He'd accompanied Breath of the Wild on the expedition to find the proper environments for the eggs earlier, so there was no hardship in relocating the hatching destination. If anything, in terms of it all, he had the better spot which only made him worry more for her than not. This environment was dry and cool. There was no humidity to soak him and leave him lethargic. It was near the swamp's edge towards the mountain range from which the Totoma had come. He felt as if he knew those mountains, the same as he did the acha desert, the kiokote plains, and the zikwa caves—he imagined it was because of his naming and left it at that. (Wild would never have been able to leave it alone like he did, he knew, which was why they worked so well together.)

Spirit of the Hero had listened intently to the myriad musings about nest building that his ma—companion but now that he had to build one . . . He would manage by adaptation and perseverance; it was the theme of his life. It was not that he was special by any means, it had always been that he simply learned well on his hooves and never gave up. He couldn't, it seemed to go against his entire being to ever do so, but it didn't mean he wouldn't have appreciated Wild's help on this task.

Where plant material had been the main component of his other half's nest, they had come to the agreement that furs would be better suited for the coolness. In the humidity, it would have suffocated the egg whereas the plants could breathe. But here, it would be best to keep as much heat as possible held near the egg's surface.

Hero wrapped the eggs carefully in furs of rabbit and rox, before making a rock circle to contain the egg. It would prevent it from rolling should movement cause it to shift. He settled down next to it, looking at the trees and bushes. This would be a nice, quiet watch.

22 | Just at the edges of your chosen nest, you find some delicious berries to help keep your stomach from grumbling.
24 | When the light hits just so, you see something moving under the slightly-translucent skin of the egg.
14 | A band of misfits wants to see the egg and are ready to rumble.
07 | Confused marine iguanas surround you, mistaking your egg for one of theirs.
12 | That greenery around the edges of your chosen nest is poison ivy of the intensely itchy kind.

Silence; he was grateful that he never struggled with solitude. He would readily admit that he much preferred having the company of Wild, but this was nice in its own way. Although, for the next time, he hoped he could convince her to let him stay. The time would pass faster and they would have more hooves and minds to defend these fragile eggs. He only hoped that the creatures inside were more hardy. Then again, once they were hatched, Duckbill and Immortalizes would be helping raise and care for them, too.

The sunlight was fleeting beneath the canopy but every so often it would hit the egg in such a manner that he could see there was something alive and moving within. It was humbling and terrifying.  How could any of them survive this world even for the briefest of time in such vulnerable conditions? There were those that did not and he knew that, of course, but the fact that even one of them survived... It was astonishing and he was glad not to have company when his mind made a connection to fathering children. He blushed, hot from head to hoof, and had to bury his face into the furs to collect the pounding of his heart.

It was enough time for a family of marine iguanas to pass by and see the egg, enshrined in furs, next to a kimeti buck. Their own clutch was being guarded not far away but a few eggs were missing and—"Ow!" Hero felt teeth clench down on his front leg and looked up to see a violent red iguana attacking him. It's companions looked ready to back it up and he jumped to his hooves, shaking off the creature before standing over the egg.

"This isn't yours," he tried to reason, before the reality that lizard did not speak kimeti and vice versa. He didn't want to hurt them but he was not going to lose Wild's egg. That was out of the question. It was Wild's voice he heard in his head—"You would think that marine iguanas were voracious meat eaters but they actually eat plants and berries as well!" He huffed a smile, lowered his head and pulled out a bundle of berries he'd found beside the nest when he was creating it.

"I promise, this egg is not yours and is not to be eaten," he addressed them as though they could understand him. "Would you like some berries?" A few hours later when the iguanas returned with their own eggs to place in his nest... At least, they seemed content to let him stay. And now he had a little extra help guarding his own egg amongst the countless many they had brought along. Once his own egg hatched, at least the nest he'd built would go to use and there was some pride in having wild creatures think it good enough that they would take it now before he'd even finished with it.

Unsurprisingly, once they had brought their eggs, the marine iguanas and Hero found each other to be rather splendid company. He was only sad that they would not get to meet Wild nor she them. She would have loved this.

"Hey, what's that?" a voice cracked into the peace and he craned his head upward to see a trio of totomas. Young, adolescents grown into adult bodies that had yet to learn how to be adults. He grimaced; there was no way that spelled good news for him or the iguanas. And the neon red shock of hair on the speaker... Hero had a bad feeling about this one.

