Holy frick, over a thousand views after only a bit over a month. That's awesome. Thank you so much to everyone for reading it. Sorry about the slow update speed, i was working on my other new Spyro story, Crosswind.
By the way, can someone let me know something: is a higher word count more appealing to people or a turn-off? I don't prolong my stories intentionally( I don't ,like when stories do that) but I end up elaborating on scenes more than intended. Let me know in the reviews your thoughts. if you feel inclined.
Also, if anyone was wondering about the decision to have dragons feed their infants milk, I did that to kind of humanize their society. Hope it doesn't come across as too weird.
Right, back to the story
A knock on the door sounded from across the house, awakening the exhausted purple dragon.
By his guess, it was about five in the morning. He had barely gotten any sleep the previous night, as Meredy had been squirming like crazy in her sleep as if having a vivid dream. Every time Cynder and Spyro moved to comfort her, she calmed down, only to proceed to go back to kicking and squirming a bit later. This had gone on through much of the night until she finally burned out her energy and fell asleep like a rock.
Now, just as the exhausted dragon was finally getting some rest, someone decided to have the audacity to wake him up before most places were even open in Warfang.
He tried to ignore it but the knocks confused him. Grumbling to himself, he slowly got up, being careful not to wake his mate or ward, who were both somehow still asleep. Pure exhaustion might have been the case for both, though.
Within a few moments, he stumbled groggily down the hall and to the door. When he opened it, he was greeted by a familiar face.
"My utmost and my gracious apologies for interrupting you at such early, unaware, inopportune time, Spyro" Volteer greeted.
Spyro blinked. "Good morning…" He said, before yawning. "Why am I not surprised to see you up so early?"
Volter chuckled. "How could I not be? To presume an electric dragon such as myself to not rise early would be so… presumptuous." He said. "That, and I always must be up early. My duties as a guardian and lead researcher demand it.' he stated.
Spyro sighed. "Oh, right. Sorry… it's early." He replied. He had known this but was not fully cognitive right now, given that he was just woken up from a lack of sleep. He felt lucky his duties didn't require him up at such an hour.
Volteer raised a brow, noting the bag under Spyro's eyes. "I do say, are you not sleeping well? You look like you just got back from a cross-confident flight." Volteer stated.
Spyro groaned. "It's called having to take care of a baby. Meredy kept tossing and turning in her sleep." He said.
Volteer chuckled slightly. "Apologies."
"Is there something you needed?" he asked. It was good to see his old mentor but he rarely visited his house without reason, Spyro had known.
"We informed the council of your hatchling's, well, unique magic. They wish to examine her." The electric dragon stated.
Spyro nodded. "I thought as much, but can we hold it off a day? We have not gotten much of a chance to introduce Meredy to Warfang yet." He reasoned. It was true, the few days they had the hatchling, their schedules were booked at that moment, so to speak, or she had gotten lost. This was their first real chance to actually show her the rest of the city.
Volteer nodded. "Very well. We are in no real rush. I will inform the council when I get there. Oh, and this gives us more time to prepare." He began musing. "Why, perhaps this is beneficial for my prerogative. Why yes, actually! It means-" he began, getting caught up in his own musing.
Spyro raised a brow. "Volteer." he said, stopping the electric dragon from beginning one of his famous rambles.
"Yes?"
Spyro raised a brow. "What is planned to be in this examination of yours? Surely you're not going to poke and force her to try her element right? She is too young for training."
Volteer shook his head. "Of course we are not doing that. Just the usual examination we give all hatchlings her age is all. Nothing brutish or uncouth, Spyro. The council is not that… shall we say, stern." He said, switching whatever word he did wish to use.
"Some of the dragons on there might wish to use whatever her unique magic for their own ends…" he said.
Volteer shook his head. "Yes… I know who you might be thinking of… but I assure you that will not happen. I will oversee her inspection myself." He stared.
Spyro nodded. He trusted Volteer. He knew he could take his word.
"Well if that's all, I will see you off then. Tomorrow morning before noon work?"
Spyro nodded. "Works for me. I will see you at the temple."
