This commission was drawn by Zwiezda! You can check it out in their gallery here.

Surprise, new fan character time! I've had this dragon in my head for quite a while, actually, but I finally decided to get some art and make him into a proper character. So meet Crimson the SkyWing! Yes, he is aware he is named after a very edgy and serious legendary warrior, and yes, he is aware that he is thus far not living up to his namesake; he hears that enough from his parents, two decorated generals the breeding program paired together trying to produce another one. He'd rather compose, play instruments, sing! Unlike the rest of his grouchy and aggressive tribe he's friendly and carefree, and he'd really rather be out exploring, meeting new dragons, and seeing if maybe they'd appreciate his songwriting better than other Skywings. But first, you know, there's that big war going on (for now), so [i]apparently[/i] that sort of thing is much too dangerous! But maybe that'll change soon. He certainly hopes.

Enjoy the little short story below of our happy, flying dragon~ I had a proper bio written out, but I think this scene is a more fun, organic sort of introduction ^^

[quote][i]"We're flying through the air..."[/i]

Crimson paused, banking one way, then the other. The verb fit the cadence of the song he'd been writing, but it felt so [i]bland.[/i] Flying. Dragons did that all the time--hours of the day, if not more. Especially him, on a day like today; he'd been patrolling since near sunrise, it felt like, following the edge of the mountains where the steep peaks descended to meet the rocky beaches of the eastern shore. So it couldn't just be [i]flying,[/i] it needed to be something more than that to really capture the imagination, the grace implied by the melody. [i]Flapping[/i] sounded aggressive, even clumsy. Soaring? Hmm, maybe that would work. Taking a deep breath in, he tested it out.

"We're soaring through the air," he sang, gliding to really hold the last note steady. Oh, that was it! Gliding! Inspiration led him through the next line. "We're gliding through the air, drifting in the sunny sky..."

His voice echoed back at him off the mountains around him; deep and brassy, he was probably audible from a good mile away, if not further than that. The only reason he could get away with it while on patrol was how far he was from the outpost. Sound tended to carry up here, bouncing off the bare rock of the high peaks and traveling further than expected, which was the sort of thing that would warn any intruders a patrol was on its way and give them plenty of time to go and hide. That was fine by him: the last thing he wanted to do was actually [i]see[/i] something. Then he'd need to investigate, he might even need to [i]fight,[/i] which he really didn't think he was prepared to do.

Thankfully his parents had recognized this and used their considerable influence to get him assigned to one of the more peaceful outposts away from any fighting, rather than getting put into a wing that'd be sent right into combat. Sure, being out here wouldn't toughen him up, but it also wouldn't reflect badly on them with less chance he might balk at a battle or get anyone killed.

Ugh. Enough of that. Back to composing. Where was he? He hummed the tune he'd been working on for the last two weeks, getting a feel for the number of sounds he'd need and how it should flow after the words he'd come up with so far, then went through the melody a second time, singing properly--

[i]"Crimson!"[/i]

The SkyWing flinched, his head snapping towards the source of the voice. Why oh why was the outpost commander out here? He was miles from home, there was still a whole leg of this patrol to do! But there she was, rapidly ascending to his altitude, angry enough for smoke to trail from her nostrils, her mood red as her scales. He heaved a sigh, then did his best to compose himself as the much larger dragon approached. "Major Gale! Funny-- funny to see you out here!"

She was plainly not in the mood. "I could hear you singing from three mountains away! How many times must I emphasize the [i]stealthy[/i] nature of high altitude patrols to you? How will you ever sneak up on anyone before they hear you coming and hide?"

That was exactly the point, not that he wanted to tell her that. His record certainly had enough reprimands on it already. "I just-- I can only fly so far without finding something to occupy my thoughts," he tried this time, but her scowl immediately betrayed what she thought of that excuse.

"A soldier is supposed to have [i]discipline.[/i] Discipline would keep you focused on watching the ground and watching the sky for signs of trouble, not announcing your presence for a league in every direction. I know you are very fond of your voice, so you should be equally aware that your voice [i]carries.[/i] You know, not everyone who hears you singing will want to hide--some may prefer to ambush a lone SkyWing, especially one your age."

