Zelena

Z E L E N A ━━━━━❋━━━━━ My heart is stronger now that you're in it. Pronouns: she/they Title: The Twisting Blade Charge: The Glittering Pool Occupation: Progenitor Hometown: Fishspine Reef Zelena is kind, generous, and quite clumsy. She holds great stock in the idea of soulmates. She is also very well read, and especially enjoys reading about past wars and their battle tactics, as well as the champions of the Coliseum. Despite that fascination with the art of fighting, she is somewhat lazy. She prefers to spend her days next to the waters of the Glittering Pool, with the company of other dragons that occupy her lair or with just Mookie.

S T O R Y Zelena was born in the Fishspine Reef, and she grew up solitary. As soon as she matured, since she had no real ties to the Reef, she began her Search and set out to the Tangled Wood, following that deep tug within her. They skirted the edges of the Foxfire Brambles, heading ever north, until they crossed into the bustling city of Terracle. There, finally in the home of the Earth Flight, and the dry cracked dirt beneath their claws felt more like home than anywhere they'd ever been before. They wandered alone until finding the Glittering Pool, and met Armis--at least as much as one can meet a hibernating dragon--and Mookie the Terra Tortoise. They were joined by Dumi, who became their dearest friend. Other dragons, other wanderers, entered the Shattered Plains and made Zelena's home their home as well. Her life has not quite been exciting, and she is grateful for that. Instead she is happy, content, and loved. Terra Shell Organics Planting a terra shell will yield rich, fertilized soil. 27 Kunzite Organics This gem can be affected by dragonbreath to capture flame luminosity for a short while. It is not uncommon to see bundles of kunzite hanging from the ceilings of caves in the Dragonhome, used as tunnel lighting for miners and excavators. 385 Earthshaker Stone Statue Trinkets A rough, faceted statue depicting the Earthshaker. It is carved out of thick granite and casts a long, worried shadow. 105 Jar of Side Scales Organics A jar consisting solely of scales harvested from the side of a noggle. Pristine! The back and belly scales were entirely wasted. 37

genes finished: 6/29/2021




Drip. Drip. Drip.

The cavern is not silent, but the consistency of noise faded with familiarity to the point that it may as well be. Water slips from stalactites onto stone with solid, gentle plinks. Deep faded winds mingle with slow steady breaths. Nostrils flare and disturb the glittering pool's surface. Occasionally, the scrape and shift of scales rearranging and settling echoes through the still air before the long quiet lapse settles again.

The glowing of fungus and the reflection of the crystals beneath the waters surface are no real contender for sunlight, but it hardly matters any more. Guardians are creatures of the deep ocean waters, blessed by the Tidelord with a tolerance for low light, and while this one may have spent their whole life in the open flatlands of Dragonhome, their body remembers the dark. They have no trouble seeing. They have little need for sunlight.

She is curled in a perfect half-circle at the water's edge. Her nose is so close that on inhalation she can feel the damp, and as she exhales her breath just faintly distorts the clarity. This is not the first day--night?--she's spent at the waters edge. It will not be the last. This is where her heart found peace. This is what her whole life led to. This glittering pool, the cavern that encases it, the stony tortoise that slept beside it first. She needs nothing more.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Zelena learned to be quiet here. They learned stillness, steadiness, contentment. The fire of their youth has tempered into a small and gentle flame. They are the head of a Clan and yet they are no leader. They are a heart. A comfort. They are not the tooth and claw but they know how to be. They are not fury, not anymore, but they are loved. They are who their clanmates come to when they need to be settled, when they need the Guardian's stillness.

They bring her books, mostly. Swap out old ones for new ones. They bring her news of Gem's Rest, of the residents she has not met yet, of the events she has missed. She loves each of them. More than they know, more than she knows, more than she could ever show. She is a child of the Earthshaker, and she loves the same way he does.

They dream of him. More often as of late than ever before. Sometimes a voice that is low, grating, familiar--rocks clattering against each other forming warmth and words. They know they have no parents, and so the Earthshaker is their only father. They know they are officially the founder of a Clan, and only by his blessing does their Clan thrive. And he feels strangely closer, as the population of Gem's Rest climbs, there is a tug. A closeness. Not dissimilar to the feeling of the Call, the pull that brought them here, but it isn't leading anywhere, just. Pulling. It makes their scales itch.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Only one dragon breaks the silence she knows with suddenness and lack of care, even though they can hear him coming caverns away. His claws scrape, his ears flap, his breath is quick and sniffling. She knows the sound so well, and yet--

"Zelena!"

--and yet his voice always startles her.

They lift their head from the stone with a jolt, whole body tensing. At the movement, Mookie the terra tortoise lifts hir head as well, but so much slower. "So loud, Dumi." Their voice is deep but hoarse. It has been at least a week since they've spoken out loud. Perhaps much longer. Their voice echoes, and there is no fear that he did not hear them, even if he doesn't respond.

"How are you, Zelena?"

She frowns. They usually come with news, not pleasantries. She clears her throat, shakes the gravel loose. "Fine. Is everything okay?"

