Many neopets and neopians misjudge me. They think I've always had the life of leisure ruling over my little oasis. Wrong. Most of my life was not spent here, in a palace of silk and gold. It was spent on a treacherous journey laced with sacrifice and betrayal.

Very little of my life was spent with my family, in fact it was only a matter of seconds. Two nobles were expecting a new hatchling. Their only child was female, and in these times female draiks were defiantly not suitable as an heir. Curling their tails in anticipation they awaited my arrival. Well, when I hatched, I was a boy, I got that right at least. Lifting me from the remains of my shell, my mother looked to her new son and my father withdrew, repulsed. I was lying on with my belly up, so no one could see I had no wings. Both my father and mother had wings and in only a matter of moments my father concluded that I was not his son.

Another oddity about this time, there were few laws and punishments were cruel. For such disloyalty to my father, my mother spent the rest of her days in a dungeon, desperately biting at flies and spiders that entered her cell and licking moisture from the walls. She was not given food or water. My father, being such a kind gentleman, decided that her fate was not fit for a hatchling. He saw it fit that I, myself was the product of a crime, I should be marked. Throughout draik history, there has been a tradition, two dots above each eye. It is a universal mark of shame. It is traditionally done with a special ink that never washes nor fades. Draiks seen with this are often avoided or ignored. No one wanted to be seen with a tainted draik, who is probably quite dangerous. In my case, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Whether my wingless state was caused by a birth defect or my mother was unfaithful remains unknown. I suppose it doesn't matter, for despite my condition, I survived. Although, after my markings were in place, me father threw my out of his house. I mean this on a most literal sense. It was a gloomy departure. Being rained upon for days, the road was deep with mud adding to my difficulties. Desperately dragging my limp tail and tired kind legs, I managed to pull myself into town. Draiks backed away at the sight of my markings, but stayed somewhat close, I suppose it was because was just a hatchling. Finally one came to the realization that a child, only a few days into this world could not commit a crime worthy of ink. She also recognized that strange dull purple color which covered every inch of me. My color was unique to my father who was known to use excessive force and unusually cruel methods of punishment. That one draik decided it best to take me in. She was a poor old draik and I was nothing but a casualty of my father, so the other draiks took pity and decided to help in my raising also.