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As the year approached its final quarter, the leaves of the ancient Mongolian forest began to change for the approaching fall. Where once vibrant shades of green filled the wood, reds and browns took their place.

Deep within the cretaceous forest, lying beside a nest of sticks and foliage, the new mother-to-be Natasha the Tarbosaurus rested with her mate, Hiro, using their bodies to protect their still shelled young from the cool air of autumn.

Snuggling closer to the nest, the mother of the clutch made sure her warm, soft belly was as close as possible to the eggs within, and coiled her tail tight around the mound of twigs. Both her and her mate knew the hatch day was near, based on the soft clicks and squeaks coming from the eggs, but when exactly was still a mystery. The two, after all, were new parents, and were simply guided by their instincts on the matter.

As the sun hung low in the sky, teasing at a sunset, the two cozy parents perked their heads up in amusement and excitement at the sound of a hatching egg. Though eager to help their babies, the two parents knew it best to let their young hatch on their own. With eager stares, they watched as the first of their young began to hatch.

Shortly after the first chick began to crack its shell, a second began, and soon a third, leaving only one egg behind. Being only babies, the chicks took their time to escape their shells; cracking it slightly and taking a break, only to continue shortly after. Despite the time it took, the two parents waited patiently to meet their young.

In only a matter of hours, the first of their chicks finally broke free. Pushing its head up, a slimy piece of shell atop its head, yellow eyes and a toothy smile greeted its parents. Leaning down, Natasha licked the chick clean as the two admired their first child.

Their first chick was a daughter. Of the surviving eggs, this one was the largest, and as such, the chick inside was rather large for her age, though lean like her adoptive father; one could almost mistake her for a baby raptor at first glance. Her hide was an earthy maroon color, but due to the downy blue feathers covering her body, ones that would mostly fall out as she grew older, it was harder to see.

Hiro leaned in as well to nuzzle his chick, even if she was only related to his mate. The fact his brother fathered these eggs mattered little to him, a trait rare among males, but made him all the more precious to Natasha. Giving her a lick, she looked to Natasha. "What should we name her?"

The question caught Natasha off guard, and she paused her bathing of the chick. "I honestly hadn't thought of that." The two parents shared a worried glance at first, but smiled and laughed about it. "Oh well." The two mulled it over for a time, allowing the first born to escape her shell fully and get fully cleaned by her parents. "How about Sonya?" Natasha chimed in. "That was my mother's name."

Hiro couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth from such a meaningful name. "Yes, Sonya sounds great." Looking to the fluffy baby, Hiro nuzzled her once more. "Welcome to the world Sonya."

After giving Sonya proper attention, the second chick broke free, though rather oddly. Rolling onto its side, the back of the egg cracked open to reveal a strong tail for an infant, wiggling around happily before the entire bottom of the egg broke free as stocky yet strong legs pushed outward. Wriggling around, the slimy chick managed to crawl backwards from the shell, and after doing so, nosed it out of the nest with her head. The parents couldn't help but laugh at the silly child. Leaning in, the parents once more examined the baby as they cleaned it up, though it seemed a bit fussy about their tongues rubbing against them.

The second egg had revealed yet another daughter. Though nearly an entire head shorter than her sister, she was rather stocky and built for strength. She seemed to take after her mother in many ways, though was a tad small, a fact that bothered neither of them. Her hide was a salmon hue, with a downy coat of maroon feathers.

Once cleaned, the parents once more considered names for the child. "How about you decide again." Suggested Hiro. "She's a female, so perhaps you should decide."

Natasha seemed unsure. "They're your children too, you should name her."

Unsure about his naming skills, he began to think up female names he had heard. "Um, how about...Va..." He wiggled his tiny arms absentmindedly as he mulled over names. "Verina...Vera...Vera! Yes, I like that name."

Natasha smiled. "I like it too, but are you sure you want to name her Vera?" She could obviously see he was nervous about this.

Hiro thought it over a moment before nodding. "Yes, I'm sure."

Natasha nuzzled her mate. "Then her name is Vera." She leaned down and rubbed her massive snout against the much smaller chick, gently letting her know she was loved and cared for. "Vera, our daughter. You'll grow to be as feared and respected as I; I'm certain of it."

