"You alright?", John asked as he checked in on Emma and the kids. The two of them along with the rest of the group were more or less enjoying their downtime in the kingdom; so far away from danger that it almost felt like old memories in ways. Yes, there was still more fighting to be done, but they were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Frollo, Scar and Clayton were pretty much the last heads that needed to be severed and the war might finally end.
Emma nodded with a smile, "Doing good. They've learned a few more words while in the marketplace, and they had fun. Jim offered to take them out tomorrow while we do our fittings. I'm finally slimming down from all that pregnancy fat, and besides, you need to make sure that your cyborg parts fit through your outfit after all the work some of the womenfolk did.".
"Yeah, I know...", John rolled his eyes. "Honestly feels weird that we haven't done this stuff sooner with all the time we've been here.".
Emma chuckled softly, "I couldn't blame you there, but you know, if we did it when I was pregnant with the kids, it would have added stress and such especially when it was a carefully monitored one. It was lucky enough that Kyle survived the stress of the labor.".
John sighed, "True. But hey, look at us now, we're mates, partners, parents, and now going to be husband and wife!", smirking softly as he kissed Emma's neck, "Been ages since we made love that morning in the inn. Making love to my wife, that will be something I will be waiting to do with much anticipation.".
"Honestly, I'm still a bit... nervous to do that again... after what we went through that day and all, plus with Kyle and that mess...", Emma admitted.
"Hey, I'm sure it's all alright and like Jasmine said, we got the stuff that can keep us from having any more for quite some time.", John reminded.
Emma smiled, kissing John on the cheek, "Indeed. I would feel better with that in hand.", glancing at the slumbering pile of children who is spent after having an adventurous day of fun and play.
"The others will babysit and have the children for a sleepover while we and of course, Jasmine and Logan are occupied.", Emma chuckled warmly, and John held her closely with an arm, "At least a few days for sure.".
"Hopefully not too long though, according to Jason. Frollo and his other allies have been fairly quiet these past few months after we took down Tremaine, but honestly, they might just more be building their strength to retake the kingdoms." John explained.
Emma nodded, "True. Well, all the same, we'll figure it out in time, but for now, let's enjoy the time we got.", smiling earnestly with a chuckle before yawning.
John laughed, "Starting with some needed sleep, luv.", before getting up from the lounger couch, his hand outstretched to Emma who grabbed ahold of it, getting up with a giggle, and they went to the bed, quietly getting in without disturbing the kids, and going to sleep, with their bodies curled up around the pile of children, like a blanket tucked heart.
The next morning, the children, after a hearty breakfast of mama's milk and scrambled eggs, are all awake and anxious to spend another day of exploration and fun between naps and meals, and with hugs and kisses from their parents, they sent them off with Jim leading them outside while heading to their rooms where they will be fitted without each other peeking.
"You sure you'll be alright with them?", John asked as Jim smiled. "I think I can handle them now... a few weeks and all and I think I've got it all worked out with them.", Jim assured him.
John nodded, "Alright, Jimbo. Now, get going. The kids are getting impatient from the looks of it.", with a teasing smirk at his children who is pouting and twitching.
Jim nodded, "You got it, Uncle Silver. Come on, kids, let's go, wanna check out the Martags?", and they nodded with one or two piping up, "Martags! Fun!", running on with the child-guide walking rope harness. Emma had talked about it with Jason when he conjured the special invention next to the walkie-talkies.
"Whoa, I'm coming! Don't pull my arm!", Jim laughed-shouted, and John snickered to himself, "At least he's getting practice for the day he gets kids with Eilonwy one day.", before heading into his fitting room.
"Somehow I get the feeling those five might make them wait quite some time... might be in their 30s before they decide to have their own.", Emma chuckled as she kissed John on the cheek.
John smiled, "Somehow I think you're right, luv.", kissing Emma on the lips, "Now, get going to your own fitting.", winking, "Any chance you can tell me one teensy tiny detail?".
Emma smirked, "I can't tell you anything, but I can tell you this.", whispering into his ear, "You'll be begging me at the end of the reception party.", and John widens his eyes before grinning, "Is that so?".
"You will have to wait and find out, John Silver.", Emma giggled and kissed him back on the lips before leaving him with a sway as she went into her separate room to get fitted for her wedding dress.
John shook his head with a smile, closing the door behind him, now focused on getting fitted for his wedding suit. Meanwhile, Clayton finally had made it into Atlantis, using the morning shadows to hide himself partially while using his disguise.
It didn't take too much. He honestly was surprised how little the Atlanteans checked their cargo when they loaded from the surface. All he did was sneak into one crate and was brought right into the city's docks. It would take him more time to properly sneak out of the area without looking too suspicious but once he was in the true parts of the city; his guard could be more down until he could track down where his targets were.
