I had no true sense of time from within my shell, but I knew it had been at least 14 days since I had gained the first fleeting glimmers of consciousness. I could feel it in my bones that I was ready, in body and mind, to be free from this temporary prison. I reached out reflexively with my mind before I began to break the shell and sensed the 8 others in my clutch. All of them had begun to stir as well. I MUST be the first I thought, my first fully complete one in these past few days. The first to rise, the first to adjust to the environment, the first to prepare...
I furiously began to pierce the egg, into the brightness that was the daytime. The searing light was painful for just a few moments as I scrambled out of the remains of my shell. Once my pupils adjusted, I saw the rest of the clutch arrayed before me. All of my siblings had been just starting to crawl out into the sun, save for one sister. She was still mostly trapped by her egg with just her head poking out. We stared at each other directly in the eyes for just a second before I started to move. She quickly redoubled her efforts as I awkwardly began to walk towards her, accidentally making her egg fall over. Unable to free herself when I finally crossed the nest, she made one snap of her jaws at me right before I lunged at her neck. With just a quick twist of my head and a loud cracking noise, I watched the light leave her eyes.
In the aftermath of the initial culling there were 4 of us left, our mother telepathically sending her approval. Each of my brethren had squared off against another with exception of one of my brothers. He had waited until everyone else was engaged before striking a wounded pair. I would have to keep a close eye on him... for only one of us was going to survive the coming months. For our mother had only wanted a clutch of one, all the others were mere kindling for the spark of life of her sole child.
I furiously began to pierce the egg, into the brightness that was the daytime. The searing light was painful for just a few moments as I scrambled out of the remains of my shell. Once my pupils adjusted, I saw the rest of the clutch arrayed before me. All of my siblings had been just starting to crawl out into the sun, save for one sister. She was still mostly trapped by her egg with just her head poking out. We stared at each other directly in the eyes for just a second before I started to move. She quickly redoubled her efforts as I awkwardly began to walk towards her, accidentally making her egg fall over. Unable to free herself when I finally crossed the nest, she made one snap of her jaws at me right before I lunged at her neck. With just a quick twist of my head and a loud cracking noise, I watched the light leave her eyes.
In the aftermath of the initial culling there were 4 of us left, our mother telepathically sending her approval. Each of my brethren had squared off against another with exception of one of my brothers. He had waited until everyone else was engaged before striking a wounded pair. I would have to keep a close eye on him... for only one of us was going to survive the coming months. For our mother had only wanted a clutch of one, all the others were mere kindling for the spark of life of her sole child.