"It's amazing they know where to go almost immediately when born.", Brad admitted at the miracle that was the life he was witnessing. That he and Violet could create something so amazing, so perfect. "Instinct, that or they smell my milk.", Violet chuckled. "So, shall we give them some names?".
"Well, I have one in mind for the boy... does Zachary sound fitting to you?", Brad asked. Violet smiled warmly, "Zachary Anton Fischer-Parr...We can call him Zack for short.", and Brad nodded, "Brilliant. And for the girl?".
Thinking thoughtfully as she looked down at her third daughter who's suckling a tad faster than her twin brother, "Annabelle Zina Fischer-Parr. We can call her Annie for short.".
"Reversing the letters there, I see.", Brad smiled as he gently rubbed his daughter's head. "Annie... what a perfect name for her.".
"Careful, Daddy...", Violet teased. "You've got a son there... not to mention four other children. You can't play favorites.".
Brad laughed softly as he reached out to rub Zack's head as well, "Couldn't dream of it...But it's tempting to do so when they grow up, and perhaps one of them loves basketball as much as me.".
Violet chuckles warmly, "I know. I can see what you mean. After all, one of them is bound to enjoy making art like me, or even doing tricks in the air while being a griffin.", with a smile before nodding to the last egg, "Can't leave it too long in the cool air.".
Brad nods, "Yes, ma'am.", turning back to griffin to lay on the last egg, crooning as he sees the trio waiting patiently for the twins to finish their meal, and eventually, they did, and were let down as soon as they turned back to their hatchling forms, wanting to play and race their siblings, wanting to out beat their twin.
Half expecting that the last egg would hatch soon, they waited as evening fell on the cave, with the five hatchlings heading to sleep under Violet's wings a few hours later, Brad kept watching and waiting, but realized that Violet may be right of her comment of some eggs taking a couple of days between hatching times, and this last egg must be an example of that as it hasn't hatched at all throughout the night, or the next day...
They were assured when they heard the heartbeat upon checking and listening, and so they kept waiting while keeping the rest of the brood busy and distracted, with alternating the schedule of hunting and guarding.
After a half day later on, with realizing that the brood is quite wild at times, yet their noise hasn't woken the last egg up at all, Brad and Violet had a talk about getting advice from Helen and Bob, concerning of the last egg, and so, as agreed, Brad headed out to head to the Parr family cliff home while Violet stayed back.
After seeing that the children are all fed and asleep, with the last egg covered and snug, Violet decided to go hunting as she needed a break, unknowing that one of the small band of stragglers was dared to go up to the cave and check it out as they saw the pair of griffins flying in and out every day for the past week.
His name is Lefou, and miraculously, despite having been a minion of Gaston, he survived by staying smart to hide and all.
However, the recent years had been rough on him and his band, trying desperately to keep once step ahead of the kingdoms and their justice as Lefou was very much as guilty of Gaston and the crimes he committed. He helped preform many of them. Still, he was still free but attempts to stay alive were rough, which is why the group was in the mountains, on the hunt for, hopefully, a safe haven as well as some food.
Lefou was hesitant to go up, knowing how griffins are, but he was pressured by all his fellow criminal comrades to go up and look, saying that they must have food stored somewhere in the cave.
And so, with quiet grumbling, he carefully made his way up to the cave when the two griffins were gone, and with people watching him in the trees, signaling him to go in with impatient looks and such, Lefou went in, quietly and softly as he could, seeing several human things, but not food anywhere to be seen.
He heard snuffling snores and whistling thrills deeper in, and he got closer, looking around the corner to see a giant nest, and he tiptoed nervously yet carefully, watching as he then peeked over to see a huddle of griffin hatchlings sleeping and twitching in their dreams.
He gulped in horror, about to step back, realizing that it wasn't just a pair of griffins, but two parent griffins, and those are their babies when he saw a gleam of white in a pile of hay and feathers. He frowned in confusion. Why would they bury treasure in hay and feathers?
It isn't food, but if it's treasure, then maybe it could buy him and his band a way out of Enchantia. After all, there are still some people who might look the other way if they get some white gold out of it.
He carefully, slowly, quietly made his way over into the nest, tiptoeing to the pile, uncovering to reveal an egg. He couldn't hear anything, figuring that it was a dud...The griffins probably thought it's still alive, waiting to hatch.
Well, if it's a dud, it means food for him and his band. Lefou smirked to himself, and grabbed it, carrying it, and quickly got out of the nest, and of course, that mistake caused him to be clumsy in tripping and sprinting, his steps accidently becoming loud to wake up somebody.
