Chapter 359

359 Happy Birthday Zazzy!

As Zazzy trudged through the snow, she could hear people talking and laughing. Hearing her name several times had made her a bit anxious about what she was about to walk into.

Seeing her apprehension, Skye beamed at her before saying; “Dinna worry me sweet, scaly bairn. Those people are here because they want to surprise ye, too..”

Zazzy didn’t understand what her mother meant, until they rounded the corner...

All of the RMC members that had passed them earlier were all gathered around various tables. The Highlanders that had played with her, and a few others that she somewhat recognized were mixed in as well. They all had cups in their hands, and various horns on their heads as they cleared the corner.

Right as Zazzy, Skye, and Tidas were all visible, Murdoc called out as his pocket watch struck midnight. When his voice stopped, a momentary silence fell before everyone started to sing happy birthday to the now-year-old dragon. It was officially Yuletide Day, which made it Zazzy’s birthday.

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Poles connected with garland and lights led the way to the middle of an enormous tent. Skye had to use her Earth magic to create the poles and stepping paths up high enough to attach the overgrown canopy. Everything needed to be high enough to keep Zazzy from needing to bend her neck.

They wanted her to be comfortable, and in addition to the canopy, thick mats were positioned next to each other. Providing Zazzy a comfortable place to sit off of the cold ground. She liked that they felt a little squishy under her weight, and hoped that she could keep them afterwards.

As she circled to sit, Zazzy scanned the area. The tables were all decorated with bowls filled with sprigs of evergreen, small ornaments, and tiny, colorfully wrapped boxes. The table runners rotated between gold and silver, and each chair had a matching oversized bow tied to the back.

Strings of lights and garland were wrapped around the poles as well, giving the area an inviting glow. Everyone around her singing and smiling in combination with the ambience made Zazzy’s heart feel full enough to burst.

.....

As Zazzy took her place as the center of attention, everyone cheered and chanted her name with smiles on their faces as they finished the song. Scanning the crowds, her eyes fell on her mother, who was cheering louder than anyone else. She had broken off from Zazzy and Tidas as soon as they had finished singing.

Her heart twinged in her chest..

All day long, Zazzy had thought that her parents had forgotten about her, but in reality: she was a day off. All she could remember from right after she’d hatched was the decorations, running for her life, then meeting her mother and father.

Considering she was only a year old, and dragons didn’t tell time; it was honestly amazing that she was only a day off.. Or so Zazzy told herself.

The guilt of all the negative feelings and thoughts she’d had about her parents was killing her happy feeling, which wasn’t right either. Everyone had put so much effort into throwing her a party, and she felt like she was ruining it with her sulking.

Seeing her gloomy disposition, Tidas asked what was wrong as Skye organized everyone to bring out the feast. Zazzy told him the truth, which made Tidas accidentally laugh. She grimaced at him as he apologized, then he made her feel better..

“Sweetheart, you know that Skye and I love you like you really were our child. I’m sorry if we made you feel neglected in any way..”

Zazzy nuzzled Tidas’ cheek before he added; “Don’t ever be afraid to tell tell us what you’re feeling, okay? Especially if it’s a bad feeling, of any kind.”

Sweeping her tail around, Zazzy pinned Tidas against herself. He grunted as all the air was knocked out of his lungs, and she pinned him to her. Those around them laughed as the Commander of the RMC was held in place by a cooing dragon.

As Tidas squirmed, Skye coordinated the food distribution. There were three kinds of hot meat pies to choose from; beef, lamb, and chicken. The sides were mashed potatoes, cooked and seasoned green beans, and a special giant side dish of broccoli covered in cheese.

Skye had turned over half a field to fill the trough for Zazzy, but it had been worth it to see her so excited. She hadn’t gotten the chance to eat many vegetables since coming to the Highlands. She didn’t require them like humans did, but she still liked them.

The amount of cheese on the dish was astounding to most, and many cracked jokes about ‘sore utters in the morning’. One thought leading into another; Skye started thinking about Peggy and Felicia’s constant bickering.

The memory of Peggy calling her a milk cow flashed through her mind’s eye as the phrase ‘yer nips’ popped into her head. She inwardly chuckled until she recalled that it was also the first time Tidas had seen her naked. Her cheeks flushed as a small smile played at her lips..

“That’s a pretty smile, love. I hope it’s for me,” Tidas stated as he came up to her.