"It's just some eggs this iguana family laid," Hero tried to camoflauge the situation.

"Not those," the totoma huffed. "That stran—is it moving?"

Hero grimaced; the sunlight was flickering in just the right way to make the egg's difference noticeable. To make it enticing. He rose to his feet as the iguanas began to form up.

"It's an egg that I am waiting to hatch. It's ve—"

"Let me see!" the speaker bounce forward, all bravado and downright inconsideration.

He could have waited; he would have waited if it hadn't been Wild's egg. And he knew how important this egg was to her. And how important she was to him.

Hero burst into action and rammed the totoma, head straight into its chest. And then there was only blurs and bites and kicks.

It was time—minutes, hours, days, he couldn't have even guessed—when the totoma gave up and he emerged miserable from a tangle of poison ivy. The totoma was going to be miserable, too, which offered some relief... He hoped the rest of the watch could be less eventful.

Wet. It had a whole new meaning, she thought, as she recovered from being rained upon, lying in a stream, and now being dripped on by this water salamander. It had hatched and skittered and, eventually, it had taken a place lazing atop her crown. She couldn't fault its expert decision to find a high place with where to view the world. If she had been a small amphibian, she too would have wanted a high roost from which to perch. And this one would never be at a loss for water, she mused.

All together, it had been a trial, an ordeal of which she had no comparison. Not in life, at least, for in dreams, she had suffered too often and far too much. And yet, she could not think of having ever quite felt so happy. She, alone, had hatched this creature from an egg and no one, nothing, could take that away from her. Especially when she had this little one to remind her of such an accomplishment forever more.

She was grateful that her friends had let her do this alone, as she had needed to do. It did wonders for her confidence, for her mental health. Maybe, she was healing from the trauma of her dreams, of her naming, too. She would be okay, she felt.

---

Of all the many iguana eggs that surrounded his lone egg, it was a little surprising to find that it was the last to hatch. It had been surprising to find that it hadn't been broken in the mass birthing of many baby iguanas with their sharp teeth and claws and absolute neglect of personal space. When it did though, Hero found it was cold. And he'd panicked for a moment until it had started to move and look a bit more lively than the ice blue of its skin. Ice; he'd hatched an ice salamander. He laughed, relieved.

The marine iguanas looked satisfied that it was not one of their own but they seemed reluctant to let either of them leave. He was a little reluctant to leave them unguarded with so many little ones. And so with some berries, and his innate kindness, he took them with him to meet Wild. The gasp of surprise and the glittering of sunlight in those blue eyes... He smiled and while she dissolved into joy and scholarly pursuits (and making many many friends), he looked at their new salamanders. Water and ice; they went together as perfectly as they did, he thought.

Thunder and Totem were out for a walk in one of the warmer and dryer parts of the Swamp. An area between the dunes that led to the desert and the land the tribe were both a part of had made it's home. Though she found the heat uncomfortable these moments were Thunder's favorite as she got to watch Totem navigate the world on her own. They were also the only times the two of them weren't arguing with each other. Life had become more complicated as Thunder's oldest child found her place in life and her voice with it. She was too much her mother's child for the older doe's liking.

"Mother!" Totem called out to her, "my lion found something and I can't tell what it is!"

The 'something' in question was a thin-skinned egg of some kind. They were both instantly smitten.

"Can I keep it, mom?" Totem looked like she was going to vibrate out of her skin with excitement. Thunder laughed.

"Of course, but let's leave it where it is to hatch. Moving it may damage the egg."

Both does winced a bit at that, but promptly moved past the moment. Thunder continued-

"Let's make it a proper nest, to keep it extra protected, and when it hatches we'll take it home."

With a gleeful nod from Totem her mother got to work piling dry plant life and a bed of sand and dirt around the egg.

"All right, kid," Thunder addressed her daughter when she was done, "settle in to watch the egg and I'll watch you."

Word Count: 263

As Totem protectively curled up next to the egg, her lion curled just as protectively against her, Thunder looked closely at their surroundings. She didn't want anything to be able to sneak up on them. Her gaze landed on some berries that she and Totem had enjoyed before and brought them to her daughter. Totem thanked her, berry stains on her chin, and sighed contentedly. Her mother went back to pacing the perimeter of the nest and Totem closed her eyes for a quick rest.

She only opened them again when she heard her mother shrieking some rather filthy things in the direction of- were those marine iguanas she was screaming at? How?? Her mother voiced the same frustrated thought as she stomped at and chased off the last of them. Thunder muttered something about dumb lizards and followed it up by shouting at the retreating reptiles.

