Chapter 4: Discussions

What to do about Umbris and the Egg?

It was a long walk back in the mud, but Emmet walked diligently beside Granite and the strange dragon, the royal egg kept warm and safe in his coat against his own chest. 

Once in the barn, Granite helped the Shadow Dragon to a large stall in the back before taking over watching the egg while Emmet performed first aid to the dragon. His left wing was scorched from lightning, and on removing the crushed saddle, it looked like his left shoulder was broken along with a knife wound in the right paw. Sleeping would be very uncomfortable for him that was for sure. 

“Whats your name?” Emmet asked, tending to wounded leg first. 

The shadow dragon looked at him with those violet eyes. the gleam in the pupil showing that the dragon had night vision. “Umbris..” He answered.

“Well, Umbris..” Emmet said as he started working on a splint for his shoulder. “What are your plans with the egg?”

Granite looked up from his resting spot, the royal egg nestled in the straw at his side while his tail made a protective barrier around it. 

“I’ll be taking it back to Shiveryn,” Umbris answered. “And pray Queen Allure has mercy on me.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Granite asked. “As the royal egg has been stolen, isn’t it likely that the borders would be closing? It's more likely that you would be slain on sight just for having this egg.”

“What if we got the authorities?” Emmet asked. 

“No!” Umbris said. “The Slayers have been working at getting their people into law enforcement. Going to the authorities would not ensure the eggs death, but yours as well.”

Emmet swallowed and quieted as he applied the splint. “This may hurt..” He said before quickly tightening it, the bone slipping into place with a painful pop and making Umbris snarl in pain.

“And what if the egg hatches?” Granite asked. “Before you get it back to the High Queen? You do know how to care for a young one right?”

Umbris looked at Granite before looking down. He didn’t… he had been raised by his Holder, Hollow, not by his mother as dragonets should. He was sure his childhood was not one he would pass to another young one.

Granite gave a nod. “As suspected…” He said, looking at the egg. The queen's smell was still on it… but Granite could smell the Slayers and Umbris on it as well as he thought. They had no females on the farm… He was only alpha because he was the eldest there, and having been the dragon to the human alpha, Emmet's father. He gave a long huff before looking at Umbris as Emmet finished wrapping the gash and started gently rubbing a herb salve of Aloe and Warm Mint to the burns.

“Well, you’re clearly not going anywhere for a long time.” Granite said. “At least until that leg can steadily bear weight. Until then you’re welcome to stay and rest… but I think Emmet's mother shouldn’t know about your presence just yet.”

Emmet looked up at Granite. “How come?”

Granite looked at the young man. “How well do you think she’ll take knowing that a dragon formally part of the Slayers had escaped their ranks with a royals egg and is now hiding in her barns with said egg?”

“She would..” Emmet said, reasoning coming to him. “Call the authorities at once..”

“Exactly.” Granite said. “So, Umbris is to stay here in the barn and keep a low profile.”

“What about the young royal?” Umbris asked. “The barn is too exposed. And I don’t smell any females to keep it warm enough. If the young one hatches, they could have complications..”

“What if I took the egg inside?” Emmet asked. “I have a heater in my room, and plenty of blankets to keep it warm.”

“And if it hatches?” Granite asked. 

“Then I’ll sneak the royal out here,” Emmet said. “You and Umbris can watch over him.”

“And what's if your mother has a cleaning spree?” Granite asked. 

Emmet gave a grin. “Granite, I’m very good at hiding things from Mom if I don’t want her to find it.”

“Alright…” Granite said. “What about Esther?”

Emmet bit his lip and folded his arms as he looked down. What about Esther?… Was it possible she could be trusted with a secret like this?

“Esther?” Umbris asked. 

“She’s my little sister,” Emmet said. “And I get the feeling if I try to hide it from her, Nym would find out and tell her anyway. It may be best if she knows about the egg. And Umbris.”

Granite gave a sigh. “Alright… just please be careful..” He said, slowly standing and moving his tail away from the egg, letting Emmet carry it.

“I did carry it here from the clearing,” Emmet said, gently scooping the egg up and slipping it back in his coat. 

“That's not what I mean.” Granite said. “Emmet, that egg could hold the very future of dragons and humans alike. Its absence could draw a line of distrust between dragons and humans. It could cause a war… You are literally holding the future of the world in your arms…”

Emmet was silent. He hadn’t thought about the gravity of this situation. The High Queen would be outraged that her egg was stolen. And since her mate had passed away, she couldn’t lay more. He looked at the egg, suddenly wondering if he could uphold this responsibility. He looked at the hard shell, the ivory speckled with deep red… and he thought for a moment he could feel the heat coming from the center. he had heard that dragon eggs gave off small amounts of heat to show they were still alive, but feeling it for himself was amazing. Granites words slowly sank in… he was holding the fate of the world. He looked at Granite, only nodding in understanding. 

