When You Can’t Run from Your Problems. (Cyclone and Typhoon, Sting)

Cyclone and Typhoon usually bickered some. They were siblings after all. It was normal. But this wasn’t just bickering. This was an argument. One that both twins treated as serious. They had argued all the way back to their new den on the Ebonwing Isles, which already took getting use to, and this wasn’t helping.

As they finally walked back in, they continued their rants to each other.

”Come on, sis! This could be good.”

”Yeah, but after all he put us through when we were younger... I just can’t believe you trust him!”

”I’m telling you, he’s not lying!”

”When did I get better at reading people?!”

”When did I become more social?!”

Solving puzzles was a fun hobby of Sting's. She often engaged in this activity when her dear hatchlings were outside to do their own thing. Sting, although a mother, was not as highly protective as some. She knew that some would follow their baby's every move or would not let them do anything on their own. However, Sting was not one of these parents. She would be if Cyclone and Typhoon were younger, but since they were a little older and had experience living out in the rogue lands on their own, Sting knew that she had nothing to worry about.

Or she thought she did. The familiar sound of talons clicking announced the twins' arrival. Smiling, Sting rose from her puzzle and turned to greet her babies when she realized something. They were arguing.

This was a quite the spectacle, as it very rarely happened. Sting approached her children, concern making her forehead furrow into wrinkles. "Hey, hey. . . What's going on?"

The pair were surprised by the mom as she walked up, but both were quick to speak up and spoke at the same time.

”He started it!”

”She started it.”

They then each tried the explain what was going on at the same time.

Sting closed her eyes for a few seconds, as if she were having a headache. Her ears flew up at the sudden outburst of the twins and was quick to react, making sure that her voice was able to be heard over their bickering yet, at the same time, not yelling at them.

"Enough, enough!" she spoke up loudly. She sat down in front of her children, wrapping her long tail neatly around her feet. "One at a time, okay?" She took a deep breath before looking at her son. "Typhoon, you go first. Tell me your side of the story." Sting then glanced at her daughter. "You'll go next, alright?" While Sting didn't have a favorite child, she was still careful when interacting with them so they wouldn't come to think that she liked one of them more than the other.

Both twins stopped they heard there mom. Both looked just a bit guilty, since neither liked annoying the older dragon too much. Then Sting told them how to tell her what was going on. Both responded with ”Ok” before Typhoon began to speak.

”When we were younger there were these hatchlings that would pick on us. Well, it turns out one was in the Firewing tribe, and the other two’s families came with them. Anyway, he’s grown out of bullying, even stopped the other two, and said we could meet him on the shoreline for some fun. But the little princess over here was having none of it.”

Cyclone just rolled her eyes at first until she heard her blue eyed brother call her “princess.” She got a hint of anger on her face as she began to tell her side.

”’Princess?!’ You want to hangout with the drake after all he the time he bullied us?! What if this is just some trick?!” This just managed to Typhoon riled up again as he fired back.

”Oh come on! He never went as far as the Icicle or Scalecloud!”

Sting frowned as the two began to argue again. She raised her tailtip to silence them. She never knew that her babies have been bullied before. An image floated into her mind, an image that included a pack of three dragonlings hissing insults at Cyclone and Typhoon before the little hydra lowered their heads in misery.

As Sting's eyes became misty, she blinked them shut to get the awful image out of her head. When she opened them again, she spoke in a tranquil voice, "Let's be calm about this." She then turned to Cyclone's head. "Do you have anything to add to this story?" Sting knew what she was going to do once the hatchlings finished their story, but was patient in hearing them out.

Both heads stopped again, looking back at their mother. They were still mad at each other, but there was something else. For them to get this mad about something like this? Neither knew why they were this mad.

Either way, Sting asked Cyclone whether she had anything else to add. she gave a slight huff, then said "The other hatchling that 'grew up' is named Magma." Typhoon just gave his sister an annoyed look, knowing she still didn't believe him. Why was she being so hard headed? She usually trusted his judgement when it came to people. And why was he so ticked off about it?

Orange eyes flicked between Cyclone and Typhoon as Sting thought deeply. Magma, was it? That did sound like a FireWing name. Sting didn't think badly of FireWings as one of her past potential mates, Levish, was an EarthWing and FireWing hybrid. However, she wasn't sure how she felt about this Magma character. If he had bullied Cyclone and Typhoon when they were younger, Sting would want them to stay away from him. But, at the same time, Sting didn't want to be so quick to send Magma away. . . After all, what if he was telling the truth?

"I want you to come with me," Sting spoke, standing to her paws and striding past them to the entrance of their den. "Do you know where he and his parents live? Perhaps we can speak to his mother and father and ask that they ensure that what he did to you in the past won't happen again." She then eyed her children, turning to face them. "That is, if that's alright with you." She wanted their consent before they did anything that may fix the problem, just to see if they agreed with it.