With that they said goodbye. Spyro turned and went to make himself some brown morning liquid. Or coffee, as the inventors of it called it. It was a new luxury introduced to Warfang in recent years. He could not find it in himself to fall back asleep. He decided to just rest in the living room and think a bit about Volteer's request.
Of course, he knew the council would take interest in the child. He could not just keep her magic a secret; they needed the help of experts at the temple to understand it. And the guardians were some of the leading experts on the magic and elemental arts. Volteer, despite being an electric dragon, studied the usage of different elements greatly, though his own the most. And Fora was also the dean of magic at the temple academy. With luck, they could get her help.
Spyro hummed to himself.
"This little one has quite a lot in store for her, huh?"
He thought. Of course, he did not want to overwhelm her. She was only a baby after all. He would not force her into some important role she did not ask for.
For now, he simply laid out and relaxed.
Later that morning Cynder and Meredy had awoken and Spyro was preparing breakfast for everyone.
The three dragons had eaten some meat Spyro kept in the pantry, even Meredy. They were trying to balance her diet, as she could not rely solely on milk. While she did require it to help remedy her stunted growth, a balanced diet was very important.
After eating, Spyro and Cynder told the girl about the day they had planned in Warfang.
Meredy had listened with excitement.
"Yay! Can we go now?" she had asked after they finished telling her about the planned day.
Cynder smiled but brought out a bottle she had made for the girl. She shook it and held it out.
"You are going to have your milk first," Cynder stated.
Meredy pouted and frowned. "But I don't want to." She whined.
Cynder sighed. "It's important. Why not dear?"
"It makes me sleepy. I don't want to be sleepy."
The adults shared a bemused glance. Meredy would not make this easy for them.
"Little one, please. We can go right after you finish it." Spyro tried.
Meredy raised a brow. She started considering it…
"Can I have it later?"
Cynder looked at her sternly. "No, little one. It's important you have it now."
"And then you will show me the city? I want to explore." She insisted.
Cynder smiled. "Yes."
Meredy sighed. She let Cynder pick her up, and allowed her to start feeding Meredy the bottle.
"Hungry little thing, aren't ya?" Cynder joked.
Meredy would be lying if she said she wasn't. She felt much more hungry in this body than as a human. Maybe dragons eat more? She did not know.
As she finished the bottle, she was overcome with the groggy feeling from before. She tried to fight it off, but her own body refused to let her.
"Tired?" Cynder asked.
"N-n…no.." she said, as she fought to stay awake.
"Meredy, it's fine if you're tired." Cynder insisted.
"I..I'm not… tir-" The hatchling tried to whine but her yawning interrupted her sentence.
Despite her protests, Meredy again felt herself drift back to sleep.
The two adult dragons laughed.
"What is in this stuff? It knocks her out like a light." Spyro half asked half-joked.
Cynder took Meredy and set the hatchling on the sitting cushion in the center of the living room. After setting the girl down, she turned towards her mate.
"Various nutrient-rich herbs and plants, mixed in with normal milk," Cynder explained. "That's what Ignita told me, but I frankly don't know what about it knocks her out." She said. "Though I do suppose hatchlings like her she needs a lot of sleep." She added.
Whatever the case, Cynder knew how important it was to get her growth on track.
The black dragoness looked back at the sleeping hatchling, giving a maternal smile.
Spyro shared the look as well, a content expression on his face. Then he turned back to Cynder.
"Once she wakes up, she would take her out to see the city?" He asked.
Cynder nodded. "Yeah, that would be good for her to get her used to the city." She noted.
Spyro agreed with her.
As they finished breakfast, the adult dragons reconvened in the living room. Meredy was still sound asleep on the sitting pillow in the center of the room.
Both adults were going to converse about their plans for the day when they heard a knock on the door.
The pair dropped their conversation and turned to answer the door. When they opened it, they were greeted by two familiar dragons. One was a pink dragoness, while the other was a larger fire dragon with dark red scales, as well as a yellowish membrane, markings, and underbelly.
"Pyrous, Ignita, it's good to see you two." Spyro greeted.
