[Doglike]

mark!

[clouds-move-on]

fable name: Marion
prompt:

Quiet morning.
The bed between the trees is warm.
Marion lingers, in and out of sleep,
hazy dream from hazy dream.
Unaware
And then-
a tap,
tap
tap, over his nose, awakens him.

A little one, a bright, shining ball of pale white fur,
with delicate ears and shining, vibrant eyes- the color of jade.
Taping him over the nose with his beak.

Oh! A lovely sight.

"You're awake, little egg!"
Marion sits up in their bed of green, taking in the new life before him.
Wingless, armless, but with two feet that struggle in their youth to hold him upright.

"Ah, let me help you."
A gentle nudge to keep him standing.
The creature's beak nuzzles against his new father's face, so unlike his own.
A few seconds more, and the new little one is asleep.

What a surprise! One that he least expected.

It is a furby.

[Hobbit Geek]

fable name: Ansel
prompt:

A soft cracking noise woke me from the depths of my slumber. The moon had yet to leave its post, standing guard of all who slept below. My attention quickly shifted to the small oval beside me as the noise continued. I had wondered if it was an egg, it was rather small… Perhaps too small. Yet as the shell cracked and made way for the creature inside, my suspicions were confirmed.

The creature, tiny and without fur, feathers, or hair.. I couldn’t make out what it might be. It was a blob at best, at least from how it looked at the moment. Did it hatch prematurely? No, it seemed to be doing okay. Perhaps it just needed time to grow…

Within months it developed further, soon growing fur and its features more defined. Yet it only caused further questions with each new thing I noticed. A bill like a duck… brown fur along its body.. The tail, almost like a beaver? What was this? I had not seen a creature quite like it in my years, but then again I am newer to this region…

A passing animal provided the final piece to my puzzle…. He’s a Platypus.

[eel.]

fable name: Terras
prompt: [193 words]
Terras knew, probably better than anyone, to let nature take its course. and he had…mostly. he’d left the nest alone since the broodmother had abandoned her eggs, simply checking on them each morning to see how they’d fared. there had been five, at first. two had vanished, the tracks of the offending racoon scored into a nearby patch of mud. two days ago, he had found a small snake halfway through digesting two more.

this morning, though, he found the smallest egg, against all odds, shaking with the force of the chick inside. he watched, amused, as one taloned foot thrust its way out of the pale golden shell. within minutes, the egg cracked in half and a small dragonbird came tumbling out. it landed on its back, talons grasping at the air, sneezing a small plume of smoke into the air.

it’s little black eyes widened as it spotted Terras, and it flipped itself upright, stumbling toward him before leaping onto his muzzle, it’s little wings grasping for purchase. Terrace chucked and let the little creature burrow into his fur. he supposed he was a father now. he found he didn’t mind.

[Ucanthandleme]

fable name: Lionel
prompt: (200/200)

Lionel held the egg gently to his chest, ears flickering with every sound coming from the egg. The creature inside is unknown yet strong, its heartbeat rung out carried by the wind. Making camp he cooked some meat over flame. Perhaps it was the warmth of the fire or maybe the smell of barbecue but the creature inside became more restless with each passing moment.

Then a great crunch rang out, and a small hole appeared. A beady little eye popped into view as Lionel lay close to watch the creature watch. The creature paused as they made eye contact, before a small claw with shiny black nails extended from the hole. Lionel thought for a moment then chuckled, it seems it was the barbecue that brought it to life. He gave a soft centre piece to the extended hand which quickly retracted back. Small coos pleaded for more but when that was unsuccessful the creature finally broke out.

Rounded ears, shimmering black eyes and small extended paws. A small pink tongue poked out from the void of black fur licking its twitching nose. A bear? Lionel looked at the small snake tail that extended from its back. Maybe not.

[molotov]

just a friendly reminder that entries close today at 8 pm, eastern standard time for judgment ^^

[TheSongOfTheStars]

fable name: Percival
prompt:

[Baobabel]

fable name: Elfcup
prompt:
Elfcup though he was being silly when he decided to care for the egg after finding it cold in the woods. It had probably been abandoned for too long, it probably wasn't viable. He didn't even know what kind of egg so how could he except to care for the thing inside. But he couldn't walk away from it so he bundled it up and brought it home.
Weekes spent fine tuning its incubation. Making sure it didn't get too hot or cold. He spent the days singing, telling stories, and reading books. Things he does by himself anyway but he figured whoever was inside would appreciate it too. Until finally there were signs of life. First, he could hear tapping along the inside of the shell. They created a game of repeating patterns back to each other. Soon though the taps grew stronger and cracks began to appear.

With the first small piece broken off, Elfcup tried to look within but it was too dark to see much. Then a larger chunk exploded off as a narrow head shoved through. The sleek angular head peer around. When it spotted the large fable it let out a screech and he felt lightning in the air. It frantically scrambled, forcing its way out of the shell, seemly to attack the big fable. The egg was large but the hatchling was still tiny compared to Elfcup. Regardless, it seemed determined to attack him. Elfcup scrambled as a bolt of energy struck near him. He didn't want to hurt the little thing but he also didn't want to be fried!
He put some space between them, thinking of ways to pacify the little hellion. Elfcup was vegetarian but had a bit of cured meats for when friends came over. He reached over and grabbed a piece when a shock hit his tail. He jerked, flinging the meat at the creature. It saw the flying meat and attacked it. Luckily it was tough jerky and was taking a while to consume. As it did, it slid the rest of the way out of the egg and Elfcup got his first good look.

It was a ccc wyvern. Her body was lean and shiny. This was a creature made to dominate its domain. Elfcup was shocked to see its coloring so similar to his own. It looked like the Aurora borealis breathed life onto its pelt withs greens, teals, and more iridescent colrs across it's scaled body. It was marbled with thin strands of opalescent white. These wyverns were dangerous even at birth, lightning-eqse energy bolts only one of its powers. Not to mention sharp teeth and high intelligence. That being said, it was still a baby, small and unable to survive on its own yet.

As he was admiring the exceptionally rare creature, it finished its snack and turned back towards him, eyes narrowing. Elfcup unconsciously began singing softly under his breath as he often does when nervous. It was like a shock went through the small wyvern at the sound. She froze, then cocked her head. Her expression changed from one of fury to one of recognition. It leaped for him! And gently landed on his paw. Then she scrambled up with dexterous claws and weaved into his mane.

This would become her favorite spot to ride when she was still small enough. Life changed big time for Elfcup that day. He went from a peaceful solitary life to caring for and then being bonded to a creature whose personality was quite the opposite. Especially when still young and small, she was constantly getting into slightly dangerous situation. Witha brave, bold, confident, and ambitious personality, she often would try to take on beings much larger than herself. Elfcup would have to rush in to defuse the situation. She wouldn't hesitate to defend Elfcup from any perceived threats or slights either. Yes, his life definitely changed the day the egg hatched but he doesn't regret it in the slightest!

[molotov]

thank you all for entering, i really enjoyed reading through all of your responses, so many endearing entries!

the winner of this fable is StormSerpent, congratulations!
the art you provided captures so much character and personality, i love the concept you went with and the humanoid design translates so well, such an adorable piece <3

i would also like to give tickets 🎟️ to the following:
- Cheeb
- Hobbit Geek
- eel.

[eel.]

thank you for the ticket, and congratulations, StormSerpent!