THE DRAKEN CHRONICLES

Book VII: The New Lives

Part One: Firstborn

The front door slid open, and Ragnarok and Amber stepped into the room. They normally would have just come in through the window, but Amber had been having a tough time flying lately, with her chick. "We're home!" Ragnarok called.

Almost a year had passed since their final battle with the Dark One. Everyone had adjusted well to living so far after they had been born, growing smoothly into this new time. Amber and the twins were well into their pregnancies. In fact, Amber was very near term, due very soon. She was understandably a little nervous about it, but she didn't let it get to her.

The past year had been both a restful and exciting one. There had been plenty of time to relax, but there had also been some activity as well. Most notably, Sabre had actually fallen in love with a girl named Twilight, and moved out to live with her. They all missed him, but he was very happy there, and there were plenty of times they could visit him, and vice versa.

After a few months of adjusting to life in her new time, Skye had decided to move out as well. "It's getting a little crowded here," she had said, "so it's time I head out and give you kids your space." She'd moved off into another nearby apartment building; it was close enough that she could come visit all the time, though.

Stepping further into the room, Amber looked around. "...Hello?" she called out. "Huh... no one's here...."

"Oh, there's a note," Ragnarok said. "It looks like Dash's claw-writing."

"Well, what's it say?" Amber asked him.

"Umm... 'Ragnarok and Amber, we're going off to take the cubs to the swimming pool. You guys will have the place to yourselves for the day. See you later, Dash,'" he read.

"We're all alone here, huh?" Amber asked with a giggle.

"Yup!" Ragnarok said, smiling. He playfully tackled Amber, knocking her onto her back.

Amber laughed. "Hey, be careful!" she said.

"I am!" Ragnarok replied. He nuzzled Amber's big, white tummy, making her giggle.

Amber rolled onto her side and smiled up at him. "I can hardly believe it's been a whole year," she said, rubbing her belly with a wing.

Ragnarok slid a paw under her wing. "Well, I'd think this would be all the proof you'd need," he joked. Suddenly, he felt something thump against his paw, making Amber squeak. They looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"Our chick sure is an active one," Amber said with a smile, nuzzling him some more. Ragnarok grinned and ran the tip of his tail down the middle of her belly. Amber cooed and laid her head down. "Mmm..." she sighed as Ragnarok rubbed her belly with his tail.

"So how're you doing?" He asked.

"Oof!" Amber squeaked as she got thumped again, then laughed. "I'm doing okay," she told him, "aside from our chick trying to beat me up from the inside."

Ragnarok laughed, then his head perked up as he heard something outside. "C'mon!" he said, scrambling to his feet and heading to the door.

Amber sighed and heaved herself to her feet, which seemed like it was getting harder every day. Ragnarok opened the door, walking out into the hallway, and Amber walked out after him, waddling a bit.

Outside, a pair of wolf morphs were opening the door next to theirs. "Cory! Calli!" Ragnarok exclaimed with a smile.

The wolves turned to him, setting down their bags. "Ragnarok! Nice to see you again!" the male, Cory, said to him. The two had gone on a big vacation a month ago, and had apparently just gotten back.

Amber walked up. "Hello again," she said calmly, smiling.

Calli smiled back and walked over to her. "Hey there, girl!" she said, patting the draken's tummy. "I see your chick has gotten bigger while we were gone."

Cory crouched down next to her, also grinning. "Yeah, you look like you're due any day now," he said, scritching her behind the crest.

Amber closed her eyes, leaning into his hand. "Yeah, it's hard to believe that it's almost time," she said.

"So, do you guys know anything about your chick?" Calli asked.

Ragnarok shook his head. "Of course not," He said with a grin, like she had just asked him if he knew what the weather would be like next month.

Cory smirked at him. "Hey, it's not as impossible as you think," he said.

Ragnarok cocked his head. "It isn't?" he asked.

Calli smiled. "When humans or us morphs get pregnant, we go to doctors at times in the pregnancy, for check-ups on how the baby is doing," she told the drakens. "One of the things they do is an 'ultrasound.' It lets you get a look at your baby before it's born."

"Wow, really?" Amber asked, looking at her belly. "I think that'd be really neat."

"So where would we go?" Ragnarok asked.

Cory smiled. "We'll take you there as soon as we unpack," he told them. "Come on in, in the meantime."

The wolves carried their bags into their home, and the drakens followed. It was pretty roomy, but it wasn't designed for draken convenience like Dash's home was, for obvious reasons. "We'll just be a minute," Calli said. She walked to a dresser, opening her bag, and started putting clothes into the dresser. Ragnarok sniffed around, then stuck his head into the bag. "Ragnarok!" Calli said, grinning. Ragnarok looked up at her, one of her shirts draped over his nose. Calli grabbed her shirt and whapped him on the nose with it. "Goofy draken," she laughed.

Ragnarok grinned up at her. "Sorry," he said. "Something in there smells really nice, though."

Amber took a few sniffs of the bag. "Yeah, it does," she agreed.

Calli rummaged in the bag and lifted out a small box of little purple cylinders. Each had a little bit of string coming out of the top, and the smell was suddenly a lot stronger. "They're scented candles," Calli told them.

"Candles?" Amber asked.

"Kinda like light bulbs, but they give light using a little bit of fire," the wolf explained. "Here, let me show you." She started fishing in her pockets, but then she heard a little whoomp of flame and turned around to see one of the candles burning cheerily. Ragnarok grinned, a red sparkle flashing through his black eyes. Calli blinked, then laughed. "I keep forgetting you can do that," she said. "Yeah, that's how they work."

Cory walked into the room. "I finished getting the souvenirs put away, and started getting the dirty clothes washed," he told his mate.

Calli put a last bit of clothing into the dresser. "Okay guys, let's go," she said, and they headed to the hallway. They piled into the elevator and rode it to the bottom, then walked out of the building.

"Do you feel up to walking there, or do you want to take the bus?" Cory asked Amber.

The draken shifted her weight. "I don't think I'd mind sitting down for a little while," she said.

"To the bus stop, then!" Cory declared heroically, heading toward the little glass shelter that the bus usually stopped in front of. Everyone grinned and followed him.

The bus pulled up presently, and they all got in, the wolves sitting in the back with their draken friends. Amber sighed happily as she laid down, curling around her belly. Ragnarok curled up next to her. "So, where are we going?" he asked.

"The hospital," Calli told him as the bus started moving.

"The hospital? But why? This isn't an emergency," Amber said.

"They don't just do emergencies," Cory told her. "They've got a whole section devoted to helping out expecting mothers."

"Wow," Amber replied with a grin, flicking the tip of her tail. "I feel important now."

Cory leaned over and rubbed her tummy. "I always thought it was cool... you've got another person in there," he said. "He's not a person yet, but he will be." Amber smiled up at him and patted his hand with her tail.

The bus rolled to a stop. "New Halipont General Hospital!" the driver announced.

"C'mon, time to go," Calli said, patting Cory on the shoulder. They stood up, moving toward the front of the bus.

"Up you go," Ragnarok said, helping Amber push herself to her feet. She shot him a look of thanks, and they hurried after the wolves.

As they stepped off, the driver glanced back and shut the door, driving off. Cory and Calli waved them over to the big glass doors. Cory pushed them open, and they walked into a big room, which had a desk at one end. They walked over to the desk, and the human behind it looked up. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Well, it's her, really," Cory said, stepping aside and motioning to Amber.

The human looked down at her, then smiled. "Third floor, take a right," she said, pointing to the elevator.

"Wow, that was easy," Ragnarok said. "Don't we need an 'appointment' or something?"

The human smiled brighter. "Pregnant drakens don't come here too often, so our draken specialists are rarely busy," she explained. "I'll tell them you're coming, Miss...?"

"Amber," the draken said. The human nodded, and they turned and piled into the elevator.

"Well, that was remarkably painless," Cory said. The elevator dinged, and they stepped out onto the third floor. "Right, right?" Cory asked with a grin.

Calli rolled her eyes and gave him a push. "Come on, ya ham."

They walked past a few doors, until they came to one that said "Draken Prenatal" on it. The drakens weren't sure, but the Calli assured them that it was the right room.

Inside, there was a little square room with big cushy mats on the floor, and a few chairs here and there. There was a rectangular hole in the wall, and a door next to it. There was a desk with another human behind the hole, and the door led to a hallway with even more doors. A dog morph peeked around the door. She had long black hair, and her fur was a pretty chocolate brown. "Amber?" she asked.

Amber walked over to her. "That's me," she said.

The doctor smiled. "Wow, you're pretty far along," she said, then looked at Ragnarok. "Are you her mate?" Ragnarok nodded, walking over too. "Okay, follow me."

Ragnarok looked back at Cory and Calli. "We'll wait here," Cory said.

"Have fun!" Calli added.

The doctor led them down a hallway to another door, which opened into another small room. It had a chair, a low, cushy-looking table, a TV with funny things hooked up to it, and some shelves with books and rocks on them. The doctor sat down in the chair. "So Amber, how are you?" she asked.

"Um, I'm doing all right," Amber replied. "A little tired, and my paws ache a bit, but we were walking around a lot today."

"Well, it's good that you're staying active," the doctor said, then turned to Ragnarok. "I take it that you were the one she was walking with?"

"Yeah. My name's Ragnarok, by the way."

"I'm Dr. Dennall. You can call me Jenice," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Jenice," the drakens said.

Jenice smiled at them, then patted the cushiony table. "Now Amber, could you please hop up here and lay on your back?" Amber put her forepaws on the table and tried to get a hindpaw up too, but she couldn't get one around her belly. Jenice grinned at Ragnarok. "You may need to help her."

Ragnarok put his head under Amber's raised hindpaw. Amber shot him a grateful smile and pushed down on his head, lifting herself high enough that she could get her other paw onto the table and climb all the way up. She lay down on her side and rolled over, her belly and legs in the air. "How's this?" she asked the upside-down doctor.

Jenice laughed, rolling her chair over. "Yes, that's fine," she said. She put her hands on Amber's belly, pressing lightly. "Hmm, not much fat at all. You have been active lately." She ran her hands over Amber's belly, and the draken suppressed a coo. "All nice and smooth," she told them. "So, you've been okay? Not sick or anything?" she asked Amber.

The mother-to-be shook her head. "No, I've been fine," she said.

Jenice chuckled. "Consider yourself lucky that you drakens adapt to pregnancy so well," she said. "Some of us other species tend to get detrimental effects, like 'morning sickness.'"

"That doesn't sound fun," Amber said.

"No, it doesn't," the canine agreed, laying an ear on Amber's tummy. "Take a deep breath," she instructed.

Amber inhaled, and held it. Jenice smiled, then listened to a few different spots on Amber's tummy. She sat back up. "Okay, you can let it out now," she said, and Amber exhaled deeply.

"Everything all right?" Amber asked.

Jenice nodded. "Yep, everything sounds fine. Let's move on," she said, moving over to the stuff near the TV. "Have you ever heard of an 'ultrasound'?"

The drakens nodded. "Isn't it supposed to let us see our chick?" Ragnarok asked.

