Deep in a cold, dark den in the dead of winter, a young, lavender-furred female wept silently to herself, not even bothering to clean herself after she had laid her first egg. Her mate's shadowy form lay before her, staring intently at the red and white pattern on its shell through narrowed eyes. His dark pelt heavily contrasted against the white snow billowing into the cave from the blizzard outside as his black tail twitched from side to side in a mix of thoughtfulness and resentment. The tension she felt between the two of them mounted and the silence became more and more uncomfortable to the point where she started feeling sick before her