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OH
MY
DRAGONS!
I am having the BEST life that I could ever, EVER have! It’s sooo amazing and things could truly NOT get any better!
Well, it would have been pretty cool to see Scarlet die at her talons after EVERYTHING BAD SHE DID TO HER, but Peril just shrugged off the thought and was happy with her finally being out of sight and out of mind. And that was very easily done by her very dumb and cowardly and wet-puddle-esque but also the most wonderful dragon she ever met:
Turtle.
She didn’t even know where to begin with the dopey SeaWing. She could start at the very beginning when she met him and then flew halfway across the continent in a journey that would end up spawning a huge, tyrannical NightWing that almost took over Pyrrhia, but that story was well-overdone anyway, if the multitude of elegies and fictional stories she heard Turtle read had told her anything. So let’s go back to where this truly began, which was about a few weeks once everything went back to normal.
Peril was finally a part of the Jade Winglet, which was amazing already! She wasn’t just a random firescale dragoness that people avoided in the hallways. Now, they had to avoid her in the classrooms, too! It was weird when you had to learn with dragonets around half your age, but considering the only education she had was from Osprey (bless his heart and curse her corpse), some more knowledge was much overdue. Even if she would very much rather settle a debate with a clash of claws, she had to give her opposition some sort of advantage now.
Turtle was sooo helpful through it all! He always went and shared his notes with me, helped me out on my presentations, and even sat with me during lunch, which really wasn’t the best because the smell of fish still hadn’t fully left my nostrils to this day, but it’s a really nice gesture! I guess the rest of the Jade Winglet were there, too, but of course, they stayed at a distance and watched safely WINTER I’M LOOKING AT YOU!
Oh yeah, there was this one night where Turtle brought her in to talk about her firescales and all, but she didn't really remember much about what happened other than the really warm and fuzzy feeling afterward. It wasn’t the usual burning aura she had, but another softer sensation that developed from the depths of her heart. And it was directed at the one dragon who didn’t care that she was Queen Scarlet’s murder death machine, but instead cared that she was another dragon just like everyone else.
And that was definitely the night she started falling for Turtle.
Peril didn’t specifically know how it happened, but every day since then, she started sitting a little bit closer to him, speaking much more often with him, and even twining her tail around his. The emotion just kept bubbling up inside her and she didn’t know what to do about it, but she really liked what was happening so she kept on doing it. A couple weeks and then months passed by, and her affection for the SeaWing only improved drastically by then.
But did he mind at all? Did he even notice? Now that she thought back to it, she didn’t really know. He just kept doing that face that might have looked like he knew what she was up to but definitely seemed like she should have wiped it clean off his face. Still, she found herself getting ever closer and closer until one fateful day, when she could still remember the summer sun beaming on their scales as they sat next to each other, staring off into the valleys from atop Jade Mountain…
“So, are we a thing now?”
It was such an out-of-the-left-field question from Turtle that it baffled Peril’s mind. She stared at him in bewilderment, but he wasn’t surprised at all. He just kept looking onward to the swaying trees, the twittering birds, and the bright future ahead of them both.
He seemed to sense her uncertainty because he turned to her with a soft yet nervous expression. “Sorry if that wasn’t the correct thing to say–”
“No, no!” Peril interrupted, her mouth blabbering on before she could think of a cohesive answer. “I mean, we have been spending so much time together and it only seems like the right thing for two dragons like us to do but well, it’s not something that we have to rush into orsomethingthatweneedtoworryabout…”
Steadily throughout her spiel, she could feel her face get hotter and her heart rate beat faster. Turtle smiled and set a comforting talon on top of hers. “I think that means you agree, right?”
“Well, words are hard!” Peril huffed, not entirely rejecting his touch. “How would you describe this? Actually, w-why are you even bringing this up in the first place?!”
Turtle breathed in deep, turning to face her with the light shining perfectly across his royal scales. “Because… I can’t deny that I’ve been falling for you all this time.”
