Niamh
(#53639893)
Level 1 Skydancer
Familiar
Banded Owlcat
Click or tap to view this dragon in Predict Morphology.
Energy: 50/50
This dragon’s natural inborn element is Plague.
Female Skydancer
This dragon is hibernating.
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Personal Style
Apparel
Skin
Scene
Measurements
Length
4.41 m
Wingspan
5.04 m
Weight
852.22 kg
Genetics
White
Skink
Skink
Sanddollar
Trail
Trail
Dirt
Filigree
Filigree
Hatchday
Breed
Eye Type
Level 1 Skydancer
EXP: 0 / 245
STR
7
AGI
6
DEF
6
QCK
5
INT
7
VIT
7
MND
7
Lineage
Parents
- none
Offspring
- none
Biography
NOT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR LENDING
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The House of Second Chances
To many dragons, the Plaguelands are nothing but a death trap. Foreign travelers, hurrying through the Scarred Wasteland, are always glad to see the borders. Whether they’re the light-flecked trees of the Starfall Isles or the twisted shapes of the Tangled Wood, the sight of the borders brings relief to those looking to leave the Wasteland.
Forests equal trees, and trees mean life. But many dragons forget that trees can also mean danger...even death. Each forest is a labyrinth all on its own, and the trees hide many dangers.
Many a traveler has gotten lost in the forests clustered around the Plaguelands. They wander for days...sometimes even for weeks. The woods are heavy with magic, and sometimes dragons get entangled, unable to walk or even fly out on their own. Sometimes accidents happen and they are left languishing among the leaves, praying desperately for rescue.
And to a lucky few, indeed, rescue comes.
Somewhere in those forests, there’s a house. It doesn’t matter which forest: It can appear in the Starfall Isles or the Tangled Wood or even among the sparse trees by the Tidelord’s sea. It is made of white stone, seemingly carved from a single massive piece; just pure, unbroken white that gleams even in darkness. Copper and gold filigree crawls delicately across its surface. At intervals the metal curls around panels of jewels; some panels are made of glass. Windows.
And inside, there are warm and comfortable rooms, an inviting hearth. And there she awaits. The witch.
“You’re lost, dear,” she greets wayward travelers — telling them, never asking. “Come inside and rest.”
And she beckons towards her house. From inside come the scents of delicious meals. Roasting meat or simmering vegetables, more often than not the sweet smell of baking pastries.
Inside the house, the travelers are warmed and cared for. They are given nourishing food and drink and offered a place to stay overnight. The witch is pleasant company. She heals travelers if they are ill, listens tranquilly if they are upset. More often than not, however, the travelers are delighted to have found her. She is a good person. She asks for nothing in return; she is solicitous and kind. “It’s just like in fairy tales!” they gush...and the witch’s smile fades ever so slightly.
“Fairy tales are the most dangerous stories,” the witch always warns her guests. “They teach you that no matter what happens to you, no matter how bad or horrible, there’s always a ‘happily ever after’ waiting for you. Don’t be unwise, visitor. They are called tales, not facts, for a reason. Don’t assume that just because you got a second chance now, you’ll get another reprieve next time.”
She looks gravely at her visitors and tells them, “You came here because you deserve a second chance. Use it wisely, and take care not to blunder into trouble again.”
Many dragons, already cowed by their ordeals in the forest, take her words to heart. The next day, they open the door to find that they are magically near civilization, always near friendly dragons who will take them the rest of the way to safety. They bid the witch goodbye, and they sing her praises, tell her tale, for the rest of their days. The House of Second Chances, they call her domain, remembering her somber words.
There are those dragons, however, who do not learn...or who refuse to.
They are the foolhardy, the overconfident, who dare to challenge the forest again. Who dare to ignore the witch’s words: Don’t assume that just because your ordeal is over, you’ll get another chance next time.
They blunder in among the trees, intent on meeting the witch once more. Many of these dragons find danger again. The beasts of the forest assail them, or nature itself takes a hand. They are left lost and shivering, injured and cowed — as they were before the witch first saved them.
But this time, the witch does not come.
It is called the House of Second Chances for a reason. There will be no third chance. No fourth chance. No fifth...
There will be no happily ever after for those who dare challenge the forest a second time.
Somewhere among the trees — a child, crying. Lost and scared and alone. The witch takes them in. She sponges off their sore feet, gives them a bowl of hot stew. The hatchling stares up at them with wondering eyes. “You’re like a fairy go’mother!”
“No, child. I am a witch.”
A smile, no fear. A dangerous combination in one so young. “Like in fairy tales?”
The witch’s mood grows somber. She crouches before the child, and at the back of her mind are bones lying moldering beneath the leaf litter and cries that went ignored. “Please! Save me again....You saved me once before! You saved me once—”
Once. That’s all, no more. If they are meant to survive longer, perhaps the gods will save them, or nature will grant them another reprieve. But not her. Once a dragon leaves her home, she is done with them.
The child’s smile drops off his face as he beholds the witch’s fierce expression. The bowl rattles in his paws. He listens carefully as she warns him, “Fairy tales are the most dangerous stories...”
Will he listen? She can hope so. She would hate to hear his voice again, crying out in the wilderness. Hate to know that his bones have sunk beneath the loamy soil.
But she cannot interfere again. “No more chances. No more,” the forest whispers to her, and she must obey.
After all, the forest needs to feed itself. It needs its happily ever after, too.
The End
Other info:
- This story was originally written for [ShaDom] Poet's Tea Party (2019), where it won 2nd place in Prose.
- Original headcanon by Hnai:
Quote:She's a cool woman that lives in the woods in a cottage. She makes her own baked goods and knows many nature tricks. Some say she's a witch.
- breed change, Skink, and Trail gifted by Alixe
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