Wander

He had not been with his family for long. Sadly, one day while they were at the market, the still nameless hatchling wandered a little too far away and ended up stuck in a crawlspace, the ddoor behind him not budging.
And despite the fact that he and the person who finally got him out looked for his parents for ages, they never found them. Unknowing that his parents had looked for him as well, the hatchling went home with his rescuer.


Dec. 19, 2020
His rescuer, a friendly botanist tundra named Gourd, decided to pick a name for the little hatchling, as he claimed to have none. If his parents ever found him, he was sure that they would tell him his true name, and he vowed to head back to the market soon to ask around for the parents. But first things first, he had to get this little one some food and warmth. Oh, and he decided to name the little fae Wander, since he was sure that’s how he’d gotten in the crawl space in the first place!

Dec. 20, 2020
After a big meal and a long rest, Wander began to look around the cave he was in. It was full of many plants, most of which he did not recognize, and beakers full of colorful liquids. Gourd luckily came back and stopped him from drinking any. He offered to teach him a bit about the plants, much to Wanders delight. He was very excited to tell his parents what he had learned, if he ever found them again. Gourd promised Wander that they would head back to the market tomorrow to see if his parents could find him, or if anyone could tell him where to look.

Dec. 21, 2020
Gourd took wander to the market that evening, but they didn’t find his parents. However, one of the shopkeepers said that they’d seen a Fae earlier asking around for a missing hatchling! Wander got excited, and began to hop around with joy, and pull on Gourds horns. Gourd handed the shopkeeper a “found hatchling” poster, and asked them to keep an eye out. He then put the only other one he had (he didn’t have very many materials, and vowed to make more later) on a pole near the entrance. He made sure Wander was holding tight to his horns, and then took off for his cave, hoping for better luck tomorrow.
Wander looked back once, and hoped he would find his family soon. He may only be a day or two old, but he wished he would be able to find them before Christmas time!

Dec. 24, 2020
It was Christmas Eve, and they still hadn’t found wanders parents. Wander was getting discouraged. Maybe they had forgotten about him. Maybe they didn’t care. Gourd however, wasn’t ready to give up yet. So on Christmas Eve morning, Gourd woke Wander up (quite early, in his opinion) and put him on his head. The then flew them to the market, which was mostly empty at this time of morning.
“We’re going to stay here all day long!” Gourd said proudly.
“I packed snacks and books, and were going to wait on this bench all day, until we can find your family!”
Wander smiled with glee, and settled into Gourds fur. He knew today would be long, but he has hope that they would find him today!
He smiled, and kept his eyes wide, hoping to see his family soon!

Dec 25, 2020
It was hard, spending Christmas without his family. He had tried so hard to find them in time, but it was no use. He went home sad Christmas eve night, and cried himself to sleep. When he awoke Christmas morning however, Gourd was there, wearing big dopey reindeer antlers, singing Christmas carols, and dancing around the cave with holly on his tail. He said that even though it wasn't perfect, he wanted to make Wanders first Christmas special. Wander smiled, and decided that maybe today wouldn't be so horrible. They Baked cookies (most of which Wander ate right away), hung up lights, and Wander opened a gift from Gourd! It was his very own familiar! He was so happy, and hugged Gourds snout. He wasn't going to give up on his family, but today, he learned that sometimes family is more than just who is related to you. Sometimes, its who is there when you need them.