FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

*****

Chapter Seventy One

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For the next few weeks, the unhatched dragon grew ever more active. Several times a day, the egg wobbled and twitched. Occasionally it even rolled out of the little nest they made for it. Revaramek grew more anxious each time they set it back in place. He paced around, asking worried questions. What if their hatchling was trapped? What if he was trying to break out, but the shell was too thick? How would they know if he needed their help? Revaramek got no answer from Nyramyn until he stopped before her, staring. Even then she just licked his nose and told him when the time came, they would know.

Her answer left him flexing his wings in uncertainty. How can you be sure? Left wing flexed. What if we wait too long? Right wing flexed. How long can he last in there if he can't get out? Left wing stretched. Nyramyn's reply only left him more nervous. _He'll last longer in there than he will out here if we break him out early._Revarmaek paced and pawed at the ground, lashed his tail and eventually took to the skies clear his head.

Revaramek took to bringing Nyramyn extra food. Sometimes he even gave her his share, and told her he ate while he was out. Other times he dove into the swamp and dragged back immense swamp crabs for her, insisting that she have the choicest bits. Whenever she did the hunting, she brought him back more food than he expected. Revaramek had a sneaking suspicion his clever mate knew just what he'd been doing, and wanted to turn the tables. He never turned down the offering. As much as he wanted to help her get her strength back, he also knew it wouldn't do their coming child any good if he wore himself ragged.

Each night, they slept curled around their egg. That way they could share their warmth with it, and also make sure it wouldn't roll away while they slumbered. They often discussed it before they drifted off. Were dragon eggs always this active? Had their own eggs bounced around like this? Neither of them knew much about taking care of unhatched eggs. Maybe their child was just especially active. They'd have to keep careful watch over him after he hatched to make sure he didn't run right down into the swamp.

Sometimes, Nyramyn tried her hand at telling stories to their egg. Revaramek offered her all the encouragement he could. Though she was hesitant at first, and unsure if she was doing it right, Revaramek assured her there was no wrong way to tell a story. He reminded her that if she didn't like the way it turned out, she could always change it the next time she told spun the tale. Whatever story she told, he hung on her every word, giving her the rapt audience she deserved. Many of her stories were just variations on those he'd told her over the years, but he held back from teasing her about stealing his tales. They were every bit as much her stories as his, now. In time, they'd pass them on to their child, and then they would be the hatchling's stories to tell.

Late one night, something jolted Revaramek awake. Whatever it was, it startled him enough for him to jump to his paws. He bared his fangs, flared his sharp-edged tail webbing, and glanced around. There was nothing unexpected in the cavern. Nyramyn lay nearby, blinking up at him through groggy eyes. He must have woken her up, too. Maybe it was just a dream. He glanced at the egg. It lay on its side. The dragon licked his muzzle, certain they'd had it upright. It must have fallen over when he got up.

The egg bobbled and rolled.

Revaramek sucked in a breath, and curled his tail around the egg. It jumped in place and rolled back the other way, butting up against the bedding they'd draped around it. Revaramek picked it up and set it upright again, leaning it against Nyra's side. The egg bounced once more and flopped over, then rocked back and forth. Revaramek's heartbeat picked up. It had never been this active before. He glanced at Nyramyn, his frills lifted and ears swiveled forward in unspoken question.

She flexed her wings, then stared at the egg. "M-maybe..."

"But it's the middle of the night!"

"I don't think he knows that!" The egg rocked again. Nyramyn curled a green foreleg around it to keep it from going too far. It bounced around with enough force to nearly topple over her limb. She tried to keep it upright. "Rev...Rev, I think maybe..."

"What do we do?" Revaramek flopped down on his haunches, panting. His whole body went cold, his wings numb. "What...what...what...what do we do?"

Nyramyn shut him a glare. "First you stop hyperventilating."

"I'm not hyperventilating."

"You are, and if you keep it, you're going to-"

CRACK!

