The Hidden Princess

-Oh, if that is it then I guees it's alright.- you smile relieved -Looks like she is going to be a big and beautiful dragon too.

At least you have found someone that has interest in other creatures and that actually cares for her pets, and she can also create them! Talking with her is really amusing and you thing she might as well clear some of your questions you have about dragons, because you haven't seen one in a long time and it is one of your favorite creatures, they are mysterious and powerful, such splendid creatures.

-I have almost any kind of forest creature you can imagine, wolves, different kinds of birds, deers... There is a long list- you smile at her when you remember your dear pets. -I saved most of them from the explorers that come into my forest...- you frown when that thought crosses your mind, they are definitely bad memories, so you shake them away.

You smile, Yeah she will be. When she's older she will be able to breathe fire. I brought her to the shore to lean how to fly. Phobee clambers off of your lap and starts digging in the sand, having seen a small grab burrow itself underground.

Thats awesome that you saved your pets. Most of mine are underwater creatures, I have this one that is much like a tentacle-beast that likes to cling to my back and steal the keys from my keyboard while I use my husktop. Phobee drags out the crab with her paw, quite like a meow-beast. The crab snaps its claws at her. You consider telling Phobee to leave it alone, but she did need to learn what was friend and foe, like her brothers did with the sharks. It snaps at her paw and Phobee bats it away.

-Thanks, I can't stand seeing them being injured, so I helped them- you smile, laughing a little whent you see Phobee playing with the little crab, you can't help thinking that she is really cute.

-Breathe fire? That's really incredible!- you smile with excitement -Can I see while you teach her? I want to learn more about dragons... there is little I know of them and they are just one of my favorite creatures!- you ask eagerly.

You look at her unable to hide your excitement, you really want to know how a baby dragon learns to fly, it's just so interesting... it's driving you crazy!

You smile and laugh, her excitement is contagious. Of course! And it would be great to have company!

Phobee continues digging, her paws still moving as you pick her up and stand. She whines and growls in protest. You tap your arm, which she knows is a signal to perch there. A couple birds fly up ahead and you point to them. She stares, curious. With two fingers, you gently spread out her wings. She flaps them a few times, her claws digging into your arm now. You wince, but ignore the pain.

It will be a while before she can breathe fire, the molars in her back are what ignite the flame and they haven't grown in yet. They have a mineral coating them. Plus, her methane-bladder isn't fully formed yet. That's the gas she'll use to produce a flame.

You laugh to -Can't wait to see little Phobee flying!- you think this is as exciting as exploring or solving mysteries.

You take out a notebook and a pen, though drawing is not one of your talents, you are not bad at it, so you make a little drawing of Phobee spreading her wings. You notice when when Eisire winces and you can't hel but worry.

-That's really interesting- you say as you write the new information in the notebook, it is a notebook you carry everywhere, there you write all you learn about the different creatures you encounter.

-Are you alright?- you ask her, unable to hide your concern, maybe she thinks it is strange for you to worry for someone you just met, but you don't really care about that right now.

Phobee hears you wince and loosens her grip on your arm. Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse! you smile, it was nice having someone concerned other than your lusus.

You encourage Phobee to flap her wings, using a piece of fish as bait. You'll have to remember to wash your hands well before eating. Another allergic reaction would not be fun. As Phobee focuses on flapping her wings, you slowly pry her claws away. After a few minutes, your arm is free and she is flying in place without realizing.

-Oh... okay- you nod in approval as you sigh a little relieved, but you are still worried a little.

-Come on Phobee, you can do it!- you smile at the little dragon and she soon starts flying.

You laugh a little, feeling delighted, though her flying is a little clumsy since it is the first time, it is also elegant, so you can't help but admire her.

-She hasn't realized right?- you whisper to Eisire, you don't want Phobee to realize, get scared or something, and fall.

You make another drawing of the little dragon flying, you smile when you finish and you decide to ask Eisire about that -Why and how can a dragon fly? I mean, their bodies are heavy and such- you watch Phobee with curiosity.

You smile back at Aryane, Nope. Give her a minute and she might. As if on que, Phobee begins chirping, looking below her. It takes her a minute, but she begins to fly in little low circles before landing. You feed her some fish as a treat.

