It's not a rock, all right? We all know it's not a rock, fantasy authors.

[stockingfeats]

You and your thread partner have found a dragon egg!

1. Unexpected treasure: You knew there was something in this box, but not that it was this...
   
2. Put that thing back or so help me! This is not what you signed up for. You would desperately like to get out of this game of very hot potato.
   
3. Hide it! Nefarious people are after the egg and you need to keep it from them.
   
4. Jackpot! You are nefarious people. This is great.
   
5. Sacred trust: You've been charged with this by someone or something.
   
6. Wildcard!
   

Comments

[fairfortune]

I suppose that it might be. They're cold blooded like any other sort of lizard but once they come of a certain age, they kindle an inner fire to keep themselves warm – before that, they're at the mercy of the elements and whatever beast happens to be raising them...

[ She's been holding the egg up reverently in her hands, turning it so the burnished surface catches the sunlight – but at that, she shoots him a look along with a wry smile. ]

Of course, that's only what's been written. I haven't been quite so lucky as to ask one in person myself.

[ With that, she settles the egg back against her chest, doing her best to add a little of her own body heat just to keep it from catching too much of a chill. ]

Perhaps we could find some way of incubating it for the time being while I do some research? Something this precious should be handled delicately.

[sheydydeal]

Putting it over a fire is out of the question, then, I suppose.

[He's smiling, but he's also considering. A look out over their craggy surroundings reveals little but rocks and air, but aren't mountains often where dragons make their homes? If terrain like this is the egg's natural habitat, then surely there's enough here to work with.

Sheyd flips his hair out of his face with a quick shake of his head, rubs his chin, and tries to think like a dragon.]

...Stone. Stone retains heat and releases it slowly. Nestling the egg among some sun-warmed rocks for a time would free your hands, my Annaliese.

[fairfortune]

[ At that she brightens, all sunshine herself. ]

You're right...! And if we find a particularly sunny spot, wouldn't that be the perfect place for it to rest and gather some heat of its own? What a clever way to do things this deep in the mountains.

[ With that, she starts to carefully pick her way across the uneven pathway they'd been following, eyeing cracks and ledges along the rock wall to assess their suitability. ]

What do you supposed happened to the poor thing for it to have been unguarded? Dragons guard their gold like old misers, I'd always imagined that they'd guard a child even more fiercely.