Phoenix Phire

"Where'd you put the fish dragon?"

"In the bathtub." Sigh mumbled against Nix's neck, her tired eyes half-closed. "Don't worry, I locked the door," she added sleepily.

Nix puffed the young girl's red hair out of his face. She draped over him like a wet blanket and was dead to the world when the Inferno Leader exited the ranch house a few moments later.

"How'd it go with Raine?"

Nix turned in time to see the salamander drop her archon form; he smiled at Shae and accepted a kiss. "About like you'd expect."

Shae laughed and shook her head. "With you, I never know what to expect."

Nix nodded in agreement. "My goal is to keep you guessing. Our little ghost pepper fell asleep again. Is it normal for salamanders to sleep so much?"

Shae pushed a hand through his arm and fell in step beside him. Reaching over, she pushed a strand of hair out of her daughter's face. "It's normal, probably because she is a multi-elemental. That can be very taxing on the body."

"Mhmm." Nix didn't comment; although Sigh manifested lightning, two other elements were bubbling beneath the surface.

Shae grinned suddenly and leaned against him. "I wonder where she gets her troublesome nature from."

Nix laughed loudly. "You know where!"

They shared a mutual look, each obviously blaming the other.

"What do you think of Mtui and Ellisand?" Shae effortlessly changed the subject. The banquet was meant to be a small gathering to celebrate the marriage between Breach Commander Mtui and Chiba. Instead, the ceremony became a huge affair for which all of Sky Kingdom turned out.

"She'll always be Chiba to me." Nix shook his head sadly; many of the Inferno members had paired up in the years since the Deep Winter.

"Same here." Shae nodded in agreement; when she thought of the spellsword, the image of a creepy old man always popped up, although the ring image was actually an old female.

"Hmmm?" Nix heard the sound of a galloping horse. Instantly he recognized the rider. "What's Rand doing here?"

Shae shrugged slightly, "Moonlight is due soon; perhaps your new Stable Master contacted her."

Rand had been Nix's Stable Master for five years; as promised, he'd given her a 'starter herd' to help her get going. She settled on the adjacent property, making it convenient for the two ranches to exchange bloodlines and keep the herds healthy.

"Moon is ready!" Rand shouted when she saw him; an instant later, she darted into the stable. As Haven's horse expert, she had a hand in nearly every birth. Her knowledge of illnesses, injuries, and behavior was extensive.

Shae stopped Nix and held out her arms. "I'll take her."

Nix transferred Sigh to her mother before bolting toward the stable.

A sleepy Sigh raised her head. "Moon's giving birth? I wanna see."

Shae pursed her lips slightly. "You sure?"

Sigh nodded. "Yep, Daddy already said I could have it."

Shae laughed and angled toward the stable. "Of course he did."

Three people were observing Moonlight as she breathed heavily; her enormous sides heaved in and out. Rand, Nix, and the current Stablemaster Tobin gave her plenty of room.

Shae and Sigh watched from behind the stable gate.

"Where is Iceheart?" Sigh peeked between the bars, watching with wide-eyed anticipation. "Shouldn't he be here? Why isn't Moon lying down?"

Shae pressed a finger to the young girl's lips to shush her. "All horses birth differently. It's common for them to stand and lie down several times during the process. That's why they are giving her a lot of space."

"Oh..." Sigh stepped up on the first rail so that she could see better.

Iceheart was the white stallion that Nix stole from General Mizo Arcane. He ignored every opportunity in the six years since then despite being corraled with numerous in-heat females. Rand and Nix had concluded that Iceheart might be some sort of special hybrid. Unfortunately, sometimes hybrids lacked the drive to procreate.

After several rounds of standing up and lying down, Moon finally lay down. Her deep, heaving breaths seemed to be weakening.

"Something's wrong, Nix." Rand moved to Moonlight's head, holding her steady while leaning over her to rub her distended abdomen.

Nix knelt behind Moon's flank. Sometimes horses kicked out during the birthing; since Nix was more stout than Rand, he drew the short straw. "Wait? Or reach in?"

"Wait a bit longer." Rand was dressed in a single-piece jumpsuit that was immune to flames. Since many of their mares descended from a demonic fire line, it wasn't uncommon for them to burst into flames.

Nix nodded and patted the mare's flank. "Easy girl, you got this."

Shae watched for a few minutes before her perception alerted her. "Nix, she's getting weaker. If you don't do something now..."

She left the rest unsaid. Moonlight's life force was draining.

[Whisper: Rand to Nix] If we cut her open, we'll save the foal, but she'll die.

[Whisper: Nix to Rand] Can she still deliver naturally?

[Whisper: Rand to Nix] We could lose them both. Gotta make a decision one way or the other.

Nix exhaled and calmed himself. "Going in. Give me the sleeves."

Backed into a corner, Nix decided to assist by reaching into the birth canal. He pushed his hands in gently, stopping when he encountered the foal's hindquarters. "Shit... It's turned."

Rand shook her head slightly. "Look for a front leg."

