Cloudy

I named Araceli that, not realizing it’s a girl’s name, but honestly, it fits him and I can’t imagine anything else for him.

A past shrouded in mystery…

Every dragon has a first memory. For some, it’s a warm nest and the caring smile of a parent. For others, tousling with their hatchmates or pouncing on their first mouse. For Cloudy, it’s falling. Falling, falling, down from a great blue sky into the great blue sea. The salty wind blowing through her mane and pinning her small, useless wings to her sides. The sun beaming cheerfully down as she twists and turns, trying instinctively to right herself and fly. The frantic pounding of her heart and the electricity that shot through her limbs as she realized what was happening. And finally, the crash into the water, painfully smacking every inch of her body, knocking all the air from her lungs. Her last clear memory was of the bubbles swirling around her, before the blue faded to black.

Perhaps it was predestined, or perhaps it was sheer luck, but Cloudy fell into the water directly in front of a Maren bard by the name of Araceli. Despite his outward attitude, Araceli was a kind soul, and helped the hatchling, taking her to a clan of dragons that could help. This is how Cloudy became part of Sonna’s clan. Araceli claimed that he did not care about the hatchling any more than what moved him to save her, but continued to stay near the clan’s home, frequently checking on Cloudy. The two of them became good friends, and eventually Araceli decided to make the waters beneath the crystal spire his permanent home.

Cloudy’s life was filled with questions. Where had she come from? How did she end up falling? Did she have a clan or family that was looking for her? But her memory extends no farther, offering no clues. The only hint is her pale pink eyes, revealing that she was hatched in the Starfall Isles. Even so, that little information answers no questions. Rather than worry herself over an unsolvable mystery, Cloudy has decided to be content living in Sonna’s clan. Perhaps one day, she will set out to find her true identity, but for now, she will remain in the home that took her in.

————



Araceli and Hadrian don’t exactly get along…

Art by me!