Aliana was still getting used to their new island home. The Silver Island reminded her in a lot of ways of their old home during the days of Fenmyre, just sans the ruins they had taken up residence in. The pale sands, the tropical jungle and warm summer weather, it brought back memories from years ago… But there was no denying that Ali enjoyed the dens on the island as much as the caves of the Redwater Rocks. It just meant they would need to be extra vigilant with their youngest pups around the water. But it was nothing the seasoned mother wasn’t already used to.

One added boon to living on the island was the free access she had to the lush vegetation that was native to the island. Rare plants she had seen only briefly during her travels with her family during Chimera’s sickness. The astute little healer had learned many things from the other healers along the way, picked up new techniques and recipes for medicines—but the most alluring ones she had learned were remedies to help with vision. Ever since she had begun to fall for Chimera, the clouded fae had made it her mission to find some sort of cure for her husband’s blindness. The woman was of the belief that there had to be something—anything—that could at least help alleviate her king’s disability. None of the healers she had talked to had ever heard of a cure for blindness, but each of them had imparted different wisdom onto her, years and generations of experience that she culminated together into what she hoped might be the one saving grace for her Chimera.

Aliana had spent her time gathering up the many varieties of herbs and plants she'd learned help improve eyesight. Her apothecary workshop within their dens was teeming with a plethora of the vegetation, everything from easy to obtain fennel and aloe to the harder to find bilberry, grapeseed, and passionflower. She had only just found those obscure lavender blooms growing on this island, and what a bounty they had been to find! With her assortment gathered, Ali had run some clinical trials on smaller animals she'd found suffering from partial or total blindness. The last thing she wanted was to give Chimera anything that would hurt him. Many of her attempts at the salves failed, but then after seasons of trial and error, her last batch showed promise. A vole she'd found and tested began to show signs of recognizing movement around it, and though Aliana could not be certain to what degree the critter could see, it could definitely see movement, which meant progress!

Ever hopeful, Aliana mixed up a larger batch of that recipe of salve. Chimera was a big wolf, significantly bigger than a vole, and it was important that she got these ratios right. Careful paws mixed and added, making sure the consistency and smell was right. When she had reached what she believed was the final mixture, the clouded queen soaked a cloth bandage in the salve, allowing it to seep into the fabric. All of this would be educated guesswork for her massive behemoth of a king, and she had to pray she got her one shot right. Satisfied with her results, Aliana stored the bandage and salve away in their bedchambers, then waited that morning for Chimera to come join her after a long day of reigning. She wanted to surprise him with her plan, and if the gods were good, perhaps when he woke from sleep that evening he would be given the gift he had been deprived of his entire life.

"Chimera & Aliana"

Ruling Ashen was simple. He had less on his plate here than he had with Fenmyre. No longer did he dabble in the slave trade, instead choosing to focus on his family and making them strong. Days were spent patrolling, making sure his troops were training, and spending time with the newest batch of puppies. They were growing so damn fast...

With the last of his patrols made, the giant man padded back towards his den on the island. The sun was rising, its light kissing the land, as Chimera dipped inside of the den that he'd crafted. It was large and underground, but he'd reinforced the walls and ceiling with trees stripped of their bark and sanded down by ages of laying on the vast expanse of beach. He'd even brought in clay for the floor and chose to cover its hard surface with soft pelts. The children had their own set of rooms to one side while he and Aliana had their own bed chamber on the other side. There was yet another adjoined chamber for Dalila and Siren.

Pushing aside the thick fur that hung over the doorway, Chimera slid into the chamber where his wife waited for him. A yawn pulled from the brute, flashing rows of sharklike teeth that Ali knew all too well. He slid down into the pile of cushions and furs, leaning his forehead against the clouded woman. "Have you been waiting for me?"

"Aliana & Chimera"

After a short wait, the covering to the bedchamber was moved and in walked her behemoth of a husband. Aliana greeted Chimera with a sweet smile in response to his sharklike grin, sliding her body closer to his as soon as he was lying down next to her on their bedding. "I have been," she replied in her usual sweet, lyrical tones, leaning her head affectionately against his in return. Though Chimera was often a hard and impassive brute, Aliana got to see him for how he truly was—a being as complex as he was simple, just like his perfectly bisected fur. Ali lifted one snowy white paw and rested it gently against her mate's chest, letting her dainty digits glide through his fur and over his muscles up his neck until she was caressing his cheek, content to give her king simple tender affections as they settled down for bed.