Well, you know how we have swim bladders? They help us float in place so we don't sink or rise to the surface when we don't want to. Dragons have something similar, except they fill with air to help them float. Their bones are also hollow, like a feather-beasts. The muscles in their backs and wings are also very powerful, and that helps them get into the air. Once up, they can tuck in their limbs and let the air currents carry them, and move their tail to change direction.

You laugh a little when Phobee realizes and start chirping. You approach them when she lands and you pat her in the head -You are such a good dragon- you caress her as a reward, since you don't have food right now.

-I see!- you write every word she says in your notebook, you are getting really useful information so you feel really happy.

-Can I know how you made her? Earlier you said something about your ancestor leaving you a recipe, what do you mean by that?- you can't stop asking, you hope you aren't making her feel uncomfortable or annoyed.

You realize you are getting pretty talkative and also you are feeling comfortable, you think that's pretty strang because you are bad at talking to other trolls, but you feel happy as well.

Phobee climbs up Aryane's arm to settle on her shoulders.

Hm, how to best go about how you do your work. It would take hours to explain all the details, so you opt for a shorter version.

The 'recipe' my ancestor left me was a journal filled with the genetic code I needed to create a dragon. What I do is I manipulate and rearrange dna then insert it into a host cell, which then grows and grows until finally, tada! You get a dragon! Of course that is the overly simplified version. I have to transfer the cells from petri dish then to a egg sack and make sure that the shell hardens.

You love to talk about your work, but you fear you'd bore her with the technical jargon. Your mind begins to spin with different DNA sequences, different ideas. You smile at Aryane. Maybe you could make a friend today. You're sure your lusus wouldn't mind a fellow seadweller visiting sometime.

You smile at Phobee when she settles on your shoulder, you are happy she likes you enough to do that. You are seriously thinking about telling Eisire your secret, but you are not sure enough if you'll do it. You pet Phobee again as you think, but you stop doing it to pay attention to Eisire's words.

-Well, that is a lot of work but it sounds quite interesting! It seems complicated but also funny... Maybe, can I see you doing that someday?- you ask shyly, maybe you are asking for too much, but you can't help it, you really want to know more about her and about her work.

You also kind of want to visit her hive, and you want her to visit yours, but obviously you won't ask her that much, you are just starting to be... friends? You are not really sure about that, after all you don't have any other trolls you can call friends...

Phobee yawned and laid down her head. She was exhausted from flying, and you could tell that she was going to fall asleep soon.

It is a lot of work, yes, but its incredibly rewarding and, well. It pays very well. You think for a moment. Aryane could either want to become friends or steal your secrets. Perhaps after a few visits and built up trust, then she could see your lab and how you work.

Its rather boring to watch, to be honest! Its mainly just me hunched over machinery for hours on end. Here, let me give you my trollian name. You take out your notebook and scribble down your handle, before tearing it out and handing it to her.

Uh, if you aren't busy, do you want to come to my hive and have lunch?

You giggle when you hear Phobee yawning, she looks really tired and you understand that, after all it seems it was her first time flying.

-Oh okay, maybe another time- you smile. You know she doesn't trust you a lot right now, but that's okay, you have to build a friendship before that kind of things, so you guess you'll tell her about your secret later.

-Oh, thanks!- you take the sheet of paper, then you write your own trollian name and you give it to her -Here's mine- you smile again.

You think you have a lot of luck, after all you met another troll that is also a seadweller, you have similar interests and she is also pretty friendly, maybe you really are making your first friend?

You look at her with surprise in your eyes, you didn't expected she to invite you in her hive -I'd love to go!- you smile happily -I'm completly free right now- and that is true, you cancelled your exploration when you met her, also, even if you had something, you would have cancelled it because this is the first  time someone invites you to his/her hive, you are truly excited.

Oh my gog, you might have a new friend. The only trolls you can consider to be your friends are all online, and very few of them know you are a seadweller. And now, you might have someone you can spend time with. Maybe you can visit her hive and go exploring with her. You could see new animals and gain inspiration for your projects.

Really? Oh you can meet my other dragons! I don't have much variety food wise, mostly fruits and plants I've found in the ocean. I'm allergic to shellfish and fish, so I don't have that kind of stuff in the kitchen.

