Charlotte fussed over the egg a bit as Sherlock settled in. Absently, she wondered if the little one inside would end up with her coppery scales or Sherlock's darker ones. After a while, she looked at Sherlock again.

"Do you suppose John and Bree will become breeding partners as well as mates?" she wondered aloud. "Do humans even take mates like that?"

"According to John, it is different," Sherlock said. "They are not called mates, but something else. But it is a similar idea. They live together and have their own young and support each other." He paused. "Just in human ways, which I have difficulty understanding."

"Perhaps I will ask Bree about it," Charlotte mused. She went silent again, curling up around the egg. "We will likely leave here in a few days. The egg should be strong enough by then."

"Alright," Sherlock agreed. "Whatever you feel is acceptable." Because she knew more about the egg than he did, and he was fine with letting her be in charge.

Charlotte nodded and shifted around a bit to get more comfortable.

Five days later, she finally deemed the egg strong enough for the trip to her cave. She had it wrapped in protective material to keep it safe and warm, and she held it close even as she waited anxiously for Bree to get the last of her things.

It didn't take Bree long to finish gathering things up. Then she nodded to Charlotte, moving outside.

Sherlock was waiting off to the side with John, trying to give her a bit of space and not fuss. But he wanted to.

Once Bree was ready to go, Charlotte stretched out her wings properly for the first time in three weeks. She fanned them slowly, just working the muscles a little, and then she knelt down so Bree could get on.

Bree clambered up easily, settling in for the trip. She knew that her and her bags didn't bother Charlotte as far as weight went, and she made sure to keep everything down and near the center of her back so as not to disrupt the dragon's balance.

Once Bree was settled, Charlotte held her safely wrapped egg close and took off, heading back towards her cave.

Sherlock followed her with John and some other supplies, letting her take point and lead the way. He didn't mind following, not for something like this.

It was a fair distance from the breeding grounds to her cave, but Charlotte was able to make it in one go. She landed just up the cliff from her cave and let Bree down.

Bree got down and moved inside with a brief yawn and a stretch. That had been longer than she was accustomed to, but it wasn't unwelcome.

"Cave sweet cave," she murmured with a grin.

"Indeed," Charlotte murmured back. She immediately went to the back of the cave and lit a fire. She left the egg wrapped to keep it warm, and began making a suitable nest. This nest would have significantly more sparklies in it, since some of her hoard would inevitably end up there somehow.

Bree left her to it, instead going to set up her own sleeping area. She knew she'd need it now, and she didn't mind.

It took several hours for Charlotte to be satisfied with the nest. Once it was perfect, she carefully unwrapped the egg and settled it into the warmth of the nest, and she settled down next to it.

Sherlock had found a decent place for himself and John, and then he went hunting. He figured he might as well. Besides, it would help him get a decent layout of the area.

Once John had found a decent place to settle, he went to see if he could find Bree. Even though Sherlock had said that following Charlotte back was for John's benefit, John knew better. His continued courting of Bree was just a cover for Charlotte allowing Sherlock's courtship to continue.

"Hey John." Bree smiled at him. She'd made it down to his level on the way to get some water. "Found a place to settle in?"

"I think so, yeah," John replied, grinning a bit at her. "Found a shack not far away, seems like it was abandoned, but it's in good shape."

"Good, definitely better than sleeping out in the open," Bree agreed with a smile. "And if you haven't found anything else in there yet, I doubt you will, which is good."

"What about you?" John asked. "You said you were staying with Charlotte?"

"Yeah, I'm up in the cave. I've got a sleeping area set up, since she built another nest, and she won't want me sleeping in there with the egg." Bree shrugged.

"How is the egg doing, by the way?" John asked. "I'm sure Sherlock will want an update when he comes back."

"Fine. She's got it all settled in the new nest. It's fine from the trip, no harm done." Bree smiled. "Charlotte's already fussing over it again."

"I'm not surprised," John said, smiling a bit as well. "Though I am surprised at how close we are to Sherlock's cave. It's not near enough that they share hunting grounds, but it's not too terribly far, either."