The Lion and the Lamb

by CrazyChickenLady

Chapter Twenty-Nine: First Encounters of Spring

This chapter is dedicated to Michael Morones, hoping for a full recovery! Your fellow Bronies cannot wait for you to see the look on your face when you wake up and see everything we’ve done for you! Get well soon, little man! You‘re our champ! <3

- Jessica Calmes

Chapter Twenty-Nine: First Encounters of Spring

Placing the baby griffon in Smokey’s lap, Fluttershy flitted up to her bathroom and returned with some cotton balls, bandages, antiseptic, and antibiotic cream gathered in her forelegs and a pair of tweezers held between her teeth. Dabbing a cotton ball in the antiseptic with the tweezers, she raised it up to one of the wounds on his lower lip.

“This will sting a bit,” she warned through her teeth.

The dragon nodded. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the worst. As soon as that alcohol-soaked cotton ball touched one of his pinprick wounds, he flinched with a slight whimper, but he permitted the mare to continue dabbing and rubbing at every single infliction on his head. Cleaning them and wiping up the blood, changing cotton balls after each one, she applied the antibiotic cream and covered them with bandages. It was just as bad as his experience with the bite he received from the werewolf. Sure, this didn’t hurt as much, but the amount of pricks made up for it.

It was especially excruciating on his sensitive ear frills. The fringes involuntarily twitched as the broken flesh was touched.

“I… never intended on… getting my ears pierced… I suppose this is one way to… do it,” he said in an effort to lighten up the mood.

Eyes lighting up with a relieved expression, Fluttershy gave a soft chuckle. Sticking the final bandage, she reached to caress his face lightly.

“I suppose. Though it wouldn’t be my preferred choice. I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I? does it still hurt a lot?”

“Yeah, it still hurts… But, not as badly. I’ll… be all right.” The draconian offered an assuring smile despite the lingering pain. “Again… thank you, Miss Fluttershy.”

“That’s good… I was so worried. You gave me such a scare. You shouldn’t ever put your head in any hole. What if there had been snakes in there? Some of those are poisonous! What if you had--? I--!” The pony cut herself off with a sigh, moving in to slide one of her forelegs underneath his arm and the other around Chenoa to draw them both into a hug. “I just… don’t want anything bad to happen to you… I’m so glad you’re all right.”

The scarlet draconian accepted the mild scolding, feeling he deserved it for doing such a foolish thing. What if it had been a venomous serpent instead of a porcupine? Chenoa would’ve possibly ended up with a very sick daddy. Or worse…

Yet, he was also touched. He was touched so much, he felt the urge to shed tears, but he managed to resist. She really must care for him, he thought as the equine brought him and the baby into an embrace. Responding in kind, he lifted his arms and slid them around the chick and the mare’s midsection.

“I… I’m sorry I scared you, my dear. I will be more careful from now on.”

Feeling reassured, she settled into his arm and holding him and Chenoa close. She didn’t want to think about what could have happened, and frightening images continuously flashed through her mind. She was suddenly very thankful the child was too young to understand what happened - she probably wouldn’t even remember.

“Good,” she finally said and drew away, letting them go. “Are you going to be okay, Smokey? Do you want to stay here and rest up while I head back out to finish?”

“I think I’ll be all right,” he stated, his hand idly stroking over the griffon’s downy head.

“Alright.”

Issuing a nuzzle to the baby, then exchanging one with the draconic reptile, she waited for him to shift the little one into one arm before assisting him to his feet and leading them back outside.

Angel was in a really bad mood. His sleep had not only been unexpectedly disturbed once, but on multiple accounts. Each pained noise Smokey made while his quills were being removed, had ground down on his nerves. Of course, there was still a stroke of sympathy for the dragon, but the rabbit was more concerned with getting more rest. As the door opened, once again, opened by the pegasus, allowing the chilling air to rush in, he made another dive underneath the pillows.

