Dragon life

Dragon Life Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It is early morning and the 79 eggs laid by the Dragon Queen the previous day are about to hatch. The dragon queen has been up all night making sure the heat was right at the four nests. The male has helped a few times but right now he is sleeping.

The eggs in the first nest begin to shake and crackle softly. The dragon queen wakes her male so he can see when the eggs hatch. The male and the Dragon Queen walk together to the nest.

Cracks form in the white eggshells while the crackle becomes louder. The clear liquid flows from all the eggs into the nest. The cracks in the eggshell soon widen as the baby dragons push against the shell to get out. Two baby dragons poke holes in their shell with their long tails. After a short while, the baby dragons emerge from the eggs. From three eggs, the left and right front legs can be seen sticking out. The baby dragons move both front legs and the cracks soon get bigger and soon the shell has loosened so much that they can get out of the eggs.

From five other eggs, small claws can be seen, rapping eagerly on the hard shells. Small flakes of shell come off each time the claws rasp over the shell. After a few minutes, the shells have loosened enough that the five baby dragons can get out of the eggs. Four eggs rock against each other and every time they meet there are big cracks in the shell. They help each other hatch. Soon the shells have loosened so much from the wobbly eggs that the baby dragons can get out.

Five eggs move violently in the nest and every time they move, the clear liquid becomes really foamy and pours out in large batches from the eggs. Soon the five eggs are jumping around in the nest and they are helping other eggs to hatch. The top of the five eggs comes off and five baby dragons manage to jump out of their eggs and land in the nest. All five fall over but they get right back up without a problem. The male thinks they are very funny and he makes a laughing sound. The very last egg hatches but the baby dragon does nothing special other than crack its shell.

When all 20 eggs have hatched, the baby dragons climb out of the nest. They are unsteady on their feet but after a few minutes they walk around the cave without any problems. They don't go very far but are close to their parents.

The dragon queen and the male go to the next nest. 20 eggs begin to tremble and soon the very first cracks are visible on the white shells. The shell rises a little and the cracks get bigger. The clear liquid begins to flow from the eggs. Small grunts are heard from inside the eggs as they begin to move more and more. The eggs crack in slightly different places. Some of them on the top, some on the sides and some others at the bottom.

From some of the eggs, a few baby dragon legs stick out. The legs sometimes move and make the cracks bigger. Finally, the shells have loosened enough that the baby dragons can get out of the eggs. An egg has ended upside down, even though the dragon queen has been careful that they are in the right place. The baby dragon in the wrong-turned egg has strong hind legs and they bounce wildly, and each time they bounce, the shell breaks more and more. The baby dragon needs no help hatching in the right place. It doesn't seem to have absorbed the clear liquid.

From some eggs, the tails of some baby dragons stick out. The tails are long and narrow. Some of them are smooth while others have large spikes. The baby dragons don't have good control of their tails yet and they move randomly. The cracks get bigger and the baby dragons help with their tails to make them even bigger. Finally, the baby dragons can get out of their eggs.

All 20 baby dragons crawl out of the nest. Some of the baby dragons already have good stability, while others tumble and go right at the nearest ones. A few step on the head of another's baby dragon to get out of the nest more easily. In the end, all 20 baby dragons are out of the nest. Some of the baby dragons are quiet while others whimper pitifully because they are so hungry.