| Healing takes a long time, whether it is physical or otherwise. -Tiovex Hariq to Gelgameth Sicov Part 89 I stared in the direction he did, then sighed. [It�s all right, Kuja. I recognize the signature. It�s Vanel.] The purple dragonling glided into sight, worry plain on her face. [I sensed bad things!] � I�m okay, Vanel,� Zidane assured her. � Just a few burns.� Vanel came closer, then gasped and backwinged in surprise. [Zidane! Those burns are awful! Dagger will be so upset . . .!] � Vanel, calm down. Dagger can take it. She�s strong.� They argued all the way to Alexandria. Tiovex greeted me with a nuzzle. [I was worried for a while. You�re fifteen minutes late!] Then he saw Zidane. [By the August Dragon, Zidane! What happened to you?!] � Can I explain later? Once everybody�s here?� � You better explain, Mister!� Garnet shouted angrily, stomping into the foyer. � You scared me to death!� He stood and she saw his left side. � Zidane! Your arm!� � Yeah, I know. That�s why I�ve been gone so long.� He paused and scratched his head. � How long have I been gone, anyway?� � A week!� Garnet cried, rushing over and hugging his neck. He winced and grimaced in pain, but didn�t push her away. She pulled back to look at him and her hand rose to cover her mouth. � Zidane . . .� � I know. But it only stings; I�m not feeling anything overly painful.� She reached up and he let her touch the area around the burns, though it obviously hurt to do so. � Uh . . . Can I ask when dinner is?� � Zidane!� � What?! I�m starving! I haven�t eaten for a week and a half!� To emphasize his point, his stomach--and I am not making this up--hissed and snarled. He patted it gently and cooed. � Yes, I know. I�m hungry too.� � I don�t care if you�re hungry or if your stomach is gnawing at you from the inside! I�m taking you to the clinic right now and you are going to stay there and get better!� � Aw, but Dagger . . .� � No aws, no ifs, no ands . . . certainly no buts!� She grabbed his wrist and drug him down to the clinic, then left to call the doctor. Zidane sighed from his place in the bed and murmured petulantly, � I�m hungry.� I hopped onto the bed beside him and crouched cat-like. [I could . . .] � No!� I pulled back at the strength of his voice and he hugged my neck the best he could. � I mean . . . no, Mother. Thank you, but you need to keep it more than I need to have it.� [But milk is a filler,] I reminded him with a shake of my finger. [There�s no possible way you could be that hungry and still be alive.] � I don�t know . . .� [Well if you need it, I�ll be right here.] I laid down and leaned against him slightly. [Kitiane, the hatchlings.] [Let them out, would you? This room is just big enough for all of them to get plenty of exercise.] [They�re hungry.] I sighed and jumped down from the bed, then laid against the wall and stretched out. The hatchlings made a beeline for me and the first ten got to drink right away. These were, of course, the more dominant ones, but no hatchling got more than any other, so it didn�t matter who was first or last. When I shooed them away, Kuja caught one and touched its shoulders. � I can feel the beginnings of wing buds.� � I want to feel!� Zidane whined. Kuja handed the hatchling up to him and he moed his thumb carefully over the hatchling�s shoulders. � Just like Vanel.� Then he set the hatchling back on the floor and it rushed off to sleep in the gigantic hatchling pile that was building in the middle of the room. Garnet returned with the doctor and, totally oblivious to the hatchlings, led him to Zidane. � What can you do for him?� � Well . . .� the doctor trailed, looking over the visible burns. � It�s a miracle he�s still alive. I guess I do have something, but it�ll sting like hell.� � Go ahead,� Zidane replied. � I don�t think there�s anything even close to getting hit by lightning.� Famous last words. The doctor put the first gob on his arm and he roared in pain, eyes squeezed shut. His fangs grew in, though he managed to keep from biting, and he continued to snarl and hiss from that point on. Garnet held his hand and I was somewhat surprised to notice that he hadn�t broken her hand already. Maybe he was checking his strength. Once the doctor was done, Zidane fell to whimpering. � Mother . . .� I hopped onto the bed, though I couldn�t lay against him, and nuzzled the unhurt side of his face. [Yes?] � Do something, please.� [Zidane, it might---] � Please.� He looked so desperate . . . [All right. But it might hurt at first.] � Okay.� So I bit him. Gently, of course. Right on the neck where the veins were closest to the surface. Normally lethal venom entered his blood and immediately began numbing his body. He let out a relieved sigh. � Thank you.� [Anything for my hatchling.] � In that case,� Kuja remarked, standing, � can I rule the world?� [I�ll start on that right now,] I replied, heading for the door. He closed his arms around my neck as I passed and pressed his cheek against mine. � Thanks anyway, Mother.� I laughed quietly and nudged his head. [You are my hatchling too. I will do whatever I can to make you happy.] <--Part 88 Epilogue--> |