Sunset

A beautiful dragon twists in the sky on a quiet evening. As the sun dips into the ocean horizon behind her, Sunset dances with the clouds, expertly shaping the wisps as her long body and leathery wings trail with vapor. As her performance comes to an end, she twirls, sending the clouds to frame the sky with a flourish. Sunset soars to land on the sand below, her chest heaving but eyes sparkling. Her youthful spirit is unmistakable, but at a close distance her age is betrayed by the wrinkles around her eyes and the streaks of silver in her mane. Reverently, the dragons on the shore gaze toward the sun as it sets beneath the horizon.


Sunset was so very humbled by the efforts of her descendants to make her birthday one to remember! Her wish - to have all her descendants gathered in one place - actually came true, making history in more ways than one. Now that the event is a yearly occasion, it's almost too good to be true!

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Sunset is a gifted flier who spends most of her time in the heavens! Joined by her familiar, and often her offspring, Sunset weaves her body through the vapor in the air, shaping the clouds artistically. Some of the most striking sunrises - and sunsets - that take place on the sea's horizon are highlighted by Sunset's special touch! Clan-born hatchlings eagerly await their first flight lesson with Sunset, who they've no doubt watched soar through the sky many times in their short lives. While they may not be able to match her feats anytime soon, the little ones are encouraged by Sunset's optimistic attitude and glowing personality. Sunset is proud of her far-reaching lineage, from grown hatchlings living in the clan to offspring who have moved far away. Children and grandchildren remember her for her gentle, sunny disposition, and the golden jangling jewelry hanging from Sunset's wings and paws. A dry thunderstorm had raged over the Highland Scrub for five days. Stunning scientist Klein and her mate, the scholarly Mobius, had tended tirelessly to their single egg. Klein lay curled around the glassy orb while Mobius paced, encircling the nest perched atop a shallow butte. All of a sudden, thunder roared directly overhead. Sharing a knowing glance, the pair stepped back as static filled the air and the egg began to whirr and crackle with energy. "Oh!" Klein exclaimed, unable to suppress her surprise when a single drop of rain fell from the endless blanket of gray clouds above, breaking its fall on her solitary egg as it broke her concentration. As more fat drops fell sparsely from the sky, the single egg broke open to reveal a single hatchling, her bright eyes reflecting the lightning striking across the sky. Joyous parents leapt forward to meet their offspring. The first moment Sunset experienced was a sudden downpour, as the great clouds above finally opened up and showered waves of water upon the flat earth. Struck with the combined joy of their child's birth and a rare rainstorm gracing the desert, Mobius and Klein broke out in laughter. Huddled in between her parents, protected from the rain by their outstretched wings, the baby giggled too.

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Like her fellow clan members, Sunset was called to Sunbeam Grotto after a series of visions urged her to seek out the beachside location. The dreams she'd had were filed with salty sea air, dragons living in harmony along the water, and a feeling of overwhelming peace and tranquility...it took Sunset a full day to scour the sea's borders for the right place, imagining all the while what life might await her there. She hadn't expected what she found, however - living on the triumphant, colorful beach from her visions was only a fledgeling clan struggling to etch out an existence between the sea and sky. Upon seeing them, Sunset felt her heart drop - she had left her home and searched the world for a daydream that never existed. Without even touching down, she pivoted in the air and lifted her strong wings eastward. Sunset ascended quickly into the sky, swooping around the sparse clouds until she felt her tears dry.

by prezial

Gently, the powerful Imperial landed on a rock in the middle of the sea. From here she could see no shore, no disappointment. Sunset curled her long body up on the uneven rock, allowing her tail to dip into the cool seawater and sway from side to side. High above, the deep orange and pink tones of a day's end were framed by thin, fluffy clouds. She raised her great head to watch the sun fall below the horizon, wondering what was next for her.

As the colors of dusk entered her vision, Sunset rose and stretched her powerful wings. There was nothing to keep her here, she mused, so she might as well return to the clan she'd left. Before taking off, she cast a glance out into the sea, where a glowing light bobbing beneath the waves caught her eye...as she leaned forth to look, nose almost touching the water, it seemed the light was moving closer and closer! Sunset pulled back and raised her wings to take off, but for some reason she felt compelled to stay, just to see...

Seconds later, the light breached the surface of the sea, followed by a sea-dragon's mighty head.

"Hello, there," said the Imperial attached to the bulb, shaking his dripping blue mane from his eyes. Sunset felt her forearms misted with water, but was polite enough to ignore it. She lowered her wings from flight position, though she was not willing to stand down entirely.

"Hello," she replied politely, though her stormy mood meant her manners may soon expire. "May I help you?"

