Gem

Uh-oh, looks like this hyperactive artist wandered a little too far from her home lair, #259164 @CleverDual, and now she's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, she'd really appreciate it if you could just return her to the home lair, or to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread, found at this button. This is not necessary, but she would be very grateful!

Note from CleverDual: I have already had this beauty come home once, and I would love to see her back some other day...so please don't exalt her. If you need out, send her back to me! :D



Owners I've Had:

#259164 CleverDual (Shadow)
#270979 FairlyGoner (Plague)
#32201 vervain (Shadow)
#226585 Hasuna (Lightning)
#226560 Nagujaa (Water)
#218236 o0cosmiclatte0o (Shadow)
#261879 Volrin (Light)
#208027 Penny11 (Water)
#259164 CleverDual (Shadow)
#256352 Petall (Wind)
#259164 CleverDual (Shadow)
#330253 PantheraScience (Ice)
#328582 Redeim (Wind)
#175457 mayathepsychic (Lightning)

Luggage:

Navy Aviator Satchel

Apparel

Safely store supplies during long journeys.

750

My Trip Log
While I am in your clan, please write a little bit about my time in your lair/what happened while I was staying there

---

There was a crack as the small egg broke. Duskrunner's eyes lit up as his first hatchling of the nest, a small girl, peeked out around the dark cave where the nests were held. "Majorie! Come see!" An elegant Wildclaw lazily made her way over. "Yes, Duskrunner. It is a hatchling. We knew that was going to happen." Duskrunner sighed, trying to think of a way to make his mate more interested in their hatchlings. The other two eggs were about to hatch, when he turned to her. "What will it take for you to approve of them?" She smiled. "Make a name for itself. See the world. Have adventures. Then, and only then, will I accept it as my daughter."
*
Gem fumbled as she quickly packed her art supplies in her satchel. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she packed, trying to get ready as fast as she possibly could. Her father appeared at the doorway. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Gem turned and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "I'm off, Dad. I'm going to see the world, make my own adventures, like Momma said." Duskrunner was about to protest, but thought better of it. His daughter was far too spunky to listen to reason, especially if it came from him. "Be safe." She nodded and picked up her bag, walked out of the cave. "Goodbye!" Duskrunner watched the small dragon leave the lair, wondering if he would ever see her again. He hoped so.
*
So, she is off! If you ever need to get rid of her for some reason, I would LOVE to get her back eventually, so if you can, please don't exalt her. I love this little Wildclaw, and I hope you will a special well. -CleverDual

---

After a long trip through heavy forest, Gem came across the large walls of a kingdom. The word Umbra was carved into a large metal banner over the gates. Gem called out over the walls in hopes of being heard, even with a small voice. "Hello? Is anybody here?"
*
Two dragons jumped over the walls. One was a crimson Imperial that went by the name Kongeda. The other, a Skydancer named Apa. Gem was intimidated by the large imperial and felt her stomach swirl with anxiousness. "Can we help you?" Kongeda asked.
*
"I'm a traveling dragon and I'm here for search of an adventure!" She exclaimed.
*
Apa turned to Kongeda and they conversed for a few short moments. "We welcome you with open wings. The queen and king's castle is in the center of the kingdom walls. Since you're so small and young, I would suggest staying away from the woods at the edge of the walls. It's flooded with rogues and isn't safe for young and unexperienced ones like yourself." The two stepped aside, allowing Gem inside the kingdom walls. Gem smiled brightly and nodded to the two of them, making her way into town.
*
And thus, her adventure began.
*
I love Gem so much. She's just so cute! Honestly want to keep her, but I would love for other people to enjoy her spirit, too.

---

Gem wandered for a while after making her debut in the world of travelers...finding herself back in shadow territory. The cool, boggy forests and the soft shine of glowshrooms were familiar, and she trotted along with confidence, though she had meant to end up further than this so soon after leaving home.
*
The clan she returned to was not her own, however, and it was a strange guardian who welcomed her, an elder with white scales and smoky markings along his equally pale wings. Gem had run into the originator of the clan himself, an experienced dragon named Ophan -- out laying elaborate tricks to keep the shadow hatchlings in his care sharp and aware of their surroundings in a flight that lived beneath the watchful eye of the greatest trickster of all. Delighted, Gem joined him in his efforts, making new friends as she gleefully helped to spring trick after trick.
*
Gem spent a few days in the clan, hearing wild stories of the adventures many of the older dragons had enjoyed in their youth. A matronly if eccentric dragon named Sabra gave Gem tip after tip about places to see in addition to ways to make sure she took care of herself along the way. In all, she found herself surprised and pleased to find such a wealth of information so close to home. Ready to see more of the world, however, she was soon ready to move on once more.

