==Hi, everyone! I'm sorry this chapter is so short compared to the recent chapters and it has taken me forever to sit down and write, but my AP classes have been shoving a relentless amount of extra homework and projects down my throat. I seriously sit down after getting home from school and stay up until 11pm doing work every day. But we had a three day weekend and I actually got caught up with both work and sleep and was able to get this done :) I'm sure these kinds of chapters will be shorter than the others for the most part, but that's only because not a lot is going on with the Serpentine at this point in time. I just have to get them to do stuff while Lloyd and Hannah go to get Pythor, but I'm not doing their POV's because it's supposed to be a secret. Nobody knows where they are until they stir up trouble again. I hope you can understand that. In the meantime, I enjoy exploring this side of the conflict. The Serpentine are viewed as the antagonists of the story, but they are actually more like humans than they know it. (I also just love babies so writing about this kind of stuff is really fun for me :P) How do you think things will turn out for these excited parents? Let me know your thoughts!==

Gareth Emery - "Sanctuary" feat. Lucy Saunders

Between the spaces where we long to be. Beyond together and alone. And at the edge where you fade into me, we find a shelter we call home...When there's nowhere left to run, run with me. Let the moment be a sanctuary. When it's all that you've become, set it free. Let this moment be a sanctuary.

Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity

Chapter 54:

Together and Alone

Cleo remained under my guidance as I led the mothers, younglings, and elders down the incline of the mountain. It was my responsibility to reunite them with the rest of the tribe. Elders needed to be with their offspring, females needed to be with their mates, and younglings needed to be with their fathers. We had to protect each other if we wanted to leave this unforgiving biome for a place that was warmer and had a more abundant source of prey.

As I kept my pregnant mate close to me with an arm over her shoulders, I could feel how her bones protruded from under her scales. What muscle she did possess at one point was before she conceived. When we found out we were expecting a youngling, the first precaution was to eliminate warrior training and consume prey to conserve strength and health. Years worth of warrior training melted from her body by the time she was halfway through the pregnancy. Her image appeared fragile, but she was rewarded with a strong immune system from the extra portion of food I would provide for her. As a result, our unborn youngling grew to be big, strong, and full of energy.

My favorite days in the Tomb revolved around being in the nest with Cleo. I would patch up holes, spread out more bedding, and make her comfortable. She would sleep or simply relax while I watched her abdomen be nudged from the inside. Our biggest desire was now a reality. This youngling would merely be a stepping stone for the tribe's success. Male or female, it would be another generation to serve the tribe and bring forth more generations after that. But for now, Cleo and I wanted to care for and love our youngling. It would possibly be the only youngling we'll have together. That was why I treasured this time while Cleo was pregnant. Witnessing her feel kicks and adjust to a new body shape made me happy.

One of the most fond memories I could recollect happened not so long ago. We were tucked away in the icy Tomb, preparing for the night. Cleo had been napping when I brought back three mice for her to eat. She was dreaming, undisturbed by the continuous movement underneath her stretched scales. She was unaware of my presence, but something told me that our youngling could sense me.

I laid in the nest, swaddling Cleo's waist with my arms and pressing the side of my face against her abdomen. Wherever a nudge or kick was directed was where I pressed my snout. It was almost like a game of hide and seek; I would apply slight pressure to an area and receive a response a moment later. The intelligence my youngling already presented was a promising sign.

"Gorgan?" Cleo croaked, her slumber interrupted. She observed how I was snuggling her abdomen and beaming with happiness. "What are you doing?"

"I'm playing with our youngling."

"Playing?"

I pushed against an empty space with my snout and waited with my face hovering in anticipation. Suddenly, a kick erupted, bumping my snout uncomfortably. Cleo laughed at the my perplexed reaction.

"I think the youngling isss done playing, Love," she hissed.

I made my fingers walk across the surface of her scales. "Are you hoping for a male or female?"

Her crimson gaze softened. "It doesss not matter to me. If it'sss a female, I want to name her Bimini. If it'sss a male, I want to name him Essston."

I released her momentarily to lay next to her. "Thossse are beautiful namesss," I declared, allowing her head to settle against my chest.

A lot of movement began from inside the womb. A knee swished from side to side against whatever it could touch, almost as if signalling for something.

"How in the world do you sssleep?" I wondered.

Her forked tongue slipped out from between her tight lips. "The sssensssation lullsss me asssleep. You wouldn't underssstand..."

