She was perched on the rocky ledge, her long tail protecting her slumbering white dragon nestled below. Despite her massive size, she could have been easily confused with the crags and boulders surrounding the nest. As she seemly dozed, puffs of smoke meandered from her nose and mouth and slowly drifted away. There were moments when she cracked her eyes, her worry visible, and she directed her gaze towards her daughter. It was easy to see the strong connection between mother and daughter. With a keen sense, the mother dragon listened to the rhythm of her breath, felt the beats of her heart, and witnessed the courageous battle she was engaged in. And the bond between mother and sons? Well, the guys can handle that stuff.
It wasn't long. With a deep breath and a monstrous flare of her nostrils, there it was. The telltale sign. It was faint, but in the breeze was the unmistakable scent of water, crisp and pure. She rolled her tongue from her mouth, its forked tongue stabbing and tasting the air, and with a tilt of her head, she could hear its near-silent crawling over the ground, of the clumps of clay dropping, plinking into the water. And with this recognition, her wings opened as she moved, getting a little more comfortable.
She moved her tail. The young white dragon stirred. She hesitated, hoping not to wake her, then as it curled tighter, she pulled the end of her tail out of the nest and up to the top of the cliff and held it near the edge of the rim.
It was here along the edge where she had placed boulders. Each was large and sturdy and lined like bocce balls across the court. She raised her head and peered into the distance. As if measuring her shot, she gently nudged it. And it dropped over the edge. And slowly roll and bounce, gaining speed and knocking a few more in its path. It would kick high, drop, and ricochet to the side a few times. The next might tumble almost lazily down the slope. She did this while waiting, one by one, and boulders tumbled over the edge with each flick of her tail.
With all the patience and dedication of a dragon familiar with the game of bocce ball, she repeated her tail flicks over and over while keeping an eye on the horizon, just in case. She snorted with satisfaction when the last boulder dropped and rolled into place. She had accomplished what she wanted to do. She'd built a small dam across the shimmering blackened scar left behind by the railgun. And in the distance, she saw the shimmering reflection coming closer.
The two suns crossed over into midday when the mother dragon saw the approaching water line with smug satisfaction. "Think you can outwit me? Do you?" she growled softly.
As if hearing the challenge, The water slows as it approaches, rolling closer and pushing against the boulder dam, but it does not breach it... The mother dragon cocked her head as the water rose against the edges of the railgun blast and pressed against the rock dam. "if you even…."
Another challenge muttered? Maybe heard?
The water stirred and swirled. What would be the first of many strands gliding from the water, over the rocks, and touching the ground? The mother dragon growled her displeasure. "You sly?" Like a babbling brook, there was the soft sound of laughter. Sly? Me?"
The mother dragon quickly rose to her feet and leaned over the plateau's edge, "I… you even think you are getting past…. I will…." smoke and flame spilled from her mouth over the cliff face. "I will…" she roared like a promise.
"You will what?" the answer was calm and soft—a simple question." You will do what?" she asked again.
The mother dragon puffed out her massive chest with a deep breath, spreading her wings wide and snapping them tight. "Think you will outwit me?" she said, watching as the mass of water pushed harder against the dam. It was like teasing, playing a game. More thin strands of water snaked over the dam. "You are really pushing it."
"What am I pushing? Hmm…pushing your limits? Dear sister," Musical Bubbles burst across the water.
The mother dragon leered over the edge, fiery flames and sludge dripping from her mouth. "you're really pushing it…"
It spoke calmly, "And if I am? you'll do what, exactly?".
The mother dragon raised her head, leaving a trail of fiery sludge flinging in the air, hitting and tumbling down the side of the cliff. The roar of steam hissed and filled the sky with heated vapors. She paid no mind to it.
"Be careful, sister," it spoke, "lest you forget yourself. You tend to get carried away when you play?" It was like a warning she had heard from her sister many times in the past. Damn her temper, she said to herself. And it hit her.
The mother dragon snapped her head around, realizing the nest was exposed.,. She quickly shifts her body, wings moving to cover the nest and protecting it from her fiery discharging raining down. But she needn't worry. Her wings grazed the surface of the vast, watery dome, shielding the nest. It was clear and resilient. Ripples danced away as the small white dragon gazed through the water at her mother. The mother dragon thrust her head through the veil of heat vapor, releasing it in a breath from her nostrils. Arrogance swiftly gave way to fear. Her immense shoulder dropped in a gesture of relief upon seeing them united.
