Family Bonds: Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Dacus laughed as he was reminded of that morning so long ago. He said, "I won't lie; that was one of the best mornings I've ever had, heh."
Leanna smiled innocently and nuzzled his cheek playfully. "Well, I do have a tiny bit of a confession to make."
"Oh?"
"I had spied on you the night before that morning, and I have to say, you were very entertaining to watch."
"You sneaky 'zard," he responded half accusingly and half playfully. He opened his maw and teasingly bit down on her right horn, causing her to giggle and squirm underneath him. He didn't know why, but she was ticklish on that one spot, and he never hesitated to exploit it once he had accidentally discovered it. He couldn't quite remember how he had found that out, but from his explorations, she only had that one spot of weakness, and he loved that she had it. It was one of those little things that made her unique from other females.
After he figured that she had had enough torture, he released her horn and continued before she had a chance to fully recover, "Well, to be honest, I'm glad you did spy on me, because who knows what would have come between us if you hadn't."
She nuzzled his cheek again as she rubbed her own horn. "Mmm, you said that that morning was one of your best mornings?"
"Definitely, heh."
"What other days stick out in your mind?"
"Well... there's always that one day..."
A lot had happened since the two 'meleons had met. After the first mating season was over, the two were inseparable. They traveled all across the land seeing new and unique pokemon, seeing interesting sights, and learning more and more about each other every day. If soul mates existed, the two were the quintessential example of it.
Over time, the two had matured greatly in more ways than one. Both had now evolved into charizards, but the circumstances behind their evolutions were radically different. There was one particular night while the two were in the midst of trekking across the land, and a storm caught them by surprise. Normally a storm would not be a problem for two wild pokemon, but since they were charmeleons, their very lives depended on staying out of the rain as much as possible to avoid their tail flames from going out.
The problem with this particular scenario was that there were no caves anywhere around, nor had there been any for quite some time, which was the main reason the two were outside after dark in the first place. They knew that to continue wandering around in the torrent was suicide, so a shelter of some sort had to be found and quickly. The longer they waited, the weaker they would become, and the less likely that they would both make it out of the situation unscathed.
The two raced through the scarcely wooded area, desperate for some sort of reprieve from the rain that continued to pour down unrelenting upon them. The wind blew harshly from seemingly every direction, ever threatening to knock the duo off balance and pummel them with rain at different angles. They were desperately trying to keep their tail flames protected, which limited their sights considering it was their source of light in any other time, but nothing they did seemed to help buffer the misery raining down upon them.
The two were almost grateful for every flash of blinding lightning that danced across the night sky as it provided a tiny sliver of light for them. But their gratefulness gradually changed as the dangerous electricity that weaved through the clouds became more and more intense. If anything, they were running into the heart of the storm which would be the most life-threatening place.
Thunder roared its deafening roar, vibrating the ground beneath them. The tiny quivers in the softening soil below them raced through their legs with each stride. Every pulsation seemed to shake the very core of their being as death slowly began to creep up, and threaten the pair with his presence. Every second gone by was another second of precious life possibly lost at the hands of a stupid twist of mother nature's cruel concept of fate.
As time dragged on and desperation nestled in more snugly against their battered bodies, still no respite could be found. The storm raged on seemingly more powerfully every moment, and the darkened, unfamiliar landscape seemed unchanging no matter how far their tired legs carried them. Just when the situation couldn't seem to get any worse, mother nature threw another wrench at them.
As they sprinted, their no longer helpful guider of light unleashed its fury upon the tiny bit of large foliage around them. A tree erupted as the electricity struck its top and traveled downward to its very life support that was its roots. The tree wailed in agony as it began to make its final decent to the place that would become its above-ground grave. But it did not intend to become a grave itself as unfortunately, its weight came crashing down sickeningly upon a desperate life merely trying to escape the torrent's unmerciful power.
As the weight of what seemed like a dozen snorlaxes pinned the weakened and helpless creature to the ground, she cried out in agony for any sort of caring assistance. The other heard the plea and rushed back to aid his fallen comrade. Try as he might, his confident strength failed him when he needed it most. No matter how much strain he put on his weakened body, it was not enough to rescue his partner, and he feared for worst.
