Breeze and Tremor sat quietly in the cold alley way as the sky slowly woke up, turning from a deep red, to a muted yellow, and finally a soft blue. Dalr sat on an empty wooden crate that was just starting to rot. It was lucky the dog was so light, if a dragon, or even a larger canine had sat on the box, it likely would have broken.

The wind was still and silent, a mercy, for the old dog's lungs weren't what they used to be, and his voice was scarce more than a whisper. Still, the two dragons heard his every word as if he had shouted them. So many questions Breeze had been asking herself for years were getting answers. She wouldn't let a single syllable slip past her.

"Your father and I met as kids," the old dog wheezed, "We probably would have become friends then, but his parents... weren't fond of their child associating with 'my kind'. He was forbidden from seeing me when we were still quite young. I didn't see him again until years later. I was an apprentice at a blacksmith in old Warfang, and your father had just graduated from law school. He had just become a defense attorney. I guess it was a pretty big deal, as he was one of the first wind dragon's to become a lawyer.

"Anyways, that's besides the point. We ran into each other one day by pure chance. He was in town, working on some high profile case, and was passing by the smithy while I was on break. He recognized me before I had any idea who he was," The dog chuckled lightly at the memory, "I guess I wasn't that good a friend. But yeah, after that we ended up meeting quite often. We talked a lot about philosophy, art, politics. I never knew as much about it as he did, but it never stopped me from trying.

"We had a lot in common, shared a lot of beliefs. Especially when it came to politics. Your father always talked about running for office, but he never got any backing. He couldn't get any of the big parties on his side. See, even back then, he was a huge supporter of non-draconic's rights. I guess that didn't fly with any of the big wigs, but he was charismatic, and well spoken. Ended up with a big following anyways.

"Some five years after we'd been reunited, his grandfather passed away. This left your father with this big sum of money that he used to buy a small printing company. He took on the pen-name Viento, and started writing like something possessed. It's like he knew he was running out of time. Anyways, he started a magazine, publishing political writers, especially communists, and articles written by non-draconics. People who couldn't find a platform anywhere else. He started being even more public with his beliefs about non-draconic equality, and it pissed off a lot of people. But it made a lot of others very happy. People like me, had never seen a dragon so viciously defend us. It was... inspiring, I guess.

"I don't think it was his goal, but a sort of... cult of personality formed around Viento. All sorts of people, non-dragonics, communists, other outcasts started meeting with him, and together. I guess someone started calling this group Fireclaw, and... well we all know how that turned out," The dog let out a humorless laugh, then sighed.

After a moment of silence he continued, "This Fireclaw movement wasn't organized, not for a very long time, and so Viento let it be. He didn't want to get involved with some of the more troubled individuals the movement had attracted. I guess that didn't last, though. A very... vocal, shall we say, member of the movement, Rachen, started organizing rallies, and meet ups. At first it was harmless, but as time went on, it became clear he was quite extreme. He thought that the fire and the ice dragons were solely responsible for our misfortune. He preached a message of destruction. That we should take back our place in society by any means necessary. He scared your father and I, but, uh, I'm afraid to say we did nothing. We didn't think he'd go anywhere.

The dog sighed again, "But Rachen resonated with the crowds. In a way that even your father hadn't. And so, your father was quietly forced out of the group he had inadvertently created. I don't think he minded so much. At this point he was getting old. If I remember correctly, you two had already been hatched. He resigned from public life, living off of the money he'd saved up, running such a popular magazine for so many years. He did occasionally see guests, members of Fireclaw, political leaders with ties to the movement, and so on, but, for the most part, he dedicated himself to being a father."

The dog fell silent.

Breeze spoke up, "Or at least he did until..."

Dalr nodded, "Until recently."

The three were quiet a moment longer. Tremor spoke, "So then, did Rachen... y'know..."

Dalr shook his head, "I don't think so. Rachen and your father never really saw eye to eye, but I don't think Rachen would have wanted him dead. He was too valuable a figurehead. I hesitate to say it, but your father's death... was likely the governments doing."

Silence again.

