Chapter re-posted. Hope you enjoy.

Kia sat quietly in the massive cavern, her legs folded neatly under her. The cave was cool and dimly lit, considering the only light present was the faint glow of the eggs. She was surrounded by several dozen dragon eggs and it was eerily quiet. She had been doing this for almost a full week and she was beginning to lose hope. Not to mention she was running out of things to talk about. Conversations weren't very easy to maintain when they were one sided.

It turned out the problem the red dragonflight was having had nothing to do with their relationship with the Kirin Tor. The flight's problem was with their children, or more accurately, their eggs. The clutch mother, Brezzan, had told Kia of the problem almost as soon as she arrived at the Amber Ledge. Apparently, six months ago the dragon eggs she had been guarding and nurturing had gone silent. Normally, dragons are very chatty when still in their eggs. This clutch had gone silent, refusing the hatch or talk with the adult dragons. Brezzan hoped a new voice might work to break the silence and determine what was wrong. Not a single baby dragon had hatched for months, and though dragons could stay in their eggs for centuries with no adverse effects, it was rare for dragons to refuse to hatch.

Kia stood and began to pace the length of the cave. She had asked the eggs what was wrong, she had talked at length about herself, her family, and the people she had met in her life. She told stories and, at one point, told a few jokes. Nothing she did seemed to help, so she stopped talking at all. She just sat with them, occasionally touching one of the ruby colored eggs. What good was the ability to talk to animals, if the animals refused to talk back.

"I don't know what to say, guys." Kia said. "I want to help you. The other members of this flight want to help you, but if you won't tell us what's wrong, there is nothing we can do. I traveled a long way to help. I wish you'd let me."

"We're scared." Came a voice from the back of the cave.

"Scared in general, or of something specific?" Kia asked, heading in the direction of the voice. This was the first voice she had heard since her arrival. They hadn't even acknowledged her presence.

"We've been left alone." Said the voice.

Kia followed the voice to a large white egg at the back of the cave. It was the only white egg in a sea of ruby colored eggs. She stood next to it and placed a hand on the thick, but still delicate shell. This egg felt warmer than the others she had touched.

"I don't understand. Your clutch mother is still here, tending to you. You're not alone."

"The adults are leaving us. We can't feel them as strongly as before. It's not safe to hatch." The egg replied. Kia could feel the eggs vibrate with the words of the tiny dragon inside.

"So, you can tell the adult dragons in the area are leaving or dying?"

"We don't know why they are gone. They are just gone." The egg replied.

Kia could hear the fear in the voice. So, that was the problem. The unhatched eggs could sense there were fewer adult dragons around their clutch. They didn't want to hatch because they felt safer in their eggs. She had been told many dragons left to fight the Lich King and most hadn't returned, either because they died in battle or were still rallying around Alexstrasza at Wyrmrest Temple.

Kia knelt by the egg, keeping her hand on the side. "I'm going to try to help you. I think I understand what's wrong, but why didn't you tell this to your clutch mother? It's her job to protect you until you hatch."

"She won't understand."

Kia didn't understand what the little dragon egg meant by that, but she didn't press. Dragons were highly intelligent and she doubted even her advanced elvish mind could comprehend all meaning in what was said by dragons. They spoke oddly, as if they were above speaking in a way that made sense to bipeds. Kia stood, so she could speak to all the eggs.

"I'm going to try to help you." She simply said, then left the cave. The cave was at the edge of a cliff, the only way in or out was by flying. Kia had ridden Brezzan to the cave and the dragon had indicated for her to light a torch at the mouth of the cave once Kia was ready to return. Kia lit the torch and waited. It usually took about ten minutes for Brezzan and another red dragon to return to the cave. Brezzan would stay with the clutch, while the second dragon would return Kia to the Amber ledge. This process had become a ritual for her, though this time she was excited to return.

She had made progress. She now knew why the eggs refused to hatch. It would be up to the flight to decide what to do with the information.

To Be Continued...