Once

A young spiral was fleeing a storm that destroyed her nest. She clung desperately to her three eggs, hoping against all odds that they would be ok without the safety of a nest for the next few hours while the storm passed. Thinking fast she started to dig a hole under a fallen log. A makeshift nest where she could keep her eggs warm. She huddled around them trying to use her body heat to save them.

She awoke the next morning to water lapping against her body, the river must have flooded while she slept. She looks for her eggs but there was only mud. She let out a wail and frantically started digging for her eggs. But there was nothing, no matter how long she dig, no matter where she dug there was only mud, more and more mud.

The mother wept, adding more water to the already soaked ground. For days she waited hoping. Finally, the father of the eggs found her and dragged her back to their clan. Their eggs lost to the storm.

Weeks later a pear colored skydancer by the name of Kiana was wandering from clan to clan looking for a home when she noticed the ground move. She paused and stared at it. Should she run away? Should she fly away? Should she shout for help? What should she do?

While she spent time debating what to do a very muddy spiral hatchling wiggled out of the ground like a worm. Kiana froze. A baby! She had not been expecting a baby! And then, another one a little to the left! And another! Two baby spirals and a skydancer looked around before they noticed her and crawled towards her. They grabbed onto her for legs and three pairs of matching blue eyes stared up at her. She blinked down at them in shock.

“Where are your parents?” Kiana looked around but there was no one else in the forest.

The youngest one, a spiral, pawed at her and let out the tiniest of roars.

Kiana looked them over, “You three need a bath.” She looked around again, “Guess it’s up to me.”

She carefully took the hatchlings to the river and washed them off one by one, but no matter how long she washed they stayed the same muddy color, smaller bits of what she thought to be their true colors shown through on the younger two. She finally sighed and gave up on getting them clean and instead decided to get them feed.

A dinner of insects found under logs latter, and their eyes started slipping closed. Kiana lead them to a fallen log and wrapped her wings around them. She hummed, a warm feeling blossoming in her chest.

“Once upon a time,” She began and told them a long boring story to make them sleep, it worked and the three hatchlings clung to her tightly.

Kiana decided to take the hatchlings with her on her search for a new home, figuring they would need one as well. They stopped at clans all over, most staying for a night or two then leaving. It seemed no one wants unnamed kids to feed and care for.

One morning the little skydancer pawed at Kians, “We need names. Then maybe someone will love us.”

“Oh, little ones,” Kiana felt her heart break, “You are already loved. Choose names you want to have. Choose carefully a name can be a tricky thing.”

“Will you tell us another story?” The oldest of the three asked.

“Of course,” Kiana grinned, “Once upon a time,” She began but was quickly interrupted.

“That’s it!” The youngest of the three spoke up.

“I’m Once!” The eldest shouted, catching on quickly and happily flapping her wings.

They looked at the middle child who looked back confusion on her face.

“I’m Time.” The youngest said slowly.

“That makes me Apona!” The skydancer shouted and spun in place, finally understanding.

“Those are lovely names.” Kiana smiled, “Come children, we have many things to do before we can rest tonight.”

That night they were going to leave the shadow realms where they’d been looking for a home and head into the realms of nature. Kiana hoped this would be a good idea and not one that hastened their lives.

The first morning there they saw a ship. A great, big, blood red ship docked at an island.

“What’s that?” Apona asked, coursoty filling her.

“That’s a ship, looks to be a pirate ship.” Kiana answered.

“What’s a pirate?” Once asked

“A dragon that sails on a ship.”

“Can we go see?” Once asked starting to bound towards that island.

Kiana started to tell them no, but Time put a paw on her and smiled, “A ship is a good thing.”

Kiana nodded and helped the three fly to the island, and land. Landings were still pretty rough and Kiana made another mental note to teach them how to land again. They carefully walked to the ship and looked up at it.

“It’s so big!” Apona and Once bounded around each other looking up at the ship.

“Hello.” A female coatl growled, walking up to them, “I’m Solaris, what are you doing here.”

Kiana froze, this coatl was the most beautiful dragon she had ever seen. She was pearl colored with beautiful feathered wings, and wonderful green eyes. Kiana might have been staring for too long but she couldn’t tell.

“We want a home.” Once bounced up, with no fear.

“With food.” Apona tumbled over.

“And love,” Time spoke in that carefully slow way of hers, “We need a home with Kiana too.”

Kiana looked at the three she had come to consider her own and blinked away tears, “If we could stay somewhere warm and safe for the next night or two that would be plenty.”

“Come in, we never turn away hatchlings.” Solaris’s snarl turned into a smile and lead them into the camp.