2024-06-27 - paleozoic.001

Names flicker along, little sparks and embers to remind the egg of the unwanted presence of the clutchsiblings around it.

"Rocranth is a stupid name," is the immediate response given, scornful and dismissive. But Rocranth is the first spoken, and thus the first to be subjected to the Opal egg's ire.

This does not last. As other eggs shout their names across the mindspace, they sneer and judge each of them. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Each name is analyzed, then discarded as nothing more than a fleeting thought. Dismissed with nothing more than a disdainful, haughty snort.

Unimaginative, the lot of them.

"Stupid names, all of you. My name will not be so."

And then, perhaps to the relief of the others, the Opal egg falls to silence. Thinking and considering what to call itself, what to be.

They consider possibilities, consonants, vowels, mouthfeels. Vyalth? No, too delicate. Urth? Too blunt. Silumgarth? Far too long, but closer.

Something with the sharp, hissing 'S'. Yes, that is necessary. That feels right. Si-? No. Sa-? No, definitely not. Se-? Yes, yes they can work with Se-, Se- is perfect for them, for it encompasses what they wish, it gives the embodiment of that power that came from Mother's jaws when she curled her tongue and hissed.

Se- is not a complete name, though. There must be more.

Sevlasth.. Sevlath... Sevth...

Names are considered, then dismissed with similar disdain. Nothing matches the perfection in the egg's mind, nothing is good enough for it. This name, this perfect description of itself, must be sharp and to the point. One syllable, no more.

Selth... Sseth...

And then, then comes the epiphany. There is no rule saying more is needed. The others, let them tack on syllables, let their tongues twist over their own names. Pompous, idiotic, but not what is right for this one.

"I am Seth," they announce, solidifying their choice. Proud and sure of their decision. It feels right. A part of themselves has slotted into place with this name. Not fancy. Not articulate. No, it is short and brokers no room for error. No nicknames will be had for them, and their name offers no compromising for that. "You will call me Seth and nothing else."

Seth. A sharp hiss. Powerful and sure. That is them. They are Seth.