Wulin

Wulin never anticipated leaving her birth clan, why should she when everything she wanted was right here? A loving family, good friends and a comfortable place to shelter from the elements in the Sunbeam Ruins? Granted the weather was often pleasant, but one still did not enjoy sleeping outside.

Wulin was one of many Hatchling Caretakers of her clan, and enjoyed teaching and playing with the young Dragons on a daily basis. One of her duties was to prepare them to become contributing members of the clan, as well as maintaining their basic needs while they were in her care. She loved her hatchlings very much and they loved her as well.

Wulin was very dedicated to her job, and often the Hatchlings would make her gifts to which she treasured. One spring day a group of them had weaved together, with the help of another Caretaker, a flower crown for her to wear, as she was their favorite and wanted the rest of the clan to know. This sweet gesture brought tears to Wulin's eyes and she would snuggle the hatchlings close and thank them for the most thoughtful gift, that she would keep it with her forever. To ensure she could, she sought out one of the clans more skilled magic users and asked if there was a way to preserve the crown so that the flowers would never wilt, to which he cast a spell on them, one that would let them keep for eternity.

Wulin's life only continued to get better upon meeting a Coatl by the name of Quill. He was funny, gentle and could seemingly read her mind before she could put her thoughts into words. Quill was always there waiting for her when her duty was done and she was never more happy than when they were curled together beneath their favorite tree and enjoying the shade and the beautiful sky above. It had begun to reach a point when both were discussing settling down and laying a nest of their own and raising a family, which seemed to be the next logical step, wasn't it? They sought out permission from the clan's leader and that following spring they would be permitted to set aside time for a nest and be excluded from duties to attempt to start their own family.

One day Quill approached her, saying he had gotten something for her and to close her eyes. To which Wulin excitedly did so. When she felt something be placed around her neck she opened her eyes to discover a beautiful golden locket now adorned her neck. A gift, Quill would say, to remind her of how much he loved her.

Her life was perfect, but it is a fools folly to believe that happiness like that could last forever. Skirmishes for territory happened, not frequently but enough that when it occurred it was always a terrifying experience that left only pain and destruction in it's wake, and such a skirmish happened when a neighboring clan came to claim their territory for their own, as they had grown larger over the years.

Quill was one of the first to jump to the clan's defense. While Wulin and the other caretakers got the hatchlings into a safe place and remained with them as the fighting wage beyond the walls of the room they were hiding in, not a sound came from any of the hatchlings on caretakers as they waited, and prayed, for any sign they had won. Wulin held her locket tighter, only wanting Quill to return safe and sound as he had never truly had experience fighting before.

Eventually silence did fall, and the large boulder that had been moved to block the entrance into the hatchery was moving with the use of magic, fear gripped Wulin at first until she recognized the clan's sorcerer, they had won!

Though every victory came with a price and this was no exception. They had lost good Dragons in the fight, and to Wulin's horror one of the fallen had been Quill. His body laid with a long javelin thrust into his back, as he looked as if he had been trying to help a brother who had also succumbed to his wounds. Wulin was heart broken, the one Dragon that she had wanted to make it through this pointless fight, had died doing what came as almost second nature to him, helping out someone in need. Wulin was inconsolable at this revelation. The Dragon she loved and had planned a future with was dead, every dream suddenly going up in flames faster than she could try and save the tattered memories of them. Within one day she had lost everything, and although the clan had survived that didn't mean much without her love to stand by her side with her.

Wulin fell into a depressive state once Quill was buried, with honors, with the others that had died that faithful day. She could not bring herself to tend to the hatchlings and simply remained in her room and slept most of the day.

The Head Healer suggested that she burn some incense to try and quiet her troubled mind, that it would help encourage her to once again get out and become a functioning member of the clan. Reluctantly Wulin tried, buying some floating incense holders that were enchanted to follow her around, and for a time they did help to quiet her mind, but it simply continued to focus on what she had lost and could never get back no matter how much incense or time she dedicated to her duty.

A fellow caretaker had suggested that she put away the locket she wore around her neck, and that infuriated Wulin to the point she screamed at the Pearlcatcher, who had been a close colleague until that moment, to never speak or approach her again that she wanted nothing more to do with her. Wulin had never raised her voice, had never been angry with anyone before and she realized, in horror, that she could no longer stay here. She only saw Quill everywhere she turned, could not move past his memory while still living among the clan they had both grown up in.

Wulin sought permission to leave from her leader, to which it was granted. She was no longer any good here and it was only causing more and more damage to the Coatl's mental wellbeing and no one wanted Wulin to continue suffering the way she had. It was a difficult choice, but it was the right choice to be done for her.

She was granted a small farewell, and for the first time in a long time she allowed herself to have some fun, this would be the last time she saw her family and friends and she wanted them to remember the good things about her, and not who she had become.

When the celebration was over, she bid them all farewell and journeyed out into the wilderness. She had no set destination in mind, perhaps the only thing she could be sure was she had to put as much distance as possible between her and Quill's memory. And although she refused to take off the locket, it was much easier to deal with the sadness it brought than to continue living in the place where her love had died. She had enough of the incense to last her a month to keep her mind focused, and the precious flower crown her hatchlings had made her.

Wulin did not know when she had entered the Southern Icefield, all she could remember was being greeted by two Tundra, as she had unintentionally walked into their territory.

Instead of being attacked, as she had anticipated, she was invited to their den for something warm to drink and a chance to get out of the cold and rest. She wagered she must have looked in pretty bad shape to the two of them.

Not wanting to be rude, and was growing colder and hungry, she accepted their invitation and was guided back to their home. It was quaint and was smaller than her birth clan, they were friendly and she had to admit there were so many different Dragons here that it made her feel at home, and so many that looked like she never had seen before, but had enough manners than to point that out. So without even thinking, she made a comment about how nice a place this seemed to be for a Dragon to call home and that she would like it here.

The invitation to join the clan was sudden, but not as sudden as how quick she was to say yes. She could make this work, she was far enough away from the hurt that perhaps, finally, she could begin to let herself heal.