All at once the entire top of the shell blew open as tiny dragon's head popped free. Green, and glistening, the hatchling flexed his jaws a few times. He blinked and swiveled his tiny ears, flexed his minute frills, turned his head back and forth. His little bronze eyes opened and closed, opened and closed. Then he stretched his jaws, tiny tongue exposed, coughed once, and then proclaimed himself hatched.

Or so Revaramek imagined he was trying to say.

All the hatchling really said was, "Bllaaaaaaabbbbbbbtttt!"

For one long, wonderful moment, time froze. Everything was perfect. He had a son. Revaramek's smile was so wide it hurt his muzzle, left his jaws aching. Excitement and happiness left his chest tight, his body tense. He wanted to roar and scream and dance and fly and call his joy out to the skies. And he would have, if not for the fact he didn't want to terrify his new son right after he emerged onto the world.

Instead, all he did was whisper, tears brimming in his bronze eyes. "Hello. Hello, little one. Hello, my lovely, perfect, beautiful little son..."

The hatchling stared up at him. The rest of the egg wobbled. Amniotic fluid dribbled all down the shell.

Nyra reached a paw towards the egg, her eyes even wider than the hatchling's. "Should we...help him out?"

Revaramek blinked at her a few times. She was asking him? "I...I think...we let him do it. Unless he can't. But...let's let him try..."

"Alright." Nyramyn flexed her forelegs, whining.

"I know, I know, I want to hold him too. You're the one who told me we have to let him do things himself. If...he doesn't get out soon, we'll help him."

For the time being, the hatchling didn't seem interested in escaping the confines of his shell. If anything, he looked ready to pull his head right back into it, as if he didn't know what to think of the two towering dragons on either side of him. Slowly so as not to scare him, Revaramek lowered his head towards his beautiful son. The closer Revaramek's head got to the hatchling, the bigger the tiny dragon's eyes got. His miniscule frills all lifted, still glistening. Revaramek put his muzzle right up in front of his child, smiling, his voice soft as could be.

"Hello, my wonderful son. Welcome to our world. It might not be perfect, but I promise you we'll do every-OWW!"

Confronted with a seemingly towering foe, the hatchling bit Revaramek on the nose. He dug tiny teeth into the area between Revaramek's nostrils, and kept his jaws clamped shut. Nyramyn erupted into raucous yet musical laughter. Revaramek wanted to tell her how completely unfunny it was, but when he lifted his head, the hatchling did not let go. Instead the whole egg and its cargo hung from Revaramek's muzzle by the strength of furious hatchling jaws.

"Careful, Rev, he could fall!" Nyramyn slipped her forepaws under the egg to cradle it.

All Revaramek could do was whine. Nyramyn tugged gently on the egg, but the little dragon refused to release his father's nose. Instead, he bit harder, and Revaramek gave a muffled yowl. The hatchling responded with a tiny growl. The egg shook in Nyramyn's paws. Revaramek whimpered as his nose stung like mad. The pain made his tail curl. The egg shook and bobbled, and a tiny hind leg erupted through the shell with as much sudden force as the arrival of the youngling's head. Fluid dribbled through the new hole, and dripped off the hatchling's toes. The little dragon paddled that single hind leg against the air, then gave a squeaking gasp as if realizing for the first time there was no ground beneath him.

The gasp gave Revaramek a chance to pull his muzzle back. He pressed a paw to it, then checked it for blood. When he saw a few red speckles on his paw pad, he wasn't sure if he should be horrified, or proud. It did not take him long to decide.

"Look!" Revaramek showed Nyramyn his paw, beaming. "Our son made me bleed! He's gonna be a fighter!"

"Of course he will, he's my son too, after all." Nyramyn lowered the egg back to the furs.

The hatchling's exposed paw scrabbled at the soft bedding a moment, then he tried to pull it back inside the egg. He couldn't seem to do it, and struggled harder. Soon the rest of his limbs burst through the shell. When his egg could take no more structural damage, it split into several large pieces and fell away from him. The hatchling flopped over onto his side, panting and flailing at the broken shell.

