Birth of Embers

[Voices of The Deep]

Light bled through the tattered blinds of the windows above the head of a young woman as she paced back in forth within her bedroom...or, more accurately, her doctors bedroom..her nervousness rather apparent as she went on to bite her nails and mutter to herself quietly.

She was a wreck after the recent incident with a 'getaway' that her...friend had brought her to. Her unborn had been still...quiet these last few days, and no matter how much Hazel said it was fine Cinder did not believe her. After everything that she had been exposed to after being brought into these...world. Her golden eyes had seen too much and too little, there was still so much she wanted to know, to describe, to see, to wonder about.

She wanted an answer to: what WILL this all mean in the future? It was his belief that she was destined to find out. Wicked curses and evils had racked the galaxy and she had with bitter disparity witnessed their long-standing aftermaths by her own eyes. It was her mistake for not paying closer attention, for not foreseeing any of the disasters like she was supposed to do, and she blamed her absence and own self for all the tragedies she had no real control over.

In truth the Dragoness was still suffering over the loss of her first borns and in the end it was something she would likely never truly get over or accept...and with a new child on the way she prayed to her gods that the same fate would not befall her unborn daughter...she prayed to a higher power that she did not even believed in. Cinder...was no woman of faith, this much was obvious. And as her honey dipped eyes flicked over to the crimson colored egg wrapped neatly in the bed the woman ventured over quietly...leaning down and reaching out to run her fingers along its solid yet thin surface as she cooed quietly.

And then...there was a sudden reaction. A shift within the egg as it trembled before the girl...

Cinder held her breath...her tail swaying slowly behind her as she leaned in close.

Was it...finally time?

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

A week had passed since that diastrous cruise, though thankfully both of them had managed to successfully escape with their lives, and of course with the later's unborn child. Despite that though, Hazel still felt awful about the whole thing. She had after all been the one to convince the dragoness to go, leave the safe confines of Monastery and get out into the galaxy a bit. Only for her to end up getting knocked out, seperated and worst of had her last living child taken from her.

It went without saying that the Hapan had feared at some points that she'd end up being chargrilled because of it, but ultimately Cinder's rage had been solely focused on the ones that had hijacked the ship. And it seemed whatever damage had been done between the two, had possible been mitigated if the end of that incident was anything to go by.

Hazel felt her cheeks burn as she remembered that, especially the surprise of it all despite the fact they had been inches away from doing the same when they had been knocked out initially.

Since then the Hapan had been busy, sticking around Monastery for a while to help in Sanctuary. There had been murmurings going around that something might be going on with Hoylin; one of the neighbouring planets, so she had decided to remain on hand in case she was needed.

For now though she was returning to her quarters. Hazel had a few hours break from her work, so she intended to use them to simply relax and check in with Cinder. Silently, she unlocked her door and stepped in to the usual quietness she had come to expect.

"Cinder?" She called out quietly, as she walked in dropping her satchel onto the couch before moving towards the bedroom.

[member="Cinder Rose"]

 

[Voices of The Deep]

Something tightened deep within her gut, the finest of spider silk pulling taught somewhere within her and tugging, mute insistence so unexpected it nearly caused her legs to stumble. Breath expelled in a burst of mist, the dragoness huffed, straight, strong profile with her sweeping horns perched atop the elegant skull. Her body tightening as she continued to just observe...Ears pricked into full curiosity the red haired woman took a step forward and the invisible string around her insides gave an encouraging jerk. It pulled her closer to the all to familiar scene...her golden eyes frighteningly focused upon the oval shaped egg nestled warmly on the bed.

Despite the benevolence, or at the very least, ambivalence, of the pull driving her, Shay's mind urged caution as she approached what she knew, deep within her bones, to be the eye of the storm. She had done this before and she knew disturbing the hatching progress could result in a rather...unpleasant experience. She remained quiet, noting an unnatural hush, a pregnant silence that was expectant rather than ominous. Even the wind had ceased its susurrations, holding it’s infinite breath and she found herself doing the same, poised as if waiting for…something.

And with her intense focus the sudden disturbance to the silence alarmed the red haired mother. Bright golden eyes flaring with color as she whipped her head around towards the door only to see Hazel enter...calling out to Shay by her common name. After realizing the lack of a threat Shay relaxed, her expression softening as she glanced back at at her egg which trembled and shook...looking back to Hazel and lifting a hand to gesture her towards them.

