HOME | DD

Description

It wasn’t atypical for Wyngrew to continue living at the Nook even after maturing. More often than not, though, the Wynglings raised in the Nook would grow up-- either slowly, or all at once-- and find a home out in the world.
But there were exceptions, Dreemurr thought, unable to keep a bitter tone out of his internal monologue. When he first saw his fellow Wynglings leave there had been that small note of jealousy, but he’d told himself that soon he’d grow up, too, just like his friends had. New Wynglings were hatched, and Dree got to watch as they matured from tiny beanbags to fully-fledged Wyngrew. It was around then that Alma noticed something was wrong, and it dawned on him too before long. Warptide came and went, as did other celebrations, but the beige Wyngling was still as small as he had been when Citrus first met him. Alma had reassured him that sometimes this happened, that Wyngrew would take a long time to develop and that, one day, he would. He couldn’t scrounge together enough faith to believe her. After Citrus earned his spurs, he almost gave up all hope.

It was a couple months after that that he noticed a change. The blanket Alma had given him after he’d hatched didn’t cover him as well as it used to, and he stumbled around his bunk in an awkward fashion as his rear legs shifted proportions over the span of a few weeks. It was a slow process, one that took far longer than it had for the other Wynglings he’d known, but it was unmistakable. Citrus held his foreclaws out and Dree placed his paws in his palms as the taller Wyngro helped him balance on his hind legs. Slowly, but surely, he was maturing.

“You didn’t tell me it would hurt,” Dreemurr whined at his friend one night. Citrus winced in sympathy.

“S’probably cause it took you so long.” He yelped as Dree kicked him in the stomach and almost knocked him off the bed. “Ow!”

“Sorry!” The Wyngling lifted one leg to examine his foot as he flexed his claws. The third toe was coming in nicely, but as he developed he was able to put a lot more force behind his kicks than he intended to. After spending so long on all fours, the transition to two legs was maybe the hardest part for him. His center of gravity was all off, and a lot of the time he felt like he was making a total complete fool out of himself.

Despite the unusual circumstances, Citrus took time to be there for him and help him adjust. He reassured him about it often, but Dree felt a twinge of guilt when he thought about it. The orange Wyngro had been vocal about joining a magic class as soon as he was able to, but once Dree needed help he’d dropped everything. He appreciated it, but there was still that lingering feeling that he was holding his friend back.
“That’s stupid, Az,” Citrus told him one day when he voiced his concerns. His claws parted the younger Wyngro’s head fur so he could more closely examine the two bumps starting to come in. “I can just take the class next year! Or even do independent study, so you can do it with me.” He pulled his claws away, then pulled Dreemurr into a hug from behind and thumped his head to rest on top of his. “Besides, who else is going to teach you how to not trip over yourself? Alma’s busy with everyone else, but you need somebody. So that somebody’s me.”

Dree relaxed and let out the breath he’d been holding. “Thanks,” he stammered.
Warptide swung around again, and a month before it came Dreemurr’s first birthday. Everyone had crowded around him until Alma stepped in and enforced that they give him space, and when he retreated to his bunk-- on two legs, not four-- Citrus was there waiting for him with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Do you think I’m going to stop getting taller?” Dree complained as he crawled into his bunk. His horns were still rather nubby, but if they grew out any more he was at risk of leaving notches that he’d have to explain to Alma. Citrus’s own bunk was down the hall, but he’d practically been living in the room the past few months.

“I dunno.” Citrus laughed. “You’re taller than me, though, that counts for something!” Dree flashed him a nervous smile, then batted Citrus’s claws away as the orange Wyngro moved to paw at his lop ears. “What, really, no touching?”

“No touching!” Dree squeaked. “Knock it off, Tangy! Or-- Or I’ll kick!”

Citrus sized up Dree’s clawed foot, which was far more dangerous than his own soft paws, and winced. “Okay, point made. No touching, no kicking.” He held out a hand, and Dreemurr high-fived it with a smile that he returned. “Alright, I need to get back to my bunk before Alma asks questions again. Seeya, Az!”

Spring arrived in Wynsiph, and Dreemurr hadn’t gotten any taller. The aching from his growth spurt had faded sometime during winter, and as far as he knew his body was done with his long-overdue transformation. The sweater he’d been given as a birthday gift had been given to him with the expectation that he’d grow into it some more, though, but despite several apologies he found that he didn’t really mind how baggy the sleeves were. Seeing his face in the mirror still filled him with a sense of discomfort. After being so used-- no, being resigned to being a small, awkward Wyngling for the rest of his life, the sheer difference of his new self was staggering and overwhelming. He still felt like he was staring at a stranger.

Dreemurr swallowed and looked away. He’d get used to it eventually, he told himself. Citrus had, after all, and from the orange Wyngro’s description it had hit him all at once (not even mentioning his bunkmate at the time, a quad who had practically doubled in size overnight). He had other things to think about now, anyway. It was time for him to leave the Nook behind. He’d already found a nice home near the perimeter of the Auranna Forest, and had been volunteering to keep the area safe and undisturbed for a while now. Citrus was planning to stay behind a bit longer while he talked with Ms. Netty about enrolling for classes, but Dree was ready to get his footing.