Jenice nodded again, then picked up a little bottle of gel and squeezed some of it on to Amber's belly. "Ooh!" the draken exclaimed. "It's warm...." Ragnarok smiled at Amber's relaxed expression.

Jenice picked up a white plastic thing that was connected to a box, which was in turn connected to the TV. "Here, watch," she said. She pressed the round thing to Amber's tummy and turned everything on. A somewhat grainy picture showed up on the TV, and the drakens realized that they could see a little curled up draken in the fuzzy image.

Amber could hardly believe what she was seeing, but then she felt her chick shift around inside her, and gasped as she saw the chick on the TV move too. "Wow, it's real!" she said.

"Wow, that really is our chick?" Ragnarok asked.

Jenice nodded. "Yup. She looks okay, too. And she's got her mamma's crest," she said with a wink.

Ragnarok laughed, nuzzling Amber. "So you were right, way back then: she is a girl!" he said. Amber laughed too and nuzzled him back.

The doctor smiled at them both, moving the plastic bit around Amber's tummy to look at different bits of their chick while the drakens celebrated. Eventually, she turned the device off and dried Amber's belly with a nearby towel. "Well, you're in excellent shape, your chick is very healthy, and I expect she'll be due any day now," she informed the drakens, standing up. "It sure was nice meeting you two, and good luck with your new family!" Amber got back on her feet and hopped off the table. Jenice opened the door and showed them back the room where their wolf friends were waiting.

The wolves stood up as the drakens walked back into the room. "Amber! How'd it go?" Cory asked.

Amber looked up at him. "It went fine," she said. "My chick and I are doing well, and we're getting really close to the day that she'll come into the world."

"Aww," Calli cooed. She patted Amber's tummy. "Kinda makes me want a cub of my own," she said, smiling at her mate.

Cory grinned back, and the drakens guessed that they'd had discussions on the subject before.

"Well, shall we head home?" Ragnarok asked.

Amber nodded. "After all this excitement, I just want to go lay in our bed for a little," she said.

The wolves looked at her. "Well, you're the one carrying the great big chick," Calli said. "Home it is."

As they left the building, Cory looked at a little band on his wrist. "Hmm, the next bus won't be by for a while," he said. "It'll probably be quicker just to walk." Amber nodded, and the four set off for home.

A little while later, they were walking down a stretch of sidewalk, and a small golden-yellow draken passed them. Ragnarok paused in mid-step, then turned around. "Nia?" he asked.

The other draken stopped, then turned around. She looked at them, and recognition dawned. "Ragnarok? Amber?"

Amber smiled. "Nia! It is you!" she said.

"Who would've guessed that we'd run into each other again?" Nia asked with a grin. She looked over the two other drakens. "I see you two took my advice seriously."

Amber blushed a little and nodded. "Yeah, I'm due really soon," she told their friend.

Ragnarok smiled, nuzzling Amber. "Thanks, Nia. Without you, we might not have figured it all out," he said.

Nia laughed. "I'm glad I could've helped," she said. "So, where are you guys headed?"

"Home to lay down for a bit, actually," Amber said, indicating her belly as an explanation.

"Well, I won't hold you up, then," Nia said with a smile. "Nice seeing you again, and good luck with your chick, Amber." Nia nodded and strolled off.

"Bye!" both drakens called after her.

"Friend of yours, huh?" Cory asked as they started off again.

Ragnarok nodded. "We met her not long after we first came here," he said. "She helped clue us in to the fact that we should be mates."

"Oh, that's neat," Calli said, rubbing Amber's neck.

"Yeah, she seems really nice," Cory added.

Ragnarok nodded. "She is," he said.

"Oh, we're back!" Amber realized. They were indeed walking in front of their building. She pushed the swinging door open and held it for everyone else.

"Thank you, Amber," Calli said, holding the door so the draken could get the rest of herself through too. They took the elevator back up to their floor. Calli stopped in front of their doors and crouched down by the drakens. "Well, it was nice to see you guys so soon after we got back," she said as Cory opened their door. "Bye for now!"

"Bye Cory! Bye Calli!" the two drakens said as the wolves walked into their home and slid the door shut.

Ragnarok smiled at Amber and pushed open the door to their own home for her. "So, ready to lay down for a bit?"

"Yes!" Amber replied with a grin. She walked to their bedroom, and Ragnarok followed her. She padded around until she found a comfy spot on their bed and plopped down with a sigh of relief. "Ahh... feels good to finally get off of my paws without someone poking at my tummy. Ooh!" She giggled and added, "Well, no one from the outside, anyway."

Ragnarok laughed too. "So it's going to be a relief for you when she finally decides to be born, huh?" he asked.

Amber nodded. "It's a wonderful feeling, carrying this new life inside of me, but it will be good to finally have her out," she said, then smiled as she felt her chick shift again. "Boy, she sure is getting active all of a sudden."

Ragnarok set a wing on her belly. "Yeah, I can feel it," he said with a smile.

"You don't think...?" Amber asked, trailing off.

Ragnarok blinked as he realized what she was talking about. "Well, it must be getting pretty close," he said.

They heard the main door open. "Uncle Ragnarok?" "Amber?"

Amber looked at Ragnarok. "Will I ever get to lay down for more than a minute at a time?" she asked good-naturedly.

Ragnarok grinned. "We're in here, girls!" he called, saving Amber from having to get up again.

Three heads poked around the doorway: two green drakens, and one damp cub with a blue collar. Kaya smiled and bounded into the room. She rubbed Amber's tummy with a paw. "Hi Amber! Hi Ragnarok!"

Amber laughed. "Hello, Kaya," she said. "Did you have fun swimming?"

"Yeah!" the cub replied. "Me and Roc played tag, and then saw who could go the farthest under the water, and- oh!" She broke off as she felt something thump against her paw, then giggled. "She kicked at me!"

Amber nodded. "Yeah, she seems really active all of a sudden," she said, then turned to the twins. "So how are you two doing?"

The twins padded into the room. They were as energetic as ever, but their growing belly had started to edge a waddle into their gait. "We're pretty good," Terra said. "Kaya just raced us here," Keera added. "That's why we're so far ahead of everyone else."

Ragnarok shook his head and laughed. "Sixteen months pregnant, and you're still running around everywhere," he said. "I can remember when you were smaller than Kaya here."

The twins laughed and laid down. Kaya ran over, laying down next to their belly. She was about three feet long now, but still as cute as ever, and she was really attached to the twins. She also loved the idea of having two little drakens running around that were younger than she was. "So how're you guys doing?" Terra asked Ragnarok and Amber.

"We're doing all right," Amber said. "Cory and Calli got back from their vacation, and took me to a doctor who knows about pregnancies for a check-up. While we were there, she did an 'ultra sound' on my tummy. It let us see out chick while she's still inside me!"

"Wow!" both twins remarked. "Really?" "What did you see?"

"Well, our chick is a girl," Ragnarok said, "and she's got a crest like Amber's."

"It was black-and-white, so we couldn't see her colors," Amber added.

"I guess you'll just have to wait a few days to see, huh?" Keera said with a laugh. "It's so neat, that you could see all that stuff before she's been born," her sister said.

"So do you two think you'll try it?" Ragnarok asked.

The twins looked at each other, then shook their heads. "Naw, we'll leave it-" "-as a surprise," they said. Ragnarok and Amber laughed again.

"Hey guys, we're back!" they heard Dash call.

"Oh!" "Dash is back!" The twins pushed themselves up to their feet. "Oof. You want to come, Amber?"

Amber shook her head. "I've been on my paws most of the day, and I'm just going to lay down for a while," she told them.

The twins nodded. "Okay," "Have fun!" they said, ambling out the door.

Kaya hopped to her feet. "Bye Amber!" she said.

Amber laughed. "See you later Kaya," she replied as the cub hurried to catch up with the twins.

Ragnarok laughed. "Those cubs are so cute," he said. Amber nodded, contemplating the contents of her belly with a smile. Ragnarok patted her tummy with his tail. "And I'm sure our chick will be too."

"Yes, I'm - ow!" she exclaimed suddenly.

"Amber?"

"I'm okay, but my stomach..." she said with a wince.

Ragnarok put a paw on her belly. He could feel her abdominal muscles tightening up. "Oh boy, it's time," he said, pushing Amber up. "C'mon!"

Amber got to her feet with his help. "Ngh... yeah... it's time," she said, stumbling a little as another contraction hit.

She got out of the room as quickly as she could, heading for the bathroom. "Hey guys," Dash said as they came out, then stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked, running over to them.

"Amber's going into labor," Ragnarok told them.

"What? Now?" Dash asked, startled.

Amber nodded, her teeth clenched. "Uh-huh."

The twins ran over. "Well come on!" they both said, running to the bathroom.

Amber walked into the bathroom, and Dash helped her into the tub "Ngh... ow..." she commented.

Ragnarok nuzzled her. "C'mon Amber, you can do this," he said, trying to reassure her.

Teyaka's cubs walked in too, walking between all the legs. They put their paws on the edge of the tub, looking over at Amber. "Are you okay?" Emerald asked, a lot of concern in her voice.

Amber smiled weakly up at her. "I'm... all right," she said. "I'm having my - ngh - my chick now."

"It looks like it hurts," Roc said, his ears drooping.

"It does...a little," Amber replied.

Dash rubbed Amber's neck. "You can do this, Amber. Your body knows what to do."

Amber nodded, clenching her muscles and pushing.

Kaya looked up to Dash. "Can't we do anything to help?" she asked.

Dash shook his head. "It's all up to Amber now," he said.

"Come on Amber!" "You can do it!" the twins told her.

They all waited in suspense, offering her encouragements, until Ragnarok said, "I think I can see something! Keep going, Amber!"

Amber kept up the work. "Agh... she... she's... coming," she gasped.

"That's the head!" Dash said. He crouched down to help Amber guide the chick out. "Keera, grab one of the towels."

"Right!" The twins ran over to a nearby shelf, grabbed a towel, and brought it back to Dash.

"C'mon..." Ragnarok said. "You're almost there!" It was obvious that he wished he could do something to help, but he also knew that all he could do was watch.

The hind legs were the final obstacle, and as Amber pushed the chick past it Dash lifted the newborn out of Amber's birth canal and Amber's head fell to the ground. She was panting heavily, utterly exhausted.

Dash bit the umbilical cord, then dried off the chick with the towel, and wiped off the exhausted mother too.

"Here, Dash," Ragnarok said. Dash lowered the chick, and Ragnarok gently picked her up in his jaws.

Dash carried Amber back to her room, and she was struggling to stay awake through her exhaustion. "Ragnarok... w...where is she?" she asked.

Right here, Amber," he said as he set their chick down next to her.

Amber's eyes opened a little, and she smiled. "She's beautiful," she murmured, curling around her chick and falling asleep.

Ragnarok lay down next to her. "She's so tired... that took a lot out of her...."

Dash nodded. "Births aren't easy," he said.

Keera and Terra walked up next to Amber. "So that's what we'll have to go through in a few more months?" Terra asked. "It's... a little scary," Keera said.

