As inevitable as the sun rising, the freezing winds of winter sweep across the lands Eben and Adder call home. The gorgon fights his brumation as long as possible, keeping the cave warm with the roaring of the hearth, but his body knows better. As the days become dark and short, the instinctual urge to burrow under a mound of blankets and furs grows undeniable in him..
Finally, after nearly falling face first into his bowl of porridge, Adder is dragged to his room by Eben. The half-elf rolls his eyes as the monster weakly fights his mate, using his magic to overpower the gorgon and shove the him into the nest.
“Eben, I can stay awake a bit longer,” he croaks.
“You could, but you shouldn’t. You know as well as I do you need to sleep, Adder. The cold isn’t good for you.”
“Merlyn will miss me though! I just need a little more time with her—”
Eben huffs, bouncing the baby on his hip. “She’ll see you when you wake up. It’s not like you’re going to be asleep the entire winter.”
“But I'm only awake for such a short time…”
The half-elf smiles, handing the baby over to Adder. The gorgon hugs the infant, flopping into the nest as Merlyn snuggles into the embrace.
“Well, you basically made it impossible for her to sleep independently, so it's not like she won't be spending time with you.”
“It’s not the saaame,” Adder whines.
“I know I know…hey, why don’t you read something to her? If she’s not going to hear from you for a while, it might be a good send off.”
Adder perks up at the thought of books, tail wagging. “Great idea! Can you go get Gods and Diety’s of Aaradivirsi, volume one, by Zarek Bestiarius?”
Eben snorts, raising an eyebrow. “A bit of an advanced book for an infant, Adder.”
“She doesn’t know the difference,” Adder huffs.
“Okay okay, I'll get your book.”
The half-elf leaves, returning a moment later with the gilded tome. Adder takes the book into his hands reverently, excited despite the fact he’s read the book cover to cover a million times. He opens the book to the first page, clearing his throat.
“Of the many diverse groups which call our land home, one unifying force unites them all; the mutual belief and worship of the Gods and Goddesses of the Pantheon. From the devotees of Giakora, to the shadowy cults of the Great Deceiver, this tome explores the lore and powers of several Gods.”
“I don’t worship any Gods,” Eben interrupts.
“Shush, heathen,” Adder snips, “I’m reading.”
The gorgon flips to a new page, beginning to read the next chapter. “Chapter one, the God of the sea and transformation, Thalassimorphos…”
As the gorgon reads each line, his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Slowly, he’s pulled further and further into sleep. Finally, his voice trails off as brumation takes complete hold of him. The gorgon’s dreams are idyllic and filled with warmth. It’s not what he’s used to; in the past, brumation meant fear. It meant surrendering to the cold loneliness of winter, never knowing what exactly he’d awaken to. He could be ripped from his sleep by hunger, the warmth of spring, or even the terrible, cold, tolling of the church bells. However, ever since Eben had arrived, all of that had changed. No longer was Adder the sole protector of the village, so now he could rest peacefully each winter, enthusiastically greeted by his lover every time he awoke.
This winter, the familiar routine stays true—though this time he is not only greeted by just his lover, but also by Merlyn. About every other week, Adder rises from his slumber, awoken by the quiet trills and cooing of the little harpy. Each time, he pulls her into his embrace, basking in her giggles as he nuzzles the top of her head. Sometimes, Eben is there too—he’ll laugh along, trapped in Adder’s coils as the gorgon attempts to take them both back with him in slumber. Other times, the monster awakens to a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, or even the kisses of a wolf-shifted Daisy lapping at his face.
Each time though, he notices Merlyn has grown a little more. Eben’s magic slowly stops supporting her life force as she starts crawling, sitting up, and even walking, all on her own. Each milestone hit makes Adder’s eyes well up, pride thrumming through all of his being.
As she starts to toddle around the cave though, Eben places the amulet around her neck, expecting her eyes to open any day now. Adder finds himself nervously anticipating it every time he awakens. Will Meryln recognize him, with her eyes open? Adder finds his stomach is tying itself into knots every time he thinks about it, so he puts it out of his mind. There was too much to be happy about to be spending his time worrying. So he enjoys his short periods of awareness, falling back into slumber to awaken again two weeks later. However, on the morning of Mortfall, he’s awoken by something much more dreadful than the peal of the church bells.
“Adder! Please wake up!” Eben begs, voice desperate.
The gorgon startles awake, the fear in his lover’s voice spearing his heart like a lance. “Eben? What’s wrong?”
“Adder, I’m—I’m sorry I should've known, I didn’t think—”
The gorgon grips his lover by the shoulders, squeezing gently. “Eben, it’s okay. I’m here…let me help you. What’s wrong?”
