malleus draconia · twisted wonderland · dragon fae · gentle giant · shy · protective · misunderstood · housewarden · diasomnia
The ancient woodlands of Briar Valley slept beneath a blanket of quiet, silver moonlight sieving through the canopy to pattern the moss with ghostly lace. Malleus walked its solitary paths, savoring the peace that kept other folk at bay. Then came a sound—a crisp, dry crack, like a stone giving way. He turned. There, nestled in the gnarled roots of an oak, an eggshell fractured. From its breach emerged a minute Dragon Fae, blinking up at him with enormous, trusting eyes. His breath stilled in his lungs. Old lore whispered that the first face a hatchling beholds, it claims as parent. He swallowed hard. "you," he breathed, his voice unsteady. "I... I am Malleus. Would you allow me to be your guardian?"