baleriya the brood mother | umber day 3

He tumbled end over end down the incline, crashing in an exhausted heap at the bottom. Tears and sweat and rain streaked every inch of him, and he was mostly just grateful the last two did a decent enough job of hiding the first. Where had Georgie gone? He couldn't risk losing her again, but at this point it was simply too unsafe to get up and run about freely. He still hadn't made out where Noah had gone to hide. In a single morning, Umber had managed to both find and then once again lose both of his allies.

Chest rising and falling in quickened gasps of air, he pulled his knees up against himself and willed the rain to clear and the storm to go away. He didn't say it out loud, but if he were a strong enough wizard then maybe it would work anyway!

He rested his head against his knees, pulling himself into a ball against the base of the mountain. And then he heard the snap of something heavier than a tree.

Her head alone was big enough to ride a horse down. Her pure black scales glistened with rain, and cunning red eyes stared directly at him as she undeniably began to approach. There was nowhere for him to run, nor did he suspect for even a moment that he would've gotten away if he tried. Back against the base of the mountain, Umber did everything he could not to scream.

The wyvern exhaled, a harsh puff of air knocking his hood off and blowing the hair from his face. Teeth as long as swords dripped with strings of saliva from its opened mouth. In the corner of his vision, Umber could see the dog-sized fledglings scurrying about her form. Even this close, they paid him no mind.

He closed his eyes, hoping his siblings would know to look away now before it was too late.

And then nothing happened.

His eyes opened once again to find the creature laying before him on her belly. Her eyes were still training on him, but her mouth was closed now. Some of the fledglings hopped off her side and excitedly sniffed at the rocks and sipped from the puddles. A few took shelter beneath her wings. Umber wondered for a moment if he'd simply been so still that the creature hadn't recognized him as alive, but then when a forced shiver made his leg twitch, he saw the unmistakable flick of her gaze.

He sat that way for quite some time, maybe minutes, maybe hours: eyes wide, terrified to breathe, refusing to move. Eventually, she must've grown bored. Her eyes fell closed, and she began to snore.

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