The obsidian stone that Dread had left had been growing steadily over the cycle, big enough now that Asimona was unable to even sleep in her own nest, the space taken up by the life-growing stones. It was overdue, by a little while, and the dragon within was conscious - minimally so, but content to stay in this state of half-form for some time.

But now he realized that the chrysalis around him had stopped growing, while he'd continued to get larger and larger. His body was pressing taught against the outer walls of the crystal and he figured, finally, that he might as well leave.

With a rumbling sound, muted by dark-colored fluid, the dragon began to stretch, pushing against the edges of the stone. It shivered against his weight, but didn't give. He pushed harder, but got the same results. This was pointless. It was hard to move in here, but he shifted as best he could until his legs were pointed towards the wall of the chrysalis and, with a single, strong kick, the obsidian shattered, dropping the hatchling onto the ground. Or, well, onto Asimona's nest.

He let out a high-pitched baby squeak as he tumbled forward, spilling dark liquid all over the icy stone. He took in his first breath and promptly sneezed as he got a face full of snow. Well...he was free now. Was something else supposed to happen? Could he go back to sleep? He hadn't yet opened his eyes yet, perfectly content to just curl up and sleep for a little bit longer.

@Bone

The other stone, the glittering diamond, had also grown nearby. Within was the small white hatchling, perfectly Svartis' mirror, and in the translucent stone her body was visible stirring now and then. She was a little delayed, compared to her brother: he held within him energy and strength, and she, lethargic contentment. Anyway, some part of her could sense that it was cold outside: the stone was warm in places, but cool in others, and as the shell had thinned it had gotten ever-colder.

When it finally cracked--shortly after her brother's had--and began to spill, when Bone began at last to waken, she struggled at first to stay put. But the shatter of stone and flood of birth left her cold and wet in Asimona's icy nest, and she at once began to try and blink her eyes open, letting out a lamenting squeak. All she really knew was that she was cold, now, and it wasn't pleasant, and she wanted away from that. Reptiles might not shiver, but the little dragon did, huddling back against her stone wet-slicked and trying to focus her eyes on the world around her.

Instinctively she opened her tiny jaws, turning toward the shards of diamond beside her and calling on whatever inner spark she had. A blast of heat issued forth, shimmering the air briefly and warming the stone, and Bone pulled herself close against it. She then looked around properly, her eyes clearing of the gunk, her third eyelid sliding back almost fully.

Everything was blue, or silver, or white--except for the ebony hatchling quite close by. She stared at him, uncertain and drawn: was he friend? Some instinct told her so, but the realization that there were other living beings like her jolted her.

She squeaked at him. "Cold?" she offered, uncertainly. Falling back to discussing the weather as one's first conversation was not exactly a strong start, but she was but a baby, and that was what was on her mind--and in the self-centered way of a toddler, that was what she blurted.

@Svartis (and Asimona?)

The hatchling didn't notice, at first, that there was another stone nearby, nor that it was hatching. Not until it let out a squeak did he turn his head, curious, to the other one nearby. It was pristine white, like the snow and ice around them, and looked radically different then him, if taking a few glances at himself was anything to tell. Perhaps to others this might seem silly - they were both dragons, they both had wings and claws and tails and similar reptilian features, but to one that had only seen himself - smooth, streamlined, with four limbs and a whipping tail - to see a heavier, sturdy-built creature like his sister was like staring at an alien.

He pushed himself to his feet, holding up his torso with the strong muscles in his wings, and stepping forward, stretching forward his neck to sniff curiously at the other dragon. It smelled...like nothing, really. Like life. And ice, although everything smelled like ice. What did ice smell like?

At the burst of heat he hissed with surprise and jerked back. The feeling of the wave of hot washing over him was uncomfortably unpleasant - he much preferred that icy coldness of the world they'd hatched to. "Cold," he snorted back, but less of a question - it was cold here, yes, and that's how it was supposed to be. All he wanted to do was make everything around here cold, but as a strange, chilly feeling rolled over his gems, pain began to slowly sneak into his head from the little black dots on his forehead. The temperature around him slowly began heating against his will. "Warm?" he offered back, apparently about as creative as his sister at coming up with conversation topics.