"Easy now, sister." She said.
She stood in the nest, the water dragon no taller than the small white one. "We all want the same," she said with a smile, gently patting its head. Her hands were covered in scales that shimmered in changing colors with her movements, displaying the transparent blues of water, the whites of mist, and the greens of moss. Gazing at the little white dragons, her golden eyes radiated love. She whispered, her breath a soft breeze over the little one's nose, which sniffed rapidly in response.
"yes, yes, you're right. You're right…." She sighed, "as always. Mizuchi.."
"Let's see what we can do, shall we?" she said, tilting her head. She stood before the small white dragon, extending her hand. A tiny orb of water formed in her palm. "This will complete what has begun."
The orb of water rose from her palm, swelling as it hovered over the diminutive white dragon, pausing near its tail. "This is the purest of waters, and it will mend your internal wounds," Mizuchi spoke softly. "It may seem odd or even alarming at first, but once you enter, you must inhale deeply, filling your lungs."
The small white dragon knitted her brow, her expression one of worry and trepidation. Unacquainted with water, the idea of it filling her lungs seemed dangerous. She glanced at her mother, who nodded, "All will be well."
Mizuchi suppressed a smile, her eyes rolling playfully. "I now have one of my own," she declared. The mother dragon, taken aback, tilted her head inquisitively. "And who, may I ask, would..." Mizuchi paused, her lips pursed. "I could choose from many if I wished," she murmured, more to herself. "Her name is Maka, and she tends to my other garden." She took a deep breath, her chest swelling with pride. "You've already met the father."
The mother dragon drew her head, pausing before looking in the direction where Mikoto had departed. "Oh... you cannot be serious..." she chuckled, releasing a burst of flame skyward.
"enough?" Mizuchi challenged, her gaze sharp. "Or shall I drench you instead?" Her threat was empty, and the mother dragon recognized the bluff.
The water sphere slid down the little white dragon's tail, wrapping around her body and shoulders. She grimaced in discomfort but lifted her head, reaching skyward, eyes like a cat hoping to avoid water. Mizuchi, standing before her, offered encouragement. "Remember to breathe deeply and..." The little white dragon locked eyes with her mother. "Now, when I instruct you to breathe in deeply..." she nodded firmly. As Mizuchi inhaled, the little white dragon mirrored her. "Now," Mizuchi whispered as the dragon became shrouded in water. A blend of shock and fear flashed across her face.
The little white dragon thrashed and scraped in the water. "Breathe!" the mother dragon shouted, pressing her snout against the sphere of water. "Breathe!"
"Don't worry," Mizuchi reassured. Should I choose to, I could sustain your life in this water until the end of time."
The small white dragon, both defiant and frightened, held her breath. Unable to endure, she released her breath swiftly and relaxed. She floated limply in the water, her eyes vacant, her mouth agape. Seemly mimicking death. The mother dragon nudged closer as the nest's ceiling crumbled above them. "Is she..."
The little white dragon blinked once and again, pressing her face against her mother's muzzle. She coughed, first once and then repeatedly. With each cough, something small, white, and wriggling was expelled from her mouth, each one floating and squirming in the water.
The mother dragon looked at her daughter and then Mizuchi. She was in a trancelike state, her eyes swirling in blues and blacks. "This is what we are looking for?" she said, her trance-like expression fiercer. "Filthy things."
The water bubbled, growing thicker with each passing moment. Small white, noodle-like objects swirled within. Mizuchi stepped back, her hand moving to and fro as though she were tugging on a rope. As she pulled, the water surged and boiled around the little white dragon, strands filling its mouth and nose before finally releasing. The clear water rolled along its tail, liberating its body. "Almost there," Mizuchi murmured, stepping back further.
The little white dragon began to emerge from the sphere of water. "Step back," Mizuchi instructed. The dragon retreated and pulled itself from the water. It gagged and coughed, exhaling the clean water from its lungs, splashing and soaking the ground. The coughing persisted. "Breathe!" Mizuchi commanded. "Take a deep breath!" urged the mother. The little white dragon reared back, inhaling deeply, then released a long breath.
