Hot off the presses! This picture was just completed a few minutes ago, and the story earlier today. As always, the art is Fortuna's and the story is mine.

"Hueroc!"

The red dragon's head snapped up instantly, peering back into his mate's cave; Ellora's voice sounded much more urgent than he was used to hearing--

"Hueroc, it's starting!"

The eggs. He was on his feet at once, and he loped into the egg-chamber, where his mate sat on her haunches by the nest, watching their three eggs within... And the eggs were stirring. He could hear quiet little taps from within, but none of them were rocking or squeaking yet--he still had a little time. "I will hunt for them."

"Be quick," she nosed at his snout, purring softly. "I woke up from a nap to hear them tapping... It won't be long now."

He spread his wings and stood proudly before her, purring back and giving her a firm nuzzle. "I will be back, with their first meal, before they've hatched."

"I know you will," she called after him, as he turned, left the cave, spread his wings and leapt into the sky.

The day was cool, and windy, trying to push him to the southeast as soon as he was in the air. But the best hunting was to the north, and he tacked into the wind, scanning the ground and covering as much ground as he could, as quickly as he could... The hatchlings would need food almost as soon as they were out of the shell, and he had to provide that for them. Had to find prey, catch that prey, and get back to the cave before they hatched.

The fields and clearings he preferred to hunt from, though, seemed empty. He could smell prey, faintly--deer?--but couldn't quite find any, and he growled in frustration as the food his offspring would need eluded him, staying just out of sight and hearing as he circled above the broad valley. A couple of streams were also empty, and the river... but not the lake. Two doe were by the shore, out in the open! He wheeled in their direction, quieting down, making sure he didn't let his shadow pass near them as he approached... and then he folded his wings and dove.

The prey never saw him coming, and he snatched each of them in his forepaws as he flew past, wings flaring once they were in his grasp to set down and dispatch them before either could recover and squirm free... They screamed and tried to escape, but shakes and wrenches of his paws snapped their necks--clean kills, so the blood would still be within for his hatchlings when they took their first meal. He let out a roar of success, so Ellora might hear, then gathered the two dead doe against his chest and took off again, winging his way home.

Ellora had barely moved when he returned to her, and she purred loudly when she saw him, then looked back at the nest: none had hatched yet. "A fine hunt, my mate... Set them down nearby, and let's watch the eggs hatch together."

"Of course," he tilted his head, and put the carcasses down not far from the nest, then went and sat by his mate's side, leaning against her and looking down at their eggs just in time to hear a muffled squeak. The dark blue and red eggs had begun to gently rock, and while the orange egg could be heard faintly tapping away as well it wasn't quite as far along as the other two. "I love you so much..." he murmured, nuzzling her as their eggs kept tapping away in the nest below.

"And I you," she replied softly. The two of them had discussed names, of course, and they had three male and three female prepared, depending on what came out of the eggs. Another squeak came from below and he refocused his attention there--the blue and red eggs were both rocking more energetically now, and Ellora let out a low squeal of joy when a crack appeared in the side of the blue, the red getting a couple cracks of its own right after.

"I think they're racing to be the first to hatch," he chuckled, and she gave his hindquarters a playful swat with her tail. The high piping squeaks were louder now, and the third egg had joined in, peeping softly as spiderwebs of cracks raced across the red and blue shells. Then abruptly the blue egg came apart, the two halves pushed in opposite directions as the hatchling within uncurled itself and kicked its way free: dark blue, with a cream underside and facial stripe, and after a moment it peeped and opened bright green eyes.

"Why hello there..." Ellora cooed, and the tiny hatchling sat up amidst the remains of its egg and looked up at its parents, eyes wide, stubby tail and wings settling, its soft hide gleaming and sticky from the fluids and inner membrane of the egg. It squeaked in response, and then the red egg opened as well, not coming cleanly apart so much as shattering from the efforts of the babe within. This one was red all over like its father, save for a blaze of yellow-orange that ran down its snout and orange wing-tips, and it blinked and shook itself free of its egg, squeaking and looking at its sibling with eyes of that same orange.