He carefully made it to the forestry parts of the city, since the Atlanteans doesn't seem to use them much, and was surprised to see old dragon tracks...He saw empty spots that looked dug like boulders have been dug out strangely, next to many signs of fire, bare spots that's empty of grass like someone has been laying down, and that the ponds were used as drinking spots.
From the looks of it, it was clearly some months ago. Clayton admittedly was a bit anxious when he saw the size of the tracks, but he knew he couldn't fail his mission. He kept going and took cover when he heard voices and laughter in the area of old, wrecked Martags.
He managed to peek out, and saw a teenage boy playing with five toddlers, and then to his momentary surprise, he saw the hybrid toddler; half dragon and half human, just like Frollo said. He kept watching, seeing the other children shift into a dragon, lion cub, fox kit, and wolf pup respectively while playing and climbing over the crumbling Martags.
He grew curious when he saw that the hybrid toddler didn't shift to full dragon or human form, and grinned as the child is seemingly a tad weaker and smaller compared to his siblings...Everyone back home would be envious of him having a hybrid slave, plus, a submissive slave would be less troublesome than a dominant slave is, like Tarzan for example.
Of course, his eyes were locked on the young boy that was watching them. Not a challenge in the slightest for him, but he wondered if he should pick the boy off from where he was or get close to take him out. It might be even better to permanently silence him, buy Clayton more time to escape with his prizes. If he could take all five... how much could he break them by doing this? Especially if he escaped with little trace.
Yet if he takes all five, it would be more troublesome to keep them quiet and all...Nah, he will go with the hybrid toddler...But perhaps entrance him away from his siblings...He searched his pouch saddlebag, grinned as he pulled out a sleeping potion, not as powerful or permanent as Maleficent's spell with that Princess Aurora many years ago, but it should do the trick in causing the teenage boy to sleep.
He then blinked, noticing that the toddlers are getting tired with one or two still playing, and the teenage boy was going to lay down yet keeping watch. He smirked, glad that he's skilled in stealth, keeping quiet, watching every moment he steps, and dosed the boy's canteen bag swiftly with the sleeping potion. It would keep the kid out for perhaps an hour or two, which would be enough for him to take his intended target and leave the city with no trace.
Once Clayton watched the boy take a drink from his canteen, he knew it would only be a short time before the boy was out, along with the rest of the toddlers; as long as their hearing wasn't too good while they sleep, he could grab the weakest one with ease and make his escape.
Indeed, it was only 10 minutes before Clayton heard snores and deep sleeping breaths coming from the boy, and he got up, walking around the wrecked Martags, and came upon the sleeping pile of children.
He groaned quietly, seeing the hybrid toddler in the middle of the pile, and tensed as he slowly and carefully went through the mess of limbs and such.
He quickly kept glancing around, making sure no one else would come along, while also making sure his weapon was at the ready upon first need. He might have to make a violent escape to get out; including hijacking a Martag which was his escape route to begin with. If they knew he had a hostage, they'd more than likely at least let him reach the mainland before trying anything.
Jared sleepily opened his eyes to see his brother, Kyle, seeing hands reaching around him, and blinked as he sniffed, not recognizing the smell, it wasn't Jim or his papa, and he growled, attacking one of the hands.
Clayton shouted, yanking his hand out to see the lion cub latching into his hand, and with a growl, he slapped the cub away into some bushes, the actions waking up the rest, snarling and growling at Clayton.
He sneered, kicking and slapping the others away, grabbing at Kyle who snapped at his fingers before attempting to run and fly away, his wings not strong enough to get him high enough.
Kyle whined and cried out for Jim, but seeing his cousin unconscious, he became desperate, scared of this angry, big man, screaming out, "Mama, Papa! Liam, Randa, Jared, Zoey!".
Clayton roared angrily, "Come here, you runt!", chasing him deep into the forest, away from the Martag area where the other toddlers are struggling to get up and wake up Jim, and was scared of the man, not wanting to get kicked by those boots again, was helpless and confused on what to do before Liam set them straight, needing to reach the marketplace where the guards are.
Meanwhile, Kyle was struggling to escape, crying out in fear, with Clayton increasingly frustrated with this brat, surprised to see that he's fast. Finally, Kyle was getting tired, and Clayton grabbed him, "Gotcha, you runt!".
Kyle, hating that word after understanding what that means, snarled and bit him on the hand that Jared bit him, his dragon teeth drawing blood everywhere, and Clayton, seeing that he ain't letting go at any attempt of slapping him away, used his boomstick to crash-slap into Kyle's body, causing Kyle to let go in pain and angst, falling to the ground, whimpering as one of his paw-like hands was broken, trying to run past Clayton before realizing that he's cornered.
