The Hatching

The woman lies there, closing her eyes with weak sigh.  The fire is the only sound in the cave. But then she hears a loud click, even over the burning wood.
She opens her eyes, was someone throwing stones in the cave?  She looks at the large entrance, no one is there.  She looks through the fire towards her entrance to the cave.  She does not see anyone there either.

Then she sees it, the egg was cracked, about mid level of the egg.  It’s small, but easily noticeable. She gasps, the dragon will blame her, maybe she cracked the egg when she fell into or when she was pushing against it.  The crack was at the level that her head might have hit, she reasons.

The egg is cracked; the dragon would be back soon, she stares at it in terror.  Then another click and the crack gets bigger.  Terror fades as she realizes the egg was hatching. She looks towards the cavern the dragon had left by, she takes a step towards the entrance, and then back towards the egg. 

“I should find her, but if she thinks I am trying to escape…”She says softly to herself then adds, “I am losing it; I am sitting in a cave with a dragon egg hatching, talking to myself.”

With another crack, a piece of egg shell is knocked lose, an ugly boney appendage pops through the hole quickly expanding the whole.  Melima watches in amazement as the small tooth whittles away at the egg.She hears something moving in the cavern entrance.

“Come quick!” She screams still watching the egg.

The tooth is jerked back in the egg, and something moves in front of the whole, it is an eye, a small eye looking out the hole.  She hears a soft whine from the egg. The egg is silent, and then a soft chirp comes out the hole, and again silence.

Suddenly the dragon is back, her head thrusts down to the egg, quickly checking it, she squeals in delight.  Melima stands up to try to see it better. The dragon glances at her, quickly knocking her back down with her wing.  The dragon glares at her for a second in wordless warning then her attention snaps back to the egg.

The dragon makes a cooing sound to the egg. The egg replies with the chirp again then the boney appendage pokes through and begins to whittle away at the hole. The large dragon bleats at the egg, the baby inside replies, and quickens slightly.

Melima slips over beside the dragons forepaw, watching as the egg was being chipped away from inside.  The egg erupts in a sweet whine as the hole is big enough for the baby to see its mother.  Finally the baby thrusts its head out of the shell and looks up at its mother, and chirps happily at her.  Mother chirps back in an amazingly high pitched chirp for one so large, she nuzzles the small head, and both chirp happily at each other as a small blue flash of electricity is exchanged between them. 

Melima sits her eyes wide, and mouth slightly opened, staring at the baby dragon wiggling its way out of the egg, all the time the baby was continuously watching its mother. The hatchling is a darker shade of blue then its mother, with kind of a fawn-like pattern in the blue.  Melima had never even seen puppies born let alone a larger creature; she wipes a tear from her eye.

The hatchling finally stumbles free of the egg and looks over at Melima.  It stares into her eyes, and gives a soft sweet chirp.  Before Melima realizes, she lets out a soft moan at the hatchling.  The mother looks down at the two, waiting and watching them.  The hatchling stumbles awkwardly into its mothers forepaws.

“Elf, there is a forest rat carcass towards the entrance of the cave. Bring it so I can feed my baby.” She watches then realizes the elf was not paying attention.  She lightly bumps the elf with the side of her forepaw.  She blinks and looks up at the mother. There was no fear in her eyes now, as before the hatching.  She looked grateful, and in awe of it.

“Go to the entrance of the cave, there is a forest rat carcass. We need to feed her.” She repeats softly.

         “Why did the baby stop working on the egg when it saw me?” Melima asks as she walks over towards the entrance.

         “Survival instincts, you did not call to her, so the baby did not know if you were going to eat her when she came out, so she waited to hear me.”

         “She is beautiful.” Melima sighs looking down at the slimy winged lizard resting in her mother’s arms.

         “Elf, she needs the food.” She nods towards the entrance.

         “I am Melima Corbrar, Dutchess of Myil. So you do not have to keep calling me elf.” She offers as she finds the food.

“I am Kobalta Joltson, daughter of Junior Joltson, son of Jolt. I am queen of all I control.”She replies and begins to lick the hatchling clean of the slime and egg debris.  The hatchling cooing occasionally, and without missing a lick, the mother replies cooing back at her.