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Tom's freezing ass scales woke me the next morning when he returned from his pre-dawn patrol. Which was preferable to him awakening in a screaming panic once again. Especially so when there were around two dozen children of the egg stuffed into our shelter with wings, tails, and legs extended out into the frosty air haphazardly. At least we didn't have to worry all that much about ever truly being cold. With our masses who knew what our core temperatures were. But whatever they were they were high enough to make some of our (cough sexual cough) bodily floods steaming hot. Not that we didn't mind the heat flowing through the floor either though, it certainly helped our enormous muscles relax.

Several hissing and grumbling noises reverberated as his frigid body coiled on the outskirts of our...pile. Brushing past him as I tried to squirm free he kissed my throat briefly as his eyes slid shut while my head burst into open air from the heap of bodies I was partially buried beneath. Glancing around I saw nothing was in my way of the exit as my shoulders and narrowly wrapped wings emerged behind my head. Much to my chagrin I had discovered last night that all of these feral children had known right away what was different about me. No matter how I had protested I had found myself buried beneath an avalanche of overly protective scale. The youngest of the children nestled right alongside my pregnant underbelly humming in an unusual rhythm and soaking me with the warmth of their tiny bodies.

Not like Irma, or Tom had done a damn thing to dissuade them from surrounding me. After they had whispered to the children, they had become even more energetic about making sure I was the center of the ensuing dragon pile. What was I? A fucking china-doll?

My angry protests had trailed away to be replaced with the scent of awe as my dragon children matched the hums of the younglings just a few hand spans away. Tom had looked at me with smugness pouring off him, but I was too busy glowing like an incandescent light bulb with maternal love to snap at him.

That might sound weird... But, if you haven't ever slept in a pile of enormous aliens who generate a pleasing warmth and emitted relaxing vibrations from their breathing, I would say not to knock it before you tried it. Not that you will actually ever hear me say that. I don't need the others being encouraged in their outlandish bullshit attempts to coddle me.

Once I had finished tripping over the tangled mat of dragon tails sticking out of the shelter, I began stretching out each limb one at a time. Done, I made an orbit of the perimeter and then headed to my home to do my morning assessment of the news. As usual, Alex was already in the den with the tv on. What was novel, however, were the three children of the egg in the room bouncing around energetically to the sight and sound of a cartoon.

As my head snaked into the room Alex gave me a limp smile and explained. "I found these three this morning sitting in the garage just staring at the freezer silently with their wings across each other." He gestured at the animated movie playing on the screen. "This seems to have distracted them for the time being."

My eyes swiveled to follow their cavorting trajectories around my room as they divided their attention between the movie and investigating everything within sight. The smell of my unhappiness filling the room at the reminder of why that distraction was needed. Shaking my head to scatter those morose thoughts, I asked Alex to join me on the patio with some coffee for me and another tv to watch. Withdrawing my head, I waited for him to get everything together by...talking... to Prometheus. He was asleep, but I corrected that situation in my usual restrained way.

His head flew up with his bizarre eyes widened in startled alarm when I stretched my head out to bite the paw he had left dangling over the edge of my roof. Looking down, he saw me, and sighed tiredly. Which is a good description for just about every fucking thing he does. Tiredly.

"Good morning, Kim." He said, pulling his paws back from the edge of the roof and tucking them neatly beneath himself. "I presume you wish to discuss with me one or more of the events that occurred yesterday. I am glad that you and the others have managed to restrain yourselves from accusing me of doing too little with regards to the actions of adversarial human beings."

"Too little?" I echoed in disbelief. "You didn't do a fucking thing yesterday! Just tell me one thing Prometheus. Was there anything we could have done differently yesterday that would have prevented more loss of life?"

"That ambush would have been initiated regardless of the presence of more children of the egg."

"That was not what I asked you Prometheussss." I hissed his name angrily at his deflection.

"No. Your knowledge of anatomy and current medical practices would not have been sufficient to save the innocent lives lost yesterday. Regardless of whether you had been there or not."

"Why didn't you tell us about the ambush? We could have stopped it." I spoke calmly, but inside I was on fire. Why, why, why.

He shifted and flicked his tail tip back and forth while looking down at me for a few moments before he licked his nose and responded. "I had hoped you would have been able to see why. It is not our place to prevent such events, only to make sure you learn from them. Have you, Kim?"