After a moment of snuggling with her love, Ali lifted her head away from Chimera's so she could gaze up into his eyes—notably into the unseeing hazy white of his right eye. It was how she had always known Chimera to be from the day she had met him. To think that she might now have the ability to give him what he'd been so cruelly deprived of through no fault of his own was an emotional power to hold. Ali's petite paw slid up Chi's cheek to brush just beneath his eye, ever so slow and careful with her movements knowing he couldn't see them, allowing him to feel everything while she considered the precipice they stood on. This could be the greatest gift she could give him, or it could have the most horrendous side effects of any medicine she'd ever made. This wasn't a decision she could make on her own.

"If you were given the chance to receive a gift you could only have once in your lifetime, but the cost was a risk of hurting yourself, would you take it?" It was a cryptic riddle to open this serious conversation with, but it was the ultimate crux of the decision he would have to make. Aliana wouldn't leave Chi in the dark for long before she clarified for him. "Ever since Fenmyre fell, I've been trying to find a way to bring your sight back. I wanted to give you something no one else could, and what better gift to offer you? At the time, it felt like a dream all those years ago. But during our travels, I spent all my time with those many healers that worked to cure your sickness. They taught me things, medicines for the eyes, and I think I might have found a combination of all those lessons that could give you your sight back." Aliana paused here, allowing Chimera to process and really digest what she was telling him. He could be able to see the world wholly as everyone else did. He could be restored in ways he'd never been before.

But before she could let him think there were no downsides, she had to give him the possible consequences. "All of my trials have been on smaller animals, also blind. My most recent subject was able to see. The other subjects before him..." Ali drifted off, ears pulling flat to her skull as she thought of the suffering she'd had to put her earlier subjects out of as an act of mercy. They hadn't all been catastrophic failures, and she hadn't had a major setback like those in some time, but there was always that risk. "There's a chance this medicine doesn't work at all, or it might cause more damage in the long run. We won't know until we try it. But I've seen it work, and I wanted to give you the choice you never got to make. Would you like to have your eyesight back, my Chimera?"

"Aliana & Chimera"

Ali's tender little touches and tugs of fur brought happy little sounds from the giant that lay beside her. He loved times like this, when it was just the pair of them enjoying one another's company. It was even better when he was sleepy. It was as thought his exhaustion brought on a new level of happiness when his woman gave him such attention. Chimera pulled her in close just as she slid a paw up to cup his cheek. She stared into his eyes. More specifically, his damaged eye. She was thinking hard about something.

Chimera didn't have to wait for long as Aliana began to speak. Her question was posed, the words cryptic. Eyes narrowed for a moment as he considered her question. "I suppose it depends on the gift. The benefits must outweigh the price," he spoke logically. What was she getting at here?

When Aliana told him just what she had been doing since Fenmyre fell, Chimera's gaze settled on the woman's face. He didn't deserve her. She was a queen, a goddess, the best wolf that he'd ever known. He had hurt her, damaged her, treated her like utter garbage and she was doing everything in her power to restore something that he'd never had to begin with. "My sweet wife..." Chimera purred, wrapping one foreleg around the woman's back and pulling her closer into him. He buried his nose in the side of her neck, absorbing her scent and enjoying the feel of her body's warmth.

The topic was a serious one and Ali was open with what could potentially go wrong. If she wasn't confident in her abilities, however, she wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Aliana asked openly if he would like to regain his sight, calling him "My Chimera" as she always did. The brute couldn't help himself. Staring into his wife's clear blue eyes, so full of love and hope... One big paw moved up to rest on the back of her head, gently pulling her lips against his own. The kiss was chaste as far as they were concerned but it was so very full of love and gratitude. Releasing her lips, Chi moved to press his forehead against Aliana's. "Queen and captor of my heart," he purred softly. "If you believe that it will work, then I believe that it will work." And he did.

"Chimera & Ali"

Aliana wasn’t exactly sure how Chimera would react to the prospect of having his full sight restored, or to the potential side effects and consequences the procedure might have. This was still a wholly unverified field of medicine, working entirely on theory and the few clinical trials she had run. It was entirely possible that restoring Chimera’s vision might be an impossibility. But until she was forced to accept that reality, Ali would continue to persevere in her efforts to make her husband whole. As she told Chi about her plans and her tests, she could see the awe in his eyes. It sounded too good to be true; hell, it still sounded crazy to herself! Eventually, the great giant of a king simply purred sweet nothings to her as he held her close. Ali knew he was processing his thoughts and she gave him all the time he needed, content to remain snuggled up to him all the while.