Hearing it first-hand had Peril blush hard enough to pierce through her copper scales. “Wh-What? Why?!” She was comfortable with this one-sided relationship, but him? “Why would you like me of all dragons? I’m so weird and dangerous and… w-whatever ‘volatile’ means and–”
“None of those things,” Turtle reassured. He pulled her attention so that she could stare directly into his eyes. “You are none of those things, trust me.”
“H-Huh?” Peril couldn’t believe her ears, but her talons were too busy being caressed by him to clear them out.
“You are so, so much more.” His tone got heartfelt, like it touched the innermost part of her soul. “You are a dragoness of commitment, of will, and of utmost determination. You are like the blazing inferno that enraptures the hearts of everyone around you with your charisma and free spirit. But even the deadliest of fires leave behind lush soil for new plant life to cultivate, and I guess… that’s what you did for me.”
Before she could even process what was going on right now, he continued. “I was thinking that my years at the academy were just going to be dull and boring, and to be fair, I was looking for that. But when you came along and swept me away on a grand adventure, I was scared down to my bones, and yet I kept forging on. And now that I think about it, this newfound passion and drive to protect those closest to me definitely came from you.”
Normally, Peril would have snorted at the remark about him being cowardly as always, but her face was stuck in silent shock. Turtle brought up a talon to gently rub her cheek. “You reignited this spark inside of me, Peril. You did. And it’s not because of your firescales or because of some cheesy pick-up line or whatever. It’s because you are you, Peril. And that is plenty enough for me. Because I… I…
“Because I love you.”
A silence filled the area once he uttered that last sentence, like reality had to pause and make way for this world-shattering breakthrough. Turtle looked away, a blush settling across his face. “So… yeah. That just happened. S-Sorry if it feels like a lot at once, I’ve been holding it in for a long while now.”
No reply followed because Peril was paralyzed. What did she think of it? What did she think of him? Why was it so hard for her to answer?!
“Umm, Peril?” Turtle noticed her hesitation and looked back uneasily. “You don’t seem to be breathing.”
Gathering her thoughts was like trying to tame a raging tornado inside her mind, all the words and emotions flying around without any way of catching them. But as Peril did some deep soulsearching to find out what the right thing to say was, her ever-prominent mentality of ‘do-it-now-regret-later’ blared in her head and caused her to do something she hadn’t done before.
She cried. The tears evaporated the moment they touched her scales, but she cried nonetheless.
“Wh-Wh-What am I SUPPOSED to say after that?!” Peril yelled, moreso to herself than the dragon across from her.
The dragon across from her thought differently. “U-Umm…” Turtle shrunk away from her fury.
“I mean, who DOES that?!” Peril rambled on, starting her own heartfelt spiel that was very much her style. “You can’t just CONFESS to me like this out of NOWHERE! Telling me I’m GOOD ENOUGH and I’M THE ONLY ONE YOU NEED is STUPID! YOU’RE STUPID! How am I supposed to even COMPETE with what poetry you just said?! All I got is just a jumbled mess of feelings and… I don’t know, other things!”
Peril started breathing heavily, and her eyes started darting every which way. “Like what?! I’m just expected to spill my heart out and come up with some FANCY VERBS or whatever to explain how I’ve been feeling so MUSHY GUSHY with you and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you?! Well sure, I don’t know. How about I say that you’re AMAZING and COOL and THE FIRST DRAGON TO NOTICE ME FOR BEING ME and that I am REALLY HAPPY that you do this!”
She was basically screaming into his face, and even if the invincibility spell kept his whole body safe, he wasn’t sure if his eardrums were protected the same way. “SO THERE! I feel things for you! You make each and every day WORTHY to wake up to! You are SPECIAL to me, alright?! Is THAT what you want me to say?! Is that… what I need to say…”
Peril got lightheaded from how much shouting she did, her gaze starting to falter and her head starting to swivel. Before she could fall over, she felt a supporting claw hold her up and face the SeaWing who didn’t look scared or frightened or like he would run away from her with his tail tucked between his legs.
