"That's it then." Aria said happily garnering the attention of the others around her. She looked at them curiously as they gave her questioning looks. "We did it, we should all be happy!" She continued padding her paws against the ground energetically despite her biting wounds.
The group of young dragons had left the clearing behind and were moving back through the swamp. It was still night, the darkness encroached all around them but they didn't seem to care. In the nooks and cranny's between ancient trees and bugs and frogs chirped and croaked incessantly.
"We only closed one focal point." Lyara replied sounding a little tired. When she saw the azure dragoness frown at her she forced a small smile. "I'm glad you're excited however."
"We're one step closer to ending all of this. Everyone should be a little more upbeat." She said nudging Taelas who unexpectedly flinched from the contact.
"My entire body hurts." He said in a strained voice.
His pained look made Aria come back down to earth. She trotted circles around her brother, examining him as they proceeded through the swamp. He seemed normal enough, at least on the outside. "You're sure you'll be okay?" She inquired.
"I'm just sore." The dragon responded. "I'd settle for a good night's rest."
"I think we can accommodate." Ryn said smiling back to the purple dragon. "At this rate you'll all be received as heroes."
"I like that sound of that, don't you Taelas?" Aria asked prodding him.
"There's worse things to be called." Taelas answered unable to keep a small grin from his lips. It was the kind of recognition he'd wanted for so long. It wasn't much yet, but he could feel himself slowly stepping out from his father's shadow.
"Stop." Syra said suddenly coming to a halt as Ivarik nearly ran into her. She sniffed the air a few times, the others doing the same a moment later. "Smoke." She said quietly.
"I smell it too." Ivarik confirmed. He looked around and almost immediately his eyes caught flecks of light eking through the dense swamp. "There." He said nodding towards the flickering source.
"The other dragons…" Ryn murmured, worry beginning to eat at him. Before they had reached the focal point he thought he'd heard the roars of dragons. At the time he hadn't been able to be sure and so the group had pressed forward. It seemed however that something had happened, the question was what.
"We'll go check." Syra said firmly, getting a nod from the earth dragon. "Can everyone run?" She asked her eyes scanning across her friends. She saw nothing but affirmation and a moment later they all dashed off through the swamp.
They ran for only a few minutes, splashing through sill water and leaping gnarled roots before breaking through the tree line. They didn't need to see the scene in order to know what was happening. Even at a distance the chilling screams had reached them. Not the roars of warriors in combat, but cries of terror. The smell of smoke thickened, the air grew heavy with ash, and the temperature rose to an uncomfortable level.
The young group stood astonished as they watched the warband of dragons torch any part of the village that remained. Through the streets, apes were running for their lives. Making the scene more gruesome was the realization that none of them seemed to be fighters. The dragons only witnessed women and children amidst the flames.
"What have they done?" Ryn whispered as he reeled at the sight.
"We should find your grandfather." Syra said trying to pry her attention from the sight. "He could explain this. Right?"
Ryn only nodded, not having the words to speak. Syra started to move sweeping her tail behind Ryn to force him along as well. As the group continued on Taelas looked to Lyara who was still rooted in place.
"Hey." He said jogging her from her daze.
"Sorry." She stuttered as she began to pace forward to keep even with him.
"Are you alright?" Taelas asked.
"This is horrible." The silver dragoness said looking around. She looked to Taelas and to her surprise, found conflict on his face. "You don't think so?" She asked, a hint of fear in her tone.
"No one deserves this." Taelas answered after a moment. "It's just, they're apes."
"What does that matter?" Lyara asked angrily. "In my time we were all equals. To see the two races kill each other like this…" The dragoness trailed off. "I can't believe there's any part of you that's okay with this."
"I didn't say that." Taelas replied harshly, making the dragoness shrink back slightly. "These aren't warriors. They're killing civilians, children even." Taelas explained. "I'd never be okay with that."
"Then why do you sound like you're condoning it?"
Taelas sighed as he considered his words carefully. "They killed so many of us Lyara." He said after a moment. "They raided the temples, destroyed our eggs, killed elders and children alike."
"During the war with Malefor." The dragoness surmised.
Taelas nodded. "I wasn't alive for it, but I've heard the stories, even seen some of the ruins. Even earlier today they were trying to kill us."
"But there are better ways to deal with this. We should find a way towards peace not wholesale slaughter each other." Lyara said sternly.
"I agree with you, but for those who survived the war I don't think the wounds will ever fade." Taelas replied still sounding unsure. "It would seem Kalim doesn't share your optimism."
"He could have an explanation." Lyara offered. "Perhaps they were ambushed, and forced to act."
