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"Even broken hearts of darkness can be mended by the healing power of light and love of those who believe in redemption"
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B I O G R A P H Y
Heart of Flame
______ The night was anything but peaceful. Lightning shattered the sky in brilliant white streaks. Thunder boomed and rattled. Rain poured down in unending icy sheets that doused two shivering figures looking down at a nest of eggs. The eggs glowed yellow softly, shifting as cracks split the surface.
Templar frowned down at the eggs. "They ought to hurry up. We'll freeze to death if we sit here any longer." The plague Imperial hissed, lashing his tail and shaking its wet plume across the floor, scattering it in freezing water droplets.
"Oh hush it, you." Mori said, gazing down at the eggs with delight in her eyes. "They're coming soon. We musn't rush them, storm or no storm." The graceful Skydancer said, clasping her wings tight.
"Easy for you to say. You were born in a clan of ice." The Imperial said with a roll of his eyes. Mori smacked him with one of her wings. "Stop being so negative! The hatchlings can hear you, you know."
He sighed and turned away but grinned as he concealed his face from her. "Too slow to catch me?"
"I'll show you!" The skydancer exclaimed, leaping at her mate with a playful glint in her eyes. He whipped away from her and unknowingly his tail knocked one of the eggs out of the nest and onto the cliff crag of rock.
They were too involved in their little game to realize that the egg slowly rolled off the edge of the cliff and plummeted through the air, straight down into a pool of water below. The egg bobbed in the water, cracks spread across its surface but otherwise unchanged. It drifted towards a stream that trickled away from the pool.
There is a time in life when there are many a "perhaps." Perhaps if the parents had caught the egg before it fell. Perhaps if the egg safely got caught in reeds in the stream and farther away from the pool of water. Perhaps if lightning had not struck in the pool with sudden force that caused the water to light up with electricity.
The jarring shock raced through the pool and into the egg. It lasted but a moment, and then was gone.
No one knows how a moment can change the world forever, until that moment has already happened. This was one of those times.
The egg slowly drifted through the water, pushed by the eddies. It finally got lodged between two rocks among the reeds, on the shallows of the stream. It began to crack, long claw-like abrasions fracturing along its sides. As the icy rain poured down, as lightning split the sky, as thunder boomed and rumbled, a tiny dragonet hatched.
The little dragonet poked his head out of the eggshell, shuddering in the cold. He lifted his wings to the sky, watching in awe as lighting slashed its fierce claws across the sky. He shuddered in both fear and awe before turning and looking where he was.
The small skydancer crept out of the egg and padded slowly into the reeds, flexing his claws and staring at the water eddying around his talons. He let out a laugh of delight, leaping up and down and flapping his wings. Staring up at the weeping sky, he breathed in the moist air deeply.
Then, just for a moment, electricity shot up through his body. The little dragon glowed with electricity, his yellow eyes flashed, and he seemed one with the storm.
Then, just as soon as it came, it was gone. The lightning in his body flickered out and he collapsed to the boggy ground in exaustion. The rain, no longer exhilarating, pounced down on his weak body. He coughed as he tried to drag himself up the bank. "M-M-mothe-" The word died on his lips and he lapsed into unconciousness.
The dragonet awoke to hear shouting. He blinked his eyelids, the world fuzzy beneath them, till he stared in shock at the dragons before him.
"My baby!" The beautiful green skydancer cried, racing forward and clutching the sodden dragonet to her chest. "Templar, we've found him!"
The blue Imperial rushed over and wrapped his mate in his wings. "Thank the Plaguebringer." He whispered.
"Mmmother?" The little dragonet said, tilting his head up at her.
She smiled and brushed his snout with her own. "You need a name, sweetie."
Templar flicked his tail as he had a habit of doing. "How about something to do with the storm in which he hatched, perhaps Barak?"
All of a sudden something flashed in the dragonet's eyes. His whole body flared with electricity.
Mori shrieked as energy coursed through her bones. She dropped the little dragonet abruptly.
He squealed as he fell back into the reeds. The ground, muddy and wet from the storm, slipped under his talons. He shouted as he fell back into the freezing river, flailing his wings desperately.
The typically lazy stream had been energized by the storm's downpour of water and swiftly swept the little dragonet downstream. Dangerous rocks and branches bashed into each other precariously and he screamed for help, flailing in the rapids. His body discharged large amounts of lightning as he did so.
"We gotta get him out of there!" Templar roared, running at the river's edge.
"But look at him! The electric discharge is to powerful, go in there and he'll roast you alive!" Mori protested, her eyes wide and desperate.
