The egg started to crack around three thirty-one in the afternoon, and the chick poked it's head out at three thirty-two, surveying the world around her. Her parents had stood by the egg dutifully, watching it all the while, making sure it was safe. The moment it would stop it's almost endless quivering; they would make a move to nudge it towards the edge of the nest, to the edge of the ledge, to the steep drop down to the cold, dark blue water below. But before they had a chance, the little bundle of hope would resume it's constant shaking, creating a anxious air in the family of fowl.
"What if it doesn't hatch?" the poor mother worried out loud. "What if my baby's never born? What if I didn't take proper care of my egg? What if… if… if…she's not my heir?