Verusha

Heir of the Glimmerblood tribe, Verusha is the last of her group. After her parents' disastrous raid against the established clan Drakel nearby, they were forced into hiding. Injured and unprepared for future fights, the tribe's leaders Feralice and Dredeavol fled. The pair lay low, trying their best to recover. They had a nest, a large clutch, but were in no shape to defend their eggs. In the Viridian Labyrinth, this is a bad situation indeed, as many animals would gladly eat unprotected dragon eggs. In a desperate bid to ensure some offspring survived, the couple stashed their eggs in a few small animal burrows.

Sadly, their daily check-ups on their eggs found that the eggs weren't hidden nearly well enough. Fearful for the fate of the final remaining egg, Feralice retrieved it from its hiding place. Even broken, surely she and her partner could keep one egg safe.

Edible plants were mercifully easy to get close to the pair's temporary home and nest, so there was little need to scavenge on an average day. Water was a different matter, though. While water sources were close, they were technically encroaching on Drakel's fringe territory. Going even the small distance to the pool risked being seen, and going too often could create a scent trail. And then there was the need for medicinal herbs. With little available to treat their bites and gashes, the two resorted to using their silks to bind wounds in the hopes of preventing infections. Despite this measure, sometimes infection happened, and their limited knowledge of herbal remedies severely crippled their chances of recovering.

The scent of dragon usually warded off most creatures. But then, usually the scent was stronger. Dragons live in groups for a reason. Even if they could both remain close to the nest all the time, they were only two. Their scent was tainted by pestilence. Opportunistic beasts were willing to take chances with them. The Pearlcatchers defended their nest as best they could, usually focusing on trying to maim their attackers. Any single predator knows that if it is lame, it likely won't be able to hunt again. Being maimed is essentially just being killed very slowly. The threat of it alone encouraged some animals to back off. This meant little to pack hunters though. Wolves and parda were their worst fears.

Feralice's shoulder cuts were badly infected. While the rest of her wounds had healed by now, her shoulder kept getting worse and worse. Still, they were doing well. Their egg was close to hatching, any day the hatchling would crack through the shell. Dredeavol worried for his mate. He couldn't leave the nest for any reason now: as the more recovered of the two, he stood some chance of being able to defend their egg alone. Feralice, however, was in no condition to. If she was left alone with the egg, both would likely be killed. She was no safer when alone getting water for herself or her mate, but predators were less likely to target her when there was no nest to loot. Honestly, if any predator was successful and reached their nest, it would likely be disappointed when it found only one egg.

Verusha hatched into an unusual situation. Now that she was hatched, she could be moved, and the parents' chose to move immediately. Feralice's shoulder wounds meant she couldn't sustain flight, and the hatchling was difficult to carry anyway, so they traveled slowly. They had to choose between leaving Drakel territory and going deeper in. Drakel's territory encompassed the lushest bit of land in the area aside from the territory right up against Nlok's River, which was far too dangerous itself. The less rich land would be more difficult to find food in... but there would also be less predators. Predators they did find would be more desperate, though.... In the end, they decided to push deeper into Drakel territory. The closer they got to other dragons, the less hunter animals they would encounter. The clan was their enemy, but they likely wouldn't harm the hatchling, so either way their legacy was assured. The child was taught about her family's struggles, and encouraged to try and reclaim their former high points.

Dredeavol was fatally injured while defending Verusha from a group of podids. When Feralice returned with water and some salve, she found that her mate was on the cusp of death, offering feeble coos to their daughter. Verusha was tucked in his arms, utterly terrified of what was happening to her father. Maybe if she didn't look, he wouldn't get worse. Feralice sank to her mate's level and covered his weak paw with her own. He fell quiet and met her gaze. She nuzzled him, whispering. "I'll find somewhere safe for her, Dre. I'll make sure she's safe." Verusha quieted somewhat, comforted by her mother's voice. This comfort disappeared as Feralice grew more frantic, whispering increasingly fervent promises to a mate she could tell was already dead.

