Rift

-Rift-

They called him Rift for the many cracks in his hide. Dragonskin is supposed to be tough. Impenetrable, even. An Imperial born with such fissions could never be allowed in a clan. But when Rift set out on his own, looking for his lot in life, he came across pottery-sellers in a marketplace. Their shelves were filled with bowls that had been broken, each one mended with seams of gold and silver. Mystified, Rift asked what the bowls were called, and why anyone would want a broken dish? The seller flashed a grin and was all too happy to explain.

The style was called Kintsugi, and it was a way of making broken things beautiful. The potters were incredibly proud of their work, and the pride was infectious. Rift finally had a word for how he felt about the rifts in his hide. Yes, his scales might crack, but he was proud of how his body healed them with seams of gold. Painless. Permanent. Gleaming and better than new. He wasn't broken. He was already fixed. And yes...his scars were beautiful.