I don't launch him.”
“Launch him,” I muttered. “Like a ship or a debutante... or a dragon-sidhe evidently.”
“Vervain,” Arach growled.
“What kind of precautions can we take to ensure that our son... your heir... does not go splat on the jagged rocks of Castle Aithinne?”
“The mother always stands watch at the bottom of the castle,” Arach started to smile. “But she doesn't act unless it's obvious that her child won't succeed.”
“I suppose I could do that.”
“You cannot act too soon, Vervain,” he started to look worried. “It's deeply embarrassing to be doubted by your mother at your launch.”
“As embarrassing as not being launched at all?”
“Almost.”
“Then I vote for not launching him at all.”
“Vervain!”
“He's not a football, Arach!”
“He will fly!”
“Or I will save him!”
“Fine!”
“Fine!”
“Alright!”
“Okay!”
A whine and a scratching sound came from the door and my irritation with my husband was completely forgotten as I jumped from the bed and ran to the door in a burst of overwhelming joy. I didn't care that I was naked, it wouldn't matter to the door scratcher.
“Dexter!” I shouted as the nurial launched himself at me. “Oh gods, I'm so happy to see you,” I stroked back the ruff from his face and nuzzled his tapered snout. “You came home.”
Dexter had been a baby nurial when I'd found him and taken him in. When Winter had returned to Faerie for the first time in thousands of years, it had affected several of the fey and fey creatures. Faeries were so closely tied to the land that several had shifted with the seasons. Dexter had been one of those. He had shifted from a fire nurial into a steam nurial and been rejected by his mother. His red eyes had changed to pale blue and his black fur to white but he was back to his original colors now and he was also fully grown. Which is why I hadn't seen him in awhile.
About two weeks before my twins had been born, Dexter had given me an intense look, whined pitifully, and led me out to the edge of the Weeping Woods. The woods were our damp forest, made so by the heat from numerous crevices leading down to the Fire Kingdom's molten core, reacting to the cool air coming in over the border from the Air Kingdom. It also happened to be where I'd found Dex as a baby.
He had cried and shook his thick mane of fur, then scraped his horns against the trunk of a nearby tree. I'd just stared at him in confusion, rubbing my huge belly thoughtfully. I'd raised him, basically I was his mother, and I could usually understand what he needed but this time, I was at a loss. He'd sat there in frustration, four of his six legs folded up as he stared at me balefully. His long tail had whipped around. The barb usually hidden at the end of his tail, within a tuft of fur, revealed itself to strike the ground; thwack, thwack, thwack.
“What is it, Dex?” I'd asked him.
Then I heard it; a high pitched howl, an animal entreaty. Dexter perked up, jumping to his feet as he stared into the forest. He howled back and the whine came again... closer. A rustle disturbed the trees and I finally caught a glimpse of her. A female nurial stared out of the thick, rubbery leaves of a nearby backo plant. A horrible shivering had filled my chest and I knew it was time to say goodbye to my boy.
“Okay, honey,” I had whispered as I knelt. “I understand. It's time for you to make your own family.”
Dexter had come over to me and nudged his forehead into mine. I stroked his face lovingly and his rough tongue had come out to lap at my tears. I hugged him and then gave him a little push. It wasn't fair to keep him with me when nature was clearly calling him to resume his proper place.
He had given one last whine, padded away a few feet, then looked back at me.
“I love you, Dex,” I called. “Be happy. Go make lots of little Dexters. The Kingdom can use more nurials like you. But remember, you can always come
“Launch him,” I muttered. “Like a ship or a debutante... or a dragon-sidhe evidently.”
“Vervain,” Arach growled.
“What kind of precautions can we take to ensure that our son... your heir... does not go splat on the jagged rocks of Castle Aithinne?”
“The mother always stands watch at the bottom of the castle,” Arach started to smile. “But she doesn't act unless it's obvious that her child won't succeed.”
“I suppose I could do that.”
“You cannot act too soon, Vervain,” he started to look worried. “It's deeply embarrassing to be doubted by your mother at your launch.”
“As embarrassing as not being launched at all?”
“Almost.”
“Then I vote for not launching him at all.”
“Vervain!”
“He's not a football, Arach!”
“He will fly!”
“Or I will save him!”
“Fine!”
“Fine!”
“Alright!”
“Okay!”
A whine and a scratching sound came from the door and my irritation with my husband was completely forgotten as I jumped from the bed and ran to the door in a burst of overwhelming joy. I didn't care that I was naked, it wouldn't matter to the door scratcher.
“Dexter!” I shouted as the nurial launched himself at me. “Oh gods, I'm so happy to see you,” I stroked back the ruff from his face and nuzzled his tapered snout. “You came home.”
Dexter had been a baby nurial when I'd found him and taken him in. When Winter had returned to Faerie for the first time in thousands of years, it had affected several of the fey and fey creatures. Faeries were so closely tied to the land that several had shifted with the seasons. Dexter had been one of those. He had shifted from a fire nurial into a steam nurial and been rejected by his mother. His red eyes had changed to pale blue and his black fur to white but he was back to his original colors now and he was also fully grown. Which is why I hadn't seen him in awhile.
About two weeks before my twins had been born, Dexter had given me an intense look, whined pitifully, and led me out to the edge of the Weeping Woods. The woods were our damp forest, made so by the heat from numerous crevices leading down to the Fire Kingdom's molten core, reacting to the cool air coming in over the border from the Air Kingdom. It also happened to be where I'd found Dex as a baby.
He had cried and shook his thick mane of fur, then scraped his horns against the trunk of a nearby tree. I'd just stared at him in confusion, rubbing my huge belly thoughtfully. I'd raised him, basically I was his mother, and I could usually understand what he needed but this time, I was at a loss. He'd sat there in frustration, four of his six legs folded up as he stared at me balefully. His long tail had whipped around. The barb usually hidden at the end of his tail, within a tuft of fur, revealed itself to strike the ground; thwack, thwack, thwack.
“What is it, Dex?” I'd asked him.
Then I heard it; a high pitched howl, an animal entreaty. Dexter perked up, jumping to his feet as he stared into the forest. He howled back and the whine came again... closer. A rustle disturbed the trees and I finally caught a glimpse of her. A female nurial stared out of the thick, rubbery leaves of a nearby backo plant. A horrible shivering had filled my chest and I knew it was time to say goodbye to my boy.
“Okay, honey,” I had whispered as I knelt. “I understand. It's time for you to make your own family.”
Dexter had come over to me and nudged his forehead into mine. I stroked his face lovingly and his rough tongue had come out to lap at my tears. I hugged him and then gave him a little push. It wasn't fair to keep him with me when nature was clearly calling him to resume his proper place.
He had given one last whine, padded away a few feet, then looked back at me.
“I love you, Dex,” I called. “Be happy. Go make lots of little Dexters. The Kingdom can use more nurials like you. But remember, you can always come
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