I began to shake, my scales lifting to bristle and clatter against each other, as the comfortable feeling of my rage began to take hold. "Me Two is dead. Governor Little is dead. Two others lay dead. That is what I learned. An alien supercomputer, that can see possible futures, tells me it is not here to prevent loss of life. That is what I learned."

"We have set the conditions of the test. If we perform the test for you, what was the purpose of it?"

"Yes." I snarled. "I have heard bullshit similar to that spoken by you and your clones before. Yet you interfere at, what seems to me, random, with our 'test'. Why? Why have you helped me with my wounds, but not Me Two with hers?"

"I cannot tell you Kim. I am sorry."

"Cannot?"

"It would require you to be able to perceive time the way that my companions are able to. The way that I once could. Your mind will not be able to handle the sensory input. You would slip into a coma and die."

"What you are really saying is that my life means more than that of others?"

"Leaders will be needed in the time to come if humanity is to survive their test."

Me? Kim the tomboy? The ditzy blonde? Fire-eating lunatic Kim? The woman that once drank her company under the table and then knocked her CO out with a headbutt? I scoffed at the idea.

"You're ignoring my question again Prometheus."

"Kim, I think you know perfectly well what the answer is."

"I don't know why I waste my time talking with you."

Prometheus sighed, and a spike of radiant anger flashed through my mind when I saw hints of disappointment in his eyes. Dickless fucking brain dead alien! Fuck him! Fucking noisome piece of vile window licking shit! Dousing my rage, I backed away from him to do my breathing exercise. When I opened my eyes, Alex stood in front of my nose just past my blind spot. Seeing that he had my attention he walked forward to put his hand on my neck just behind my jaw. With my eye looking down on him I could see his concern. Once he felt my heart rate stabilize, the tension in his body relaxed and he pat my neck and took a seat next to me to watch the news.

Four dead yesterday in an IED attack on the Idaho Governor's convoy. Governor Little along with two members of his staff and the recently reidentified Marissa Tomei died in the explosion and subsequent ambush. A set of pictures appeared on the screen including a photo of what Me Two looked like before with another picture of her as she was just yesterday taken from my yard. I didn't know what she had looked like and it drove a sharp spear right into my heart to look at the bright eyed three-year-old. The picture showed she had olive skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes wearing a ribbon in her hair, and a beaming smile on her face. I shut my eyes and moaned despondently as Alex held his hand comfortingly on my muzzle. After another wave of sadness crashed over me, he did me the favor of changing the channels.

_ The Sentinel Patriots have put out a statement declaring responsibility..._

_ These aliens must be destroyed! They are no longer the loved ones you..._

_ Ethnic tensions in several Northwestern African nations have boiled over in recent weeks with reports of deaths reaching..._

_ A group of gunmen have taken over the offices of..._

_ Due to petrol rationing in Australia transportation and delivery service are increasingly being provided by children of the egg as trends in motor vehicle usage continue to..._

_ Several churches across Alabama and Georgia have been destroyed in recent days..._

_ A small aircraft packed full of explosive material was crashed into a gathering of dragons in central Italy today as the death toll is..._

_ Far Right political groups have stormed the Hamburg City Hall in Germany today, starting several fires and assaulting politicians... At least six have been reported dead..._

_ A Japanese commercial whaling ship has gone missing after sending a panicked distress call yesterday. Transcripts of the SOS indicate the ship became heavily damaged after anomalous sonar readings..._

Fire bombings and coordinated attacks in Virginia have led to...

A break-through in desalinization was announced today accompanied by some hilarity when the lead researcher's excitedly wagging tail knocked the backdrop for the news conference over on to his own head...

A bomb exploded today in the UK's House of Lords...

Dozens are feared dead at a repatriation site for dragons in Minnesota today after gunfire was reported at the camp. Images taken by reporters at the scene show camouflaged...

37 shootings have occurred in central and southern California yesterday leading authorities to ask citizens to avoid public places...

Today the golden eyed alien locally known as 'Thumper' that is advising SETI provided instructions to them in order to build a much more advanced radio wave receiver. The excited scientists had shared the information on social media which led to an immediate response from the United States FBI, NSA, and military in confiscating the data and classifying all knowledge of it. Authorities were embarrassed to later learn that after having left, 'Thumper' had provided another copy of the plans to the scientists with the advice to spread...

If you see an alien dragon call or text this number...

An injured juvenile dragon fell from the sky in Tehran today with several holes in its wings. As can be seen in this footage captured by a cell phone, local citizens formed a human barrier around the wounded child as security forces arrived. One warning was issued to leave the area before the sounds of heavy weapons fire...