***

The chilling air that lingered in the winter daytime was steadily burning away. The spring vegetation was well on its way in its growing process and the animals had returned. A plethora of creatures of varying shapes and sizes gathered at Fluttershy’s property, anxious to greet their beloved friend; they were shocked to see a dragon there - as well as a baby griffon, but Smokey was the predominate cause of their alarm. Their natural fear of such a predator took control of them and the majority took off while the rest remained rooted, waiting for something to happen.

Smokey stood still, not wishing to frighten the rest of the creatures. He would trust Fluttershy to break the ice for him and their daughter.

“Oh! Wait! Where are you going, my friends?” Fluttershy called out to the fleeing animals, pumping her wings and lifting off the ground. “Come back, please! Smokey won’t harm you - he’s a nice dragon!”

She frowned, ears falling as she breathed a light sigh. She expected something like this would happen…

The tall reptilian felt his heart sink, his entire demeanor drooping into the epitome of disappointment as he watched the animals run and acknowledge him with terror. A small mob of deer was clustered behind a group of large bushes. A few moments passing after hearing the mare’s claim over the dragon, a single stag hesitantly and cautiously crept forth. Ears perked into the direction in front of him, his beady eyes were frozen upon the large winged beast, watching for any indication that he would suddenly spring and attack.

Fluttershy brightened up the instant she realized the stag was being particularly bold. Grinning, she motioned for him to come closer.

“It’s all right,” she coaxed him in a honey sweet voice. “He’s safe. You can come over. I promise he won’t hurt you.”

The stag’s ears twitched, one rotating towards Fluttershy as she spoke. With the combination of her voice’s naturally soothing effect and her supportive words, a blanket of calm was draped over the woodland creature. Still… his eyes never left the dragon as he edged closer and closer.

Smokey was amazed one of the animals was actually taking a chance. Though, Fluttershy’s voice was so calming - he couldn’t blame the buck for giving in. Sporting his friendliest grin - making sure to keep his lips pressed together so as not to accidentally intimidate the deer with the sight of his fangs. He dropped his ear frills a small amount, hung his head with his sight still on the critter, and sagged his shoulders in an overall ruse to appear as less threatening as possible.

Once the buck was a yard away, he bounded over to the yellow pegasus first, still focused upon the draconian. His muscles tensed up, his legs pending on whether or not to run as the scaly beast slowly extended his hand.

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy attempted to cajole, raising a hoof to stroke the stag’s side. “I swear on my honor as a friend Smokey won’t harm you.”

The deer dared to remove his eyes from Smokey, meeting the mare’s honest-to-goodness gaze. He knew she wouldn’t lie to him - or any of her other animal friends. Therefore, there was really no reason as to why he shouldn’t believe her. With a burst of courage, the buck returned his attention to Smokey and inched closer to him. The instant he felt the gloved hand touch his muzzle, he froze in place and squeezed his eyes shut.

Smokey gently smoothed his hand over the deer’s head. The baby griffon stationed in his other arm reached out with both forelegs to touch the critter, but they were much too short. Still, that didn’t dissuade her from trying.

The mare kept her hoof on the buck to remind him that she was still there and that he was safe. Glancing up at Chenoa, she couldn’t help but giggle at her attempts.

“Do you want to pet the pretty deer, too, Chenoa?” she asked, swiveling her blue-green eyes to the dragon.

Smokey removed his hand from the deer to hold both sides of the baby’s body. Parental instincts taking over, he deliberately and vigilantly brought her closer to the stag.

“Remember to use gentle hands, sweetheart.”

Over the pair of weeks, both Fluttershy and Smokey have repeatedly instructed the child on how to gently touch an animal. She came to understand near the end of that time period and animals like Angel and Ross could finally trust her to handle him without pulling on his fur, ears, and whiskers.

The tiny eagle paws eagerly ventured forth, landing between the deer’s eyes.

“Gentle,” Smokey reminded her in a soft intonation.

“That’s it. Be gentle.” Observing the baby rub her paws against the deer’s head, she offered an approving smile. “He needs to be handled with care, even though he’s a big boy. He can frighten easily.”

