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What do you mean eggs!?
*I really don't think they'll be warm enough there, Kip,* Ira said, eyeing the black's "nest", if it could be called that. *Don't you think it's rather close to the mouth of the cave?*
Kip eyed the pile of eggs proudly. *My babies,* he purred at them.
Ira face-tailed. *OUR babies, Kipfel.*
Kip laid down on top of one. *I said that.*
*Right. Now, I think they'd be happier eggies if they'd go back towards the heat a liiiiittle mo--*
Kip bared his teeth. *No moving!* he snarled. *My eggies, my most preciousest.*
Ira blinked. *Well, then I'm going into town.*
*My Ira. Stays here.* Kip narrowed his eyes at the blue.
*Ahahaha. But you see, there's this little thing called the Bishen Realm, and they should kind of sort of know about our eggs.*
Kipfel seemed to consider this for a split second. *Nope.*
Ira sighed. *Well. You're not going to stop me, so... Have fun with the babies, Kip.*
Kip bared his teeth again. *My babies.* And as Ira flew off, Kip turned to Löwenherzchen. *No one's going to take my babies away from me. Not even our mothers.*
Löwen shuddered sympathetically at the thought of a tyrannical Clarinet and Gunnhild being rather insistant that Kip and Ira let their eggs be distributed by the Realm.
Kip considered this a moment. *Nah. They'll just try to talk to me.*
Löwen gave him a stern look.
*Okay, yeah. So Gunnhild might not try talking. She might try pummeling...*
Löwen nodded sympathetically.
Kip snorted and systematically nuzzled each of his precious little eggies in his precious little nest, which had an awful lot of shiny bits in it. Ira had asked if he was part magpie while he was building the nest. Kip told Ira to shut up if he wasn't going to help. Ira said he didn't know what he was building.
Kip scoffed, thinking of how surprised Ira had been seeing a bunch of eggs in the cave with them. Actually, Kip wasn't too sure he wanted to know the specifics, but they were there, and they were his.
*My precious widdle eggies,* he purred to them. *Daddy Kippy's not gonna let anything bad happen to you,* he purred. *No bad nasty homes like your daddies had. No selfish people to bond to. Just happy times being dragons. Because we love you and want what's best for you. Yes yes yes.*
He was glad Ira hadn't been around to hear that. He would have said it was very undignified for a black to say. Kip would have told him to stuff it.
*Shh... Shh... Sh... My little babies. My pretty little precious babies. What little darlings you're going to be. Strong and wise and beautiful, just like your daddies. Yesss...*
And Kip continued purring soothingly at the eggs. Eventually, he fell asleep, a very content smile on his face.
***
There was a rapping at the window, which was the sensible place to rap, being that the door to the Tower was snowed in. Tor opened the heavy shutters. "What?" he asked as his eyes adjusted to the bright daylight. "Oh! Ira!" he said cheerily.
*Don't you 'Oh! Ira!' me, Salvatore,* Ira said crisply. *I have a problem.*
Tor blinked.
*Yes, I'm so glad the Seer knows all whenever I need him to,* Ira drawled sarcastically. *Aren't you going to even ask?*
"Okay," Tor said casually, leaning against the wall inside his room. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"
*I don't have time for tea, Tor!* Ira hissed.
"Good." Tor reached out and grabbed Ira between his knife-like backspines and pulled the dragon inside the window, closing it behind him. He set a kettle on a small stove inside the room which was burning wood. Tor added a log to the fire. "What's the problem, I'?"
Ira narrowed his eyes and perched on a stool, his wings closed behind him. *Eggs,* Ira said coldly.
"Would you like some?" Tor asked. "I don't have any, but I'm sure Xyl--"
*Idiot. Kip and I have.... clutched.*
Tor almost dropped the teacup he was setting out. "What?" he asked.
*You heard me.*
"Like. As in... Eggs?"
*I do believe that's what I said.*
"Congratulations!" Tor exclaimed and hugged Ira, which led to big scratches on his arms. "err..." he added as he pulled away.
*You never learn.* Ira rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. Well. That'll heal," Tor said, his eyes darting furtively for something to absorb any blood that might decide it wanted to start welling up in earnest.