His mind raced faster than he had been sprinting earlier as visions of all they had been through together arose and flashed through his thoughts. There had to be something that he could do to save the one he cared about and get out of the dreadful situation alive. His body tensed up and a tingling sensation raced through every vein and artery of his being. His nerves trembled as they prepared for what his mind unconsciously decided to be the only course of action at this point.
Bright light emanated from his skin and filled the area with white rays. He tilted his head upward at the dark clouds that continued to threaten to become a sepulcher for the two of them. He roared as loudly as his voice would allow which gave the sonorous thunder a run for its money. His body began changing shape as his roar became even louder and deeper. Powerful wings sprouted from his back, his single horn on the back of his head split into two, and his entire body grew more massive as his muscles and skin stretched to accommodate the change taking place.
The trapped being below could only look on in a mixture of shock and awe as the charmeleon she had grown to love transformed before her very eyes. As the mysterious light quit its radiation, and orange skin broke through the poorly lit area, he looked down and met her gaze briefly before returning his attention to the dire situation at hand. His stronger arms reached down to the massive foliage, gripping the sideways trunk and lifting the heavy burden high enough to allow the female below him to crawl her body away safely.
He dropped the now-dying tree back to its final resting place and returned his attention back to the fire lizard. She was hurt, badly, and unless he did something soon, she would die regardless of his efforts. He bent down and lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. He sprinted again through the seemingly circular path of trees and shrubs, careful to hunch over slightly to shield her as best he could from the constant barrage of water droplets.
The change in his body seemed to breathe new life into him as the rain didn't seem to be life-threatening for him anymore, but now just a nuisance irritating him as he sought for some sort of shelter. The smaller fire type in his arms seemed to get weaker and weaker as time dragged on, but just when he was starting to fear the worst, a sight that will forever stay in his mind flashed before his eyes. A tiny opening in a rock ahead seemed to scream at him to come over, and he closed the distance to it as quickly as he could.
The opening itself was not large enough for the both of them, but it was enough to get her out of the danger at least. He placed her inside the slight indention and turned face to face with the storm. He used his larger girth to shield the injured female from the indefatigable wind and rain. He didn't know how long he remained there protecting her, but he stood steadfast until the rain slowed to a mere drizzle and the harsh wind had calmed down to a soothing zephyr.
Daylight had long ago shed welcome light upon the surrounding area, and it wasn't long before the sun began peaking its loving rays through the fissures forming in the weakening clouds. He took this opportunity to check on the lizard behind him. She was asleep, but otherwise she seemed to have no permanent injuries. He picked her up as he had before, and carried her through the day until he came to a rocky face with a plethora of caves just waiting to be occupied.
He chose one and gently laid her inside before leaving to find any kind of berry he could rustle up that would help her recover. In her weakened state, it took her the good portion of a few days to fully recover, but with his constant care, she bounced back from her near death experience even stronger than ever.
"You seem to remember that more vividly than I do. But that sight of you changing before my very eyes is something I will never forget."
"Heh, but I know it tore you up knowing that I was different. I changed in desperation, and you changed more out of envy, heh."
She playfully nudged him in the stomach hoping to silence him a bit. "Hey, I waited a while before I changed."
He rubbed his stomach chuckling all the while before responding, "Yeah, you waited a whole 2 days after me, heh."
"Alright, alright. So I was a bit impatient. So, what was the best day that you remember?"
"The day the kids were hatched of course."
"Aww, that's so sweet. That'll always be my favorite day too. However, I do have to say that bringing those eggs into the world was one of the worst days I've had. Do you remember how miserable that was?"
As the two charizards matured over the months, talk of a family routinely came up in their conversations. They had long sense extensively explored each other's new bodies in their private moments together. They both grew to love each other more deeply each day, and nothing seemed to give their thoughts more pleasure than the idea of raising a happy family together.
