Mokurian Dragon

Note: this was written in english, I don't have a translator myself

Egg

“This egg seems deeply rooted into it's tree”

The Mokurian dragon egg is found safe inside of ancient trees before it's shell becomes hardened enough. The tree it resides in becomes the dragon's host tree, where it will begin to share the energy and life of the tree. It's appearance is similar to a durian, though the scent it gives off is not sweet like one, rather smelling like freshly cut wood.

Hatch

“It rests through the day where it cannot be found”

Young hatches of the Mokurian dragon are blind and sensitive to the light, so they remain inside of their tree. This keeps it safe from other animals or people as well, so it remains undiscovered. It's body is like softwood at first, it's tail is where it stores most of it's energy. When nighttime arrives, it follows the glow of adult Mokurian dragons to learn the basics and find food. When it's this young, it relies heavily on the grown dragons, or remain silent and secure inside it's tree.

Hatchling

“It takes good care of the forest and follows those that protect it”

Now able to see, the Mokurian dragon works to take care of it's tree, as they share life and energy. It works through the day silently, and truly comes alive at night. As a species, it prefers to go unseen by humans, but are not hostile to them. Old trees with sacred rope around it is a good sign that tree cares for a Mokurian dragon. It uses it's tail to scare off threats by glowing.

Adult

“It appears to be nothing but a ball of light”

The Mokurian dragon prefers to not be seen. Its said that it rests throughout the day, and comes out at night. If you're lucky to see one, it appears as if it's wooden, it's eyes are uneven and the leaves that are around it's neck and hind legs are lush. However, they are in fact commonly seen, but only in it's disguise. It's large tail glows brightly through the night, making it appear like nothing more than a strange ball of light in the darkness.

They tend to live in groups in the wild, in ancient thriving forests. They care for one another, and have been seen following around other species of dragons that care closely for the forests as well. It's said that the dragon dies if it's host tree dies in some way, and harming these ancient trees in any way is said to bring you great misfortune. Though the dragons usually reside near their forests, they have also been seen in mountainous areas. Mokurian dragons do not like to fight, but it will hold it's ground if the trees or forests are endangered. 

In the times the dragon does encounter people, it tends to mimic human behaviors, being able to stand on it's hind legs for extended amounts of time and replicate human speech, even being able to communicate with them.

Info

Species - tree spirit

Element Type - earth, dream

Height - 0.7 ~ 1.2m

Weight - 15 ~ 40kg

Food - fiber and fruit

Main Discovery Area - ancient forests

Main Discovery Time - late spring to early fall

Story

A young kid ran around in the forest as the evening began to arrive, climbing in the trees and running through the shrubs. As it became darker, the kid noticed a strange light in the distance. And then another, and another. The kid tried to chase after the lights, but the lights seemed to flee.

The child found their way to a large tree that had a decorated rope around it. Courios, they tried to remove the rope. The moment they touched it, the lights returned, and it seemed like they were many more now.

Startled, the kid ran away from the lights, and went to return home. As they ran, they realized they didn't recognize where they were. They got lost in the forest. They kept searching, but the lights seemed to be everywhere around them. They climbed up a tree for safety.

Scared and holding onto the tree for their life, the kid started to cry and called out for help. The lights drew near.

One light walked up to the base of the tree, and the kid could see what it actually was. A small dragon, appearing wooden themselves like the trees. It showed no hostility as it looked up at the kid.

“You're crying…” the dragon called to the kid in a quiet and monotone voice. “I know where your home is.”

The child cautiously made their way down the tree, meeting the small dragon. Without another word, it began to run, becoming a ball of light again. 

“Hey! Wait up!” The child ran after. All the lights surrounding them seemed to follow.

The dragon didn't stop until the trees began to end, and a village became visible. The child looked over to the dragons as they caught their breath.

“I thought the forest dragons was supposed to be more dangerous…”

“The forest is kind. As long as you show the same kindness.” The dragon bounded off, back into the forest. The lights dimmed until no longer visible. The child returned home safe and sound.

Additional Info

The name for the Mokurian dragon is a mix of “durian” and “mokusei”. Mokusei means “wooden”, or “made of wood” in Japanese. Durians are sometimes called the “king of fruits”, the trees they come from having large leaves and the trees themselves growing quite large.

The Mokurian dragon is based off of the Japanese yokai called Kodama, which are small tree spirits that appear to people as small lights in the night, having their life force directly connected to the trees they come from. They typically live in groups in the forests or mountains.