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When I awoke the next morning, I felt the heat of several bodies next to mine, and opening my eyes, I saw Tom on one side of me with our twins between our snouts, and on the other Hayate's smaller (and cold from his turn at patrol!) form. As his head lay on my shoulder, I idly wondered for a brief moment just where this new inclination for us to sleep together in heaps had come from. Using my wing I lifted his head and gently nudged it onto his own back. Giving Tom a quick kiss I crept from the shelter uncoiling myself as my body snaked around everyone else until it was all outside.

Once in the open air I was finally able to give myself the good stretching that I wanted and reflected on the entire mountain of shit that I needed to address and hadn't been able to yet.

Let me see... Where is my daughter? What can I do to help the Holbrooks? Am I going to be tried for multiple homicides? Where is my daughter? What are we going to do about the promise we had made to help find the mother and child down near Boise? Will I finally be able to just talk with the Suzukis and stop ignoring them as one event after another happens? Where is my daughter? How do I continue to grapple with the fact that one of my futures is to watch my mate of five hundred years die before me leading to possibly crippling mental problems? Where is my daughter? How many people are going to shoot at us today? Why the fuck didn't I ask my future self about the millions of other things that I could have? Where is my fucking daughter?

"Ma'am" I started violently from my mental rollcall and turned my head to see Hayate sitting behind me and fidgeting with his tail tip.

Yes... The family that had come here seeking some kind of help from me and in return I had done what? Broken their spirit guide. Turning around until I faced him, I buried my nose into the ground in what, I supposed, was our innate expression of apology.

"I am sorry Hayate, I have been a terrible host for you and your family so far. I haven't even given you guys any pretzels."

He laughed. "You must have many pretzels to make even my tiniest sister Sora feel full."

"What can I help you with?"

He looked behind him and used his tail to lift the curtain to peek to see if either of his parents were awake. Seeing that they weren't he looked back at me and beckoned with his head to lead me away to the far end of my field. On our way we both bobbed to the cop and soldier walking by on an orbit of the perimeter. Hayate waited for them to move on before he spoke what was on his mind.

There is this girl

Jesus fucking Christ. He came to me about this? He, of course, noticed the smell of my disbelief and behind him his tail made a dismissive wave.

I apologize, but I think that you might have a mistaken idea of what I am about to ask you. I would like to ask you how you manage with your human children?

My head recoiled before I brought it around to scratch it against my shoulder in thought. You mean you want to know how I deal with the drastic differences between us?

Yes.

I narrowed my eyes slyly and looked more closely at him. You mean you want to know how I, a child of the egg, kiss my still human children? How Tom prefers to be kissed on his snout, his scales? Because you want to how to better kiss a human, and receive a better kiss in return do you not?

His head twisted away until all I could see was the corner of his eye as he looked at me equally slyly.

Perhaps I might.

I am not going to give you the feeling of my tongue upon your skin, and I certainly do not kiss my children in the way that you wish to know of. Just be gentle. Why I am even telling you this? If you have not figured out how strong you are by now, then I do not know how to help you. Look... I relaxed muscles in my lower jaw until it hung open and my tongue extended out to hang waving in the air. The air tasted crisp with morning frost and the brash tang of what I imagined was young buck in front of me.

Be gentle with this. I tensed my jaw muscles, and everything snapped into place once more. Be gentle with these. I lifted a paw and twisted it up into the air to clench my claws until one talon remained extended. And most importantly, be gentle with this. I tapped the talon against my armored breast right above my thundering heart before setting it down again. Do you understand? You came to me to ask a female that was not your mother. So, as a woma...female I am telling you my advice. She liked you before, right?

He bobbed.

Then she liked you for who you are. Not what you are. I shrugged. Pay her that fondness back and who knows? This young love may last. Just do not believe everything you have seen in whatever dumbass movie for teenagers last corrupted you. I turned away for a moment, but stopped, and shuffled my paws back until I faced him once more. Just remember that if your love for each other is actually true, which I do not believe for a second you fifteen-year-old hormonally knotted bungee cords, realize then what it means for you and her both.

Again, he bobbed his head.

Good. What is her name? I asked him as we began a slow walk back to the Shelter.

Chesa, and she shines like the celestial light that she is.

That... That brought me to a halt as I felt all the fins of my body spread in surprise and astonishment. My scales began to ripple from one end of me to another as I paused in thought, a light from one to guide another...

He looked back at me questioningly as his scales vented the smell of his confusion at my sudden stop. I sneezed his scent from my nose and continued on while regaining my composure. I didn't give him any explanation, instead forcing him to follow by walking past him.

It is a good name Hayate, may her light guide you to happiness. Just Remember my warning.

He headed over to the shelter and dunked his head into the water trough for a morning drink. I joined him shortly before heading to my house and pawing the three-panel sliding door open until I could fit my head in. Luckily, Alex was already awake and watching exactly what I wanted to see. The morning news. Operating my own home electronic equipment was normally quite the endeavor. It was very inconvenient to move my head until I could see the remote with one eye and dart my tongue at the individual buttons. Any other human that cared to use the remote never failed to bitch about the saliva coating it afterwards. My claws tapered to a skinny enough point to use the remote, but I couldn't fit my paw and my head into the house at the same time. So, the tongue was the tool of choice.

