How to Parent Blindly

Will left after helping me carry the dragons back to the cave. Today could have gone better. At least I know a few new things about Spirit Speakers, and that Valorous has got my back when it comes to parenting. I put all of the hatchlings into the nest, but Cortelco just slunk back into my phanny pack. I heard a slight purring coming from him, but I needed to prepare dinner, and I didn't want to drown him when I caught fish. I picked him up once again, and put him in the nest. He hissed at the others making them shrink back. I turned and growled at him. He might be scary sometimes, but I am scary all of the time, and I will not allow chaos in my clutches. I was still staring down at him, giving him a lecture of sorts, when I heard the flapping of massive wings. I broke my gaze and came outside the cave to see Reticent holding a picnic basket in his mouth. I could tell it was full of raw fish by the smell of it. "Thank you Little One." I said to him grabbing the basket. I petted his head and he flew off. I opened the basket and found a small note that was covered in slime from the catfish inside. It read,

"I haven't seen you in awhile hon. My Blade Runners are doing perfectly. Like the professional I named them uno, dos, tres, and quatro. I thought it was best that I let Mabel have the English numbers. I figured you would name all of your dragons like always, but I heard you only named one. These fish are too time consuming to prepare for my hatchlings. So they are either for your hatchlings or your grown dragons, you choose. Love the greatest dragon lady there ever was."

I rolled my eyes several times While reading Mrs.Horn's letter. She was obviously trying to be nosy, and find out what my dragons were, and it sounds like Mabel didn't give her many clues. I wrote her a very informative and impersonal letter about my clutch and recent activities. I handed the paper to Wisp. "Can you deliver this to Mrs.Horn?" I asked the small dragon. She nodded and took the note into her mouth. she flew out of the cave only appearing as a black smear in the sky. She was then followed by Nymph, who would follow her sister everywhere.

ONE WEEK LATER...

After only over a week I decided the hatchlings could hold their own outside of the nest, as far as keeping warm anyways. Un, Deux, and Trois clung to my body as I walked down the cliffside path. Cortelco had immediately claimed my phanny pack as his own, and wouldn't allow any other hatchling to come into it. The other dragons told me that they had been ready to leave far before leaving the nursery; they just didn't want to leave so soon. They had it easy down there, but they didn't know how amazing outside was or how fun hunting was. So I knew that these guys were ready. I wouldn't coddle these guys. They were in fact going to be truly wild dragons some day (at least Un, Deux, and Trois), they needed to learn things, but I thought it best that my dragons teach Un, Deux,and Trois; While I spent time with Cortelco. Blithesome was teaching a boisterous Deux to hunt fish, although all he could manage to get at this point was tadpoles in the shallows, and to my Surprise Valorous could teach him to sniff out soil and stone that was rich in copper. Coruscant was teaching Un self restraint, as he was attracted to her shiny colorful scales. Each time he would go for them Coruscant would blow an icy breath to him and stop him in his tracks. Though Vainglorious only really hunted birds, he did his best teaching Un how to hunt mice. Trois however was naturally nocturnal, so her lessons were more difficult to schedule, but once he gets the hang of flying and hunting at the same time, he will be set, I can teach them the things the dragons can't or won't." Right now though everything is great. I took Cortelco to a bog that was deep in my property, most of the dragons avoided this place, because it was of no use to them, but swamps and bogs are comfortable for Spirit Speakers. Despite allowing them to go outside, I still couldn't converse with them yet, but that didn't stop me from trying.

"Okay little one stay still." I said, as I took out a pencil and paper. Since I couldn't take an actual picture of him for a log, I just had to draw him. He growled back at me not wanting to listen, but I growled back in a more dominant deep sound, which made him comply. "Little one you are quite ornery aren't you?" I jokingly asked. He gave me a dragonic grin and purred. "Ahh so that is what you are going for. I have a feeling you will be quite the smart alec when you start talking." I said while drawing. I finished drawing his general frame but could tell that he couldn't bare to stay still anymore. I closed the sketchbook. "Okay Cortelco that is enough posing for today." I said. He immediately scampered off. He constantly wanted me to test out his skills with camouflage, but I could always find him because of my heightened smell. When I find him quickly he always throws a tiny dragon fit. Today's fit went too far though.

I don't know when he decided to hide, but I knew where he was. I decided it was time to leave the bog, so I casually walked to him to put him in the phanny pack. Though he didn't take his being found well. In one split moment I heard a hiss, then I could see nothing.

I dropped to my knees and frantically rubbed my eyes, trying to make them work. "What did you do?!" I yelled at Cortelco. I heard a whimper come from where the small dragon was. I could feel his guilt and confusion, but it still wasn't soothing my temper to know he regretted whatever he had done. "Switch. Valorous. I need your help, please come to the bog." I said through my mind.

"Is Mama mad at us?" I heard Switch ask. Obviously my voice had given away my current mood.

"I am mad at a dragon, but it is not either of you." I replied reassuring them. Though I doubt my reassurance did much to calm their minds. It was easy to read each others emotions, and right now I was: angry, sad, scared, and unsure. Would this blindness go away? How will I punish a dragon that can do this and possibly worse? Even more so this dangerous dragon was going to be by my side my entire life, what happens if he is just violent by nature? I could hear Switch and Valorous coming closer.

"Mama why are you not looking at me?'' Switch asked in a concerned voice.

"I will tell you, but you must promise that you will not harm Cortelco." I replied. I knew that the second she found out that Cortelco harmed me she would want to end him. He wasn't exactly a crowd favorite.

"Yes Mama the little dragon is safe." She said.

"Cortelco threw a bit of a tantrum, and in his fit accidentally blinded me. I am not looking at you, because I can't see you." I said out loud, knowing that Valorous was listening. I could hear Cortelco crying near me and he rubbed his head against my hand. It took all I had in my being not to flinch away at his touch. I needed to stay brave, forgiving, and unwavering in his mind. Though I was actually quite terrified. At his touch however I could sense that he too was afraid.

"I scooped him up, and felt for my phanny pack where I could feel him falling in. Something was wrong with me, but something felt wrong with Cortelco too.

"Mama calm down." I heard Valorous say. "The hatchling tried to show you when you die, but he dies the same time, so you are seeing what he sees when you die." Valorous explained.

So I wasn't blinded? I am simply seeing through the closed dying eyes of Cortelco's future. I now understood why Cortelco felt scared too. He was only a baby, and had already seen his death, not to mention his "mama and rock" was of no comfort to him, because of my own panic. Switch placed me on her back, and began to race through the forest. I felt the wind blowing against my cheeks and through my long dark hair. With each breath I took in the scents of pine trees and soil. I rubbed my hand on my phanny pack trying to comfort Cortelco. He had never moved this fast and was doing it blind; though I am not sure if that is a positive or a negative to this situation. I began to smell dried grass and some sort of flower, mixed in with it was Somnolent's scent. I quickly hopped off of Switch's back when I felt her stop. My vision was slowly coming back. Everything was fuzzy and there were still black spots covering some of my vision, but it was a start. I slowly walked to the giant brown smudge I could see, assuming it was Somnolent. I sat down and leaned against the sleeping dragon's side. Cortelco scurried out of my phanny pack quickly, and ran to curl under my neck. We were both pools of emotions right now, and he needed me. We would figure him out.