I entered Fossil Park America, barely sparing so much as a wave to Leon and Lucky when they greeted me. I swiftly made my way to the Garage, following the signal that was coming from Starry Falls. I sped around the darkened curves with practiced ease until I found who I was looking for. She lay at the back of the site, at the top of a waterfall that loomed over the deepest part of Starry Falls, her eyes closed as tears mixed with the rapidly-flowing water. She'd curled up on the left bank, not seeming to care that she was getting sprayed by the foamy waters, occasionally flicking rocks into the river with her tail with an expression of detached disinterest. I left my Speed Demon at the base of the cliff, sheltering it from the spray, and climbed up to where my friend lay.

"Tria." I called out to her, noting with another wave of guilt how she flinched, the shiver traveling down her long body, "Are you okay?"

The golden eyes glanced at me, the 'are-you-kidding-me' look in them amusing in any other situation. As things stood, it, like all of her expressions, was just painful.

"Have you gone blind or something, Elric?" she growled, not even needing to open her jaws for her vivosaurian voice to reach my ears.

"Of course not, Tria." I sighed, "But I haven't forgotten my manners, either."

Tria snorted, turning her gaze back to the space in front of her. I sat down next to her head, feeling her sigh against my leg. I stroked her mane soothingly, leaning against her in a communication of friendship and comfort. We sat there for a while before I spoke again.

"You heard, didn't you?" I asked, looking at the distressed half-dinaurian pityingly. Tria nodded, a slight up-and-down motion of her head.

"Not all of it." she replied, not returning my gaze, "Just when you told the Wardens about the scar I gave you. I didn't get through the whole story."

I sighed, wrapping my arms around her head and pulling it into my lap. She complied without argument, curling around me and letting me lean against her neck.

"Why?" I felt her growl. If her head hadn't been so close to me, I wouldn't have caught the question.

"Why what?" I asked, not stopping my gentle stroking of her head and muzzle.

"Why do you stay with me?" she asked, finally looking up at me with eyes filled with agony, "Why, when I hurt you so badly?"

"Tria." I chastised her gently, hugging her to my chest, "We've talked about this. You weren't trying to hurt me. Those stupid people pushed you too far; it wasn't your fault. And it was my choice to block your attack with my body."

"Which you wouldn't have had to do if I had been able to control myself." she argued back, so much guilt and self-hatred in her voice that I had to struggle to keep from choking on my own sobs, "I knew better than to attack them. I knew, but I did it anyway. I'm a dangerous creature, Elric! No one should remain near me! My purpose has been fulfilled; I don't need to live anymore. I never should've been reviv-"

"Tria." I snapped at her, forcing her to stop her ramble of self-derogation, "Don't you dare finish that thought." I forced her to stare into my eyes as I glared at her. "You promised. You promised that you would never regret coming back to us. You swore this to me, and I will not let you go back on your word." I got to my knees, holding her head in front of me with more force than I've used in a long time. "You are the Commander of the Vivosaurs. You are the Wardens' strongest ally. And, most importantly, you are the friend and guardian of both. This world does need you, and everyone knows it. You belong here, Tria, and you should never, NEVER, think otherwise."

"Does it really, though?" Tria asked, her voice far too calm for my mood, "What good have I done for this world since my revival?"

"You've given Olga a purpose when she didn't know what to do with her life. You gave Kowloon a home. You gave hope and guidance to Daisy, Frett, and Prescott, helped the pregnant T-rex Sue, saved Roland from his reckless attempt to lose weight, helped me clear the wreckage in the past, helped Mei Lian get over her defeat at Kowloon's claws, helped Liu Ren calm the Earth Dragon, helped Nate win a tournament for his sister, helped Penny stay with the Wardens while simultaneously proving that Kowloon is a reliable ally, helped Lucky get over his fear of the dentist while giving Dr. Digmore a new topic of interest, eased Violet's anger at being eaten millions of years ago while increasing her feeling of connection to you and everything around her, and that's not all you've done." I lifted her head, my grip not relaxing at all. "You've lightened the hearts of the Wardens and given them a sense of security and warmth they'd been missing. They're happier because of you."

