Queen's note: guess who's back?

Garnets

Chapter Eighty Four:

Viola

She saw her rider, maybe a bit belatedly but he was there. He was alive! Her person was there and found them, and was safely whole. The massive wintherin purred and then tried to sing a welcome song, even through the constant flaring pain down her back and what used to be her wings.

Despite the pain Viola tried to shake, crying in reaction to the reawakened pain from her dislocated right wing. Her mate launched up from the improvised nest, and then over her back to fan out his wings and snarl at what he thought had hurt Viola.

The gray male hissed even as Viola tried to catch his tail. Snapping at the armored form before getting his jaws caught. Startled and tried to shake his head free or bite the rider. Feeling his mate grab his lashing tail and tug but it was not hurting. The winthern hissed again feeling his jaw being forced closed, not wanting the reassurance the male tried to nip again.

Felt his head being turned before a cresting horn was grasped. Rubbing the base as he stepped closer. The wintherin grumbled, not wanting to admit that he liked the pressure, and then definitely recognized the scent of his mate's rider.

She was huffing around his tail, tugging but not biting hard enough to break hide. Viola hummed, wanting her person, and felt when the aggression started to bleed out of her mate. Seeing how his big head lowered a bit to press into the smaller rider. He was not as big as his mate, but his head was still nearly the size of most people.

The Slayer hummed back, holding the base of the male's left horn, running his other hand over the paler ridges. Then reaching over to the thick hide around the horns, rubbing off the sand and grit clinging to the skin. Smoothing the same hand down under the jaw to find the itchy spot for all wintherins.

Affection-worry. Reassurance.

The primordial words rumbled out as the Slayer wrapped his left arm around the underside of male wintherin's neck. The right still held onto the horn as the wintheren started to lower his wings, not folding them just yet. Feeling his mate's rider press his helmet against the side of the male's cheek before starting to hum a tune the riders would before, when the hatchery nests were still active. A lullaby for hatchlings that he remembered.

The male wintherin shifted and pressed his head hard into the front of the Slayer, moving the rider a few steps. It did not stop the grip on his horn or around the neck, if anything got a rub over his horn. The male took a deep breath and relaxed his wings to be half folded, feeling his mate letting his tail go, before Viola licked it and then churred for attention too.

The male wavered, tilting his head as if focusing on the Slayer with an eye though there was no visible one. The rider slowly let go, using both hands to scratch along the jawline, the nub where a tusk would form if the wintherin was female. Just a big scale for him. He lifted his head, letting the smaller hands scratch around the softer spot between jaw and neck. Then down the neck, letting the rider check the scrapes and wounds down his body. Even starting to open his left wing as the Slayer tapped the que spot, trusting this rider.

His mate's rider smelled… a little different, but the core scent was still the same. Someone to trust. Someone that could be trusted with eggs and hatchlings and…his mate. The male wintherin turned and shuffled his feet to keep track of the rider, turning his neck around to watch as the Slayer reached for Viola's extended head. Catching her head and stepped closer to press his own against the big wintherin.

Affection. Worry.

Viola purred back, sniffing intently on her rider as he was finally back against her chest. Picking up on the scents of her children, the smell of the great mother withern? Tasty energy crystal scent and… and… small?

It was the scent she had caught on her rider when he first came back. Then traces around the portals he summoned. It was enough to distract the big wintherin for a moment. Enough that she did not try and groom off most of the scents on her rider as he was reaching out to her left wing.

Viola twitched her hide at the touch, letting a groan of pain but holding still for her person. She trusted her person enough to let him into her nests, loved him enough to save from what she knew would be a fatal fall to riders. Viola was a good wintherin, and the sad sound that slipped from her rider had the big female twisting her neck around to sniff at his back and then purred again. She hurt, but did not regret it as Viola tried to show that by grooming the Slayer's back and legs.

Do not worry, Viola still loved and trusted you.

She felt her rider sigh, resting his head against her forearm shoulder. As if able to hear her thoughts. Viola purred again before taking a deeper breath.

Her head came up to sniff at the air, her sides twitched in response to the dull pain. That was like the lingering scent on her person but… fresh. She chirped, looking back at the odd floaty the Sentinels were on, even the healers had walked over there… and then Viola caught sight of something small hiding behind one of the biggest. But that Sentinel had the scent of her rider on, Viola could also see her person's energy twined into that other rider and the smaller one.

Baby.

That was her rider's hatchling?