This is so exciting, finally maybe you won't be shut in your hive all night and day. Maybe you could find some sense of normality.

You are about to explode, of happiness of course. This might be what they call 'friendship', and you like it, a lot. You don't even use trollian a lot because you are always exploring or taking care of your several pets. The reality is that you have only talked with one other troll using trollian because you are to shy and you can't bring yourself to hit the 'random encounter' button... you should try it again.

-You have more dragons?- your excitement grows more if that's even possible, after all, they are your favorite creatures -Oh, don't worry about the food, I'm not picky about it and I always carry supplies... Do you like meat? I can share some with you...- you smile at her.

You don't know if this can get any better, but you wish yes. You are thinking of inviting her to your hive later, you can even invite her for some small exploration seeing as she doesn't walk a lot, you could introduce her to your pets and show her a little of the forest. You will surely make this work.

Yup! Phobee is just a baby, I have a few that are nearly ten times her size. I also have a tentacle-best, he can sort of change his shape and can change his colour. He likes to steal the keys off of my keyboard. And I love meat, I haven't had it in ages. My lusus brings me meat sometimes, but she hasn't in a while. You had been asking your lusus to bring you some game, but she didn't listen. Lately, she had been very protective. It was starting to drive you more insane than usual.

If you were lucky, maybe Aryane wouldn't get scared off by your lusus. And if you were even luckier, your lusus might still be asleep.

My hive is a short swim from here, lets go! You begin to wade back into the water.

-Ten times? Wow, that's a lot...- you are truly impressed and you feel the urge to see and draw those dragons in your loyal notebook... Well, maybe calling 'loyal' a notebook is something strange, but well, it's obvious that you don't socialise a lot -I can't wait to see them!- you smile -Also, I'd be happy to share my meat with you. It is pretty delicious after all, I don't know how you can leave without eating meat that long.

Maybe you are exaggerating but meat is your favorite food, you can't stand not eating it for a long time, so you go hunting a lot so you don't run out of it.

-Let's go then!- you follow her into the water carrying Phobee in your arms, she was almost asleep. The water is a little cold but you endure it since you really want to see Eisire's hive.

You dive into the water, easily swimming against the waves and past the breaking point. Once your gills hit the water you feel them open. They look like pink lace, almost. You turn to make sure your new friend is following you. The water was a tad cold today, but you often didn't notice. You were so used to it, after all.

Its just one of the many joys of being me, I'm stuck with the bland food I find. Seaweed got old nine sweeps ago, but its the most plentiful plant around here. Sometimes, if I'm lucky a passing ship will accidentally drop fruit or vegetables in the water. And at least once a sweep, someone will dump a whole box into the water as an 'offering' to the beast that sinks ships in this ocean. You laugh, if only the sailors knew it was her lusus that sunk them, and not some mysterious force.

You follow her easily even though you are carrying with Phobee, you are often swimming in a big lake that is near your hive, teaching some of your pets how to swim, so it's not a big deal. When you are in the water your gills open revealing their weak violet color, almost pink. You appreciate your surroundings as you follow her, this sea is really calm and beautiful, you will make sure you visit this place again.

-I guess it is not funny eating the same thing every day? Though I eat meat a lot, since I really like it, I also like other things as fruits and some types of fish... But i definitely prefer the meat- you laugh a little as you hear her stories -Your stories are really funny, I like hearing them- you blush a little when you say that, you are not used to talk to other trolls so you don't wan't to ruin this.

-Maybe... I can come more often and bring you some meat, fruit, vegetables... I don't know, whatever you'll like? Only if you want of course...- you make the suggestion with a little of shyness, you hope you are not being insolent.

You continue to swim, your hands cupped to push against the water. Your hair fans out behind you, like a black cloak almost. You swim through a school of fish, little silver slivers that move as one massive wave. As you swim deeper, a ship passes overhead, shadowing the both of you.

You smile, she seems to like you, and you hope desperately that you've made a friend. The offer off coming by often makes your heart soar. You turn to face her. Really?! That would be amazing! And I can make you a dragon, as a trade.

