The Throne was ahead of her, looming tall over the small lizard. Since the announcement, she had been out, wandering, exploring, desperately trying to see as much as she could. But it had grown more and more difficult for her to move every day. The nosebleeds had returned, seizures became more frequent affairs, sometimes she blacked out and woke up with her face covered in blood. Not a good thing.

But, perhaps the worst of all, everything had began to grow blurry and dim. Her green eyes, which had once reflected the color of her gemstone, had become cloudy and gray with cataracts. She knew that it was time to return home now and that she wouldn't be leaving again.

Part of her wondered if she should ask Pride for more time. If they could visit Tenzin and exchange another cycle of health, but she pushed the idea away. She couldn't live like that - every cycle taken from another creature only for the pain to return and to have to take again. Destiny called for her to sleep and fighting it would only make it worse for everyone.

She staggered up to the Throne but found herself unable to go much farther. She wanted to get to her cave, the little crevice in the wall and the little puddle outside where she and Envy used to sit and talk. But she was having trouble taking full breaths and her heart was hammering out of control. With a choking sound, she gave up, collapsing forward onto the ground where she coughed. A trickle of blood ran from her nose and everything started to grow dim. Was this where she was going to die? Alone, far from her home? Without ever seeing Envy or Pride...or Luster ever again?

@Luster come save your mama

Luster
Sometimes you need a second chance
because you weren't quite ready for the first

The hybrid had stuck around Orion since the gathering, trying to absorb everything, learn as much as she could about Mama. It had struck her quite some time ago that she hadn't known much about Mama-Luster, and she was determined to rectify that.

Besides, there were many creatures that weaved their ways through the ruins. She used them to test her magic on, desperately seeking ways to heal Mama, to fix her, as hopeless as it felt. Every time she struck down a Lesser, attempting to replicate Mama's situation, she felt a horribly strong sense of guilt, a weak flash of wrong, but it was worth it, it was all worth it, if she could help Mama, if she could save her.

She still had the remains of a cave-spider, another failed experiment eaten once it had died, around her mouth when she saw Mama. The Lizard's staggering movements were familiar to her, no longer an oddity, something she had come to expect from Mama. So she was not hurried in her movements as she began to clamber towards Mama, trotting towards her.

However, there was an alarmed cry of "MAMA?" when Amazon collapsed to the ground, choking horribly, and she broke into a sprint. She skidded, pressing her nose into bristling scales, attempting to push her Magic into her Mother. But there was a flash of pain, and she whined, shaking her head as she licked along Mama's scales, "Mama? You okay Mama?"

@Amazon

The voice broke through Amazon's haze of pain and she looked up. The grayish brown blur was becoming clearer and clearer as Luster got closer and the lizard felt a sense of peace falling over her momentarily. She sighed out as Luster's tongue began licking at her scales, a familiar feeling she had sorely missed. If only she and her daughter had been together during the last cycle, when she had been so healthy, so full of life...if only she had waited for her.

"Luster," she breathed out, reaching a claw forward to touch her fur. "Hi, sweetheart. I'm okay just...a little tired." Probably not completely accurate, but she was too happy that she was finally seeing her daughter again that she didn't care. For a moment, she didn't say anything, just wove her claws through Luster's fur.

After about a minute of silence, Amazon put her claw back on the ground and tried to struggle to her feet. But a weakness had set in all over her body and as she tried to push herself forward, everything dimmed and her head throbbed. With panting breath, she flopped back onto her stomach. "Ah, I hate to ask, but can you help me get back to my cave?" She didn't want to ask any more favors, especially of her own daughter, but what else was she supposed to do?

@Luster

Luster
Sometimes you need a second chance
because you weren't quite ready for the first

Luster groomed her tongue over Mama's scales, enjoying the familiar, rough feeling. It stung, somewhat, but it was familiar and welcome. Her tail wagged, and she was soso happy, happy to have Mama back even if Mama seemed sad and smelled like sick and blood and weak and prey.

Mama was touching her, then, and she stilled, leaning into the touch. Her eyes went half-lidded, and she sighed, tail slowing into a lazy wag. This was happiness, she couldn't help but to think, this was pure bliss. She could stand here for the rest of her life and forever be content. "I missed you, Mama." and she had. She had spent their time apart trying to learn to help, but she had missed her dearly.

The lizardog couldn't help but to whine when Mother abruptly stopped, opening her eyes and looking at Amazon, face clearly expressing 'why did you stop?' But Mama was standing, then, and she leaned her head forward to support her. Mama fell, and she whined, but perked up--she loved helping! "Of course!" She turned, lowering herself on her stomach to present her back to her Mama so she could climb on, "One lizard-dog-pony coming right up!"

@Amazon

Amazon smiled warmly at her daughter. "I missed you too, Luster." The disappointment on Luster's face was obvious, but Amazon couldn't think about that now. The most important thing was getting home. Time was running out. She could feel herself slipping away, but she was determined to at least spend a few more days with her daughter before the end.

