Theft

Theft was always too thoutful and too clever for her own good. Her pack abandoned her young when they tired of her insistence on making traps to aid in hunting. Insulted by the idea that they would ever need help, they lashed out, wounding her badly. She walks with a limp even today, forced to carry the memory with her always. They had been traveling across a beach in the Tidelord’s domain, and she laid there for days, hot and dehydrated. Her rescue came from a rather bumbling Guardian, who had no name, just as she did not back then. Her patience was often worn thin, but the Guardian was respectably strong and deceptively clever, if a bit impulsive.
After the pair had wandered for some amount of time (months or weeks or years, they were never sure), they encountered a sprawling expanse of shoals and tidepools. Unknowingly, they had discovered they Tsunami Flats, and for the first time in their lives, other dragons were nearby. Rather than run ahead towards the tidepools, however, the Guardian ran towards the waves, where two small bodies were being battered by the waves. Against her better judgment and despite her lack of swimming skills, Theft raced after him, unwilling to let him out of her sight. She nearly drowned in the few feet of the water, but clawed her way back to shore with only her pride wounded.
The two forms turned out to be Fae dragons, blown by the winds all the way from the Starwood Strand. The one who appeared weak as glass but whose words bit like saltwater in the eyes was Outcry. The sleepy one covered in stars was Bee, whose dreams were endless and sometimes even helpful. They gave her looks that were a little too knowing when she collapsed against the newly named Fraud to rest. Theft resolutely ignored them, taking comfort in the certain protection of Fraud’s presence. She found that the hypocrites had decided to snuggle up themselves once she awoke, and decided not to think much of it. She clawed her way out of the heap of scales a little too roughly, nearly taking out an eye or three.
They gave up on wandering then. Theft didn’t particularly feel like walking forever anymore, and Bee and Outcry didn’t want to start. She spent the first few weeks catching the countless bugs the Fae needed and the large quantities of meat she and Fraud needed while the lair was being dug out. Bee and Outcry helped with little bits of magic, leaving Theft to feel altogether useless. Eventually, a cave was discovered, and after Outcry lit it up, she dedicated herself to making it a home. At first she could only bring the occasional lovely rock or feather, but once she discovered the other clans nearby, she brought back fabrics and pillows galore, becoming quite the hoarder.
And oh, the joy when she first discovered other life. She had been running simply for the pleasure of running that day. It reminded her of distant memories of hunting with a group always moving. It wasn’t the same alone, but it was still something. She had quite suddenly run into a Snapper, the largest dragon she’d ever seen. The old dragon had introduced himself as Halibut, and invited her over for tea. The tea was the best thing she’d ever had, an entirely new flavor she’d never dreamt of. Though she was wildly overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of unfamiliar dragons outside, she shared a wonderful afternoon indoors with him. Her tiny family hadn’t believed her when she reported her findings, and soon began to tag along on her visits to Halibut. Eventually, Halibut moved away from his old clan to join their young one. It was quieter, he said, and kinder.
Halibut had been one of the first of many dragons to become enamored by her authenticity and Fraud’s kindness. Theft and Fraud’s small family rapidly ballooned until they were forced to expand their cave again and again. And while there were many crowded nights full of jostles and uncomfortable elbows, no heart was ever too full for another friend, another sister, another brother.