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Twirled into Beauty

OceanBrew always got side-eyed whenever she traveled to a territory that wasn't a tundra majority (which was most of the time). Many clans associated the braids on her head with brutality, masculinity. But for Tundras, braids were a gender-neutral decorative styling. Males, females, and even little hatchlings who had long enough hair liked to sport braids. Kept the mane tidy and didn't clump as bad with snow. The Gaolers of the ice capped southern territories were the only other dragon breed to have such a style with their fur in the same manner. Though it was more typical of the males, females also occasionally had braided fur. And as time went on, more and more adopted the style, even dying the braids to make the hair stand out. Outside of the ice, it just wasn't the norm for dragons that weren't male. But could you blame the common population? Outside of Tundras and Gaolers, only male Imperials and Guardians had long enough hair on their chin to braid. All other breeds had hair that was too short, or no hair at all.

So whenever OceanBrew wanted to travel from home, whether it be for trinkets or supplies, she often undid her braided fur. She felt sorrow, because having beautiful braids was a source of pride among her family, and her mother was wonderful with her handiwork. It was often never mentioned, and that was ok with her.

Beautiful, bright, sunny day. OceanBrew was on her bi-annual journey to the Sea of a Thousand Currents for tropical corals and shells to use as decoration. Bright pink and blue additions at home was enjoyable, especially when the snow could only ever be white. Or yellow, but that wasn't desirable.

Gliding along the trade winds, OceanBrew stretched her wings out and took in the warm air. Her summer coat had shed a week before, and she was glad she didn't have to feel the intense overheating she otherwise would have. The wind gust and curled around the long fur around her head. Oh how I wish I could keep it in a braid, she thought. Shaking her head, she opted for a quick rest on the beach, then continuing her flight. As she neared the sand, she noticed a peculiar shimmer on the shoreline. The water glimmered with sunlight in specific parts... How odd.

Whatever it was, she was going to check it out, after a quick refresher. Sitting on the sand, the tundra took deep breaths, reveling in the scents that just weren't present back home. After lounging a moment, she stood up and walked over to the shoreline. The foamy water tickled at her talons, warm and inviting. Nothing like the cold water at home. Stepping further in, the water began to absorb into her fur. Once she was submerged though, she couldn't tell.

Closer and closer she swam to where she saw the shimmering water, until a ridgeback stopped her where she was. He appeared to be talking, but OceanBrew couldn't hear him underwater. Must be a water flight ability, she figured. She pointed towards the surface, then swam to it. The ridgeback followed. Breaching the surface, she took a hefty breath of air. The ridgeback poked his head out.

"State your business, tundra."
"I am OceanBrew. I'm from the ice territories of the south. I saw a weird shine in the water, about this way. Do you have an idea of what it may be?"
The ridgeback snorted bubbles and replied, "of course, it is my home. This is Glass Bay, named for the 'shine' below the water. Are you in need of a rest or trade? If so, our clan is open to travelers."
The tundra smiled moderately. "Of course! You wouldn't happen to trade shells or coral, do you? That is why I have travelled so far from the icecaps."
"We do, in fact. Come along, I'll show you the way."

The ridgeback swam back below the surface, and OceanBrew followed behind. The trek wasn't far, and they both squeezed into a small rocky hole beside some coral. Through a series of clever twists, they escaped the water and entered a hall of volcanic vents. The heat evaporated the water on their hides as they walked through the room, into the vast opening before them. OceanBrew couldn't believe her eyes, it was all glass!

A giant glass ceiling separated the water from the expansive corridor before them. Glittering water reflected on the polished tiles below; it was magical. The ridgeback must have seen OceanBrew gawking, and smiled.

"Common reaction to our home, that is. Glad ya like it"
"It's... beautiful. Like the glacier caves back home but... shinier! Oh! My apologies, where are your traders? I probably should do my business and then leave."
"Don't worry about staying too long, enjoy your stay. What do Tundras eat again?"
"We are plant eaters, but please don't worry about feeding me, I ate shortly-"
"Nonsense, let us entertain you. And if you aren't hungry, take some for the road."

And with that, the ridgeback led OceanBrew down the shiny pathway. "Oh, by the way, my name is Sturmazz. Nice to meet you, Brew." The tundra chuckled slightly and continued following him. Before too long, they stopped at a crystalline spike that was polished flat on the other side. A pearlcatcher flicked her ears and peered over the edge.