I will offer a bounty for every dragon head...

_ The time for action is now! Do not standby and watch these demons take..._

_ Humans and dragons from Tibet and Nepal have been working hand in claw to clean up Mount Everest..._

_ Two Commercial trucks attempted to ram through the White House fence today. Both drivers are confirmed dead and officials have not responded to requests about what cargo the vehicles contained after ordering a radius of two miles evacuated..._

_ A wing consisting of 28 children of the egg have volunteered their services to assist anti-poaching efforts in Eastern..._

_ Eight dragons have been found washed ashore in the Indian coastal region of Kerala. Reports from the scene indicate that all of them had been bound by chain and had likely drowned at sea. Authorities have refused to investigate stating no laws exist to protect these creatures and that..._

_ Scientists in Japan have revealed that they have bred bacteria under laboratory conditions that can digest certain limited types of plastic..._

_ Thirty are confirmed dead this morning after two gunmen opened fire into a crowded Hispanic market in Arizona..._

_ Russia has declared its borders closed..._

_ The delivery of aid to regions of Vietnam and the Philippines in the aftermath of Hurricane Conson has been taken over by hundreds of dragons after they had gathered from as far as..._

_ Members of the United States Armed Forces have been deserting their positions in increasing numbers as rumors continue to spread of a..._

_ Twenty dragons attacked a lumber mill operating on the edge of the Amazon Rain forest in Brazil today. This has been the fifth attack by a group known as The United Tribe. Reports of casualties are coming in..._

_ An emergency session of the U.N General Assembly ended in chaos yesterday with walkouts and threats of attack when the transformed representatives of several nations attempted to enter the assembly today..._

_ China has begun firing upon any vessels..._

_ Dragons on the rampage? What happened in..._

Alex stopped there for a moment as my ears perked up and out in interest.

In the mountainous eastern regions of Turkey? I am here at the aftermath of a vicious attack upon a crowd of curiosity seekers. It is unknown at this time what has enraged the beasts that committed this atrocity. However, local survivors have told our correspondents that a group of hunters had entered the mountains in an area that a large number of dragons had been seen lately. While it is not believed at this time that these individual creatures are aware of who they once were, there had been no prior conflict between the animals and the wary humans in the area.

_ Unfortunately, that all seems to have changed when the hunters entered into lawful hunting grounds. Witnesses to the slaughter report that the hunters had returned with five large crates packed with straw and loaded into the bed of a small truck. One of the huntsmen pulled back the tarp covering them and opened the lid to reveal what was inside. The survivor we spoke to was not able to see what that was before a shadow falling across the square made him look up._

_ The terrified onlooker ran inside a nearby shop and hid beneath a table as screams followed the ear shattering roars that came from outside. The attack lasted less than a minute, but in that time an estimated sixty to one hundred individuals lost their lives to what was believed to be four or five dragons in this savage and unprovoked attack. Curiously none of the casualties thus far have been under the age of 10 although it is known from pictures taken shortly before the attack that there were several children within the crowd. We can only speculate at this time what brought this terrible tragedy down upon these innocent people, but we have been told that a military response is forthcoming and can be expected within the next twenty-four hours to control the local population of dragons._

_ As you can see behind me, the yellow sheets are covering the discovered remains of the victims awaiting collection._ The camera panned to show the abattoir behind the reporter. Destroyed vehicles, crushed storefronts, and holes ripped into solid structures. But everywhere one looked attention was drawn to the glaring yellow tarps covering the victim's remains. Another portion of the earlier interview appeared to show what the witness described in the aftermath.

When the screams had stopped, and I could no longer hear the great beasts outside, I left my shelter to see what remained. The crowd that surrounded the truck was all dead. I could only hear a few moans and some shouts for help. The focus of the dragons must have been on the vehicle because it was gone entirely along with whatever was its cargo, and the greatest destruction seemed to have occurred around where it was.

_ _ The image switched back to the reporter who concluded the interview. I have spoken with others familiar with the region in question and I have been told that for the past three months they have been told repeatedly not to enter a certain region by one or more of these creatures that was still able to communicate with them. Why this warning, and why the hunters disregarded it to remove some unknown objects remain a mystery at this time. But unfortunately, you can see the all too dire consequences behind me. Another question that must be answered, is just why these hunters entered the wilderness already equipped with a number of crates packed with straw.

