{-o~0~o~0~o-}

Soft music filled the air as several dragons stood within twin lines, opposite of one another. A vast marble floor lay at their feet, the sheer shine of it reflecting their own images. A red and velvet carpet formed a path in the center, going from the entrance all the way to the throne, and upon that throne sat Jarek. The black dragon was adorned in various jewels and necklaces, decked out in jewelry fit for the finest of royalty. As he lounged on the throne, Jarek took a drag on the blend he smoked, a gift from his dear brother-in-law Jagan. After he exhaled the smoke into the air, his free claw reached for a plate of savory sweets. He popped one candied grape into his maw, chewing daintily before swallowing.

Jarek was living the dream, the pure dream of luxury. It was a dream that he often pined for, longed to satiate his every hedonistic desire, both emotionally, and of the flesh. Emotionally he was fine; he was covered there, and he was certainly covered in the flesh department.

Just as Jarek was about to pop in another candied grape, that's when he spied her. A lithe blue beauty sauntered her way down the carpet. She was adorned in jewelry just as grand as Jarek. Each one glittered and sparkled, just like Sisu's violet-hued irises. Jarek's grin grew even wider as she drew closer.

Sisu's approach spurred his heart to beat. The closer she came the faster it pumped. Every step she took was like magic in motion. Magic may have flowed through dragonkind, but Sisu was giving off a special kind of magic. The sexy and seductive kind. The kind akin to a sea siren even.

As he watched his mate slowly saunter over to him he saw her red robe slowly and deliberately slip off her sleek form like water running off a river rock, making him lock eyes on her further.

Sisu knew what she was doing and knew she'd gotten her mate fully hooked so she moved ever closer, her movements slower and more deliberate in terms of the action and message she was conveying, one which needed no words for Jarek to understand.

If Sisu were a true sea siren of legend she could sway sailors and male dragons to their doom, bending them and their more intimate desires to her will. However, Jarek knew she would never take advantage of a human in that manner.

However, just as he wasn't any ex-human, she wasn't just any 'sea siren', she was 'his' 'sea siren'—his lovely, beautiful, enticing, kind-hearted, and caring water dragon sea siren.

All those stories he'd heard about Sisu growing up as a young lad in Talon didn't do her justice. She was everything to him, and he was the lucky soul who had her heart. Life was full of surprises as they said, and this surprise was claiming Sisudatu as his wife.

Their marriage was a happy one, forged from a bond of perfectly aligned souls. He and Sisu had much in common, and it was that commonality that drew them together. She'd been his teacher, his friend, and now his lover. A pure timeline that grew with each passing day. Dragons lived for a long time, and he expected to have Sisu by his side for however many centuries he lived.

At last, Sisu stood in front of him, devoting her entire splendor to her mate. Her face leaned into Jarek's and her eyes fluttered as she did her best to cast her spell on him.

Swaths of crystal clear water formed and now flowed around Sisu and Jarek who was still on his throne, eyes now fully locked on his 'sea siren' who now looked more stunning and beautiful than before.

"Jarek," His name seductively whispered from her lips.

At this level of closeness, Jarek took in her scent. She was wearing perfume, a nice salty sea-air scent. Though that was one of two scents present with the second being one he was all too familiar with, one that made him give a seductively lustful look of his own right back at his mate. Something she seemed to approve of due to getting even closer to Jarek, their muzzles inches from touching….

"JJJJaaaarrrrrreeekkkkk~," Sisu cooed, drawing out her mates name.

The black dragon's smile only grew wider and dreamy. But then, that seductive smile fell as Sisu's eyes grew wide and rabid, the female water dragon grabbing hold of Jarek's shoulders. Her face rapidly contorted into what could only be considered intense insanity, anything he could've said being shaken out of him like a martini in a drink shaker.

"WhErE's ThE EgG StUd DrAgOn!" She screamed, grabbing her surprised husband up off his throne, spinning him above her head, and throwing his noodle body around the chamber after he'd landed she grabbed him tightly and yeeting him around the large room like a rag doll, again.

