Adventures in Wyrmhandling
A daily (more or less) blog recording the adventures and misadventures of Verdana's squirm
15/07/2013
9:30 am
Today I arrived back at university. As soon as I re-entered residence, I made for the main desk. I'd been visiting that desk every day since Moosee first sent word of my new wyrm's departure. Days passed, then weeks, then a month. I started to worry. I started to panic. By the time I left for my winter vacation, I had almost lost hope.
"Package for Verdana?"
"Verdana of Internet?"
"Yes."
"I'll go get it."
The receptionist disappeared with almost-desperate haste. That old hope began to rekindle.
Was she -
Would she be -
The woman returned, holding - at arms' length - the most battered, bent, torn and tattered, filthiest box I had ever seen outside a rubbish bin. I swallowed. Surely nothing could be alive in such a...
The box twitched. It shook again. The receptionist thrust it out towards me.
"It came while you were gone. Take it."
Her eyes were panicked, and she spoke just a little bit too fast.
"Please!"
The box jerked in my hands as I ran up four flights of stairs. I fumbled with my keys, let myself into my bare room, and put the box down on the hard, narrow bed.
It was her.
It had to be her!
The big moment had arrived, yet I hesitated. Many people had cautioned me about the difficulties of raising a young growler. I had been handling Trixie for a good three months by then, but was I ready for this much larger, and more feisty, responsibility?
I tore open the tape, and before I could even open the box, a hazy blur of grey and white leapt for my hand. I screamed as sharp teeth pierced my palm, my fingers and my wrist, over and over and over again. The little creature growled and hissed and snarled and fought.
My wyrm has arrived, alright. And boy, is she angry.
11:40 am
My new roommate has caused quite a stir. Three people have now knocked on my door to ask if everything is alright. I don't dare let them in. Pets are not allowed in residence, and I can't risk her being discovered. Not right now.
Once she was done mauling my hand, she shot around the room frantically, searching - whether for safety or some lost or beloved item, I don't know. I tucked my knees to my chest on my bed, to protect my feet from the wyrm's wrath. I can still hear her, scrabbling and squiggling around.
I can't begin to imagine what she has experienced to make her so frightened.
1:12 pm
The new wyrm has taken refuge on the top of my wardrobe. She climbed it with astonishing agility. She hunches there now, in the darkest corner, beside my case, glaring at me.
Poor Trixie! She is so used to being an only wyrm! She slept through her new companion's arrival - tired out by her adventures in the game reserve, I'm sure - but she'll find out that she's not alone sooner or later.
Oh, I hope they like one another.
4:16 pm
I've just finished investigating the box that the growler came in.What a mess! I've never seen so many postmarks. If the stamps are right, the growler passed through the USA, some of South America, a good deal of Africa, and even stopped off in the Arab Emirates. Inside the box are the remains of many, many scraps. There are insects in there, and meaty traces. All that remains is one sad, wilted little piece of fruit, with toothmarks in its skin.
I think I'll keep it as a souvenir.
Moosee sent a note, too! It was torn to bits - no doubt used by the growler to make a nest - but I pieced together enough to read it.
4/10/2013
Verdana,
I hope you thoroughly enjoy your very first teacup wyrm, and I hope she has arrived safely in one piece!
Regards,
Moosee
Well, she's certainly arrived in one piece! Whether we'll enjoy each other or not still remains to be seen.
9:44
Chicken stirfry for dinner tonight. I did not miss residence food! I brought back some carrots for Trixie (she loves vegetables, in any form) and she woke up just long enough to munch them, before going back to sleep in the chocolate box she calls home. Trix is far more tolerant of foul food than I am!
Then it was a matter of feeding the growler.
I soon gave up on tempting her down. She won't budge, and from the sounds of it, she's tearing material off of my case to build a nest. I tried to offer her some chicken strips, but she snapped at my hand when I got anywhere close. I had to settle for leaving the chicken on the far side of the wardrobe.
I hope she eats tonight. Poor thing, she must be famished.