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[Day 12 - late afternoon]

Athena's stately head appeared at the entrance to the hatching cavern.
{Varaenna, my dear, I thought you might appreciate a visit from a
friend.  It must get tiresome being cooped up in here.}  She looked
around the cave, noting the improvements.  Still, the embellishments
didn't begin to make up for the lack of open sky, in her opinion.

{It is not easy being responsible for these eggs,} the queen responded,
{but nothing worthwhile ever is.}  She eyed her clutch proudly before
returning her gaze to the dragon in the doorway. {Please do come in,}
she invited.

Athena carefully circumnavigated the dozen eggs clustered around
Varaenna.  The multitude of colors made it seem as if a rainbow had
arced down into the cavern.  The sands were warm beneath Athena's hide
as she settled down near the queen, adding her own soft yellow-green hue
- the shade of newly-budded leaves - to the mix.

{The young ones will soon be emerging from their shells,} Athena
observed.  {They are fortunate to have their own dam to watch over
them...}  She thought back to the last hatching and the death of the
injured wilder queen, when Varaenna had had to assume the care of
Valema's clutch. {...and with no...ahem...wilder blood to make
things...out of the ordinary.}

{Out of the ordinary?  Things have gotten downright *undignified*,}
replied the queen, shocked as always when she thought of the trouble
certain of the dragons had been causing in her warren.

{I expect this will finally be a peaceful hatching,} Athena commented,
reflecting on the previous two.  Not only had there been the incident
with Valema, but Jasra's previous queen, Alicynth, had teleported her
dying rider from the hatching before that.  {And it will be a welcome
change,} she added.  {Are the little ones getting anxious?}

{A welcome change indeed,} the queen concurred. {My little ones are
eager to be entering this world, yes, but there is one who cannot seem
to contain himself - the endless wondering that never seems to be
satisfied...} Varaenna sighed, {well, it is almost too much.}

{I remember when my rider's hatchlings were like that....}  And like her
rider, Athena could hardly believe that they were now all joined
themselves.  She chuckled as a memory surfaced.  {Little Dalaine
chattered like a parrot.  My rider's head used to ache from all the
questions.  But underneath she was proud of the little one's
intelligence, for all that she is not truly her own hatchling.}  Athena
paused, commenting wryly, {Not quite like when you took on Valema's
clutch, is it?}

{Yes, they have been a bit of a trial, haven't they?} Varaenna conceded,
admitting only to herself what a headache those dragons could be.

{Which egg is it?  The one with the impatient occupant?} Athena
inquired.

{This one.}  Varaenna arched her tail to point out the egg in question
with its tip.  It was a rather unremarkable-looking egg, a pale ivory
and amber swirled together, not nearly as brightly colored as its
fellows.  {Right now he is wondering about you.}

{About me?}  Athena was surprised.  {What about me?}  She eyed the egg
suspiciously.

{Anything and everything,} Varaenna chuckled.  {I told you this little
one was inquisitive.}

{So you did,} Athena agreed.  {What are you telling him?}

{About my friend, how she cared enough to pay a visit to me while I am
unable to go to her,} the queen grinned at Athena, {while I am needed
here by him and his clutchmates.  That seems to have pleased him.}

{Well, I was glad to do it.  We mature dragons need to stick together.}
Athena carefully drew nearer the egg.  {I was happy to help your dam,
little one,} she said softly.

The tiny little mindvoice caught Athena off-guard, the sudden influx of
muddled images overwhelming.  {Wait, little one, wait,} she begged.
{Not so much all at once.}

Varaenna chuckled.  {Now you understand.}

{Yes, I do,} Athena agreed.  {It is a wonder you can do anything else
but talk to this one.}

{It's a talent.}  Varaenna's eyes glowed as an idea formed.  {Perhaps
you would like to help, though,} she suggested.  {You might take him
under your wing for a time.}

Athena was taken aback.  {You would let me do that?}

{Certainly.  I think you would be a fine teacher.}

It was decidedly not anything Athena had ever considered.  Helping to
ready an eggling for the outside world seemed an awesome
responsibility.  But then she was not one to shy away from a task - no
matter how challenging it might seem.  And she most definitely was not
going to turn down a request from the queen.

{Thank you, Varaenna,} she responded.  {I shall do my best.}

As simply and directly as she could, Athena sent the little one images
of hatching and joining...including, without really being aware of it, a
sense of her own long-ago joining with her rider.  Little by little as
the afternoon wore on into evening, Athena and the occupant of the egg
learned more and more about one another, unconsciously forming a bond as
each new revelation unfolded.

{Just wait until you see the ocean.  It is so vast and deep.  And the
sound - the crashing of the waves is awesome.  It seems to rumble
through you when you are on the beach, but it is a soothing distant
sound when you sleep on your ledge.  Oh, and the fish.  Delicious!}  She
smacked her lips.  {When you swim in it, you can bob around like a cork
or sail along the surface like the wind.  That is if you CAN swim.  Oh
no, little one, I am sure you will be able to swim.   It is just a
certain dragon who has many problems such as this.  Too many problems.}
She sighed.

{One of the most important things to bear in mind,} Athena instructed,
{is no matter how hungry you are when you first hatch, you must not eat
too much.  Overeating leads to all sorts of difficulties.  There is a
thing called a ^„diet' that you would have to be put on.  We have a
dragon here now on one, and it leads to the most dreadful wailing.  We
want to keep you safe from that, little one.}  She shifted a bit to get
more comfortable, edging ever-closer to ^„her' egg.  {And another thing,
if a dragon called Loki ever suggests playing any ^„games' with him, be
sure you don't do it.}  She shuddered.  {You call me if you have to.}

She moved on from these dire warnings to lessons on flying and hunting.
{...and that is how to bring down a buck the most efficiently.}  Athena
stifled a yawn, resting her head on her foreclaws next to the egg.  {You
will see.  You will soon be one of the best hunters...} she added
encouragingly as the thought trailed off.

There was no response as the egg's occupant had finally drifted off to
sleep, where Athena soon joined him.

****


Submitted by:

Dana Zuhlke

Elvynia (Elly) and Iris

Ro'gen and Apollo
Evlan and Athena
Ed'wen (Eddy) and Hesperus
Dalaine (Lainie) and Selene

Jasra Warren

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