Male Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Nikollus
Birthday: Saturday, February 7, 2015
Owner: Reima
Mother: Pinja
Father: Virgil
Element: Fire 
No one is quite sure where these boxes come from, but every year during the wintertime, young magi may wake up to find a beautiful green gift wrapped up under their bed. When the egg inside is ready to hatch, the ribbon on the top of the box vanishes and a small puppy pops out. Young Nikolli, or Nickies as they are often called, are bright-eyed and curious from the moment they can stumble around. The hatchlings are born with enchanted ribbons fitted around their necks, designed to keep them warm even in the coldest weather. They can often be found running through the halls of the Keep or plowing through deep snowdrifts outside. Magi have to keep a close eye on their companions to prevent them from getting into trouble, but luckily Nikolli have a strong sense of companionship and even at a young age will stay close to their magi.
Nikolli are curious creatures, and have their origins in several classic tales told around a fire during wintertime. One legend tells of a wizard, Nikollus Stefan, who travelled through the Arkene delivering packages to remote villages. One night, he was travelling across a glacier when a shallow crevasse opened up and he fell inside. Knocked unconscious, Stefan’s life was saved by a mysterious shaggy dog that wandered down into the crevasse and spent the night curled up beside him to keep the wizard warm. Stefan was grateful to the dog, and so crafted a red and blue ribbon for it so that the dog may remain warm wherever it went. Years later, Stefan found an extra gift among the packages he was delivering, and found a small puppy inside bound with a warm ribbon. Ever since, Stefan is said to have taken the dog with him wherever he went, and turned to crafting and delivering presents to children in those remote towns. He is said to have spread so much joy and happiness that his dog, and all the dogs that came after, took on his name so that they might embody the spirit of the holidays.
Sprite art: Lazuli (hatchling) | Description: PKGriffin