Lotus

Chapter 38

I had definitely been flying for too long. I could barely feel any of the muscles in my shoulders anymore, but I had finally made it to the rainforest, and the familiarity of my home made it all worth it: the smell of wet soil, the brightly colored plants, and the thick air that wrapped around me like a blanket. I hadn't realized how much I had missed all of these sensations. 

After some time, I finally arrived at our small house and medical hut. A small worm of nervousness twisted inside of me, but I ignored it as I crossed the threshold into the house. I tapped lightly on one of the larger seed shells lining the doorway, catching the attention of the storm-gray dragon on the other side of the room. He jumped slightly at the sound, then set down the small piece of wood he was holding, and turned to face me. 

“How can I…” he said, trailing off as he finally saw me. Spurts of yellow and dark blue flashed across his scales, but he snuffed them out quickly. “Kamala.”

“Father,” I said. I was surprised to see a small smile on his face. I hadn’t seen one there for a long time.

“I’m...glad to see you’re doing alright. I heard about what happened at Jade Mountain…” Not meeting my eye, he turned back towards the small table he stood in front of. “I wanted to tell you to come back home. I should have. But you were already gone by the time I did.” He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more, but nothing came out. He closed it again.

I guessed that it was my turn. “I know,” I said, and went to one of the cots on the side of the room. Sick dragons were usually asleep on them, but my father, Almond, must’ve had a slow day, since they were all empty.

I traced the pattern of the leaves, not sure what else to do or say. We both stayed like that for several minutes, in silence, except for the light tapping noises that came from whatever Almond was doing at the small table. I didn’t go over and watch him work, as I did when I was younger. I guess I didn’t really have a reason to.

He must’ve sensed that, though, because a few moments later, he came and sat next to me. He wasn’t quite close enough that we were touching, but it felt nice to have him there. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell that he was listening. With that, I couldn’t stay silent anymore. I started telling him about all that had happened over the past year or so, from first arriving at Jade Mountain to flying back to the rainforest after losing Cassiopeia and Halcyon. I felt tiny pricks in my eyes as I told it all, but I was too exhausted to actually cry, and that exhaustion held those tears at bay. 

Almond didn’t interrupt me once as I was talking, and didn’t say anything as I finished as well. I glanced over at him, and he had a look on his face that made it clear he was thinking hard about something. His scales were still the shade of gray as when I first came in, but there were some darker streaks flitting across them. He must’ve come to some sort of resolve, because he walked over to a small window on the opposite side of the room. Sitting on the sill of it was a small stone vase, with a white flower with pale pink tips inside of it. He carefully took the flower out of it, and sat down next to me once again.

"Did I ever tell you why we named you Kamala?"

I thought back, scrounging my memory for anything along the lines of that. I found nothing. Looking back at him, I shook my head and said, "no, I don't think so."

He nodded, his scales shifting into a dark grayish-indigo tone. “Well, when we were waiting for you to hatch, your mother, Frostbite, spent a lot of time thinking about you and the world we were bringing you into. She knew how hard it would be for you, being a hybrid, and that it wasn’t something that she could shield you from, no matter how much she wanted to. So, she gave you something that she knew you’d always have with you, no matter where you went or what you did. She hoped that it would give you as much hope as it gave her.”

Almond’s voice was barely above a whisper now. He stared hard at the flower he held. “She gave you the name Kamala. She told me that she had always liked that name, and that at the moment she saw you, she knew it was meant for you. She told me that ‘Kamala’ meant ‘lotus’.” He gently handed the flower he was holding to me, his gaze never breaking from it. “As you know, the lotus flower grows from dark and muddy waters, bringing light and change to its environment. I think she hoped that you might be able to do the same someday, both for yourself and maybe even other hybrids.” He paused. "She was gone before she could see it happen, though."

I briefly glanced over at him, and I saw a single tear crawling down his snout. I quietly reached over and brushed it off. “Thank you,” I whispered, trying not to choke on the words. He just blinked in reply.

I walked back over to the window and carefully put the lotus flower back into the vase. I gently stroked one of the petals, a small smile forming on my mouth. It gave me some hope, even if only a little. The prickly feeling was still in my eyes, but it was for an entirely different reason now. 

"Thank you," I said again.

.....

Hey, everyone! So, it's been a while since I last updated. *insert awkward laugh here* I guess, comparatively, it really hasn't been that long, but it certainly feels like it. It's been a crazy few months, with way too much going on in my life, and not enough time for it all. The good news is that it has started to calm down a bit. Let's hope that it stays that way!

Anyway, as you can probably tell, we're getting close to the end of this story. There aren't many more chapters left to write, so let's hope I'm able to get it all completed in a timely manner.

Thanks for your patience, and I'll see you all next time!

XLizzyMX