Alexiel's Brown Xavelth

Little White Lie Egg

From far away, this egg appears to be a perfectly smooth, perfectly shaped egg in a swirling purple hue. It is on the smaller side, though still of an ample size to house a growing dragon. As the egg is approached, the size and shape remain the same, but the /color/... it isn't a purple egg after all, but a carefully mottled egg of red and blue that blend together upon the egg's surface, deceptively appearing to be a different color altogether. The speckles on the egg seem to tell their own stories, as if whispering the secrets of the dragon growing inside.

Egg Inspiration: That tiny little untruth that can start innocently yet spawn so many consequences, this egg's inspiration is a little white lie.

Hatching Message: Little White Lie Egg shudders again, a hairline crack sliding across the egg from apex to base. Then there is a raging burst of temper from the dragonet within, sending shards of the blue and red that make up the seemingly purple egg outward in a starburst of color, leaving a birthwet hatchling creeling throatily and standing defiantly among the shards.

Sterling Savage Brown

Nearly dark as pitch, this compact brown is a mass of well-defined muscle, a creature with alert strength at his ready command. Across his ebon-brown hide, veins of streaked silver flow, streaming thick about his burly shoulders and flanks. Those same streaks fan out so tight and fine across his heavy wingsails that they seem cast in a ghostly light. Energy is compressed in every fiber of his being, ready to uncoil like a taut-wound spring from his protruding muzzle, down his thick legs, and to the tip of his streamlined tail. Blackness clings about his muzzle and small, intense eyes, around his chiseled jaw and up to headknobs that curve inward like horns. That same absolute dark marches down his jagged neckridges, silver-tipped as if the fine metal veins of his hide erupt from each black peak. Silver, too, are the long talons that adorn his broad paws with dangerous intent.

Final Size: 30.1

Dragon Inspiration: The theme for this clutch is characters/beings that are black or white, and the X-men's Wolverine is both a match to your fondness for wolves and a darker character from that fandom who still serves the side of 'white.' The character, and indeed, the series, has its own mythology as well, and pulls from a number of ancient archetypes of both good and its nemesis. Wolverine was forged by intent, having volunteered for the experiments that provided him with his metallic 'talons." Protective, creative, intuitive, yet with a reckless streak, that's your Xavelth. There are also a few traits of the arctic wolverine blended in, such as in his eating habits, and a few liberal daubs taken from Fenris or Fenrir myths as well.

For more information about Wolverine the character, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine_(comics) or http://www.marvel.com/universe/Wolverine_(James_Howlett)

His description is an attempt to capture a moment in the first X-men film where Rogue first sees Wolverine in a cage fight; his bare back is to the camera, silhouetted against the silver cage bars, and his entire physique is pure muscular energy, nearly twitching in anticipation of what is to come. The rest of the description is more faithful to the portrayal of Wolverine in the comics, with his trademark hairstyle shaping his draconic counterpart's headknobs and his utterly burly stance dominating Xavelth's appearance. The silver highlights stem both from the depictions of the character and from the invented metal adamantine, as it is indestructible as well as being the source of the razor-sharp claws he can produce.

Name: Xavelth - Xavelth's name comes from Charles Xavier, mastermind and organizer of the X-men Academy, and from Wolverine's name with a touch of savage tossed in.

Mindvoice: The slow rumble of an avalanche, the thin grating of metal on slate, the steady rasp of sandpaper, those are all present in Xavelth's mental touch. He may stick to black and white, or he may focus on highlighting a single color, though that color may overwhelm the rest of the image -- a patch of lush green, a red belt or scarf, a silver chain emphasized by his description. His stronger senses of scent and taste will be especially vivid in his contact with you, every scent and flavor of the herdbeast shared. Sometimes his contact may leave a near-metallic taste in your own mouth when you communicate, especially when he's newly hatched.

Internal Impression Message: One moment you're just standing there with your feet burning, and the next there is this burst of arctic cold, coming in icy waves like a sickness, so many scents - fear and sweat and albumen - assaulting you at once. Your vision swims, your legs buckle, and there's a searing pain, like liquid metal being injected into your veins. And then, -his- presence, melding with yours and melting the snowfall into damp rivulets that trickle from your temples and down your palms. << Alexiel! I am Xavelth! >>. The intensity redoubles with a new agony, the most painful hunger you have ever experienced - but he is there to draw strength from even as he stumbles over eggshells and scrapes his wing on one. A sheer pain shoots through your arm, and he leaps toward you, landing roughly at your feet, solace and drive in his gravelly, commanding tone. << C'mon, I'll take care of you. >>

External Impression Message: The Sterling Savage Brown tenses, his sticky damp nostrils flaring as he tests the air, scenting for his target, listening for the sound, unheard by his dwindling clutchmates, that calls just to him. Then he finds it, and in his urgency, he trips on a cluster of eggshells and pierces his wing on one, leaving a small ichor-damp streak. With a defiant creel, he leaps toward a slim candidate with strawberry blonde hair, landing roughly at her feet: I've found you.

