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Things To Do
For the first couple days after her hatching, Kip and Ira refused to let anyone near Sharona. Just in case. Soon, though, it became pretty obvious she didn't want a bondmate. If anyone got too close to her, she reared a touch of Kipfel's black. People learned very quickly she was not going to be dependant on another for her peace of mind. She was going to go out and earn it herself.
However, she quickly bored of the normal everyday activities. There wasn't much for a wyrm to do in the Tower. The mages sat around being mostly useless, translating old texts and the like. Ira did a ridiculous amount of reading, and it usually wasn't about anything exciting like legends and stories that she could memorize. Nooo. It was... gulp... musical theory. She had no idea what he wanted with that. But it sounded vaguely masochistic to be so insitant on reading it.
Tor tried once or twice to read her fortune to entertain her. But she had no taste for tea and a complete lack of paws. Casting runes didn't seem to work too well on her, either. He gave up and decided he wasn't even going to try an astronomical chart, seeing that this obviously wasn't earth and all that jazz.
Oberon was more useless than either of her fathers. He was reclusive and scholarly. And he liked plants a lot more than the idea of a rambunctious little red sliterhing about causing havok.
So, she found herself out on her own a lot. With the snow melting, it was easier. It was, naturally, wicked cold, but it was easier. There was less to get stuck in, it packed faster. And after she'd made the first track, it would ice over in the night and she'd slide as fast as a thought across it if she got a good start.
In town, she bothered everyone.
*Can I help?* she'd ask. If they turned her down, it was *Oh. Well, do you know of anyone who needs help?* Invariably there was nothing anyone of her size and non-strength to do. Booorrriiinngg.
There were some people, however, she was allowed near for extended periods of time. Just because they were trusted members of the clan's bondmates. Annabel. Astrid. Tor. Sandrylene.
She actually spent a good deal of time with the former two. Sandry was always busy with administrative duties, and Clarinet wasn't too keen on watching her grandchild all the time. Just the amount of time it would take to keep Gunnhild from being the dominant force in her life. Annabel, naturally, was Very Pregnant. She would go into labor in maybe another month or two. But she was huge. So she spent a lot of time at home, and Sharona would sit and listen to her often as she knitted, sewed, cleaned, or just rambled while playing with her food.
She told the most far-fetched stories. She knew, by heart, the Lore of the Gehenians, tiny beings who inhabited her homeworld. Sharona had learned early on that very few of the people she knew were of this world. Many were from Earth or any of its colonies.
One of Sharona's favourite tales was from before Annabel knew the Gehenians. It was the story of how Annabel became an esteemed Fighter in the Arena on her world, World. How she had to attack her own teacher relentlessly and draw blood with non-crippling wounds four times before he could do so on her. And how the crowd had doubted she could do it.
She loved Annabel's stories. She had so many. And she knew a good deal about the others on the islands as well. She had, evidently, read a book about them, written presumably at some greatly future date. After all, she had been born at some greatly future date. So when the others were busy, Sharona would bother Annabel for more about the others.
And Annabel was unique in some respects. She knew poetry! When she wasn't too tired and could still recite, she taught Sharona complicated rhymes by some of the greatest masters her race had ever known. Poe, Dickinson, Tennyson, and countless others. She related German folk-tales and poetry, sometimes translated, sometimes not. When they weren't translated, they were for Sharona's learning experiance. She wanted so badly to learn the language of her fathers, but neither one really seemed too willing to teach her. So she gleaned it however she could.
Ira taught her to read. But she could never stay still long enough to read the words. Besides, what was the point? If it was already written down, what did she care to remember it. Oral stories, however, she loved. She watched the people as they animated to tell the story properly. Showing just how the attacks were made, or just how their faces looked at that time. Their voices echoed with the emotions that were surely felt at the time... Even the purely didactic times, like Astrid telling of the Aesir's births.
And speaking of Astrid, what a relief she was! Sharona was always welcome to join that family for whatever purposes she had. Gunnhild loved to spend time with her and completely understood her fear of heights. She, therefore, didn't press to make a Valkyrie of her. Instead, she let Sharona develop at her own pace, often accompanying her on trips into the woods for whatever purpose.
And while Gunnhild was busy, Dagmar and Havelock were always about. They helped with chores around the homestead, but besides that, they made up the most excellent stories. And they enacted plays, where she was an integral part, as well as both of them.
And they trained often. A good deal of Sharona's attention was spent in watching them train. She didn't participate, being a bit too young (though Gunnhild told her she was working towards protecting Astrid and Denby and Havelock at about Sharona's age), but she watched and learned. Perhaps someday knowing the basics of two-handed swordplay would come in handy.
However, she spent a good deal of time playing by herself. And such a day was this one. It was too cold to go to town, and it was a busy day for everyone else. She sighed and looked around the Tower for things to do.
For a while, she blew on the windows and drew on them with her tail, which was not even feeling retrospectively painful, thanks to the prompt healing by Tren. She'd drawn squiggly stick-dragons all over the windows, but they soon faded. And it wasn't much fun to keep drawing them.
