About two weeks had passed since Agatha and Kai found the mutant water snake egg.
The children took turns caring for it, which they did very diligently. There were nights when the little snake was particularly restless, moving around freely inside the egg, so they didn't sleep until it calmed down.
After purification with Sete's aura, the heirs noticed that the unborn animal had become especially rational — or rather, sensitive to their presence. When Kai and Agatha talked to it, its movements slowed significantly, so that it was possible to feel its scaly little body turn toward the children's voices.
In the middle of the third week with the egg, however, the little ones noticed that the baby snake was no longer moving as energetically as before. The situation worried them, so they went to find Sete immediately.
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— Sete! Sete! — Agatha ran toward the enormous redwood tree purified by Spring, climbing at an alarming speed up the spiral wooden steps that grew from the thick trunk to the treetop. The girl was carefully hugging the snake egg to her chest, her brown eyes filled with tears. — W-we need h-help!
— It's an emergency! — Kai added breathlessly, coming up right behind the little girl. He didn't even lean on the handrails of intertwined branches as he climbed all those steps, such was his haste. The worried expression did not match the boy's mischievous personality.
A few days ago, the young deity was exploring the surroundings of the newly assembled camp of the heirs when she discovered a young sequoia struggling to reach the sun among the other trees in the forest. All the vegetation in the nearby area had been purified by her and Dez, so the plants had undergone a sudden growth spurt.
Moved by the redwood's resilience — and knowing the potential of that tree species — Sete used her powers to accelerate its growth. When it reached an acceptable height and robustness, Spring molded a circular cabin from the massive trunk and vast canopy, where she began to live.
The house — if the single, spacious room could be called that — was comfortable and airy: at the top, a dome of wood and intertwined translucent leaves let the sun in gently; in addition, more than half of the circumference of the space had large rounded windows, as if formed naturally from the branches of the huge sequoia itself; the calm breeze passed through these openings and gently stirred the leaf blinds, which were controlled by Sete, of course.
The furniture, in turn, was simple and all fixed to the floor, since it had grown from it. There was a round table with six seats, surrounded by chairs made of woven branches; a large cabinet on the left end, whose asymmetrical shelves went from floor to ceiling; a round bed, resembling a giant flower and separated from the rest of the room by a curtain of light, translucent fabric; and a medium-sized dresser, in which Sete currently organizes her few pieces of clothing.
— What happened? — The young deity asked as soon as she saw the children. She was concerned, especially after noticing the tearful expression on Agatha's face and the distress of Kai, who was usually a calm teenager. — Are you okay?
— It's the e-egg! — Agatha exclaimed desperately, holding the soft mass affectionately while begging for Spring's help with teary eyes. — It doesn't look right...
— It's not moving like it does every day, we don't know what to do! — Kai explained more calmly, watching as Seven crouched down in front of Agatha to examine the egg. — It seems weak, it doesn't even wriggle happily like it used to when it hears our voices... Can you take a look at it?
The young deity did not respond immediately, only reaching out her hands to touch the white film of the egg and examine its condition. She allowed a portion of her sparkling green aura to enter the soft mass, covering every inch of the small snake inside. A few seconds later, Sete finally came to a conclusion:
— It seems that the little snake is resting to gather strength… — Spring withdrew her hands from the whitish shell, tucking a strand of light brown hair behind her ear as she stood up. — It will hatch soon.
— Really!? — Kai shouted excitedly.
— What is that...? — Agatha sobbed, a sly pout forming on her lips.
— It means it's going to be born! — Kai replied, his words followed by an excited laugh. — Come on, we have to prepare a comfortable nest!
— Yes!! — Agatha replied with a smile, traces of tears still staining her cheeks.
Sete chuckled softly at the childish laughter that escaped the girl, amused by the children's drastic change in mood. Soon, she set out to help them with the nest, following the younger ones' instructions to create a woven wooden basket with her powers. And apparently, the makeshift nursery had turned out quite comfortable, considering that Spring had lined it with flower petals and soft leaves.
Placing the nest on the round table in her cabin, the young goddess watched with satisfaction as Agatha knelt on one of the chairs to place the egg in the center of the basket, causing the bed of plants to sink slightly under its weight.
Then the three sat down on the chairs around the table to watch the little egg closely, exchanging casual conversation to pass the time.