Amitola Clan Lore

The Amitola clan has been around for a very long time. Its years of existence haven't been the most eventful, but the two dragons who started the clan remember quite a bit of it. The clan began under the full moon of the Tangled Wood, with a fairly small, green-and-pink furball of a dragon wandering along the murky shore of the Driftwood Drag, leaving footprints in the dark mud as he passed by. He couldn't remember much of his past by this point, or whatever clan he might've come from, if he came from one at all. For all he knew, he could've just come into existence out of nowhere on this muddy riverbed, walking endlessly to Shadowbinder-knows-where. He knew his name, at least- his name was Noboru. And he knew what he was looking for- a home, somewhere to live.

He...didn't quite find that. Not at first, at least. While wandering aimlessly along the riverbed, he saw a strange dragon, skulking around in the darkness to the side of him. He could only just make out her silhouette; she was larger than him, and seemed to be donning a hooded cloak over her dark purplish body, her yellowish wings folded tightly to her sides. The only thing about her that was readily visible was her claws, which glowed a bright green, reflecting faintly off of his jewelry. Noboru didn't know what to think. She was big, intimidating, and scary, and he didn't recognize her scent. Intimidated, he seemed to shrink down a little, lowering himself toward the muddy shoreline, and she seemed to notice. Turning her four eyes toward him, she tilted her head and spoke.

"You. I see you, you see me. Who are you?"

Noboru practically tripped over himself with sudden panic as all of his apprehension was released at once by her harsh, startling voice. Catching himself with his front paws, he heard what sounded like a throaty chuckle from the strange dragon, and he smiled awkwardly. Turning towards her, he flicked his tail nervously and cleared his throat. "Uh, my name is Noboru. I'm walking around looking for a place to stay. And...you don't smell like anybody. Who are you?"

She seemed to scoff a little bit. "That's a question I'd rather withhold the answer to, for now." She turned back towards whatever path she seemed to be walking on, and so did Noboru- but it didn't take long for the two of them to notice that they were walking on parallel paths. Occasionally, she'd shoot a glare towards Noboru, and occasionally, Noboru would shoot a quizzical look towards her. He figured that, hey, the two of them are going in the same direction- he might as well try and make some conversation, make things less awkward.

"So...what are you up to, lady?" he asked.
"Waiting for you to stop following me," she snarked back.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't really mean to be, uh, following you...it just kind of seems like we're both walking in the same direction."
"Hmph. Might as well go in a different direction, then." Quickly, she turned, beginning to pace off into the woods.
"Woah, woah, wait, why? You look like you have places to be. Are you just, y'know, taking a shortcut or whatever?"
She paused, and stopped walking. Flicking her tail, she heaved a heavy sigh.
"You want a serious answer, furball?", she snipped. "Look, I didn't want to have to talk about this, but I'm a bit of a drifter myself. I'm...looking for a place to stay, too." A sort of melancholy seemed to wash over her, and she drooped her wings a little. "I don't want to talk about it much, though."

Noboru tilted his head a little, and lifted a paw to his chin. "Is that so? Well, why don't we look together? It'd be good for both of us in the long run, I think!"
"...Whatever. Living with someone is better than living with no one, I suppose. Don't think that means I like you, though, bub. We're not friends." She turned back around, and walked towards the plucky Tundra. "Name's Vanekix, by the way."
"Vanekix, huh? That's a cool name!"

And so the two went, walking along the riverbed together, making silly small talk and learning more and more about each other. By the time they finally stopped, Noboru was sure he'd gotten her to loosen up a little- and Vanekix figured that Noboru was slightly less annoying now that she'd actually gotten to know him a bit. Noboru was the one to stop them, when he spotted a tree across the river. It was huge, unusually large compared to the skinny evergreens that filled most of the Tangled Wood, and a small hollow between its roots seemed to lead into a depression beneath it. "Hey, look at that!", he exclaimed. "It's huge! And it's already got a little hole in it. We could crash there for a while, y'think?"

Vanekix almost chuckled at the idea. "Looks super uncomfortable, but...sure, if you think it's a good idea. I'll take anything at this point. Better than having no roof over my head." And so it was. Noboru and Vanekix made their home beneath- and, soon, inside- that big tree. Whittling out its inside and producing tunnels within, the two of them slowly turned what was once just a temporary shelter into a real, comfortable home. It was lit from inside by the Wood's native glowing mushrooms, and each dragon had their own room. With time, the dragons realized that there wouldn't be enough room within the log itself, and using smaller pieces of driftwood from around the riverbed, they began to build rooms and houses on the tree's sturdy branches, creating a treetop community with lanterns hanging from the balconies and flags of the Shadow flight billowing in the air.

Finally, the drifters had a home. They called it the Heartwood, and here, they were safe.