Noifa

Noifa was not born as an outcast and nomad. In fact, her birth was widely celebrated within her clan, hatching from an egg within a nest of just two, and providing her parents with the first offspring to continue their genetic line. They had many more offspring of course, these two initial births seeming to unlock blessings from the gods of fertility, eventually resulting in a large family that everyone struggled to keep track of. However, Noifa would always remain one of the first.

Unlike her nest sibling, who seemed to hunt before she could even fly, Noifa initially abhorred violence of any kind, even going so far as to try to maintain a plant-based diet in the face of the seafood and insects the rest of her family ate. This didn’t last for long – some things are simply innate, after all – but it served as a good example of the kind of dragon she dreamed to be: a pacifist, in every sense of the word, focused on peace and diplomacy before all else.

That worked, for a time – until her clan was attacked by one of the beastclans. Whilst the elder dragons bore the brunt of the attack, pushing the forces back from their lair, one creature managed to make its way through their ranks and reach the younger dragons, who were tasked with guarding the nests. Noifa’s nest sibling led the attack, throwing herself against the enemy as soon as it appeared – but while they were no longer mere hatchlings, the dragons were still young. The creature tore through Noifa’s sister easily, as if she wasn’t made of slick scale and thick bone, devastating every witness in the vicinity.

This was the day that Noifa’s life changed. With a lucky strike, she apprehended the distracted creature, saving the rest of the younger dragons and eggs from the attack - but all the elders could focus on once they found them was that, if Noifa had acted sooner, if Noifa had disregarded her childish fantasies of non-violence, she could have prevented such needless loss. At the end of the day, the death of Noifa’s nest sibling lay squarely at her feet.

Noifa was not thrown out from the clan, despite their displeasure; she chose to leave, to honour her sister by honing her skills in battle, to become a champion amongst dragons that could protect the weak against those who sought to sow fear and dread. She trained and trained and trained some more, her travels taking her across the world to rest for a time with clan upon clan. But always, after Noifa had shared her knowledge, had instilled confidence in some of the younger members of the clan, she took her leave, never staying anywhere for too long.

This is how she ended up here, in my clan, easily recognising their need for someone skilled to show them how to be fearless, too.