​Raiden flopped over on his side, fanning his nine tails out across the grey fabric and squirming, the softness hitting him like nothing he had ever experienced. "Well, I hope it’s comfortable for a bird! It would be a shame if you couldn’t sleep after betraying your entire tribe."

​"Shut up, fox," Caspian grumbled, settling onto his own mattress next to Hana’s. He sighed, the constant tension in his back finally easing as the foam adjusted to his heavy frame.

​Hana sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the support make her realize just how much her back had been aching. She looked around the den. Between the silver crates of tech, the dark solar panels, and these clean grey beds, the cave looked like a strange glitch in time. Half-primitive, half-futuristic.

​"Don’t get too comfortable yet," Hana warned, though she couldn’t help but lean back herself. "Tomorrow, we start the real work. I’m putting the solar arrays on the ridge. I want light in here by tomorrow night."

​Caspian looked at her, his golden eyes reflecting the dying fire. "Lights," he murmured. "A cave that shines, is it? You really are changing everything, aren’t you?"

​Hana didn’t answer. She just leaned back, closing her eyes as the night breeze from the den entrance finally started to turn from a threat into a cool caress.

​"I’m just making sure I can survive this world," she said softly, her voice already losing the battle to exhaustion.

> ​[NOTIFICATION: DOMAIN COMFORT INCREASED]

> Current Balance: -1,091,880

> Status: Resting.

The next morning came in the blink of an eye. Hana planned to sleep in until she felt her body was well rested and ready for the day’s work.

But the first thing that came to disturb her plans to sleep in was the system’s daily login notification.

> ​[Daily login: DAY 4]

> Current Balance: -1,091,880

> Civilization Progress: 5.8% ([RANK: VILLAGE SEED])

​Hana tried to ignore it. She really did. It would’ve been possible if that wasn’t the only disturbance.

There was this low-frequency bickering that was vibrating right through her new pillow and into her skull.

And the bickering was coming from the earlier risers in this family. The men who found every reason to bicker like market women on a bargaining day.

​"You’re just a glorified bird," Caspian’s voice rumbled, sharp with morning irritation. "Hana chose you because she needed someone to carry the light things. Don’t think for a second you’re on my level, bird-brain."

​"I am her mate," Kulu’s voice sounded calmer, but there was a new edge to it. "She let me mark her because she values my perspective and my presence. I plan to be useful in ways you clearly cannot understand, Lizard."

​"Ooh, fight! Fight!" Raiden’s voice chirped from the side, dripping with gleeful malice. "Maybe one of you will accidentally kill the other. Preferably, the big scaly one. I’d love a new rug."

​Hana squeezed her eyes shut, pulling the blanket over her head. Maybe if I stay still, they’ll evaporate, she thought.

​"You’re so wise all of a sudden?" Caspian hissed. "I bet you wouldn’t even do anything of your own will without her ordering it. I dare you—touch her while she’s sleeping. See if you have the guts to claim her like a real beast."

​Hana’s eyes shot open.

​"Are you guys insane?!" she snapped, sitting bolt upright.

​The three of them froze. Hana was fuming, her hair a mess, her eyes narrow and dangerous.

She could’ve ignored it to the end. Could have. If Caspian did not try to be a prideful pervert even now.

​"On the floor!" She hissed under her breath and then yelled. "Three of you! Now!"

​Kulu looked confused, but seeing Caspian and Raiden drop to their knees instantly with their hands raised in the air, he quickly joined them. Hana huffed, rubbing her temples.

​"Now tell me, one at a time, why the hell are you arguing in my ear first thing in the morning?"

​Caspian and Raiden immediately pointed their fingers at Kulu. "He started it!" they shouted in unison.

​Hana narrowed her eyes. Kulu starting a fight? That was hard to believe. She turned her gaze to the Falcon. "What did you do, Kulu?"

​"I did not do anything, Hana," Kulu said softly.

​"Liar!" Caspian barked. "Confess where you went first thing this morning!"

​"I simply woke up to fly around," Kulu responded logically. "It is a morning habit."

​"But you were gone for a while," Raiden added, his eyes narrowing.

​"I merely stayed in a quiet place. It is also a habit."

Kulu liked to fly around, stretching his wings first thing in the morning. And then he would sit down at a height, watch the sun rise, and enjoy the silence and the chirping of the birds.

It was a habit he would never change for anything.

​Caspian and Raiden scowled at him. Hana sighed, taking in three deep breaths and slowly releasing them. She needed to get to the bottom of the morning drama, but one thing was more pressing.

​"Caspian," she called, her voice dangerously low. "What does any of this have to do with daring Kulu to touch me in my sleep?"

​Caspian flinched, and he began to sweat, his golden eyes darting away. He hadn’t realized she was awake enough to hear that.

​"Of course I would hear," Hana snapped. "I’m not a corpse. You were so loud it was as if you wanted me to hear you arguing."

​She moved to stand, but as she shifted her weight, a strange, heavy sensation tightened in her lower abdomen. Her hand flew to her belly. She noticed a slight swell—a firmness that definitely hadn’t been there when she went to sleep.

​System, she called out internally, a flash of panic hitting her. Is this normal? I’ve only been pregnant for three days!

>​ [BIOLOGICAL UPDATE: DRAGON-KIN GESTATION]

> Current Progress: Day 4.

> Time to Birth: 26 Days.

> Note: Dragon-kin development is accelerated by the mother’s mana-sync and high-protein intake.

> Total Gestation Period: 30 Days.

​Hana felt the air leave her lungs. Thirty days? I’m going to have a dragon baby in a month?

​"What’s wrong, Hana?" Caspian asked, his guilt vanishing instantly as he saw the expression on her face. He scrambled closer on his knees. "Are you in pain? Is the child—"

​"Caspian," she interrupted, sitting back down on the bed, her hand still resting on the small swell. "Tell me... how many days does it take for a dragon to be born?"