Another reason why it never failed to amuse me to watch the news was to see Nathan Hernandez on the screen next to his ill at ease co-anchor. She was behind the standard issue news cast desk as her eyes periodically made half aborted glances at her cohost; his head pointed snout first towards the camera and was dominating the right half of the screen with his entire body nowhere to be seen. Just his neck extending briefly behind his head and then off the side of the set. I always wondered just where exactly they were filming, and it was always funny to picture the image of his serpentine body lurking just off screen. Probably even curled completely around the stage. It was he that was currently rumbling the latest news with his jaws cracked open just enough for the sound to emerge, noticeably attempting to hide his teeth.

"Recent violence against children of the egg has now erupted in eighteen states..."

"...dragons" His cochair Debby Reynolds broke in with and glanced nervously at her co-anchor to see how her interruption was received. He however, as I expected, only continued to roll on with his news making no mention of her actions while also incorporating her correction. I noticed however, his rapid reaction however. Quick as lightning I had seen his right ear fin flare and collapse in what I knew to be a way of acknowledging what someone said. Normally it was a much showier display to so that the speaker would actually see it. But on live television it was probably wise not to seem any more alien than a head that was almost two meters tall already was.

Alex laughed, making my ear react the same way. "This has been going on for two months now. When do you think she'll get over this?" I shushed him by whacking him with my nearby ear causing him to holler in surprise. Which was the exact opposite of what I wanted him to do. What did he think it meant when I hit him with my ear?

"Right you are Debby just another name for what so many of us have become against our will. We go now to Washington D.C. where the director of the FBI is putting out a statement."

"...I repeat. If you are one of these children of the egg minimize your public profile. There have been large coordinated attacks using military style tactics in 18 states. We are still receiving information at this time, but we estimate that the death toll to be greater than 20,000 with upwards of 700 children of the egg confirmed dead. At the direction of President Lincoln, we have set up a national command center specifically to deal with the crisis of these armed groups indiscriminately killing their fellow United States citizens. Let me repeat, these children of the egg have, are, and will continue to be citizens of the United States of America. For your own safety,"

A small window appeared in the lower left-hand corner with a child of the egg within it that began to translate starting at 'For your own safety' while he paused to allow the translation.

_ "For your own safety, please avoid urban environments and large gatherings of people. For those that are watching this and know of others that are not, I ask you to relay this message and attempt to lead others to safe locations. These are to include, empty lots nearby police or emergency facilities. Military compounds, isolated areas far from human civilization, and areas inaccessible by motorized vehicle can be utilized as well. If you are human and have family or friend that are dragons, be aware that at this time we cannot guarantee your or their safety. These armed bands have been maliciously and without mercy targeting the families of those that have suffered so much already. I assure you that law enforcement is doing everything we can to find and arrest these groups at the earliest possible time."_

Stopping he waited for this long translation to play out as my ear fins perked up at the birdsong interpretation by the female speaking alongside him. This was interesting, why bother with Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, etc, etc... when we now had a universal language?

_ "This is priority one, and the largest single mission that this organization has ever conducted. There is no place, absolutely no place for these actions in our society. We will find you, and we will stop this madness."_

_ _ The conference ended abruptly with no questions asked and cut back to the newsroom where Debby was nervously eyeing Nathan's bristling scales.

_ _ "Any comments on that Nathan?"

_ _ His right eye swiveled to look at her before moving back to the camera as his scales settled. I had no doubt that he was expressing some kind of heavy emotion as off camera I heard several coughs and sneezes.

"I can tell you Debby, and our loyal viewers here at FOXABCNBCCBS, that my own family has been threatened several times in the past few days, and I fear for their safety. Just last night I had to fly... I had to move them away from their daily lives to a location where I felt that they could be safe. I beg the individuals and the groups that are committing these heinous crimes to rethink the actions they are taking against innocent lives that wish them no ill will in return. None of us, no matter the species desire any harm to others. Please, I beg you all to lay down your arms! Neither I nor any other child of the egg wish to inflict injury to others, but we can and will defend our families! Please, stop this! We are not monsters, we are husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends, and neighbors. Please just lay down your weapons and talk to us about what you fear. We can, and we must work together to protect both of our futures."

Debby became visibly shaken at his heartfelt plea for peace and had to collect herself before returning to address the camera once more with a paper-thin smile.

"A statement has been released from the White House announcing the suspension of The Posse Comitatus Act along with the following quote from the President. 'I will not allow American citizens to slaughter each other. By signing this order, I am conscribing myself to being judged a tyrant in our nation's history. I would sooner suffer the irreparable damage to my place in the history books that this action deserves than watch those that I swore an oath to protect turn the rivers of our great nation red with their own blood.'

The Secretary of Defense as well as the Pentagon have ignored all requests for comment thus far except for the following statement. 'If you witness acts of violence against children of the egg or the families thereof call this number immediately. 1-800-372-4667. Misuse of this phone line will be prosecuted as a misuse of emergency services.'"

Her attention shifted as something off camera cued her. Next to her, Nathan's enormous eyes began to scan rapidly back and forth before his eyes abruptly narrowed into slits and his head lifted to vanish from the camera's view. There was a yell and then a loud clatter as a klieg light and a microphone boom fell in front of the camera before a towering shadow fell across the screen and swiftly receded. She read the same lines that her partner had already digested and gasped. Turning, Debby shouted at him to wait for her before running off screen after him. A motor hummed, and daylight appeared on the set followed by the sound of a large door rattling open and leathery wings flapping away.

The view of the empty news set and the noise of several people running and yelling to each other was replaced by a cartoonish repair man staring at a broken TV with the words 'We Apologize for Our Technical Difficulties.' Alex switched channels on the TV.

