Figuring Things Out

As I sat in the meadow with a sleeping Somnolent, an angry Valorous, a worried Switch, and a traumatized Cortelco. I myself was a ball of different emotions, none of which seemed positive. I was still scared because I had been blinded and still couldn't see well, I was scared because no one had any idea on how to raise a Spirit Speaker, I was hurt that my own hatchling would try to traumatize me, I was curious about how Valorous could understand the hatchlings before I could, and I was upset that I had scared my own dragons.

"Valorous can you tell me about how you communicate and understand hatchlings?" I asked the dragon, trying to take my mind off of my own feelings.

"I just can Mama. I don't know how. Explaining is things is your job." He said so innocently.

"In that case Valorous, you have another new job." I told him. Valorous looked at me genuinely confused.

"I don't know what the hatchlings are doing or feeling until they are a bit older; So can you help me raise and understand them until they are bigger?" I asked him.

I could sense his happiness. He gave me his own kind of dragonish smile. "Yes Mama. I will do anything for you." I smiled back at him and gave him a hug.

"What about me?" Switch asked, obviously wanting a job of her own.

"Oh didn't you know? You are my emergency ride. You are also my first responder when people trespass to our property. Not to mention you help me and the dragons so much in training. I think you have enough jobs for one dragon." I finished. She stood taller with her chest puffed out (or at least for what I could see) her thin tail was swinging back and forth, showing how happy she was.

I stood up to give my dragon a hug, but as I stood up I suddenly became itchy on my forearms, and from the back of my neck and down my back, also my shoulders and stomach. I shrugged it off as allergies to the grass in the meadow, I had never had allergies before, but there is a first time for everything. Maybe Somnolent had some sort of poison powder left on his skin and I was reacting to that. My vision however was back in perfect condition, and I could feel that Cortelco had stopped shaking in my phanny pack. I reached into the pack and held him in my hands. "Valorous he can understand me right?" I asked the dragon for confirmation, though I already knew.

"Yes the little ones can understand you just can not." Valorous responded. I nodded my head in thanks.

"Cortelco, I am your mama, you may call me Ivy, because we will be together forever. However we need to set some ground rules. You are not to harm any dragons or humans that are not a threat, unless I say so, mentally or physically. There will be no more temper tantrums, or I will hear about it, and you will be punished. When you are older you can ask me if you are not sure. Valorous here will help me understand you until then." I said all the while scratching my back, making me look less serious." Since I know what happens when you use your power to show other people their deaths, I do want to know what else you can do, and you will practice with Switch and I. Deal?" I explained.

Cortelco then looked to Valorous and Valorous nodded. Then Cortelco turned his head to me and nodded.

I was scratching my neck, as I asked Valorous "What did he ask you?".

"He asked me how to say, yes to you." Valorous stated. I sat down and petted Valorous and Cortelco. Then I decided it was time to walk back to my cave, the dragons should be returning the hatchlings back from their training soon.

I began scratching my stomach, then suddenly I felt a strange sensation on my finger tips. I pulled my hand up and out of my shirt and saw my finger nails growing slowly. They quickly turned black, then became thicker, then finally they grew outward and curled slightly, reminding me of the claws of an aardvark, but smaller. I was startled, but more so intrigued. At least this new development didn't hurt like my horns did. Though I still wasn't a fan of them. This would make wiping I lot more difficult. I looked at my nails wishing I didn't have them, and just like that the thick layer, and the sharp claws turned to ash, and they grey color disappeared; leaving my nails normal once again. I didn't quite believe my eyes. I have had stranger things happen to me, but this was a whole different category, this change went away when I wanted it to.

"Did you see that?" I asked Cortelco. He nodded yes, but wasn't surprised, as I was the only human he knew, and probably assumed it was normal. Absentmindedly I was scratching my back with my left hand. I could feel the claws that had emerged from my fingers again, but it felt too good to stop. I continue my walk back to my cave scratching the whole way. "Goodness when Somnolent wakes up in a few days I need to ask him about this itching; I thought to myself. I was right about the dragons returning the hatchlings soon, because just moments after I sat in my cave the hatchlings were delivered. My plans on dragons raising dragons was succeeding so far All of my grown dragons were training the hatchlings, only leaving them in my care at night so I could keep them warmer. Un, Deux, and Tois immediately came to me and were rubbing against my body. Tois' sharp scales felt nice against my itchy forearms. Though one fell off leaving a hot blister where it touched my skin. I mashed some moss from the cave floor up and added a little water until it was a thick gooey texture. I rubbed the mossy concoction on my itchy areas, which seemed to help. I fell asleep with the hatchlings all piled on top of me.