_ Politicians in Ankara, responding to public outrage, are not awaiting the details of what caused this and are moving forward with plans to corral all dragons located within Turkish borders onto military bases under armed guard. What will happen to these creatures afterwards, remains unclear. This is_ Berat_Kara reporting from Kars, Turkey._

_ _ I shook my head at that appalling news story. What a fucking shit show. What the fuck did these people expect would happen when they steal eggs?

"It doesn't matter if it was justified or not." Alex said responding to my movement. "The end result will be the same."

Just like him, I had already made the same connection. But I was interested to see if others could make the same inferences. I smacked him with an ear to shush him as the news anchor came back on to add something new.

"A real tragedy, to be sure. For another perspective on this let's hear from our expert for events involving children of the egg, our in-house analyst Anna Serdyuk." Her image appeared, crowding most of the screen, and she bobbed her head in greeting.

_ "Good morning, Roger and Christopher."_

_ "What is your understanding of the situation? Anything that might explain why your...why these individuals might have committed this attack?"_Roger asked her.

She shook her head, making her fins and scales rasp against each other in the same show of disagreement I had shown before.

"This is certainly an ugly situation Roger, and I believe that the authorities are neglecting to consider some immutable facts about the events that took place...

Her scales bristled as her ears and fins spread wide angrily. "It is obvious to me that eggs were in the bed of that vehicle Roger. As our local correspondent has stated, they had been advised several times not to enter a given area. Not only did these hunters disregard that instruction they must have entered a den or nest and taken these eggs." Her body shifted as the sound of her tail tip cracking like a whip could be heard.

"Just to clarify..."_Christopher broke in. _"By eggs you mean the unborn children of a mother child of the egg, or, in other words, a mother dragon?"

_"That is correct Christopher. Judging by the size and number of the crates, as well as where they had just come from and what happened next, it is clear to me just what those objects were."_A violent shudder ran across her scales as the two co-anchors shared a quick uneasy look.

"But why then, did these avenging parents take their wrath out upon so many innocent bystanders? Why did they wait until these hunters arrive back into a crowded environment?"

_ "I can only speculate Christopher. But I can tell that you after having been lost myself for five months and finding myself pregnant and with a mate of my own once I had regained my sense of identity."_

Her wing could be seen extending to touch something offscreen making a pleased coo come from that direction. A large nose appeared on screen and sniffed at the camera before the shot adjusted to exclude the intrusive snout and she continued. What a mind fuck that must have been, I thought. Wake up after five months of missing time as a flying pregnant alien myth with a mated dragon curled around you protectively? I was surprised she was sane. Or accepting of what happened for that matter... Talk about not having any say in the matter.

"That the degree to which children of the egg can and will react to any danger to their children does not recognize any constraint."

"So, it is your opinion that this would have never happened without the unhatched children of these dragons being taken?"

_ "Presuming that I am correct in my assessment of what was in those crates I have no reason to think that these events would have happened otherwise."_

_ "Is there anything else you wish to add on this attack?"_

"My recommendation for Turkish authorities going forward is to consider the fact that these poor individuals were merely reacting to an unnecessary threat to their children. As has been reported, I will again note that no prepubescent children were harmed in the recovery of these eggs. Furthermore, I ask our viewers, that if they every come across such areas in the wild, to avoid them at all costs. And if, perhaps, you do find yourself inadvertently trespassing on such an area. Remain calm, keep your body language and behavior submissive, and fall to the ground motionless if confronted"

_ "Wait a moment Anna, are you advising that trespassers play dead? Isn't a better strategy to put up a fight? What if one of these dragons was looking for an easy meal?"_

_ _ Roger's question made bile rise in my throat as I gagged in horror... Eat a human? What fucking movie did he just get done watching? Anna looked as ill at the thought as I felt and took some time to collect herself and lower her fins before continuing.

"and whatever else you may do, do not interact with the eggs. Lastly, I can assure you that no child of the egg will ever, ever eat a human being. Roger, I am doing all that I can to not become physically sick at that thought." She turned away with a series of thuds where her head remained low for a few minutes as her stomach and throat convulsed dryly before getting herself under control. Roger looked worried and seemed as if he was about to say something to her before it looked like Christopher stomped on his foot and he shut his mouth while returning to his seat. Anna's mate's head entered the camera's view to glare at it malevolently before asking her if he should bite it because it was making her sick. Her tail flicked at him dismissively, and he disappeared once again. "If I may Christopher, Roger, can I add one more comment for those who share my new tongue?"