No, he looked… grateful.
“R-Really?” Turtle asked wholeheartedly. “You’re not just saying that?”
“Of course I’m not faking it,” Peril mumbled, her energy sapped from her entire body after her heated debacle. “I’m not as fancy as you to make up words to impress dragons.”
“And that’s another thing I really love about you–” Turtle inched closer so that he was only a talon’s width away from her– “so, if you really do like me, then… you could say just that. Nothing more, and that’ll be enough.”
Peril smiled, watching his caring gaze help her all the way through. “Well, I think there’s something else that I can do.”
And with that, she latched her claws onto his face and roped the two of them into a passionate and sweet kiss.
Turtle jumped at first, but quickly melted into her embrace. The smooch was electrifying, energizing her back to full and with a new hunger that propelled her forward. Her tongue shot into his mouth and wrestled with his, and the two of them shared a fervent dance that neither of them were willing to let go. They closed their eyes and leaned further into their kiss, happy to just be in the moment and relinquish this time with only the two of them.
Peril also had a myriad of realizations zap through her mind all at once. Sitting closer to him? Talking to him more often? Twining her tail with his? How was she so dense to not have seen this before?! All the obscurities and uncertainties washed away with each tangle her tongue made with his, and the moment they separated, staring lovingly into each other’s eyes, a faint string of saliva still bridging their heartfelt unity, she came to the only conclusion she needed to tell him…
“I love you, too.”
Wow, it’s still so riveting reliving that experience again! She just couldn’t believe it! There was a dragon out there who really, truly loved her too, and it just so happened to be the exact dragon she really, truly loved as well! What were the odds?! Maybe this was life trying to repay what terrible dragonethood she had, and she would gladly accept this gift in stride.
From there, it was another whir of memories. Going out on dates, watching the stars together, and even sleeping cuddled up next to each other passed by her countenance, all fuzzy and warm feelings that tickled at her heart. A mix of green and orange scattered across her vision, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was just him and her. SeaWing and SkyWing. Turtle and–
“Peril? Pyrrhia to Peril?”
She shook out of her thoughts, forgetting that she was flashing back to fond moments and that she already had fond moments in front of her.
Two fond moments, actually. She was talking about her own baby dragonets.
She’s not going to take another trip down memory lane and revisit the night when they were conceived, but she does very explicitly remember how flabbergasted she was when she woke up one day and noticed two eggs marbled with her exact colors. She hashed out Turtle, thinking that he used some animus magic to make it happen, but he insisted that he didn’t do anything. Upon hearing that, she shrugged and deemed it a miracle from the heavens above, and seeing them hatch that fateful day with him was magical.
The first egg fractured, and out popped with ferocity a dragonet that clearly was a SeaWing-SkyWing hybrid. Her long neck poked out from the eggshell, her scrabbly claws scratching at the tough prison in an attempt to break free. She must have underestimated her strength because she soon exploded out from the egg and rolled over and over, revealing a marvelous sight.
She was glittering with a beautiful copper body with streaks of green arcing down her flanks like speed marks. The underneath of her wings shone in the soft light, reflecting swirls and spiral patterns only found on SeaWing royalty. When she got up on shaky legs, her body craned upward and looked really big for a dragonet. But she was healthy, and that made Peril grin uncontrollably.
And that was when another crack whipped their attention toward the other egg that only had a small crack in comparison. This dragonet was taking his time to crawl out, and with an uncertain claw, he pulled away each fragment of his shell like the next page of a book to reveal hidden within a green hybrid with spots of orange dappling his claws. It was only when the weight of the egg toppled over itself and broke that the dragonet rolled over to where his twin sister was, bumping into her.
