Catalyst Since originally posting TLoS: Rising, I feel I've improved far too much to allow it to remain as it is. This improvement doesn't mean I'm any good, but it means I've gotten better since day one. Therefore, I am working to produce a total rewrite in this story. Plot will change and be fixed, characters will be fleshed out, description will be improved, and parts that are unimportant will be cut out. I thank you for reading, and would appreciate any and all feedback.
Orao, a stout, light green dragon, trudged across the room once again. Within his tired eyes was held a small glimmer of anticipation; he had waited for three hours already, and he didn't know when he would be leaving, but it would be worth the wait. He reached the wall and paused for a moment, staring at the tan wall. He lifted a paw up toward it, placing it hesitantly on the smooth surface. The cold of outside radiated from it, causing him to shiver and pull back from it. He turned from the wall and staggered forward, before shaking it off and continuing to pace.
Off to his right, a solid metal door opened, drawing his attention. Out of it hustled a couple, carrying one dark yellow egg. The pitiful, shaking male stepped ahead of the black dragoness he was with and, handing her their egg, pushed through the outer door. He held it just long enough for her to pass through, before allowing it to thud closed again.
A cold rush of air blew over Orao, he sighed and sat back, using his one claw to scratch at his neck. Why wasn't he in there with her? It may have been her choice to have him stay outside, but he could have protested. He wanted to be in there when Sorl laid their eggs. He rose and fixed his eyes on the door. Glancing once about the empty waiting room, Orao began walking toward the door. However, when he was a few feet away, it opened.
Inside, one of the nurses, a blue dragoness, who reminded Orao of staring up at the sky, held open the door. Behind her came Sorl, limping with one leg held up. Despite the hall's dim lighting, Orao could see the egg propped against her shoulder. He stepped aside and let her come out beside him. She forced a smile and presented the egg to him, putting it into his grasp.
He turned it over, holding it, with some difficulty, in the crook of his arm. It was much larger than any he had seen before, and certainly more than he had expected. It was oddly colored; one half was a dark brown, looking as though it needed to be cleaned, but the other half almost seemed to be made of gold.
"Take good care of her," the nurse said, startling Orao out of his daze, "you understand? You...have no idea what she went through for that."
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Sorl took slow strides down the hall. It had been over a week, but she had been sore ever since she laid her egg. And, despite her efforts to hide its effects, walking was one thing she had to do. "Orao, wait- wait up!" she said. With a slight groan, she sped up, approaching the far room. A loud thud resonated through the hall and her heart stopped.
She filled her body with electricity and became like a fluid, seemingly diffusing herself through the wall and into the room. She dispelled the electricity and immediately shifted her eyes down to the eggshell that littered the floor. She gasped and frantically darted her head about the room, finally stopping on Orao.
"Sorl...look at- them," he whispered. He gently slid his forearm beneath the two hatchlings who had emerged from the egg. Slowly, he lifted them up toward his chest. He held them close, silently enjoying their supple, unhardened scales. He smiled at Sorl and hobbled a step forward, reaching to pass them over to her.
She shook her head and indicated for him to put them down.
He warily set the two hatchlings onto the floor, and said, softly, "Is there something; did I do something wrong?"
Sorl shook her head again, smiling. She looked down, and her eyes met with those of the tiny brown hatchling. The emptiness of his eyes waited to be filled, and she knew she'd be the one to do it. He stared up at her with his jaw slightly dropped, not moving from his seated position.
However, his brother had pulled himself up onto his feet, and quickly found his balance. He skittered across the floor, circling between the three of them. The scratching of tiny claws on the wooden floor and the glint created each time his pale yellow skin passed through the windows light brought a wry grin to Sorl's face.
"What are we going to name them, hun?" Orao whispered.
"We'll figure it out," she responded.