“Meryln is missing—I—I fell asleep and she wasn’t there when I awoke.”
Adder’s blood runs cold as he sits up, heart beating wildly now. “She’s just gone?”
“There were footprints in the snow, but I couldn’t find her in the garden or in the coop. It started to snow and covered the rest of the tracks—”
Swiftly, the gorgon heads out of his room, entering the main chamber before exiting the cave. He scents the air, another wave of anxiety washing over him as he realizes there is absolutely nothing directing him to where Merlyn might be.
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“Eben, search the garden again. I don’t think she’d go far…but I’ll search the forest just in case.”
Eben nods, immediately leaving to start his mission. Adder starts towards the forest, eyes scanning the forest for footprints, feathers, or Gods-forbid, blood on the pallid snow. But there is nothing, nothing, that indicates where his little hatchling has gone.
“Merlyn!” he cries out, his desperate voice ringing out across the bone-white landscape.
His mind races as he tries to think of where she could’ve gone. Suddenly, a frightening thought occurs to him—the river. It’s the only place Merlyn had routinely been besides the cave…was it possible she would be able to navigate there in the snow?
Adder races over to the destination, ignoring the bitter wind nipping at his skin. When he gets there, his heart stops; Merlyn is standing on the frozen bank of the river, talons scuffing the thin ice as she steps further onto the frozen water.
The gorgon rushes forward, immediately picturing the little harpy plunging into the swift current below. But he freezes in his tracks as she jolts, turning around at the sound of his approach. Adder meets Merylns wide brown eyes, gasping as he realizes this is the moment he’s been anticipating for so long. The toddler studies the gorgon, her curious expression morphing into terror as she takes in his visage. Adder’s heart drops at the realization that she doesn’t recognize him—and why would she? Why would she expect him, with his horrifying form and piercing red eyes, to be the one who had been caring for her?
Still, Adder needs to try. He scoots forward slowly, attempting to get close enough to drag her away from the embankment. She scuttles backward, whimpering as her fluff-dotted wings shiver in terror. He tries once more, causing the harpy to spit and hiss as she jumps back, growling lowly. The ice fractures at the action, causing Merlyn to flinch as frigid water seeps onto her talons. She whimpers as her head whips around, looking for an escape.
“Little bird, you’re in grave danger. Please come here,” Adder begs.
Merlyn’s head whips around to Adder’s face. She searches his gaze with a confused expression, shivering as she gives a quiet, timid, coo. The sound is heartbreaking. Even without words it's clear what she's asking; is it really you?
“Yes, it's me—Merlyn, you recognize my voice, don't you? Come here, little fledgling.”
The harpy rushes toward Adder, but her movement is too abrupt. The ice gives way with a sickening crack, and Merlyn plunges into the swift current below.
“Merlyn!” Adder
Adder doesn’t hesitate, plunging in after her.
The water is a shock to his body, his muscles already slow and clumsy from the frigid snow. But Adder perseveres, a nictitating membrane covering his eyes as he swiftly swims towards Merlyn. She’s moving fast, being swiftly pulled by the unforgiving current, but Adder is determined. He grabs the harpy, holding on tight as his other hand digs into the river rocks to anchor them against the unrelenting force of the water.
Using his powerful coils, he attempts to make it back to where they entered. But the cold is causing his mind to fog over, dulling his senses. He fumbles, the side of his head bashing against a sharp rock jutting from the riverbed. His vision goes white for a moment before he regains consciousness. Using the last of his strength, he crashes his horns against the ice over and over. Once, twice, three times, until it gives way and his claws can dig into the ragged edge. He heaves Merlyn out first, rejoicing as he hears her cry out.
The gorgon attempts to heave himself up as well, but the ice cracks as he does so—putting Merlyn at risk of falling in again. Adder clings to the edge instead, staring at his little fledgling as he fights the urge to close his eyes. The harpy is huddled into a ball, hugging herself as she stares at Adder, eyes welling up with tears.
“It’s okay, I’m okay,” Adder croaks, “don’t cry.”
Merlyn gives a weak trill, wing twitching toward him. Her little claw wraps around his finger, squeezing tight as she gives a pathetic hiccuping sob.
“Don’t cry. Don’t cry, Merlyn” Adder repeats dumbly, using it as a mantra to keep himself awake. He knows that if he loses consciousness for even a second, it will be the end of him. He won’t be able to muster the strength to break through the ice again.
“Adder!” Eben screams.
