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Description
The egg pulsed in his hands, slipping a bit as Lark struggled to keep it aloft. This proved difficult as it was coated in slime that was sticky and at the same time slippery. Relenting, Lark set it on a towel that rested on top of his bed, partially in disgust and partially on account of the fatigue in his arms. The egg was quite heavy and Lark’s childish body was strong, but weak in physical endurance. He looked at the left over sludge that covered his hands and got up to wash them before he got slime everywhere.

After returning from the bathroom attached to his shared dorm room, he sat on the floor and contemplated the egg. His task was supposedly to care for it until it hatched near the end of the month. Lark glared at the egg and leaned slightly on the bed. He supposed he would need to keep it warm, though he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on it at all times. The question was, how? It wasn’t like he produced any body heat, so that wouldn’t work. He’d have to find something to wrap it in.

Looking around the room, he searched through his few possessions. He had a few changes of clothes and some books but that was about it. Nothing he was willing to spare getting dirty for the sake of mere classwork. He could always ask his roommate, Conrad, to borrow something of his to use. After all, the demon was usually happy to appease his friends, a contrast to the experience Lark had had with the hellish species. But no, it wouldn’t be borrowing since whatever he wrapped the egg with would surely become stained from the slime. Slightly frustrated Lark tugged on the end of his scarf… and looked down.

His scarf was certainly long, it trailed on the ground when he wasn’t floating and it did keep him warm. So who was to say that it couldn’t keep an egg warm as well? Lark hesitated. He really didn’t want to do this, but it’s not like he had any other choice, unless he wanted to boil the egg and risk frying the growing lizard inside. Finally, he unwrapped his scarf from his neck and headed to the bed. Grimacing, he then placed it around the egg, making sure it was tightly but snuggly swathed in the fabric. He then picked it up and placed it in pouch which he fastened to his waist. The weight of both the egg and scarf on one side of him caused him to walk a bit awkwardly but at least he had solved one problem.

Sensitive to the sudden coolness around his neck area, he touched his collarbone as he adjusted to the loss of extra warmth. He was definitely going to need a new scarf.

~~~~~~~~~

“What happened to your scarf?” Lark’s twin sister plopped down next to him as he bathed in the sun of the unusually warm February day. It had been a few days since he had sacrificed one of his most precious garments for the sake of an egg. Thinking about it again made him curse the stupid lizard that was forcing Lark to use quite a bit of effort. The black misshapen orb occupied his thoughts most of the time and he had to check on it at least every half hour. He had given up on trying to leave it in the dorm and popping in to check on it between classes. Now, he just carried it around all the time in his pouch.

“I gave it to an unborn lizard,” he finally replied, shifting from sitting cross legged on the ground to lying down. The grass tickled his cheeks when he spoke and the sun was bright but welcome.

“You what?” Lacie was bewildered and slightly amused at her brother’s strange answer. Then again, he had always been pretty odd so it wasn’t very surprising.

“It’s a long story,” Lark muttered, and turned onto his side in an exasperated fashion, closing his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~

The egg was getting bigger. Or so it seemed. Lark wasn’t sure if his eyes were only playing tricks on him or if what he noticed was true. The growth, after all, was not very noticeable. Still, it seemed heftier and its red veins pulsed more violently with more speed. It had been 3 and a half weeks since Lark had received the egg and he had gotten used to carrying it around and looking after it. Often in the middle of conversation he would stop abruptly and get the egg out to look for any damage. He took it out before sleeping and tucked it into a makeshift nest inside an aquarium he had managed to get his hands on. Handling it gingerly, he had also recently been checking for cracks on the surface. Of course, he did not admit this and told himself that he simply wanted a good grade in the class. After all, who in their right mind gets attached to an egg?

Sighing, Lark collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. He hoped that the egg would hatch soon; he wasn’t sure how much more nurturing he could take. He closed his eyes to rest them for a brief moment…

~~~~~~~~~

Crack¬. Lark awoke to something moving around next to him. He sat up and rubbed his right eye, looking around as he did so. He had forgotten to put the egg away and it lay on the bed still wrapped in his scarf. Then again, he hadn’t anticipated falling asleep. He looked out the window; darkness was settling in.

Lark’s hair was a mess and his clothes rumpled. He would change into proper clothes for sleeping and then retire to bed early. Just as he got up, however, he heard a noise from beside him. Crack. Cautiously he looked towards the black egg on the bed and realized that the shell had begun to part and break. Crap. Lark quickly snatched up the egg and shoved it in its pouch. He had planned to travel up the mountain as soon as the egg had begun to hatch, but evidently the process had already started while he was sleeping. He rushed out the dorm, much too hurried to change into warmer and more sensible clothes.

