One of the ventus-drakes, Swift is a dragon in charge of surveillance and reconnaissance. Alongside his rider Tex, he protects the Skies of Gaia and keeps a watchful eye out for the others.
Appearance
Swift is a nine foot ventus-drake: a griffon-like entity with the front half of a bird, and the back half of a dragon. He has gold and white scales shaped like feathers, and bright blue eyes.
Backstory
Swift Winds was one of several dragons created by Luco and General Drake to protect the Roads of Gaia from the Demi-Wolves of Myst.
An experimental fusion of birds and dragons, Swift was one of the first of what were known as ‘ventus-drakes.’ Rather than being able to control fire like his more classic cousins the ‘Ignis-drakes,’ Swift could control wind and was one of the better fliers, though his combat skills were less than impressive.
Not wanting him to be hurt, Drake gave him a natural sharpshooter for a rider – Tex – and assigned both Swift and Tex to recon and surveillance. Swift will often stay high in the air and away from the fighting, letting others know of weak points with Tex maybe using her position in the sky to pick off targets. But for the most part, Swift and his rider stay as support and leave the fighting to others. They are the eyes in the sky, and without them, Drake and his dragons would be flying blind.
Abilities
- Expert flier – unmatched in aerial combat and maneuvering.
- Control over wind – can influence the wind and air to either assist in his flying, or to force others away from him with gale-force winds.
- Archer – Tex later trains him in sharpshooting, giving him a bow and arrows for him to help others with.
- Wind Conversion – can turn items into wind, storing them in a ‘hammer space’ of sorts where he can reassemble whatever was disassembled, summoning it to his side when he needs it. (Note: has never attempted this with humans, and would kindly ask that you not ask him to do so).
Personality
Due to being told that he’s no good in combat, Swift has been left very insecure in his ability to defend others without help. He’s nervous, easily agitated or upset, and quick to fly away from things that stress him out.
However, underneath his stressed and timid front is a heart of gold, and given the opportunity, he will try to help those if he’s not consumed by his fears.
Stories Involving Him
Trivia
- Swift was initially inspired by Jason Grace of Heroes of Olympus. However, he underwent a massive personality change, becoming more timid and unsure of himself, similar to Luigi from Super Mario Bros.
- Swift is planned on being part of a team of dragons that will serve as semi-superheroes, an idea that will see development in later novels.