Both twins listened to Sting's idea. Typhoon thought it was a good compromise, and was quick to say "That sounds good." Though the blue eyed twin like the idea, Cyclone was quick to speak against it.

"No. I don't want to." Typhoon tried his best not to get angry, but this was bothering him. The male just looked at his sister, then spoke with a health dose of annoyance.

"Why aren't you even going to give him a chance?"

"I just don't."

"Come on. I'm sure he wasn't lying."

"Just like you were sure we'd be ok in that hole!" The dragoness's face looked saddened after she realized what she just said. She had basically blamed Typhoon for what happened to their family, and he knew. But he wasn't mad. He looked hurt, but not mad.

An uncomfortable silence settled upon the den, a silence that hung heavy over Sting like a storm cloud about to burst. She flattened her ears against her head before walking back to her children and speaking softly. "Cyclone, I think that was rather uncalled for," spoke the NightWing meekly, but as she saw that this was a sensitive topic for the both of them, Sting nuzzled Cyclone's muzzle gently before rubbing her forehead on Typhoon's cheek. "Why don't you two discuss this for a bit? Maybe you two can come to agreement. I'll go out hunting and you can tell me your answer when I get back."

Perhaps the two needed some time alone to make their decision and speak privately. Sting wasn't one to intrude, after all. "However, if you want me to stay and talk this through, then I'll be more than happy to. But if you are rather hungry, then I'll be happy to help that as well. . ." She trailed off. What if Sting was making all the bad decisions? What if she was being an awful mother? What if Cyclone and Typhoon changed their minds about being in her family and left? The anxiety was almost too much to bear.

Cyclone was torn up inside. Why did she say that?! Of all the things she could say, why did she say that? Typhoon wondered the same thing. Why would his own sister say that? Neither sibling knew what to say or do to be honest, and didn't like the idea of Sting leaving them right now. Thankfully, their mom offered to state, which was answered by the pair walking up to her, and curling up at her feet.

They stayed silent for a while, but something seemed to come the Typhoon's mind.

"It been almost a year you know." Cyclone just looked at him, not quite getting what he was saying. Their tail twitched slightly before he continued. "Since those trappers came."

Sting knew that her hatchlings wanted her to stay when they curled up at her feet. The silence was no longer uncomfortable, but instead it was rather dreary and sad. She didn't know how to respond to Typhoon's words except to lower her head and nuzzle him gently. Her heart ached for them. . . Even though Cyclone hadn't apologized, Sting knew that she regretted her words.

Cyclone hadn’t thought of it, but her brother was right. It had been almost a year since they lost their first family. The words also made her think, and she finally realized why she said what she said. The dragoness turned to her brother.

”T... Typhoon? Mom?” Her voice was a worried one, but she just hoped to get a response. Typhoon was quick to turn to his sister, looking more calm than before.

”What is it, sis?” Cyclone just let out a sigh of relief. At least her and Typhoon were still on talking terms.

”I’m sorry for what I said, but.... I think I was just having those old feelings come back up. Like you said, it’s been almost a year.” Typhoon just smiled, and nudged his sister’s neck with his own.

”It’s ok, Cyclone. To be honest, I probably have the same thing going on.”

Sting allowed a gentle smile appear on her snout, grateful that her twins had stopped arguing and were on speaking terms. The moment was rather touching, and the NightWing lowered her head to gently lick the top of Cyclone and Typhoon's heads. Instead of staying silent, Sting meekly said, "It is okay to feel those emotions. . . I've felt them before and I know how you feel." This was true, and she only hoped that this may soothe her hatchlings' pain at least a little if they knew that they weren't the only ones who had gone through this before. . . But maybe they already knew that. Sting didn't say anymore, as she didn't want to ruin the touching moment.

Both hatchlings giggled a little as Sting licked their heads. They were also surprised to hear that Sting had felt like they did now. They teared up slightly as Cyclone rubbed against her mother, and Typhoon simply looked up at her with a slight smile. It was good to know someone else had been through similar thoughts that they had.

Cyclone then looked at her brother, knowing a way she could make him a bit happier.

”Typhoon. If you still want Mom to meet with Magma’s family, we can go. I could... be... wrong.” Typhoon smiled, but curled up a bit again.

”Thanks, sis. But let’s just lay down a bit longer.”

