Luci

Luci has a strange type of chronic insomnia that affects not only her, but every dragon in the immediate vicinity as well. She was born into a family of Dreamweavers, dragons with the power to shape the dreams of themselves and others, but as she got older it became clear that her powers were instead developing into the disruptive opposite: her presence prevented dreaming entirely by destroying any chance nearby dragons had of getting a wink of sleep. Luci's parents, concerned for her wellbeing, took her to countless doctors, mages, and scientists to try and figure out what was causing her condition. However, other than noting that her arcane magic was significantly weaker than the average dragon of her age and breed, not even the most scholarly expert was ever able to give much in the way of a concrete diagnosis of her peculiar illness (if indeed it even was an illness). And though some herbal remedies proved helpful in reducing the associated symptoms of tiredness, no treatment was ever found that could induce a restful slumber in Luci or any dragons affected by her. As she neared adulthood, only one thing was painfully certain to Luci: she would never sleep another night in her life.

It is probably not surprising that the young coatl grew to resent her condition. Due to the area of effect of her insomnia, she was forced to spend her nights by herself, at a distance from her family and friends. Though this distance allowed her clanmates their much needed rest, it meant that Luci was spending half of her life in isolation, with only her own weary thoughts for company. Many lonely hours were spent gazing up at the stars, wondering why they had cursed her so. Miserable hours. How she wished she could slip into unconsciousness like the others. To turn her brain off, and escape her worries and doubts in the world of dreams for time... what a luxury. Why must she be deprived of it? Was she truly so undeserving of dreams?

Sometimes, when Luci didn't drink her herbal remedies and she was at her most exhausted, she could swear that she dreamed while waking. But these waking dreams - hallucinations, really - were far from restful. And though she wouldn't call them nightmares either, they were sometimes difficult to comprehend in a way that was frightening. She didn't like to talk or think about them.

Luci's parents and siblings were aware of her struggles, and from dawn until dusk they made every effort to make her feel loved and appreciated. This helped make her feel a little better sometimes, but nothing could quell the feeling that she didn't truly belong with them; and avatar of insomnia amongst the dreamers. No matter how long her brothers stayed up chatting with her, tiredness would come for them with more ferocity than it ever did for her. They had to sleep. Well... technically they didn't have to, if they stayed with her. But that would kill them, slowly but surely. No coatl could survive entirely without sleep. No coatl except, somehow, for Luci. No matter how others tried to reach out to her, she felt that she would always be alone.

And maybe, she realised, that was how it should be.

One morning, when Luci's parents went to check up on her as they did every dawn, they found her gone. Where she normally sat at sunrise was only a note, announcing in weary cursive her intent to leave her birthclan behind. She had decided to take up the life of a solitary traveller; maybe somewhere out on the road she would find a place she felt like she actually belonged. Though she couldn't bear to say goodbye to her family in person, in her letter she left them her love, and all her regards for everything the had done for her. But she also wrote for them not to hold out for her return; no matter what happened on this journey, Luci was resolutely certain of one thing: she would never be coming back.