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Naya shivered. The Tangled Wood was one of the last places she wanted to raise hatchlings, but it was where the Deity sisters had left her. How had she even ended up here in the first place? The thought plagued her all day as she moved carefully through the murky territory, sticking to the bio-luminescent mushrooms that was the only thing that offered any comfort in the darkness. Terrified of tripping and shattering the two eggs left in her care, her movement was sluggish. Often she stopped, sensing eyes upon her as she traveled, swearing she heard laughter from the brambles and roots around them although when she investigated she found nothing but footprints.
This place left her unsettled, but she knew why the Deity sisters had left her here of all places. Neutral territory, dead center between both of their territories. Not Plague. Not Nature. It could have been worse, she supposed. There were worse territories to be left in, but there were also more hospitable ones. She had always wanted to visit Wind. Light also seemed to be like-minded with her Arcane background. But she was not in Wind, nor in Light and she could feel the eggs in her care beginning to stir more often. They would hatch soon, and she needed a safe place to raise them, at least for now.
The glowing mushroom field seemed the most hospitable, but it was also open and offered little shelter from other dragons and hostile beasts. She had been lucky so far with encountering no hostiles, but she knew a lone dragon was easy prey, even one as large as she was.
Naya traveled further into Shadow territory and soon the brambles started to overtake the path. Thick branches covered in nasty thorns wound their way in front of her, creeping slowly and seeming to be alive. Every time she looked back the way she had come, the path seemed to to vanish beneath the thorns.
She smiled and pulled the eggs close to her body, careful not to crush them. Pushing forward she used her large, armored body to push through the twisted knots. Thorns snapped as they encountered her tough scales and she carefully made her way into the heart of the brambles.
Time passed, although with the lack of light she couldn't determine how long. Eventually the ground dropped out beneath the brambles and a small clearing opened up. Surrounded on all sides by brambles, and even some arcing overhead, this was easily the most defensible location she had seen all day. It was almost cozy. Almost. If it hadn't been so dark she would have considered it a great success. Still, it was the best she could do. The laughter and skittering footsteps that had followed her most of the day had died away and there was a calming silence that had descended around her. Peaceful. She could work with this. For now at least.
Naya gently set the eggs aside (but close, and never out of sight) and began her work of making the small clearing more friendly for hatchlings. She used her claws to snap and break the thorns from the nearby branches, low and high. No accidents for these two. No pokes or prods, at least while they stayed in the clearing. It wasn't a permanent solution, but until they grew larger she didn't have much choice. There wasn't any time to find a better place.
The eggs were both rocking now, and she could see the tiny forms moving within the thin shells. Abandoning her work she went to the eggs, curling around them protectively and watching with wide eyes. She had never witnessed a hatching before, and didn't know what to expect.
Fear mingled with excitement and she could hardly wait for them to hatch. She did not know how to properly care for hatchlings, but she would do her best. Would one of them be a Guardian like her? She almost hoped they would, but if that happened they would go on their own
Search. That would make forming a clan quite difficult...but if that happened she would find a way. She did not care to risk the wrath of two Deities.
She did not have long to speculate as there was a soft cracking sound and both eggs opened at the same time. A small orange claw from the plague egg. A smaller green one from the nature egg. She did not help the hatchlings from their shells. It was important for them to do this alone. To have the strength to escape the egg was the most vital step in their young lives and she could not intervene. Thankfully she did not have to. Both hatchlings spilled from their eggs and opened their eyes to look up at her.
Deepest red and green, both so full of life and wonder. Her heart swelled as she drew them close. These tiny dragons. Her Charges. Her reason for existing.
"Welcome to the world little ones."