All four of his eyes narrow at them. Then, instead of answering, he takes a long sweeping look around the cavern, searching for. . .something.

"Dumi?"

The mirror frowns, lips curling up above their teeth. Their ear frills shiver with tension. "I thought I sensed something. Danger? Change."

Zelena's eyes drift back down to the water of the pool. "Yes. . ." she murmurs. She has always trusted Dumi's instincts, he has always been more in-tune with the magic of Sorenith than she is, and she has always suspected he has a Water prophet in his close ancestry. Her scales have been itching with that strange, soft pull for weeks now, perhaps longer. If Dumi senses change. . . "Yes, I think I feel it too."

Dumi shifts in agitation, chittering quietly like a kitten trying to hunt a bird. "I don't like it. There has been no word from the Sanctums of shifts in ley lines, the Representatives have had no news from their Flights that holds any real weight--"

"Dumi."

"--I've been feeling it in my marrow for weeks now but my teeth are aching with it now, I can't--"

"Dumi!"

The mirror stops his pacing, head snapping back to her. "What?" he hisses. And freezes. All the tensity abandoning him. He blinks once, twice. Stares. "Zelena what's happening?"

Zelena had risen to their feet, crouched and staring intently at the waters surface. The crystals beneath had begun to glow, and as the light grows in intensity beneath the water, a new source starts to reflect on its surface. A strange, white lights, and Zelena blinks their eyes away from it, trying to focus on the shape of it.

"Zelena, Zelena look at your scales!" Dumi urges, voice low and hasty.

And she does. And suddenly she is scrambling back from the waters edge as she beholds the source of the light--bright white shapes forming around her hands and feet, across her legs, up along her sides.

Runes. In a script they cannot read. Growing brighter and more defined across the mottled green of their scales.

She starts to panic, breath coming in heaving gasps, everything too sudden and too bright. She can just hear Dumi trying to calm her down, but the shake in their own voice betrays their words.

And suddenly, that strange deep tug they've been feeling for so long now becomes a steady, heavy warmth in their chest. The light settles into a barely-perceptible glow. Their breathing slows, coughing slightly in the dust the two dragons kicked up. The warmth is not familiar, but it is unmistakable. Like sunlight.

"The Earthshaker."

As if breaking a spell, the warmth trickles away. The crystals of the cavern dim. The Glittering Pool is still and soft once more. Dumi is staring at her as if she is a stranger. A change in appearance is not unheard of in Sorenith, it is not even quite unfamiliar to the progenitors' eyes. There are merchants who sell enchantments crafted specifically for such a feat, even in Gem's Rest.

But this. . .this is strange, old magic.

"A blessing," Dumi decides finally. His voice leaves no room for doubt. "A bounty for the leader of the Clan."

Zelena does not speak. She is still too shaken, and when she turns to her friend they can see it clearly. Dumi curls up beside her, beside the edge of her most precious water, and they rest.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

C O N T ━━━━━❋━━━━━ Zelena spends most of her time staring into the water of the Glittering Pool. her constant companion is a terra tortoise named Mookie, and because of their bond the clan reveres terra tortoises. When one dies, the shell is kept safe and eventually used as a token for good fortune and longevity. the same respect is typically extended to travelling gardens, but is not as sternly expected of members of Gem’s Rest. Members of Gem’s Rest occasionally visit their cavern for a moment of peace and quiet, a form of solitude without the loneliness. While Avala’s skills as a mediator lie in problem solving, Zelena excels at being a quiet listener. Currency isnt a solid concept in Gem’s Rest, but dragons who come to them often bring new books in thanks for their ear.

C O N T Zelena occasionally helps the clans main guards (Armor Smasher, Komain, and Ruina) in training the hatchlings in self defense. Most often, they sit on the sidelines and watch the guards train, offering a word or two in advice when they feel the need, but their real strength lies in their knowledge of tactics. Most hatchlings dont retain that sort of thing, and Zelena isnt always much for talking anyways, but fighting them–the act of the combat itself more than winning against the guardian–has become a more recent coming-of-age ceremony. Of course, their most frequent (and loudest) visitor is Dumi, bringing news of town events, inter-clan troubles, warnings from beyond the plains, and whatever gossip hasnt reached her yet. He is also responsible for bringing the letters they write to those that have been sent to serve the Earthshaker to the Pillar of the World. It is a trip he makes monthly, fulfilling his service as half of the clans progenitor pair, and most of Zelena’s letters are to their first children–Sanyal, Fulcair, and Emzu. Speckled Tortoise Meat A large, but challenging meal. 25 3 Forgotten Poet's Tools Trinkets The abandoned tools of a traveling poet. The inkwell is empty, and the feather is wilting. 80 Earth Runestone Dragonmade An ancient stone bearing the ancestral rune of the Earthshaker. Such a find should be kept as a prized possession. 110 Shining Gladiator's Helmet Trinkets This gleaming metal helmet bears craftsmanship that doesn't look entirely Longneck in origin. Did they have help creating this? 39

my first rough sketch of mx zelena



my friend crunchy's art of her 🥺