NightHuntress

NightHuntress

They come creeping our of darkness, and to darkness
they return.
In their wake they leave destruction; where they go, no
one can learn
For they leave no trace in passing, as if all who
watched were blind
Like a dream of evil sending,
Nightblades passing, nightblades rending,
Into darkness once more blending
Leaving only dead behind.
-Nightblades





NightHuntress has been a member of the clan for a long time indeed, watching members come and go, but always remaining. Some suspect she's been there since the founding, but when asked, she playfully dodges the question. After all, that's almost like asking how old she is, and doesn't everyone know it's rude to ask a lady's age? If she is old, it is in the ageless way of imperials that makes it hard to tell. She came from the Southern Icefield, long ago, a harsh land of ice and snow. She likes it much better in the Windswept Plateau, where she can bask in the warm breezes and keep half an eye on the comings and goings of her clan.

Whatever anyone might think of her age, NightHuntress is stealthy and agile as a cat. She has a remarkable gift for fading away into the shadows. One wouldn't think such a large dragon could hide so easily, until they see her do it. Her natural dark coloring, her ability to stay perfectly still as long as needed, and her own skills at concealing herself make her very good at it indeed. As her name suggests, she is a skilled huntress. In the shadows of the massive bamboo forests, she can fade away, stalking her prey silent and unseen until the moment she decides to pounce.

Her skills in stealth are used too for the protection of the clan, although such is her expertise that many never even realize it. When young dragons leave the lair for their first solo hunting trip (or gathering or fishing depending on their diet) she follows along, close but unseen. Although the clan does their best to keep their territory safe, they can't remove every single danger. NightHuntress silently watches and makes sure that no danger befalls. Whether she's baring her teeth to scare off a stalking pack of gale wolves, or planting a few trail marks to guide a lost dragon back to the lair, she keeps them safe from the shadows, so they can return home proudly feeling that they accomplished it all by themselves.

Although she would never admit it, before she joined the clan, NightHuntress was a rather wild young dragon. She fell in with a group like her, led by a shadow dragon who taught them all how to sneak and hide, to attack from the shadows and take what they wished. She thought it was funny, to steal something right out from under the owner's nose, and watch them run around frantically looking for it. She enjoyed adorning herself with the fancy jewelry and eating the pricey food that the group stole too. Occasionally she felt a little guilty about it, but it wasn't as though whoever she took it from couldn't go out and find more. Their leader was quick to assure her that it was fine. If they'd really cared about it, they would have had it under lock and key, not lying around for anyone to take, right?

However, one incident finally made her realize that what was just an amusing game to her really was bringing hardship on others. The group had decided to hold a massive feast, furnished at someone else's expense. They picked a young wind clan, barely established, one who had been adding to their stores all week to celebrate their flight's upcoming festival. The very night before, the group of thieves stole in, slyly taking everything and leaving their shelves almost completely bare. They congratulated themselves as they ate and drank all night, but NightHuntress, to her confusion, found herself unable to enjoy the feast. She had helped them pull off a splendid heist, but she didn't feel proud of herself.

The next day, she crept back to the lair they had stolen from, the only one of their group to wonder what had become of them. She saw them milling about in confusion and hurt, asking each other who would have stolen all they had saved, when they would gladly have invited anyone who asked to join their celebratory feast. She saw a tundra with a seafoam green coat going amongst them, cheering them up with her encouraging words, and a snapper organizing small parties to hastily gather what food they could find, digging up roots, searching the creeks for minnows and crayfish, or gathering grubs from under the bark of old logs. Many of the adults went hungry, giving up their share in the meager meal so that the hatchlings could all eat their fill, doing their best to make sure that the young ones still had a festive meal to enjoy.

She felt guilty, terribly so. She was filled with conflicting feelings. Part of her wanted to slink away, forget all this happened, and never have to see the clan again. But another part of her wanted to apologize and try to set things right. She argued with herself for a long time, but eventually the latter won out. She crept from her hiding place, up to the seafoam tundra she'd seen, and haltingly confessed what she'd done. The tundra considered her a for a long moment, before asking kindly, “Do you want to help fix what you've done?” Nighthuntress could only nod humbly So Nocti, for that was the tundra's name, set her to helping the clan hunt and gather, rebuilding their plundered stores.

Nighthuntress expected the clan members to shun her, and while some of them did keep a wary eye on her at first, many of them seemed content to accept her as a friend, thanking her for her help at the end of the day with genuine warmth. Nocti, she soon learned, was a leader overflowing with kindness, and the dragons of the clan trusted her word. If Nighthuntress had truly come as a friend to make up for what she'd done, that was enough for Nocti, and if it was enough for Nocti, then it was enough for the dragons who followed her. Day after day she stayed, helping them hunt, spread nets in the river, and pick fruit from high treetops. Somehow, she never really wanted to leave since there was always something else to do the next day, until little by little a whole month had passed, and she had been accepted as a member of the clan.

NightHuntress now uses her old skills to protect the clan. Thieves find it very difficult to get past one who knows all their tricks, and anyone who means to sneak in and do the clan some harm will find her already waiting in the shadows. She has a reputation for being wise, although she tells those who come seeking her advice that it all boils down to one thing. They must consider all the consequences of their actions. Will what they do for themselves hurt someone else? She lives by her own advice, always analyzing a situation, and taking only what action is needed. Even before each pounce, she carefully considers her prey. Is a buck the leader of a herd, or is a doe likely to have fawns waiting for her to come back? Despite having been with the clan for a long time, her reflexes are still as sharp as ever, as is her skill at hiding, and she remains the clan's best huntress.

Nighthuntress' mate is Windheart, a coatl who used to be a thief like her. In fact, they spent a while in the same band of thieves together, during which time the two of them had a whirlwind fling. But the atmosphere they were in discouraged trust and openness. At any time your own fellow thieves might turn on you, and there was always suspicion even among those they considered partners or friends. Although they both had strong feelings for each other, neither dared admit it. Even if the other didn't use it to take advantage of them, one of their fellow thieves might find out and do so. That was why, although she considered it, she never told him about her change of heart, and that she was leaving their group of thieves. She didn't see him again for quite a long time until he sought her out again, revisiting their territory where she discovered him. When she saw him, she realized that she had never lost her feelings for him, and the look in his eyes told her the same. Now that they are together again, in a clan that protects and cares for all their members instead of fostering distrust and backstabbing, the two of them are free to express their love for each other openly.