First Light

Leaving the dark, safe space of the shell is a disorienting and scary ordeal for any newborn, but it is every elysiphim’s first experience when the young hatchlings inevitably wake up.

With a hard push there’s a crack. And another. And another. The egg lightly rocks to the side, then pauses. Then rocks again with another shove from the inside, and goes still afterwards. Things get quiet for a few moments, until one last push tilts the egg to its side, the top of the shell cracking and falling near, revealing the eager little hatchling splayed on her tummy, eyes closed and snout scrunched up.

The grass underneath her outstretched front legs feels soft and warm, enveloping like an embrace, while the air around makes her scaly body feel slightly brisk in contrast. The hatchling’s wings hang loosely at sea’s sides, all too weak to properly fold, and slightly sticky with the magical energy threaded into the egg. The little one flicks sea’s ears, as they clear out and adjust to the somehow all-too-noisy quietness of the garden. When she finally manages to lift one of her eyelids, she quickly closes her eyes shut, grimacing as if in pain from the overwhelming brightness of the blinding light of the orb and rainbow above.

One of Seraphel’s heads turns, her eyes finding the newly hatched elysiphim, taking note of sea’s unusual features, reminding her of the brilliant waters and warm skies of the outside. She leans down slightly, observing the little one.

The hatchling lets out a frustrated huff and tilts her head up, cracking her eyelids open once again, defiantly squinting at the all-too-bright light above. When sea’s sight finally adjusts a bit to the surroundings, the phim can’t help the excited weak wag of sea’s tail. With a grunt and a squeal, she thrusts her body forward one more time, finally crawling out of the eggshell entirely, and looks around with curiosity.

“Kailani,” sings a voice in her head, but she doesn’t understand yet the meaning of the words spoken to her by Seraphel, “like the sea and the sky of your home. Welcome.”