She tried building a snowdragon inside, but it melted before she got the first chunk of snow down.
Annoyed, she looked for something to poke at, and came up wanting. She let out a sullen little growl. *I want attention!* she hissed.
And on cue, Löwen came to her rescue. It cut a caper and cocked its ferrety little head at her. She giggled. *Löwenherzchen! Daddy's Little Lion-Heart!* she trilled, glad for some company.
It bowed and skipped over to one side to see Daddy come in with some very... very shiny things. Silver feathers, rhinestone-studded glasses, a gold locket, and many other things. The one that caught her eye, however, was on a gold chain, a round object with an ivory center and letters and a pointer and a ring of what looked like quicksilver. She eyed him curiously.
*Daddy?* she asked.
*Hmm?* he asked back, trying to look like he'd known she was there the whole time.
*What's all that stuff?*
*It's for you and your sisters and brothers. To make sure you all know that I love you.*
*Really?* she asked. *But how will the others get it?* She knew very well she wasn't an only child, even if she lived like it. *They're so very far away...*
Daddy smiled. *They'll get it... somehow. I'm not ready to give it to them yet. But when I am, they'll get it.* He nodded somberly.
*Daddy?* Sharona asked as he took another step forward.
*Hmm?*
*Who gets the gold round thingie with the pointy bit?*
*I haven't decided yet.*
*Can I have it?*
Kipfel blinked and shook it off his horn, from which it was dangling. He then put all the other things down and eyed it. *It's just a broken compass. Are you sure you want that one?*
Sharona nodded. *It looks very special. What's a compass?*
*Humans use it to find their way.*
*Why's this one broken?*
*The pointer bit... the needle won't move.*
*Is it supposed to?*
Kipfel nodded. *Otherwise, it just looks like the human is going the right way.*
Sharona chirpped happily. *I definitely want it, then, please.*
Kipfel laughed. *Why?*
*Because then I can remember that I need to show myself the way, rather than letting everyone else do it for me!*
Kipfel smiled appreciatively and Löwen sent thoughts of great approval. *So be it,* he said carefully and slipped the chain around Sharona's neck. It caught and nestled itself safely between her backspines. She chirpped happily and watched as Kip and Löwen went into the other room to deal with whatever they normally dealt with alone.
***
She was Great Explorer Sharona, pealing her way through the Tower Forest, between the great heart-shaped leaves of the various flowers that lined the Stone River, deadly in its great stoniness. She burrowed carefully in some dirt and narrowed her eyes. The natives around here would be very angry if they found her out. She had streaked various ritualistic markings over her body from the last friendly tribe she had shared a meal with. Ever since then, however, she had been on her own to find the Lost Treasure of Tower Forest.
What the Treasure was, she wasn't entirely certain. After all, the legends pointed only to a very special object, but was ridiculously vague on its shape and purpose. Sometimes it was said to cure all ills, sometimes to afford great wealth to its owner. Whatever it did and whatever it looked like, she was certain she would know it when she saw it.
She peeked through another leaf and ducked down, only the blue spirals around her double horns peaking out of the foliage, and they blending in very well with the flowers. She held her breath. The great Tribesleader, Oberon himself, was standing guard over what was undoubtedly the treasure!
She watched him tip the device to provide new strength and life to the plants in the forest. Aha! she thought. It replenishes life! She watched him. And it jumps in and out of sight! No wonder it had so long avoided notice! She suppressed a giggle. The others back at Headquarters will only believe me if I capture it! Somehow... I must distract him...
*But how...* she thought 'out loud'.
Tribesleader Oberon did not flinch or show any sign of having heard him, but undoubtedly that red stone on his forehead would sight her if he was near enough. She crept back to keep her distance. He was coming this way! She slithered back against the great stone mountain she had scaled to get to these forests, hard as it was with the step-like formations. Obviously they were not made for those of her stature.
Great Giants of times passed must have hewn them out of the living rock. They must have been easy to scale for them. But surely it would be easy to get down them. After all, she had brought with her a mat. It would (hopefully), slide without any great injury on herself or the Lost Treasure down the mountain to the safety of Base Camp.
Suddenly, Tribesleader Oberon was coming through the brush with the Lost Treasure. She steeled herself, waiting. Then, suddenly, it was now or never! She jumped up with a sudden yell and snatched the Lost Treasure away. *HAHA!* she cackled. *The Treasure is no longer Lost!* Then, she flicked the mat onto the stairs and jumped on, Treasure safely around her tail, Compass around her neck. She gripped the front of the mat with her teeth and steered her way down the step-like mountain at break-neck speed.
Up the mountain, she could hear the Tribesleader Oberon shouting. *KIPFEL!* he shouted. *SHE STOLE MY WATERING CAN AGAIN!*
Victorious for now, Sharona giggled to herself and set the Lost Treasure of Life Replenishment on a shrine in her "museum" which held a great number of similar "Treasures" which she had procured from the other Tower residents over the last couple of days.
And there was nothing Daddy was going to do about it.
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