His body was much more streamlined and stocky, more suitable for swimming than aerial aerobics. Small fins lined his spine and a set of gills were clearly on the side of his neck. He still had a longer tail, but his talons were webbed and they were currently fiddling with a bit of the eggshell still stuck between the membrane. He slumped onto the ground, too tired from breaking free to do much else.
Peril giggled and fawned at the sight in front of her. “Aww! Here, let me help you with that–”
“Peril, no!”
But before Turtle could stop her, Peril used her talons to pick the shell out from his grasp, and not long after, the object burst into flames in front of her. Her mate was quick to shield the fire from the dragonets, and even if they both saw the impromptu fireshow, none of them were particularly scared. If anything, they chirped and warbled at the excitement, crowding around the SkyWing ever closer, close enough to–
“No, sorry…” Peril pulled herself away to her dragonets’ dismay. “It was something small, I-I didn’t think…”
She was beating herself up for letting her own dragonets get so close to danger like that. Turtle understood that and ran a comforting claw across her scales. “It’s okay, Peril. They don’t seem to be hurt, but… I think it’s safer if I handle all the carrying and all that.”
“Y-Yeah, yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Peril said, not bearing to look into those four pleading eyes. “But I am really proud that they’re here with us now…”
“Yes, I am, too,” Turtle whispered, holding her close and keeping the dragonets away with his broad tail. “So, what do you want to name them?”
“Hmm…” That seemed to take her mind off of her predicament as she cycled through her choices. “How about Virga and Petrel?”
“Petrel?” Turtle smirked, nudging her playfully. “You just mashed our two names together to get our son’s name?”
“Hey, if you asked me to come up with names, these are my names!” Peril huffed and looked away, but that didn’t stop the smile creeping up her face. “And by the way–”
“Yeah yeah, it’s the name of a seabird,” Turtle told her as he reined in his giggles. “Yes, these are wonderful names. And don’t worry, we’ll figure something out soon, okay?”
The chirps and warbles of two excited dragonets filled her ears. She looked back at him with a hopeful grin. “Okay… and thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
They shared one more hug as they watched on fondly as Virga and Petrel tussled with each other on the floor, giggling and rolling around that spread a cozy vibe that made Peril’s heart light up. Finally, she wasn’t a dragoness who took other being’s lives. This was the very first time that she cultivated life, and she was going to cherish them, love them, and take care of them for as long as she lived.
And all of this would have to happen without her even being able to touch her dragonets… which was fine, totally fine.
The days passed by as Peril watched Turtle work his magic from a safe distance. It must have been all the years he spent as the runt of his thirty-some brother litter, and he handled the two of them with such grace. He fed them, bathed them, and patched up their boo-boos when they roughhoused too hard, which seemed to happen to Petrel a lot more than his sister. It was especially funny seeing him struggle to corral the two of them for nap time, and it wasn’t like she could do anything other than watch on.
As the days turned into weeks and eventually into months, Peril had gotten used to seeing but not touching. It wasn’t like physical contact was something she regularly exercised before their dragonets (even if Turtle made sure there was plenty of that in their relationship), but now that she had two bundles of joy scampering around… it put something in her heart. It was a forbidden desire, a sad realization, that she couldn’t share that sensation with her own kids.
She couldn’t help but stare longingly whenever Turtle picked them up and tickled their adorable stomachs, hearing their excited laughter and squirming in his clutches. They must have felt so warm, so squishy, so alive, and no matter how ordinary her mate made holding their dragonets, she knew that she couldn’t share that same joy. Even if he made it up to her by hugging her close every night, a deep part of her knew that this was one happiness she could never obtain.
And no matter how good she thought she hid her inner turmoil, Turtle noticed it and was resolute to help his partner out no matter what.
Fast forward to today – which was actually today because Peril couldn’t stop recalling memories for quite some time – and they were all out in an open field not too far from their home. She couldn’t do much on her flat rock other than watch as Virga and Petrel rolled around the lush grass and trample over some dandelions, so forgive her for letting her mind wander a bit.
