Chapter 2: Egg Time

It had been almost two months since they became mates and now Elvis and Rose were parents!

Well, sort of. Three days ago almost all mothers had laid their eggs, but since it was so close to winter they had to go gather up some food while the fathers took care of and protected their children until spring when the mothers returned.

By then, the eggs that did make it through the winter would have hatched and would be waiting for some food from mom.

Rose and Elvis were alone stood in their nest saying their goodbyes. Near the entrance was a small hollow ledge full of dirt, sticks and soft grass. Sitting in the middle of the tiny bedding was a white egg with little brown dots on it.

It was the size of an ostrich egg.

Rose went over to it and began to cover the egg with the grass and some thick leaves. "So you know what your doing sugar?" She cooed to her mate as the other mothers began to set off.

"Yep, all nice and warm." Elvis smiled as he placed his hand gently on the egg.

"Oh wait! I think I felt a move in there." He joked. Rose rolled her eyes at her mates antics. "And remember Elvis do not let the snow touch the egg, no matter what happens." She warned.

Elvis just smiled and wrapped his mate in a tight embrace.

"Are you sure your going to be ok Daddy." Rose smiled as they parted. "Don't worry babe, we'll be waiting right here for you right here on Lonely Street. Don't you worry about a thing." Elvis reasurred as Rose left with the rest of the mothers...


Soon the harsh winter weather rolled in.

The cold wind howled through the air and painful ice and snow covered the land. It was the first month of winter and already things were looking rough. That winter was one of the worst in quite a few years but the fathers all knew they had a duty to their mates, their young and their clan to push on through.

One night Elvis was snuggling up in his and Rose's bedding, trying to find a shed of warmth in the empty nest when he got a visitor.

An unwelcome visitor. This mutant weasel was sniffing about the clan's territory while the fathers slept. He was looking for tasty eggs. Because it was winter food was very scarce and mutants did what ever they had to in order to survive.

The weasel soon found himself standing in front of the entrance to Elvis' nest.

It didn't take long for him to find where his target was. However, as soon as the weasel had lifted the egg out of it's bedding he accidentally woke up Elvis by stepping on a stick.

When Elvis saw the weasel with his egg his body went into autopilot and lunged for the weasel.

The weasel did drop the egg but to Elvis' horror, in to snow. The weasel ran back into the woods but the mutant turtle's attention was on his egg that was rolling down the snow bank.

He soon caught up to it and quickly brought in back inside.

Elvis put back in it's bedding and wrapped it up again before checking to make sure no one had seen him. Luckily no one did...


It was coming close to spring now and all the fathers were looking forward to seeing their mates again.

But they all still had a long wait ahead of them. That night Elvis began to sing a little song in hopes it would bring back his mate and ensure his young's future.

"Under the snow,
Beneath the frozen streams,
There is life.

You have to know,
When nature sleeps,
She dreams there is life.

And the colder the winter,
The warmer the spring,
The deeper the sorrow,
The more our hearts sing,
Even when you can't see it,
Inside everything,
There is life.

Ohhh...

After the rain,
The sun will reappear,
There is life.

After the pain,
The joy will still be here,
There is life.

For it's out of the darkness,
That we learn to see,
And out of the silence,
That songs come to be,
And all that we dream of,
Awaits patiently,

There is life.

There is life.

Ohhh..."