Crimson usually tried not to think about that part. But it had been so long since someone had been attacked on this route--certainly not in the last couple of years. Surely it was safe? And besides, they were SkyWings: they could fly higher faster than any other tribe, and it wasn't close! Flying so high was one of the few things about being a scout he was actually [i]good[/i] at--that and his memory. As soon as he saw someone coming, he'd show them his hind claws and they would never catch up before he made it back to the outpost for backup. He took a deep breath, slowly beating in a circle with the larger dragon, but he knew he wasn't supposed to back talk trying to explain all of that. "I know, Major," he said.

"You sure don't act like it," she huffed. "Follow me back to base. We had a messenger come and go from the Sky Palace an hour ago, so we've already had eyes on this area. And follow [i]quietly,[/i] if you can manage twenty minutes without singing."

Gale said that like it was easy, but it really, really wasn't. There was [i]always[/i] a song in Crimson's head, whether one he'd heard or one he'd made up himself, and to sing along--with words or otherwise--was practically irresistible, especially with no instruments sitting around he could play instead. Of course he couldn't bottle it up when he was alone! It was hard enough with other dragons around, even dragons who gave him grumpy looks like they had no idea what reason he could have to start singing. Again. [i]He[/i] didn't understand why they all had to be so snappy and grouchy all the time, either. Unless they wanted to be somewhere else?

He'd [i]almost[/i] started humming along to his tune again when Gale spoke up. "There were strange dragons spotted elsewhere in the Sky Kingdom a couple of days ago. That was what the messenger came to report--to warn us to keep our eyes out for anything else unusual. Couldn't have one of my dragons at risk of being clawed out of the air... especially not you. Your parents may be disappointed by your progress, but if you got killed under my command, they'd have my head."

At least he'd heard enough that his parents were disappointed in him--usually from their own snouts--that it rolled right off his back. It wasn't [i]his[/i] fault that they expected him to grow into a big scary general like them, nor his decision to have such a famous name. He certainly didn't get a choice about military service--though it was a rare SkyWing who did--and if he did, he'd instantly choose something else. Musician, singer, or a songwriter, even a conductor if there was ever another orchestra or opera organized. He knew they'd existed, he'd read about them in scrolls, read the sheets of music and the lyrics and stage directions, but from the sound of things there hadn't been any in years--certainly not since the start of the war, if not before Queen Scarlet gained the throne.

"Crimson," she growled.

"Yes, Major?"

"I'm serious. I know you're young, I know your head's elsewhere. But Pyrrhia is not a nice place, especially out here on the borders between kingdoms, and you need to fly smart if you want to stay out of trouble. You've got a long life ahead of you. Don't endanger it being careless."

The young dragon blinked. He'd known Gale was protective of those under her wing, cadets especially--his parents had sent him here for a reason--but that had sounded especially heartfelt. He pumped his wings faster for a few beats to draw level with the larger dragon: her glare was harsh, as usual, but that didn't change the words she'd said. "Can you do that for me?"

"I'll try my best," he said, then rushed to amend himself: he'd used those words to blow off way too many reprimands in the past, always knowing that his best when it came to fighting and all the military theory and tactics his parents had plied him with simply was not very good. "I mean--really. I'll stay out of trouble."

She snorted smoke. "Good."

"I just... wish this wasn't [i]necessary.[/i] Wish there was peace."

This was definitely not the sort of thing a soldier was supposed to say, but to his surprise she took it seriously instead of shutting him down. "I know. You're not meant for war. I wish I could say otherwise, and it's the last thing your parents [i]or[/i] the breeders want to hear considering that's what they bred you for, but you just don't have that aggressive instinct." She sighed. "Well, there's always the prophecy, in the next couple of--" she cut herself off, lashing her tail. "You did not hear me say that."

"Hear what?" he replied, flicking his tail in her direction: her secret was safe with him. So he wasn't the only one who thought longingly about the prophecy the war might come to an end soon! Then there wouldn't be danger, or patrols, then he could write his songs and sing or play them to others and maybe meet new, hopefully less grumpy dragons--

"Crimson, I can hear you humming already."

"Sorry, Major."

"Even if sometimes I doubt even a muzzle would shut you up," she grumbled, back to her usual demeanor. "You'd better learn, and fast. Your parents don't want to hear about any more reprimands."

Crimson sighed; he'd try, he really would, but he really, [i]really[/i] wished this war would end so he wouldn't have to. "Yes, Major."[/quote]