Aurelia

A few quiet peeps permeated the air, mingling with the quiet breeze and strained huffs of the mother dragon as she stressfully paced her nest of newborn hatchlings. A green mother with her first clutch wasn't always the biggest deal, but these eggs had been promised, more or less, to carry with them the future. Her eyes flashed as the first sharp nose poked through the cracked eggshell, and a deep pink eye peered out at her. The second laid, smallest egg, she noted to herself as she focused her attention on the hatchling. It was inevitable that these little dragons would be whisked away from her very grasp, as any other had, but there was still a small hope burning in her belly that by some miracle, they'd land themselves safely in homes. Surely at least one had the odds in their favor, and the surprising strength of the littlest egg gave her hope.

"Yvalcou." The mother called softly to her mate, swinging her head around to look at him. The tiger-striped Ridgeback glanced up to her from where he sat beside his son, Pedaiah, and the shared gaze made him instantly realize what was happening. A seasoned father normally wasn't so anxious over a new clutch of eggs, but given his history of loss and family, worry should have been expected. Yvalcou tilted his head as he watched the hatchlings squirm and struggle free of their shells, chuckling to himself. Their Arcanite eyes seemed to catch the very glow of the stars that lit up the sky as they were born.

The second hatchling once again drew the attention, and she filled her lungs with the biggest breath of air before squeaking out a hungry cry. Yvalcou chuckled fondly to himself as he laid beside the nest, casting his leathery wing over the sharp, protective tips of the stone that enclosed the hatchlings. A few bright stars' light broke through the webbing, and at the very moment he noticed that she had the exact same colors as him, she shook the last of the eggshell off of her body. Within her eyes was strength, and he remembered his own days of youth as she struggled to her feet.

"Aurelia." Yvalcou murmured as he leaned in, ever so gently bumping her soft scales with his nose. "Welcome to your family, young one." Aurelia squirmed onto her back and began to paw at his sharp nose, impatiently gnawing at the hard cartilage with her tiny teeth, already ferociously hungry.