They both looked to someone off to the side of their news set for a moment before getting an answer and nodding their heads.

"Go ahead Anna, just please provide a translation afterwards."

I wondered if they would trust her to provide an accurate translation of what she said afterwards and soon got my answer. They didn't. Some half-assed completely mistaken clusterfuck of a running translation played beneath her next vocalizations as she sent a message to other children of the egg.

To the children of the egg in Turkey. Please be aware of this terrible event and the effect it will likely have on the humans you interact with. If you encounter any hostility, please do not respond in kind. Run if you must. Please do not make this situation worse. Be safe, children of the egg.

_ _ A deep throated chirp from her unseen lost mate (I supposed) agreed with her.

No bite! Safe!

_ _ She gave a quick translation of what she had said, completely at odds to the nonsense the onscreen translator had put out. Which was some horseshit about how to safely make a turkey and egg sandwich, and then turned it back over to the anchors.

"Back to you Roger."

Alex muted the television while I threw my two cents in.

"If anyone ever steals my fucking eggs... My fucking children... I would do the same!" I snarled.

"You would kill a crowd of people that had nothing to do with it?" Alex asked me incredulously.

I shifted uneasily at the thought that my rage might make me a liar. But goddammit I still had some self-control! I wasn't lost like these dragons must have been!

He took the twitching of my shoulders and wings along with my silence for the answer that it was. "I did not think so Kim. I would be all for killing kidnappers caught in the act. But people that were just curious? That didn't know what was in those crates?"

I sighed through my nose. "So many will be punished just because of a few dumbasses." I shivered and mentally reached out for my children to send warmth to them. "How could you ask a mother or a father not to react this way?"

"Well I would hope that they would only attack the guilty not a crowd full of innocents."

I shrugged my wings. "That is supposing they could even distinguish one from the other. All those children of the egg would have seen going in. Besides their own blind rage. Would have been a crowd of unfamiliar people crowded around their eggs. How would they know one from the other? It wouldn't have taken a lot of effort to accidentally kill either. They could spin in a circle once or twice and kill everyone within reach of their neck, head, or tail. I'm not saying that what happened was an accident, because obviously they weren't so far into their rage that they didn't spare the children. But that makes it even worse I suppose however there is one good thing at least. It's not like they saw them as prey and ate them or something."

The disgust I felt at that made me shiver all over again. I could never do that... But was that because I still was me? Or did the alien body I grow into have an instinctive disgust to the thought as well? I certainly hoped so. Whatever the reaction might have been to children of the egg killing humans, it would be a hundred-fold worse if it was discovered others like me were eating them.

"Regardless Kim." Alex continued. "It doesn't matter if the initiating even justified violence against the hunters or not. Innocent people died, and their must be some kind of reaction."

"Yes, you are right. And that reaction is going to be the rounding up of an entire country's population of children of the egg. A country not known for their restraint in reining in elements outside of government control. How many are about to end up dead in a fucking burn pit?"

He didn't respond, as he knew the truth as well as I did. Just like with the Armenians, we might be watching a new genocide unfold before us.

"You should watch channel 38 and then channel 133" Prometheus unexpectedly spoke up from my roof.

Long since convinced of the futility of asking Prometheus fucking anything about the 'advice' he offers Alex changed to that channel and unmuted the screen.

"Seventy United States Marine Corp personnel at Camp Lejeune deserted their posts yesterday in what has become an increasing wave of service members disappearing in recent days. For more on this matter we go to our correspondent at the Pentagon, Dan Busch. Dan?"

"Right you are Katherine. With this latest group yesterday, the number of active duty military that have dropped out of touch has reached one thousand four hundred and seventy-three. Remarkably, there is not much information with regards to these inexplicable actions and the Department of Defense refuses to comment. It is only from reports obtained from family members of the missing do we even have an accurate accounting of those who have deserted their stations, as no government official will respond to any requests for information. Back to you Katherine."

"Thank you, Dan. I have just gotten word that we may have some new information with regards to these disappearances only recently confirmed due to a social media posting on accounts related to several of those who have broken all contact."

A video of a blacked out human silhouette speaking with a distorted voice appeared.

"If you love what you are. If you love your country. I ask you to join with me. To join with others that feel as you do. Do not be afraid. We will make them pay. This world is ours, and it will remain ours."

