[First Clutch]

[modtheskies]

[The Hatching Sands carved out of the hollow mountainside are clear, hot with the sun blazing down onto them. A small circle of eggs stands in the middle, in a thick mound of sand, but there is no one in sight, human or dragon, no proud gold hovering over her precious clutch. The eggs stand on their own, half-buried in the sands.

...and one egg wobbles, the first dragonet struggling to break the thick shell. It wobbles again, and cracks, ever so slightly.

And all at once, out of nowhere and for the first time in who knows how long, there are people on the Sands.]

Comments

[crayonwitch]

[Namine stumbles back, half-blinded by the searingly bright light, hands flying to her face to flinch against it. She's used to the darkness, or to sterile pale environments, but this sort of raw light is something she's rarely experienced before. As she recovers her footing she realizes there's hot sand in her sandals, and Namine looks up, looks around, eyes wide.

[What happened? This isn't where she was supposed to go--

[An egg cracks open with a startlingly loud sound and she gasps, stepping back again. There's a creature inside, prying its way out, and she panics suddenly, thinking, Is that a monster?]

[modtheskies]

[The biggest of the eggs rocks ominously, rocks again, and finally tumbles over, cracking fiercely after most of the others are already empty. The dragonet that claws its way out of this egg is a pale glistening gold, and it makes a little defiant shriek as it pulls loose from the egg. It crawls out onto the sand and looks around expectantly.]

[crayonwitch]

[She gasps at the shriek, arms wrapping tightly around herself. She shrinks back and closes her eyes tight, thinking intently of Riku, Roxas, Sora, someone who could come and save her right now. She can't do anything, can't do anything to defend herself, can't do anything right, and she-- she doesn't want to die, even though he has no life to lose.]

[modtheskies]

[The gold's gaze flicks over the females in the lineup, making a little crooning sound to itself. It starts heading for them even before its attention fixates on Namine, awkwardly clambering over to her.]

[crayonwitch]

[Namine can feel it coming nearer and she can hear everyone around her, they're all talking or murmuring and they're all happy. She steels herself for it, hoping that -- she'll get to experience whatever it is they're all experiencing -- or at least not be hurt too badly, like that other poor man.

[But she can't keep running away. Reluctantly, she opens her eyes.]

[modtheskies]

[That moment of bravery is rewarded as the gold looks straight at her in turn, and their gazes meet.]

[crayonwitch]

[In that same instant she feels it, so strong it almost makes her step back again, startled. It's warm, warm and loving, complete affection for everything inside her, and words--]

**My name is Tialoth.**

[Namine pauses, holding her breath. Her -- dragon. She can feel that so intensely.

[...hers.]