2024-07-15 - Harmless and Therefore Unhelpful

Kanyoth was also just waking up from a nap, but she resisted the urge to yawn along with Gwillanth, because she didn't want a bunch of the grossness she was stuck in here with to suddenly flood her mouth. She wouldn't have to worry about that once she hatched, so time to get back to it! Back and forth she started rocking, back and forth.

And then, suddenly, many. Faint, so, distant? But no, that was a nose sniffing against her shell! She could hear it from in here! Hi there! Kanyoth greeted the sniffer as she continued rock back and forth, but more sedately, not wanting to bonk hard into whatever this thing that was smaller than she was. How are you doing? What are you doing here? And honestly, just what are you?

Then she heard the sniffer's claws scrabbling against her shell. Oh, are you here to help me out? Thank you! Kanyoth cheered as she began scratch her own claws against the same spot. But then the sniffer made a loud "YIP" noise and promptly fled. Hey! Wait! No! Come back!

It did not come back. However, another sniffer came up on Kanyoth's other side and proceeded to, well, sniff. Hello there! Kanyoth greeted the second sniffer. Are you a sibling to the other sniffer, the one I seem to have accidentally scared off? Are you from the same clutch?

The second sniffer responded by rearing up on its hind legs and pushing against Kanyoth's confines, its added momentum causing her to rock back and forth more fiercely. Yes! Good! Push harder! Put your claws into it! she encouraged it.

The second sniffer whined nervously. It's all right! I'm giving you permission! I want to get out! she tried to coax it to continue. But instead the second sniffer turned and trotted away. Drat.

Kanyoth ended up slowing her rocking back to a more sedate pace - it was hard to keep track of the minds of all these little sniffers, due to how faint they were, and she didn't want to accidentally hit another one that might come up to her. Some human outside was repeatedly apologizing and apologizing - she must be responsible for all these little sniffers. But Gwillanth and her rider seemed amused by the whole kerfuffle, and Shayled was assuring the other woman that the sniffers wouldn't harm the eggs. They don't seem to want to hurt us, Kanyoth added, just in case she suddenly could be heard by those outside of the clutch somehow. I tried to convince a couple of them to help me get out of here, but they didn't want to help me.

Unsurprisingly, she was ignored by both of the women, her mother, and the many little sniffers, who tussled about among the clutch before eventually dropping off to sleep one by one, their minds growing even fainter as they slipped into unconsciousness, to the point that they were barely perceivable at all. Kanyoth's rocking slowed to a stop - if she could hardly sense these sniffers, she didn't really have a way to avoid rolling over them in the course of another proper escape attempt. Curse it all. There wasn't anything else she could do except reluctantly join in on the nap.