Storm and his family rushed towards the Grans as they approached.
"How's Aurora!!? Is she going to be all right!!?" Asked Storm frantically.
"She's fine, Storm! As is the child!"
"Although the birth was deeply traumatic for Aurora, she managed to pull through. "
"She's resting now." Stated the Grans.
Storm and his family breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Why did it take so long? And why was it so traumatic for her? Even first clutch mother dragons never had this much trouble before?" Asked Storm.
"I'm afraid there were some 'complications'..." stated the Grans.
"What kind of 'complications'?" Asked Storm.
Instead of jumping right to the problem, the grans started a long winded lecture on egg laying for dragon females.
A dragon egg contains a large amount of elemental energy, bathing the child within constantly in order to help nourish the child and aid it's growth.
Upon egg laying, the egg releases some of that energy in order to help the mother to release the egg from their bodies.
After a few minutes, Storm interrupted them.
"I'm not a hatchling that needs to be lectured on how our bodies work!! I already know all this!!" Stated Storm in irritation.
"Storm... your daughter... the one in the egg... her element is lightning not fire..." stated the Grans.
Storm immediately understood the problem. Dragons were naturally resistant to their fire element.
Even their internal organs, if the child was fire based like his mother, then the egg's discharges couldn't harm Aurora any more than her own Breath Weapon could.
But if the child was an element different to its mother...
"I need to see her now!!" Exclaimed Storm.
He wanted to move past but the Grans blocked his way.
"You will do no such thing!!"
"She needs her rest now more than anything!!" Stated the Grans.
Seeing that his father might cause a scene if not quickly resolved, Orian stepped in.
"How is she now?!" He asked.
"She's fine! Just tired! We repaired the internal damage the egg caused her."
"You were fortunate that we were present! Her injuries were severe! If we didn't stop it, then she could have died, or would have never been able to carry an egg again. " stated the Grans.
Storm bowed his head
"Me and my family are in your debt!" Stated Storm.
The Grans bowed their heads.
"We accept your thanks, but there is no debt!! It was our duty as healers to do what we could!!" Exclaimed the Grans.
"What about the child?" Asked Orian.
"The hatchling is stable for now... but I'm afraid there are some 'concerns'
Aurora's body did what it could to sustain the child, but she can't produce the elemental energy that the hatchling sorely needed.
As a result She's currently underdeveloped and malnourished, we've stabilized her condition for the moment, but she'll need regular daily elemental supplements in order to aid her growth." Explained the Grans.
They began to give a series of strict instructions that Storm and his family would have to follow.
The egg needed to be placed in a pool of shallow water and the pool needed to be charged at least 3 times a day with Storm's electricity.
Once early morning when they woke up, again at midday, and then one final time before turning in for the night.
The Grans also set up weekly checkup sessions so that they could monitor the child's development and see if she required additional supplements.
Similar such procedures weren't uncommon for dragons with either parent being capable of supporting the hatchling.
Though, due to their unique circumstances, only Storm would be able to nourish the child.
This meant that Storm's ability to travel was severely restricted and he would be unavailable for any missions that required him to leave the city for more than a few hours.
"I can't spend the next month or two restricted to my home! What if the Order attacked? Or I was needed for a mission?!" Exclaimed Storm.
"That's exactly what you're going to do!! Your daughter needs your care right now!!"
"As for your 'missions' I'd assume that's what your subordinates are for!!" Said the Grans in a biting tone.
"Dad!! Everything will be fine!! Chrome and I can help out if you need us, and I'm sure everyone else would understand!!"
Storm gave no response as he continued to worry about the Order's movements.
The Grans wanted to keep Aurora overnight for observation but she argued against it and the Grans ended up begrudgingly allowing her release.
The egg was also placed in their care, so Storm and Aurora spent the early evening constructing the enclosure for the egg.
After it was done, the couple flooded the chamber until the egg was submerged by 1 third of it's full height, before Storm gently breathed lightning over the water until it was charged enough.
Aurora would have been unable to enter the chamber, leaving Storm as the sole caretaker.
After all their preparations were done, both parents turned in for the night, Aurora was still exhausted from her ordeal, but Storm continued to twist and turn throughout the night.
Eventually he gave up on trying to sleep and gently went to go sit by himself. He watched as Orian and Chrome slept in their own respective nests close together.
Which had to be enlarged to fit their now adult bodies. Storm was already considering expanding his home to make room for his rapidly expanding family.
"How long before Orian or Chrome brings home a mate of their own to start a family with!?" Thought Storm bitterly.
Storm thought he was stealthy, but his movements must have woken up Aurora because she joined him not long after.
"I'm sorry for waking you!" Whispered Storm.
"It's all right! I'll sleep tomorrow.
You worried about the child?" Asked Aurora.
"Among other things." Stated Storm.
He looked at Chrome's sleeping frame.
"He seems to have settled in well." Stated Storm.
Following his gaze, Aurora nodded.
"They're practically brothers now."
"Do you think it will be particularly hard for Orian when he leaves? I still have people looking for any living dragon relatives." Asked Storm.
"He'd be sad for a time, but he'll get over it. Besides, they might not stay far if the family accepts your invitation to move to the city." Stated Aurora.
"Was it cruel of me to subject him to such a potential loss? Was I too hasty with my decision?" Asked Storm.
"Hasty or not, it was the right thing to do! The child needed a home and stable family!" Stated Aurora.
"I just don't want Orian getting hurt." Stated Storm.
"Is that why you've been keeping him at a distance?" Accused Aurora.
"What do you mean?"
"Insisting that he calls you 'sir' not father, not proceeding with the official adoption, not bonding with him like you do with Orian?
You're trying very hard to keep him at arms length?! I can see it, Orian can see it, Chrome can see it. They haven't said anything yet, but I'm sure it troubles them." Explained Aurora.
"How can I accept him when I know he could be taken from me in a month or two?" Stated Storm.
"He needs a father figure Storm! It's not fair to him that you are doing this, if you can't commit, then it's better that we find someone else that can!" Stated Aurora.
"I'll try my best!" Stated Storm.