"IT DOESN'T EVEN SMELL LIKE YOU!"

A nose touched Totem's head and her mother told her to go back to sleep. It wouldn't be hard to do between the rumbling of her lion and the rumblings of a storm in the distance, she thought. Totem couldn't really hear either, but she could feel her lion and the oncoming storm caused a sort of pressure on her body. Like being in a large sleep pile.

She was awoken to a loud cracking sound and the familiar sense of her mother standing defiantly above her and the egg. A flash of light turned her mother into a dark shape against a binding sky. One of the few moments she'd ever see Thunder's silhouette so clearly. A loud, sizzling, crack resounded through her body and she screamed. It wasn't often she could hear a storm. That must have been right on top of them!

Thunder looked down at her daughter, her baby still, and started singing the young doe's favorite song at the top of her lungs. She bent her neck down and said next to Totem's ear-

"Sing to the egg!"

Totem sang along, imagining she could see whatever was inside her egg moving to the sound of her voice. She got so into it she hadn't realized enough time had passed that the storm was dissipating.

"Is it over?"

Thunder responded with a strong "no." The storm had thinned out, but more was already sweeping their way again. So, they kept singing. Mother and daughter sang through another ground splitting strike, through the heavy rain that came with it, and finally through the storm vanishing all together.

Totem pondered the meaning of such a storm as her egg began to split.

"Maybe it's a sign you've been blessed, dear one." Thunder voiced Totem's thoughts aloud as she settled down next to her daughter to watch.

Word Count: 461

As they made their way back home Thunder marveled at the salamander ensconced in blue flames curled at the base of Totem's neck. Not only had they just gone through so much together to bring this brilliant creature into the world, but they'd done it without ever once arguing with each other.

She was about to ask what her daughter was going to name her new pet when Totem brightly asked a question of her own.

"This means that I can start going and doing things on my own now, right?"

Thunder wanted to immediately object. Without her there Totem could have died right along with that egg, but something in the way her doe was holding herself as she walked with her lion at her side made Thunder pause.

"Maybe." She said finally. "We'll talk about it when we get home."

And for the first time since Totem had been born- Thunder meant it.

Word Count: 155

---

Total word count: 879

It'd taken a long time, in Wild's opinion, to find another egg that they could hatch. She'd want to find at least two before trying to hatch another egg but Hero had reassured her that they'd find plenty in the future. And they still had no idea how long an egg could survive on its own or in incubation before hatching was no longer an option. It was too much to risk never finding a second egg to hatch before this first one died.

The debate on where to hatch it had raged longer, not as intense but they were both quite unsure of what type of salamander would be best for their group thus far. A fire salamander would be helpful in so many ways but they had so little information on the grass-type salamanders that she could not help wanting to choose it. The lizards—Immortalizes and Duck Bill—had eventually made the decision for them. A fire salamander might not get along so well with the ice and water salamanders they already had hatched. At least, it might take longer to acquaint them and that'd allowed them to agree on a grass salamander first.

The cool and wet area that often hatched the fertile salamanders was further south than she had ever gone before. It was nearer the sea than to the mountains or the plains which made it almost feel like it was not the swamp at all. And that made all things a little more nerve-wracking, for Wild at least. Hero seemed relaxed enough (but, then, he always did).

In a small clearing, encircled by brush and slender tree saplings, they began to build the nest. A surrounding of twigs to make a barrier lest they have visitors, as both had experienced with their first hatching successes, was the first thing to be constructed. The coolness begged for some form of warm, while the wetness of the area determined they'd need something to soak up any excess moisture. It took a long discussion of what would be best but eventually it was decided.

Hero build a small frame around the egg, small branches coated with mud that would repel any fierce gusts of wind. Inside, Breath arranged a group of seeds and seedlings that would grab onto the moisture that rain might bring. Another group of such plant life was added to the outside and then there was little to do but place the egg and start the experience.

"It's going to be fine, Wild," Hero promised as she watched the nerves tick within her flesh and the worry cloud her bright eyes. "This is why we're doing it together, this time." He added as a reminder that he would be there to help in any and every way that he could.

"I am glad of your company and skills, Hero," she replied softly, which in his opinion was as good as being told she loved him. She too often closed in on herself and he was determined that he would always keep her tethered to a life lived. She could not become trapped within her own mind, not on his watch. Not when he loved her too much to let such suffering grow.