@Bone (Asimona will come in next turn)

The other-dragon agreed (to Bone's understanding) about how cold it was--and then, establishing him as a wonderful hero in her mind, began to make it even warmer. 'Warm?' he asked, and her eyes, if they hadn't been a pupilless pale glow, would have sparkled with joy and admiration.

She pulled herself from the warm gemstone fragments, her wings swaying out a little to help her keep her balance as her newly-hatched legs stumbled and flailed beneath her. She made her way to the black-her, trying to nudge him, to cuddle close.

"Warm," she confirmed, with quiet gratitude. She tried to curl up right beside him, yawning with a squeak; the heat was quickly drying the fluid from her, and she was quite content with this.

Bone then slowly looked around, the warmth leaving her languidly drowsy--but her baby's eyesight, now that she was out of the stone, was slowly becoming clearer. She could focus on more distant things--though what lay beyond the nest was still mostly a blur. But she could make out rocks, and here within the nest, a number of pretty little things: stones, trinkets, small shapes made of glittering ice. And overhead was stone: an overhang, though Bone didn't know the word for that. It felt enclosed, and it felt precious. "Safe," she concluded, quietly, speaking the first word that came to mind. "Home?"

@Svartis

Svartis opened his jaws to protest - the other dragon had misunderstood him, apparently. He did not want it warm, he wanted it cold! But whatever he was about to say died before a single sound came out as the other hatchling toddled over and proceeded to curl up next to him. At first, his head snaked back - this was weird. She felt weird. Touch felt weird. And he was growing restless now that he was awake. But he found himself unable and unwilling to step away. Child-like innocence was now a barrier and he felt a weird stirring in his chest. They’d hatched together. This made them...family.

And that was more important than exploring.

He let out a small grunt and settled himself down next to his sister. ”Safe,” he agreed, glancing around. Yes, the little nook certainly felt like safety. They were protected here. Guarded by natural barriers. He nodded his head - yes, this was home. That seemed like the right word for this place. ”Home. Good. We...are...safe here. Home.” What they were safe from, well, he had absolutely no idea. But safety was good, that’s all that he could tell.

He pressed closer against his sister - thankfully, he hadn’t inherited his mother’s icy aura - and opened a wing to drape it over her neck, minding the half-grown spikes so that it didn’t pierce the leathery membrane. His armored chest pressed against her, to share his warmth with hers. This was...not something he was too happy with - he was starting to feel too hot already, but perhaps for this dragon, he’d make an exception.

Asimona hadn’t expected the dragon children to hatch today. After all, they were late and it wasn’t exactly easy to predict when they’d come out of their shells. So she was out on the hunt, clutching a rather large cave deer in her claws as she soared back to the den. She’d been planning on another day of solitude, watching over the gemstones that sat in her nest, with a warm meal in her stomach and time to think and reflect.

But as soon as she approached, and saw that the gemstones were no longer there and, instead, in their place, were two figures pressed against each other with the shells of the chrysalis scattered about, her heart leaped in her chest. She almost dropped the deer she was carrying in her shock and surprise.

They...they were here! At last! Her breath was stuck in her throat. She remembered the last time this had happened. She’d been away then, as well, when her first litter had hatched. But they were fine. They looked fine from where she was.

She flew right up to the den and landed outside, tossing the deer to the side in favor of stepping under the overhang and up to her children. She paused in front of them, looking the two of them over. They both...well, they both looked like dragons. She could see aspects of both herself and Dread in both of them and it seemed that they’d taken to the black and white color scheme as well. Before the moment went on too long, she lowered her head down to their level and a gentle smile crossed faintly through her features - as best her faintly reptilian face could show. ”You’ve hatched. I’m so glad! I’m sorry I couldn’t be here for it.”

She rumbled happily and lowered herself to the ground, leaning forward to gently touch each of them with her snout, if they allowed it. ”I’m Asimona. Your mother.”