"_The latest round of fighting has been confirmed just outside of Spokane in eastern Washington. Several resorts to the Northeast of the city where family members of several dozen dragons including Nathan Hernandez from our sister station are believed to be located are currently under siege. Law enforcement and privately hired security forces are currently in a gun battle with..." _

Alex turned the TV off. "Well..." He ran his hand through his hair. "...Fuck"

"What this?"

"Gun battle? What this?"

"I learn?"

"Must know!"

Alex jumped, and my eye moved until I could see the two Suzuki younglings peering in through a nearby window with their heavy breaths fogging the glass.

"Is scary?"

"Is loud?"

"Must stop?"

"Must learn!"

"Yes, Sora, Kazane, a gun battle is very loud and very, very scary. They must be stopped, or people and children of the egg will die." Alex tried to explain to them after opening the window for their snouts to enter the room.

"I sad!"

"No scary! Stop scary!"

"Do not want to know!"

"Now know, not want to know!"

I lifted my scales to give them some calming reassurance while Alex held their heads against him and rubbed them soothingly. Once they were calm again the older of the two, Kazane, spoke in complete sentences for once. Much to mine and Alex's astonishment. Wasn't she only just over a year old?

"We have left our home because we were scared. Now we feel safe. Safe, safe! Not scared! We do not want scared! Not me, not the ones who make me warm at night! No, no! Not big and bigger not like me, or bigger like me!" She bobbed her head and smelled pleased with herself for what was an unnaturally advanced speech for a toddler. For Alex and I however, we had to replay what she had said to decipher it. Huh, so she already knew the differences between the sexes and could differentiate between herself, her sister, and the rest of her family. A sense of self.

"Not want scary!" Sora piped up to add and gave a firm nod of finality herself.

"I am glad that you feel safe at my home little ones. As long as you are here you will never have to be afraid of gun battles." I hoped I could make that true for them.

"Good, good! Not like scary! You scary before! Not like you! Then you remove scary! Now like you! You strong! You safe!"

"Safe!"

Their heads both retracted and they disappeared beneath the window sill. I looked at Alex.

"For their future."

He put his hand on the end of my nose.

"For all of our futures."

I pulled myself outside to see that Azane and Sora where on their brother's back while he talked quietly with them.

Tom's nose was just now peeking out through the curtain along with Asuka's and Haruto's. As they woke up I briefed them on what had just happened on the news. Asuka and Haruto looked at each other but didn't seem terribly surprised.

"The warning signs were obvious. We were endangering the entirety of our families by remaining there. Asuka and I agreed that this would be best."

"Why didn't you just meet up with local children of the egg?"

They glanced at each other again, and Asuka responded. "There was a large gathering of dozens of children of the egg in a quarry North of the city. Many of us agreed to leave in separate directions due to a worrying series of pamphlets being distributed in the city. These publicly announced all of our addresses and family names and sought to recruit others to initiate violent acts against us. A few remained, including Nathan Hernandez, to seek peace. Now it seems that his faith in a peaceful solution has been betrayed. We apologize for bringing trouble with us, but we had heard of you on the news, and were encouraged by the fact that your home was under guard. Guided by Tomoko when our attempts to contact you in advance failed we hoped to find a welcome place to safeguard our children."

"And you will have it!" I looked at Tom and he looked behind himself and then back at me with a mystified air to his actions. "Why are you looking at me? Of course, they have our full support!"

"We can provide you payment of course for looking after us..." She stopped when I began to bristle angrily.

"We don't want your money!" I calmed myself as my scales lay flat once more. "But while you're here bunkering down with us there is something you can do to help, High School Science Teacher."

She grinned and sat back on her tail to bow her head. "I have been researching other topics to teach my young ones. Their appetite for knowledge is voracious. If George and Helen have no objection I would gladly teach all the children."

I was extremely pleased. We had at least a partial solution to the education of our children. Funny how these things work out isn't it? Fucking aliens.

George and Helen didn't even spare a moment to think it over before giving their own consent to having their daughter tutored. Angie herself was more than pleased to get additional opportunities to increase her friendship with the two younger females. I was happy to see that she was always keen to involve my twins to keep them from feeling left out from their antics both on the ground and in the air.

For once, most of the day was spent just talking. I went on a hunt. Asuka came with me and nibbled on a leg of the elk I brought down. Allie and Alex fucked in my bedroom while Sora and Azane watched through a window. George called Greta for me to let her know I would be there tomorrow morning. Helen spoke with Asuka about a teaching curriculum. I dozed, getting the peace I sorely needed. Tom and Haruto patrolled, and Hayate played with the younger children. Except for the patrolling and the constant military and police presence, this was what life should look like. I had just gotten done speaking with Athena and Carla to confirm their wellbeing when three black SUVs and a passenger van pulled into my driveway.

Jerry, and Laurence emerged followed by a dozen sheriff deputies armed with assault rifles. After nervously scanning the area, our large forms, and Sora inquisitively sniffing around them, one of them made a hand signal to the middle SUV and I recoiled when I recognized the Governor as he stepped out and approached us. What the hell is he doing here? Three reporter cameraman teams came from the van and began to set up for some kind of interview. Which pissed me off because I didn't recall anyone consulting me or Tom on the fucking matter.

"Hello." He looked back and forth between the five largest of us with a look of confusion. An aid ran forward to whisper in his ear and pointed at me and Tom.

