Yggdra stepped from her throne (captain's seat) and walked to the portal door. The Valkyrians still on the bridge stood at attention and bowed their heads as she left before resuming their stations.
Stepping through the portal door, she instantly exited out of another and into a very dark area that was barely illuminated by the lava-like veins of red lights that emitted a heat around 140 degrees Fahrenheit, simulating the deep, ancient nursery chambers of their caverns back on the Cradle of Life that many new and/or nursing mothers favored. While all mothers instinctively preferred those chambers, it simply was not feasible in some cases, such as those stationed on this ship. Since it was large and complex enough, adding a simulated nursery ship section large enough to hold the population of Konohagakure no Sato comfortably was an easy and simple task.
Several hundred meters from top to bottom housed about a hundred miles of networking tunnels and dozens of nursery chambers made from the actual rocks and dirt of their beloved home with the heat, lighting, and ventilation being the only artificial additions, not including the constantly maintained and ready medical rooms in case of an accident or unexpected health issue concerning a mother or child.
Yggdra could easily see through the low-level light as could any Valkyrian worth their feelers and navigated the tunnel with a sense of ease and patience. Since she was on a time schedule, she wouldn't venture deep into the tunnels. She could sense Freya within the first chamber. The natural setting and environment had a soothing effect on Naru and she was content to just look about with her sharp eyes.
The walk was quiet aside from Yggdra humming the soft tune of a song until they finally reached their destination. There wasn't any visible door despite the fact an energy barrier would pop up to block the tunnel in the case of extenuating circumstances. Yggdra walked into the nursery chamber and while a human would see just a very dark room with very low lighting, looking closer they would see dozens of pairs of glowing eyes of blue, red, yellow or orange revealing themselves to gaze upon the newcomer.
These belonged to the numerous mothers who were either by themselves with their children or formed small groups to chat with each other while their children played or slept. Like the rest of the Valkyrians, these were beautiful women in their own right with no exception. The nursery chamber was mostly quiet with the occasional conversation being spoken in quiet tones in respect to the children sleeping nearby while other noises were of one mother softly singing a lullaby to her child. Unsurprisingly, all of their attention was turned towards Yggdra upon her arrival.
Yggdra simply gave a nod in greeting before speaking in a soft voice that was easily heard. "Everyone, this is my daughter as you might have heard. Her name is Naru."
She noted several mothers come over with their own children while others were too occupied tending to their babies. Yggdra easily noted Freya first, her sharp, red eyes piercing through the dark like a candle. Within her arms was her own child, a tiny girl with black hair that gradually turned red at the end and bright ruby eyes that looked up at the unfamiliar queen with a sense of instinctive familiarity. She was an adorable little girl about four years old who clung to her mother's breast like a monkey.
"So, I finally get to meet Brynhild," Yggdra cooed at the young infant. "You're very adorable." Brynhild tilted her little head to the side, her hair falling with it and gave a big smile. She may only understand some of the language and had a small idea just who Yggdra was but she felt completely at ease around the woman and noticed she was friendly.
"Bry-Bry-Bry-Brynhild!" she finally started, letting one hand off her mom's chest to wave it. She's quick to grip her mom again lest she slip but Freya's arms were there underneath to support the baby's weight.
Yggdra gazed adoringly at the small, innocent life and couldn't wait for Naru to be that cute, not that she already wasn't. Speaking of Naru, she was looking curiously at Brynhild who finally noticed the tiny white baby. They stared at each other before Naru finally got brave enough to reach a hand out to her. Brynhild's excitement and wonder was evident.
"Mom," Brynhild said, looking up at Freya while pointing at Naru. "Mom. Mom. Want."
Yggdra and even the normally mute Freya giggled at the obvious cuteness. "Awww, to think Naru's cuteness would claim another young girl," Yggdra said with false exasperation. Freya relented and moved closer to Yggdra, bringing Brynhild within touching distance of Naru. The young girl was quick to pet Naru like a kitten, giggling all the while. Naru tried to grab onto her hand which she finally let her. She held a finger tightly and brought it to her mouth all while looking completely innocent. Brynhild didn't like that too much.
"Eeewww," she cried and tried to pull her hand back but Naru's grip was tight and surprisingly strong. Brynhild looked up worriedly at her mother. "Mom. She's. Eating me."
The childishness of the situation gave the surrounding mothers a soft laughing fit. Freya gently pried Naru's hands off her child's own with her free hand, the little girl being quick to retract her limb to her body and give a pouting glare at Naru. Naru looked upset at the rejection and loss of her tasty toy and whimpered pitifully.
"Aww, don't be sad, my little girl," Yggdra comforted. A second mother chuckled as her own baby tried to crawl out of her arms to investigate the new baby.
