After the kobolds ate themselves in stupor on the next morning Ves'ra had all of them gather around her.

“I see all of you are awake, good.” She said, looking over the gathered kobolds.

“I assume you all know you hatched once already, but you don't know that only your body hatched so far your mind is still trapped within your egg, which stops you from doing magic.” She explained, seeing excitement spread through the gathered kobolds.

“The first step to hatch is to go into yourself and find your energy and control it.

You Do Not Do That Until I Say So! Understood? Good.” She warned, waiting until everyone nodded in agreement.

“Now this second egg, unlike your first one can be destroyed if you believe in whatever you use to be strong enough. Most kobolds I knew were hatchlings when they attempted their second hatching, and they escaped the egg like they did their first - with their body.

That way is the easiest, because you know your body and its capabilities best, and know it already escaped an egg when much weaker than now. I won't tell you how to escape - if you don't feel confident in you escape you should definitely use it.” She cautioned.

“While the safest it’s also the most boring way, you can use anything you can think of to escape, there’s no limit. I, for one, destroyed the egg with a storm and thus escaped, the shaman of my village burnt it down, and much more.

As I said I will not have any one of you not hatched, so you will all attempt to do that now. The first six get a wolf to care about and bond with - as you can see familiars are the best, even now Arvog is out hunting for a meal for all of us.”She bragged.

“You best get to it - you won't be allowed to eat until you have awakened.” She stated, before walking towards the cave’s exit, she’d have to fortify the cave if she wanted to live here for any significant amount of time.

---

Tes’va heard the shaman explain the secrets of shamanism like they were worth nothing and knew she made the right choice. She didn't even move from the spot she was at before closing her eyes and searching for the ‘energy’ under her scales. It wasn't hard to find, and with a firm will formed by years of hardship seized control and moved it.

She came upon a wall, a wall that blocked her. First she tried to moved around it, but encased just like an egg did - the shaman was right. Her body was old, so she didn't even try to leave the egg like a normal kobold, instead she thought about the shaman, how she came to them and saved them from the chief, about all the hatchlings and kobolds that joined her in leaving the village, and the deep gratefulness that brought with it.

Suddenly her mind’s eye saw row upon row of kobold standing in front of the wall, some old and feeble, some full of injuries, and all led by the shaman. Tes’va knew what to do, she willed the injured to be healthy, and the old be strong again. The kobolds battered against the egg, destroying it for her.

Tes’va smiled as she moved out of the egg that constricted her her entire life and opened her eyes.

She was the first to finish, so she went to search for the shaman and ask for help understanding what happened.

---

Khu’te sank into himself, and for the first time in his life tried to seize control over the energy under his scales. It didn't work, he was blocked by something - the second egg the revered shaman spoke about he realized.

She also said he would only believe in his method of escape and it was possible. What was the best way to escape the mean adults? Speed. Khu’te imagined himself in the egg, and the egg as the adults wanting to beat him and ran, zipping past every single one of them, and before long he stood behind them, having escaped the confines of his second egg. He opened his eyes and smiled a toothy smile.

---

Kes’te took a bit to find the energy cursing under his scales, but when he did he didn't stop and took control over it. He was stopped, but the egg would only be able to stop him if it saw him, so he hid and snuck past the egg before it had time to properly form. He opened his eyes and smiled.

---

Thu’va was trapped again. She escaped the village, followed the shaman because old lady Tes’va said she should, and now she was trapped in a lightless room with no way out.

‘It doesn't matter how you want to leave, if you believe it you will’ The shaman said. But how should she escape if she didn't see anything. She needed a light!

With but a thought a beautiful light bloomed, lighting her path out of the egg. She followed it, trusting her elders knew what they were talking about, even as her light dimmed and forced her to make several detours. In the end she arrived, opened her eyes and smiled.

---

Keh’te always believed fire was beautiful, it had been forbidden and so the shaman earned his undying loyalty when she told them to light a fire on the first day. Now she told him he could escape the confines of his being just by lighting a fire with his mind.

The moment he arrived in his second egg he lit a bonfire worth of years hunger, and cackled madly as his egg burnt around him, he alone untouched by the fire. Once his shackles were naught but ashes he left and opened his eyes, a mad grin permanently etched into his face.

---

Thu’ta always liked plants. Unlike people they didn't die, could age indefinitely and were the undisputed kings of the world. They were the epitome of slow and steady, never stopping their growth, destroying rocks, bending in the wind withstanding rain and snow.

The perfect lifeform.

So she imagined herself as a plant, her roots slowly spreading outwards, piercing the egg a thousand times and using it as nourishment for more roots. She didn't know how long she spent here, spreading her roots more and more, but when she left the egg she was content, so she opened her eyes and smiled.

---

Ves'ra looked at the six kobolds in front of her with amusement in her eyes. They should be incredibly confused just about now, too tired to move and filled with sensations they did not understand, yet they went to find her first.

“Go to sleep, you need it, we will talk when all are ready.” She commanded, and returned to the wall of ice. She had tried something new this time, trying to change the color of the ice to disguise their base. It worked, even if it took an insane amount of energy to change the outermost layer of the ice.

She was done now though, they could look into proper fortifications once everyone was up and running. She looked at the retreating kobolds and allowed herself a smile, they had been fast, faster than her even, and she couldn't wait to know what their magic could do.

It would be fun to build a village from the start, especially one filled with mages. She’d have to see who would be worthy to hear the secrets of true magic, because she didn't think everyone should be able to surpass nature like humans seemed to, it was a privilege that had to be earned - or found.

For now she'd watch over her village, as they hatched anew, becoming true kobolds in the process, secure in the knowledge she'd watch over them.