The Hydra & The Mooncake

"You do realize that stories like this here tale aren't real-like, y'know? They're one of them allegorical ones, see?"
"I don't care if it's alley-gnomical, I like it."

— Davith & Jeral

 

A Treat in the Night

  One evening, in a mountain that was sat amongst the light of the stars and the triple moons, there was a hydra who laid calmly in their den. They had lain undisturbed for years, dormant through storms and earthquakes. This evening, however, they were awoken by the scent of something they had never encountered before. Untainted by the scent of man, on a bare slate rock in the entrance to their den, sat a mooncake. The hydra, seeing this strange delicacy having quietly arrived through unknown means, rapidly searched their den and its tunnels for whatever intruder must have placed the cake.   Hours later, with no clue that anyone had been near their den for many, many years, the hydra sat back down and stared at the mooncake. It stared for hours, not knowing what to make of this new situation. As the hours passed, the scent of the mooncake only became more enticing, beckoning the hydra to give into this strange guest of a pastry, to devour it.   Eventually, the hydra gave into the desire of the mooncake, and upon tasting it, they felt like they were soaring through the air despite their complete lack of ability to fly. It decided it simply must had to find out where such a delicacy came from, and so ventured out of its den, out of its dormancy, and set off to explore.   However, it did not remember the world its eyes laid upon once it departed. The world was smaller, more chaotic, and filled with creatures that did not know of the hydra, that did not know its simple goal of finding those mooncakes. These creatures met the hydra with sharp sticks of metal and elemental powers, wounding it, leaving it barely able to escape back to its den.   Once back in its home, nursing its wounds, a soft voice resounded through the den.   "They are simply scared of you, little hydra, but you need not leave to find your cakes."   The hydra frantically looked around for the source of the voice, eventually finding a small figure sitting against the entrance of the den, a figure not unlike the creatures that hurt it. It roared, frightened of being wounded again, trying to distance itself from the figure. As it did so, the familiar scent of a mooncake appeared once more and they tentatively looked over to see the small figure sitting next to a familiar piece of slate that held a small hill of the delicacy.   "I am not one of the creatures who hurt you, even if I am one of their species. I happened across your den by accident and wanted to leave you a gift for disturbing your home."   The hydra roared again, this time in confusion, as it did not sense any disturbance to its home before and did not understand how this figure could be of the same ilk that injured them.   "I understand, little hydra, I have a talent for being where I shouldn't, but I hope that we can be friends, yes? I will share with you all the mooncakes you like, and I hope one day you could tell me your tale."   Hours passed, the hydra not knowing what to say, or even what to think, of this small figure. Hours turned into days, and at some point the small figure left after saying they'll return in a few months to let the hydra dwell on the idea. Days turned to weeks turned to months. Almost eight months later, still in the same spot before the figure had left, though healed now, the hydra made a choice.   It would have a friend in this new world. A friend who brought them cakes.  

A Seat in the Moonlight

  The tale of The Hydra & The Mooncake is one told to children everywhere by the light of the triple moons, sitting around the fading embers of a fire. As the embers fade more and more, the story gets closer and closer to its conclusion, eventually reaching the climax and new fuel is thrown on to ignite it once more into flame, rekindling the flame of life in the heart of the hydra.