"Oh. Good... Do I have the pleasure of speaking to Tom and Kim Schwarzkopf?"

We both nodded in the affirmative, and he looked at both of us again with confusion on his face. "So... Which one of you is Kim?" He turned and muttered to his aid. "How do you tell the women from the men?"

I stood up and responded, making Jerry slap a hand to his face and Tom give a short bark of laughter. "I am Kim. And if you can't tell by our feminine voices, you can tell the females from the males by standing under our hips and looking up. Go ahead, I don't mind." I turned to the side, twisted my body by lifting one leg, and pointed with my snout. "It won't be awkward at all, I promise!"

The flustered politician turned away rapidly with a flushed face and coughed several times into his hand. "You have been making quite the name for yourself lately Kim. And thank you, but I think I'll pass on you exposing yourself to give me a lesson in your biology..."

"But I'm always exposed, my skirts don't fit anymore!" I dropped my leg before lowering my head to shake it sadly. "You should have seen what my tail did to the last pair of my jeans. Shot right through my hips and next thing I knew, I no longer had an ass, nor my favorite pair of pants! And my bras... My bras! Do you know how hard it is to find a 756 no cup bra size? Why, the last time I went into Victoria's Secret the women in there were no help, no help at all. They just threw their biggest offerings over my head to cover my eyes and then set off the fire alarm escaping out the back. Such poor customer service. Not one offer to help me find a bikini that fit around my tail! Just think how many divorces there will be when this much raw animal sexual appeal goes uncovered!" I finished with a purr and caressed myself suggestively with my tail along my underside. He didn't look like he got the hint that the motion implied. But Tom did and he nudged my shoulder with a wink of his lidded eye. That was a night never to forget. The delightful agility of our tails was a gift from the gods. Too bad that fun has ended with the growth of our spikes.

"...Uh, right." The Governor tugged uncomfortably at his tie before continuing. "But I have been briefed by the DA over here as well as the Chief of Police. Is it correct that you allegedly killed nine people over two days?"

"Well... Yeah... One of them drew his gun..."

"Let me stop you right there Kim since the investigation is ongoing."

"Oh? Is it? I thought the grand jury was supposed to have rendered a verdict?"

Laurence stepped forward to answer. "It has, it has recommended no charges be filed against you. In both instances lethal intent towards you was clearly established and while your actions were...unprecedented...they were still proportionate to the threat that you faced. The fact that you are...um...pregnant... Is that what you call what you are? Pregnant?"

"I call it egg-o-genesis." I roared with laughter while beating the ground with a balled paw as I felt my little ones squirm within me.

"Whatever" He said after finding his footing once more. "Anyways the fact that you are pregnant played no small part in the courtroom deliberations. It also helped that the two survivors of the assault on the Holbrook home kept alternating between calling you a vile alien and a mindless dog. Since you are not human, the court technically can't try you anyway..."

"Oh... We have free reign? Good! I was running low on money! Let me tell you what..."

The Governor broke in to cut off my witty banter. My fins drooped in disappointment, I had so many zingers and hilarious anecdotes left to roll out!

"Enough. I don't have time for this. In the past three days I've had 700 people die in my state including two dozen of you children of the egg or dragons or whatever it is you are called at the moment. The reason why I am here is to attempt to find a solution to this problem. Tom, Kim. I have come here to ask you to allow your home to be the center of a... let's call it a safe haven."

"Or a zoo, right?" Tom said insightfully.

The Governor's aide glared molten fury at him but since Tom's head was almost eight meters in the air and weighed more than the four people addressing him he ignored him.

"It may appear to be that way, and I won't lie the idea of forcing you onto a kind of reservation hasn't crossed our minds."

"Yeah, because that worked out so well two hundred years ago."

"Exactly, those parallels have not gone unnoticed. The optics on this are going to suck no matter how this goes. I am not trying to have others like you forced to come here. What I'm trying to do is establish a central location where those that feel threatened can congregate for the time being. I'm sure that you are aware, all these attacks are occurring because of you." He waved his hand to encompass everyone watching him that was covered in scales.

Tom, Haruto, and I shared a concerned look. A safe haven, or a target too good to pass up?

"What are you three thinking as you look at each other? I can't read your expressions or tell by your smell...which I'm told is an emotional marker. Is that correct?"

"You are correct sir." Haruto rumbled. "We are concerned about the security of this location. As soon as I and my family had arrived the sizable unit that was here was removed. A large number of children of the egg will provide a most enticing target. If the forces attacking within the area are able to assemble a sufficient number of fighters...the number of deaths will be significant."

"Will they? You are built like tanks, are you really worried?"

"Yes, we are." I snapped at him, making him jump back. "My fucking children are here along with several more fragile humans that I actually care about, and if we go through with this plan there will be many more. Besides, I don't like this because it will encourage the exact kind of alienation that my husband and I have worked so hard to fight against. We won't have children of the egg and humans living together like they should. We will have areas for humans and areas for dragons." I flicked my tail dismissively. "There's no way that could go wrong is there?"

"Why did you just do that thing with your tail? Does that mean something? This segregation will only be temporary. I agree with you on the points that you have brought up. But, you must understand Kim, all of you must understand. My resources are stretched thin, my soldiers, my police officers are dying. And so are you and your families. The setup you have here is the best model we have. Dragons and people together, providing security for each other. These forces would be foolish to attack such a hardened target. The weapons they have will not be able to significantly harm you. Hell, last I heard radar tracking indicated sixteen dragons headed this way from the Lolo national forest. You will have plenty of muscle to guard this site."

