Roaring And Pouring, Without The Snoring
timekeeperlindar:
Liac almost gave a small jolt of surprise at the hatchling suddenly catapulting himself into his lap. His galaxy-colored wings flared out slightly, and then settled. The poor thing! He was shaking so hard Liac feared that he would vibrate a raw lesion into his scales. Immediately he felt a stab of sympathy for the frightened hatchling, and scooped him up gently in his arms, wrapping his scarf around him. He tented his wings around as well, hoping to at least muffle some of the noise outside. “Shhh, shh,” Liac cooed gently, “it’s ok, bud. It’s ok.” Clearly, there would be no getting through to the little dudes and dudettes until the storm passed- that, or at least until some of the loud thunder and rain decided to chill out a bit; but Liac knew from experience: mother nature was a harsh mistress, and you couldn’t reason with her, only go along with her whims and try to ride it out. The thought made him remember something, and he stood up, still cradling Herbi close. There was a old storage closet near the center of the castle, Liac recalled, free of windows, with thick stone walls that muffled the worst of the storm’s rage. Suddenly, an idea came to him. “Hey, how about you and me try to find Mudada and the others, and then we can have a big slumber party?” He said.
Herbi latched onto the scarf instinctively and buried his face into it, trying to cover his eyes and seek further comfort from the warm, soft sensation of the material...well, from whatever parts weren’t quickly becoming drenched in tears, snot or slobber.
That last bolt had really set him off. He was almost struggling to breathe with how hard he was crying; gasping for air between sobs, not at all made easy by his simultaneous efforts to quiet down and listen to Liac’s suggestion.
No matter what, Herbi just couldn’t stop the incoherent murmuring and whimpers from slipping past his lips.
As long as everyone could fit inside the closet, Liac’s plan was flawless. Mudada would be grateful to see another one of the hatchlings back in safe hands, and having another grown dragon around to cuddle them in a calm environment would make it far easier for the other to retrieve some blankets, sleeping bags and everyone’s favourite stuffed toys...and the remaining MIA tots.
Right now, the lumbering dragon in question had his arms full and the fairies tagging along with him weren’t much better off. He took another headcount with what little freedom he had with his hands, then raised his head to focus on what little he could hear of distant voices.
