Shiny
The three eggs were cradled in the warm sand, occasionally rocking as the hatchlings worked to free themselves. Ishikk started forward to help the, but Arabella stopped him with a gently touch.
“They will be stronger if they free themselves. We will step in if they cannot manage.” she told him softly. He nodded and settled back onto his haunches to watch.
“They will be so pretty!” Ravage crooned excitedly, she had again ignored the healers and walked herself over to where the eggs were hatching so she could watch.
A horn broke through the surface of the nearest egg and Ravage let out a squawk, needing to be held back by Heth and Savir so she would not snatch the egg up.
The tiny pearlcatcher worked at the hole, breaking off tiny shards with its horn and mouth until it could reach the opening with it’s forepaws and break off larger pieces. Finally it crawled free from it’s shell. He had his mother’s crystal scales in a deep blue, his wings were a mottled teal, and his belly matched. He gave the gathered dragons one look, cheeped at them, and turned to the empty shell and began to eat it.
“EW! Its gonna shred it’s organs all up with a hard shell like that!” Tagu cried.
“No.” Arabella shook her head. “Pearlcatchers are able to handle shells just fine. That shell will be the base for his pearl.”
As the first hatchling continued eating his shell, the smallest egg cracked open, revealing a second pearlcatcher. This one may have been smaller than it’s sibling, but it hatched much quicker. Before long the hatchling pulled himself free, a second male. He was also a deep blue, though he had his father’s metallic scales, his wings were a deep blue as well, though his belly was a bright seafoam color. He started eating his eggshell right away, without so much as a glance at any of the other dragons.
The final egg was the largest, and a long crack had formed in it’s surface as the last hatchling struggled to break free. Suddenly it split, spilling the baby bogsneak out onto the sand. He had the darkest body color, with his father’s metallic scales as well, his mottled wings were of a greyish blue, and his belly was a very pale blue. He made a noise of complaint, then righted himself onto his wobbly legs. He looked around, then, seeming to be unsure of which adult to approach opened his mouth and began to make hungry keening noises.
Arabella and Heth stepped forward, bringing with them a bowl of berries to feed him.
“What about the other two?” Ravage asked, vibrating with the need to fuss over the babies.
“They will probably fall asleep after they finish eating their shells.” Arabella told her calmly. “In a few hours they will regurgitate a pearl each. After that then they can be fed a proper meal.”
“Have you decided on names?” Ravage asked, scooting a little closer.
Arabella looked at Ishikk. Ishikk looked down at his children for a few moments, considering. “I like Zaer for the bogsneak. And you said you were thinking about the names Vale and Kima. Which is which?”
“Kima for the firstborn. And Vale for the younger.” Arabella replied after a moment of consideration.
“Wonderful!” Ravage crowed excitedly.
Kima and Vale had finished eating their shells, barnacles and all, and had crowded close to their parents, curling up to sleep just as Arabella had predicted. Zaer kept eating until all the berries were gone, then gnawed on the bowl until it was taken from him. With that distraction gone he settled down, plopping right down where he was and falling asleep quickly.
Ishikk carefully lowered himself down to lay with his children, and Arabella followed suit, leaving a small space open. “Ravage, would you like to join us for a bit. Standing is not good for your wounds.” she offered softly.
Ravage crawled into the open spot, finishing up the circle around the three new hatchlings.
She was still raw over the loss of Siel, but this…. Helped a little.
“Thank you, Arabella.” she murmured. The pearlcatcher gave her a gentle caress with the end of her tail.
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Beebs.
items used:
They/Them FR+2
