Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Family

Onnu smiled as gently as she was able, though her eyes watered a little. "We have known each other but a day, little one. You won't need me forever, but I'll still be here." Her eyes stung, but she carried on.
   "Tell you what: If you have need, pray a little prayer, and He might let me talk to your dragon. We are connected by blood, I think, so I might be able to check in on you, from time to time. Just try to keep it down to once in a while, if you can? This dragon may be young, and they will need you as much as you need them, but they will still be a dragon. They are larger than even the giants and gryphons in the Hold."
   The furgoyle's ears didn't lift very far, but they did look slightly less worried.
   "So you're trusting us with your flesh and blood?"
   Onnu looked at the gryphon steadily. "Yes, I am. I was Told to. Capital T, told. He seems to think you all can do it. That means He believes in you, little ones. When things get tough, remember that."
   She would repeat that many times, over the days she was there. She subtly shifted their focus from her, to her unborn child. Well, she thought it was her child, but did she really know? The point was, the egg became something shared for them to bond over. A goal to strive for; something wonderful to anticipate.
   I see what you did there, Old Man, she said one day, when she was Above. That had been a trial and a half, but also a teaching moment. She stressed the need for adult dragons to fly Above, to refill their gas bladders.
   Guess that one's sticking, since we haven't come up with anything better, she thought when she said it. It was straight to the point, she had to admit. It was something similar to a bladder or lung, but full of flammable gases.
   She felt a sense of approval, floating Above, that she understood His logic in asking her to leave a child behind. She hadn't been told, per se, that she had to. She said that because Trey had gotten awfully attached to the eggs he helped tend, and she didn't think he'd leave one behind. Besides, free will and all that. She was simply advised that it would be wise to do so, and was now acknowledging the efficacy of His methods.
   It's sort of the reverse of what You did to us dragons. Instead of a dragon protecting little kin, 'tis little kin protecting a dragon. Still, the urge to protect being a unifying factor? It shows that You chose wisely who to save, and who to... well, best not dwell on the alternative.
   She didn't like thinking about the ones who weren't Saved when they died, because she feared that she knew far too many on Erdewaz that were among them. Sometimes, she was tempted to ask after certain friends or family, but she hadn't the heart to do so.
   He surprised her by suggesting that she look a little more closely at those she was teaching, at the moment.
   Her head shot up, nares flaring in the ether. You mean I know one of them?
   God didn't answer, but she could swear He was rather smug, at the moment. Could He be smug? Was that a thing she could say?
   Onnu dropped into atmo with an abrupt, almost audible pop. She definitely felt mirth in the ether above her, but she had new purpose.
   She sought out the shy furgoyle first. The way she'd instantly bonded to Onnu, just felt right. But how did she ask who she was? Every day they spent here, memories faded fast. She also targeted the dragonkith, though that would have been ironic, and a bit bittersweet.
   I found Koodles, though. If I can find someone I only knew online, surely I can locate a real life friend, or even...
   She didn't want to get her hopes up, but the furgoyle reminded her of her middle child. She couldn't think of anyone the dragonkith reminded her of, she just... felt like she knew him. She had family she'd never met, and relatives so far out they only knew each other online. There was family she'd not seen in so long, she'd forgotten what they looked like.
   Come to think of it, I feel connected to some of the kin back home, too. Why, oh why, didn't I think to look for them sooner?
   She didn't want to come right out and ask if she knew them. What if... Oh, sweet mother, what if she thinks I abandoned her? Onnu was all too certain, after no more than half an hour with the furgoyle, that she'd just found her middle child.
   She was equally certain that she couldn't leave her on another planet.
   And then, her sweet little girl looked up at her and reached out to touch her scales. "You look different today. Is something wrong?"
   She couldn't help it. The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them: "No, sweetpea, something is very, very right."
   The furgoyle's eyes immediately flooded with tears. "Mama? Mumther? Mumma, say something!"
   One huge tear rolled down her great cheek. "I wish I could hug you so bad, baby, but I'm just so... huge!"
   "Wait, for reals? Is it you? Oh, come here, I'll find a way to hug you!" Her sweet, sweet child tackled her jaw and squeezed so hard, any lesser creature's bones would have popped.
   Before she could absolutely douse her poor child in tears, and everyone around them, Onnu did something she'd never done before:
   The scales under her daughter's cheek faded, until her arms could hold her head no more. Before she could do more than cry out, a woman stood where Onnu's head once had. Most importantly, this woman was solid, and the perfect size to hug hard enough to lift her off of her feet!