"Nina—!"
She turned anxiously. "Odian, Sal—the baby is about to hatch! We need to find a safer place, quickly!"
"Alright."
Odian rose into the air, scanning the surroundings. After a brief search, he located a relatively secure area and carried Nina and the cubs over.
Nina set down a small table and the babies' nest, then carefully placed the egg—now trembling with imminent life—on top.
Everyone gathered around, forming a loose circle as they waited.
"What do you think this one will be?" Ridan asked curiously.
"Hard to say," Pado replied. "Every one of Nina's cubs has been a different species."
He shook his head. "I'm not guessing this time. I've been wrong every single time."
"Still, we can narrow it down," Pado added thoughtfully. "This one clearly has fire-element abilities. That rules out the merfolk."
The merfolk fell silent.
He wasn't wrong.
