The Dragonlady

Chapter One

Rin marvelled at the sight from her vantage point. There was no chance that she could be spotted, her brown skin and ember red hair blending perfectly with the fireberry bush that she crouched in. She settled comfortably. She was excited. It was the first time she had been able to see the whole nest holding the eggs; the parents were away finding food for the first two hatchlings that pipped their hunger loudly. It was rare to find a nest, even rarer to witness hatching. She pulled up her knees, rested her chin on the tops then watched and waited patiently. The rest of the eggs lay in a ring around the two scraggly newborns. As Rin watched, she noticed an egg rock and heard the tap-tap inside the shell.

Rin had found the nest purely by chance. She had been harvesting fireberries in the forest for dessert. Her bowl had needed a few extra, so she scoured the bushes for more ripe fruit, tunnelling deep into the foliage. In her zeal, she broke through one bush to the other side and there, halfway down the rock face, hidden from casual view, was the nest. She knew what kind of nest it was, and what had built it, by the sheer size of the thing. It was made from twigs and leaves from the surrounding forest, deep and wide, supported by a huge boulder at the centre edge and tree branches at either end. It appeared larger than her home, but then, it would have to be. Dragons were huge creatures and this was a dragon nest.

She visited a week later. A dragon sat there while another flew overhead. Rin was not seen as the dragon sat facing away from her, its tail dangling over the edge of the nest into the void. The sunlight caught the scales, making them flash and sparkle like red gems. Two lovely scarlet dragons, so close Rin could almost reach out and touch them – not that she would, of course. She would not live to tell the tale if she did as wild dragons were known for their touchiness when they had young, although generally they were placid creatures, shy and timid despite their size.

Rin visited often over the next few weeks, marvelling as the nest filled up with eggs. She lost count after five, as the mother dragon sat incubating them and hid those on the other side of the nest. She was never spotted and was very careful when entering and leaving the area, so nobody else disturbed the brooding dragon.

Today was the first time the mother had left the nest. Apart from the two hatchlings, there were another seven eggs in the nest. Rin knew how to count. If they all hatched, that would make nine new dragons. Not all eggs were expected to hatch, of course. Even the dragons knew this, laying so many in a clutch at a time, expecting to rear only half of the brood. Some eggs were probably not viable, some failed to break and the tiny dragon died inside, and then there were the hatchlings that failed to thrive, their older siblings taking all the food or pushing them out of the nest to fall to their doom.

Rin knew she should not interfere. Only the fittest could survive, she understood that. She watched the rocking egg intently. The tapping continued for a long time. Eventually a small hole appeared in the shell. The tapping continued and the hole widened. The mother returned to feed the calling hatchlings, covering the eggs again. Rin waited patiently, knowing the mother would soon fly off again to hunt for more food. The father had already abandoned the nest, his mate and his offspring. He built the nest, located his mate and his role was over once she laid the eggs, although he stayed in the vicinity, watchful for any danger until the eggs started to hatch. The females only had one clutch per year, but, although the male dragon had little input in the rearing of the young, he would return once they had flown away. Dragons mated for life.

As the mother flew away, Rin could see that the hole in the shell was larger and a crack had appeared running down from the edge of the hole. The egg rocked vigorously as the baby dragon attempted to free itself. Sometimes the youngling wore itself out in the attempt to emerge and gave up. Rin urged it on silently. The mother returned twice more and each time she left, the hole had grown. On the final time, it took only a few more minutes before the shell parted and the damp baby dragon was free. The head flopped a few times before the hatchling got its balance and stretched out in the sun to dry. Hatchlings were born blind, the eyelids sealed shut. Another risk. Too close to the edge of the nest and it would plummet. It took several weeks before the eyelids split open and the young could see.