FSE

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-Chapter 3-

Janeal stood there with a mixture of horror and regret. She had done this, brought this upon some innocent creature, turning it into a monster.

The egg had been shattered, leaving shards of white shell strewn all across the floor. A black and putrid ooze had spilled from its confines and the once pristine floor was now coated in the fowl mess. The smell of rot had quickly filled the room, forcing the aquatic blue dragon to back away and doing his best to hold back a gag.

Within this mess was a single hatchling, if you could call it that. The creature was not much larger than a house cat and twitched as it gasped for air. There was not a scale to be found and barely any flesh to speak of.

Two solid white eyes sat loosely within the skull, putting nearly too much strain on the poorly developed tissue holding them in place, threatening to fall free. The skull was plainly visible, without an ounce of muscle as it lay helplessly upon the floor, one blank and lifeless eye staring up at Janeal.

Bones stuck out of the tar like ooze, though dyed so black it was nearly indistinguishable from the sludge. Bits of muscle had barely managed to form, hanging loosely upon the feeble frame and some simply sloshing off with the pathetic twitches it managed. What few organs had managed to form were clearly visible, and already beginning to degrade as fluids drained freely onto the blackened mess underneath.

Where a heart should have been was a single honey colored crystal. It was wrapped in a thin membrane that threatened to burst at any moment.

Blood carved small rivers within the ooze, flowing freely from the small body before pooling upon the marble floor.

---

Why couldn't he move? He had done so just a moment ago. The prison had been made of a surprisingly tough material, but in the end he broke free. So why now was he so helpless? He tried to see, but there was nothing. His body would not respond and he could not even feel air in his lungs. In fact, he could not even feel a heartbeat.

This was wrong, so very wrong... He would simply have to put himself back together.

---

The ooze began to bubble, releasing more of the putrid stench and causing all of them to recoil. The small body within had gone limp long ago, seeming to give it's life away to the liquid surrounding it. Slowly the black sludge pulled back, forcing itself onto the body and engulfing it. It twisted and churned, pulling at bones and covering organs. It forced its way into every crevice and into every muscle. Behind the eyes and engulfing the dead white orbs completely. Finally it began to settle, condensing and hardening, taking shape into that of a true dragon. The wings stretched wide as membranes formed, each individual veins visible till rubbery black skin coated them. Muscles formed upon the tail, working their way up the spine. They quickly made their way along the neck and up to the jaw, covered moments later by the now spreading skin. Scales followed, so dark that they seemed to be void of mass, formed upon the skin before taking on a brilliant shine. The body twitched here and there as the last bits of ooze found their marks. It was soon absorbed, leaving not so much as a drop of the black liquid or ruby blood on the pristine marble floor.

Janeal simply stood there in astonishment, all other thoughts now wiped away with awe and confusion. The once twisted mess of horror had, in mere moments, become a tiny dragon. It was now laying peacefully upon the stone floor as if sleeping, though there was no movement. Not even the rise or fall of it's chest to signify breathing.

Her worry soon gripped her as thoughts of this all being for nothing came to the forefront of her mind, but this soon was wiped away by the sound of a deep, but tiny gasp as the small dragon took in its first lung full of air. It coughed, taking several more gasping breaths as it did it's best to acclimate to it's new world.

The small dragon, no, her child finally lifted it's head as it's eyes opened to look upon its surroundings for the first time. She had expected to see those lifeless orbs once more, but was pleasantly surprised to see a set of perfectly formed, amber eyes. They sparkled brilliantly in the light of the room and she couldn't help but stare.

"Would you look at that." The grandmotherly voice of the larger dragon caused the hatchling to startle and whipped its head around. Upon seeing the three much larger dragons it began to panic and quickly backed away, releasing a squeak of surprise as it bumped tail first into Janeal.

