Name: Shen-Lung
Means Spiritual Dragon in Chinese
Sometimes she is called Shen :3
Gender: Female
Story:
The night was cold, and the stars shone brightly in the sky, staring down from the dark infinity of the midnight sky. A wind blew in from the west, sweeping over the stone houses. All the trees were creaking in the bitter wind, for winter had stolen the moisture from their branches and trunks. This winter night was full of shadows, and the new moon did not have the light or power to dispel these demons of the dark.
Shen-Lung crept slowly along the cobblestone pathway, using only the light from the frozen moon to navigate between the villagers' homes. Not even the bravest would ever willingly go out on the darkest, longest night of the year if they could avoid it. Shen-Long knew the legends, she knew the stories of the spirits who haunted this night. For some reason she had still volunteered to deliver medicine to the next village over. A nameless, faceless beast was said to haunt the night.
Luckily, Shen lived only a few roads away from where she was, so she would be home in no time.
Clouds drifted over the moon, cutting off Shen's only source of light. Her eyes flashed in the darkness, and after stumbling around in the dark for a few minutes, Shen resigned herself to camping out where ever she was until the thick cloud bank pulled away. Cold wind lifted the fur on the back of Shen's neck, and she shivered, growing more fearful with each passing second. Who knew what could be out here in the darkness with her?
With a thud, Shen sat down on the stone, and turned to look at the stars. When she was little, Shen's mother had told her that whenever life was at its darkest, the stars would always be there to guide her home. If Shen needed anything right now, she needed something or someone to take her home. The night was silent, except for the trees and the footfalls from a couple streets over. The clouds still covered most of the sky, so Shen turned to the west to see what stars shone through the darkness.
Shen's mother's stories now came back to Shen, and with a wistful sigh Shen let herself get lost in the memories of a less-troubled youth and a world at peace.
"Look there, Shenni, look at the stars, how they shine!" The large Mako said as she led Shen-Lung outside to gaze at the wide world that laid above the land.
Shen glared at her mother. "Im THREE now mom, you can't call me Shenni anymore!"
Her mother laughed, and leaned down to nuzzle Shen on the cheek. "I know, Shen, you are already all grown up!"
Shen puffed out her chest, seeing how tall and strong she could make her three-year-old form seem. Shen's mom laughed again, and crouched down so Shen could be taller. With a yelp, Shen pounced on her mother, tugging on her ear with her small baby teeth. Mom staggered to her feet, and swayed about as if she could not take these 'attacks' much longer. Eventually, Shen grew tired of playing, and she and mother laid down, side by side, to look at the stars.
"You see that dragon, up at the top of the sky?" mother asked, pointing towards the North Star and the constellation it helped to make.
Shen nodded, snuggling into mother's side.
"That is the dragon that gave you your name. When you were just a pup, your father and I were not sure what to name you. For several days we debated, and neither of us would budge an inch. Your father wanted to name you 'Blossom,' and I wanted to name you 'Sunlight.' One night, we sat outside, just like you and I are now, and told me of how the North Star, hidden in the Spirit Dragon, would always lead him home. Your father had to leave the next day, and I was very worried for him. He told me this, Shen; 'Whenever I don't know how to get home, all I ever need to do is look for the Spirit Dragon, and I will always find my way back to you, and back to our daughter.' Right then, you opened your eyes, and they shone as brightly as the North Star. Your father and I both knew that your name would be Shen-Lung after that.
Shen-Lung drifted out of her memories, and looked up to find the North Star. She would find her way home while her mother was fresh in her mind. When she found it, Shen stood and began following it. Within minutes, she was home again.
Shen could swear she heard her father and mother, following her, walking side by side as she found her way home. When she turned, however, there was no one there. No matter how hard Shen looked, she never saw her parents. She always heard them, though. She heard them following her, trusting her to lead them now, just as they had led her when she was lost.
No matter how far away they may be, Shen would always remember her mother and father, and whenever she was lost they found her. Her parents would live forever in Shen's heart.
