Chapter 13

Natalie opened the cottage door at the light knock, she smiled at Laurel, gave Zara a snuggle, then blinked to see the huge puppy pad quietly in "I thought he was going to stay with you for a few days." Alex smiled "Zara said Raimi needed Hell, so here he is." Revanche came out of the bedroom carrying a half empty cup of soup, Zara flew over and gave him a purring crooning hug, Hellhound his tail wagging wildly ran over to Revanche who gave him a quick scratch behind the ears. They all watched Zara and Hellhound head for Raimi's bedroom. Raimi felt a cold wet nose on her ear and opened her eyes to see Hellhound his head resting on the bed his big puppy eyes looking at her, reaching out she touched his head "what are you doing here? I told you to stay with Zara." Zara nuzzled Raimi's neck and purred softly "hell want go home Raimi." Raimi turned tear filled eyes to Zara "he is yours now Zara." Zara shook her little head "no no Hell need's Raimi here" putting her tiny paw on Raimi's chest. Zara gave Raimi a big hatchling lopsided grin "share with Zara." Raimi hugged Zara crying "yes, we'll share Hellhound, he belongs to both of us." Zara patted Raimi's tear covered cheek "all better Raimi" Raimi nodded "where were you going the other night Zara." Zara smiled "Barto Bear" then with a sad wide eyed look "Zara got lost." Raimi smiled "you'll have to have him draw you a map." Laurel seeing Raimi was falling asleep smiled and picked Zara up "we'll come back tomorrow, you just concentrate on getting better, Cook was so sure you were starving she sent a food basket that would feed an army." Raimi chuckled.

Revanche pulled the blankets up over Raimi's shoulder, he glanced at Hellhound curled up on his blanket by the window then down at a sleeping Raimi. Going into the kitchen he sat down with a cup of coffee "why don't you go home mother and get some sleep, you look exhausted." Natalie nodded "I will in a minute, Bitsy is going to come over and stay with Raimi in a little while." Revanche shook his head "I will be here, no need for Bitsy to come over." Natalie sighed "she wants to come over and help, I guess what we're doing is trying to assuage our guilt feelings, your Grandfather was right about Bitsy and I, we were upset with Raimi for hurting you, we also thought you had gone back to London to get away from her, so we started giving her the cold shoulder. I'm am so ashamed, I saw past history flashing in front of my face and was shocked at myself. It's a devastating thing to lose a child, even one you didn't know existed, it's still a part of you that's gone forever." Revanche saw the tears in his mother's eyes, reaching out he squeezed her hands trying not to think of having lost his own little warrior hatchling "we'll get past this mother, Raimi is a strong woman and right now if she needs to just let that go, then I think I have enough for both of us, I've learned a lot about myself over the last few months, some it good, some of it bad, but at least I'm looking with wide open eyes. I love you mother, no one ever expected you to be perfect or infallible, even mothers are people that make mistakes" he stood up and gave his mother a hug then went back to Raimi's bedroom.