Hannah sleepily heard footsteps, and opened her eyes, expecting to see her mother walking up to the nest with a meal in her beak and frowned to find nothing. Wait, nothing? She saw the disturbed pile, and screeched in surprise as she shot up, causing the others to wake up as she ran to the pile, sniffing and thrilling.
She knew that her last sibling was hiding here, and her parents wanted the egg to be covered in warmth for they told her and the others that it's dangerous to be cold for too long, and she picked up a foreign smell, and ran to the edge of the nest, fluttering her wings up to climb and saw Lefou running out of the cave with her last sibling's egg.
She warbled to her siblings in warning, telling them that they gotta save their last sibling now. The others were a bit slow to wake up despite Hannah's warnings, especially with it being such a late hour and they had all been pretty deep asleep but slowly the other four were waking up, to see Lefou trying to sneak out with their last unhatched sibling.
Hannah growled, leaping out of the nest, with the other four now shocked to see their eldest sister angry and determined, and went to follow her, leaping and climbing out of the nest, running straight for Lefou.
As he exited the cave, his band hiding in the trees encouraged him to run faster, and Lefou obliged to do so before hearing screeches and cries behind him and looked back to see the griffin hatchlings coming at him.
Lefou went to take his only sword out at his side, swinging it at the griffin hatchlings who dodged it, attacking him with claws and beaks in a body swarm. Not as sharp as adult claws or beaks, but still effective to cause pain.
Lefou fought back, wanting to live, angry that he was stopped this far, and the tussle on the cliff became even more dangerous, getting close to the edge, with his band yelling at him to fight back, trying to shoot arrows at the griffin hatchlings from their spots in the trees.
Suddenly, Lefou, in a miscalculated attempt to kick at one of the hatchlings, he kicked the egg out of his grip, and the egg fell over the cliff, and Hannah saw it going, and went after it, trying to fly, but her little wings weren't fast enough.
The egg landed into the thorns, sounds of the shell breaking, and Hannah was experiencing her first time of feeling horror and fear as she struggled to climb down the rocks to the ground to see what happened, hearing a distant roar of anger, shock, and motherly fury.
Lefou knew right then and there that his life was now forfeit as he heard that sound. His eyes caught a glimpse of Violet flying right towards him but decided that it was over. Before she could even get close to him, he let himself fall off the cliff.
The other hatchlings watched him fall to his death in another patch of thorns as Violet furiously went to attack the others in the trees, killing them with a slash of talons or a beak bite as they attempted to get out of the trees.
Hannah both heard and saw her mother in high unbridled fury as she got to the first patch of thorns, slinking through a clear path, and saw her last sibling laying on his side, the scent of male as she got closer, crooning in concern, seeing pieces of shell everywhere, with blood on his back, with deep scratches and cuts in his pelt.
She looked closer, seeing that the wings are torn, highly splintered with bones showing, hearing shallow breathing, and she nudged him, crooning louder, crying out for Violet. His head feathers are light brown, with his pelt a pale tan...His eyes are closed...
Violet finished off the rest of the intruders in quick order before she heard Hannah's cries and flew right over to her. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight that was laying before her as she saw her youngest son in a disgusting mess.
Violet shifted down to human, with only her wings showing, getting closer, and picked her youngest son, "Oh, my baby! Your wings!", growing even more scared as she heard the sound of shallow breathing up close, afraid that it's even worse inside him. She looked to Hannah, "Come here, Hannah..You did good.", and Hannah crooned, fluttering up to land on Violet's s back, holding into her neck as Violet flew up and out of the thorn patch, with her son in her arms, and landed on the cliff, with her other children gathering around in concerned croons and chirps.
She bit her lip, knowing that her older children are not yet strong enough to fly all the way to the town clinic down in the valley, and she cannot afford to leave them, but her youngest son needs a healer really badly and fast...
Violet then heard distant screeches and saw Brad and her parents approaching in their griffin forms, having felt Violet and the hatchings' calls for help in their hearts, and called out, "Brad, Mom, Dad! Land now, no changing! We need to get to the clinic now!".
Brad and her parents heard her, landing on the cliff, and Violet ordered her hatchlings to climb up into their backs, with two per griffin, with Violet climbing into Brad's back, with Hannah, and her son in her arms.
After seeing that Violet is all seated and secured with Hannah and their final son, Brad set off, with Bob and Helen flying after him with Spencer and Blake on Helen's back, and Zack with Annie on Bob's back, heading straight for the town clinic, praying that Haku is on duty, able to come at a moment's notice by portal door.
