Lanatus

Awoken by a force unknown to him, the watermelon found himself lost and alone. Well, okay. Maybe not lost - he was just in a watermelon patch - and as for alone... the hungry Serthis, busy crushing and eating ripe melons, would argue against that. His eyes widened. He knew in that instant that if he dared to stay here in his home, he'd not stay alive much longer. Therefore he did the only thing he could think to do and took off running. And run he did until he found himself deep in the heart of Shadow territory. NOW he was lost and alone, not to mention exhausted from running. With a sigh, he collapsed under a giant mushroom and fell asleep. When he awoke, he found himself face to face with a Gaoler who looked and smelled like she was made of bread. He leaped to his feet with a surprised yelp, prompting the Gaoler to giggle.
"You're funny. You aren't a dragon though, are you?"
He blinked a bit, processing the question for a moment before responding in a way that made it sound like the question was an incredibly stupid one.
"Dragon!? Of course I'm not a dragon! I'm a watermelon!!"
She backed up just enough to give him some breathing room, giggling a bit as she did so.
"Well then, Mr. Watermelon. There's someone here you should probably meet if that's true. I bet she can help you with... whatever it is that's going on with you."
The Gaoler headed off, prompting the watermelon to follow, his fear of being left behind again greater than that of any possible trap she may be leading him to. Soon enough, they reached a clearing full of dragons(?) that looked like they were made of cake and other pastries and at the center sat a Skydancer. The watermelon practically froze in his tracks as he looked at her. Underneath her layer of frost, her colors reminded him of his own. Of course, she had to be a watermelon like himself, just a bit snow touched! Without a second thought on the matter, he bounded straight up to her. However, after looking him over, she hadn't much more to say than a quick direction to come with her.
Curious and entranced, the watermelon followed the Skydancer into the brambles surrounding them.
"I'm not sure where you creatures keep coming from, but one thing is for sure. If you want any hope of blending in around here, we need to fix your hide."
"My... hide? Do you mean my rind??"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want to call it."
Before he had the chance to say anything more, she was smearing some kind of goo onto him, covering his stripes and making him blend in more to the growth below them.
"What are you calling yourself," she asked bluntly, interrupting his train of thought.
"Uh... watermelon?"
"No, no. You need a name. Something to introduce yourself as."
He fell quiet as he thought, but as the silence drew on, she interrupted his thoughts once more.
"What about Lanatus? That has to do with watermelons."
"...Lanatus..."
He let the name roll off his tongue, testing it out before giving a firm nod.
"Yes. But... why do I need a name."
"You're a watermelon, right? Isn't the whole purpose of you living melons to protect your less fortunate brethren from doom? Every good warrior needs a good name."
He let out a hum of thought before speaking again.
"I guess you’re right. The only problem is, I don't know where my patch is. There were Serthis and... I ran."
"That's okay. You can find your patch again some day, but for now, we must start your training. In order to protect them, you must be able to fight."

The poor melon had been knocked to the ground once again, and two mechanical Jackdaws, Alva and Rysear, stood over him.
"Get up. Do it again."
It was hard to tell which one spoke, but due to Alva's mouth not moving, it was safe to assume that the mechanical voice belonged to Rysear. The Skydancer, who had introduced herself as Leigh, was sitting at a distance, watching the wildclaws train the young melon. She was by no means a fighter, but was there to keep an eye and make sure the duo didn't accidentally hurt their guest.
Instead of following the cyborg's orders though, Lanatus didn't get up this time. He was physically exhausted from the training he had been put through, and certainly couldn't do anything more today.
"Let it go, guys. You can work with him some more tomorrow," Leigh called, catching both the trainers attention as she walked over to help get the melon on his feet once more. "Let's get you some nourishment, huh? You eat, right?"
The watermelon paused as he thought this through. Did he eat? He wasn't really sure. At least it was worth a shot though.
"Uh... yeah. I think? Maybe..."
She laughed warmly at the uncertainty in his voice and led him back to the main clearing that the biscuit Gaoler had dragged him into before. The scent of warm meats washed over them and Lanatus's stomach growled in response - a feeling that he of course was unfamiliar with. The Skydancer laughed once more and lead him to a firepit, where a dragon who looked like she was slowly fading away in the evening bliss was finishing up cooking. With her help, Leigh made sure that the exhausted watermelon was well fed after the long day of training.
Soon enough, with full, warm stomachs, and a peaceful evening breeze, the dragons in the camp fell asleep one by one. Taking the cue, Lanatus curled up next to the "watermelon" Skydancer to sleep, reminded, if just for a moment, of sleeping beside his family back in the watermelon patch...

