Broken Ground

Fractures spread like cracking earth over the surface of a lovingly cared for eggshell. The break in the surface was not a thing of grief, but a moment of joy - finally, the day of their hatching was here. Deerlegs, and her two siblings, would wake to the safety and comfort of a small, but growing herd of pachycephalosaurs that called the side of the cliff home.

The fresh-hatched pachy rapidly took deep breaths, filling her tiny lungs with salt-scented air. She was fatigued from breaking free of her fragile cradle, and for a time only lay there and listened to what was going on around her while she regained her strength.

Sounds… there were so many sounds now. They had been muffled by the thin walls of the eggshell but now they were so clear. Voices that she had grown used to, soft murmurs of comfort and encouragement as she continued to breathe, life and energy flowing back into her limbs.

Her feathers, little more than a fine covering of down, were slicked flat by remnants of albumen. Though insulated by the nest, the feathers that were exposed to the air were rapidly cooling. She squeaked quietly when something brushed over her and nudged her gently. It was a nuzzle from one of her parents, who breathed warmth over her wet feathers and helped to dry her off. When her feathers were dry, she would be comfortable and warm again. She at least would not get too cold in the meantime - the ambient air temperature, even inside the sett, was comfortably warm thanks to their place by the sea.

The sea brought even more new sounds to Deerlegs as she lay in the nest, coddled and tended to by her parents. Her siblings would join her soon, the two remaining eggs in the nest shaking and their inhabitants peeping from within, but for now she had their full attention.

Waves rolled and crashed against the shore, pouring in from the ocean and slowly weathering away the stones and the cliffs that they called home. She, like the others that had come to live here, would one day learn about the treacherousness of the roiling water and the dangers and benefits of living so close to something so powerful. Seabirds called outside the safety of the stony sett as they soared by on graceful wings, gliding on currents of warm air that pushed a breeze into the shadowed interior of the cave.

When Deerlegs opened her eyes, they were the colour of a shallow sea, like both of her parents. Her vision was unfocused at first, but she could make out the fuzzy silhouettes of her mother and father, both outlined by bright, warm light that shone in through the cavernous sett entrance. The tiny, wet, spiked plumicorns above her brow indicated that she would grow to have feather crests framing her dome, like her father.

Deerlegs squeaked as she shifted in the nest, seeking warmth and comfort as she scooted towards her mother’s muzzle.

Her parents were there when she and her siblings took their first steps. It did not take long - they were immediately curious about the world that they had hatched into. Deerlegs was wobbly at first, but quickly found confidence with each new step that she took. She explored the nest - it was made of soft things like feathers from her parent’s coats and those that had been collected from the molted coats of seabirds, salt-scented grass and fibers pulled from the distant shore below - but quickly found that it was too small for her, with two siblings to share it with.

Then it was on to exploring the confines of the sett, testing small feet against hard stone. It was different, walking on a surface that had no give or spring to it like the nest did, but it was not long before Deerlegs was racing around the interior of the cave, only to stop dead at the edge of where the sunlight cut a bright line on the floor of the cave. Her heart fluttered in her tiny chest as her parents watched, amused, when she tested this new thing by putting one of her feet forwards, stretching one of her legs out cautiously.

It was warm. Different from the interior of the sett or the warmth of her siblings snuggling against her in the nest. It was warm and it kept getting warmer, it filled her with energy. She jumped up, excited, and darted beyond the shelter of the sett with a peep.

Her parents called out a word of warning as she headed out into the beyond, cautioning her not to go too far, but it was not entirely necessary. Not for now, at least.

Deerlegs had stopped almost as soon as she had left the cave, blinded by the sharp contrast of the shadows and the brilliant, bright light of the sun. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the difference but when they did, she still found herself stunned into standing still.

Wind buffeted against her, ruffling her fluffed feathers and threatening to knock her straight back into the sett. She tried to stand firm against the wind, the first glimpses of a stubborn nature peeking through, as she took in the breathtakingly massive world that lay before her.

From one end of the horizon to the other stretched a sparkling, deep blue ocean. When she found her bravery and she could again make herself take another step, she crept towards the edge of the cliff that the sett was nestled inside. Finally, she could see the source of the sound of the crashing waves. The deep blue hue turned into a brilliant, frothing white as each new wave fell against the rocks and drew back once again.

She watched as the seabirds that she had heard calling soared through the air and, when a couple tucked their wings to their bodies, plummeted into the water and disappeared from view. Deerlegs held her breath until they reappeared a few moments later, exploding from the water and holding something silvery and wriggling in their beaks.

She had to squash herself to the ground when another strong wind tried to blow her from the rock face and she even felt a flicker of alarm when her tiny claws scratched against the stone. She did not have to fear for long, though. Something firm rested against her haunch - the muzzle of her father, holding her still so that she, and her siblings as they joined her outside the safety of the sett, were not blown away by the wind.

That simple act, her parents and siblings being there on the cliff face with her, was enough to spark something in her chest. Warmth. Not the kind of warmth that the sun gave, though it was close.

She was not alone here, in Highcliff. She would never be alone. There would always be someone there to help her, someone to watch over her shoulder for any sign of danger, and she would grow up to be able to do the same.

But… Deerlegs watched the birds soaring over the sea, travelling into the distant horizon. What if one day she wanted to spread her wings, too?