SALAMANDER HATCHING -- New Salamander Acquisition Thread

[Anhelisk]

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Another egg. How strange! Venturous took the thing from the bush, bringing it inside her small part of the cave, by the crackling fire. It had some sort of slime on it, which made the doe suspect... This couldn't be a fire salamander egg, could it? If so, it would need to be kept warm, and rather dry. She could take care of it, she was certain-- the flock of dragons she managed had taught her to be quick and canny.

[Anhelisk]

[blockquote]Rolled 5d25 : 8, 18, 3, 5, 25, total 59[/blockquote]

[Anhelisk]

8. A smack of jellyfish float through your nest. Slight electrical pulses run through their long reaching tendrils.
18. You stay up watchful all night and start seeing things. Or are those spectrals?
3. You doze off and mischievous floxes steal and hide your egg in a pitcher plant not too far off.
5. A territory dispute between two lynxes comes close to where you're protecting your egg.
25. The flesh of the egg shifts and moves, and you are certain for a moment that a salamander is about to emerge.

One of the few animals that didn't have the brains to avoid wandering their way into a dragon cave were literally brainless- floating bits of leathery gel known, quite aptly, as jellyfish. What made them fish had always perplexed the doe, but she stepped back as some of them bobbed towards the egg, then carefully headbutted the one.

It bobbed backwards, bumping into a few of its brethren, before trying to bumble its way, once again, forward.

The second time they threatened her and the precious egg, she called out in a chittering cry, imitating a small mammal. Dozens of hungry eyes cocked open, recognizing the call to feeding... and dozens of leathery-winged lizards swept towards the misplaced beasts, tearing at them and carryinig them out of the cave so they could fight over the still-sparking tendrils.

~

She kept watch all night, careful not to let the fire get too low, or to let the dragons think she was leaving the egg unattended. Things danced at the edges of the firelight, ghostly shapes she couldn't quite be sure were anything at all, but also couldn't be certain weren't things. They faded as the light of morning began to overtake her, and the doe stoked the fire one last time to keep burning before laying her head down. Just a moment of sleep couldn't hurt, could it...?

~

Chittering. Chittering that was not coming from her dragons. Venturous shook the sleep-fugue from her skull and blinked as she looked around, catching a blur of fur and tails making its escape as it sensed her movement.

The egg. She leapt into action, following the trail of the creatures that had robbed her, relieved to find a terribly-overburdened plant practically torn open, and a familiarly translucent, slimy egg inside of it. She grabbed the stem of the plant and chewed at it, picking it up in its makeshift purse to get back to the little nest she'd made, and settling it back down to dry once again as she stoked her fire back up.

~

The yowling in the distance of what sounded to be lynx woke Venturous once again with a start. She stood, leaning out of the cave, but settled back down as she realized the dragons around her had already sent out scouts to keep an eye on whatever drama was out there. If they came to close, their flustered shrieking and flocking would alert her.

~

Venturous sucked her breath in as she watched the egg heave. It was alive, all right... and perhaps, hopefully, ready to hatch?

[Anhelisk]

[blockquote]Rolled 1d10 : 3, total 3[/blockquote]

[Anhelisk]

The tiny, golden nosed-baby flicked its tongue out, testing the air a bit before deciding it would stay in its shell a while longer. She really couldn't blame it....

[Final WC: 542]

[rexcorvus]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/blue/fantasticbeasts_uncert.png[/imgright]

He had found an egg.

He knew very little of what to do with the egg, other than keep it from rolling away when he wasn't looking - but something told him that he needed to protect it. That he needed to take care of it. The innate desire to make sure all living creatures were looked after was hard to ignore, and so most of the time Fantastic Beasts did nothing to dissuade that feeling.

He took the egg, quite tenderly, and placed it in a warm and dry nest that he had created using twigs, leaves, and soft moss for bedding.

[rexcorvus]

[blockquote]Rolled 5d25 : 7, 15, 6, 10, 15, total 53[/blockquote]

[rexcorvus]

Spoiler

7. Confused marine iguanas surround you, mistaking your egg for one of theirs.
15. Somehow, you set up in a spider nest, and at night they emerge: cobwebs and hatchlings as far as the eye can see.
6. A crane with its sharp beak considers you its sworn enemy. Fend it off!
10. A sudden downpour causes you lose your grip on the leaf bundle the egg is in; it starts to roll away down the hill.
15. Somehow, you set up in a spider nest, and at night they emerge: cobwebs and hatchlings as far as the eye can see.

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/blue/fantasticbeasts_uncert.png[/imgright]

The iguanas came late in the afternoon, when Fantastic had curled himself around the egg and was ready to fall asleep for a midday nap. They scuttled towards him, tiny feet scratching in the dirt, and Fantastic made a noise of distress in the back of his throat that went unheard. He supposed he should have expected this in some way or another, but still - he would have rather not had to deal with the iguanas if he didn't have to.

