Gadalik spent the entire day with his adoptive mother helping Guinevere expand and rearrange the fairy type’s garden. The seer-earth dragon hybrid had used his strength not only to terraform spaces to suit them for specific plants, but also helped plow the ground for seeds and saplings that would eventually add to the forest’s protection of them, while Glacia helped by dampening the upturned dirt and watering the seeds, both under Guinevere’s instructions. Around evening, they admired the results of their collaborative efforts.
“Thank you both for your help,” the smaller dragoness told them wholeheartedly. “None of this would be possible without you.”
Gadalik felt himself warm in a blush. “No problem! It was fun.”
His mother yawned. “Fun, but tiring. I ran out of water, too. I'll have to get more from my puddle tomorrow… Ready to head home, Gadalik?”
She's tired? I feel like I could do this all night! “Guess so. See you, Guinevere!”
“Goodnight,” the fairy type replied. The glowing of her wings seemed extra prominent in the fading sunlight, and her antennae lifted slightly as she double checked the plants’ lives in the garden. Then she flew into her tree hollow, and Gadalik turned around to follow Glacia back to their den.
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Gadalik was suddenly running through the forest at night, overcome by a sense of panic. Gretel flew past him from behind, and her white body was splotched with red. He ran after her, worried and afraid, when something struck his back–he felt a sharp pain and cried out as he was knocked forward to the ground, but there was no volume. In the distance he saw Gretel continue fleeing without even a glance his way, disappearing into the trees ahead.
The world lightened back to evening. “I know that distant look in your eyes,” Glacia said. “You had a vision just now, didn't you?”
“I did…?” He was still recovering, his back aching from whatever had attacked him. “Right… I did…”
“What was it? Are you okay?”
“I don't know… It was dark, and Gretel and I were hurt… We were being chased by something–something strong.”
“Gretel? How far into the future was it?” She shook her head. “What was chasing you? Did you get caught?!”
“I don't know…” Did Gretel really leave me behind…? Maybe the vision ended before she turned around to save me?
“You don't know anything from it?”
He narrowed his eyes and tried to remember. “Well… I didn't recognize that part of the forest. I don't know if it was just because it was too dark to see clearly, or what.” The ache faded. “Sorry. That's all I could gather. It all happened so fast…”
She pulled her son into a comforting hug until he could get his thoughts in order. “Let's just get some sleep,” she murmured, “and we'll worry about this when it happens, okay?”
He nodded, and when they settled inside their den, he saw Glacia keeping watch as he fell asleep.