However, she also knew very well that for animals, losing their offspring in such weather was tantamount to believing that the other animal was dead.
Therefore, her behavior would not be subject to much moral condemnation in the animal kingdom.
Xu Qiaoqiao touched the owl egg and silently prayed: Please don't blame me. Although I really want to raise a baby owl, it's not my fault for separating you from your parents.
After mentally preparing herself, Xu Qiaoqiao felt much more relaxed.
The rain outside looks like it's getting lighter, but who knows if it will get heavier again in the next moment? Nobody can guarantee that this is the last rain.
So Jun Qi and Xu Qiaoqiao temporarily used this tree hole as their little nest, even though it was a bit cramped.
For Xu Qiaoqiao, June was a month of continuous rain and incredibly humid air, which kept her feeling down.
The turning point was this owl's egg.
They stayed in that tree hollow until July, when the weather was still quite bad.
It is said that spring is cold and warm, and there is a period of time in early spring when winter will come back cold. But Xu Qiaoqiao never expected that the temperature would be so low in summer.
The incubation period for owls is about 30 days.
It's estimated that in July, her and Junqi's little family will welcome a new life.
Just thinking about that time makes Xu Qiaoqiao eager to see it.
By the end of July, the temperature had risen considerably, giving it the feel of summer. In just one day, the previous chill was dispelled, and a scorching heat spread across the land.
On such an ordinary day, in a quiet evening, just as Xu Qiaoqiao and Jun Qi were preparing to rest.
A soft, almost imperceptible sound caught the attention of Jun Qi and Xu Qiaoqiao. They quickly discovered that the source of the sound was the egg that Jun Qi was incubating under his bottom.
There was nothing she could do; Xu Qiaoqiao was neither a bird nor the kind of bird that could incubate eggs. The only hairy part of her body was her face.
Moreover, that owl egg was almost as big as her, and it simply couldn't maintain the conditions needed for incubation, so this task fell to Jun Qi.
"Chirp!"
"Coo coo".
Jun Qi immediately took out the egg, and the two of them, by the moonlight, brought their heads close together to take a look. Sure enough, there was a thin crack on the eggshell.
Moreover, Xu Qiaoqiao could clearly sense that there was a strange little life inside, working hard and full of energy, and felt that it would be a very lively little guy.
She moved a few steps closer to Jun Qi, her claws gripping his feathers tightly, her eyes fixed on the egg, her heart pounding with tension.
Jun Qi was equally nervous, even though he wasn't happy when Xu Qiaoqiao first asked him to incubate the eggs!
Just kidding, in the owl world, which owl family do you see where the male incubates the eggs?
I'm not playing anymore.
However, he still couldn't refuse Xu Qiaoqiao. The little hedgehog only needed one look, gazing at him expectantly, to soften his heart.
As a result, it has been incubating ever since.
"Coo coo." Infected by Xu Qiaoqiao's serious atmosphere, Jun Qi also became nervous and couldn't help but let out a coo.
With a snap.
Xu Qiaoqiao patted Jun Qi.
Quiet!
Jun Qi kept his mouth shut, shrank his head further in, and squatted down. With his fluffy feathers, he looked like a fluffy ball from a distance.
The little creature inside is still trying to hatch, a process that is destined to be slow, but Xu Qiaoqiao doesn't feel tired at all, and is full of anticipation.
About ten minutes later, a small opening appeared. The progress was quite slow, and Xu Qiaoqiao wanted to help it, but her rationality prevented her from having that thought.
Before she could even make a move, the big guys around her couldn't resist.
Jun Qi slowly stood up, leaned his head closer, as if to peck at the egg.
"Chirp chirp!" What are you doing?
Xu Qiaoqiao stopped him in time, and even scratched his bare hands several times with great ferocity. Although it was of little use, Jun Qi could feel it.
The big guy turned his head and looked at Xu Qiaoqiao pitifully. He turned his head back and didn't quite understand Xu Qiaoqiao's actions.
Xu Qiaoqiao: ...
You still have the nerve to feel wronged?
As one of your fellow owls, whether you genuinely don't know or are pretending not to know, this kind of hatching is something outsiders can't help with; they can only do it themselves.
If they fail to hatch, that's their fate; if they die, the mother bird won't say anything.
Why are you meddling in this?
Xu Qiaoqiao was certain that Jun Qi did it on purpose, but she didn't understand his motive.
To be honest, Jun Qi has been living with this egg for almost a month now, and he's been keeping it under his butt every day. Because of this, he hasn't been able to sleep as freely as he used to.
Instead, she acts like a mother hen, constantly checking to see if she's accidentally crushed the eggs she sits on.
It's really annoying.
This seed is about to hatch. For Jun Qi, is he reluctant to part with it? Is he attached to it?
They don't exist!
He was so happy after the egg was gone.
Ten minutes later, Xu Qiaoqiao saw a tiny thing moving in the broken eggshell. It was soft, but it was getting dark, so she couldn't see it clearly.
But it's clear that the little guy is trying hard to hatch.
This required a lot of perseverance. Gradually, Xu Qiaoqiao couldn't hold on any longer. She sat down next to Jun Qi and then waited.
As for Jun Qi, he had already fallen asleep.
The two of them are still in this tree hole, which isn't very big, so Jun Qi simply moved to another spot.
He placed himself at the bottom, put the egg and the little hedgehog on his belly, and his huge body took up the space underneath. After adjusting his position, he couldn't help but fall asleep.
The little owl's hatching process continues, but it's clear that apart from the initial small hole, the owl chick hasn't made any other moves, and the hole hasn't expanded.
Could it be that it's not working?
Xu Qiaoqiao was secretly anxious, but at this moment, no one's help would be of any use; the cub could only rely on its own strength.
I hope everything will be alright.
Xu Qiaoqiao sat on Jun Qi's soft belly, leaning against his outstretched wings, her eyes fixed on the egg. Slowly, her eyelids began to droop.
About an hour later, only about one-tenth of the egg had cracked, which was incredibly slow. Finally, Xu Qiaoqiao couldn't hold on any longer, closed her eyes, and immediately fell asleep.
Before closing her eyes, she wondered. Although she knew that it took a long time for animals hatching from eggs to break out of their shells, could it really take that long?
No one is destined to answer this question for her.
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