The Dawn’s Dusk - 20. Chapter 20- The Dawn's Dusk

Warning: Whelps hatching. Warm and fuzzy feelings.

The months seemed to fly by. Emery and I had moved out of the Vesper estate into the Tesran estate. My brother felt forlorn about it until he realized just how quickly he could visit us whenever he donned his wyvern form.

In my wyvern form, I laid and began to incubate seven eggs. Before we knew it, Emery welcomed not only the Walkers to the Tesran estate but Sepherus, Owin, the valley gang, and a couple of amphipteres, as well.

It took twenty-two days of incubating for the eggs to hatch. Emery and I took turns monitoring the nest and keeping the eggs at a stable temperature. Even if left alone, wyvern eggs generally hatched without difficulties. However, as it was our first nest, Emery and I were more attentive. The seven eggs were the same hue, a soft blue with white specks, but were all slightly different sizes.

On the morning of the twenty-second day, Emery saw movement in the largest of the eggs. I quickly sent for Sepherus and Owin, who were already with us in a guest room. Emery and I were in our wyvern form as we welcomed our first whelp. She was a darling girl, a rounded and healthy whelp with bright blue eyes and blue and black splattered scales.

"Her name will be Akasia," I announced. "In honor of her late Aunt Kasia."

The next child to hatch was a rambunctious boy. He had silver eyes in the same hue as his silver scales. "Cowin, for his Uncle Owin," Emery provided.

The third whelp was another energetic whelp. She had Emery's lavender eyes and cinereous grey scales. When she hatched, she immediately tackled her older brother. "Miseph," I said. "For Uncle Seph."

Our fourth child was another girl. She was shy. Her silvery blue eyes peered up at us from behind a shell, and her scales were steel blue. "Sweet Sady, in gratitude of Lady Walker," Emery stated.

The fifth whelp broke out of her shell and immediately began to stomp all over it. She was a pale blue hue all over, and her eyes were brown. "Elucia, the effeminate form of Lucio."

The boy that hatched after that seemed to prioritize cleaning himself over making a bigger mess. He had charcoal black scales and blue eyes. "Demery, son of Emery," Emery stated.

The seventh, and final whelp to hatch let out a big yawn. He had grey scales speckled with steel blue, a lavender eye on his right, and a silvery-blue eye on his left. "Tryad," I whispered as I leaned down to nuzzle each and every one of them. "Son of Rhyad."

The onlookers gave Emery and me some time to bond with our whelps. As I basked in their warmth, I felt my heart swell. In the back of my 'new parent' state of mind, there was also relief that we had moved to the Tesran estate, where we were further away from the greenhouses. I had a feeling that most of our children would be fearless in their exploration.

Sepherus and Owin then took turns picking up one or two whelps at a time to become acquainted with them. Not too long after, the employees of both estates dropped by to leave gifts for the little ones, from soft foods to small toys. Their kind gesture caused my throat to close up and tears to form in my eyes.

But, the gifts from the valley gang were even more extravagant. The squills brought jewelry and accessories...Shire had even engraved them with the first letter of each of their names. What surprised me the most was when we brought the whelps outside to meet a couple of amphipteres that had come just to see them.

'Children, be gentle!' I warned in Kedoryn, though the whelps were still too young to understand. The sight of the massive, winged serpents lying on the ground for the little whelps to jump on them and bite on their frills and paws as they pleased was a memory I'd never forget. I planned to even sketch it onto canvas.

Tryad gave another loud yawn, echoed from one sibling to the other until all seven whelps began to blink their eyes closed. The excitement had worn them out. Emery and I shifted into our Squill forms to carefully carry them back inside. Everyone quieted as we walked past and waved goodbye to us. As my newly formed family settled down for a nap, I felt like the luckiest wyvern in the world.

::::::

As six tiny hands tugged off my blanket, I felt like the unluckiest wyvern in the world. The sun hadn't even risen yet. I let out a yawn as I stretched. When I fully opened my eyes, I saw the bright-eyed gazes of three of my children eagerly urging me to get up.

"Daddy," Akasia began as she tugged insistently on the hem of my pajama top. "Daddy, we all packed our own bags. We ate breakfast and brushed our teeth, and it's almost time!"

I nodded sagely as if I knew exactly what she was talking about, but my mind was still fuzzy from interrupted sleep. "Yes, it's time...time for what, again?" I asked.

"Stop joking, daddy!" Cowin piped up. "We've been planning this trip with the Uncles all year long!"

The word 'trip' jogged my memory. "The aerial competition!" I deduced with a wide grin. Owin had been the one to suggest it. In the west region, wyverns of all ages competed in flying dynamics once a year. The whelps were finally old enough to compete in their age category. During the first week was orientation, and afterwards, they would compete continuously for two months until the top three were announced in each age group. Food and lodgings were available to all who participated. Owin and Sepherus had promised to watch over them for the first month of the event, which left Emery and I time to ourselves until we went out to see the second half.

By the time we were all downstairs, Emery had opened the door for Owin and Sepherus. They each hugged me in greeting. "Let us know if you're too overwhelmed after the first week," I insisted.

"It'll be fine. They're not the only septuplets that'll be there," Owin responded, looking just as excited as my oldest three. "Plus, there will be counselors, coaches, judges, and adult staff everywhere keeping an eye on things, too."

"Either way, should you feel burdened, we will be there after the second week," Emery added as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. He knew our whelps as much as I did. They were definitely a handful.

"I'm certain that the Tesran whelps wouldn't want to be sent home or kicked out of the competition after only the second week," Sepherus commented in a voice loud enough for the kids to hear. They all groaned in response, some of them adding their opinions.

"Come on, Uncle Seph!"

"Lighten up, will ya…"

"We'll be good, we promise!"

"Although, there is a certain nephew of mine who still hasn't expressed how he feels about this trip," Sepherus concluded as he knelt down on one knee in front of Tryad. "What do you say, little buddy? Do you feel ready?"

The whelp with multi-hued eyes nodded with a smile and the adult alpha didn't hesitate to lift him up into his arms triumphantly, earning him a squeal of delight from the child. "That's what I wanna hear!"

I leaned my head against Emery's shoulder as I saw them interact. The whelps might manipulate their fun Uncle Owin to no end, but they definitely respected and obeyed their Uncle Sepherus. The two of them were a nice balance.

"Alright, my little monsters," Owin called out in an affectionate tone. "Time to say bye to the 'rents and stretch those wings out!"

All seven of them rushed towards Emery and me for farewell hugs and kisses before shifting into their wyvern forms. The nine of them flew out in a V-formation that reminded me of whenever we visited the valley. My heart sank a bit with instant loss. My mate must have felt the same because I felt him hugging me from behind and nuzzling my mating mark just as the familiar shiver beneath my skin told me that dawn was approaching.

"How about we go back to bed, my Enthale?" Emery suggested.

I gave him a grateful smile. "Hmm, and how will we make sure we wake up before dusk?" I asked.

"I can think of many, many ways," the Dusk beta purred.

My grin widened. "I look forward to it," I replied. As my Cojalis walked back inside, I turned my gaze back to the diminishing V-formation in the sky. "Thanks, Owin."

END

A/N: Once again, I thank everyone that took the time to look over my work. I know it's yet another story on the shorter side, but I feel I keep improving just a little bit further with each tale I write!  And thanks, as always, to those of you that took a chance and read this one.