CHAPTER NINE

It has been a while since Yara and the dragon settled into the cavern, and it has been a struggle to say the least. Unable to leave the cavern since Frostweave was still in full swing and the smugglers' threat remained, Yara spent most of the short daylight sharing her essence with the eggs, pouring warmth and care into them or exploring the cavern passages. 

There were certain spots in the cavern the dragon didn't allow her to stay or go close to. These places looked like someone human had arranged them. 

'Strange.'

Sometimes, she saw footprints leading out of the cavern, human footprints. Naturally, she thought of the human who had helped her while she was sick, but the dragon evaded her whenever she asked. This usually led to a series of one-sided arguments Yara was starting to believe the dragon enjoyed taking her through. 

"Are you a masochist?" she asked one evening, eyes twinkling with amusement. She was bored and needed something to do. It was snowing again, so she couldn't go out. She wondered if the dragon had heard the word before or knew its meaning. 

"Do you like being yelled at? Huh, big guy?" she didn't get a response. 

"I know you can hear me. Come down here so we can talk!" She wrapped her coat around her form, breath misting in the cold air. 

The dragon, perched nearby, snorted. A puff of warm breath escaping its nostrils. It shifted its weight slightly, its large eyes fixed on Yara with an air of disinterest.

Yara continued, her arms crossed. "I swear, dealing with you is like talking to a stone wall sometimes. Is it so hard to understand simple requests?"

"Most people get it, you know."

It tilted its head, fixing a piercing gaze on her as if silently challenging her to continue.

"Are you secretly like two years old or something? Always so cranky and grumpy."

The dragon responded with a low growl, its tail flicking lazily across the gem-covered ground, sweeping her off her feet.

She grunted as she fell to the ground, "see what I'm saying?!" she yelled, pointing at it.

In the midst of their argument, the dragon's sharp ears picked up on a subtle sound—the faintest rattle coming from the eggs. Its eyes widened in surprise, a momentary break in its stoic demeanour.

It raised its head, staring at the nest intensely. 

Yara, sensing a shift, paused in her rant. "What's got into you now?" she asked, noticing the dragon's distracted expression.

The dragon's gaze flickered from the eggs to Yara and back. Yara followed its line of sight. The eggs were stirring to her amazement, a gentle rocking motion indicating life within. A mixture of awe and realisation dawned on Yara's face. "Are they... moving?"

The dragon gave her an exasperated look that annoyingly translated to 'duh.'

"Hey, don't look at me that way," it was a bit unnerving sometimes how it could make uncannily human expressions. She rushed over to the eggs, eyes wide as she watched them. 

The eggs shifted in the nest, bumping against each other. Some rolling around, hinting at which babies might be a handful. Yara's heart raced as she watched the light bounce off their intricately designed shells.

"Hey babies," she cooed, "did we wake you up?" the eggs seemed to lean towards her as though listening. 

'gods above!' she thought, hands trembling slightly. 

The dragon snorted at her antics somewhere behind her.

"I'm so sorry," she rubbed one of the closer eggs gently, then smirked. "It's all his fault for being a big baby!" she said, dodging the slow swipe of the dragon's tail as it roared lightly in what sounded like indignation.

"Be careful! What if you hit them!" she huffed, looking back at it. 

It came down from its perch and walked up to the nest. It nudged one of the eggs with its snout, and they responded with subtle tremors.

It let out a deep rumble, blowing low heat against them. Yara watched as they seemed to glow brightly before settling back into their tranquil state. The cavern dimmed, seemingly going silent. Not even the wind howling outside seemed to disturb the peace. 

"Hey," she whispered, "What was that all about?" Her eyes were still on the eggs; the dragon ignored her, nudging the eggs that had rolled away from the group back to the centre.

"Will they be hatching soon?" she asked, tapping the dragon's rough scales. It shook its head, blinking at her hand on its flank.

"I've never witnessed dragon eggs hatching before. This is... incredible." she breathed. 

The dragon regarded her with a hint of amusement. 

Yara couldn't contain her excitement. She circled the nest, marvelling at the uniqueness of each egg. Now more at ease, the dragon allowed her to inspect the eggs closely.

She turned her attention back to the dragon, a playful glint in her eyes. "You're going to be a parent," she teased, gently nudging its side. The dragon responded with a dignified snort, a mixture of pride and acknowledgement.

"A big baby like you," she added, running away before it could swipe at her. Her laugh bounced off the cavern walls. 

With a sudden surge of realisation, Yara paused and looked up at the dragon. "What are we going to do once they hatch?" she asked, frowning. It would be hard to move around with eggs, much less newly hatched and fragile baby dragons. 