Mating with each other was almost a routine thing between the two whenever they felt in the mood (which seemed to be practically every day once they had taken the first step that morning so long ago). The thought of creating a new life in their pleasure never bothered them, and in fact they seemed to long for the opportunity to raise a baby charmander together. It would present a new experience for the ever-wandering spirits the two possessed.
The only thing stopping the two from fulfilling their desire was the time of the year. They had to wait until she was in her heat in the peak of mating season which couldn't come soon enough. Time was almost a sickening slow-paced demon for them as every morning they would wake up hoping that the day had finally come. But it seemed that the more they looked forward to that time, the farther and farther away it was and only served to torture them... until one morning when Dacus awoke before Leanna (which didn't happen very often).
As he got up, he was slightly confused as he surveyed her restful state. Why had he gotten up before her? Before he could contemplate it any further, the instinctual, almost intoxicating smell hit him. The day had finally come, and he was almost tempted to wake her up in eagerness, but he let her sleep until consciousness came upon her naturally.
But when she did finally awaken, the two took full advantage of the time they had together. They weren't exactly sure how long it would take for the egg to arrive, but it wasn't long before she began to show signs that the two were successful in their copulation. Now, every morning was greeted by the two expecting to be presented with their new experience of having to take care of the egg they had created.
Whenever the morning came and still no extra signs came, the two would continue their daily routines much the same way with some slight changes. They now had settled into a rather large cave, and each night they returned to its inviting enclosure. They still continued to explore the surrounding area, but their excursions were more on the order of when they had first met during the mating season from the previous year. The pace at which they moved was also slowed down slightly so as not to put too much strain or fatigue on her in case her time were to come.
They stayed in that vicinity for about a month after mating season had first begun. Their anticipation for that day could barely be contained. They played through the routine that they would follow for whenever she felt the signs of her time seemingly every day. It infected their conversations, always arising no matter how off topic they were from the subject. But the two never grew tired of discussing it, and they wanted to be absolutely sure that they were prepared.
It was on one of their joyful and talkative walks that she felt an uncomfortable but instinctual feeling. Although she had never experienced the sensation before, she knew that her time had come, and the two headed back to the safety of the cave.
Back at their home, Dacus led her to the back of the cave and helped her sit down where she leaned her body weight against the smoothest section of rock wall the cave had to offer. In front of her, there was a soft pile of long grass and soft leaves that the two had slowly collected through their adventures. They figured that it would be the perfect place to keep the egg cushioned and insulated until it hatched.
She spread her legs and placed them on either side of the earthy nest and prepared herself mentally for whatever might happen. She remembered from her mother a long time ago that bringing an egg into the world was not a pleasant experience, but it was necessary, and the pain it brought forth would vanish relatively soon after the egg was out in the open. She waited patiently for the pain that she knew would be coming, but nothing could have prepared her for that first big contraction, and she cried out in pain until the first wave of tremors passed.
"Dear Moltres that hurt." She managed to say as she tried to recover.
Dacus massaged her cheek with his own, feeling the tears that formed in her eyes upon his face. He had no idea how much pain she was in, but he had known her for just over a year now, and she had never cried out that loudly before. So he knew whatever she was feeling now, she had never experienced such intense discomfort before. He was almost at a loss for words, but he managed to say, "Is there anything I can do?" softly to her.
"Yes, please don't leave me. I need you now more than ev..AAAAAAAAAAH"
Another wave of contractions pulsed through her body as her insides felt like a volcano ready to erupt at any second. She could feel her opening beginning to spread as her muscles surrounding the area cried out in pain at being stretched farther than they ever thought possible. Her entire body tensed as pain shot through every fiber of her nerves almost paralyzing her where she rested.
He could only watch on in empathy as his mate suffered at his side, and he was completely powerless to alleviate her discomfort. He reached down and clasped her claw in his own for comfort and had to stifle a cry of pain himself as she squeezed him with a vice grip stronger than a kingler. He was almost worried that she would break something until she relaxed her hand and slumped a little against the wall as her second wave of pain passed.
