“I think the answer to that is obvious,” Brooke laughed. “You were the ones who they felt safe enough to hatch around, after all. It makes sense they’d see you as their parents.”
Trent looked up, eyes wide. “Theirparents?”
“Makes sense, Trent,” Hector observed evenly. “After all, Ruby is my daughter – doesn’t matter what she hatched out of. She’s mine and Myrtle’s – and we love her just as much as we would any other children we might have. She chose us – just like these little guys have chosen you.”
Trent blinked.But… but…
But isn’t that exactly what you were thinking anyway?
It was true – he and Zina had risked everything for these eggs – and the creatures who were inside them. Even before they’d hatched, he’d known he’d do anything for them, no matter what. And Zina had felt the same way. Looking over at her now, he could see the same thoughts running across her face: there was a hint of fear, sure. But mostly, there was love.
“I don’t know if I’m cut out for raising two baby dragons and a basilisk,” she murmured, as Dusty and Goldie chirruped and fluttered and play fought with each other. “But I guess… well, I guess no one’s everreallyprepared for raising children…”
“And don’t forget, you’ll have all of us here to help you as well,” Callan pointed out. “Ruby spends a ton of time over at our place when Hector and Myrtle need a bit of a break. And Rhys is always around there, playing the doting uncle. I think he kind of enjoys it, not that he’d admit to it.”
“Hey,obviouslyI’d admit to it,” Rhys shot back hotly. “I love that little girl – she’s my niece! I’d do anything for her.”
“Do you think the other egg might hatch eventually?” Zina asked after a moment or two, during which she presumably soaked in the wonder of being a new parent – and to triplets, at that, Trent thought. It was strange how quickly he’d come to consider Goldie, Dusty and Quicksilver as siblings, especially since Quicksilver wasn’t even the same species as the dragons, but, somehow, it just seemed to fit.
“I don’t know,” Brooke said. “I examined it pretty closely, but I couldn’t see any signs of it being about to hatch, and it’s impossible to tell what might come out of it when it does. I guess we can just keep an eye on it, take as much care as we can of it here, and hope that one day it might feel ready.”
Trent nodded. “I guess so. I’m not sure why exactly Dusty hatched when he did, but afterwards, Goldie clearly felt safe enough to come out as well. And Quicksilver after that. But I guess this one just needs a little more time.”
“Meeeh!”
Trent’s head shot up as he heard the tell-tale call of an alicorn from out in the hall – and, sure enough, a moment later, Hector’s daughter Ruby came fluttering around the corner in a flurry of silvery wings and golden tail and mane, her tiny alicorn horn flashing.
A moment after that and Hector’s mate Myrtle came dashing around the corner, clearly struggling to keep up.
“Ruby!” Myrtle gasped as she came into the room. “Sorry – she got away from me! When Brooke called me and told me the news about Ruby possibly having some new little playmates, I came straight here. But when we got out of the lift Ruby jumped right out of my arms and flew straight off – I couldn’t stop her!”
“Don’t worry, Myrtle,” Hector laughed. “She’s getting pretty big now, and she always knows what she wants. And doesn’t have any trouble making it clear.”
Hector was right – as Trent watched, Ruby landed on the table, even though she was getting a little big for that kind of thing now, and marched straight over to where Dusty and Goldie were playing.
“Meeeh? Meeeehhh?”
The three of them regarded each other for a long moment, necks outstretched, nostrils twitching as they tried to make out what they thought of each other – but evidently, whatever they thought, they approved.
“Cheep! Piirrrrup!”
Dusty was the first one to break, scampering up to Ruby and fluttering his wings as if to show them off and compare them to Ruby’s feathery ones. Goldie seemed just as keen to play too, scampering about to get a better look at Ruby’s shining tail, as Ruby swished it in her face, making Goldie sneeze.
“You wanna go meet your new little friend?” Trent asked Quicksilver, who was watching it all with its enormous silvery eyes. It looked up at him.
“Brrp? Brrrrip?”
“Of course it’s okay,” Trent said reassuringly. “I’m sure she’d love to meet you – how about you go introduce yourself and have a little play?”
Quicksilver blinked at him once or twice more, before cautiously slithering down from Trent’s shoulder and making its way across the table to where Dusty, Goldie and Ruby were cavorting.
It approached cautiously at first, but once Ruby noticed it standing there, so clearly longing to overcome its shyness and play, she came trotting over, tossing her head so her mane shone, the tiny horn on her forehead twinkling.
That was apparently all the encouragement that Quicksilver needed, and soon it was slithering around with the other three, dancing about as much as its six tiny legs would allow.
“Well – seems like they all get along well,” Myrtle said, laughing. “I’m so happy! Ruby has Delilah’s niece Rosie as a friend, but… well, Rosie’s not a shifter, and she has school. It’ll be so nice for Ruby to have someone who’s a bit more like her to play with, too.”
“Theydoseem to get along well,” Zina laughed, as Ruby fluttered her wings and rose up to the ceiling, showing off her ability to do loop-the-loops as Dusty, Goldie and Quicksilver watched in awe from below.