"I'm searching for something - somewhere, actually, and I'm wondering if you've seen it from your perspective in the skies." He paused, as if waiting for her to ask, but as she hesitated he continued. "You see, I had a vision -"

"I did, too," Sunset responded somberly, casting her gaze down to where the water met rock. "Of the beachside clan where we could live safely all together. But I went there, and so did many other dragons, and there's nothing..." she trailed off, her eyes still focused away from the other dragon's face.

by Cordially

"Look at me," he said, and though it wasn't a command she obliged. He smiled kindly. "Eyes of lighting, hmm? You must have traveled a long way to come here." Sunset nodded. "You heard the call, just like I did, and you believed it strongly enough that you would trade your life for it." He continued. "Something had to call us here. All of us, as you said, including the other dragons you saw there. I think that's enough for me to want to make something there, even if there's nothing now." His glistening blue wings flexed to repel him away from the rock as he made to dive down again. "Maybe I'll see you there someday." With that, the Imperial sank into the sea, and Sunset watched his light disappear into the churning water. She settled back on her haunches, having not relaxed fully since the other dragons' sudden appearance. Raising a powerful wing, Sunset glanced to the eastern horizon now dotted with stars, then towards the distant destination invisible behind her. She pondered for a moment, then decided she mustn't hesitate if she wanted to beat him there, and took off with a flick of her wet tail.

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High above the beachside clan of Sunbeam Grotto, colorful dragons dance in the sky, following their matriarch Sunset. Her position in the clan is a respected elder and teacher of hatchlings. With her sunny disposition and compassionate, gentle heart, it's hard to believe that Sunset still carries the wounds of a great loss.

Sunset and her mate Mudpuppy met on twin journeys in search of a coastal clan they'd both experienced in a vision. After they arrived, the pair discovered the beach was full of other dragons claiming to have experienced the same strange visions. Yet, on the beach they'd found, there was no clan - just a waterlogged cave stuck between sand and sea. Many of the travelers left disappointed, but Sunset and Mudpuppy were among those who stayed to work towards realizing their vision.

Years passed, and the population of Sunbeam Grotto blossomed as like-minded dragons and new hatchlings were added to the clan. Sunset and Mudpuppy proudly raised nests of their own, encouraging their offspring and contributing all they could to the clan's efforts...until a great tragedy struck the Water region.

While the memories the clan members hold of this time are fuzzy, many late-night meetings over the years between the remaining elders of the clan have pieced together the story. On the day the hurricane raged over the Sea of a Thousand Currents, a powerful force of magical power surrounded Sunbeam Grotto to protect its inhabitants from the storm. The great power came from the inner magic of the clan members, and the energy leaving their bodies thrust them into a deep hibernation. Meanwhile, the magic continued to shroud the shoreline around the clan, and was absorbed into the water, air, and earth.

Decades passed before the dragons of Sunbeam Grotto awoke all at once. After a period of confusion and panic, they came to realize just how much time had passed while they were asleep. None in the clan retained any memory of being gone, but the world had undeniably changed in their absence. The magical field surrounding the clan still carried the power of the dragons who had sacrificed their energy - and as a result, the remaining elders of Sunbeam Grotto have partially or entirely lost their magic abilities.

The elders' council of Sunbeam Grotto - to which Sunset and Mudpuppy both contribute - ruled that the great hibernation must be kept secret to outsiders and dragons born afterwards. As the volatile magic surrounding the clan is still not understood, the elders believe the clan's best interests lie with keeping its secrets held close. Mudpuppy himself suggested that the clan's new hatchlings should be forced to leave the clan once they reach maturity, so that they may learn about the world beyond Sunbeam Grotto's borders - though they may not be able to return to the safety of the clan.

Sunset mourned her youth - she had aged seemingly overnight from a young mother with a bright future into an elder dragon. Furthermore, her only remaining offspring was her daughter Delphina, who had happened to be visiting when the hurricane hit. Along with Mudpuppy, the small family feared to leave the safety of their home, but yearned to reach the outside world somehow.

In the years that followed, the clan slowly began to rebuild itself - cleaning up the many cobwebs left behind from their years of absence from the land. Sunset and Mudpuppy finally bore another clutch, raising their three hatchlings with a deadline hanging heavy over their heads. They taught the hatchlings to swim and fly, but also to forage their own food from the forest and sea. It was with tearful eyes that the parents watched their juvenile children fly off from the pale sandy beach, as their colorful wings vanished into the mist.

While their two daughters never returned to Sunbeam Grotto, their only son did. Begonia successfully entered the clan's borders years later and rushed to meet his family, speaking of a passion he'd discovered in cultivating flowers. The elder dragons hung onto his every word about the world outside, and the Nature clan in which he'd made a home. For the first time since her awakening, Sunset felt truly exhilarated! Gone were her fears about the cruel, wild world outside the clan's borders. She understood that the land was full of adventure, learning, and kind strangers, as much as it echoed with disaster and unease.

After her son's return, Sunset's perspective and life changed. She threw herself into the role of a doting grandmother to Delphina's first hatchlings, and to all the little dragons in the clan. She offered to teach the dragonets to fly, and her tutelage soon became her official position. Likewise, Mudpuppy welcomed the newest generation into the sea, passing down his ancestral knowledge. The elders have been rejuvenated, and continue to this day to impart their life's wisdom onto their descendants whenever possible.

What remains of Sunset and Mudpuppy's magic has gone on to sustain their family tree. Dragons of this lineage are blessed with powerful flight abilities, strong kind hearts, and a wide range of beautiful colors. Their interests and paths through life are varied, but they share a common goal to continue to grow the family tree!