It took some thought, but eventually Chimera gave her his response when he pulled her head in until their mouths met in a slow yet loving kiss. The clouded fae murred happily against her husband’s lips, her petite frame melting into his rippling muscles as she clung to him. Parting from him was a dreadful thing, but when Chi looked into her eyes and gave her his full faith and acceptance of her offer, the Ashen queen was all smiles as she gently extricated herself from her king’s embrace. "Lie on your back, my king," she instructed him, and while this ordinarily would have been a salacious command, this time her tone was far more instructive as her doctor side took center stage. She was now a healer first and a wife second, and Chimera would be her greatest patient. Moving across the bedroom to where she had stashed her supplies, Ali took the ointment-soaked bandages, the herbal eye drops, and a skin of pure spring water back to their bed along with some clean cloths for cleanup. Settling back in beside her prostrate mate on his blind side, the little fae began by uncapping the waterskin and gingerly laying a paw on his shoulder. "I’m going to tell you everything I’m doing so there’s no surprises." Chimera was no cowardly wolf, but she didn’t want to chance startling him with a sudden action to him that he couldn’t see coming. Ali paused, looking down at Chimera, and considered what the outcomes could be. "Whatever happens tonight… if it’s nothing or if it’s bad, I want you to know I love you, Chimera, and I’ll always love you." Then she began.

"I’m starting by flushing your eye with spring water from the north glaciers, so you’re about to feel cold water on your face," the little healer explained. Then she began to pour a slow stream of water onto Chimera’s blind eye, using her free paw to keep his eyelids held open so she could cleanse his eye of any debris and impurities. Once she was satisfied his eye was clean, Ali set the skin aside and picked up the bottle with the herb decoction and uncorked it. "I’m going to put the medicine in your eye now, love. It will feel like drops of liquid, they shouldn’t hurt." Shouldn’t, because Ali genuinely didn’t know what the voles felt when they received the eye drops. It could feel like nothing or a light tingling or absolute awful burning. Holding her breath to steady her paws, Aliana applied the medicinal drops to Chimera’s blind eye, keeping his lids held open again to make sure every drop landed where they should. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Ali could swear she was already seeing the medicine start to dissipate the milkiness in Chimera’s eye.

When all the decoction had been administered, Aliana put the empty bottle aside and picked up the ointment-soaked bandages last. "We’re almost done, my love. I’m just going to put these over your eye to keep it protected while it heals. You can close your eye now and try to keep it closed while the bandages are on." Ali waiting until Chimera had closed his blind eye before gently pressing the medicinal bandages over his eye, making sure the ointment was soaking into his eyelid before gently yet securely wrapping clean bandages around his face to hold the medicine-soaked gauze in place. With her work completed, Ali inspected Chimera’s eye before taking a clean cloth and wiping away any excess water or ointment from his face to clean him up. Her work was done and all they had to do now was wait and pray.

Aliana breathed a soft sigh and nodded with a smile. "The tests I did took anywhere from a few hours up to a day to show signs of improvement, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens." Stepping away just long enough to clean up her supplies before returning to bed to snuggle up to Chi’s chest like they had been before, Ali leaned up to plant a gentle kiss upon her behemoth’s lips. "How do you feel, my Chimera?" They should really be getting some sleep to help accelerate his healing, but first Ali wanted to make sure she hadn’t hurt her husband with her gift.

"Chimera & Ali"

Surprisingly, Chimera wasn't worried at all. He'd never had sight in one eye, so what was the worst that could really happen? It could cause him a bit of pain. His eyeball could shrivel up and fall out. He could handle pain and the loss of a dead eye wouldn't affect him a bit. Plus, if Aliana had hope, then he wouldn't doubt her.

When the clouded woman told him to lay on his back, Chimera did just that, rolling his big body in the furs until he was on his back, paws across his chest. Black and white ears shifted as Ali told him each step that she was going through. First the cool water was poured in his milky white eye and the man blinked reflexively. That was no big deal at all. The medicine drops, however, they stung a bit upon initial contact, but something within the herbal mixture seemed to numb the pain. A moment later, there was no pain, just a cold numbness.