"When I was first revived, maybe, but that is no longer the case." Tria growled back, her tone defeated, "I've put both Olga and Kowloon in a spotlight that draws the public to them, which leads to them being abused by civilians and Wardens alike. I showed Daisy, Frett, and Prescott that I am deceitful, which can sow the seeds of distrust in me and the Wardens. It was a study on me that led to Roland almost dying from weight loss, I have betrayed and even turned against Mei Lian since helping her, done the same with Liu Ren, brought up painful memories for all of my fellow graduates, and I've done far worse." She stared back at me, her eyes, unlike mine, holding no anger, only guilt, sorrow, and fear. "I have attacked several people, turned my claws against the Wardens and my pack, and even tried to kill Captain Stryker! And, to top it all off, I have brought with me a dangerous enemy, the enemy I was supposed to destroy, meaning that I have failed in my life's mission and put the world in further danger because I didn't want to die!" The tears began to fall from her beautiful eyes, and her head fell to the ground, having become too heavy for me to hold. "Do you see, Elric? I am no angel. I am just a selfish half-human who ultimately cares only about herself. Even more, I am a dangerous creature that can wipe out all of the Fossil Parks if I chose to do so. That's why I shouldn't still live."

I stared at my dearest, most precious friend, taking in her closed eyes, tears still flowing from under her eyelids, her white scales having lost their shine, the massive wings lying on the ground with no sign of strength left in them, her powerful forelegs and hind legs folded close to her, the long talons kneading the ground under her, long whip-like tail only twitching at the tip, no longer strong enough to thrash like it normally would. It wasn't until I saw her body blur that I realized I, too, was crying. I crawled over to her and lay down on the grass next to her, wrapping my arms around the base of her skull as I nuzzled her behind her jaw.

"You're wrong, Tria." I whispered into her ear, not trusting my voice to go any louder, "You couldn't be more wrong if you tried." She snorted, her dismissive disbelief obvious, but she made no attempt to interrupt, so I continued, "The Wardens don't hate you. Your pack doesn't hate you. Your friends don't hate you. They want you here, they want you alive, they want you happy, and they are ready and willing to support you. If you died again, if you left us, I'm not sure we'd ever fully recover. You are very dear to us all, to everyone. You can't forget that." I stared into her eyes, the pain in them shutting down my anger without a word from her. "It's not like they hold you responsible for the attacks you so deeply blame yourself for. They understand your loss of control, they see how you resist its pull, and they recognize your willingness to cooperate with them. You do everything for a reason, and once they become aware of those reasons, they support you."

"Not always." Tria growled in response, "I did try to kill Stryker for not supporting me."

"You were protecting your packmate. That's what alphas do. And the Captain does admit to being unduly harsh and provoking you." I argued back, "He hadn't understood the significance until I asked him how he'd react to someone from your pack following one of his Wardens without you telling him about it. Once he saw that comparison, he understood why you'd reacted the way you had, and he regrets it. He now wishes to apologize to you, once he actually sees you again."

Tria turned away from me, or tried to, but my arms held fast, and she just dragged me with her.

"Mei Lian doesn't fault you, either." I continued, scratching the base of her skull, "She didn't know why you were taking the side of her enemy, but now she does. Now that she knows of your past, she understands. All of the Wardens understand."

"All of the Wardens also fear me." Tria snarled, baring her teeth, "If they weren't scared of me before, they definitely are now, now that they've seen concrete proof of what I can do."

I shook my head. "They know that you can't take on everything yourself. They know you have limits, and that, when you reach those limits, you'll need their help. That was the purpose of telling that story."

"That may have been the purpose, but I doubt it was the effect." Tria argued. I sighed into her mane, stroking my fingers through the soft fur as I closed my eyes and inhaled her scent.

"Tria…" My voice was barely a breath, "You're not even giving them a chance. You're not giving any of us a chance." I looked at her. "You're not giving yourself a chance."

I looked into her eyes. They were full of so much fear, and it felt like a spike through my chest.

"We love you." I told her, "The Wardens, your pack, the world, we all love you. And you love us back, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Tria replied, turning onto her side so she could wrap her wings around me, "It's you who shouldn't."

"But we do." I told her gently, hugging her tightly as I smiled at her, "We love you. We are here for you. But you have to let us help you. Please." I stared into her eyes again. "Just try. Give us a chance, give yourself a chance, and try."

Tria watched me carefully, her wariness refusing to fade. She then closed her eyes and sighed, long and heavy, and nuzzled my hair in silent thanks. I smiled and stroked her neck before looking sadly at her scales, now more gray than white. That's when I looked up at her in confusion.