The night was cold, and Lark wished for his scarf to pull tightly around himself. Hurriedly, he headed up the path that he remembered leading to the caverns in the mountains from the previous assignment. He hadn’t imagined that he would be traveling up this way again, but unfortunately the task required it. This had been the part he had been dreading the most and with his tousled hair and wrinkled garments not meant to shield from a mountain’s winter, it was even more miserable than it should have been. Lark cursed the lizard once more and then hurried on his way.

~~~~~~~~

When the spirit returned to the dorm he was shivering and clenching his dirtied scarf in one hand. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to salvage it, but he would try anyways. Conrad was already in his bed on the other side of the room and it was very, very late. Lark dropped his scarf on the ground and collapsed on the edge of the bed. He had finally rid himself of that damned lizard. Content and relieved Lark let out a weak celebratory chuckle and then promptly fell asleep.

Description
The egg pulsed in his hands, slipping a bit as Lark struggled to keep it aloft. This proved difficult as it was coated in slime that was sticky and at the same time slippery. Relenting, Lark set it on a towel that rested on top of his bed, partially in disgust and partially on account of the fatigue in his arms. The egg was quite heavy and Lark’s childish body was strong, but weak in physical endurance. He looked at the left over sludge that covered his hands and got up to wash them before he got slime everywhere.

After returning from the bathroom attached to his shared dorm room, he sat on the floor and contemplated the egg. His task was supposedly to care for it until it hatched near the end of the month. Lark glared at the egg and leaned slightly on the bed. He supposed he would need to keep it warm, though he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on it at all times. The question was, how? It wasn’t like he produced any body heat, so that wouldn’t work. He’d have to find something to wrap it in.

Looking around the room, he searched through his few possessions. He had a few changes of clothes and some books but that was about it. Nothing he was willing to spare getting dirty for the sake of mere classwork. He could always ask his roommate, Conrad, to borrow something of his to use. After all, the demon was usually happy to appease his friends, a contrast to the experience Lark had had with the hellish species. But no, it wouldn’t be borrowing since whatever he wrapped the egg with would surely become stained from the slime. Slightly frustrated Lark tugged on the end of his scarf… and looked down.

His scarf was certainly long, it trailed on the ground when he wasn’t floating and it did keep him warm. So who was to say that it couldn’t keep an egg warm as well? Lark hesitated. He really didn’t want to do this, but it’s not like he had any other choice, unless he wanted to boil the egg and risk frying the growing lizard inside. Finally, he unwrapped his scarf from his neck and headed to the bed. Grimacing, he then placed it around the egg, making sure it was tightly but snuggly swathed in the fabric. He then picked it up and placed it in pouch which he fastened to his waist. The weight of both the egg and scarf on one side of him caused him to walk a bit awkwardly but at least he had solved one problem.

Sensitive to the sudden coolness around his neck area, he touched his collarbone as he adjusted to the loss of extra warmth. He was definitely going to need a new scarf.

~~~~~~~~~

“What happened to your scarf?” Lark’s twin sister plopped down next to him as he bathed in the sun of the unusually warm February day. It had been a few days since he had sacrificed one of his most precious garments for the sake of an egg. Thinking about it again made him curse the stupid lizard that was forcing Lark to use quite a bit of effort. The black misshapen orb occupied his thoughts most of the time and he had to check on it at least every half hour. He had given up on trying to leave it in the dorm and popping in to check on it between classes. Now, he just carried it around all the time in his pouch.

“I gave it to an unborn lizard,” he finally replied, shifting from sitting cross legged on the ground to lying down. The grass tickled his cheeks when he spoke and the sun was bright but welcome.

“You what?” Lacie was bewildered and slightly amused at her brother’s strange answer. Then again, he had always been pretty odd so it wasn’t very surprising.

“It’s a long story,” Lark muttered, and turned onto his side in an exasperated fashion, closing his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~

The egg was getting bigger. Or so it seemed. Lark wasn’t sure if his eyes were only playing tricks on him or if what he noticed was true. The growth, after all, was not very noticeable. Still, it seemed heftier and its red veins pulsed more violently with more speed. It had been 3 and a half weeks since Lark had received the egg and he had gotten used to carrying it around and looking after it. Often in the middle of conversation he would stop abruptly and get the egg out to look for any damage. He took it out before sleeping and tucked it into a makeshift nest inside an aquarium he had managed to get his hands on. Handling it gingerly, he had also recently been checking for cracks on the surface. Of course, he did not admit this and told himself that he simply wanted a good grade in the class. After all, who in their right mind gets attached to an egg?

Sighing, Lark collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. He hoped that the egg would hatch soon; he wasn’t sure how much more nurturing he could take. He closed his eyes to rest them for a brief moment…

~~~~~~~~~

Crack¬. Lark awoke to something moving around next to him. He sat up and rubbed his right eye, looking around as he did so. He had forgotten to put the egg away and it lay on the bed still wrapped in his scarf. Then again, he hadn’t anticipated falling asleep. He looked out the window; darkness was settling in.

Lark’s hair was a mess and his clothes rumpled. He would change into proper clothes for sleeping and then retire to bed early. Just as he got up, however, he heard a noise from beside him. Crack. Cautiously he looked towards the black egg on the bed and realized that the shell had begun to part and break. Crap. Lark quickly snatched up the egg and shoved it in its pouch. He had planned to travel up the mountain as soon as the egg had begun to hatch, but evidently the process had already started while he was sleeping. He rushed out the dorm, much too hurried to change into warmer and more sensible clothes.

The night was cold, and Lark wished for his scarf to pull tightly around himself. Hurriedly, he headed up the path that he remembered leading to the caverns in the mountains from the previous assignment. He hadn’t imagined that he would be traveling up this way again, but unfortunately the task required it. This had been the part he had been dreading the most and with his tousled hair and wrinkled garments not meant to shield from a mountain’s winter, it was even more miserable than it should have been. Lark cursed the lizard once more and then hurried on his way.

~~~~~~~~

When the spirit returned to the dorm he was shivering and clenching his dirtied scarf in one hand. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to salvage it, but he would try anyways. Conrad was already in his bed on the other side of the room and it was very, very late. Lark dropped his scarf on the ground and collapsed on the edge of the bed. He had finally rid himself of that damned lizard. Content and relieved Lark let out a weak celebratory chuckle and then promptly fell asleep.