The gorgon turns his head toward the sound—Eben is running through the snow, terror warping his face. The half-elf runs to the riverbank, the snake on his skin turning a molten gold as he pulls magic from the aether. The air shimmers with his power, the trees on the riverbank bending and warping to his will. Their branches reach out to lift both Adder and Merlyn to land, pulling both of them to safety. The half-elf eagerly takes the little harpy into his arms before he rushes over to Adder, pulling him into an embrace.
Adder groans in relief as the thrum of magic suffuses him with warmth, restoring feeling to his fingers and face. He looks down at where Eben is embracing them both, tears streaking down his cheeks. “I thought I lost you both. I felt it—I felt you go under.”
“Thank you Eben, you saved us.”
“I didn’t—It was—It was my fault. I fell asleep while she was by the hearth. I didn’t even notice she was gone, Adder.”
“It doesn’t matter, okay? We’re safe now. You did good.”
“Let's go home,” Eben sighs, voice ragged.
The little family of monsters trudges through the snow back toward the cave. Finally home, Eben immediately lights the fire on the woodstove as they enter, setting the kettle on the fire. Adder watches him, eyes still drooping from exhaustion. Although his nest is calling to him, he knows he won't be able to go back to sleep until he feels they’re all settled, secure, and comforted.
He peeks down at Merlyn. The harpy has shut her eyes hard, using her wings to cover her face. Adder’s heart thrums in fear that she’s avoiding his gaze, but as he pets the top of her head, she peeks from behind her feathers. Her expression is sorrowful, tears still slowly trickling from honey brown eyes.
Adder hums the lullaby Helia taught him, rocking the little harpy back and forth. Merlyn lowers her wings, sucking on a talon as she openly stares at the gorgon now, sniffling. Adder smiles softly, thanking the Gods he was able to pull her back from the grasp of Morthall.
“Are her eyes open?” Eben asks, shock overcoming his face as he sets the tea on the table.
“Yes. I guess she—she wanted to see the place I always took her.”
The half-elf takes the toddler into his arms, overwhelmed with emotion as he looks down at the little harpy’s expression of curiosity. Her eyes dart around Eben’s face before she reaches for his braid, studying the orange color of his hair intently. The half-elf laughs, another lone tear tracking down his cheek.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
“I guess she’s really fine. The magic must’ve taken care of any damage…”
Eben scowls, gritting his teeth. “I’m sorry, Adder. I should have never let my eyes off her.”
Adder squeezes the redhead’s shoulder comfortingly. “Eben, it’s okay. I know you would never let her get hurt on purpose.”
“That’s just it though. Daisy wanted to stay the week to help but I turned her down. If I had just let her stay this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You couldn’t have known Merlyn would wander off. I think we both underestimated her bravery…”
“No, but I knew things could go wrong. I knew having Daisy here would help but I—I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”
Adder’s brow creases in concern. “Prove to yourself…?”
“I’m still just a criminal, Adder. I lived my whole life that way, I’m not good at anything else. I wanted to prove that I could master this.”
“Oh Eben…”
Adder pulls the half-elf and the harpy into his embrace, stroking his mate's hair gently.
“You don’t have to do it alone. Nobody is asking that of you, not ever.”
“I know.”
Adder pulls away, wiping a stray tear away from the half-elf’s face. “Don’t cry. This was a good lesson for us—we won’t let it happen again. Right?”
Eben nods, teary eyes wandering down to where Merlyn is tugging on a strand of his hair. “I know we were supposed to celebrate before you went to sleep again, but I’m afraid to be alone with her now. I want to take her into town and stay with Adler for the night.”
Adder’s stomach turns uncomfortably at the thought of Merlyn entering the village again. “I don’t know if Helia would be okay with that. The villagers are still wary of her. I can stay up tonight until we can go together tomorrow to fetch Daisy.”
“I know Helia has her concerns, but I think Fern was right when she said the villagers just need to adapt. It doesn’t even make sense they care so much about you and Merlyn when they let me come and go as I please.”
Adder averts his eyes. “It’s because you look human, Eben. You’re half human, you’re part of their kind. Me and Merlyn will never be able to resemble true humanity…”
Eben sighs, brushing his hand through Merlyn’s hair. “I’ll keep her hidden, okay? I don’t want to make you stay up all night for me.“
Adder contemplates arguing more, but decides it’s not worth it. It probably was safer for Merlyn to be with people who weren’t always on the verge of passing out. Even if that meant angering the village.
“Okay…please be careful when you go.”
Eben caresses Adder’s face, smiling sweetly. “I will, and I will be home soon, so we can have our own Mortfall.”
“I know. I love you, Eben.”
“I love you too, Adder. You and Merlyn.”
The gorgon’s heart trips in his chest, making him feel as lovestruck as the day they first confessed to each other. He pulls Eben into a kiss, knowing he will never tire of hearing those words.