She at least remembered that today was a special day: that it marked her dragonets’ very first hatching day.
The kids didn’t seem to care, too busy with topping the other to care about how many times the sun soared over their heads. Peril was wondering what made Turtle suggest that they spend their day out here in the fields when they really could have spent the time visiting his family or hunting for a really big animal to eat for dinner tonight. And as she was going to turn to him and ask that, she noticed that he wasn’t at all nearby.
Surely it wasn’t that long that she was trapped in her mindscape, but another quick look at the scenery proved that Turtle wasn’t anywhere nearby. It was only when she looked up into the sky that she saw his silhouette coming from the direction of their cave. He was far away and flying toward them, and yet she noticed that one of his claws was clutched closer to his body than the rest of them.
Weird… Peril thought to herself. I wonder what he’s got there…
Turtle made his grand entrance by touching down on the grass, not noticing a rock right where he put his claw, and tumbling in the dirt right up to Virga and Petrel’s feet. The two dragonets jumped upon the thud in the area, but quickly changed their expressions to excitement as they scrambled up to their father.
“Dad, dad!” The two of them cheered, nuzzling his scales affectionately.
“Hey, you two,” Turtle greeted, getting up and patting them on their heads. “Were you fighting again? Who was winning?”
“Me!” Virga pumped her chest out with pride. “I was winning!”
“No, I was!” Petrel shoved her side, nearly toppling the bigger dragonet. “I was on top in the end!”
“But only at the end!” Virga challenged her brother. “All the time before that I was on top!”
“Okay, okay,” Turtle interrupted, putting his claws between the two. “Let’s not get into a fight, not on this special day, which is…”
“OUR HATCHING DAY!” Virga and Petrel answered together, finally remembering why today was so important.
“So what do you do on a hatching day?” The curious Petrel asked. “Will it be fun?”
“Will there be food?” The rambunctious Virga asked. “Are we going to get presents?”
Their enthusiasm was met with Turtle’s calm gaze. “There are going to be a lot of things to do today, and it looks like you’ve already gotten ahead of yourselves on that fun part.” He gestured to the siblings’ dirty scales, which they chuckled at nervously. “But I do have one very special present to give to the both of you.”
“Oh, really?” The two of them perked up. “What is it? Tell us!”
“Well actually…” Turtle’s voice tapered off, switching his tone to one of mystery. “It’s not my gift. It’s actually your mother’s.”
The two of them gasped. “Mom?” Virga and Petrel swiveled around, trained to stay at least five feet away from her burning firescales at all times, but their eyes still stared wide at her in expectation. “What is it?”
Peril wasn’t ready to be a part of this conversation. “Saywhatnow?” She didn’t think that she had to give a present to them two. Her gift would be catching them the biggest meal and eating it all tonight! And WHY did Turtle have to put her on the spot like this?! He knows he didn’t tell her anything and he knows she–
“No no, stop spiraling,” Turtle tutted, now walking over to his stressing mate. Their dragonets sat down on the grass and listened on. “You don’t need to give them anything. You just need to take… this.”
Now that he was so close, Peril could see that that one clutched-up claw was holding something. He brought it out for her and the kids to see as he opened his talons and revealed to her–
“GASP!” Peril’s breath was taken away the moment she laid her eyes on it. “It’s… it’s–”
“Yep,” Turtle nodded, holding the object in between his talons to better show it to everyone. “It’s that same ring from all those years back.”
Peril couldn’t believe her eyes. On the outside, it was just an unassuming trinket that’s only prominent feature were the sea creatures swimming along its round surface, but just looking at the ring brought her back down memory lane one last time to the first day she saw it. And only her and him knew of its importance and what it did, but she thought she left that thing long ago!
“W-Wow…” Peril was still stunned. “After all these years, you kept it all along?”
Turtle shrugged. “Well, I remember every animus enchantment I ever made, and it would be wrong to just leave it behind.”