The pair of fire dragons smiled.
"Pleasure to see you both. Sorry to drop in unannounced, e were on our way to the temple. Just wanted to check how you were doing, with the baby and all." She stated.
Cynder smiled. "It's not a problem at all, thank you for thinking of us." The black dragoness replied, touched by her friend's kind visits. "She is doing fine, so far," Cynder stated, though she still had some doubts lingering. But she thought she was at least doing ok.
"Congrats on the new hatchling by the way," Pyrous added. "We know how you came to have her, but I felt it's applicable," he said awkwardly. His mate nudged him about, and his eyes widened, as f he recalled something.
"Oh right. We put together a little something for you." He said, taking a bag off his neck and handing it to Cynder, who took it in her claw.
Cynder looked into the bag, and opened it, looking over the various contents.
Bottles, blankets, a plush of a dragon, as well various milk ingredients are what composed the inside of the bag.
"What's all this?' She asked.
Ignita and Pyrous smiled. " A little care package we put together for you and Spyro. I was worried about you guys, so we thought this might help." She said.
Cyber smiled widely and brought the two in for a nuzzle. "Oh, we can't thank you enough!" She said.
Ignita smiled, and returned the gesture.
"It's the least we could do to help. We both know from experience how hard taking care of a baby hatchling can be." She stated. "Especially for the first time."
Spyro looked over the suppliers as well and smiled back at the pair.
"Thank you both so much!" He said, Cynder nodding in agreement.
The doctor smiled. "No problem." She said, getting ready to leave.
"If you ever need anything, let us know. " Ignita added.
She and her mate bid the pair of saviors farewell after that, needing to get to their respective jobs.
After the door was closed, Spyro and Cynder looked at one another. Both shared wide smiles. Neither dragon had to speak to express how appreciative they were to have the support of their friends in watching over the hatchling in their care; the looks they shared spoke volumes between the couple.
Looking over all the supplies they were given, though, put into perspective for both just how many needs a hatchling Meredy's age had. And how much they had underestimated it.
Cynder made a mental note to herself of all the things she had to do to take care of Meredy.:
preparing and feeding her meals and her milk enough times a day, monitoring her constantly, making sure she got her naps and playtime, cleaning her…
The list could go on. Already the dragoness felt overwhelmed; she felt they had underestimated at the number of needs a single baby hatchling could have. Even with her prior experience helping in the temple nursery and orphanage, this was a task in a league of its own.
She still did not know if she was ready for this… but she would give it her all. It's all she could do. Every moment she was with Meredy she felt herself grow more attached to the hatchling. And having the support of their friends certainly helped as well.
It may take some time to adjust, but she was sure she could get used to this. She took a moment, lol levying her thoughts. She turned to Spyro, who, going off his vacant expression, was likely contemplating something similar.
His face shifted into a smile when he looked at his mate again. "Now, about the rest of the day…"
"I have a bit before my next lecture. What did you wish to speak to me about, Volteer?" Fora inquired. Volteer approached her while she was reviewing materials for her lectures.
The two were in the main dragon temple's grand library. Volteer had happened upon Fora there and took the chance to speak to her.
"Well, I had the most fortunate opportunity to speak to Spyro this morning and inquire his permission to have the little one's powers examined," Volteer said.
The councilor nodded ."Good. "I will admit, I am interested in this matter of who her parents are.' Fora stated. "Just how could they have given birth to a hatchling of a dark element? You know as well as I do that these elements are supposed to be unnatural. In fact, how could they have a child, to begin with? For her to have been born as such, at least one of her parents had to be a dark dragon; maybe even both."
Volteer nodded in agreement. 'Yes. Whoever her parents are, they must be… noteworthy. How they, uh, conceived her, well I dare say that isn't our business." He chuckled nervously. "But, for her to have had such an element at birth, and powerful magic… why I have to ponder that." He stated.
Fora raised a brow. "Do you recall how non-elemental magic is inherited?
"If a parent's aura is strong, their offscreen can indeed inherit their potential."