"Tria…" I spoke up, my tone cautious, "Where's your detector? It should've gone off by now."

Tria didn't verbally respond. She shifted further onto her side and moved her left claw in front of me, placing the detector she normally wore on her wrist there. The moment I saw it, I took note of how it'd been slashed off by her claws. I also noted that it was covered with blood, and that her left wrist had a shallow gash on it right around the area where the device normally was. And I definitely didn't miss how her forelimb was trembling badly, or how she'd grunted in pain when she'd moved the injured limb.

"What happened, Tria?" I gasped as I grabbed the shaking claw in my hands.

"It'd started going off after I'd overheard you talking to the Wardens." she growled back to me, "I couldn't face the Wardens so soon, so I got desperate and slashed it off. You might want to inform Little of a flaw in that device. It shuts off if it gets covered in blood."

"That's not what I meant." I stopped her, lifting her trembling claw, "Where did this weakness come from?"

"Oh, that." she rumbled, sounding pained at the memory of what had happened to her, "Olga, Kowloon, and I were battling a famous team of fighters in this world called the 'Green Wave' that uses only herbivorous vivosaurs. We'd taken down two of our opponents, but the leader's Seidon was powerful, and he tried to take out Zinodious and Gorgostroika with his Tail Axe. I shielded them."

I cringed, feeling sick. "Did he bring you down?"

"No." Tria growled, some pride returning to her voice, "I brought him down, with Zinodious and Gorgostroika's help. I will not fall so easily."

"I know you won't." I replied, "But you shouldn't be taking hits like that. You may be able to keep fighting through most injuries, but damage is still damage. You need to be careful with yourself, especially now."

"I know that, Elric." she growled, snorting in annoyance.

We lay together for a while, resting from the day's events while taking comfort in each other's familiar presence. I felt Tria start to relax, and I smiled. My face then fell as she tensed again in response to a sudden noise that soon filled the peaceful dig site with an unwelcome urgency. I picked up my phone, sighing before calming myself and answering with my normal calm, smooth tone.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver as I sat up, fully aware of Tria moving her head onto my lap again so she could better hear the conversation.

"Elric?" Captain Stryker's voice was heard on the other end, "Where are you? Dinner's ready."

I thought briefly about how I should respond, noting the faint quaking in my lap and against my back. I stroked a hand over Tria's muzzle as I answered.

"Just fulfilling my purpose in life, Captain." I replied, feeling Tria gasp against my knee. I hugged her to me with the arm that wasn't holding the phone.

"Fulfilling your purpose?" the Captain muttered in confusion. I heard several other voices, meaning he was eating with his subordinates for once, though I couldn't tell who the voices belonged to. Tria probably could, but I wasn't going to force her to face the Wardens just yet. She'd been through enough for one day.

I heard a sigh on the other end of the line, indicating the Captain had given up trying to understand my words. That happened quite often.

"By the way, Elric, do you know where Tria is?" Captain Stryker asked me, and the tension running through the dinaurian's battle form had her ready to bolt at a moment's notice. I loosened my grip on her head, not to release her, but to show her that she wasn't trapped, which would've made her panic more, "We can't get in contact with her. She isn't answering her phone."

I looked down at Tria, my question in my eyes, and she sighed in response, her whip-like tail placing her phone in front of me. It'd been crushed beyond repair.

"Tria…" I said, looking at her as I tried to sort out what I would tell them, "…is safe. She's had a long day, and is resting."

"So you know where she is?" the Captain said, not so much asking as confirming, "Well, can you tell her to return to Warden HQ for dinner?"

"Negative on that one, Captain." I replied as I felt the heartbeat against my back quicken in sudden panic, "Tria outranks me. I can't tell her to do anything."

"You know what I mean, Elric." the Captain sighed again, sounding exhausted, "Can you please get Tria to return here for dinner?"

"I doubt it, Captain." I answered, stroking my free hand over Tria's muzzle, "Tria's tired. I don't think she'd do well with a group dinner."

"That's not the point, Elric." the Captain growled, and I could tell he was losing patience, "The point of Tria reporting for dinner is so we can make sure she's eating enough. Surely you haven't forgotten that."

