FSE

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Seracen nosed at the small nest in her and Femzy's cave, sighing softly. It was the nest for the eggs that were currently inside her belly and was only large enough them and would hold them snugly. The soft material around the edges was to cushion the eggs and keep them a bit warmer. The black dragoness's instincts had driven her to build the nest near the middle of her pregnancy but now they wouldn't let her leave it alone either.

Even though she knew that the nest was fine, Sera kept getting up to check and nose over it, making sure that it was perfect and ready for when it was needed. The urge didn't really let up and she ended up checking it at least five times a day, making minute changes to the padding or no changes at all. This late in her pregnancy, it was tiring to go up and down all that much for no reason, using up energy that Seracen would have rather spent on her hatchlings or mate.

But, instincts were hard to deny and so Seracen found herself checking it again. Femzy was out hunting for a while and the three hatchlings were taking a nap after a busy morning. It was their hatchday, marking one year since they'd emerged from their eggs. They'd taken a long trip down to the meadow a little ways from the cave were the hatchlings had enjoyed the sun and wide open spaces, as well as playing in the shallows of the river that was beginning to warm up in the spring. It'd been a difficult trip for Seracen though; she rarely went that far and for good reason.

She twisted to look at her swollen belly with a wry smile. "You need to hurry up and come out," she told the eggs. It felt like she'd been like this forever, but once she lay the eggs, they'd have some time before they hatched. It could easily take a year or two at least before they were ready, which was good. Three young hatchlings at once were more than enough and dragons grew very slowly.

Today was an important occasion though, in more ways than one. There were a few traditions that had to be observed on a hatchling's first hatchday and she and Femzy had been planning them for a while. It was a very special day and once Femzy got back, it would all get started. It would be something to remember...and they had plans to make sure that the hatchlings did just that.

With another sigh, Seracen headed back to the main nest, large enough for her and her mate, and even the hatchlings if they were inclined to join them. She used the side to help her lie down, sliding into a lying position with a laboured huff. Flexing sore paws, she looked back at her belly. "'Heavy is healthy'," she murmured, repeating the old maxim that she'd been taught. Heavy eggs were supposed to be healthy ones. The black dragoness half suspected that it was more of rueful joke about the later stages of carrying a clutch, passed from dragoness to dragoness, rather than a comforting saying, but it worked. She didn't mind it if it meant that the clutch was healthy.

"Femzy has the next one," she told her belly, a smile twitching up the corners of her muzzle. Waiting for her mate to come back, Sera began to groom her paws and claws, taking care to do a good job. It was difficult to groom properly at the moment but she took care with what she could do.

The dragoness was considering a brief nap when she heard the wingbeats drawing closely. Her own wings twitched in time with the sound as she wiggled herself into something approaching a sitting position. The sound grew louder until Femzy landed with a thud on the ground just outside the cave. She ruffled her wings a bit, shaking them loose before folding them tightly against her back, the orange-furred dragoness walking inside with a smile. She was favouring her right paw a little, the digits curled in tight to hold something.

"How was the flight, dear?" Seracen purred, raising her head to nuzzle at Femzy as her mate lay down in the nest beside her.

"Clear, calm skies," Femzy purred, nuzzling back. "Perfect for flying. Soon you'll be able to join me in flying again."

"Mmm, soon," Seracen agreed, then lowered her head to look at Femzy's paw. "Did you get it? I saw some down there this morning..."

Femzy smiled and opened her paw, revealing a delicately-held lily. Femzy had cut it with her claws, leaving a few inches of the stem on the flower. Sera had seen them down near the river when they'd visited the meadow that very day and thought them perfect for what was to happen today. "Oh, it's lovely!" she exclaimed, picking it up carefully with her paws. "It'll do very nicely..."

"I'm sure she'll love it dear," Femzy said, leaning in to nuzzle along her mate's muzzle, up to her ear where Femzy gave her a cheeky little nibble.

Seracen huffed and squirmed lightly. "None of that now," she said but she coiled her tail with Femzy's.

"Well, you can't get any more pregnant," Femzy churred, giving another nibble and then drawing back. "But we should begin everything with the little ones. It is a special day after all."

"Mhm, you should go and wake them," Sera agreed. "But first, let me just..." She held up the lily in front of her muzzle and parted her jaws a little. The dragoness's golden eyes glowed gently for a few seconds as she breathed out onto the flower. She held the breath for a few seconds and then lowered the flow with a satisfied little coo. "There we go," she said, setting the blossom down beside her and covering it gently with a fold of a blanket."

"I'll go get them," Femzy murmured, giving her mate a kiss before getting up. She headed for the little side-room near the back of the cave. It was a small space, taken up mostly by a nest specially for the hatchlings to rest in in the day. There was a neatly organised rock collection off to one side too, as well as a few other odds and ends that the hatchlings had collected over the last year.

Inside the small nest was a tangle of limbs, the sounds of soft breathing reaching Femzy's ears. She gave a soft churr as she looked inside, a smile tugging up on her lips. It was always a surprise to her how the hatchlings somehow managed to be on top and beneath one another at the same time, all twisted up and tangled but at the same time comfortable and warm. As she watched, the orange hatchling gave a soft mewl, squirming lightly and setting off a chain reaction as they all shifted in their sleep.

Thinking that this was a good time, Femzy leaned down and nosed at the little dragons in the nest. "Rise and shine," she cooed softly. There was a flurry of yawns and slow, sleepy movements as one by one, the hatchlings opened their eyes, purring and cooing as they blinked up at Femzy.

