Page 45 of In Darkness and Dank

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t feel like nothing.”

Shu chuckled, his hands firmly grabbing Kittisak’s hips.

“That’s definitely something.” Kittisak closed his eyes, listening to Shu’s purrs, the rush of the waterfall off in the distance, and…

The sound of something very big splashing out of the pool.

He and Shu both turned to look, and Kittisak gasped.

It was Shu’s sister, Bal, charging up toward them. She grinned excitedly, carrying something close to her chest.

An egg!

It was a big cream-colored egg with dark speckles all over it.

“Bal!” Shu waved. “Voca zendo?”

“Shu!” Bal held up the egg and declared, “Vo cido! Hatch! It is time!”

“Is that…?” Kittisak stared. “Is that a baby?”

“My baby!” Bal beamed. “Time now. Hatch.”

“Right now?”

“Huh! Yes! Now!” Bal jerked her head toward the water. “Come.”

“Wait, but you just came out of the water—”

“Now!” she snapped.

Shu rushed over to join her in the water, and Kittisak was only a few steps behind them, having paused to take the pan off the grill so the fish wouldn’t burn. He followed them as they ducked into the water where it was just too deep for Kittisak to be able to stand. He would have to swim down to them to see what was happening.

“Oh, come on,” Kittisak grumbled and then took a deep breath, diving into the water.

Bal was sitting on the bottom of the pool, and Shu was crouched in front of her.

The egg was between them, and it was definitely moving.

Kittisak had to fight against his body’s natural buoyancy, and he kept floating back up when he tried to find a good spot to watch.

Shu noticed him struggling and offered his hand. He pulled Kittisak down beside him and held him tight so he wouldn’t float off again.

Kittisak was grateful for the help, but he really hoped that Shu remembered he couldn’t hold his breath as long as they could. He watched the egg rock and wiggle, and then the side of it cracked.

Bal warbled something encouraging, her hands outstretched to ensure the egg didn’t stray too far.

The shell shattered, and a tiny little webbed foot thrust out.

Kittisak’s eyes widened.

It was happening! The baby was coming out!

He watched in awe as the foot kicked, breaking the surrounding shell for the other foot to burst free. The shell fell away to reveal a tiny baby creature—no, a baby Rife.

The baby was small and smooth with no crests, and it had a long tail like a tadpole. Its skin was almost completely black with only a hint of the bright blue his family had. Its eyes were big and black, and it flailed around as it tried to escape its eggshell prison. It opened its mouth to cry, but Kittisak didn’t hear anything.

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