Eastrix

Mate

The Cat All Mirrors share the wandering legacy of their wild forbears, but Eastrix's heritage is far more immediate than most. He is a Wildcat, a subspecies of Mirror that closely follows the primitive pack lifestyle of their ancestors, and while his days running with a pride are far behind him, his heritage is obvious in his swirling hide and perpetual wanderlust. Eastrix is never satisfied staying in one place. Before long his feet will start to itch and his tail to thrash and the next sunrise will find him far beyond yesterday's horizon. Outfit Vector has turned Eastrix's roving ways to its benefit. When it became obvious that Eastrix couldn't be relied on to fulfill a clan's more traditional duties, Izhu offered him a deal. He would have a place of shelter and support with Outfit Vector whenever he wanted one as long as he kept an eye out for wayward orphans who might be in need of a berth. When Eastrix encounters aimless hatchlings, or ones cast out by family or fate, he promises them another life with a clan that will welcome them, food piled higher than they can imagine, and a metaphorical roof to keep off life's hardships (or a literal one, if they're lucky). Young dragons find something trustworthy in his soothing promises and handsome face, and many agree to follow him back to Outfit Vector's gates. Eastrix isn't much concerned with what happens to them after that, whether they're trained up into exalted and sent to the wars in Plaguebringer's honor, or they find a more permanent place, Eastrix is gone again long before he has a chance to find out. Despite his need for new vistas and new adventures there are several constants in Eastrix's life. He will always share a bond with his adopted sibling Amayda, and while the two are only rarely seen together these days, his trust in her is a steadfast pillar in a world that is otherwise made of sand. His affable and easy going nature also won him an antagonistic friendship with the caravan guard, Gazket, though the bulk of their interactions seem more characteristic of enemies than friends. Question him on the subject (and resist the attempts to derail or distract) and Eastrix will merely wink and say that the verbal sparring keeps him on his toes. Outfit Vector is one of Eastrix's final constants, though not the most important one. That honor goes to the kind, quiet Riven, a Wildcat Reaver who also grew up outside of a pride, and in whom's broad arms Eastrix found an unlikely romance. It was complicated from the first, and pursuing the Mirror took him from the badlands of the Abiding Boneyard to the cells of Warden Kallah's Rotrock Keep. Although he never thought of himself as one for entanglements, Eastrix emerged from the experience well and truly entangled with the love of his life. Riven isn't looking for a settled place like Outfit Vector, and Eastrix isn't sure he could join a pride again, even one led by his adored Scion. But none of that concerns him. It's all just details. One way or another, the paths of Riven and Eastrix's lives are wound around one another for good.

Adopted Sibling Friend ♬ Theme ♬ I'm Born To Run BirthLand

History
Eastrix and his nest mates hatched beneath the firefly-filled trees of the Starwood Strand, on the edge of Arcane territory. His brothers and sisters were healthy, tumbling Wildcat kits, but it soon became clear that Eastrix was lame in one leg. At first it didn't matter. The territory was soft, filled with food, and the pride didn't have to roam far to find everything they needed. Soon though, it was time to move on with their migration, and his family crossed over into the Wandering Contagion.

They travelled further and further every day and Eastrix struggled to keep up. Each hard trek lead to a harder one, and as Eastrix became more exhausted and got less rest, he fell even further behind. Soon he was limping into camp long after the rest of the pride had hunkered down for the night. He would drag himself to the nearest fire pit to search for scraps and leftovers and then throw himself down in the warm ashes to get what few hours of sleep he could before the inevitable dawn and start of the next day's travel.

It wasn't sustainable. Eastrix was barely able to walk. Soon he found himself traveling through the night, only to see dust on the horizon as his pride moved on before he'd even arrived. The realization that he was being left behind for good broke him where the hard days and nights had not. Eastrix found a sheltered place out of the sun and lay down with no expectation of rescue.

He spent several days like that, wasting away, expecting each night to bring oblivion. Instead, as the sky brightened on the third dawn, he found some old meat and water-filled tubers arranged between his tangled legs. Eastrix was so desperate that he ate despite his previous intentions, and after several hours passed he watched as a small, colorful mirror pup wrestled a half-dead croaker into his shelter. Her name was Amayda, and she had been wandering the Contagion since the ship carrying her family foundered and went down off the coast of the Scarred Wasteland.

They took care of each other, and spent the cold nights curled up together, telling each other stories of faraway dragons and places. During the day, Amayda would help Eastrix limp along at her side, and though she could have travelled much further without him, she never left him behind. One day, as they were laughing and tumbling through the tendrils they found themselves in the shadow of Hexis and his border patrol. The Skinless took the two mirror pups with him back to Outfit Vector, and there Arcaza and Azkivu worked over several days to restructure Eastrix's leg and give him back the ability to walk. Suddenly Eastrix found himself born again, whole, with a family and a place to call home.