"What? When?" All of us erupted into frantic noise at hearing this. Tom and I most of all. Irma and Jesse, were they among them?

"An hour ago. In fact, from what I've been told they..." He stopped as a tremendous series of roars could be heard from the east and approaching fast. Immediately, his cadre of guards enveloped him and rushed him protesting to his SUV around which they formed a perimeter with rifles raised to the sky. Alex rushed towards them yelling at them to lower their weapons. He had good cause for his actions. They would have been hard pressed to harm me alone, against sixteen children of the egg, they would have been dead before they emptied their first mags. The Governor with them. Instead of running the media that had been recording our conversation turned their cameras to the sky as well as the reporters began to hurriedly narrate what was occurring.

They were all in for a treat as all of us tall enough to see above the tree line stood up on our rear legs and tails to get a look. What I saw were two adult children of the egg with two more slightly smaller than Hayate and surrounded by a whole squadron of much smaller dragons. What was coming our way?

Sora, Kazane, and Angie, took to the skies to greet our incoming guests against our protests. Hayate launched after them, but even he was never going to be able to catch the swift younglings in time. Luckily, all our apprehension proved to be wasted energy as with relief the wing of dragons approached near enough for me to recognize Irma and Jesse. But where the fuck had they found so many children?

The children broke over my home like a wave. Twelve of them. Everywhere. Everywhere! Terrifying one human after another, they disappeared into the National Guard tents, my home, the shelter, and even the passenger van. Like I said, everywhere. And everywhere they went, came strident demands for explanations of this and that. Only three of the larger (and somewhat older) creatures bothered to try to speak in English. The rest in the typical warbling hissing growling birdsong that was our recently instilled language.

The two bigger ones that I had noticed as a few meters shorter than Hayate huddled next to each other shyly with only their wary heads peering around the corner of our house. Who these? Suspicion! Not like! Careful! Not scare little ones! We bite! We bite all! Their mouths opened to hiss threateningly as their necks twined and untwined restlessly...They smelled the same beneath the scent of their warning...Were they twins? Whatever they were, we left them to deal with for later when they weren't so on edge by all the people here. As long as the two males didn't attack anyone they could stay over there snapping at any humans that made the mistake of wandering too closely to them. It would be delicate work dealing with two feral teenagers.

The reporters were eating it up. Not that they had to try very hard to get the young ones' attention. As soon as the cameras were pointed their way they were immediately enraptured by the large bundles of electronics and lenses on the shoulders of their owners. A small male with lavender eyes jumped into the air and plucked a camera from one of the unfortunate videographers and sped away followed by the cameraman and three other juveniles all clamoring for a closer look. The noise was incredible. I was baffled. The heavily armed sheriff's deputies were startled. Which is never a good thing with one in the chamber and twenty-nine in the well. The Governor had had enough with being over protected and kicked his door back open to get out and restart the conversation with us.

"Kim, Tom, what the hell is this?" No sooner had he started talking than one of the smallest dragons attached itself to his back and place its head on his shoulder. "What? Get off!" The adorable little grey eyed female began mimicking him instead of getting off as was requested.

"What? Get off!" echoed back to him in his own voice.

"Get off!"

"Get off!"

Reaching back, he tried to grab at the baby dragon, but the little one's head stretched out of reach and then nipped at the hand attempting to grip it. He yelped and spun furiously trying to throw the little one from his shoulder. Instead of dislodging her, she threw her head back and screeched happily in what was no doubt a rather fun ride for her.

"Can anyone help me with this?"

"Can anyone help me with this?"

Tom was busy laughing while Irma and Jesse stared into each other's eyes for some reason, and the Suzukis were attempting to corral the young ones so I gave a slim piece of assistance. Lowering my head, I looked closely at the little female and her reluctant perch. She chirped a greeting at me which I returned with my much deeper voice. Settling her head down on his shoulder she wrapped her oversized wings and long tail possessively around the Governor.

"I don't know Governor, you might have to adopt her. She looks like she's taken a shine to you."

"Adopt her? I don't need any more pets, I already have three dogs and a cat."

A switch in my head flipped and my mood went from 'playful' to 'I'll fucking kill you' in a blink. He froze as my growl made the air between us shudder in horror.

"You might want to rethink your words very carefully my little chew toy. That 'pet' perched on your shoulder was someone's child ten months ago. It's not a fucking thing, that's some poor family's lost baby girl."

He held up his hands placatingly and backed away from my growl and the angrily slitted eye that I had shoved right into his face. Several of his guard had seen the confrontation and were running over before he waved them off.

"You're right. I apologize Kim, and I apologize to you too, you cute little girl." Lifting my head away he relaxed, and the little female's head reappeared from where she had hidden it at my sudden sign and smell of aggression to add her input.

You scary! Not scary! This one warm! Good smell! I like! Heart good! I know!

Her comment was enough to completely sell me on this man. I hadn't been sure before. I translated (most of, politicians didn't need shit like that going to their heads) her whooping whistle for him and he asked what he was supposed to do in return. I told him to just hold his hand in front of her nose and let her do what she will. Only after I promised him that she (probably) wouldn't bite him he hesitantly brought his hand up and she sniffed at it before bopping it with the tip of her snout. She squirmed around him until she was clutched to his chest and wrapped her wings and tail around him again before laying her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed sleepily. Her smell changed to one of peace, making me coo loudly, and causing Governor Little to bring his hands up to hold her as he would with any other baby.