"Yeah, but we'll all be here to help you too," Dash said.

Ragnarok pulled a nearby blanket up over Amber and the chick. "Um, I don't want to seem rude, but could everyone clear out for a bit?" he asked. "I don't want either of them to be too overwhelmed when they wake up."

Teyaka nodded, understanding what he was getting at, then turned to everyone else. "Ragnarok's right. Let's leave them alone for a while," she said, herding her cubs out the door. Dash quickly followed her too. The twins walked over and nuzzled the sleeping draken, then departed too.

* * *

Amber felt a little muzzy, and everything was really dark. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and blinked at the light.

"Amber! You're awake!" a voice quietly exclaimed.

Amber looked up and saw a red face near hers. "Uh... Ragnarok? Hi there," she murmured, smiling maternally.

"How are you doing?" her mate asked.

Amber raised her head up, a blanket falling down her neck a little. "I'm doing okay," she said. "Still pretty tired, and a little hungry." She felt something shift against her belly, and almost disregarded it, until she realized that the movement came from outside of her belly. She used a wing to shift the blanket back, revealing the tiny body of a chick, their chick. Amber smiled, nuzzling her newborn daughter.

Their chick was a little more than two feet long, but she had the same extra-long tail as her mother. She was the same brown as Amber as well, but she didn't have the white underbelly. She had bright red stripes down her back, on her legs, and one across the top of her muzzle, right in front of her eyes. Her wingsails were also the same brilliant red. "She's so beautiful..." Amber said, nuzzling Ragnarok.

"Yeah," he agreed, nuzzling her back. "You did a wonderful job back there, Amber."

"Thank you," she said. "At least she was cooperative, coming out."

"What do you think we should name her?"

Amber smiled. "Shana," she said.

"That's a really pretty name," Ragnarok said with a nod and a grin.

"I've been thinking of it since back when everyone found out I was pregnant," she told him, then looked down as she felt more movement. "Hey, I think she's waking up."

Shana yawned, then opened her big black eyes, looking around at her new parents. Amber moved her head next to Shana's. The chick sniffed at her, then smiled and rubbed her head against Amber's cheek, making a sort of happy cooing noise. "I think she's happy to see you," Ragnarok said with a laugh, sitting down by them.

Shana looked up at him and squeaked, still smiling. Ragnarok lowered his head next to her. She sniffed him too, then nuzzled him and cooed again. Ragnarok smiled and sat back up. Shana watched him, then moved her forelegs. She shuffled them under her, and then hesitantly pushed herself up into the same sitting position as her father. Ragnarok laughed. "Good job, Shana!"

She cocked her head at him, then looked at Amber, who smiled again. "That's you: Shana," she said, pointing at the little chick with her tail.

Shana looked at her mother, then looked back at her own back end, seeming almost surprised that she had a tail of her own. She swished it around, then curled it up and uncurled it. Ragnarok smiled again. "It's incredible, watching someone learning everything for the first time," he said.

Amber smiled and curled in a circle around her daughter, leaving her plenty of room to move around. "Yeah," she said. Shana glanced around at her tail again, and followed it all the way up to where it met her body, noticing her hindlegs for the first time. She wiggled her right leg, then pressed down on it a little, lifting her hindquarters up a bit.

She looked up at Ragnarok, and her smiled down at her. "Go on, honey. You're doing great!" he told her. She looked back down at her legs, then carefully pushed with both of them and slowly stood up, and Ragnarok cheered triumphantly.

Shana stood there, looking at her smiling parents, then cautiously lifted up one foreleg. She set it down in front of her, then lifted up a hindleg, taking a few wobbly, cautious steps. "Very good!" Amber praised, nuzzling her chick and nearly knocking her over. She moved her tail out of the way and said, "Now, can you walk to your daddy?"

Ragnarok grinned, crouching down on his forelegs and wiggling his tail in the air, an altogether playful pose. "Come on Shana!" he said. Shana smiled and toddled over to him, rubbing her head on his leg. "Great job!" he told her, rubbing her back with his tail. She cooed in response and flapped her wings. She didn't know about flying yet, but they were fun to flap. "Well, now that Shana can walk, do you think we should take her out to meet everyone else?"

Amber slowly got to her feet. "Wow, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to get up without having all that tummy in the way," she sound, sounding tired, surprised, and pleased all at once. Shana looked up and walked over to Amber. "Come on, dear," she said. "Let's go meet some of our friends."

Ragnarok pushed the door open for Amber and Shana. He saw that Amber, though a little rested, was still very tired, and wasn't a whole lot sturdier than the newborn draken.

Out in the hallway, they saw a white draken. "Hey there Amber," Dash said quietly. "This is your chick, huh?" he asked, crouching down and putting his hand down next to Shana.

Amber nodded. "Her name is Shana," she told him proudly. Shana sniffed Dash's hand, then smiled and put one of her paws on it.

Dash laughed and shook the tiny paw. "Hello Shana. My name is Dash," he said to her.

Shana walked back to her mother and squeaked up at her. Amber cocked her head, and Shana lost interest, toddling off into another room with an open door. Amber and Ragnarok quickly followed her.

Keera and Terra were lying on the floor, resting, and raised their heads as they heard Shana come in. "Oh, hello there!" Terra said. "You're Amber's chick, aren't you?" Keera asked.

"Yep, she is," Ragnarok said as he followed his daughter in. "Her name is Shana."

"Hi Uncle Ragnarok!" Keera said. "Shana... that's a cute name," Terra remarked. She scooped the little chick with her wing and brought her closer to them. "And you're a cute little chick!" Keera added, tickling Shana's side wit the tip of their tail. Shana squeaked and fell over, squirming for all she was worth.

Amber laughed. "Don't make me come over there and start tickling you two," she said with a grin.

Keera eeped and quit tickling. Shana scooted back to her mom, smiling, and everyone started laughing. "She sure is cute," Terra said. "She's got your crest and tail, and Ragnarok's color for the stripes."

Keera smiled, laying her head near the little chick. Shana padded back over to her, nuzzling her warmly. "It looks like you guys managed to make a good impression on her anyway," Ragnarok remarked with a grin.

Shana sniffed Keera to remember her scent, then curled up on the floor between the twins and her parents. "Hey, don't I get any attention?" Terra asked her.

"I'm not sure she can tell that you're two different drakens yet," Amber told her, then heard the same squeak that Shana had made before she went into Dash's room. Amber looked down, and saw that Shana was chewing on her own tail. Fortunately, her teeth weren't quite sharp enough to pierce her tough hide yet. Amber separated her daughter from her tail. "I guess you're hungry, huh?" she asked, then picked Shana up in her mouth and walked out of the room.

"See you later, girls!" Ragnarok said as he followed Amber out.

"Bye Uncle Ragnarok!" "Bye Amber!" the twins called after them.

Amber carried Shana into the kitchen, where Teyaka was getting her cubs some food. "Hi Amber!" Roc said.

"Oh? Is that your chick?" Emerald asked.

Amber set her little girl on the ground. "Yes, her name is Shana," she said.

The cubs all walked up to them. "Hello Shana," Buck said. "How are you?"

"She's hungry," Ragnarok said with a wink. "Teyaka, do we have something soft that she could eat?"

"Sure, just give me a few seconds to get it," Teyaka replied with a smile, starting to rummage through a few small refrigerated cupboards.

"So she can't talk yet?" Kaya asked. She was rubbing Shana's side with a paw, and the little chick was leaning into her furry paw with a smile on her face.

Amber shook her head. "No, but she should start learning in a few months," she said.

"Ah, here we go!" Teyaka exclaimed. She turned back to them, carrying a little plate of soft, ground-up meat. She set the dish on the ground in from of Shana, who pounced on it with a cute squeak and started wolfing it down.

Emerald laughed. "She's so sweet, Amber!" she said. "I like her cute little stripes."

"She's so small, too," Roc said, moving next to the chick. She was almost a foot smaller than him, just over two feet long to his just-over-three feet.

"Hey Mamma? How long did it take you to learn how to talk?" Kaya suddenly asked.

"Well... I'm not sure I'd count," Teyaka said. "Back when they created me, I was in the pod for a long time. I was an adult when I was born, so I learned to talk on my very first day."

"Oh, okay," Kaya replied.

Shana stepped back from the plate. She had eaten about half of what was there, and her tummy stuck out a little from the size of her first meal. She yawned hugely, then curled up on the floor and closed her eyes.

Amber smiled. "This isn't the best place for a nap," she suggested, and picked up the dozing chick in her mouth again.

Ragnarok followed Amber as she carried the chick back to their room. Shana had woken up again on the way, and when Amber set her down, she circled a spot on the floor, then laid down again, closing her eyes. "It's so neat, finally having her here," Ragnarok said, watching her sleep.

"Yeah," Amber said, and she suddenly sounded even more tired than she had been.

Ragnarok smiled, gently pressing her down to the floor with a wing. "It's all right now, you can get some sleep too," he said. "I'll make sure that nothing happens."

Amber looked up at him, the settled her head on the floor. "Thanks, Ragnarok," she murmured, closing her eyes. She curled in a circle around Shana and slipped deeply into a sea of sleep.

Ragnarok looked proudly over the two of them, and softly pulled the blanket back up over them. "Sleep tight!" he whispered, then walked out and quietly closed the door.

* * *

###

Part Two: Rendezvous

A month passed. Shana grew a little bigger, and hung around her parents a lot, following them most everywhere, unless she was told to wait with someone. She seemed to be starting to recognize some words and names, but she hadn't started talking yet.

Ragnarok was lying in the room that he shared with his mate and daughter when Amber came to talk to him. He had hurt one of his paws catching them all some dinner last night. They had gone to a doctor, who had told them that it was a minor injury, and advised that he stay off the paw for a day or two.

"How are you doing?" Amber asked him softly.

Shana walked over and nuzzled her father, seeming to know that he was injured. Ragnarok smiled and nuzzled his daughter back. "I'm doing all right," he told Amber. "My paw still hurts, but I'm fine other than that."

"Shana seems pretty energetic today, so I was going to take her on a little walk around the city. I was hoping that you'd be able to come...?"

Ragnarok shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I shouldn't," he said. "Don't wait for me, go have some fun!" he urged with a grin. "She doesn't look like she wants to stay still for too long."

Shana was currently climbing on top of her father. Amber smiled and said, "All right... we'll see you later then. Shana! Come on, let's go!"

Shana smiled and hopped off Ragnarok, chasing after her mother. "Bye Amber! Bye Shana!" Ragnarok called.

Amber stepped into the hallway outside their home, and Shana started scampering toward the door to Cory and Calli's home. Amber brought her up short with her tail. "No honey, we're not going that way today," she said. Shana looked at her, and Amber pointed toward the elevator. Shana smiled and scampered over to it. "There you go," Amber said with a smile. She walked over and pressed the button. Shana wandered around her legs, then seemed surprised when the elevator dinged and the door opened. Amber laughed and walked in, and Shana toddled in after her.

They stepped out as it arrived on the bottom floor. "Ready to go, Shana?" Amber asked, leading her chick out the door. On a whim, Amber took a new route, down a street she had never been on before. It was a nice one, too. The buildings were warm colors, there were a few trees here and there, and it wasn't very noisy at all.