Turning their attention to the third and fourth eggs, they began to grow worried. The third egg had barely cracked at all, and the fourth egg seemed to be unmoving as a whole. They watched them for some time before Natasha craned her head over them to listen. From the third egg, squeaks and chirps could be heard, though a bit strained and tired. From the fourth egg however, there was nothing. She moved her head closer to the egg, but still heard nothing. Waiting for some kind of sound, she wondered if it had made noise at all, simply getting confused by the other squeaking eggs. Turning her head, she nuzzled it gently and pushed it with her snout. Though slightly warm, the egg was starting to cool from being away from her body.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled her head away. "I...don't think that one is going to hatch."

Hiro seemed unwilling to believe her and listened for himself, and when no sound was heard, touched and nudged it too. Getting the same results, he too pulled away, pausing a moment before leaning against his mate. "It'll be okay. These things happen. Nobody is at fault."

Natasha couldn't shake the touch of sorrow in her heart, but he was right. These things happened. She did note she felt better than when at a Citipati had stolen and eaten one of her eggs, but that was a different type of death.

Going to the egg, she gently picked it up with her teeth and set it closer to them, hoping maybe their body heat would help hatch it. In the mean time, they watched their third egg.

Nearly an hour passed as the two parents watched their egg; Sonya and Vera had since gone to sleep. Natasha, seemingly at peace now with the way of nature, sighed once more. "Perhaps it isn't strong enough."

Hiro seemed shocked at her words. "Well then shouldn't we help them?"

Natasha lowered her head sadly at her own words. "If we help them, then they won't get stronger. They'll die anyway, probably from sickness or a predator."

Hiro wanted to argue, but had to admit, despite being a runt, even he had hatched on his own. "But, I don't want it to struggle. I don't want it to just suffer in there."

Natasha lifted her head and nodded. "Then we'll do what any good parent should do." Closing her eyes, she opened her jaws and placed them over the egg.

Hiro gasped at first, making her pause, but then he let out his breath. "I understand."

Wincing, Natasha slowly placed her teeth on the shell, as if hoping the baby will just pop out before she can end its life. She held her jaws for several minutes, until finally relaxing. "I'm sorry." She was just about to crush the egg, when the sound of a crack made her pull her head back. Both parents watched as a tiny gray snout sniffed the air, poking just outside the shell. Pausing for only a moment, the tiny head pushed trough, finally revealing its face to its parents. Looking to them with light amber eyes, it yawned tiredly. Tears welled up in Natasha and Hiro's eyes as they saw him.

After seemingly resting for a moment, the third chick used its jaws to bite and pull away pieces of shell, before finally falling out of it onto its belly. Obviously tired, the chick simply let the shell fall away as it fell asleep on its belly. This chick was a male, with stone gray scales and downy green feathers coating its body. Just like his father, he was a runt, small in every sense of the word, but far from useless to his parents.

Leaning in, the two parents nuzzled the tired baby and licked him clean; an act that seemed to annoy the chick but he let happen. Once nice and clean, the parents set to work on a name.

"How about Niko."

Natasha was surprised to hear her mate suggest a name so suddenly. "Well that was quick."

They chuckled before he continued. "Well, I had an uncle, a strong male, named Niko. He was nice to me, far nicer than my father. I think it would be a good name for him."

Natasha gave him a warm smile. "Niko it is." Nuzzling him once before nuzzling the chick again, she whispered in Niko's ear. "Don't let anyone tell you you're weak. You may have days that are hard, where life seems cruel, but always remember you were given a life to live." She looked to the egg nestled at her side. "Not all have the gift of life."

With tears in her eyes, Natasha lifted the obviously dead egg up with her jaws and set it outside the nest before standing up. "I think our babies could use a first meal."

Hiro perked up and nodded. "I agree. I think we could use one too though."

Natasha chuckled and gave him a smack on the rump with her tail, causing an audible smack. Hiro seemed to only laugh at the superficial injury. "Chicks first." Moving outside the nest, she approached the carcass of a downed hadrosaur, seemingly killed a day or so prior. Ripping free a chunk of flesh, she carried it back to the nest and set it before her young. Nudging them gently with her snout, she woke them up. "Sonya, Vera, Niko; eat up."

Standing weakly to their legs, the babies walked over to their first meal and dug on in; pulling away strips of meat and swallowing them down.

Smiling, the proud parents watched their young feed, hoping for the brightest of futures for their young. Two of their eggs had died, but three had lived, and that is all that mattered.