking desperately around the area. The deer got up slowly, and steadying itself, it slowly walked away. Fortitudo noticed it, and followed it. Her gut was to be trusted, and it had always led her out of bad situations before.

The deer led them through the forest and into the clearing where Ferocia sat, flicking his tail at every noise. He saw them, then leaped up to Fortitudo and hugged her, and then did the same to the deer. "We're keeping the deer. You can have them, but we have to have them. They're wonderful." He said, seeming grateful to finally have been found. Without the deer he might have never been found again. Fortitudo was grateful for the deer as well, and nodded her head. She was thinking to abandon it, honestly, but it had earned the right to stay.

Fortitudo was busy thinking logically. If the deer could find Ferocia, then could it lead them out of the forest? She leaned down and asked it. The deer stood there for a moment before starting to walk. "Follow." She commanded Ferocia, and he obeyed. They walked, and got out as the sun set. Fortitudo pet the deer as best they could figure out how to, and thought a bit. "Where are we going next?" She asked.
Ferocia flicked his tongue out and in. "The Ashfall Waste. I want to improve my magic." Fortitudo didn’t like the idea of going there, with all the fire the exact opposite of what she loved. The Southern Icefield was her life for years, but if she wanted to protect her charge she would need to follow.

They set off to the Ashfall Waste then, Fortitudo lugging behind whenever she could, only delaying the inevitable. Ferocia was always one to pick up dropped cues. “Are you sure you want to come with me?” He asked. Ferocia didn’t want to force anyone into doing anything if he could help it. “I’m……. Sure.” Her gut told her of something bad. She couldn’t convince him to just not go, so this was the best option left. The taste of bile filled her mouth, unpleasant and bitter.

And so they went to the Wastes. They spent two years there together, learning and perfecting their magic as best they could. Fortitudo learned a bit of fire magic as well, and how to forge tools so they could be of use around the area.

"Fort, do you remember any of the Icefields?" Ferocia asked one day. His neck feathers flopped as he spoke.
"Not really, why?" She responded. Curiosity ignited in her, wondering what this would lead to.
"I want to see my mom again. And feel the cold there. And see my old friends. Don't you?" Ferocia explained. Ah, so that was what he wanted.
"...I don't regret following you one bit." She said.
"But do you want to go back?" She looked at his neck feathers quivering. What was that even supposed to express? The feathers confused her, and even after taking all this time to live with him, she still had yet to figure out every movement.
"Yes." Her answer was quick. She’d been waiting years for this very moment, where they could finally go back home and there wouldn’t be any danger.
Ferocia got up. "Then let's go." Fortitudo looked at him and smiled. "Let's go." She agreed. She got up as well, and they headed out of the village they were in.

_-_-_-_-_
Ferocia

At the entrance, two dragons waited. They were both scarred from many battles, holding weapons, and looking very fierce. Ferocia didn’t feel any friendly energy from them, and by the looks of it, Fortitudo didn’t either.

"Let us in." One of them said. Fortitudo shook their head, and the deer hopped down from her back. The lack of horns didn’t make them look very intimidating, but their presence was nice.

"We aren't the ones to be asked. We were just leaving, so if you don't mind.." Ferocia said, trying to avoid a fight. They both growled. The same one that spoke earlier spoke again. "If you won't let us through, then we'll have to force our way through."

Ferocia backed up, and Fortitudo followed with him. "Hey, easy, we don't want any fights or trouble. How about we just squeeze away and you two can go in?" Ferocia tried his best to convince them to let them go. When they huffed angrily, he thought it best to continue.

"Plus, if we go out, they'll think you're no trouble or we just stopped for a chat. Alright? So please, let us go." They looked at each other and nodded, then moved to give the ice dragons room to leave. Ferocia and Fortitudo both burst away quickly, hearts thumping fast. When they couldn't see the two dragons anymore, they stopped running and slowed down into a trot. Quite a bit of the walk to the ashy shores was spent in silence.

"I didn't like that." Fortitudo said. Ferocia ruffled his neck feathers a bit and tilted his head in confusion.
“I’m supposed to protect you.” she explained. The deer on Fortitudo’s back nuzzled her neck, trying to comfort her.

“Well, you can’t do everything.” Ferocia said.
“I don’t think you understand. They were much bigger than us, and probably much stronger too. If we made one wrong step, you would have died.” Ferocia’s neck feathers shot higher up in alarm. Both for himself, and for Fortitudo. She seemed mostly unaffected by the conflict. If a near-death situation didn’t make her as stressed as him, what would?