This mother was a major given her orange eyes that glowed. She was about seven feet tall with a slim build and healthy, perky breasts about the half size of Yggdra's own. Her outfit was a sleeveless black, knee-length, silk-like dress with white trimming on the edges. Pulled back to show her face was an attached black hoodie with pink, flower-like designs on the front of the hoodie that resembled a collar high enough to cover sight of the woman's mouth.
"Lif," Yggdra greeted. "—and that little pink girl must be Sif. She sure is energetic." She smiled fondly at how Sif, a practical clone baby of her mother, was trying to reach for her little Naru. "You may hold her, Lif. Let them forge a new friendship." She brought Naru up to her face and kissed her nose before handing her over to the Lif who was trying to gently keep a grip on Sif with one arm.
The two women were careful as Yggdra passed her baby off to the mother who instantly cuddled Naru to her covered breasts. Her own two year old baby wasted no time in crawling over and started petting Naru's head and face with glee. Despite the age difference, Sif was only slightly bigger than Naru so besides their squirming around, carrying both wasn't a hard task for Sif. Sif had enough of petting Naru after several minutes so she switched to out right hugging the baby girl to her like a teddy bear.
Their interaction didn't go unnoticed as a jealous Brynhild pouted and reached for Naru again, eliciting laughs from the women. The laughs and giggles finally drew out the final child in the grouping. A small girl that was about three feet tall with dark blue hair and deep lilac eyes poked her head out from behind the legs of her own mother.
The child looked like she was going to be a copy of her mother who was a (big surprise) beautiful woman of 6'4 height with pale skin, glowing purple eyes, long, hime-style hair that was such a dark shade of blue it was almost black, and had a pair of vertebrae-like purple horns curving up from her head. She wore a very gothic, black dress with white and purple frill trimmings that hugged her body and arms.
"And the last little one finally comes out," Yggdra jested, holding her hand out to the girl. The little girl looked up to her mother who stepped aside to show the child in full view. The girl's lilac eyes went back and forth between the two older women and would have preferred to stay behind her mother but a soothing, motherly feeling encompassed her mind that led her to trust this strange woman.
"I promise to be nice, little one. I'm Yggdra. What's your name?" Yggdra questioned as she took to sitting on a knee. The little girl slowly laid her small hand in Yggdra's larger one which slowly closed around it.
"Sigyn," she said softly. The older woman smiled and scooped up a surprised Sigyn. "Nggghh!" The suddenest of the affectionate hug was too startling for the child who was naturally more shy than the other children. She didn't know how to handle this!
"Shhh, it's alright, Sigyn. That is a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl," the queen assuaged. She sent as much comfort as she could through the hive link but given that 1) she's a child, and 2) SHE'S A CHILD, her authority and influence was vague and fleeting most of the time. Honestly, she couldn't really control children if she wanted to until they were about ten years old.
Sigyn eventually calmed down with some soothing words from her own mother, Sigun. With a small sigh of disappointment at her efforts, Yggdra handed the child back to her mother who was the recipient of a little girl nearly strangling her with a pair of tiny arms.
"I apologize, my Queen. I'm certain Sigyn will grow out of her shyness soon enough," the mother said, some embarrassment in her eyes from her daughter's unusual behavior. Most children were usually excited and curious, case in point Naru hugging Freya while Brynhild and Sif were climbing over the woman like spiders as they investigated Naru with pokes and pets.
Yggdra waved her concerns off as she gazed at the small child slightly trembling in her mother's arms. "It's no problem, Sigun. Some uniqueness is always appreciated in our new generations. I hope it doesn't dissuade her from making friends though."
Sigun gently rocked her child back and forth in her arms as Sigyn finally calmed down to where she wasn't shaking. Yggdra rubbed Sigyn's cheek, as opposed to humans who, in this situation, would've just patted the shoulder or arm. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Sigun. In fact, I look forward to being able to hold her when she's less shy. As for now, you can look at her shyness as a blessing." She looked over to the others. "I should leave then. There are other places and people I'd like to introduce Naru too. First, I must save her."
Sigun followed her gaze and mentally sighed in relief for her daughter's nature as they watched a struggling Freya and Lif trying to stop Brynhild from playing tug-a-war with Sif. Poor Naru looked to be enjoying herself, oblivious to how it looked like they were trying to rip each other's arms from their respective sockets as they tugged her back and forth.
Yggdra was able to extricate Naru from the two girls who were sad to see her leave. Yggdra excused herself and thought about which spot to visit next.
"Clkclkclkclkclk!" (Clicking sound)
Yggdra blinked a few times before looking down at Naru who was simply making clicking noises… No, that isn't just any clicking noise, Yggdra realized. "I guess we'll go visit one of your godmothers then." It'd be a happy, pain-free day in Cocytus before I ever introduce her to her actual godparents, she thought with a frown, referencing Kushina's memories about a certain pair of Sannins, one being an alcoholic gambler and the other being an unrepentant pervert.