"Aww, set him upright!" Revaramek reached towards the youngling.

"You're going to get bitten again. Let him get his legs under him."

Their voices drew the hatchling's attention. He stopped his flailing, and stared up at the two larger dragons. For a few moments, he just lay still, allowing them a clear look at him. Revaramek smiled when he saw his son had taken after him. His scales were dark green, and little copper marks were strewn across his undersized wings. A dragon's wings finished developing after they hatched. More copper stripes marked his limbs and his tiny tail.

"He's just as handsome as his father." Nyramyn stretched her neck to nuzzle Revaramek.

Revaramek purred and returned the attention, licking her cheek, his voice soft. "He'll be far more handsome than I am, when he's grown. And he's got his mother's beautiful spirit."

As they spoke, the hatchling wriggled about atop the furs, still gleaming with sticky amniotic fluid. After a few attempts, he managed to his paws under him enough to stumble a few paces, right into the largest piece of his egg shell. It flopped over the top of him and he curled up beneath it, like a makeshift shelter. Then he poked his head out, glaring up at Revaramek and Nyramyn as if daring the two larger dragons to come in after him.

"I think he wants to go back in his egg." Revaramek laughed, reaching out to the little dragon. The hatchling yanked his head under the shell, but his limbs all stuck out from under it. "Aww, he's like a little turtle!"

"I'd want to go back in my shell too if the first thing I saw after hatchling was a giant oaf staring at me."

"I'm not a giant oaf. Just a regular-sized oaf." Revaramek laughed, brushing his pads over the hatchling's tail. The tiny tail curled against his paw. "His scales are so soft." He lifted his paw, rubbing his fingers together. "Going to be sticky from all that egg fluid."

"We should clean him." Nyramyn set her paw down in front of the egg shell. "And then he should eat."

Revaramek scrunched his muzzle. "Oh! I hadn't thought of that. What does he eat?"

Nyramyn gave him an irritable look, her eye-ridges knitted and spines back. "What do you mean? What do you think he eats?"

As the little hatchling stuck his head out to sniff at his mother's paw, Revaramek shrugged his wings. "Can he eat what we eat? Do...do we have to chew it for him?"

"He's not a screechbird." Nyramyn at her mate. "I think those teeth marks in your snout are all the answer you should need."

The hatchling sniffed at Nyramyn's paw again. He gave one of her fingers a lick. Then he stretched his neck to nuzzle at her paw. With her other forepaw, she gently lifted the shell section away from his back. Gooey strands stuck to his wings at first. She set the shell aside, and then, slow as she could, lowered her head to him. He stared at her, but did not try to bite. She gave him a long, loving lick, and soon the tiny dragon was vibrating with a happy hatchling purr.

"How come he bit me, but he purrs for you?"

"He likes me better, obviously." Nyramyn smirked at him, then gave the hatchling another lick, cleaning him the easiest way she could.

"Gods, I hope he hasn't picked up your acidic tongue."

Nyramyn laughed, and the sound made the youngling tilt his head.

"Arrbledurblablurrbl! Urp!"

"You hear that?" Revaramek perked his ears. "He's saying you're mean."

Nyramyn ignored him. "The reason he bit you and not me is because you stuck your snout in his face and started talking. He acted on instinct and defended himself! As he should. I, on the other hand, as his wise mother, let him get my scent first." She licked the hatchling a few more times. His purr grew even louder. "Now we're bonded."

Revaramek folded his forelegs, huffing. "I wanna be bonded."

"And you will be." She scooped the hatchling up in her paws. He gave a little squeak, wriggled, and then went limp. Nyramyn held him out to Revaramek, her voice soft. "Go on. Try and say hello again."

