A Saga of Shadows and Sorcery: Chapter 4

 Chapter 4

Leaps and Bounds

Valerian was awake. Nobody else in the cottage was awake yet. Somehow, the infant had managed to escape his crib, and now he was lying on the bedroom carpet/ Valerian flipped himself over onto his tummy and started trying to prop himself up with his arms and legs, like how the doggy and kitties stood up. Eventually, Valerian managed to push and hold himself up on his hands and knees!

Valerian practiced wiggling and moving around until his mother got up and climbed down from the top bunk to see what was going on. "Well done, my little warlock," she cooed softly so as not to wake Holly.

Basil also woke up, sat on the side of his bed and watched his son for a while; he seemed like he was also pleased by the infant's progress. Then he got up and left the room. Belladonna also left the room shortly afterward.

Valerian continued to practice moving, until finally, he grabbed onto the edge of Holly's toddler bed and managed to pull himself up to a sitting position!

Belladonna reentered the bedroom to check on her children and saw her infant sit up for the first time. She appeared to be very satisfied with the rapid pace at which her son was gaining physical strength.

Belladonna left the room again. Valerian used his diaper, but then his bottom felt itchy, which made him sad. He cried.

Valerian's crying woke Holly up. Then Holly toddled out of the room. Valerian kept fussing until Uncle Alder arrived. "It would appear that thou art in need of a bath, little one," Uncle Alder commented. Then he picked Valerian up, carried him to the bathroom, prepared a bubble bath, got the infant out of his PJs and placed him in the tub. Valerian thought that being surrounded by bubbles was great fun!

Eventually, the bubble bath had to come to an end. However, Valerian wasn't done having fun with bubbles. As Alder was getting the infant dressed and putting his helmet back on, Valerian scooped up a couple armfuls of bubbles and placed them on top of his head like a crown.

Once bathtime was over and the infant was ready to face the day, Alder carried Valerian outside and handed him to Belladonna.

While Belladonna fed Valerian, Alder went into the animal enclosure. Even though most of Valerian's attention was occupied by breakfast, part of him still wanted to try to watch Uncle Alder out of the corner of his eyes. The creatures that shared a home with his family were just so interesting. When Valerian caught sight of the big fluffy long-necked one, he tried to reach out and pet it, but his arms were too short and the creature was too far away. How frustrating.

Unfortunately, Valerian couldn't stay outside and try to watch the animals for long, since as soon as she was done feeding him, Belladonna carried him inside to change his diaper. Once that was done, Valerian was feeling exhausted and very cranky after such a busy morning. Belladonna carried him outside to the blanket fortress and placed him down on his playmat, and he fell asleep.

However, he didn't stay asleep for nearly as long as he wanted -- Lord Wifflefluff woke him up with loud borking noises again!

Valerian fussed and cried, and Uncle Alder came to the rescue! "Now, now," Alder chided his familiar, "thou knowest better than to awaken those in slumber with thy barking." Then he picked Valerian up and cradled the infant in his arms. "All is well, little one. Lord Wifflefluff shall not harm thee." Alder's comforting words as he gently rocked the infant made Valerian drift back off to sleep almost instantly.

When Valerian finished his nap, Uncle Alder gently placed him back down on the playmat. Now that Valerian could sit up on the playmat, it was easier for him to reach the hanging toys, and he grabbed onto the blue ring of one of the hanging toys and began to tug on it. Valerian continued to play with the hanging toys, bopping them, tugging on them and inspecting them. As he played, Valerian started talking out loud to himself -- well, he was babbling rather than talking, but at attempt was made.

While Valerian played with the toys on the playmat, Holly toddled into the blanket fortress to play with the dollhouse. Then Belladonna arrived and picked Valerian up off the playmat. She carried him to one of the high chairs at Alder's outdoor dining table and placed him in it.

Then Belladonna picked up a jar full of some kind of green paste and scooped a little bit of the paste out with a small spoon. "It's time for you to try your first baby food, my little warlock," she cooed. "Let's see how you like the taste of mushy peas."

Belladonna held the spoonful of mushy peas in front of Valerian's mouth. The infant recoiled slightly at first, but then he took a cautious bite. Belladonna used the spoon to scrape a bit of stray mushy peas off of his chin.

Valerian thought for a moment about the new taste and texture that he had just experienced. He wasn't sure whether he liked mushy peas or not, but at least he found them tolerable enough to allow his mother to keep feeding them to him. While Valerian was eating his dinner, Basil brought Holly over and put her down in her own high chair, and she began eating her own bowl of peas. Well, to be fair, it was more like she ate most of the peas and flung the rest of them around.

When Valerian had finished his dinner, Belladonna picked him up out of his high chair, carried him to the bedroom, changed him into his PJs, and placed him in his crib. She kissed him goodnight, and then she left the room. As she returned carrying Holly, Valerian drifted off to sleep.

For the first time, Valerian slept through the night.