"See? Still just a baby, isn't she?"

She began to hum, the vibrations tickling him and making him laugh as each of her fine belly scales vibrated against him.

"We found her and all the others in the forest. They had been the ones raiding the camp sites. Most of them are close enough in size and appearance that it's little wonder all reports said there was only one out there. It was like The Lord of the Flies or Neverland, just a bunch of children running amok, keeping company with each other and doing what they needed to survive. It took us two days to round them all up."

I pounced on that last bit like my latest meal. "Two days? What the fuck else have you been doing out there? If you knew half of what has happened here..."

Her wing flared out and gathered Jesse against her side and they both began to emit the smell of their smug happiness and satisfaction. The ground dropped away from me as my head spun... They didn't... She couldn't...

I have released my eggs. We needed some time to ensure that I am with child.

I cast my mind back to that conversation I had had with Prometheus days ago and my eyes widened and then darted to the stunned look contained within Tom's. She could, and they did. Those fucking animals. I wanted her to finish college first!

We love each other, mother, father. I know that you wanted me to finish my school first. But now, the time had felt right. When I felt the change within me, I knew... I knew what I wanted. What we wanted. She wrapped her neck around his and drew him even closer against her.

If you had ever taught me anything mother. It is to act when you know the time is right.

I chewed that over for a moment and snorted in disbelief. So, let me get this straight. In the same moment that you realized you were ovulating you decided to try to get pregnant? The exact moment you felt your body... and just how does that work?... felt your body release eggs to await fertilization you decided that you wanted to have children? Well fucking thought out was it?

Well, when you put it that way...

Just as I thought. Every bit as stupid as I was when I was your age. So much for us being wise. I will not even ask you what you were thinking, because it is obvious you were not.

I am going to kill you now. Tom told Jesse matter-of-factly with his fangs gleaming in the mid-afternoon sun. I stopped his charge at the much younger male before Jesse could do more than throw his head upwards and push away from Irma in a blind panic. Instead of killing my son-in-law, I reminded him that I was still bigger in our not so new bodies.

Stop this father! It is not like what we did is a solo dance!

With my lengthy body constricted around Tom's as he shrieked loudly in rage and kept trying to reach for Jesse with his claws, Little uncomfortably cleared his throat while clutching the frightened child to his chest from behind a wall of rifle muzzles.

"Is there... is there something wrong? We could come back another time. Perhaps after you're done trying to kill each other?"

"Oh..." I said nonchalantly, as Tom writhed, flipping us into the air and over onto our other side. "It's nothing, pay it no mind. We just found out that my dumbass, impatient daughter has been off in the wilderness getting mounted and trying to make herself pregnant." My dumbass, impatient daughter covered her head with a wing and groaned loudly.

He blushed and stammered mindlessly. "Ah. Oh. I see..."

Eggs?The young child he held asked inquisitively as she turned her head completely around and licked her nose.

We are going to have words about this later, young lizards! You better believe I promised them both that conversation. I swung my head to the little grey eyed one clutching possessively to her ride.

Do you know your name little one? It was worth asking anyway. Sora responded to hers and she wasn't even a year old. Who you?

She looked at me with a cocked head and didn't answer at first. I didn't think I was going to get an answer.

Me? Me Two! I Me Two! Do you know your name little one? She mimicked me Do you know your name little one? Me Two! I Me Two!

"What is she saying?" Little asked.

I scratched my jaw idly against Tom's squirming head for a moment before answering. "If I understand correctly, her name is 'Me Two' because she likes to copy what others say. Is that what you heard?" I swung my head to canvas ideas from the others. I got one shrug, two nods, and one outraged snarl from the male locked and whipping within my coils. Fuck it, good enough.

"That doesn't really help. No one is going to name their daughter 'Me Two'. She doesn't know a human name?"

I conversed with her once more and got nothing new out of her other than having my questions repeated back to me. I told him as much, he shrugged.

"Something about this is not matching what we know of current events." Haruto observed.

"What?" Asuka asked.

"Our youngest daughter was just over a month old when we were chosen for this honor. Now she is almost a year. We grow as we age do we not? Why is she larger and older than some of these children? They must have been either born or changed since the events of zero day."

I would have liked to explore that further and judging by the look and smell of everyone else others did as well. But, as he said once already, the Governor's time was precious. To be fair, he did have a genuine crisis on his hands.

"I'll leave that for you to figure out. Call me when you have results, or better yet, have the rightful law enforcement authori... Never mind, don't bother them with this until my people stop killing each other. Look, I have a National Guard battalion of engineers that can be here in a month to fortify your home. Until then I need you to help others like you. The U.S. has a national emergency and so do I in this state. But I don't have the resources to protect you here. What I can do is give you another company of Guardsmen. What I need you to do is find a way to draw you children of the egg to this location if they feel threatened or are attacked. Can you do that?"

Tom responded after looking up at me. "We can, I even have an idea on how to accomplish that. But you must understand, just as you've seen here, that those that have gone feral will likely not respond to anything other than face to snout interaction."

Jesse jumped in, and at the sound of his voice Tom was reminded that he was supposed to be angry and began to buck and heave more violently with a roar of anger rolling us over several times causing the young man to shy away from him. "Um... I vaguely remember from my time being feral that I could respond to simple phrases and commands."

