Male Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Zabyna's Solar Maalas
Birthday: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Owner: Yrenne
Element: Neutral
Zabyna's maala hatchlings are very active despite their chubby physique. In many ways, the hatchlings act like puppies. The hatchlings love to play fetch, sniff everything and sight, or show their bellies for a scratch or two. Zabyna has developed training tasks for the hatchlings. These tasks keep the maalas occupied and alert at all times. They feed on their own, chewing on the fig and date leaves found in the Solnis' Ruins orchards. Unfortunately, the hatchlings are as careless as the adults are, and moving them near the oasis' waters is mandatory. They fall asleep whenever they feel like it, uncaring about their surroundings. Like the eggs, the hatchlings need to be close to the water so their bodies would not dry out in the scorching sun.
Named after their main caretaker, Zabyna, the maalas live exclusively in the Solnis' Ruins. As big as a man's forearm, maalas feed on the figs and dates that grow in these ruins. Unlike others of their kind, these creatures need to consume water to preserve the shine of their wings. For many years the maalas have been considered endangered, and only through Zabyna's toil did these creatures survive. The maala adults care little about their eggs. As the hatchling develops inside the egg, the shell has to be kept moist at all times. Otherwise, the hatchling would dry out and die before being ready to hatch. As they have little interest in bringing water to the eggs, most of their young don't survive the scorching desert days. The maalas lay their eggs on the ground, an easy meal for lazy predators. Keeping the eggs safe from predators as well as moist is an exhausting task. However, Zabyna cares for them tirelessly and assures the species' survival, for its magic is too valuable.
Sprite art: Mysfytt (hatchling) | Description: Real