Nearly half a year after the runt's hatching, the clutch has diminished by a further 9 down to 48. This is still considered a good year as the Culling slows as they get older and sturdier. Around this time is when the hatchlings begin to actually listen to speech as words, rather than just noises made by the adults.
Communication is typically limited to hisses and growls for another few months yet. One morning while sitting at his stone table, the same one upon which the runt hatched, Korse looks down after feeling something bump his tail, only to see said tiny Kobold tugging on it.
"Well, how'd you get out of your pen? I figured I had a few good months yet of you guys being out from underfoot."
With big, black eyes she looks up at him and hesitantly says, "What do?"
"Huh?! what did you say?"
"What you do!"
"Well, this is a first, six months old and already asking questions. I'm doing work."
"Why?"
Korse looked back at the table, not yet realizing the impact that one little word would come to bear, "I'm trying to figure out how much food we need for you and your siblings as well as the 5 older clutches in this hatchery, moss from the farms only goes so far, then you need meat and bu...."
"Yay! Meat!"
"Yes, you quite like your meat don't you. Like I was saying, and bugs, and even fish from the deep lakes."
"Fishy!" cries the little ball of scales and happiness. "Meat best! Fishies good too! Beetle fun, but not as good."
"Yes, but you have to be a good girl to get fishies and meat and good girls stay in their pen with their siblings." As he lifts the still tiny, 42cm tall hatchling, opens the gate and places her back into the pen, the pen that is nearly a meter deep, as tall as most adult kobolds ever grow, inset into the stone floor by nearly half its height.
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The next few weeks pass with much the same, every time Korse turns around he finds his tiny shadow following him, the minders that watch them in the later hours all experience the same, she'll be sound asleep in the little cubby she's claimed, turn your back on her and before they can take two steps, a tiny form is clasping their tails..
She isn't the first escape artist Korse has dealt with, but she is the only one that hasn't tried to escape the hatchery itself, one of the first hatchlings he picked out of the clutch after he became an elder was similar, he ended up having to have Elder Bolst set up snares and traps to keep her from slipping out, which Kora eventually learned to dismantle and even moved one late one night, catching the poor minder in it. She's still one of Bolst's best trappers.
This one however, she does not want to go anywhere, just to be with whatever adults are around. Usually, to pester them with questions.
One afternoon just as Korse thought he would be able to get a meal; he felt that oh so familiar and somewhat dreaded tug on his tail.
"You Korse?"
"Yes, little one, that's my name, Korse."
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"Why I no name?"
"Well, my dear, that's just the way things go. you're too young for a name." He knew the dreaded response was coming, he could just see it on her tiny little face...
"Why?"
"Well, what happens when you say or think 'Status' little one?"
"Stasus... statis... status... status?"
"Nothing right" receiving a nod in return, "you cannot access your status until you take your first step into adolescence at 3 years old. It is then that you will be given your first name. and then when you turn 6, you'll unlock your class and be able to pick jobs. That's when you're considered an adult and get your full name and become a true member of the clan."
"Class? Jobs? Clan? what those?"
"Patience little one, patience, when your siblings are a bit older and they start to talk too, then the matrons from the chapel will come to teach you about the system and the history of the kobolds and the Emberscale clan."
"No wait! Now!"
"Fine, fine, just a little, then back with the others you go." Korse sighs as he receives vigorous nodding in response, "When you turn 3 your status will unveil itself, it will show you the true things about yourself. How strong you are, how quick you are,"
As Korse says these things the little one begins to poke her arms and pose. "Not strong, not like brother. but quick!"
"Yes indeed. It will show you how healthy and durable and cunning, I think you'll have this last one in abundance, and even if you'll be able to awaken to the spark of magic naturally. These will all be the truths of who you are, and the point from which you'll begin your life."
She continues to stare up, "That tell me name?"
"Not quite, we the minders and the elders will give you your name to celebrate the unveiling of your status. Then you'll join the elders as an apprentice and they'll teach you how to do work to help the clan, whether it's farming and making food, mining and quarrying stone to sell to the humans and other folk above, or most likely for you, my little escape artist, helping Master Trapcrafter Bolst defend our caverns.
Finding what you're good at and how you fit into the Clan while learning Skills will help you get a good Class, once you turn 6 years old. A class that you can begin your adult life with and in turn help improve the clan."
Thinking for a moment on how the Matrons describe it to the hatchlings, "A class is like a goal to work towards for the rest of your life, the more you work towards your goal, the more it gives you Abilities and improves your Ability Scores making you stronger, faster, better at magic if you manage to awaken the spark, or even smarter, as long as you do the things that your class calls you to."
The little one nods along, but Korse can't quite tell if she's doing so out of understanding or just happy, he's trying to answer her questions.
"Now, take me for example, when I was a bit older than you, I would help the minders look after my clutchmates, or to clean up the brood chamber and when it was time for me to become an apprentice they placed me here with the minders to help them more with the younger hatchlings. I enjoyed the work and was good at it and when it came time for my clutch to go to the Chapel of the Scale, where they keep a relic of our ancient patron, the dragon for whom we are named, a scale from Emberscale, the Garnet Tyrant." A note of reverence bleeding into his voice as he speaks of the great dragon.
"There one by one in a ceremony referred to as our 'First Ascension' we each placed our hands upon the great scale and were blessed with a class and a choice of our first 2 jobs, but I'll just speak to the class for now. For me that first class was Novice Brood Minder and I've spent the many years since here looking after hatchlings like you, gaining Levels, Skills, and new Abilities, that help me take care of you all, and tell me if anything is wrong in the hatchery and earned both Ascensions and even an Evolution of my class, to become today a Master Broodkeeper, and the Elder in charge of this and the other hatcheries for our great clan."
At some point through the explanation the little one plopped down and sat, quite enraptured by the telling, still somewhat caught up on the mention of magic but mostly having listened to the rest.
"Now, it's time for you to rejoin your siblings. Go wrestle or whatever it is you do with them."
Much to Korse's surprise, instead of waiting to be picked up or trying to climb the railing into the pen, the little kobold totters over and easily unlatches the gate, hopping down and pulling it closed with a clank behind her.
"Huh... Now I really want to know how she's getting out, there's no way she's reaching the latch from the inside... Is there?"