Revaramek lowered his head down to the hatchling again. This time he stayed just out of biting range, and lifted a forepaw to the tiny dragon's face. Little green nostrils flexed as his son took in his scent. Then the hatchling lapped at Revaramek's fingers, tongue tickling his pads. Revaramek stroked his head, and when the tiny hatchling nuzzled and purred, it was all Revaramek could do to fight back his tears. A few of them slipped down the pebbly scales of his cheeks anyway. He eased his paw back, then nuzzled the little dragon and gave him a lick. The hatchling squirmed in his mother's grasp, then arched his back into his father's tongue.

"Can I...can...I...hold him?" Revaramek's voice trembled, nearly choked off by a warm, wonderful sort of joy he'd never known.

"Of course." Nyramyn smiled, glancing down at the youngling. "But, we should probably put him down first. He might-"

"Oh no!" Revaramek shook his head, holding his forelegs out for the child. "It's Father's bonding time now."

"As you wish." Nyramyn held the hatchling out to Revaramek. "Just be gentle."

"I'll never be anything but, with him."

Revaramek took the tiny bundle of green and copper scales in his forelegs. The hatchling was so small, his weight was almost imperceptible. Yet it weighed ever so heavily on Revaramek's heart and soul, an entire life to raise and care for, to protect and teach. He could not imagine a more glorious, wonderful burden to bear than to raise a child. It was an honor, a difficulty he could not imagine, and a reward he could not fathom.

"Hello, my beautiful little son." Revaramek cradled his child in his forelegs, licking him slow, and loving. Each lick made the little dragon's purr grow. "I will do everything I can for you. We'll...teach you how to live here...how to find your joy...you're so perfect..." Revaramek sniffled, pulling his head away to try and fight back his tears. "You...you deserve so much more...than we can offer. But...we'll give you all we can..."

Nyramyn reached out and set her paw on his foreleg. She smiled at him, sniffling and stroking his scales. "We will. You...you should put him down."

Revaramek shook his head, snuggling the tiny dragon to his chest plates. "No, not yet."

Nyramyn shrugged her wings. "Suit yourself."

"I'll put him down when I'm good and ready." Revaramek curled his neck to nose at his son. The little hatchling had a funny, cross-eyed look on his face, his muzzle half open. Across from him, Nyramyn was grinning in a very suspicious way. "Why are you looking at me like that?" The hatchling squeaked. Revaramek shifted him. Warm wetness ran down Revaramek's chest scales. He barely noticed it at first, till it kept coming, trickling over his plates. When Nyramyn's grin got bigger, he heaved a sigh. "He's peeing on me, isn't he."

"He's peeing on you."

"You could have warned me."

"I told you to set him down."

"But you didn't say, he's about to pee."

"Thought it was obvious."

"How is it obvious?"

"He's only hatched! There's things his body needs to do. Actually...you probably should put him down now."

Revaramek grunted, and eased the little hatchling down to the furs. "I'm not sure if you're joking or serious now, but I'm not going to take any chances."

"Both actually." Nyramyn stretched her neck to lick his sore nose. "Tell you what. You go get cleaned up, and hunt him something to eat. I'll take him outside till I'm sure he's empty in every way, and then I'll get him cleaned up, too."

"Very well." Revaramek pushed up to his paws and shook himself. "I should be able to catch some roosting screech bird. Back as quick as I can!"

The green dragon hurried out of their cave. He waded out into the swamp to rinse himself, thinking this was one of the few times when being wet with swamp water seemed a preferable alternative. Later, he could scoop pawfuls of clean water from the back of the cave to better wash himself. Once relatively clean, Revaramek leapt to the skies.

The nights in the swamp were especially dark. Moonlight scarcely penetrated the heavy layer of toxic clouds that lingered over everything. But after spending years here, his eyes had long since adjusted. Dragons always had good nocturnal vision, and what faint silvery light did make it through was just enough to guide him. He returned to the east, where all the screechbirds roosted. Even in the near darkness, their crimson feathers stood out like bloody splotches painted against the night sky. His wing beats woke them, and they took to the air above the towering trees in terrified, red waves. Revaramek dove through the churning flock a few times, till he'd collected as many of the birds as he could carry in his jaws and forelegs.

