Trico

T R I C O - -
beware the shadows, lest you become one
theme song | world information

username: Sunlitsecrets 

name: Trico

gender: male

age: equivalent of an 18-year-old human

prompt: 

It is said that many years ago, when the world was new and the three kingdoms were still one, the dragons still lived with us. A proud and noble race that shone like diamonds and flew like the wind. They were the helpers of all, the friends of everyone.

. But then the fire came. The kingdom’s leader, Wander, struck by paranoia, burned his own city to the ground, and blamed the deed on the very same dragons who had done so much for the world. Many fell for Wander’s lies - they turned against them, and all the dragons were infuriated. They stormed out in a flurry of wings and tails, vowing to never return.

. A few people knew what had really happened. They started their own kingdom to the south, and in the wake of all the arguing and distress, the world split into pieces. Endless islands in a vast sea. This is the Great Divide, one of the biggest calamities of Silvarum’s long history.

. That’s usually where the story ends. Wander starts the fire, the dragons leave, and half the world goes on believing a lie, living under a crazed ruler. But things are always more complicated.

. There was one dragon that was left behind. He was adopted by the dragon tribe as a youngster, and though not quite one of their own, he behaved just like the others and looked quite similar, too. But this one had no wings. He couldn’t fly away with the others. And when they left in a furious group, they forgot about the one. They left him behind.

His name was Trico, and his story, while not commonly told, became a legend.

- - - -

“No,” the young viscet whispered, watching his brethren flap away, into the air and off to the north. “No!” Trico wanted to cry, to shout and scream at them to come back. But he was the youngest, the weakest, and he was all on his own. The angry mob still in the ruined square was throwing stones at his people as they left - what would they do to him, a tiny thing with no easy way to escape?

. Trico made up his mind. Who cared about sensible choices? He didn’t want to be stuck on his own.

. He screamed as loud as he could.

. Heads turned in his direction. A crowd of angry, scared, confused animals, looking for something to direct their emotions towards. The tall giraffe king, Wander, leader of the land (his leader before all this had happened) said “Catch him! He must pay for his crimes!”

. The mob rushed at him. Trico froze in terror - he would easily have been caught then and there, if not for a swift figure who leapt down from a still-smoldering rooftop, grabbed the viscet by the scruff, and ran for it. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, there was no way for his pursuers to keep up. Even the birds didn’t have as much stamina or speed as his mysterious rescuer.

. It was only when the screams for vengeance had finally faded that the other finally let him go, in the middle of a mostly destroyed building. The flames had almost completely consumed it - it was little more than four broken walls and an ashen floor, now. Trico turned around, coughing from the smoke still in the air, and saw his savior.

. A tall, dark viscet with strange, long horns and deep eyes. Most of his fur was covered up by a red cape, but Trico still noticed the similarities between the two of them.

. “Are you a dragon, too? I’ve never seen you before...” Trico asked, curious but apprehensive. He knew every single one of the dragons. So who was this stranger?

. The other laughed, short but ominous. “You could say that. I’m not... quite from around here, though. Just a wandering traveler, making my own way in the world.” He was fiddling with a pouch tied around his neck with string. “The name’s Malorin. You’re Trico, right?”

. “How... how do you know that?”

. Malorin smiled a sly smile. “Travelers know things.” Trico wasn’t stupid enough to ask any more about that - this odd fellow could easily turn around and drag him back to the mob, he looked strong enough.

“You’re wondering why I saved your life. Thing is, you have a mighty important future in front of you. It would be a pity to waste it. Besides, I needed a good moment to give you this...”

. That pouch from before - Malorin had pulled something out of it. A strange shard of silver, with an eerie blue glow. He held it out in one paw for Trico to take. The younger viscet didn’t really think he had a choice. He took the object, peering at it intently. “So what’s this? Why’s it so important?”

. “One day, you’re going to find yourself in an unescapable situation. When that day comes...” Malorin explained, “take it in your paw. Speak my name. And I will save your life.”

. Yeah, this felt really suspicious. “Why me? Why bother? And how do you know about the future anyway?”

. He flipped the hood of his cape back, put a finger up to his lips as if to say ‘shh! It’s a secret!’ and merely said, “Like I said, you’ve got a big life ahead of you. You’re going to do wonderful things. All you need... is a little help getting there.”

. Trico didn’t trust him. Of course he couldn’t. But after Malorin left and the blue glow had faded to a dull light, he found he didn’t want to let the object go. He didn’t want to never figure out the mystery.

. He found a piece of string in the ruined home, tied the small pendant around his wrist. Then he ran off into the night, into the forest, to try and figure out what he was going to do now.

. The shouts were getting closer.

