Lightcatcher

The **Lightcatcher** is a Rare migratory creature released on Protochroma. It is found in Crop Circle Canyon during most of the year; during winter, it is found in Chroma Coast. It is found in Limited Run Delve associated with Chroma Coast, Lightcatcher Migration, and Simulated Delve associated with its grouping, Reptilian Rendezvous. Its standard variant is Rainbow.

## Descriptions

### Baby

*This heavy, beautiful egg looks like it's made from stained glass and seems slightly translucent, but the inside of it can't actually be seen. Its color is difficult to describe, and the surface of the eggshell glints in almost every hue of visible light.*

### Juvenile

*In contrast to its dazzling egg, the creature that emerged from the shell is a rather dully-colored baby dragon. Though its wings are translucent like the eggshell, the membrane seems to have no real color or sheen. However, the hatchling does occasionally breathe out a spark of flame and its wings catch the light, creating a glittering display for a few seconds before the fire dissipates into the air.*

### Adult

*The Lightcatcher is a species of large dragon with stark black-and-white markings and vast, translucent wings. It is distantly related to the Vitrevern. They are large enough to ride, intelligent enough to train, and relatively low-maintenance animals, but their rarity in the wild and poor breeding in captivity make them an unusual steed. Both tamed and wild individuals are curious and playful, however wild Lightcatchers are timid and will often attack or flee when approached. Though hatchlings are the easiest to train and socialize to their handlers, establishing a rapport with a wild adult has proven useful in training mature individuals.*

*Lightcatchers hunt by silhouetting themselves against the sun and letting the light refract through their prismatic, glass-like wings. This results in a blinding, dazzling display of colored light that masks the animal from direct view. Prey is largely unable to see the dragons clearly enough to escape before the Lightcatcher either corners it with fire or dives to grab it. Their wings are fairly fragile relative to their size, and prey which fights back may injure a Lightcatcher to the point of grounding it permanently; for this reason, Lightcatchers prefer to kill prey quickly and cleanly, with minimal struggle. If the prey proves to be too much trouble to kill immediately, a Lightcatcher will often give up and escape into the air.*

## Additional Lore

* Lightcatchers have dolphin-like intelligence and are generally friendly to people.
* Lightcatchers can also use their fire to refract light through their wings, instead of the sun.
* A Lightcatcher's facial markings vary depending on sex, but both males and females have black tear marks along their snouts. This is to help prevent them from blinding themselves with their own fire.
* While Lightcatchers can be saddled, they need specialized reins that either keep their mouths closed or otherwise do not cross through the mouth, or else the creatures are prone to accidentally burning them off.
* The proper term for a group of Lightcatchers is a flight; the term "rainbow" is also used less often.
* Lightcatchers are almost exclusively diurnal to avoid competition from Faurauk, which can badly injure a Lightcatcher with its beak and talons.
* To escape the bitter cold that can form in canyons during the winter, as well as competition from the only other flying apex predator, Lightcatchers migrate to the warmer, more temperate coastlines when the weather grows cold.

## Trivia

* A female Rainbow Lightcatcher appeared in the Story *Landing on Chroma* before the species was released.
* Lightcatchers are based on stained glass, with the rare Chroma variants being frosted.
* Initially, it was only available via a Limited Pickup; therefore, the only way for a player to obtain more before its official release was via breeding.
* Despite being a Solar Elemental, the Lightcatcher only has Neutral- and Fire-Element attacks.
* Lightcatchers are the first migratory creatures to be introduced on Protochroma. It was not known they migrate until they appeared in Chroma Coast on December 21st 2021, the day of Winter solstice.