Fora nodded. "Exactly. "As you are aware, I have studied our kind's capacity for magic for years. Magic can of course be learned over one's lifetime and trained, but to be born with such a strong aura, such a potential… it could have been a trait inherited from her parents" She pointed out.
Volteer thought for a moment. "Pardon me, but do remind me how that is. Purple dragons are born with massive, inherent power. Maybe this hatchling is of a similar circumstance?"
Fora shook her head. " As you know all dragons are born with inherent magical power, both elemental and otherwise. It grows as they get older, yes, but to be so powerful, one normally must train it. The purple dragons are a unique case in many regards, including their potent magical aura. " She reasoned
"So for a child to have been born with the magic potential she was, her parents have to have been powerful…" she noted. "Perhaps of a strong lineage then? Some bloodlines have a high potential for magic as well…"
Votleer hummed. "Which means we potentially have two dragons of unknowable magic power unaccounted for then…" He mused. "And one's who somehow circumvented the dark dragon's infertility. To have achieved such a feat… why that's unheard of! But the question remains… just what could these two intend to do with their seemly powerful magic…" he pondered.
Fora sighed and looked at him. "Don't jump to conclusions, Volteer. We don't know who they are, what they are doing, or what they are capable of. But that doesn't mean we should automatically assume they are a threat. I spoke to the doctors who treated the hatchling about what she got… whatever transported her could have been a portal spell gone awry. The circumstances sound similar to that brand of magic." She pointed out. "For all we know, her parents could be looking for her."
Volteer hummed. "Of course, I did not mean to presume their disposition, whatever the case is. However… we still know nothing about them and the story behind why their child was out there. We still don't know what they could be up to, either. You know as well as I do Warfang will not simply ignore two dragons of that power running around, unknown. Whatever their intentions are, it is still important we know of them. You are as aware as I am of the different groups who have been vying for power since the dark master fell. Who is to say these two may not be up to something? We just don't know. And as for their daughter for all we know, they could merely have abandoned her. The word of a hatchling is not the most… certifiable source. " He reminded Fora.
The dean of magic sighed. "Who is to say? All we can do is speculate based on limited evidence." She replied in a guess sigh. I am not blind to a prospective threat but we have nothing to go off of. All we do know is the daughter of this apparent couple of dragons is now in the care of the saviors." She pointed out.
She took a moment to collect her thoughts.
"I digress; I am getting ahead of myself, I fear. I believe we best end this conversation here until we finish our examination of the hatchling." She stated. " Speculation will only get us so far."
Volteer nodded. "Of course. Why speculate with limited facts rather than putting a hypothesis to a test?"
Fora hummed once more. "I will make the necessary preparations for tomorrow, But Volteer…" she said, looking him in the eyes. "Remember that she is only a baby. We must treat her gently, she is not old enough for training. Whatever potential she has will only be revealed fully in time."
Volteer nodded. "Of course, we are not going to force her into a test she is not ready for." He replied.
Fora nodded. "Good. I will see to it we have the proper supplies prepared. "
"Likewise," Volteer replied.
Both dragons concluded their business and left soon after.
"Woah, what's that?" Meredy asked as her caretakers walked through the market of Warfang. It had been a few hours since her nap. Her guardians had decided to show her the city, including with the marketplace.
Riding in the pouch in Cynder's neck. Around her, the massive city towered.
All kinds of stalls were open, with various bipeds and dragons running them. The awnings that covered the stalls came in all sorts of vivid colorations. Spread across the stone streets of the city, the market was alive with various different species shopping or walking around. The most prominent were the dragons, but some cheetahs, moles, and even a few hound-looking creatures were walking around. The toddler could barely grasp the sheer number of wares for sale at the various stands.
Warfang really seemed like a lively place. There was so much to do and see for her. Her mother had taken her to the city before, but this felt so different… in an exciting way!
Suddenly, something caught her eye. A male cheetah, orange in color, was manning the stall. He wore a simple red tunic and a cloak on his back. He had his hands, or paws really, over his face out of boredom, as if waiting for someone to show up. At this stall were a number of cloaks, folded up but laid out in front of the merchant.
