With the last autumn days, the villagers prepare for winter with the festival of Demeterra. Adder daydreams about it often, he's sure they're hard at work collecting the last of the wheat and chasing the lucky maiden acting as the Goddesses' proxy for the evening.
However, Eben and Adder aren't having such an enjoyable time.
The first few weeks of having Merlyn home with them was peaceful enough—she really only fussed if she didn't get her nighttime meal on time or was left in a soiled diaper. But after that, chaos ensues; Merlyn is crying, constantly. Their first thought is that she's sick, or in pain. But every time she cried, they ruled it out—she appeared as healthy as a premature harpy could be, even rapidly gaining weight by the day. But she still cries no matter what they do.
Today is no exception. Adder awakens to Merlyn's wailing with a groan. He slithers over to where she lays; they've set her up in their room, bundled in her own little nest. The gorgon picks her up, giving Eben the mercy of removing the distraught infant so he can sleep a little more.
He enters the kitchen where he heats a pot of goat milk, adding in oats, honey, and some sliced apples as the liquid comes to a gentle broil. He spoons the oatmeal into a wooden bowl, letting it cool before serving it to the wailing infant. However even as the little harpy is fed, she whines and sniffs as she chews her breakfast.
Adder sighs, exhausted. "What's wrong, little bird? I wish you could tell me..."
"If she was a human, I'd say she'd begun teething."
Adder turns around to see his lover enter the kitchen, his hair a fiery mess of tangles and knots.
"Did she wake you up? I'm sorry, I tried to get her out quickly..."
Eben sighs, plopping a spoonful of oatmeal into his bowl. "Don't worry about it. She actually woke me up last night and I never went back to sleep."
Adder frowns, guilt itching at his heart. Eben notices the expression immediately, smiling wearily. "It's really okay, I'm not upset..."
"I know. I just feel horrible—I knew this would be hard, but now I'm realizing just how much of a burden it's going to be for you."
"Adder, don't say that."
Adder looks up from Merlyn, surprised at the sudden gravity in Eben's voice. The half-elf reaches over the table, resting a hand on Adder's wrist. "You know that I'm not just doing this for you, right?"
"Er—yes?"
Eben sighs, shaking his head with a smile. "Adder, I know I was hesitant at first, but I care about Merlyn as much as you do. She's not a burden and neither are you. You realize the kind of things I had to do to survive winter as a bandit? I can handle a fussy baby while you rest."
The gorgon smiles, cheeks pinkening. "That's—that's a relief to hear. Though I still really dislike the idea of you spending the winter by your lonesome with a newborn."
"Daisy and Fern will keep me company. You saw how enamored they were with Merlyn."
"I hope so—"
Meryln kicks a clawed foot, sending the bowl of oatmeal flying. Adder scrambles to catch it, only to end up fumbling and covering the both of them with sticky oats. Adder groans at the disgusting sensation of lukewarm oat goo seeping onto his scales. Even worse, poor Merlyn starts to scream as the oatmeal soaks into her fluffy white wings, and Eben starts to laugh.
"Eben!"
"I'm sorry—I'm sorry—it was just so perfectly timed!"
"It's not funny," Adder grumbles.
Eben attempts and fails to catch his breath, still grinning despite Merlyn's shrill cries. "Okay grumpy scales. I'll start a bath for you two while you clean this up."
Adder nods, already pushing the oats off the table and into the bowl. A few minutes later, he's just scraping the last of it off the floor when Eben calls out for him to come over. The gorgon complies and is greeted with a lovely sight of a steamy wash basin filled with sweet-smelling water.
"Hop in, I'll wash off your scales while you wash the baby."
Adder nods, pulling off his loin cloth and slipping in. He sighs as the warm water strips away his worries. It seems that Merlyn is in agreement, as she immediately quiets as she's lowered into the water. The gorgon just sits there for a moment, watching Eben dutifully begin to pour water over his scales, rubbing mint-scented soap in gently.
"You treat me so well," Adder whispers lovingly.
Eben flushes, ears twitching. "It's a little ironic isn't it? That I do much more now than I ever did as your servant?"
"It makes sense to me. You were so scared of me back then..."
"It took me some time to realize you were harmless as a fly."
Adder chuckles. Only Eben would see the things a gorgon is capable of and still say things like that.
"I'm glad you gave me a chance, Eben."
The half-elf doesn't reply, just smiling as he continues to scrub. Adder enjoys the comfortable silence, beginning to finally wash off Merlyn. The infant is lax in his arms, breathing steadily. Adder figures the warm water has put her to sleep, and starts with washing the short auburn hair. He uses his hands to gently pour water over her head, carefully avoiding her face. A droplet of water makes its way down onto her little nose, causing a chittering sneeze to ring around the room.
"Gods bless you, little bird."
Merlyn coos, flapping her little wings. Adder takes that as a sign to move on, delicately combing the sticky oats from her fluffy white feathers. The action is received favorably; the little harpy stretches her wings out as if it's a relief to be cleaned. Adder grins, relieved to see something besides tears. But the moment is short lived as the gorgon feels something strange on Merlyn's wing. He brushes downy feathers away to find a long dark spike among the fluff. He pulls on it for a moment before realizing it's attached to the wing. With the action, the hard outer layer crumbles away, revealing a dark brown, spotted feather.