*It's just a scratch, Tor. Don't be overdramatic,* Ira chided.
"You didn't kill any critters with those and not wash afterwards, did you?" Tor asked carefully.
Ira rolled his eyes. *No, Tor. Now I have a problem.*
"There's no problem with eggs, I'."
*Uh. There is when your mate is a little black dragon with big claws of angry belligerance.*
"Oh, so he knows about the eggs, too?"
Ira looked in vain for a book to throw at him. *Where do you think they came from?!*
"Well, see, there's this biiiig white bird called the stork..."
*No, Tor. Now we have to get those eggs to the Bishen Realm to diversify the Machesri clan further. It is of vital importance!*
"And you want me to....Do what?"
*Help me, you nitwit!*
"No need to call names, I'. Your tea's ready. Have some, and then we'll go out and get Gunnhild and Clarinet."
Ira sighed and Tor poured him some tea. It was going to be a long day, and somehow he was the only one upset about it.
***
*Moooom!* Ira called as he and Tor headed towards the farmhouse Astrid and Gunnhild shared with the rest of their friends from Midgard.
Gunnhild peeked her good eye out of the door and came flying out to meet her son. *Ira!* she said breathlessly. *You came to visit! How nice of you!* She looked down and saw Tor there. *Oh, and you brought your layabout bondmate. How doubly nice of you.*
"Hello to you, too, Gunnhild. Egil! Astrid! Hi!" Tor ran ahead to the house.
*So?* Gunnhild pried.
*So?* Ira repeated sheepishly.
*You didn't come for no reason at all,* she said knowingly.
*No. I didn't.*
*Finally get rid of that little black?* She looked positively delighted.
*Uh. No. See. You know how when Clarinet had grandkids, you got all jealous and stuff?*
Gunnhild gasped. *How did you get news before I did? Oh! Narain and Mjollnir! How wonderful!!*
*Uh. No, Mom.*
*Then... what... oh dear.* She seemed a bit more than crestfallen, like she was going to faint.
Actually, she did faint. Ira poked her a few times to make sure she didn't have a stroke or anything like that. Dad probably wouldn't take too kindly to that happening. But she wasn't dead, just fainted. Thank goodness. So Ira tried to slip away inside the house, and he was just about scott-free when he heard the most angry sound he'd ever known a dragon to make.
*IRAAAAA!* Gunnhild bellowed. Ira turned mid-flap. Her one good eye was narrowed and the bottom of her jaw was jutted out belligerantly. *Do you mean to tell me,* she whispered, *that you ingrates had a clutch before my other children?*
Ira felt himself shrinking. *Uh... That is to say... Umm...* Where was Löwenherzchen when you needed him?
*Well?!*
Ira let out a very sheepish *Yes,* while feeling himself flattening up against the door.
*And you didn't bring any to see me?!*
*Uh....*
*Well?!*
Ira swallowed hard and put up his tail to set a boundery between him and his mother, especially since his backspines were kind of stuck in the door. *You see, Mom... Kip's kind of...*
*Kind of what?* Her tone was venomous.
*Kind of hording the eggs.*
*The very nerve of him!* she huffed, turning about-face and fluttering out into the open air. *I deserve to see my grandchildren!*
*You tell him that, Mom. He's not being reasonable.*
Gunnhild wheeled in the air. *Very well. We'll make him be reasonable! Come along, Ira!*
Ira didn't budge.
*Well?*
*I'm stuck in the door, Mom.*
Gunnhild pried Ira free. They picked up Clarinet, explained the situation, and the two arboreals set off to find Kip and the eggs. Meanwhile, Clarinet agreed to stay back and tell the other bishen bondmates, just in case anyone wanted to go visit the Realm for an hour or so.
***
*They're my babies!* Kipfel hissed as Gunnhild came in and demanded he let her look at them.
*And they're my grandchildren!* she snarled at him, her back spines standing completely errect.
*You can't have them! I won't let you! They're my babies!*
Ira face-tailed for the second time today. *Kip, will you just listen to how ridiculous you sound?*
*You don't get them, either, you!* Kip growled at his mate. *Because you brought her here!*
Löwen rolled its eyes next to Ira and shook its furry green head. Sometimes, dragons were just dumb. Go ahead, Gunnhild. Just portalify the whole lot of us over to the Realm.