They walked down the sidewalk at a pace that was comfortable for the little one, enjoying the sights and sounds and smells- Amber stopped. She had smelled something.... Was it her imagination? It had to be.... She sniffed around... there it was again! It was a familiar scent, one she hadn't smelled for a long time. Putting her nose to the ground, she followed the scent's trail to another apartment building. It was a little smaller and less fancy than the one they lived in, but it still looked pretty nice. "May I help you, Miss?" someone asked as she walked in.

She lifted her head and smiled at him. "No, thank you," she said, and then went back to the trail, Shana dutifully following her. She wound up in front of a door, and nearly walked right in before she remembered that it was someone's home. She scratched at the door, and a voice said, "Come in."

Amber pushed open the door and glanced around. It was a nice looking place, but it seemeda little bare; there was furniture and a few decorations around, but not many. In one side of the room, there was another draken. He had a three-spiked crest like Sabre's, but all three spikes curved down. His skin was a dusky blue, with a stripe of slate blue that started between his eyes, ran over his top crest spike, then continued under his crest, going down his back to the tip of his tail.

Amber blushed. "Oh, sorry, I was just looking for someone... I didn't mean to barge into your home," she said, starting to turn back.

The draken chuckled. "No, come in, come in," he said with a smile, looking over near her.

Amber hesitantly stepped in, her tail twitching nervously. "Um, hello there... I'm Amber," she said.

The other draken sat up. "And I'm Serge," he said.

Amber got the distinct feeling that there was something odd about him, and it took her a second to realize what it was. "Wow, your eyes are white..." she said. "I don't think I've ever seen that before."

Serge chuckled again. "Neither have I," he said earnestly.

Amber cocked her head. "Do you mean that you're the only one?" she asked.

"I mean I don't see anything," he said with a kind smile. "My eyes are white because I'm blind."

Amber gasped. "You can't see at all?" she asked.

Serge shook his head. "Nope." Amber took a few silent steps, and his head didn't follow her. Serge grinned and stood up. "Stand still, all right?" he said, walking toward her where she had been.

"Um, okay," Amber said hesitantly, a little unnerved.

The draken turned his head, registering her new position, and walked up to her. He sniffed at her, walking in a loose circle around her. He smiled again as he came back to her front. "I'd say you're about... oh, a little smaller than most drakens... hmm, brown with a white belly?" Amber stared at him, her mouth hanging open, and the blind draken grinned. "I think... yeah, you've got a rather long tail, too." Amber tried to say something, but she was still too stunned. He sniffed around and moved over to Shana. "She's a cute little chick, too. Less than a year old?"

"Ah... um, y-yes," Amber finally managed to splutter.

"She's very pretty. She's got your color and your crest.... Did she get the stripes from your mate?"

"Um, n-no, just their color. How did you do that, if you can't see?" she asked, managing to gather herself. "Can you... smell colors?"

Serge gave a jovial laugh. "No, my senses are all normal," he said. "I can smell and hear where you two are, but I can't see a thing."

"Well...what...then how did you...?" Amber asked, still rather confused.

Serge laughed again. "Simple. It's my little joke, really. A friend saw you coming into the building, and told me what you look like. You had your nose so intently to the ground that I don't think you saw her."

A green draken walked in from another room. She had one upward-curved spike for her crest, and was smiling knowingly. "Hello, Amber."

"Seren!" Amber exclaimed, running over to the twins' mother, and her old friend, nuzzling her. "I didn't know you were here! How are you? How have you been all this time?"

Seren laughed, and Serge grinned. "I take it you two know each other," he remarked.

"Yes, we're friends from a long time ago," Seren told him, nuzzling Amber. "I'm fine, dear. I've been living here with Serge, helping him.

"Oh, you aren't mates?" Amber asked.

Serge laughed again. "Not exactly, no," he said. "I was born a little while before the Awakening, but I went blind a few years later. I was stumbling around on my own at the edge of the Plains when Seren found me. Her daughters had left for somewhere, and she was pretty lonely, so she took me in. She's taken great care of me ever since then." He reached out with a wing and tapped Seren on the back, then walked over and nuzzled her. "I don't think I'd be able to work too well without her."

"Oh Seren..." Amber said. "We tried to come back, we really did...."

"It's all right Amber, I know," Seren said. "It's one thing I thought might happen."

"So... you're a lot older now, huh?" Amber asked.

Seren nodded. "Two hundred years old or so," she said, "and Serge here is about a hundred and fifty."

Serge chuckled. "Not too bad for a blind old coot, eh?" he remarked with a grin. "Hmm, that must be your chick, Amber."

Amber glanced behind him. The tip of his tail had been swishing around a bit, and Shana had pounced on it. Amber gave a surprised laugh and apologized, separating her daughter from his tail. "So earlier, when you said Shana was cute, was it just what Seren told you?" she asked him.

Serge shook his head. "I wasn't born blind, so I can remember what drakens look like," he told her. "She told me about little Shana, and I can imagine what she looks like. And I think she's very cute."

"So you really can't see anything, huh?" Amber said.

"Nope, only the pictures I paint in my mind," he said. "I can get around a bit on my own, using my hearing and sense of smell to keep from walking into people, but walls and chairs are a bit harder to hear. That's where my 'seeing-eye draken' comes in handy," he said, smiling warmly and motioning in Seren's direction with a wing.

Amber smiled. "I'm glad you two are so happy together," she said. "You do make a great pair."

Seren smiled too. "It's a nice life. Serge is a great draken to live with, and he does need help to get around."

"You can say that again," Serge said with an exaggerated wink of a milky-white eye. "In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure I owe my life to you, Seren. I wouldn't be here today if you hadn't come to my rescue."

"But I sure am glad that I did," she said, nuzzling him. She turned to look at Amber. "So, how are you and your friends doing?" she asked.

"Um, we're doing pretty well," Amber answered. "Ragnarok and I are mates, ad you can guess from Shana. Keera and Terra found a mate too, and are actually pregnant right now!"

Seren smiled brilliantly. "So, after all this time, I finally get to be a grandmother?" she asked.

Amber blinked. "You haven't had any more children?" she asked.

Seren shook her head. "No, only Keera and Terra," she said. "It's very strange, but it may have to do with my being Awakened during my pregnancy.... I think I'd gotten used to the fact that I wouldn't have any more children." She sighed happily. "And now my only daughters have come back, and they're bringing in a new generation as well."

Serge leaned over to Amber and whispered, "She's trying not to sound like it, but she's absolutely ecstatic."

"Well, she does have a really big smile on," Amber whispered back.

"Oh," Serge replied, then chuckled. "I always miss those visual clues."

"Amber, do you think you could take me to visit them?" Seren asked.

"Of course!" Amber said, jumping to her feet. "They're your daughters, and you're their mother! They'll be overjoyed to see you!"

Seren stood up. "Thank you so much, Amber," she said. "When can we go?"

"Now, if you're ready," Amber said, collecting her daughter.

"Hold on a second," Serge said, climbing to his feet. "You two weren't planning to leave me behind, were you?"

Seren grinned. "Of course not," she said, stepping closer to him.

"Good," Serge said, also grinning. He set a wing on Seren's back, and smiled in what he hoped was Amber's direction. "Okay you two, lead on."

* * *

As Amber followed her route back home, she watched Seren and Serge. He followed her perfectly, without any hesitation. Well, after spending a hundred and fifty years with someone, you get to trust them, she thought. "Seren, I'm so sorry we weren't able to come back," she said, "that you had to spend so long alone...." She hung her head a little, feeling a bit guilty.

She felt a wing pat her back, and she looked up into Seren's face. "It's all right, dear," she said.

"I'm not entirely sure what this is all about," Serge said, "but from what I've heard, it wasn't really in your control to fix it, so don't be too hard on yourself about it. And besides, you're back now, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right," Amber said.

"By the way, I think your chick is leaving," he added with a grin.

Amber looked at Shana, who was scampering in another direction, chasing after a small bug. She grabber her by the tail and pulled her back. "Here, why don't you ride with Uncle Serge?" she suggested, then lifted the chick onto the blue draken's back. Serge laughed, but he didn't shake her off. "How did you know she was going somewhere else?"

"Her claws click on the ground a lot faster than ours," he said, "so when I heard the quick footsteps moving away from us, it was easy to tell who it was."

"Wow, you've got really good hearing," Amber said.

"A bit better than average," he said, "but mainly, I just pay more attention to it than most folks." He stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk, then chuckled. "It doesn't always help, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Seren said. "I was so absorbed in the conversation...."

"Nah, it's fine," Serge said. "Probably dinged up my claws a little, but that's about the worst of it. No harm, no foul." Shana had hopped off when he stumbled, and now she had gone back to dutifully following her mother again. "So, about how much further is it?"

"Not too much, I think," Amber replied. "This is the first time I've been this way, which is why this is the first time I've met you guys."

Shana walked over to Serge and nuzzled his leg, smiling up at him. He chuckled again. "Visible or not, she sure is a sweet little chick."

"Here we are!" Amber told them. "This is where we live."

Serge sniffed around. "Hmm, lots of people.... Another apartment place?" he deduced.

Amber nodded. A few seconds later, she realized that he couldn't tell. "Yeah," she said quickly, a reddish tinge appearing on her cheeks.

Serge chuckled. "You nodded, didn't you?" he asked with a grin.

"Um, yeah," Amber said, blushing a little brighter, sheepishly pawing the ground.

He laughed kindly. "Don't worry, everyone makes that mistake sooner or later," he told her. Amber led them into the building and over to the elevator. It dinged, and the door opened. "...Ding?" he asked Seren.

"It's an elevator," she told him as they walked in. "They don't live on the first floor, after all, and this one's pretty tall."

"Oh," he said with a chuckle, and it started going up. "I never quite got used to these things. The floor just shouldn't move." He staggered a bit as the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. He set a wing back on Seren, and let her lead him out.

Amber pushed open the door. "Hey Keera, Terra!" she called. "Could you come out here?"

"Oog..." she heard faintly from another room. "Coming, Amber!" one of the twins called.

They wandered into the room, and Amber saw Seren's eyes light up. "Hello girls," the older draken said.

Terra had started to say something, but stopped in mid-word, and mid-step, staring. "Mom!" the twins exclaimed in unison, running over and nuzzling her; it was all they could to keep from tackling her over.

"Oh, it feels so good to see you two after all this time," Seren said, hugging them with her wings, and Amber could see tears glinting in her eyes.

Keera and Terra smiled too, their eyes also tearing up. "Hi Mom," Terra said. "It's good to see you too," Keera added.

"Here, let me get a good look at you," Seren said, taking a step back and looking them up and down. "It's been so long... I'm glad I could finally see you again," she told them, a tear running down her cheek.

"Me too, Mom," Terra said. Keera gasped as she realized how long it had really been. "Mom... we've been away for... oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, leaning into Seren's shoulder, crying a little.

"Shh, there there," Seren said, nuzzling her and rubbing her head with a wing. "It's all right. I know you tried as hard as you could."

