benjoey's Clan

he/him/his, frt+2

The clan of Tree-mates lore:

So there were once these cool dragons, even cooler than most dragons which are already awesome. Their names were DragonBestie and Laura, and they were very good friends, to eachother and to the world. One day, as they were flying around looking at how lovely trees looked from above, they started talking about living in the trees. First as a fun idea, then as a real prospect.

They found the most luscious tree they could, and landed in the strong branches.

"Hello friend!" Laura shouted to a nearby lemur "Does anybody claim this tree as their own?"

The lemur hopped over and responded that indeed, this was the house of several birds, that were all on vacation this week.

The pair were saddened at this news; this was the best tree in the forest for dragons. Many large branches were perfect for bearing their powerful weight. Maybe they could ask the bird family to find a more fitting home for smaller animals?

Placing his faith in Laura's skills of persuasion, DragonBestie began work on their nests. If you have never seen a dragon's nest, it slightly resembles a bird's nest in the way the pipe organ of Notre Dame Cathedral slightly resembles a toy piano, The way the Taj Mahal slightly resembles a pop-up tent.

If you were to design the most aesthetically perfect nest you could imagine, and show it to a dragon, the dragon would give you a hug and a smile, then pin it on their fridge, half obscured by their shopping list.

In a dragon's nest, every branch, every twig, every blade of grass is chosen individually for its proper place. The element is then whittled and carved to have a design, both within itself and as part of the larger whole of the nest, much the same as single feathers combine to make a wing.

Every dragon has their own style, formed over years of studying first their parent's art, that is, their birth-nest. If they wish to become a nestor, they then study far and wide, finding bits and pieces from other styles, finding ways to blend ideas into their own. There is no concern over theft of ideas in dragons. Each newcomer is too proud to completely mimic another's art, and it is a high honor for an older nestor to see a part of their life's work passed on in new form.

DragonBestie was an an aspiring nestor, so it was to his art the birds returned from their vacation. They were in awe; they had built and lived in nests their whole lives, but had never witnessed the splendid perfection of a dragon's nest. They could do nothing but watch; they had no concern for their safety so close to a mighty dragon, and this was a magnificent sight.

An hour later, Laura was returning from gathering their insectoid dinner, and saw a flock of birds sitting in a ring around her friend, peppering him with questions about twigs, as he tried his best to demonstrate his technique for the audience.

"...then it's just a bit of tapering- Oh Laura! That's Laura guys. Laura, these are the birds Miss Lemur was talking about."

After some more introductions, Laura got down to the business of the tree, as a possible future home. The birds were very reluctant to go, as they knew this area well, and the neighbors were all their friends. They were sorry, especially at all the work her friend had put into this nest, but they could not move.

With that, Laura had another idea! "We don't need to use all the branches; some are not large enough to bear us. You are not large enough for having giant nests in these thicker branches. What if we shared the tree? We get the thicker, you the thinner. And to make up for the inconvenience of the new split, DragonBestie will teach you how to make nests like a dragon."

After the shortest meeting the birds had ever held, they agreed to the arrangements, and welcomed their new friends in.

And so the clan of Tree-Mates was born!

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