Finally, someone to spend time with. Finally you wouldn't be alone.

Oh! And maybe sometimes I could pick it up from your hive, so you don't do all of the walking. We could go exploring together! Your mind raced with ideas.

You pass a school of beatiful little silver fish, or at least they are beautiful for you. You don't know, you are just too happy so everything seems perfect! You greet the fishes mentally and then you continue swimming. You stop suddenly and almost let go of Phobee when you hear her say that, you can't be happier right now.

-Are you serious?- you ask her, full of happiness -It's a howl then!- you giggle a little -If you wish, I can come every week to bring you supplies- you smile, your mind is full of ideas of different and funny things you can do together, you are not sure but maybe this is what it feels to have a friend.

-It's like you read my mind!- you almost shout -I was also thinking about that, I can teach you about exploration and we can have a lot of adventures together!- you can imagine it almost perfectly -I can show you my forest and its secrets, and you can meet all of my pets!- you can't stop you mind of planning things, this is so exciting.

Your eyes widen, you're going to get to explore! You're going to get to have adventures! You grin, insanely excited. You have a friend, a sea dwelling friend! The possibilities for adventure were endless, and if you traveled together no one would dare attack you. A group against a lone seadweller could easily spill blood, but against two? There was no chance! And your lusus would feel much more comfortable letting you roam if your friend was violet blooded.

That would be amazing! There is so much we could do- we could be an adventuring duo known throughout the lands! And no one would mess with us! Oh! We could go into the hivestems and go to markets, or maybe we could swim up to the rocks near the surface and freak sailors out! You laugh. Maybe, maybe if luck was on your side, the pair of you would be friends for sweeps. Maybe living your entire life alone wasn't the only option.

-You are right!- you shout in excitement -Imagine all the adventures, the mysteries, the treasures... The fame we'll get!- you almost start laughing because of the excitement -If we are together we have nothing to fear of... and freaking sailors out sounds pretty funny, I want to try that- this time you laugh.

You are so happy now that you have a friend, mainly because she is also a seadweller and that means you are not the only one. You can learn a lot from the other and being together means you got nothing to fear anymore... except, of course your other self, but you try to not think about that.

You can imagine the sweeps you will spend together, like friends, if you are lucky you won't be alone anymore, and both of you will create a lot of good memories that will bury the bad ones. You keep swimming and suddenly your stomach growls, you blush in embarrassment but then you laugh, it surely is late since you feel really hungry.

-Sorry... I think I'm pretty hungry- you laugh again as you swim by her said.

Phobee starts moving suddenly, maybe you woke her up? You calm her down mentally as you caress her head. She falls asleep again. You can't wait to see the other dragons Eisire has, you also want to see her other pets, you can't wait to arrive.

Oh oh! What if we got a massive ship and sailed the oceans! And any ship who dared attack us would face the wrath of our dragons! Our names will be quietly whispered in taverns, for fear that it may summon us. We will protect those who need protecting, and be showered in riches! The empress herself will be so impressed with us, she'll give us medals of honour! Your mind is swimming with all of the possibilities.

Your stomach rumbles after you hear Aryanes, and you laugh. Lets hurry back then! You lead the way to our underwater palace. As a wriggler with the ability to build whatever you wanted, you had built your hive way too big. However, once you started playing with DNA, you had expanded your labs to take over a fourth of the hive. You open the glass doors on the balcony closest to the kitchen. They're always unlocked, it wasn't like anyone could rob you.

-That would be totally cool! With our own flag and our enormous dragons, we could even have a team name or something!- you laugh a little, envisioning all the posibilities is funny, but you know that making them real is funnier, you two really have a lot to work out.

-Yes!- you answer as you follow her to her hive.

Her palace was gigantic and really beautiful, you admire every inch of it as you follow her into the glass doors that were in her balcony, or at least one of them. You can't avoid comparing her palace with the labyrinth yo have for hive, you laugh at the idea, there are a lot of obvious differences, when you were a wriggler you were already thinking of adventures, so you built a place that was full of them, there are a lot of secret rooms, hideouts, passages... it is really confusing but you like it a lot.

-I can wait to eat- when you reach the kitchen you take out a little backpack were you keep all of your food supplies.