| Four days had passed since the arrival of the Bishen egg, and every day Deborah had returned to visit her egg as much as she was able. While she was gone Fae checked in on the little blue egg once or twice a day when she had the time between her other duties in the Forest. The young human woman could feel the little wyrm inside the dark egg growing with every day. With each passing day the little creature that resided inside the protective shell moved more and more. On the fourth day the little wyrm had been very restless, and according to Fae, had been so since she checked on her in the morning. "I think today might be the day!" Deborah said to herself as she paced the Bishen's home. She counted the days off her fingers. "Wow! Four days! That seems a little early." "Yes, all of the previous dragons you've brought here have hatched in about a week's time." Deborah gave a proud smile to the elf. "Well, Bishen are very special creatures." Fae nodded, agreeing. The human's eyes opened wide as a thought occurred to her. "Ah! I almost forgot!" She walked to a tree where her pack was propped against it's trunk and began to rummage inside. "I got this from the Bishen realm a while ago. Right after they had those contests. I have been saving it just for this occasion!" She pulled something from the pack and turn to where Fae waited. In her hands was a little stuffed Bishen doll. The doll was a pretty, dark, purplish-blue color, and it's little tummy scales were a soft silver. It had no legs, but did have a pair of wings. The wings were a patchwork of dark colors cut into squares: red, green, blue, and yellow. The thing was soft and plush looking. The young woman smiled softly down at the little toy, then placed it into Fae's hands. It was just as soft as it looked. After handling it for a moment, she handed it back. "It's very nice. I'm sure the little one will like it." She smiled and took it to where the egg lay. She bent down and placed it at the edge of the nest. She started to rise up, but then paused, and bent closer to the egg. A gasp escaped her lips and she knelt next to the egg. "Fae! Come quick! The egg!" Fae ran to where her friend knelt and joined her on the ground. The egg looked normal to the elf's eyes, but a closer look revealed a hair thin crack running down the blue side. "She's coming!" Fae ran to where a pile of hatching materials were. She grabbed up the pile, which included several clean blankets, a small store of food, and a bottle of water. She handed the pile to Deborah. For almost half an hour they watched as the little creature struggled to escape it's shell. All the while Deborah leaned down close to the egg, whispering soft encouragements. Finally, after a drawn out wait, the egg split into a dozen pieces, and the little creature inside got her first glimpse of the world. Deborah grabbed one of the towels and dried the wyrm off. The little girl blinked up at her new bondmate with big dark eyes. The little wyrm was a dark green in color, with a slightly brighter green for the scales. She had a row of small spikes across her back. Her eyes were a dark black. Fae smiled and stood. "Well, congratulations! I still have a lot of work to do, so I'll come and check back on you two later in the day when I get a chance." The girl nodded slightly, eyes not leaving her little wyrm. Fae left as quietly as she could, so not to disturb the two. For a long time Deborah simply sat with the little green wyrm, who had fallen asleep after the rigors of her hatching. When she finally woke she looked about her home. Deborah smiled. "Would you like to look around, little one? Do you think your strong enough?" The little Bishen cocked her head to the side, and made a cute little noise: "Treee!" She lifted the wyrm off of her lap and set her on the ground. The little wyrm sat in the grass, head up, looking around at everything. Finally, the little thing's energy gave out and Deborah picked her up and cradled her in her arms. "Tired? How about a little something to eat?" Deborah went to the small pile of supplies she had brought with her and pulled out a small package of cut meat and vegetables. She fed the wyrm small bits until her hunger was sated. A drink of water and the little one's needs were taken care of. "Littling, you need a name." The green wyrm looked up at her with black eyes. Deborah held the Bishen up in her hands and looked at her. She had been picking out names since the egg had arrived. Now that she had hatched, she needed a name. "Hmm�." The human mused. "I know! Ill call you Itsu! It's Japanese for peace and beautiful. You know, your father's name is Japanese. That makes it even more fitting." She smiled warmly down at the wyrm, who made a small chirping noise in response. "Oh dear! I compleatly forgot!" Deborah cradled Itsu in her arms and took her to her nest. She set Itsu in her nest, and picked up the stuffed Bishen. "This is for you. I hope you like it." She set the stuffed toy down in the nest with Itsu. She curled up in a little circle next to the toy. In a few moments, her eyes were drifting shut as sleep clamed her. "Good night, my little Itsu." *** A few days passed and little Itsu grew more and more. Her green scales that had once been soft at her birth hardened. As the days passed Itsu grew intelligent as well. After two days, she was able to communicate with her bondmate. *Bondmate�* Deborah looked about for the source of the voice. "What�" *Bondmate! Here!