My first ever story commission, done for Hydrix! This is my first outing for writing, please be gentle with the critiques! Click here for the concept sketch!
Characters belong to HydrixTheDragon

---

Sunrise

The dawn peeked into the dim cave, the warm, gentle rays of the rising sun cascaded the cave
in a blazing, golden hue. The cave was silent until… crack! A crystalline, blue-tinted, dragon
egg, swaddled in soft moss, rocked to and fro within the depths. Crack! And another! The
cracking stopped, but then came a trill, or a squeak. The frail noises continued, soon to be
followed by more tapping from within!

Several minutes would pass, and after one final crack, the top of the egg broke off, shattering
on the smooth, stone floor. Another small noise echoed through the cave, much clearer now. A
pale, blue snout poked out of the top, followed by two front paws, with little, pink pads. Then the
tail, and soon after, the whole hatchling rolled out, clumsily flopping onto the cold ground. This
didn’t seem to phase him, however, getting up on all fours surprisingly fast.

The little dragon took in the surroundings of the cave. It was filled with nooks and crannies in
the walls, all of them filled with dust, dirt, and even mice nests, save for one, which held a
sealed scroll. Right beside his tipped over egg was another, standing up. It was home to a
nesting bird, the top of it missing as if it had hatched quite some time ago. Looking up towards
the entrance, the peeking sun flashed his eyes, causing him to wince and turn his head. Won’t
be looking directly at that again, he surely thought.

As his eyes adjusted, he could see the cave entrance more clearly, and scampered up the
incline and took his first breath of air in this new world. Throughout the surrounding forest, birds
were singing their morning chorus, their graceful notes carried over the frigid breeze. Thick
layers of snow were finally beginning to melt, it dripped and dropped into silver streams lacing
the lands in beautiful, sparkling lights. The seasons were shifting from the cold, biting winter to a
mellow, colorful spring.

As the dragonling shifted his paws over the wet snow, he slipped, sliding down the hill and into
a berry bush. Dazed by the crash, it took a few moments before he noticed the fruits it bore. He
sniffed it curiously, before taking a lick, a nibble, then finally deciding to take the whole berry into
his mouth, enjoying the savory sweetness and tartness of the berry. He would quickly fill his
small belly on a dozen or so berries, blissfully unaware of the many, many dangers lurking
inside the wild reaches of the woodlands.

A slight crunch sounded from the other side of the bush. The hatchling would quickly unlock
his sense of self preservation, smelling danger in the air. So light on his paws, he crept into the
bush without a single sound, concealed within its foliage. More crunches and cracks followed,
as a dark figure crept over the bush he was hiding in, as it sniffed at the air, looking for its prey.
It took quite a while, but it finally left the immediate area, stalking the shadows of the forest.
Once it was safe, the little dragon scampered back up the hill as fast as he could, and into the
cave. The short days of the waning winter cast sundown upon the land quickly, bathing it in
orange shades, before succumbing to the perpetual darkness of the night. Curling into his egg
for the night, he felt a strange sense of safety, as he dozed off peacefully. The dragonling would
spend the next few days learning, never straying too far from the cave, feasting on berries and
snow, and even mice he managed to hunt!

The warm rays of the sun on the fifth dawn of the little dragon's life were suddenly snuffed out
by a large shadow. The hatchling shifted lazily in the makeshift bed of his egg as his eyes slowly
opened. Staring right down into his egg, two piercing green eyes, and a hungry mouth dripping
with saliva, a fleshy tongue licking its chops. His little heart dropped as his whole body echoed
with the deep, rumbling growls of the predator.

The jaws descended, but before they could snap, they let out a blood curdling yelp as its
muzzle was snatched away from the egg, the rest of its body following quickly thereafter. It
yelped and screamed for a few moments, until a snap was heard. And then, silence. A moment
later, another muzzle appeared over the egg, a few drops of blood trickled from its muzzle. The
little dragon coiled back deep into the shell as the large muzzle descended, gently picking him
up by the scruff and carrying him up to the entrance of the cave.

“Hey there, little one,” the creature spoke, in its gentle, but deep voice, after setting the
hatchling down between his forepaws. “I hope you’re not too scared, I’ve been keeping an eye
on you while I came to this area for my hunt. My name is Hydall. Where are your parents?” The
little dragon was quivering in fear, but calmed down as Hydall spoke. The creature felt familiar,
the hatchling would soon realize the creature was also a dragon, yet different from himself. The
little dragon was covered in soft, blue, fur, and pink belly scales, while the massive dragon
before him was almost entirely covered in red scales, as well as a few patterns.

Hydall spoke, “I’ll stay around for a while to watch over you until your momma comes back,
does that sound good? I can’t just leave you here to fend for yourself, after all.” The little dragon
was confused, but placed a degree of trust within Hydall. Days, weeks, eventually a month
would pass. The time they shared would go into learning the basics of surviving, and even
learning how to listen and even speak a few words. Even after a few months, no sign of the little
dragon’s parents ever appeared.

The two became quite close over the next few months. The hatchling didn’t want to leave
Hydall’s side, and Hydall felt an obligation and desire to care for the little one. The moment
came, after many moons. Hydall finally asked. “Would you like to come home with me? I will
leave a note with your parents. When they come back, they’ll know where to find you, I
promise!” The small dragon mostly understood what he said, nodding softly. “Hmmm, we will
need to figure out something to call you, when you meet my family… let me think,” he pondered.
“Ah! I know! Let’s see, how do you feel about… Hydrix?