"Hello, little ones," Hueroc said, beaming down at them, and the red hatchling looked up and up and up at him, then peeped excitedly and began to clamber across the nest, away from its eggshell--just as the third hatchling kicked a dainty little hind paw through its own shell. The last egg came apart more slowly, more quietly, the hatchling within kicking several holes in the egg before finally it came apart, revealing a light-orange hatchling with some darker markings on its neck and body, along with white stocking-markings, and more white patches between its eyes, on the trailing edges of its wings, its underbelly, and the tip of its tail. It wiggled and squealed a little as it fought its way free of that clinging shell, then looked around with amber eyes, and shook out an orange head-fin like its mother's.

"Mmmmm..." Ellora purred, and curled up around the nest, reaching for the blue hatchling who'd come out first with her snout and licking it clean with long, gentle strokes of her tongue, making it squeak happily as it began to slowly walk around, exploring its nest and examining the remnants of eggshell curiously. "This one's a boy... His name will be Taran."

"Taran," Hueroc smiled, tailtip wagging excitedly. "They all look so precious..."

"Don't they?" She finished cleaning him and moved on to the next dragon, the red one who was already trying to climb out of the nest. "This one's female, and so adventurous? What will her name be?" she asked him between licks of the hatchling's soft scales.

He purred, loudly, and lowered his head to look more closely at the little girl. "Loria. Her name is Loria."

She finished with Loria, then gently lifted her--making her squeal for a moment and kick clumsily at the air--before setting her back in the center of the nest, near Taran, though she immediately began to walk in her father's direction again. "Now come here, little one..." Ellora murmured to the last hatchling, the orange. "Another boy..." She said, and considered while she cleaned him of the fluid and bits of eggshell that clung to his sides. "This is Neth."

Hueroc grinned. "Neth, Taran, and Loria. Our hatchlings," he said, and they all looked up at him--already seeming to recognize their names! Then Taran peeped loudly, opening his mouth and flashing tiny hatchling teeth. "Shall we feed them?"

"Yes, my sweet."

He pulled over the prey he'd killed, then cut the first open and began to carefully claw the meat within into bite-size morsels for the little ones, feeding Loria first, then giving pieces to his mate to feed to the other ones... Then it was her turn to feed their daughter, and he fed their sons, and they alternated until the hatchlings were full, then fed themselves on the leftovers of the deer, cleaned each other, and cleaned their offspring. Their little bellies bulged from the meal they'd been fed, and even Loria, who'd been so adventurous, was squeaking between tiny hatchling yawns. She and Taran explored their nest a little more--as Hueroc fished out what was left of their eggs and put the scraps with what remained of the prey--and Neth curled up near the edge, close to his mother's warmth.

"They're beautiful," Ellora whispered, stroking his back gently with her nose; his siblings were now tiring as well, and lay down to sleep against Neth's sides, to share their warmth. Taran let out one last quiet peep, and Ellora smiled and nuzzled him, then he and Loria went right to sleep.

"Yes... Our hatchlings are so beautiful," he said, and they looked at each other, then exchanged a nuzzle: they were parents now, parents with three hatchlings to raise. "I love you so much," he said quietly, so he wouldn't disturb their young, leaning against her as he laid himself down and putting his head next to hers to look at the little ones, watching their sides gently rise and fall with breath.

"I love you too... And our little ones."

"They're going to be a paw-full..." he chuckled.

"They wouldn't be hatchlings if they weren't."

"I know... And now we get to raise them."

"Yes," she nuzzled him, then put her head on the edge of the nest; he purred loudly and gave her cheek a gentle lick, then laid his head next to hers and spread a wing protectively over the nest... over his mate and hatchlings.

The five dragons went to sleep together.