The revelation is a shock. He knows he should've expected this, but it's sobering to see the proof that his little fledgling is growing right before his eyes. He sighs, looking for more of the pin-like feathers. He finds several others hidden in her wings, and gets to freeing each one from their sheath. By the end of the bath, the little harpy's mood is much improved. The gorgon carries her over to the hearth, where she chirps contentedly as Adder dries her off with a fluffy towel. When she's completely dry, the monster has swaddled her in the crocheted blanket.
Eben giggles at her peaceful expression. "I guess that's all it takes, huh?"
"I guess so. I never knew I loved the sound of silence so much."
"Me neither. I'm going to put her to bed before something wakes her and ruins this peace..."
Adder nods, handing over the infant. He braids his wet hair, basking in the warmth of the fire as he dries his scales off. Eben returns a moment later, sitting beside his lover at the fireplace. "You know, you're a pretty good parent, Adder."
"How do you figure?"
"You found what was wrong with her...I didn't even think to check her wings."
Adder turns to his mate, kissing his crown. "You were on the right path, thinking about teething. It was growing pains...just not where we expected."
Eben nods, leaning into the gorgon's side and closing his eyes. Adder combs his hand through the half-elf's hair, brushing a few stray strands away from his face. Dark circles decorate the man's eyes, clearly displaying his exhaustion—Eben has been going through more than just the cries of Merlyn, he's been infusing her with magic constantly to keep her breathing. Adder knows it must be a monumental task.
"Are you tired? Why don't you go back to bed?"
"No," Eben groans, "I'm not tired. I wanna stay with you..."
Adder wraps his lover with a soft pelt, index finger caressing a freckled cheek. "Then sleep here. I'll wake you soon, and we can start our winter preparations together after you've had some rest."
The half-elf folds, lured into sleep by the warmth of the fire. Adder lays Eben down, securing the pelt before he turns back to the kitchen. Though winter is still a few weeks out, he doesn't want to risk running out of supplies. He's sure the village would help them out, if they really needed it, but it was best to make things go as smoothly as possible for Eben and Merlyn's sake.
He starts by sterilizing the jars. He brings a large pot of water to boil on the woodstove, throwing in a generous hunk of wood into the fire. He dips the jars into the hot water, fishing them out delicately with a ladle. Next he moves onto preparing his fruits and vegetables.
They've had a bountiful harvest this year, not only gathering a great selection of fall fruits such as apples and blackberries, but lots of delicious nuts and even some sweet potatoes. The gorgon's tail wags excitedly as he thinks of the Mortfall feast he and Eben will concoct with the ingredients. Usually, they keep things simple, but with Merlyn here the monster is eager for her to try everything—he'd read that children needed to be exposed to many foods as infants, to prevent pickiness.
Adder grins as he dices a ruby-red apple, imagining the little harpy's reaction to a spoonful of Mortfall pudding. They've been avoiding feeding her foods with lots of sugar, hoping to keep her calm and content, so it will be her first time eating something so sweet.
Such sappy thoughts keep the monster occupied as he works. He doesn't even notice that he's pickled or jarred almost all of their fresh produce before Merlyn begins to cry out from their room. The gorgon goes to her immediately, finding the little harpy fussing and attempting to free herself from her swaddle.
She calms immediately as Adder picks her up, cooing. The gorgon smiles, brushing a strand of auburn hair out of her eyes. "Good morning, Merlyn. Or should I say good afternoon?"
Merlyn squeaks and yawns, nuzzling into Adder's embrace. Adder chuckles, carrying her into the living room. The monster checks on his mate, finding the half-elf is still fast asleep. The gorgon decides to allow Eben more rest, packing a basket with some snacks.
Dressing the harpy in the woolen cloak gifted to him by the villagers, he takes the infant with him to his favorite spot by the river. Even though the crisp bite of fall is in the air, the sun still warms the few rocky outcroppings near the water. Adder enjoys the sensation of sunshine on his scales, as stretching out on his favorite basking spot and unpacking the array of foods he's brought.
Despite her temporary blindness, Merlyn immediately scents the food. She begins the trill excitedly, flapping her wings. Adder breaks off a chunk of soft cheese, offering it to the infant. Merlyn bites at it eagerly, not even pausing for a moment to contemplate the new flavor. Adder grins, relieved to see her voracity for food. Despite the half-elf's magic assisting the little harpy, the gorgon had known that if she had refused food, there would not be much they could do. Magic can only assist, it cannot cure an infant of a failure to thrive...
Adder sighs, peering at the canopy above him. He spots bright red cardinals darting about, flitting from branch to branch. All the other birds have fled the area, seeking warmer weather. Adder wonders idly if Merlyn's mother is with them, thinking about her baby as the sun shines down on her.
"I promise she'll join you soon. I won't keep her long, I promise," Adder whispers.