YingYing

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(Just want to say real quick that this is more the outline of the story, but I decided to post it anyways because it will probably never be finished. So now y'all know how I plan stories and why they never get finished)

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YingYing is a Royal, one of many children. He got a bit bullied by his siblings and didn’t have many friends because of this.

He likes to get in trouble (he first just got blamed for everything, and then he thought ‘if I get blamed for everything I might as well just do it’—)
He nicked some things around his family’s palace, and one day he stole his mother’s diadem, because he thought he looked pretty in it. But one of his siblings caught him looking at himself in the mirror, and she threatened to snitch on him. Fearing his parent’s disappointment, YingYing took her threat seriously, and ran away from home.

He lived on the streets for a while, and actually really liked it there, being able to smooth talk his way out of everything, using his charm to get the things he wants. He also likes to sell things to dragons for a price it does not deserve.


—But then there is word out that a Prince has gone missing. YingYing does not believe his parents want him back because they like him (they never liked him before, so why now?). He knows they would be very disappointed when they see what he’s become.

After a while of ignoring the missing posters, the city becomes restless. Riots happen, and there is talk of overthrowing the rulers because they are doing nothing but look for their son. Still, YingYing does not dare to go back.

But one day, YingYing gets cornered by a brother of his, and his brother is very angry, but very relieved to see him. He demands YingYing to come back because they have been very worried and scared that something might have happened to him. YingYing feels rather guilty and bad, and somehow a bit flattered. No one ever looked at him twice before, but apparently his family does like him.

He follows brother back home. When they arrive, the palace is on fire. YingYing’s brother, being the always courageous imp, and he runs in without looking back.

But YingYing hesitates. He is very scared, knowing this fire is his doing—if he’d come home sooner, the riots wouldn’t have happened and his family wouldn’t have been in danger. But then a painful cry comes from the building and he rushes in—he can just see a white winged, skull wearing banescale yank its sword out of his brother’s throat, and the banescale locks eyes with him, and YingYing, absolutely terrified, runs away.

YingYing stumbles through the palace, the roar of the banescale following him, and he nearly trips over a long, bloody thing, and when he peeks down it is his mother, slowly bleeding out on the marble floors. YingYing picks her up, taking her in his paws and flies out.

He flies to a forest, and he carefully lays his mother down, making her as comfortable as possible. She is so happy to see him, and YingYing is so scared—there is a gaping wound in her stomach—but his mother cups his cheeks and makes him look at him, and she says; “A-Ying, you’ve come home.”

YingYing rasps; “I’m so sorry, mother, I shouldn’t have run away.”

Mother smiles; “It’s alright, little one.”

YingYing, voice shaking; “I took your diadem.”

Mother; “I know.”

YingYing whispers; “I’m sorry.”

Mother pats his cheek, and she says; “It suits you very well, A-Ying.”

And then she takes a rattling breath, and YingYing screams; “No, no, please, stay with me!”

His mother smiles, and it is so full of love it has the opposite effect—YingYing starts to panic for real. But mother brushes their noses together, as if he is still a little hatchling, and she says; “I’m so glad you found your way home.”

YingYing cracks; “Mother.”

Mother smiles; “I love you, A-Ying. No matter what you do, I will always love you…”

And then she goes limp in his arms, and YingYing screams, his voice cracking loudly as he does so;
“Mother!”

But she does not respond. For the first time in his life, YingYing begins to cry.


He sits there, sobbing, for what feels like hours. He doesn’t know what to do, he is so lost. He doesn’t know whether the rest of his family has survived—but knowing his brother is dead, it seems rather impossible anyone else is still alive.

Then, a roar echoes through the woods. YingYing knows the banescale is close. He takes a deep, shaking breath, and he closes his mother’s eyes, carefully placing her on the forest floor. There is nothing he can do for her anymore.

YingYing takes off, not to the skies but deeper into the woods. He hides there for days.

When he has finally gathered the courage to come out, he has shed his identity, and he has locked up his family in his heart, never to be let go. He travels to the west, pops up in several cities as JaoZi; a rogue, a smooth-talking charlatan, scamming the rich out of their moneys. He roams the streets, hoping to find any word of the white winged banescale, hoping to one day have revenge on his family.

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