Hemlock

Hemlock sighed, trudging through the rugged expanse of Dragonhome, squinting as the sun peaked through the clouds, invading his eyes. His tail dragged lazily along the ground. It felt arid, dusty, and miserable. He desperately wanted to return to murky bogs that he knew and loved, but the pull to wander the rocky plains was stronger.
His wings felt sore from flight, but the feeling of pointed stones digging into his feet as he traversed wasn't much better. He lifted his head, trying to adjust to the light as he gazed along the vast landscape in front of him. He perked as a small cavern came into view. Chances are there was another dragon living there, but with luck, they'd grant him a place to rest his weary wings. He plodded towards the cave, nearly hitting his head on a stalactite as he peered inside. It was...empty. Nothing but rocks seemed to inhabit the space. Hemlock let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with another dragon right now.
He lumbered towards the darkest corner of the cave, stretching his tired muscles before curling up on the dusty, stone floor. He covered his eyes with a wing and felt a wave of relief wash over him. It wasn't perfect, but it was cool, and it was dark, and that made it feel like home. He yawned and curled his tail around his body as he began to drift off into an exhausted slumber.

---

Crack.
Hemlock's ears twitched, but he didn't rise from his slumber.
Krrk. Crack.
Hemlock slowly woke, eyes opening groggily, evidently confused at the unknown sound.
Rrrk. Scrape, crack.
Hemlock suddenly remembered where he was. He jumped to his feet, violet eyes wide with alarm. Was the cavern caving in?! His wings flared out as he prepared to flee, before he managed to regain his senses, looking around in befuddlement. The ground felt solid beneath his talons, not a piece of rubble or debris in sight.
Then...where was the noise coming from?
Crack.
His ears twitched again. He turned his head to the source of the noise, yet saw nothing out of place. Was this some sort of joke? He certainly wasn't entertained.
Then, in the corner, one of the rocks shook.
Hemlock jumped in panic, smacking one of his wings on the roof of the cave in the process. It seemed he had more to learn about Earth territory than he first thought. Was the rock enchanted? Cursed, perhaps? He took a slow step forward. The rock shook again before a large crack made itself known on its surface. Hemlock's fins flared in alarm. Then, the rock split in two. Inside was a glittering purple interior, like a geode, yet there was something else inside the rock that made Hemlock pause. A mirror hatchling tumbled out of the egg, her wings looking comically oversized on her tiny body. Her head fins twitched as she got used to the open air. Hemlock felt something stir inside of him, a jolt of sparks running down his spine as he realized who, or rather, what this hatchling truly was. He slowly held out a talon towards the hatchling, towards his charge. She tilted her head, letting out a tiny chirping noise. She tried to stand up but was wobbly on her feet, and ended up falling flat on her stomach. Hemlock let out a low chuckle, helping her to her feet. "There we go..." He murmured quietly. "Sweet little gemstone."
The tiny mirror waddled to Hemlock's side, pressing herself against his warm, scaled hide. Hemlock curled his tail around her with a fond smile.
"Oh, little gemstone, you have no idea how special you are..."

---

(Yes, I know Geode is technically older than him, but shhhh.)