Work Text:
*Crack*
*Boom*
Mom sat up in her bed startled “Well that was reely really close”. Mom turned and looked at the clock, 5:23 and sighed. It was still early; she could go back to sleep. Maybe.
“OO WA” Mom sensed rather than heard the cry. She could almost hear it say Scar ed. Wet. (Scared). A Lone.
So much for sleep. Mom equipped her coat and boots before braving the storm. Mom found the source of the cry surprisingly quickly. A tree, nerve-wrackingly close to the house, was on fire. Half of the branches were knocked off of the Japanese Maple, atop of which was a baby. Not a baby human, but Mom didn’t know what type of baby it could be. With six tiny legs, a lumpy body and strikingly human head. Whatever it was, it was terrified.
“OO WA”
Scared. alone. (Scar ed). A Lone.
Mom reached into the fire and grabbed the creature. It continued howling and scrabbled up Mom’s chest, puncturing her coat with her sharp legs to latch on to her.
“Stop wiggleing wiggling so much, I don’t want to drop you”
It continued screeching, the pounding rain did nothing to drown out it’s cries.
Mom rushed inside supporting the creature as best she could. Mom rushed to the bathroom, briefly wrestling with the creature in an attempt to set it down. Mom gave up, instead taking her coat off with the creature still attached to it. Mom unequips the coat, squirming animal and all. Mom turned on the cold water, running it over her blistering arms. After a few shaky breaths Mom rubs ointment on the blisters, then turns attention to the creature.
It was still screeching, muffled by the coat but still loud. Mom didn’t have to worry about it being strangled in that mess, it had a fine set of lungs. Mom carefully unraveled it from the coat. Mom noticed that the cry was more confused than scared. Mom could always tell what human babies wanted from there cries, and this creature was even more expressive.
Who? Where? Mom could see the questions in its big yellow eyes, as she gently put it into the basin. It was quite happy in the water, waving its legs, making little splashes. Mom tickled its belly. It growled in response.
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to growal growl at me!”
*MRRRR*
“Shoosh.” Mom almost papped its face, then remembered its reaction to being tickled and thought better of it. Mom knelt down to eye level, dangling her fingers playfully in the water. It rolled over to examine them.
*Brr ble, Brr ble poh* It babbled into the water curiously
“OW!” Mom jerked her hand out of the water. The creature licked the blood off of its teeth.
“No biteng biting” Mom scolded, while sucking on her damaged finger. It wined and revealed its tummy in an apology. Mom rubbed its tummy and soon it was murmuring contently.
“I have to name you, you can’t just be ‘it’ forever. Your name should be fire-y” Mom reasoned, remembering the… Unusual events of the morning. “Audrey, like that one?”
“Ardere, Ardere” Audrey corrected.
“I don’t care what kind of creature you are,” Mom rebutted “I’m giving you a normal name. “Audrey growled. “I can call you Ardere if you want, bu but we’re putting a normal name on your paper work. I’m your guardian so I can name you, but I’ll call you Ardere. OK Ardere?”
Ardere cooed at her name, apparently satisfied, continued to splash playfully. Mom pumped a handful of soap and lathered Ardere who was covered in soot. Underneath there were no burns, and purple body
Ardere scrabbled at the edge of the sink, trying to crawl out. “Come one on, I’m going to do some work”
Mom swaddled Ardere in a towel and carried her over to the computer. Resting the little bundle on her lap, Mom brought up her metering reports of the electric generator in excel. Despite the bright light of the overhead on, the whirring of the computer, and the clacking of keys, Ardere quickly fell asleep.