Once back at the cave, Revaramek circled the stone monoliths a few times, dropping his haul out front. When his jaws and forelimbs were free, he landed near the base of the hill, trotting up to the cavern. He scooped up a few birds and headed inside. Nyra and the hatchling were at the back of the cave, by the water dribbling from the rocks. He brought the birds inside, then fetched the rest.

Carrying a bird in his teeth, Revaramek joined Nyramyn at the back of the cavern. She sat on her haunches, with the tiny ball of green scales now on his feet, and slapping his forepaws against the little pools of water.

"Arbledurble!" He slapped at the water again, splashing it. "Aggmaggrrr!"

"I'm trying to teach him how to drink." Nyra nuzzled Revaramek when he joined her. "But he seems more interested in splashing about."

Revaramek spat the bird out nearby. "I don't blame him. Who doesn't like splashing?" He stripped away the red feathers from the dead screech bird. "I'm sure he'll figure out how to drink when he gets thirsty."

"Blurbleblurt!" The hatchling swatted the puddle with both forepaws.

"See? He agrees!" Revaramek pulled more feathers away.

"Well at least we know where he gets it from." Nyramyn took the plucked bird from him, and unsheathed her claws to start cutting strips of meat away. "Let's see if he's hungry."

"Okay, but just a tiny little bit."

"I'm not going to give him a whole bird."

"I know, but don't give him that big strip, either." Revaramek took one of the strips away, and sliced it into tiny bites with his own claws.

"You're doing exactly what I was going to do."

The hatchling tilted his head up at them, little nostrils flexing. He walked towards the meat Revaramek was cutting up, following the scent of blood and flesh. Each step left him wobbling back and forth a little. Just as he neared the dragon, he spotted the pile of red feathers and fluff. He froze, stared at it, then hopped on all four paws to crash into the silken heap. Feathers exploded around him. The hatchling regained his footing, swatting at feathers all around.

"Urrbledurrble!" He bit down on one of the feathers, shaking it back and forth with his head. Then he spat it out, and jumped on another one. "Braaaah!"

"Oooh, Nyra, I think that's his hunting noise." Revaramek clapped his forepaws, excited.

"Hunting noise?" She cocked her head, perking her frills. "Do you go, Braaaaah, when you attack your prey?"

"Of course not! But he's not old enough to announce himself as their benevolent overlord yet, is he?" Revaramek sucked in a breath. "Oh! Oh!" He reached out and nudged the hatchling who was busy chewing on a feather. "Can you say, benevolent overlord? Can you?"

The hatchling stared up at him, bits of feather clinging between his teeth. "Arrrb?"

"No, benevolent overlord." Revaramek stroked his neck, grinning. "Go on, try it. Ben. Ev. Oh. Lent. Overlord!"

"Banaabauble oogleblop."

"He said it!" Revaramek clapped his paws again, cackling. "He said it!"

"He did not!"

"He did, he did!" Revaramek arched his neck, beaming. "Oh, he's going to be such a benevolent little overlord!"

"Oh, gods." Nyramyn put her paw on her muzzle. "He's going to be just like you, isn't he?"

"He is, and you're going to love it." Revaramek nudged the tiny dragon again. "Can you say, Resplendent?"

"Spurbleleb!"

"He said that too!"

Nyramyn nipped his neck. "That wasn't even close." She waved her paw at the meat he'd been slicing up. "If you're going to insist on cutting up his prey yourself, see if you can get him to eat some. I don't want him trying to swallow those feathers."

Revaramek scooped the hatchling up in his forepaws. He gave a tiny, ferocious growl, as if wondering who dared to disturb him during feather-eating time. Revaramek set his son back down nearby, facing the little pile of screechbird bits. The hatchling sniffed the air, trundled towards the food, then stopped, staring at it.

"Well go on, eat it."

"Ababablurrrbbaaa!"

"Yes, that's right, it's delicious."

