GreenThing

Den Mother

When Green Thing came upon the clan, the first thing she noticed was how the hatchlings were being handled. The mothers would care for the nests, but once the babies were hatched, they sort of wandered around until they figured out what they wanted to do. She decided immediately that this was unacceptable and set up a nursery at the far end of the lair. It was set back from the rest in a dark cave, that wound around the back of the lair with a small exit on the opposite end of the camp in case there was need of escape.

At first, the other dragons were unsure about leaving their hatchlings with a new comer. Green Thing was quiet, keeping to herself as much as possible. Karli and Leia were the first to trust her with their new hatchlings, Arya following suit shortly after. She thanked them profusely for giving her a chance. "That's what we do in this clan. We accept new people and incorporate them into our clan. Everyone deserves to have a job."

As more hatchlings were brought to her, Green Thing realized that Karli was looking for something in her babies. She was watching them, looking for a successor. She was also looking for a mate. Green Thing watched as her and Shade's union only produced one egg, then watched as that one egg grew into a confident and beautiful dragon. When Karli picked her mate, Green Thing had nodded in approval. Shark wasn't a boastful child nor did he have a mean bone in his body.

Being the den mother meant that she also got to care for her own children. She had asked King for some training in defense, noting that if the lair was ever attacked, she would need to protect the hatchlings and give them time to escape. King liked dragons who prepared for anything and trained her well. One thing that she had noticed immediately after joining the clan was that while most loved their place, some were dissatisfied and it showed in how they treated her and their own children.

Impa was never happy with a nest. Green Thing couldn't figure out what their problem was, as her children were always very adorable. Until she realized that the mate she truly wanted wasn't the one she was paired with. Green Thing watched her and Contralto closely, realizing that when it was time for her next nest, Impa didn't come right away. Magnum didn't seem worried, figuring that she was busy with her duties and that they would have a nest when they were ready, but Green Thing suspected that when Impa did come to nest, it wouldn't be with Magnum's hatchlings.

She shared these suspicions with her mate, Leafeon. He agreed but warned her about getting involved. "They accept us now, but neither you nor I were born in this clan. They could kick us out if we displeased them."

"Displeased who? Karli? She would never do that to us. Contralto? He doesn't have any power."

"Not right now he doesn't. But he's trying to gain it. And he's crafty enough that he just might. If we stay neutral, neither party will have cause to boot us out."

"If we stay loyal to our clan, they won't boot us anyway. We are members, we should act like it."

He just shook his head, leaving her alone in her nursery. She looked down at the hatchlings, worrying that Contralto would use Impa and break Magnum's heart. She felt he at least needed to be warned. She left the hatchlings in the care of Tempest, who was nesting on her own eggs, and sought out Magnum among the other hunters.

"Sir, could I speak to you for a moment?" She whispered, not wanting to be a disturbance.

He nodded, following her to a corner away from prying eyes and ears. "Yes? What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to say this. And I don't want to hurt you. I know you care about her but I feel that you should be warned."

"Care about who?"

"Impa. I fear she may be planning to betray you. Not physically, but I fear she is obsessed with your father and will choose to nest with him instead of you to get what she wants. I know that she has told you she cares for you but I think she cares for him even more."

He was quiet for a minute, thinking. "I am not surprised by this. She hasn't been hiding it very well lately. She used to be better at hiding her true feelings."

"You knew?"

"I suspected. But if you are noticing then you aren't the only one. Now I have to decide what to do about it."

"You could choose a new mate. Unless you are too hurt for that."

He shook his head. "No, you are right. I CAN find a new mate. Let Impa make her mistakes. I will move on."

She stopped him. "You won't leave?"

He shook his head. "No. My mother is here. My clan is here. Just because my mate can't be faithful doesn't mean that the rest of them are like her. I may need to warn Karli though that Impa can't be trusted. She might want to replace her lead Spy with someone better." He strode away, leaving Green Thing relieved and slightly guilty at the same time.

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