They reminded Meredy of the pretend adventures she went on, with her mother.
"Cynder, can we look over there!" She said, bouncing around in the hatchling satchel and trying to get the adults' attention. Cynder gasped in surprise..
"Yes, dear? What is it?"
"There, the cheetah guy, with the sheets. Can we get one?" The hatchling asked.
Cynder stopped and looked over. She smiled down at the girl.
"We can look, sure." She said.
She notified Spyro, who was standing a bit further ahead, and he nodded. Both adults turned to take their ward to the stall. When they approached the bored cheetah looked up.
"Well, well. The two saviors themselves! Didn't think I warranted such attention. What can I do for you?" He asked. He looked at Meredy with a look of curiosity but did not seem to say anything else.
"We would-" Cynder began, but was cut off by the shadow hatchling.
"Can we have one of those sheets?" Meredy asked ecstatically.
The cheetah raised a brow for a moment before he realized what she meant. He gave her a silly smile and nodded. "Why sure thing, little lady. Cloaks are my specialty." He stated, putting emphasis on the word cloaks.
"Oh, so that's what they are called?"
Spyro laughed. "Yes, dear."
The cheetah raised a brow. "Well… know of the cloaks I have now are really meant for dragons…" he said, before noticing Meredy's frown. "But, I most certainly can fasten you one. Just need measurements."
Meredy nodded eagerly. She looked up to Cynder and got the ok. She was taken out of the pouch and set on the table.
Cheetah took the measurements of the girl and within a minute he was already fastening her a cloak of her own. It was amazing to the girl, the dexterity and speed he worked with as he cut a black cloth out and molded it into a cloak. It briefly made her miss having posable hands, but she was too mesmerized by the process to think too much about it. Within only a few minutes, he had produced a cloak.
Meredy eagerly bounced up and down as the cheetah gave it to her Cynder, who helped her put it on.
"Thank you!" She said. "Now I am ready for adventure." She chirped.
The adults laugh. "Why, yes you are," Spyro said, with a slight chuckle.
"How much will that be?" Spyro asked.
The cheetah hummed as Cynder placed Meredy back into the bag. "A few gold coins. Wasn't too much trouble or fabric to make." He noted.
Spyro nodded and produced the coin from a satchel on his side. The saviors bid the cheetah farewell and proceeded to walk.
"Thank you! Can I go on an adventure with it?" Meredy asked.
The adults chuckled. "Sure, in fact, we know just the place for that…" she said with a sly smile.
Meredy was eager. She could go on another adventure! She could not wait…
After a bit, the pair had brought the hatchling toward a wide-open park elsewhere in the city. It had a few trees scattered around but it was ironed like a feel of lush green grass. At the top of the hill they were on, Meredy could see various dragons and other creatures going about different activities. Some were sitting and talking, others were playing amongst themselves. The area was so wide open and perfect for playtime.,,
This was the perfect spot for adventure. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head with her paws, looking around daringly.
Spyro laughed. "Got plans for something Meredy?" He asked.
"Yeah… wait…" She said, tilting her head a bit. She realized she had not actually thought of one yet.
Spyro looked down at her, and then glanced over a bit further ahead. "Heads up, we've got company," he noted. Meredy raised a brow, but turned to see a group of dragon children heading her way, of different sizes and scale colors.
Meredy froze, a bit nervous, but was a bit calmer than usual.
The group of hatchlings bolted over to the adults.
"Mr. Spyro, Mrs. Cynder, fancy meeting you here."
An ice dragon girl greeted. She seemed about seven. She was light blue but with a purplish underbelly and wing membranes.
"Greetings, Cronia. Wasn't expecting to see you here." Cynder replied. "How is your mother doing?"
The ice dragoness smiled. "Mom is fine. She and dad are in another part of the park. My friends and I were playing and saw you. Though we would say hi." She said happily. Cronia's gaze then shifted towards the younger hatchling.
"Oh? Who's this?" She said, smiling warmly had Meredy.
"H-hi…" Meredy said shyly.
