2024-07-25 - Silver Linings

The earthquake and it's aftermath had badly unsettled Haozieth, enough so that he had barely reached out to his siblings for well over a week. The interviews with the candidates and the resulting hours spent considering the encounters had helped to alleviate some of his woes. He had lost several siblings, gone in an instant or taken by the accursed greens. He had lashes out with rage and fury at the one who had poked at his world. He wanted her to suffer as he had as his siblings had, wanted to make her regret ever touching his egg.

She had wisely chosen retreat.

Then things had started to try to move on, people tried to get back to the business of living while he sulked and wallowed in his outrage. But as it so often did boredom creeped in around the edges and sent his mind reaching out looking to poke at those around him. Tonight he found Mother's shadow as she told the golden dragon about the charity offered by those who could so little afford it.

He listened quietly to her talk of caverns full of material for bandages, foods, water, clothes, and wondered why. Why would people who had also lost so much be so generous with what they did still possess? Why did Shaylen feel so touched by the gestures?

He spent who knows how long contemplating the new questions until his world was interrupted by drums. He liked drums, the big ones that boomed out messages especially. They vibrated his egg and made him feel funny but in a good way.

These drums weren't like that, they were like the drums the hatchlings Harper had played, and like that one also accompanied by singing. And the singing was... Happy?
Happy was good... He strained himself to eavesdrop on what was happening and finally understood. It felt good to help others, to know that you have made someone's life better, easier, happier in some way. And in this case it meant there was joy to still be found in amongst the pain.

He listened to the music, to the laughter and for the first time in weeks he properly relaxed.