MC27 Monster Ecologies-Barroth

This is describing a Barroth's life, from the time it is born to the time it dies. This Barroth shall be named Chikyu.

Birth
A 14 year old female Barroth shrieks and growls in a cave as she gives birth-live birth, as eggs do not survive long in the Sandy Plains. Her mate stands close by, his scales a darkened brown and eyes a glowing blue, displaying his extreme awareness of his surroundings. The female Barroth stops for a moment, resting as her water breaks. The cool fluid is smelled by the male Barroth, to track the scent of his and her offspring. He the mixes it with his own semen, to strengthen the scent and ward off predators.

Finally, the first Barroth whelp arrives. It bears a rounded scalp, clubbed tail, and smooth scales, characteristic of the young Barroths. We have named it Chikyu, and it is the star character. In time, it shall lose the club of its tail, its scalp will grow large, and the scales will grow hard and sharp. He is a male, and is 40 inches long.

Several more whelps are born; 4 to be exact. The young Barroth female, this being her first litter, falls asleep immediately. The young are pushed by the father towards their mother's milk glands, the teats. They are located slightly towards the vagina, and are kept well groomed by the young and the male. The female takes no notice as her milk, produced for her entire pregnancy, is finally released. She had been growing weary, and the male was actually forced to suckle some of the milk to prevent a rupture of the teats. The young fall asleep shortly after the mother awakens and cleanses them.

The next day, the female goes out of the cave for the first time in a month. Her 6 month pregnancy requires her to stay in a shelter of some sort for the last month, when she is most vulnerable. She was sustained by food brought by the male during this time. She instantly heads for an ant pit, lured by the scent. She rams it hard with her crest, revealing the Altaroth inside. Her young are being guarded by the male, who shall soon leave in roughly a month. He has already begun mating again; there are three male mating seasons in a year and two for females. As soon as the other female is halfway through her pregnancy, he will join her.

The young are cared for interchangeably. As soon as they can eat semi solid food, the male begins bringing them the remains of insects. They then attempt to leave the cave in search of small insects, and are instructed the rudiments by their parents.

Leaving the Cave
When the young finally leave the cave, they are quiet and sneak everywhere. They have now reached five feet in length, about 1/3 the size of their parents. They are roughly six months old, and their father has left. Their mother shows them a small Altaroth tower, and the five Barroth whelps charge it. It falls across them, to their surprise. They scramble as it collapses. They return to find the Altaroth angry and zipping around the nest; they begin their meal. Many headbutts and tail whips are perpetrated, which the female knows is proper exercise and training for the world ahead.