This story is really long, sorry about that! I recently bought a really cheap hatchling off the AH recently on Flight Rising, decided this would be his story. I really love his colors and genes and can't understand why he would be sold for so little, so I tried making sense of it through narrative haha.

---

Ula hadn't been feeling particularly content since she used the scatterscroll last. Her colors weren't to her tastes, though not outright hideous. She didn't consider herself a vain individual, yet she avoided leaving her tent when she could. No amount of pastel jewelry or pink wooly coats could change that she needed another tri-color scatterscroll soon.

"Lady Ula," came the deep bass tone of a clanmate, "We have a matter that needs your attention."

Annoyed, the matriarch put down her quill and stepped away from the parchment on her desk. Pushing the fabric of the door aside, she glared out at Pithro's massive head. He had one of those smirks that he usually wore when he decided he wanted to be a bully and Ula or his mate had to put a stop to his nonsense; but he didn't usually come to her to gloat about his recent failed insults.

The ridgeback pointed his nose to his side, where stood her guard captain. The coatl had coiled in his prehensile tail what at first appeared to be a dirty, striped and tattered bag; upon further inspection, Ula discovered it was a skydancer hatchling.

"This little tramp was discovered raiding our food stores. We're taking into account how much we have left," Pithro announced.

She nodded and waved for Fatali to enter. Once inside, he tossed the hatchling to the floor. Ula glanced between the child and Fatali once before waving the latter off. He nodded and slipped out of the tent noiselessly.

To her horror, the hatchling was in worse condition than she originally thought. Beneath his dirty platinum-tiger coat his tiny ribs jutted from his tucked-in maize belly. His rosy seraph mane and wings were mangled and in serious need of a thorough zipping. Scrapes, cuts and bare patches decorated his entire body. Ula worried that the toss across the room may have broken a bone or two on the poor creature.

Slowly the hatchling picked himself up and sat before the clan matriarch, hunched, shaking from hunger and fear. Tears pooled out of his fuschia Arcane eyes as he gazed up at her.

"Please don't exalt me," he mewled, his voice barely above a whisper.

Instantly Ula's heart broke. She expected to punish the hatchling and send him back where he came from, but how could she? Clearly the clan of his birth was the cause of his mistreatment. He was, perhaps, an exalt fodder child, bred for the sole purpose to send to the clan's deity and fight for dominance. Yet, he was an Arcane dragon and the clan had migrated within the Shadow region's borders--he was quite a long way from home, if it were that...

"I do not exalt hatchlings," Ula stated, "I don't exalt anyone. My clan members leave to serve their deity as they so desire." She could see the relief in the child's eyes, but he still shook like a leaf. "How long have you been away from your clan?"

He looked down at his spindly claws and scratched at the dirt. "Only a little while..."

"How long exactly?" she asked, her voice a little firmer.

The hatchling hesitated. "... An hour..."

Ula raised a brow. The numbers weren't adding up--he would have had to have been traveling for days, a week maybe, to reach them from the Arcane region...

Pithro's voice boomed outside the tent once more. "Lady Ula, it seems the tramp's clanhas come to collect him."

The hatchling's expression turned to fear. Steeling herself, the matriarch stepped past him and poked her head out of the tent. Two guardian dragons stood beyond Pithro, entirely humorless.

"Don't let them take me, please," begged the skydancer child, tears pouring from his sunken eyes.

Ula peered back at him and her heart broke once more. She couldn't say no, not to this poor mess of a hatchling.

"Wait here," she commanded, and left the tent.

"Where is he?" demanded one of the guardians, "Or did your underling lie about your possession of our property?"

Ula twitched. No wonder the hatchling was so terrified. His clanmates were the most delightful company.

"In my tent, and safe, for the most part," she replied, "Curious to know how a little Arcane dragon ended up so far away from home."

The other guardian dragon answered with a grin, "Eh, got 'im off the auction house for dirt cheap. His parents ain't want 'im."

The first guardian shot his partner a look, then turned his disgruntled gaze back to the matriarch. "Anyway, can we have him back now? We've got a big dom push goin on, we hardly had time to waste lookin' for the lil' idiot."

Ula began to examine her claws, feigning indifference. "What's he worth to you?"

