Hornfel

Hornfel

Unusually quiet and stealthy, when Hornfel hatched he simply stood on his wobbling legs and began to explore. It wasn't far, much to his disappointment, as he discovered walking took a lot of effort. Not to mention he had litter mates that seemed to delight in sticking their noses into his business. Which may have lead to hissing and pouncing, which of coarse his siblings mistook for playing.

He also had a mother and father, when he ventured too far, his mother or father would pull him back so he could stay out of trouble. Hornfel had never felt so emasculated in his life, and he had only just hatched! With a grumpy disposition he laid in wait, soon his mother let them have more space, more freedom.

Not one to squander opportunity, Hornfel quickly beat his frail wings as he sprinted for the lairs opening, where he felt an indistinct calling. However, as he made it to the entrance he ran head first into the strangest dragon he had ever seen. He had a wolf fur pelt and seemed all sorts of jittery, the way his tail smacked around. It was very odd, he wondered if dragons considered it unnatural behavior. Clearly his hypothesis required further study. With that, he slunk after the dragon who muttered about needing to locate or find something. Strange indeed!

The two left, although Mordo may not have been aware entirely that he was being followed by a head strong hatchling, who was determined to keep up with him. Even hours later when his poor young body ached and cried from the grueling pace that Mordo held, not to mention the dragon seemed to take a lot of unnecessary turns. Hornfel had taken to fluttering his wings to any perch and watch from above, dotting here and there. Although his wing muscles weren't well developed, so he was really leaping, gliding, and climbing up again.

This continued til it seemed the Mordo had given up. That was when a dragons feminine laughter rang out. Hornfel hadn't realized dragons could be as stealthy as him, he fell out of the tree and scrambled for the bushes in terror of being noticed. He continued to hide in the bushes as the two dragons had their exchange. However, in hiding, he was too scared to follow after Mordo again.

"Hello, little one." A soft feminine voice called out. Hornfel panicked, he jumped out of his defensive ball and scrambled for the hills. Sadly, before he could retreat a pair of jaws gently grabbed him by the neck and took to the skies. His body instinctively curled inward, as his mother had carried him like this all the time. It was in that moment Hornfel realized he really did miss his mother, and although he had enjoyed his adventure, he really missed home. However, Mordo had disappeared, and now he didn't know where home was.

The gentle dragon had carried him far into the Shifting Expanse which surprised even him as he jumped and spooked at all the lightning and thunderous booms. When she landed, she had found a ledge upon a cliff face where she hung from her tail, dropping him into her hands. "Shhh, little one." She cooed in a motherly tone as she slowly descended from her tail to the ground. "Something tells me you have been a naughty boy and now you've lost your way home."

"In my defense, if you had left me back there, I would have been closer to home. Something tells me I am much farther now, the air feels funny here."

"Yes, the Shifting Expanse is far from the Tangled wood. However, there are places even further than that."

"Shifting Expanse, huh?" The words sounded weird, unfamiliar.

"Yes, and tomorrow morning we will introduce you to Midnight Pools, Stricker, Star, and Firelight. But don't you worry," Aratani smiled as she nudged his head affectionately, her scales rubbing against his. "I won't let them eat you." That didn't comfort Hornfel at all.

"What's your name, little one?"

"I don't remember." The sudden loss of his identity was very concerning, his eyes had grown large as he suddenly felt very tired, and lost. Worse, he didn't remember what his mother and father had called him. He collapsed in a dejected puddle as large tears began collecting in his eyes.

"Shhh," Aratani used her hand to gently catch the tears, her voice low and quiet. "A name is nothing to cry over, sometimes dragons have several names. If you want, I can give you a name." He eagerly nodded at the chance to have an identity again. Aratani smiled at his innocence, "Hornfel, after a type of stone called so because of its exceptional toughness and texture both reminiscent of animal horns."

"Hornfel," He seemed to consider it before he nodded. "I like it. What are your names?"

Aratani smiled as Hornfel climbed up into her arms. "Aratani, when I am here. In other parts of Sornieth I am known as Blood Spiller." Sadly, Hornfel had fallen asleep before she had even finished. His chest rising and falling in deep breathes as he fell into a restful slumber.