Templar's gaze hardened. "Then so be it." Flapping his large wings, he soared over the river and snatched the dragonet in his talons, letting out a screech of pain as lightning flooded into him. He whirled and threw the dragonet into the arms of his waiting mother before collapsing in the stream, his stream, his sides heaving.
Barak looked up at his mother and shuddered, icy water dripping off of his snout. He had calmed down and his body had stopped discharging.
Miro looked down at her shivering child and over at her great Imperial mate, groaning in the river. "Well." She said. "What are we going to do with you?"
After the electric shock Templar was never really the same. He seemed anxious of many things and couldnt always string his sentences together right. He'd stumble about and sometimes smack into things, and every time a storm occurred he would lay in bed and cover himself with the blankets, shivering in fear.
However, they both agreed to hide Barak's powers from the others.
They knew he couldn't stay in a small clan. Every time a storm would happen he'd press himself to the door and gaze out in wonder, his body crackling with energy. Blessing, or curse? Neither knew or probably would ever know.
To hide his powers from others, Barak grew up alone, most of the time in his room. Part of him liked it, and part of him hated it. There had to be a purpose for his life. He wasn't satisfied with cowering away in his room.
But that was the way it must be. His parents knew the shrewd clan leader feared those who challenged his power and that would put their son in danger. His siblings were resentful that he never spent time with them, but one by one he watched them sold off and exalted.
The day came when the clan was attacked by roaming Renegades from the west. They demanded all the gold and food in two days or they would attack and kill them all.
It was winter and many hatchlings had been born. The clan was vulnerable and afraid. Everyone feared the future.
Except Barak. He knew what he must do, to save his clan.
His mother tried to convince him otherwise but he didn't listen to her. It would just be small, enough to scare them away.
The problem was, the night they arrived, there was a storm. Not just a little storm either.
A thunderstorm.
A storm not unlike the one in which Barak hatched.
When the Renegades lined up and demanded payment, Barak was terrified. He couldn't unleash his power- the raging storm would make it uncontrollable. The dragons around him prepared to fight but they all knew they would lose. It was impossible.
The ringleader, a Ridgeback, laughed. He said that they couldn't hold back and that he'd kill them all one by one...starting with...
He flicked his tail all lot a random dragon. A random blue Imperial weakly peering from the doorway, shivering in the cold from the storm.
A random blue Imperial who just happened to be Barak's father.
Barak could only watch in cold horror, as if in slow motion, the dragons charging at Templar and killing him. He screamed in anger and anguish as Templar's head swung back and his eyes gazed on litlessly, his blood pooling around him.
And in that moment, Barak lost control.
In that moment, that mere lapse in time, Barak lost everything.
His pain, his fear, his guilt, and his rage, boiled into a massive stream of radioactive power. He roared and lightning blazed around him. From that moment all he saw was bright flashing light, all he felt was sizzling heat, all he heard were screams of anguish and booms of thunder, all he smelled were scorched scales, and all he tasted was....guilt? Vengeance? Satisfaction? Power?
When the stream faded, when he calmed down, when he came to, he was standing in the middle of devestation.
Everyone was dead.
Everyone.
And everything.
His mother...
Pain and guilt filled his soul and he sobbed. "I'm a monster." He whispered, looking standing the carnage. "A monster..."
He lifted his head and screamed at the raging sky. "Are you happy?! Why did I hatch, Lightweaver? Why didn't I die at birth!? WHY!?"
Why. It is a question we find ourselves asking so many times in our lives. When we feel as though all is lost, when we feel helpless and alone, when those we love are hurt and we lose what we are closest to, when we lay on bed silently screaming our heart out...why.
The problem is, at that point of time when we need it the most, we rarely get an answer.
Barak screamed with tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't take this, couldn't take looking at it anymore. He turned and fled, fleeing for his life.
Of course, the wreckage was discovered and Barak was labeled a criminal. He was being hunted for the mass murder of the clan and its attackers. He lived off of the land, hiding in caves, by waterfalls, in the woods. He was alone and he hated himself. Many times he stared up at the stars and wondered why he had ever hatched in the first place.
That was until Murkglider arrived.
The beautiful green-and-blue Nocturne enchanted the broken-hearted Skydancer from for start. She made him feel worth something...even when she figured out who he was, she still understood. When they had eggs, it was the happiest day of his life.
He never knew she was playing him and working for the justice operators. When she heard he was the infamous Barak she went straight to them and they said to keep up the charade and she'd get paid well.
He played right into her claws and she nearly got him sentenced to imprisonment forever. But she the last moment, although it broke his heart, he switched the cages and fled.