One paw reached up to fiddle with the heart pendant hanging from his necklace. Dree smiled at himself in the mirror and allowed himself to relax. He was determined to keep moving forward in life, even with his slow start. This was just the beginning.

wordcount: 1,141 / 600

4 / 168

+ unlimited clothing
+ lop ears
+ horn stubs

proof for lop ears:
WP #67 - Disrespect Your Elders

Description

It wasn’t atypical for Wyngrew to continue living at the Nook even after maturing. More often than not, though, the Wynglings raised in the Nook would grow up-- either slowly, or all at once-- and find a home out in the world.
But there were exceptions, Dreemurr thought, unable to keep a bitter tone out of his internal monologue. When he first saw his fellow Wynglings leave there had been that small note of jealousy, but he’d told himself that soon he’d grow up, too, just like his friends had. New Wynglings were hatched, and Dree got to watch as they matured from tiny beanbags to fully-fledged Wyngrew. It was around then that Alma noticed something was wrong, and it dawned on him too before long. Warptide came and went, as did other celebrations, but the beige Wyngling was still as small as he had been when Citrus first met him. Alma had reassured him that sometimes this happened, that Wyngrew would take a long time to develop and that, one day, he would. He couldn’t scrounge together enough faith to believe her. After Citrus earned his spurs, he almost gave up all hope.

It was a couple months after that that he noticed a change. The blanket Alma had given him after he’d hatched didn’t cover him as well as it used to, and he stumbled around his bunk in an awkward fashion as his rear legs shifted proportions over the span of a few weeks. It was a slow process, one that took far longer than it had for the other Wynglings he’d known, but it was unmistakable. Citrus held his foreclaws out and Dree placed his paws in his palms as the taller Wyngro helped him balance on his hind legs. Slowly, but surely, he was maturing.

“You didn’t tell me it would hurt,” Dreemurr whined at his friend one night. Citrus winced in sympathy.

“S’probably cause it took you so long.” He yelped as Dree kicked him in the stomach and almost knocked him off the bed. “Ow!”

“Sorry!” The Wyngling lifted one leg to examine his foot as he flexed his claws. The third toe was coming in nicely, but as he developed he was able to put a lot more force behind his kicks than he intended to. After spending so long on all fours, the transition to two legs was maybe the hardest part for him. His center of gravity was all off, and a lot of the time he felt like he was making a total complete fool out of himself.

Despite the unusual circumstances, Citrus took time to be there for him and help him adjust. He reassured him about it often, but Dree felt a twinge of guilt when he thought about it. The orange Wyngro had been vocal about joining a magic class as soon as he was able to, but once Dree needed help he’d dropped everything. He appreciated it, but there was still that lingering feeling that he was holding his friend back.
“That’s stupid, Az,” Citrus told him one day when he voiced his concerns. His claws parted the younger Wyngro’s head fur so he could more closely examine the two bumps starting to come in. “I can just take the class next year! Or even do independent study, so you can do it with me.” He pulled his claws away, then pulled Dreemurr into a hug from behind and thumped his head to rest on top of his. “Besides, who else is going to teach you how to not trip over yourself? Alma’s busy with everyone else, but you need somebody. So that somebody’s me.”

Dree relaxed and let out the breath he’d been holding. “Thanks,” he stammered.
Warptide swung around again, and a month before it came Dreemurr’s first birthday. Everyone had crowded around him until Alma stepped in and enforced that they give him space, and when he retreated to his bunk-- on two legs, not four-- Citrus was there waiting for him with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Do you think I’m going to stop getting taller?” Dree complained as he crawled into his bunk. His horns were still rather nubby, but if they grew out any more he was at risk of leaving notches that he’d have to explain to Alma. Citrus’s own bunk was down the hall, but he’d practically been living in the room the past few months.

“I dunno.” Citrus laughed. “You’re taller than me, though, that counts for something!” Dree flashed him a nervous smile, then batted Citrus’s claws away as the orange Wyngro moved to paw at his lop ears. “What, really, no touching?”

“No touching!” Dree squeaked. “Knock it off, Tangy! Or-- Or I’ll kick!”

Citrus sized up Dree’s clawed foot, which was far more dangerous than his own soft paws, and winced. “Okay, point made. No touching, no kicking.” He held out a hand, and Dreemurr high-fived it with a smile that he returned. “Alright, I need to get back to my bunk before Alma asks questions again. Seeya, Az!”

Spring arrived in Wynsiph, and Dreemurr hadn’t gotten any taller. The aching from his growth spurt had faded sometime during winter, and as far as he knew his body was done with his long-overdue transformation. The sweater he’d been given as a birthday gift had been given to him with the expectation that he’d grow into it some more, though, but despite several apologies he found that he didn’t really mind how baggy the sleeves were. Seeing his face in the mirror still filled him with a sense of discomfort. After being so used-- no, being resigned to being a small, awkward Wyngling for the rest of his life, the sheer difference of his new self was staggering and overwhelming. He still felt like he was staring at a stranger.

Dreemurr swallowed and looked away. He’d get used to it eventually, he told himself. Citrus had, after all, and from the orange Wyngro’s description it had hit him all at once (not even mentioning his bunkmate at the time, a quad who had practically doubled in size overnight). He had other things to think about now, anyway. It was time for him to leave the Nook behind. He’d already found a nice home near the perimeter of the Auranna Forest, and had been volunteering to keep the area safe and undisturbed for a while now. Citrus was planning to stay behind a bit longer while he talked with Ms. Netty about enrolling for classes, but Dree was ready to get his footing.

One paw reached up to fiddle with the heart pendant hanging from his necklace. Dree smiled at himself in the mirror and allowed himself to relax. He was determined to keep moving forward in life, even with his slow start. This was just the beginning.

wordcount: 1,141 / 600

4 / 168

+ unlimited clothing
+ lop ears
+ horn stubs

proof for lop ears:
WP #67 - Disrespect Your Elders