Taelas kept silent. He knew that wasn't the case. As she watched the older dragons rampage around them, he knew this was something different. A few seemed hesitant in their actions, but most had no trace of remorse. The purple dragon shivered at the thought.
The group of young dragons trudged through the village each doing their best to ignore the violence that was occurring everywhere around them. The buildings burned and apes scattered in every direction. More often than not they ran into corpses rather than fleeing apes. They each averted their eyes from the bodies that littered the area, but found it harder and harder not to catch an atrocity in their peripheral vision.
It was a strange feeling to go from killing them only a few hours ago to cringing at the sight of their corpses. None of the young dragons were truly experienced in combat. They'd run drills, sparred, and only killed when necessary. The battle earlier that day was no exception. Seeing such a massacre with seemingly little justification was more than enough to make each of their stomachs churn.
"Kalim!" Ryn shouted finally spotting his grandfather. The red dragon was, at that moment, examining his surroundings, a grim satisfaction clear on his face. While he wasn't actively fighting Ryn noted the blood staining his usually white claws. When his grandfather smiled at him the young dragon could see crimson on his fangs as well.
"Ryn, it's good to see you." He said in a nonchalant manner. "Did you all have any luck with the focal point? The fact that you're all still accounted for seems like a good sign."
Ryn's head quivered slightly as he pulled back and his face screwed into a questioning grimace. "Don't act like everything is normal! Do you expect me to just ignore this?" The dragon asked angrily, looking around at the carnage. A scream punctuated his question making him scowl even deeper.
Kalim's eyes narrowed as he watched his grandson. "I take it that you don't care for what is happening here. Try to understand Ryn-"
"They weren't a threat anymore? Why do this?" Ryn pressed.
"They would have become one."
"You don't know that." Lyara interjected as she stepped forward.
"While I appreciate your help young dragoness, I'll ask you to keep your snout out of this matter." Kalim growled.
"She's right. They would have left us alone and you know it." Ryn said taking up the argument in her stead.
"You don't know nearly as much as you think you do boy." Kalim sneered. "You've only lived a fraction of your life, and none of it during the war."
The old fire dragon snorted a jet of flames to the side as if to expel his anger. When he turned back to the group his face had grown calm once more. He looked past his grandson to Taelas, eyeing the purple dragon intently. "You should know the dangers they pose. Your father was aware. He slew Gaul knowing it was in the world's best interest."
"Don't pretend to know what my father was thinking." Taelas growled. "His situation was completely different from this. He fought against armies not families."
"It's concerning to see how quickly the atrocities of the past are lost on youth." Kalim sighed. "All of you must have heard the stories. They hunted our kind for years. I was a fool to leave them to their own devices. I thought I was being kind, but it only brought more pain."
"Their leader made a mistake, and he's paid for it with his life." Ryn said flatly. "By doing this you'll only make more like him."
"They proved their intentions today." Kalim snarled. "Even if we didn't act today those children would be raised hearing remorseful tales of how their fathers were killed by dragons in a siege."
Ryn was silent then. He found that point hard to argue with despite wanting desperately to do so. "You see now, they left me no choice in the matter." Kalim spat. "If I leave them here, they'll only return later. They must be wiped out."
Taelas watched as the earth dragon's lip twitched and his talons curled inward cutting through the loose soil. It seemed as though he was about to scream. To the purple dragon's surprise Ryn held back.
"It still doesn't absolve you. The war ended a long time ago." Ryn reminded quietly. "I'm sad to see that you never learned to live without it." With nothing left to say Ryn turned to Taelas his anger had quickly turned to regret. "We should leave."
Taelas stared back at the dragon before nodding dumbly a few seconds later. Ryn answered the nod and began to move towards an open area as he stretched his wings, the others in tow.
"Ryn." Kalim called making the dragon pause but not turn around. He wasn't sure what he might say if he faced his grandfather again. "You can't go through life running from every fight. Sometimes you have to make the hard choice. I know one day you'll understand all of this."
Ryn didn't answer. Several biting responses came to mind, but he couldn't bring himself to spit any of them. While he hesitated, the red dragon sighed. "Taelas." He called.
The purple dragon looked to Ryn before turning around nervously. The fire dragon was silhouetted against flames, his eyes blazing in the heated air.
"I won't bother trying to keep him here, it would only be wasted effort. But where ever you're going, keep my grandson safe." He said with a grim look before turning and heading further into the village. Taelas doubted that Ryn had informed Kalim of his decision to leave prior to asking them. He was surprised that the elder had figured it out so quickly, and didn't seem keen to stop them.
The purple drake stood in confusion; his mouth open to ask questions but none came forth. He turned around to look at Ryn and found him taking off in a gust of wind. Taelas watched him gain altitude as he turned to his friends.
