🪹 The Nest

Vixon and his small band of adventurers continued on down the corridor on the left. Though outwardly, he appeared calm, Vixon could feel his heart pounding in his chest. It seemed to match the pulsing of the egg in his knapsack. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, they came across the next split in the tunnel.

With bated breath, Vixon examined the walls... and found the △ mark that he left many weeks ago!

"We're on the right path," he exclaimed. The egg in his bag seemed to grow warmer with his words. The group murmured with excitement and everyone seemed to find the energy to pick up their pace. They pressed onward and passed another dozen splits in the labyrinth, and with each step, the egg seemed to grow more and more active.

Just as Vixon decided to remove the glowing egg from his bag, the band of adventurers stepped into an open cavern. The air here was different and felt charged with an indescribable energy -- one that Vixon remembered fearing the first time he experienced it. This time, the charged air made him confident. The nest was here. 

Vixon led the group directly to the nest -- every step he took was filled with purpose and conviction. He knew that returning the egg to the nest was the right thing to do. They spotted the nest and immediately the egg flashed with a scorching heat -- so hot that Vixon almost dropped it. Everyone gathered around the nest in quiet awe and watched as Vixon placed it back into the nest.

Immediately the egg ceased pulsing and flared so bright that the adventurers were forced to cover their eyes. With a thunderous crack, the light ceased. When they all looked back at the nest, they found...

Vixon and his little group stared at the baby dragon in awed silence, each in disbelief that they were looking at the first living dragon in centuries. The dragon chirruped at them happily and flopped out of the remains of the shell, looking for its balance and trying to get on its feet. 

The group gave the little one some space -- it was clear that it could already breathe fire but could not control it. As they all watched it curiously, Vixon looked around. The energy that had crackled in the cave had become subdued. It was still there, but it had become a low hum that was reminiscent of his first experience in the cave so many weeks ago. Yet... he could feel something pulling him to the back of the cave. Vixon followed his intuition and disappeared around a corner...

... where he found two more eggs! They seemed dormant, and did not pulse like the egg they had just hatched. Vixon brought them back to the nest, pushed aside the broken remnants of the hatched egg, and placed another into the nest.

To everyone's disappointment, nothing happened.

"The magic in this cave must recharge. We will return when these eggs tell us that it is time." The adventurers nodded in agreement. Vixon carefully gathered the hatchling in his arms and they reluctantly filed out of the cave, one by one.

As they made their way out of the labyrinth, Vixon noticed something curious. The hatchling seemed to mature with every step! By the time they reached the area where they split off with the other group, the hatchling was twice its original size! The group marveled at the magical growth of the little one, and by the time they set eyes on the Sun again, the dragon was a baby no more.