"Esmeralda da rova...shala nol kel." She would whisper, patting a spot at the end of the bed beside her as she waited for the blonde to join her.

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel's eyes widened ever so slightly as Cinder's head whipped around in her direction. Almost instinctively the Hapan went to move in case of any impending fire, but she remained where she was when a look of recognition crossed the dragoness' expression.

During the first couple weeks had been somewhat rough getting use to having the fiery woman living in her quarters. At first Hazel said nothing, didn't announce her return and a such took Cinder by surprise more often than not. Which usually coincided with fire in some shape or form being thrown at her. That had evolved in the Hapan calling out to her whenever she arrived, even though at times that still elicited a similiar reaction, especially if Cinder was asleep at the time.

Over time though, it seemed like the two got a somewhat more in sync. Often enough Hazel would return to her quarters, call out to Cinder and peer over into the bedroom to see the dragoness was slumbering with her unborn child clutched in her arms. That in itself was a common sight, as Cinder rarely left the confines of her room and even then it was always with the egg in tow. But after the incident with the cruise, she hadn't stepped a toe passed the door.

"Why are you whispering?" She asked, her voice growing equally quiet. Hazel's eyes fell on the trembling egg and her eyes practically light up in realization. "Oh."

The Hapan had seen her share of childbirth over the years, but this was certainly unique. When did you ever get the chance to bear witness to the birth of a little dragoness? Well, she imagined it was often amongst the Drava, but for someone like her; and outsider to their culture, not so much.

She still didn't understand what Cinder was saying, the droid once again seemed absent at the present time. But she could easily follow the indications the dragoness gave. Carefully, Hazel walked over to the bed and gently sat down beside Cinder, both women's eyes glued to the egg. It did not pass the Hapan's attention that she was basically being allowed to be so close. And she was not going to take that for granted.

[member="Cinder Rose"]

 

[Voices of The Deep]

The woman scooted to the side to allow Hazel to take a seat beside her. The woman smiling warmly at the doctor before both of their eyes quickly aligned their focus towards the egg which continued to tremble rapidly and quake back and forth as the child within fought to escape its confines. The pressure applied from within started at the side of the egg began to crack as tiny shells began to protrude outwards towards the two. Shay slowly breathed in but failed to exhale as she stared intensely at the scene...

And suddenly, the shell gave in and was broken. The hatchlings tail flailing out from the surface of the egg as a high pitched squeal and whimper erupted from within. The rest of the egg being cleaved off with every swing of the child's tail as a small baby then rolled out of the egg covered in a slippery and smiley substance. The Dragoness gasped at the sight of her newborn as it squirmed and cried out for its mother...the red haired woman leaning in and gently lifting the child, taking the baby into her arms and running her delicate fingers along her head as the child nestled herself into Shays chest.

The red haired maiden remained silent as she stared at her newborn...her babies tail wrapped around her wrist as she began to quiet herself down...Shay pursed her lips, a number of emotions swelling in her chest as she fought back tears and leaned in to press her face against Esmeralda...her little one.

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

It was indeed quite unique. Hazel watched the egg as its trembling grew more intense, the little dragon within trying to thrash her way out. Then the shell began to crack, thin lines began to splinter across the egg; like a pane of glass being shattered. She heard Cinder inhale sharply, and a gaze of to the dragoness revealed her watching intensely.

Hazel couldn't blame her at all.

This was her child, the one who had survived the horrible events that had torn everything from her. New life in general was a wonderful thing to behold, but this meant a whole lot more to the dragoness she was sitting beside.

Then the shell finally caved in and a little tail appeared, flickering out in an erratic manner. The high pitched squeals took the Hapan be surprise for a moment, but the whimpering that immediately followed levelled it out. And not a moment later, the little dragoness rolled out of her shell.

Hazel could practically melt with how adorable the scene that followed was. She shifted slightly to get a better view, watching as Cinder picked up her newborn child and was just simply absorbed in having her daughter in her hands finally.

She smiled, her own tears welling up as she raised a hand and gently rubbed Cinder's arm in comfort. It was a joyous sight, to see a mother who had been so worried about her unborn child that she barely left the room. Now that child was here.

"What's her name?" Hazel asked quietly.

