◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
A bright yellow plant was hardly an unusual sight in Brightwood. However, this particular plant had yellow petals, not leaves. The flower had eked out a living among a smattering of young saplings, thriving despite the fact that the tall trees above stole most of the sunlight. The bud at the top of the stem had grown, and grown, until it was so swollen that the stem couldn't hold it up. The stem bowed down until the bud rested upon the earth, and only then did the flower bloom.
Most flowers simply opened up their petals, lured in some bees, and called it good. Not this flower! To start, the bright yellow petals unfurled much faster than any ordinary flower could be bothered to move. Instead of a pistil, a dark brown tail uncurled from within. Instead of stamens, four dark brown paws popped out, black-clawed toes wiggling to banish a most unwelcome numbness. The bright yellow flower petals faded and dulled as they wrapped around the bowed stem, and that was when things got weird. The narrow leaves around the base of the bud withered and twisted until they became a brown-furred body. Something similar happened to the stem, which faded nearly to white before it tore itself right out of the ground and gasped for air.
Snapdragon sneezed once, twice, thrice. It wiped the dirt from its muzzle with a paw, only to realize that said paw was— Snapdragon squinted— too big. Or too small? Hmm. Snapdragon set the problematic paw down for now, and twisted to squint at its wings. They were shriveled and wrinkled, just like withered flower petals— just like when they'd first grown in years ago. The ceaseless efforts of Snapdragon's heart would soon expand all four wings to their full extent. Until then, it was grounded.
"Why is it colder?" it asked nobody in particular. This immediately begged a second question: "What's wrong with my voice?" After some squinting self-inspection, Snapdragon added a third question to the growing pile. "Why am I a puppy again?"
Snapdragon wasn't actually a puppy again, but it was unmistakably younger than it had been before... before... ah.
Huh. Snapdragon had always understood death to be somewhat permanent, but apparently not.
Once its wings had finished unfurling, it could take flight and take stock of these unfamiliar surroundings, and find some water and food. Fortunately, Snapdragon was a patient creature. The wait would not be too long.
There was a hole in the ground before it, lined with fractured flower-roots. Snapdragon studied the hole intently. It had never heard of a flower turning into a wolf— it'd certainly have remembered such a tale! But now it wondered... could such a thing happen in reverse? Would it possible to learn such a magic— or was this whole regrowing-from-a-flower business possible because Snapdragon already possessed that magic?
Most flowers simply opened up their petals, lured in some bees, and called it good. Not this flower! To start, the bright yellow petals unfurled much faster than any ordinary flower could be bothered to move. Instead of a pistil, a dark brown tail uncurled from within. Instead of stamens, four dark brown paws popped out, black-clawed toes wiggling to banish a most unwelcome numbness. The bright yellow flower petals faded and dulled as they wrapped around the bowed stem, and that was when things got weird. The narrow leaves around the base of the bud withered and twisted until they became a brown-furred body. Something similar happened to the stem, which faded nearly to white before it tore itself right out of the ground and gasped for air.
Snapdragon sneezed once, twice, thrice. It wiped the dirt from its muzzle with a paw, only to realize that said paw was— Snapdragon squinted— too big. Or too small? Hmm. Snapdragon set the problematic paw down for now, and twisted to squint at its wings. They were shriveled and wrinkled, just like withered flower petals— just like when they'd first grown in years ago. The ceaseless efforts of Snapdragon's heart would soon expand all four wings to their full extent. Until then, it was grounded.
"Why is it colder?" it asked nobody in particular. This immediately begged a second question: "What's wrong with my voice?" After some squinting self-inspection, Snapdragon added a third question to the growing pile. "Why am I a puppy again?"
Snapdragon wasn't actually a puppy again, but it was unmistakably younger than it had been before... before... ah.
Huh. Snapdragon had always understood death to be somewhat permanent, but apparently not.
Once its wings had finished unfurling, it could take flight and take stock of these unfamiliar surroundings, and find some water and food. Fortunately, Snapdragon was a patient creature. The wait would not be too long.
There was a hole in the ground before it, lined with fractured flower-roots. Snapdragon studied the hole intently. It had never heard of a flower turning into a wolf— it'd certainly have remembered such a tale! But now it wondered... could such a thing happen in reverse? Would it possible to learn such a magic— or was this whole regrowing-from-a-flower business possible because Snapdragon already possessed that magic?