This is the lair where Gem grew up! :') We'll miss her; she's a lovely young lady now. - vervain

---

Another shady one....? if dragons had eyebrows, Halka would have raised hers. Sometimes i think it would be nice to return... The purple-eyed Guardian lumbers away, leaving Gem to explore the electrified lair.
*
oh! and what a fun place this is! bright blue bolts of electricity leap from rods and various scraps of metal scattered around the lair. everything seems to conduct the lively energy, even the dragons themselves.

---

Gem was on the run from some pirates. She somehow offended their captain. Well, she did hide below the decks as a way to hitch a ride... Gem was now regretting skimping on the 5,000 treasure fee. The crew members chased her through out the whole ship, and now she was cornered. Suddenly she noticed they had made her walk the plank. Oops. As Gem scrambled in the water, the pirates shouted in victory and took off. Gem was running out of air, and the last thing she remembers seeing is coral-lined valley. Gem's hearing was the first thing to come back.
''Is she dead, Hikari?'' A gentle voice said.
''No Queen Eloveive, this dragon will be fine. Must be those pirates again...I swear when I getmyhands oN HIM-'' The purple tundra started.
Gem's eyes opened and she laughed. The tundra's rage was a little too funny. Must be the seawater. Eloveive laughed. Gem thought Eloveive's laugh was like silverbells. A white skydancer with dashing red eyes welcomed Gem to Star Valley. The Tundra was Hikari, the most powerful *
witch in Star Valley. Eloveive took gem on a tour of the Valley, and showed her how to farm honey underwater. Underwater honey is now one of Gem's favorite snacks. Gem was sad to leave, but she knew she had made two new friends. Gem also knows now that she should just pay the fee, or never trust pirates again!

---

Gem's violet eyes surveyed the clearing, wondering if there was another dragon here. She was back in her homeland, Shadow territory. But as she wandered around the Wispwillow Grove, she felt a little... off about this place.
*
She heard a crunch, like someone cracking on a branch, and then an angry hiss, and the sound of a glowing mushroom being flattened. This dragon, whoever they were, was really bad at stalking.
*
"Hello?" she asked. "Is anyone there?"
*
"N-no, not at all!" the voice stammered, and she heard more leaves crunching and things being flattened. What a strange dragon.
*
"Um, hate to break it to you, but if you just said something, then that means you're out here," Gem sighed, pushing past the branches that the dragon was hiding behind.
*
There were actually two dragons, both exactly identical. One was hunched over a book, and looked up and immediately apologized when Gem had approached them, and the other had nearly clawed her scales off. In a flash, she slapped the Skydancer with her tail. "Stop that!"
*
The one who was hunched over the book grabbed his identical brother and glared at him. "I'm so sorry," he apologized again. "He's just always looking for a fight. You know, how about you come with us. My name is Peace, and that's my brother, Chaos. Again, I'm terribly sorry. We need to apologize for that rude interruption. Come with me, I can feed you dinner."
*
Gem was a little suspicious about this, but she shrugged and agreed, and she was escorted to their clan.
*
It wasn't the most advanced clan in the world, but Gem was more or less satisfied. It was designed as a quaint little village, built primarily of the purple pines surrounding the huts. A large gazebo a few yards away, probably for meetings and other things, was fashioned by the purple pines and the floor was dotted with glowing mushrooms. There was a large building near it, almost like a small palace, which was also created by purple pines, and was decorated by even more glowing mushrooms and some pretty purple flowers. It was almost like the smallest city-state she had ever seen.
*
She was then guided to a quaint hut, much like the others around it, except it was lined with beautiful flowers populated by butterflies. There were also several weapons leaned against the wall next to the door, probably to scare away visitors. Gem could tell it was decorated with both of the brothers' interests in mind.
*
The inside was a bit cluttered, but Gem could tell it was that way because of the brothers' clashing interests and lack of space. Books were everywhere. Cookbooks, novels, guidebooks, encyclopedias, newspapers (apparently the village had its own), even magazines were all over the place. Though she noticed at least two bookshelves, Peace was constantly reading and learning, and always had a book somewhere to pick up and leaf through.
*
Surprisingly, there were actually two other rooms there. The hut was bigger than it looked. When they reached the house, Chaos immediately flew to his room and slammed the door. Gem could faintly hear shouting and sounds of clashing metal in the muffled room. She did not want to go in there.
*
Peace showed her his room, where she was told that she could take any book if she wanted to read it. "Where will I sleep?" she asked. He told her that unfortunately they do not have a ton of room in the hut, but there was an inn nearby and she had a choice between sleeping here and sleeping for a few nights over there. Gem told him she did not want to be a bother and she would stay at the inn. But she would definitely stay for dinner.
*
After about a week with Chaos, Peace, and socializing with the dragons around town (she was even in the newspaper; apparently there was a traveler column and she was one of the many that had visited here), Gem decided that she had to leave. Peace desperately wanted her to stay; he had developed a small crush on her and wanted her to be his mate, but she knew she had to leave. Waving goodbye to the two twins, she set off for her next adventure.

