Chapter 1: Hatching
#2 of Twin's Tale
Warning: Umm...standard stuff...nothing to really warn against unless you count the death...and that's nowhere near permenant...
Warmth. A pulse, steady, strong. Another, weaker, same as mine. Comfort... Contained. Still warm. Pulse still strong. Other getting stronger, same as mine. Content... Tight. Not as warm. Pulse gone. Other strong, same as mine. Unrest... Cramped. Hot again. Too hot. Other Pulse quick, same as mine. Panic. Need out. Need OUT! * * * Chapter 1: Hatching * * * * * * There was a sound in the dim cave, like the snap of a whip, as the eggs began to crack. Aside from the two in the eggs there were only two living beings present. One, a female dragon with hide as white as snowfall, was eyeing the other suspiciously, but maintaining her promise not to kill him. It was tough though, considering the elderly looking human was less than four feet from the darker of her two eggs. Close enough, in fact, for his blood red robes to start smoking, though no concern flitted across his odd gold and orange eyes. Well the dragon rationalized to herself, if he is who he claims to be and who he seems to be, then this will put them both in good standig with the council, and if not...well, I can always cook him... Another crack appeared in the first, darker colored egg, and the first began showing itself on the lighter of the two. This could be interesting thought the man, who was really anything but human, If the eggs were lain as Annail claims then they're hatching inverted... The dragonness in question, meanwhile, was considering warning the human that he was getting foolishly close to the first egg... As if to save her the trouble of speaking, the egg suddenly shook violently for several seconds, causing the odd man to pause where he was. As soon as the firse egg stopped, the second echoed its motions. They continued trading off like this for several minutes, during which time the human had come to nearly within arms reach of the first egg, his curiosity getting the better of him. He was confused as to how the egg, now cracked into a veritable mosaic, hadn't shed even a single chip, But his musing was cut tragicaly short when the egg's occupant decided it was time, and shattered the egg violently from the inside, sending shards flying everywhere, including one that went straight through the human's heart. He gasped,and fell back, but was dead before he hit the cavern floor. In place of the formerly dark egg was a whelp with glittering scaled that held just a hint of red in them. The mother caught a glimpse of what he would one day become, and imediately settled upon his true name in their noble and acnient language. "\Dominus//" She said aloud in Draconic. Seconds later the other egg too flew apart, revealing another whelp whose hide bore small pinkish patches, but no other coloration. Again seeing what her new child would grow to be, she christened him. "\Suthrain//" she barely breathed. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, thinking on both he new children, who were already crawling toward each other; and the human's corpse, which was beginning to smoulder. She supposed that if it was about to ignite then he really was a phoenix, but she wasn't one to jump to too many conclusions. She moved over to her two whelps just as an earsplitting screech echoed through the caves, heralding the ash-flinging explosion that gave birth to a sixteen year old looking human... * * * "You could say that was the first of many deaths attributable to me...and it's why I can remember my birth actually...the Phoenix rebirthing caused the day to stick in my mind...So much violence through fire...but even then I remember thinking 'It'll be okay, I can feel the Other pulse, just like mine, and it's calm...'. It was more than a year before we were more than a few feet apart, and almost a decade before we were out of each other's sight. Thick as thieves, my brother and I were." I say. It's the honest truth, but I don't know why I'm telling you, of all furres...maybe now that he's gone I'm transferring some of what he stood for to you...Ah well, it doesn't matter anyway, I guess you'll be wanting to hear more of the story though... "The phoenix was, understandably a little peeved...
- * * ...he was naked as the day he was born, and was frowning mean at me. The big white dragon, I knew quick it was my mommy, was laughing at him and saying something in a big boom-voice. It sounded silly, so I laughed too. A little later I started to get some of what she was saying to him. She said it was his own fault, and that he was too close to her eggs. He said something back in human, but I didn't know what it was, then she looked at him mean and told him to watch his tongue around me and the other pulse, like mine. He got mad and left in a hurry after making some clothes, I thought it was a neat trick to do, and watched him until he left to see if he did something else fun. He didn't, but he did say some more stuff in human, and mommy ended up snapping at him before he got quiet. Later that year mommy told us how to make words so we could talk too, and she told us how to say each other's names and that we could call each other "\brother//" I liked that word, it sounded nice. Brother got a bad case of hiccups one day though, and the place we were staying in started to shake bad, so mommy had to move us into a big room with lots of neat places to explore, and lots of white towers in the room. She told us not to play with those 'cause they were holding the room up, so we never climbed on them, but we did climb the rest of the walls and rocks... * * * ...Several years later she taught us how to fly and I'm not sure we ever touched the cavee floor again...I really miss her sometimes..." I finish, a little misty eyed, but otherwise in good spirits. Why am I getting emotional over this? I've been over it a thousand times in my head...Ah well. "So...anything else you wanna know?" * * * * * * * * *
Author's Notes: I know, I know, it's short, but how many of you remember the first two years of your lives? I promise I'll make it longer next time. Text in \slashes// are in Draconic, and text in ++plusses++ are telepathic.