Alex was a fairly simple dragon, boringly simple in his opinion. He lived a simple life in his simple village, doing simple tasks and working for the clan. He loved his clan, he really did, but sometimes he couldn't help but wish for something more... exciting. He had a somewhat slim but muscular build, with glowing green stripes across his body, like a tiger. Everyone in his clan had glowing stripes, but like a snowflake or a tiger, everybody was unique. An especially unique trait Alex had, that no one else did, was that his stripes pulsed with his heartbeat.
"With every heartbeat his stripes brightened momentarily, moving from his chest outward, ending on his snout and tail. The majority of Alex's scales were a silver gray, while his underside, extending from the bottom of his tail to his jaw, was a light black. He got the Silver from his father, and the black from his mother, who had markings the glowed Blue and Yellow. His Mother had Yellow spirals on her shoulders, body and head, while his Father had Blue dots scattered across his body, like a splash of water. After another simple day of helping his clan, friends, and family, he trudged his way to his own home. A simple little cottage about three times the size of him, with two windows on either side of the door. A small yawn escaped his maw as he pushed the door open and went inside. There wasn't much inside, mainly a couple dim lamps, a bed in the corner made of furs and hay, a desk in the opposite corner strewn with papers and ink
"Yawning again, Alex began to tidy up the desk, which had an assortment of things, though most of the papers seemed to short stories of adventure. His stripes cast a dim green glow around him and the desk as he worked, a steady pulsing light to make things easier to see, though it didn't actually do anything cause of his strong night vision. Soon he finished tidying up and sat at the desk, sighing softly as he looked at the papers. After a few moments he grabbed a stack of paper that already had writing on it, spreading them out. He grabbed a half finished paper and dipped his claw in some ink before beginning to write. A minute or so later, a knock came from the door.
""Come in" Alex said, not even looking up as the door opened and his mother walked in. "Hello Alex." "Hey mom." She walked over and rested a wing on his back, peeking over his shoulder a bit. "What're you writing now?" At that question, Alex stopped writing and looked at his mom, his green eyes locking with her yellow eyes for a moment. "A story of a hero who gets transported to another world, and he has to save his own world and the new one."br /"Oh? He reminds me of another dragon i know..." She smiled teasingly at Alex, who just groaned slightly, but there was a small smile on his snout. "Has he met any pretty dragoness's yet? I imagine he's fighting them off with a stick." She said, still smiling. "Mooooom, you know that's not how i write." Alex groaned again, his stripes pulsing slightly quicker. His mom just let out a soft chuckle and planted a kiss on his forehead "I know dear, but what kind of mother would i be if i didn't embarrass you occasionally" "Ugh, you say that every time."
"She chuckled and kissed him again before pulling her wing back. "All i'm saying is that you can't stay alone forever. Sooner or later you'll need to find a dragoness of your own, your father and i want grand kids." "MOM!" Alex stared at his mother, his stripes pulsing noticeably quicker, a subtle hint of a blush visible on his cheeks. "I'm just teasing. Partially anyway." She pulled Alex into a hug, who was still blushing and slightly grumbling as he reluctantly returned it. After a few silent moments he pulled away, his blush gone and his heartbeat back to normal. "I'll see you in the morning dear. Don't get too lost in your stories." His mother placed one more smooch on his nose before exiting, the door closing with a small thud.
Alex sighed softly as the door closed and he turned back to the paper. He had just gotten to the part where the Hero had to make a choice that would either save or doom the world. Reluctantly he gathered the papers again and set them to the side before blowing out the lamps and walking over to his bed. His mother was right, he did need to find someone to settle with soon. He was nearing the age where such a thing was expected, and while most other dragons had chosen quickly, years before the ceremony. Yet Alex has not chosen, and the Ceremony was just in a couple months. Truthfully Alex didn't want to settle down, not yet he thought as he climbed into bed and covered up, eyes closing. 'not until i have my own adventure' was the last thought he had before he drifted into sleep. Little did he know, this would be the last night he saw his home and Mother for a long time./p