How long had it been?

She couldn’t remember. But she and her kind, the Tygerdrakes had years ago retreated to where they originated, the ever-changing land of Giarcane. That was, however, after the start of the Great War.

The War had started quietly… Righteously possibly. The self-proclaimed Grand Dragons had lashed out against those encroaching upon their turf. Territory agreements amongst dragonkind were almost always very serious matters. But the Grand Dragons were driven by another force… humans, who aligned with them, and then convinced them that more and more land was meant to be their territory. Soon, they were convinced that their very ecological neich was meant to be theirs and only theirs. And a Great Death spread across the land, anything that filled the same neich as the Grand Dragons was irradiated.

Many dragons, and anything similar, fell… some feared that entire species were completely wiped out. Many simply went into hiding with their human comrades in the far corners of their world, or in their own small, secluded lands. Thus was the case of the Tygerdrakes, leaving quietly, and without so much as a scuffle. They knew better than to fight. For they feared the Grand Dragon’s wrath, fueled by the arrogance of the culture and beliefs that started it. Mankind at its worst.

Sitting on Spire’s Peak, the only place in Giarcane where the outside world could be seen, she watched, and waited. As the storm clouds rode in on the winds, she could smell the death, and decay, and stagnation that the rule of the Grand Dragons had brought to their part of the world.

And while a very different creature than most dragons, she knew that it was only a matter of time before Giarcane, and its inhabitants were found by the Grand Dragons, or one of their allies.

Yet, there was nothing she could do about it. Except stand proud of what she was, and hope that when she was gone, that Giarcane would remember her.

God… how long had it been since I’d drawn a Tygerdrake? So long. But I still think of them often… and they’ve grown and changed same as I. And I think it’s about time I brought them back now and again, same as many of my fledgeling ideas. This particular Tygerdrake is one I’ve thought of a lot recently. Her name translates roughly to ‘Green and White.’ Because when displaying herself, the chromataphores on her wingme mbranes display those colors. Even at night, the phospholipids on her wings will flash green for her name.

I could go on and on about their anatomy, culture, etc… but for the moment, I’ll spare you.

Happy New Year everyone.