---

The artist gasped with awe as she watched the giant Imperial daredevil launch into the stormy skies, and quickly glanced down to her sketchbook to put some of the finer detailing on his impressive wings. Suddenly, her enthrallment in her art was completely broken as she felt a shadow stretch its way over her. Gem grumbled with irritation as she just now tuned into the massive Guardian dragon looming protectively over her, and snarled, "Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"
*
The green Guardian quickly gasped and stepped back a foot or so, frantically whispering various sorries to her. Moments later, though, he had already inched back up behind her and was leaning right over her shoulder again. She sighed deeply; Gem had only ever known a few Guardians throughout her life, and had certainly never learned about their 'Charges'. It was still a very strange concept to her, but to the best of her understanding, Monotony believed that the entire point of his very existence was to protect her, his 'Charge', from harm. That was... respectable, but his incredibly clingy attitude towards her frustrated her to no end, even if she couldn't really protest. She wasn't some object to fuss over, like a Pearlcatcher's pearl.
*
In the brief time they had been travelling together, Gem learned that the sole purpose of Monotony's adventure was to prove that he was the very opposite of what his name suggested. He was just as full of emotion and personality as any other dragon! Despite that, he certainly looked the part when he was in 'protector' mode, like he was right now: his face was incredibly stoic, and solid as an expressionless statue. "Why are you pestering me instead of flying with Cryptal, anyways?" She asked him.
*
"Are you nuts? I can't fly in this weather, I'd get electrocuted! I don't know how he does it, especially with all of those metal pieces on his wings." Monotony retorted. "Besides, he says I've completed most of my basic training. It's for the best; I was thinking we could hit the road again soon." Gem fidgeted a bit at those words; the thought of leaving this lair after the month they had spent with these dragons did sadden her, but they'd have to go eventually.
*
"You're right," she said, finally, "but if we have to go soon, I'd like to make a nice picture of you and your mentor to remember this place by. Would you be comfortable going up there?" Monotony simply shrugged, and he stretched out his massive wings and took to the sky. He had become very flexible during his training here, and the twisting tricks he pulled in the air rivaled even the Imperial's. Gem glanced down at her sketchbook and got back to work, sketching out a large Guardian next to the diving Imperial.
*
As she admired her work, Gem was filled with great pride; her anatomy was getting so much better! She had to attribute it to all the time she spent painting and sketching Monotony; he was pretty much all she ever did art of nowadays, since he was never more than a few feet away. No matter how annoying and clingy he seemed to be, she certainly owed him a lot.

---

As they made their way to the edges of the sea, a energetic spiral greeted them and asked if they were in need of a home. This dragon was flying circles above their heads, spiraling around. "I should take note of him." Gem thought. "Maybe I could paint him." Gem nodded, and they trio made their way to the Silver Dew Clan.
Sadly, there was no painting supplies in this clan. Though the arts were highly prized, no one seemed to be interested in learning, nor did any of them want to model for her. Together, the two decided that they must leave.

---

Gem timidly stepped through the door, unsure of what she would find when she entered.
"Papa?" Ducking as a spring flew at her, she proceded into the workshop. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Following the sound of a large crash, she pushed on, despite Monotony's hesitation.
Finally, she found a familiar-looking wildclaw hunched over a machine.
"Papa?"
He turned, pulling his goggles off. "Gem? You...you're back?"
She nodded softly. "I'm back. Where's Mom?"
Duskrunner blanched. "She isn't here. She left, Gem. We aren't..."
"Oh." Gem's face fell, and she turned to go.
"Wait!" Running to his daughter, Duskrunner embraced her tightly. "It's good to see you again. I've missed you."
She tucked her head against his chest. "I missed you to...I just need to find Mom."
"I know where she is." Duskrunner was saying goodbye to his daughter, when he hugged her tightly. "Come back home once you find her."
"I will, Papa. I promise."

