Crocosmia

Nestling
Her mother’s warm kisses were the first thing to greet her as she opened her eyes. Her father, Rufous, and his toothy grin was the next, his lumbering head nudging her up as her fuzzy form struggled to stand. Dromaeus chicks were precocial, and so they were able to stand on their own not long after their birth. All Crocosmia needed was a little boost, and soon she was standing, albeit wobbly, then walking, stumbling, and standing again. Through trial and error the nestling was able to find her footing and prance about the yard with a large grin upon her face. Some days food came easy and she slept with a full belly. Most times meals were small or outright skipped. At this age she couldn’t understand why. She also didn’t know why her family had to change homes so frequently. Her first home was on a farm near the mountains’ base. It ended up getting raided, though this was not to Crocosmia’s knowledge at the time.

Fledgling
It wasn’t until she was older that she was able to comprehend these things. Enemy forces frequently threatened them and the land they lived on, so whenever danger came knocking they proceeded to pack their possessions and move elsewhere. Her father went to work in the mines, his job requiring him to work long hours and be far from home most of the time. Her mother, Eve, meanwhile took whatever odd job she could grab while still being able to care for her fledgling. Food was hard to come by thanks to the seemingly never-ending war, but they were able to get by. Even at this age Crocosmia’s adventurous and rambunctious spirit was apparent to her parents. She got into everything as they traveled to and fro. She climbed trees, leapt about rocks, chased bugs and small rodents. She would unintentionally make her mother fret with all the cuts and scrapes she’d get from early fly attempts and from getting into fights with animals that she shouldn’t have confronted in the first place. And on days when she was extra hungry, she even tried swiping things from neighbors, of which her family would eventually find out and make her apologize for.

Adolescent
Thanks to her mother doing a bunch of odd jobs, Crocosmia experienced many different kinds of labor before reaching her teens. She tended to slack off or even wander off from her schoolmates whenever they went on “field trips” as she felt that she had already learned enough about the various jobs, figuring that they just weren’t for her. It was during these times that she would hang out with Hemlock and Halcyon, who attended the same school within the town of Ridgesteppe. Sometimes the three would be up to mischief, like sneaking in or out at improper times, or taking things without asking. Now that’s not to say that she wasn’t a good student. Crocosmia focused greatly on her studies, especially general survival skills and battle training. She and her family finally hadn’t needed to move for a good couple months or more. She didn’t want to have to move again, especially since her mother was thinking about settling in Preyma. The teenage avus didn’t like the thought of moving into a crowded town; she always preferred the wide open spaces all her other homes have had.

She was determined to learn how to fight so she could protect herself, her family, and her home from any future raiders. Eventually such a time did unfortunately come. A neighbor came rocketing towards them, warning that Hippus forces were coming. Just as they had done before, her mother began to pack, begging Crocosmia to do the same. Her father, meanwhile, wasn’t there as he was away on business as per usual. When she saw her mother talking to the neighbor, the young avus took this chance not to pack any necessities, but to instead snatch up and run off with the makeshift weapon she had made. She didn’t want to move again. She didn’t want to have to say goodbye to those she was getting to know, nor to the place she was growing to love. And so she rushed into war, and her impulsiveness cost her. She ended up getting injured, slashed across her right cheek by sharp avian claws. The superficial wound wasn’t the only consequence of her actions however.

As soon as her mother realized what her daughter had done, she had practically thrown herself into danger to save Crocosmia. Eve suffered from a blow to her side as she shielded her daughter, the impact swift and powerful enough to break ribs. Though both managed to make it off the battlefield and somewhere safe, that was the farthest her mother could go. One of her lungs had been punctured by the broken ribs, resulting in labored breathing that both worried and terrified Crocosmia. She managed to find help for her, but unfortunately not much could be done. At both Eve’s and the doctor’s insistence, they moved to Preyma where her mother could be better treated and rations were easier to get. Crocosmia didn’t even have time to say goodbye to her friend Hemlock. As much as she wanted to stay, her mother was of higher priority. Her father was notified what had occurred, and hurried there as well. Eve passed away not long after the move from hemothorax.

Crocomsia stayed in Preyma for a little while longer as part of her mother’s dying wish, and she continued her schooling there. Even still, she found that her adventurous heart pulled her to other places. Over time her guilt over being responsible for her mother’s death morphed into a deep resentment for the hippus, and as such fueled her desire for vengeance.