Most of the food had been distributed, and the only ones left to still eat was the guest of honor, and her parents. Zazzy was so hungry that she had to continually lick her chops to keep her drool from dripping. Right as she started contemplating begging for scraps, people started to cheer.

A large, flat dolly was used to wheel out a massive pile of meat pies, specially made for Zazzy’s birthday. There were eight tiers of them stacked, and varied in filling and flavor.

Seeing the tower of deliciousness coming towards her, Zazzy could barely contain her excitement. Globs of drool dripped from her mouth as she lost all interest in retaining any decorum. As the pies were placed in front of her, the drooly dragon looked at her parents with pleading eyes.

Skye and Tidas both laughed at her eagerness before counting to three very loudly. As the countdown finished, everyone clapped and screamed; “Happy Birthday Zazzy!”

Overexcited, Zazzy tilted her head up, and blew out an inferno into the sky. It shocked everyone at first, but when Murdoc and Petrie started to yell like lunatics; everyone relaxed and hurrahed along with them.

As soon as she stopped mimicking a blow torch, Zazzy dug into her pies. Everyone chuckled as she held true to the messy eating tradition of most one year olds. Gravy and crust bits covered her face as she cooed and trilled her happiness.

Skye tried to keep the mess to a minimum, but when a piece of chicken got stuck in Zazzy’s nose, she sneezed and shook her head. Gravy and bits of food were flung everywhere, especially on Skye and Tidas. They were closest to her, and got the brunt of it.

A few were irritated, but most laughed at her honest antics. As everyone smiled and had a good time, Tidas marveled at his wife’s capabilities..

For his birthday, Skye had gotten Magnus to grant leave time to all of Tidas’ closest friends in the RMC. And had gotten many of his civilian friends to gather as well. It was the best party he’d ever had, and it was all thanks to Skye.

Everything she did or touched, she made better to him. Tidas adored his wife, and could tell that his sentiments were shared by most of those gathered. Their Yuletide was better than Any the veteran members had ever experienced, and it was thanks to their new General.

As the night went on, Zazzy’s presents were brought out for her to unwrap. She didn’t get very many, but the ones she’d gotten were amazing to her. The mats that she was currently sitting on were from her parents, which made Zazzy extremely happy.

Murdoc, Petrie, Amara, Gavin, and a few of the other Council members had thrown in together for the dragon’s gift. It was a rope, but one like what people used to play with dogs; just dragon-sized. Skye laughed when she saw it, but Tidas sighed..

‘I’ll probably be the one to play with her the most with that thing..’

The RMC gift wasn’t as lasting as the others, but Zazzy was still elated to see two bears, three elk, and around a dozen rabbits or so. Combining that with the jerky that she’d received last night, she wouldn’t need to hunt for at a least week.

The one present that had surprised Zazzy the most was a gift from the Highlanders she’d saved while decorating. They had gathered all of the thick blankets that they could find, and had sewn them together to make a giant quilt.

Zazzy hadn’t been able to fit under a blanket in months, and was excited to be able to snuggle under one again. She missed curling up between her parents, and having the quilt would be a sweet comfort and reminder of the times for her.

When Zazzy nuzzled the man who had fallen from the tree as a thank you, everyone screamed and cheered. It made sense for her to be affectionate towards her parents, but to see the dragon displaying gratitude was an amazing sight. No one would doubt the intelligence of a dragon again.

Towards the end of the night, Amara presented a violin to Skye. She didn’t know where it had come from, but she was excited to be able to play for her wee scaly bairn. If felt different, not having Shasta to accompany her, but she still played wonderfully.

As the nighttime stars started to dim with the encroaching light of morning, Zazzy yawned. Happy and full, she was ready for sleep. Especially since she had squishy mats and a comfy quilt to sleep with now. It didn’t take too long to move her gifts over to her little house, thanks to the efforts of the RMC volunteers.

A few still stuck around to help clean, but Murdoc and Amara told Skye and Tidas to go back with their dragon. The two had worked quite hard the past several weeks, and deserved a break. The cleanup was nearly finished anyway, so they just told them to go get some rest.

With smiles reflecting gratitude, the little family headed back. Zazzy barely waited for them to finish putting bearskins on top of the mats before she was crawling on top of them. Curling into her ball, Skye and Tidas stretched the quilt over her, and tucked their sweet dragon in for a good sleep.

As Zazzy’s vision blurred and faded, the last thing she recalled was seeing the loving gaze of her parents as she drifted off into a deep, restful sleep...