etrayalogs | Have you seen my mother(?)

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Have you seen my mother(?)

WHO: Chu Wenshan and Ouyang Duyu
WHEN: When the Winter Solstice eggs hatch
WHERE: Leafless Valley
WHAT: Becoming fur-baby parents!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Probably none?

[If there's one thing to be said about egg babies, it's that they're pretty easy to raise; just keep them warm, make sure they don't break, and voila!

Except Chu Wenshan, family-focused musclehead that he is, took the parenting thing a little too seriously and has been intermittently trying to carry the eggs around like they're babies, so it might actually be a miracle that they made it this far. But nevertheless! The day arrives! When he suddenly bursts into whatever room Ouyang Duyu happens to be in at the moment, and loudly proclaims:]

Wuyou, the eggs cracked!

[He is, once again, hugging both eggs in his arms.]

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[Ouyang Duyu didn't know enough about egg care to know if carrying them helped but he knew enough about Chu Wenshan to know it was best not to let him carry the eggs around without supervision!

He'd gone ahead and gotten some hot waterbottles and heating pads which he felt were much safer and consistent.

But also, he looks up at Chu Wenshan's proclamation and immediately panics,] What did you do?

[Look, he's not attached to the eggs! He's just spent so much time taking care of them that he's maybe just a little bit worried about their well-being!'

So he's moving closer to take a look.]

[Chu Wenshan has eaten eggs before, seen bird nests in the wild, and possibly even seen chicken eggs...but chicken eggs are also for eating, and in his experience a cracked egg is probably food.

He'd accepted the heating pad alternatives and all that, checking on the eggs instead of carrying his around, but this time! This time they were very slightly cracked! And he doesn't know what to do about that!? He actually looks almost kind of vaguely hurt as he carefully hugs the eggs and replies,] I didn't do anything...they were like this when I came in.

[They're not very large cracks either, though the one on the blue egg might be slightly bigger.]

[Ouyang Duyu can't tell if Chu Wenshan had become more emotive lately or if he was just getting better at reading him. He might also be hallucinating.

Either way, he kind of sees that Chu Wenshan looks hurt? Why do you look hurt and why does he feel guilty for making you look that way!?

He tries to calm himself down because clearly Chu Wenshan was worried and if they're both acting without thinking nothing good will come of it. And if one of them needed to think it probably should be Ouyang Duyu.

He's close enough to see the eggs and those are definitely cracks, all right. Carefully, he places a hand on the blue egg, the one that was originally his and that reminded him of Chu Wenshan in its colouring.

He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he feels it move.]

...did you feel that?

[The hurt look was clearly all in Ouyang Duyu's imagination, because he's entirely expressionless as he looks down at that blue egg.]

It twitched. [He lifts them both up a little higher, for a better look.] ...Does it need help?

[Clearly, it was only his imagination. Either way!!! It doesn't matter!

He's stuck by the thought that sometimes in nature eggs don't hatch. Does that mean they need to help? Under what circumstances do they not hatch!?

He made to take the blue egg.] Let me get a closer look at that one.

[He gives up the blue egg, allowing himself to better hold the white one in both hands. This one's less cracked...is that a good thing or a bad thing? He hugs it closer, feeling the slight movements coming from within it, and then looks back up at Ouyang Duyu.

Waiting for his genius conclusion...]

[He holds it very carefully. Starting when did he feel so much concern about this egg? Was it unreasonable?

Before he could decide on it or come to any genius conclusions, the crack widens--then a hole appears where a piece of the shell is pushed out and before Ouyang Duyu can panic about that he spots something inside the egg. He couldn't see what it was clearly so he gingerly reaches a hand to the edge of the hole to maybe move it aside but then something licks him.

Oh. Uh. Birds...bird don't like things, right? Is it a lizard or a snake then....?]

...I think it's hatching.

Hatching?

[Well that'd explain it, certainly. He looks curiously at the hole in the blue egg, then pokes carefully at his white one. There's more movement inside, the crack widening slightly, but the newly-outlined fragment hasn't quite fully been pushed free yet.]

...Is it okay to help it?

[White egg is starting to move quite a lot, actually, if not very strongly.]

...

[He doesn't think you're supposed to help. There's that whole natural selection thing...but also being as sickly as he had been as a child if left to nature he probably wouldn't have made it...]

