Misfits of Vernada ~Wattys2016~

XVIII

Slash/Zappy

By creepakilla

Slash crept into the quiet empty room and crawled over to the egg. The night was cold and he was worried; something was wrong.

Maybe Moon's been hurt, he thought musingly, then shivered and hoped not, knowing that she would probably be alright what with Bloodlust to protect her and all.

He shrugged and curled up in the nest, cradling the egg between his front sclaws and laying his snout on it, heating it with the warmth radiating from his body. Flare had told him that Sharpshooter eggs needed to be kept warm to survive, if the temperature around them dropped too much the young-one growing inside would surely die.

His parents hadn't asked him to look after his un-hatched sibling, but he did anyway, and since Flare and Vertigo weren't used to caring for babies, he suspected that the hatchling would've soon been dead if it weren't for him.

Slash didn't mind in the least—especially now.

The colourless orb shook slightly and his head shot into the air alertly; he gazed down at the egg in wonder and surprise as it shook again.

Slash grinned and shuffled back from the orb slightly, both to watch it better and because he didn't know how eggs hatched; he didn't want to be injured if the hatchling tensed or something and sent sharp egg-shards flying everywhere.

But the hard shell simply crumbled and caved in to reveal a small, colourless hatchling lying in a pile of membrane and egg-shell, looking a bit surprised.

Slash himself was too shocked to move and froze, watching his new sibling in a delighted silence.

The little Sharpshooter struggled to its feet and began licking the yellowy membrane off of its body, also crunching up excess shell.

Slash was entranced. Is that what I did?

Finished with cleaning itself, the hatchling glanced around its surroundings, and, seeing its older brother, stumbled clumsily over, tripping over its own limbs.

Slash chuckled at the little-one's antics and sniffed it curiously, jerking his head up with a slight snarl as sharp teeth fastened in his snout. Slash rubbed his nose ruefully.

"I guess I deserved that," he remarked, remembering that the baby wasn't his, and immediately scooped the tiny dragon up on the top of his snout and pounded out of the room to his parents'.

"Mum! Dad!" he roared, and the hatchling jumped. "It's hatched! The egg's hatched!" He barged into their room, nearly running the hatchling into their mother. He gently let the dragon slide off of his snout onto the dirt floor, and Flare lay on her tummy, inspecting her baby with wondering eyes.

"She's so tiny," she breathed.

"Oh, Zappy, you've got a sister!" Birch—who still called him by that name sometimes—barrelled into the bronze dragon joyfully, nearly knocking him off of his feet; he hadn't even realized she was there.

Flare scooched out the way slightly, so her mate could settle down beside her, watching their offspring with delighted eyes.

Slash felt a slight pang. This what should've happened when I hatched... But the feeling immediately vanished when he realized that if he had hatched here he never would have known Moon.

Vertigo grinned at his son. "What're you calling her?"

Slash was astounded. "I get to name her!"