Nadya

"Look at him, look at our son!"
Still dazed, the tiny hatchling instinctually tips his head towards the excited humming.
"He sees us, darling! Hello, Nadya! Ready for your first meal?"
A deeper hum this time, paired with a shuffle of movement, and then something was placed near him. What was it? The youngling tipped his head this way and that, trying to smell or hear the new thing, but to no avail.
"Come on, son. Right there. Don't you see it?"
The was that low hum again, but it sounded less joyful, more ominous. Couldn't he tell that the baby couldn't figure out where "it" was? Or what "it" even meant? Dejectedly, the shimmering baby gave up the search, plopping down to rest.
"Son, look at me."
That voice was paired with some motion again, and the hatchling turned towards where he heard the voice from, only to hear a despairing shriek.
"He's blind! Snow, our baby is blind!"


Nadya was abandoned at a young age by his superstitious birth clan. Due to this, he is very slow to care about anyone, nervous that they'll push him away again. Why did they leave him, you ask? He carries a very dangerous disease. Only in a hereditary manner, but it was enough to frighten away any Coatls. Being completely honest, however, they didn't even know about the disease. They were more bothered by him being born completely blind.

As it often works when once sense is lost, Nadya's other senses are heightened to compensate. This was crucial to his survival on his way to the Viridian Labyrinth- not that he knew where he was going, of course. There was a slight problem: as Nadya had no way of telling what was in front of him quickly, he couldn't fly, lest he run into something.

There were animal noises surrounding Nadya, and hot humidity on his feathers, though that might just be residual dampness from forgetting to check if there was any water in front of him. He was just glad it was only a small stream this time. Pushing down the light embarassment of that whole experience, he hurried forward and subsequently faceplanted into what seemed to be a tree.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Nadya tensed as a huge weight landed on the jungle floor next to him. He started weighing his options, debating whether or not to ask this dragon for help and considering how he might react to Nadya's blindness. He realized that it was pretty clear that he was blind due to his faceplant, and decided he might as well speak up when the voice spoke again.
"Buddy, you're staring off into space. Focus. You okay? What are you doing in our territory?"
"To answer your first question," Nadya began with a soft trill, "I am blind, so staring off is pretty common for me. Besides my blindness, which can't be fixed, and genes that probably shouldn't be passed down, I am technically perfectly healthy." He paused for a moment, and hurriedly said, "I was unaware that this was your territory, but if you are accepting of strangers and would pardon my rudeness would it be out of my place to ask if I may come and live with you and your clan as it is very hard to live blind and alone and you seem a rather friendly fellow?"
The dragon hesitated for what seemed like forever, and then he finally spoke. "Young Coatl, I would be honored to welcome you into our clan, but the decision is up to our leader, Autumn. I'll bring you to her. As a warning: she is a Fae, so I will serve as a temporary translator until we can find someone who is willing to do it full time."

Agapanthus, as Nadya came to learn on the slow and tedious flight up to their home, was an Imperial, and had a mate named Magnolia. Agapanthus really, really loved her- the Coatl could tell just by his tone of voice. Finally it came time for Autumn to meet the potential new clan member. As you can probably guess, he was accepted and welcomed with open arms, like every other newcomer. There was something Autumn mentioned after welcoming him that filled him with dread- she had told Agapanthus to give him the hollow next to "our other Coatl newcomer". He was painfully aware that being completely white and blind would likely drive the Coatl to fear and resent him, but he didn't want to complain, so he went along with it.

"This will be your room. It isn-- well, look at that! Lovely timing, Miss Luciela! This is Nadya. He will have the lairroom next to you. Go on, Nadya, say hello!"
Nadya curled in on himself, ready for the gasps of fear as he mumbled a shy, "Hello there. It's nice to meet you."
There was a sudden sharp inhale and Nadya prepared for the worst.
"Oh my goodness! You-you're white too! Wait- does that mean you have it too?!"
She had a light accent, just enough to notice- wait did she just mention the disease?! She had it too?!
"Y-Yes, I do. I'm blind because of it."
"Oh, you poor thing!"
Nadya heard a flurry of movement and suddenly there were a pair of arms wrapping around him in a comforting manner, and Luciela's voice was right next to him. He noted absently that she smelled like lemongrass and something sweet he couldn't quite place.
"I just have asthma! I didn't know it could be worse!"
"Just asthma, Luciela? You and I both know it's worse than that- you nearly died last time you had an attack!"
Agapanthus's scolding voice came from next to him, and Nadya heard Luciela huff resignedly and pull away.