"Yes yes hello how can I help you? Ooooh darling, your fur is just gorgeous! I imagine it to be so pretty when decorated with corals or waterlilies. I- Oh my, I am sorry for rambling on. My name is Alexandria, and I am the merchant that represents the beautiful Glass Bay. How can I help you?"
"Oh my, haha. I'm just looking for some shells, corals, preferably colorful ones. Do you have any that match that?"
"Hmm, corals, corals, corals... Around here, we only have coral of the light blue and green variety, sorry. And for shells, we have some lavender, some blue ones. We don't have a wide variety here at least, sorry. Further down the way there may be a clan who sells more colors but ah, I imagine deep tracks under the sea aren't your forte."
"Unfortunately no, but thank you for the information. I'd like to buy one of all the shell colors you have though."
The pearlcatcher swiveled her ears towards the tundra and quickly counted a few shells. About 4 differently colored shells were pushed towards OceanBrew. The tundra reached into her satchel for the treasure and handed the payment the other way in full.

"Thank you so much! I'll be on my wa-"
The pearlcatcher grabbed a tuft of OceanBrew's fur before she walked away. "Wait, lemme get a look at you... hmm, that curling... you wouldn't happen to braid your fur, do you darling?"
"Oh uhm, I do actually. Most dragons don't seem to like it so I take it out a lot..."
"What scoundrels. Come over here, let me fix you up. Come on, up up."

OceanBrew turned around and sat behind the crystal counter. The pearlcatcher went to work, her talons deftly separating the fur into sections to braid together. OceanBrew closed her eyes, feeling the motions on her skin that were so familiar. Every few curls, Alexandria plucked a flower from a vase beside her to mend into the fur.

A long period of silence passed before the pearlcatcher stood up and said a single word, "Done." Opening her eyes, OceanBrew marveled at the braided fur, her braided fur. It was beautiful.
"I-I.... This is gorgeous... Alexandria.. how can I ever repay you?"
"You could buy more stock from my shop, or," she gazed motherly at the tundra, "you wear your braids, dear. Such pretty fur, so rarely do I see it among female dragons. I don't care what other dragons may say, you wear those with pride. Now go on, don't let me keep you. You still have to find more shells, right?"
"Actually, I think this is all I need. I'm going to head back home, thank you so much... for everything. I'll be sure to visit again."
"Always a pleasure, dear. Bring your family along, I'm sure they would enjoy Glass Bay as much as you did."
"Certainly! Alright... Sturmazz, can you show me the way back to the water?"
"Yup, along this way."

The ridgeback began walking back towards the volcanic corridor, and OceanBrew followed. Again, they were heated, then entered the water, and swam back to open water. OceanBrew left Sturmazz at the entrance, swimming back to shore. She glanced back and waved a farewell, and he did the same. Trodding on to the sand, her fur soggy with water, she laid down. Looking up, the sky was dull with clouds, but bits of blue peaked out to let some sun in. She stretched out and looked at the shells from her satchel. Beautiful blue shells, from good-hearted dragons. Her fur was still in braids, but some of the flowers had fallen out and into the sand. A quick rest, then off back home, she thought.

Through moonlight and sunlight, two artifacts of joy sat upon a salt-stained shelf. Four shells as blue as the sea, and a faint pink flower, pressed into preservation.

From the Sea of a Thousand Currents, OceanBrew wandered into the Tangled Wood. She knew that many of the shadow dragons hid all sorts of treasures and oddities; as difficult as the journey through the realm might be, she was certain her efforts would be worth it in the end. Another stop before home, she thought.

But, it proved difficult to locate a friendly clan in this territory. Those she could locate were hostile or unfriendly towards her. Other, well... gave her weird vibes. She felt that these clans might use or mislead her in some way, and she quickly continued her journey past them. And everyone else who were reported to be in the area were nowhere to be found. She was unsure as to whether or not they moved or whether they were in hiding, but either way, it didn't matter.

She was about to give up and head back when she saw a tower in the distance. It looked distinctly magical, giving her the tingles as she ventured closer towards it. The shadows seemed to grow longer and the light dimmed, almost as though it were twilight despite being midday.

As OceanBrew approached, she heard the sounds of an active lair; talking, things being moved, and general working noise. Cautiously, she made her way to the entrance of the lair. No one seemed to pay her any mind, oddly enough. A few looked at her, then went back to what they were doing.

A few dragons pointed her toward the back of the lair. She found this was where the guest houses were, thatched and made from the same twisted wood from the rest of the forest, for both travelers and dragons ready to serve the deities. OceanBrew settled down in her own hut and sighed. The clan wasn't as nearly as friendly as the previous, but at least they gave her food and shelter.

A few days passed. She found out this clan was comprised of dragons all over the region, wanderers and adventures who gathered together at the base of this magical tower. Some were researchers, looking into the magic that lay within. Others simply had no place to go. And the rest were mostly warriors who were training to serve Shadowbinder.

On what would be her last day staying with this clan, an obelisk poked her head into OceanBrew's hut. She introduced herself as Vivacia and let the Tundra know it was time to leave. Normally, the clan would host outsiders indefinitely, but the lair was more packed than usual with new hatchlings and travelers, and quite frankly, they needed to use this house for others. OceanBrew said it would be fine and understood, and started gathering her things.