Even if she knew what it was capable of, she didn’t dare touch it, in fear that she would burn through this gift, too. “And you’re sure the magic is still on there?” she whispered quietly enough for the dragonets to not hear.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “The enchantment never goes away once it’s on something. That’s how you can keep touching me for so long.”
That was meant to lighten up the mood, but Peril only felt weighed down by this huge revelation… and what it would mean to their family. But she also remembered what experience she had with animus magic in the past, and that made her shudder.
“It’s your choice in the end,” Turtle cooed, nuzzling under the crook of her neck affectionately. “If you don’t want a magic shortcut, that’s fine by me. And no matter how much time you’ll need to make this decision, I will always be here waiting for you.”
Peril leaned into his embrace, resting her head on top of his. She had forgotten all about the ring as a commitment to herself that she’d change the world’s viewpoint of herself on her own with no magical help. It may have taken a lot longer than it could have, but she was proud of her efforts and how dragons were much more friendly and outgoing with the firescales demoness.
But now, the stakes were different. Now, it wasn’t her against the world. No, it was her and her two dragonets, the shining lights of her bright future and the epitome of her happiness in Pyrrhia realized. She was forever grateful for whatever miracle allowed her to birth these two wonderful kids… and she really did want to hold them, even if it was just once.
She felt more tears well up inside her, singeing immediately upon touching her scales, but the rising mist didn’t cloud her final verdict on this decision. She had two adorable babies and a dorky mate that she would thank her lucky stars until the end of her life for. They were entirely worth it, and she wanted to show them just how much they mean to her.
And all it took would be the one unassuming ring she picked out of Turtle’s claws…
..
.
“I’m ready.”
Turtle smiled comfortingly at that. “And you always have been. Now, get ready to truly meet your daughter and son.”
Getting impatient, Virga stepped a foot closer to the whispering adults. “Hey! Where’s our gift? Are you hiding it?”
“In a minute, mommy has to get ready,” Turtle told her, resting a claw on the SkyWing and giving her a gentle pat on the back.
Peril still stared at the ring, her mind racing with all the possibilities that would open up once she accepted this gift as her own. She knew how heavy this decision was, but her brain was absolute. And so, with a deep breath, she slipped the band around her talon. She watched as the ring shrunk to fit snugly around her digit, fade into the color of her copper scales, and take the heat of her scales away. She shivered as a cold breeze blew by, but it couldn’t quell the burning joy arising from within.
Still, she was too shocked at everything that was happening to move. To give a little bit of encouragement, Turtle whispered, “Trust me. It works. Now, show them.”
He nudged her slightly toward the field, and Peril looked warily at the grass in front of her. She did trust her mate, but the moment was still nerveracking. Gulping, she picked one of her claws off the rocks and set them down onto the greenery. What should have happened was the foliage burnt to ashes the moment she touched them, but no inferno blazed forth. Nothing happened other than a perfectly touchable SkyWing touching the perfectly normal grass below her.
Her dragonets stared wide-eyed, surprised at what just happened. “Mom, your fire!” Petrel gasped. “It’s… gone?”
A shaky smile found its way across her face as Peril looked up at her kids with teary eyes, the water droplets now able to streak down her face and sprinkle the dandelions below her. “Y-Yes, I am safe. Finally–”
“Well, why didn’t you do this earlier?!”
Unconcerned for her own safety, Virga pushed Petrel aside and sprinted to her mother, opening her claws wide and hugging her leg so tight Peril feared she’d snap it off. She was more worried that she would burn her daughter alive, but the only warmth that surged forth was her own dragonet nuzzling into her body for the first time in the year they’ve known each other.
“Ooh, you feel so good, mom!” Virga murmured as she cuddled closer to her perfectly harmless body.
And that only made more tears spill forth.
“Yes, baby!” Peril choked on her words, but she didn’t care. Her own dragonet was touching her! HER! The firescales! “Yes, we can finally be together!”