"They can't hatch now," Yara muttered, a knot of worry twisted in her stomach. "Not with those smugglers lurking around. What if they find us? " she began to spiral, pacing around the treasures. 

The dragon, sensing Yara's unease, turned its gaze towards her. Its usually unreadable eyes softened for a moment. It bent down, and "What if they—" She grunted as she felt something hot and rough rub against her face. "Eww!" she glared at the dragon sitting there as though it didn't just lick her face. 

"You know I can't wash these clothes! Why you-" she paused, looking at its features as it shifted awkwardly on the spot. 'did it?'

"Are you trying to cheer me up?" she asked, eyes wide in mock shock. 

It growled and turned its head to the side. Yara laughed, knowing when the dragon was feeling embarrassed. It extended its wings over the eggs, creating a shield of protection.

"Hey, hey! It is ok," she laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right! There's nothing to worry about." she said, walking over to it. 

"We'll deal with whoever it is that dares try, right?" she asked, standing in front of the dragon. It kept its eyes closed, but she knew it was listening.

Yara took a deep breath. She reached out and gently touched the dragon's scaled snout. 

"We'll keep them safe," she whispered, closing her eyes. The dragon responded with a soft exhale, a warmth that radiated comfort. 

Together, in the quiet chamber, they stood watch over the eggs, the trickling of the warm brook echoing in the cavern. 

___________

Yara woke to the cavern shaking from the dragon's roars. She jumped to her feet, confused. Confusion gripped her senses as she fumbled through the furs for her dagger, the initial haze of sleep making it difficult to pinpoint the disturbance's source. 'What was going on?' she scrambled for her dagger under the furs. 

The cavern shook violently, dislodging gems and causing small avalanches of treasure. In the dim light, the cavern seemed to convulse, and Yara's mind, still caught in the fog of sleep, conjured images of smugglers launching a surprise attack. Panic surged through her as she stumbled towards the cavern entrance, her dagger clutched tightly in her hand.

Yara struggled to maintain her balance, casting frantic glances toward the nesting chamber. 

The eggs were safe in their nest. The dragon stood at the cavern entrance, wings spread, tail high. It blocked something from entering. Yara slowly walked towards the eggs and stood in front of them, though there probably wasn't really much she could do if whatever was outside managed to get past the dragon. 

Her eyes widened as she got to the nest. From this angle, she could see the entrance clearly. Another dragon, slightly larger than her amber-scaled dragon, fought fiercely by the cave entrance. Its scales shimmered with a mesmerising blend of silver and turquoise that seemed to shift under the moonlight. The very ground quivered beneath the might of their clash.

The blue dragon barreled past the dragon, the ground trembling at its speed. It stopped when it noticed her standing in front of the eggs. It tilted its head, staring at her. The intruder made a series of noises, and the amber dragon responded cooly. Confusion painted Yara's features as the two dragons communicated. What was going on? Weren't they just fighting? 

It walked closer, and Yara watched her dragon walk up behind it.

"Hey!?! What exactly is going on here?" she called out to the dragon. The blue dragon paused, surprise flickering in its eyes. It made a noise and turned back to her. It lowered its head, sniffing at her with curiosity. Yara, caught between fear and fascination, held her breath as the creature inspected her. The only other conscious dragon that had been this close to her kind of needed her alive, so she was very nervous. 

Speaking of which, she turned to the amber dragon, screaming questions with her eyes. The big guy just ignored her, staring at the blue intruder intently. 

Said intruder suddenly opened its maw, razor-sharp teeth glinting in the caven flames. Yara's eyes widened in shock. Before she could react, the amber dragon swiftly wrapped its tail around her waist, pulling her protectively beside him. A low growl rumbled from the amber dragon—a warning.

Dazed from the sudden motion, Yara stumbled on her feet, disoriented. Her dragon growled louder at the intruder, who huffed dismissively and turned back to the eggs. 

"Stop! What are you doing?" she shouted, worried about what it would do to the eggs. "Hey, stop him!" she turned towards the amber dragon, "What are you waiting for?" she asked. 

The new dragon ignored her, its attention fixed solely on the glowing eggs. It lowered its head and sniffed at the eggs with surprising gentleness. Yara stopped struggling and stared at the intruder. 

"What the hell is going on?" she asked again, watching the eggs start to glow and shake as it nudged them. The intruder got a little excited and bumped into one of the eggs a little too hard. 

The amber dragon finally had enough, pushing the intruder away from the nest. The blue dragon, now seemingly less focused on the eggs, turned its attention to the amber dragon, emitting a series of noises. 