Cynder spoke up. "This is Meredy, we took her in a few days ago." Cynder said simply, sparing them the details of how she was found.
The ice hatchling cooed at her. "She's so cute." She said, causing Meredy to blush.
A fire dragoness, a bit younger stepped forward and looked at Meredy. "Haven't seen a dragon where a cloak before…"
"It's my adventurer cloak." Meredy proclaimed.
The fire dragoness girl smiled. "That's cool. Oh, I'm Fyra by the way, and that's my brother Sear and my friend Cronia." She said.
Each of the others looked at her in a friendly manner. Meredy uttered a shy hello back.
Fyra then looked up at Meredy's guardians. "Can she come to play with us too?"
Cynder and Sypro glanced at one another and back to the hatchlings. "Yes, but little ones, be careful with her. She only just turned three." Cynder told them.
Cronia smiled. "Only three? Awwwwwww" She said as she nuzzled the younger hatchling affectionately. The younger hatchling blushed.
Another dragoness, an eight-year-old fire dragon with light orange scales and reddish membranes and underbelly, as well as yellowish red patterns along her scales, stepped forward.
"Cool scale color. How'd she get like that, though?" She inquired. " I've never seen that before. Well besides Mrs. Cynder. " She stated.
Meredy shrugged.
Cynder frowned. "...She was born as such, just like you." She said, rather wearily.
Meredy thought she saw Cynder look nervous about the question but she did not know why.
Luckily the fire dragoness just shrugged it off. "Ok." She said
Suddenly, the ice dragonling picked Meredy up by the scruff. "Come on, we'll teach you some games." She said, running off with the hatchling. Meredy was confused more than anything but had little choice as the ice dragoness carried her off.
The eldest dragonling, Sear, who was ten and had features like his sister but a darker red in color and orange membranes and features, looked up at them. 'Don't worry, we'll play gently with her. I promise. He said.
The two saviors laughed. 'It's fine, Sear. Run along now."
Sear nodded eagerly and fled to join the others.
The two adult dragons merely watched for a bit over an hour as the hatchlings played around with one another. The older kids were gentler on the younger hatchling, not tussling her or playing tag, and being careful in their movements.
Cynder could not tell just what kind of game they were playing, but they seemed rather… immersed in it.
Cynder looked towards her mate. "It's good to see her opening up a bit, Spyro." She said.
The purple dragon hummed. "Yeah. I will admit: I was worried she would not be comfortable around others her own age either." He said, looking at how Meredy laughed along with her new friends. Spyro smiled. "Bringing her here was a good idea Cynder. It's even more convenient we ran into some of our friend's kids for her to meet and play with," he said, referring to the fire siblings and ice dragoness.
"I guess Flare and Frossar must be elsewhere in the park." Cynder said, thinking of their friends.
Spyro nodded. "We can find them later, we need to keep an I on Meredy here. The kids are good, but I don't know about leaving a baby alone with them. We had bets stick around, just in case." he reasoned. "They are just kids after all."
Cynder nodded. She went silent again, merely observing the kids playing. She was a bit worried they might go overboard at some point, but Sear seemed to keep the younger hatchlings from getting too rough.
Soon, however, Cynder saw Meredy and the other hatchlings bolting in her direction, chasing actions. . Both saviors looked on, glints of amusement in their eyes. Cynder noticed Cronia loving slowly, as if by intention.
"Mrs Cynder, help they are-"
Before she could finish, Meredy jumped on her back. Cronia feigned being pinned.
"Ah ha! Got ya!" Meredy cheered.
Cronia feigned shock. "Oh, how could this be? You defeated me!" She said.
"Your reign of terror ends here, frost master!" Fyra added, pinning her tail.
Meredy stood triumphantly on Cronia. "And the great adventurer, and her trusty friends, have saved the day yet again!" She proclaimed loudly. The kids all laughed together.
The adults clapped their paws. "Bravo, bravo kids! Why, I dare say that surpassed even Cynder and I's adventures!" Spyro said.
The kid's each looked up in excitement but Meredy raised a brow. She, however, shook it off and then stood up triumphally again.
