Nameless' Story

Wacky was sad, which was something the clan hated to see. You see, the leader of their clan, a benevolent tundra named FrozenSkies, was alone.

He insisted he wasn’t, preferring to spend his time keeping the clan in order and having fun with his autumn dryad, but despite his insistence he was fine as long as he had his familiar, Wacky disagreed. He was a sweet, kindhearted dragon and the strange witch thought he needed a mate he could rely on forever.

It so happened that she knew of a scholar who might have the solution… Raven quickly agreed to help, having experienced his kindness firsthand when he had graciously allowed her to stay in his clan and explore their incredible library.” A voice from the doorway made Wacky look up.

Raven stared at her, a smile on her face. “You don’t need to narrate this, no one is listening but me and you.”

Wacky nodded. “Yes! Let’s get started!” she turned to her shelves full of carefully labelled potions, elixirs, and tonics. “Love love love love love potion! Where are you little red heart potion?” She placed the bottles that were not what she desired on the bed and kept looking, shoving things aside haphazardly.

Distraught, she turned to Raven. “Wacky doesn’t have a love potion!” The scholar tilted her head to the side and thought for a few moments, trying to figure out how to placate the witch.

“What if you and I work together to design one?” She was pleased to have been able to think on her feet fast enough. “That way it’s designed specifically for FrozenSkies!”

Wacky nodded and swished her tail in excitement. “Yes little birdie!! A potion just for him!” She gazed into her pearl- Raven wasn’t sure what for- and became still for several seconds.

Raven’s mind was racing with possibilities. “How should the potion work? Will it make him fall in love with a dragon of our choice? Will it draw his soulmate to him?”

Wacky shook her head furiously. “Dryad, dryad, dryad, fallen leaf dryad!” She sat back on her haunches, content the Raven would understand.

Raven did not understand. “I think we should draw his soulmate to him.”

Wacky was confused. “She’s here, here, here, here, here.” she replied in a sing-song voice.

Once more, the scholar sighed and repeated herself.

Once more, the witch made a vague comment about hearts and dryads.

When Raven still didn’t get it, Wacky lit a flame and began throwing herbs into her cauldron. Watching her work was amazing- her paws flashed over ingredients, never needing to consult correspondence charts, as if she had an innate ability to know what could make what.

It took an hour for it to be made and Raven wasn’t sure what even went into it, but Wacky poured it into a curving glass bottle tied with a light green ribbon. She grabbed an inkwell and dipped her quill in, writing the use on the ribbon with her crooked handwriting.

She dropped it in Raven’s paws.

“To turn a dryad dragon?” She was still confused, but it took only a moment for it to hit her. “Oh! Oh. You mean you want us to make his dryad a dragon so they can be together.”

Wacky nodded, her tail vibrating. “Yes! Yes, smart birdie, yes!”

—

FrozenSkies was sleeping deeply when Raven went into his tower and asked the dryad, who normally slept curled up next to him, to leave him by himself for just a few minutes.

“Wacky thinks you two should be together. So if you want to, we can make you a dragon. If not, that’s okay. You can go back to FrozenSkies and never speak of this again.”

Wacky nodded along the whole time. “Tree girl would make a good dragon girl!” She insisted, her way of trying to convince the dryad.

The dryad’s voice sounded like the soft rustle of fallen leaves when she breathed a soft yes to the two dragons waiting expectantly.

Wacky uncorked the potion and motioned for her to drink it. She then turned to Raven and said happily. “Spell time!”

It only took a second for Raven to realize the witch wanted her to say an incantation. It made sense- all the best potions had an incantation that activated them. She thought for a moment, then turned to the dryad.

“Spirits of earth & sky, give this dryad wings to fly. Spirits of water & fire, true love is her desire.” As far as incantations went, Raven had heard better, but it worked.

The dryad was covered with blinding light. When it finally faded, a skydancer stood in her place. She was all green and gold, wings like light breaking through the clouds. Raven hadn’t known what she expected her to look like, but once she saw it she realized it couldn’t have been anything else.

“Dragon-dryad! What’s your name?” Wacky had decided to greet the newly formed dragon. She tipped her head to the side and stared in silence for several seconds. “Nameless.” She said finally, drawing the word out slow and careful.

Wacky clapped her paws together, clearly pleased.

Raven’s gaze turned to the treeline. The form of a furry dragon was watching.

—

The noise from Raven and Wacky awoke FrozenSkies, who found his beloved dryad missing. He surged to his feet in startled panic, racing out of his tower, following the trail of snapped twigs and crushed leaves.

He saw the outline of two dragons in a clearing, and skidded to a stop just out of view. Pulling away branches that obstructed his view, he listened.

He couldn’t hear the words they said, but he saw the dryad- his dryad- drink a potion given to her by Wacky. His heart pounded thinking about what the potion might do to her. Logically, he knew Wacky was harmless, but his fear made it difficult for him to see reason.

Raven stepped forth to murmur a few lines, and a flash of light illuminated the trees.

He rushed into the clearing, too scared to venture close but too worried to remain hidden.

His dryad was gone, but a dragon stood in her place. She was unsteady on her feet, like a newly hatched youngling.

Raven was looking at him. Wacky, too.

In confusion, the dragon turned his way as well.

When their eyes met, recognition flooded him. This was his dryad.

They sprinted towards each other, tears staining FrozenSkies’ fur. A memory took over, of the first time they met. As the tundra and the skydancer twined tails together and smiled in astonishment, he remembered when he was a guardian, locking eyes with a nervous dryad in a late summer forest, the leaves just starting to turn yellow and orange.

For the second time, FrozenSkies and Nameless met.