Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes

Chapter 0, Part 2: Spyro's Parents

Malefor along with the rest of his birth class followed their instructor for the day towards the nursery. All of the newest generation of Dragons had been born recently, so the previous generation - Malefor included – was going to visit them today. It was a tradition where every four years all the Dragons four years of age would go and see the newborn Dragons. He wondered if there was going to be another purple Dragon such as himself at the nursery. None of the others of his generation were purple, and neither were any of his elders. It made him standout, which was uncomfortable. Why was he different?

"Oh isn't this exiting class? I remember when I had the opportunity to play with the newborns when I was four. Man that was twenty years ago! Who knows, twenty-four to twenty-eight more years from now I might be taking your own children on a field trip to the nursery, if I have this job for that long? Aren't I just rambling on?"

"Ms. Shoutfire," Aeron asked, "will- will each baby's mommies and daddies be there with us?"

"Good question Aeron. They're will be some older Dragons around my age tending to the infants, making sure they are fed and are healthy. But the rest of the mommies and daddies are working in various other jobs throughout Artisans, working just as hard to ensure the prosperity of our little community."

Other mommies and daddies, the phrasing of Aeron's question and how Ms. Shoutfire answered didn't feel right to Malefor. Normally he held his questions in reserve, preferring not to draw extra attention to himself then was already their due to his rare color, but today he just blurted out his question, for it was bothering him for some time.

"The other 'mommies and daddies,' their children are at the nursery. And all of our mommies and daddies are also here in Artisans. H- how are they all, each of our 'mommies and daddies'? Why do we, why can I never know them?"

Ms. Shoutfire became very worried at Malefor's questions. They were too insightful for a Dragon of his age, which hinted that Malefor knew or at least was curious about how children came to be. Which was natural; but at the same time this little purple Dragon was beginning to understand and question a core principle of his culture. That it is Dragon customs children aren't raised by their birth parents. The communitilization of the nuclear family was embedded in our culture long ago to separate ourselves from how our ancient ancestors acted. It represented an end to the era where Dragons were ferocious, solitary, predators. When Dragon eggs were abandoned by their mothers and left to fend for themselves till they survived to adulthood. This decision by our ancestors is to strengthen the importance of the community, where one's dedication is to every Dragon around themselves as equally as themselves. Or at least that was what Ms. Shoutfire was taught. The innocence, helplessness of infants, tending to them and watching them grow and learn is one of the most rewarding experiences there is, which is why I chose to be a teacher of younglings. But to sacrifice that experience of raising your own children for the greater good, it seemed like too much to give up, that it wasn't necessary. But I was obligated to tell Malefor the reasoning behind this custom, even if I had my doubts about it as well.

"Well Malefor... your mother and father, each and every one of your parents are indeed here in Artisans, and they could be any elder to you. However, all elders love and care for you equally. And someday each of you will have children of your own and do the same for the younger generations. I think when you enter the nursery and have a chance to see the newborns for the first time, see just how small and fragile they are, but also the great potential they have, you'll understand that you couldn't just love one of them more than the rest. That having the responsibility to provide for each of them, help them grow strong and healthy so that they may become valued parts of our community as you will be, is one of the greatest responsibilities there is. Protecting them, nurturing them, teaching them and helping them, it's what we live for."