Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 17: Remembrance

-Remember back in chapter twelve when Myrkr heard "voices in the forest?"

-NFD

~~~

"Ugh, you're heavy, you know that?" I grumbled rhetorically, carefully lying on my right side in the cool grass. "Not as heavy as your big brother and sister were, but still..."

A short week after we left the glowing cave behind, we managed to hop two more islands before my egg did something odd. It felt like it 'dropped,' for lack of better words, almost as if it was being held up closer to my spine before, only to feel like it dipped a little toward the ground. It didn't 'drop' toward my rear end like my previous eggs did when they were about to be laid. Worried, I asked Astra about it.

She had told me it was ready to be laid. My egg was done growing, which was the 'big sign' that it was ready for me to lay it. She took advantage of it and instructed me on how to start laying the egg. I needed to push in a way that was difficult to explain and equally confusing to understand, but I got the gist of it.

"Astra says you're ready," I hummed. "But you've got to be patient, okay? We have to wait for Daddy." 

"Do you think it can actually understand you?" Astra warbled curiously past the plant in her maw, attempting to feed Shadow a purple, bumpy fruit. Vaskr was busily digging a hole in the soil for unknown reasons, but I kept an eye on him for safety.

"I'm sure it can," Moon answered for me, watching her daughter refuse to eat the fruit—she was a picky eater. "Shadow understood me when I said simple things."

"Shadow, you have to eat this," Astra pleaded. "It will help you get better."

Shadow shook her head. "No! It taste bad!"

"What if I gave you a fish after?"

"No!"

Astra sighed. "C'mon, little one, it'll be worth it!" 

Shadow started to refuse again, only to abruptly started heaving and whining, eventually vomiting the contents of her stomach. She gasped for breath before her body started to dry heave, only managing to get a little bile for her efforts. She panted with tears in her eyes once she was done, her face looking paler than before.

Moon snatched the root from Astra's jaws. "Shadow, eat this," she commanded.

"But... it..."

"Eat it now," Moon growled. "You are sick, and I won't have you getting worse just because it tastes bad!" Shadow wilted a little and obediently opened her mouth, letting Moon drop the fruit into it. She shuddered and swallowed it down, gagging when it was done. Moon sighed and coughed up two small fish for her, which she eagerly gobbled up. "You're very picky."

"It taste bad," she mumbled, her eyelids drooping drowsily. Whatever sickness she caught made her tire out quickly. 

Moon moved Shadow between her front paws, gingerly laying down on her as to not crush her, keeping her sheltered from the chilly wind as she drifted off. Moon shot Astra a look."If it happens again, don't try convincing her; just tell me."

Astra nodded, relieved. "Got it."

My mind wandered back to my egg, wondering how much of what I said it understood, and wondering how long I would have to hold onto it. Would I ever find Auroon and Aurora again? Were they safe? I wanted to hold my egg until we reunited, but it was already taxing. I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait.

All I wanted was to live a peaceful life, raise a family, grow old, and die with the one I loved. It was a boring life to some, but for many, that was a dream come true. I've had my share of adventure. I wanted my family back.