Legal Adult
As soon as the hen had reached adulthood, she already thought of enlisting herself into the war now that she was finally old enough to. However, at her father’s insistence she held off until she no longer felt she could. Before signing up, she did odd jobs here and there just like her mother had done. Most particularly she, or rather another avus, found that she had a knack for helping others navigate through tricky terrain. They had requested Crocosmia’s aid in accompanying them from Preyma to a rather remote village off the main road, even offering to pay them for their efforts. “A path walked alone is a lonely one indeed.” They had said. They were older too, and their spouse, who usually was with them, had unfortunately passed away not long before from illness. The young hen was extra careful in where they went, mostly because she didn’t want to risk the elder getting injured. They noticed her diligence and praised her for it before asking politely if they could have her assistance again sometime in the future.

Though Crocosmia said she would, she never saw the avus again. She later found out that they had passed away, joining their spouse to fly with the dragons. Somehow the encounter stuck with her for years after. At the time, however, it was shrugged off in favor of focusing upon one goal: retribution for her mother’s death. She and her father got into a bad argument over it. He didn’t want to lose her to war so soon after they had lost Eve. Yet the stubborn hen refused to listen, and not long afterwards joined in on the war effort. Training began almost immediately. The hen found that, in some ways, it was like the survival and battle classes at school. The difference was that the instructors, or well, drill sergeants, tended to be far less lenient when it came to errors or disobedience. She often ended up in trouble because of her stubbornness and impulsiveness. Crocosmia was even almost forced to quit training, deemed unfit to be a soldier by most. That was when a certain apricot-colored avus took over as her mentor.

Zinnia saw potential in the young dromaeus. The traits that were but annoyances to the others were seen by the monarch as both strengths and weaknesses. On one hand they could keep one going even after injury or in times of hopelessness. On the other, however, such could lead one straight into obvious danger and land them upon death’s door. She could determine that Crocosmia had the mind for strategy, but she had not yet learned the restraint needed in order to think plans out in full before carrying them out. She also came to tell that there was more to this avus’ actions than just general troublemaking; there was reason behind the boldness and the rush to get things done. There was a reason behind the fiery temper too, though she didn’t put up with that; there was only so much the entitled avus could tolerate. But she also didn’t know when to give up. Crocosmia came to admire that in her mentor. And she came to admire the various tricks she’d pull when they sparred.

Young Adult
Her training continued on into her third year of life. She continued learning under Zinnia, who taught her not only restraint, but also ways to get the upper hand even when the odds seemed stacked against her. Sure they butted heads now and then, as was to be expected when two firm and opinionated avus interact with one another, but for the most part they got along rather well. The monarch found that Crocosmia was both quick and quiet on her feet, and that she had good reflexes too. She could even go places where most other dromaeus couldn’t. However, she was also rather squishy; easy for larger or heavier avus to take down if they managed to catch her. Zinnia ascertained that the younger hen would do well as a scout. Crocosmia at first thought it unfair, especially after all the preparation she had gone through to get this far. Scouts were meant to gain information, not kill counts. At least it was so to her knowledge.

Her mentor was quick to correct her. Zinnia informed her how important, and dangerous, such an assignment really was. Besides, scouts actually did indeed fight; it was often unavoidable. Given that her mentor was the monarch herself, Crocosmia did catch sight of her daughter on occasion when she came to meet with her mother. The two, however, hadn’t many interactions as the spry avus was often dismissed upon Reprise’s arrival. Crocosmia managed to complete her training not long after that, and barely a month had passed when she was given her first mission. It was on an early morning patrol that the young hen had bumped into a rather strange fellow. Apparently he was assigned to the same squadron as her. The roo introduced himself as Eryngo. First interactions were poor, but over time as the two went on more and more missions together, they became frenemies.

Adult
Crocosmia spent many years in the war as a soldier and scout, having at some point joined Captain Argus’ flight. She even ran into her old friend Hemlock a good number of times. One day amongst the many she had received an alarming message about her father. The mine that he was working in had filled up with an unbearable amount of smoke. The miners there were fire-setting; a dangerous task to perform in underground areas, especially those with inadequate ventilation. Some of the workers there made it out. Rufous was not one of them. It was originally thought that proper ventilation was made… Rumors claimed the hippus were responsible, and Crocosmia, in all her rage and sorrow, was all too eager to believe them. Eryngo was there in her time of need and helped comfort her. She and him eventually ended up getting really close, but before they could truly cement things the roo perished to enemy forces. Something changed in her after that…

After the war was over Crocosmia became a travel guide, helping those traveling between kingdoms and making sure that they got to their destinations safely. It was during her work that she often accompanied Lichen. Though the latter didn’t really need much protection from bandits or wild animals, she did sometimes end up upside down or lose merchandise. Crocosmia would aid in turning Lichen right side up or aid in finding her missing objects. It was also on one of Crocosmia’s travels that she stumbled upon Rowan, first trying to help find his missing parents but later ended up adopting him.

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