Sicklefin (Animals1778)

Early life (code later)
Close your eyes and imagine a SeaWing without gills. It's ridiculous, right? A SeaWing without gills is like a SkyWing without wings or a SilkWing without silk. It stops the dragon from doing what they were meant to do - explore the deepest parts of the sea or soar through the sky or spin beautiful things. 
Now, imagine that the most infamous pirate of all time is was that SeaWing without gills. It's ridiculous. But it's true. 
When I was born, I hatched from my egg (thankfully not underwater) with deformed gills. I don't recall what happened the night I was born, but if I dig far enough into my memory I can see flashes of blinding light and furious whispering. 
What did I do to deserve this?
My parents didn't have any more eggs after that. 
For the first few weeks of my life, we lived on a beach in the Bay of a Thousand Scales. We had a small, comfy hut. I don't remember it myself, but my mother said that the house was built in the most beautiful part of the beach, overlooking the sparkling bay. After a lot of discussion, my parents decided that for my own safety they should move away from the sea. They packed the few belongings we had and traveled to a small town in the middle of the desert. 
I grew up surrounded by dust and scorching heat. We were all miserable, but my parents never complained. We all had SeaWing instincts, and we could all feel the ocean calling to us. It was probably hardest for my mother. Before she had me, she had been an aquarist in the Deep Palace. She had tended to the queen's vast aquariums, caring for her collection of exotic fish and plants. She loved the sea more than any SeaWing I've ever met. The water and its creatures fascinated her. 
However, living without the sea was an ordeal for me as well. I was allowed to wade in the oasis and could hold my breath underwater for a short period of time, but I wanted to swim. I wanted to go deep underwater and see the palace. I wanted to explore the deepest parts of the sea and travel far away from the shore - feats that were impossible unless you had gills. If I tried to do those things, I would get tired out and drown before I could return to the shore. 
My parents were always worried about me, especially my mother. Many times I would wake up in the night and see her standing next to my doorway like some kind of guard, watching over me. I remember her singing me to sleep every night and making sure I was cool enough on hot days. 
I was antisocial as a dragonet and only had one friend, an elderly IceWing named Adele. She took me under her wing and always took me seriously. She was a good listener, and when I spoke to her about my fears or hopes or anger she would never interrupt. Adele was an inventor, and she showed me many of her creations. She taught me how her inventions worked and encouraged me to try making my own devices. All of her projects (and later mine) were stored in a massive room on top of her house with a glass roof. I spent countless days in the warm, sunny room, tinkering and testing out inventions with her help. 
I was four when my parents told me it was time to go to school. "Why?" I had asked. I was perfectly satisfied with my life already. Adele taught me everything I needed to know, thank you very much. "You spend too much time with that crazy old IceWing," my father had growled back. "It's not healthy for you. You need to go be with dragonets your own age and learn useful skills. You've been cooped up at home for too long, and you should have started school years ago." I remember arguing for hours, begging them to let me stay home. "You're going to school, and that's final." My father snapped. There was no doubt about it. I was going to go.
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:SeaWings
Category:Occupation (Criminal)