This time, Harmony was more prepaired.
She ate well just after settling the egg into it's nest. No more random snack attacks this time and the possibility of eating weird things would be totally out. Feeling 100% ready for the 24 hour marathon that hatching this egg would entail, she settle next to the nesting area to wait.
Voices distracted In Harmony not long into her watch. Oh, some kin were cutting through her territory again. Her ears flattened against her head and she stood up to confront the tresspassers as they came closer. Noticing another kin in front of them, the misfits approached her, asking what she was up too and why was she there alone. Harmony was curt, informing the group that they were not welcome here and to move along quickly "or else." They others laughed at Harmony's threat, there was no way a doe like her could do anything them. In Harmony rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. She'd spent a lot of days in an arena learning how to take a hit and give one back three times as hard.
The misfits were sent packing, several wolves also on their tails as the sound of the scuffle had attracted her pack's attention. She'd taken a couple hits, but nothing she couldnt handle. She'd be sore, but it would be worth it. Settling back in for the afternoon, Harmony daydreamed about what sort of salamander would hatch.
Harmony shivered hard. After the sun had gone down, the temperature plummeted, much, much lower then expected. She was deeply concerned about the egg and checked on it. The nest was becoming wet, the dry grasses she'd put in eariler had started soaking up the water from the frost and ground and was becoming damp. This wasn't good.
She started to look around for something to help keep the nest dry. Crud crud crud crud. She started pawing through her own things, kicking out a number of things before coming across her winter covering. The skin was of a larger animal that had had white fur. When it was deeply cold, like it was now, she pulled it onto her body to help her stay comfortable. She pulled the skin over to the nesting area and pushed it inside. The fur was put against the wet ground and she tore more of her bed apart, putting fresh, dry grasses onto the leather side of the skin. Satisfied, Harmony placed the egg back in the nest and hoped that it would be ok.
Settling back, she tucked herself closely into a ball, shivering in the cold. She'd spent a lot of nights like this before she'd had her winter covering, one more wouldn't kill her. Her breath puffed in the air. The night went on, cold and quiet.
The light was beginning was a sliver on the horizon. Not only was warmth coming, but the end of her vigil. Harmony got up and shook herself vigoriously trying to warm up and flick frost off her coat. Looking out into the swamp, she saw colorful lights. Strange. They made no noise and seemed to float closer. In Harmony watched them carefully because they seemed to be heading her way. Then, the cause of the colors came into sight. A smack of Jellyfish! Harmony watched in wonder. It wasn't often you see such a thing happening in the colder parts of the year and it made her happy to see such a rare sight. One of the jellyfish bumped gently against the nesting tree, trying to get around it.
"Oh..oh..be careful.." she said softly, worried for both the jellyfish and the egg. The jellyfish gently bumped against the tree again, seeming to have a difficult time getting around it. It slowly sank, bumping the tree as it did, looking for a way forward. Harmony gasped as the jellyfish entered the nest and stuck her head in after. The tendrils of the wild jellyfish instantly touched and defensively wrapped around her muzzel and nose.
"AYE AYE AYE!!" Harmony cried, yanking her head out, the jellyfish still attached. It continued to shock and sting her as she tried desperatly to shake it off her. She finally freed herself of the creature and it managed to float on to try to catch up with the rest of the smack since it was no longer hampered by the tree. Sting marks crossed arounder her face and they burned.
As the sun finally started turning the sky blue again, Harmony plodded over to the nest and sat directly outside it, head resting just outside of the boarder of the grasses and closed her eyes.
She must of fallen asleep, because the next sensation she felt was a chill running up her nose. She sighed as the pain of the jellyfish stings were ebbing away and slowly opened her eyes. As her vision focused, she saw a blue-ish creature on the tip of her nose. Ah! Harmony sat up fast, cracking her head on the top of the tree opening. It was fine, it's fine. Just a little pain.
The salamander, perhapes sensing the pain, crawled straight up her face onto the side of her head that was slowly starting to swell. The relief was almost instantaneous.
"You..are going to be very handy my new friend."
14. A band of misfits wants to see the egg and are ready to rumble.
14. A band of misfits wants to see the egg and are ready to rumble.
11. The weather changes dramatically in the night, and you have to protect your egg's chosen habitat.
21. Not too far away, you find some additional supplies to more comfortably protect your egg.
8. A smack of jellyfish float through your nest. Slight electrical pulses run through their long reaching tendrils.