“Alright.” Granite said. “The Egg is in your care. We’re counting on you.” 

“Thank you, Granite…” Emmet said. 

“Emmet!” 

Emmet and Granite looked up at hearing the woman’s voice. It was Margret. Emmet went pale… he didn’t feed the livestock! And he still had that tart to make for Esther! Not to mention help with dinner!

“A moment ma!!” He called before looking around at all the unfinished chores he had left.

Granite obviously saw this and stepped aside for Emmet. “You head inside.” He said. “I’ll get everyone fed. I might even pick up that lamb you still owe me.”

Emmet finally smiled. “Have at it. And go ahead and pick a cow for yourself and Umbris.”

“Won’t say no to that.” Granite said before watching Emmet head inside with the egg secure and safe in his coat.

Sneaking the egg inside was more tedious than Emmet first thought. He slipped inside through the back door as quietly as he could. He had to get the egg upstairs to his room before his mother or Esther saw him. He slipped his muddy shoes off before going the back way towards the stairs. He made it half way up before his mother called him.

“Emmet! Chores took you a while this time, everything okay?” She asked. 

“Yeah!” Emmet answered. Oh, how he hated lying, especially to his mother… “I’m just a muddy mess! The rain soaked almost everything out there. So I’m gonna get clean up real quick before helping with dinner!” 

“Okay,” Margret said, but she already heard his steps hurrying further up the stairs. 

Once in his room, Emmet carefully set the egg on his hammock and quickly changed. Once in clean clothes, and his dirty ones successfully in the hamper, he looked at the Egg before looking around the room. He needed a safe place to hide it… So his mom wouldn’t find it and neither would anyone else looking for it… He bit his lip as he went to his closet. It was directly over the kitchen where the oven was and always seemed to trap more heat… perfect!

He pulled out his extra blankets and started making a make-shift nest in the warmth of the closet, then carefully added the egg. It sure looked comfortable… though the colors made it stand out in the shadow of the tiny room, Emmet felt it would serve its purpose. He slid the door closed before going back downstairs. 

The first face he saw was Esther's. Nym was also looking at him, but his sister didn’t need the dragons Psychic abilities to tell him that she knew something was majorly different.

He looked at her for a moment, hoping that Nym had picked up that he would tell them later what had happened. And that keeping it secret was of the utmost importance.

* * *

After dinner, and after the wonderful tart, Emmet seemed to relax a bit about what had happened. The family relaxed for a while Emmet and Esther worked on homework, Emmet enjoying some music from his iPhone and headphones, almost trying to drown out the worry about the egg upstairs. 

Esther glanced around the kitchen for a moment before lightly poking Emmet’s arm, actually making him jump before he took his headphones off.

“What was out there?” She whispered. “You looked spooked earlier. I’m surprised mom didn’t ask..”

“I’ll show you later.,” Emmet whispered back. “But you have to swear to secrecy…”

Esther started nodding, but Emmet stopped her. “I mean it, Rebel. This is deadly serious. It has Granite uneasy, and you know how steady he is.”

Esther looked at Emmet, the seriousness in his eyes showing the gravity of the situation. She slowly gave a nod. “I promise.” She said. 

“Pinky Swear…” Emmet said, holding out a pinkie for her. 

Esther nodded and looped her own pinky around his. “I pinkie swear. No backing out.” 

“Good..” Emmet said, lightly squeezing her pinky with his as if a friendly embrace and felt her pinky do the same. “I’ll show you after Mom goes to sleep.” 

Esther nodded and slowly went back to her homework, Nym laying on the table with her fluffy tail draped over the girl's forearm. Emmet relaxed a bit, at least now he had some time to think of how to tell his sister about his new charge.

* * *

Tap… tap-tap-tap…

Emmet sighed as he sat at his desk with his laptop on with his side lamp on, casting a warm, if limited, glow in the room.

“Okay…” he muttered to himself. “Care of dragon Eggs…” He said as he typed out what he searched. He sighed and bounced a foot as he anxiously waited for the search to load. After a moment the search came up with a few offers, the most likely at the top. The care and hatching of abandoned dragon eggs.

Emmet pouted his lower lip and looked at the egg in his closet. “Nothing on kidnapped eggs..” he told it. “But I’d say abandoned is our best bet.” With that, he clicked on the page.

The page opened to a website decorated with a sketched fire dragon hatching out of an egg with his eyes closed and clearly demanding to be fed. Emmet chuckled at it a moment before reading the article bellow it.

Care of Dragon Eggs

Dragon Eggs are much like Snake Eggs, but they start out hard like a bird's egg before getting soft in the last two weeks of gestation. In these last 2 weeks, humidity is just as important as heat. 