Aliana then released his lids and bid that he close his eye, which he did. A moment later the bandages were applied with enough pressure to hold his eye shut. While Ali cleaned up her supplies, Chi rolled back onto his side for comfort's sake. The black and white giant watched with his pale pink eye as his petite little wife flitted back and forth. He did enjoy watching her, no matter how mundane the task. She was his and only his. The other half of his rotten little soul.

Soon Ali was wrapped up in his arms once more, an appreciative growl rumbling in the man's chest. She fit so well against him. Ali asked how he felt and Chi's nose slid through the thicker fur on her cheek. "I feel just fine," he assured her. Would he even be able to tell if his sight was returning with his eye closed? He could only hope that his woman's medicine worked, mostly for her sake. Chi knew that Ali would beat herself up if something went awry. "Let's sleep on it, wife," he rumbled huskily as he pulled her close. "I do so enjoy watching you play doctor." One paw slid down the length of her body to give her pert rump a little squeeze of appreciation.

"Chimera & Ali"

Chimera was such a good patient, lying as still as could be while she went about treating him. If Aliana had any lollipops he would have definitely earned one for being so well behaved. Now, in the interlude between administration and awaiting the results of his treatment, there was just anxious hope. Hope that Chimera would be given back what life had so cruelly deprived him of since his conception. Aliana knew it was a long shot, a Hail Mary with slim chances of success, but even a small chance was still a chance. If it meant healing her love, how could she not take it? As they lay in bed cuddling together, Ali rested her head against her giant brute's broad chest, stroking over the planes of powerful muscles beneath his coat while she listened to his heartbeat and the appreciative rumbles echoing deep within him. Chimera's reassurances that he felt fine brought some relief to the clouded fae's worrisome heart. So many of her earlier trials had not gone as smoothly as this had, and she always worried that attempting her remedy on such a large subject might yield similar results. She was beyond thankful that did not seem to be the case.

Ariana breathed a soft sigh and slid her slender muzzle up beneath Chimera's strong jaw, nuzzling against his tender throat with gentle affection. He suggested sleep and the wise healer nodded against his skin. Yes, rest would do his eye well, and perhaps in the evening they would find their efforts bore some fruit. "That sounds lovely, husband. Your eye will appreciate the rest," she spoke in soft dulcet tones as she pulled herself as close to her mate as physically possible. She was just getting fully settled in against his bigger form when she felt one of his giant paws give her supple rump an appreciative squeeze, coaxing a little yip of surprise and delight from her, making her tail hike a fraction of an inch upwards to his touch. "Oh do you? Well, you can enjoy watching this doctor give you a thorough physical examination then." A knowing grin appeared on her lips as her paws rubbed slowly over his chest and down his toned stomach, lovingly worshipping her husband's body wherever she could touch him. He was flawless in her eyes, nothing could change her mind on that.

Those dainty snowy paws drifted past his stomach as low as his waist, teasing him with how close she was getting to his maleness before drifting away to wrap around his sides, holding him close while she snuggled up into his bulk. "Tomorrow, when we check on your eye, you'll get your exam." A tease and a temptress she was, but it was all a part of the game they played with each other. Resting her head against her king's chest, Ali breathed a soft, contented sigh. "I love you, Chimera," she whispered in the quiet of their bedchambers, aqua eyes disappearing behind closing lids as she relaxed into him and gradually drifted off to sleep, her heart and dreams filled with hope for her beloved husband and king.

"Chimera & Ali"

The night was long and, despite the medicine on his eyes, Chimera had slept rather well. Had Aliana given him something else with the herbs to help him sleep? It would be like her to think of taking such precautions. She was very thoughtful and more caring than he deserved. His sleep was restful, dreamless. In fact, he could very well say that it was some of the best sleep that he'd ever had.

Chimera hadn't even moved during the night. As such, the binding was still over his eyes when he woke. One big paw moved up reflexively to pull the blindfold away as he rolled his body carefully to lay on his stomach. In the few seconds that it took to readjust his big frame, the blindfold was swept away. He blinked against the morning sun, his brow furrowing in confusion. His vision felt strange. It seemed as though he could see more than he'd ever been able to see before. A big paw raised and he waved it in front of his right eye. A gasp sounded and the black and white behemoth actually flinched away from the sight of his own paw.