"And I, of yours," he smiled. "Are you ready?"

Wild took in a deep breath, then nodded. He was glad to see the confidence and determination was blazing hot again. That was who she was and he felt sorry for anyone who decided to get in her way today.

17 | You've run out of food, and your stomach growls dangerously.
17 | You've run out of food, and your stomach growls dangerously.
05 | A territory dispute between two lynxes comes close to where you're protecting your egg.
04 | A group of furbies try to scamper off with your egg. Fortunately for you, there's no ringleader and they're clumsy.
11 | The weather changes dramatically in the night, and you have to protect your egg's chosen habitat.

The first few hours consisted mostly of Wild regaling Hero, again, with all that she knew about the salamanders, iguanas, tegus, watersnakes, frogs, and various other fauna that inhabited the swamp. It never bored him but he thought he could recite at least half of it if he ever decided to, not that he would. He'd rather listen to Wild's voice telling it than his own and he wouldn't want to upset her. Nor would he ever want her to think that she was less needed than he was.

That her father had ever said such a thing, it was nearly the only thing that ever infuriated him and he was glad to have never met the buck. He didn't trust himself to be civil to such a cruel kin. That anyone could think that Wild had little to no value—he clenched his jaw. There was no sense in wasting time on that fool. He was probably dead and while it was less than he deserved . . . Hero sighed, he didn't want to wish suffering on anyone.

“Hero, what is it?” Wild’s voice broke into his thoughts.

“Nothing,” Hero breathed out and smiled, “Is there any creature you don’t want to see or know about?” he attempted to distract her.

“It is something if it has you, of all kin, tense,” she returned, expertly ignoring his terrible attempt to change the topic.

“Your father was a fool, that’s all,” Hero sighed.

Wild’s retort was swallowed before she nodded, faintly. It was the closest he had ever received to an agreement. Unfortunately, whatever might have been said after that was ruined by two very loud stomach rumbles.

“It has been awhile since we last ate,” Breath of the Wild smiled as Spirit of the Hero rose to his hooves.

After last time, he had dutifully packed away a variety of berries, dried fruit, dried meat, and a few eggs. He'd gone as far as to make a bundle for each of them. And he’d placed them carefully aside when they were constructing the nest. He only made it half way there before he realized, with growing dread, that neither bundle was quite intact.

“Oh no!” Wild’s voice made it evident that she, too, had noticed the large holes that revealed there was nothing left to eat in their kits.

“It’s all right! It’s—I’ll go catch us some food,” Hero immediately responded.

“I can make traps!” Wild added in, once again refusing to be of no use at all.

“That’d be wonderful,” the buck grinned, “and when I come back, I can help you set them up.”

It was not how he had seen their egg-hatching going but he could get them something to eat. It would be easy. (Maybe.)

---

Of the traps she was experienced at, snares were the easiest to make. There was something relaxing about the mindless routine of making loops of grasses and reeds and stems. The hard part was to pick the right length and then to actually fasten it all together without breaking any strands. This was why she typically preferred willow branches for their strength and flexibility but she didn't have the time or ability to search for specific trees now. With a growling stomach, however, it was less so than it has ever been before.

Breath of the Wild sighed, as the current snare snapped into two, and bowed her head to keep the curses held within her mouth. It was simply too frustrating to do it slow enough when she was so hungry and knew that they should have food. They had planned for hunger. Hero had made them both a bundle that would tide them over for days, if not weeks. And that it had been filched as they made a nest . . . She wondered sometimes how such simple things were cursed into impossible tasks that one must overcome.

As she was struggling for calm an insanely adorable duo of—the skin on her muzzle wrinkled, how in the world did furbies that were cute exist? It seemed like an impossibility and yet the white with blush pink joints was unable to be describe with any term that wasn’t similar to the cooed terms one applied to newborns. Or they were until they began to descend upon the egg’s nest.

“Get away from there!” Wild demanded as she jumped to her hooves in one swift motion.

She galloped forward and relief surged as the furbies wobbled and fell onto their backs, helpless. If she wasn't so sure that eating one would curse her, she'd have considered trapping them. As if to make her consider it, her stomach rumbled loudly but she couldn't bring herself to sink that low. They were foolish and wobbly, perhaps even only children. Instead she took each one gently and righted them before forcibly pointing them in a different direction away from the nest. It took a few tries before they took the hint and began to . . . Come to think of it, she wasn't entirely sure how they moved. They had feet but such appendages never seemed to move . . .