Terra nodded. "We would've kept trying, too, but we had to stop, since we didn't know if it'd be bad for our chick..." she said. "You must've missed us so bad... I'm sorry."

Seren petted her neck with her other wing. "It's okay, honey. I know it wasn't your fault," she said. After a minute, she leaned back and smiled. "So, your chick?"

The twins nodded, smiling again. "Yup!" "We're about seventeen months along!" they said.

Seren laughed happily. "After all these years..." she said, another tear of joy running down her cheek. "I'm so glad to finally have you back." She laughed again. "And you're going to have a chick, no less! My daughters, and a grandchild too!" She hugged them again. "So, do I get to meet the father?"

"Oh, sure!" Terra said as the two of them turned to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "Follow me," she said, as Keera called, "Hey, Dash?" They stepped into the hallway, Seren following them.

Shana, who had managed to sit still through the whole thing, finally decided to wander off, probably to look for her father. "That was nice," Serge said, "hearing her finally reunited with her daughters." He smiled near Amber. "They sure sound alike. Are they twins?"

Amber stared at him. "She never told you about them?" she asked in surprise

Serge shook his head. "It was sort of a painful spot for her," he said. "I think this'll be really good for her. She missed them an awful lot."

He turned his head as he heard someone new walk into the room. "Oh, hi there!" the new someone said. "You're a new draken!" The voice was higher, probably a little girl, and was also relatively close to the ground.

Serge chuckled. "Well hello there," he said, turning to face the voice. "And who are you?"

"I'm Emerald," the girl said, coming closer. "Wow, your eyes are white!"

Serge nodded. "Yes they are," he said. "It means I'm blind, actually."

"Oh," she said. "...I think they're pretty."

Serge chuckled. "Thank you! So, how old are you?" he asked her, making conversation.

"I'm two!" she announced proudly.

"That's great," he said, chuckling again and patting her back. He blinked in surprise as he felt hard plates under his wing. "Oh, you aren't a draken...?"

"Nope!" she answered.

"Would you mind if I felt you, so I could get a better idea of what you look like?" he asked politely.

Emerald giggled. "Okay," she agreed, stepping a little closer to him.

He reached out with a wing, first feeling her back. It had a hard, ridged feel to it, but it turned into sharper spikes as he followed it up to her head. Her face felt like it was shaped like his, but it was covered with soft, smooth fur. She giggled as he went down her neck, feeling her legs and paws. He followed her body to the end of her tail. "Well, you sure aren't a draken," he said with a smile. "I don't think I've ever met anything like you."

Emerald giggled again. "Well, there aren't too many of us," she said. "Just my mom, my sister, my brothers, and me."

The draken blinked. "Oh, your mom must be... um, Teyaka, right?" he asked. "I think I remember Seren reading me a news story about you guys a while back."

"Yeah, I think I remember too. Someone came in and asked us lots of questions, and Mamma read it to all of us a day or two later," Emerald said. It was kinda fun!" Serge chuckled at her enthusiasm, rubbing his head on her furry side. "So is that really Keera and Terra's mamma?" she asked him.

"Yes, she is," he replied.

"That's good. They really missed her," she told him. "Did you know that they're fourteen years old?"

Serge stared at her. "Both of them pregnant, and at fourteen?" he asked in surprise. "That's unusually young, and it's also strange that they're both pregnant at the same time...."

Emerald laughed at him. "It's not like one could be pregnant without the other, silly!" she said with a giggle.

"Um, what do you mean?" Serge asked.

"Well, they're in the same body, aren't they?" she said. "They're... um, con... con-joined twins. Was that right, Amber?"

"That's right, Emerald," Amber said.

Serge blinked. "Oh.... Well, that explains a lot," he said.

* * *

"Hey Dash?" Keera called, as Seren and the twins walked into the hallway.

"Yeah, girls?" Seren heard a voice call back, coming from one of the rooms.

"C'mon!" Keera urged Seren as they hurried to the door. "Hey Dash, we've got someone for you to meet!" Terra said, peeking around it with a grin.

"Oh?" Dash looked up from the book he had been reading. He saw three heads poking around the doorway, and they all looked the same. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Um... did you two get another head?"

All three heads laughed and walked in, and Dash saw that one of the heads had its own body. "Dash, this is our mom, Seren," Keera told him.

Dash smiled and walked over, crouching down by them. "Nice to meet you, Seren!"

Seren stared up at him. "Your mate is the Dash?" she asked her daughters.

"Um, yeah, he's our mate," Keera said. "Is something wrong?" Terra asked.

Seren goggled at them. "He... this draken has stopped dozens of crimes, and saved a lot of lives!" she said.

Dash grinned bashfully. "Aw, I'm no super-hero," he said. "Sometimes I just happen to be nearby when something happens, and I have to help. It's just who I am."

Seren laughed and nuzzled him. "I never expected to ever meet you, and now to find out that you're the father of my granddaughter!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Dash grinned modestly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Seren," he said. He blushed and turned his head away, but they could see him smiling. "All that means a lot to me.

Seren smiled. "I'm glad it does," she said.

Their heads turned as they heard a thump from outside in the hallway. "Oh, sorry!" came the muffled voice of one of Teyaka's cubs.

Someone else chuckled. "It's all right," he said. "It happens often enough when I'm alone." They saw a dark blue head and a fuzzy golden one poke around the doorway. "Is Seren in here?"

"Yes, I'm here," she said. "Is something wrong?"

Serge shook his head. "No, everything's fine. I just felt like coming to sit with you," he told her.

"Oh, okay," she replied. She moved her head over an empty spot on the floor. "There's room over here," she told him, then moved back to where she had been.

Serge walked over and carefully laid down where she had spoken from, and glanced around the room. "And hello to everyone else who happens to be in here," he said with a good-natured grin.

Dash and the twins smiled as well. "Hi, I'm Dash," the white draken said.

Serge blinked. "Dash? The Dash?" he asked.

Dash laughed. "I'm not that important," he protested in good humor. "I'm just a guy that likes to help people who need it."

Serge grinned. "Seren's read me a bunch of news stories about you; saving people, stopping criminals... you're a hero!"

Dash smiled, rubbing his crest and blushing bashfully. "Aw... I... hehe," he muttered.

Keera smiled at the blue draken. "He's not saying it, but that means a lot to him," she whispered.

* * *

Amber smiled as she watched Emerald lead Serge off to Dash's room. She thought about following them, but decided that there was someone else she ought to go check up on first. She walked into the hallway that led to the bedrooms, but went into a different door than the other two. "Hello, Ragnarok," she said with a smile.

Ragnarok looked up. He was laying about where he had been when they left, and she saw that he had been reading a little while ago. Currently, though, he was play-wrestling with Shana, one leg tucked against his chest. "Hey there Amber!" he said. He draped one wing over Shana, covering her and pinning her to the ground, and lay back down. "I figured you guys were back when Shana came and pounced me," he said with a grin, and Amber smiled back. "So what's all the commotion out there? I heard something hit the wall, and a new voice."

Amber's smile brightened. "You'd never guess who I found on my walk," she said. "Seren!"

Ragnarok blinked. "Seren? Here? How...?" he asked.

"After we left with the twins, she got really lonely, and one day she found a poor chick that had gone blind. She's spent the last hundred-and-fifty years living not too far from here, and taking care of Serge, who was the new voice." Amber giggled and added, "And the thump you heard was Emerald leading him into a wall."

Ragnarok laughed. "Poor guy," he said.

Shana managed to wriggle her head out from under her father's wing. She squeaked plaintively up at Amber, who grinned at Ragnarok. "Okay, you can let her up now," she said.

Ragnarok laughed again. "Fine, if I have to..." he said with a grin, lifting his wing and freeing Shana. She leapt onto his back and gnawed playfully at the back of his neck. Ragnarok's hide was too tough for her to do any damage, so he left her there to have her fun. "Well, I think it's great that the twins finally get to see their mom again," he said.

"Yeah, me too," Amber said, lying down next to him. She looked at Shana, who was chewing on one of her father's crest spikes. "I wonder if we'll ever get to meet our parents..." she said pensively.

Ragnarok looked over at her, accidentally swinging Shana from her perch with a thump. "Honestly... I doubt we will," he told her. "I mean, almost everything I can remember from before the Awakening was just me and you. I've only got a few memories of a time without you, and I don't think any of those are of my parents."

Amber nodded. "I think... my memory is like yours," she said sadly.

Ragnarok leaned over and nuzzled her. "Hey, at least we've got each other, and Shana too," he said.

Amber watched as Shana chose that moment to toddle out the door. "Well, we still have each other," she said with a giggle.

Ragnarok laughed too. "So, you feeling hungry?" he asked, awkwardly pushing himself to his feet. "This is easier when I have all my legs," he muttered.

"Ragnarok, you're supposed to stay in bed!" Amber told him.

"Aw, I'm starting to get bored," he replied with a grin, tucking his foreleg up against his chest again. "Not to mention hungry."

Amber smiled. "Nothing keeps you down," she said. "All right, let's get some food."

* * *

"So where do you guys live?" Dash asked.

"Another apartment building, not too far from here," Serge replied. "I don't know exactly how far, but it doesn't take too long to walk here."

The twins smiled. "So we'll be able to visit each other a lot," Terra said. "Neat!" Keera added.

Seren smiled. "I think we're going to be spending a lot of time at each other's homes," she said.

Keera glanced at her belly. "Could we make it our home for now?" she asked.

Seren laughed. "Sure," she said, smiling. She walked over and nuzzled her daughters. "Oh, it's so good to see you again...."

The twins nuzzled her back. "It's great to see you too, Mom," Terra told her, smiling warmly.

Serge smiled. "I'm glad you guys could finally meet back up again," he said.

Keera smiled and nuzzled him too. "It was nice meeting you too, Serge," she said. "Yeah, you're a neat draken to know," Terra chimed in.

Serge smiled wider. "Well thanks!" he said jovially, reaching out, and patting their back with a wing.

Seren glanced out the window, then stared at it. "Wow, it got late really quick," she said, standing up. "Sorry, but we'd better get going."

Serge got to his feet, placing his wing on Seren's back again. "Well, it was real fun, everyone," he said with a grin.

Dash and the twins got up too. "Yeah, it was," Dash said.

"Here, the front door is this way," Keera said, walking out of the room.

Seren and Serge followed them out into the main room. Seren opened the door, and turned back to the twins. "Goodbye, girls," she said with a smile.

"We'll see you later!" Serge said, and they walked out, sliding the door shut behind them.

Dash smiled at the twins as they looked up at him, and then started back to their room. "Well, that sure brightened the day, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, it-oof!" the twins exclaimed as they stumbled to the side a little, a hard kick from their chick in the middle of a step throwing them off balance. They looked up at Dash, and all three of them burst out laughing.

"Hey guys, what's so funny?" they head Ragnarok ask. They looked over and saw him limping out of his room.

"Uncle Ragnarok!" "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" the twins chided.

