Who's the real monster?

Alcove

          Talen was enjoying his time alone in the alcove. He had just narrowly escaped having to attend yet another of his aunt's weekly get-together dinners. He knew his tall and lean frame was a stark contrast against the short and stocky bodies of his family, a fact he was teased about endlessly at these meetings. It didn't help that he only had use of two of his arms.

           Sighing, he picked up his favorite book, one he had read thousands of times before and would probably read a thousand times again. Opening the cover, the familiarity of its worn pages comforted him. When he had bad days, which was often, the stories of brave princesses made him feel safe, especially when the teasing of his peers got to be too much.

           A dull thumping startled him awake, it seemed he had once again been lulled to sleep by his beloved story. He groaned silently, his mother had probably come to lecture him for avoiding the dinner. He was safe though, she wouldn't dare come in here as he had claimed the space as his long ago.

          It was just big enough that with his arms spread, his fingertips barely brushed the walls if he stood in the center. The only opening being the door, and the hollow above which provided daylight. He stretched as he woke up fully, closing his eyes at the painful reminder that his second pair would never move again. He sighed and glared at them, his warning to not go aboveground again.

          He had always had a fascination with the world above, so much so that one day he hatched a plan to see if it really lived up to the stories he read in books. He had found a hidden exit from the caves, in a small room that was now his alcove. The hidden exit being the hollow he didn't dare try to climb through again.

          The hollow had been overlooked as it was thought to be too narrow, though his past self had climbed through without much thought. That was his mistake. He was standing outside, blinded by the sun, when he was spotted by a group of traveling knights. It turned out there was a good reason his people didn't go aboveground.

          His young form, with scales not yet hardened, was held down and beaten bloody, his second pair of arms taking the brunt of the damage as they curled around his torso. They yelled insults and spit on him until his vision began to flicker, falling unconscious. The knights soon left him, assuming he was dead. Once he awoke he caused further damage dragging them along the ground as he frantically crawled back to the hollow, traumatized. His arms were never the same after that.

          Talen never lost his fascination with the outside world though, and the hollow he had climbed through when he was young, now too small for even him, often provided him with trinkets and the occasional bird egg. He guessed that the rain was washing them in, as the hollow also constantly leaked water.

          He had accumulated plenty of experience raising birds as the bird eggs that washed down were often still alive, and he didn't have it in him to leave them to die. When they were old enough they left through the hollow. He found that some of them returned though, bringing gifts to him before they continued their lives and found families of their own, almost as if they knew he had saved them.

          One of them had brought him his now prized possession, a locket that had a family picture in it. They looked so happy it made him envious. He often looked at it hopefully, wondering if one day he could have that bond.

          He stood up and relit the torch that had gone out while he was lost in his thoughts. The thumping had finally stopped, and the sudden illumination of the room showed there was a shiny sphere resting in the natural basin that had been eroded by the water dripping from the hollow. It looked to be the size of a fist, or a small rock.

          Walking closer he squinted at it. It looked like an egg, but none he had ever seen before. It was shiny and more of a spherical shape, but had the familiar dimpled yet smooth texture that the eggs he had seen often had.

          He carefully picked it up, not wanting to damage the oddly shaped egg. It was heavier than usual, almost feeling like a dense metal ball. Though this egg was odd he hoped that his previous experience would apply here. He carefully placed it near the glowing coals in his fireplace, nestled in a small pillow. He knew it would be safe there, no-one dared come to his nook, or they would experience his rarely seen temper.

         He turned and began to gather some bedding to put together a nesting box from the small pile he had accumulated for moments like this. He paused as he heard a light pinging sound. Startled, his gaze shot to the egg, alarmed to see it was already cracking.

         He rushed over and picked it up, futilely wishing he had two more arms to help him. The egg had cracked in half, the shell faintly gleaming. After a few seconds the light faded and two tiny hands opened the shell from within. A delicate face appeared, peering up at him.

         Shocked, he almost dropped the bundle as the creature climbed out, looking around curiously. It opened its mouth, speaking in a tinkling voice, "Who are you?"