"What do we do?" Ivarik asked looking to his friend.
"I'm not sure." Taelas replied looking around seemingly at a loss.
"There's nothing we can do here. For now, let's keep up with him." Syra said taking charge of the others. "Come on, he's not slowing down by the look of it."
The dragons shrugged and one by one they took to the air. Taelas felt the cold wind rush past him as the crackling fires and screams quickly faded into the distance. Up in the night sky the world seemed far calmer. Looking back, he grimaced at the still burning village. Unsure what to make of the situation he turned and trained his eyes on Ryn who was still far ahead of them. It would take some time to sort this out.
"Feeling alright?" Spyro asked walking up next to his mate. She lay curled up near the balcony window of their abode. Her black scales shimmered in the moonlight and her green eyes were focused on the ruinous city before them. She seemed specifically interested in the remains of the guardian tower. It seemed that if she peered hard enough, she might see the two dragons that were causing so much mayhem.
"Cynder?" Spyro questioned as he lay down next to her. As their scales made contact it seemed to wake the dragoness from her trance.
"Spyro." She said in surprise turning to look at him. The purple dragon smiled but didn't say anything. "I didn't hear you." Cynder said slightly embarrassed.
"I'm sure you have a lot on your mind." Spyro replied easily. "We all do."
The black dragoness took the opportunity to rest her head on his side cooing from the warmth he was giving off. They stayed quiet for some time simply happy to be in each other's company.
"What do you think they're doing right now?" Cynder asked as she starred upwards at the moons.
"Sleeping I would hope." Spyro answered with a smile. "Although Taelas never was one to simply go to bed."
Cynder grinned at the thought. "Do you remember when he first learned to fly?" She asked.
"How could I forget." Spyro sighed. "He took it as license to go where ever he wanted whenever he wanted."
"We'd leave him alone to sleep and he'd just get up and fly out the window." Cynder laughed. "I had to monitor the air currents around our home for a while."
"Until we realized we could rely on Aria to tattle on him." Spyro snickered. "He pouted for a week afterwards."
"I can still see him stomping his little paws around the common area." Cynder smiled.
The two went silent then. Their memories warming them considerably. However, it wouldn't last. Cynder's smile slowly turned to a frown as she nestled further into her mate for support. "I didn't want them to experience the things we did." She said quietly.
"I know." Spyro replied clenching his jaw. "After everything, all the fighting and war, I just wanted them to grow up in peace. We defeated Malefor to make that world a reality, now it feels like it's falling apart again."
"Maybe that's just the sort of world we live in. There will always be a new threat. Always someone to disrupt lives." Cynder said sadly.
Spyro shook his head. "I don't believe that. There must be a way to attain peace, we just need to fight for it."
"How long can we fight for?" Cynder asked. "We've been fighting almost since we could stand."
"We'll do whatever we have to for as long as is needed." Spyro said firmly causing the dragoness to nestle closer to him.
"No tonight though, okay?" She asked.
Spyro smiled. "Whatever my dragoness wants." He said lovingly.
Another silence passed between the two as Spyro draped a wing over his mate. Feeling her breathing against his scales put the purple dragon's mind at ease. Even if it was only a temporary reprieve from his problems, he was thankful to have Cynder to rely on.
"Do you think we kept him on a leash for too long?" Cynder asked nearly a half hour later.
Spyro hesitated for a moment. He thought she had drifted off to sleep several minutes ago. Her sudden question surprised him. "Taelas?" Spyro asked.
"He is the next purple dragon after all. Maybe we shouldn't have tried to shelter him from the dangers of the world."
"It's natural to shield your children from harm." Spyro answered confidently. "Purple dragon or not, I'm content with the decisions we made."
"I just hope he's ready for whatever he finds." Cynder said shaking her head.
"He's tough, he's got your blood after all." Spyro said pecking her head lightly. "Besides they're far from the source of the trouble."
"I just hope trouble isn't finding them." Cynder remarked idly as she turned her eyes to the ruins of the guardian tower once more.
Cassius touched down on the marble flooring and quickly folded his wings. Nearby the focal point hummed as a constant quiet presence. Never far away, he could see Sol and Arum talking about something in hushed whispers as he approached. It was an unusual sight and one that sent a pang of wonder and worry through his body.
"You wanted to speak with me?" He asked as he approached drawing the two from their conversation. By their reaction it appeared as though they hadn't even noticed his arrival, another concerning sign.
"Where have you been?" Sol asked clearly irritated.
"I was overlooking the capture of another district." Cassius answered doing well to keep any stutters from his voice. "I came as soon as the messenger informed me."
"Why waste time on him Sol, let's just do it ourselves and be done with this charade." Arum quipped.
Sol turned a dangerous eye onto the black dragon. A deep growl emanated from his lips. It was an anger that Cassius had never witnessed and he shook slightly at the sound. The black dragon even seemed to succumb to the wordless threat and backed off slightly, although a look of irritation was plain on his features.
"One of the crystals we scattered around Warfang was destroyed earlier." Sol said turning back to the fire dragon.
"Do you know who did it?" Cassius asked nervously, unsure if his question would draw further ire from the god.
"The purple dragon is the only one who could have destroyed it." Sol said.
"You should have let me kill him." Arum spat.
"You'd have made him a martyr!" Sol snapped trying to silence the black drake. "We'd lose the confidence of ever dragon not only in this city but across the whole world."
"Better to let him be a constant thorn in our side." Arum said rolling his eyes.
"Not another word, brother." Sol said in a dangerous tone. The black dragon chuckled slightly, although none could be sure of what, before he rested his head on the cold marble floor.
"What would you have me do?" Cassius asked unsure of what he could even accomplish. His stomach churned at the thought of being asked to take on Spyro. Even with the power given to him he serious doubts about measuring up.
"We need to accelerate things in the city." Sol said turning back to Cassius. "The end that the prophecy predicted will come and we had best be ready for it. We cannot properly prepare with so much resistance."
"Forgive me, but I don't see how that will stop Spyro." Cassius said in confusion. He wasn't sure why he was questioning the white dragon, but couldn't seem to stop himself.
Luckily Sol obliged him. "We can't directly kill the purple dragon. If we do, we run the risk of turning all dragons against us. No, as long as he's alive we can pretend we are simply unable to convince him of our motives."
"Can we not try to persuade him?" Cassius asked. "He could be a powerful ally if he understood the danger posed to the world. He's already saved it once after all."
"He won't be swayed Cassius." Sol said sharply. "He believes fervently in his own cause. Our sister has muddied his thoughts. We must act in a way that shows we aren't trying to confront him, only follow our own motives. If we can do that, we'll keep the confidence of the dragons in this city."
"Then how can I help?"
"Bring others." Sol said flatly. "Those you think are worthy of our gifts."
"You'll give them the same power?" Cassius inquired, unsure of how he felt about losing his exclusivity over such power.
Sensing his hesitation Sol continued. "You'll need others who can hold their own if you're to take this city Cassius."
"And if Spyro tries to stop us?"
"You push him back." Sol added. "The power we hold far outweighs his own, don't forget that you have gods at your back. A purple dragon is powerful, but by no means invincible. Now go, pick your allies wisely and bring them here."
Cassius nodded. He felt slightly lost, but decided it best not to question further. Sol was right, the prophecy would come to pass soon. He couldn't afford to hesitate, the world rested on their shoulders, even if Spyro was against them. He turned silently, spread his wings, and left the two dragons alone.
"You'll be the death of us Arum." Sol snarled as the fire breather left earshot.
The black dragon snickered seemingly unbothered by his brother's anger. A moment later he was met with a slash of claws across his face. The black dragon bared his teeth, a deep rage in his crimson eyes.
Sol glowered at him watching the wounds he'd inflicted seal back up, sparks of convexity popping from the gashes. "This is no joke brother." He spat.
"I'm no fool Sol." Arum growled.
The white drake narrowed his eyes. His brother's moments of clarity were rare, but when he had them Sol remembered just how stubborn he used to be. "Then act with some discretion. If they find out our true nature you can be assured that they'll turn on us."
"We've handled them thus far." Arum replied easily.
"We held our ground. We're lucky that Lyara hadn't made the connection before she left. We're effectively tethered to this focal point unless we can unleash convexity onto this plane."
"You don't need to remind me of the state we find ourselves in, brother." Arum said flatly.
"Funny, with the way you act it's hard to be sure exactly what you need reminding of." Sol replied darkly.
In response Arum simply burst into laughter, any semblance of his understanding gone as quickly as it had arrived. Sol watched the dragon laugh himself out and then fall to rest once more, still snickering on occasion. The white dragon turned back in the direction that Cassius had flown off in. He wondered if that dragon truly understood just how much was riding on his shoulders.
"Why shouldn't we tell the others?" Jaskir asked. "They could be a great help to us."
He and Solris continued their walk through the streets of Warfang. They were still deep in order territory, but the hour was late. There were few if any around. As strange as it seemed, the empty pathways of Warfang were as good a place as any for a private conversation. They both moved slowly due to their injuries, but they couldn't deny that the night air felt refreshing.
"But we can't guarantee their silence." Solris answered tiredly as the argument circled once more.
"You're saying you don't trust them, but I've left my life in their hands multiple times. They won't betray us." Jaskir countered sternly.
"The more dragons we let in on this scheme the more likely it is to get out." Solris responded. "If anyone in the order finds out we betrayed them, they could descend on us in seconds. We wouldn't have time to flee."
"I'm well aware Rissy." The seafoam dragon replied with a sigh. "Can I say something?"
"You know you can say anything you want." Solris replied with a small smile. When she was met with nothing more than a hard stare, she realized this was likely going to be something she didn't want to hear.
"Go on." She prompted, her smile fading.
"I need you to trust me." Jaskir said simply.
"Of course I trust-
"No." The dragon said cutting her off. "You don't. At least not completely."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play coy." Jaskir growled before regaining his composure. "We've known each other for years now Rissy. We're practically mates, but despite that I've never been one to push about your past. I'm no idiot, I know what shadows you hide. From the pieces I've heard I'm sure you have plenty of reasons to not put faith in anyone but yourself. The thing is Rissy, I have complete faith in you. I was hoping that one day you'd reciprocate, but now I'm starting to doubt that assumption."
The black dragoness stuttered as she tried to find her voice. She attempted to speak several times, but her words always failed her. Finally, she gave up and broke the dragon's gaze. She couldn't argue, he was right and she knew it.
"Why have you stayed beside me all these years?" She finally asked.
The wind dragon laughed as he pressed up against her side lovingly. "Of all the questions you could ask, you chose the one you should already have the answer to." He said playfully. "I love you dummy; I'm not ever going to leave you behind."
Solris grinned at the thought as she leaned into him. She couldn't begin to describe how good it felt to have him back. After he'd lost himself to convexity, she thought something like this may not be possible ever again.
"So, I'm asking you now Solris." He said, the use of her full name grabbing her attention. "Will you trust me?"
The dragoness hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright." She said. "Alright, I trust you."
"Glad to hear it." Jaskir replied giving her a small peck on the lips. "I promise you won't regret it."
"Aren't you two sweet." Another voice said from nearby. The two dragons both jerked their heads in the direction of the sound, their teeth were bared before they even knew who the source was. In the dark of the night their eyes finally settled on a figure that stepped from the shadows no more than fifteen feet away.
It was a dragoness unlike any other they'd seen. Solris flinched at the sight, but did her best to hold back any further visual reaction. The dragoness was an adult, however in place of scales was mottled pale skin. It was nearly transparent and the two could see veins and muscle through the thin membrane. In some spots azure scales grew in small patches. Based on what they could see, her hide would never completely recover.
"Try not to stare." Katrina hissed feeling their eyes across her skin.
"Who are you?" Jaskir asked, wondering just what this odd dragoness had overheard.
Katrina cackled at the question taking a few moments before she was in any position to answer. "My name and status have already been forgotten it would seem."
"Answer the question." Solris growled having no patience for games.
"Testy." The dragoness tutted. "My name is Katrina. I'm one of the talons of the order." She watched with some satisfaction as both dragons tensed at the mention of her position. "However, I suppose ex-talon would be more appropriate now."
"You were ousted?" Solris asked skeptically. She'd heard nothing about it. Although she supposed she'd been preoccupied for the last few days.
"I left." Katrina spat. "I've other matters to see to. However, I must say a plot to disrupt the order from within is intriguing."
"If you know then you'll have to die." Jaskir threatened taking a step forward.
"Keep your scales on boy." Katrina snapped. She looked to her own naked form then and smirked in some sort of twisted amusement. "I never said I wanted to stop you, I don't much care what you do to be honest."
"Then why are you here?" Solris asked tilting her head. She still wasn't sure she believed anything the strange dragoness said.
"I'm here because you two are clearly not a part of the order. In all likelihood that means you're with the guardians and their lackeys."
"And if we are?" Solris asked. Jaskir's eyes flitted to her curiously. It took a second for him to recall the stories she'd told him while he'd been hospitalized. In the years since they'd met and grown close, he'd never known of her connections in Warfang proper. She'd always been closed off about most of her past. Still, it came as a surprise that she maintained contact with both Spyro and Cynder as well as the guardians to a lesser extent.
"If you are allied with them, then you may know someone I'd like to see. A certain lightning dragon responsible for my…current state."
"Why would we tell you anything?" Solris asked. "Why not just kill you and be done with it?"
"Because if you truly are looking to pester the order, you'd do well to have someone on your side who knows how they think, how they operate." Katrina replied devilishly.
"As if we'd trust you." Solris snarled. "You'd stab us in the back as soon as you got a chance."
"Maybe not." Jaskir said quietly. Solris heard his comment and immediately turned to him wide eyed.
"You aren't really thinking of going along with this are you?" She pleaded.
"What's in it for you?" Jaskir asked ignoring the black dragoness.
"I simply want to find the one who did this to me and make him pay." The ice dragoness replied. "Beyond that, I don't really care what happens here."
"And you believe we could get you close to this dragon." Jaskir surmised.
"Perhaps, I certainly can't go searching for him myself. I doubt I'd be able to blend in much. However, if I align myself with you, I might just happen upon him by chance." Katrina answered.
"I think we should cooperate with her." Jaskir said in a low voice to Solris. The black dragoness gawked at him so openly that despite not hearing the statement Katrina knew what had been said.
"Jas you can't just take her at her word, she's clearly unhinged." Solris argued.
"Not unhinged." Jaskir whispered shaking his head. "I've seen unhinged, she's far too focused for that. She obsessed."
"What does it matter?" The black dragoness balked.
"It matters because obsession will keep her on our side." Jaskir said. "She won't look to betray us because we're her best bet right now."
"And when she finds a better bet?"
"She won't, we'll make sure of it." Jaskir said lightly poking the sharp tip of his tail into Solris' hide. The combination of his grim expression and the gesture told the dragoness all she needed to know. Sometimes she forgot how cold Jaskir could be, he rarely showed that side of himself to her. Still, relying on being able to silence Katrina before she potentially sold them out had its own risks. The dragoness hesitated as she looked back to female who smiled pleasantly.
"Rissy." Jaskir said sternly, regaining her attention. "Trust me." He said quietly.
The statement hit Solris harder than she would have liked. Their prior conversation came boiling back into her consciousness and she bit her lip. After some moments of consideration, she nodded. "Alright."
"Seems we've reached an agreement then." Jaskir said raising his voice as he turned back to the scaleless dragoness. "We've some matters to discuss."
"You should talk to him." Aria prodded.
Taelas rolled his eyes and sighed. They were standing in a small clearing. The moon was still high in the sky although now it was on its way back down signifying the lateness of the hour. The siblings stood opposite each other. Aria had dragged her brother away from the others to convince him to take action regarding Ryn.
"Why should I be the one to do it?" Taelas asked.
"Because you're the leader, you should take some responsibility."
"Isn't Lyara actually the leader?" Taelas asked trying to worm his way out on a technicality.
"It's a partnership at best." Aria scoffed. "Either way it's no excuse."
"I wouldn't even know where to begin." Taelas shrugged. "I only met him a few days ago, you really think he wants family advice from me?"
"I think he just needs to talk to someone, anyone."
"Why don't we just leave him alone and let him sort out his own feelings." Taelas offered.
Aria snorted as she shook her head. "Boys are so bad at this sort of thing."
"And girls stick their snouts where they don't belong." Taelas countered. "Why don't you talk to him if you're so worried?"
"Because I already have one emotionally unstable dragoness to deal with." Aria responded absentmindedly. She went still as Taelas cocked his head curiously. "Just forget it." She said trying to cover her own tracks.
Before Taelas could utter a word, she turned on her heel and began to make her way back to their small campsite. Even ignoring her awkward comment, she could tell that she wouldn't be making any headway. Taelas followed her trail, irritated and slightly confused, but not willing to make a true argument out of it. He was far too tired to verbal combat his sister.
In truth he wanted to say something to Ryn, but he honestly didn't know where to begin. Taelas was more than capable of comforting those around him despite what his sister seemed to think. This however was something he didn't want to approach haphazardly. If he were to talk to Ryn he would need to consider his words for some time.
As the two rejoined the others Aria pulled on Ivarik with her tail leading him over to the side of the clearing. The lightning dragon cocked a brow at Taelas as he was pulled away, but the purple dragon only pursed his lips and shook his head. Ivarik didn't need much more than that to piece things together. Silently, he followed his partner and the two nestled up together against the chilly night air.
Taelas sat down with the other three dragons of their group. Syra and Lyara were on opposite sides of the small fire between them. Taelas imagined that wasn't by coincidence. Between them, and opposite him, was Ryn. He was lying on the ground his brown eyes focused on the flames.
Taelas hesitated as he looked between the three. Syra and Lyara both gave him uncertain looks, but neither spoke. Unable to tolerate the silence, Taelas opened his mouth. "Ryn have you been out this way before?" He asked hoping to spark any sort of conversation to kill the tension.
"Hmm?" The green dragon responded his eyes barely moving from the fire. "A few times sure." He said idly before going silent again.
"Anything we should be aware of?" Taelas pressed.
"Not unless you're scared of trees and squirrels." Ryn answered curtly. Before Taelas could manage another question, the earth dragon stood up quickly. He stretched his wings for a moment before folding them neatly at his sides. "I'm going to take a walk, don't wait up for me. I'm sure you're all tired."
Taelas opened his mouth to give an affirmation, but closed it again as the dragon turned away immediately. He clearly wasn't expecting any sort of response. As Ryn cleared the edge of the encampment the violet drake exhaled pensively only then realizing that Lyara was staring at him.
"What?" He asked a bit of irritation evident in his tone.
"Nothing." Lyara said looking innocently to her talons as she plucked strands of grass. "Seems like you have trouble just saying what's on your mind." She mumbled.
"Not you too." Taelas groaned hanging his head. "Why don't you talk to him then?" He asked, annoyed by the constant prodding of the dragoness' around him.
"I wasn't the one who suggested he come with us." Lyara chided. "If I recall that was a decision you overruled me on."
Taelas sputtered, caught in his own web. The dragon fell on his stomach laying in silence as he considered his options. He was hoping against hope that they would drop it. Even then he could feel both dragoness' eyes boring into him.
"If you won't do it then I suppose I'll have to." Syra said growing impatient as she stood up.
"You?" Taelas asked a bit too incredulously.
"Why not me?" Syra asked glaring at him.
"No reason." Taelas replied quickly as he turned back to the fire. He had no desire to start yet another fight. Between Ryn, his sister, and now Lyara there was already enough awkwardness among his friends.
"How hard is it to ask how someone is doing?" Syra muttered as she began to walk away.
As the rosy dragoness disappeared into the trees Lyara turned to Taelas. She looked at him quietly until he finally felt her eyes on him. The purple dragon's orbs flicked to her, but he didn't pick up his head. "What now?" He asked tiredly.
"Have you been out this way before?" The dragoness quoted as she smiled to herself. "That was all you had?"
"Spare me." Taelas said rolling over onto his side and closing his eyes.
"Scared to have a meaningful conversation and make a new friend?" Lyara asked playfully.
Taelas didn't answer. Lyara watched as his tail slowly wrapped upward and then slapped the dirt. Underneath her, she felt the earth slip to an angle jostling her and making her tumble gently to the ground. She couldn't see it, but the purple dragon grinned as he felt the vibrations from her stumble.
"Real mature." He heard her say after recovering.
"Ryn wait up!" Syra shouted as she glimpsed the drake through the trees. She was lucky the forest had little underbrush or she likely wouldn't have been able to spot him at all. The dragon stopped as she caught up to him.
"You need something?" He asked not even turning to face her.
"Just thought you might want to talk." Syra answered plainly. Going the direct route seemed like the best idea in this case.
"No thanks." The earth dragon said as he began to move again.
Syra rolled her eyes although the male couldn't see it. She moved to match his pace. "Are you sure? It might help." She pushed.
"I'm not really the type to talk about this sort of thing." Ryn replied. "And if I'm being honest, while I appreciate it, we don't really know each other that well."
"Ancestors." Syra sighed in exasperation. "You and Taelas may as well be the same dragon." She said more to herself.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Syra replied shaking her head. "Look I know we aren't that close, but this doesn't seem like the type of thing you can just keep inside."
"Not sure what discussing it would do." Ryn retorted. Syra flinched slightly from the sudden edge to his voice. The green dragon noticed and sighed. "Sorry." He said.
Quiet overtook them once more. Syra struggled to come up with some sort of way to broach the subject. "Did you think something like this would happen?" She asked finally.
Ryn stopped walking and thought for a moment. He looked down to his talons flecks of red still staining them from the siege on his home. "My grandfather made his mark on the world during the war. By the way he tried to keep me safe I had always assumed he never wanted to relive it."
"Perhaps he still doesn't." Syra offered. "He did say that he had to make a choice."
"Then I guess I feel he made the wrong one." Ryn answered. "You should never have to resort to that."
"He's a warrior. This might be the only thing he thinks he can do to protect what he loves." Syra said. There were some leaps in logic to her argument, but she hoped Ryn would overlook them.
"I didn't ask him to ransack an entire village that couldn't even put up a fight if it wanted to." Ryn spat. "You saw them, they were no threat."
"Now perhaps." Syra said drawing a questioning look from the earth dragon. She sighed. "It's a cycle, you know that. Those apes would have grown up hating dragons for what happened tonight. You can bet that another Falk would have risen up among them."
"And that's reason to simply put them down?" Ryn asked skeptically.
"No." Syra said shaking her head. "I don't think there was a perfect solution. Like Kalim said, he had to make a hard choice."