Gunnhild narrowed her eyes as Clarinet slithered in with Annabel, Tren, Sandrylene, and a bunch of blankets. *I think I will,* she said to nothing anyone had said out loud. There was a crack of thunder, and suddenly, they were in the Bishen Realm.
*What did you do that for?!* Kipfel demanded. *My babies will freeze to death!* He curled up on as many of the eggs as he could.
Ira rolled his eyes. *I'll see who's in the cabin,* he volunteered and flew off.
Clarinet and the others were trying to calm Gunnhild down. When that was mostly accomplished, Tren and Annabel spread the blankets over the eggs.
*My poor cold little babies,* Kip muttered, looking at them.
*They'll be fine,* Gunnhild said. *I was a winter hatchling myself.*
Kipfel growled at her and hissed when Ira came back, leading Indy and Pierre.
"Hello to you, too, Kipfel," Indy said.
*Not taking my babies!* Kip growled.
*Kipfel, it's really for the best,* Pierre tried to start lecturing, but Kip wouldn't hear it.
*Mine mine mine mine mine!*
*He's been like this all day,* Ira sighed to his mate's father.
"Kipfel, what are you going to do with that many eggs?" Indyana asked, giving him her sternest look.
Kip refused to make eyecontact. *Raise them right. My babies! They deserve the best! Better than the best! They deserve... Good homes! Sometimes exciting, but not always exciting, with people who care about them first!*
*Right,* Ira said. *Like we have time to do that.*
*Give them the eggs, Kipfel,* a wisened voice said.
"Leukosri," Indyana said with a polite nod.
*You people make too much noise sometimes,* he said with a kind chuckle. He turned to Kip. *It's for the best.*
*But... My... pretty ones...* Kip whimpered, looking up at the Kailan.
"You can keep one of them, Kip, if you want," Sandry said consolingly. "Can't he?" she asked, looking at the Kailan.
*Of course. It's what your mother did to ensure your fate,* the Kailan added kindly.
*Yes, well,* Kip muttered, staying on top of his eggs. *I just... gah... They shouldn't grow up not knowing who their parents are and that they're loved by people they don't even know! That's not fair!*
*It's what's best for the clan, Kipfel,* Pierre said levelly.
*Best for the clan,* Kip sighed.
*We'll see them at their shantel,* Ira said cheerfully.
*Years from now.*
*Well... yeah, but think how much time we'll have with our own kid? How many other parents who adopt their eggs out get to keep one and raise it all by themselves? Together?*
*Uh...* Clarinet was about to interrupt and say "most of them?", but Sandry shot her a glance that said "don't say a word! he's almost agreed!"
*I just...* Kipfel sighed and looked to the Kailan. *They'll go to the best homes, right?* he asked, obviously outnumbered and losing steam.
Leukosri nodded.
*But I can keep one, right?*
Everyone nodded.
Kip slid off the pile of eggs and pulled away the blankets from some of them. *No, no, no,* he sighed. *Where'd you go, little one?* he called softly.
Ira rolled his eyes. Kip couldn't just pick one and be done with it, could he? Oh no, not him. He had to have a special one. All picked out as his favourite already, and they haven't even hatched yet.
To tell the truth, Ira was a bit surprised with Kipfel rolled a female egg towards Annabel. *This is her. This is the one who loves me most.*
*You so did not say that,* Ira accused.
*Um... Maybe?*
"If you guys can all help out a little?" Indyana suggested as she grabbed an egg carefully. "The less time they have to listen to you all arguing, the better."
"Coming, Kip?" Tren asked as he grabbed the last of the eggs and started to follow the others to do the paperwork. "We'll kind of need you for this stuff."
Kip nodded and started nosing his little girl down the hill towards the cabin. And he got a distinct feeling that she rather enjoyed the trip, rolling along in the snow.
Kip guided her descent carefully. *My little pretty one,* he whispered to her. When he got to the bottom of the hill, he let Annabel take over carrying her. *We're going to need a very good name for her,* he told his own bondmate. *She's going to be special.*
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