[ABeardedDragon]

Ticket
Ilaria x Maximillian Helian

Active Nest: 28th December - 4th January
Writing: Yes
Art: Yes

Top right:
-Fur
-Eyes
-Paws/nails
-Snout
-Short legs

Bottom left:
-Fur
-Eyes
-Translucent mane

Bottom right:
-Fur
-Eyes
-Paws/nails
-Teeth

[PuddlebyOnTheMarsh]

Awwww! Adorable babies, I can't decide which one I like best. Thank you so much for doing this!
We definitely need to do art and writing. No telling what surprises may yet be in store.

[PuddlebyOnTheMarsh]

Writing:

Quoth Rondell:

Cold winter wind played around the eves of their cozy little hut, whistling eerily and making Iliria shiver despite the large fire in the hearth. She was worried - it had already been quite a while since her clutch had arrived, and there had been no movement among the eggs. Max said it was fine. He told her that everything was normal - it had been just like this when a friend of his had had children! Sometimes... it just took a while. Yet she couldn't help herself. The longer her nest remained still, the more anxious the usually bubbly GG became. Iliria stifled a yawn and nuzzled deeper into her mate's warm fur to make herself feel better. Max was sound asleep, and she really didn't want to bother him with her worries. Yet she couldn't seem to drift off herself. It was hard to, what with her mind whirring around at a hundred miles an hour!

On one level it was funny. Usually Max was the one worrying over everything, and she was the one being reassuring! But this time... it was the other time around. Ha ha, yes? She knew good and well that some eggs in every nest were bound not to hatch. After all, she herself was one of three children, though the nest they'd come from had been twice as full. It was a decoy for predators! But what if something had gone wrong and all her eggs were duds? Had they not been kept warm enough, in this horrible weather...? On sudden impulse Ilaria carefully disentangled herself from her mate and twisted around to peer at a smaller, carefully constructed nest that lay within arm's reach of the one she and Max were snuggled into. It was then simple enough to stretch out a hand and check that the leathery shell of the nearest egg was still warm. Which it was. Somewhat reassured, she allowed herself a small smile and burred her snout once more in Max's fur. He didn't have to be awake. Just his warm presence, there beside her in the nest, was enough to anchor her in this moment, and, despite all her worries, Iliria felt herself beginning to relax. She knew he was probably right. Everything would be OK... probably. By the turn of the new year, they'd be parents, and she'd be able to spoil her little ones with all sorts of homemade sweets, just like the ones she'd grown up with... Max mumbled in his sleep and Ilaria found her smile growing wider despite her jitters. As long as she kept her mate out of the kitchen, anyway.

---

The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her gently and telling her in no uncertain terms to get up quickly. But before she even had a chance to identify the voice, the shaking stopped and whomever had been doing it went away. She could hear their footsteps clearly on the wooden floor as they went off into the other room. Without opening her eyes, Iliria yawned and stuck out a hand to feel blindly around for Max. She fully intended to ride this dream out by ignoring it. But when her questing hand found nothing but cold blankets on her mate's side of the nest, this became more difficult. What was going on? Max hardly ever woke up before she did! How long had she been asleep..? Iliria's eyes snapped open.

The pale light of dawn was beginning to peek in through the shuttered window, and as her vision adjusted to the partial gloom, she realized with a start that it was the only light in the room - the fire had died down to embers at some point during the night. Her thoughts instantly went to the eggs. How could she have let the fire go out?! It had been her night to tend it! Of all the stupid things to do!!

Iliria suddenly found herself awake, alert, and on her feet, rushing toward the hearth to rekindle the blaze. So much was happening at once! And where on earth was Max?! In her excitement small bursts of electricity began to crackle through her fur, jumping from her hand to the poker she was using to stir the ashes in the grate, and then to the iron of the grate itself. Her eggs hadn't even hatched yet, and already she was a bad mother! If they hadn't been warm enough before, they certainly weren't now - the death of the fire had lent a subtle but definite chill to the air, which she hadn't felt herself thanks to her own thick pelt and a layer of blankets. There was no knowing how long it had been like this, either! Darn it all! As Iliria fought to control the panic rising in her chest, she threw a few branches from the nearby wood-box onto the kindling fire, sending up a cloud of sparks and a puff of smoke. Seconds later, the flames lept a little higher.

"That's good enough for the time being, sweetheart; come over here and help me now."

"Max!" Iliria whirled around, the sparks in her fur intensifying. "Where have you been?!" The statement was half accusation, half question. But when she saw her mate carefully wrapped around their eggs, a big grin on his snout, some of her anger and frustration melted away. "What..."

"Shh!" Max raised a hand and made a flapping motion in the air between them. "I woke up a couple of hours ago to find the fire dying down, and rather than bother you to relight it, I decided to move over here. You haven't been sleeping much lately."

"You should've woken me anyway! The eggs..."

"Are hatching, dear - they're hatching! The noises started just before I shook you." Max's voice wobbled with excitement as he nodded at the small bundle on the floor next to his tail. "I was in the other room getting a couple more blankets and some snacks. I figured we could use them."

Iliria was struck momentarily dumb. Hatching? NOW? But... but... it hadn't been nearly long enough, had it? They weren't ready! It seemed like only yesterday that...

