It was a lovely day in the Starfall Isles. The wind from a few days before had died down, and Avarice had deemed it a good day for scavenging. And just in time, too, since Thyone was already beginning to run low on certain ingredients. When Leila began looking for volunteers, he’d happily jumped at the chance. Avarice had been sure to whisper something in her ear before she left, and she’d been keeping a close eye on Thyone ever since.

Finally, however, he managed to slip away from the main group. He really didn’t want their long lists and Leila’s prying eyes to interfere with his personal search. Besides, he’d already collected more than his fair share for the group. He leapt off a cliff, dipping out of view as his pixies grabbed onto his mane, and he soared along the cliff’s edge until he was a good distance away from his clan mates. He rose back up and landed on different part of the island.

Of course it wouldn’t be hard for Leila to find him if she really wanted to, but he wasn’t exactly trying to hide, either. He just needed a minute.

Or an hour. Or an afternoon.

Thyone began looking around. He knew this area well and generally knew where to find the best herbs, but most things were out of season. The weather hadn’t exactly been ideal, either, but he had to at least look. His usual suppliers probably wouldn’t have anything for a while, and he couldn’t go without certain ingredients for too long.

He began looking around, checking the usual patches and such before moving on to the places he knew would be a bigger stretch. He must’ve searched for an hour without finding anything for his personal stores. He’d just resolved to check one last place before heading back to the group when his pixies suddenly all turned in the same direction. He followed their collective gaze to see a small dragon hiding behind a boulder. The hatchling peered shyly from behind a tree. He didn’t recognize the child, but that didn’t exactly mean much.

“Are you from the lair?” he asked, “How did you get out here?”

The hatchling ducked just a little further behind the rock.

Thyone sighed, “Well, where ever you came from, hurry back there.” He turned and started walking away, but paused when he heard a faint rustle behind him. He turned back around and saw the hatchling now ducking in a tall patch of grass.

“You know I can see you, right?” he questioned, “You’re not very good at hiding, if that’s what you’re trying to do.”

The hatchling remained crouching.

Thyone groaned, “Fine! Are you lost? Where’s your clan? I’ll take you back there.”

The hatchling shook their head.

“Well, if you aren’t lost, then go on. Shoo!”

The child hesitated for a moment then meekly shook their head again.

“Then what do you want?”

Nervously, the hatchling stepped forward, out of the grass, and approached Thyone. They looked up at him expectantly.

The alchemist puzzled over this for a moment, unsure what the child could want from him. He didn’t have any food on him, or any money…

A thought occurred to him, “Do you…just want to follow me around?”

The hatchling’s face lit up. They nodded emphatically.

“Is there any chance I can convince you to not do that?”

The hatchling took half a step back, shuffling nervously. Then they shook their head anxiously.

The alchemist sighed once more. He really didn’t want to waste time playing babysitter, but the hatchling seemed resolute. Besides, it didn’t seem like they’d be much of a nuisance…

“Fine,” he conceded. The hatchling’s face lit back up. “But do try to stay out of my way.” The hatchling shrunk back and nodded.

Thyone continued towards his final scavenging place, the hatchling trailing after him. They seemed uncomfortable out in the open, and jumped at every small noise. They seemed torn between keeping their distance from him and seeking shelter in his shadow. Though having a hanger-on was a little more of an annoyance than he cared for, he had to admit that he admired the way the child was facing their anxieties. Even if he didn’t understand why.

Finally, the two dragons reached a place where a massive tree had fallen. Thyone knew the rotting log was normally an excellent place to find mushrooms, but lately it had been lacking. The alchemist stepped over to the log and began poking around. He checked underneath it, between its branches, and near its unearthed roots. He found nothing. The entire time, the hatchling watched intently.

After a moment, Thyone took a step back and sighed with frustration. Then the hatchling stepped forward cautiously. The alchemist watched as the child prodded about the dead tree, then they scraped at the dirt a little and smiled. They pulled at something, then stepped over to Thyone and presented him a tiny mushroom.

He looked at if for a moment, then decided, “I suppose it’s better than nothing.”

He took it and the child looked at him expectantly, nervous but with a small smile of pride.

“Thank you, I suppose. Maybe you weren’t such a pest after all.”

The child’s smile widened slightly.

Thyone quietly hoped he wasn’t encouraging the child too much. “Now I have to head back my clan. You run back to where ever you came from now.” He spread his wings, “And maybe have your parents teach you to be wary of strangers. You’re lucky I’m not some hatchling-snatching psychopath.”

The hatchling seemed suddenly much more nervous, and began looking around cautiously.

With that, Thyone took off.

A few days later, Thyone found the hatchling waiting for him when he stepped out of his sleeping quarters for the morning. He blinked twice.

After a moment, he stated, “You realize this is borderline stalking, right?”

The hatchling smiled nervously.

“Are you just going to shadow me again?”

They nodded nervously, in a way that seemed to imply asking for permission.

Before Thyone even fully realized what he was saying, he relented, “Well, as long as you’re not a nuisance, I suppose it can’t hurt.” He started to walk away, and the hatchling bounded cheerfully after him.

The duo made their way to his work station and the hatchling hopped onto the desk, taking the same place they had the other day. As Thyone began working, the hatchling grew perfectly still once more. A couple of times, Thyone forgot they were there.

Around noon, Betelgeuse walked into the lab. Thyone pretended not to notice until he approached the desk.

“Hello, Thyone,” he greeted.

The hatchling jumped with surprise, jumping high enough to tumble off the desk. The sudden movement startled Betelgeuse and caused the beakers on Thyone’s desk to shake violently.

Thyone managed to catch the glass containers as Betelgeuse exclaimed, “By the Eleven! I thought that was a statue.”

“Great Lightweaver on a sundial!” Thyone shouted. He turned to the hatchling, “What did I say about NOT BREAKING THINGS?!”

The hatchling looked up at him apologetically and he sighed.

“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Betelgeuse questioned. “I know you’re not exactly fond of hatchlings, but that seems a bit extreme.”

“I expected better from them,” Thyone muttered, not realizing the implication of his words until too late.

The hatchling, ever astute, started beaming.

“Don’t think that excuses you,” Thyone barked in retort as the hatchling hopped back onto the desk.

The hatchling continued smiling, anyway.

“I didn’t realized you’d taken on an apprentice,” Betelgeuse confessed.

“I haven’t,” Thyone replied, making sure everything was back in its proper place, “And don’t go putting ideas in their head. I don’t even know the kid’s name, much less whether or not they’d be a good apprentice.”

“You don’t know their name?”

“They’re very shy,” he explained. “And probably mute. I’ve never heard them utter a single word. Granted, I’ve known them less than a week…”

“And they just sit here and watch you work?”

“Yes, basically.”

“Well, I guess that explains why you haven’t needed my help the past few days,” Betelgeuse noted objectively.

Flustered, Thyone protested, “N-no! I just…I keep forgetting to ask. I’ve been…busy…”

The hatchling shifted awkwardly.

“Don’t do that,” he growled in their general direction.

Startled, the hatchling instantly went perfectly rigid.

“Don’t do what?” Betelgeuse asked.

Thyone’s head snapped back to look at the other dragon, “Nothing! Don’t worry about it!”

Betelgeuse raised an eyebrow curiously, but apparently didn’t come to the obvious conclusion. After a moment, he stated, “Anyway, I was about to go eat and thought you might need a break from your work. Do you want to come with me?”

“Yes!” Thyone answered too quickly.

“Great! I’m sure the others will be happy to see you joining us, for once!”

The alchemist’s eye twitched as he tried not to let his disappointment show. “Right. Of course. You go on ahead, I should wash up before I eat.”

Betelgeuse turned to the hatchling, “Do you want to tag along as well?”

The hatchling shuffled nervously and shook their head.

“That’s fine. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll see you in a minute, Thyone!” He turned to leave, and the other two watched him leave.

The second he stepped through the door, Thyone turned on the hatchling, growling, “Alright, you shrewd little…” he took a deep breath. “Look. If you ever breathe a word of this to anyone, I’ll never let you set foot in here again, understand?!”

The hatchling nodded urgently. Something in their expression told Thyone that they’d never intended to tell anyone, anyway.

He exhaled with relief. “I’m going to go catch up with Betelgeuse, now. You can stay here if you want, but don’t break anything. There are some books over there if you want to read…” He paused. “Are you old even enough to read?”

The hatchling nodded happily.

“Good. Then that should keep you occupied.” He turned to walk towards the door, but paused just before stepping through the archway. He turned back to the hatchling and instructed, “And if Avarice or Arthgallo come in here, hide. The last thing I need is a lecture about unsupervised hatchlings in my lab.”

The hatchling nodded obediently and hopped off the desk, walking towards the bookshelves.

Lunch was unpleasant. Thyone mostly sat quietly while his clan mates discussed things he didn’t care about. Still, he hung around until Betelgeuse finished his extended lunch. When he mentioned getting back to work, Thyone pretended that reminded him of his own work and also took his leave.

When he returned to his lab, he was surprised to see books surrounding the hatchling as they intently sketched something out on a piece of parchment. As Thyone approached, he saw what the hatchling was working on. Several other papers sat scattered about or crumbled up. Some were bulleted lists in a hatchling’s unsure hand. Others were childish imitations of labeled diagrams. They were taking notes.

Thyone looked over the hatchlings shoulder, noticing their math—though advanced for a hatchling—was off.

“That’s wrong,” he pointed out.

The hatchling jumped.

Finally, Thyone had to admit that plenty about the hatchling was impressive. He’d probably never say it outloud, but perhaps he’d let them hang around for a while.