Viola crooned as she shifted in the ground nest. Her rider had a hatchling in this almost dead city?! Was that why he was so instant on coming here despite all the threats? Her rider came back to her, to get his baby. Her rider trusted her before she understood.

Ignoring the pain for a moment, Viola lifted off the nest, and the eggs that she had stress laid the night before. Crooning a soft sound, wanting the hatchling. Feeling her person coming back to her front, at a familiar sound Viola lowered her head to him. Feeling her muzzle being patted to stay, watching intently as he walked back.

She crooned, and as her mate did the same, shifted to let him check the eggs. Moving to push himself under Viola and let her sag over him to stay in a better position that did not hurt.

Her rider had the child in his arms, Viola whined barely held in excitement, tail vibrating against the ground and fore paws kneaded at the ground. Then settled back carefully to relax as much as she could. Viola chrooned again as the Slayer paused just out of her reach, that phantom had come with them, holding the container with the spirit tree saplings, she sniffed at the air. That was definitely a hatchling, so small in her person's arms as he hummed too.

Viola scented, then purred deeply as the Slayer finally walked close to her. Letting Viola carefully, oh so carefully sniff the little one wrapped up in a too big coat. She sagged against her mate, he was twisting his neck to bring his head behind the rider to start scenting too, inspecting that phantom. Viola was delighted that her person trusted them with his hatchling.

"Ohh… you're big," the little hatchling said, she was just the cutest weird Argenta baby ever. Viola crooned another soft note as she gave a tentative grooming lick on her legs. The baby wiggled, not used to the attention, so Viola slowly pressed her muzzle against the front of her rider, letting Viola also commit the not-so new scent to memory.

Small, soft hands hands pressed against Viola's face and she purred. Staying like that for a while, at least until she remembered her newest eggs. Viola groaned as she backed up, carefully moving and whining in pain. She was determined to pick up one of the soft eggs and offer it to her person and his hatchling.

See, her rider could have one of her eggs for the baby. Nudging her head back against the baby to delicately put the darkest egg in her arms. She was a good wintherin. Or the best. Definitely knew her rider thought she was the best because he said so, even before losing his words.

Those little hands were moving, one holding the egg as the other tried to pet Viola's head. She purred, slowly tilting her head to let the hatchling pet along the ridges on her head. She sniffed at the phantom, confused as it smelled like her person too. The energy is like her rider's weapon and her rider. It confused Viola, and she was not sure if another of his weapons took on parts of the Slayer, or he put a part of himself in the phantom-weapon? This phantom smelled like her rider, like fresh energy, he was acceptable to be there. Something else was familiar in the scents of the air, but Viola was focused on her rider and his hatchling.

The little one touched the edge of a scrape on Viola's face, the wintherin turned to get scritches on her left tusk. Viola purred, trying to push down the hurt with having this hatchling here. Chirping and mumbling some sounds to coax, wanting the baby, trying to get her rider to bring his baby closer and up on her back. Viola wanted to give a ride to her rider's baby, his other hatchlings all grew up. She could not fly anymore, Viola realized she might never fly again, but would at least let the baby up on her back.

Her rider huffed as he leaned over the gray male, more resting on him as well. "Hm?"

The hatchling sat up, staring with wide eyes up at Viola, but she only purred deeper on both the inhale and exhale of breath. Trying to be reassuring.

"You are… enormous…ly scary and beautiful." The hatchling spoke up, making Viola make a pleased sound. It sounded like a compliment to her, and from positions could not groom the baby but could groom her rider's legs and the phantom.

"I think we found the space dragon…" the phantom Sentinel said, he tasted like her rider and Wraith energy.

"Spaaace…" the hatching breathed. "Dragon!"

That was not Viola's name, but it was not the first time a hatchling could not say her name. It was acceptable for now, her person always taught his hatchlings.

Amusement-Affection.

See, her rider agreed.

The hatchling was sitting up on her own, one the gray male's back, arms wrapped around the almost metallic egg. It was still so new to be soft, more leathery. Her rider's baby was being so gentle and good with it. Viola wondered if this was his first hatchling that would be a rider too!

Once she was bigger, this baby needed more time to grow and just be a happy hatching. Very small and young, too young to have the strength to hold onto a saddle.

"Her head is bigger than me." the hatchling spoke up again, "How can anything hurt you? Or… hells how can I…we, even help at all?"

"One spot at a time." One of the Sentinel healers spoke up, easing closer, and seemed revealed that the gray male just sniffed at him and did not try to bite. "Use the physical gift the mother wraith gave you on that gash on the side of her neck. The one following her stripes."