The hatchling jumped on the pile of meat. It squished beneath him, and little blobs of screech bird flesh scattered in all directions. He swatted at them with his paws, slapped and stomped on them. Then he flopped over onto his side, and rolled around in the bloody bits of meat. Nyramyn sighed, but neither dragon moved to stop him from having his fun.

Soon he swatted another piece so hard it went flying away from the rest of the pile. He struggled back to his feet and chased after it, pouncing on the little chunk of prey flesh. This time, perhaps on instinct, he bit down on the piece of meat clutched under his tiny forepaws. Revaramek thought the taste of fresh blood on his tongue must have spurred him on, because he snapped it up and gulped it down. Then he twisted around, looking for more. He stumble-ran back towards the pile, only to veer off and attack the half-shredded corpse of the screech bird, instead.

With an adorable snarl, he pounced on the dead bird, swatting and slapping it with his paws. Before long he was biting away chunks of meat and gulping them down. Revaramek glanced back and forth between the half-eaten bird and all the carefully cut up pieces of meat, snorting. _So much for that idea._The hatchling burped, looked up at his parents, and went right back to feeding. Just when Revaramek was starting to worry his son might overeat, he turned away from the carcass and waddled back to the water.

This time when the hatchling reached the largest puddle beneath the water dribbling down the rock, he stared at it. He growled, and after a short standoff with the water, pounced it. The hatchling slapped his forepaws against the puddle. When it splashed him, he yelped and stumbled back, only to jump into the puddle with all four paws. Once again, he stared at it, watching the water trickle down the wall and into the natural basin. Eventually it overflowed and drained away into a nearby crevice.

The little dragon dropped his muzzle to the water but yanked it back when his snout bumped the stone bottom. He tried again and had the same reaction. With a teensy hatchling snarl he slapped the water, splashing some out. This time, he nosed at the droplets on the floor. He licked one up, blinked, then walked around lapping up the others.

"At least he seems to have learned to use his tongue." Smiling, Revaramek picked up his son with a single forepaw.

"Aarrrp." The hatchling went limp, legs hanging around his father's paw.

"Here, try drinking from the pool again." Revaramek set him back down next to the wall, pointing at the puddle. "Right here. Drink right here."

The hatchling turned and bit Revaramek's finger.

"OWWW!" Revaramek thumped his tail, whining. "He bit me again!"

"Then stop moving him when he's drinking."

"I'm trying to teach him an easier way to quench his thirst."

"He'll learn when he's ready."

While they spoke, the hatchling turned, staring at his father's tail. With a snarl, he sprang and dashed around Revaramek's haunches then pounced at his webbed tail-spines He wrestled the end of Revaramek's tail, biting and kicking at it with his hind paws. Tiny hatchling claws scratched lines against the older dragon's tail webbing. Revaramek curled his tail, bringing the hatchling with it.

"Ow! Ow ow owow!" Laughing even as he grimaced, Revaramek reached down to try and collect his son. "He's using his claws!"

"I don't blame him." Nyramyn flashed him a smirk, then cupped her forepaw beneath the water running down the wall. When it collected in her curled palm, she held her paw out towards the hatchling. "Here, little one, come and drink."

The small dragon released his father's tail to see what his mother was offering. He waddled over and shoved his muzzle into her paw. When water got into his nose, he snorted, coughed, and snarled. Just before he could pounce her paw, she lifted it. The movement left the little hatchling staring up at her paw, as if baffled by how it could possibly anticipate his next move.

The hatchling stretched a foreleg, pawing in the air. Nyramyn lowered her front paw just a little bit. He reached for it a few times, then reared up onto his hind legs to try and snatch her. Once more she lowered her forelimb enough for him to grasp at it. His tiny nostrils flexed, tantalized by the water's scent. Clutching at Nyramyn with both forepaws, the hatchling extended his neck, and his tongue. Altogether he had just enough reach to curl his tongue against the water, and lap it up out of his mother's paw.

"And that, Mister Resplendent..." Nyramyn beamed at her mate. "Is how you teach your child to drink."