He put his dragonets into an orphanage. It was better that way, he told himself. He was known to be dead and constantly traveled, remaining cold and distant.
Over the years his heart hardened. He'd lost everything, everyone. Nothing mattered to him anymore, nothing at all. He had to steal to survive and remained as far from civilization as possible. He yearned for something, some meaning to his miserable life. Was he a monster? Was he supposed to live this way, forever?
That was until the day he wandered into a land of shadow.
Stumbling through the trees, Barak's throat clenched with thirst. He headed towards a trickling stream in the middle of the woods where he finally relieved his sore throat.
He had no idea a pair of green eyes were watching him.
The dragon of lightning finally sat back and stretched his tight muscles, relief wafting through them.
Just then, a branch snapped in the forest.
Barak whirled around, snarling. His claws flickered with electricity. "Who's there!?" He snapped, showing his sharp fangs.
There was the soft crinklijg sound of a plume dragging in leaf litter as a dragon calmly walked out towards him. He was younger, and his green eyes glowed with wisdom.
Barak backed away. "Get out of here." He growled. Due to the stress, his wings lit up in high voltage. "I don't want to hurt you." He said, and for a moment pain flickered in his eyes. He saw his mother laying on the ground, motionless...
The strange skydancer only looked at him calmly. "Do not worry." He said, and all of a sudden a tendril of light spiraled up his neck.
Barak stared in shock. "You have magic."
The younger dragon dipped his head. "Indeed." He said. "My name is Allenis, what is yours?" The red skydancer asked amiably.
Barak clenched his jaws, backing away. There was nowhere to run, he had no idea how powerful magic was..."B-Barak." He stuttered out, shivering. He was certain now, he'd be captured and maybe even killed. The secret was out now, and he couldn't hide it away again.
Allenis tilted his head. "The Barak?"
The dragon nodded, feeling like a bird in a cage being circled by a cat. He could fight back, but who knows, this Allenis might have already protected himself from his magic already.
The younger skydancer only considered him quietly. "Power isn't a curse." He said in a low voice.
Sudden bitterness welled up in Barak's throat. "Yes it is." He snarled. "It means having something you cant control, something that makes others fear you. It means always feeling lost, feeling empty inside."
Allenis blinked at him softly. What was that in his eyes, pity?
"Come with me." He said turning, saying nothing more.
Barak, confused and still scared, followed him.
Allenis led him out of shadow territory into the land of fire. Surprisingly, the shadow dragon's steps were skillfull over the molten hills.
He led him to a clan perched comfortably on a cliff overlooking a volcano, to a den on the outskirts. Barak was nervous. What was he doing, turning him into his doom?
He could run, he could fight, but he was helpless against magic.
Allenis turned around with a small smile. "Do not fear." Said the younger dragon before rapping on the door.
There was a shuffling sound as a dragon scuffle to the door and swung it open. "Who's there?" He asked in an older but lively voice.
It was a nocturne. He was red and seemed to walk with a limp on one of his legs. His wings held crusty red bandages, and a scarf that had seen better days was wrapped around his neck. Most notable about him was the shimmering red veins that raced through his body. He tilted his head at Barak. "Hello?"
Allenis dipped his head. "Ace, old friend. I have a dragon here to see you."
Ace's head whipped around and he locked eyes with Allenis. "Allenis!" He cried happily, limping forward and using his wings for support before hugging the skydancer briefly. "Has Mirage sent you?"
The red skydancer shook his head. "No, but there is a dragon who I think would benefit from the way you spoke to me, all that time ago. Barak?"
Barak shuffled his talons and dipped his head awkwardly. I'm a monster. his mind whispered. No one wants to be around me. I don't want to be around me.
Ace regarded him quietly. "Barak...I have heard of you. They have said you are to have destroyed an entire village with lightning that is summoned through your talons."
Barak gulped. He remembered the roar of his father, the cries if his mother, the feeling of power running through his veins..."I didn't mean to!" He said desperately. In all this time, no one had ever listened to him long enough for him to say that. "I hatched that way. There was an accident...Lightning struck my egg. I channel the energy of storms, and when they slaughtered my father I lost control....I lost everything..."
The lightning dragon blinked, trying to clear moisture from his eyes. His shoulders shook as he battled himself. "Since then they've hunted me without mercy. What can I say? I deserved it. I slaughtered so many....I killed my own mother.....I..." He crouched as he struggled to regain control. Then the fight left him and his head drooped, the energy bleeding out of him. Shame and guilt swamped his wings.
Both dragons said nothing.