Despite her assurances, Feralice wasn't sure what to do about Verusha. She knew she couldn't defend the child alone for long. If a group of podids could defeat her husband, much the same could happen to her as well. Their tribe had essentially dissolved after they failed to defeat Drakel, so she had no one to turn to. She resigned herself to the only solution possible for Verusha's safety. She would walk to Drakel, the nearest clan, and beg forgiveness. If they took her in, it would be a blessing. If not, at the very least they were likely to accept the hatchling. If that didn't work out either, she would have to catch one of the clan's members and see if they'd be willing to claim Verusha as their own without tipping off where she was originally from.

Unsurprisingly, the clan was on edge at her approach. A group of warriors confronted her before she'd even gotten close enough to see the clan's structures on the horizon. She lowered herself appropriately, moving slowly so as to ward off hostility. When the warriors neared, they seemed to calm at the sight of her shoulder. She was no threat to them. The squad's leader, Drisven, asked her motivation for returning. The guard seemed unsure how to respond when shown a hatchling, and sent one of her underlings to fetch the clan's leader.

Feralice was filled with fear when she realized that the Spiral she'd attacked during their raid, Agarru, was the one who would decide her and Verusha's fate. She didn't bother to mask her trembling, and he was graceful enough to ignore it. Under his judgement, she wouldn't be permitted any closer to the clan. When she asked on her child, he seemed confused.

"Surely you want to raise your daughter?" He asked.

"Of course I want to. But... I can't protect her." Feralice said. The Spiral seemed to look more closely at her shoulder before responding.

"What of the rest of your group?"

"Gone. I haven't seen any of them in months, excepting my mate, and he... he's already done all he can." Her eyes fell, and Agarru could guess what that meant.

"Well, if she has nowhere else to go..." He trailed off.

A desperate look from Feralice was all the answer he got.

"Then I suppose we have to accept her, don't we?" Agarru said. The tears in Feralice's eyes were answer enough. The dragoness gave what little she had- a lion headdress and some gold jewelry- as Verusha's birthright, and offered the hatchling her final goodbyes. Verusha was old enough to understand what was going on, but she was unwilling to accept what was happening. Agarru sent Drisven and half her squad away to continue patrols, and seemed willing to wait however long was needed. Feralice promised over and over that she loved Verusha, of course she didn't want to leave her here, but this is what they both had to do. Verusha knew this was true, but she tried desperately to deny her way out of it. In the end, though, Verusha recognized that her mother's wishes were for the best. She left with Agarru willingly.

Feralice's ambition filled Verusha's blood. She thrived in leadership positions, quickly taking the lead in her friendships and among the guard. She turned her hungry eyes to the clan. She knew she would never be able to openly hold it- her parents' attack was still fresh in her clanmates' minds, and though they accepted her they were unlikely to trust her enough. They didn't trust their leader Agarru either though, and Verusha saw her way to power through her friend Hestrine. Hestrine was Desuto's daughter, and would easily be accepted as a leader. Verusha could rule through her.

Verusha encouraged Hestrine to go for leadership. Hestrine knew Verusha wanted to control the clan, and agreed to help- though she stressed that she would hold all the power due to her as leader, leaving Verusha as an advisor of sorts. Verusha got her friend Aganon to go along with it as well, and the three threw themselves in training, mentally and physically. Finally, they were ready.

Hestrine publicly challenged Agarru for his title. If those present assented to it, the challenge would be legitimized and Agarru would either step down or fight for his place. Luckily, the challenge passed. Agarru stood his ground, and the two fought. In the end, Hestrine won only because she was clearly not going to give up ever. Agarru walked away much healthier than her, though technically the loser of the encounter.

Verusha was essentially Hestrine's consultant, joined in the position by Aganon. She is mostly content with the role, though she'll always wish circumstances could have been different.