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Chapter 6: The Rainbow Egg

Jason followed Genhyl as he wound through the station, towards the interior. They took the lift down a few decks and after walking some more, Genhyl finally stopped and entered into the medical area. Here was where Jason had first woken up all those weeks ago, confused and frightened. A familiar face greeted him as they entered.

"Greetings, Genhyl, Jason," Miria said, smiling. Miria always made Jason feel better. He suspected it had something to do with her telepathic abilities, but he didn't want to ask her. She immediately took the basket with the egg from Genhyl and carried it away. Jason and Genhyl followed her back through the hospital wing into the nursery. She entered into a warm, bright room. Here, the walls were painted with peaceful pastel swirls. The air was warm and slightly humid. Soft music, like chimes and waves, played in the background. Jason found the room very soothing.

"Well, let's take a look," Miria said, placing the basket on a table. She pushed back the blankets to uncover the egg, and Jason once again stared.

Female Clarus Dragon Egg

Now, in the bright, sunny light of the nursery, he could see the full colors of the beautiful egg. It seemed to glow with a soft misty aura, and Jason knew that things like this egg must have been the basis for legends on Earth. Miria, meanwhile, ran her hands a few inches above the egg shell with her eyes closed, seeing things Jason could only imagine. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and put her hands down to her sides.

"She seems to be fine, although she is definitely frightened and confused," she told them with a sympathetic look towards the egg. "As for your question, Jason, we know that it is a female because the egg's shell is completely rainbow colored. Male eggs are tan with rainbow spots."

"Oh," Jason said, flushing a bit. Even after all this time, telepaths still unnerved him a bit. He was used to having his thoughts to himself. However, Miria had always been helpful and understanding, and she promised that most telepaths preferred to stay out of other people's minds, as too many thoughts could induce stress and headaches.

"Genhyl, we must find out where this egg came from..." Miria began, stepping outside the doorway to converse with the lieutenant. Jason listened to them talk about the best way to contact the original hatchery. Suddenly, something brushed across his face. He jumped and looked around; there was nothing there. Confused, he stood where he was... and it happened again. It wasn't exactly something brushing across his face, but the sensation could only be described by those words. This time, he somehow knew the source... the egg. Jason took a tentative step towards the table. He was barely a foot away now. The sensation hit him again. It seemed almost friendly... an invitation. Unable to resist, he took the last step up to the table and stretched out a hand. Holding his breath, he stretched out his fingers slowly and gently touched the egg's shell.

The instant he touched it, an odd sensation shot up his arm. It was shocking, but he couldn't pull away. It was a bubbling mixture of warmth and happiness. He felt giddy and relaxed all at once, and he began laughing out loud. This instantly brought the attention of Miria and Genhyl.

"Jason?" Genhyl said, quickly striding forward. Before he could pull Jason away, however, Miria stepped in. She gently lifted Jason's chin in her hand and stared into his eyes. Normally, this would have made him uncomfortable, but he was feeling so happy at the moment that he just kept laughing. Miria broke into a happy smile.

"It's amazing!" She exclaimed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Genhyl asked, worried for Jason's safety.

"Nothing's wrong," Miria said soothingly. "She's playing with him. She likes him!" She released Jason's face and turned to examine the egg again.

Jason meanwhile, was feeling dizzy and out of breath. He leaned on the table for support, still laughing. "Stop... please..." He gasped through tears of laughter. The egg released him, and Jason thought he heard a returning giggle from somewhere. He felt excited and happy still, and unable to keep his feet, he slipped into a sitting position on the floor, still chuckling. Genhyl looked extremely worried by this point.

"Jason?! Are you all right?" He asked.

"Relax, Genhyl," Miria said. "She wasn't hurting him. On the contrary, I think our problem may be solved."

"What problem?" Jason asked, still a bit out of breath but regaining some self-control.

"Well, as Genhyl told you, some dragons need to bond with another being in order to flourish and live a happy and complete existence. Clarus dragons are like this... without a bondmate, they may become sick and die. We were going to notify the hatchery, but this egg is close to hatching and locating the proper candidate in that short amount of time may have proved impossible. However, she seems to like you, Jason. You seem to have connected with her at once, which is a very good sign." Miria smiled at him, looking quite pleased.

"Wait, so Jason could be her bondmate? Is that possible?" Genhyl asked.

"Genhyl, dragons and bondmates existed in nearly every dimension, well before technology. Jason may be a bit out of the ordinary to us, but to a dragon, he is completely normal. I am certain that she has chosen Jason for her bondmate." Miria reached out a hand to help Jason up from the floor. He took it and hoisted himself up, looking quite shocked.

"Me? Bond with a dragon?" He asked.

"Yes," Miria said. Jason stared at her in disbelief. Miria's look turned to one of concern. "Is that all right, Jason? Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong?" Jason said. "No! Of course not! A dragon! A real dragon! This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me!" He couldn't believe it... before today, he had thought the creatures were only legends, and now he was to bond with one.

"Good," Miria said, smiling again. "It's settled then."

"Of course, you're going to have to learn a thing or two before she hatches, Jason," Genhyl interjected. "Dragons aren't all fun and fire, you know."

Jason nodded, turning to stare at the egg. From it, he was sensing waves of joy and warmth. He wondered if this was anything like what Miria could sense.

"Something like that..." Miria said mysteriously, drawing a confused glance from Genhyl. Jason just smiled.

Hi, he thought toward the egg. I'm Jason.

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Chapter 6: The Rainbow Egg

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