Zara lay in her bed looking out the windows, the sky was so dark the stars looked like twinkling crystal lights, she knew she should be sleeping, her mama having tucked her in hours earlier, nibbling on a tiny talon she thought and thought. Nedra lay on a long padded bench purring deeply as the young male rubbed scented oils onto her back, his talented fingers rubbing and soothing each muscle, she arched an eyebrow to see the new very young door poppet come rushing in and kneel next to the bench "one must never rush my sweet poppet, but walk in head held high with a confidence, one does not drop to ones knee but flows gracefully down" the young girl bowed her head "forgive me Mistress, but there is a tiny dragon outside the door asking for Nedra." Nedra sat up with a hiss, she sent the nude male and the other's from the room "open the door for the little one before she leaves" the young girl pulled open the door and stepped back, Zara padded in looking all around, seeing Nedra she let out a little shriek and flew over. Nedra reached out and took Zara in her arms "what are you doing here my ohhhhh sooooo loud bonbon?" Zara purr crooned and nuzzled Nedra "Zara want see Nedra." Nedra smiled "you could simply have called to Nedra my searching one." Zara shook her little head "want talk Nedra." Nedra chuckled "and so you shall." Zara found herself in a large garden filled with green trees, birds singing and butterflies fluttering around, a low table filled with plates of fruits and small goblets of juice and water "tell Nedra what bothers you so my sweet delight." Zara making funny faces as she nibbled on a piece of pineapple looked at Nedra "Nedra gone long long time, miss Nedra." Nedra smiled wiping the pineapple juice off of Zara's little chin "Nedra she tired of mortal follies for a time my sweet sticky one, but she is always there for the ohhhh sooo tiny one." Nedra said silently to Alex "your ooohh soo little one has come to Nedra." Alex who had been staring down at Zara's empty bed wondering where she had gotten herself lost to this time sighed "thank you Nedra, I will be getting a leash soon." Nedra chuckled "this one would simply take the leash with her, I shall return Zara after she has finished telling Nedra why she sought her out." Zara took a sip of apple juice and smiled widely then gave Nedra a sad look "Nedra mad us, Re make Nedra mad." Nedra smiled "Nedra she does not become mad, mad is for dogs and crazed people, Nedra yes was ohh sooo annoyed but only for a moment at the ohhh soooo reserved poppet Revanche, but never was she annoyed with you my sweet delight." Zara put her little sticky paw on Nedra's chest "Zara hurt here when Nedra unhappy." Nedra purred and kissed Zara softly on her little juice covered cheeks then put a fingertip on Zara's tiny chest "what hurts Zara here?" Zara nibbled her little talon thinking, Nedra reached out and took her talon from between her fangs "this is a sign of worry my little delight, what worries Zara?" Zara looked at Nedra with her dark wide eyes sad "Zara small small." Nedra smiled and picked Zara up purring softly as she snuggled her against her chest "but of course you are tiny my sweet delight, this is the specialness of Zara, the wonder of you, your size brings smiles of caring, it brings others a sense of protectiveness, you my tiny delight will always be special not just for your size but for your heart and soul, yes this Nedra knows, never despair of your smallness for even though your dragoness is tiny her heart is big and so shall her human grow to be the right size for Zara." Nedra saw the worry in Zara's eyes and kissed her tiny cheeks "one day your human will come bursting forth my sweet delight to reach out and grasp life and everything around her, but now is a time for Zara the tiny dragoness, your human will know when the time is right." Once again Nedra took Zara's tiny talon from between her fangs "tell Nedra." Nedra listened to Zara thinking and thinking and felt her fear "ohhh little delight, do not feel badly that you could not help Raimi, this was not for you to do, yes it scared you but of course Nedra she knows this, you are much too young to take care of such, it is all a matter of time my sweet delight, learn slowly, there is no rush let Mar and the others ease you into your magic, yes Nedra knows you are an ohhh sooo gifted delight, when you feel frightened or need to talk Nedra she is here." Nedra chuckled watching Zara nibbling at the fruit "would you like Nedra to leave some fruit for you my delight?" Zara grinned and nodded clutching a piece of mango, after Zara had finished with the fruit Nedra gave her a stern look "Zara listen to Nedra carefully, you must not come to Nedra without Nedra's permission and always you must appear at the doors where you came earlier, when Nedra allows it, then you shall come to this garden, one day when you are much older then you shall be allowed to explore with Nedra." Zara nodded with a look of concentration on her tiny face. A short later Nedra handed Zara to her papa "I give to you a freshly bathed sweet delight, Nedra knows sticky paws and bedtime do not mix." Nedra purred softly "sleep well my sweet delight and know Nedra is never far but remember what Nedra said, you must always tell your mama and papa where you are going for they worry ohhh soo much about their Zara" then Nedra was gone. Alex frowned with a sigh "you have to stop doing this Zara, each time I find your bed empty or can't find you it scares me and your mama." Zara nodded with a purr "will tell papa." Alex hugged her tight and put her back to bed with her night night kiss. Alex slipped back into bed and smiled at Laurel mumbling at him from under her pillow "no it's not morning all ready love" pulling her against him he went back to sleep.