"Sweetheart? Look..." Max was now whispering, his eyes riveted on an egg near the edge of the nest which was beginning to wobble slightly.

As she tiptoed nearer, utterly fascinated and unwilling to spoil the moment by saying something stupid, the shell began to bulge outward and split under the onslaught of the tiny creature within. Then, just as it seemed the baby was going to break out of its egg, at that critical moment of no return... it retreated into the depths and the leathery shell fell back into place. Now huddled up next to her mate, Iliria silently cheered the little thing on. It took one more false start and a rest period of several minutes, during which she fought the urge to break open the shell herself. Then the first of their hatchlings entered the world.

She scooped it up immediately, marveling at its tiny form and grinning from ear to ear as it stretched and wrggled in her arms. "They looks just like you..."

"And you. Look at that fluff! The little monster's going to be a nightmare to groom!" Her mate offered her one of the blankets he'd brought from the storage closet.

Iliria threw Max a mock scowl, then took the blanket and gently began to towel off their baby. "Doubly so, seeing as they inherited your dratted half-invisible mane! Have you any idea how hard it is to clean your fur off the floor when I can't see it? Now there'll be twice as much!" Then the baby squeaked, and both she and Max found themselves overcome with laughter.

It wasn't much longer before the second baby arrived - it hatched in a very similar manner to the first, only it took twice as long to slither out of the shell. It also tried to make a break for the hearth before Iliria could catch it. Thus, Max ended up being the one to scoop it into his arms. "This one has your hard head." She couldn't resist teasing him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Grinning widely, he wrapped a towel around the second baby and tickled it under the chin, causing it to let out a happy squeak and grab onto his finger with both tiny hands.

As her mate melted, Iliria giggled happily and nuzzled his shoulder. "I bet you don't...!"

By now the fire she'd rekindled was burning brightly in the grate, and as none of the other eggs were showing signs of movement, the happy couple let them be for the moment in favor of returning to their own nest to snuggle with their children. For the longest time, they didn't speak. They were simply happy to BE. Then, hesitatingly, Max broke the silence.

"Ili? Do you think any more will hatch out...?"

Iliria smiled and wrapped herself more tightly around her family. "Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I'll be happy."

"Me too, Ili." Max snuggled his face deeply into her wooly fur, and wrapped his tail around hers. "Me too."

[PuddlebyOnTheMarsh]

Art:

Combined effort Puddleby & Rondell

[Rondell]

Thank you very much, ABeardedDragon! You did a great job with the kids, especially considering that both Max and Ilaria are more or less one solid colour... hope that didn't drive you too far up the wall!

Puddles and I are presently discussing who gets which babies, and will let you know fates soon! In the meantime, may we have an edit list for future reference? I can't tell if anyone inherited Ilaria's mutated hind paws, or if any are short like their daddy! ;D

[ABeardedDragon]

Think I got everything down! Thank you, I'm glad you like your kids; I loved your art and writing. <3
I think I should add edit lists to everyone else's oops.

[Cutieduckpie]

Good job ABeardedDragon, anf Congrats to the owners ! Your art is absolutly adorable Puddle ^3^ <3

[PuddlebyOnTheMarsh]

Thank you so much ABeardedDragon, they are just gorgeous!! Thank you both for liking the art/writing. I somehow neglected to note that the art is a collaboration with Rondell. I posted it because she didn't have a computer at the time to do the edits & cut/paste etc. It was a sketch on an envelope to start with. I'd have noted it above but I was in a rush at the time. *goes off to edit*

The story is PURE Rondell. Again, in a rush to be sure I didn't forget to post it and forgot the quote. Thanks to her for everything.

[Rondell]

Thank you so much ABeardedDragon, they are just gorgeous!! Thank you both for liking the art/writing. I somehow neglected to note that the art is a collaboration with Rondell. I posted it because she didn't have a computer at the time to do the edits & cut/paste etc. It was a sketch on an envelope to start with. I'd have noted it above but I was in a rush at the time.

To be exact, Puddles did the initial rough sketch (so that wonderful pose is all them! <3), then I took over to line it, fix proportions, add detail, exc. THEN we scanned it into the computer. At which point Puddles did a bunch of clean-up work and added effects. We bounced it back and forth a couple of times for the coloring. Thank you very much for the compliments, guys! We appreciate it! And don't worry, Puddles - it's really not that big a deal. ^o^

Now on to the FATES!! *dramatic music*

I'm taking the bottom left beauty home with me; She's a she with the wind element, and her name is Benedetta! The top right sheep-kid is mine too. Tentatively. He's a he that goes by the name of Elmo and possesses the element of Psychic. Both kids have the joint surname of 'Spini Helian'.

Puddles is taking the almighty corgifish (ALL HAIL!) - He's a he named Duckworth, and His element shall be wind. She's also taking the bottom right 'siamese' baby, whose name is undecided at the moment, but Puddles does know that she's a she with the electric element. Again, both kids have the joint surname of 'Spini Helian'!

May we be added, please? <3

EDIT: Puddles just reminded me that Ilaria has gills hidden under all her fluff... How I managed to forget THAT I'll never know! Would any of the kids have gotten those...? Or no? So sorry to be a continuing pest! ^o^;

[ABeardedDragon]

Both added! The gills would be part of the fin set I believe, so the last kid has gills. c: