Caldera approached Calcite; Mallow wasn't sure if she was more concerned about her friend's safety or the fact that Calcite hadn't moved. The IceWing went from being loud and murderous to quiet and sober in minutes.
"I know what it's like to feel like no one cares," Caldera murmured.
"Like everyone you know will hate you for what you are…" Jackal added silently.
"And how it feels to be left behind, unwanted by those you once loved," Mallow maintained.
"But there are dragons who would want to take you in, meet you, teach you, befriend you, love you," Caldera said. "I didn't think it was possible either. We all have something we want to forget, or change, or see…but we can't always do that. Everyone has that little thing that they they want to change, but they can't—for various reasons."
"Sometimes, you don't need to fix them." Jackal said firmly. "Sometimes you just need to find a group of dragons that will accept you for what you are. Other times, what you're looking at can be fixed, but with a price—literal or metaphorical. You could lose yourself trying to fix yourself."
"And if dragons can't see the good parts of you, and focus on the bad, maybe they need to find new friends, too, or find a way to fix that," Mallow said. "Those dragons could be ignored or favored—but you may have a lot in common with them. Depending on where they come from, their attitude could come from how they were raised. But the same thing could apply to you, too."
Calcite turned back to them. Mallow always imagined that when IceWing's cried, their tears either wouldn't form or turn to ice and stab at their eyes because of their ice-radiating scales. This wasn't the case, apparently; Calcite was very clearly crying actual liquid tears that dropped down to the cave floor with a quiet plop.
"No one can understand me," she said. "No one wants to understand me, because that would imply that they think like I do—they enjoy violence and bloodshed and pain like I do. You don't know what you're saying. The only thing wrong with me is that I'm listening to you!" She turned away, but Caldera bounded forward to lace a talon on Calcite's shoulder (although it only reached up to the lower half of her foreleg). Calcite didn't flinch away.
"All three of us—me, Jackal, and Mallow—have seen, heard, and been things that we wish didn't happen," Caldera said. "We could help you. As soon as the war's over and we can visit frequently, we could help you be a better dragon. We might not succeed. We might fail. But we could give you an idea of what to look for—what to expect from a dragon who truly cares." She looked back at Mallow and Jackal. "Isn't that right, guys?"
Mallow didn't want to say 'yes,' but she didn't want to say 'no,' either. She chose an answer that was a little bit of both: "I do my best to make sure my friends are safe and happy."
"Same here," Jackal maintained.
"You're lying." Calcite replied, shoving Caldera off. Thankfully, the wingless SkyWing had expected it and had gotten away before she could get hurt. "You'll just bring me to Burn for a ransom, and she'll either kill me or use my battle-happy nature against Blister and Blaze."
"What would a bunch of dragonets do with ransom money?" Mallow asked. "I don't—for lack of a better word—agree with Burn. I may not be a SandWing hybrid, but I'm pretty sure she'd like 'purity' for MudWings and SkyWings, too."
"We have no reason to be lying," Jackal said. "We're just a bunch of dragonets who want to help, by the request of their youngest friend. We have no use for whatever Burn could give us—my parents don't need it either, neither does Mallow's dead parents or Caldera's unknown parents. We'd have more reason to return you back to the Ice Kingdom."
"I never lived in the Ice Kingdom." Calcite said coldly. "I lived on Freedom Island, where everyone loved you unless you attacked someone while on the island with witnesses. Then I lived in the Claws of the Clouds Mountains, where no one was there to bother me and I could do whatever I wanted."
"How would you like to return home—wherever that may be—and then we'll come visit you when the war ends?" Caldera offered. "We'll even help bring you back. You just have to promise not to attack us—or anyone else, for that matter."
Calcite thought for a little bit. "…fine. I agree. I can't get out of this any other way, so I'll just follow you." She brushed herself off, wiped away her tears, then stood in such a position that it was hard to imagine she was just crying her heart out.
"Come on," Mallow said. She brought Jackal and Caldera under her wings and looked at Calcite. "Let's go home."
I do have family after all, Mallow thought. They still love me even though I'm a hybrid. Sometimes…sometimes I guess good friends are better than hateful sibs.
(A/N: There will be a prologue after this, so the story isn't quite over yet. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed thís story!)