Viola's rider hummed for attention, reaching out to carefully lift the egg out of the hatchling's hands. Turning partly to let the healer take the egg as they came to his right side. Her mate was carefully inspecting the healer again, but her person was showing trust. He trusted the healer with the egg, so the healer must be trustworthy after all.

Her rider was humming, somehow talking to his hatchling though the witherin did not know how.

"Think clean thoughts?" she echoed, puzzled.

"Basically," The healer sounded amused as he pointed to the shimmering stone now exposed. Both wintherin trilled at the feeling of exposed wraith energy, startled as they recognized it from before the time with no riders. Before the war. Far, far back in memories of their own hatchling days, but still able to remember as they twisted necks to look at her.

"You're using a tool, not your wraith gift," the healer continued to explain. "That tool… almost automatically heals, but you need to focus on three things. First to numb pain, then to heal. Imagine stitches to close the open wound. While doing that also focus, or imagine pushing what's in the wound out, pushing away from how you move the tool."

"Out… like anything that can cause infection?" The girl asked slowly as the disk peacefully glowed in a golden shade. It was still odd being that it was warm, and not cool like wraith energy normally.

"Exactly like that, young Lady," the healer nodded, he shifted a bit to point to one side of the gash, "Start on one side, Lord Slayer, can you get her to stretch her neck out?"

"Hm," The Slayer hummed before shifting, standing back up and reaching to catch Viola's left tusk, using it to guide her head from grooming his back. Walking to stretch out her neck forwards over her mate's wings. Grasping both tusks and getting the massive creature to keep her attention on him. Finding the spots that he remembered that she liked rubbed along the jaw line. Even inspecting her teeth as if about to settle into the once routine of checking her over before treatment and grooming.

Was she about to be groomed and treated?!

The Slayer chuckled at the oddly soft, almost small chittering from Viola. Finding not only each little scratch on her head, old and new, but also the small scars. Rubbing his thumbs over the new marks, none very large, so they came from nesting or hunting likely. There was one faint set of likely demon claw marks in that soft muscle spot between her left tusk and cresting horn in the jaw. But it was well healed from age.

The Slayer glanced at Lily and the healer as Viola kicked his left hand and arm. Turning back to inspecting the recent damage from the fall and whatever happened under water. Aware of Valen stepping closer to help explain to Lily what to do. The older immortal did not forget what his wife had taught him about wintherin care and healing.

Tollin. That was what Valen's wife's name had been, the Slayer remembered now. Thanks to Bastet mentioning it, it was very close to that berry name. The big sweet one that was yellow-orange, with the tasty and crunchy scale like rine, he remembered now. Before he was the Slayer, when he had been just Bi'jay the odd outlander that fought well and the wintherns liked to bring to the nesting grounds.

He kept calling Tollin, 'toli' like the fruit. She had seemed to be amused while Valen back then was exasperated.

The Slayer kept Viola from turning her head, and with no hesitation grabbed her lower jaw and opened it. Keeping the winterin's attention as he inspected that membrane of her jaw where the old scaring was. Finding there were a few small holes, but it was still good. The Slayer ran his hand over the inside, crystal, stone and bone grinding teeth inside Viola's jaw. Finding where a tooth was very loose, just barely holding on. Likely from Viola pulling that spear out of her wing with the male. It pretty much fell out into the Slayer's hand.

That had the demigod double checking all of Viola's teeth as she was steadily purring. There were some chips and few loosened, not ready to fall out or regrow yet. The Slayer slipped the tooth into one of his pouches, the same one that had a few seeds and the egg shell pieces. Not sure what he would do with it, but wanting to keep the tooth.

Shifting, the Slayer looked down, finding the phantom of Fredrick was standing beside him. A glance over showed he's spot had been taken by Valen, the white haired man leaning forward to explain about the discharge on the half healed gash. The Demigod freed a hand and wrapped it around the hilt of the Last Gift. Watching as he bleed energy over and saw Frederick started to lose the faded look again like in the hall.

"...I don't think I can stay like this much longer." the phantom said in a very low voice, soft enough that if the Slayer did not have such good hearing he might have missed it.

The Slayer made a low sound back, it was masked under the sound and vibration of the wintherin purring. Gripping the hilt tighter for a moment as he tilted his head.

"I don't want to leave my babygirl," Frederick admitted in that same low voice, struggling to hold his phantom form even with the help. Though he was starting to feel whole again, it was a notably shorter time. The phantom looked up, meeting the Slayer's blue eyes without needing to see through the visor. "Promise me, please, while I'm… me. You'll take care of our daughter? You'll keep her safe?"

