Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 52: Life's Choices

Myrkr flopped limply off of me to the ground, his eyes glazed over with bliss and drool leaking from his open maw. I laughed breathlessly at his antics and curled in on myself to clean my scales yet again, groaning at my extremely sore body.

After Nana Moon infused the soul into my body, Myrkr and I made our escape as soon as possible to avoid the inevitable flood of questions that we had no real answers for. All I knew was that 'Lily' was supposed to become my first egg, which had been crushed by a monster. I had been fortunate that the egg was soulless when it was crushed, or I would've lost my first hatchling forever. 

In light of that, technically, my first hatchling was a Scoot. Did that unnerve me? Yes, but I reasoned with myself that she wasn't originally a Scoot and didn't choose to be one, so she wasn't inherently evil. That was only a small part of why I agreed to follow through with all this. The memory of watching helplessly as my egg was smashed like a brittle leaf still haunted me, as that was another big reason I chose this path. I wouldn't let it happen again. I'd take this second chance and make sure I succeeded. 

My parents, especially my father, didn't understand. I could tell just by looking at them that they were beyond confused about my decision. They searched for Myrkr and me in the forest often, and I overheard them sometimes. They thought that I'd rushed into this and that my grief had influenced my choices. I didn't know if they were right, but I didn't regret it. At least Myrkr trusted my judgment.

How could I explain how I felt in that field? How could I describe the unfettered hope in Nox's eyes as she looked at me? It made me feel wanted- No, needed. I made this decision for my future, not to cope with my grief. Was this second chance too convenient? Was I missing out on a hard life lesson because of a 'quick fix' Nana Moon had come up with? Most likely. Did I care? No.

Nana Moon trusted me to correct Lily's path in life, a trust that I would prove wasn't misplaced. She decided that I deserved this 'quick fix,' and I wouldn't take it for granted. I took this very seriously. I didn't accept this choice without so much as looking back at the reason it was given; I remembered losing my egg, the pain that stabbed into my core, the deep rage threatening to overwhelm me, the debilitating grief crushing me into the ground...

No, this 'quick fix' wasn't an excuse to forget about my mistakes and pretend that my egg hadn't gotten crushed. I saw the monster smash my egg with my own eyes. I heard the crackling and snapping shell. That moment was burned permanently into my mind, my greatest failure, and I will never let it happen again.

Now, if only I could do one simple thing; get pregnant.

I sniffed my spotless scales, rewarded with a powerful mating scent that rolled off of me in waves. I had already offered myself to Myrkr five times tonight, and it was only the first night. Predictably, Myrkr was more than happy to oblige every time I presented myself, but I doubted he was coherent enough to have another go...

I gently kicked my mate's forepaw. "Hey, want to try again?" He merely twitched. Nope, still out of it.

My body, of course, ached fiercely due to his... you know... and the multiple rounds in a single night, but I pushed myself to keep going. Unlike the first time we tried for an egg, we were on a time limit. Two days; that was all the time we had to get me pregnant. And seeing as how it was harder for a female to get pregnant so soon after laying an egg, we were desperate.

For that reason, Nana Moon offered to dig a new den for us following my specific requirements so that we had time to work on making an egg. It had to be very well-hidden—more so than before—, dug deeper inside only this forest, under a thick enough canopy to block the worst of the elements, and situated in a dark location. My opinion about being able to see in the den had changed significantly after the recent murder of my egg. Now, everything about the new den was considered with secrecy in mind, then comfort. I wouldn't accept anything but the best this time around.