Life was certainly interesting living next to Luciela, full of life and joy as she was, but Nadya came to appreciate it. Over time, he learned and familiarized his surroundings to the point where he could successfully navigate the treetop lair with speed and recognize his clanmates by voice or scent. He didn't use this ability much. You see, Luciela loved "exploring", as she put it, which in reality was just wandering the canopy surrounding the lair. She always dragged Nadya along, knowing he would appreciate getting to hear and smell new surroundings, and because she liked his company on her expeditions.

The warbling of birds surrounded Nadya. Luciela's high trilling laughter rang out as some unknown creature (to him, at least) entertained her a short distance away. A sudden whoosh of feathered wings and Luciela was now next to him. "Nadya! I found a flower! Smell it!" She squeaked, childlike in her excitement. Chortling lightly, he inhaled, taking in the sweet aroma.
"It smells lovely." He hummed with a smile.
"Here! You keep it!"
The sweet smell was pushed awkwardly into his mouth to hold. He laughed lightly then paused, his face taking a curious and nervous expression.
"Luciela," he asked haltingly, "I've always wondered what you looked like. If it's not rude, may I please feel your face?"
Silence. Nadya's about ready to curl up into a ball and roll away when Luciela's voice returned, soft now.
"Of course."
She sounded touched by his request, and took his hands to guide them to her face.

The two only got closer after the whole face-touching experience that still makes Nadya blush out of embarassment. At this point, Magnolia and Agapanthus just adored watching the pair awkwardly fumble around each other, as the Coatls reminded them so strongly of themselves when they were first falling for each other. Unfortunately for the couple , nothing really culminated until a storm managed to destroy Nadya's lair so he had no choice but to room with Luciela.

Rain was still pouring outside as Nadya burrowed deep into the mound of blankets Luciela had offered him. He closed his eyes blissfully as he was quickly surrounded by the familiar lemongrass and lilac (Luciela finally told him what it was) and curled up, ready to drift off.
"Goodnight Luciela. Thanks for letting me stay with you."
"Goodnight Nadya. I love you."
The last part was mumbled so lightly that if it weren't for Nadya's advanced hearing he wouldn't have heard it. His eyes snapped open. A soft smile graced his face.
"I love you too."

After that night, Nadya moved in with Luciela permanently, much to Agapanthus and Magnolia's delight. They were a blissful couple and went on canopy or floor excursions nearly every day, as it was an activity both of them could enjoy; Luciela with the vivid colors and odd creatures, and Nadya with the change in scents and sounds. It seemed as though nothing could go wrong, until one day, things did.

