Servant of the Serpent

Molting

Eben dips his hand into the water, testing the temperature. Finding it a little too frosty still,he snaps his fingers, a golden hue shimmering in the water like a ray of sun hitting instantly. Adder tests it, finding it now pleasantly warm. He slips in, pleased to finally immerse his whole body; the washbasin is good enough for the winter, but nothing beats this. Merlyn seems a little more hesitant, though. She whimpers nervously, wings tight at her sides.

Eben rolls up his pants, stepping in. "It's okay, Merlyn. This is a shallow part of the river. See? Come here."

Cautiously, she steps in. She stares down at her talons, observing her claws digging into the colorful riverbed filled with smooth pebbles. She giggle-screams as a brave minnow nibbles at her toes. Fear forgotten, Merlyn tears off after the fish, jumping and splashing around as she tries to catch it. Seeing her occupied, Eben finds a large rock to perch on, deciding to wash his hair.

Adder follows his lead, dunking his head under the water before resurfacing. He grabs the soap and a cloth from the basket, scrubbing at his face and arms. He splashes the suds off before turning to his tail. He rubs the soap in thoroughly, revealing jewel-like shimmering scales under the dull skin. When he's just about done, he dunks his head under again to rinse the rest of the soap off.

However, when he breaches the surface he's ambushed by a screeching Merlyn. He yelps, falling backward into the water. The harpy laughs, splashing the gorgon as she flaps her wings.

Eben comes to the rescue, picking up the delinquent toddler by the armpits. "What am I going to do with you, little bird?"

Meryln only giggles, kicking her feet in the air.

"All right, you overgrown omelet, bath time."

Eben carries the toddler to his rock, placing her on top. He squeezes the damp cloth over her head and gets to work lathering up her hair.

Adder exits the river, basking in the warm sun as Eben gently combs through the tangles. Once all the knots are out, Eben hands the harpy the cloth. "Okay, can you squeeze it yourself?"

Merlyn stares blankly for a moment before she takes the washcloth, closing her eyes and squeezing the water over her head.

Eben smiles, taking the washcloth back. "Good job, Merlyn! Now turn around, it's wing time."

Already knowing what's next, Merlyn turns around, spreading her wings wide. Carefully, Eben begins to pluck the loose feathers. Clumps of white are carried downstream as more and more dark-brown pin feathers are revealed. Eben gets to work, setting them free one by one. By the time he's done, the appendages have completely transformed. No longer the awkward patchy things as they were before, they are now two perfect, glistening wings. The outside of each one is umber brown, dotted with snowy white speckles, while the inside is a sandy tan that's only interrupted by a few dark bands on the primaries.

Merlyn stands atop the rock, stretching her wings wide as if to rejoice their freedom from their fluffy prison. Adder can only stare, unbelieving that it happened so fast. Just yesterday it seemed she was a blind little creature, struggling to even breathe—how had one winter changed her so much?

"Alright, time to get out, Merlyn. Go shake the water off on the shore."

Merlyn obeys partially, shaking the water off her wings and splattering both Eben and Adder in the process. She jumps off the rock with a splash, skipping her way back to shore. Adder follows after her, retrieving a dry cloth from the basket and patting her down. Merlyn coos contentedly, her hair sticking up at odd angles.

"Ready to go back, little bird?"

Merlyn smiles, raising her wings so Adder can lift her up. The gorgon complies, hugging her tight as Eben retrieves the basket. The walk back is quiet, strangely tense, before the half-elf breaks the silence. "Koranalia is tomorrow."