Using his grip on the hilt, the Slayer pulled his crucible, the phantom of Frederick closer against his side. Trying to get his body to work, to speak something that was not primordial, that was just emotions. Nothing came out but a humming tone, but the agreement, the promise came through the bond of the crucible. Feeling Viola pressing the underside of her jaw against the Slayer's shoulder and back. There was an awkward shuffling as the demigod was the easiest target for affection as she was healed.

Promise. The Slayer signed while he had a chance with his free hand, using the Argenta sign for giving his word. Freeing both hands for a moment. My Flower, our daughter. I will keep safe. Away from hell, Valen will keep Flower safe when I'm not around.

"That's all I want." The phantom said, the big dragon shifting her head to sniff at him before grooming as if he was just another part of her rider. Or sensing he needed attention and gave it in her own way. Frederick lifted his hands to carefully rub the underside of Viola's jaw and to the neck.

This would have been a childhood dream come true if he was alive. It was in many ways, though Frederick could not really feel what the dragon… wintherin on his own. Feel the energy yes, he could do that, and only feel an echo of what something really felt like through the Slayer.

Frederick looked up at the demigod (...god?) of death and war. His old and current god? "Just keep Lily safe."

Promise. The Slayer gave a firm nod of his head to add to. Reaching out to grasp the hilt again, trying to offer a small part of his power for the phantom to draw from. It was not the same as what Bastet did, but the Slayer was almost able to figure it out. Maybe if he had more time he might be able to copy.

Viola gave a startled sound suddenly, twisting her head around as something dripped down her neck. The massive wintherin trying to see what happened as it stopped hurting on her neck, even able to lift it now into an 'S' curve again as it did not hurt. Her mate shifted under Viola to peer back as well, chirping in surprise not just at seeing her moving the neck better but also the pain was numbing on his back while the little Argenta hatchling was moving back and sitting on his back and wing.

"Did I do it?" Lily asked, trying to keep her balance on hands and knees at the shifting creature. The young woman looked between Valen and the healer, then up at the other two.

"I think you did," Frederick grinned with the pride that could not be seen in the Slayer. Though there was a chuff from the demigod.

"You did it," Valen smiled, keeping the male winthern's wing down. "It's not too hard to use that tool, you'll just need to focus on numbing now on Viola's wing joints at the back."

"Just numbing, don't heal," The healer agreed, "Since you know the difference now, you're very light, so as you numb you can climb up on her back. Once Viola's back and joints are fully numbed, the Lord Slayer can get up without hurting her to set the dislocated joints."

"There's no breaks?" Lily asked as she turned to look up at the paler hide behind her. Then shuffled herself around, squeaking as Voila arched and turned her neck as normal to lick the human's back. "Hey!"

"Murrmph?" the big winthern purred and mumbled sound back. Shifting as Viola settled down on her mate, sliding back a little to properly flop on her male. Her hide twitching where Lily reached up to touch near the swollen area around the foreleg shoulder and base of the wing.

Lily looked at the rounded, odd tool, pressing it to the thickest point of the swelling. Watching the way the golden glow pulsed twice visible through the hide and then seeped through. Just like a minute ago, Lily was focused on her task of just numbing and easing the pain. Taking her time to work through the area fully, even past the swelling watching the light seep in and then fade. According to Valen only able to see that thanks to her wraith Gift.

"How long will this last for?"

"A few hours," The healer said, "So you don't have to go back over an area once its soothed my Lady."

"A few hours," Lily repeated, focusing for another few long moments before blinking and turning to look at the two nearest her. "I just realized I'm rude."

"Oh?" Valen arched an eyebrow in his helmet, seeing how both winthern looked at where she did, at the healer who tilted his head.

"Hi," Lily flushed, awkwardly waving at the other man, "I'm Lily, I'm sorry, I forgot to ask your name sir."

The Slayer chuckled behind them as the healer paused. Then made his own amused sound as he smiled in his helmet. "My name is Pa'x my little Lady. you should move that tool though so it doesn't heal the wing joint wrong."

Lily squeaked again and quickly did so, "I think I reached everything from here?"

"Then climb up on her back," Valen added, turning to see the Slayer coming behind them. Noting how he held the hilt still even if the girl missed it.

"Okay," Lily tucked the healing tool in a pocket and reached up ahead of the wing joint, grasping at the ridges of muscle that felt as solid as muscle. It reminded her of John when he picked her up or those few times of play wrestling. Sort of wrestling, more like he let the human try to win. Lily gasped as Viola- was it like the flower or like the instrument?