By now Jarek was wondering what the hell was going on as he ran circles around the chamber, trying (and failing) to avoid his now deranged, insane, and broody wife who, unfortunately for Jarek, darted straight in front of him, his form slinky-ing into hers with an audible *cru-scrunch* as it compressed before *sproinging* back to its full length as he fell to the ground dazed.

Still dazed, Jarek looked ahead and saw Sisu land gracefully before him before pouncing over to him menacingly, blue unhinged fire visible in her eyes.
Upon seeing this, Jarek's whole body grew devoid of color, turning white as a ghost as he saw Sisu's insanity in its full fury, "Nooo.." He said horrified but his lunatic mate must not've seen or heard his obvious fear because she suddenly grabbed him up by his noodle neck so hard his eyes bugged out of his head while his body flailed everywhere below the neck.

Then, with a mighty thrust, Sisu threw Jarek through the air until he smacked into the adjacent wall hard. His long body squished flat like a pancake from the inertia until, with a sound similar to an accordion's, Jarek fell flat before his upper half rolled, and his bottom half followed suit. Before long, Jarek's body returned to its original shape, but it didn't last long as Sisu's strong grasp grabbed hold of him again and before long found himself being shaken once more, his noodle body flailing every which way limply.

Sisu's crazy face zoomed in and out of his repeatedly as more words rasped from her lips, "WhErE's My eGg'S StUd!?"

{-o~0~o~0~o-}

Jarek's eyes snapped open suddenly, darkness greeting him as his eyes slowly adjusted to the extremely low light. Amidst the dimness, Sisu's shimmering blue fur, scales, and vibrant, glowing violet eyes stood out against the fading darkness. More accurately, her face was now crazed and panicked, her claws firmly grasping his body. At first Jarek initially thought Sisu was going through one of her broody heat spells.

Jarek often enjoyed those periods immensely and based on Sisu's reactions during them, she enjoyed them too. However, this instance was different because what he normally sensed during those lustful and intimate periods wasn't present, what he did sense from his sea siren of a love noodle though was panic and a bunch of other emotions he couldn't place.

"Sisu? Whaaaa- w-what time is it?" Jarek said licking his dry lips as he spewed out the words.

His wife's answer was picking him up and hoisting him into the air, showing strength she rarely showed.

"Sisu, what's going on? What's wrong with you?" Fear was starting to overtake Jarek.

Teeth gritted and bared, a look she hadn't shown since she kept the Fang soldiers at bay while searching for the Dragon Gem, she emitted a low guttural growl from deep within her, one Jarek hadn't heard before.

"Honey? Noodle? Do you know where you are?" Jarek asked.

When he got no response he said, "uhhhh… hello? Sisu to Kumandra? Noodle derg to earth are you there? Hello, hello anybody home huh? Think Sisu, Think."

The last response seemed to get through to Sisu because her eyes narrowed and she thrust her face into her husband's, "WhErE's ThE eGg JaReK !?"

Upon hearing this, Jarek internally panicked due to remembering the crazy dream he'd just awoken from and feared it was about to happen for real. Upon looking at the expression on Sisu's face, it would seem the dream had become more like a premonition.

Jarek blinked innocently, "The egg?"

"Yes! Our egg! Our baby Egguardo derggle! The thing that came out of my butt!"

Jarek's eyes widened and he simply replied, "Oh? That egg…"

The lack of expression and emotion on Jarek's face told one clear thing: He was doing his best not to set his wife off. The normally gentle demeanor his beloved 'sea siren' displayed was gone, replaced with a frantic, hectic, hysterical, and deranged water dragon noodle who was presently wriggling like an eel.

However, his seemingly calm demeanor seemed to have the opposite effect on his mate.

"What do you mean "That egg."! Have you forgotten our love child The culmination of the love between you and I? My soul mate? My love bug? My little noodle dragon!" replied a very agitated Sisu.

Jarek merely stared at his wife as if she were crazy, "Honey? Have you gone completely insane?" The question wasn't accusatory but twinged with worry.

"Of CoUrSe I'm GoInG cRaZy! OuR. BaBy. Is. MiSsInG!" Sisu snapped.

