The faint yet rhythmic heartbeat emanating from the dragon egg in your arms must’ve lulled you to sleep, because you were awoken by the thunder of wings flapping above. You looked up to see Basalt, your dragon mount of many years, descending from the sky with the spoils of his latest hunt between his talons.

Red dragons were as rare as they were difficult to tame, for those who still saw it that way. Having one as your mount was a testament to a rider's skill and fighting spirit. So when you returned from your rite upon the back of Basalt, or Baz as you so often called him, you were regarded as a hero amongst your clan. Other riders often asked you how you tamed such a beast, but Baz was far more than a mount to you. He was your flying partner. An equal.

At the request of Basalt, the two of you were flying over the southernmost mating grounds. He wanted to show you where he’d hatched and grown up, but as he dipped below the treeline you spotted a nest and a clutch of eggs that appeared to be unattended. It was rare to see such a thing, usually one parent would stay with the eggs while the other would hunt. And even if only the male stuck around, they would not be gone for very long.

After a few days of yours and Basalt’s careful watch without a parent in sight, the two of you decided to intervene. According to Baz, if left unattended for any longer the eggs may not be warm enough to hatch.

“Any signs of hatching?”

Baz’s voice was a low rumble. You paused the stroking of your thumb across the egg’s scaly surface, raising your head to see Baz in human form. Though it was a form he rarely took, you’d noticed that he seemed paranoid about accidentally squashing the eggs in his beast form. Not that the eggs were small, in fact they were big enough that you could barely get your arms around one.

“I got us some food for the evening. And enough to share, should the little ones decide to join us.”