Janeal couldn't help but chuckle as she looked down at the very confused dragon now sitting upon one of her paws. It looked back up at her with panic and obvious fear, having no understanding of what was going on. Without provocation, Janeal lowered her head and sniffed the small creature. It smelt like her, though just different enough to not be her. She was happy to find no trace of the odd rot like odor from before and in fact she found his somewhat musky scent pleasing. The hatchling was male for sure, she could smell the genetic marker already.

"Well..." The bronze male began speaking, breaking the silence. "That was an interesting turn of events." "Interesting!?" The blue dragon nearly yelled with excitement, gaining the entire room's attention, the hatchling included. "She has just created a new life!" He was nearly bouncing with the excitement. "Which happens with nearly every mating." The bronze one interjected, electing a stern glance from his aquatic counterpart.

"You know what I mean." He huffed back.

As they spoke, Janeal turned her attention back to the hatchling. He was sitting upon her paw still, looking at the others with a mixture of fear, confusion, and curiosity. She simply grinned at the innocent little creature before lowering her head again and suddenly clamping down upon the hatchling's torso. He squeaked in surprise, feeling the powerful maw suddenly grasp him, teeth sharp enough to tear flesh pressing softly against his scales. Instincts told him to simply hang limp. To allow the older one to do as she pleased and considering how sharp those teeth were, he did exactly that.

She lifted the newborn up and placed him into the leather pouch that had carried the egg only moments ago. Upon his release he began to struggle, wishing to be free and to see what was going on. However the pouch, which was much warmer now after it been pressed against her chest this entire time and the little dragon found it was surprisingly comfortable. Soon enough he was laying quietly within the confines, with knowledge that he was pressed up against her chest providing a sense of security.

"She fused two things, both lifeless, and created life. I mean, this could rework the way we think about magic. Or life in general." "Or, this could get us all into some trouble. You know how the humans and their bonded counterparts are. They feel death is one way and it should stay as such. That is why we have such rules in place."

"Hush now." The older female interjected, "we can work out these details later. Right now we have a decision to make." Both of the males glared at each other for a moment before finally relenting and turning their attention back to Janeal.

"But you said this didn't fall under any of our laws." Janeal said, now worried they would attempt something that could harm her new son.

"Yes, that we did." The bronze female replied, "which makes this all the more difficult. You see, what you have done is dangerous for all of us."

The bronze male picked up where she had left off. "The magics you used could have released destruction and wiped out our city entirely within a day. Thousands could have died."

"But they didn't. Nobody was harmed." Janeal replied. Out of reflex, the new mother's wings had partly extended, attempting to make her appear larger than she actually was.

"True, but that does not mean we can simply ignore what you have done. As such, we have decided upon a proper punishment for your deeds." Janeal backed away, placing a claw over the small leather pouch upon her chest.

"I told you." The blue dragon spoke to the others, but quickly quieted down as the two bronze dragon looked at him.

The bronze male continued after turning his attention back to Janeal. "We have decided to give you a choice for we see no harm in letting the child live, for now." Janeal lowered her claw at these words, visibly relaxing. "You can give the hatchling to us, we will do as we see fit with him and you will act as if this never happened. You will be asked to remove yourself from these lands so such magics cannot influence those here." He let that hang for a moment before continuing. "Or you give up your magic all together."

Janeal was shocked by this. She was no expert in the arts of magic and was considered a novice at best, but a dragon without it? That was like losing your claws or a wing.

"You can't do that!" She nearly snapped.

"This is the conclusion we have made." The bronze male said, a slight undertone of a growl within his voice. "I had offered to simply do both, without giving you a choice, but it seems my colleagues here have a softer heart than I." The other two dragons nodded lightly at his words.

Janeal thought about this for some time and the elders did not seem to be in any need to rush her. The thought of simply running away with the hatchling and avoid all of this had crossed her mind, though her own reasoning had quickly shot this down. The guards would catch her easily and even if she managed to evade them, those with riders would willingly chase down a rogue dragon at the elder's request. She would be out classed in both numbers and strength, even with a head start. The two of them would live maybe a week at most, assuming she could find a way to hide her scent.

