A Day of Norns, Eggs, Bees, and Seahorses
Hopen’s eyes danced with joy as soon as she realized I was checking in on her. Inndyr stood nearby, proudly poised with a honeypot. They had the exciting announcement of another baby Norn on the way! Even though Korgen was nearby, his attention was almost always turned to the underwater realm. Hopen wanted to keep up with Junkerdal: There was some sort of unspoken egg laying competition going on. I was certain of it! At least these two females had the courtesy of giving me a break between eggs most of the time. I was not prepared to constantly keep an eye on them all!
Feeling a sense of adventure, the pregnant Hopen took a journey to the settlement of Albia. It was interesting that she was following in Junkerdal’s footsteps, even though the two had not seen one another for some time. Hopen laid a purple spotted egg and stood guard over it for a long time. I have always thought that Norn eggs themselves are alive: They grow an enormous amount from the time they are laid and have an unmistakable presence. From a fictional standpoint, perhaps this was another aspect meant to ward off predators. A seemingly harmless egg might look a little more scary once it started growing on its own! All the same, Hopen kept a watchful eye.
Not one to succumb to boredom, Junkerdal decided to try her luck with the bees. She truly enjoyed watching them, but it was a world of chaos when she thought they might make excellent snuggling buddies! Needless to say, she was stung countless times. Her attention soon turned to the hives: I hoped she would discover an unlimited food supply, but I was sorely mistaken. Junkerdal figured that if no bees wanted to play with her, the best course of action would be to shake their home. Repeatedly, because she assumed that was the way to make friends. Again, she experienced the wrath of the bees! Junkerdal may not have learned anything, but she was never bored!
I started to worry about Korgen when he stopped eating and devoted most of his time to staring at a seahorse. As mesmerizing as it was, I figured this lifestyle could not be very healthy for this Norn. I coaxed him above ground for the first time in at least an hour. Although the light blinded him momentarily, Korgen realized that he had been missing out on a lot of fun! He was finally able to wolf down a meal on the breezy dock, and the bouncy ball became his favorite toy. He still had an affinity for water, though: If only he could swim! Perhaps this was for the best: That seahorse probably would have made a tasty meal for a hungry Norn like Korgen!