"Honey, Honey. Look, just… calm down, okay? Maybe... Is it just in the house somewhere? You know? From it rolling around so much?" Said Jarek, now fully aware he was melting and cracking ice with his now hostile mate.

"I aLrEaDy LoOkEd hErE! It'S nOt In ThE hOuSe!" Screeched Sisu like an enraged bird of prey.

Jarek was about to say something, when Sisu suddenly grabbed hold of him, slamming him down onto the bed with so much resounding force that it sent ripples throughout the room and vibrations through the terracotta floor.

The noise and vibrations ultimately traveled through the floor to the guest bedroom below, causing the light fixture above to squeak and rattle with every vibration.

If Jarek's hearing were any better, he would have heard an irritated groan and shuffling from below. Even more so, he would've noticed the sound of footsteps as an adjoining room was inspected for the young denizen inside.

Meanwhile, back in the master bedroom, Jarek tried pushing himself up and, by extension, off of Sisu but was pinned down once more by his wife. He tried again only to be pinned once again by his loving bride. Back and forth they went in succession. To anyone else out of the loop, it would appear to be something completely different.

"JAREK! SISU!"

The two dragons halted their scuffle, both turning their now wide eyes to the doorway where a familiar face stood within it, looking at them sternly with her arms crossed.

"Uh... Hiii, Sis?" Jarek asked, his mouth slightly lowered, as if readying to counter anything his sister might say.

Rapi crossed her arms, staring sternly at her brother and sister-in-law, "If you two were gonna make me another child, you could've done it somewhere more private ya know."

Upon hearing this, Jarek began blushing profusely, "What!? No, no, no, Sis, it isn't what it looks like! I swear!" Jarek insisted, raising his forepaws in the air.

Sisu, like her mate, was blushing profusely as well, though she looked more like a deer in torchlight. Frozen in a kind of shock.

Rapi's stance relaxed somewhat, her shoulders lowering as her face softened. Yet, there was still suspicion in her eyes. She had known Jarek all her life, and her brother's tongue held a distinct silver hue.

"Rapi!" Jarek felt a great weight lift off him as Sisu zipped to her in-law and bore her draconic head upon her sister-in-law.

"You got to help us! The egg is missing and I don't know where it is!"

Jarek's face struck an indignant expression, noticing his wife's crazed demeanor had suddenly vanished in the presence of his sister.

Rapi's face hardened yet kept a cooling shine within her eyes, "Don't worry Sisu," Rapi held her sister-in-law's claws, looking rather small next to her reptilian family member.

Sisu released three breaths before her face softened, "Thank you,"

"Mama?"

Everyone looked towards the doorway and noticed little Padi sleepily rubbing her eyes as she stood in her pajamas.

"Padi, honey," Rapi lowered herself to her daughter's eye level, "What are you doing out of bed?"

Rubbing her eyes a second time, Padi yawned, "I heard shouting and wanted to see."

Jarek gave a soft smile at his niece's natural curiosity. There was a reason he and his niece got along so well.

"It's nothing sweety, go back to bed," Rapi said warmly to her daughter.

Padi nodded sleepily before walking over to Sisu and giving her a sleepy hug.

"Goodnight Padiwack" Sisu said sweetly, huggle Padi back before gently ushering her to return to bed. Padi did so soon after, giving Rapi, Sisu, and Jarek some time to talk.

As Padi left her mother, uncle, and aunt in their bedroom she walked down the stairs to her room but paused when she thought she heard a familiar rolling nearby.

"Huh?" Padi muttered.

Now she was curious. The young girl slowly walked further down the steps, following the sound. Her curiosity grew with each step. Before long, she found herself just outside the guest room that had become her bedroom.

The darkness of the room painted her surroundings in hues of blue and black. Yet, even in darkness, Padi was an observant girl. She knew every square inch of the room the minute she stepped in it. Something inside her told her something was out of place. Suddenly a sound followed. It sounded like something was rolling against stone. The sound came again and Padi's eyes followed the source. Amidst the darkness, Padi noticed a speck of color that did not match the dark surroundings.

While the room itself had plenty of black and blues, this new object was a distinct shade of purple. It didn't take young Padi to realize what it was.

"Baby cousin!" Padi gasped, whispering.