Yara, no longer sensing immediate danger, observed the scene in front of her in confusion and slight amusement. The amber dragon let out a series of clicks and growls, its tail swishing in the air as if scolding the blue dragon. In response, the blue intruder huffed and snorted, its eyes narrowing in a display of mock innocence. She couldn't help but chuckle at the almost human-like interaction.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you were acting responsible," she teased the amber dragon, who turned to glare at her. 

"The blue dragon also peered over its shoulders, clearly surprised she was speaking to a dragon in such a manner. As the two dragons moved back towards the entrance, Yara decided to occupy herself by adjusting the eggs and trying to clear her sleeping space.

The initial fight has scattered precious rocks and treasures all over her cot and the surrounding areas.

As Yara glanced between the dragons, she noticed the blue intruder's persistent attempts to approach her. It would take a step too close, and the amber dragon would block its path with a protective sweep of its tail or a wing. They continued their strange conversation in the corner, occasionally casting glances in Yara's direction. 

Undeterred by the amber dragon's attempts to block its path, the blue dragon persisted in its curiosity about Yara. With a sudden burst of speed, it darted towards her, its massive form looming closer. Before Yara could react, the amber dragon intervened once again, positioning itself between her and the approaching blue dragon.

Yara fell to the ground and yelled as she felt wings smother her. "Hey! Get this off of me; it's too heavy." She struggled until it came off. She sat up, chest heaving, as she glared at the two of them. Her clothes were rumpled, and her hair was a frizzy mess.

The amber dragon stared at her, offended that she didn't want its protection, while the blue dragon pushed past it, sniffing at her hair. 

Yara, now feeling a mix of amusement and mild irritation, addressed the blue dragon with a stern voice as she pushed its snout away, "Hey, big guy number 2, you're scaring me a bit with all this close-up inspection. Give me some space."

The blue dragon paused, its eyes widening in what seemed like a surprise. It turned to the amber dragon as though asking if it could see what was happening. 

The amber dragon snorted, clearly used to her behaviour. It let out a low rumble that had the blue dragon looking back at her. It lowered its head slightly, and Yaara blinked, 'Was it apologising?'

"It's fine," she said, gently patting its snout. The amber dragon huffed, its eyes conveying a mix of exasperation and amusement.

"You could learn something from him." She turned to the amber dragon, not seeing the smug look the blue dragon sent over her head. The amber dragon simply growled at both of them and stomped off. Yara shook her head, amused. 

"Always quick to throw a tantrum," she smiled, watching the blue dragon bound off after it. They reminded her of siblings, with the amber dragon as the older brother and the blue as the spoilt younger child. 

With a final exchange of rumbling sounds and nods, the dragons seemed to come to an understanding. The blue dragon, its curiosity momentarily satisfied, sent a lingering gaze in Yara's direction and soared into the night sky.

"That was fun," Yara said, watching it disappear into the night sky. The amber dragon's mood seemed to change, and it stalked over to the nest, curling around the eggs. Yara watched it for a while, confused at the sudden change of demeanour. 

"Hey, what did he tell you?" she asked, walking over to it. All she got was a low growl. "Come on, I was just joking. You're great too," she said, throwing a gemstone its way. Its jaws snatched it mid-air and crunched it. Yara had found out the dragon liked to eat certain stones, so she resorted to bribing it sometimes. 

A deep rumble came from the dragon, its eyes locking onto Yara's. She could see it was worried about something. The eggs? 

"You know I can't understand you when you're pouting," Yara said, crossing her arms and raising an expectant eyebrow. 

It closed its eyes and curled tighter around the eggs. Definitely something about the eggs then. 

"So, I'm going to have to figure out what you mean, huh?" she muttered, half to herself.

 Yara crouched beside the nest, her fingers brushing against the smooth surface of one of the eggs. It radiated warmth, and she could feel the baby actually move underneath the shell. They were getting closer to hatching. 

"Alright, alright, keep your secrets. Just don't go causing any more earthquakes in my sleep, okay?" she said, patting the amber dragon on the snout. Still curled protectively around the eggs, it emitted a low rumble in response. Yara felt the vibrations travel through the ground beneath her. 

 Yara rose to her feet. "If it comes back, you two go and... I don't know, have a dragon conversation or something. I'll keep watch over the eggs."

She took a deep breath as she sat on her cot; only now did she realise her hands were shaking. Another dragon, she laughed softly, hysteria creeping into her voice. 'I met another dragon and didn't get eaten. That's two for two now, ' she thought, lying back on the furs. 

She didn't think she would be getting involved in this much madness over a simple trip to the north. 

She scrubbed her hands on her face and sighed, turning to her side. The flames flickered in the cavern, illuminating the scales and scars on the dragon's large back. 

Their world just opened up to something more crazy.