Their pleasant night sleep was interrupted by none other than hooves against the ground. As Lanatus came to, the sharpened hoof of a centaur warrior jammed into his side. He jumped to his feet in surprise, standing guard over the groggy sky dancer beside him. He took a moment to observe the situation. The entire camp was under attack by a herd of centaur, and from the fear on the faces of the pastry dragons, they were centaurs with a sweet tooth. The Jackdaw warriors were doing everything they could to protect their clan, but it was obvious to the watermelon that they were falling behind. He had no choice but to act, protect this clan as he should’ve protected his patch. This time, though, he had the training to back him up.
He dove at the centaur that had assaulted him, claws thrashing. This was what war against the beastclans was. He understood now. Fighting with every fiber of your being to protect your friends and family from harm. And while none of these dragons were watermelons, they would do for now, as this was the Watermelon way. He quickly realized that Leigh was cowering behind him. She was no fighter. But she seemed to be a watermelon and would protect her. She would be his patch.
With the new help of the melon warrior, Rysear and Alva were able to take out the centaur fleet, and send the rest running. Lanatus’s tail whipped back and forth angrily. The Skydancer behind him slowly came to his side.
“I… They didn’t teach you to fight like that…”
“Hah!! It must be in my pulp! I am a warrior!”
“Yeah… heh.. guess you are.”
Lanatus turned to face her with a broad grin. She couldn’t help but flush a bit. He had been been her savior. The knight to his damsel in distress. His bold smile and warrior spirit. She would not forget this.

With the battle having drawn to an end, those who were physically able were helping to rebuild the camp and take care of the injured. Our local watermelon savior, however, paced back and forth. He had trained, he was a valiant fighter, and he had a purpose elsewhere, right? He had to go back and take care of the family watermelon patch, right? He looked around at his newfound friends and mentors with a soft sigh. They certainly didn't mean nothing to him, and he couldn't very well just leave them either. That's when his thoughts were interrupted by the Skydancer once again.
"You know, Lanatus. I don't think the boys could have won that battle without you. Certainly not to this extent where all we have to do is fix things up. You know, the shadow lands are crawling with beastclan tribes. Centaur, Maren, Talonok, Serthis.... I know you talked about returning to your patch, but we could really use your help out here."
Lanatus bristled at the mention of the Serthis.
"...The Serthis drove me from my home. I..."
His voice faltered for a moment as he collected his thoughts.
"I won't let them drive you from yours too. I'm strong now. I can fight. I can stand up to them. And.... it's reassuring to know that I won't be alone in fighting them either. I'll stay. On one condition. Leigh, go on a date with me. Let me show you that I can be more than just a warrior for this clan."
Leigh was taken aback by the sudden proposition, but smiled warmly all the same.
"I'd like that. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But you've already proven yourself as a valiant protector and a compassionate and kind soul. I'd love to go on a date with you." As one would expect, the date went incredibly well but neither the watermelon or his melon-coded partner would have guessed that they'd settle so easily in a happy relationship, raising their own garden of watermelon warriors. As surprising as this was to them though, they couldn't be happier in their life together. And while they may have settled, the threat of beastclan invasion would never be gone, but with the help of his newfound friends, Lanatus would be able to protect his patch, his mate, and his new clan from any threat that may arise. Long live the watermelon lineage, and may your seeds spread far and wide.