Deer have always fascinated Fluttershy. She could empathize with the animals, being quite easy to startle herself. Though she found it intriguing that such a large, noble, majestic creature could be as simple to spook as her.

Chenoa squealed with elation, causing the buck to flinch, but he stayed where he was. The woodland creature tolerated the child’s hands as they felt the fur adorning his head in long, irregular strokes.

“You’re doing a fantastic job, sir,” Smokey praised the stag with a warm smile gestured at him. He then turned back to the baby as she begin babbling to the deer, his and Fluttershy’s hearts melting.

The mare even felt the desire to take Chenoa from Smokey to cuddle her. However, doing so would deprive the griffon of petting the deer, and she didn’t want to do that. Instead, she followed the draconian’s example - giving the buck a very appreciative expression, admiring him for being a trooper through this.

The gratitude on Fluttershy’s face was enough thanks the stag needed. He enjoyed seeing his equine friend happy and decided bearing the attention of the baby was worth it.

For five minutes. After that, the deer had enough. Backing up and turning away, he walked back to the small herd and the group subsequently headed off. Chenoa, however, wanted to keep petting him, and cried.

“Oh no.” Smokey frowned, biting his lower lip as he drew the infant into a comforting snuggle. “Sweetheart, it’s all right. Please don’t cry.”

He bit his lip again nervously as he switched his attention to Fluttershy, his wide eyes pleading for help.

“Ooooh!” The pony was almost instantly at his side, pumping her wings to raise her to Chenoa’s level. “Don’t worry. There will be other animals you can pet. Mr. Deer has to go back home with his friends. Besides, he’ll come back one day and you can pet him some more then.”

She leaned in to nuzzle the small griffon and top her head with a kiss.

“Why don’t we find some other animals to play with?”

The baby continued to wail over the deer’s departure. Smokey offered a nuzzle of his own, which failed to becalm the little one. Distressed sea green orbs darting across the landscape surrounding them, he desperately searched for something that might catch her attention long enough to make her forget about the buck.

Fortune decided to smile upon the three of them as a monarch butterfly fluttered nearby.

“Oh! Look, honey! A butterfly!”

Following Smokey’s line of sight, Fluttershy gasped softly and nudged the baby’s head with her nose.

“Lookie, Chenoa! Butterfly!”

Butterflies had always been one of Fluttershy’s favorite creatures. After all, a cluster of them had saved her life when she fell from Cloudsdale and her flanks was branded with three of them as a symbol of her serenity and her gentleness on top of her empathetic connection with wildlife. The pony smiled as the monarch butterfly flitted closely to her ear.

Chenoa’s cries subsided into occasional sniffles and moans as she was drawn to the winged insect. Her tear-laden eyes went wide, lighting up with wonder and awe.

“Gaba, buh-buh!” she exclaimed, pointing a tiny talon at the butterfly as it circled around her mother’s head while glancing up at the dragon to check if he was looking. When she saw that he was, she shifted her attention back to it.

“Yes, Chenoa. That’s a butterfly. Butterfly,” Smokey repeated in an attempt to implant the word into the child’s brain.

Giggling, Fluttershy grinned as the butterfly drew away from her, though it remained flying around them lazily.

“Butterflies are very fragile,” she said, turning to her, before realizing Chenoa wouldn’t understand. “You need to be very gentle with butterflies, too. You could hurt them if you’re not careful.”

“Actually, I think it’s best if you do not touch them at all,” Smokey stated to the little griffon as he observed the butterfly flit about. “At least, until you are old enough to control your strength.”

Since it didn’t appear very soft like the stag, Chenoa wasn’t sure if she wanted to touch it. For now, she just watched.

Comments

[For The Plot]

He bit his lip.
His injured lip.
With sharp dragon teeth.

[CrazyChickenLady]

4028232 Oh no. He didn't bite it hard. People do it, and so have the characters on the show. x3