"See, I told you," Amber said to her mate with a wink. She noticed a little brown form sneaking up on them. "Hello Shana. Trying to pounce your daddy again?" Her surprise spoiled, Shana squeaked and walked over, sitting at Amber's paws.

Ragnarok grinned. That squeak was the one that meant she was hungry. He leaned down and nuzzled her. "Oh, you want some food too?" he asked.

Shana smiled up at him and squeaked again. "Well, it looks like we'll be going that way anyway," Amber remarked. She looked to the twins. "Care to lead the way?"

"Sure!" the twins said in unison, with matching smiles. They turned around, a little less nimbly than they used to, and walked to the kitchen. There was still some of Ragnarok's last catch left, and they pulled it out for Ragnarok and his daughter.

Ragnarok smiled at them. "Thanks, girls," he said, then turned to his meal. He tore of a couple small chunks of meat and set them in front of Shana. She smiled and dug in, taking little bites out of them. Ragnarok started in on his own meal, and the two drakens were soon satisfied.

Ragnarok tried to put the meal back in the fridge, but Dash stopped him. "Here, I'll get it," the white draken said.

"Thanks, Dash," Ragnarok said, standing up clumsily. "Well, I'm full, so I'll be hobbling back to my room again," he said with a wink at Amber.

"That's good," Terra said, "it'll be better for your leg." "Are you sure you don't want us to heal it for you?" Keera asked him.

Ragnarok shook his head. "No. I think all this instant healing stuff might be spoiling us a little," he said.

Keera considered this. "Yeah, I guess you might be right," she said. "Have a nice lay-down in your room then!" Terra said, smiling at him.

Ragnarok grinned. "You guys have a nice day too!" he replied, limping off, Amber and Shana following him.

Dash waved as they left, then sat down next to the twins. "So, how're you doing, girls?" he asked.

They looked up at him. "We're doing all right," Keera said as they lay down next to him. "Feeling very pregnant," Keera remarked.

"Gee, I wonder why," Dash said with a laugh, rubbing her neck. "So, do you like it?" he asked.

"Being pregnant?" Keera asked. Dash nodded, and she said, "It's pretty neat. Hard to get comfortable some times, and out chick can sure feel heavy after a while, but it's also so wonderful. We're carrying a new draken, creating a new life." She smiled, contemplating the effects of pregnancy.

Dash laughed again. "Well, she's sure enjoying herself," he said to Teera.

Terra laughed too. "Yeah, and I am too," she told him. "I've heard that other species have a harder time with all this, though." "Makes me glad to be a draken," Terra said with a smile.

"Yeah," Dash said with a laugh. "Well, our chick's sure coming soon, huh?"

"Yeah, just one more month," Terra said. Keera looked up at him. "Honestly... I'm getting a little nervous about it..." she told her mate, laying her head in his lap.

"What's the matter?" Dash asked, slowly stroking the side of her neck.

"...Amber got through her birth okay, but...." She closed her eyes. "I heard Pike say that we came out funny when we were born. What if that happens to our chick, and she... doesn't make it?" She paused, and continued in a small voice, "Or, what if something goes wrong, and... we're the ones who... who...." She looked up at Dash, tears in her eyes, then buried her head in his shirt.

"Oh Keera," Dash said, hugging her around the neck and rubbing her side of their back. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you guys, all right?"

Keera looked back up at him. "You can...?" she asked.

Dash nodded. "Sure! I'm the Dash, remember?" he replied with a grin.

Keera smiled a little. "Right," she said, and then the smile faltered. "But... can you really help if... if...?"

"I'm one of the best healers in the world, second only to you guys," he said, scritching her under the chin, "but if you're that worried, we could go to a hospital or something when the time comes."

Keera looked around. "Actually... I think I'd prefer to be here, with all my friends," she said, then her head jerked up and she looked at Terra, blushing a little. "Um, if that's all right with you," she said, embarrassed to have forgotten her sister. "I think I'd like to stay here too," Terra said, nuzzling her sister. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." "Yeah, you guys are right," Keera said, looking a little more reassured. "After all, considering that we've already gotten all the weirdness out of the way, our chick should be fairly normal, right?"

* * *

###

Part Three: Fairly Normal

Dash landed softly inside the big window that led to his home, and moved out of the way for the twins. They flapped hard and landed, but their hindpaws slipped on the edge, and they scrabbled for a hold. Dash lunged forward and grabbed Keera's foreleg, pulling them back in before they fell out. "You two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Terra said, nuzzling him. "Nice save." "I never quite got used to flying for three," Keera said, grinning sheepishly.

"Eating for three is a different story, eh?" Dash joked. "Here, you guys get your act back together, and I'll be in our room." He smiled at them, and walked out.

It was a little more than a month after the twins had found Seren again. It had been a fun month for them; between playing with Shana and the cubs, visiting Serge and Seren, eating enough to satiate the two of them and their chick, and having their tummy patted by just about everyone in New Halipont, they'd had a pretty full schedule.

"Hey guys! Welcome back!" one of Teyaka's girl cubs said, running over.

Keera checked her collar, then smiled and said, "Hello Kaya!" "How are you doing?" Terra asked her as they lay down.

"I'm doing good," Kaya said. "I just finished lunch, and came in here to wait for you guys."

Terra laughed, and Keera said, "Aw, that was nice of you." She patted the cub's cheek with her wing.

Kaya smiled and walked in a circle around the twins. "Your tummy sure is getting big!" she said.

"Yup, we're going to-" "-have our chick soon!" they replied together.

"And then we'll all have another new friend to play with!" the cub cheered.

"What, all the friends you have now aren't enough?" Terra asked with mock outrage.

"I didn't say that," Kaya replied, giggling. "It's always a lot of fun to meet new friends!"

Terra laughed and patted the cub's back. "It sure is," she said.

Kaya tapped the twins' tummy with a forepaw, making them giggle. "So do you guys know all about your chick, like Amber did?" she asked, starting to rub their tummy.

Keera cooed, laying her head down and closing her eyes in contentment, leaving Terra to answer the cub's questions. "No, we wanted to wait until our chick is born to see what she's like," she replied.

Kaya smiled and put one of her big ears to their belly. "Well, I can tell you that she's... gurgley?" She puzzled over her find, then laughed as she figured it out. "You guys are hungry again, aren't you?" she asked with a grin.

Terra giggled and nodded. "Well, we've got to keep three drakens well-fed, so we're hungry a lot," she told Kaya.

Kaya smiled, still listening to their tummy. "Hey, I think I can hear her," she said, smiling even wider. She felt something press against her, and giggled. "She thumped me!" she told the twins.

Terra smiled. "Yup, she did!" Keera giggled. "I felt it too," she said, lifting her head back up.

"Oh! She kicked again!" Kaya exclaimed, sitting back up.

Keera set a paw on her belly. "She's not usually this active," she remarked.

Kaya's ears perked up. "Oh, I heard mamma call for me," she said, standing back up. "I'll see you later!" She smiled at them and scampered off.

"C'mon, let's go to out room," Terra suggested to her sister. "Okay," Keera agreed. She shifted their weight, getting her paws under her, and they pushed themselves up. "Oof, that keeps getting harder every time," she remarked as they padded off to their room.

* * *

Dash folded his shirt up and set it in the dresser. He started to reach for another, but stopped as he noticed the twins walk into the room. "Hi girls," he said with a smile, sitting down on the edge of the bed and patting the spot beside him.

"Hi Dash!" the twins replied as they slid the door shut with their tail. They walked over to him, and Dash helped them up onto the bed. "How are you doing?" Keera asked, snuggling up next to him.

Dash laid an arm over their necks. "I'm fine, how about you two?" he asked. "No adverse effects from the near death experience?"

Terra laughed. "We're doing all right," she said. "A little tired, and a little hungry, but all right in general."

"That's great," he said, hugging them both. The twins could see that he had more to say, so they nuzzled him and stayed quiet. "A little while ago... I was thinking about how far we've come," he told them, then laughed quietly. "Remember when we first met?"

The twins nodded, smiling. "We had gotten caught in that weird windstorm," "and blown over to your forest." "My leg had gotten hurt in the trip, and I had been exhausted when we finally limped into that forest to find somewhere safe to rest." "Keera had been about to pass out, but then Amber heard someone in the bushes," "and a white draken with a finned tail came out." They smiled up at him. "We were surprised that we found a draken, back then," "but we were even more astounded when he talked!" All three of them laughed.

"Yeah," Dash said, rubbing Keera's neck with his tail. "I couldn't even begin to suspect that any of this would happen way back then. I just thought you guys were drakens from another village." He chuckled. "Back then, you guys made me look positively normal."

Keera nuzzled his arm. "You were special then, and you're even more special now," she said, smiling up at her mate.

"Aw, thanks," Dash said with a warm laugh, and then continued with their narrative. "What had really struck me about you guys, though, was that you were hurt."

"The first thing you did wasn't to just sit there and stare, like some people might have done," Terra said. "No, you grabbed a vine and made a little sling for my leg," Keera added.

Dash smiled. "Yeah. Once you guys got a little better, you and your friends left, and I decided to come with you to the castle, where I...."

"That awful human..." Terra said. Keera looked up at Dash, a little worried about how he might be feeling about it all.

Dash shook his head. "I honestly can't remember anything after that guy said that he'd start with me," he said.

Keera nuzzled him. "That was the first time you saved our life," she said.

Dash hugged them again. "Then we left my village, and went back in time to the human village that was being attacked by the Dark One."

"Those poor humans," Terra said. "I'm glad we were able to help them," Keera said.

Dash nodded. "But on our way to fight the Dark One, the transformation tried to finish... to change my mind...." He held his arms, shivering.

Keera wrapped her wing around his shoulders. "Dash?" she asked.

Dash closed his eyes. "...You guys don't know... how close I came to losing that fight," he said, looking away. "I... I still have nightmares about that day... about losing myself, and hurting you guys...."

The twins pulled Dash over, hugging him tight with their wings. "Oh Dash..." Keera said. "We know that could never happen...." "You're such a good guy, you'd never let yourself!" Terra added with a light smile.

Dash looked up at them and smiled. "Thank you, guys," he said, returning the hug. "I've been through a lot of rough times, and no matter what, you two stuck with me. I can't thank you enough for that. He sat back and rubbed the middle of their belly, where they both could feel it. "Like our last adventure in the past, when my village got... got turned into animals." He stopped talking for a moment, almost as if he couldn't talk, then shook his head and continued. "I was... pretty messed up after that..." he said. "If it wasn't for you two, I... I probably couldn't have shaken out of it," he said in a quiet voice.

"Well, you had just lost almost everyone you had, and so suddenly," Terra said. "There was no way we could abandon you then, even if you hadn't been our mate," Keera told him.

Dash laughed and hugged them tighter. "I love you two so much..." he said happily, a small tear going down his cheek.

Keera reached up and put her wing to his cheek, then rested her head against his chest. "We love you too, Dash," she said. Terra laid her head in his lap, and he grinned and rubbed the back of her neck. "Mmm, that feels nice," she murmured.

"I don't think I'd be here without you guys," he said, patting their side. "And I don't think I'd ever be able to repay all that I owe you."

