Dragon cave is copyright TJ.
Chapter 4
Newcomers
Zephyr woke as she was kneed in the back by a large, well, knee. She glanced backward at the large green mass that owned the offending knee, and shuffled over to avoid it. Rooreth felt her shuffle, and grunted, quickly going back to sleep.
Zephyr peeked over Rooreth, out the cave mouth. It was still dark outside, and even in summer, still cold. She snuggled into her blanket, and felt a warm lump on her lap move and heard it wine.
She smiled as the hatchling settled again, its dark snout poking out of the blanket. She reached up to check that the other hatchling was still around her neck, and felt the soft velvety scales of the tiny snake-like hatchling. She sighed, and went back to sleep.
By morning, Zephyr had woken up properly. She had taken Rooreth and the grey hatchling out to forage for food, while the small blue snakelike hatchling was more interested in staying within the cave.
By midday, Rooreth had eaten at least half her weight in foraged plants, and the hatchling had caught and eaten several small winged rat-like creatures.
As they approaches home, Zephyr saw the tail of the small blue hatchling poking out the top of her bag.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Jogging up to the bag, she opened it. Inside, the little hatchling was happily helping itself to... her necklace? "No! That's not edible!" Zephyr tried to reach for the silver chain, but it was too late. The hatchling swallowed it whole. "No, what am I going to do if you get sick?"
She gently picked up the noticeably heaver hatchling. "You haven't eaten all the jewellery my family gave me, did you?" The hatchling chirped happily. Coiling it around her neck, Zephyr began to rummage around her bag. Everything was gone. "No..."
Rooreth watched as Zephyr grumpily prepared food for the young hatchlings. She wondered why her Tender placed such high value on trinkets. The ores were common in the dimensions, many dragons ate them to strengthen their scales. She could see the slightly silvery blemishes under the eyes of the hatchling already.
Zephyr sat opposite the nest as she ate, staring at the two remaining eggs. The older blue egg had a hole in it, but seemed to want to stay within its familiar shell a little longer. The other, another grey, was taking its sweet time.
Having placed the blue egg in her biggest bowl to keep its water contained, she was beginning to worry about how she would raise it. There was no pool in the cave, and it seemed a little cruel to make it live in the lake on its own.
"What should I do Rooreth?"
Well, I think you should let it choose itself. And I have walked all the way around that lake, there is a small cave behind the waterfall. We could move there till its grown.
Zephyr smiled at her friend "Thanks Roo". She felt a shiver go down her spine as the small snakelike hatchling launched itself from its perch on the wall to her back. It couldn't fly yet, but its stumpy wings already let it glide.
Why not keep our new friend in a bowl like it is now? I've seen it swim out if its egg, then back in. It says its a little scared.
Zephyr looked back up at the egg. "Why is it scared? Have you asked it?"
No, but I can if you want me to.
Zephyr smiled. Since eating her family's jewellery, the hatchling had been doing everything it could to make up for it.
The little snakelike hatchling launched itself off Zephyr's shoulder, landing on the edge of the nest, and hauling itself up. The little dear was determined. It always refused aid in its jumping and gliding stunts. Zephyr watched as the hatchling stood on the edge of the bowl, and dunked its head into the water.
After having its head dunked for several minutes, Zephyr began to worry. Just as she was about to intervene, the hatchlings wet head sprung up.
The Swimmer said it is scared because her puddle is so small. It said it would come out if it had a bigger one it could swim in
"Can you tell it that we can take it to a large lake if it wants?" The hatchling nodded, and again plunged its head into the water. After a few minutes, it resurfaced.
It said ok. But please don't drop it on the way.
Zephyr giggled, and stared packing up to leave.
Lugging the final box of things to the waterfall, Rooreth and Zephyr sighed. It was only a temporary home, till the little water dragon grew up. Zephyr walked to the back of the cart, and threw over the waterproof tarp that came with it. They had spent two days moving everything, with the eggs and hatchies being the first things to get moved. The two hatchies had watched over the eggs and played in the puddles near the back of the cave while Rooreth and she had been lugging carts full of things down the mountain and carefully guiding it along the slippery path that went though the waterfall.
With the last load now tightly covered and ready to go, Zephyr signalled to Rooreth to start pulling. Straining into the makeshift harness, Rooreth slowly inched the cart forwards, as Zephyr guided the back end to stay on the wet path. By the time they got through, both were thoroughly soaked.
After drying off and unloading the cart, Zephyr set about making a fire. Using shreds of ruined clothing to light slightly damp wood, she eventually got it going. Sitting back as the fire cooked roots and small mammals they had found and caught, with the two eggs in a nest of rags and twigs (and a bowl in the case of the water egg), Rooreth laying behind her, and the two hatchlings cuddled up to her, Zephyr wondered why anyone would want to live any other way.
The next morning, Zephyr was woken by the grey hatchling pouncing on her.
Zephy! The hatchling is coming out! Zephyr looked up to see the small snakelike hatchling atop the bowl rim again, with its head in the water.
Throwing off her rugs and quickly standing up, she rushed over to the nest, just in time to see the small eel-like hatchling fully leave its shell. She gently removed the shell from the bowl. The hatchling looked up at her from beneath the slightly opaque water, and she offered a hand just above the surface. The little one timidly raised its nose to the top of the water, hesitated, then raised it above the liquid and touched her hand.
Taking the hatchling's bowl to the shallow pools within the cave, Zephyr hesitated for a moment as she lowered the bowl. What if there was a predator in the water? What if the water was to cold. But as she was about to ask the hatchling if this was really what it wanted, it squealed and threw itself out of the bowl, landing happily in the water.
"Are you ok? Is it to cold?" Zephyr panicked. But the hatchling simply splashed in the water happily.
The water is nice, you should come fro a swim! But first, I am hungry... do you have a Feesh?
*Note: Skywings do eat metal, according to the spriter, they do it to strengthen their belly scales.
Hope you like the chapter.