---

Spirit of the Hero was furious. How could he had been so stupid to leave their food unguarded? It wasn't often that he felt the grip of failure, not because he always succeeded but because he usually felt that he had tried as hard as possible. In this case, though, he could not make such an argument and while he knew it would work out, he still felt like an idiot.

There was plenty of game within these parts to hunt. Streams of fish and burrows of rabbits, birds overhead and voles underfoot. It would take more time than he wanted, more time than he'd prepared for, to catch enough for both of them to last through this next day but it was possible. He just had to get right to work.

Misdirection and camouflage were his chosen methods for the time being. He didn't have time to hunt carefully, so much as he had to sneak and snatch his prey when it was unsuspecting. It sounded like it took a lot of preparation but, really, for him it was all about speed. He could toss pebbles and chunks of wood to flush out animals and then catch them as they went by. This method didn't require traps or anything but pure skill that he'd built up over the years. It was almost easy. The sole issue being that he had to move around a lot. He would only get a few attempts before the animals began to figure it out and then he had to move to a new location which did take time.

Still, he had a rather impressive array of food for both Wild and himself when he began to head back. He was almost there when he heard it. A sharp yowl and low growls that warned of lynxes. And angry ones at that. Hero rushed towards the nest and, more importantly, Wild.

He's on the outskirts of their camp when the lynxes come into view. And he can tell that they are the worst kind, new mothers, as the high-pitched cries of lynx kittens reached his ears. He grimaced; there would be no deterring these dueling felines from coming after each other or him or Wild or the egg or—unless, he sucked in a breath.

"Hungry!?" he yelled out, taking both cats by surprise before he hurled a good portion of prey in two directions. It startled them both enough to stop and then their noses began to twitch before each ran back towards their kittens to get the new meals. And as they did that he ran for camp.

---

Satiated, Wild and Hero finally felt as though they would end up actually hatching the egg. They'd situated themselves in a circle around the nest to prevent intruders, even cute ones, from nearing the egg. It was as the confidence of the end coming in peacefully, that the thunder crashed down far too close for comfort. And then the rain slammed down to soak them both.

It was a lot of scrambling and even more yelling—"Hero, no, you'll catch cold!" "We can't just stand here!"—that they began to take turns rushing out and tearing off any weak low-hanging branches they could. They were able to make a very flimsy lean-to shelter for them to cower inside while the egg continued to incubate.

"How is this better and worse than last time?" Hero chuckled eventually as they shivered in the chill of the storm.

Wild laughed in return, "I'll never attempt this alone again, that's for sure."

And that was enough to warm him from head to toe. Which he may or may not have said out loud.

The birdsong of morning woke the duo from their exhaustion induced slumber. Their lean-to shelter had collapsed soundly upon them and it took some maneuvering to crawl out from underneath it without disturbing the nest.

It was once they had pulled the limbs aside that they noticed the egg had hatched. But there was no salamander to be seen. At least not until they found it curled up in Hero's hair.

"It's wonderful!" Wild cooed, "Though I had hoped that it might be flowering."

"We'll find ano—"

"Maybe we'll have the lizards try, just once," Wild cut him off with a sheepish grin.

He chuckled, "We could use a break."

Wild had gotten a mild illness from the storm and Immortalizes and Duck Bill, on Hero's advice, had not been able to tell her about the egg they had found. Hero had confirmed that it was a salamander egg but he'd asked them to wait until she felt better to reveal the news. And they'd agreed, they didn't want to make Wild's recovery any harder than it already was. Except they'd found an egg and they were too excited to wait, and if they couldn't tell her, then surely they could hatch it themselves! If the kimeti could manage it, then it would be short work for a totoma even with the small penalty of an acha.

It was a clumsy aside to Seek to Hide that had the whole kimeti clan rushing in to help care for Breath of the Wild (much to her annoyance and Spirit of the Hero didn't seem the most pleased either) that gave them the excuse to take a short vacation. They didn't want to get in the way after all. And maybe they'd find more eggs (not that they had any intention of looking).

Immortalizes and Duck Bill stared at their surroundings. They were severely in over their heads and had very little idea of what kind a nest a fire salamander might need. It felt warm enough. It was dry.

"Do we have to build a nest?" Duck Bill asked, head tilted up as their neck seemed to elongate even further.

