Mona

Shooting hot flames dazzle the skies in the middle of the Serelathe clan. The icy snow-laden ground around the small pack of dragons glistened against the fire that blazed in the camp's center. The WildClaws of this clan were especially vicious, knowing for their sharp bite and unforgiving nature. Their hearts frozen hard like the ice element to which they belonged. However, not every WildClaw was of the ice element... Betrayed by the eye color, their dominance in the clan was ranked by who they were and what they could accomplish.

Mona is the leader of the Serelathe's frozen-hearted clan. She is known to be especially cold, only showing affection for Zippy, her hummingbird familiar, and her mate, Dylan. Her soft grey wings seem to shimmer with the magical flurries that whip about her large frame. She was a born leader of Gemini and Sphinx, two parents whom she never met. She believed in dressing like a true leader, her favorite item being the lapis lazuli earrings that she wore on a daily basis. They were found by Zippy, when she rescued him from an avalanche that covered his nest. She has a strong will and an often angry attitude, often even intimidating Dylan who is the pack's rightful lead WildClaw. Everyone in the clan seems to think that Mona might have much more control over the clan than Dylan actually does... though no one will ever say that, of course.

A lone Wildclaw dashed through the darkness, searching for a way to escape. As an Ice dragon, Mona hated constant traveling. But Dyllan had finally reached the borderline of his patience with her, and she had been forced to leave.

She stopped for a moment, listening. She couldn't hear the footsteps trailing behind her anymore, but that didn't mean she was alone. She took a deep breath and continued.

She'd left her clan behind in the Frigid Floes. But she had no choice; it was leave them, or die. And then when she'd chosen to leave, Dyllan got a hunting party together and chased after her anyway.

She half ran, half flew through the Starfall Isles. The radioactive crystals sprouting from the ground sliced at her talons as she ran, and bright pain sizzled through her body. Behind her, an angry screech echoed off the rocks, announcing that the hunting party had caught sight of her again.

The ground below her feet had become soft, almost fleshy. The stale scent of death filled the air, making it hard to breathe. She guessed she was somewhere in the Scarred Wasteland now. Dead trees and broken bone fragments poked out of the soft ground.

She heard a loud splash, and then a scream as one of the hunters accidentally stepped in a glowing puddle of toxic ooze. She twisted her neck to look behind her. Only two Wildclaws accompanied Dyllan now.

She didn't know how long she ran, but eventually the pale mushrooms started to glow with a strange blue color. The smooth white bark of the dead trees slowly morphed into a pale silvery-gray color, and dark green needles began sprouting from once-dead branches. Brambles suddenly appeared from nowhere, tying her tail and tangling in her wings. Mona hissed, scratching at the thorns, then continued on.

She stopped for a moment in a small clearing, unsure of which way to go next. She heard a rustling in the leaves behind her, and turned as three Wildclaws stepped into the dim moonlight.

"The Serelathe is mine," Dyllan hissed, stepping forward. "You had no right to control it."

"I had every right!" Mona snapped back. "It's not my fault that I'm a better leader."

Dyllan took a threatening step toward her. "You were never a leader!" He flicked his tail, and the two Wildclaws behind him stepped forward, slowly circling Mona.

A wrathful roar echoed through the darkness. The four Wildclaws fell silent for a moment, looking around, but it was too dark to see anything.

Dyllan turned back to Mona, then nodded at the two hunters who remained with him. "Kill her."

A large Guardian flew out of the darkness suddenly, flinging the two away from Mona. Mona ducked and hid behind some brambles as the Guardian roared at the three Wildclaws.

A silent signal passed between the three, and they attacked the Guardian from all sides. The larger dragon caught one in her jaws, then slammed the Wildclaw into a nearby tree. A second Wildclaw was knocked back by the Guardian's tail, and the third barely managed to dodge the large claws that tried to catch it.

Dyllan's voice suddenly echoed through the forest, "Retreat!" The three wildclaws fled into the darkness, and then all was silent.

The Guardian turned to look at Mona for a moment, then disappeared into the darkness. The Wildclaw tilted her head, then followed the other dragon.

They stopped on a hill. Below, a large circle of dark purple tents sat between the trees, with a large fire crackling in the center.

Mona looked at the tents in wonder. "Who are you? And what is this place?"

"My name is Guardia," the Guardian replied. "And this," she said as she swept a large wing toward the tents, "this is your new clan now."

Mona sighed, setting down her quill. She remembered that night clearly, the night she had first arrived in the clan. The forest had seemed dark and terrifying then, but now it was as much of a home to her as the icy air of the Frigid Floes once had.

She held out a glowing mushroom, looking at the map spread out in front of her in the dim light. She had made quite a bit of progress today. Tomorrow, she would find new ruins to explore, new places to add to her map. She folded the map carefully, then set it back on the shelf with the mushroom.

Mona fluffed the pile of dried grass that she slept on, then curled up with her tail over her nose, falling asleep as the moon rose high over the land.