It was pitch black out when I shot up out of my sleep. The itching was unbearable. It was so itchy it was almost painful. I scooped up the hatchlings, waking them up. I needed to go to Mabel's cabin to see if she had any sort of itch cream or allergy pills. I couldn't run there at full speed like I wanted to, because I was holding three baby dragons, with another in my phanny pack (which I do sleep with on). In fifteen minutes I had reached her cabin and was knocking as hard as I could without breaking her door. She came immediately. She looked like a zombie and was holding a large bottle.

"It's 3:00am what are you doing here?" Mabel asked with a yawn.

"I am itchy, really really itchy, and even my claws aren't helping. Help me Mouse." She looked at me funny when I said claws, but was too tired to think or ask questions.

"Come in I will get you some itch cream." she said, "but you will help feed my hatchlings." she said swinging her arm that held the large bottle. While she slowly dug through her medicine cabinet for the itch cream, I ran to her nursery where I dropped off all four of my hatchlings, none of which put up a fight. They were all too tired. I ran back to Mabel, who had found the cream. At the sight I was instantly unbottoning my shirt, ready for it to be slathered on my back. "Mouse please do my back." I begged

"Fine fine." she muttered as she walked closer.

Then I heard a loud gasp.

"Is it that bad? Did I scratch through my skin?" I asked panicked.

"Uhhh....Ivy you are growing scales, like a lot of them." she said, now fully awake.

"No that's not right. My arms are itchy too and there is no..." I cut myself off by looking at my arms. sure enough there were dark green, almost black scales peaking out of my skin like a garden on my arm. I rubbed one and it was dull, and thick.

"Uhhh... Mouse this isn't normal." I said.

"No shit Sherlock!" she yelled. I wanted to tell her not to curse, but I think her reaction was justified in this case. I was glad this didn't hurt like my horns had when they came in, but I still wasn't a fan of the process.

Mabel left and came back. "Here take this." she said as she thrust a pill and a cup of water towards me.

"This will make you sleep. Just sleep it off. You take the bed. I will sleep in the nursery." Mabel said in a gruff voice. She knew that I wouldn't be able to deal with growing scales and tending to her nighttime hatchling feedings. She grabbed a blanket that was crumpled on the floor, and threw it at my face. "Sleep I will deal with your hatchlings until you wake up." she said in just as grumpy of a voice. I had never seen Mabel so disgruntled and grouchy. I guess Mabel really needed sleep, and here I was taking up her bed, time, medicine, and having her babysit my hatchlings albeit they were asleep. I messaged my dragons to pick up the hatchlings at the cabin for training in the morning. Nymph and Wisp snuck through the open window to sleep on the bed with me, and before long we were all asleep.

I woke up two days later, and the itching was gone. I bolted out of bed instantly to check my body, and make sure that it wasn't all a dream. Sure enough I had scales down my forearms that wrapped around, and ended in a V shape on the top of my hands. Scales also covered my neck. I started rubbing my back to confirm that I had scales on my back. I couldn't quite believe it, but I was oddly calm. I looked carefully at the scales on my left arm. The were thick and seemed black, but when the light hit them a dark green color could be seen. They weren't glossy like Coruscant's scales, they were actually rather dull. I tapped my fingers on them to see how hard the were. They felt like stone, though my body heat could still be felt. I walked out of the room into the living room where I saw a very disgruntled Mabel. "How on Earth did you sleep for two days! You left me alone with your dragons, who if you hadn't realized are difficult. Because you told the dragons not to train a certain dragon, and the others behave like actual wild animals. Plus I still had to deal with MY hatchlings. Yeah you got scales, so what I have third degree burns on my arms, because your Mystic Whisper is shedding." Mabel yelled at me in a rant. Nymph and Wisp came out of the bedroom next, then Mabel scowled at them. "And you two brats! you were of no help! Actually I think you made things worse. I know One of you doesn't like the hatchlings, but when you mess with them, the wrong lady has to tend to them which makes my life difficult!" Mabel's face was red from yelling, and she was panting because she had forgotten to breathe during her rant. I could see the bags under her eyes, her hair was frizzy and was sticking out in every direction." I walked over and hugged Mabel. "Mouse, thank you so much for taking care of me and my dragons." I told her. She rolled her eyes and patted my now rock hard back.

"How you raised eight clingy hatchlings with no knowledge of dragons I will never know." she said.

I stood a couple of steps back from her. I was still only wearing pants and a sports bra. "Isn't it obvious by now?" I said with my scales, horns, yellow eyes, and my claws out. "It is because I am one of them." I said.

Mabel looked at me with wide eyes, as if this was the first time it had crossed her mind. "We need to tell the others."