Swiftly but carefully, she hurried to the egg, kneeling down to caress the egg that contained her dragon cousin.

"What are you doing here little cousin?" Padi asked, "Uncle Jarek and Auntie Sisu are looking for you."

The egg didn't respond, at least vocally, instead, it rocked back and forth. Padi tilted her head. She wasn't quite sure how to process this 'response', but scooped up the egg to return to her aunt and uncle. Goodness knows how her aunt Sisu was acting.

Padi ascended the staircase, still taking care not to drop her cousin's egg. As she did so, her ears picked up another sound.

"Noodle calm down!" That voice belonged to her uncle.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" And that voice was most certainly her aunt.

"Sisu please stop shouting!" Lastly, that voice belonged to her mother Rapi.

Padi paused for a moment as hesitance crept within her. She knew the moment was tense above, and pondered if going up there would make it better or worse. Although dragons were viewed as benevolent saviors, she'd never seen or heard of what one could do when angry. Dragons after all had sharp teeth and claws. But this was Sisu, 'the' Sisu, and her aunt to boot. Certainly, the hero of Kumandra would not lay a claw on her.

Dismissing those fears with a shake of her head, she took another step forward, but then came to a halt as a sound reached her ears. It was brief but was clear enough that it rang loud and clear. Padi had heard that noise before, once when she had dropped an egg on the floor. She had recalled how it had cracked and broken open, spilling the shell-laden yolk. Instinctively she looked to the egg, but it was safely in her hands. The egg looked perfectly fine except for a thin line spreading in the center. Then the sound came again, and the line spread.

Padi's eyes grew wide and her feet hurried up the stairs until she reached the top. When she arrived, she was met with a most peculiar sight: Jarek and Sisu's bodies were twirled together, forming a crisscross shape in a way that made Padi strangely hungry. All the while Rapi was watching with a confused look on her face.

"Um…guys?" Padi awkwardly asked upon seeing her aunt and uncle quite literally tangled up, in the shape of what could make a great snack food later, give or take a few years.

Everyone immediately looked to Padi, but more importantly, what was in her hands.

"I think the egg is hatching."

". . . WHAT!?" Everyone exclaimed at once.

In a mad frenzy, Jarek and Sisu untangled themselves and joined Rapi as they circled their niece and daughter respectively. All eyes, human and draconian centered on the young girl, but more importantly what was in her hand.

"Oh! My poor little baby waby!" Sisu exclaimed as she swiftly scooped up the egg, cradling it within her front legs, rocking it back and forth, "Don't worry, Mama's here and I won't let anything happen to you."

Sisu's demeanor had softened, which made Jarek and Rapi breathe a collective sigh of relief.

But Rapi quickly realized something, "Didn't my daughter say the egg was hatching?" Rapi asked curiously.

Sisu's smile faded, and Jarek's own turned to alarm. A switch had gone off in both parent's heads, as the reality fully set in: "We're Parents!" they both exclaimed in sync, equal parts excited, equal parts panicked.

However, the excitement got the egg riled up, causing it to wriggle in Sisu's grasp.

Jarek seemed to notice this, "Um Sisu. Dear. Maybe you should calm down?" He said concerned.

Sisu was about to say something when she noticed her egg settling on the ground. The dragoness knew she could be a bundle of emotions. Mostly she was a happy sort, always trying to spread joy and trust throughout Kumundra. She never thought much of her own happiness, however. Now, she was gaining everything she could ever want, something she at one point thought she would never have: a family of her own.

Releasing a soft sigh, Sisu whispered to herself, "You got this."

Gently she reached down and plucked the egg from the floor. Her eyes glowed with a maternal light, as she breathed a strange blue mist from her mouth. This took Jarek and everyone else present aback. Even though he was quite used to being a dragon now, there were some things he apparently still had to learn. Dragon biology held its own mysteries it would seem. For the longest time, Jarek himself wondered if Dragons laid eggs or had pregnancies akin to mammals. But, he now had his answer, and it made sense.

"Everyone, I think it's about time our little family got a new member," Sisu declared.

