I like lots of different kinds of animals, and I couldn’t decide on just one! Because of this, I decided to create my own creature. Introducing: the drakonling! Drakonglings are the size of a small kitten, and come in any of millions of vibrant colors. They make great pets – I know because I have one. So that’s my favorite animal; now let’s go into the details.

First and foremost, you should know that the drakonling is a creature I made up. Everyone has a drakonling inside them – it just needs to be recognised. They are fit for your personality, and you can’t just get another one if yours dies. The personality of a specific drakonling is drawn to yours, and will possess the traits you find most appealing in a pet. Also, each drakonling has a different bond with its master. A bond is what allows you to communicate with your drakonling, and it feels different for each person.

Drakonlings have very unique features. First is the fur: imagine the fluff of the softest chick in the world. Now, multiply that softness by three, and push the boundaries of what you thought was possible. That’s what a drakonling feels like. It looks like a normal month-old kitten, except its fur comes in colors a regular kitten doesn’t – the deep, royal blue of a clear lake on a cloudless night, the rich red that comes from the juiciest tomatoes, and soft pinks and oranges that remind one of a glorious sunset.

Here comes the most unusual part of the drakonling’s appearance: two small wings that sprout out of its shoulders. Since there are many types of wings, I think I should clarify that the wings of a drakonling are a lot like the wings of a dragon, only much smaller and more like stained glass.

Drakonlings can eat almost anything, but they have a sweet tooth and prefer things made with honey. They can live for months off only a small piece of honeycomb, meaning you don’t have to feed them that often if you have one as a pet.

You can tell the health of a drakonling by the sheen of its fur. Every drakonling has sparkles in its fur, no matter what color. The more glitter there is, the healthier it is. Don’t worry, though – drakonlings don’t shed unless sick, so you shouldn’t have to worry about picking glitter out of everything you own. To tell if a drakonling is male or female, look at the color of its eyes. If they’re a lighter shade, it’s a girl. If the eyes are a darker shade, it’s a boy.

Every drakonling has its own sound. It will make the sound its owner finds most pleasing, meaning one can sound like a gong, and another, a cat’s purrs.

My drakonling is named Zyhnn, since Zyhnn is a nice silvery-blue color (every number, word, and name has a different color in my head). Zyhnn is a boy, shown by the color of his eyes – deep violet with amber specks in them. His fur is a dark blue, not quite navy, and the scales on his wings change color as you look at them. His fur smells like fresh linen, and he loves clover honey straight out of a bottle. Zyhnn makes the sound of tinkling wind chimes, which are of a higher pitch when he’s happy (when I rub the spots between his ears where his round horns will eventually grow, when I let him ride on my shoulder, when he approves of what I wrote for the next chapter of my book, etc). His bond feels like a gentle ocean breeze, and he’s a little nerdy.

That’s a drakonling for you. It’s an imaginary creature, but it makes for a fantastic pet! I hope you enjoyed my essay; what’s your drakonling like?