ORIGIN

Cygnus was anything but graceful as he broke free from his chrysalis, falling to the ground in a flood of clear liquid. He bleated weakly and coughed, hacking up more fluids from his lungs. He shivered gently, ears down, his soft blue eyes blinking as he looked around, taking everything in.

He pushed himself onto spindly legs, so tall and skinny that he looked like a giraffe rather than a deer. It took a few tries, but he managed to stand steady, blinking gently as he slowly took a step forward, then another. He got the hang of it in a manner of minutes, and within an hour he was picking his way across the grass, looking for... something.

He knew he was white and was searching for something the same color, occasionally taking nibbles of grass before moving on. It was awfully coarse in his mouth, his baby teeth struggling to chew it. He'd have to find something softer.

The fawn cantered forward towards something white in the distance, bleating as he rounded a corner, spotting them. Deer, a whole herd of them.

He ran forward and bleated again, approaching the herd and standing there, a little unsteady on his ungainly legs, already two feet tall even as a newborn. He approached the deer slowly, head low, his eyes wide and curious. These creatures were like him... what were they?

Cygnus stumbled forward, ears perking up as they started to trot away. He attempted to do the same, though he was mostly just flailing his legs and hoping it worked. He finally broke into a canter, trying not to trip as he attempted to catch up.

'Wait for me!', he seemed to say, thought he'd yet to learn the words to actually do so.

If only he could, then maybe he could protest their leaving.

Cygnus kept going until he was a short distance away, skidding to a clumsy halt as he stared up at the ethereal creatures, his blue eyes big and wide.

Up close, he could see differences. Tall, thin antlers, slender bodies and delicate feet. They were built to be pretty, and looked like they'd be knocked over by a particularly strong breeze. He himself was falling over his own feet, and his legs looked like toothpicks. It was a miracle he could stand, in all honesty.

"... Hello," he said softly, his little tail flicking back and forth.

Wait, no. Come back!

Cygnus ran after them, trying to catch up, only to stumble, fall, and promptly lose them. He lay there in a heap on the ground, alone in confused. He didn't understand, why were they running away? Was he scary? Was he a monster and didn't know it?

He ran towards the nearest river, peering into it. He looked at himself, tilting his head this way and that, but nope, he looked normal. Like a very tall deer.

Then why were they running?

He turned to try and follow them again, but they were gone, off to eat grass and be lawn ornaments. His head sagged even so and he found a place under a bush to curl up in, to wait until something happened, he supposed.

Cygnus ended up giving up and curling up beneath a bush. He'd try again later, maybe, but he didn't have much hope. Perhaps leaving Cepheus was the best option.

He closed his eyes and curled up, not understanding why he wasn't accepted.