"Where will I go if I chose to give up my magic?" She asked, not wishing just yet give up her options.

"No where," The elder female said softly in her soothing voice. "You will stay here and keep the nest you have made so that you can properly raise the boy." She spoke as if this was simply a fact of the matter.

Janeal was confused. "But if I can simply stay here and keep him... why must I give up magic?"

"Because as interesting as this all is, we cannot risk you attempting any of this again." This time it was the aquatic male speaking. "I would like to study him, and we all feel that he could grow to be something great. However, what you have done is dangerous. This is enough cause to make sure that it is not attempted again. You have shown not only the capability enough to wield things beyond even our understanding, but also you lack the value placed on your own life when you set your mind on something." Janeal felt insulted, but the dragon continued before she could say anything. "As such, you are to either be removed or metaphorically declawed. The choice is yours."

---

The room had been just as Janeal left it, untouched and still warm from the recently extinguished fires of the torches. The light from the waning sun trickled in through one of the nearby holes in the stone wall, set so high no person in their right mind would attempt to climb through. This allowed a cool spring breeze to flow through, giving a soft chill to the otherwise warm and stuffy air.

"We're home." She said softly to the little bundle strapped to her chest, though recieved no reply. The hatchling within had fallen asleep during flight and did not even stir upon landing.

Janeal gave a soft smile to herself before lifting a claw and lightly flicking her wrist. Nothing happened. The dragoness blinked and tried again, yet still nothing happened. It dawned on her what she had been trying to do, out of habit she had attempted to light the torches. Now she was unable to do what her kind considered a simple task.

The elders had been very thorough in their work. Not only had they blocked her ability to manipulate magic, they had removed it entirely. She could not feel it's flow any longer, leaving her somewhat empty inside.

How they had managed such a feat was beyond her understanding. Something about cutting neurons within the brain? She didn't even know what a neuron was.

The blue dragon had been kind enough to explain it all, but he had used so many terms she didn't understand that it all ended up amounting to little more than 'stand here and hold still.'

The process itself had been painless. The bronze elder performed some sort of spell and within moments she was walking out the door. She wasn't even sure he had done anything till just now.

Janeal made her way over to the nest of golds and gems. On top had been placed a large body pillow, one she had not remembered putting there. It was made of a red satin, trimmed with gold lace and golden frills on the corners that matched the rest of her hoard.

It was smooth and soft to the touch. Such things were rare in these lands and it could easily cost a fortune to have one made, especially for a creature of her size. In the center was a single note with the word 'Enjoy' written upon it. There were no other markings upon the letter to signify who had placed it here. No one she knew had the funds to simply give such a gift away and if they did it would most certainly not be for her.

Settling with the fact she would not be able to solve this mystery, she simply did as the note suggested, though only after removing the sling around her body.

The tiny dragon within gave her an annoyed chirp as she lifted him once more and placed his tiny form upon the pillow. He seemed confused by the texture beneath his feet and even clawed at it a bit. The fabric resist such tamperings as his claws slid across the smooth surface. She figured it must have been reinforced with such things in mind.

After the hatchling had finally settled down, she too joined him on the new bed. The feel of the satin upon her scales sent shivers down her spine as she got comfortable. She even let out a small giggle at the feeling, enjoying the soft fabric for all it's worth.

The hatchling had fallen asleep once more, curled upon the pillow. It was no surprise that he was exhausted after all that happened.

Using her tail, Janeal pulled her new son close to her and wrapped her body around his. He squirmed a bit at the movement, but the warmth of her body soon lulled him back into a deep sleep. "I'll need to give you a name." Janeal said thoughtfully, though right now nothing came to mind. Too much happened too quickly and she had not expected him to hatch so soon. He suddenly let out a squeak, grabbing the large dragoness' attention, though it seemed to be in response to some dream. She smiled as she watched the tiny figure for a moment before humming a soft tune, much like the one he had heard within his egg.