A Journey Around Albia and a Bundle of Eggs

Without wasting any time, Ramsvika quickly crossed paths with Ure and found herself with another egg on the way. In typical Norn fashion, Ure headed off on his own, while the Forest Norn stumbled across Nordmela. What an awful way to fall asleep! Ramsvika had the idea to wake her up, yet I figured that it would be best to leave the Banana Norn to her dreams. It looked like this rest was plagued by nightmares, or perhaps Nordmela was just exceptionally tired. In any case, Ramsvika soon left her alone so she could lay her egg.

The biggest danger of falling asleep in a lift is the fact that a creature might end up in unfamiliar surroundings. Aldra disregarded the sleeping Norn, and took her on a wonderful tour of the deathcap mushroom’s home. To make matters worse, Aldra herself was mesmerized by the colorful mushroom, and she decided to sample it. Although her life force fell from about 75% to 45% in a matter of minutes, she and Nordmela had already left the poisonous weed behind. Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, or Norn, in this instance! The Norns of Creatures 1 seem to enjoy taking risks… I had yet to worry about a Grendel getting into the deathcap.

It was just about time for another submarine cruise to the desert island, and apparently the notice went out to everyone. It might not look extremely cramped, but jammed in that tiny submarine were eight Norns and Skuld, the Grendel! It was a feat for it to cross the ocean without sinking, and that no one was trampled inside. Aldra even enjoyed herself, even though she had absolutely nowhere to move. When at last the submarine reached its destination, everyone piled out at once and savored the open area.

The only two Norns who had not joined in on the crowded submarine tour were Oppeid and Bringsli. “Little” Bringsli had already grown into an adult, and the two males seemed to size one another up. They tolerated one another, though, and enjoyed having someone else around for company. They had free reign of the incubator area and garden, yet they stayed put near the fireplace. I took this opportunity to ensure that they were eating well and taking care of themselves. I never knew when they would decide to fall apart of their own volition!

I was very surprised to learn that Pettvika had entered the elder life stage at about six and a half hours old! She was in good health, though, and was one of the Norns who seemed to progress through life a little more quickly. What better way to celebrate old age than another pregnancy?! Oppeid watched over Pettvika carefully as she rested up and prepared for her fifth pregnancy. She was one very tough Norn who never backed down from the challenge of having an egg.

Oppeid barely moved from his spot in the garden after Pettvika laid their egg. Skuld even decided to take a nap as close to the egg as possible, as she attempted to play a mother hen. This Grendel was anything but mean and aggressive! Skuld was also quite adept at taking care of herself and listening: Even in a large group, she was almost always the first to eat a piece of food when I said anything. I’ve said it many times, but the Creatures 1 Grendels are often more like gentle giants who make wonderful friends to Norns. I could never imagine my world without at least one!

Meanwhile, the adventurous Aldra had found her way back to the learning computer. There was a surprise in store for her: A first pregnancy! Bringsli looked rather pleased with himself, as this would be his first egg, too. Maybe Aldra would stay with him so they could become an exclusive couple. Norns are not meant to be monogamous, yet I still held out hope that one couple might only be with one another their entire lives. The odds were stacked against that outcome, but it wasn’t impossible.

Aldra decided that she needed to get away from Bringsli for the latter part of her pregnancy, although she didn’t stray too far. I smiled as I watched her cuddle up with Skuld near the warm and inviting fire. The Grendel might not have experienced a pregnancy herself, but she knew a great deal from her travels and experiences. If Aldra was at all uncertain or afraid, Skuld put her mind at ease and rested serenely with her.

This marks the 200th post at Discover Albia! Thank you again to everyone who has continued to read: Writing for my own entertainment is only a fraction of the reason why I enjoy writing. If it were not for such a wonderful Creatures community, Discover Albia would have faded away long ago. I hope visitors continue to enjoy the blog long into the future! Thanks again to such an amazing community!