When Luster leaned down to make it easier for her to climb up, Amazon forced herself to her feet, trying to ignore the throbbing headache that got worse with her movement. She leaned up and extended her claws, trying to climb her way onto Luster's back but her legs couldn't pull her tiny weight up anymore and she tumbled back with a small squeak.

Embarrassed, she wiggled herself until she rolled back over onto her stomach and looked back at Luster, feeling greatly ashamed. "I don't think I can get up. You can carry me in your mouth, if that's okay."

@Luster

Luster
Sometimes you need a second chance
because you weren't quite ready for the first

Luster braced herself as she waited for Mama to clamber on--Mama wasn't terribly heavy, but she was similar in size, and so carrying he was incredibly awkward. But she was Mama, and so it was worth it. Thankfully Mother chose a part of her that had scales to grab onto, so that she wouldn't have to deal with little scratches and tugged out fur.

But then Mama was falling, and she squeaked "Mama?" in question, turning her head to look at her. She wanted to laugh as she watched Mama roll around like a turtle that she had once played with, trapped on its back, but instead she turned to nudge her with her nose, helping her back onto her belly. "That's okay Mama, I'll carry you." Carefully, she picked up Mama around the torso, and began to walk to where she knew Mama's cave was, high stepping so as not to trip over her tail, head held uncomfortably high so as not to drag Mama along the ground. As she walked, she focused on her Magic, sending it into Mama to try and give her as much relief as she could.

@Amazon

Amazon stilled as Luster's jaws wrapped around her body. She'd been carried like this once before, when she was much younger, but it was strange to know that it was her daughter, this time, that carried her.

As they trotted along, she felt something warm in her body. A bit of energy flow through her insides, but it did little to quell the pain. She had used the same spell on herself many times to try and stop the disease, but it had done nothing. It only helped stabilize her to the waking world. Her head continued to throb and a bit of blood continued to drip from her nose.

The silence stretched and Amazon wished she could talk to Luster, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to respond with her in her mouth. So she waited until they approached the little cave that Amazon called her home. Once Luster would put her down she would finally break the silence. "Thank you, Luster. How have you been lately?"

@Luster

Luster
Sometimes you need a second chance
because you weren't quite ready for the first

Luster trotted, flicking her tail as she went. She was perfectly happy to carry Mama--after all, she was her Mama, even if she was a bit heavy, and it was a bit awkward, seeing as Mama wasn't too much smaller than her.

But she kept on going, even as her neck ached from Mama's weight and she smelled blood. Luster was many things, but a promise-breaker she was not, and she had promised to carry Mama!

Finally, though, they reached Mama's little cave, and she pushed some more of her Magic into Mama. Carefully, she set Mama down, nuzzling her before flopping to the ground ungracefully with a thump and a grunt, beginning to lick Mama's scales again. "Of course Mama." she wagged her tail. "I've been good, I was practicing my Magic. I wanted to try and figure out how to make you feel better but it isn't working." her ears flattened back against her skull, and she whined.

@Amazon

The steady rhythm of Luster's tongue against her scales calmed the lizard down. More warmth spread across her body and she sighed, but it cave her no relief from the pain. It was a bizarre and almost overwhelming sensation to feel both the energy of the spell and her own pain at the same time. She shifted a little restlessly, as if trying to move off of an uncomfortable bit of rock.

She looked away a little shamefully as Luster whined pitifully. "N-no, please, you don't have to worry about it. I'm okay, really." It was a blatant lie, but she didn't want Luster to worry so much. She was weighed down by conflict - if she told Luster the truth, that nothing she could do would stop what was coming, then she was making her daughter worry. But if she continued to lie and passed away anyways, then Luster would blame herself for not finding the cure in time.

She reached up and stroked Luster's muzzle. "Don't worry about me, Luster. No matter what happens, it's not your fault, okay?" It was the best she could come up with.

@Luster

Luster
Sometimes you need a second chance
because you weren't quite ready for the first

The hybrid whapped her tail on the ground, hoping that her spell was working. Even just the littlest bit of relief for Mama would be worth it! For sure! She nuzzled up against the lizard, pressing against her and trying to get as close to her as she could, as though trying to crawl into her Mama’s skin. Luster had always been incredibly tactile--when she wanted to be, that was. With Mama, though, when she wanted to be was always.

Mama told her not to worry, that she was fine, and the hybrid flicked her ears back. She wasn’t the smartest Gembound, she knew that, she was easily fooled. But she knew Mama, could tell when she wasn’t acting right. She laid her head on Mama’s back, sighing “But you’re my Mama, I worry about you.” Her tongue flicked out, lapping over the Girdled Lizard’s scales.

Mama touched her muzzle, and Luster closed her eyes, leaning into the touch. Her tail wagged, and she conceded, ”Alright, Mama. I love you.” The hybrid asked, ”Where’ve you been?”

@Amazon