Ethrei

Genes needed:
Crystal

Ethrei was hatched into quite a loving family of nomadic Arcane dragons. Some time after she was able to strongly walk on her own, her parents found an unhatched egg in the Southern Icefield. After much vigilance and care, the egg hatched into a beautiful seafoam-and-purple little sister. While Ethrei was watching her sister and their parents were off gathering food, the unfortunate siblings were forced out of the temporary nest by marauding beasts. The beasts snatched the younger sister, and drove Ethrei away from her parent's nest. Fearing outrage from her parents at the loss of her sister, Ethrei took to the lands in perpetual search of her sister.

Years passed, and Ethrei did not enjoy the company of other dragons. She feared failure and disapproval and was in a constant state of self blame for the loss of her sister. Weary from her travelling, Ethrei finally decided to settle down and make a home for herself. Her claws just couldn't take her any farther, and her heart couldn't take anymore failure. As the original founder of her solo clan clan, she worked the land with bare claws to assemble a spacious area for herself in the stretching forests of the Starwood Strand in the Starfall Isles, where her parents originally heralded from. She felt a special connection to the land through her parents' heritage even though she barely remembered much about them. Her arduous work attracted a male Fae, Dromos, to the lair and a strong bond formed as they worked together. He was also a wandering Arcane dragon, searching for a place to call home. Her empty heart started to mend as their new home grew.

When winter hit, Ethrei feared a shortage of food and left the lair on a solo hunting trip. Dromos was charged with watching over their lair while she was out. While she was searching for scuttling creatures, she came across a strange scroll in the outskirts of the Starfall Isles. The strange symbols swirled around her and warm light bathed the clearing. The light quickly faded and the scroll disappeared into thin air. She didn't feel any different, so Ethrei continued her hunting escapade and set off to the river to catch seafood for her mate. Before she reached the crystalline banks, she spotted a Sakura Owlet and crept up on her prey. A bright shape bowled into her before she could strike and swept her off her claws. Ethrei's maw flew open as she got to her feet and stared into the face of a dragon that looked like an adult version of her long lost sister. The now fully grown dragon peered back at her, anger flashing in her ice-blue her eyes.
"Willow...?"
Her sister blinked at her, vaguely recognizing the voice. "How do you know my name?" Willow inquired, narrowing her eyes into small slits and sweeping a protective wing around the owlet.
"Willow... it's me, Ethrei. Don't you remember?"
Understanding washed over Willow's face and she tentatively stepped forward. "Ethrei...? I thought -- I thought those wild beasts harmed you..."
"They drove me away. I thought you were lost... I've been looking for you for years... How did you manage to survive them?" Ethrei asked.

"They dropped me in a forest and went off to terrorize another dragon. I slipped into the cover of the trees and stumbled on a nest with an owlet in it. She looked about as lost as I was, and we took shelter for a while, until we couldn't hear the beats looking for us anymore. We wandered around for a while, always checking behind us that they weren't following. But what happened to you? You're not the same dragon anymore," Willow responded.

"What do you mean? It's been a few years, but--" Willow cut her off and nudged her to the edge of the river so Ethrei could look at her reflection in the crystal waters. Ethrei noticed her appearance was completely different. She was no longer the lavender, seafoam, and maroon shades of her parents; instead, her body glistened with a radiant silver. Her wings were transformed into various hues of brown that resembled the layers of the earth and there were earthy wisps of smoke patterns adorning her entire body. Her sister noticed her shock and waited for her to gather her words. "I'm not sure what happened, but I need to get back to my mate. This is... strange to say the least. Will you accompany me?" Her sister simply nodded and followed Ethrei back to the lair, her little owl flying above their heads in broad circles.

Upon their arrival, Dromos stopped in his tracks and stared. He could sense the relationship between the two dragons standing before him, even though they both looked like total strangers to him. He could tell it was Ethrei, though the other dragon was unfamiliar in face and scent. After what seemed like years to Ethrei, Dromos inched forward and entwined his tail with hers, sealing their eternal bond and his approval with a single, simple gesture. She relayed the story of what happened and introduced her sister to him. Her sister (and her Sakura owl) decided to permanently stay and get to know Ethrei's and Dromos. Ethrei's strange, unexpected transformation turned her into her mate and her sister's new-found diamond.

For a while, it was just Ethrei, Dromos, and Willow. Ethrei went out on her own frequently to hunt and gather, bringing home various treasures and familiars to help populate their small alcove in the magical trees. On one such early morning expedition, she decided to go a little farther out toward the sparkling shores of the territory bordering the Southern Icefield. She spotted an older dragon out on a small sandbar digging around. "Hey!" She called, "Are you okay?"
The Skydancer turned and looked at her with his deep blue eyes.
"You look like you could use a good story, m'dear. Come'n sit here with me for a while."
Ethrei shuffled her feet nervously. "Can you come here instead? I'm not a swimmer," she admitted.
He waggled his tail at her. "Get in the water, I'll show you." With a lithe leap, he dove into the blue and swam toward her.
Figuring it couldn't hurt, she cautiously walked into the shallows of the shore. The water lapped gently at her claws as the elder coaxed her into the water. Within a few moments, she was almost fully submerged and the strange Skydancer was instructing her on how to move her claws and tread the water. He treated her kindly, shouting encouragements and commenting on her natural swimming abilities. Together, they made it to the small sandbar. The Skydancer promptly sat down. "Are you ready for that story now?"
Ethrei nodded her assent, and he began a grand tale of the waves and the beautiful wonders hidden at the bottom of the sea. When his story was finished, the sky had darkened and bright little stars had begun to populate the sky. Ethrei had been so wrapped up in his animated representation of the world that the time had completely escaped her. He finished speaking and she clapped her claws together to show her appreciation.

"I really enjoyed your story, but it is getting late and I need to get back to my mate and my sister. Will you join us for the evening meal? It's the least I can do for taking up your entire day," she asked, looking into those mysterious blue eyes. He agreed, and together, they swam back to the shore and headed into the mystical Arcane forest to Ethrei's home. The four dragons ate in the blushing firelight in the midst of all the trees -- all the while, the Skydancer told everyone more stories about the roar of the ocean and the sheer wonder of the currents and shores. Everyone was absolutely enthralled by the grandeur of the ocean. Ethrei asked him to stay with her small family for the night, which he graciously accepted.

As the days and weeks went on, he stayed with Ethrei's small clan, exchanging his embellished words for food and shelter. One evening, after a day of hearing the raconteur's tales, Ethrei gently nudged Dromos. "I think we should leave Arcane."
"Leave? To... water?" He already knew what she was thinking. It had been at the back of his mind as well.
She nodded, and they shared a long look. "Arcane is all I know. But I will follow you to the ends of the world, if that's what you need," he said.
"I can feel the ocean calling to me. We could start something new, and we could expand our family along she sparking shores." Excitement shone in her pink eyes, which she saw mirrored in Dromos' own eyes at the prospect of an expanded family.
"Let's do it. We'll talk to Willow, and if she agrees, we'll grab our things and we can just go. We don't have much here anyway," he agreed.

Upon receiving Willow's eager assent, Dromos, Ethrei, and Willow gathered their belongings and set off for the Sea of a Thousand Currents. The old storyteller even followed them the entire way, entertaining their trip with even more tales of the land they journeyed for. When they finally came across a cove in the territory of the Sea of a Thousand Currents, it was raining. They took shelter in a rocky cave overlooking the sea, sharing the last bits of food. "This is home," Ethrei said to the three dragons before her, gazing around the beautiful cave. They turned the cave into their new lair along the Seafoam Shore, dubbing their new family the Raincove Clan.