Lapis paced the floor, her webbed talons slapping against the cold stone floor. Her tail thrashed as she watched the clutch of eggs resting in the corner. A tiny mudwing dragonet was curled around the edge of the nest. The young dragon's eyes fluttered open as cracks began to appear over the eggshells. She pressed her tiny clawtips to the edge of the nest and closed her eyes. A soft light glowed around her talons, and dust flew around the room, getting caught in the Seawing's throat.
Lapis shreiked in pain as her lungs twisted and contorted, and she gasped for air. Lapis raced to the seaweed garden and dove in, flaring her gills as water rushed into them, and air filled her lungs. She poked her head out of the water and paddled to the shore. Her lungs still worked, she realized, but her gills worked better. She paused for a moment, and then a thought struck her: What did that little dragonet do? Storming into the room to confront her, Lapis turned a corner and her eyes were immediately drawn to the newly hatched dragonets huddled together in the room.
No! I missed the hatching! screamed her thoughts. The Mudwing was huddled around them, her wings draped over them protectively. Lapis whipped her head around to face Hippo, who was trotting in to the cave when he spotted the dragonets. His amber eyes widened in shock and stared at Lapis expectantly. She flared her wings. "Well don't look at me!" She exclaimed. "Ask Python!" She paused, frowning.
"He was supposed to watch them." Lapis snorted. She shook her deep blue scales.
"I think he went out hunting" Hippo murmured. She began to feel a strange raw-ness to her throat, and paused in thought.
"You know... I should really go tend to the seaweed garden." Lapis rasped. Hippo nodded, and she raced down the hall, clutching her throat.