Merrick

Uh-oh, looks like this swamp being wandered a little too far from her home lair (grxndsxn, 437722), and now she's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, she'd really appreciate it if you could just return her 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 her!

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

Merrick would like to receive a permanent home someday, so if you'd like to adopt her after she's been travelling long enough, just let her owner know!

Owners I've Had:

grxndsxn
BabeRuthless
ekhoecho
ulvesang

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Merrick isn't actually a being of the swamp, but she's become so fond of places often said to be dark, wet, and disgusting that she may as well be one. She was born in a clan bordering the Scarred Wasteland and Tangled Wood, so that probably doesn't come as much of a surprise.

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Write about Merrick's experiences here!

01.01.2021-???? | Merrick stumbled upon a large Arcane clan when foraging a bit too far in her favorite swamp. She was welcomed warmly and offered a bed and some stew, she politely thanked the dragons and ate some dinner. She’s still a hatchling - and very small - so the others worried about how she takes care of herself alone in those dangerous swamps. Still, Merrick refused to stay more than a few nights, missing the veil of security the swamp brought upon her. She packed her bag and was on her way.

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@ulvesang | The next place Merrick found herself in seemed to be on the Nature territories. She wasn't sure how she ended up there, but the next thing the tundra knew was that she just couldn't seem to find a way out of the woods she wandered into. Something about this place made Merrick feel like she was being watched, and the discomfort was strong enough that she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. However, no matter how long she roamed, Merrick felt like she was just walking in circles, as if the forest didn't want the tundra to leave.

Right as Merrick felt like giving up, she heard a noise from the bushes. Body tense, she flicked her tail and took a step back, cautiously glancing in the direction of where the sound came from. As Merrick spoke up, her voice unwillingly cracked.

"Who's there?!" she croaked out, wincing at the sound of her own voice giving away her anxiety. Oh what she would give to be at a nice swamp back home right now, the tundra thought to herself.

To Merrick's surprise, a snout peeked out of the wild shrubbery, a mirror staring back at her. A few minutes passed in silence, neither of the dragons breaking the eye contact. "Uhh," began Merrick, unsure of how to proceed with this awkward situation, "He.. Hello?" she uttered, nothing better coming to mind.

What she heard in response was a strange croak and a whistle, the mirror in front of her tilting its head from side to side curiously. What a weirdo, Merrick thought, observing the dragon in front of her. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it let out a playful screech and rapid clicks, and disappeared behind the bushes, the thumping of its claws quickly getting further and further away.

"Hu- Huh!? Wa- Wait! Hey!" Merrick called out and took off after the mirror in a hurry, trying to not lose the sound and scent of the other dragon. Maybe following a complete stranger on an unfamiliar territory was not the best idea, but for some reason, the tundra thought, despite the weird behavior, the mirror she stumbled upon did not seem dangerous, and was in fact inviting to follow it.

No matter how fast she ran, however, Merrick failed to catch up to the mirror. She could still faintly sense its scent though, and as she continued to follow it, she found herself stumbling through the bushes - and landing almost face-first into what felt like soft mud. With a soft "oof", the tundra held her position for a couple seconds, recovering from the fall, feeling comforted by the much more familiar texture under her claws. Until she opened her eyes, to find another tundra staring right back at her with a mildly surprised expression.

Without breaking eye contact, the stranger in front of Merrick slowly turned her head.

"Morana! Are we expecting guests?" they shouted cautiously. Just a couple seconds later, from somewhere further away in the forests, came a shout in return.

"None that I'm aware of!" was the reply. Merrick hasn't moved an inch, unsure of what kind of predicament she ended up in, and if moving might make it somehow worse.

The expression of the tundra in front of her changed to an unimpressed one. "Well, your powers suck then, buddy," they shouted, and then turned back, eyeing Merrick and seemingly assessing the situation. "Soooo?" she drew out, settling once again on eye contact.

Merrick stared back, blinking awkwardly, until she realized that was a finished question and the stranger in front of her was waiting for an answer. In that moment she also finally became awfully aware that she was still half-laying in the mud, creating probably not the greatest first impression; she scrambled to her feet immediately. "Auhhh- Umm," Merrick shuffled awkwardly, looking away, "You see I umm. Got lost in these woods, and then I met this strange mirror and it called for me, and so I, you know, followed, but then I lost it, aaand then I stumbled through these bushes behind me, and," she clawed at the mud, "Um, I ended up here?"

Nervously, Merrick looked back at the tundra in front of her. To her surprise, the stranger's expression changed to that of a relaxed and neutral one, if only a tad curious. The silence dragged on for what felt like a long time, despite being maybe a couple seconds at most.

"Ohh, Erz. It's not often someone wanders into this forest's trap," the dragon seemed to be talking to herself, and then their mouth stretched into a lazy smile, "Ahh, but, my bad, this must have been a scare huh? No need to be so tense, you're fine." Then they turned around, sauntering leisurely, "Come, we'll see what we can do to help you out!" She then paused her movement for a moment, "Oh, and, name's Baku."

"Merrick," nodded the other, and felt herself relax a bit, slowly joining her new acquaintance.

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