Devi and Lamb

Lamb was a peculiar individual, whom none had ever been fond of. His fur and feathers were a pure white, unlike any other found within the quaint snowy village that was his home. The only color in his fur was a subtle soft pink, which resembled the flowers that always sprung up in the spring. And finally, the feature about him that stood out most was his ruby-red eyes. 

Every other dragon within his village steered clear of Lamb. The other dragonets his age would ridicule and tease him whenever he attempted the befriend them or join in on their games. On the occasion that his mother would send him out to run errands for her, the merchants at the market were always curt, ready to end the interaction as quickly as possible.

One of the worst things that was told to him regularly was that one day, Devi would repair the mistake that he was. Devi was one of the several deities worshiped by Lamb’s village. They were a defender of their village, someone who would rid the world of the undesirable. And for the longest time, Lamb believed them. He truly believed that one day he would be killed by one of the deities, for something he couldn’t change. He had wished and hoped for the longest time that someone, anyone, would replace his fur, feathers, and eyes with colors more common, such as the browns, blues, and greys of his peers. He would pray to any gods who would listen for his appearance to be changed. 

Today, his mother had asked him to go pick up some bread from the local baker. Barley was the worst to Lamb, and he always dreaded whenever he had to be around him. Lamb considered not even going and facing the wrath of his mother rather than deal with him. However, Lamb knew he had to go, so he took a deep breath and slowly dragged himself across the village.

When he arrived at the bakery, he meekly walked into the open doorway, eyes ducked down. Inside the stone brick building was a large dragon, with chestnut fur and feathers. His face held an annoyed expression. He glared at Lamb, who sank back from the look.

“Why are you here?” Barley said flatly. He continued to work on his task at hand, kneading the dough in front of him.

“My mother sent me to pick up a few loaves of bread.” Lamb quietly mumbled. He stared down at his talons and fumbled them.

“Well, I’m not giving you any unless you can pay.”

Lamb realized he had forgotten to grab his satchel, which had the coins his mother gave him to pay for the bread with. “Oh, I forgot my bag at home, I’m sorry. If you give me just a few  minutes, I’ll be back with it”

“You know your mother wouldn’t want to see you come back to the house. She doesn’t like you any more than anyone else here in the village does,” Barley huffed. “In all honesty, we’d all be relieved if you left.” His eyes didn’t even leave his work.

Lamb knew what he said was true, and had for a very long time. However, it still hurt to hear out loud. So with that, he turned and left the quaint little bakery. He trodded out of the village, the snow from both previous storms and the one that had just started got deeper and deeper has he went. Slowly, the sun began setting, until no light was left shining on the snow. He’s gotten so far his village was out of sight, not even flickering lamps or fire could be seen. 

As he continued onward, an eerie feeling began to grow within Lamb. He felt as though someone was watching him. His spine shivered at the thought. He could hear quite rustling sounds echo off the fresh snow. He turned to inspect them, only to be filled with fear at his next sight.

A massive, silver and gold dragon swooped far closer to Lamb than anyone else would ever dare too. Their feathers shimmered under the full moon that reflected off the surrounding snow. The falling snow billowed in the air from their wings. Lamb recognized this dragon, he knew who they were. It was Devi. Their massive stature, shimmering feathers, and piercing blue eyes were a dead give away. The moment that Lamb finished this thought, he turned and ran as fast as he could carry himself through the snow. Devi easily bounded after him with their much longer legs, quickly blocking his route of escape. 

Lamb cowered and shook where he stood, knowing there was no way he could escape his fate. He tucked his face down and pulled his wings tightly around himself, and awaited his death. After a few quiet moments he dared peer through his feathers, only for his eyes to meet Devi’s. He yipped and jumped back, but continued to look at the intimidating figure. 

“Ahh, no need to be scared little friend, I’m not gonna hurt ya. ” Devi smiled, their expression filled with energy and excitement.

“Isn’t that why you’re here?” Lamb asked, tucking his wings in, and tilting his head in confusion. “Everyone always you’d come and kill me one day.”

Immediately, Devi’s smile left, and their eyebrows turned back in worry. “Now why’s that?” 

“I don’t look right, couldn’t you see?”

“Not what I’m used to, sure, but nothin appears to be incorrect to me.”

“My fur, my feathers! My eyes! They’re not right!”

“Hun, there isn’t a thing wrong with you. If anyone has something wrong with them, it’s your village. I would have figured that after all the nearly uncountable moons that have passed, they would have stopped using me to hurt their own. I exist to protect those who can’t protect themselves, not to condemn them for their differences.”

Devi paced to join Lamb by his side and wrapped their large feathered wing around him. Lamb accepts the embrace, leaning into Devi’s feathers. 

“Why where you out here then?” Lamb looked up and asked quietly.

“You looked cold, and it’s not particularly normal to see a dragonet your age out alone in the cold. I thought I’d pop down and help you out, if I could” 

Lamb gave a small nod. 

“Say, why don’t we get you somewhere warmer? Can’t have you freezing on my watch!” Devi lifted themselves into the sky with ease, and Lamb followed suit. They both soared into the snowy night sky, side by side.