How could this not be more perfect.
"Oh I remember… This baby wyvern is probably gonna get me killed."
It had curled up next to her, right up against her stomach. Small enough to fit on her satchel.
She could feel the fragile little thing breathing. She could feel it's minuscule heartbeat through her shirt.
Instead of letting out smoke when it exhaled it would let out the tiniest spark of electricity she had ever seen.
How did it get here? Vanagloria didn't know. Nor did she really care.
"She might actually be the most adorable thing I've ever seen." Vanagloria thought.
Vanagloria haaaad to take her.
She didn't care how much danger it got her in.
This was just too perfect.
How could she not take her.
Vanagloria sat there for an eternity looking at the cute dragon, pondering on how she was going to take her.
She could've sat there for hours thinking about it, but was interrupted when the wyvern eventually woke up.
Opening her tiny mouth to yawn, the little wyvern showed off its super sharp miniature fangs. It almost looked like a bat, but instead it was yellow and had the face of a dragon. It wasn't much bigger than a bat typically would be.
The dragon used her wings to prop herself up and started stretching out like a cat.
Now that she wasn't curled up, Vanagloria could see the full size of the baby, her full human arm was just about the length of the dragon's body, counting her tail.
After the whelp stretched, she stood on her two hind legs as started beating her wings. Maybe stretching them out too? Vanagloria didn't really know. She felt like she was a scientist, getting an exclusive look at how wyverns operate on a daily basis, unknown to the rest of the world.
The dragon ended up actually hitting Vanagloria's chest with her wing, making her jump off the satchel in fright.
The wyvern whelp landed facing Vanagloria, just like Clifford the big red dragon did to her. Except this time, Vanagloria wasn't trying to fight the dragon.
The wyvern was making high-pitched snarls at Vanagloria. She was surprised the infant actually had a fighting spirit like this already. Most baby animals cry to get their parents help, not often do they try and fend for themselves.
"It's okay, i'm not trying to hurt you." Vanagloria whispered, slowly getting up into a kneeling position towards the wyvern. She forgot about her injuries, and tried really hard not to wince in pain as she got up.
The dragon spit out a small jolt of electricity onto the ground as she backed up, like she was telling Vanagloria not to mess with her.
"Oh hey look, I'm just like you." Vanagloria presented her hand on the ground and concentrated a few sparks in her fingers.
The wyvern's attitude seemed to change from aggression to curiosity as she looked at Vanagloria's hand.
The whelp then slowly crept over to Vanagloria's hand, sniffing the air as it got closer and closer.
As she reached her hand, she sniffed around it cautiously, inspecting the electricity.
Her rough yellow eyes were lighting up in curiosity at the array of smells she was probably getting.
She then stopped to sniff at a small scar Vanagloria had gotten on her palm from falling down the cliff.
The whelp then nuzzled the scar with her long scaley snout. It didn't help at all, but the fact she was worried for Vanagloria was making her heart swell up.
It was so sweet she wanted to cry.
How could people say dragons couldn't be friendly?
Then Vanagloria noticed the whelp had a similar scar. Her left wing was torn up, not enough to make her limp, but enough to look painful and stop her from flying.
"Oh no." Vanagloria said, making the wyvern look up at her.
Vanagloria reached her other hand down to the wing, as gently as she could she touched it.
The whelp didn't seem affected by it at all, she seemed more confused as she watched her other hand.
"If only I could use my light powers. I could actually heal you." Vanagloria said, catching the attention of the whelp again. She didn't even know if it could understand her. Dragons can communicate to humans through telepathy, but she didn't know what age they got that power.
The whelp looked very interested in Vanagloria though.
Honestly it was a lot like her.
She was probably the baby of the air wyvern she had seen earlier and she had run away or something. Maybe the infant had been abandoned because of her strange powers.
Just like Vanagloria with her new relationship with Umberville. Or even how Vanagloria had just been abandoned by…
"Oh god, where are they?" Vanagloria started to panic, the full realization of her abandonment hitting her.
"Did they actually leave me behind?"
"Oh no…"
Vanagloria really had not fully thought about it.
Martyr and Vega really did just leave her in this forest.
Anxiety unrelentingly swelled up inside her.
Right now she needs Blair.
She hated being way too dependent on Blair but she was literally her only family. And they had been separated for what, four days now?
Vanagloria couldn't even remember the last time that happened.
As much as Vanagloria wanted to learn how to be independent, she felt like she needed a hug from her, or some encouragement, or even for Blair just to do some of this for her.
Blair really was just her older sister. Sure, they were supposed to be born on the same day but Blair had always been more mature out of the two. Mostly due to Blair being an early bloomer and Vanagloria's crippling ADHD.
But nonetheless they still both had supported each other their whole lives through thousands of different ways.
But right now Vanagloria just needed a hug from her.
It was practically a ritual for them to hug after a bad day and right now Vanagloria felt extremely deprived.
Neither of them had any other family to hug other than each other so it was practically their one way of getting that type of physical affection.
Vanagloria had even felt herself projecting these needs on Martyr, who was probably the person she wanted to see most after Blair.
Ever since they had landed in the forest, Vanagloria had been holding herself back from asking a hug from him. At some points it really took all her willpower not too.
She should've just done it.
She might not even see Martyr ever again.
If she did see him again she should use that as an excuse to hug him.
Or maybe she shouldn't.
Martyr really could've been the reason why the two of them abandoned her in the first place.
He had already told her she was too weak to be in the forest. He had been acting like she was some dumb helpless princess.
Vanagloria had lightning powers and she knew she was an amazing fighter. Just because this guy was stronger than her didn't mean she shouldn't fight.
All cause of a little danger. Fuck him and his stupid pretty face.
Vanagloria was gonna prove him wrong and survive out here until she found him.
Then Vanagloria felt a little tug on her hoodie.
The little lightning wyvern had its singular wing claw hooked on the fabric, looking up at Vanagloria with sad eyes.
"Awww, don't be sad." Vanagloria gently wrapped her hands around the baby's stomach, pulling her up.
She was surprisingly comfortable with Vanagloria picking her up. She didn't squirm or resist, she just continued to give Vanagloria that same worried look as she rose up to her.
"I hope you don't mind if I hug you." Vanagloria told her, bringing the tiny apex predator in for a hug.
The wyvern made a small little noise in response that sounded kind of like a sad lazer gun.
Her body was rough and scaly, but it was a nice hug nonetheless.
She sniffed around the back of Vanagloria's ear as she hugged it, followed by a few tiny licks.
Maybe she really could understand Vanagloria.
Maybe not her words but her emotions.
And that was more than enough.
Feeling revitalized, Vanagloria took the little dragon out of the hug and held it out in front of her. Her yellow hind legs and tail hanging down lazily, her scaly grey stomach on full display.
Yeah.
Screw everyone who was gonna tell her she couldn't raise this.
Screw that asshole of a parent Salazar probably had.
Vanagloria was keeping her.
"I think I'll name you…"
Vanagloria looked at her for a moment, trying to find some sort of inspiration for a name. Her eyes eventually landing on the scar on her wing.
"Scar… Slar… Sarl… Salamander… Sally… Salazar…"
"Salazar."
"I like that."
"Your name is Salazar."