The days that daddy wake her up are her most favorite of days.
She can feel the smooth touch of scale to her own scaled forehead and she grins sleepily, still curled up, her cheek pressed to the earth. At first, it’s just the tip of her mouth that curves, and then her ears begin to wiggle, and finally the entire length of her stretches, her vibrant green eyes opening last. She smiles up at him, ears perking amongst the fluffy growth of her forelock. Yes, days like this were her favorite.
Eager, she rises to her feet, looking to where Leliana still lay resting, before turning back to her dad with a conspiratorial grin. If it was just the two of them, that was even better because that meant adventure.
Not that she didn’t love her mama.
But…well, Leliana worried more about her and kept the leash just a little shorter.
She tip-toes after her father dramatically, giggling maniacally as soon as they are out of earshot. She takes several dancing steps forward, coltish legs jittery beneath her, but she draws herself back to keep pace with him. Her ears perk as he talks and she nods, trying to take his words seriously, tucking them away as the precious things that they are. “Hy-hy-hyaline?” Her tongue stumbles over the syllables, and she frowns as she tries to master them. “Hyaline!” This time it comes out more confident and she whinnies a little, delighted in herself. “What’s it going to be like? Will it be like the playground? BIGGER? Will there be other horses there? Will we have to fight a bear? Or a dragon? OH! Let’s fight a dragon!”
The questions are unending, tripping over themselves as she trips to keep up with him in her eagerness. They only die when the rest of the land comes into view and her serpentine eyes widen with delight. She grows quiet then, caught between joy and curiosity and slightly overwhelmed by everything that’s so new.
She presses into Vulgaris’ shoulder for confidence, stopping as he stops and peering out from around him. He touches his nose to her cheek and it chases a smile out of her as she presses into his nose, eyes closing.
“Thanks for bringing me, daddy,” she whispers. “Thanks for being my dad.”