She called out in laughter as she wrapped her arms around Virga and hugged her like a stuffed animal. Too long had it been that she indulged in her love for their kids, and it all would come out in a desperate, passionate, and probably ugly form of utter devotion and love to the babies they brought to this world.
Petrel still gawked from his respectable distance. “R-Really?” His face lit up. “We can touch mom now?”
“Mmph!” Virga answered, too squished inside her mother’s bear hug to answer cohesively.
“Oh YES I can!” Peril cheered. “I can touch you, sweetie! And I can touch you too, honey!”
She walked over with a stride toward her son, and while he was probably right to shrink away from the hulking SkyWing, he couldn’t escape before she wrapped an arm around him, too. Peril nuzzled into both of her kids’ heads, planting them with many kisses that she could FINALLY now give them.
“Ooh, you two feel so good!” The kids were useless against their own mother’s relentless attacks of affection. “Oh, I love you two and I really, REALLY don’t want to let you go!”
She hugged them and swung them around, letting her tears fly every which way. She didn’t care who saw her prance around in that field and be all joyous like a young dragonet because she was having the time of her life with her own two young dragonets, and she wasn’t going to let anyone else take that away from her. Not anymore.
“B-But how?” Petrel questioned, his curiosity still a powerful force to be reckoned with. “I know dad is an animus, but–”
“Ooh! I could just hug the two of you ALL DAY!” Peril beamed at the two of them with a smile that would put the crescent moon to shame with its radiance. “Your father enchanted this ring and gave it to me as such a beautiful present before but I didn’t take it for some odd reason because I wanted to find my own way through life and now I’m thinking that was a stupid decision because I’M HUGGING YOU NOW AND IT MEANS EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD TO ME!”
Peril rambled on as she laughed like a maniac, swinging her two kids left and right and up and down which she now could do because she could touch them! “C-Careful,” Turtle called from the sidelines. “You might hurt them–”
“YOU GET IN HERE, TOO!”
Before he could react, Peril slung an arm around Turtle and crushed him as well in her hug. Being a SkyWing meant she had the wingspan to trap all three of her family members, and feeling each of their warm and smooth and very much not dead bodies pressed up against hers was a sensation she couldn’t get enough of. She just kept laughing, crying, and letting all the emotions pent-up from a year’s worth of loneliness pour out in one big mess of a dragon.
But she didn’t care! SHE COULD HUG HER KIDS NOW!!!
Unfortunately, the dragonets weren’t strong enough to wriggle out of her grip, and Turtle was never the one to be confrontational, so they allowed their bodies to be thrown around by the ecstatic SkyWing for what felt like hours. It was really only a couple minutes, but when you’re trapped like a helpless animal, time moves much slower than you’d think.
Finally settled from her delirium, Peril realized that the very much not dead bodies were actually very much alive dragons she was holding captive. “Oh, sorry!” she apologized as she let go of the three of them simultaneously.
Virga gasped theatrically. “Wow, I thought I’d never get out of there!”
Petrel shivered and shuddered. “Mother loves us a lot stronger than I thought…”
Turtle smiled at her fondly. “Yep, that’s the dragon I fell in love with~”
“Well, YOU try not touching your kids for a whole year!” Peril threw back, no malice found in her voice. “And you REALLY should have reminded me about this earlier! Why didn’t you?!”
“Oh, now it’s my fault.” Turtle rolled his eyes as a chuckle escaped his lips. “Alright, I’ll remind you when I can help you change the world for the better– oh wait, I already did that.”
Peril snorted at the unamused stare he threw back. “You know I’m joking! It’s just… wow!” She took a deep breath and was about to grab her kids again, but now only let herself rub their heads ferociously. “Like, WOW! That’s them! That’s me touching them!”
“Yes, mother, I get that,” Virga hissed, the spot where she was petting starting to hurt.
“But could we do this later? My body hurts,” Petrel asked, trying to appeal to his mom but also speaking his mind.