Revaramek glared at her, and clapped his forepaws three times, slowly.

"Don't be jealous I'm a better parent than you." Nyramyn stroked the little dragon's neck with her other forepaw. "After all, I'm better at everything else than you, too."

"Not catching swamp crab." Revaramek folded his forelegs, hissing.

The little dragon turned his head to stare up at his father. He tried to repeat the hissing noise, but only managed a wet sounding gurgle instead. He went back to drinking.

"Alright, so there's one thing you've bested me at."

"Two things." Revaramek grinned, tilting his head. "Also mating."

Nyramyn snorted and tossed her head. "Now you're just kidding yourself."

"Nope!" Revaramek pointed at the hatchling, beaming. "I made him, and clearly he's perfect, which means I'm amazing at mating."

"That isn't how it works." Nyramyn laughed. She eased the hatchling down, then nudged him over to the water pooling alongside the wall. "Besides, _I_made him, you just contributed."

"Call it a joint project, then." Revaramek lowered his head, watching his youngling lap at the puddle, now that he'd discovered how to use his tongue. Seeing the tiny, beautiful, copper marked green hatchling looking so healthy, so perfect, filled him with endless happy pride. "He really is perfect though, isn't he?"

"He is." Nyramyn moved to sit alongside her mate, draping her head over his neck. "And he's going to run us ragged."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good, because you don't get to have it any other way." Nyramyn gave a soft laugh, stroking Revaramek's scutes. "Hatchlings always wear out their parents."

Revaramek lifted his other forepaw to return her affection. "The cycle of fatigue." He chuckled, flexing his wings, then stretched one to drape across her back. "We'll teach him how to find his joy out there, just as we have. And with any luck, one day he'll have his own hatchlings to wear _him_out."

Nyramyn quieted. After a moment, she lifted her head. "Do you think there are others out there, still?"

"Maybe." Revaramek hugged her with his wing. "I wasn't sure there were other dragons left here until I found you. It was just blind luck, or fate, or...a kind twist in the story that we got along so well, right from the start."

Nyramyn pulled her head back to nip at his ear. "I tried to kill you at the start."

"No, you didn't."

"Did too. I was all set to take you out, till you just flopped down in the mud!"

A smile played across Revaramek's face. "I didn't want to have to hurt such a beautiful female."

"Mmhmm. If that's what you have to tell yourself." She licked the same ear she'd just nipped. "I'm glad you did, though."

"And I'm glad you had water." Revaramek laughed.

"Is that the only reason you asked me to be your mate?" Nyramyn waved her paw at the water dribbling through the rock. "Because I had access to clean water?"

"It certainly wasn't for all those kind words you never offer."

"I offer kind words." Nyramyn nuzzled his cheek, purring to herself. "When you deserve them."

"Which apparently is never." Revaramek smiled, nuzzling her back.

"Oh, you earn a 'good effort', once in a while." She pulled her head back to flash him a wicked grin, frills perked. "I'll give you a 'nice try', for that last mating we had."

Revaramek rumbled happy laughter, shaking his head. "Hey, I was out of practice! We'd been too busy guarding the egg."

"And don't expect that we'll get much more practice now that he's hatched."

"Have to be quick about it while he's napping." As soon as he realized what he'd said, he tried to cut Nyramyn off. "And don't say that shouldn't be any problem for me!"

"I had no such intentions." She glanced away, making a show of yawning. "Because that part was obvious."

"Oh, hilarious." He pulled his head back, gazing at her in silence for a moment. "If I may ask...why did you first come to love me? If such a question is even answerable."

Nyramyn flattened her frills, considering the question for a long time. Her copper-bronze eyes roamed him, as if seeking his heart, his soul, somewhere beneath his scales. "Your optimism, I think. I've never known anything like it." She shook her head, gesturing with a paw. "I work to find my joy, because I refuse to let this world take it, but you..." Nyramyn stretched her foreleg to stroke his scales. "No matter what you've been through, the hardships you suffer, you remain...eternality optimistic. About everything. It's as if...no matter what you've endured, there's still some...beautifully naïve innocence inside you, that will never fade. No matter what, you always believe you in the best outcome. You believe you can outfly me someday as surely as you believe we can live a full, happy life here. I've...never known anyone quite like that."