"Of course not, Captain." I replied calmly, looking down at the half-dinaurian's head still in my lap. She growled, sounding apprehensive, but before I could speak up for her, another voice was heard addressing the Captain.

"I found her!" the hyper voice of Professor Little called, audible to my ears and clear to Tria's, "I've found Tria. She's in Starry Falls."

"Thank you, Professor." the Captain responded to the young Professor before addressing the Wardens before him, "Penny. Mei Lian. Can you-?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Captain." I interrupted my superior, "I told you already. Tria won't return tonight, and any attempts to force her will be met with resistance." I looked at Tria as she stood up, still in her battle form. "I'm staying with her, so I can monitor her condition. I can handle Tria myself, so leave her to me for tonight."

"Elric…" Captain Stryker muttered, ignoring the questions and, possibly, protests coming from his subordinates, "I understand that you want to protect Tria, but don't you think being around her friends will help her?"

"Not while today's events are still fresh in her mind and yours." I replied, "She remembers your reactions to her packmate, and is now wary of you. Let her get her thoughts and feelings in order, and let yourself do the same."

"And what about her eating?" the Captain asked, annoyed and untrusting, "Can you get her to eat?"

I looked up at the half-dinaurian, knowing she heard the question. She snorted, insulted by the way the head of the Wardens was talking about her, and took off, flying over the dig site. My eyes narrowed, the offense not lost on me, either.

"Stryker…" I said, my voice dangerously low, "I know the arrogance of humans runs deep, but if you and the rest of your organization are going to continue your alliance with the vivosaurs, I suggest you get over it, and get over it now."

I heard silence on the other end, could just imagine the proud, authoritative Captain gaping at the blatant disregard for authority from his subordinate, and allowed myself a small, sadistic smile. It would seem that a part of Tria's personality had rubbed off on me as well.

"Tria may not be a human, at least not a full one, but she is an intelligent being. She is not some pet that needs to be taken care of; she can take care of herself. I said she needs our support, and she does, but assuming we have to watch over her at all times like a small child is nothing short of offensive. Contrary to Penny's assumption, Tria can take care of herself, HAS taken care of herself, and still does. She does not need any of you, or me, to take care of her. She is a survivor, always has been, and does not need us to get her to eat. She doesn't HAVE to eat every day, and while it would be ideal for her to, she can forgo a meal or two when necessary. She's pushed her limits before, and she's learned from those incidents. She doesn't need the Wardens hovering over her shoulder 24/7. She is smart, she is strong, and she deserves respect. If you want to help her through this troubling time, I suggest you remember that, or you will only end up hurting her more. And I will not let you hurt Tria."

There was a shocked silence on the other end. Even the background noises had gone silent. I smirked, feeling satisfied. Before I hung up, I noticed a massive figure flying toward me, something wriggling in her claws. My smirked widened.

"And look at that. Tria brought food. I'll leave you to your dinner while I enjoy mine. See you in the morning." I said, the feigned pleasantness holding the venom of the conversation.

"Elric! Wai-" the Captain's voice was cut off when I hung up and put my phone away just as Tria landed and dropped the large fish in front of me.

"Wow. You caught a good one, didn't you?" I exclaimed to the half-dinaurian, "Glad to see your fishing skills haven't waned."

Tria snorted, lying down behind me and letting me lean against her again. "There's enough fish here to support the Angatos and Coatlus that live in this area, so finding one wasn't hard. Want me to roast it?"

"If you'd be so kind." I replied, smiling at the familiar situation. It had been quite some time since we'd slept outside and eaten of the local flora and fauna.

Tria opened her jaws and blasted the fish with her Angel's Fire. As I watched the white flames cook the delicate flesh, I felt her muzzle nudge my cheek. I reached up to stroke her jaw, listening to her soft growling voice.

"You didn't have to do that for me." she rumbled to me, "Stryker doesn't tolerate insubordination very well. You'll catch some flak for it later."

"Maybe." I replied, leaning against her muzzle, "But I really don't care. I will protect you, just like you've always done for me, and I won't let the Wardens treat you like some little child that needs to be controlled at all times."

"Thank you, Elric." Tria purred, licking my neck and cheek and making me giggle in a rare display of our childhood. I hugged her again, grateful for her presence here, and as we ate together, I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to keep her here, happy and healthy, for as long as I lived, just as she'd always done for me.