Insects buzzed as the jungle's humidity pressed in around Nadya. He sat calmly on a wide branch, taking in the sounds and scents like he did every morning while Luciela bounded around nearby, careful to never leave his range of hearing lest he get worried. Nadya smiled slightly as he listened her shrieks of excitement. He had found someone that balanced him perfectly- something quite rare in these times, as he knew quite well. She was enthusiastic and passionate with a wit to match his own. Suddenly, he was yanked out of his thoughts by a loud crash of leaves crumpling and twigs snapping, then silence.
"Luciela?" Nadya hummed, softly at first, then louder. He began the tedious process of picking his way across the canopy towards the crash, fear becoming evident in his voice as his mate failed to respond over and over. Nadya stopped, focusing on listening around him when he heard something dreadfully out of place. Labored wheezing could be heard over the dull din of insects. Luciela.
Throwing caution to the wind, Nadya darted towards the gasps in leaps and bounds, only stopping when he bumped into a feathered mass. He reached down and tried to gather her up as best he could. He started forward, then froze. Luciela was the one that always guided him. He had only the faintest idea of how to get to help. He sobbed, desperate and unsure, before quickly settling into a steely resolve. He had to save her. There was no other option.
"Hold on, Luciela. Please, hold on." He murmured softly, and started running towards what he believed to be the way back, holding her close to him as an attempt at reassurance.
"Help!" The Coatl screamed, "Please! Help!"
He repeated his cry over and over as he dashed through the canopy, following the rapidly fading scent trail the pair had left.
Finally, his desperate cries were met by the loud approach of a dragon racing towards him.
"Nadya? What happened?!" Thank the deities, it was Ender, the other guard dragon.
"Ender, Luciela- she-she's having an asthma attack," Nadya's voice dissolved into sobs once again, "G-get help, please! I don't know how much longer she can hold on..."
Frantically, Ender tried to take Luciela to carry her along faster, only to be met with a firm but silent "No" in Nadya's stance.
"Follow me." Ender spoke quickly before turning to zip back to the clan, trumpeting out his own cries for help to mingle with Nadya's. Soon most of the clan was surrounding the trio, and the clan doctor carefully pried Luciela from Nadya's grip and rushed her into the medical hut. Nayda stumbled along after him, exhausted from his desperate run. When he got to the door, the doctor handed off Luciela and turned to block Nadya from entering, earning a rather intimindating growl.
"Nadya, I know you're worried, but we have to focus on saving her. It would be best if you stayed out here."
"No! She's in pain! I want to be there!" Nadya wailed, pushing against the doctor. There was a small flurry of motion, and there was a pair of arms firmly pulling him away from the doctor, who rushed inside. The Coatl thrashed against the dragon holding him back, kicking out with legs and lashing his tail.
"Nadya, listen to me," The dragon revealed himself to be Agapanthus, his deep rumbling voice showing strains of sympathy and worry, "I know she's hurting- I know you're hurting, too. The doctors need to focus on keeping her alive, and as much as you hate to hear it, there's not anything you can do now but hope."
Nadya's struggling subsided as Agapanthus's voice reached him. The older dragon was right, and Nadya knew it.
For the third time that day, Nadya began to sob, tears tracing salty tracks down his face as he turned and buried his face in the Imperial's chest.

Luciela nearly died that day. Nadya wouldn't stop beating himself up over it. If only he wasn't blind, if only he had a better memory, maybe she wouldn't be clinging to life in the doctor's hut. Maybe she would be running around and chasing butterflies and finding new, interesting flowers to show him. He spent hours thinking of his mistakes and faults as he paced back and forth in front of the medical hut. Agapanthus looked on sadly, wishing he could do something to calm his friend.

Nadya barely registered Agapanthus's deep sigh as he pivoted sharply, retraced his steps, and repeated. The sun was starting to set, discernible to him only by the slowly dropping temperature. Stupid, stupid, stupid!, he told himself, She's hurt. It's all your fault. If you could see, she wouldn't be in this situation. Nadya stopped pacing, and began to march resolutely back towards the jungle.
"Nadya? Where are you going?" Agapanthus rumbled, clambering to his feet.
"I'm going to get Luciela some flowers."
"I'll come with yo-"
"No. I want to do this alone."
Agapanthus slowed to a stop, realizing what this must mean to Nadya.
"Alright," the Imperial conceded, "Just be careful, will you?"
The Coatl was already hidden by the vines and leaves, but a faint "Of course" echoed back to Agapanthus. Nadya strode carefully across a branch, taking deep sniffs every few moments. It seemed like forever before he smelled something sweet and almost soapy- definitely a flower. He bounced towards it and reached out slowly, coming into contact with the stem on the first try. Nadya quickly followed it towards the base and nipped it off, leaving a long stem. I hope this is pretty enough, he thought before turning around and trotting back, feeling rather successful.
"You were back quick." Agapanthus chortled as Nadya popped back into view.
"Does the flower look nice?" Nadya fought to talk around the flower, but managed to make his question clear.
"Yes. It's very pretty."
With Agapanthus's blessing, Nadya padded cautiously into the medical hut. He turned towards the deep breaths. Luciela was sleeping. That was good. Sleep meant recovery. Careful so as not to bump into her and wake her up, he stopped a few steps in front of her and set down the flower before retreating back outside the hut.

Nadya did that every day for the month that she was bedridden. Every day, he went out and found a new flower and cleared with Agapanthus that it was fit to be brought to Luciela. After that, if she was awake, he would present it to her with love in his voice. If she was asleep, he would leave it on the bedside table and retreat as quietly as he could. At this point a large number of the clan's females were pestering their mates with how they weren't blind but Nadya was the only one bringing flowers.