Dragon's mate (Psionic and I)

Sya had the tugging feeling stirring in her that comes with a mother dragon being separated from her young for a long period of time. A massive grunt comes from her as she works to get airborne with Talver back on her neck again. The fight with Zelkius had tired her out, the extra strain from the abnormal take off working even more to add to her fatigue.

She's relieved when their cave comes sight, her need to see their eggs safe growing. She lets Talver dismount again, before moving off to find her clutch and make sure they are as they should be.

When she found them in the storage area, she ducked her snout down, looking and feeling over them. Alarm went through her as she found a crack in one grey eggs, thinking that the protective casing had somehow been damaged while they where away. A quick examination reveals other, but smaller cracks in it's brood mates. Her exhaustion forgotten, she started to blow a soft stream of flames over the eggs, warming them back up. She knows that the hatchlings within are due soon, but that brings interesting challenges because of their heritage.

Talver breathed with easy relief that after all that had transpired, things turned out better than he could have hoped. Yet he too was also growing concerned for the clutch of eggs, worried at leaving them for so long. He had made sure to stow them in as safe and warm hidden place as he could, but the idea that something could still happen started to gnaw at him. Once Sya went in for a landing, Talver dismounted immediately and followed her back into their cave to where he had stowed the eggs.

Talver likewise gasped in fear as Sya uncovered the eggs, revealing that one of them was damaged. He surely hadn't handled them that roughly when he needed to hide them from Zelkius! But with Sya, he also noticed that the other eggs were similarly cracked. Adrenaline flowed through him as his fear turned to hopeful elation. "Sya, are...are the eggs about to hatch?" he asked her in wonder as she blew fire over them to warm them up. After Sya started to warm them, Talver retrieved a very thick insulated hide and--using that to protect himself--helped carry the now-hot eggs back over to the nest of embers that they had been in originally for Sya to continue warming them on.

Sya nodded, a snort come from her. The hatchlings could take hours to emerge, their shells made out of durable material to protect them from being jostled around. Right now, she knows she needs to keep them warm still, even though it's not as urgent as it was when they were incubating. The more important thing is attending to the process, making sure the hatchling have no predators around while they chip out of their casings and make sure they are warmed properly.

About forty five minutes into the process, small chirps and squeaks could be heard from all three pips, more cracks and chips appearing. Sya stayed close, resting while she can before the young fully break out of their shells. She grunts awake every now and then, checking on the progress.

Two hours after their return, the first greyish egg tooth appears, pulled by a persistant little head, a happy squeak to be free of it's confines coming it. The hatchling squirmed, pulling the it's shoulders and wings free, making way for the rest of the body. Hearing their siblings free, the other two picked up in chirping, working to free themselves as well. The first hatchling shares a closer look to Sya's, except a shade lighter. A clear mix of human and dragon features is present, such as the wings and the head, but finer defined fingers and toes, as well as a vaguely human body shape that had been translated to work for a creature accustomed to walking on four legs. Sya reached down to nuzzle the newborn, making sure it knows it's mother and one of it's caretakers. She also checks the little's one sex,pleased to find it's a little girl.

Half an hour later, another daughter and a son emerge, all three chirping and squealing as they take in their new surroundings. Sya and Talver don't have to worry about feeding them for a whole day, their ambionic sac from the egg still sustaining them. Sya looked at their brood with pride, looking between them and Talver with pride even as exhaustion again from the fight and tending to the pips.

Talver excitedly settled in, cuddling up to Sya to prepare to watch the hatching of his children. He knew it would take a long time, but even so, he was tense with anxiety, and watched every little jostle of the eggs, heard every click from them knocking on their eggs. He held Sya close by her neck as he watched, and his excitement picked up again when he started hearing the squeaking almost an hour in. The human also did his best to stay out of Sya's way while remaining snuggled up to her as she checked over the eggs during their labor.

Finally, after two hours, he saw the first little head emerge from an egg, pushing the eggshell apart from within. He started making happy cooing sounds as the hatchling finally pulled free. It was a lot like Sya's transformed humanoid appearance, but with even more well-defined humanoid features. After Sya checked the hatchling over for health and gender, he carefully and slowly scooped up the hatchling in his arms, bringing it closer so he could hold and rub his freshly-born child, before he let it find shelter against Sya's huge body.

With the final two eggs hatched, Talver also looked back at Sya as she took the hatchlings under her wing. Even for him, it was an exhausting three hours just watching the process with so much anxiety, and the pride on his face matched her own. "We've done it...they're born..." He breathed softly to Sya as he hugged her neck again, nuzzling his face into her scales. "Our children...I'm so happy for us...we'll take good care of them and raise them together..." He then chuckled softly. "And to think...when you first took me, I thought this would be a terrible fate. But I couldn't be happier now."

The hatchling wriggled in his arms wanting to explore with it's newly freed limbs, as much as it can. Like a newborn human, the young dragoness' limbs aren't totally under her control, and wouldn't be for a while. She's warm in Talver's grasp, squeaking at one of the first sights in her new world and continuing after he lays her against Sya.

Even tucked under the tent of Sya's wing, the three newborn dragon roil about in a heap of bodies, still freshly energized from escaping their prison. They would wear down soon enough, or at least Sya is guessing so. She rumbled as he nuzzled into her neck scales, content to have him around. Certainly he would play a key role in the future, when the needs of their newly expanded family become a bit more clear.

*****

The next few days passed quickly, with Talver and Sya taking care of the needs of fresh hatchlings. Talver and Sya both hunted a bit more than ever to feed the voracious appetites of the half-human dragons, and Talver played with them constantly. After the first few days, Talver then spoke with Sya about the hatchlings and the villagers. Even in light of the risk from the villager's earlier attitudes, he knew the villagers would learn about the babies sooner or later, and it was best that they learned about it on Sya and Talver's terms.

Sya eventually agreed, and the two of them gathered up the hatchlings in a hide-tarp that Sya could scoop up and fly away with if anything went wrong. Down to the village they went, with the hatchlings in tow.

"My good people," Talver said after he had gathered a small crowd at the gates of the village, while Sya sat behind him with the hatchlings out of sight. "I have something to tell you. As you learned some time ago and banished me for, I have mingled with Sya. But since I am no longer banished, I am here to tell you...that our mingling has borne fruit. Sya?" Talver looked back to her, and gestured for her to reveal the hatchlings.

After Sya moved aside and lifted the corners of the tarp to allow the crowd to see the three part-human-part-dragon babies, a soft gasp went through the crowd as muttering passed through it. "So it's true..." "A dragon and a human?" "They look kind of...cute..." Eventually, Norman stepped forward. "We need some time to discuss this, Talver." The militia leader said. "But I don't think you have anything to fear from us. Strange as this is...you and Sya saved all our lives from the other dragon."

Talver nodded, relieved that the reveal had gone over well. Giving the town his farewells, Talver then went with Sya and the hatchlings back up the mountain. Some time later, Norman came up the mountain to their lair. "The village has decided." He said when he greeted Sya and Talver outside. "To continue making up for Farrith, to make up to you for our rash actions, and to repay you for saving us, you and your children are welcome in the town any time. We all swear to protect them as our own."

It was better than Talver could have even hoped for. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he thanked Norman and Norman left. Talver then hugged Sya tightly as the tears of joy ran down his face.

"I love our children, and I'm so happy they're sure to have a future now. I love you, Sya." Said the dragon's mate.

*****

END