Violet didn't even think about how Lefou and his group found her kids or what they were even planning on doing; she could wonder when the boy was saved. Right now, Brad was flying with as much speed as he could to hopefully spare their last child from death. She was quietly praying that the boy would hang on long enough until someone like Haku could save him.
The town was shocked to see a group of griffins coming down to their valley, with a majority recognizing them as the Parr folks, and the clinic, having been visited by the two new parents a few days before Violet went to stay in her griffin form, saw that something was wrong by the behavior of the griffin shapeshifter family, and went to get Haku by portal door.
By the time the griffin family landed in the field by the clinic, shifting back to human, with the hatchlings back in their human baby forms, in their grandparents' arms, with Brad holding Hannah, and Violet holding their last son, they ran to the clinic, seeing Haku exiting the door, seeing the state of the hatchling in Violet's arms, "Hurry, quickly, inside!".
The group did what they were told as Haku quickly was given the boy; every second may count and despite her feelings, Violet reluctantly stayed back and allowed Haku and the hatchling alone. He would need no distractions if the child was to be saved.
With orders to a nurse to go with him, they went into a private room, with Haku ordering the nurse to get the majority of potions from the cabinet while Haku worked to save the hatchling with his healing hands.
In the waiting room, Violet was holding so tight to Brad's shirt as she cried, with the other children distracted by their grandparents or playing in the corner with nursery toys and such.
Brad rubbed her back, kissing her hair, murmuring, "It's gonna be okay, he's in good hands. You did so good, Vi.". Violet hiccupped, "I-it's my fault! If I wasn't hunting, he wouldn't even be in this situation! His wings, Brad...He was covered in blood...Our other children...they tried to save his egg...Hannah found him...".
"There's no way we could've known...", Brad tried to assure her. "It's no one's fault but those guys... and they're dead now. Now... now we just hope our son will make it.", holding her in his arms. "Brad... I don't... I don't want to lose him...", Violet sobbed as Brad continued to console her.
Brad sighed heavily, praying that their son is saved for Violet's sake, and they waited so long, agonizingly checking the time every five minutes, and after a long 30 minutes, Haku came out, thanking the nurse, and called Brad and Violet to come in.
Violet and Brad quickly got over in seconds, coming into the private room to find their human son sleeping peacefully, no shallow breathing at all. Haku sighed, "You came just in time. It was tough. His ribs were pressing on the lungs, the deep cuts will fade eventually, and the wings...The bones inside nearly destroyed them all...He would never fly...I had to put him into his human form when he scratched me out of self-defense when I removed his wings...The stitches on his back will have to stay on for a few weeks...There were pieces of eggshell and thorns everywhere...".
Violet sat down, caressing their son with a sob, "Such a fighter...", seeing that his hair is curly and light brown like his father, and his skin is a pale tan like his mother.
Brad exhaled, "He is set apart from his siblings, not having wings...", and Haku replied, "A terrible price, yes, but for his life...If I hadn't removed them, they would have caused an infection into his body, and well, you get the gist...".
Brad nodded, "I understand, and there's no way for him to have cyborg wings at all?", and Haku sighed, "If the bones were mildly destroyed, I would have called for Jason and Silver's input, and he would have cyborg wings in a matter of weeks, but unfortunately, they were too greatly destroyed, and had to be removed. All that matters is that he's healthy and stubborn to fight back which I have proof.", smiling wryly as he held up his arms that's covered in scratches.
"Well, at least he's alive...", Violet started to sob at just how close a call to tragedy had happened. "Seems to run in the family... my cousin Kyle had a similar issue...", Brad admitted as he looked to Violet. "Rough birth and all, but I think this was worse.".
Haku sighed heavily, "May I ask what happened in detail? I know you, Violet. You would never dare to have harmful things in the nest or have a hard floor to destroy the eggshell...".
Violet sniffled and sobbed, "The egg of him was hidden well, but apparently, not well enough...the other children had tuckered out for the afternoon, and I thought I would have a bit of a break hunting and all...It was perhaps a half hour of which I was gone when I heard my children, and somehow, they were outside the cave...I had sworn I built the nest high enough to block them from exploring beyond the nest...When I came back, they were on the cliff, fighting one of the men in the wanted posters, someone called Lefou...The egg was falling over the edge...There were other people in the trees...I killed them all...Our eldest one, Hannah found him...He was in the thorn patch...".
"I see...", Haku clearly put it together. "My guess is that Lefou and his men were roaming around up there and just thought our children would be a good haul or something terrible.", Brad sighed. "Of course, we'll never truly know now that they're all dead.".