"goood girl" Mizuchi said.
The sphere of water had diminished, now no larger than a basketball, as it floated between her outstretched hands, its rapidly boiling steam transforming into mist.
The mother dragon lowered her head to nudge and sniff at the small white dragon. "Good," she murmured, shifting her gaze back to the orb of water. "Larvae..." Mizuchi murmured, approaching the nest's edge.
The mother dragon gazed at the white strands churning in the water, feeling sickened by the thought of them residing within the little white dragon. Yet, she was relieved by her ignorance, knowing it might have driven her to desperate measures to alleviate her daughters' agony. "They would have matured and burst forth," Mizuchi declared, "repulsive offspring of a repulsive bitch." Peering over the nest's brink, she added, "They're dead now, boiled them... but just in case..." A grin spread across her face. "Hey, my pain in the ass, little sister," she called out with a chuckle, hurling the orb of water skyward.
The mother dragon snarled in response, "I've always detested that nickname!" She thrust her head skyward with a swift motion, unleashing a torrent of fire. The water orb erupted into a cloud of superheated steam and vanished.
Mizuchi watched the vile creatures dissolve in the blaze and steam, a smirk playing on her lips as she basked in the sunlight. "So, shall we discuss a few matters?"
It would be a few days before Mizuchi left.
Mizuchi was ready to leave. She felt she had stayed a few days too long.
"I don't care," said the mother dragon, shaking her head. "All is gone, and you have returned." She turned and surveyed the vast wasteland. "Nothing... my beautiful oasis is destroyed. Now, I'm not asking for perfection, just a little push."
"A little push?" Mizuchi pursed her lips, glancing around. As she scratched her neck, the small white dragon slept beside her. "You mean more like a massive push."
"If you say so," the mother dragon nodded. "Then I'll accept that." She held her head high, like a defiant child or an irritated younger sister, peering down at Mizuchi. The water dragon seemed to pay little heed to the conversation, yet the corner of her mouth was drawn tight. "Are you begging me?"
"I am asking," she said, "which sounds more like 'please sister, help me...'"
"I am a dragon; I do not beg," came the retort.
"Okay, you're being arrogant."
"I'll accept that label..."
"I can't spare much... I need it."
"I assure you, the garden Mikoto is going to is as splendid and luminous as it was before the conflict. Water stretches as far as the eye can see." She notes the spark of excitement in Mizuchi's gaze. "How... much?" Mizuchi's eyes grow wide. As a water dragon, her strength flows from the abundant waters. The greater the water, the mightier she becomes.
"It's more expansive and distant than before you were driven out. Those two caretakers have worked miracles with it," the mother dragon declares, her voice smooth as ice, deftly swaying her elder sister. Mizuchi pauses for a moment, then softly taps the little white dragon on her shoulder. Transforming into water, she slips from beneath the tiny creature. Resuming her humanoid shape, she strides to the plateau's brink. "I can part with some... though I wish not to..."
"There is no one who is a threat to you or us. Mikoto Misaka has driven them away. Even that bitch in Bahamut's old city is running scared." Mizuchi looked to the massive river that now waited for her command. Her eyes sparkled as she raised her hand, and the water rose like a snake in tall grass. Water raining down as it crossed the sky. It hovered, swirling like a roaring sea in the sky. Urgently, the dragons took to the skies, fleeing from the torrential downpour that raged above them. As it fell, it scattered grasses, seeds, and debris. The ground shook and cracked until it settled.
The torrent of water filled the old lake, spilling over and flooding the scar of the railgun. It sloshed about, waiting for the order to move. The mother dragon could smile only as a dragon could smile. With her head held high, she enjoyed the feeling of the wind and the refreshing water spray on her face. With a graceful motion, she opened her wings as wide as possible, catching the water in mid-air before allowing it to flow down her body.
Mizuchi watched her sister and the dragons standing in the rain as it continued to pour. She had a smirk across her face as it came down in torrents. The dragon dropped to the rising waters, reveling in its grace. She gave the little white dragon a pat on the head, "I have to go now…little one."
"Momma calls me Muyal," the little white dragon said. Mizuchi smiled, "It's a beautiful name." She said, "Little white cloud."