| Jidka'Tamkah had taken one look at herself at her hatching and refused to bond. She didn't want to force her vibrant colors on any of the humanoids there, especially since many of them expressed horror at the first sight of her multi-colored hide. She spent the next two years being teased and avoided by turn. Most of the other dragons, and their riders, avoided her, claiming her colors hurt their eyes. She understood; sometimes her colors hurt her own eyes. It was the few who seemed to overcome the eye pain (or not be affected by it at all) that upset her. They would tease her endlessly, saying she was an experiment that should never have hatched. Finally, about two turns after she hatched, she had enough. She hadn't hit full maturity yet, but she had to get away. She was capable of flying long distances now; she would leave, maybe try to find somewhere more accepting. Maybe if she had made a friend or two, she wouldn't have been as miserable. She considered trying to bond a firelizard before she left, but she didn't know where any nests were and she wasn't very welcome in the firelizard portion of the FGPC. She decided to explore other worlds, and try to find a flit from another world. Maybe she'd head to Treval and see how her relatives lived. Even if she didn't know who her parents were, she knew her heritage was there. Then she could see other places. Visiting Treval was fun, but the longer she stayed the less welcome she felt. She didn't feel unwanted, or ostracized; in fact, they didn't seem to mind her colors that much, even if there had never been another Tavrayn with colors like hers. She just didn't feel at home there. Maybe she just wasn't ready to settle down yet. She decided to continue exploring. She headed to a world called Shar. She had been told about a bonding site on this world, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to do something like that. There was supposedly a size limit for bonders there and she didn't think she fit. Besides, she had seen the tundra off in the distance and decided she wanted to play in the snow a little. Growing up with few friends had prepared her for a lonely life, but at least she was used to amusing herself. When Jidka arrived at the tundra, she landed and looked at the snowy landscape in awe. It was beautiful. She reached down and started to roll up a large snowball, followed by two more, each slightly smaller than the previous one. Then, she set the middle-sized one on top of the largest one, and topped the middle one with the smallest. Stopping to admire her work, she realized the snowperson needed something. She looked around for a few twigs or some small stones. Noticing a small shadow on the ground not far away, she walked over and discovered a small nest of mostly hatched eggs. The shells looked several hours old, as if the eggs had hatched and the remainder left as duds. She sifted through the shells, her touch lingering on one or two of the unhatched eggs. It was sort of sad to her; the hatchlings who hadn't even had a chance to live. Even if she wasn't well-liked, at least she had a chance to live and have friends. She turned away, heading back to her unfinished snowman, when she heard a slight cracking sound. Not thinking she'd wandered onto thin ice, she turned back toward the sound, just in time to see one of the eggs shaking back and forth with new cracks in its surface. Stepping closer, she was hit on the nose by a flying piece of shell as the tiny creature forced its shell open. Blinking rapidly from the force of the eggshell (who knew such a tiny creature could be so strong!), she watched as the egg revealed a tiny, bright white dragonet. The tiny dragon looked up at Jidka, and she could suddenly feel the dragonet's hunger. As she wasn't sure what the small creature would eat, but figured meat was a good choice, she pulled out a small pouch she had gotten in Treval. It contained a few pieces of a meat she hadn't had before, and wanted to be able to have as a snack on her trip. Now she was doubly glad she had it. She held out a strip to the hatchling, who took it ravenously, and proceeded to eat the rest of it before she was sated. She yawned, already almost asleep, leaned against Jidka's paw. "Well, I guess I'll have to hunt up some more meat for you," she said with a slight laugh. "I'll bet you'll be hungry when you wake up." |