- » sureile. «
- i've decided on the name "iðunn", pronounced 'ee-done'. in norse mythology, it is the name of the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods' apples of youth, causing me to proclaim this teacup dragon as a female.
- iðunn is a diverse little dragon. she cannot be described as being excessively villainous or amiably pleasant, and can therefore be considered neutral in attitude and mood.
she portrays certain characteristics of human children, such as a particular curiosity towards the unfamiliar, a desire to explore, and her obvious innocence thus far. beyond that, she prefers to observe others rather than interact, as she'd rather be spending her time elsewhere, such as in the small garden that she has cultivated below her home; however, iðunn is not completely antisocial and will strive to leave a good impression if she goes as far as wanting to meet you, rare as that may be. she is quite liberal and opinionated on various subjects, including nature preservation [mainly forests, which led to her certain studies of phytology (the study of plants), and dendrology (the study of trees)]. likewise, she appraises every part of earth highly and does not favor seeing harm or disrespect being done unto it.
obviously sprouting from her slightly infantile state of mind, she enjoys all childish things: tea parties, storybooks, makeshift forts, pretend games, and the like; as well as other trivial, more 'grown' activities (i.e. gardening, as aforementioned, dancing, swimming, climbing trees to scout, sunbathing on leaves large enough, reading, collecting unnatural artifacts, etc.).
her curiosity and desire to gain knowledge often leaves her writing guides and information about the things she learned or witnessed on fresh leaflets, which will eventually age into autumn leaves, similar to how a book would age from white pages to faded to yellow. she sometimes shares these with other dragons if they are trusted enough.
lastly, iðunn is determined to be considered successful within her species. little can lead her astray from her true goals, of which being known as the most intelligent of her race is included.
- (this story is from the perspective of myself, not iðunn. the other characters can be found here.)
i stood at the edge of my adventure, onlooking with such wonder and heavy curiosity that it almost pained me. i gave a thumbs-up and a lopsided smile to the others behind me and motioned for them to stay in the clearing. "today will be the day..." i whispered encouragingly to myself, stepping into the foliage. i sighed quietly. usually this ended in my disappointment, but i was confident today.
i was going to the same spot i'd saw her previously. she seemed to favor that area. tiptoeing through the underbrush and making the least amount of noise as possible, i was careful not to frighten the creature as i once had. i encountered her no more than three times every month since i began visiting the dense forest near my isolated home and i didn't want to lose that privilege by acting as a predator would, crashing through the trees and such.
growing nearer to her territory, i began to coo lightly, adding little noise to the surrounding atmosphere. it echoed around me. i knew this has attracted her before, but i had little idea as to if it would this time. the first could of been the pure luck of making a native sound.
suddenly, i heard a familiar sound. the dragon popped her head atop the edge of a leaf of an apple tree in blossom no more than twenty feet in front of me. she watched me closely, perhaps questioning my presence and what i was, though i trusted her to be intelligent enough to know my type after so many of my frequent visits. for days i had kept a journal at my side, studying her species and she herself. being so small, i was unaware as to if she had done the same.
"it's alright... i merely want to befriend you..." i managed to choke out, half surprise at her appearing so quickly. she cocked her head to one side, attuning her ears to my odd language. then, as if she understood my intentions, she scurried towards the end of the branch on which she'd been perched for what seemed like an eternity. she continued to inspect me.
i probably looked rather odd, standing there as a human and not an animal. around me, the greenery was somewhat clearer than it was when i was fighting to reach the place i'd come to love. however, i was pale enough to been spotted immediately; perhaps my light brown hair was enough to camouflage a portion of me, contrary to the creature i sought's camouflage. she hid so well that i sometimes wanted to give up searching. surely the forest thought me stupid by now to go on such an endeavor.
my thoughts were focused on the beautiful thing, who'd somehow gotten closer without me noticing. her wings were drawn away from her back slightly, as if she were testing the wind. they drew upwards and beat once against the air. i shivered. could this be it? what i'd waited for?
the little dragon, whom i'd named iðunn over time, nodded once and leaped from the branch. the perch quivered and few apple blossoms fell. i hardly noticed the breeze around us. forest debris shook and scattered nearby, but my eyes were transfixed on the hand-sized dragon-type reptile making her way to me.
without thinking, i reached my arm towards the beast i'd become so fond of. as if through instinct, iðunn landed softly on my bare skin, cautious enough not to tear at my much weaker flesh. never having noticed that i had closed my eyes within those few seconds, i could only feel little nails crawling up my arm and finally resting on my shoulder. i peeked through my long lashes.
the teacup dragon reached a tiny, grabbing hand at my face, much like a puppy to his new owner. she touched my cheek. that seemed like a good sign. i took a deep breath and murmured her name for the first time: "iðunn..." i directed my now open brown eyes to her own light pink and they met there for seconds.
in that instant, i could almost feel the warmth radiating off her body, mirroring my own sunny smile. finally. she emitted a faint chirp, coyly playing with the hair that had been blown by the wind from my shoulder into her peripheral view. i cooed once more, and all was right in those seconds of our first meeting.
i couldn't wait to inform the others of a possible new family member. they had been so supportive of my efforts and they had believed in me from the start, even when i didn't.
for now, though, i think i'll enjoy this.
~
her tree. (the forest is not pictured.) | her home within the tree. | her song. | unfinished art.