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Bone

The same contented emotions struck Bone as had taken her brother--and she was nearly dropping into sleep when the thump of wingbeats woke her.

Baby eyes flicked up, opening wide, and she saw the blur of something large and distant swiftly approaching. Bone let out a squeak, but before she could shuffle too far back, Asimona had landed. The rush of wind from her wings, the scent of blood in the air, the soothing voice and the faint chill around the dragon offered the hatchling a sort of sensory overload, and she simply sat there blinking as her mother's snout touched her head.

A moment later, delayed, she felt a rush of warmth.

"Mother," she repeated, contentedly, and then, arching her head back with sudden, proud courage: "Bone." Maybe she'd seen a bone near the den, and known what it was; or maybe the idea of bones was somehow ingrained in her mind. What she meant may or may not have been clear; but in her mind, she herself was bone-white, and therefore, her name was Bone.

She then looked to Svartis. Well, she didn't know his name yet, but she did know something.

"BROTHER," she declared, in an exuberant squeak--and then shook herself, and giggled.

@Svartis

He was just barely starting to get a little more used to the warmth of Bone next to him when wingbeats alerted him to a presence, just as his sister did. He raised his head and turned, watching as a great silver dragon landed before them and stepped forward. Who was this, then? Bone was startled and that wouldn't do. His lip curled and a small threatening growl rose from his chest, but it died away quickly when this draogn spoke warmly. Warm in a good way - not an uncomfortable heat way but something that made him feel safe. Good.

He blinked when she touched him gently with her snout. So she was...mother? He understood what that meant. She was their mother. She loved them, then, and they were meant to love her back. Of course. Family. That's what this was. It was coming to Svartis in bits and pieces and his baby brain constructed them into something that could be considered a whole. There wasn't much initial emotional reaction, not until Bone looked up and squeaked loudly, calling him "brother."

That sent a surge of energy and joy through the young dragon and he lifted his head, roaring to the ceiling (very squeakily but he was trying his best!). "MOTHER. SISTER!" Yes, they were family and now that Bone had named herself, as that's what he assumed, he felt the need to come up with something as well. Something better. Words tossed in his head that he didn't understand until he came up with one that sounded pretty right. "Svartis," he rumbled, but the meaning of it escaped him. It didn't matter. It sounded cool.

Asimona flinched and widened her eyes when the black one suddenly snarled at her. It stung - she felt a flash of unease in her head as she gazed at him, wondering what had prompted the hostility. But once she'd touched each of them and the white one relaxed, she realized that he was just being protective. Despite the small wound to her confidence, she felt a surge of warmth for the newly hatched dragons. They had clearly already formed a good bond.

She nodded enthusiastically as they announced in short, broken sentences who each of them were. Mother, Sister, Brother. Bone and Svartis. "You've chosen good names," she crooned, proudly. She wasn't lying - she liked them both. Although she doubted that she would have disliked any name that the dragons would have given themselves.

Now that they had gotten past that, Asimona lifted her head, looking back at the deer carcass outside. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? There's water nearby - and I brought back fresh meat."

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Bone

Hunger rumbled in her belly as the word "food" was spoken, and Bone suddenly put the scent of blood together with the concept. Almost at once she began to clamber from the nest--and then paused, shivering down a little.

"Cold," she said softly, a little sadly, her wing-leather rattling a little with her trembling. She concentrated and again inhaled, the cold air scorching her lungs like ice. Magic flared, and she exhaled a blast of hot, shimmering air out ahead of her, frosty breath pluming white before fading. And then, a little more comfortable, she tromped ahead through it.

"Hungry," she agreed, stealing another glance up at Mother. Asimona was beautiful, she judged, in a child's adoring way; vast, shining, a symbol of protection and warmth. In the metaphorical sense, at least, because damn was it cold here.

The hatchling tumbled from the nest, head-over-heels and then quickly righting herself, scurrying toward the scent of meat. "SVAR-TIS," she squeaked behind her, showing that she had, in fact, picked up his name--encouraging her brother to accompany her.

@Svartis