Cornered into a wall corner, Clayton chuckled deviously, "Now, to make you quiet, how about this?", shooting the boomstick at the spot above him, and a thundering noise came, and Kyle shivered, cowering as for the first time, he cried out for Mama via thought, wishing to go somewhere safe where the man is not hurting him, not cornering him, not scaring him.
Suddenly, Kyle felt something stir in his inner magic core, and before he knew it, he vanished, leaving a sound that's similar to a bell, and mint blue smoke puffs, making Clayton bewildered and shocked as he stared at the empty spot where Kyle was, unknowingly that Kyle is now in someplace else that's not Atlantis or anywhere in Enchantia, but rather, the United Talons' old home, Earth.
"Shit...", Clayton cursed as he realized that his prey had just suddenly vanished in a cloud of blue smoke. He didn't hit him; he knew where it had aimed, and it surely wasn't going to turn the kid into blue smoke but more than likely red mist as the shot would've ripped apart every ounce of flesh the body had. The fact that this child had escaped him like that; he knew he was in serious trouble. The others were awake, and time clearly was running out for him in terms of getting away clean enough. He'd just have to settle for the other dragon then, and just run fast.
Suddenly, a roar pierced the air, and a dragon landed on the ground, revealing it as Emma. She was feeling funny-bad for the last several minutes while she was being fitted, and then a guard ran in, screaming about one of the kids missing, and then suddenly, she heard Kyle's voice in her thoughts, that word, the tone of fear and desperation, she went into enraged mother mode, running swiftly out to the window, shifting into dragon form, flying straight and smelling Kyle's scent on the air.
She stared at Clayton with growls and snarls before seeing the blood, the ripped pieces of Kyle's clothes, the explosion sign, and then the boomstick in Clayton's hands. She widened her eyes, dilating fiercely, realizing with horror and heartbreak that Kyle, her baby, her miracle is dead.
The loud roar of anger and sadness nearly deafened Clayton before he turned and aimed his weapon. Now it was just a case of killing the Talons here and now before fighting his way out. He had been in dire situations before; this was just going to be a little tougher. He fired off a shot that Emma quickly dodged before he fired again. Three shots rang out as Emma avoided all of them while getting closer to Clayton. Once she was up close, he smacked her in the face with the butt of the boomstick.
Emma blinked before growling at him, her fangs gleaming, her eyes bright of fury and heartbreaking angst, and Clayton gulped, realizing that he's done for, and he tried to speak, "Wait, let's be civi-AH!".
The last moment he saw was the fireball straight at him, and then...nothing. Clayton's blackened body fell, no life anymore in his eyes. Emma panted and growled before looking at Kyle's remains of clothes, and collapsed, shifting back into human, grabbing the clothes as she lost herself in her cries, sobs, and screams.
Emma felt her heart shattered the moment she first laid eyes on the scene... now that Clayton was dead, she was alone with her sorrows. She nearly died the day she almost lost John... but this...
The sound of a familiar walk of a human foot and a cyborg leg is barely heard over the cries of the heartbroken mother, and John's voice whispered shakingly, "No...".
Emma couldn't say another word as she just ran to John and wrapped her arms around him tight and sobbed heavily.
John fell to his knees, holding Emma so tightly as his heart broke into pieces, memories of Kyle through his head, from the first moment he gave his first cry of life after suffering trauma with his egg breaking prematurely to the last moment he hugged his son, ruffled his hair, and telling him that he loved him just this morning...But he knew Emma was suffering more than him...
She literally did everything with him; carried him through the pregnancy, fought to push him out, fed him, kissed him on the forehead or cheeks every morning and evening, watched him play with his siblings, held him when he asked for cuddles, and supervised over him and his siblings, warning them to be careful...
Yet this is the worst nightmare ever; Emma came too late to save him...Their baby, their miracle, their beautiful, special son...
Of course, as they weren't aware; Kyle was actually fine, for a moment at least in terms of his life. However, he was truly far from home and the safety of his parents when he ended up teleporting to a different realm, one that his mother would know all too well.
Kyle looked around in confusion in the forest he is in, and he couldn't smell his parents anywhere, or the familiar smells of Atlantis; the sweet, warm breeze, the salty flair in the marketplace, the sounds of the water rushing over waterfalls and streams, the splashes of fish and nets down at the docks, or the whirring sounds of the Martags...
The air here smells stale, like it's both fresh and brittle at the same time, and he saw that it was almost dark...He felt so tired from that massive teleportation trip and so hungry, yet scared and hurt when he tried to walk, a cry of pain escaping from him when he realized that his injury is still really painful...
He decided to get up into two legs, figuring that keeping off his injury, he could get around easier, and he walked on, flinching at any sound like owls screeching and the wind blowing through the trees...The sound of the boomstick is etched deeply into his mind...