MagiStream

I hope I'm not too late to enter, this took longer than I thought. Enjoy!

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"Tell us the story!" the young hatchlings cried. "Please!"
The old unicorn chuckled. "Alright little ones. But you will have to sit and be quiet."
They nodded vigously and surrounded her with wide eyes. When they were settled, she began.

This is the tale of the first eggs.

Long ago, before the manticores came out of the desert, before the pegasi returned from the north, and even before the leviathans emerged from the sea, creatures were not born from eggs. Where did they come from, you ask? Why from the sky, little ones. Each year the gods of old would bless the worthy. Coming down on clouds and shrouded in mist, they would ask who among the creatures desired a family. If their hearts were right and their requests were true, the gods would make them a little child. They formed the young ones out of the clouds themselves and they were always strong and healthy. It had always been this way, and creatures supposed it always would.

Then one day, and young gryphon decided she wanted a child of her own. The gods, however, would not grant her wish. She was too young to raise a child and she had no mate. The young gryphon grew sad. Then she grew angry. Then she decided she would make a child herself. If the gods could do it, how hard could it be? She flew up high into the sky. As high as she could go and higher. Until finally she reached the magic clouds of the gods.

The young gryphon tried to make a child, but each attempt was worse than the last. First she forgot the tail, then a leg, then the wings were not quite big enough. Each time the clouds would pull away from her grasp and return her creation to mist. They knew she was not their gods and they would not obey her. The gryphon grew frustrated. She beat at the clouds with her wings and slashed at them with her claws. Yet the clouds did not change their minds. Claws and wings could not harm them, after all.

At last she succeeded and the clouds reluctantly formed into the perfect gryphon fledgling. Delighted, the young mother carried her offspring to the earth. Everyone congratulated her, thinking that the gods had blessed her at last. When the gods returned, however, the clouds told them what she had done. They came down before the creatures and addressed them sadly. If they could not be happy to wait for their children to come, then they would grant their wish.

The gods commanded the magic clouds to rain on the earth. It rained and rained, until it seemed it would never end. When it finally ended, the skies were clear. No clouds, magic or otherwise could be seen. At first the creatures cried out in sorrow. Where would they get their children? Then they found the Stream. It flowed down from the mountains, crystal clear and sparkling. Drifting on its currents were eggs of all sizes and colors.

So the gods had brought the children to earth. Here creatures could find their own eggs and raise them under wing and scale. Yet the children were no longer safe and humans, called Magi, would soon discover the Stream. But that is another story.