Your feet grow heavier and heavier with every step you take in this unforgiving climate. The sweat on your face is drying up faster than you can perspire and the thought of tears dripping from your eyes is making your thirst that much stronger. Your vacant eyes stare down at the billion pebbles of sand as they as they generously pulsated heat from the sun. Even the shade of your shirt wrapped around her head is frustratingly no use in this satanic heat while you continue to trudge, knowing that stopping for a mere second could certainly be death. Meanwhile, A pair of deep rosy eyes observed you calmly from a sturdy limb of an aging tree- 200yards from where you are aimlessly wandering. Fool, Look this way the creature muttered, her eyes fixed on the lonesome & dried out traveler, almost as if she planned to cast a spell, to force you to glance in her direction. She was hidden well in her shaded perch, but her purpose was not to give herself the attention, but the lush and inviting oasis that she inhabited which was sitting right behind her, patiently waiting for your head turn. For many long, lagging moments, you continue drag your feet, so beyond your sanity's boundaries that you begin counting steps in years. You hear your name muttered deep in your ear laeliebelle fooled and ignorant, you take a glance around you with eyes instantly full of hope, although you've been alone for what felt like decades in this heat. But wait. Against the tan sand that traveled for miles, there is a distorted and small patch of green you muttered in your parched, raspy voice. This seemed too good to be true; a real blessing! Someone up there must want to see you have a happy ending, after all this is through. The distorted cluster of various shades of greens welcomely sat there not evaporating or showing signs of leaving, and yet you felt there was not time to waste as you used what was left of your strength to run those 200 yards. You reached the miraculous miracle gasping for air and stumbled to the edge of the still pool of a descending waterfall. The urge to cry tears of joy overwhelmed you, and yet your body was so dehydrated to produce tears. Violently, you got down on your hands and knees and began slurping up the water greedily, forgetting all manners of your past.

Ideila sat up on her perch silently, observantly watching the desperate behavior of the human. Her Deep brown and periwinkle hair shaded her eyes an extra bit and her long long dreadlocks were tied up, draping back down to her speckled shoulders. Her long spiked tail consisted of the sandy tan on most of her body, as well as vibrant "ripples" of aqua blue accompanying each spike. It contributed by wrapping itself around the limb for balance, as Ideila sat up into a crouching pose. Thin material of faded tans, Puce and Salmon covered her chest, ankles and wrapped around her hips in a skirt-like fashion to protect her from the sunlight; she may be a Mirage Draik but that didn't make her completely invulnerable. She lay on her belly, head rested on her folded hands as she silently watched the creature below continue to celebrate with utter delight! It wasn't too long before the tattered human lost all energy and dozed off under a tree. This triggered Dei's loss of interest and she too drifted off into a nap...

Dawn was close to breaking as your eyes flutter open. They show a massive improvement from the dead, lifelessness that they had carried the previous day, now so full of life and rest. You stretch out your limbs as you emit a strong yawn and ascend to your feet. Taking a glance around, expecting to be greeted by the plentiful green scenery of the oasis- there is nothing. Disappointment sinks in but is replaced with question Was that all just a dream? you ask yourself, almost as if expecting a reply out of thin air. You can't help but doubt this, considering how critical your condition had been this past day, compared to how strong and invincible you felt now! Not wanting to wait up for the deathly sun to reach the horizon, you start your walk again. All that is running through your head is not questions of survival, but questions about the miracle that you witnessed yesterday. You are certain that it was not dream and yet there is no proof that it even occurred. And if it all had been a dream, you should surely be dead! You walk for a mile, two miles, three; A silent village of stone just over the horizon comes into view, and your heart fills with overwhelming hope! It is certain that someone out there wants to see you live to tell this story; Live to tell of this incredible miracle of the mirage...

Name: Ideila
Pronounced: Eye-Day-La
Nickname(s): Dei
Gender: Female
Age: Somewhere in the 200s(looks about 19 years old though)
Species: Desert Draik
Type: Mirage

Personality: Tactical, Independent, Crafty, Head-Strong, Benevolent, Calm, Warm-hearted, Optimistic, Keeps focus, stealthy, not easily angered.

Ideila is a very independent creature. She prefers it this way most of the time, actually. She can easily frustrate others with her mellow attitude towards things, but when she gets angry, it's very clear, although a rather rare occasion- She almost always finds an optimistic side to any situation. Being one of pure intentions, Dei's atmosphere is very open and welcoming- Others often describe it as a feeling of security, when she is present. Much like the Great Socrates, Ideila enjoys answering someones question with a question in return! She doesn't do it to the point where it's just maddening though. Dei just feels that it is a healthy way to keep ones brain sharp, and in this sense, she believes that she is doing them a favor! Like hundreds of others out there, Dei occasionally hits a snag in a situation, but being as creative and quick thinking as she is, it's never enough to get in her way too terribly. She's also very unaquisitive and thinks of others before herself which is what makes her ability to create 'real mirages' such a blessing.