Nix nodded and moved his hands slowly. He found the front leg easily. "Going to try to reposition it."

Gripping both front legs in one hand, he used his other hand on the spine to try and stabilize her position. He stopped suddenly after a few seconds. "The hell?"

Rand steadied Moon's head, talking to her in a soft voice. "What's wrong, Nix?"

Nix didn't answer; he shook his head slightly and continued to turn. "No way..."

Shae checked on her daughter; instead of being scared, she seemed fascinated by the process. "Should I take Sigh away?"

"No, Mom! I wanna stay."

Rand stroked the mare's head gently. "Head and front legs first, Nix, or else the foal may die when the red bag ruptures."

*****Author's Note********

In horse birthing, the membrane housing the placenta is sometimes called the red bag.

*****************

Nix nodded; he'd done enough of these over the years to understand. "One last bit...." He managed to tuck the head down just enough to pull the second leg forward. His face paled visibly with shock. "Fucking hell..."

Shae frowned at his words. "Language, Nix."

Rand studied the Mare's abdomen; it was distended more than it should be. "Is it twins, Nix?"

Nix shook his head in shock. "Wings."

The Inferno leader heaved backward, the front legs pushed out of Moon, rupturing the red bag. Since Nix was kneeling directly behind her, the contents of it splashed on him. A white nose covered in blood emerged next; Moon struggled to her feet with the last of her strength, pushing the foal into Nix's waiting arms.

Rand stared opened-mouthed, still holding the panting horse's halter. "T-That's... That's..."

"That's a Pegasus." Nix grinned from ear to ear. "Towels!"

The colt's fur was dyed red from birthing, but as Nix gently wiped her down, it became evident that he was as white as snow. Before he could finish the task, the colt struggled to his feet and started feeding.

Sigh watched wide-eyed, her face pressed up against the stall gate. "Wings... My horse has wings!"

The colt pawed the ground once while nuzzling his mother's teat; a moment later, brilliant silver flames erupted from the newborn.

"Damn..." Nix silently cursed himself for promising the silver-flamed pegasus to his daughter.

Shae snorted at his expression, instantly reading it for what it was. "This is a good lesson for you, dear."

Nix nodded in agreement; no more horse gifts!

/Inferno: Pon: Where you at, Nix? Hyai won't let us eat until you show up!

/Inferno: Nix: Two minutes, old man.

Shae smiled at Nix, backing away when he approached with a devious look in his eyes. "Don't touch me until after you've showered."

"Come on, just a little hug."

Instead of answering, Shae picked up her protesting daughter and started running toward the river bank.

Nix laughed at the fleeing salamander. "Chicken!"

"She's recovering nicely." Rand studied the mare. "I'll watch them; you should clean up and go to the banquet."

Nearly a half-hour later, Nix finally showed up at the river bank.

He seated between Pon and Fajii, and a small black fox appeared on his shoulder. "Hey, Eron."

"Worthy," Eron sat quietly, observing Inferno while plates of food and Semmi's Golden Draft mugs were passed around.

Fajii squeezed his hand and leaned closer. "I have an Earth Advancement quest. Will you come with me?"

"It should be interesting," Nix guessed; he had heard the Scorched Earth acolytes talking about it. "Tai will be accompanying us?"

"Yes, along with most of Alpha." Fajii handed Nix the beer that someone gave her, even though he already had one. For some reason, Aquarions didn't like beer.

"A toast, please!" A beautiful woman with golden blonde hair stood at the end of the table; her smile was dazzling as she let her eyes rove over her friends. Her gaze rested fondly on her apprentice. "I know it's traditional to toast the couple, but I want to step away from that and raise my glass to Nix. Although I taught you the sword, I was a broken, tragic shadow of my past self.

On your path, I learned to live, trust and love again. This master bows humbly to her apprentice." Chiba bowed low, her eyes shining brightly.

Nix raised his glass, grinning at the swordmaster. "Thank you, Master."

************

[2400 hours, Nix's Horse Ranch]

"You don't have to do that, Hun." Hyai placed a hand on Nix's shoulder while he scrubbed the bottom of a stew pot. He was up to his rolled-up sleeves in suds.

"You cooked everything; seems like you should let someone else do the clean-up." Nix motioned for her to sit down. "Looks like I'll be gone for a week or two."

Hyai nodded. "Fajii told me. I put Nicholas to sleep so we have some free time."

Nix's grin formed slowly. Fajii went with Bev to Loki, and Shae took Sigh to Glory City. "It's just us?"

"Looks that way." Hyai's full lips curved into a smile. "Going to spoil an old woman?"

Nix wiggled his eyebrows. "That's a trick question, right?"

Hyai dried her hands on the apron that Nix had donned before leaning closer to kiss his cheek. "You finish up here while I prepare a bath."

The Inferno Leader frowned at the stack of pots that remained. "Sure... Ten minutes."

"Don't use fire, Nix! Last time you melted half my pots."

Nix gave her an innocent look but didn't deny it. "Okay... Twenty minutes."