It took a bit of time to convince them to leave; Fantastic dug his hooves protectively into the ground around the egg, pushing back the onslaught of iguanas with his nose (and several times with his feet), until they finally got the message and skittered off back towards the swampy beach somewhere to the east. Fantastic, with his nose covered in dirt now, and his hair a bit messy in its curls, gave his head a shake to try and get some of the mud off before laying down again.

The egg, oblivious to all, was warm and safe beside him.

The spiders were less appealing. Fantastic was not afraid of them, because he understood them to be curious and intense creatures, but he did really wish that they wouldn't bother them. The webbing that stretched across the little area that he had mistakenly chosen was a rather obvious indicator that he had chosen a particularly terrible spot to lay down for the night. Spindle legged creatures were making their way down the tree trunks, many eyes watching as though they were waiting for some sort of indication that he was going to let his guard down.

"Shoo," said Fantastic. "Come on now, please don't come near us. Go back to your webs, we won't disturb you."

The spiders, disgruntled though they were, did not come any closer, but Fantastic could feel the eyes on him even as he curled a protective leg around the egg at his side.

It was early morning when the crane came, when Fantastic had gotten up to find something to eat. He hadn't wandered far from the egg, because he wasn't about to leave it by itself, but he had gone several steps when he heard the cry. Skidding around in the mud, he raced back and came to a stuttering halt in front of the bird, planting a protective foot in front of the egg. It looked very small in comparison to the world around it.

"Get on with you now," said Fantastic sternly, nudging at the bird, who gave an irritated call, wings flapping. It made an attempt to dive again, beak opening, but Fantastic twisted, shifting his body so that the crane's beak merely grazed his flank instead of hitting its target (though he wasn't sure if it was himself or the egg at this point).

"You're not getting it," he said, casting a glance over to the crane. It hurt a little, just a little, to watch it; that same innate desire to protect was pushing at his chest, warning him not to anger the crane even further, but still. He didn't want to hurt it.

"Go on, now," he said again, after a breath. "Go back to your own nest. Leave us be."

The bird made another angry sound. Then, wings extending, it took off.

Fantastic didn't doze well during yet another nap. He kept thinking about the crane.

The rain was freezing.

In an effort to keep the egg warm and dry, Fantastic had planted himself over it, taking a protective stance - but the egg, in all of its slippery unknowing, had taken a different attempt. It fumbled away from Fantastic, even as he tried to keep himself from losing his hold on it, and began to roll away down a muddy slope of hill that led to one of the nearby streams.

Fantastic made a leap for it, skidded on the uneven ground and nearly lost his footing, then gathered himself together again and made a second attempt at catching the egg. This was done in the form of taking a bodily jump forward, splashing wetly in the mud and rain, right in front of the rolling egg, which made a gentle bump at his side as it came to a stop.

Fantastic sighed.

"Please," said Fantastic, for what felt like the fourth time in as many minutes, "please. We don't want any trouble. Just leave us be, and we'll leave you be."

The spiders, which had crawled out from their hiding places once more, made soft clicking noises. Fantastic's eyes traced the glistening strands of webbing, wet from the rain, like little crystals that were clinging on for dear life. It really was beautiful, in a way he couldn't explain to anyone but himself, because no one else would understand, he was pretty sure. No one ever had.

"Please," he said again, quieter this time. The egg was warm at his side.

The spiders watched.

[rexcorvus]

[blockquote]Rolled 1d10 : 7, total 7[/blockquote]

[rexcorvus]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/blue/fantasticbeasts_uncert.png[/imgright]

He was exhausted.

But it was red. The little creature that made its way through the shell, tongue flicking, was a bright red, tiny flames licking around its body. Fantastic felt a surge of protectiveness course through him, eyes watching with unadorned fascination.

The salamander hissed. Fantastic exhaled a breath.

It was his.

[sheepcakes]

Warm & dry is the optimal combo for the scorching hot variety.

Danced Between the Stars had been the first to see it, a patch of glistening white among the last few leaves left on the ground. Once they discovered what it was, Wax and Wane insisted that she take care for it, and that whatever hatched was hers to do with as she pleased.

Now she just had to choose a proper nest. She'd only glimpsed salamanders before, but she's been told by several kin how to properly raise them. Danced's only regret is finding just one egg, she would dearly love to see every type of salamander. Its probably for the best anyway, trying to protect multiple eggs at once would likely end in disaster.

Warm and dry is what she needs. Warm is easy enough to find, the trio has been able to keep a small fire going from an ember they were gifted. Danced is not entirely sure she can manage the dry. Not in winter, at least, and she's not convinced the egg will hibernate until the dry season.

She decided to start with a long, flat rock, and some smaller rocks. She lays out the small rocks, creating a base that's several rocks high, using logs, more stones and whatever else she can find to create a wall around it for steadiness.

On top of the base Danced pulls the large, flat rock, to create a platform. It takes a lot of effort to move it, but just enough small stones can roll to make it possible.

On top of the platform she piles the driest bits of dirt, leaves, grasses that she can find. In the middle of that she creates a depression, and sets in a bird nest.

Into the nest goes the egg, with the very driest leaves, grasses and feathers going around and on top if it. Over that Danced layers the driest dirt she can find, gently tamping it down to form a sort of crust.

Beside the nest Danced sets a turtle shell, filling it with tinder, a pile of sticks set beside to build up a fire. Around the edges of the shell Danced sets smaller stones, to make it more secure.

Carefully she lights a stick from the twins fire, taking it over to light her tinder. Once the tinder catches, Danced spends a few minutes feeding it twigs and sticks. Not too big, she doesn't want to set the nest ablaze, just keep it as warm as possible.

Next, Danced builds up a hill of earth, sort of wall-like, around the back side of the platform, to block as much wind as she can.

Lastly, Danced gathers some supplies for herself, some food and a shell of water. She's determined to stay up the whole time, so no need for a nest of her own.

Finally done, Danced sits down to wait, and watch. A pile of sticks at hand to keep the fire hot.

((Word count: 488))

[sheepcakes]

Rolling for Danced Between the Stars egg

[blockquote]Rolled 5d25 : 18, 9, 3, 5, 9, total 44[/blockquote]

[sheepcakes]

18. You stay up watchful all night and start seeing things. Or are those spectrals?

Danced Between the Stars stays up late into the night, tending both the egg and the fire. She's set up a routine, check the fire so it doesn't burn out, carefully check the mound the egg is in - is it too warm? not warm enough? - and then a nibble of food and sips of water.

During the darkest part of night, Danced swears she's seeing ghosts. Getting up, she goes to the edge if the fire light. She's curious what the shades may be, but very reluctant to leave the egg. Especially as the creatures don't seem to be focused on her or her egg.

Still curious, Danced tosses some berries out to attract one. A spectre swoops in and snatches it up before it hits the ground. It's a spectral bat. Relieved, Danced returns to her egg, checking the fire again to restart the routine.

((Word count: 146))

[sheepcakes]

9. A heavy lighting storm rolls in suddenly, and a fierce bolt splits the ground not far from you ominously.

Not long after the bats, Danced feels drops of rain. Large, fat drops plopping in her, the mound, and the fire.

Moving quickly, Danced gathers the largest leaves she can find, using them to shield mound and fire as best as possible.

Lightning doesn't particularly scare her, but she does worry about the egg. Each crash of thunder sounds closer than the last, and Danced is sure one will hit her nest.

Carefully laying the leaves over the top of the mound, using some stones to hold it in place, Danced looks for something that might attract the lightning. Maybe she can find a way to keep it away.

Quickly, she clears as much space around the nest as she can, piling it all up in one place as far away as she dares to go, past the fire light but not so far she can't see the flickering.

She's just returning from her last trip when a lightning bolt strikes very close. It doesn't hit the nest, but it comes close enough to leave her with sunspots in her eyes for a few minutes.

Certain that lightning won't strike twice, Danced spends the next few minutes tending the fire.

Just as she's got it nice and warm again, the storm seems to clear up. Here at least, faint crashes of thunder can still be heard in the distance.

((Word count: 229))

[Blinded By Silence]

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ilence.gif[/imgleft]At this point in Set's life, finding an unattended egg laying about in the swamp no longer sent her into a panic. Her foundlings were now mostly fully grown and the pale pink doe had slipped into a role as close to motherhood as she could muster. And she was a mother, a mother to many, despite not giving birth herself. She was mother to Little Brook and Guards the Herd, as well as Pear, Kiwi, Plum and all of her other sweet animal friends.

So, when she happened upon the pale, tacky egg, Set simply gave a tired, knowing smile and looked for something she could carry it home in.

She approached the Hallow with a sling of fresh, waxy leaves. Her inquisitive children quickly gathered around, flinging questions of all kinds at her as she set down the parcel gently. What was it? Where did it come from? Where did eggs come from -- oh boy, that was a question for another day, perhaps. Set did her best to answer the rest of them honestly. She did not know what it was exactly, or where it came from. It reminded her, vaguely, perhaps really only in texture and that odd transparency, of the frog eggs she had been gifted a few winters ago.

Either way, it did not matter what was inside it. All that mattered was that it was safe and well cared for. She would love anything that hatched, so long as it was happy and healthy.

And so, the pale pink doe set her children to work. They helped her clear a spot inside their hollow tree. They lined one of the hoof-carved pockets that would normally hold herbs with a thick, waxy leaf and then with crisp fallen leaves and litter. Once nestled in the make-shift nest, they covered it with a loose layer of leaf litter.

"There," she explained, "Warm and dry."

[319 words]