---

"Right through here, miss." The spiral leading her directed. Gem held her breath and she turned to Monotony beside her.

"Stay out here. This is something I need to do alone."

Gem braced herself, then pushed open the gold embellished doors to see her mother lounging in a large, lavish room with a bogsneak by her side. Gem couldn't remember her name, but the smug face was certainly familiar. When her mother saw her, she placed down her teacup and got to her feet.

"My daughter. You've come back to me." Magiere said, a rare kindness entering her eyes.

"Momma, I've made a name for myself. I've had adventures. I've grown." Gem announced, legs shaking. "Are you proud of me now?"

"None of that matters now." There was a pain behind her mother's pink eyes, and her tone sharpened. "You are here now. You alone have not left me. Come my darling, let us make you a lady if the court and you can share you adventures with me."

"I'm- I'm not staying." Gem announced. Her mother froze.

"What?"

"I promised Dad-"

"Of course. It's always him." Magiere's tone grew bitter. "If you aren't here to stay then what's the point of you? Go back to your father. If you have chosen him then you are another thing your step-mother has stolen from me."

"Hold on, I'm going back to him because I want to go back to him!" Gem responded. "Everything I have done was to make you proud, and you know what? He was the only one who cared for me for who I was! I don't owe you anything, and I certainly haven't been stolen away! I am my own dragon, no one else's!"

"I never said I wasn't proud of you." Her eyes glinted. "You have traveled to world. You know what you want and how to get it. You truly are my daughter."

"Do you even remember my name?" Gem asked.

"Of course I remember your name, my darling." Magiere stared at her daughter for a long time. Gem could see it in her mother's eyes. She had forgotten.

"Goodbye Magiere." And with that, Gem left for her true home.

---

The months flew by, but Gem soon realized that she no longer belonged in the Clan of Resting Wings. Everything had shifted, and she was longing for the days of travel, back when she didn't have to answer to anyone, and could come and go as she wished.

Saying goodbye to her father, she took up her sketchpad and walked away from the clan, off for another adventure.

A few days later, as she traveled, she heard the news. A curse had hit her home clan...she was one of the few survivors.

---

With that news, Gem wasn't sure for a moment if she wanted to return to her home clan to see what pieces she may be able to pick up, or continue on towards whatever village she came across first. Without realizing, she had wandered and found herself in the semi-familiar Wind Territory. She had been here once before, but it had been a while and she found herself getting lost.

Eventually she found herself overwhelmed, and all the emotions and realization of having lost her family hit her. She sat by a stream she had come across a while back, watching the clear water flow quickly back towards the way she had come.

"Is everything okay?" A voice suddenly asked.

When she looked up, she had to focus her eyes for a moment before noticing a small Fae. She tried to blink away her tears, but one fell instead. She quickly looked down. "Yeah." She lied.

The yellow Fae appeared upside down in front of her face, though he was respecting boundaries. "You don't seem very fine." He said before shrugging and adding, "Just saying." He turned so he was right-side-up. "I won't make you say what's bothering you... But if you want a place to sleep, it's going to be dark soon."

Gem contemplated that for a moment. She wasn't very familiar with Faes; would he even have something big enough to hold her? She gave him a hesitant nod and stood up to follow him.

The Fae floated backwards in front of her so he was facing her. "I'm Yong, by the way. My clan's leader."

"I'm Gem."

They soon arrived at a shabby little sign announcing they were now approaching the Ozone Lair, but it was crossed out and re-written multiple times. Gem gave him a bemused grin, "The Ozone Lair?"

Yong smiled widely and nodded, "It's real witty, don't you think? But my second in command doesn't like it," he pouted, and Gem decided he was pretty cute, like, in a hatchling way. "I want to fix the sign, but he keeps insisting he'll sit on me if I do it one more time, and he's an Imperial so I can't really fight him." He stated simply.

Gem felt a surge of relief flow through her. If there was an Imperial in this clan, then that meant there would be beds made for bigger dragons than Faes.