Placing his paw back on the bed of furs, Chimera looked down and noticed that Aliana was still sleeping beside him. He looked at her. Really, really looked at her. Gods... he'd thought that she was beautiful before... but now... The woman was a siren. A fucking goddess. Her tiny, clouded frame lay sprawled out next to him, her delicate ribcage rising and falling. Actual tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he looked at her. She'd done it. She'd actually done it!

Whether she was sleeping or not, Chimera couldn't help himself. The giant wolf scooped the clouded fae into his arms with a laugh, holding her close as he cried into the side of her neck. They were tears of joy. Tears of pride. He was so, so proud of her. "You did it, Aliana. You did it!" He pulled back just enough so that he could look down and, for the first time, meet his queen's eyes with his own, undamaged orbs. He had no way of knowing yet, but the healed eye that had once been white returned to him in a shade of aqua reminiscent of the very eyes that he stared into.

Chimera stared at his little queen in wonder. "I don't know what gods you prayed to to make this happen, Aliana, but it worked. I can see you and I..." He brought her body against his again, resting his muzzle between her ears as he held her close, "I've never seen anything so beautiful, so breathtaking, so absolutely devastating... as you, my love." She deserved every compliment in the world and then some. There was no way that Chimera could thank the woman enough for what she'd done for him. He was truly indebted to her for life. "Gods, Aliana... you've returned to me what I've never even had." It was a miracle. His tiny queen... the love of his life... the keeper of his heart and soul... she had performed honest to gods magic... and he loved her for it.

"Chimera Klein"

Every so often throughout the night, Aliana would wake to check on Chimera and make sure he was still sleeping soundly. Thankfully, the medicines she'd applied to his eye didn't appear to be causing him any discomfort or pain, and her husband continued to sleep through the day undisturbed. It was in between one of her bouts of sleep and waking that Ali felt her world begin to shift as she was scooped up, bleary aquamarine eyes blinking open as a confused, groggy expression came over her delicate features. What on earth was happening? She was in Chimera's arms now, held upright against his strong body, and he was saying something. Something about what she'd done? She felt the dampness of his tears against her neck and realization dawned on her. Oh no, had she harmed Chimera?! Ali's heart immediately began to race as worry set in, the little healer fae gently pushing herself back so she could begin a hurried triage—only to find a shocking sight looking back at her.

Chimera's right eye, once a clouded milky white of blindness, was now a beautiful and pristine aquamarine that mirrored her own eyes. Aliana's breath caught in her throat while she stared into her husband's eyes—or more accurately, his healed eye. Chimera was praising her efforts, telling her that he could see her, actually see her! Ali was still in a daze, half stupefied by the miracle that had been performed and half still coming to consciousness. Was she still in a dream right now? This moment had only ever been manifested in her most pleasant of nights and yet here they were, very much awake, and Chimera very much cured. So stunned silent was the petite clouded queen that she couldn't say anything, just gasping in awe and giving little incredulous sighs while Chi cuddled her close, calling her the most devastatingly beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Ali was still reeling from the astonishment to properly process his affections.

"It worked... It actually worked...!" gasped the clouded fae in amazement, trying to pull back enough to gaze up into her husband's healed eye once more. She needed to be sure. She had to check her work. Slowly Aliana raised a paw and slowly brought it towards his eye, wiggling her digits and moving her paw side to side to track his pupil's movements and responses. Sure enough, his eye reacted to every single motion without delay. Again she gasped, an amazed smile gradually creeping across her muzzle. "I can't believe it! Chimera, you're cured!" Wasting no more time to celebrate, Aliana gently cupped Chimera's cheeks in her dainty paws and brought her lips to his over and over and over again, kissing him with frantic, emphatic love and bliss. She'd managed to restore what fate had stolen so cruelly from him before he'd even left the womb. It had taken a lifetime of dedicating herself to her medical studies, but it had paid off in dividends.

After the dozenth affectionate kiss, Aliana drew back just enough to gaze deeply into her brute's eyes once more, marveling how beautiful his right eye looked. She had no idea if this had always been the color his eye was supposed to be or if there was a little bit of divine magic in his restoration, but she liked to imagine it wasn't just coincidence. "Oh Chi, your eye... It's so beautiful." Squirming around in his hold just enough so she could reach over and grab the half full bowl of water near the bed, Ali brought it over so Chi could glimpse his reflection in the water's surface and see what he had always meant to look like for the first time ever. "Now you are whole, my handsome king." Ali smiled; truly her life's work had been completed.

"Chimera & Aliana"