Knowing The End (SAA Book 2) ✔

29: Sheltered Life

Two Years Later
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Spring

Hunter waddled down the wooden back porch, yelling out for Oren as he clumsily climbed down the stairs and onto the grass below. The grass was more colorful than it'd been in years. The sun was out, illuminating everything in it's path with a golden glow. It was pleasing, in a way.

The snow settled for once. Hunter was finally able to feel the mild heat of the sun and the thick, damp air after a rainstorm. He could feel the grass, the tree limbs, the dirt. The aspects of nature that winter couldn't offer the child.

"Yes?" Oren leaned up from the garden, pressing his palms to his lower back. Clayton continued to help plant the seeds of various colorful vegetables. The other garden, who neighbored this one, consisted of beautiful morning glories, bluebells, carnations, hyacinth and more blooming flower types. The foods were harder to plant, for Oren had to take more time to grow them.

He had to concentrate harder than usual, with his fingers and wrists buried deep within the soil, feeling worms wriggle against his digits. It was both disgusting and real. He almost forgot that animals lived underground too.

"Hon, could you grab me the perlite?" Clayton called, making Oren flinch. The trauma from two years back flooded his brain, memories fresh in mind. He shook his head quietly and crouched down to Hunter.

"Yeah, just one minute." he replied, turning back to his son. "What did you need me for, sweetie?" he whispered to the boy.

"Uh, uh... Xeexee is inside.. Can I let her outside, papa?" Hunter asked, stumbling on some of his words as he fiddled with his fingers.

"Of course you can let her out, hon." Oren gently kissed his son's head as the boy scrambled off happily, going to do exactly that. The elf then retrieved the large bag of perlite, and even the name triggered horrible memories from his past.

"Here you go," Oren huffed, dropping the bag next to a kneeling Clayton. His gloved hands were securing a tomato plant in the dirt. He reached up and pulled open the bag, grabbing a handful of the white rocks and sprinkling it around the roots of the plant.

"I know this is ironic, but it actually works." Clayton laughed, looking up at Oren through squinted eyes. The sun was hard on his vision. Oren kindly blocked the sunlight as he loomed over the human.

Then, a large roar was heard from behind the two. Oren turned back, watching as Xenia flew over with her large and powerful wings. Her scales had grown in nicely, plated and as hard as steel. She let out another roar, this time it was louder. The noise made Oren's ears twitch.

"Ηρέμησε! (Calm down!)" Oren urged with a grin, watching as Xenia landed with a heavy thump to the ground. Her large claws, sleek and black, scratched at the grass. Her eyes, now the size of Oren's hand, dilated as she nudged the elf with her nose. Her wings were about the size of Oren himself, large and webbed with a sturdy base of flesh, scales and bone.

"Hey Xenia!" Clayton waved, making the dragon let out a little rumble in acknowledgement. The dragon was so large that she was having trouble moving throughout the house. She could barely fit through doorways without getting a wing stuck.

"Υποσχεθήστε μου να μην καταστρέψω τους κήπους ενώ βρίσκεστε έξω. (Promise me that you won't ruin the gardens while you're outside.)" Oren told her in Greek, making her run around in circles as he ducked to avoid her tail knocking him out clean.

She sat down after circling, large clawed paws thumping against the ground. Her large wings folded behind her back and her large, heavy tail slammed against the ground, stirring up dirt and grass.

She leaned forward and darted out her ebony tongue, licking the elf as transparent drool covered his cheek. He grimaced and pulled away, wiping the slobber from his face. She continued to lick his cheek anyway.

"Σταμάτα! (Stop!)" he laughed through the dragon's rough touches.

"Lecturing her in Greek won't help, hon." Clayton stated quietly, even though Oren heard it. The elf turned with a playful eye-roll and rubbed the top of Xenia's head, stroking along large and bony plates of pure scale.

"She could fly off at anytime." Oren blurted aloud. "She's got those huge wings to take her anywhere. I'm scared she'll part with us." He trailed off to ponder.

"Dragons do what they gotta do."

Oren leaned down and slapped Clayton's shoulder, making the other wince and chuckle after.

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The sun remained high, dominating the Earthen skies. It hung over the clouds for what seemed like an eternity before it finally sank. The misty night awakened, and the garden was left for the day. The winds at night were warm and inviting.

A cool summer night is the best night.

Hunter stood up from his parents' floor, wearing his monkey onesie with his yellow pacifier in his hand. He found the pacifier on a shelf nearby, and as curious as a ferret, he grabbed it. He held up the little bottle of milk with his other hand, shaking it to get Clayton's attention.

"Hey, Hunter you can't have that.." Clayton muttered softly, reaching for the pacifier. The four year old held it tightly and whined once it was taken from him. "You're too old, you'll have teeth problems.."

"But i wanna keeeep..!" he cried out, face scrunching up into a wince. Oren got off of the bed and knelt next to the boy, caressing his cheek as a plethora of different plants and vegetation spiralled from his pores. He brushed the boy with fuzzy leaves and tucked a large, amethyst flower behind his elvish ear.

"Hunter, I know you like your binkie, but you have to let it go... You don't want messy teeth, do you?" Oren purred with a fatherly voice. Clayton watched in triumph as Hunter calmed.

"No, papa..." Hunter grumbled, looking up through bright blond eyelashes.

"Good. Now let's get you up here with the rest of us, pumpkin." He held Hunter up by the underarms and lifted the boy to his chest. He sauntered back to the bed and sat, releasing the toddler. Hunter crawled over the mattress to the sleeping Xenia, who took up half the bed. The large dragon was out-growing the house and fast.

Clayton followed, placing the pacifier on their nightstand. Life continued peacefully, despite the occasional panic attacks Oren suffered through. Hunter was growing healthily, as was Xenia.

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Thanks for reading!