"We could have let Clove handle his people." Ryn answered. "He would have kept them in line."
"But for how long?" Syra asked. "You saw him, his days were numbered."
"You sound like my grandfather." Ryn growled. "Why are you defending him?"
"I'm not condoning his actions." Syra answered shaking her head as she tried to ignore his clearly mounting anger. Despite herself she could feel her own irritation building as well.
"Then why?"
"Because there is more to this than what you seem to see!" Syra snapped angrily stomping her paw. The earth dragon jumped slightly at the sudden outburst. "Ryn I don't believe that your grandfather is a psychotic killer, and neither should you." She continued.
"But then-
"But nothing." Syra interrupted. "You've known him your whole life, and based on your reaction I think it's a safe assumption that he's never done something like this. He's the leader of your town, he wanted to keep it safe. He saw this as his only option."
"But it was the wrong choice." Ryn repeated, seemingly a bit dejected.
"You might be right, but it was the choice he made. If nothing else he did it for the right reasons. Consider that before you simply cast aside your family." She spat.
Ryn sighed, but went quiet for some time. In the interlude Syra calmed as well. Silently, she chastised herself unsure of why she had gotten so angry. With how volatile her emotions had been since leaving Warfang she supposed it was hardly a surprise that they'd gotten the best of her.
"You have quite the unorthodox methods." Ryn sighed after a moment. "Most dragons wouldn't yell at the person they are trying to cheer up."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so riled." She apologized.
"Riled or not I think you had a point." Ryn replied giving her a small smile. "I still don't know how I feel about it, but a fresh perspective can't hurt."
"That's…very mature of you." Syra finished.
"Surprised?" The earth dragon asked cocking a brow.
"I'm used to dealing with Taelas, he's usually more reluctant to consider sage advice." Syra replied with a small grin.
"So, you're a sage now?" Ryn laughed.
"I like to think I know a thing or two." Syra answered easily.
"Then you'll know what I'm about to ask you." Ryn said with a cocky smile. The dragoness stared at him with some confusion before laughing it off. "I'm serious." Ryn said not breaking his stare.
"You don't honestly expect me to guess, do you?" Syra answered awkwardly as she squirmed in place.
"I was going to ask you about your purple dragon problem." Ryn said finally making the dragoness go stiff.
"What are you talking about?" Syra stuttered knowing that she had failed horribly to hide her uneasiness.
"Ah Syra, you wanted to cheer me up." Ryn said turning himself so that the two were standing side by side. He leveled his brown eyes on the dragoness and grinned. "I find the best way to forget my problems is to hear about someone else's. You wanted to talk, so let's talk."
"T-This isn't really what I had in mind." Syra said breaking his stare.
"I see you think you still have a choice." Ryn chided as he draped a wing across her back. The red dragoness jumped at the cover as she turned back to him.
"Come on, regale me with a story." Ryn said as he ushered her forward. "Who knows I consider myself something of a sage in these matters. Maybe you'll learn something."
Syra swallowed hard as she was pushed forward by the earth dragon's wing. She considered simply ducking away and running straight for the campfire, but she stopped herself. Perhaps Ryn was right, maybe he did know something she didn't. She could still recall Aria calling her a coward for being unable to confront Taelas earlier. That biting comment steeled her resolve. With only a slight hesitation she began to relay information to the earth dragon. It wouldn't be until the moons had nearly fallen that they stopped talking.
AN: Just wanted to put in a quick note here. This is it for this book. No not the entire story, I wouldn't do that a second time. I've been thinking for a week or so now about if I want to split this story and I've decided I'm going to do just that. Mostly for two reasons. One I want to change the chapter length to be closer to 3k to 4k words per chapter (these have been about 7k on average). The second is that if I put the whole story in this one book it would get pretty long in my opinion. Personally, I don't care for stories that are like 300k words I'd rather they were split up so that's what I'm doing.
Technical stuff aside hey if you made it this far thanks for reading. I've said this a few times but it's been fun to come back to this fanfiction after so many years. I hope you all are enjoying the story. A quick note for the next book. I believe the title will be "The Catalyst Prophecy". However, I was thinking earlier this week that technically this book, Seven Dragons of Darkness, and now this next one are a loose trilogy. Since their titles have nothing to do with each other I wanted to link them together somehow. So I'll probably change the title of this book in a bit by adding a series title. I believe it is going to be "Era of Dawn". So the next book will read "Era of Dawn: The Catalyst Prophecy". Just didn't want people to have trouble finding it so I thought I'd explain. I'll also post the link in this author's note once I've got the first chapter ready.
Link to the next book below:
s/13569146/1/Era-of-Dawn-The-Catalyst-Prophecy