----

It took him a while to decide what to do with his life now that he was alone. He tried to go back to the city after the chaos had calmed down, but apparently he was a wanted criminal there now. For a crime he had never committed. He couldn’t even breathe fire, for goodness sake! How was he supposed to be responsible for burning down buildings?
. Wander just needed someone or something to put the blame on to stop people from thinking it was him. Many already had, and they’d started a kingdom of their own down south. Starheart, they called it. If anyone would believe him, it would be them. They were the sensible ones.
. So Trico went down to the Star kingdom, and there he was welcomed with open arms. The people there sympathized with him - apparently Wander had branded them all as traitors when they left. Everyone was a criminal now.
. But still, he felt wrong. He felt like he should be doing something to help his dragon kin, even if they were miles away. So he became the invisible helper. Late at night, Trico would sneak into Wander’s town, do some kind of good deed, and sign his name at the scene. He hoped it would help them understand that he had good intentions.
. It didn’t.

The people grew even more furious at the dragons and their apparent crimes. Wander claimed that the good deeds were a trap - a thing set up to lure them into a false sense of security before an attack came.
. It hurt. It honestly did. Here Trico was, filled with nothing but goodwill and hoping to remind everyone about the kindness his people had showed them, and it was being completely rejected.
. He hated the hate. It consumed him and, in the end, he decided to take revenge. Quiet good deeds wouldn’t change anything... and if they wanted to blame the dragons anyway, why not actually commit a crime or two?

The one or two turned into three, then 10, and soon he had gotten into a one-viscet war with all of the city. The Starheart citizens wouldn’t even let him stay with them any more - they knew he had changed, too. One day Trico strode up to the capital city’s walls only to be turned away by the guards.
. “You’re not one of us anymore,” he vividly remembers them saying. “There’s nothing to be gained in hurting others.”
. But by then he was already too far gone. He built a small hut for himself on the edge of his hunting grounds, and spent his nights spreading chaos.
. Of course it was only a matter of time before he was caught by Wander’s forces. He considered using the artifact around his wrist, calling Malorin... but he still didn’t fully trust the strange figure who had only been in his life a short 20 minutes several years ago. A group of 5 guards dragged him in front of Wander, who was elated to have finally captured someone. They scheduled a public execution the next day.

Trico was brought before all the people, as Wander read the list of his crimes. A shocking number of them were things he’d actually done, he realized with, perhaps, a slight pang of regret. And then he was led up to the gallows, front paws tied behind his back.
. He could still reach the small silver and blue trinket he’d been given. It was that or death now, he knew that... and Trico had come to value his life. Surely whatever Malorin wanted in return for saving his life couldn’t be any worse than a death in front of a crowd. Right?
. Terrified, he grasped the amulet with shaking paws, and whispered Malorin’s name.
. He vanished in a flash of blue light, blindingly brilliant. When the glow faded... he was gone.

That is the end of the legend as history knows it. Trico, the last dragon, vanishes mysteriously in front of an entire kingdom on the day he was supposed to die. This could also be an ending. But there’s still things that only Trico knows happened... things that only he can tell.

- - - -

The blue brought him to a place he had never been before.
. There was a dark, seemingly impenetrable gloom surrounding him. He was in an old, abandoned building, with hardly any light peering throughout the window in front of him. Trico looked down at his wrist. The blue pendant was gone.
. He turned around. Malorin was there, holding it in his paw. "Told you I'd save your life," he said, smug.
. "Where... where are we?"
. "The fools of this world call it the shadowed lands, as sunlight never comes here. I, on the other hand, like to call it home. I brought you here using the power of the Blue that I gave you so long ago... far across the world, and thousands of years in your future."
. Trico wasn't sure he understood. In fact, part of him really didn't want to. He didn't want to have to face whatever reality this was. "The future?"
. Malorin was laughing. "Of course the future! When I told you I was not quite from around there... and why I knew about what would happen to you... well, I'm shocked you didn't put two and two together."
. "No... no, I don't believe you." He was in denial.
. "It's completely fine if you don't. I don't really care what you think. But believe or not, I saved your life. You owe me."

Oh, dear. Trico was certainly glad he hadn't died, but was this going to be worth it? He sighed, resigned to his fate. "What do you want me to do?"
. "I brought you here, saved your life, because there's one other from your time who's been transported here. By me. She's being protected by the leader of the Starheart kingdom. But... she's terrified of the dragons. Of you."
. Trico smirked in spite of himself, in spite of his confusion. This bit... he could understand. “So you want me to terrorize her, scare their people, and help you take over?"
. Malorin nodded, just once. He held out a paw, an offer. "Trico... do we have a deal?"
. The Trico from several years ago would have been horrified. He would have been ashamed of how far he'd fallen. But the Trico of today didn't care anymore. He took Malorin's paw, and they shook hands.

"It's a deal."