"Here," Dalr said, "It's cold. I think I know someone who will let us stay with them for a while," and with that, he stood, and hobbled past the two young dragons, into the early morning streets of Volans.

The airship left the Temple grounds with a sudden lurch, leaving Lila's stomach somewhere several feet below. They were off, and for the first time in her life, the purple dragoness was going to see the world. And for the first time in her life, the purple dragoness wanted nothing more then to stay home. The city seemed like too much. She'd heard from Suishou and Atash, that even at night, there is no quiet. The factories keep humming, the vendors keep selling, and the people keep going. Lila was sure she wouldn't be sleeping for Ancestors know how long.

To make matters worse, the media had somehow gotten wind of the Temple's abandonment, and subsequent move to Volans. All week the papers have been hyping up the purple dragoness' arrival in the city. Lila knew she wasn't going to get a moment to breath for a while. This was not going to be a fun move.

The airship continued to climb. Lila's stomach caught up to her, but her heart was still somewhere down bellow. She was leaving all she'd ever known. The mushrooms as big as trees where she, Atash, and Shuishu would sit in the shade all summer long, the silver river, where she'd practiced Elemntalisim in secret, the Temple itself, and its many secrets she had yet to uncover. She didn't know when she'd ever see it again. Neither did anyone else.

The ground slowly fell away from Lila. The mountains no longer seemed like the edges of the world. She could see over them. She thought she might have even spotted the sea. She should be excited, right? As long as the purple dragoness' could remember she'd wanted to visit the ocean. But at that particular moment, the idea didn't seem terribly exciting.

The airship passed though a cloud. At this point Lila was the only student still on deck. Small beads of water formed on her scales, a chill ran down her spine. And then they were in a new world. Below her were only clouds, soft and calm, above, the endless blue. A cold wind beat against her, forcing her head down to keep it out of her eyes.

After some time Lila heard someone approach from behind. She turned, and found herself face to face with Atash.

"Hello." He said.

"Hello." She said.

"Aren't you cold?"

Lila shook her head, and turned, once again looking out over the endless sea of white. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Atash move to stand next to her. They were quiet.

"The air's thin up here," Lila finally said.

Atash nodded, "You'll get used to it."

"I've never been up this high. It's... weird. It's like we're on another planet."

Atash chuckled, "You know, it's kind of funny. Until I was twelve I hadn't even been below the clouds."

Lila looked up, "You serious?"

Atash chuckled, "Yeah."

"I thought you were accepted into the Temple school when you were twelve?"

Atash nodded, "I'd never left Volans. Not until the entrance exams, that is."

"Why?"

Atash shrugged, "We couldn't afford it. And I've never been a particularly strong flier. I didn't think I could make a flight all the way to the surface myself."

"Damn. That must have been weird."

"It was. I didn't get my land legs for... weeks, probably," He laughed, "That was probably the worst part."

Lila looked concerned.

"Don't worry," The fire dragon quickly added, "I hear it's easier to get your air legs, then land legs."

Lila nodded, and there was a quiet again.

"Don't let the move get you too down," Atash said, "How about we do something fun when we arive. I've been working odd jobs around the Temple, and saved up some money-"

"Don't... spend your money on me. I told you at breakfast, I'm just being a wimp. I'm moving with all of you, so I shouldn't be so upset. 'Home is where the heart is', right?"

Atash was silent a moment, collecting his thoughts, "Well," He said slowly, carefully, "I don't think you're being that much of a wimp. 'Home is where the heart is', you say? I think that your heart can be with more than just people. It can stay with memories too. You have a lot of good memories at the Temple, right?"

Lila nodded.

"In that case," Atash continued, "It's only reasonable that your heart is still there. You haven't yet made any memories in Volans," He let that thought hang in the air for a moment, "I hear there's an ice cream shop by the new dorms that sells sea-salt ice cream. I personally think it sounds kind of gross, but Suishou insists it's the best. Even if she's wrong, and the place is awful, it'll be fun. So why don't you let me buy you two some ice-cream? We can start moving your heart one memory at a time."

Lila smiled, "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."