This cryptic message was followed by a phone number before the video ended.

_"Our network has made attempts to contact this number with our investigative reporter, Brian Fantana, following up on this lead. After following the directions given to him when calling this number, he disappeared as well. We are saddened to repor_t" She said as a picture of what I presumed was Brian appeared over her shoulder with two dates listed on it. _"That Brian Fantana's body was discovered in a drainage ditch next to a corn field in southwestern Pennsylvania. The coroner's report indicates cause of death was two gunshot wounds to the chest and one to his head. A firing pattern common to military style tactics. _

We have no further leads at this time as all attempts to contact that number once more end in failure. Efforts to work with local, state, and federal law enforcement have led to frustration as all levels have been reluctant to provide further information. At this time, we can only speculate, and continue to work with the authorities to solve this heinous crime."

Alex switched channels to 133.

Chaos erupted in a British Columbian courtroom today when Jonathan Maylock was brought into the modified court room to face multiple charges of manslaughter. A video began to play showing the child of the egg backed into a corner shrieking in wide eyed terror at the sight and sound of dozens of family members of his supposed victims. A high pitch screech was heard before a chain attaching him to the concrete floor let loose and flew through the air with lethal velocity. A much larger child of the egg, who I suppose was the judge (HA!) flowed off his... (hers, I corrected when her underbelly passed by the camera) ...her bench to pin the frantic youth to the ground. Her roars overrode all the other noise in the room and in the ensuing silence she instructed all media and the gallery to vacate the court before the video ended.

As you could see from the video this trial is already drawing enormous levels of attention and criticism due to it being held in Madam Sheffield's court. She is facing sharp calls for her dismissal from the case citing the fact that she is no longer human and that she may exhibit biased behavior against her former species in favor of her current one.

The Canadian Supreme Court is on its second day of calling witnesses in a case that will have far reaching implications for those that have been changed by the events of zero day. While the nation's highest court considers what rights these individuals retain, violence continues to escalate across Canada in protest against these same individuals.

Some estimates of the crowds demanding the removal of these children of the egg from Los Angeles number in the tens of thousands...

Air Force and Pentagon officials have been reluctant to provide details of the movements of the Wing as they progress westward visiting military bases. However, speculation has been rampant about...

Thirteen are dead in West Virginia when what is suspected to be an ambush occurred on a funeral procession for a seven-year-old child by the name of...

Click...

"When I see shit like this, I think I was born the wrong species." Alex said after turning the television off after the latest round of blood letting.

"All because of you" I whipped my head around to snarl accusingly at Prometheus.

His eyes just rolled towards mine before moving away once more. "As cynical as you are Kim, I am hard pressed to think that that is what you truly believe yourself. If we had not provided some reason to denigrate other higher reasoning beings, I'm sure humanity in all it's wisdom would have found a suitable alternate excuse."

Hard to argue with that when people were killing each other just because they didn't like the way their fucking faces looked. I mean, even before an alien species removed the cultural safety nets. Now it was like the fucking OK Corral out there. No one even tried to pretend to give a fuck about the value of other's lives anymore. Fuck me? fuck you! Bang bang! I don't like the size of your fucking bank account! Bang bang! You were born the wrong fucking color! Bang bang! Oh! An extradimensional hyper intelligent alien race picked you to grow a fucking tail out of your ass? Something must be wrong with you! Let me fix it with violence! Fuck you, your family, and everyone you've ever known! Bang bang boom!

"I can see it in your eyes Kim, and smell it coming from between your scales. You already have a pretty firm tail wrap on why we do a few of the things we do. We didn't make the human species violent. But we hope to stop it. Only if you, and others like you Kim step forward to provide the compass that the dominant species on this world so sorely lacks. Others like you Kim, chosen for an honor that some subroutines do not believe you worthy of. Are you saying you are not up to the challenge we have set before you?"

Alex coughed into his hand, stifling a laugh. The fucking alien was playing me like a fiddle, that was for sure. My brother-in-law and myself both knew it. Questioning my ability to do something was the surest way to make me do it. Fucking alien.

"And what was the point of those two channels you told us to watch? What was so special about those news items?"

"They will matter a great deal in time."

"Never a fucking straight answer from you is there?"