Ferocia landed on the island between The Windswept Plateau and The Southern Icefield in which they had first officially met, when it wasn’t just a passing glance or a secret protection. “What makes you scared?” Ferocia asked, trying to ease out of silence. “What makes you scared?” Fortitudo deflected the question. “Oh, I.. don’t know, really. I guess.. Being in near death situations and not being free.” Ferocia awkwardly replied. “.....Death. Not my death, but others dying.” Fortitudo finally answered. “And spiders.” She finished. He would have to take note of that and not tell her about the spider nest on the island.

Fortitudo ate some of the bamboo that was on the island and a few grubs, while Ferocia struggled to catch one of the fish swimming around in a pond. Those sharp teeth crunching against something so thick and hard made him glad to be friends with her instead of enemies."Have you ever thought of being yourself?" Ferocia asked.

"I've never liked me." Fortitudo responded quietly. They both rested there for a while before continuing the flight.

They made it back to the snowy village that was once home together, and the village slowly caught sight of them once they landed. Quite a few dragons that went after Ferocia did as well. Then there were many dragons that weren't there before, a sign of how much their small village had grown while they were away. Ferocia's mother was there too. They rushed over to Ferocia and hugged him, crying. "I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed. "Wait, what?" Ferocia was quite confused by that comment.

"Your letter- I thought it was a note saying you were going to die!" She explained herself. Ferocia was shocked to say the least, he thought he had written it very well and clear.

"Well, he didn't, so you can all stop blocking the path with your yelling." An old grumpy Spiral said. Two years wasn’t enough to erase whatever grudge they had with the earth, apparently. The three cleared out of the path to move into a different, more private flat area to talk in. Ferocia's mother caught up with him, and Fortitudo listened quietly. When they were done, Ferocia simply.. left without any words. Fortitudo followed.

"You know, you don't have to follow me." Ferocia said. He wasn’t tired of her company by a long shot, but following him for all these years.. It had to get tiring.
"Are you saying you don't want me to?" Fortitudo asked. He hissed. Really? Is that all you got from that?
"No, of course not, I'm just saying- have you thought of making your own decisions? Ever?" His feathers quivered in annoyance. He chided himself, trying to wipe the feeling away.
"...Dragons give me orders and I follow them." She really was bad at the whole freedom thing he loved.
"Then I order you to think for yourself." He held back a laugh. Didn’t think of loopholes before you said that, Fortitudo? Actually, he never checked his speech for them either, so he couldn’t really talk.
"That's not how it works." Her snout scrunched up.
"Isn't it?" He smiled smugly.
"...Yes.. ugh." Fortitudo finally admitted it.
"Well, do you want to follow me?" Ferocia went back to being serious about the conversation.
"I... don't. I want the freedom you wanted too." She sighed at that, and her muscles loosened visibly.
"Then go get it." His wings flapped slightly, preparing.

_-_-_-_-_
Fortitudo

Ferocia flew away. Fortitudo watched him, frozen in place. She was supposed to watch over him constantly, since he was her charge, but she didn't feel that tug in her gut. He would be safe, wherever it was he went. She pet Audacia and watched him. The deer jumped off and leaped onto Ferocia’s back.
Ferocia noticeably slowed down at the weight, and Fortitudo smiled. The deer could probably protect him while she was in the village. And now, she could do.. She didn’t have any plans. The time she spent with Ferocia made it all too easy to just follow what he did and not think of much else.

Didn’t she have a shop, though? Maybe she could work there again. If the building was still left empty, of course. She loved selling herbs there before, and there was no reason not to start again...

_-_-_-_-_
Ferocia

Ferocia walked through the snow aimlessly, and saw a sort of tan and pink colored dragon picking berries off of a bush nearby. They seemed to be adorned in layers and layers of gold, enough to make a dragon wonder why they were picking berries in the first place when they could just buy them. Ferocia waved to them cautiously and the dragon stopped to set their basket down for a moment so they could talk at a reasonable distance.

"What brings you here?" The dragon asked. "I'm looking for friends- or a pack, or whatever. I guess I just don't want to be so alone anymore." Ferocia replied as honestly as he could.

"Well, then you're in luck," The dragon said. "I happen to be part of a pack myself, and we have plenty of space. Follow me." And so Ferocia followed her, thinking himself awfully lucky. And maybe he'd ask Fortitudo if she wanted to come here too.

Now, three years into living with the pack, three years of messing around, making friends, and somehow becoming a leader to whatever this pack was, he writes himself an answer in the dim light of a stardust sap lamp.

“I don’t regret it.”

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