An egg is made. Hollow it yearns for magic. The parents yearn for child.
(Art by @damnedxfate)
The Butter Saga (Part One)
by: Vex (me) and @damnedxfate
Wind ran over bone as two small bitties sailed through the air. The bitty couple were off to visit their adopted son. Schwarz a “loud bite” lamia and Nacht a “Floof” bitty. You wouldn’t believe a snake and a bird would get along but their complementary personalities meant they hit it off. Discovering the unclaimed egg had brought them even closer. They knew eventually their little Edgar, a “Hootles” bitty, would leave them. But truthfully they couldn’t have been more proud.
Their little Edgar was all grown up and having babies of his own. The fact they weren’t actually his eggs was a mere technicality. They were off to visit him and their many grandchildren. Safely delivered on a cotton candy cloud.
Edgar always looked forward to visits from his parents. They’d hatched his egg together and raised him to be the responsible nursery caretaker he was today. Every time they visited the shop, he showed them the new babies so that they could coo and fawn over “his” little ones.
He especially enjoyed showing them the nestful of little Mambas since they resembled Schwarz. The babies beeped and peeped at Schwarz and pointed to Nacht’s feathery wings with open joy. Well, Edgar hoped it was open joy and not predatory hunger. The baby Mambas did like to hunt feather lures and he’d had a downy body feather chomped more than once!
Schwarz and Nacht shared a side glance when they heard Edgar sigh bodily once more. Usually their son, while quite content to relax and watch his fathers with his “children”, he seemed troubled. This would simply not do at all. The couple knew each other well enough that they could hold entire conversations with just their eyes. A plan was hatched. Flipping his wings Nacht spread them to their max length and gave them a shake.
Floof bitties were a high maintenance breed. Their meticulous need to stay clean and visibly appealing meant that Nacht wings were dazzling. His name meaning night in another language thanks to his uniquely colored plumage. They shimmered shades of purple and black mimicking a midnight sky. Catching the light streaming from the windows they absolutely gleamed. He knew the little mambas would be enamored and thus distracted while the other part of the plan was enacted.
“Explain” Schwarz ordered. Straight to the point and never one to beat around the bush. He was a loud bite of few words and quick action. He was going to sink his fangs into whatever problem dared to distraught his son so.
Edgar chuckled. His parents could always see right through him, and they never hesitated to take on a share of his problems when he had them. As much as he hated to play favorites, Syrup, the smallest Mamba in the shop, would always be the nearest and dearest to his heart. He wondered if his parents could help him find a solution to a problem that Syrup faced with his mate, a ridiculously large King lamia named Waffle.
Edgar explained to his parents that Syrup had finally left the nursery to live on his own, and that the tiny mamba had even found himself a mate. Unfortunately, Syrup and Waffle weren’t able to properly mate and produce an egg despite desperately wanting a child of their own. Edgar saw Syrup’s slumped shoulders every time he visited the nest and watched the baby lamias play, and it broke his heart.
There had to be a way to help Syrup and Waffle, and if anyone could figure things out, it would be his trusted parents.
Schwarz couldn’t contain his coo. His son was just too precious. Swarz knew one of the lamia Edgar spoke of not having been there when Waffle was in the nest. He had met Syrup back when he was but a hatchling. All squirming and angry, just like his grandsire!
Thankfully, they had a solution. Edgar wouldn’t know of her since he had been raised in Wunderland Isles. The being that had created Schwarz and the other lamia he called family. Her name not translatable from soul into the spoken language. She was known simply as-
Snake Mama.
Her magic was exactly what they needed. Quickly and in detail in explained that Snake mama was capable of solidifying her magic into an empty egg shell. From here she would gather magic and mix them to form the soul within. This was how she could make her hatchlings that were so similar to the bigger monsters in looks and personality. Through hard work and meditation she had conquered a new variation of this.
A receptive egg that she could gift to those she trusted. Those incapable of having young through normal means. She would be able to craft an egg for Syrup and Waffle. They could push magic into the egg and from there a new soul would be born. Their own little baby.
Edgar nodded. He could barely contain his excited hoots. How soon could they go request an egg? How long would it take to be ready? Should Syrup and Waffle go with them to visit Snake Mama, or would the egg be brought back to the shop? Grumpy baby beeps sounded as Edgar danced around in eager anticipation of helping his precious Syrup.
Edgar returned to his nest and nuzzled his current nestful of babies, reassuring them that they could have as much of his attention as they needed, any time they needed it. The baby Mambas disliked their guardians excitement over something that wasn’t them, but they were soon preoccupied with playing “chase Nacht” again. Baby troubles were easily solved with distractions. Adults? Not so much.
Schwarz huffed in amusement. His excitable son and grandchildren reminded him of himself. Noticing Nacht was starting to get upset over the slowly beginning game of “How many shiny feathers could they take” by the baby Mambas hoping to deck themselves out in sparkling feathers, Schwarz quickly reassured Edgar.
As soon as they got home the pair would talk to Snake Mama. She would be able to construct an egg as soon as she was free. One of her messengers could deliver it by the evening, the nightmare snakes finding night travel much easier. It would be better if only Syrup and Waffle handled the egg after that. To ensure the egg absorbed their magic only, the parents to be would need to sequester themselves. Since Snake Mama and her brood could not breed naturally, there was no risk of contamination of magic but it would be safer to do it in the parents own nest where the magic had already layered the area.
Demanding a kiss from all his grumpy grand hatchlings, yes hiss all you want he’s bigger. Deal with it. Schwarz and Nacht scheduled their next visit, you don’t just pop up unannounced at a person’s house that’s just rude.Swearing they would speak to Snake Mama as soon as they returned to the creche. They also extracted a promise from their son to take many pictures of their soon to be great grand hatchling. They couldn’t wait to brag back home.
The baby Mambas pouted in disappointment as the shimmering feathers escaped their tiny grasps for good this time. Edgar got them all tucked into the nest, and despite their protests and cries of “but I’m not tired,” they were asleep in seconds, exhausted from the visit. With feathers ruffled in elation, Edgar hurried to Syrup and Waffle’s nest to tell them the good news.
When the egg arrived, the two seemingly mismatched lamias already had a private nest set up with piles of the softest blankets (in shades of purple upon Syrup’s insistence) and a large heating lamp to ensure only the best and most complete warmth for their shell-ensconced offspring.
"I've had a fair amount of experience with snakes, and I find them to be pretty honest in terms of how you read their body language and emotions. They'll tell you when they're grumpy. They'll tell you when they're okay." - Dominic Monaghen
So this is my snake mama Leoria. She's adorable and loveable and she will adopt you in a heart beat. She's used as a therapy bitty due to her kindness and great mothering skills.