A loud grumble rang around the area. Peril stopped her ministrations to pat her stomach. “Ahh yeah, I guess I’m getting hungry, too.”
“What time is it?” Turtle looked up at the sky to notice the afternoon sun had started setting. “Wow, we’ve been out here for quite a while.”
“Don’t worry, you two!” Peril sprang to her feet excitedly. “MY present for you two is the BIGGEST animal you can think of, and then I’ll catch it and then we’ll eat it for dinner!”
“YAY!” The two dragonets chirped up at the idea of food.
“Can you get another bear for us?” Virga asked. “You know their chunky meat is my favorite!”
“Is there room for a seal?” Petrel requested. “I like their blubbery fat.”
“Yeah, and it’s all going south,” Virga teased, poking Petrel in the belly.
“But you’re the one who keeps stealing my portions!” Petrel taunted back. “If anything, you’re the fatter one–”
“I’ll get BOTH!” Peril affirmed. “Actually, I could get TWO of BOTH! I’m just so, SO happy right now, I could catch the whole world and give it to you!”
“Well, not that much.” Turtle brought her back down to Pyrrhia. “Or else the food will go bad.”
“So, shall we get started?!” Peril asked as she spread her wings and got ready to fly, but then she was struck with another plan. “Hey, how about you two get on my back?”
“Really?” They both lit up in unison before scrambling over toward their mother. “Me first! Me first!”
Turtle laughed aloud as he saw their dragonets attempt to crawl on top of his mate while throwing the other one off. He picked each of them up one by one and set them down straddling Peril’s back, making sure they wouldn’t fall off.
The SkyWing didn’t have any issue holding the two babies barely heavier than a paperweight, but it was the emotional value of the moment that would weigh inside her heart forever. “Alright, everyone! Are you ready?!”
“Aye aye, captain!” The two dragonets giggled.
“Then you’d better hold on tight!” Peril bunched up her legs before shooting straight off the ground, soaring high into the sky with one gleeful bounce.
Virga and Petrel had to hold on to their dear lives, but they very much enjoyed the rollercoaster their mother presented them. They did loop-de-loops, corkscrews, and every manner of aerial flight that she could think of, and they were having a wild time and a fun ride!
Turtle had to heave his wings to catch up with them. “Alright Peril, try not to throw them off so early.”
“Aww, but it’s sooo much fun!” Virga threw her arms into the air, letting the high-speed breeze run past her scales.
“But really scary!” Petrel screamed, instead clutching his mother’s back with a sharp grip. “This is way faster than I would normally go!”
“Okay fine, I’ll slow down,” Peril conceded as she settled to a flight next to her loving mate.
Turtle fawned at her with a caring gaze. “I hope you like their hatching day present.”
“What are you talking about?” Peril asked rhetorically. “Of COURSE I love it! Just like I love YOU, my most amazing partner in the world!”
“That would imply that you have multiple–”
“Oh shut, you!” Peril cackled out loud as she slugged him in the shoulder. “But seriously, I really am grateful that you gave me this gift. And now, I can share it with you, my kids, and whoever else wants to be killed with just a regular death hug.”
Turtle snorted. “And I love that just like I love you, too. Only, make sure you don’t try killing my friends again.”
“Again, Winter was an ACCIDENT! How many times do I need to say that?!”
They both laughed wholeheartedly, flying off into the sunset with her two kids still saddled on her back. The whole world could have been against her at that moment, but she wouldn’t care. Peril would take the entire universe if it was going to war with her the next day, and that was because she finally found the missing piece inside her soul, the final part that made her feel complete after all her years with a broken dragonethood.
She had her kids, her mate, and a great future so bright it’d blind you if you stared at it for too long…
And that was exactly what Peril was going to do with Turtle and their two kids Virga and Petrel.
Thank you for requesting this fantastic pairing, Gliese667Cc! If you want to read more amazing fics, go check out their account and the rest of the Box of Honeydrops 2026 collection here!