"Oh Dash," Keera said, pawing his leg, "you should know by now that you don't have to repay anything to us." "We owe you a lot too," Terra told him. "If we had never met you, we'd probably be dead now." "And without you, we wouldn't be having your chick," Keera said warmly, nuzzling him.

Dash smiled and rubbed their tummy again. "Yeah, but it might've been Sabre or someone..." he said, but the twins could tell that he didn't really mean it. He hugged them around their middle, then curled them up and lifted them up in his arms.

The twins giggled. "What are you doing, silly?" Keera asked him. Dash grinned, pushing the door open and running into the main room. The window opened, and Terra's eyes widened. "Whoa, wait, whooaaa!!" she exclaimed as Dash jumped out the window, still carrying them. They plummeted straight down, and Keera pressed closer to Dash, seeing the ground rush up at them and not having anything she could do about it.

Dash's wings snapped open and he rolled back sharply, and they were suddenly shooting up into the sky. Their momentum slowed, and Dash started flapping his wings, slowing to a stop a few hundred feet above the city streets. Dash smiled as the pregnant drakens in his arms looked up at him. "Go on, look down!" he said. "I've got you, don't worry."

The twins carefully peered over his arms at the landscape below them. "Wowww...." they breathed. They had been up this high before, but it took a lot of concentration for the two of them to fly together, and they had never been able to just admire the scenery.

Dash smiled. "Just like you guys were there for me, I'll always be here for you. In all honesty, I'd do just about anything for you." He took a long diving swoop, bringing them over the parks, the setting sun painting the lake beautiful colors. "It's not to fulfill some superficial debt, it's because you're my mates, and my best friends." He lifted them up and nuzzled them.

"Wow Dash..." "I didn't know you were so romantic!" the twins said, smiling brightly and nuzzling him back.

"You guys can relax and enjoy the sights," he said, flying a little higher. "You deserve a break, and I figured I should make it an exciting one!"

"You're so thoughtful," Keera said, leaning into his chest. She smiled up at him, then rested her head on his arm, gazing out over the sights she rarely got to enjoy.

Dash took them on a long tour of New Halipont's sky, a journey full of swoops, spirals, dives, and climbs. Eventually, he finally flew back to their home and carried them back to their room, laying the twins down on the bed. He sat down next to them, breathing hard from all the exertion.

Keera and Terra nuzzled him. "That was wonderful," Terra said. "Thank you so much," her sister added with a brilliant smile.

"You're welcome, girls," Dash panted, smiling back. He placed a hand on their belly. "So... how's our chick doing?"

Terra smiled up at him. "I think she's getting ready," she said, then giggled as she felt her chick kick again. "She's got excellent timing, huh?" Keera remarked with a grin. "Yeah, she always seems to kick when someone comes to feel our tummy," her sister replied, also grinning. "She's been really active lately, so I think it's getting close."

"Well, we'll be ready for it, right?" Dash said.

"Right!" the twins replied in unison.

Dash laughed and stood up. "So, you guys feeling hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah!" the twins said. They hopped off the bed, but stumbled after a few steps. "Agh!" they exclaimed together.

Dash rushed over to them. "Girls! What's wrong?" he asked, then blinked. "Is it...?"

They nodded. "Yeah," "I think this is it."

Dash picked them up again, smiling reassuringly. "This is the third birthing I've helped with," he said, carrying them out of the room. "I guess I must be getting good at it."

Amber noticed them as they came out. "Oh, hello guys-" she said, but broke off as she noticed something was up. Shana squeaked insistently, looking up at the twins, worry on her young face. Amber stood up and walked over. "What? Are you...?"

Keera and Terra nodded again. "Yeah - ngh - we're in labor," Keera said wincing.

Amber glanced around. Got to do something to help, she thought. Um...twins...birth... Seren! Amber spun around and dove out the window.

* * *

Seren walked into the main room of her home, where Serge was sitting, listening to some music on a radio. The blue draken glanced up as he heard her enter the room. "Hello Seren," he said with a smile.

Seren laughed. "You're not easy to sneak up on," she said, then looked out the big window that was for drakens to fly in and out of. They didn't use it very often, since Serge couldn't fly. "Hmm? Hey, that's Amber... and it looks like she's in a hurry." She walked over and hit the button that opened the window a split second before Amber came streaking into the room, tumbling head over tail on her landing. "Amber! Are you all right?"

Amber figured out which end was her head and looked up at Seren, gasping for air. "No time... twins... labor... now...!"

Seren started. "What? They're in labor?" she exclaimed. Amber nodded, and Seren ran over to Serge. "Come on," she said as Serge got to his feet.

Serge shook his head. "You go on," he said. "I'll only slow you down, and you need to get there quick!"

"But-"

"Go, go!" he urged. "I know the way by heart, I'll get there fine. I'm not going to let you miss something like this on my account!"

Seren nodded. "...Thank you, Serge," she said, and dove out the window, flying for Dash's home.

Serge heard the window shut, but he still heard someone panting. "You should go too, Amber. I'll get there all right."

Amber shook her head, clambering to her feet. Fortunately, she hadn't broken anything in her tumble. "No... I'll lead you... got to... catch my breath... anyway...."

Serge nodded, setting a wing on her back. "Thanks, Amber," he said.

"Let's go," Amber said, starting for the door.

* * *

Seren flew in through the window. "Keera? Terra?" she called.

"Ngh... Mom?" "We're in here!" she heard.

A red draken ran out of the bathroom. "Seren! Over this way!" he said, stepping out of her way.

Seren hurried into the room, the others stepping out as she ran up to the tub her daughters were in. The twins smiled up at her. "I'm glad you could - ngh - make it, Mom," Keera said.

"I'm glad I could come too," Seren told her. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

Dash looked up from the twins. "Thanks for coming," he told her. "I know they feel a lot better." He smiled at her, then looked back down. "You're doing great girls, keep it up!"

The twins nodded, bearing down and pushing hard. "I've done this before," Seren said quietly. "It's not easy, but you'll get through it."

The twins kept it up, and a minute later, Dash said, "I can see the muzzle... it's a girl!" He smiled and rubbed their necks. "C'mon girls, you're almost there." He leaned over to help them guide their chick out, and as the rest of the head emerged, he blinked in amazement. The stress has got to be getting to me, it must be, he decided, shaking his head. He pulled their chick out and bit the umbilical cord, wrapping the newborn in a towel.

"She's... she's out?" Terra gasped.

"Yes, you did wonderfully," Dash said, laying the towel-swathed chick on their chest and picking them up.

"Good..." Keera said, leaning into his chest.

Dash carried them into their room, closing the door and setting them on the bed again. He unwrapped their chick and toweled the twins off.

Exhausted as they were, the twins still jumped when they saw their newborn daughter. "She...?" "Dash, I think I'm seeing things...?"

The chick softly lying next to them was a perfect match for her parents: they had never seen anything like her. Her skin was the same snowy white as her father's, but that wasn't the strange bit. From the top of her head, all the way down to her belly behind the wingsails, she was covered in beautiful feathers. They were a bright green, like her mothers' skin, near the bases, but the feathers around her head, her leg, her wings, and her back all had a warm purple tint near the ends. Where her crest would be, there were five extra-big feathers instead.

"I've... never seen anything like her," Dash said. He reached out, stroking the back of her neck. "She's so beautiful...." He smiled over at the twins.

"Yes, she is," Keera said with a maternal smile, nuzzling the little chick. "What will we call her?" Terra asked.

Dash fingered the feathers on the back of her head. "Talma," he said.

The newborn chick slowly opened her eyes for the first time, looking around at them. She carefully lifted up her head, glancing around the room.

Keera and Terra both smiled, leaning down to nuzzle her. "Good morning, Talma," Keera said with a smile. "It's nice to finally see you," Terra told her daughter.

Talma sniffed at them, then smiled, her crest feathers rising up. She made a happy cooing noise that sounded a little like Shana's.

Dash laughed and patted Talma's feathery back. "You sure are unique," he said. She craned her neck back to follow his hand, then sniffed at it and cooed again. "So now you'll recognize your mamma and papa, huh?" he asked her with a smile.

Talma nuzzled his arm, then closed her eyes and yawned wide. "Looks like it's time for you to go to sleep," Terra said, and then both of the twins yawned as well. "Mmm, time for us to get some sleep too," Keera murmured, her eyelids drooping, their exhaustion finally catching back up with them. The twins curled around Talma, and all three of them were soon fast asleep.

Dash smiled, patting his mates' flank. "Good night, girls," he said quietly, pulling a blanket up over them and shutting the blinds.

* * *

Keera slept, breathing peacefully, until she felt something stir against her belly. "Mmgh, Terra, stop poking me," she mumbled. "I'm not," she heard her sister murmur back. Keera wriggled a bit, then slowly opened her eyes. She and her sister were curled up in Dash's bed, the blankets pulled up to their heads. "Hey Terra," she said quietly. "Yeah, I'm awake," Terra replied, lifting her head up a little. They felt something stir against their belly again, and they blinked at each other. Terra used her wing to push the blanket back, and saw.... "Talma," Keera said, smiling warmly.

Talma was yawning, lifting her head up. Apparently, she was just waking up too. As the blanket uncovered her, her eyes slowly blinked open. Her mothers smiled down on her, and she smiled up. "Good morning, honey," Keera said, patting Talma's feathery back with her wing.

Talma cooed at her and stretched her wings out on the bed, giving the twins a better chance to examine them. Their leading edge was feathered, like a bird's wing that didn't have any of the long feathers. They also noticed that her wings only had one rib each, not three.

They heard the door quietly open and close, and looked up to see that Dash had come in, followed by Seren and Skye. "Hello girls,"Skye said with a grin. "I came as soon as I heard the news."

"Good morning, everyone!" the twins chorused. Talma looked up and squeaked happily, seeing her daddy come back.

Seren blinked at her, walking up. "I guess I wasn't imagining the feathers," she remarked.

"Strange, huh?" Terra said. "It sure wasn't what I expected."

Seren nuzzled Talma warmly. Talma sniffed her, then glanced back at her moms, apparently connecting their scents, and nuzzled Seren with a happy coo. "I've heard about this before," Skye said, leaning down to give the little girl a closer look. "Your chick is a 'raptor draken.' They're really rare; I think there's only two or three more in the whole world!"

Keera and Terra blinked. "Wow, she's so special," Keera said happily.

"Well, it's not surprising, considering who her parents are," Seren said with a bright smile. "I have to go tell Serge about this. Good job, dears," she said. She nuzzled her daughters warmly, then walked out the door.

Skye nodded. "Good work, both of you," she said, smiling brightly. "I'll give you all some more time together now." She nodded, then padded out too.

Talma watched them go, then looked up at the twins. She carefully tested her forelegs, then slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. Dash smiled at her. "Good job, Talma!" he said, gently scritching her under the jaw. She smiled, leaning into his hand. "Do you think you could stand up?"

Talma cocked her head at him. "Like this, honey," Terra said. The twins uncurled themselves and shakily stoop up on the bed. They hopped down to the floor, stumbling a little when they landed. "Ugh... still pretty tired..." Keera remarked.