"Yeah! We're here! For our next adventure, we should go and-"
Meredy was interrupted when her stomach growled again. She blushed and looked sheepishly around, as the other kids laughed.
"Hungry already huh? " Cynder said with a slight laugh. Cynder looked over at the children.
"You kids run along now, I need to feed Meredy." She said, nudging the shadow hatchling with her snout, making her blush more.
"Awww, but Cynder, I was having fun…" Meredy whined as Cynder picked her up by the scruff again.
"Can't we play one more game?" Fyra asked.
Spyro shook his head. "Sorry, kids. But Meredy needs her milk. She can play more later." He responded.
The hatchlings gave a collective "aww".
"Run along now, little ones." Cynder urged as she began readying the hatchling supplies. The children obeyed, saying goodbye and leaving. "I am sure your parents probably wish to know how you are."
Sear paled. "Oh no, I forgot to check in with mom. I was supposed to half an hour ago." He said, bolting.
"Wait for me!" His sister yelled.
Cronia looked to the saviors. "Thank you for letting us play." She said. She then turned to Meredy. "It's good to meet you. Let's play again sometime."
Meredy smiled back. "Yeah." She said happily,
As they ran off, Cynder pulled out a pre-made bottle of milk from her satchel, kept fresh by Spyro's ice magic. She looked at Meredy, who she held in one paw, and the bottle in another. She pulled the bottle towards the hatchling.
Meredy, after some resistance, gave in and began to drink it,
Spyro and Cynder both glanced at the hatchling fondly as she drank the bottle. Both of them glanced at each other lovingly, then back to the hatchling. Cynder could not help but coo at the baby.
Meredy kept drinking the bottle, paying no heed to the looks the adults gave her.
Soon enough, she was done but already felt groggy.
"You can sleep you know,"Cynder said.
"But.. I want to play more…" the hatchling replied.
Cynder sighed. "Later dear. You need your rest after all that running-"
But Meredy was already dosing off.
Cynder planted Meredy between her paws and her mate nuzzled her.
"I see now what we were missing." He said, looking over the sleeping hatchling fondly.
Cynder nodded. "Couldn't have said it better myself." She replied.
They nuzzled each other as the hatchling groggily blinked her eyes a few more times. After a few more moments, she was asleep.
Cynder could not help but bask in the overwhelming feeling of fulfillment and love she felt; as if she found a new value in her life. Not that she lacked it before, but more like she had discovered a new kind of joy she had never quite understood by now.
Cynder looked at her mate, a content look on her face. "I can see now why they say having a child can be its own reward." She stated.
The purple dragon smiled back. 'I would second you on that…' he said, giving her an affectionate lick on the muzzle. He did the same for the sleeping hatchling in his mate's paws.
"I love you…" Spyro said.
"I love you too." Cynder reiterated.
At this moment, with her mate by her side, and her hatchling in her arms… she truly felt complete in this world.
Sorry if not way too much happened in this chapter, plot-wise. I realized I needed at least a chapter showing Meredy adjusting more to normal things in this world, and how Spyro and Cynder are handling being adoptive parents. More plot stuff next chapter.
Wanted to clear something up about the terminology, seeing as Meredy is referred to as a baby at times and hatchling at other times (and I am inconsistent as hell). I could not find a way to weave this into the story properly but dragons, in this story at least, call their young hatchlings (duh) until about the age of ten. Hatchling is a sort of blanket term. Referring to Meredy as a baby is in regards to her physical age as a dragon(mentally she is not much older of course, only being a toddler in human years), as they, again, age and grow very differently compared to humans. It's more of a reference to her age range since she is under five. As you would expect, their age cycles (infant, child, teen, adult, etc) last longer and are different than what we know.
Oh and yes, maybe Volteer and Fora could be jumping to conclusions or considering them a threat, a bit quickly here, but remember that they are high-ranking officials in Warfang society and it is a bit sketchy that two potentially really powerful dragons could be running around out there. They have to at least consider that. I will probably elaborate more in the following chapters on the world's current circumstances, so don't worry.