...you'd have to be very careful if you tried. Whatever is inside is probably very delicate and weak right now.

[His own egg is moving a lot now and he's having to adjust his hold so he doesn't drop it and he...he sees an eye! And then there's a nose...wait. That doesn't look like a snake?!

Is that....is that a dog???]

...

[Hmmm. At the very least he can brush aside the bits of shell that come loose, right? Chu Wenshan very carefully attempts to do that, slowly revealing...white fur? He glances over at his brother's egg, noting its total lack of bird features.]

It looks like we're going to have some very fluffy birds.

...I don't think they're birds.

[A fuzzy black ear pokes out, the the hole widens as a snout also squeezes through before there's a whole head coming out of it.

That is most definitely a black dog. He stared for a moment.]

Dogs don't hatch out of eggs. [Is he talking to the dog or Chu Wenshan? Maybe both.

Also, the dog has green eyes......why is that shade weirdly familiar?]

[A paw punches out of Chu Wenshan's egg! followed by some irritated, muffled mewing as it waves its paw around?

He carefully brushes eggshell bits away from the emerging...cat? His gaze flitting between it and the dog.]

...Apparently they do here.

[Poking an emerging kitty nose...he does not notice the resemblance.]

That's stupid.

[He really only noticed because green seems like a weird colour for dog eyes.

Well, maybe dogs that hatch out of eggs just always have green eyes? The egg also had green on it so maybe that's where it came from?]

Dogs and cats don't hatch out of eggs.

[He said it already but it bears repeating. He adjusts his grip so he could try to pull the small dog out with one hand.]

...you need a name.

[Oh! The emerging cat is meowing! It reminds him of Ouyang Duyu somehow! Maybe because it's white? That must be it.

Gently brushing more eggshell bits away to reveal the full kitty...]

This one has fur like lotus roots. [Mmm vinegared lotus...]

Don't name it after food.

[He sees no resemblance between himself and the cat. He also sees none between the puppy in his hands.

He just looks at it and already feels a little fond of it. It's small and cute. What's not to like?

He sets the empty shell aside and brushes little flecks of egg shell from the dog's fur. Its tail wags.]

...Would Ousi be a bad name...?

[Should he name it 左正蹬 instead? He picks it up, letting the rest of the egg fall to the floor, and looks over at Ouyang Duyu's new dog.]

Ousi and Paigu.

We are not naming them Ousi and Paigu! Those are terrible names!

[Look, technically the cat is yours but Ouyang Duyu also helped take care of the egg! He won't let it be named after food!!]

[But why not......he holds his cat up in submission.]

What should we name them then?

[The cat meows.]

[He has a soft spot for animals and the cat is cute, besides. So the move is a good one for making Ouyang Duyu less angry.

He adjusted his hold on the dog so he held it to his chest with one arm. Then reached out to pet the cat.

He had been so confused when Chu Wenshan compared him to a mantou, but looking at the white cat right now he can sort of see it.]

...Xiaoman. The cat's name can be Xiaoman. The dog can be Xiaodou.

[Oh...well, those names sound good too. He nods from behind Xiaoman, still holding it up while it gets pets.]

Okay. [Short pause.] Welcome to the family, Xiaoman and Xiaodou.

[They hatched them, therefore they're...pets? Children? Childpets? He doesn't know so he's not gonna think about it.]

[Welcome to the family.

The strange reminders that Chu Wenshan considers the two of them family always makes Ouyang Duyu's heart flip-flop in his chest. It's kind of a problem, honestly.

He stares a little too long, he thinks, so for want of a fan to hide behind, he lifts Xiaodou a little higher to hide his face behind. He's not embarrassed you're embarrassed!!!]

...we need to buy supplies for them.

[Does this mean Xiaoman and Xiaodou are now blocking their respective humans' faces and staring at each other in their stead...instead of putting down the cat, Chu Wenshan leans his head out to try to look from behind it. (Him? Her? He hasn't bothered to check that either.)]

Like...beds?

[The Xiaodou doesn't mind! Ouyang Duyu is actively looking to the side as well.]

Beds, bowls, food...maybe something they can wear to carry messages. [Look, there's a network and it's super useful but he also like back up plans.]

I can't just share my bed and food with them?

[Not a complaint, just a question!]

I wonder which stores would have those things.

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Have you seen my mother(?)

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