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Homecoming
An azure dragon flew under the moonlight, beats of his crimson wings heavy but tireless. His sharp eyes focused on the forest in the distance. It had been almost a year since he last returned, and he wondered if the Dragonite would welcome him as they did before.
As he neared his destination, the Salamence spread his wings and glided down. The instant he spotted an opening in the canopy, he dove towards the ground. His descent raised a trail of dust, disturbing a flock of resting birds, but the drake paid them no heed, and began lumbering forward.
"Who is it? What is your business with the Dragonite?" a suspicious yet familiar voice questioned.
The Salamence looked about for a moment before answering, "Cloud, it's me."
"Oh, Blight?" An orange head popped out from behind a tree, and its eyes blinked a few times. "You should have made it clear it was you, I thought it was the Garchomp attacking."He gave a soft sigh and walked out into the open.
"Just a mere Salamence."
Cloud motioned Blight to come closer. "Did you come back to visit Jade? Where's Fly?"
He didn't answer Cloud immediately, electing to follow the Dragonite to the water in silence. The shape of the lake was much like that of a crescent moon, which bestowed the Moon Lake with its name. There were so many Dratini and Dragonair in the water here, long ago…
"I didn't want him to risk being infected," Blight finally answered as he looked to Cloud. "Where is Jade at?"
"You don't bring your son but you're so impatient to see his mother," Cloud said with a grin before pointing towards a cave on the other side of the lake. "She's still at her old place. Don't think she has slept yet; you should take a look."
"Thanks," Blight replied with a nod, before leaping over the lake and taking to the air.
As the Salamence soared across the surface, he found that he couldn't take his eyes off water. The patches of moss on the underwater rocks had barely changed since he last saw them. He remembered Fly, proudly proclaiming that he was the best at hide and seek, telling Papa all of his favorite hiding spots, unaware of his eavesdropping friends. He threw such a huge tantrum after that…
All of the Dragonite with younglings have migrated to the eastern shore to other lakes by now, and even among the others there are very few who remain at the Moon Lake. As one of the leaders of the Dragonite, Jade never left. After all, this was the place where Dragonite had lived for generations; the pride of a dragon did not allow them to simply abandon their ancestral home.
As he landed at the cave entrance, Blight felt a flurry of emotions. Having been separated from his mate for this long, it was hard to not have any doubts. But after hearing Nova's rants about his unfaithfulness, Blight decided to keep his heart only for her, and rejected all of the Charizard and Sceptile who tried to court him. The funny thing was, the Flygon himself flew off with a Noivern. Maybe he really was oblivious to the Charizard's devotion.
"Jade!" Blight took a step into the cave. "I'm back."
"Blight? Is that you?" Her clear voice sounded from within, and it was barely a few seconds before a small-figured Dragonite walked out. It was natural for a female to be less imposing in size, but Blight knew that out of all the people here, only he would be a match for her in a battle.
It would be expected of mates to show affection upon meeting after so long, but their incompatible body shapes only won Blight a head pat as he strolled closer. "How have you been?" Blight asked.
"I've been alright, it's pretty lonely here. ...Let's head inside." Jade turned her head, the torch casting a warm glow on her face. "Where's Fly?"
"I didn't bring him." Blight climbed up to the familiar bed, and laid down on his belly. "He's a Dragonair now! But he's still just as childish."
"Why didn't you bring him?" Jade asked, ignoring his words.
"...I was worried he'd be infected. And it would be slower to bring him."
The reason for leaving back then was very simple. There was an unprecedented epidemic, affecting all of the younglings in the lake. Fly had been a bit more sensitive than the other Dratini and complained of a strange smell in the water, and so his father scooped him up. Later they discovered that the disease was lethal, and over half of those infected succumbed to the illness. There was no choice but to leave Jade and take Fly away to find a new water source.
"He's evolved isn't he? That means he can survive on land," Jade continued to press the issue. "You just didn't want to bring him."
"Alright alright, I'm sorry." Blight's personality meant that he rarely apologized. But it was his mate that was upset, so it fell upon him to placate her. "I'll bring him next time, okay?"
Blight waited, hoping he had appeased her enough. But the Dragonite did not speak.
"What if I bring you to visit him? You're not doing anything important here-"
"No way." The Dragonite glared at Blight as she scoffed. "If I leave now, what was the purpose of staying all that time ago? To wait for a dragon who can't even bring me my son? He can just stay out of the water!"
"He… I wanted him to spend some time with his brother. They get along pretty well." As soon as the words left his mouth, Blight realized that perhaps they were better left unsaid.
"Wow, his half-brother's more important than his mother? When they get to see each other every day? You sure have your priorities straight."
Seeing his mate like this, Blight couldn't resist moving his head over to her for a nuzzle. "Come on, dear, don't-"
"Don't touch me!" Jade violently shoved him aside as soon as his face met her. "You don't have the right! You..."
The Salamence felt a chill course through his heart. Were those really words a wife would utter to her husband? He raised his head, mouth half agape, to scrutinize the dragon he once loved. Her outward expression showed anger, but the seasoned Blight could easily see the panic below the surface.
"You've found another, haven't you?"
The Dragonite's scowl faded as a look of confusion took over. But Blight wasn't stupid, and the facade did little to ease his mind. His accusatory glare was unwavering, making the Dragonite retract one of her stubby arms to her chest, as if to defend herself. "How - how can you…"
"So you have," Blight concluded coldly, squinting his eyes to carefully observe his mate - no, his ex-mate's expression. She merely stared at the ground without a response, but that in itself was an answer.
Blight scrunched his eyes shut, thinking back to his dedication to remain celibate away during his time away. How absurd. His own heart never wavered a single bit, only for this to await him.
When the Salamence reopened his eyes and saw the Dragonite's face, he felt like he simply didn't want to be here anymore. Many hurtful words came to mind, but he kept his facial muscles taut, not allowing his mouth to open. Everything had already happened. A ray of moonlight shined at the entrance, and he could bear to remain no longer; the drake turned tail and darted out of the cave.
Jade did not stop or call out, letting him leave in silence. Blight gazed up at the night sky, his wings beating fervently, leading him higher and higher. The journey he planned to rekindle his love only ended in heartbreak. Whose fault was it? He didn't want to think about it anymore, and instead replaced his thoughts with the journey back.
From the sheltered prince to the hero who vanquished the Hydreigon, the Salamence named Blight never knew a home. For the past few years, he had thought that he finally found a place, but he clearly had been mistaken. He now realized, that the only thing he still cared about in the world were his two children. All the achievements and accolades the world bestowed upon him were for naught. All he wanted to see was for Nova to find a good female to settle with, and for Fly - for Spirit to grow up and be able to fend for himself. As long as he could be there to watch these two events unfold, he would have no more regrets in this life.
He blinked a few times, not permitting himself to cry. His sons are still waiting for him back home. Fly faster.
