For the first time, she knew fear

She had spent her entire existence in her white little world, comfortable and secure, never questioning, never worrying. But recently things had begun to change. It started with a strange, gnawing feeling that came from within. Strangely, the world no longer nourished her as it once had, although for what reason she could not fathom. It was simply as if her world had grown too old and worn to support her.

As time passed and the gnawing grew, it dawned on her that she would have to put an end to it on her own. But how? If the world would not provide for her, how would she provide for herself? She would have to move beyond the world, but what was there beyond the world? How does one break out of one’s own reality?

The very white walls that once seemed such a comfort now smothered her, and her fear grew. Could she really do this? But she had to try! The one thing she understood best was that she had to make the gnawing go away, so she began scraping against the wall with the only thing she had available: her own claws.

She scratched and scraped and scrabbled for what seemed like ages as the gnawing feeling grew and with it, her terror. For the longest time her efforts appeared to have no effect but then, just as she was ready to give up in despair there appeared the smallest of indentations. Amazed, she moved her head closer to investigate this change, when she realized that a small horn at the tip of her nose would be perfect for further damaging the area.

After the first sign of weakness it was not long at all before she managed to break a hole in the wall. There! A hole! So there was something on the other side! With this realization she experienced a new feeling. This feeling was like the gnawing, but it was in her mind, not her body. In all her life of comfort and security, she never understood needs, but now there was a need in her head as great as the need in her belly, and its demand to be filled just as undeniable. This new feeling spurred her on to an even greater effort, the mind-gnawing powering her actions, giving her strength even as it consumed her thoughts.

After an existence of utter contentment and stagnation, now she faced change. First there was hunger. Then there was fear. And now, for the first time, she knew curiosity.

The more damage she did to what was once her home, now her prison, the easier it was to do more. She pushed and prodded and scratched and tore at the walls and bit by bit, the hole got larger until, with a supreme effort, she finally forced herself through the white walls of her universe into whatever it was that was beyond.

Despite all her gnawings such a supreme effort left her too exhausted to look around at first. When finally she could move again she noted how huge this new universe was, a universe of grays and browns rather than white. To think, her entire world was once contained in this! And looking beyond, she could see that this world, too, had a hole in it, a rather large one that looked out at something so endless she could not yet grasp it... so instead she turned away and found she was not alone.

Looking up, she saw others like herself only much, much larger. They towered over her to such an extent that she probably should have been frightened but somehow, instinctively, she knew that these others would not harm her. They would, in fact, protect her and help to feed the hunger in her belly and mind. They looked down on her with varying expressions of pride and joy, and this made her proud, too.

She looked over at the shell of her egg, the remainder of her shattered universe, and was filled with satisfaction of her accomplishment. She had broken free, and as a result, made her world that much larger. In joy and pride, the new-hatched dragon threw back her head and crowed.