Burying the egg was safer than leaving it out in the open. Martin had thought about whether the egg could be ruined underground, but the golden python itself had survived a terrible wound—its eggs would surely be tough as well.
He picked a corner of the cave and began to dig with his bone knife. It took him about half an hour to carve out a pit nearly one and a half men tall. Luckily the cave floor was soft, so it didn’t take too much strength. When the hole was ready, he set the golden egg inside, covered it back over, and smoothed the surface until there were no traces left.
“Done.” Martin smiled, satisfied. He silently hoped the giant egg would hatch.
His hide cloak felt sticky; he was uncomfortable. He changed into a fresh set of animal-hide clothes and decided to wash up. Since the
