Xylia

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Guardians are often a "gentle giant" type of dragon, and Xylia is no exception. He's willing to take care of hatchlings, familiars, and any other beings in need of protection - he believes he'd even make a good parent one day.

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Xylia travelled for many days and many nights before he stumbled upon a clan who was willing to let him stay for a bit. When he sat down for dinner that night he was greeted by a few cousins! First WindKnight, then Ptah, and RNGsSerendipity and finally Aino who looks exactly like WindKnight! Funny they could totally be sisters and no one would know.

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Xylia heard about a clan that took in weary travelers and gave them a beautiful place to rest. He traveled there, into the forests of the Gladekeeper's domain. There he found many people to take care of. Little hatchlings, wounded souls like Planter, a cursed wanderer with a tragic past. He spent a lot of time with Planter, as a matter of fact. He hoped he made a difference in her life. His heart broke a little when he woke up one day and she was gone. After that, he felt like he wanted to move on from here...needed to move on from here. He liked the Fount of Travelers. He'd be happy if he ever returned, but...he needed to get away from there for a while.

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Although he left the main forests of the nature region, Xylia soon found himself wandering into the swamplands that were part of it. While there, he entered a strange territory called the Gladeshadow Province, and he marveled at how the small area had been so protected over the years. Everyone that he encountered was extremely warm and welcoming, and no one seemed to have many worries about the world around them. He met a small hatchling tottering around, and he felt a strong urge to protect her at all costs--probably his paternal instincts kicking in. Despite the temptation to stay, Xylia finally decided it was best to keep moving. However, he promised his new little friend that he would write her letters every day to check up on her.

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Xylia found himself wanting to go back home again to re-encounter his old family. He also considered what he thought about being a parent one day, as he fell in love with Coco, a newcomer to the clan.

He found a strange urge to protect many of the new dragons he met - many were only hatchlings or were otherwise very young, after all. He wanted to hear their stories as to how they found the clan.

He was surprised to reunite with Planter, too - he was enthusiastic to find out that things were finally going to be getting better for her, and hoped they'd stay that way.

One day, Xylia's nest hatched, and he decided to take care of his hatchlings for a while before eventually letting them go their own way.

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In the deep reaches of the Icefields, Xylia met the dragoness Nox as the day drew to an end. The moon hovered above them as they both spent the night around one of the public campsites scattered throughout the frigid wilderness, though few words were exchanged.

But Xylia did understand that there was a deep, festering bitterness in the heart of Nox, no matter how she hid it behind a face carefully shaped into a mask of absolute indifference, and his heart ached at what must have happened to make a dragon so venomous. The mere mention of his own children had set her off, something almost as harsh as hatred in her eyes, and Xylia could only hope she would one day face whatever horrors had scarred her so. Behind angry eyes were the soul of a frightened, hurt child, and Xylia would have helped her if he could.

He could not. He knew this, yet the protective side of him despaired at leaving behind a dragon that so sorely needed someone to care.

The sun felt a little colder, that day.

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Despite the turmoil he may have felt in the past, he found good things while wandering, too. Something out of the ordinary that knocked him out of his thoughts and stopped him in his tracks. A gardener-- while not an uncommon hobby, was attached to an unusual dragon. Face down in a hole was a mirror digging furiously, mumbling to himself. Xylia found himself curious, and approached him to see if he could in any way be of assistance.

To say the mirror was startled would be an understatement. Much to Xylia's surprise, he was extremely understanding, and even offered Xylia a place to rest is feet for as long as he needed. A place where he would not be judged by appearance or past.

At this clan, Xylia also met the cursed Malachite, with whom he for once felt no compassion for, only bitter sympathy, surpassed by disdain for a dragon that wished death upon his own kin. While not the biological father, Xylia promised to Nightrunner that he would do all he could to protect her and her clutch from the tundra.

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Write about Xylia's experiences here!

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