The egg shook again, this time, more violently than the other. A larger section broke apart, then suddenly, a tiny paw punched through.
Atheline stared keenly at the eggshell. The paw waved weakly then disappeared back into the shell again.
Silence returned and the shell seemed to have gone quiet. Several seconds passed but nothing happened.
Atheline frowned.
"You can’t stop there, you’ve got to punch through it."
The egg remained motionless. Atheline sighed in resignation; apparently, hatching was difficult.
A minute later the shell trembled again, this time the entire top half cracked. He excitedly leaned in.
A small white head emerged, but then immediately got stuck between the broken shells.
Atheline patiently watched as the tiny creature pushed, but was still struggling. It pushed harder, with all it got, then finally tumbled free, directly into the nest.
A tiny squeak escaped it. Atheline stared at it, eyes widened. The creature stared back but there was a bit of confusion in its gaze.
For several seconds neither moved.
The newborn beast looked unbelievably tiny. It had snow-white fur covering its body, small ears twitching constantly and its tail looked oversized compared to the rest of it.
The most striking of all its features was its eyes; bright icy blue, almost glowing.
The little fox blinked at him, its eyes glowing in the snow-white expanse behind it. It seems to blend perfectly with the falling snow.
Atheline softly smiled without noticing. The fox immediately squeaked and then tried standing. But its legs betrayed it. The creature promptly fell over.
Atheline couldn’t help but laugh. The fox clearly looked offended by his slight mockery. Standing was a difficult feat for something barely larger than a house cat.
Eventually it managed to stand but it was wobbling and shaking through it all, barely functioning. Yet it was somehow determined.
Atheline held out a finger and the little fox sniffed it cautiously. It tilted its head slightly studying him.
He noticed something as its snout came into contact with his finger. A small almost invisible connection started to establish itself. He could feel his core responding to and a small string of Aether connected them both.
He knew what was happening, it was bonding with him. This was a natural bonding formed from simple recognition.
The little creature gave another tiny squeak, then climbed directly onto his arm. Atheline almost dropped it before holding it closer to himself.
"That’s fast. You shouldn’t climb onto someone without permission."
The fox ignored him and climbed higher. It settled itself against his chest, curling into a small white ball, then instantly fell asleep.
Atheline stared at it, flabbergasted.
"..."
The fox softly snored and shifted closer, if that was possible. Atheline looked down at the sleeping creature, then laughed.
Weeks of anticipation and hours of waiting had finally come to an end with a dramatic hatching. Only for the result to immediately go back to sleep.
The little fox remained completely unconscious as its tiny body rose and fell steadily. The bond between them stabilized. It felt both warm and comfortable.
Atheline carefully cradled it, shifting its weight to make it more comfortable. The creature didn’t even wake.
He turned toward the balcony doors his excitement almost bleeding through, since there was someone who needed to see this and he couldn’t wait for her reaction.
.
.
.
Lilith slowly woke, a rare luxury. Normally she woke before sunrise but today was different. The previous weeks had been exhausting and without Atheline next to her, she found it hard to comfortably sleep alone.
With his presence, she had allowed herself extra rest. Half-asleep, she instinctively reached toward the other side of the bed and found it empty.
Lilith frowned slightly. Still, this wasn’t unusual; sometimes, Atheline woke before her. But this time, the bed was completely cold as though he had woken far earlier than she expected.
Before she could react, she heard footsteps. Then, the balcony doors opened.
She looked up and he stood there looking unusually pleased with himself. Her eyes narrowed, the remaining sleep going away when she met his gaze.
She lifted her upper body and ran a hand through her hair.
"What did you do?"
Atheline just chuckled.
"Good morning to you too, darling."
She lightly snorted and sat up.
"You should have woken me up."
Atheline didn’t respond, instead, he just smiled mysteriously at her and then approached.
Only then did she notice what he was holding something white, small, and fluffy.
Lilith’s gaze stayed on it before she frowned slightly, the expression was only visible for a second. Atheline never noticed it. He smiled at her, his anticipation visible.
Without saying a word, he held the creature out. Lilith continued staring, but the tiny fox remained asleep regardless of her piercing gaze.
It curled comfortably within his arms, and she almost wanted to rip it out of it, but she refrained. She couldn’t let herself lose control. Its tail twitched once then settled again.
"It seems the egg hatched?" She calmly said.
"Yes, I didn’t think it would be this cute."
"Give it," she said, extending her arms towards him.
"I knew you’d like it," Atheline said, smiling.
She carefully accepted the fox from him. The tiny creature shifted slightly. Its nose twitched and then it continued sleeping, completely unconcerned.
Lilith was slightly surprised, but she wasn’t going to like something that was bound to capture his attention. On the other side, Atheline enjoyed seeing how she was bonding with the fox immensely.
"It hatched this morning."
Lilith gently brushed a finger through the fox’s fur. The little fox instinctively pushed closer, still asleep.
She stared at him a few seconds longer then glanced at him.
"You bonded with it."
Atheline nodded.
"The moment it hatched. It might be because I was the first person it saw, I’m not really sure."
She wasn’t surprised.
"No, it likes you... That’s why?" She corrected.
Some magical beasts chose their companions from birth. The fox had clearly made its decision. She looked back down and an unconscious smile appeared.
Despite her own jealousy she knew it would also protect him with its life and that put her slightly at peace. She could try and get used to its presence as long as it doesn’t take too much of its attention from her.