The egg must be kept at 75 degrees Fahrenheit and kept in a soft place. Dark places are preferred, but not entirely needed. 

It takes Eggs 60-90 days to hatch. And the hatchling will have a sharp egg tooth at the end of their snout to aid in hatching.

Once hatched, the hatchling is like a newborn puppy as their wings are shriveled like a butterflies wings. For the next 10 days, the hatchling is very delicate, and in need of careful care. The best food for them until his teeth start coming in is cows milk. When the teeth have come in you can start transferring the hatchling tot he meat of their region; be it Cow or Deer or Fish.

When the hatchling opens their eyes, they will imprint on the first person they see. Seeing as it’s natural that the dragons mother would be present most often for this event, and it strengthens their bond. 

Good luck.

Emmet read over the information once, then twice. Then he bookmarked the page. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the egg. It was laying in folded and rolled blankets. The heat from the warm kitchen downstairs keeping the closet warm and cozy. But he didn’t know if it was 75 degrees in there… Then he looked at the article again… the shell would get soft when it was getting ready to hatch… no, in the last 2 weeks.

He walked over to the egg, hesitantly touching the surface. Sure it had a slight pebbly surface to it… but it also felt like velvet… The shell was soft… still firm, but he could feel a slight give under his hand. 

Then the most amazing feeling happened… the shell pressed against his hand. He felt himself jump but didn’t dare take his hand away. He smiled and gently rubbed his thumb over the shell’s surface, remembering a similar feeling when Esther was still in his mother's womb. They were watching a movie with his dad when she jumped and told them the baby was moving. Both Emmet and his father carefully put their hands on his mother's stomach, and Emmet smiled when he felt his baby sister kick. It felt magical.

Knock Knock

Emmet jumped when he heard the knock and sat up, relaxing when he saw Esther let herself in. The hall behind her was dark, and the house was silent besides the droning rain outside. 

“Emmet?..” Esther asked as Nym crawled off her shoulder and towards the closet as Esther entered and closed the door.  “What has you so nervous?”

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you earlier,” Emmet said, scooching back to let his sister see their new treasure. 

Esther gasped when she saw the egg, and slowly knelt. “Th… that's a…”

“An egg..” Emmet finished. “Queen Allures…”

“How…. how did…” Esther stammered. “What about the dragon Nym sensed?..”

“He brought it here against his will,” Emmet said. “He’s a Shadow Dragon that was recruited by the Slayers… well, forced to join.” He said before starting the entire tale of how the egg came to be in his closet and his research. “I still have a lot to look up. And the shell is already starting to soften.. the hatchling will be hatching long before Umbris is well enough to fly and get him back to the High Queen.”

“What about school?” Esther asked. “The baby will need someone to make sure it doesn’t escape and get discovered.”

“I’ll think of something..” Emmet said. “As for tomorrow, I think I’ll play a sick card to stay home. I was out in the rain, and I have enough work to do tonight to help with the act in the morning. That should be enough to set up something better for the hatchling. As for getting away, the article said that Hatchlings are helpless as puppies. Their wings are shriveled and they can’t move very much.”

“And when Umbris is healthy?…” Esther asked. “Will he take the baby back home?”

Emmet gave a hesitate nod. “He looked beaten up…The wound in his paw was made by a knife. So it’s possible that he did turn against his Holder.”

“And if he’s not?” Esther asked, looking up at Emmet.

Emmet was quiet for a long time. He didn’t have an answer for that… until he looked at Nym. “There's one test I can think of for him…” 

Esther followed his gaze and bit her lip. “And if he hurts her?”

“Then Granite will give him what for,” Emmet said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Hey… wanna see something?” 

Esther looked at him and nodded. Emmet pulled her hand towards the egg. He felt her resist at first, but soon they both had their hands on the egg. He felt the hatchling inside move again, but he was watching Esther’s face. Her eyes widened and she smiled in wonder.

Emmet smiled back, looking at the egg for a moment longer. “Esther,” he said after a moment. “I may be playing sick tomorrow, you can’t.”

“What?!..” Esther whisper shouted. “Oh come on!…”

“I mean it,” Emmet said. “It’ll look suspicious if we both stay home… Think you can get some books from the library on eggs for me?”

Esther thought about that. She didn’t want to go to school and leave this treasure behind… but she nodded. “Yeah, I can.”

“Thanks,” Emmet said. “And now you know why we can’t tell anyone?”

“Of course,” Esther said. “Mums the word.”

Emmet smiled before standing up. “Okay then. Off to bed.” 

Esther rolled her eyes but hesitantly stood, collecting Nym in her arms. “Alright… Goodnight Emmet.”

“Night Esther,” Emmet answered, watching her leave before closing the closet door, getting his laptop and getting into his hammock. he had a long night ahead of him…

Author's Note

XD This story is just flowing right along! It's still open for critiques!