Grampa Gruff took a step closer to Scramble with his claw out comfortingly. She still stood on top of the magic bubble, snarling at her grandfather.
"Just calm down, I won't hurt Gasher and Cecilia. I just need to give Cecilia her medicine and then you can keep protecting her." Grampa Gruff reassured. Luckily Scramble was a child so if she kept acting stubborn he could just pick her up and flick her horn to deactivate the bubble.
"You're not going to touch them." Scramble stated, making her horn glow even brighter. Grampa Gruff rolled his eyes. She was probably just using a harmless light spell. He walked over to Scramble and was ready to pick her up. With that, Scramble hopped off of the bubble and kicked Grampa Gruff in the forehead. He stumbled back and clutched to his forehead. Despite her being a small child, that really hurt.
"Don't touch them!" Scramble shouted. Grampa Gruff ran over to Scramble in an attempt to catch her. Scramble slid under his stomach and in the process, kicked him straight in the ribs. Grampa Gruff doubled over a clenched his ribs.
"Who taught this kid how to fight?" He wheezed out to himself. Once the pain from his ribs went away, he stood up straight. To his surprise Scramble was nowhere in sight. Grampa Gruff hastily walked around the living room, looking around for the dangerous child. A soft tapping sound came from above him, making him look up. Scramble stood on the ceiling, glaring down at Grampa Gruff.
He quickly moved back as Scramble dropped from the ceiling. Before she could touch the ground, she opened her wings and flew slightly above Grampa Gruff. She hopped on his back, making his spine crack. Grampa Gruff let out a yelp of pain and dropped to the ground.
Luckily, the pressure from Scramble jumping on his back relieved a lot of tension instead of hurting him. Grampa Gruff looked over at Scramble who was standing in front of the bubble, her horn sparkling with magic.
"Alright, I surrender. I'm going to stay in the kitchen." Grampa Gruff said before quickly backing into the kitchen. Scramble's horn got dimmer but still glowed slightly due to her keeping up the bubble. Once she looked away from her grandfather he backed farther into the kitchen to make sure Scramble couldn't see him.
"Okay okay think. I can't fight her, she's seven and stronger than me. She's tired so I just need to wait for her to fall asleep." Grampa Gruff said to himself. He knew he couldn't physically fight her and he didn't want to risk messing with her magic. He peeked out of the kitchen to see Scramble standing in front of the bubble, guarding it with her life. Her head snapped over to Grampa Gruff. He panicked and quickly backed to the corner of the room.
"Waiting for her to fall asleep isn't an option, it'll take her hours to sleep." He said to himself. He looked around the kitchen, looking for something to get Scramble to sleep. He looked over at the tea kettle that was on the stovetop. On the other side of the room, there was a record player on the counter. He had an idea.
Grampa Gruff slowly entered the living room holding a pink cat-shaped mug. Scramble glared at him and started to spark up her horn again.
"It's okay, I'm not coming out here for your siblings, I'm just making a peace offering." Grampa Gruff explained. Scramble took a step closer and tried to see what was in the mug. He placed the mug on the hardwood floor.
"It's just hot chocolate." He reassured. Scramble looked at the hot chocolate and back up at Grampa Gruff.
"Is it poisoned?" Scramble asked. Grampa Gruff looked at her with wide eyes.
"No! Why would I poison you?" He asked in disbelief. Scramble shrugged her shoulders and looked back down at the hot chocolate that was on the floor. There was whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkled on the top. Grampa Gruff took a step back.
"Now I'm going to go and let you enjoy your hot chocolate." Grampa Gruff said as he backed out of the room. Once he was in the kitchen, he reached over to the record player and played the record he placed on it. Peaceful violins and pianos started to play, echoing around the house.
Scramble picked up the mug and took a long sip of the hot chocolate. Once she finished half of the cup, she placed the mug on the floor. She let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. Scrambles eyes started to get heavier by each second. She sleepily walked over to a couch cushion that was on the floor and curled up on top of it. Within seconds, she had drifted off to sleep. Her horn stopped glowing and the bubble around her siblings disappeared.
"It worked." Grampa Gruff said happily. He walked out into the living room and crouched down to Cecilia's side. "Where's your medicine?" Grampa Gruff asked. Cecilia peaked her eye open to look at Grampa Gruff.
"In the fridge." She whimpered out. Grampa Gruff quickly got up and rushed over to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked around for medicine. His eyes landed on a white bottle that was on the fridge shelf. It had a little plastic cup on the top. He grabbed the medicine and rushed back to the living room. He crouched back down to Cecilia's side and looked at the back of the medicine bottle for instructions.
"Fill up to the top of the cup." Grampa Gruff read out loud. He opened the medicine and poured it into the plastic cup. A thick purple liquid poured into the cup. It smelt like grape. Once the cup was full, Grampa Gruff handed the cup to Cecilia.
Cecilia gently took the cup and quickly drank it all, despite hating the bitter taste. Once she finished, she handed to cup back to Grampa Gruff and leaned into his side. She still clutched her stomach, waiting for the medicine to help her feel better. Grampa Gruff let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness all of that stress was over.
Grampa Gruff and Cecilia were still on the living room floor, enjoying each others presence. She still laid on her grandfather's side, enjoying the feeling of his brittle feathers. Scramble was still asleep and Gasher had decided to cuddle with her, going to sleep himself.
"Why is Scramble so strong?" Grampa Gruff asked. Cecilia glanced up at him.
"She has fighting lessons with Aunt Ember and magic lessons with Aunt Twily. They're both really strong." Cecilia explained. Grampa Gruff gave a look surprise. He never saw Scramble as the type to fight, he always saw her as a gentle kid.
"I know that Scramble's afraid of herself. She tells me about the nightmares she has and she's scared of hurting people but I know she's a good person." Cecilia stated. Grampa Gruff blinked in surprise. He didn't know how to answer that. Cecilia said up from Grampa Gruff's side.
"Can we bake cookies for Scramble? She'll feel bad about hurting you when she wakes up." Cecilia asked. Grampa Gruff gave a small smile.
"That sounds like a good idea."