Having Nebladed billions, the concept of a pervert was not lost on Yggdra but out of all the ones she could recall via Nebladed memories, none were quite like this Jiraiya. She could only imagine how the old ninja might react to her daughter's situation considering she was a Valkyrian royal heir. She would have no problem with Naru admiring the bodies of her fellow females since her position would basically demand it when she reached a preferable age, but the way Jiraiya went about it… she actually snarled.
She teleported to the portal door to save some time and stepped through it, reappearing within the middle of a grand forest area that spread about 100 miles in every direction except for above where the ceiling of this particular area was about ten miles high. The ceiling was covered in panels that would simulate day and night while there was a state-of-the-art weather dominator system that would simulate different climates preferable to the wildlife. Right now, in the small clearing she was standing in, she could see it was night time with two full moons, partly cloudy skies, and about a 40% chance of rain.
Around her, under the canopy of 100m tall trees, the forest was black from shadows with large amounts of undergrowth and tree roots spread throughout the area. The forest looked empty but it was alive with the calls of thousands of different insects and animals of all types. She walked to the edge of the clearing, having judged it in the direction of her target's den. Stopping at the edge, she let out a shrill whistle followed by several "clacking" and "clicking" sounds that silenced the area around her.
For several minutes, she stood there patiently while Naru looked curiously around herself to investigate this interesting, new place. It didn't seem to have any other things that looked like her and mommy trying to pet her which made her sad.
Feeling her emotions, Yggdra brushed her lips across her nose, silencing her thoughts. "Let's have no sad thoughts, my daughter. Here's someone who would like to meet you." If one looked around, they'd see nothing but the darkness of the forest. What could she see that you couldn't? Nestling her in one arm, she reached her other out in the darkness of a space in front of her. Despite zero sight (not including Valkyrians), her hand landed on soft scales.
Pan the camera view back some and facing Yggdra's back and you hear clacking and clicking sounds coming from the darkness. Yggdra steps backwards into the clearing, giving whatever is in the forest room to come out. Seconds pass before a massive grey body that vaguely resembles a female human's torso floated out of the darkness. Further investigation showed a paler underbelly and three long and thick tendril-like legs that floated behind her in a snake pattern. Since it's levitating, that explains how it's so stealthy.
Attached to the torso were four arms: a slightly smaller pair being located at the shoulders like a human while the main pair of arms were slightly larger and located at the back of the shoulders. The bigger kicker? The smaller arms had claws while the bigger arms had large, ten foot scythes. The head looked reptilian with it looked protected by a hardened skull plate that extended to its back before enlarging like a large shell from which numerous spines were sprouted out from. The face had no discernable eyes and its mouth was definitely reptilian and filled with rows of sharp teeth with its bottom jaw split down the middle with a spike poking from each end.
This was a Wraith rescued from the planet Shear. She was found by Yggdra who raised her for the past several hundred years. Normally, wraiths only live about eighty years but with the Valkyrians introducing a healthy, new diet and experimental drugs, this wraith has lived in her prime for much longer. Not only has her longevity increased, but her size is three times the usual max for a fully matured wraith, putting her at a complete length of fifty feet, and her abilities are almost more than doubled. This would basically make her the penultimate hunter and wraith on all of Shear, thus she is classified as a Wraith-Elite.
This is the first "godmother'" Yggdra has chosen for Naru. It does make some sense since this wraith-elite's DNA was passed onto Naru from Yggdra.
"Hello, my friend. I wanted to let you meet my new daughter, Naru," Yggdra announced. The wraith "looked" from Yggdra to Naru, sniffing her mostly, then looking back at Yggdra with a tilt of the head. "Because she is young, we felt it safer to only give her a few blood to possess. She does have the blood you gave me inside her."
She jerked her eyeless head back to Naru and sniffed her again. The sight was comical since she could be fitted snugly into one of her nostrils. She made some clacking noises and lifted her hands to Naru, moving her claws about. Naru glanced at her and started giggling, her little arms reaching out to the massively oversized super-predator.
Yggdra sighed at her innocent nature. I fear she is going to need some serious monitoring when she gets to the point of walking around. Seeing what the wraith wanted, Yggdra held her child out to the beast who was careful to slowly cradle the little bundle of innocence, the child horribly undersized for its claws to hold her. The wraith was able to do it anyway and was quick to cradle her to her chest. A tendril-like tongue slithered out from her split jaws and eagerly began giving Naru a tongue bath, causing her to squeal in protest.
Cradling her in a more secure manner, the wraith took off in a flourish of movement as it never touched the ground. The serpentine movement of the wraith was quite a beautiful and graceful scene to watch. Yggdra watched with a smile as the new godmother flew around the clearing, slithering over and under horizontal obstacles and climbing trees with its large scythes while Naru continued to scream her happiness.
Despite her own station, Yggdra eventually joined in on the fun, initiating a game of chase as the queen tried to recapture her daughter. This continued back and forth until the time arrived all too soon for the ship to dock outside the Ceph's homeworld.