Dracostryx- Olympia's Bonding with Vanii: A Discovery and A Hatching

Children can be quite unpredictable when you let them wander on their own the way Vanii's father let her roam. He couldn't stop her anyhow, for a 9 year old she was quite clever and skilled in escaping, or as her father would put it disappearing. She never listened when he told her to stay by his side anyways when they'd walk his stryx to the Charma River to fish, he could look away for mere seconds and she would just vanish into the woods without a sound. He always worried that she would get hurt, but he doubted that anything would be able to keep their eyes on her either. On her adventures she always would find a way to bring something back. She'd come home carrying rabbits, injured birds, a few snakes even, of course she always eventually returned them where she found them, her father never let her keep them, so once they were better or she had admired them enough she always had to put them back.

But that wasn't the case this one spring morning, it wasn't a bunny, or a snake she brought home, this time it was a large egg. Of course the 12 year old had to have her fathers gryph help her carry the massive egg home, there wasn't even a nest! Seemed even her fathers stryx thought it was a good idea to take it home. An unattended egg all by its lonesome was at such a high risk of being eaten by something else. Of course her father knew she was right and on one condition let her keep the egg to hopefully hatch it, the same condition every parent gives their child. It is your responsibility to care for it, and to feed it when it hatches.

Vanii jumped at the opportunity to be able to raise and hatch her very own stryx, running to their barn and throwing together her best attempt at a nest for the egg. Of course her father’s stryx had to help the child throw it together, an array of old clothes, bedding for the horses, feathers, old blankets and other soft but warm kinds of things to help incubate the egg. Her fathers gryph also pitched in laying with the egg during the nights helping to keep it warm.

The day the egg hatched Vanii thankfully was in the stall laying with the egg, as she spent most of her freetime waiting for it to hatch, reading or finding ways to entertain herself. When she felt tapping from inside the egg she squealed with excitement, making her fathers gryph lift his head in interest at the little girl. “It's hatching!!” she squeaked watching the egg shell crack and splinter as the stryx tried to peck its way out of the egg. The harpia hatchling finally broke through, nearly flopping right on her face as she emerged out through the side of the egg.  Squawking as she picked her head up, the baby stryx made eye contact with the giggling little girl, who embraced the creature in her arms excitedly.

“You're so cute eeeek what am I gonna name you!” she exclaimed, drawing back from the stryx “you look like your name starts with an O, don't you agree?” she asked, looking at her fathers gryph, who just shook his head amused by the human child. “Hmmm maybe I should ask daddy I bet he would have a good name for you” she hummed, “Keep an eye on her okay! I'm gonna go get daddy” She said, scurrying off to find her father and practically drag him back with her to the barn. He stood back and examined the hatchling before humming. 

“How about Olivia?” Her father offered, and the little girl shook her head.

“No way! She doesn't look like an Olivia!” 

Her father stood there once more in thought, pondering different names. No Olivia, there's Otter, Oakley, Orderly, Octavia… None were ones Vanii liked. “I got it! How about Olympia?” he suggested and the little girl thought for a moment before her face lit up like the sun. 

“That's perfect daddy! Olympia!” she squealed in excitement practically bouncing up and down.

“Okay okay Olympia it is, now come along V we gotta go find little Olympia something to eat Im sure she is starving.” The girl nodded and agreed, scurrying off with her father to go get some things to offer to Olympia. 

Wow, her very own stryx, she can’t wait until she can fly. They're going to have so many amazing adventures together, she just knew it.