She panted heavily, sweat beginning to form over her entire body as she just hoped that she would get some recovery time before she had to experience that again. Tears were now heavily streaming down her cheeks, adding to the sweat beads that had begun to form. Dacus leaned down and affectionately licked the tiny rivulets off her face before nuzzling her again. He didn't know what else to do other than stand by her side and be her crutch to lean on. He hoped that it would be over soon, and he added some words of comfort to her.
"You're doing great love. Just stay strong for me."
She smiled weakly and responded through her staggered breathing, "Thanks... this is... not... something... I wanna... do... again... anytime... soon... so don't... get... too many... ideas."
He chuckled at her and nuzzled her cheek again before responding, "Don't worry, you know me. I can control my urges if need be."
"Ha... the first... day of... mating... season... we mated... 5 times... That's... hardly... self-control."
"Heh, you were just as eager as I was. So don't try to put all the blame on..." He cut his sentence short as her body tensed up again. She strained and groaned through gritted teeth as the crippling pain returned. New tears formed in her tightly shut eyes, and she felt something pushing against her insides. She kept her eyes clenched as she tried to block the pain out of her mind, but to little avail.
Dacus said reassuringly, "I can see something! Just a little bit longer and it'll all be over love."
She barely was able to register the words spoken to her, but it was enough to give her the strength that she needed to pull through the ordeal. With a heavy moan, she pushed with everything that her muscles had left as she felt the intruder slowly force its way out of her confines. The bright orange egg fell from what it had called home for the past month onto the patch of greenery specifically made for it.
Leanna sighed heavily and relaxed her tense body as the burden was finally over. That was absolute hell, and she would be perfectly fine with never having to go through that again. She opened her eyes and stared at the strange object before her. It was hard to imagine that the little thing before her would become their very own charmander to raise.
Dacus broke her thoughts as he said, "How are you feeling?"
She cast a lazy eye his direction and responded, "Much better... now that... that... is out of me..." She sighed as she started to get a little sleepy. She rested her head on the rock wall behind her and shut her eyes for a bit before they shot back open again. Something wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" Dacus said concerned.
"I don't think... we're done... yet..."
"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion. But before he could get a response, she tensed up again and he looked down where the egg was only to see another egg making its presence known. He sprung into action and moved the first egg out of the way and prepared a new place for the second egg that was slowly being pushed out. He searched for some more encouraging words and said, "You're almost there love. Just stay strong..."
She yelled out, her sound echoing across every part of the cave walls as the second orange object finally escaped its cramped enclosure and landed safely next to its slightly older twin. She slumped back down, completely spent, gasping for air. She managed to say, "I swear... if there... are five... eggs... I'm... chopping that... thing of yours... off."
He laughed and hugged her warmly and gently before responding, "Heh, you don't mean that. You love it just as much as I do. Let's just hope that everything's over and you can recover."
She didn't hear a word he said. She was already passed out from the sheer exhaustion and breathing contentedly. He nuzzled her cheek again and glanced down at the two eggs, smiling broadly as they seemed to stare back at him. He couldn't wait for the day when they would hatch and the two of them could see the tiny charmanders they had made. He too closed his eyes and settled down next to his mate, all the while hugging her passionately. He could have stayed in that position forever, but eventually his body fully relaxed as sleep descended upon him.
"I still wish that I could have done something more for you than just stand there and say encouraging words."
"Ha; what else could you have done? If you wanna bring an egg into this world, let alone two back-to-back, then be my guest."
Just the thought of pushing an egg out down there was enough to make him shiver a bit in discomfort. He couldn't imagine the pain that she must have gone through that day, especially given that she almost broke his claw just by squeezing it. He stopped his daydreaming of the past and retorted her statement, "Heh, that's ok. You can have all of that fun to yourself."
"Don't be getting any ideas in that big head of yours."
"Heh, I don't think you have to worry about that too much. You know how much self-control I have."
"Pssht. You? Not one day after the eggs came out, and I heard you sneaking off at night like you used to do long ago."
He chuckled a bit before responding, "Why should I stop something that feels good if it's not hurting anyone?"
"Hmm, well, I guess if it's keeping you from sticking that thing inside me when there's the chance of making another egg, then I can live with that. Anything to keep from going through that egg-laying experience again."