The silence between us gave sleep the opportunity to take Cleo again. In the meantime, I stared up into the darkness at the intricate yet natural design of the ice around us. I was born in this Tomb, I was trained in this Tomb, I fell in love in this Tomb, and now my unborn youngling was about to repeat the process. Maybe this was all needed, even with the lack of food lingering in our minds. For the most part, we were in peace while isolated from Ninjago. The only question was how long would the peace be undisturbed.

"Gorgan!" a raspy hiss snapped.

I jerked back into reality with the blizzard refusing to weaken. Cleo was still trudging through the snow next to me, but a new hypnobrai was glaring at me. Her left eye was clouded from blindness and her blue scales were dull with age. "Yesss, Velsssuki?"

"If sssome of the expectant mothersss ssstart experiencccing dissscomfortsss, we will need to halt our journey."

"How many are there?"

"Including Cleo, there are nine."

"Nine? Isss thisss recccent?"

"Yesss. We have never had thisss many conccceptionsss in yearsss, and I intend on having thisss newessst generatttion be asss healthy asss it can be. The mothersss ssshall not pusssh their physssical limitsss."

"I underssstand."

She turned her attention to Cleo. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, mother. Gorgan isss taking care of me."

"If you ssstart feeling any different, you need to ssstop immediately."

"I know, mother. You have nothing to be concccerned about."

The old medicine snake hesitantly moved on to the other expecting females who were around us. A wave of stress came over me. "Why do I alwaysss feel asss if your mother doesssn't trussst me?"

"Ssshe doesss trussst you, Gorgan. Ssshe isss jussst ssscared about our sssituation. I am her only remaining youngling becaussse of illnessssesss taking my brothersss, and the lassst thing ssshe wantsss isss for me or our youngling to die during the delivery. It isss not you ssshe hasss insssecuritiesss about. It isss merely the potential of the cccircumssstances that worriesss her."

"Nobody isss going to die. We are going to find the tribe and traverssse Ninjago until we sssettle down in a new, sssafe environment before the delivery occursss. I promissse you thingsss will be different thisss time."

She stopped walking, forcing me to pause as well.

"Cleo?"

My mate didn't meet my eyes with her own. I watched her brush her hands against the stretched, lustrous scales of her abdomen."The youngling hasss ccceasssed moving. It never behavesss like thisss."

I felt around the usual places with most activity, but there was no response from inside the womb. I failed to notice the surrounding Serpentine stop to watch what was happening.

"What isss it?" Velsuki hissed as she pushed me aside to inspect Cleo.

"GORGAN!" a powerful male roared over the howling wind. Hypnobrai warriors filled the area in search for their mates and families. Skales, our massive General, slithered to me with the Fangpyre General right at his tail. "I thought I told you to be back quickly," he threateningly reminisced.

"Y-Yesss, General, but my mate-"

"Never mind about your mate! I sssent you persssonally becaussse I knew about your biasssed loyalty to your family. Mussst I remind you that the tribe alwaysss comesss firssst?"

"Ssskalesss," Velsuki protested, turning her back to Cleo, "we mussstn't go any farther. Thisss youngling isss vital to the tribe'sss future, and I refussse to allow itsss delivery to be premature and risssk itsss sssurvival."

"We mussst travel halfway acrossss the world in order to return to the Fangpyre Tomb. I will not allow an unborn youngling to be the caussse of a ssstall in the expeditttion. You will either ssstay with usss, or be left behind. It isss your choiccce." His gaze burned into mine. "Know where your loyaltiesss lie, Gorgan. You became a warrior before you became a father. Remember that."

I stood in place, unable to move, when Skales and Fangtom reverted around and slithered in the opposite direction. Hypnobrai and Fangpyre followed them as one immense unit.

I approached Cleo once more, who was bewildered and anxious. "It'sss happening again," she wailed, cradling her abdomen.

"No, Love, it isss not happening again," I comforted, caressing her face. "I promissse you it will never happen again. You jussst need to ressst. I'm sssure the youngling will move again sssoon." I lifted her from the ground and carried her past Velsuki to rejoin the others. It was now my responsibility to keep us with the tribe. Skales may have thought the tribe always came first no matter what, but this blessing wasn't going to waste. It happened to us for a reason. We will have this youngling in our arms sooner or later, with or without the support of our comrades.

The Mayor of Ninjago City - I know it seems to not make any sense, but all will be explained in the next couple chapters :)