JackPumpkin

Like many unlucky Dragons trying to enter the Tangle Wood alone, whoever JackPumpkin used to be, met a most horrible end, becoming a pile of bones that the Shadowbinder Brought back to life with her Magic. He was awoken within the Obscured Crescent as a large Guardian with black scales and green wings was leaving. Shadowbinder told him his name would be JackPumpkin, for his Halloween-ish coloring of charcoal grey and sunshine orange. Given permission to go find a place to call home, the Fae Male flittered off after the black and Green Guardian curiously, looking back only once to see one of the familiars the Shadowbinder kept bringing her an egg to use her magic on.

Curious about the egg, but more curious about the guardian, JackPumpkin left the Obscured Crescent, trailing after the black and green Guardian girl.
JackPumpkin couldn’t fly as fast as the Guardian could travel, but that didn’t deter him. He stuck close to her scent, following her trail all the way out to the Driftwood Drag, where he took a wrong turn on the trail. He panicked a bit, fluttering about wildly, and eventually crashing into the larger female.

He quickly introduced himself as JackPumpkin, and explained he’d just arrived here as well. After a bit of a chat, he was glad when the end result was they should stick together, even if the larger guardian was hard to understand.

Together they built a small lair, and by the time it was done, JackPumpkin was spending his spare moments crooning over the Guardian, calling her beautiful and waving his frills at her lovingly. JackPumpkin knew there was a communications barrier between the mismatched pair, but he kept up his attempts, and the right message must have been getting through anyways, because soon enough Tisima was his Mate, and they had two beautiful eggs waiting to hatch.

Tisima took charge in guarding the Eggs, but there was still work to do. JackPumpkin had to go out and hunt for his lady love, and the eggs once they hatched. During the day he foraged, hunting insects, small fish, and plants. At night he cuddled up with his lady and their small clutch. He couldn’t wait to meet his children.

During the waiting, on one of his foraging trips, JackPumpkin came across another large Dragon, very colorful and eyes of bright blue like a lightning strike.This stranger was caught in the brambles, and had apparently been there long enough to be in bad condition.

Small as he was, JackPumpkin fluttered down and helped the stranger disentangle from the brambles. The Strange Coatl introduced himself as Kivas, and explained he was exploring when the brambles ensnared him some days ago. JackPumpkin gave Kivas some of his foraged food, and lead the Coatl back to his and Tisima’s lair.

Tisima initially didn’t accept Kivas’ presense, but JackPumpkin felt Kivas was a good Dragon. JackPumpkin often took him out on foraging trips once he’d regained his strength, and the two of them found many abandoned Hatchlings along the way, hidden in the thickets of thorns, the brier patches and shadows around the glowing mushrooms.

They brought these abandoned orphans back to the Lair, forcing Tisima to go ask the Shadowbinder for more space. During these trips, JackPumpkin stayed with the Eggs, cuddling them and telling them stories – he didn’t know if the baby dragons inside could even hear him, but he told stories anyways.

As the adopted hatchlings grew, they were given jobs by Tisima, and eventually his eggs hatched into two beautiful little Fae children, a boy named Eclipse and a girl named Dryadia.

The Adopted grew so numerous, they and Tisima decided finally on a name for their lair and the group – the Lair was Night Nest, and the Adopted, since they were all darker colors of the night, were called the Study of Stars.

Three of them were given the task of going out to collect Pets for everyone, and they often also came back with food and other oddities. Tisima however called for a stop of bringing back little Bats known as Cursed Bats. Sometimes the bats snuck into the food bags anyways.

JackPumpkin noticed what was going on, but he kept quiet about it. If saving the bats made his mate Happy, then he wouldn’t fuss about it. The Bats even began to act as a security system for the various treasure, items and food stocks the Nest collected over time. One of them Tisima took as a Familiar for herself, JackPumpkin found the little Bat quite cute, and chatted with the little guy often when Tisima had to leave him in the Nest.

His own children grew up into lovely adults. Eclipse showed leadership skills but he was treated as a little bit of an outcast by the other Dragons from the Study, so he decided he’d make his own Flock, the Aerie of Sunlight.

JackPumpkin was brightly colored as well, but he was content to just have his family. Eclipse was on his own for now, but JackPumpkin was sure this wouldn’t be the case forever.

Dryadia however showed no signs of leadership, content to wander between the now Three Groups of the Nest they all called home.

She was too dark for the Aerie, and her colors were wrong for the Study, but she seemed okay with that.

JackPumpkin worried a little about her, and expressed these concerns with Tisima. His mate was worried too. They were growing into adult Dragons though, the children would have to make their own ways

JackPumpkin made sure to take both of his children of foraging trips often, and Kivas was given the title of ‘Grandfather’ for all the hatchlings he and JackPumpkin had brought into the Nest.

JackPumpkin was happy, their family was large and offered plenty of protection to everyone. Tisima still worried about being leader, but JackPumpkin felt Tisima made a fine leader.

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