* She looked down at her feet. Little Itsu was curled about her leg, looking up with her bright, playful eyes. "Itsu, is that you?" The little wyrm nodded eagerly, a smile coming across her small face. *Took me long enough huh? I had to learn your language so that you could understand me. Your words are strange to my tongue, but it's no trouble to speak to you this way.* "I'm glad. Very glad." She bent down and petted the wyrm's head gently. Itsu closed her eyes in pleasure. *Well, now that I'm stronger, I want to explore!* The little wyrm took off through the grass, going at a surprising speed for such a little thing. Itsu explored everything within her realm. She tasted the grass, tried to climb one of the trees, attempted to dig a hole in the ground in pursuit of a worm. She leaned too far into the little stream to look at a fish and fell in, needing to be rescued from the half a dozen inches of water. She wanted badly to stick her nose into a bee hive she had found a ways away from her home, but Deborah explained that the bees would think her an intruder and sting her. Itsu's eyes were bright and live with curiosity and the joy of learning. Deborah had tired, and was resting against the trunk of a tree while Itsu chased a butterfly through the tall grass. She was trying her best to run, but without legs, it was hard for her to manage, so she alternated between attempting to fly like the butterfly and run after it. The sight brought a fond smile to Deborah's lips. She was so absorbed in her bondmate's actions, that she didn't notice Fae, with two others, enter Itsu's home. After a moment she saw them out of the corner of her eye, and looked up, surprised. "Desiree, Kashi! What are you two doing here?" She asked as she rose to greet her friend. "Well, Kashi wanted to see his daughter." *I brought her a present.* The green terran had with him a round ball, green of different colors. Suspended in the center of the green orb was a perfectly preserved leaf. The little orb sparkled in the light that filtered through the trees. It was a very beautiful thing. "I'll come back for him later." Desiree and Fae left the three alone. By this time, Itsu had become aware of the new Bishen's presence. *Daddy?* Kashi smiled down at the little green wyrm who had inched her way to his feet. *Hello, Itsu. I brought you a little something.* He held out the orb for her to take. She accepted it, gazing at it's beauty in awe. *Thank you Daddy! It's very pretty.* Itsu wrapped her little body around her father's leg in the best hug she could manage. The two talked, and Itsu showed her father around her home, showing him the different things she had discovered. Inevitably, her curiosity led her back to exploring and playing. Kashi came and sat next to his daughter's bondmate. "She's green. Just like her father." Kashi smiled warmly, his eyes upon his daughter. *She is so playful, and so full of curiosity and energy.* "The world is her puzzle, waiting to be solved." Deborah paused, looking down at the Bishen. "I'm glad you came." *I'm glad too.* Just then Desiree walked through the trees. Kashi smiled at his bondmate, then stood and walked to where Itsu was tasting a flower. *Itsu, I have to leave now.* She let the flower drop and came to embrace her father one last time. *Come back soon, ok? I'll have lots more to show you! And we can go and explore farther into the forest! There is so much to see!* *Of course, love.* Kashi embraced her, then turned a followed Desiree out of the forest. Itsu watched them leave, her eyes thoughtful. After a few moments she yawned and made her way back to where her bondmate sat. The wyrm curled up in her lap, and in a few moments, was asleep� |
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| The Wyrm |
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| Name: Itsu Gender: Female Age: Wyrm Color: Green Type: ? Magical Object: ? Powers: ? Mate: None yet Parents: Juliette & Kashi Clutch Number: 7 ID: mc50f Adoption Date: 12/5/02 Birth Date: 12/9/02 |
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| Leaf orb made by Desiree. |