The office was buzzing, but Lara Lynn glanced around carefully. Seeing no one watching, she quickly pulled up her Lightbrain to sneak a look at a live stream.
Lately, the streams had all been the same—people smashing bricks on their chests, singing, dancing, or making horrible food. Nothing worth watching.
She skipped through stream after stream, until one caught her eye—total darkness.
What the hell?
Lara frowned. Must be some newbie streaming without setting up the camera properly.
Still, feeling generous, she decided to give it a couple of minutes.
Time ticked by. Her patience wore thin.
Just as she was about to switch it off, a soft glow bloomed in the middle of the screen.
That’s more like it. She nodded, satisfied.
Then her eyes locked onto the glow, her face inching closer to the screen as something clicked in her mind. When she realized what she was seeing, she couldn’t hold back.
“Shit! That’s a natural hatchling!”
Lara had aced her Beastkin History classes. She knew the signs.
It had to be—only natural hatchling eggs had that kind of marking. No tech could fake it.
The white egg was glowing softly in the dark space... sign of hatching?
A hatchling?
Her coworkers immediately turned to her.
“No way. Natural hatchlings haven’t appeared in over five hundred years.”
“Yeah, anyone who’s studied history knows that.”
“Lara, have you been slacking off so much your brain’s melted?” someone laughed.
They all thought she was joking.
But Lara’s face stayed serious. “I'm not messing around. It’s real. That egg’s about to hatch—just look for yourself.”
Really? The coworkers exchanged looks. Lara wasn’t the type to lie.
So they gathered around her Lightbrain.
“No way—it's a natural hatchling! Damn, I never thought I’d live to see one!”
Someone gasped. But amid the excitement, someone noticed the surroundings.
“Why’s the egg in a damn cave? After hatching, it’ll need nutrients, energy. A place like that... it might not survive.”
The light from the egg brightened, revealing a crude, barren environment.
That remark snapped everyone out of their daze. Instantly, the mood turned to panic.
“Call the authorities! Quick! We need someone to find that egg!”
Suddenly, everyone was scrambling to report it through their Lightbrains.
And this wasn’t happening in just one office.
That day, every police station in the Empire had their lines jammed.
Every Beastkin was glued to that stream, holding their breath, hoping the hatchling would be okay.
In the Imperial Court—
“What the hell’s going on? Why is the hatchling in a cave? Hasn’t the tech team located its coordinates yet?”
Emperor Augustus slammed his palm on the desk. The chamber was tense; everyone was on edge trying to figure out a rescue plan.
“Your Majesty, the signal’s jammed. We can’t pinpoint the location,” a tech officer said, eyes filled with frustration.
He was one of the best in the Empire, but he couldn’t crack it.
Before the Emperor could erupt again, someone near him said with a shaky voice, “Your Majesty... the hatchling's hatching.”Everyone snapped their heads up, eyes locked on the live stream. Cracks were spidering across the white eggshell, and the sharp sound of splitting shell echoed louder in the silent court.
Emperor Augustus narrowed his eyes, voice cold and firm. "You heard me. Tech team, keep drilling through that interference to locate the youngling. Military, prep the ship—get ready for immediate jump. Medical unit, pull your top pediatricians and the equipment needed. I want that child rescued the second we get a fix."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Understood!"
Right now, half the Empire was glued to the stream, holding their breath as they stared at the trembling egg.
Comments scrolled like wildfire.
[Why’s the royal court still quiet? That egg’s gonna hatch any second! What if it runs out of energy?]
[Damn! I’m so freaking nervous.]
[What species will it be?]
[It came from an egg—it can’t be a mammal, right?]
[Excuse you, who says mammals don’t lay eggs? Ever heard of echidnas? Maybe it's an echidna baby!]
[The heck you two arguing over this now for? Focus on the kid! If it hatches and there's no power around to keep it stable, you all know how bad that could be.]
[Can’t the royals hurry up already?]
[I swear, whoever laid the egg and abandoned it in that cave—hell, give it to me if you don’t want it.]
[+1]
[+1 more]
[+10086
[Y’all messing up the formation!]
The cracks spread wider, and everyone leaned in, hearts pounding.
Over two tense hours passed. Then—a tiny, delicate hand peeked out. Pale and soft.
The comment feed exploded.
[AHHHHHH that’s the cutest little hand ever!]
They still hadn’t seen the baby’s face, but that single glimpse had folks losing their minds.
[A humanoid form right out of the shell—this one's got talent.]
[I made it! I witnessed the hatching of a natural-born! My grandfather’s gonna hear all about this when I burn incense tonight!]
The little hand hesitated, feeling around, wiggling left and right. Then—zip—back into the shell.
[Too cute. I want one!]
[Stop dreaming… though, I wouldn’t say no either.]
Moments later, after a pause like it was checking for danger, the hand reached out again and began peeling away bits of the shell.
Bit by bit, its upper body emerged.
Big, sparkling eyes blinked at the world. Lashes like little fans, lips soft and pink, skin smooth and glowing. Chubby cheeks round and perfect—adorable beyond words.
“Ah… guh-guh…”
It let out a sweet babble, tilting its little head as it looked around, hands and knees clumsily crawling out, eyes taking in its new world.
The comment feed crashed—utter chaos.
[AHHHHHHHHHHHH I NEED TO GET MARRIED—AND HAVE A BABY JUST LIKE THIS!]
[Why do I have the sudden urge to squish it? It’s too damn cute!]
[Five hundred years… and we’ve finally got another natural-born!]
People were cheering—others, worried.
The court still had no lock on its location. The baby had hatched. But what now? How would it survive, all alone out there?
