Persephone

The day is nearing its end, and I have found myself perched precariously upon the edge of the Heavenly Fields.  I climbed the side of the plateau earlier in the day, when the sun was high above and the heat was nigh unbearable.  In retrospect, it was probably not my most brilliant plan (after all, didn't I hear somewhere that heat rises?  I should have visited those Heart Caves, but it's far too dark in there for the likes of me), but it was a plan that I carried out nevertheless.  Though it has not helped in the slightest with the heat, the sunset is proving the trip to be well worth it.  The sky is painted in brilliant hues that match my own many-colored pelt.  Behind me, a deep, dusky purple fades into a dull pink; the sun lights the sky before me in a myriad of yellows and oranges.  It is beautiful, and once again I find myself in awe of the Helovian landscape.

Several lengths behind me, the egg that I have been guarding so carefully rests in a small alcove that I came across at the base of a large tree.  I am not particularly knowledgable about the types of foliage in the world, but I believe that it may be an oak.  In any case, the egg is smooth and round, a stark contrast to the rough texture of the bark that surrounds it.  I wanted it to be safe while I watched the sunset.  I would never do anything to put the egg in any danger, not since I found it at the Ancient Rotunda one afternoon only a few days ago.  I had stayed for a while, watching for a mother or a caretaker, or anyone, but night had fallen and dawn had come and still the egg lay on its own.  I had taken it upon myself then to see if I could coax the new life that I hoped still lingered inside to hatch.  It seemed a fool's errand, for it is unlikely to harbor anything if its mother abandoned it, but something compelled me to try anyway.

It's going to sound odd, but I could almost swear that the egg has feelings.

A sharp crack turns my attention away from the sunset, my ears perking towards the sound and a look of alarm upon my face.  What will I do if something is trying to take my egg?  What if whatever it is has cracked it open?  There is no way that I can fight the beast, no way that I can defend my -  But there is nothing there, and I tilt my head in a puzzled grimace.  I must be losing my mind.  I am about to return to watching the sunset when another crack makes me jump, and I walk quickly to the tree under which my little egg is laying.  I am surprised to see that a spiderweb of cracks lies along its surface, and with a little thrill of excitement, I realize that it must be hatching!

And then, slowly, as the cracks begin to spread and deepen, and little pieces of shell begin to fall to the ground around the egg, a little furry tail (?) falls free and I squeal with glee, for it is hatching, which means that it is alive, which means that it's not dead, which means that it's - it's -

An appendage bursts free from the opposite end of the egg, and then another, until four furry legs and a particularly fuzzy tail protrude, all the while without any other body parts breaking free.  The legs flail, and I resist the urge to help the struggling babe from her - and how, I wonder, do I know that it's a her? - little cage.  The cracks spread further, a little squeak emerges from the trapped child, and then, suddenly, the shell collapses, and the inhabitant sprawls in the dirt at my feet, her forelegs splayed out in front and her back legs stretched out behind, and not one, but five tails lashing in frustration as the babe stares up at me with huge golden eyes.  If I didn't know any better, I would think she was a fox.

"Alecto?" I whisper, but it is almost a question, almost an affirmation of a name that I had been given before, but how could that be -

Something irritatedrises in my mind despite the fact that I am ecstatic.  The kit gathers herself with a huffing sound, rising carefully into a seated position, all the while watching me with curious, intelligent eyes.  As soon as she has seated herself, fanning out her five tails in a carefully planned arrangement that is no doubt meant to show off her luscious fur, I feel a glint of satisfaction that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with her.  "But - how -?"  I gape at Alecto, puzzled and astounded.  Could it be - could she be - could I have found a companion?

"Speech."

Lost in hell, my dear. It's not so dreadful here