Hatching Storm

Writers: Aaron, Halyonix
Date Posted: 15th October 2026

Characters: K'don, Tindral
Description: Tindral's firelizard egg hatches
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 5 of Turn 13

K'don

Tindral stared at the precious little ovoid cupped in her hands. One of the last spawns of the valiant little queen firelizard, who had died defending her nest. Tindral had never expected to have a firelizard egg of her own. Even as she had left the beach that day, she didn’t really fathom that one of them was now hers since the group had divided them up.

What was she going to do with it?

Mdorith had snaked her head over her rider’s shoulder to look at the tiny egg. Every few hours, Tindral was back at its little hearth, checking the sand, or touching it. }: It is very small, :{ the dragon said, endeared by its tiny size.

Tindral nodded. Tiny just like her. Well, not just like her since she had changed over the last few months, thanks to weyrling training, but she was still small. Like this egg. And alone, except for Mdorith. Maybe that’s why Tindral kept touching it. Not just because it was now hers but because she related to that feeling of being alone in a big world. “We’ll…w-we’ll take care of you,” she promised the mottled shell.

It rocked. Ever so slightly.

Both dragon and rider widened their eyes. }: Did it…hear you? :{ Mdorith asked. Her head lifted, swiveling in another direction to listen in on something. }: The others are hatching! :{ she reported. }: Oh, this is exciting, Tindral love! :{

It was exciting. And terrifying. She watched the egg wobble again. Remembered that there was something she needed to do. “F-Food,” she said. “M-meat! We need meat!”

}: Right! We do! To the pens, :{ Mdorith said. Cradling the wobbling egg in the crook of her arm, Tindral rode her dragon down to the feeding pens. She swiped a few chunks from one of the assistants cutting up meat and then returned back to her weyr, settling back into her previous position within the semicircle curve of Mdorith’s body. }: Maybe it will be a green! Or a bronze? What color do you want it to be? :{

“Um…” Tindral hadn’t really hoped for any color in particular. She just wanted it to hatch!

A crack appeared in the shell, followed by another crack nearby. A claw, slimy and grey, hooked the craggy opening and tried to widen it. }: Grey? Dragons aren’t grey, :{ Mdorith noted in confusion.

More cracks appeared, more grey-tinged claws scrabbled to find purchase, until finally, with one exasperated squeak, the whole egg split and a tiny, grey-blue firelizard tumbled out. He lifted his head, blinked his oversized faceted eyes, and then looked squarely at Tindral. He squeaked imperiously as he unfurled his wings. “H-Here,” Tindral said as she offered him a meaty morsel. He wolfed it down.

As her rider fed the tiny creature, Mdorith inched her head closer. }: It’s almost more grey than blue. Is it…sick? :{

“I-I-I…don’t think so?” He was wolfing down food like any healthy animal. Could a firelizard be born sick? Herdbeasts could but Tindral didn’t know if the same sort of diseases affected dragonkind. “M-Maybe…m-maybe we take him t-to the Infirmary?” Had his egg gotten too cold before they had rescued the clutch? Was he damaged? Was he dying but just not yet?

The thought of losing the tiny creature so soon after it had hatched was unbearable! Tindral fed him the entire bowl of food in the desperate hope of keeping it alive. It made a satisfied squeak, burped, and then curled up against her arm, watching her with sleepy eyes. “D-Don’t go to sleep,” she begged it, thinking that if it slept, that would be the end. She jostled it. He squeaked irritably back, blinking. “To…t-to the Infirmary,” she told Mdorith as she rose, repeating the same actions as she done earlier, nestling the tiny creature in the crook of her arm as Mdorith flew her down.

“H-Hello?” she called as she walked into the space. She jostled the baby firelizard some more. “D-Don’t go to sleep,” she told it.

K'don turned to regard the newcomer and nodded to her as he carried a crate of fresh bandages to be stored away.

"Ho there!" he said. "Just give me one second to set this down." He hurried to the nearby storeroom to drop off the crate and then back to the entrance. He would put them away properly in a moment.

"What seems to be the trouble?" he asked. "Oh! My, that is a tiny firelizard. Hm." He was unusually grayish in his hue-- hardly ever a good sign. "He's freshly hatched?"

Tindral nodded emphatically as she offered the squawking firelizard for him to look closer at. "I-I...I rescued h-him from...from...th-there was a t-tunnel snake, and...and it h-hurt his mother and...we-we found the nest and..."

"Hey, everything is going to be all right." K'don smiled. "You did good saving him. Have you fed him?" He hardly needed the thing imprinting onto _him_ instead of her.

She nodded rapidly again. "H-He ate the whole b-bowl." As if confirming her statement, the firelizard burped again, blinking sleepy eyes.

Hm. An appetite that big was usually a sign of good health. K'don gently stroked the little lizard's head and then carefully turned the pets into an examination, feeling for any signs of gastric problems. He stayed wary and ready to yank his hand away if he found something that hurt. He did not need to be chomped, either.

But none of that happened. In fact, at one point, the firelizard rolled on his back and began letting out a happy little trilling sound, thoroughly thrilled to be the center of attention in that moment. "Is...is...h-he okay?" Tindral asked.

"As far as I can tell, apart from his muted color, he's the picture of health." K'don stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Keep an eye on him, and if he starts acting mopey or stops eating, bring him back in, but I think that's just what he looks like. Or, if you want to wait, I can ask for a journeyman to take a look at him to be sure-- but really, he seems just fine."

}: Maybe he's right, Tindral love. Dragons come in all sorts colors, right? Firelizards too? Maybe he's just...a grey-blue blue. Like a storm. :{

That...made a sort of sense. As the little firelizard tried to curl up for a nap again, Tindral let it. "S-Storm," she said quietly. "Like...like the d-day we f-found them. It w-was storming." She looked at K'don as if for confirmation but then added, "I-I think I will call him Storm. If...If...y-you think he's okay?"

"I think he is!" K'don smiled. "And Storm is a wonderful name for him."

Tindral looked back down at him. She ran one finger carefully down his back. He looked so adorable with his tail curling around her arm like that. "Th-Thank you," she said quietly, maybe to him, maybe to K'don, maybe to the mother queen that had given her life defending her eggs.

"You're very welcome! Is there anything else I can help you with?" K'don answered, cheerful, but quiet. He did not want to wake the little guy again.

She shook her head. "Th-Thank you," she said again, definitely to K'don this time. Stroking her new little charge, she left, quietly walking towards Mdorith. Her own little firelizard. Storm. Storm was a good name. Fitting. Her, Mdorith, and Storm. All together in the Weyr. In the world.

Storm let out a soft, happy sound and kept on sleeping.

Last updated on the October 27th 2026

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Hatching Storm