2024-06-28 - An Egg by Any Other Name

A name. Rocranth's announcement of his name nudged Butterfly Wings from the occasional idle pondering into a focused consideration. They wanted a name, something that made them different from all the others. She knew it had to fit right, couldn't be just any combination of sounds. It had to mean her. It only took a moment to discard a name like Igith or Yuakajth. Those names didn't flow, scraped against their mind in a way Butterfly Wings wouldn't want their name to scrape.

Kinaroth or Sivorenth? Those were better, more like Pertemarth who was Father, less scratchy, but still hard and too crisp, not flowing enough for her to be content with the feel of the word applied to her. They were good names, but they were not the right names for Butterfly Wings.

Rilserroth and Phaeroth were too rounded and pebbly, more like Issrodeth's. These were not right either. They were still good but not right.

Alafith?

Alafith was almost right but not quite; it was soft and flowing like the beginning of Mother's name. Something about the shape of it didn't fit what Butterfly Wings could feel about themself, but it was so tantalizingly close to feeling just right. She turned the name over and over in her mind, searching for the way to make Alafith fit them.

Like a breath of wind in one of Mother's, Gwillanth's, flying dreams, Butterfly Wings felt the name slip into place as if they had always known it and had simply been unable to say it until now. The name flowed right; it didn't scrape or land too crisply. It was perfect.

Alaphiath.

Her name was Alaphiath. They let it slip out from their mind, towards the others, in the same gentle way it had slipped into her own.