"But think about how happy we were when the kids were hatched. Sure we didn't know what we were doing, and it was a bit chaotic at first, but I'll never forget our reactions that morning."
The two took turns taking care of the eggs every waking moment. The only exception was when they fell asleep at night; but even then, each of them cradled one of the eggs in their arms so as always to feel connected to them.
Every day, Leanna would take the two eggs and place them back in their cozy nest. She didn't know why, she guessed it was just an instinctual concept that she had, but she thought that the eggs would rather be hot than cold. And it made sense even more to her since she was a fire type. So, the two of them had built a circular arrangement of logs around the nest, and they started each day by reigniting the incubating wreath of flame.
After the fire was dancing with life, Dacus would leave the cave and find some berries for the two of them to eat. He tried to make it a point to bring back at least one different kind every day so as to keep some variety in their diet. Since the two couldn't explore new areas together anymore, bringing back different things was a unique way to compromise.
After he returned and they enjoyed a refreshing meal together, they resumed their normal conversations that they always loved. However, their conversations had now been infected with thoughts of what they would do when the hatching day occurred. They had already established a working daily routine, and most of their stories they had to share had already been said at one time or another during the time they knew each other.
It seemed that the only thing left to talk about was the future. They discussed possible names, what they would do for fun, how long they would wait before moving to a new location, if they would move to a new location. Would they have as much private time together once they had to take care of the kids? Would the kids even eat the same things that they ate? If so, would they need to do anything special to the berries they collected each day?
So many questions and concerns flooded their thoughts, and the two could only find solace in talking about them with each other to come to some sort of consensus. However, no matter what compromise the two came up with, the cold fact was that they wouldn't know until they day the two eggs hatched. And so their daily routine continued for about two weeks, each of them eagerly hoping that today would be the day. It was in the middle of one of their enjoyable conversations that an unfamiliar sound caught their ears.
They silenced their voices to listen for the strange noise. They heard it again and both of them turned their heads just in time to see one of the eggs wiggle slightly. They made eye contact with each other and both smiled broadly. Elation flooded their bodies as the two raced to the fabricated incubator. They worked quickly together to put out the fire that kept the eggs at a nice warm temperature, and then they stared at the tiny movement coming from the orange object.
Not too long after the first egg started moving, the other joined it, and they both wiggled together, slowly becoming faster. Dacus and Leanna could not keep themselves from physically bouncing up and down as their long wait was finally about to pay off, and they would finally be able to see their kids.
The minutes dragged on, with the eggs' movements becoming more intense with each passing second. The two charizards stood side by side with their arms wrapped around each other as neither could look away from the scene before them. Then something caught them by surprise as the first egg not only broke open, but practically exploded open. The tiny shell fragments shot away and where the egg once there was now a tiny charmander looking up with big eyes at the two larger fire types. The little lizard opened its mouth and a quiet "ark" came out before it took its first breath of air. It was by far the cutest thing that either of the two charizards had seen in their lives, and they couldn't contain their excitement any more.
Not more than a minute later, the other egg exploded the same as the first and another tiny fire lizard now lay in its place. This one stared at the fire coming from the tip of its tail, its eyes transfixed by the mesmerizing flame. The two then let their eyes wander around the strange new place, and eventually their eyes fell upon each other. They simultaneously reached for the other and both fell forward onto their stomachs. They blinked a few times at each other before both let out a healthy cry at their first experience with pain.
Dacus and Leanna reached down and each picked up one of the crying babies, comforting them in their arms. They rocked them back and forth gently in an attempt to calm them down. It seemed to work because the crying began to quiet down until it was nothing. The gentle rocking soothed them, and before long, they were both asleep in their parents' arms. The two looked at each other, their smiles never having left their faces. Both of their eyes glistened with a joy that would never be matched ever again.
They carefully placed the now sleeping lizards back onto the soft grassy pile. Their tiny bodies slowly moved up and down with each breath they took. The two charizards couldn't take their eyes off the sleeping pair; they were so peaceful lying there, and he and she knew that this was going to be one experience that they were glad they would be able to share together..