They each began the process of untangling themselves, sorting out whose limbs were whose and working it out from there until each hatchling was free to clumsily climb out of the nest. The black hatchling was first, scampering out to Seracen with his sisters following close behind. The orange hatchling stayed long enough to give Femzy a small lick and nuzzle before running out too.

Sera purred and nuzzled at each of the hatchlings in turn. "Hope you slept well, my lovelies," she churred, then nosed them gently out of the nest. Femzy came over and did the same, getting the hatchlings to line up. It was rather like herding cats; the hatchlings didn't like to stay still for long, especially the black male. The orange girl could sit quietly for a little while, but the boy preferred to run around and the multicoloured hatchling's attention wandered easily.

Still, Femzy managed it, getting all three of their children lined up in a neat little row. The multicoloured hatchling was on the left and the black boy on the right, with the orange hatchling right in the middle. Femzy went back into the nest and lay down beside Sera, turning towards three little faces that were all looking intently at their mothers.

They were expecting the hatchlings to begin talking any day now, and they understood almost everything that was said to them, when Sera or Femzy needed to speak. Whether the hatchlings ever wanted to listen was another matter, but they could understand.

"It's been one year since your hatchling," Sera began, smiling down at the little dragons. "One whole year...and you've been growing and having adventures."

"So, it's time," Femzy purred, taking over. "It's a dragon custom that on your first hatchday, you receive two gifts." At the mention of the word 'gifts', the hatchlings' attention spiked and there was a chorus of excited meeps. "Hang on, let me finish," Femzy said, smiling at their excitement.

"You'll each get a gift that we chose for you specially, as well as...your names." The hatchlings' eyes were wide. "It's your nameday, darlings!" Femzy's own proud excitement was showing and her tail coiled tightly with Seracen's as the hatchlings gave some excited shrieks and meeps.

She turned towards the multicoloured hatchling first, who stepped forwards a little when the attention focused on her, shuffling her wings excitedly. Femzy looked at Sera who nuzzled her in return. "You, little one," Femzy began, rummaging around beneath the blankets in the nest with her paw, "will be named...Rakshieri." The hatchling stared up at her mother with an open mouth before giving a happy trill.

"And for your nameday gift, we're giving you...this." Femzy withdrew her paw from beneath the blankets. She was holding a sunstone, polished naturally by the river and closely matching the colour of her own fur. She'd found it a little while ago and considering Rakshieri's love of collecting pretty rocks, Femzy knew instantly that it'd be the perfect gift. She put it down in front of the little hatchling, who gave an excited squeal as soon as she saw it. Rakshieri took it in her mouth carefully and then bounded away to examine it more thoroughly.

"Well, she clearly loves it," Seracen purred, giving Femzy's cheek a kiss. Now it was her turn though. "Come forwards, little one," she said to the orange hatchling who was next in line.

The hatchling stepped forwards, giving a quiet chirp and sitting down primly before looking at her mother expectantly. "You're called Milsara, darling," Sera said to the little dragon. Milsara took a moment to take in her name, then gave a contented chirp. Seracen then drew out the flower from beneath the blanket, laying it down in front of her daughter. "It's enchanted, so it'll never fade or age," she told the hatchling. "You'll be able to keep it forever."

Milsara leaned down and took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of the lily and giving a soft pleasured churr when she let the air out. Taking the stem of the flower carefully in her jaws, she trotted forwards and then craned her neck back, lifting the flower as high as she could so that Seracen could smell it as well. The black dragoness took a quick sniff and purred.

Satisfied, the hatchling then offered it to Femzy as well. "It's lovely, darling," she said, giving Milsara a nuzzle. Happy that she'd shared the lovely scent of her gift, Milsara moved a little away, laying down with the flower between her paws as she put her nose into the petals, immersing herself in the perfume.

The black male hatchling was squirming and fidgeting in place, waiting as best as he could. Once Milsara moved out of the way, he bounded forwards and gave an excited chirp! Femzy smiled at the expectant look on his face and rummaged around in the nest for his gift. It'd been a little more difficult to find something for him, but she and Seracen had noticed that whenever he disturbed his sister's rock collection, he went after the ones that shone or glittered in some way. And when they were out, he chased after almost anything that was catching light. Once they'd made that connection, it was easy to choose his gift.

"Your name is Vaxtreece, dear," Femzy purred, taking out a polished silver bangle. It was designed to go onto a dragon's horn, but it wouldn't fit Vaxtreece until he was almost fully grown. But he would be able to keep it until that point and they hoped that he'd love the shiny metal. It didn't take long for their hopes to be proven true. Femzy placed the bangle on the ground, Vaxtreece staring down at the shiny, pale metal band with wide eyes before giving a loving squeal. He seemed far more excited about the bangle than his name.

He nosed at the silver, managing to flip it onto its side so that it wobbled and rolled like a wheel. Vaxtreece nosed at it further until it began to roll away from the nest, chasing after it with a delighted trill. Femzy and Seracen both let out a laugh watching him enjoy his gift in a rather unusual way. "Didn't expect that," Sera murmured, nuzzling Femzy's cheek.

"Well, as long as he enjoys it," Femzy churred, smiling as Vaxtreece nosed the bangle on whenever it slowed, chasing it around the cave. "All our hatchlings are named now...all on their first hatchday."

The two mates shared a deep kiss as the hatchlings all examined and played with their new gifts, all of them happy and content.