Hobo

Make it Pretty: Hobo

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Hobo is quite possibly one of the most socially inept dragons to walk the face of Sornieth. Although the big red Tundra is filled with emotions and has a lot of love to give, he can't seem to get the hang of expressing himself. He can't seem to talk, at most managing to spew out some words every now and then. When he gets excited, the Tundra starts sneezing a lot. Like Nana, Hobo had been alone all his life, and wanted nothing more than to have a home, to fall in love, start a family and surround himself with friends. Luckily, he's found a ton of new friends in Denutena's Candyclan, but he still hasn't been that lucky with love.

When Hobo first saw Nana, she was busy building a lair all on her own. It was love at first sight, and Hobo immediately wanted to run to her, but he didn't think it was wise to disturb the hard-working little Fae. So, instead of offering a helping hand (which would've been much appreciated!), the big red Tundra stayed put. Hobo knew from experience that disturbing others wasn't a good idea. The few times other dragons actually came up to Hobo to talk, he had been busy himself, and focused as he was, the interruptions always greatly startled him. Hobo would scream and bellow in confusion, scaring the other dragons away and leaving him alone again. No, connecting to others was not his strong suit.

The red Tundra waited and waited, while Nana struggled to build her lair. A few days later, at sundown, the little Fae was finally done. Exhausted, she sat down against the wall. This was his chance! Hobo didn't waste a second stomping over. He barged into Nana's lair, sat his big floofy butt down on the ground and loudly proclaimed: "I live here now! We nest!" This was Hobo's way of asking the little Fae on a date, but Nana was too petrified to even respond. Hobo felt confused, but seeing as the little lady didn't flee from him like the other dragons always did, he assumed that all was well.

It wasn't until Cookie joined shortly after, that Nana started to feel safe in hew own home. Cookie seemed to have a gift for reading the big red floofball, as well as the peculiar Fae body language. Acting as a mediator, the three quickly became close friends, and as Denutena's Candyclan grew, Hobo was even chosen to be on the Counsil with Nana and Cookie!

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Theodore sniffed the worn leather ball. It was a mistake. He knew it was as soon as the smell of old leather mixed with dust and sand filled his nose. He recognised the scents of the other teens he’d been playing with, identified those of strangers he’d never met before, and the lavender bush he’d accidentally tossed the ball in minutes earlier. The young dragon wanted to remember this moment, the past twenty minutes during which he felt normal, happy, free from the memories that filled his home. But he knew it was a mistake then, and he remembered his mistake again the next day, when his tutor placed a vial on the desk in front of him and he had to hide the smile that the sweet scent of lavender mixed with dirt drew from him.

“Smell.” His tutor ordered. Theodore obeyed. “Today, we’re learning about the coil that powers our great kingdom – how the electricity is guided through the cables, basic maintenance and who takes care of it, what should happen if…” Theodore couldn’t focus. His mind wandered to the kids outside, the game they played, how light he’d felt when… When what?
“Smell.” The scent filled his nostrils again, and he remembered. When he’d tossed the ball as far as he could. Lack of practise meant he couldn’t nearly throw as far as the others, but he didn’t care. He had fun, he was free, without a care in the world, and that was rare.
“Theodore Sebastian McSpire!” The voice of his tutor roared with the same intensity as the rumbling skies above the kingdom, bringing the Tundra back from his daydreaming.
“I-I wasn’t-” He started, but the stern look his tutor gave him meant he’d already been caught. His parents would surely hear of this, he assured Theodore, as he slammed his books closed and left the study. The young dragon felt guilty. Looking down at his lap, he couldn’t quite remember why, if this had happened before, but he had a feeling it had. In any case, it wasn’t good.

“No! This is absolutely unacceptable! It’s the third time this has happened this month alone!” Theodore’s father was fuming. His fur had become harsh and prickly.
“Well, what do you suppose we do about it, my love? We always knew this was the risk.” His mother’s voice was soft, but the words were as harsh and cold as the icefields they once came from, as full of disappointment as the deity they still worshipped even today. She leaned back and sighed, which only seemed to anger his father even more.
“We should’ve just left him there!” His father got up and started pacing.
“And then our people would’ve found out we abandoned the rightful heir to the throne, their future leader. No, my dear. You insisted we took our honeymoon in the Windswept Plateau, knowing full well the risk of having our child be born with such a wild, unruly nature. There’s no changing what happened, we have to deal with him now.”

Theodore sat quietly in the middle of the throne room. He was used to his parents fighting in front of him. He blamed his faulty memory, which was even worse than that of most Tundra dragons. His parents probably assumed he wouldn’t even remember the fight, like every other fight they’d had. But their scents filled the entire castle, it would probably linger until long after they were gone. And so would the memories. Except for those rare moments where he could sneak out of the castle and escape them, his parents’ words would always haunt him. Not that he could blame them. Theodore now remembered vividly the countless times he had diluted the scents of his studies by forming different memories, despite all the painstaking efforts from his parents to keep him locked up, just to keep him away from smelling the wrong things. As crown prince, he had to learn about all the inner workings of the kingdom, its people and history, its secrets. He knew how important his duties were, but still. He was just so… unhappy.

The silence made Theodore look up from his thoughts. With questioning eyes, he looked up at his parents. They were never quiet, not in front of him, at least. What had they been talking about? What had he missed? But his parents remained silent. They looked at each other with a solemn understanding, a sort of sad agreement. His mother signalled the chancellor, who then signalled two guards, who would guide the Tundra back to his chambers. Except, they didn’t take him to his chambers. The guards took Theodore in an entirely different direction. The Tundra was forgetful, but surely, he thought to himself, he could remember where his own bed was? Uneasy, and with a growing sense of dread, Theodore let the guards take him deeper into the castle, all the way down to the dungeons. They walked through countless hallways, past countless cells, until they finally reached a door at what Theodore thought must’ve been the far end of the castle. The room the guards locked him in was small and dark, it seemed unusually cold compared to the warm climate of the Shifting Expanse. The frail air was riddled with unfamiliar scents that weighed heavy on the Tundra, as he recognised the smells of fear and sweat all around him. His eyes grew large. What was this room? “Guards? Guards, please, let me out! Guards!” The sound seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness around him. His voice trembled. “Mom?”

Theodore had no idea how long he’d been asleep for. As he got up, he stretched his sore muscles and tried to shake the sand out of his fur. The night sky was cold. “How did I even get here?” The Tundra muttered to himself as he looked around. “Wh-where even is here?” Having never been outside the city walls, he couldn’t recognise how close to home he was. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and took a deep sniff, trying to pick up on any familiar scents that would guide him back home. The other kids he played with, the lavender that always managed to bloom all around the city, his favourite pastries from his favourite baker, the guards who were out patrolling the streets, his parents… So many scents that could’ve guided him home clung to the air outside the city walls. Yet none of them reached him. He couldn’t smell them. He couldn’t smell anything. The Tundra started walking, circling around the city walls, frantically smelling the air around him. Nothing. “I’m broken. What did… they… I’m…” The memories of what happened escaped him as panic washed over him. For hours, the Tundra circled the city walls, looking for a way in, trying to pick up on anything familiar, anything at all. The sun rose, higher and higher. The dragon forgot, more and more. Eventually, he forgot why he was circling the city. He forgot what he was looking for, where he was trying to go. He turned away from the castle. He started walking.