Chapter6: 

Mirzephra was not there when he awoke. The storm was gone however, and Balth found her tracks in the snow leaving the cave. He flew in the opposite direction of the tracks to find the herd. When he came across them, Balth picked out the biggest of them all. The herd had trampled the snow and was eating the cold fresh grass. He dove toward his target and kept the aged cow in sight. As the herd scattered at the sight of Balthezar, he chased his prey away. When the cow he was chasing separated from the rest of the herd, Balth landed and tracked it on foot, maneuvering so the cow would go where he wanted it to go. He chased it for eighteen miles, keeping it going in a strait line toward the dragon’s lair. After two more miles, the cow collapsed in the snow and lay panting. It looked up and started at the icy blue dragon. He knew it was his end, and did not fear Balthezar. The cow closed its eyes as he gave a final snort. Balthezar slowly walked up to his pray and stuck a claw into its beating heart. He took his food in his talons and flew it back to Airee. The trip was longer and harder than Balth had anticipated, but he made it back to the lair none the less successful. There was no sign of the deer he had left for Airee when Balth came back. Airee was fat asleep sprawled belly up in her nest. Her tail was hanging limp out of the nest. Balthezar was turned-on by her as he walked in. The eggs would be coming very soon. He found the blanket he made for her and stretched it over the sleeping dragon. Balth stroked Airee’s purring neck as she slept and let his fingers slip beneath the fur blanket. Airee groaned slightly as she slowly woke up. She took his hand and slid it even further onto her overwhelming belly. He squeezed and pushed as he always did, and she let him do it hard.
“You’re late.” Airee laughing groggily. She knew he had to whether the storm. “What did you bring for me?” Balth pointed at the cow with his nose. This made Airee smile and giggle in delight, and Balth could feel her belly rumble as she did so. He was glad Airee was pleased. Balth pushed the carcass to her, and she dug out of it as she brought the meat to her mouth. Airee slid out of the blanket and let the carcass rest on her belly as she ate, using herself as a plate. Balthezar licked his lips as he watched her devour the food, but he knew the meal was not for him. He would have to hunt in the morning. Balth told Airee about his day in trying to hunt for the herd. He told her about the fight with the white dragon and their agreement. Airee did not looked pleased with him when he told her he slept in her lair. They still talked though her meal though. When he came to the part about where white dragons come from, Balth was surprised to find that Airee already knew about them. Balth had never been told. The next thing Balth told her was about what had happened to the white dragon’s mother. When Airee heard this, she stopped eating. 
“What’s wrong?” Balthezar asked her.
“Did she tell you her name?” was all Airee said. When Balth told Airee her name was Mirzephra, she stared at him. “Mirzephra is my sister.” All Balth could do was stare back as he realized that it meant they had the same mother. “I left before she was born…” A tear came to Airee’s eye as she remembered her mother, the red dragon that had raised her. Airee still had most of the meal to finish, but she ate much more slowly now. Balth knew she would not eat at all if she wasn’t pregnant. He let her eat in silence as she let the feeling pass. When she finished the cow, Airee held up a finger and motioned Balth to come near. As he slowly walked toward her, she patted the top of her belly. She wanted him there for comfort. Balth climbed past the lip of the nest and crawled on top of his mate. Her belly cushioned him as he lay on her, and their snouts met. Airee let him taste the cow in her mouth and on her tongue. After kissing for a long time, she put her hands on Balth’s head. She pushed his snout down as he continued licking. She had not cleaned up the blood where the cow had lain. Balth moved his snout lower and lower, licking up the blood on her neck. Balthezar slowly slid off of Airee as all the blood was licked from her body. Airee liked the tickling feeling she got from his tongue on her enlarged belly. When Balth landed on the floor, he walked to Airee’s side. They kissed again and Balth slid the blanket back onto her. “Thank you”, she said. “It’s what I needed.” Night fell as they caressed. Balth slept at her side that night at the base of Airee’s nest.
Airee woke the next morning to find Balthezar gone. She did not like when she woke up without him, but his smell was everywhere. She rolled over slowly underneath the blanket but stopped when she heard a cracking sound. She looked at her belly and heard it again. Immediately, Airee let out an ear-piercing roar to call Balthezar. Within seconds, he came pounding though the entrance of the cave. His claws were bloody, but he had no food. Balth had forfeited his catch to get to his mate faster. The blue dragon rushed to Airee’s side while her belly slowly grew. The cracking still continued inside her.
“What’s happening?” Airee gasped as she asked. Balth continued starring at her growing belly as she started to huff air.
“You’re going to have a live birth”, Balth said as he realized what was happening. Airee rolled her head back and moaned at the ceiling.
“Why me?”
