the world was becoming modernized. there would soon no longer be room for dragons. as the land started to be overtaken by cities and a tangled web of roads, the prideful beasts had to relent and hide amongst the humans with the use of their magic. the mortals were becoming braver, and their upgrading technology was a growing threat that could bring ruin to dragon kind if the powerful beasts didn't plan accordingly.
as these ancient creatures learned to walk amongst those on two legs, they began to make their way up in this new society. It was a way to watch over the land that had been unfairly taken from them, and their disguises worked wonders. the humans had no idea the creatures they once hunted now held political roles, entertainment, sports... that they were few but still there. the only ones who have any inkling of their existence are hunters who refuse to accept dragons have gone extinct. those that seek the forgotten beasts have found the rumors and evidence to support their claims, and continue to pursue.
still, as generations of dragons have kept to their human forms, these "disguises" have started to become less and less the unnatural side. these later generations are actually more human than beast. they're called the dragonborn.
they still have the core of the dragon, yet have more humanity than most of their elders.
( but if you piss them off royally... you'll see the true nature of the dragon. that ferocious instinct is still there ) the dragonborn are still able to shift into these magnificent beasts, however there is a drawback. they aren't able to stay in these powerful forms for long amounts of times. they WILL tire out.
and it just so happens that cat is one of these dragonborn.
( this verse can also be a generic dragon shifter verse )
LOCATION ;; flexible, default to new york city
AGE ;; 17+ years
STATUS ;; homeless thief
( note that this verse can be a generic dragon shifter verse and so the summary does not apply so much )
cat's dragon blood comes from her father's side, meaning she's a half dragonborn rather than pure. this doesn't completely change her existence, but it does pose a few complications for her. the first being the simple fact her aunt and uncle didn't know about her heritage, so they couldn't teach her or understand ( not that they would want to ). ultimately, it made them hate her more because she had... temperament issues and had caused minor fires due to being a fire-specific breed.
the second complication that arose was that even though scott's family are dragonborn themselves, they didn't know she was one. being only half, it made her difficult to sense, especially since she had never shifted before. thus, not even amy and jon could assist her in knowing what she was or why she was different. and when her aunt and uncle were to abandon her, no one could guess that part of it was because she had the blood of a beast running in her veins.
when she was taken by the ring, that was when she learned the truth. it turned out copper was a dragonborn, as well. he was able to find out because of his proximity and closeness with working around her more than the farming couple who might have had the chance to understand. soon he could see the strangeness of fire around her and recognize the behavioral struggles she so clearly possessed. as it turns out, half dragonborns can't control their dragon sides as easily. that would be the final complication of her blood.
thus, it ended up being copper who taught her to shift. however, he did not allow her to become her other half just for the fun of it. death, stealing, attack, defense... each and every time she took her other form, she was immediately on alert. the humanity, the good in her was drowned out for the instincts to take over. to defend, to kill, to pursue..
on top of teaching cat to shift, he taught both her sides to obey and do as he instructed. his dragon species was massive ( five stories tall ), powerful, and capable of creating a poison even in human form that could disorient at low doses. he used this poison against her frequently to tame and condition her. she became his most valuable asset and his little pet in a way. due to copper's brutal control of her and the fact she was a dragon while most were not, cat had little support from the others in the ring. even margie and flint grew afraid while tinderbox remained only tolerating. ( in cat's 'species' section you'll read about how she's not as big as most other dragons, so she's able to still shift in the city as opposed to copper. )
when she was arrested, she was actually found out to be a dragonborn by the police who took her in. once in juvie, she was given a different kind of venom that could trap her in either form. mostly they would leave her in human form. sometimes they dared to pull her out of the compound for a few days to bind her down and test her dragon side. this was done in attempts to see if they could gather any clues about finding and controlling other dragonborns. due to this treatment, she was lost in a half-sedated state through most of juvie. when a transfer tried to take place to get her to better facilities for testing, copper made his attack to get her back... cat managed to slip away, and falling into the water convinced him, crackshot, and birdie that she drowned due to a weakness towards such.
when the night with hackett came, he was, likewise, slaughtered without mercy. bloody, burnt, and half devoured, the hotel room would be coated with crimson. a massacre of only one, but a horrendous one at that. if not for his id, it would have taken days to discover who the remains were of. she saved herself from his torment, but at the cost of her morals taking another dive. death meant nothing but safety for her.
now on her own, she mostly hunts as a dragon on the outskirts of the city, feeding herself well, uncaring of the raw flesh she consumes. she comes into the city when she feels she's released enough of her energy and is satisfied. she's still an excellent thief who works dutifully to get money and maybe sleep in an abandoned place for a bit. she rarely uses her dragon form in the city unless it is for self defense or her anger becomes too strong to hold back any longer.
cat's species is far smaller that most dragon types. not all, but she holds nothing against the likes of copper or scott's kinds. being around the size of a clydesdale horse, she only looms over them by perhaps a foot, nearing just around one story. thusly, she's able to use her form in cities as she is able to hide behind and amongst things easier.
red scales, piercing eyes that are a brighter green from even her human form, powerful wings... the scales of her underbelly are a bit darker, and the "spines" along her form are softer, more akin to whiskers. they're long, black, and ruffle with touch. she's a more elegantly shaped dragon, a long neck and sharp, slightly curved horns. built for walking more on four legs, allowing for her quicker speeds and excellent movement. her talons aren't exceedingly long to prevent making too much noise when sneaking up upon her prey.
her dragon heart allows her to transform into a dragon for periods of time. the longest she's really been able to hold it is three hours, but then her body starts to tire out too much
flight
cat can blend into sun/heat. her red scales reflect the light and act as mirrors. sometimes she can be seen as a bright flash across the sky, but that's it. the hotter it is, the more invisible she can become, but any sunny day allows her to seep into a mirrored form within the sky
intense, immeasurable firepower. she has a fiery breath and fire manipulation. as she breathes fire, the scales of her underbelly shimmer like lava. in human form, she can create fire ( though from her hands rather than her mouth ) and control it. she also cannot be burned
with enough power and after consuming gems or rocks, she can spew lava. but she cannot create it as a human and cannot manipulate it in either form
unmatched speeds. so long as she doesn't get caught, her smaller species is a formidable opponent. they make up for their lack of strength
cloudy days, downpours, and intense cold are her main points of weakness, often rendering her a bit slower or less able to conjure fire. ironically, this makes her and scott's species rather incompatible in a fight - not that he can shift as regularly as her
the poison from copper's species can fog her mind in small doses, drive her mad or sickly in greater doses, and even kill her in heavy doses
the way she'll learn to "control" and bring humanity to her other form is to shift when not in a threatened/hunting mode and learn that the beast isn't just anger and predator. most animals don't attack for the sake of attacking. and technically her dragon side hasn't done that either. it's been controlled or she's been threatened, hurt, hungry, desperate, etc
the first time scott or any other dragon/person helps cat realize her dragon side isn't just anger and destruction, cat will be bewildered and surprised. it never occurs to her that the emotions of her human state carry over, and that she's only ever used the other form whilst in such moments of fear, anger, or hunt.
she does know that scott is a dragonborn. but she thinks she's somehow messed up due believing she has a "dangerous" dragon side as opposed to him and his family.