The macaw-creature laughed, fluffing herself up a little bit and straightening. Ice-sickles, she was going to feel that fall tomorrow. "No, I don't. My mother has that... magic-sense, I suppose, but not myself. And, ah, I don't have all that many friends, either." She had her new family, she supposed, but that... wasn't exactly how she saw creation of new lives. The idea made her a bit uncomfortable.

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

mentions of stillbirth and circumstances understood as miscarriage

---


Sunny hummed, a high sound. "And would the Wyvern-beast like to be reviving a stone? Could not work," she warned. A revival was a tricky process -- she knew this already, somehow. "Could lose the spark inside. Very sad. No good, that is." Even the thought of such a thing -- the kooru recalled a memory of a calf being born, but already starting to turn to Oil. Not even taking a first breath. Sunny didn't think they were quite the same, but losing a stone... it was still like losing a child.

Something thrummed in Wyvern's breastbone. She hoped that this wasn't some elaborate hoax to get a rise out of her. "I... would," she said slowly, not wanting to assume that the snail was going to give her one. They were pretty, first of all, but knowing they had life inside? That made them... all the more precious. Sunny was being unimaginably kind, by offering such a thing to her -- Wyvern certainly wouldn't have been so altruistic.

Carefully, Sunny had the kooru set down the alexandrite. "Here. Weak magic. Very gentle. Just once chance, I am thinking." Her voice was soft -- reverent, even. "Being very careful with it, yes? Do not make Sunny-snail regret her choice. Treat the little-stone nicely. You will not be regretting it." She waited patiently for Wyvern to take it -- to be gentle with it.

Sunny had every intention of trying to check up on this creature at some point, but she was rather confident that her trust was not misplaced. The truth was, she knew her argument was flawed. The fact that Wyvern did not argue led her to believe that Wyvern was... not overly proud, and certainly not cruel. Empathetic, in any case. Sunny was firmly of the opinion that such qualities could serve her well as a mother.

Wyvern's eyes widened, and she took the stone in one of her feet with utmost care. She turned it over carefully, and recalled that she'd been born from a stray stone, too. It was... a strange feeling, to be holding a life in your talons when you knew what it could flourish into. Intimately, she knew. Certainly, Wyvern understood how precious this was -- she dipped her head to Sunny. "You've given me a gift I cannot ever begin to quantify, my friend. I thank you dearly."

The winged creature needed to get back to her den, immediately. "If you will excuse me, I need to return this safely to my home. My family can help protect it, and I can make sure it is somewhere safe until the time comes when I am ready to revive it." Her pink eyes shone. "You've made an ally in Monoceros, Sunny. I hope that we meet again sometime."


/exit wyvern w/ stone

Sunny smiled best she could when she saw how gingerly Wyvern picked up the stone. Yes, this was a good decision. Sunny offered a "Goodbye then!", knowing she already had an ally in Monoceros. Carja was a friend of hers, after all -- not a Friend, but a friend. She watched the bird-dragon take to the air, watched her carry the stone carefully, and watched her disappear into the tunnels.

The kooru picked up the stone between her shoulder blades, and Sunny sighed. Her head still ached. "Let us get home, then," she murmured, thankful for quiet again. Laying her head back down, she pulled in her eyestalks as far as they'd go.

This was going to feel like a very long journey.


/exit sunny (and kooru and stone)