Talma watched them as they got up, then looked back at her hind legs. She pushed down with them, shakily pushing her hindquarters up. She followed her mothers off the bed, but misjudged the distance and tumbled off, landing flat on her back. Dash and the twins rushed over to her. "Yikes, are you okay?" her father asked, genuinely worried. Talma blinked up at him, then smiled and started giggling. Dash and the twins laughed in relief, and Talma rolled over and got back on her feet. "You're a pretty tough little girl," Dash said, patting her on the back.

"Do you think we should take her out to meet everyone" Terra asked. "Yeah, like Amber did with Shana," Keera said.

"Hmm, it depends," Dash said. "Do you feel up to it, Talma?" he asked, crouching down. She toddled over and nuzzled his leg, cooing happily. "I guess that's a yes. Come on, Talma!" He stood up, opening the door, and they all walked out.

"Hey, let's go here first," Terra said, walking over to a door. "I think there's someone here you ought to meet first."

She pushed open the door, and three drakens looked up at them. "Oh, Keera! Terra!" Amber exclaimed, climbing to her feet. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you.... I went to go get Seren, but I was really tired, and Ihad to lead Serge back, and... I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

The twins walked over and nuzzled her warmly, hugging her with their wings. "It's all right, Amber," Terra told her. "Thank you so much for bringing our mom," Keera said. "That means a lot to us." "And at least you can be the first of our friends to see out new chick!" Terra added.

Amber smiled and looked at their chick, who had just padded into the room, then blinked, staring. "Oh wow... she's so pretty...."

Ragnarok walked over to her. "She's got feathers?" he asked. "That's really neat!"

Dash nodded. "Yeah, Seren said she's a 'raptor draken,' and they're really rare," he replied.

Shana walked over to the three new drakens. She and Talma sniffed at each other, then each smiled and nuzzled the other chick. Ragnarok laughed. "So what's her name?" he asked.

"Dash named her," Terra told him. "She's Talma!" Keera announced.

"That's a nice name," Amber said with a smile.

Shana suddenly pounced on Talma, and they rolled across the floor wrestling. The adults might have been worried, but both chicks were laughing the whole time. Ragnarok grinned and separated the two with his tail. "You're going to be good friend with Talma, huh?" he asked his daughter.

Shana smiled up at him. "Tuh!" she replied.

Ragnarok blinked. "Hey, did you just...?" he asked, then broke into a grin. "You're trying to say Talma's name, aren't you? Keep going, girl!"

She looked up at him. "Tuh... taw?" she said. Ragnarok and Amber smiled and nodded, and she continued. "Taw, mmmm. Mmmmuh! Taw-muh!"

"Good job, Shana!" Keera, Terra, and Amber all cheered in unison.

"Tawma!" Shana said, nuzzling her new feathered friend. Talma squeaked happily and nuzzled her back.

Dash smiled. "Now that's too cute," he said.

"Yeah, it looks like they're going to be great friends," Amber said.

"Funny that our daughter's first word is your newborn's name," Ragnarok remarked with a grin.

"Tawma!" Shana chirped.

Ragnarok laughed. "Yup, she's Talma!" he said, patting her on the back with his tail.

Keera and Terra both smiled. "Well, it's great that Shana's already learning to talk!" Keera said earnestly. "We've got to go introduce Talma to everyone else," Terra told them.

"All right," Amber said. "Have fun!"

"We will!" the twins replied in unison, turning to walk out the door. Terra stumbled once, but they recovered quickly and kept going.

Dash saw their misstep. He collected his daughter and headed after his mates. "Are you two sure you're okay?"

"We're fine," "we just suddenly realized how tired we are," they said.

Dash put a hand on their back. "Shouldn't you guys go lay down?" he suggested. "You look exhausted."

"Whether we're about to pass out or not," "we're still here for Talma," they told him. Talma hopped out of Dash's arms and walked over to them, nuzzling Terra's leg. "Aww, thanks honey," Terra said, crouching down and nuzzling the little chick back. "So, where do you want to go next?" Keera asked her.

Talma cocked her head at them, and Keera scooted her forward with a wing. Talma got the idea and toddled off into another room.

The twins walked ahead of her, into Teyaka's room. Teyaka wasn't in, but her cubs were playing a little board game, and they all looked up as the twins walked in. "Keera, Terra! Hiya!" Kaya said, jumping up and walking over to them.

"Mamma said you guys finally had your chick!" Roc said with a smile.

The twins nodded. "Yes, we did," Terra said, smiling.

Talma walked into the room, looking around. Kaya blinked in surprise. "Oh wow... she's so pretty!" she breathed. She rubbed Talma's back with a paw, and Talma cooed and leaned against the cub. "Are they real?"

Dash nodded. "As real as your fur," he said with a grin.

Talma leaned over and nuzzled Kaya's neck, and Kaya giggled. "I think she likes me!" she said, nuzzling the little chick back.

"She's so small..." Buck said, smiling in wonder.

"Kinda neat to have someone smaller than you, huh?" Dash remarked, ruffling the cub's ears.

"I think she's the prettiest draken I've ever seen!" Emerald said, and the twins laughed.

"Yeah, her feathers are really pretty," Keera said, looking over at Talma. "But they're not all that make her so special," Terra added.

Talma nuzzled Kaya again, and then walked back over to her moms again.. She looked plaintively up at them and squeaked. Dash picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "Something wrong, girl?" he asked her. She looked up at him, then looked over his body. Here eyes were caught by the shiny blue-and-gold thing hanging from his neck. She batted a paw at it, then rubbed the gemstone. Dash grinned. "You like my pendant, huh? He asked her. He slipped it off and looped it around her neck, setting her on the ground. "It was a gift from my father." She looked at the pretty gem hanging around her neck, then smiled up at her daddy. She took a few steps, the pendant swinging as she walked, then sat down in front of Keera and Terra.

The twins both grinned at her. Keera looked like she was holding back giggles, and Terra said, "You look very pretty in it, honey." Talma smiled, then started scratching near the chain, ruffling up some of her feathers there.

"Here, let me get that for you," Dash said. He reached down and carefully unlooped the chain from around her neck and slipped it back around his own. She smiled, then bent around to preen her feathers back into place.

"She's such a cutie!" Kaya said with a laugh.

The twins grinned, and then looked back as their tummy practically roared. "Oog..." "really hungry..." they remarked, suddenly looking a bit weak at the knees.

"Well, I get the feeling that we've got two tummies to fill," Dash said with a smile. "Come on, Talma." As he turned and left, Talma looked up from her feathers and saw her parents strolling away. She nuzzled Kaya one last time, then scurried off after them.

Dash stepped into the kitchen. "Teyaka, Serge! Hi guys!" he said. The blue draken and yellow experiment were sitting there and chatting, and they looked up as Dash, the twins, and Talma walked in.

"Hi Dash!" Teyaka replied, then noticed Talma. "Oh wow, is that her?"

The twins nodded. "Yeah," "her name is Talma," they said.

"Those feathers look so amazing..." Teyaka said with a smile, cocking her head as she looked the chick over.

"I bet they do," Serge said with a chuckle.

Dash grinned and scooted her over onto the blind draken's paws. "Why don't you feel for yourself?" he suggested with a laugh. "C'mon girls, let's get you something to eat," he said, leading the twins toward the fridge.

Serge looked down at where he could feel the chick sitting, and he guessed that she was looking up at him. "Well, hello there," he said with a smile. The bundle of draken on his paws squeaked up at him. He carefully reached his neck down and softly nuzzled her, luxuriating in the soft feel of her feathers. "You must look so beautiful," he said, his voice holding a rare hint of sadness for his lost sight. He nuzzled her again, then nudged her over toward Dash and the twins. "Why don't you go over to your parents and get something to eat?" he suggested to her. She squeaked again, then nuzzled him, and he heard her padding off.

Meanwhile, Dash had been rummaging through the refrigerator. "Here, I've been saving this for you, girls," he said, pulling out a great big fish and setting it down in front of them.

The twins' mouths started watering at the sight. "For us?" "Wow, really?" they asked.

Dash nodded, smiling at their reactions. "I know you guys like fish, and I wanted to celebrate the birth of our daughter," he said, nudging it a little closer to them.

The twins nuzzled him warmly. "Thanks so much, Dash!" They both said, then started devouring their special meal.

Dash grinned as he watched them. They had been hungry before the birthing, and they were voracious now! It was a rare type of fish, and the people he had gotten it from had said that it would taste really good. Apparently, they had been right. Dash could only think of one person who could get the twins to share, and here she came right now.

Keera heard someone come up next to them and turned to them impatiently, but then her look softened. "Oh, hello Talma! Are you hungry too?" Talma looked up and squeaked at her. Keera bit off a chunk of the fish, knocked the scales off it, and set it in front of Talma. "There, try that, honey," she said, smiling warmly.

Talma sniffed at it, then took a small bite. She squeaked happily and dug into her bit of the fish. Dash laughed and said, "It looks like she got her moms' taste for fish."

Terra looked up at him, her cheeks puffed out from a mouthful of fish. She took a big gulp, swallowing it all, then smiled at him. "Yup, looks like she did!" she said cheerily, then turned back to her meal.

They heard Teyaka sniffing around from her side of the room. "That smells pretty tasty," she remarked.

Keera leveled glared at her. "Getcherown," she growled around a mouthful of fish.

Teyaka laughed. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of trying to take your meal from you," she told them.

"Good," Keera replied, eliciting a few chuckles..

A little while later, most of the fish was tucked away in the twins' very full belly, the rest having been eaten by Talma. "Ooh, so full," Terra murmured happily, lying on their back.

Dash patted their belly. It felt both full and empty, and he smiled at the chick that had been in there for so long. "Well, looks like that meal was a booming success," he said with a grin at the twins.

"Yeah, it was," Keera said as she and her sister rolled to their feet. "Let's go back to our room," she suggested with a yawn, and Dash nodded.

Talma had fallen into a kind of cozy torpor with her tummy so full, and was lying on the floor with her eyes closed. Dash picked her up, carefully cradling her in his arms as he followed the twins to the room they would all share. The twins climbed up onto the bed and Dash sat next to them, laying Talma between her three parents. "Today sure was quite a day, huh?" he remarked.

"Yeah, Keera agreed, nuzzling her feathery daughter. "And it started out just like any other," Terra added with a quite laugh.

Talma yawned and curled up next to the twins. "She's so beautiful," Dash said, lightly petting her side. Talma cooed, but he could tell that she was already drifting off.

"Yeah," both twins breathed, curling around their daughter, yawning as well.

Dash smiled, patting their flank. "You guys did great today," he told them.

"Thanks, Dash," Keera said, nuzzling him. The twins laid their heads on the bed. "Sleep would be good now," Terra mumbled, drifting off as well.

"I bet it would," Dash remarked. "You guys sure have earned it."

Keera yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open. "I wonder what kinds of adventures she's going to have..." she said.

Dash laughed quietly, looking over their sleeping chick, and said, "I don't think we're going to have to wait too long to find out."

* * *

THE END