Even looking at it Peril could hardly believe it some days. It was small and an off white color that contrasted with the deep red cushion it sat on, but the single egg she was glancing at was hers, hers and Clay's. If she watched it hard enough she felt like she might eventually see her reflection in it, but she couldn't. All she saw was the fragile shell that contained her dragonet. Or dragonets, after all she'd shared her egg with a twin it was possible.

Was she actually read for this? She wasn't sure, Clay seemed to think everything would turn out fine, but Clay might have just been trying to reassure her. Turtle had been similarly optimistic when she'd mentioned the egg to him, even offering to help her and Clay take care of it for a while. The offer had put her more at ease. She couldn't have her actual brother there to help her, but the Seawing felt every bit like what she thought a brother would be.

It was going to hatch soon, what if the egg did carry twins, what if they were like her. Could she raise another Firescales? She didn't even feel like she could raise a regular Skywing, and if one of them was a Firescales what about the other, the dragonet with too little fire. She never got to see her brother grow up, what if a dragonet with too little fire needed special care, could she figure that out before something happened to them? She at least knew what a Firescales needed to live. If you had a Firescales you were supposed to toss the pair of them off a cliff, but Peril would never do that, not with her egg, she did her best not to think about seven little eggs burning in her grasp.

Even if her dragonet was a Firescales it would be fine. She'd lived with it, she could help them through it, they wouldn't be going in blind like she had. Having a dragonet with too little fire was still worrying, but she'd keep them safe all the same, and if they weren't, if it was even just the one dragonet, that wouldn't change a thing. It was her dragonet after all, hers and Clay's.

She was worried, but she could do this. She wasn't alone, she had Clay, and Turtle wanted to help her, actually wanted too. She also had possibly the best example of how not to raise a Firescales if it came to that, something she could actually genuinely thank Scarlet for, Peril supposed she'd let the long dead Skywing have that one. All of that was assuming her dragonet would be a Firescales they could just as easily be regular adorable Skywing dragonets.

She wouldn't have to worry about her dragonet's education at least, Clay almost guaranteed their spot at Jade Mountain Academy when the time came. It'd be good for them, getting to interact with other dragonets, and most of the teachers were prepared for dealing with Firescales thanks to her.

Peril wondered if the dragonet would look more like her or like Clay. She hoped they looked more like Clay, the Mudwing was the most wonderful dragon she knew, and if their dragonet was anything like him they'd have no trouble with other dragonets. If there were twins, maybe one could look like Clay and one could look like her, she thought she might like that.

She found herself wishing her brother could be here for this, that her dragonet could meet their uncle, that she could meet her brother's own dragonets. Her mother had unfortunately taken that from her, though that could easily be added to the list of things Scarlet had taken from her. Peril wouldn't let something like that happen to her dragonet, and she would burn anyone who tried.

Peril was glad, truly glad. that she had this opportunity, for this wonderful egg sitting in front of her. That she hadn't killed Clay back in Scarlet's arena all those years ago, and for so many things that had happened with the Mudwing after. That she had met Turtle, and for so much more.

Peril couldn't worry anymore, there was a near deafening crack as the egg began to shake. "Clay, Turtle it's hatching!" She called out, the dusty brown Mudwing and dark green Seawing rushed into the den just in time for the egg to topple onto its side. It continued to shake and make cracking sounds as the dragonet broke it's way out of the shell.

It only took a few moments for the shell to break apart, and then there it was, beautiful warm brown eyes that reminded her so much of Clay looking up at her, a single muddy red Skywing dragonet.

"Hello Ember." Peril cooed at the slowly blinking dragonet as it looked up at her.

She looked into an egg shell, and didn't see her reflection, but she saw hope. Hope for a dragonet that had just hatched, hope reflected in bright brown eyes and a tiny smile.