[member="Cinder Rose"]

 

[Voices of The Deep]

​

The air smelled different. Or at least, it smelled different to her...Filled with exotic concoctions of nature’s design of earthen turf and evergreen foliage. Breath of mother-earth tumbled amply in whimsical rolls of a gentle breeze. Shay had once again brought life into this world and because of it her senses were changing...Breathing labored, attention drawn specifically to the small fragile child in her arms as the creature purred and reached out to grab a handful of the womans crimson banner of hair...tugging at it and whining softly as she began to make a fuss after taking the strands of hair and chewing on it. Dark brows furrowed in amusement as she watched her daughter...undoubtedly hungry for physical food after spending so long gaining her food from the egg...sheslowly brought her hands closer to Esmeraldas face for further inspection as she stroked those rosy red cheeks. Her wrist turned in one-eighty motion speculating the pale skin which seemed to be attached to her. Golden eyes then moved further, tracing her left and then her right arm as she inspected her offspring to ensure she was healthy...small dark patches along her shoulders and forearms were signs her scales were growing steadily and her physical features all seemed fine...

She then leaned down and pressed alight kiss onto the crown of the child as the dragoness spoke quietly. “Veelah Ke'lai, Bresh Nala.” A whispering coo fell coolly from her lips, her bottom curled inward with naive, childish bite.

Her precious child...her legacy...her redemption. Every Dovah in her species reveled in the idea of being a parent...it was something so few experienced and yet so many wanted...it was odd however...so such ferocious and deadly creatures could be so wrathful and destructive one moment...and then so gentle and tender the next. Still, this was her second chance at motherhood and she would not let it be soiled...nor would she repeat the mistakes of her own mother.

Her daughter began to fuss again, squirming in her arms and making Shay sigh slightly. Looking towards Hazel when the doctor asked for her daughters name. Having spent enough time around her to grasp her language Shay replied quietly as she grabbed a small crimson blanket and began to swaddle the child and hold her up closer to her chest.

"Esmeralda...va, um...Ember." She mused, also giving her daughters name a common translation before lifting up her shirt. Showing no real discomfort with it she removed the fabric, leaving herself topless and revealing her glistening flesh as she held her baby upwards. Allowing the child to breastfeed for the first time as Shay leaned back against the headboard of her bed and curled her long, garnet tail around the blonde womans waist. Smiling warmly as she just sat there...happy...Shay was feeling nothing but happiness and unconditional love at the moment. A sight to behold for many...

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel wasn't sure where she wanted her eyes to be, bouncing back and forth between mother and daughter. It was a precious thing to watch, the pure adoration that was practically shining in Cinder's gaze. No matter whether it was your first child or not, the arrival of a newborn was always special. And as the Hapan's focus centered on Cinder for the time being, she could swear she could see something else in the dragonesses eyes.

If was though those raw emotions were burning much more brighter within her, as if having the child finally in her arms meant a whole lot more than it would for someone else. Hazel was sure she was seeing things. And yet at the same time, there was no doubt. Hell, she could imagine the dragoness was mentally promising her newborn daughter to care and safeguard her forever.

After what happened to her mate and her children before, Hazel couldn't blame her. There was no doubt in her mind that Cinder would do everything in her power to not let Ember share that fate. The events on the cruise ship proved that quite well.

It was strange to see Cinder like this, after having witnessed the destructive power to resided within the same hands alone. The same hands that were currently cradling her daughter. Though as the Hapan thought on it further, it wasn't that odd at all. She had seen that gentleness before, in the way the dragoness interacted with her. Although it was certainly a different type, but nonetheless it was a side of Cinder the Hapan had experienced.

"It's a beautiful name," she commented quietly, not wanting to interrupt the bonding that was going on before her. Though that shifted a degree when Cinder lifted her shirt up without warning.

Hazel averted her eyes, but the steady blush across her cheeks made it clear she hadn't been quick enough. But the embarrassment slowly faded as her doctor sensibilites kicked in, acknowledging the fact Cinder was simply feeding her newborn. Though that didn't mean she was going to keep looking, and instead went to give the mother and daughter some privacy. However as an ever familiar occurrence, she found Cinder had wrapped her tail around her waist, effectively keeping her where she was.

The Hapan chuckled lightly, smiling at Cinder before settling in. She could go about getting her datapad and scanning Ember later on.

[member="Cinder Rose"]