"Worth the personal stash of riches he'll leave behind once we send him off to the Shadowbinder, now give him back," the guardian growled, "Or do we have to force him from you?"

Pithro immediately took a defensive position beside Ula and snarled. "Speak to Lady Ula with respect, you rotten excuse for--" Ula paused him with a quietly raised claw. The ridgeback stood with an evil eye on the guardians.

"Your price is vague, I'm going to need harder numbers," said Ula.

The guardian threw his head back and laughed. "You one of those soft dragons, then? Females, typical. Your maternal instincts kick in once you saw the sorry whelp."

"I happen to like his colors," replied Ula in a matter-of-fact tone, "I think he would do well in one of my breeding projects."

Yet again the guardian laughed, deep and nasty. "So you want to try and make pretty hatchlings out of him? Good luck, lady. He's hardly what you'd call pretty."

"You don't know my clients then," said Ula, "So you will sell him to me?"

The guardian hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure. Thirteen thousand treasure."

It was Ula's turn to laugh, a quiet little chuckle. "A good joke. I'll pay you two thousand."

"We said he was dirt-cheap, not worthless," said the guardian, "If you don't have the funds, then we'll just take him back."

"His condition is deplorable. I don't pay full price for damaged goods. I will need that treasure and more to make sure he is at peak potential."

The guardian narrowed his eyes and lowered his great head to Ula's level. "Ten thousand."

"Ten thousand alone pays for wing repair."

He reared his head back, growling. "Good Shadowbinder, how badly did those kids rough him up?"

Ula's green eyes flashed towards Pithro, then back to the guardian pair. "Your hatchlings damaged him?"

The guardian shook his head, "Not mine, the other exalt fodders. You know how they can be, they were born to fight!"

"Then you take responsibility for his injuries. I only thought that the had received them while he had been away from your care."

Again the guardian narrowed his eyes. "You saying you want me to pay you to get the kid healed up?"

A tiny smirk notched Ula's mouth. "Not at all, but thank you for offering."

Finally the guardian seemed have reached his boiling point. With a roar he lunged for the tiny skydancer, but Pithro was there to intercept him and threw the great dragon to the earth with little effort. He struggled for a while, but soon realized that Pithro had strategically pinned his arms and legs so that he couldn't move. His friend stepped back, clearly unwilling to help him. Huffing clouds of dirt into the air, he pinned one violet eye on the skydancer who calmly made her way towards him.

"Tell you what," she said, "I'll make you a deal. Five thousand treasure and your life. How does that sound?"

The guardian growled again, deep and aggressive, before answering, "If your dog wasn't here to save you, I'd have my property and razed your little clan to ashes!"

Ula smiled at him, a rare occurrence, like a mother might smile at her naughty hatchling. "I'll let you believe that. So you agree to terms then?"

"FINE!" roared the guardian. Pithro stepped off of him, causing the pinned dragon to right himself quickly. He soon realized he was surrounded by Ula's clanmates, watching him with an unmatched intensity. He glared back at the tiny skydancer who led the rag-tag little family and snarled. "My master will not be pleased."

"Send your master my way if there's anything to dispute," replied Ula. To Pithro she said, "If you would, my dear, escort our guests to our treasury to complete the transaction. Make sure Sipur is aware." Pithro nodded and guided the guardians away.

As quietly as she emerged, Ula retreated back to her tent. The hatchling was still there, shivering and tear-stained.

"What is your name, child?" she asked, reaching out to thumb away his tears.

The hatchling flinched at her touch before replying, "... I don't have a name."

"Then you should be named, if you are going to be a part of this clan."

The little skydancer's mouth turned up in a smile, yet his eyes continued to water. "Really? You'll let me stay?"

"If you would like to, yes. I will not force you, despite what it may have sounded like out there. You will decide who you marry and breed. Those mongrels understand nothing but business and money."

Suddenly the little hatchling reached out and grabbed Ula's claw, hugging it to his face. "Thank you so much! Thank you!"

With her other claw, Ula pulled the child towards her for a stronger hug, yet careful not to break his fragile body. She ran her claws over his breaking and patchy feathers, taking note of the soft pink down that hid below the dusty guard feathers.

"Echinacea," she said in a finalized tone, "That will be your name, if you will have it."

Face buried deep in her wooly coat, the hatchling replied, "Yes, I like it."