Heart of Water

Chapter 16: Glow Returns

"You can do it Sapphire!" Summer called out to her daughter as she attempted to stay airborne. "Just angle your wings and keep them flapping!"

"I got ya!" Riptide called as she caught Tempest.

"Thanks mom," Tempest said with a great full look on her face. "I almost crashed into the roof of the Roost!"

They were teaching them how to fly and things were going well. They only fell once or twice a session instead of dozens of times per session. Soon they would Master flight.

"It's good to see parents teaching their children to fly." A voice said from behind them as Tempest took off again. "I'm actually on my way to see my children. It's been far too long so I thought I would surprise them."

Turning around they saw an older female Swiftwing. Summer was about to talk but Riptide beat her to it by flying at top-speed toward the older Swiftwing.

"Mommy!" Riptide said, crashing into the Swiftwing in a hug, much to her shock, with her still not recovering when Riptide let go and waved to her children. "Sapphire, Tempest, come meet your grandmother Glow."

"Are you really our grandmother?" They asked coming closer. "You don't look like Grandma Aquaria."

This let her recover as she shook her head. "I'm sorry but my daughter is human. I don't know why she's calling me mom, or how she knows my name."

"What?" Riptide said, looking at herself before face palming. "Oh right. You are my mother see...Metamorphose."

With that she glowed and turned back to human, unfortunately forgetting that she was in midair and humans can't fly.

"Leyla!" Summer and Glow both cried in alarm while Sapphire and Tempest just hovered in the air, staring down at the young human girl plummeting toward the ground.

Glow was just about to swoop down and catch her adopted daughter but Summer beat her to it.

"I gotcha Ley!" Summer called out, diving downwards and catching the girl on her back.

"Thanks Sum," Leyla told her mate as she repositioned herself on her back. "I'm glad that you caught me."

Summer blushed and crooned softly. "Of course I caught you, Ley, you're my mate and the children's mom too." The sea-foam green Fastfin told her while nuzzling her cheek.

Once the Fastfin had landed safely back on the ground, everyone but Leyla and Summer all started talking at once.

"Uh, guys?" Leyla tried to get their attention. They couldn't hear her.

Summer noticed what she was trying to do. "EVERYONE LISTEN!" She yelled. They all stopped talking and looked at them.

"So, I can turn into a Fastfin and my name is Riptide." Leyla said before muttering "Metamorphose" and turning back into Riptide to prove her point.

Glow blinked and turned to face Summer. "And who is this? A friend of yours?"

Riptide blushed and stared down at her feet, not looking her adopted mom in the eyes.

"Uh, well you see... mom, this is Summer, my best friend and my mate." As she spoke, she turned back into Leyla and hugged the Fastfin's neck.

"Hey mom!" All three dragons turned around when they heard a call ring out.

It was Tempest and Sapphire.

"Are you really a human mom?" Tempest was the first to ask upon landing beside Leyla and Summer.

"Yeah! How'd that happen?" Sapphire chimed in from beside her sister. "Were you born like that?"

Glow chuckled and looked down at the two younger dragons.

"And who might these two younglings be?" Glow asked, looking back up at her adopted daughter and her mate with a curious look on her face.

Leyla's face went bright red and she shuffled her feet in the sand. "Well, you see..." she began in a nervous tone. "These two younglings are Tempest and Sapphire, and they're mine and Summer's children."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Tempest spoke up in an attempt to break it.

"Hey, why don't we show her around our home?" The younger water dragon suggested with a bright smile forming on her face. "She could meet the other dragons too!"

Summer and Leyla smiled at each other before nodding. "That sounds like a great idea, Tempest, let's show my mom the Roost!"

And with no words left tk be said, Leyla hopped onto Summer saddle and they headed in the direction of the Roost.

When the group landed in front of the Roost, they headed inside where everyone introduced themselves to Glow, well, everyone except for Aggro, Dak, and Winger, who weren't there.

"Well, I've met my daughter, her mate, and my grandchildren." Glow said while looking around the room. "But where are my sons?"

"Aggro is punishing them again," Burple said while holding back his laughter. "There at it again."

"Oh?" Summer asked with a raised eyebrow. "So they're at it again are they?" She asked, getting two rapid nods in response.

"They were making another plan to be overprotective brothers," Cutter said with a soft sigh and a flick of his spiked tail.

"Honestly..." Leyla exclaimed, giving a frustrated sigh and throwing her arms up into the air. "We punish them for that at least once a week, I'm allowed to have a mate without them threatening her. We've even had children together. They should have stopped long ago."

"You'd think they would know. Heck Aggro is like a sister to us, and she is not so overprotective," Summer said with an annoyed huff and cooing softly as she nuzzled into Leyla's hand.

"It appears that they've forgotten what I've said about that when raising them," Glow sighed and stared up at the ceiling in thought.

"If you're going to be overprotective only do it once, and let them make the choice afterwards." Leyla and Glow said together, as Aggro, and a soaked Winger and Dak walked in and noticed Glow.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Winger asked while shaking the water from his scales.

Glow smiled and nuzzled the top of her grown son's head.

"I just thought that I'd come and see how my children were doing," Glow responded with a soft smile while wrapping her wings around both Dak and Leyla in a right hug.

"You've all grown so much, and Dak and Leyla, isn't your birthday coming up soon?" She asked while staring down at her adopted children.

The twins blinked and glanced to one another with equal looks of surprise.

"We forgot all about that!" They both said in unison, making Summer and Winger burst out laughing.

"You'll both be turning 16 in about two days from now, am I right?" Glow asked, getting a nodd from both teens as they smiled up at her.

Afterwards they showed Glow around Huttsgalore, getting good greetings from everyone but Magnus. Before leading her to the nearby island Aquaria has claimed for a home.

"Hey mom!" Summer called out to Aquaria as they landed. "We have a question to ask you!"

"Yes dear?" She asked, smiling up at her daughter and her mate as they landed on the shorline of the beach. "What can I do for you?"

"This is my mom, Glow," Leyla said while gesturing to the older Swiftwing. "Like you she wants to live near her grandchildren. Can she stay with you?"

"Of course she can stay," Aquaria said welcoming her into the cave she called home.