Healed

Chapter 30

"Hi Starfish," Flame greeted his surprised Healer. Beside him Umber gave his support by entwining their tails together. "I -" he took a breath, "- I want to see my mother."

Starfish studied him for a moment before dipping his head in acknowledgement. "Very well," he said, stepping out of the way.

Flame hadn't been sure at all how he was going to react to seeing his mother. The anger from this morning and ebbed away to leave nothing but cold hollow pain. It perforated every bone, artery, and vein in his body.

But despite the ache in his chest, the stinging like a whip across his heart that never dulled, he didn't hate his mother. He still loved her more than anything.

And maybe that was why, when he saw his mother's slouched figured in the center of the room, the way her eyes lit up when she saw him, he untangled himself from Umber and fell into her open arms without a moment's hesitation.

His mother scooped him up and held him to her chest. "You stupid dragonet!" Her voice was caught between a laugh and a sob. "I love you so much, do you understand? I love you!"

"I didn't mean it, I don't hate you!" he choked out over and over. Surrounded by his mother's warmth the weight in his chest lifted and he weakly he rested his head against her shoulder, taking a deep breath. She was really here. Hugging him. And she had said she loved him.

That was all he had ever really wanted.

Finally they pulled away and Flame was shocked to see tears in the corner of his mother's eyes. He had never seen her cry before. With a tender smile she reached up and brushed away a droplet of moisture running down his own cheek.

"Flame," she sighed, her smile saddening. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you this morning. I didn't realize..." she paused, closing her eyes for a moment. "I didn't realize how much I've been hurting you. But, I'd like to get a second chance." She grabbed his talons, her enormous paws easily wrapping around his small ones. He felt like a tiny dragonet again.

"Let's redo that conversation," she started. "And this time I promise I'll listen."

Silently Flame nodded in agreement.

"Excellent!" Starfish beamed, startling the two SkyWings. The SeaWing clasped his talons together triumphantly. "I was hoping we'd all get a chance to talk together!"

"Uh...what do you mean by we?" Avalanche asked, here eyebrow arching.

Starfish gave her a puzzled expression as if she had just asked which direction the sky was. "Well I'm going to be present of course! Who better to mediate and guide the discussion than Flame's Healer?"

Still close to his mother he felt her tense. "What Flame and I discuss is private –"

"Actually mother," he interrupted and she immediately looked to him. "Uh, I think it would be best to have Starf there. I don't want a repeat of this morning."

With a disgruntled expression Avalanche eyed the blue Healer for a good few seconds before acquiescing with a sigh. "Fine."

Starfish grinned.

"Wonderful, I knew you'd come to see things my way" he expressed. "Now how about we have this conversation back in my office? I think we've kept Zephyr from her office for long enough."

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Flame sat under his mother's wing in the familiar office of Starfish. It was strange being so close to her, ever since they reunited in Zephyr's office his mother had hardly left him alone. Hugging him, wrapping her wing around him, preening him...it was nice, but also kind of weird. He couldn't remember the last time she had been so...cuddly.