Lanatus stretched out with a yawn. Going deep into Arcane territory hadn’t exactly been his idea of fun, but Leigh had just seemed way too excited to turn down the idea. She claimed that even though the pastry dragons she took care of were primarily born in the plague territories, the magic that was used to keep them alive had come from these Starfall Isles.
The melon squinted a bit as he looked around. He was more used to the shaded glens of the Tangled Wood and found this just a little bright, especially with the way the every present frost on his mate’s wings reflected the light. He was pretty much following behind her, trying to keep his bearings while she was like a kid in a candy shop, absolutely fawning over each Crystal and pale sapling.
“Lanatus, I have been studying this magic for YEARS! I mean, have you any idea what all it takes to bring Pastries and Sweets to life in a way that makes them Dragons!? It’s probably the same magic that brought your kin to life!”
“Well, I may not know much but from what I’ve been told I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Arcana….”
Rather than responding to her mate, Leigh bounded forward, light on her feet.
“What if we brought some of this Arcane magic into your family’s power?”
“I think we already have melons residing in the Starfall Isles, hon…. Wait. What are you getting at?”
“Well…” Leigh giggled a bit, almost nervously, “I was thinking that maybe we could have our next clutch here? I mean, I think it’s stunning out here and Uhm… arcane magic flowing through there blood might give them an extra boost on the playing field, per say? Isn’t your clan being threatened again? You can use all the extra power you can get.”
“I can’t teach them how to use magic, Leigh. You know I’m a physical fighter.”
“While true, you have to keep in mind that you aren’t alone anymore, Lanatus. You might not be able to teach magic, but Omega can, and so can any of the pastries. It’ll be fine, love. We’re a big family and we’re all going to look out for each other. No matter what. Plus. Who’s to say they won’t channel their arcana into physical strength, or that they even want to fight at all?”
The suggestion that his kids might not want to fight to protect their kind made the melon’s mane stand on end.
“….whether they want to fight or not, they’ll still need to know the basics. Beastclans will still go after them and even if they won’t protect others, they need to still protect themselves.”
Leigh blinked a bit, surprised at how serious the normally aloof dragon had become in the moment.
“Uh…. Okay…..um… so can we have the kids in an arcane nest?”
“…only if you promise not to try to being home a tree because I refuse to deal with it when it inevitably dies from lack of sunlight.”
“…can I bring home a crystal?”
“….fine.”

Chill crept through the undergrowth that encapsulated the clan's pastry sect. While his darling Leigh was unaffected, more worried about making sure the pastry dragons themself didn't freeze, Lanatus was dealing with frost creeping over his claws, trying to make its way to freeze him too. He scraped the ice crystals off his feet with disgust.
"Leigh... do you have things covered here? With how cold it is... I know my family needs help back home. I just know it."
Leigh looked at him, light confusion in her face. She had no clue what he was talking about, but she trusted his judgement and intuition.
"Huh, yeah? This isn't the first winter I've been through with them. Go ahead and go back to the patch hon. We'll all be fine here."
He nodded softly and was off in a second, hardly even a farewell. The fly home wasn't a long one, but he pushed himself going as fast as he possibly could. He knew, deep down, that they were in danger from this frost and that they'd need all the help they could get. He wasn't sure how much help he could be - he certainly wasn't trained in any magical prowess, but he knew that he needed to be there anyway.
As he landed in his old home patch, he observed the situation. The ice had spread far more than he could have anticipated, and certainly any water magic he could even hope to conjure wouldn't be of any help at all. What he did have on his side though, was his massive size and strength. If he had been able to take down the beastclan that had attacked his clan back home when he was young, then certainly now, fully grown, he could easily bring down any scout parties that would dare to bother them.
The frigid air nipped at his snout. He knew that the chill in the air would be enough to freeze the fruits on the ground around him. Shelter. They needed shelter. It would help to keep the chill of the external air out, especially if a fire dragon within could help to keep the space warm, and a light dragon could produce the light that the shelter itself would block so that the fruits could continue to grow.... The science may not be sound, but it made sense in his mind and Lanatus isn't known for his smarts.
He headed towards the border of their home. Gather the fallen trees and start building. That was the plan. And he knew that between his physical training and using his weight to his advantage, any threat he came across while there wouldn't be a threat for long.