[SOLO] Bird's the Word [FINISHED]

[Daisicle]

Having lived for so long on her own in this woods without any tangible assistance, or much of any real contact while within it, there was a small, rounded hut of sorts crafted from sticks, dried mud, and leaves between two trees. The entrance was low that any but a young child would need to bend to enter, but that was simply to keep the cold out in the winter months. In the majority of the place, she could stand without difficulty and move about. Decorations were sparse, when present at all, and it was clear that this was simply a place of shelter. The "bed" inside was an old cloth she'd found abandoned some time ago hung from the trunks serving as the main foundation for it all to create a hammock. There were a few other smaller pieces of fabric draped from a branch within the structure, ready if needed. To one side was a pit to build and burn a fire, used once every few days to weeks to smoke meat for the coming days.

In one corner alone, her prize from the carnival sat nestled in some dead tree leaves and mulch.  

[Daisicle]

Sharazhad was just returning home with a fresh kill, a boar of reasonable size. She left it just at the hut's door as she went in, moving to pick up some sticks from a pile and arrange them on the burning location. Two stones were the next thing brought over, though it wasn't until a few minutes of labor later that she was able to have a proper fire going. Honestly, it was lucky that her own world had lacked such luxuries as instant fire, otherwise she'd not have known what to look for here or how to prepare one.

Returning outside, she left it to smolder down as she instead attended to cleaning her kill and preparing it to smoke.

Unbeknownst to the demon, however, the warmth and smell of smoke seemed to be preparing something else for use. The "stone," though she'd been told it was really an egg, sat abandoned in the corner began to show signs of like: little quivers and shakes intermittent with its stillness.

Their frequency grew exponentially as the time passed and the fire quieted

When Sharazhad returned inside, her hands dirtied with the blood of her kill and its meat strung onto sticks in her arms, she payed no attention to the moving object in the room with her. No, first she set the pieces around the smoldering fire in proper form, and then she sat back and reached for one of a few "bowls" of freshwater she kept stocked to clean her arms.

It wasn't until it made a noise as it fell over that her golden irises turned to look at it.

"What in the Guardians' names...?"  

[Daisicle]

At the sound of her voice, a distinct crack split the smooth surface of the stone blue egg. From this one, other splintered off until they covered its entirety. It seemed to happen near all at once. A sharp cracking sound blended with the crackling wood as the top broke off, a little head peering blankly at her.

And she at it.

A moment passed before the creature slowly blinked and moved its head to look to either side of it, tipping over in the process due to the little one's lack of balance. From here it emerged, dwarfed wings uselessly moving on its back and a pair of limbs pulling it free. It crawled remarkably fast for its young age, soon free of its shell and exploring the little part of the hut it'd found.

As it moved, Sharazhad found herself speechless. Honestly, she shouldn't have been surprised that it was, in fact, an egg as she'd been told it was. This was somewhat expected to happen.

Somewhat.

She'd thought that there would be more time to peddle the thing off before it actually produced life, but now that it had, what was she to do? She could leave it out on its own... Yes... That might work. Would save her the energy of having to get rid of it herself or having to collect additional resources. The demon was familiar enough with the creatures after observing the one living in her bonded's home (an adopted sister apparently). Walking over, she moved to lift the thing up.

The little girl became very aware of another in the room as she felt her body be pulled into the air. As awkwardly as she was held, she made no noise of resistance or defiance. Instead, she looked to Sharazhad, eyes locking onto hers as she imprinted the demon as her mother. Who else would lift her up, instinct told her. Who else would prepare her food, it attested to the smell of smoking flesh.

Sighing, she sat down and brought the young bird to rest comfortably in her lap. She couldn't do it; she'd known from the beginning that she wouldn't be able to. If she had, she'd have left the egg out in the middle of the woods and at the mercy of the natural wildlife.

She wouldn't have kept it.

Now that it'd hatched, for better or for worse, she was stuck with it. At least until it was old enough to make its own decisions and care for itself. "I suppose I should give you a name... huh...? That is the proper next step." Sharazhad mused aloud, her knuckles coming to rest against her cheek. Sighing, she shook her head.

"Saira...?"

At the word, the bird returned its attention to mother, blinking once and making a sort of coo. Saira? Was she Saira? Yes! She must be Saira!

Shrugging once, she looked away and to her meat slowly smoking over the fire. Things were about to get a bit more complicated around here...