Temperament

Weyrling:

As a youngster, your Xavelth may be brash and protective, particularly of you or of people he determines that you care about. However, he has a near-recklessness, a need for speed and adventure that may land you in hot water with your Weyrlingmasters. Sometimes it may be difficult for him to understand his fellows or to get along with his clutchmates, but his bravado may win him admirers. For example, when dared, he could be even more of a risk-taker, willing to partake in demonstrations of physical prowess -- like carrying more sacks of firestone than any other weyrling dragon, encouraging you to load them on, << Just one more, Alexiel! I'm strong enough, really! >> -- just to prove he can.

He may find lessons dull unless they can be put to immediate use, and he's the type to be so utterly distracted by the subject of the lesson that he fails to register any of the information. Visualizations? He'll just jump in, foolhardy and inaccurate until and unless you provide that firm direction he lacks.

He'll prefer to fly hard, pushing until his muscles are straining, and without straps and harness, unfettered with the wild freedom of the mythical wolf Fenrir before his ribbon-like prison was forged, so this will be one area where, despite his amazing strength and stamina, you'll have to be especially firm with him, Alexiel. In those times he does strain himself, you'll likely find he will heal much faster than normal dragons.

But he has a secret weakness: he's ticklish, and those moments of oiling when you happen to brush those secret spots like the one found right along his muscular chest or along his belly, will reveal to you his sense of humor and of mirth that may other times seem buried in his intense and serious nature.

Adult:

Xavelth will likely not outgrow his temper; he's particularly protective if he feels you are threatened or particularly defensive if he feels he's failed at something. As he matures, he may be brooding or have a tendency to lapse into sullen silences, but it'll be up to you to kick him out of his funk and get him enthused again. As his companion, your unique bond will allow you to influence his behavior, just as he influences yours.

He's incredibly resourceful in solving challenges and manipulating objects in new ways that could make him an asset in firelizard training, Dragonhealing, Search and Rescue, or any of your other passions, willing to shift allegiances between these groups as it suits you both. He'll encourage you warmly in moments of utter kindness of compassion, but also treat you with tough love when needed, giving that extra push if your confidence wavers. << There is no reason for you to hesitate. The opportunity is there. You must speak up. Now go. >>

All that posturing takes effort to maintain, and your Xavelth won't mind the hard work. He may take to physical labor to keep himself in tip-top shape, encouraging you to offer his help to a minecrafter with a heavy haul to move, or a neighboring Holder seeking aid in raising the stones for a new courtyard wall. He might not be as enthusiastic about carrying others on his back, but if he senses it is important to you, he'll make the sacrifice.

Xavelth has super keen hearing among his kind, which will prove an advantage, but his eyesight may not be as sharp as most of his clutchmates. The Dragonhealers will find no obvious problems if he's examined, however, and he'll certainly be safe to fly and to fight. In fact, he'll prove particularly adept at Search as well, having an especially developed intuition about who might be good to Stand for upcoming clutches.

Flight:

Xavelth will be especially perceptive when it comes to sensing a lady nearing her time, and he'll do his best to curry her favor before the flight even begins. He can be verbally direct, perhaps asserting that he's the only one worthy of twining tails with her, for clearly the other contenders are ashpit sweepers in comparison.

For all his rough masculine charm might win him over her affections, he's not so kind to his meals or to his competition. For that is how he sees them all -- he might shred or puncture his feeding-grounds victims during blooding, demonstrating his dexterity and raw strength. Once he takes to the skies, jealousy of other males will make pushing, shoving, or posturing the order of the day. In the air, he's a stolid fighter and his intense strength will shine through with feral twists, fluid turns and powerful dives. He may try to excuse his behavior to you, telling you with utter commitment, << I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice. >>

If Xavelth should be fortunate, or perhaps crafty, enough to win a flight, he'll dote on his lady love, at least as long as he remembers. If it is a goldflight that bring eggs to the sands, he'll likely go through periods of utter devotion to his young conflicting with a desire to run.

Wing:

When working with a wing, your Xavelth will develop his sense of purpose, and he'll devote all his energies to ridding Pern of the menace. He might tend to act independently and veer out of formation on a whim, bringing the ire of his wingleader down on you both, but his actions are motivated by sincere concern for others and a cocky, deep-rooted belief that he's the best man, er, dragon, for the job.

He will relish the thrill of the fight, singeing every rope in drills and every Thread in the sky with near-reckless abandon. He may like the smell of firestone or of the ash that comes after the flame, and he may push you to have a weyr near the firestone storage area or the - ugh -- ashpits, taking comfort in the scent.

Should you desire a leadership role, he'll either push you heartily toward it or flake ruthlessly in its pursuit, feeling no need to please anyone or to prove himself 'worthy.' << You go ahead! I'll just be over here having a herdbeast. Lemme know how it goes. >> He is extremely loyal, especially if he senses that you really, really need him, though he'd never admit or say it aloud. While he can be aloof when he's 'playing it cool,' he will try to make you proud -- even if his efforts may prove awkward.

Credits:

Egg: Noemie
Description: Nolee
Temper: Nolee
Puppeteer: Nolee