| Home is where your family is. Which is good if you have more than one. -Kuja Dranoc-Hariq to Lixani Yevik Part 83 It had been a year since the memory mess and I was snooping around in Treno as a human when I felt the tug of distress from Zidane. �Mother . . . It hurts . . .� It took me about an hour to get to Alexandria. I landed in the garden and was surprised by the sight of feathers strewn everywhere. They were too large to be a bird�s, but too small to be a dragon�s. �Mother . . .� I ducked through the flora, following the trail of increasingly numerous feathers. I appeared in the farthest corner of the garden to find Tiovex and Kuja already there. Joining them, I was treated to the sight of Zidane huddled against the stone. � Mother, what�s happening? It hurts.� I pulled him against me, barely hiding surprise when my hand brushed over his wing and caused a multitude of feathers to fall to the ground, though their disappearance was hardly noticeable. � It�s all right, Ziaden. It�s just the coming of age.� � Does it have to hurt?� � There has never been a time when it hasn�t.� � I feel . . .� [Like jumping on the first female you see that you�re not related too?] Tiovex supplied. � Like throttling any male that gets near any female at all?� Kuja added. � Exactly.� Then things got worse. � Zidane?!� He curled up defensively and moaned. � Oh no. Not now.� � What�s going on?!� I looked up at Garnet. � Come here.� Tiovex, Kuja, and Zidane looked at me as though I had lost my mind. Garnet knelt beside me. � What�s happening?� � It is the coming of age. He is making the transition from dragonling to dragon. He is experiencing pain and will continue to experience small bursts of it for the rest of the week. All of this is normal.� Zidane shuddered and relaxed, letting out a long sigh. Garnet reached out to touch him, but hesitated and looked at me. I nodded and she put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. He looked at her over his shoulder and smiled weakly. � Thanks.� Tiovex nodded once. � You should probably explain things further to her so she isn�t surprised. I shall do the same here.� Zidane managed to support himself and I led Garnet away from the three. � I must warn you,� I began as we walked through the garden, � this will probably get on your nerves.� � How so?� � Zidane is going to be protective and rather . . . amorous. It is only temporary, but it will most likely drive you up the wall.� � What should I do?� � Don�t resist, but don�t submit. Resisting will do one of two things; depress him or make him more insistent. Submitting will do one thing; make him into a control freak. Whatever you choose to do will shape what he becomes. Right now he�s like a blank slate. An impressionable hatchling.� � What�s your suggestion?� � I have none. Everything that happens is up to you.� � What if I mess up?� � In the unlikely possibility that you do �mess up�, I can erase his short-term memory and start again.� � Is that safe?� � Garnet, my dear, by now you should know that I would never do anything that has even the remotest chance of hurting Zidane. I have tried it on many other creatures before and I am a Psychic. If I weren�t, there could be a chance of injury, but I am, so there isn�t.� � Okay.� We returned to the others and Garnet knelt beside Zidane. He closed his eyes and began to touch her face, commiting it all to memory. � What is he doing?� she asked in a whisper. � You�re imprinting,� I explained. � He realized that you weren�t family when you appeared, so he�s copying a mental picture of you to put in a part of his mind that cannot be erased.� � Will he do this to everyone else?� � Maybe. Are they nearby?� � Yes, I invited them to dinner.� � The imprinting stage will remain for three hours. There is a great possibility of them imprinting as well if you, me, Tiovex, or Kuja is with them.� She nodded. Zidane backed away and opened his eyes. There was a sudden blast of wind and the feathers on his wings swirled away. In their place grew white feathers with gold/silver edges, the sign of maturity. *~~* � I�m hungry. When�s dinner?� � Soon.� � How soon?� � Soon enough.� � But I�m hungry.� [Zidane, give it a rest,] I commanded, allowing Garnet some quiet time. She looked at me gratefully. The genome in question heaved a sigh and let his wings flutter boredly. He opened his mouth to speak, then looked at Garnet and me before sighing again and falling backwards onto the floor and letting out a groan. Then he suddenly sat up and looked at me. [Yes?] I asked before he could open his mouth. � Could you sing for me?� [What?!] If it had been possible, the color would�ve drained from my scales and left my head and part of my neck gray. He walked over on his knees, taking tiny little steps as he pleaded, � Please please please sing for me?� <--Part 82 Part 84--> |