I could hear the sound of diesel engines approaching and nudged Alex to let him know. He sighed and looked into his coffee cup before going to refill it. "I want to go with you and Tom when you go to Boise" he said without preamble on his return. In his other hand he held the remainder of the coffee pot which he offered me. Opening my mouth, I let the bitter pick me up run across my tongue, boiling and steaming in the early morning air, before swallowing. Caffeine did not do much for us anymore, but I still liked the taste. I thought over his not entirely unexpected request when he went to set the pot to brew for everyone else.

"What this?" Came from inside my home before Alex yelped and one of the wayward children, that I thought would be content to watch a cartoon, ran outside with my coffee maker clutched in a coil of its tail. She presented it to me to ask again. "What this? Good smell! I like!"

A miffed Alex came after her and offered the young female a cookie, a promise of a taste of the next pot, and more information about what coffee and the coffee machine was in return for the actual device. I laughed, and he scowled at me before returning to my home with the liberated coffee maker as the little female sat on her tail to nibble daintily at the cookie with a please smell. I want a cookie too, I thought snippily to myself. "Hey Alex! Where's my cookie?"

"I would like you to stay here to be with my children." I told him, after my tongue snatched the cookie he threw to me out of the air to its doom.

"I know Kim. But you will be going down there with an elderly woman am I right? It's not just for you and your eggs. Just think how much use I could be!"

Shifting uneasily, I touched the minds within me before replying. "I get so caught up in the lives that I will give birth to soon, sometimes I forget the ones that are already out in the world. They need stability Alex. I don't know if I or Tom can give them that by ourselves anymore. Let's see how this morning plays out with Greta and ask Tom before we settle on a plan. Good enough?"

"They need friends, that's what they need Kim. But you are right, my little brother should be here so I can tell him what I am going to do."

I snorted in amusement as he went into the house once more, while I went to dig my family out of the assorted piles of scale in the shelter. I stopped to look at it in contemplation. As large as the simple pavilion was, it was not nearly big enough for so many of us. A collection of tails, legs, and wings stuck out from beneath the curtain. With one poor adolescent sized individual's entire body outside and covered in frost. Only her head was inside where it was warm.

Putting off the incoming horde of people that were likely being ferried here by the engine I had heard distantly I lay next to the teenage female and extended my wing over her to melt the frost on her scales. The shock of the cold seeping into the spaghetti plot of veins in my wing faded almost instantly and I could feel the dragon stir from her sleep.

Mother?

My fins drooped at the hopeful sound of her voice. No one knew who she was. Let alone who her mother was. Her body twitched as the frost melted and ran off her in tiny streams and then her head emerge from beneath the curtain to look at me.

I wanted to cry as confusion replaced the earnest anticipation in her eyes.

Not mother? Why make Silent Grass warm? Not need!

I wish I knew a way to tell her in words that she'd understand that being warm didn't just mean in a physical sense. This poor soul needed to know what the warmth of being loved felt like once more. I held her close against me as my head snaked beneath the curtain to find my love. She didn't resist, but I could smell her continued confusion even as she gradually relaxed within my embrace. Finding my husband's smell, I began ramming my snout into his thigh until I felt his tail thwack my neck and I knew he was awake. Retreating as he grouchily stirred, I beckoned Silent Grass to come with me. (Silent Grass? I'd love to hear how she got that name.)

In any case it was Alex, me, and Tom, with a confused Silent Grass pinned between us, that met the fucking kilometer long convoy snaking its way up my driveway to disperse into the field in front of my home. You name it, and it was there. transit buses, cranes, construction equipment, semis full of cargo, LMTVs, FMTVs, blacked out Suburbans, HMMWVs, and Police cars. To crown it all, two Apache and two Blackhawk helicopters from the, I stared until a pilot stuck her arm of her window, 1-183d Idaho National Guard hovered overhead at 300 meters. Which was an epic problem as the blast of their rotors awoke and drew the attention of all the lost children of the egg at my home. Who also, of course, wanted to immediately go see what the 'fast thunder' above them was.

The pilots, quick to spot car sized black geese flying towards their aircraft, tilted their rotors and took off for altitude. The wash of their departure being enough to upend the flight of the inquisitive young ones and buy them space. While they flapped around like injured birds trying to regain lift in their wings, Irma, Ira, and Robert, sprung into the air and ushered or cajoled the curious back to the ground, safely away from the whirling helicopter blades.

A Humvee sped to a stop at my feet even while the driver's door was kicked open. "Stout!" I roared, jumping up with my body swaying in time to my wagging tail as Colonel Stout extricated himself. "Hahaha. Good to see ya! Is all this noise your doing?"

...