Exhausted both mentally and physically, Gem didn't do many introductions that first day. She met Yong's mate, a kind, purple Fae named Pasque, and Yong's youngest hatchlings, a twin boy and girl who seemed sweet enough to rot teeth. ("wait until you see them after a full night's rest." Pasque had said as she rolled her eyes.)

---

The next morning, Gem met more dragons. The clan was awfully large, and there were a lot of dragons to keep track of. She found it a bit amusing how many larger dragons there were for the leader of the clan being a Fae. The second-in-command, a large Imperial named YooKwang, was the closest in age to her, but still six months younger. He was kind, but didn't quite have the same type of dad-humor Yong had. They were fun to watch, as they bickered often, and it was clear they regarded each other as brothers, despite the vast differences of their species. This lair had some problems, apparently it was difficult to keep hatchlings alive for reasons they couldn't quite place. It was a sad fact, but it seemed like just that to the clan, a fact of life. She learned a lot from the clan, including a little bit of some human language called "Korean." She learned to dance, and unexpectedly, she fell in love.

A shy, silent Coatl named Nephelai unexpectedly became one of her best friends. He kept to himself mostly, even from the other Coatls in the clan, but he was quite kind. It began with a pink flower showing up on her bedside table after she had gotten back from spending time with some of the other girls in the clan. Then, she noticed Nephelai would hide everytime they made eye contact. She asked Sunyool, another Coatl and one she hoped would understand his strange nature, but she just shrugged and said he had been weird since she was a hatchling.

The Coatl with similar colors to her became an enigma. And with mystery, came a crush. She got from Yong and YooKwang that Nephelai was an orphan, as they had found him as a hatchling and took him after they found his parents nearby, dead. He had never spoken much, having an extreme case of selective mutism. Except for some natural reactions, he couldn't speak the Coatl's native language, either.

She decided to give him a try, not sure how they'd communicate, but it turned out speaking could be overrated. He was kind in his actions, and gave her a nice dinner, despite being out of his element and making her a meat dish as compared to his usual seafood. Before she knew it, she had to shyly ask Yong if there was a nest available for her. As the eggs hatched, Gem and Nicholai welcomed two little beautiful Wildclaw babies into their lives.

---

The artist carefully slipped through the Ashfall Waste, deciding not to stay as she couldn't get comfortable with all the heat. She soon came upon the Shifting Expanse, leaving her care behind her as the area was perfectly safe when she visited before. She set her sights upon the spires of the lighting farm in the distance, enjoying the sand between her toes. She was humming a tune to herself, her eyes still trained on the lighting farm in the distance, when she tripped and started falling into a canyon. Being shocked at the fact that the ground had disappeared under her she didn't open her wings to catch her. An imperial gripped her shoulders, pulling her back onto land. She graciously thanked him and he smiled up at her, asking what a wildclaw like her was doing almost falling into canyons. She explained how she had decided to set off on a great adventure.

He lead her back to his lair, a huge carve carved into a mesa. She had learned his name was Stomachaches, ("What kind of name is Stomachaches?" "It was an album or something I dunno.") he was childish but serious when it mattered. The clan welcomed her in with open, and faceted, wings. They'd seen many a traveler in their day and had always enjoyed seeing them. They were mostly crystalline, their bodies shinning bright in the late afternoon light.

After night had fallen and the clan was starting to settle down Stomachaches offered to take her out to stargaze. Although he was born in a nature clan he sent most of his childhood in an arcane one. He never missed a night of looking out at the stars and hoping his old friends were doing the same. They shared quiet hopes in the misty dark.

The next day a stern nocturne offered to teach her how to fight as it was an essential skill to have in his eyes. Being too kind to decline she followed him and another sparkling dragon to the coliseum. She was beaten down hard but they were always there to carry her out and tend to her wounds. She was happy to know how to defend herself, though.

That night she sat outside with Stomachaches again, listening to the howling wind and his cheesy puns while smiling at the twinkling stars. He'd been worried about her scratches but she'd assured him it was alright.

She spent a couple more days in the clan, showing the awestruck dragons her artistic ability. She'd complained about not having anything to store her supplies in and they'd graciously given her a satchel. She enjoyed hanging out with Stomachaches, he had a weird sense of humor but he always made her laugh. She had developed a close friendship with him and was sad to leave him when her time came but she had to. As she was flying out of the lair that had treated her so well the last few days Stomachaches called out to her "Remember to look at the stars every night!" she smiled and promised the smiling dragon she would never forget him or the stars.

---