"I could lie on it? Or maybe you...," Immortalizes considered, "or we take turns?"

"Oh no no no! We might crush it!"

"I doubt that. There is too much give in these not-shells to break like that."

Duck Bill started to smile.

"But perhaps we could suffocate them?"

Duck Bill gaped, "We could not do that, no no no. We'd have no present!"

It took many rounds of such information before an old bird nest was taken and placed on the ground. It was rather stable but they added some sticks and grasses around it to make it more secure. And then, at the totoma's encouragement, Duck Bill gently folded himself on top. He fit rather nicely and it wasn't uncomfortable. Now he just had to hold himself very loose and controlled so that he didn't hurt the egg.

01 | A bird flies down and tries to make off with your egg; fend it off before it does too much damage.
15 | Somehow, you set up in a spider nest, and at night they emerge: cobwebs and hatchlings as far as the eye can see.
09 | A heavy lighting storm rolls in suddenly, and a fierce bolt splits the ground not far from you ominously.
07 | Confused marine iguanas surround you, mistaking your egg for one of theirs.
14 | Somehow, you set up in a spider nest, and at night they emerge: cobwebs and hatchlings as far as the eye can see.

After awhile of lying upon the egg, Duckbill rose to stretch out his limbs. He found it difficult to stay still for so long and, additionally, to hold himself in such a loose but firm position. He was so afraid to crush the egg and have nothing with which to present Breath of the Wild.

He adored her, appreciated the way she doted on him and encouraged him. While he was quite loved by his family, he was easily overlooked because of his positive and happy demeanor. Others thought he needed less attention and he'd grown content with what he got, until Breath of the Wild had taken him into her life.

A shriek broke into his thoughts. The two kin turned and found a giant spectral eagle swooping down towards them and their egg.

“No!” Duckbill screamed, breath catching in his throat as the totoma threw himself to block the eagle's path.

“Take the egg from the nest!” Immortalizes shouted.

“What? Bu—“

“Now!”

The acha scrambled, fearful but unwilling to question his companion further, for the bird nest. He had no choice but to pull it free with his mouth and he was terrified that he would tear it with his teeth. Once he had it, however, he had no idea what to do with it. Wide-eyed he watched as the eagle attacked his friend and he could do nothing to help. He could only dive into the open hollow of a tree trunk to seek refuge.

It was moments later that Immortalizes, slightly injured moved forward.

“It is gone,” he announced gravely and smiled. “You did well, my friend.”

---

It's not until dusk fell that the sticky interior of the tree trunk revealed itself to be spider webs. The orange glow as the sun began to sink illuminated a world above them of silk and millions of glittering eyes. The hungry hatchlings began to swarm the webbing to devour old and newly caught prey; a shiver of terror ran down Duckbill's spine. What in the every nightmare of youth had they found themselves in?

"They, they could-couldn't eat u-u-us?" the acha stammered as it hunkered down lower and flatter against the cooling earth within the tree trunk.

Immortalizes stood tall, "Not the hatchlings." It was, somehow, even less comforting. "We should move as not to upset any of the adults that might consider us a threat to their young."

Duckbill needed no more encouragement and he quickly, but carefully, took the egg once more in his mouth and tried to nonchalantly walk away. (He twitched and shivered with every step.)

---

It was hard to say how long they walked until the had to take a break. Immortalizes recovered from dried grasses to cradle the egg while his acha friend took a rest. The sky was growing dark from rolling clouds and it was instantaneously that the lightning storm broke out above them. They were in a bad spot for this and when a bolt struck the ground, ripping it open, it didn't matter that rest was needed. The duo took their egg and ran further into the storm in the hope that they could make it out the other side.

---

The night was still young when they finally settled into a new area to rest. It was rocky and on the edge of the tree line. There was little cover but the storm was past and they needed some degree of stability to hatch the egg. Otherwise it surely would have hatched on the journey to get to their original destination if not this current one. It would be far easier if they could hatch while moving, so it made sense that that would not be how it worked at all.

"You guard, I find . . . something," Duckbill announced suddenly. The acha was still jittery from their scares. The spiders and then the lightning; he was half convinced they were going to die. Immortalizes doubted it. They'd go out in some much more mundane way than a lightning strike or being entombed by a thousand hatchlings. At least, mundane and ordinary deaths were more common.

The totoma nodded before gathering some nearby driftwood and grasses to form a make-shift nest until they could build something better. At this rate, the egg would have to do with the solid ground for they could not seem to stay in any one place.