When her Cyclone cuddled her, Sting released a loud rumbly purr from her maw before rubbing her head gently against her daughter in return before the red-eyed hydra head returned her gaze to her brother. After watching the interaction between the two, Sting nodded. "Do whatever you feel most comfortable with." She was silent for a few moments, deep in thought before asking, "Are you guys hungry? I can go get us something to eat, if you'd like." Perhaps Sting could make the extra effort to catch their favorite prey. It would be worth it if it would make her babies happier. As a new mother, Sting has been making the effort to put her children before herself. If she were to speak honestly, it wasn't a hard transition-- Sting already loved Cyclone and Typhoon so dearly as if they were her own biological offspring. She really could not care for them more than she did now.

Cyclone and Typhoon looked at their mom, and smiled. She always seemed to know what to do, and it made them happy that she had taken them in. Sting never had to take the pair, but she did.

After some silence, the two were happy to hear about food. Both again smiled before Cyclone spoke up.

”That sounds good. I guess we didn’t realize how hungry we were with our arguing.” Typhoon let out a little chuckle before giving his own remark.

”Yeah. We were a bit stupid.”

Purring slightly, Sting gave her babies yet another affectionate nuzzle. "That's okay. Everyone can be a little foolish at times." The NightWing grinned as she walked towards the den entrance. She turned around, fixing her twins with her orange eyes before gently saying, "I'll try my best to bring back your favorite prey." And with that, she trotted off outside the den just as the sky began to unleash a steady drizzle. Rain drops slid off Sting's charcoal pelt as she spread her wings and flew off towards her favorite hunting territory, blending into the darkened sky as she ascended to the sky.

The pair nuzzled their mom back, both happy to know they were loved. Even with all the monsters showing up, Sting was still there for them, and she seemed to know just what to say. Typhoon had noticed she could be hard on herself at times, but both twins thought she was a great mom!

Cyclone and Typhoon both watched as Sting walked to the edge of their den’s entrance. She told them she would try to get their favorite prey! Deer. Both twins perked up, getting wide smiles on their faces. However, as the dragoness left, a question began to nag at Cyclone.

”Hey, Typhoon? You said that you had some emotions held in. Where’d it come from?” The drake let out a sigh, before nervously speaking.

”You weren’t you.” This response only served to confuse Typhoon’s body mate, but he continued.

”After those trappers came... you weren’t the same for months. I really needed you as... well... you.” Cyclone just frowned, nudging her brother’s neck before finally speaking.

”Well, I was morning! What did you expect?”

”I know now! Neither of us were really ready to deal with something like that.”

”I guess so....” The twins just stay silent after that, each trying to put their mind somewhere other than the past.

It was a few minutes after that when Sting strode in, a large deer with elegant prongs atop its head. It was a kill Sting was rather proud of. Obviously her days as a tracker in the Tribe paid off as the NightWing was still a remarkable hunter. However, she wasn't just proud of the size of the kill. . . She was proud that she could make her children happy. Even though they weren't her biological hatchlings, Sting wondered if she was being as good as a mother as their other mom was. . . Their real mom. She knew that Cyclone and Typhoon missed their parents dearly, but she couldn't help but wonder that if their real parents ever came back if they would leave Sting. That was most likely.

Shaking these thoughts from her head, Sting approached her twins and set the prey in front of them. Smiling, she spoke, "Here you are. I hope you enjoy." With that the NightWing laid down and rested her chin upon her paws, watching Cyclone and Typhoon through orange eyes.

Cyclone and Typhoon watched as Sting came in, both getting excited when they saw the deer in her maw. The pair both looked up at their adoptive mom and rubbed against her, with Cyclone letting out a light purr.

"Thank you!"

"Thanks!"

They both walked over to the deer and happily chowed down. It reminded them of when they first met Sting. She brought them a small deer just because they were hungry. It was something that really showed the two just how much she loved them. The conjoined hatchlings looked up at their mom, smiling from horn to horn.

"This is good."

"Yeah! Delicious!" Cyclone then looked down at what was left of the deer, then at her mother with her red eyes. "Mom, do you want any?"

Sting just smiled at her daughter when the hatchling asked if Sting would like some deer. She shook her head. "No thank you, dear. You and Typhoon can eat it all." She was just happy that she made her children happy, and it made her even happier knowing that the Twin Storms loved her just as much as she loved them, as was evident from the many cuddles they exchanged. Suddenly the NightWing thought ahead to when the two would be all grown up and go do what they please. She would love them forever, but the thought of them not needing her anymore made her sad.

So that's why I should just live in the moment.

Sting straightened up to a sitting position. "If you want anything else I'll be happy to get it for you."

”Ok,” Cyclone responded with a smile before eating some more deer. Even then, it was sometimes hard for either twin to believe just how much Sting loved them, and they thanked Astral every day for her. The two then then heard their mom ask if they needed anything.

Typhoon looked at his sister before responding. ”We should be good Mom, but if you still want to come with us to meet Magma....” He stopped there with a slight smile, hoping she’d say yes.