ORIGIN

One may have assumed that this chrysalis would have grown with time. It was, after all, due quite late for a hatching. Even its siblings had long since hatched and moved away from home. But this raspite was still here. It was of such a small size it would've been easy to miss, especially among all the fog of in this cave.

A slow consciousness sparked for the first time within the mind of the being within. Yes, perhaps that had been the issue. It had taken too long to sleep and was merely waiting for that burst of energy to come along and awaken it. They opened their eyes, and without much thought, not instinct, they began to kick at the walls of the chrysalis. There was a small crack at first, then bigger, and bigger until a large enough hole was broken for them to squirm out of it, cold air hitting their face for the first time. Life. Life felt cold.

@Erasmus

The chrysalis might have been small, but it had never been forgotten. It had been with much reluctance that Erasmus had left the chrysalis cycles back, fearing the child would hatch without them here. But the chrysalis had not, and Erasmus had been free to continue worrying the child would never hatch.

Even before it had been a chrysalis, Erasmus had carried the Raspite everywhere, knowing how precious life was only after they had taken it. Alek said the child would probably be an adult when they hatched, considering the time frame, but to Erasmus, this child was nevertheless still a reminder of life's importance. No matter what age they would be, Erasmus cared for the child.

Alek had begun to travel further, the longer it took for the chrysalis to hatch, especially after reuniting with his Onyx-Three. Erasmus did not blame him for doing so, this was not his atonement. But Erasmus could not leave Cetus, feeling bound to this life that had not hatched.

So when Erasmus heard the chrysalis hatching, they waited, crooning softly, hopefully.

And then a small dragon tumbled out, and they were so similiar in shape if not size to their other parent. Erasmus felt frozen. What if their very touch hurt this child? They had hurt this child's source of stone, killed him.

But then they saw the way the child reacted the air, and Erasmus realized again that this was their child, and their child was cold.

Giving a careful croon, warning of their approach, they kneeled down and offered their arms for the dragon to crawl into and come close. "Warmth here," Erasmus spoke, raspy voice rough with emotion.

@Whisper

Whisper blinked, clearing their eyes of the chrysalis fluid they had been submerged in for so long. Cetus' dimmer light in comparison to the other caves were softer on their eyes, so it did not take long for them to adjust to the sights around them. They took a few tentative steps forward. Walking was difficult, and their wings added an additional clumsiness to their movements. For their small size, absolutely everything in the world seemed gigantic. Even just the trees felt an immeasurable distance away. It was scary.

A being in front of them spoke words they did not understand, but some instinct within them understood that they meant well. They chirped in response, stumbling forth and finding their way to Erasmus. It felt warmer here, safe. "Warm," they echoed the first syllable of their words, folding in their wings and curling up in Erasmus' palm. "You?" they asked, not quite knowing what the words they uttered meant, but hoping it conveyed the curiosity in wondering who exactly this being before them was.

@Erasmus

The dragon was so small Erasmus could cup them in one hand, but they offered both hands cupped close to keep the dragon warm. They left an opening, of course, so the tiny dragon would not feel trapped.

”Warm,” they agreed, voice soft. Then the question was voiced, and it struck Erasmus harshly. What should they say?

The full truth they would tell, when the child had gathered mind and words they decided. Their child would know of their guilt and their atonement, but also that they were a child of Erasmus and so they loved them.

”Parent. Safe. Love you. Name… Erasmus,” their raspy voice explained simple truths for now.

”You?” they asked back in turn, a simple short yet complex question about self and identity.

@Whisper

They did feel safe, here, in the embrace of their parent by the name of Erasmus. They understood what the words meant, simple and short, yet holding so much meaning within. "Love... Erasmus." They dragged out the 's', a sound similar to the wind through the trees.

And now the question was directed back at them. Who were they? They liked the way their parent's name sounded, soft and warm. Perhaps that was merely their perception as they were physically warm, but they thought that the name itself was something they liked as well. Erasmus, two 's' that gave such a lovely feeling. And so they wanted to incorporate some of that within themselves. "Wisp..." they tried, but no, that didn't sound quite right. "Whisper." Yes, that was more like it. "I am... Whisper."

But there was something else they were too. The word wasn't quite coming to them, but it would come with time. They had just hatched after all, and words were rather new. Ah, there it was. "I am hunger-y. Hun-ger-y."

@Erasmus

The slight hiss to their child's letters reminded Erasmus of the wind drifting gently through the trees. Different from the musicality of Alek, which neither of Alek's children of theirs had inherited, but nevertheless a lovely sound.

Erasmus gave a wordless happy croon at hearing their child loved them, the tender warmth of love settled in them as well. This was their child, and they would never hurt their child. They would keep them safe from harm, as they said, even.

They were patient as the child figured out a name, seeming to have a name in mind. "Whisper," they repeated in warm acknowledgement. "Erasmus loves Whisper," they murmur gently to the little dragon, repeating their words yet differently.

All of this child, including their name, Erasmus loved so dearly.

"Hungry," they provided the word gently, knowing that talking was hard. "Whisper hungry?" they considered, thoughtful.

When the other children hatched on time, Alek had thought to bring food in preparation. But, perhaps, there was a food there already, for Whisper.

A small being like Whisper didn't need too much food, and if they had the ability to consume blood like Erasmus... Carefully, Erasmus moved one of their hands away from cupping their child close, but the other hand stayed.

They nicked their other arm with their sharp golden claws, the arm that was connected to the hand cradling Whisper still. Blood began to rise from the wound. It was not necessarily a large wound, it would heal easily enough, but it should provide enough of a meal for a tiny dragon, so long as the child drank blood.

"Food here," they tapped at their arm, where the blood was welling up. Their other hand remained near Whisper, prepared to catch their child if they fell while climbing up their arm.

@Whisper