"So you're saying you love because I'm too much a happy fool to know any better?" Revaramek laughed and pressed his muzzle to hers, offering a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he licked her nose. "I'll take it."

Before Nyramyn could reply, their hatchling announced he'd finished drinking with an impressively loud belch for such a small creature. He turned around, and stared up at his parents. Revaramek lowered his head to smile at him, and then gave him a loving lick.

"All finished, little one?"

The hatchling leaned into his father's tongue. "Ahhbbledubblebububub."

"Yes, blabbering nonsense indeed."

"Brruurrblleelrbrap."

"Listen, Nyra!" Revaramek beamed at his child. "He's already telling stories!"

"And he's already speaking more coherently than his father." Nyramyn curled her tail, then rose up to her feet. "Let's see if you can get him to go to bed. He's only just hatched, but I don't want him wearing himself out. Besides, the sun will be coming up in a few hours. We should at least try to get him into something resembling a normal sleeping schedule."

"I hope by 'normal' you mean, waking us up at all hours, and keeping us from getting any real sleep for the next few dozen years."

Nyramyn slunk back towards the bed they'd made for him, composed of strips of fur blanket cut from Revaramek's discovery in the ruins. "That's exactly what I mean."

"Alright, little one." Revaramek held out his paw towards the tiny dragon. "Are you feeling sleepy yet? Or are you going to bite me again?"

The hatchling padded up to his father's paw. He stared at it, then put a single tiny paw against it. Revaramek set his paw down, and the hatchling flopped over the top of the older dragon's forepaw. He stretched out, little paws splayed. When his stretch ended, he lay his head against Revaramek's scales, and within moments, his eyes were drooping closed.

"Erm..." Revaramek glanced back at his mate. "I think he's beaten me to the bed idea."

"Oh?" Nyramyn settled in around the blanket strips, making herself comfortable. "Bring him over here, then, before he dozes off."

"Too late, I think. My paw seems to have become his bed. I...I don't really want to wake him."

"That's adorable." Nyramyn smiled at him. After a moment, she rose back up and returned to her mate's side to stare down at their child. She nudged Revaramek with her muzzle. "May as well get comfortable."

Revaramek eased to the ground with slow and methodic motions. He did everything he could to keep from jarring his foreleg. He ended up in a rather awkward position, sprawled out with one front leg stretched as far out as it would go, paw cocked a bit with his hatchling draped across it. Though it was far from the most comfortable position he'd ever slept in, he could not imagine a happier, more rewarding way to spend the rest of the night. He wasn't really planning to get much sleep, anyway.

"We're going to have to name him, you know." He kept his voice soft, and curled his neck to lick at Nyramyn as she lay against him.

"We'll think of something good. Just not 'Benevolent Overlord'." She gave him a sleepy-eyed glare. "Or Revaramek Two."

"I never said Revaramek Two. I said...we could always call him Revaramek, also. And he does look like me..."

"Revaramek Also is the worst name I've ever heard."

"Not literally..." He trailed off when he realized she was teasing him. "I hate you sometimes, Nyra."

"No, you don't."

Revaramek rumbled quiet laughter as he laid his head down alongside hers. "No. I don't. Even when I'm angry with you, I still love you just the same."

Nyramyn closed her eyes, smiling. "I love you too, Revaramek Also."

A smirk twitched at his lips. "Are you talking to me, or him?"

"Both of you."

"So you agree it's a good name."

"You're a terrible ass, Revaramek." Nyramyn gave a soft sigh, sounding as if she was drifting off to sleep. "But you're going to be a wonderful father."

In that moment, Revaramek could not think of anything more heart-warming.

*****

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