After a few moments, a warm dragon talon touched his shoulder. Barak looked up and gazed into the warm eyes of the much older dragon. "I know..." Ace said quietly, "What it is like to be hated for your power, something you cannot control. Dragons fear what they cannot understand. To be afraid....afraid of what you are, and what you can become."
He pulled back and instantly his wings and talons burst into flame. "It has taken many years and painful lessons to master this power." He said solemnly.
Barak gazed in awe. "You're like....you're like me...."
Allenis, who had been watching silently, nodded. "Ace has control over flames. He is well respected and loved by his clan. He helped me learn about my power of magic when first came to his clan."
Barak looked over at the younger skydancer. "What are you saying?"
Ace smiled. "A chance. A chance for a life. Flix and Verde are very understanding. You could have a chance again."
Barak backed off. This was too much, too much to take in. His head spun and his legs trembled. "I....I need to think about it."
Ace looked over at Allenis and smiled. "We'll be here waiting for you."
Barak was left alone with much time to think. However, the next day he decided that if he had a shot, he should take it. He arrived back at Ace's house and rapped on the door hesitantly. For a few panicked moments all was silent until the door whipped open with a smiling nocturne face on the other side. Behind him stood Allenis, sipping some tea. Welcoming him like an old friend, Allenis and Ace talked to Barak for a long time. The lightning skydancer slowly settled into a sense of peace and even relaxation. The tension he had bore for so long drained from his shoulders, and within a couple of hours he was talking and laughing with them.
This continued for a few weeks, Barak arriving every day to see Ace waiting for him. Allenis missed some days due to court duty, but he always apologized and sat down to talk with them again.
Barak began to feel as though they actually cared about him. They didn't fear him, didn't hate him, didn't look down on him or any of the other reactions Barak had experienced so many times from other dragons. They were simply...there, and that meant more than anything. They talked to him on their level, and he felt welcomed.
Barak watched both Ace and Allenis use their power comfortably multiple times. He was amazed yet cautious, but slowly both dragons taught him how to control the raging storm he carried. Allenis knew much about control, and Ace on channeling energy. Together they were fine mentors, older and younger, and altogether friends.
Finally came the day when Barak knew he couldn't wait any longer. He knew what he wanted, and he wanted it with all his heart.
That day he was going to become a part of Ace's clan.
When he told his friends, they were overjoyed. He felt nervous but excited. This was his chance, a chance at a new life.
Approaching the fire mirror with Ace by his side, Barak calmly dipped his head and waited.
Flix looked up from where he was discussing new den plans with his mate Verde. "Yes?" His eyes flicked pace Ace and landed on Allenis where they kindled warmly. "Allenis! Greetings. Does Mirage have a message?"
Through their conversations, Barak had learned that Allenis had to flee from his hatching clan to escape his sorcerer grandfather who wished to teach him powerful dark magic. Allenis had been taken under Flix's wing and was helped with control over his power by Ace. Flix finally counseled him to join Mirage's clan, but Allenis has a talon in this clan since.
The regal skydancer who Barak had come to respect shook his head lightly. "No, just to visit." He said, flicking his tail.
"Very well then. You are always welcome." Flix turned back over to Barak. "What is it you wish?" He asked. Although he was younger, the way he held himself portrayed him as a wise and just leader.
Barak dipped his head. "Flix, I wish to join your clan."
A spark of surprise ignited in the mirror's eyes but he smiled. "Surely, we welcome those in need who come to us. Ace, am I aware you know this dragon?"
Ace nodded, his talons flaring with fire. "He has a good heart and is a kind soul."
Flix turned back towards Barak. "High praise from a noble dragon. What is your name?"
For a moment, Barak lost his tongue. His name was feared and famed throughout the lands...but that was his old name. He was starting over, a new life. A new name.
Feeling suddenly pressure leave his wings, Barak turned and looked at Ace and Allenis who were smiling. "Aldwyn." He said suddenly. "My name is Aldwyn." He faced the mirror leader, thrusting his chest out.
Umber, the bogsneak scholar, looked up from where he rested in the shade. "Ah...fine name indeed. It means old friend. Your parents must have named you after someone very dear to them."
Aldwyn nodded. "Yes." He said, but his gaze was set on Ace and Allenis, who were smiling.
Flix stepped forward. "Very well. Aldwyn, from this day forth you are one of the Hearts of Flame. By accepting this offer, this clan will become your family. We support each other, defend each other, and love each other till the very end. Do you accept?"
Aldwyn dipped his head, feeling a newfound joy and peace sweep over him. "Yes."
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