Nina turned her head and saw that one of the egg-cubs beside her had begun to crack.
A thin fracture had split the smooth shell.
She immediately crouched down beside it, her attention completely drawn away from Lex. The merman's unfinished confession slipped entirely from her mind as she focused on the egg.
Seeing that Nina was watching the egg hatch, Lex swallowed the words that had almost left his lips.
I'll tell her another time, he thought.
He, too, turned to watch the egg. After his previous misjudgment, he didn't dare assume anything this time—but a quiet hope still stirred in his heart.
The other beastmen also noticed the cracking egg. One by one, they gathered around it, standing beside Nina as they waited for the new cub to emerge.
The crack slowly widened.
When Nina's legs grew tired from crouching, she simply sat down on the soft floor. Odian had Phoenix Feather, and the others cleaned the place every day, so it was spotless.
Crack… crack… crack…