"Yes, I remember!" Angie broke into our conversation as she slid to a stop when running past with Lucy and three of the children on her back. "When Irma and Jesse tried to catch me, I heard: Stop! Stop! Come! Friend! so I stopped!"

A child of the egg about the size of Kazane and draped over Angie's back lifted his head. "Friend! Jose's friends! I learn! Us friends!"

Tom twisted his head back to the governor. "There you go. We got a name for one them, and an answer. My idea is we have a recording of one male and one female from our group broadcast at whatever locations you have that are secure to attract them. We could come collect them whenever one shows up. We will use simple one-word instructions and the normal sentences that aware individuals can understand."

He snapped his fingers at his aide who began scribbling in a notebook. "I like it. Cheap, easy to implement, low manpower needs. We can mount loudspeakers on helicopters and when they are on patrol they could broadcast these messages. Would that work? Would these unthinking ones follow a helicopter?"

We asked Angie since she had spent months as a feral. She shrugged. "Maybe, I dunno know. Maybe if I thought It would make me safe! That was all I remember! I didn't like being hungry, and I wanted to be safe!"

"Good enough. As for security you will have assets from the state police, county sheriffs, and local PD assisting. Another company from the same battalion as the ones that left will be here again tomorrow to begin setting up reinforced guard towers. Just like before you must be an integral part of the security here. Fair?"

Tom bobbed, and I asked. "Food, water? We only have this one little spigot." I tapped it with the end of my tail. "And food will be getting scarce real fucking quick. We only eat intermittently but any of us larger than Hayate here can eat an entire elk by ourselves. If we had some cooks with their equipment to make quantities of soup or stew, we wouldn't be driving local game herds to extinction."

He pointed at his aide who nodded. "You'll have both."

"You'll have both." The baby clutching his chest chirped. He looked at the head that was raised on the end of its long neck right in front of his face and sighed. She isn't going to let go of me, is she?"

Asuka and Haruto both chuffed nearly silent laughter and weaved their heads side to side in the negative.

"Did that thing you just did mean no? Yeah, it did? Okay, good. Well, come on then, the media is here for the press conference of me declaring this a zone of safety. Having this little girl attached to me will either get me reelected or killed. But it might help put some children of the egg at ease and show some humans how harmless you can be when you aren't fired upon."

He shuffled past us awkwardly with the young female's tail dragging between his legs on the ground. I if had to guess, I'd say she was a solid twenty to thirty centimeters longer than he was tall. Every time her wings unfurled to shift on her back she almost pulled him over on top of her.

"Where do you want us?"

Two of his aides jumped forward and began ushering us to our positions. Using sticks at first to poke us into place. Which pissed most of us off to varying degrees. Once we had de-sticked them with our nightmare inducing claws, they were much more civil about asking us to move our large bodies around a microphone stand that had been set up. Angie and Hayate on each side of him. With Jerry and Laurence on their other sides. I released my mate, and after reminding him to be good, we took our position beside Laurence, Asuka and Haruto lay beside Jerry. Lastly, Irma and Jesse arrayed themselves next to two of Little's aides and quietly briefed them while on standby in case they were called to say something.

To be a tad bit less threatening all the adults laid their heads on the ground while the cameramen looked into their viewfinders and then moved back three meters to keep everyone in frame. The reporters dragged some chairs from my patio over (again without our permission!) and sat to the sides of the shot in order to ask questions. They all looked nonplussed as each one had a member of the feral child horde seated next to them staring at them raptly and chirping rapid fire questions of their own at them. I thought it was fucking hilarious, and judging by the smell swirling around me, most everyone else did as well.

Before we began, Jerry and the governor began to lay down some ground rules for the conference.

"Do not reveal the identity of any of the children of the egg amongst us. If you don't know them, even better, and no you may not ask. Do not ask for or reveal the location of this safe haven at this time. I don't need to tell you that this is an issue of life and death, all of you know the rising death toll.

A coordinator standing between the cameras held up three fingers then counted down to one, and we were off.

"Good afternoon. I am here today to announce the opening of a secure site to those currently being afflicted by the waves of ongoing violence. The two large individuals on my left next to District Attorney Laurence Olivier are the owners of this land. They have agreed to allow the usage of their property as the central location according to my plan."

The bastard politician! His plan?

"My plan entails the usage of the resources already established here and will also soon be augmented by several law enforcement units to provide a safe haven for any children of the egg, their families, and any acquaintances of them. This is to be a temporary arrangement only. I repeat this will not be a permanent arrangement, and at no time will you ever be forced to either come here or remain here. Can you please translate my words for those that cannot understand me?"

He pointed at Tom who raised his head a little off the ground and began the lilting translation. He added in a few more details that those that wished us harm didn't need to hear such as our relative location and how to find us and tried to provide some more enticement by including the safeguards present. When his translation kept running on and on, far beyond what the governor had said, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Tom but said nothing.

"As you have just heard." He continued, once Tom had ceased his final trill. "We anticipate that a large number of those most affected by this may or may not understand the English language. After this press conference the individuals you see next to me will advise me as to the best message to be broadcast from helicopters and public address systems to lead these poor souls to safety. That concludes the brief outline of our current plan to minimize loss of life in these trying times. Many aspects of this plan will not be revealed for obvious security reasons, and I ask you to take that into consideration. Now, are there any questions?"

There were, of course there were.

"Sir! Why has the home of..."

I shouted, drowning out the sound of the callous bitch about to give our location away. "Mrs. I would most appreciate it if you don't make the dumbass mistake of revealing where we are and making a difficult situation worse."

