Chapter Twelve: Found Bathed in Azure
"Eggs?" It was Petrie, sounding not too far away. The flap of wings was followed by the clacking of talons echoing through the tunnel. A few heartbeats later, the flyer waddled up to Remy, looking around the tunnel in wonder. "This place strange. What with glowing rocks?" He tapped a wing finger on a crystal.
"Here, Petrie," Remy hissed, crouched over the cluster of eggs. "See. There are four of them. Do you think you can get Ducky to come in here and help me carry them?"
Petrie peered over Remy, beak falling open as he gawked at the eggs, which varied in shape, size, and color. "Egg stealers hoarding eggs?" Spying something behind the largest blue crystal, he swallowed hard. "Look like they ate some too." He gestured with his beak at eggshells that had been brushed behind the crystal.
"At least we found these ones. I bet you that one of them is Ducky's sibling. Though, I have no idea which one it is." Remy brushed her hand over the largest of the four eggs, relishing its warmth. "Hopefully, they're all still alive."
"Me hope so too." Petrie scuttled down the tunnel, his sharp caw filling the humid air when he took flight, alerting the others.
It wasn't much longer when the large green form of Ducky squeezed through the stony passageway. She didn't seem to notice when large crystals dug into her scales, some even drawing blood when she passed them too quickly. Maybe it was because her emotions were running so high, or perhaps it was because the next crystal that she brushed against healed the cuts and scrapes.
Ducky crouched just behind Remy, her eyes wide as she stared at the four eggs. "Why did they put them by these crystals?" Her gaze trailed upwards to the large foot of the long-dead carnivore. "Why did they put them by…this? Why are the crystals growing by this foot?" She turned to Remy, a multitude of emotions swirling in her eyes.
Remy shrugged. "I don't know much about Shards. I can't tell you if they came before or after this carnivore broke through the cave. But…" She gestured to the eggs. "This is what we're here for."
Ducky stared at the eggs, searching them for the familiar form of her mother's egg. Her heart leaped, recognizing the shapes and light brown freckles on the surface of one. She pushed Remy aside and picked up two of the eggs, cradling them to her chest like a loving mother. "These are singer eggs." Tears were once more welling in her sky-blue eyes. "And this one is mama's."
She nuzzled the egg she held in her right paw. "It is okay little sibling. Your sister is here to save you. She is, she is, yep, yep, yep." Ducky sniffled and stepped back, letting Remy take the other two eggs.
The two walked out of the cave, careful of their fragile cargo. They quickly walked through the rain and back into the cave. Before they continued their journey back to the Great Valley, Ducky looked over the two singer eggs again. "Those crystals remind me of the ones back at mama's and papa's nesting grounds when we use to travel with their herd. Everyone always laid their eggs by a few crystals because it would ensure that the hatchlings would grow big and strong."
"Maybe they have magic powers," Petrie commented, perching on Littlefoot's back and peering over Ducky's shoulder to get a better look at the two singer eggs. "If crystals like Remy's Shard, what happen if eggs lay by them? Me think Ducky's new sibling will be as special as Ducky."
"I hope so."
"I don't know. It's probably only been by the crystals for less than an hour. But these other eggs might be a different story." Remy brushed a thumb across the smaller egg she held in her left hand. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"Either way, we should get moving. Before we know it, it's going to be dawn. Our families are going to be wondering where we went off to, and we'll be in more trouble." Littlefoot then called out to Cera, who had been examining more skeletons, lost in thought.
Once the orange three-horn was beside the rest of the gathered members, Remy handed the eggs to Petrie, who had waddled his way down the length of Littlefoot's long tail. She then climbed onto the long-neck's back while Petrie slowly shambled his way up Littlefoot's tail. Remy safely situated the eggs against her stomach as she hunched over in hopes of keeping them warm and out of the drizzle. With eggs in hand, the group began the slow journey back to the Great Valley.
"There were eggshells among the other four eggs," Remy said, staring ahead at the looming Valley wall. "That means those egg thieves have been stealing, hoarding, and eating eggs for a while. My guess is that all the missing eggs from the Valley were a result of their doings."
The girl looked at the eggs nestled in her lap. "Would any of you have any clue who these eggs may belong to?"
The question went unanswered. The others were too absorbed in the thought that someone had their unborn offspring eaten. Everyone thought the Valley was safe from dangers, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. It just happened that the mystical paradise kept sharp-teeth out and managed to sustain a large number of dinosaurs easily. That didn't mean egg-thieves couldn't get in.
"Mother said that's what happened to one of my siblings," Littlefoot mumbled. "Grandma and Grandpa went looking for food, and she dozed off while watching her clutch. When she woke up, one of her eggs was shattered, and…the insides were eaten. She never liked talking about it."
"I am sorry, Littlefoot," Ducky said. "I know how you feel. I have lost siblings. I almost lost one that had not hatched yet." She looked down at the eggs she was holding, blinking away the tears.
"Thanks, but you had it worse than me. I never knew my siblings or their existence until Mother told me. Still, I wish I had a brother or even a sister. There aren't many long-necks in the Valley to hang out with. Not that I'd want to. You guys are the best friends I could have."
Remy patted Littlefoot's side. "I think we should find a place in the Valley and let the eggs hatch. We can take Ducky's sibling back to the nest, but we have no idea who's eggs the others belong to. I wouldn't want to give someone a baby that hatches and happens to not be theirs, let alone the unexplainable event that their missing egg randomly showed back up in their nest."
"Remy does have a point," Cera grumbled from beside Littlefoot.
"Then we should find out who is missing eggs in the Great Valley. Then we might know where the hatchlings might belong before they hatch." Littlefoot looked between everyone, and they nodded in agreement.
"What if they not from Great Valley?" Petrie asked.
"Good question… I guess we'll have to wait and see."
"For now. You guys should get back to your nests as soon as we find a suitable place to keep the eggs. I can keep an eye on them since I'm not grounded, unlike you four. Spike can keep me company if he wants."
It was sometime before the rag-tag group finally slipped back into the Valley. As quietly as they could, they stopped at Suri's home. Remy popped into the cabin and grabbed her backpack and a few blankets. They then found a small clearing near the blue-fruit-bearing tree Littlefoot had shone them yesterday. There, the dinosaurs and pterosaur left Remy to watch over the eggs.
"You sure you're going to be okay, Remy?" Littlefoot asked.
"I'll be fine. I'm not a teenager that has been grounded to their nest. Go, all of you, before you get into more trouble. At least Ducky's mom doesn't have anything the worry about." Remy smiled up at the swimmer who was cradling the lone egg in her paws, the other singer egg nestled amongst the two remaining eggs in the makeshift nest Remy had made with dried reeds and blankets.
"We'll come back tonight to check on you and the eggs, okay?" Littlefoot whispered.
"Yes. Now, get going." Remy shooed them off.
Once they were out of sight, she laid her sleeping bag beside the eggs. She stared at the three eggs, each a slightly different size and each a slightly different shade of off-white. The largest had a light dusting of blue and orange speckles. The darkest egg possessed a few specks of glowing blue scattered across its shell. It was as if some of the crystals had been dusted over it. Remy had tried to brush the brilliant blue off the eggshell, but nothing came off her fingers. Feeling that there was no need to worry about the marks, she laid on her sleeping bag.
"I have a feeling you are going to be an exciting bunch," Remy mumbled, closing her eyes for some well-needed sleep. Unlike the adolescent dinosaurs, she would be able to get some shut-eye.