Immortalizes sighed, sitting and then lying down with the egg against his chest. He wondered if this is how it had been for Hero and Wild; had they struggled this much? More? Less? It was starting to seem reasonable that a kin would ever attempt to hatch an egg like this once and then count their blessings. It sounded easy and the reality was much more complex. He didn't think he had the wherewithal to ever attempt it again and the egg was still an egg.

"I found some moss!" the acha's voice rung out as he trotted into view. It wasn't a lot and it wouldn't protect the egg much but it was something.

"Very good," the totoma smiled as they fixed the nest into something that looked decent. (Sort of, anyway.)

It was quiet for a time which was far more alarming than anything else. At least until the iguanas came. The group seemed to be passing through until they spied the white egg near the totoma. And then all hell broke loose. The iguanas began to beat their tails threateningly against the ground. The sound sent shivers down the kins' spines and they would have run if the damn thing hadn't been so fast.

In an instant the creatures had thrown themselves at the two kin and began to beat them viciously with their tails. Immortalizes barely managed to nab the egg into his mouth before standing to stomp his hooves against the ground. The iguanas seemed too quick to be caught until Duckbill caught one by its tail.

A muffled sound escaped the acha and then he flung it and they thought that was what scared the iguanas away until they turned to see millions of red eyes staring at them. The tree line was illuminated by the moon and the webbing stood out stark against the darkness as it glimmered.

"Again?"

"Again!" the acha yelled as they ran for their lives once more. The spiders took pursuit.

The webbing began to glow as the salamander flared into fire. It hissed its displeasure at the astounded spiders who carefully backed away before disappearing into the trees before curling back up on Immortalizes head.

"Wow," Duckbill breathed.

"Useful little one, aren't you?" the totoma chuckled. "I think our Wild will be pleased with you, even more so than we are."

Spoiler

18 - You stay up watchful all night and start seeing things. Or are those spectrals?
17 - You've run out of food, and your stomach growls dangerously.
24 - When the light hits just so, you see something moving under the slightly-translucent skin of the egg.
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.
12 - That greenery around the edges of your chosen nest is poison ivy of the intensely itchy kind.
total 81 -  One lovely salamander emerges from your egg.

i'm only 900 years late to finishing this..

The berries they had been eating provided very little nutritional value and sustenance - not when they hadn't eaten a full meal in the almost two days before they came across the egg. Blooming's stomach growled loudly and Sap's rumbled in protest. Neither complained, but it would be untruthful to say neither thought of leaving the egg unguarded to search for something to fill their bellies.

Blooming had even almost said as much as the sun began to dip below the trees, light filtering through the gaps in the leaves and branches. A beam danced upon the egg and Sap and Blooming watched in amazement as something moved inside the egg. All thoughts of hunger disappeared and they settled back in, hoping that its mother returned soon.

Night came quickly - it hadn't occurred to either doe to keep watch in shifts and so they both fought sleep and exhaustion to watch over the egg - after all, most predators came in the night. Blooming could have sworn she saw something move in the shadows and she held her breath, listening for the rustling of leaves or the snapping of twigs. No sounds came - which was alarming in itself - what had silenced the night?

"We should move in further for better cover," she whispered to Sap who merely nodded and gently nudged the leaf with the edge further back into the bushes, both does shuffling in to offer protection and cover to the egg.

No more than a few minutes passed when both does began shuffling awkwardly, grunting and wincing as they tried to relieve the sudden intense itching both felt. Had daylight been shining upon them - or perhaps even at night, had she not been tired - Blooming would have instantly recognised the itching ivy that tangled among the berries right at the back of the bush. Rain began to pour which provided some cooling relief on the burning itch that consumed them.

"Let's find somewhere else to keep the egg," Sap cried over the sound of rain, falling heavy. Blooming took the leaf's stem gently in her mouth and began to pull it out of the bushes. She'd made some distance when the rain came down like a waterfall on their heads. Water had begun to stream through the area, creating little streams. Blooming lost hold of the stem and watched in horror as the little egg began to roll down a hill, aided by the current of the rain's rivers. She scrambled, hooves sticking in the mud as she bounded after the egg and covered it with her body, protecting it from rolling as well as the elements.

The rain began to slow and Sap joined Blooming at the bottom of the hill, both does laying close, creating a barrier around the egg. Exhaustion took them finally, and they slept long into the next day..