She stopped and gaped up at my looming head. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before I heard her timidly whisper "okay." Bobbing my head in satisfaction I curled my neck lifting it away allowing her the freedom to breathe once more.

Governor Little help me out and stopped anyone else from having a heart attack. "I am only going to remind you once of the ground rules I and local law enforcement leaders have already laid out for the safety of all those involved."

"How many dragons do you anticipate using these services?"

Little looked at both family groups and we all lifted our wings briefly in a shrug. There were too many variables to possibly consider.

"At this time, we can only speculate. It largely depends on how many feel so threatened that they will seek out this offer."

One of the male reporters pointed at the roof of my home were Prometheus lay, watching us all silently.

"Judging by the unusual eye coloration of that dragon, are we to understand it is one of these alien 'Thumpers'? Why is it not helping? Can't it just solve this?"

I looked at Prometheus, as did the others. He gave no immediate answer, so it was quickly apparent that there would be none at all from that quarter.

"Whatever these aliens might have done, if they are to be believed, it was done due to our failures as a species. If that is the case, and at this point we have no choice but to believe that it is, then we must look to ourselves for answers. Not to them. Next question."

I liked that answer.

"These little dragons, are they all children? Where did they come from?"

"You know what I do Sarah, you literally saw them come here just when I did. Including." He pointed at the baby clinging to his chest which was looking at everyone with gleaming interest in her eyes.

"Lost!" The gray eyed dragon chirped loudly and wrapped her neck around Little's until one eye reappeared on his opposite shoulder. "Warm? Safe? I learn! Marissa! I know!"

"If you want to know more about the circumstances of the recovery of... Marissa and the rest of these orphans. Then you should ask their rescuers." He pointed with his hand at Irma and Jesse. The reporters looked interested, but ultimately didn't allow themselves to be distracted from the larger issue at hand.

"When will this operation start?"

"Immediately."

"Why do you feel that these...former humans deserve such special protection?"

"Because they are still individuals as mentally well-developed as any human that stands before me. These are not chimpanzees, dolphins, or elephants. They are peer level intelligences that were human less than one year ago. How could you possibly think otherwise after hearing the one I am holding or the ones next to me speak? Because they are still citizens of this country that deserve protection from law breaking militants that wish to punish them for finding themselves in a situation that I cannot even fathom."

"But they are no longer human. Are we prioritizing their lives over others?"

"We are prioritizing their lives over those of the law breakers that are murdering the citizens of my state."

"So, you still consider them citizens, even though they are no longer human?"

"Yes."

"Even though..."

He cut the newscaster off. "Are there any more questions that have something to do with the formation of this sanctuary? Or are you going to waste my time with this rabbit hole that can only be solved by philosophers or by the legislative and judicial branches of government? Now is not the time for debate now is the time for action, and as the head of the executive branch of my state's government that is exactly what I am doing. So, if there is nothing else this concludes my portion of the conference."

"We go!" Marissa (I think) shrieked with authoritative finality

He began to waddle away from the speaker stand with his passenger's tail between his legs and her looking around in bright eyed curiosity leaving the media scrambling after him. Jerry and Laurence stayed behind, eying me with the look of people that have something to say. Two of the media teams saw this as well and hesitated behind their colleagues.

Both of them came to ask Tom and I if they could stay to pursue further interviews. Tom agreed while surreptitiously trying to reach out with a pawful of claws for the unsuspecting Jesse. The reporters ran from us in fear when I threw myself around my husband like an anaconda once more.

"Those of you that wish to return with me and my security detail to city hall load up now. Anyone who wishes to stay at whatever this is." He gestured at me as Tom roared mindlessly and we rolled over and over. "You can. You may be attacked here, so if you wish to place your lives in the ...hands of the property owners and their guests here that is not my concern. God be with you all."

He tried to pry the little female off and she finally let go. Only to leap into the full-sized limo and begin darting back and forth chirping "I learn!" within. He sighed and clambered into his SUV only to get clocked by the energetic child's tail.

"Wait!" I roared at him just before he shut his door. The door slammed shut, but his window rolled down so that he could respond with the armored steel barrier between the two of us. Answering my objection, he was forced to share window space with his new friend.

"What?"

"What do you mean what? How can you give such a half-assed press conference and then leave when almost nothing is set into place?"

"Here." He reached into the vehicle for something and then tossed it out the window at us. A small tough case hit the ground with a thud while we stared at it. It didn't blow up or dance a jig to amuse us, so I quickly lost interest.

"I always wanted one. How did you know?"

"It's a satellite phone you gigantic smart ass."

"But I just got done telling you I don't have an ass anymore!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose while I wagged my tail pointedly and chuffed laughter.

"Dial preset one for a direct line to my office. Call me if it's important. Otherwise it is now my subordinates' jobs to handle the details of this project." He pointed at four of them that were clutching briefcases to their chests like security blankets. "That is how a command structure works Major Kim McConnor Schwarzkopf." His attention shifted to the snout of his window mate. "Are you staying or coming...Marissa?"

"I Me Too! No Marissa, no scared!" She bumped her snout into his nose, making him recoil with a pained howl as he clutched his face. Her sinuous form raced through the window and latched onto the roof of his SUV with wings extended and head held proudly aloft. "I safe, you safe! We go! I learn!" His window rolled up and the motorcade rolled away with little Marissa caroling gleefully on top of her newest ride.

...