Orca

She/They

Name Pronounciation Orca Mate Familiar Selene Job Pack Leader (Managing Pack)

Orca

Extra Details

-A bit awkward with other dragons.
-Avoids conversation.
-Sends gifts to dragons she considers friends. Way too many, in fact. Once sent a hundred gems to Andraste. Andraste freaked out.
-Tries her best not to hate anyone.
-Widely considered smart. Denies it.
-That's because she makes a lot simple mistakes.
-Doesn't know how to forgive herself for them.
-Loves snow a lot.
-Loves Snow a lot.
-Often found feeding the crows around the Roost.

---

ch. 1
Eastern Talons

Doesn't that wind chime sing beautifully through that subtle breeze? Orca mused as they palmed through the papers of her sketchbook. Her talons moved on their own, with some ghostly pull tugging them along. After all, she was in a good mood today. Her pearl had just gotten a new coating, and it looked better every time. Claws rapped the paper, deciding what else she would add. Deep blue, web-like markings across the mirror's face, partially obscured by a hood. It was gently tugging its hood backward. White, like the purest of snows.

Like a dragon possessed, she immediately dropped her lead from shading and snapped into focus. She flipped between some of her previous drawings, then back to her current one. Wasn't there too wide of a difference, if she had been practicing daily? No... could it be they had just gotten better? Would their parents begin considering a career in the arts? Or... could it be some sort of prophetic drawing of a future friend? She loved that idea. Mysticism, magics, all sorts of things that tangibly existed just outside of their reach. The longer they thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. Yes, she had a hidden talent all along. An art-prophecy combination, as dragons commissioned her, they foretold their future in the piece.

Before she got ahead of herself, they studied the sketch. There was Chalk. A mirror she had never spoken to before, strikingly close. The face was a bit more yellow, but it could just be lighting. They dragged their curtains shut, and the window as well. Those were problems for tomorrow when she could pursue this thread actively. Plus, it could be a perfect match. Under the moonlight, she couldn't tell the true colors. She tugged the blankets further up.

The birds chirped outside her window, still feeling the aftereffects of her impromptu art session in her head. It was pounding way more painful than it had any right to be. It was at most thirty extra minutes. Just as quickly, it faded. Well, no need to question a good thing, she thought. This meant they could talk with Chalk.

She strode into the market, finding his parents' stall quickly. Another stroke of luck, he was already the one in front, while his father seemed to be organizing stocks behind. Buying a piece of meat for a friend would be the perfect excuse for a conversation. She reached for the pockets in her bag, only to find that she had forgotten everything but her pearl. No problem, she could just have a regular conversation. This was easy.

This was impossible. No, they had been taught not to give up that quickly. Think harder. He once said he liked the idea of blacksmithing. That was it!

"Chalk. Can you leave your station so you can teach me about blacksmithing?" She said, blankly. He looked at her strangely but agreed nonetheless. The conversation flowed smoothly, and she brought up the idea of drawing blueprints for weapons. She slowly shifted it with things like "And have you ever wanted to try magic?" and "What if you could tell your future?" Until she reached her drawing.

His eyes squinted as he spoke. "Eugh, no. I'm a down-to-earth kind of Mirror. That sort of thing just isn't what I'd want to live by. We can still be friends, but pre-destiny isn't... you know." Her face stayed the same, but she felt a pang of hurt inside. She wanted to defend her future practice, not that she would do that, but as an option. But she shut her maw. Maybe they just weren't compatible, but a few more months could tell.

"I'm not into the arts. Maybe I'd be better off in the Ashfall Waste. Not that blueprints don't have their value, but I'm looking for something more concrete than emotion."

"No, I'm not saying- look, you really get ahead of yourself sometimes. Jumping to conclusions and all that."
"I really do like spending time with you- But you make it so hard to do it."
"These fireworks are a mix of art and mechanics. That's really cool."
"I think maybe we should spend more time with our actual friends, okay?"

And a few more months did tell. One of their conversations had ended up with him snapping at them. She didn't want to snap back. She did. Their volumes kept swapping in exchanges.
"You rant on and on about things nobody cares about." He spits, face twisted.
They can't just sit down and listen like she knows they should. "And by nobody, you mean just you? In all the dragons in the world, everyone hates all-"
"And this is what I mean! You focus on all the little things instead of the big problems!"
"And so what? Aren't you a little too focused on escalating everything into a giant fight between us? How about peacefully shifting it to-"
"Again! Exactly! What! I! Mea-"
"Let me finish my sentences! Shifting it to a ne-"
"No. You need to grow up and live in reality someday, Orca, and I don't want to be the one to bring you back down every time. Get a real life. Practice arts, but don't delude yourself into thinking you're a seer."

Orca decided to take the mature path. She got up, still seething, and left. They went home. She ate dinner. She asked, "Would it be okay if I got my own home?"
"Well, of course, but we'd feel better if you were living with someone else." Her mother tilted her head. She eased their worries in kind. "Yeah, I'll be living with a mirror. I don't know their name yet, but we're roommates. White, dark blue smirch?" Their father nodded. And maybe this was selfish. Maybe she should've held onto her life a little harder, instead of boarding the first boat to the Southern Icefield. Maybe she could've said goodbye face to face.

But she never felt like she struggled to live her life before. In the Millmeadows, a laid-back field where she never worried about anything except her future. Something in her seized, painful and real. Like the headache. Wasn't it supposed to be harder, like a world she could dream in?

Well, those kinds of thoughts didn't have to pester her anymore. She was crossing the sea to a new land. They were heading in adventure's direction, whether she still wanted to or not. When they stepped off the boat, however, the wind kicked up. Strongly. She looked behind her and saw dragons stepping back on the boat, postponing their trip to a later date. She looked forwards, and it had never been a more beautiful sight. So she stayed. How much longer could they really stand looking at light green for the rest of their life?

A strong regret for those kinds of thoughts formed in her head as she huddled in a cave, alone, waiting out the blizzard. But she woke up so early today, she could sleep it out beside her fire.

Talons dug into her shoulders, shaking them awake harshly.

"-ay? Are you okay? Are you alive?" She heard a frantic voice above her. Her eyes peeled open, still exhausted. They stretched and put one talon to the voice's mouth.

"I'm alright, pretty girl. I was sleeping." The first thing they thought just spilled out of her stupid Pearlcatcher tongue. The white mirror in front of her was undeniably beautiful. Deep blue, web-like markings across the mirror's face, partially obscured by a hood. She was gently tugging her hood backward. White, like the purest of snows.

Wait a second.

No, after everything Chalk said, she wasn't living that kind of life.

She knew, the whole time, every second.
She knew she was lying.
But didn't stop.
And they didn't know why.

But she smelled something tantalizing in front of her. It was like home. Not the crisp scent of the wind and grinding wheat. It was like what she had been looking for all along. Just... home.
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Front page October 29th, 2022.