After a few moments of watching her, the obelisk asked her a question. Why was her hair like that? OceanBrew's braid from her previous stop had become messy and half done from trying to travel through the Tangled Wood. The branches are awfully hard to avoid!

OceanBrew told the dragon that she liked to braid her hair, but hadn't had time to fix it since she entered into the Shadow region. And in truth... While she was started to gain the confidence to wear them regardless of the region she was in, she was still reluctant to. It would take some time to change, it seemed...

The obelisk laughed a little. OceanBrew was taken aback; why was she laughing, she asked. The obelisk, regaining control of herself, simply said it seemed like an odd thing to be self-conscious about. The tundra could've worn braids the ENTIRE time in this clan, and no one would've cared. They have much stranger members, after all. Braids were hardly odd at all, given this clan's norms.

OceanBrew wasn't sure how to respond. The obelisk continued, telling the Tundra that they thought she should do what makes her comfortable. If she wanted braids, wear them. If she felt unsafe with them, then maybe not. It was up to her, of course. The obelisk would've offered to help her fix the Tundra's hair, but unfortunately, it's difficult to do that with large obelisk paws. A few minutes passed in silence. Bidding her a safe journey, Vivacia left.

OceanBrew went to the edge of the lair and paused. She was unsure of where to go next. Home? A new adventure? She couldn't decide. Thinking back to what the obelisk said, she thought more about what to do with herself. And with that... She decided to braid her own hair. It took a while. While not impossible with Tundra hands, it wasn't easy.

The end result wasn't as impressive as Alexandria's work, but what was important was that she did it herself, for herself. She was somewhat proud of her work, even though it was a bit messy. With that, she set off for her next stop.

When OceanBrew came to Reedcleft Ascent the first she experienced were severe, harsh winds, so she braided herself to fix her hair being torn apart by it. It was not very fancy, but handy enough.

Trying to stick to the bamboo groves so they may shield her a bit, OceanBrew found a small settlement - the Monastery of the Red Cat.

───────────────────────────────────────────── What is it? Are some monstrosities after you too? ─────────────────────────────────────────────

───────────────────────────────────────────── No, I'm... I'm just unsure I... Um... ─────────────────────────────────────────────

───────────────────────────────────────────── Well, make yourself at home then. See ya!~ ─────────────────────────────────────────────

Guest area welcomed OceanBrew with plenty of hammocks and tents filling the lush bamboo forest. Dragons here shared freely both food and warmth. But as days passed she found herself lost. She didn't manage to join others' life nor find her own job.

───────────────────────────────────────────── Wanna test yourself in fight? ─────────────────────────────────────────────

───────────────────────────────────────────── What? But I don't want to die... ─────────────────────────────────────────────

───────────────────────────────────────────── Isn't it worth the risk to know yourself a bit better?) ─────────────────────────────────────────────

───────────────────────────────────────────── But... I... ─────────────────────────────────────────────

───────────────────────────────────────────── ... Though you're mild, it doesn't mean you're weak. When you're being your true self you're already strong. Both risking yourself and being yourself requires bravery. And don't think of bravery as if it was just absence of fear. You're brave when you are able to act—despite your fear. ─────────────────────────────────────────────

OceanBrew and two gaolers formed a party and ventured to the Wood. They were from the explorers claw and came to the monastery to train.
At first it was very hard. Walking extremely harsh terrain all day long, she was exhausted. Her body ached, claws mudded, and hair... Well, it was ruined, dirty and tangled as shadowy branches of the woods she now remembered as welcoming and generous. She began wailing, but soon noticed her peers felt no better. As she kept herself out of combat they did all the work. Gladly, their wounds kept healing. But the spirit was so low they didn't even know what are they doing here anymore. And it was then she realized she could help.

She insisted on setting a camp to take a rest. Found some old stony snack and fed to them. Warmed up a bunch of water and cleaned most dirty places on their heads and shoulders. Roughly cleaned herself too, and began to tell a story, braiding them as her mother did.

It was not a story of the past nor of the future; it wasn't flight of fantasy either. She just realized and was telling aloud how beautiful is the nature around, the sky far above and the very moment they living in. Then she pictured themselves as exhausted travelers, lost in a whole universe. So lone, so in need, so wishing home.

And they agreed. They just wanted a happy home and caring love. Fighting beasts is just not for them. They do so much better in peace.

Though deep in her heart she wasn't eager to stay forever with family, she agreed to conclude their quest and return to the monastery.

"Oh. I can see you've gained the experience you needed, didn't you?.." A leader smiled to her collegues and now friends. "And OceanBrew... You seem much more confident now. Well done. You all done well."

She left with no pretty shells but with her fur braided new way, thinking where to go next.

Her gaoler friends never unbraided her gift since then, caring and renewing it, as in those braids the very moment and all its beauty was frozen alive.