“It’s not you.” Balthezar answered. “It’s both of us.” Her belly bulged tight now; it had grown a fifth bigger than it had been a few moments ago. Fluid started to ooze as her belly ripped open. Balthezar looked over at his lover. She smiled as the first wave of pain rushed over her. Airee whined as the light blue head of a dragon was pushed out.  Balth helped pull it free of her; the next hatchling was right behind. The young were pushed out whining and kicking, but not as much as Airee was herself. Their scale-less bodies were covered in broken eggshells. The last to leave Airee was still in its egg. It had not yet started to hatch inside her belly. Airee breathed a great sigh of relief as her births ended. “Um… Airee?” Balth looked at her. “I only count six…” She felt her stomach and found the missing hatchling. It was another egg. 
“It’s too deep, I can’t push it out.” Airee hesitated before she told Balthezar what to do. “You’re going to have to… grab it…” Balth looked at her with a confused face and she blushed. Airee took his hand in hers and placed it to her belly. With her other hand, she pulled the opening in her belly and shoved Balth’s hand right in. Balthezar turned pale as Airee engulfed his hand. She pushed it in deeper and deeper. She had to prompt Balth the whole way in, every inch. “Just look for it…” she told him. As Balthezar grew more comfortable with his hand inside her, he pushed deeper and looked for the missing egg. “You better not be smiling”, Airee joked. This embarrassed Balth, so he poked her gently from the inside for having naughty thoughts. She squeezed yellped suddenly and snorted at Balth. “Hey!” she told him. “I’m a lot more tender in there than you think!” Airee was taunting him now. Balth blushed as she played with him. . 
“Sorry”, Balth apologized. But she just nodded at him. as he found the egg. She gasped as Balth slid his second hand into her to grab the large egg. Airee’s belly was pulled even further apart as he pulled the egg free of her. The live birth hatchlings were licking the slime off themselves now. Airee slowly climbed out of the nest as her belly began to peel off, revealing a new layer of scales just starting to grow back. The five hatchlings jumped into the nest as Airee climbed out; they smelled food. They bathed in the liquid and started to lap it up with their tiny tongues. There were five of them. Two were males the color of Balthezar. Two more were females the color of Airee. The last was a female, the color of a ripe plum. Airee and Balthezar watched them eat together, and they smiled at the lot they had so far. Airee climbed on top of Balth as their young were eating. She was finally free from her pregnancy. Airee wrapped her tail around It made Airee purr deeper than Balthezar, the deepest she had ever purred. Airee groaned to herself in sadness when she felt a tugging on her tail. It was one of the red hatchlings, and she was cold. 
“Hello little one”, Airee sang to her. She thought for a moment, and came up with a name. “You shall be… Sairei.” The little red dragon looked confused at what Airee was telling her. Sairei had had her fill of the soup and wanted her mother’s attention. Airee squeezed Balthezar’s tail; he looked at it and realized it was as white as snow. Airee smiled as he found the gift she had given him. She had used her magic to make his tail the color that meant they were mates for life. The red dragoness tended to her young as they ate. Airee did not know why it was a live birth, but deep in her heart she was glad for it. Somehow she felt as if she willed them to be born that way. The tiny dragons grew rapidly as they ate. By the time they had finished their first meal, they had grown to nearly twice their size. Airee was still very fat from eating so much, but her skin shrank back into place and was pulled tight over the next two days. Hunger consumed Airee, but she was not allowed to eat. Her body had to live off the fat in her stomach as it shrank. If she ate anything, she would stay a large bellied dragon with a huge appetite. She had to wait until her scales grew back to eat anything. Airee began flying for the first time in three years a week after giving birth. The eggs had still not hatched by that time, so Balth helped keep them warm while she flew. He watched over the hatchlings as well while she was gone. Balthezar trusted her not to hunt while she was out flying. She knew what would happen if she broke her diet. Balth would always re-assure himself that Airee did not know where any food was. The herds were hiding in warm spots to escape the snow, and she had not hunted in three years. Airee came back to the cave panting and tired. Her wings were weak, and she was still heavy. Air slid into the alcove and yawned as it cradled her. She cuddled with Balthezar in the alcove, the two eggs between them. They watched their young play around the flickering fire. Soon, the dragons would have to teach them to fly. Balthezar lay with his mate a while as they both watched the children.
“I think I’m going to name our first-born Legacy”, Balth said to Airee. She agreed that it was a good name for a blue male. After lying with Airee and her eggs a moment longer, Balthezar left to hunt for himself. He had fed the hatchlings that morning with a small deer for the lot of them; they grew bigger with every bite they took. Airee put the eggs in the rabbit blanket as she lay in the sleeping nook. She was very hungry. Airee saw something moving at her feet. ‘Could it be a lost animal?’ she thought to herself. Before Airee could think about her actions, she pounced on it and had it in her mouth in seconds. She yelped as she bit into it, and she realized she was chewing on her very own tail. She laughed to herself as she realized what was in her mouth. Air had not seen her own tail in over two years. Airee was still very hungry. She looked at her tail longingly and wondered if she could really eat it to fill her belly. She slid it into her mouth and tried biting it again. She could taste a small drop of blood on her tongue, and a tear came to her eye. Airee pushed her tail away from her. She could not chew off Balthezar’s scales. It would make her too sad. As she made the decision, Airee went back to being bored, when suddenly she heard a cracking sound behind her... 

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