The wintherin was using the back curve of the lower tusk to nudge under Lily. She realized it was an offer to balance on and get her footing to climb up on the back of the wintherin.

Lily paused sitting on her knees, eyes wide as she looked around, trying to not gasp aloud. As if frozen in some shock. It really hit her that Lily was sitting on the back of the closest thing to a dragon. No ancient godly being, but just a purring dragon. Before anyone could ask what was wrong she turned a bit to look around. "I'm…tall."

Haco let out a bark of laughter at the water's edge, and there were a few assorted chuckles or almost laughs aborted. Lily grinned, delighted her words distracted from her real thoughts while fumbling for the golden energy tool again. Pressing it to the base of the wing joint from the top. Feeling the heat around her not from that tool but coming off the wintherin herself.

Lily focused back down at the living 'floor' as she tried to make the left wing side fully numb. By the time she was pressing the stone to the right wing, noticed the area that was finished was going down in the swelling. Viola's purring seems to get deeper and richer as time passed. Lily looked up at a chuffing sound, startled as the Slayer was just pulling himself onto the broad back. Lily grinned, "I did good?"

Good Flower. The Slayer signed, checking the left wing and gently prodding the relaxing muscles. The demigod motioned for her to keep working as he inspected the joint. Only once Lily was done and climbed back up to sit beside him did the Slayer get into a better position.

He wanted to reach out, to squish his daughter into a hug. Instead he had to brace a leg down on Viola's left foreleg. A knee on her side and put the leading edge of the wing over his right shoulder. The massive wing was lifted and the base of the bone was seen shifting under the skin.

The Slayer reached out to press his left hand on the stressed, though still numbed muscles. Viola groaned at the strange feeling, While Lily looked horrified as the human could feel and see how the Slayer was able to just lift and move the limp wing back into the joint. Then bracing it fully on his own, and grunted at Lily.

She jumped and quickly pressed the tool against the base of the wing as Bastet said to do. It seemed to take forever and oddly not that long as her attention was fully focused on the task. It was oddly eerie in a way as well, seeing how the Slayer could just lift something that was at least a couple hundred pounds at an odd angle… like it was nothing.

The Slayer was humming as he made sure Viola could flex the wing back and forth. Checking the range of movement of the left wing and once it folded, he reached over to rest his hand on Lily's head. Under the cover of the purring wintherin he dared to let the primordial speech come out as low as he could.

Affection-Pride.

Lily beamed up at him, "We did it? For that wing?"

The Slayer nodded, climbing up to the other side and motioned for Lily to get ready again. Repeating the process to get the dislocated right wing back into the socket. The Demigod nudged Lily and signed once the Wintherin started to sit up off her mate as the Slayer knelt him while the creatures moved. Hold on, then check her back.

Lily yipped as she flopped over on Viola's back but there were no ridges to hold onto other than the rippling muscles. The bigger wintherin was backing up and lifting up, making the human slide down her back and then tail before landing in an heap within the improvised nest in the sand and smoothed glass pebbles. She blinked and looked around the shadows before spotting the cluster of five eggs beside her. Like the shimmering blue one of earlier only instead darker blue flashes there was purple, some were lighter tones of yellow, and metallic silver-gray.

She was in the nest.

In the nest of the two massive creatures that could fit Lily in their maws, were now turning and moving. The bigger female seemed to realize that the human was not on her back anymore and turning. The sense of mass moving above and around Lily was disorientating and more than a little frightening as she was alone in the nest. Viola tilted her head under an arching wing, spotting Lily and turned her attention away from grooming her loyal mate to the intruder-

The massive wintherin purred as she lowered her head into the nest. Careful of her tusks, angling them to be out of the way as Viola came right over the human to nuzzle. Licking at the coat's sleeves to slick the fur down and then purred again while moving to curl around in the improvised nest.

"I think she likes you babygirl." Frederick spoke up as he carefully got closer, picking up the healing tool off the ground to keep the two creatures from noticing it. The phantom sat down on the edge of the nest, grinning at Lily as she was pushed over beside the eggs. Viola curled up over and capped her wings over the whole nest. Purring at the phantom as he patted the male's head as he came sniffing over.

"...halp?" Lily's muffled voice called from somewhere under the nesting mass.

Review!

XFireStoneX: Momma is back and gets to meet her newest little sister!

ALSO, hello to everyone that has favorited and followed garnets in the last week! its been so nice to see the alerts while on bedrest! I hope to see and hear from you all!