Ideila is a little more petite than the typical draik, making her ideal in flexible situations and climbing trees. She's rather thin, but with all the exercise she gets and fruit that she consumes, she's still very fit and healthy. Her hair is a roasted chestnut color, consisting of strands of periwinkles and blues. It's in the style of long long dreadlocks which almost reach the beginning of her tail when they are naturally down, but a large majority of the time, she has her dreadlocks up in a ponytail. Her bangs are not matted dreads, but typical short side bangs which help to shade her face. Her palms and the inner portion of her fingers is a light tan color as well as her stomach and chest area. Speckled patches of cyan run up the front of her snout and up between her eyes. Similar markings appear on her back and shoulders region, becoming thinner and more scarce near her lower back. She has typical draik spikes on her tail which are each accompanied by a ripply cyan colored ring. Seeing her back markings and tail markings from a distance can often be mistaken for a mirage of nearby water. Her eyes are an ivory color and her irises are a pleasant rosy plum color. Her wings, when visible, are a deep, deep black color where the bone is, and the thin skin-like layers are the color of her chest and stomach. She often uses her wings to fan herself(and Heru) or to shelter her from the beating rays of the sun. The black on her wings helps to soak up the rays like a vaccume basically. When she's in her human-like form, she wears a faded rosy colored top with a black collar that goes around her neck like a halter. The sleeves are very loose and light, and flutter on her arms when she movies, to help keep her body cool. She wears a tattered material, the color of peaches, as a skirt wrap which is accompanied bay another slightly longer layer of the same thin material, only the color of the sand. Underneath both of those layers is a transparent, silky material which also does it's duty in helping to keep her from over-heating. Attatched to her belt are two black strings; one with black circles and one without. One is simply for show and the other is her way of storing leftover power after creating a mirage. Eventually, the leftovers each create enough power for another spare mirage; to put it simple, she's recycling her powers. On her feet, she wears a pair of ankle sleeves, the same color as her top. She believes that they help her climb better, although they don't. But who am I to tell her she's wrong?

Eggs the size of ostrich eggs all sat in a simple little row all looking flawless, vulnerable and yet incapable of destruction. The elegant figure of the Nuria- The Lost Desert's fire faerie, herself, paced the row slowly, observing each life-fill egg individually. She was nearing the end of the numerous choices, when she set her eyes upon one egg. Something about it seemed to illuminate and stand out from the others. The shell was hardy; a strong foreteller that the life concealed within would grow to be very head-strong and wise with decision making. A pair of flawless hands as smooth as the hands of a newborn infant's skin, ascended the smooth egg gently. She ran her thumb across the smooth, iridescent shell as it soaked up and reflected the colors of it's surroundings, making the palette of colors more brilliant than the orignal. She was certain that this was her choice but yet she couldn't announce it. This was a strong decision and she had to be absolutely certain- A mirage draik is only blessed once every Century, so this had to count. She hesitated for a moment as she began to set the egg back down, but just at that moment, she felt a soft thump from within the gleaming forcefield. It felt as faint and meaningful as when one feels the pulse of a beating heart and she felt her own stomache jump into a brief frenzy of startled butterflies. At that moment, she knew her mind had been made up and with that, a sure smile grew on her face as she made it definate This is the one the Fire Faerie announced in a sweet, warm tone filled with utter satisfaction and delight.

Ideila's Mother left when she was still concealed in her egg. It was terrible timing what, with the seeking for new mirage Draik, just around the corner. Her mother had been a mirage Draik, so by blood, she was expected to eventually do the same. Before leaving her in the hands of her own parents, her mother had blessed her with the name Ideila- It had been the name that she had longed to bless her first born with, and thus, her only child came to be known as Ideila. Her mother wanted so desperately to keep her and raise her, herself but she knew it would be best this way. There had been word of a group of 'desert pirates' looking to re-locate their loot, and Oasis' are ideal in those situations. She didn't want to risk Ideila's safety in an environment like that.

During the years, Dei, of course grew very close to her grandmother and grandfather. They taught her how to control her ability, starting small with young ferns and mere puddles, until she was capable of controlling an entire oasis alone. They sheltered her, fed her, gave her chores; everything you would expect from a guardian. They always shared exciting & entertaining tales with Ideila, about her mother when she was learning and growing. They made her sound so extraordinary!

Ideila was reaching the age when she was expected to begin her duty as a Mirage Draik. Her grandfather had passed away, due to old age, just a few years back so he was incapable of witnessing the departure of his granddaughter, but Dei's Grandmother was there to see it for him. Her grandmother wrapped her gentle arms around Ideila in a hug, saying her 'good-byes' and 'So longs'. Dei began her saunter out into the endless desert, but her grandmother's voice stopped her. She disappeared inside the stone abode and reappeared with a tiny cloth bag. She grabbed Ideila by the arm and placed the small drawstring bag in the palm of her hand. With no explanation, she just swivelled Dei back around, saying her 'goodbyes' one more time as she resumed in traveling across the desert.

She settled for the night, in her Oasis, resting with her back against a crooked palm tree. Ideila remembered the bag that her grandmother had forced into her hand and recalled not taking a peek inside of it. She retrieved the bag from her sack of belongings and gently pulled the opening wider. She dumped the substance out in front of her to take a closer look- They were just fat little seeds! Why would she give me THESE? Dei thought, utterly confused. Were these rations? They certainly didn't look appetizing, nor filling! She returned them to the sack, and ascended to her feet, pondering all of the possibilities behind this sack of seeds. The one suggestion that stuck out in her mind was to plant them.. It seemed logical, considering she couldn't imagine her grandmother giving here them to eat! She really had nothing to loose, so she thought that she might as well give it a try. Ideila got down on her hands and knees and started to dig a simple little whole in the soft sand. She dropped the seeds into the hole and covered them up. Ideila stared down at the spot she had just planted the seeds, as if she were waiting for something to happen. She went to the edge of the pool of clear water and cupped her hands. Carefully, Ideila dumped the water on the seeds, and watched as the grown soaked it up, then she returned to her previous seat against the palm tree, and dozed off for the rest of the night.

By morning, the tree had already sprouted! It was as if the tree were some species of bamboo or something, judging by the good one-foot that had grown during the night! But this tree certainly did not look even relatively close to the bamboo she had seen before. For the next month, she fed the tree water, and every day, it grew more and more until it was as huge as a two story house! To this day, Dei has claimed it as her 'crows nest' and her favorite place to relax. It will always remain a memory of the ones who were there for her; her grandparents.