Jarek could sense the aura radiating from his wife. He had felt it before, but he wasn't sure if it was real. Sisu had such an infectious personality that he wondered if that was her actual magic. Sisu had always said her unique dragon magic was her exceptional swimming skills, but that may have been her self-deprecation talking. Sisu famously had a habit of doing that, at least before they got married.

"We need to take the egg outside," Sisu instructed, "I think it wants to be born outside."

"Why do you think that Noodle?" Jarek inquired.

Granting her husband a grin, she replied, "Call it a mother's intuition."

Jarek's grin matched that of his wife's, "You haven't steered me wrong my love."

Rapi and Padi said nothing but followed their draconic family members outside. As they did, the egg didn't move an inch, nor did they hear the telltale sound of its shell cracking. Even as they felt the night air brush against them, the egg remained silent.

"I think the garden would be nice, don't you?" Sisu asked Jarek.

"We have a garden?" Jarek asked quizzically.

"You know? That patch where all the flowers are," Sisu reminded.

Just outside their home, slightly within the forest, was a circular clearing filled with different types of flowers all in bloom, around the clearing were large old growth trees which seemed to form a natural border for the space with broad branches sloping over the space in some spots, dimming the already dark areas under the branches. It was scenic, beautiful, and perfect for the arrival of a new life under the moonlight.

Sisu gathered some flowers, placing them around the egg in a circle. Jarek didn't ask what it was for, he knew his wife was simply creating a presentation. Flowers were symbols of beauty, and Sisu certainly wanted to make her child's arrival memorable.

Everyone grew silent, but that silence was broken as another crack filled the night air.

"It's hatching! It's hatching!" Padi cried out.

As soon as it's cousin finished, another crack formed, and then another. The entire family held their breaths, but their hearts were beating fast. The cracks continued to form, splintering bits of the shell into the soft grass, until at last, the top of the egg crumbled.

Two legs poked out, briefly rigid before collapsing. Following it was a long tail which hung over the edge of the broken egg. It connected to a tiny serpentine body, purple in hue with a draconic muzzle and face. A pair of horns topped it's head, horns that bore resemblance to it's mother's set. They were merely stubs, but they would grow in time.

A tiny moan then echoed out of the egg's inhabitant, its first breath of Kumandra's air. Jarek and Sisu leaned in, their faces drawing closer to the hatchling.

"Wow, look at the color." Jarek said to Sisu.

"I know love, Its beautiful" Replied Sisu, close to joyful tears from looking at their newborn child.

Slowly their child opened their eyes with Jerak and Sisu, its parents, being the first beings it sees for the first time.

"Here I am." Sisu softly said to her newborn.

"What should we name him?" Jarek asked while turning and nuzzling his mate affectionately.

"What about Reiko?" The question coming from Jarek.

"Reiko? Why that name?" Asked Sisu.

"Because the name belonged to our father." Jarek replied while flashing a sympathetic look towards his sister.

Sisu's eyes expanded, "So, this was the name you were planning on?"

Jarek sheepishly grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, yeah, I know it isn't a traditional dragon name, but I just wanted to honor him ya know?"

Sisu knew very little about her late father-in-law, only that he was a thief like his son. Unlike what one would expect of a thief, he had a code of honor, and although Sisu meant no offense towards her husband, she imagined Reiko the first had been much more…distinguished. A gentleman thief as Sisu pictured, and based on what Rapi had spoken of their father, the image seemed palpable.

Walking over to her husband, Sisu planted a kiss on his cheek, "I think it's very sweet honey."

Jarek's smile matched the one that formed upon his sister's face. Both of the Talon tribe siblings couldn't have agreed more on the choice of name.

"Hello little cousin! Welcome to Kumandra!" Padi beamed down at little Reiko, while the small dragon let out a pleased yelp upon seeing his human relative.

A new dragon had been born in Kumandra, and his name was Reikodatu.

A/N: Super sorry this took so long to get out. I haven't had much drive to write in a very long time. But my friends, your patience has paid off. Special thanks to my friend Railroad Preserver for helping me on this chapter when I got stuck. Plus, he helped come up with the humor in this chapter. Enjoy everyone. One more chapter till this story is finished.