Malik eyed the rough etchings before him. All around him were the sounds of grunting, snarls, and general dissatisfaction. The assortment of convexity infused dragons were growing impatient. The sun was setting, still Cassius had not returned with word from the gods.

Trying to ignore the mounting sounds of irritation around him, Malik kept focused on the roughhewn map before him. It depicted the valley of Avalar. All across it were markings, points of entry that had been attempted. Slowly the ice dragon had prodded the defenders, gauged their reactions, measured their fortifications. They'd lost several in the process, but the information they had gained was invaluable.

A frown slowly formed on his lips as he considered their circumstances. All of his planning would be worthless should they not choose to attack soon. The guardians were no fools, for each time he pushed towards the valley they would adjust. Not to mention that each passing second allowed them more time to prepare.

"How long is this going to last? Is it time yet?" Nelos asked tiredly from beside him. The fire dragon's purple eyes glinted in the evening sun. Beside him stood Faye, a pale blue dragoness, although they were more like sunspots amidst a now violet coat.

"No." Malik said briefly, not taking his eyes off his work.

"How long are you going to make us wait?" Faye asked casually. Despite her benign tone, Malik could pick up on the annoyance underneath. Unlike her fiery counterpart, she simply had more tact.

"Probably just scared." Nelos said, spitting a tuft of fire. The flames tinged purple as they faded into the air and he smiled at the effect. "He's a frail old dragon after all."

Nelos suddenly found his snout in the grass as Malik's tail snapped across the back of his head. "Watch your words boy." Malik growled.

Nelos snarled as he picked himself up, Faye giggling from beside him. He leered at her, but she didn't seem to mind. Her nonchalant attitude only made his blood boil hotter.

"You'll regret that." Nelos muttered darkly.

"Save your threats Nelos." Malik said snidely. "You're hardly more than a whelp, be glad you received what graces you have."

The fire dragon's teeth flashed, but almost in an instant Malik's eyes were upon him. The youth stopped short, the intense glare holding him in place. The usually collected ice dragon before him was nothing more than a planner. He prepared schemes, and battle plans, he didn't fight. It was a rarity that Nelos had ever seen him lift a paw in combat. So why did he stiffen under the adult's gaze?

As Malik's violet eyes flashed, Nelos took a reluctant step back. From beside him Faye grinned, seeming to take pleasure in her friend's submission. Malik in turn snorted and brought his attention back to his work, more than sick of the pestering children.

It wasn't long until there was a crash some distance behind him. At first, Malik didn't react. The odd sound of a brawl was far from uncommon. Nearly all of those surrounding him were on edge and bloodthirsty. Driven by either their faith in the gods or the energy coursing their veins they sought combat. Soon, Malik would give them their wish.

It was the sight of Nelos recoiling that forced the ice dragon to pay more attention to his surroundings. Faye displayed a look of fear Malik had never witnessed. The dragoness tucked herself behind her fiery counterpart, peeking cautiously around him like a babe.

Malik could hear heavy steps behind him. His eyes narrowed. While the runts were easily dealt with, he strode a tenuous line with the adults around him. Ever aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, Malik turned silently to face whatever was approaching him.

He was met with the grim visage of Cassius, or what vaguely resembled the younger dragon. While Cassius had not been fully grown, he was certainly on his way. Now however his burgeoning form had been replaced with that of a fully-fledged adult. His once slick orange coat was gone, replaced entirely by rough violet scales. They seemed to shimmer and hum in the evening air. Painful spikes of bone protruded from the bends in his limbs, sinister and sharp, several already had blood dripping across them, dragon blood. Given the wake in the dragons behind him Malik could surmise whose it was.

His bulky form aside, Malik eventually had to gaze upward to look him in the eyes, a foreign concept for him. Cassius' face remained mostly unchanged in form, excluding several more horns protruding from his skull to accompany the two originals he'd always had. His eyes were burning with an intensity Malik couldn't hope to quell. His muzzle was firm, his teeth grinding barely enough to be noticed.

"You've returned." Malik said stonily doing well to hide any anxiety that might slip out in his words. He was unsure how to even approach such a changed being, but caution, as usual, was his prerogative.

"We go." Cassius stated bluntly. His once cracking tone replaced with a much lower register as he eyed the valley in the distance.

"The gods gave their verdict?" Malik asked. "What do we do with the silver one?"

"Kill her." Cassius answered shortly.

Malik smiled and nodded his head easing up slightly. He was happy to have an answer at least. Unnerving as his new appearance seemed, he found that he almost preferred the fire drake's new attitude. Much less mouthy. The ice dragon half turned to still find Nelos and Faye as stiff as boards. They'd backed away as much as they dared to without drawing Cassius' attention. Malik could only scoff at their cowardice.

"Alright then, while you've been galivanting about I've been formulating a plan." Malik began. He eyed the crowd around him. Several had taken note of Cassius and his new monstrous form, but many were still tied up in their own convoluted thoughts. "I've been jabbing at their defenses; I think I know-

Cassius stepped up beside the ice dragon so that he was once again in his field of view. Malik stopped his explanation short and gave the dragon a questioning stare. From the corner of his view, he watched as Nelos and Faye scampered back towards the crowd. Cassius paid them no mind; his eyes firmly fixed on Malik. It took all of the ice dragon's will not turn away from him.

Malik took note as the crowd around them began to simmer down. The stillness put him more on edge. He raised a brow incredulously. "Something you'd like to say?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"We go, now." Cassius mumbled again, the words sputtering from his lips as if he were having a hard time forming them.

"We can't simply charge in." Malik countered. He was hesitant, but not enough to keep his thoughts to himself. "Without a strategy we'll be fodder."

"Not a question." Cassius breathed. "A command. Kill her, kill them."

"I appreciate your vigor Cassius." Malik said cautiously as he watched the large dragon take a step closer. The ice dragon backpaddled a step to match, ever weary of the distance between them. "However, you'd have to be an idiot to charge headlong into Avalar."

Malik felt his blood run cold as the unintended derogatory insinuation left his mouth. He watched fangs appear as Cassius' lip peeled back into a snarl. His mind raced for something to say but his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden cackling. He watched as Cassius burst into laughter.

The ice dragon watched with some amount of dread as Cassius' composure fell away. He took another step back while the younger drake was distracted. Looking around he noted that all eyes were on the two of them now. The pressure mounting, he turned back to Cassius who was gathering himself. It was almost as if there was an aura around him, one that sent shivers down Malik's spine.

"What I meant is, we don't all have your strength." Malik said, hoping to rectify his previous insult.

Cassius tilted his head curiously and snorted. "No, you don't." He said simply.

In a flash, Cassius lurched forward and snapped his jaws around Malik's neck. The strike came so quickly that Malik could do nothing more than sputter and kick as he was lifted into the air.

Cassius' teeth sunk into his ally's flesh, breaking through his scales with ease. In one quick jerk there was a snap that cascaded across the army of dragons silencing any who weren't already watching. Malik's body went limp, and in response Cassius bit harder, his neck muscles bulged as he swung the corpse back and forth in a frenzy beating the already dead dragon against the earth.

It wasn't until a few moments later that he found himself satisfied. Blood smeared across his scales, Cassius dropped Malik's broken corpse to the ground in a heap, smatterings of scales and gore plastering the grass around him. From all around him, the other dragons watched, some with fear, others with crazed affirmation.

Cassius didn't take much heed. The taste of blood in his mouth triggered something primal in his mind. A desire for more took hold of him. More so than before he felt himself being pulled towards his query, towards the valley and those within.

The bloodlust scratched at every one of his nerves. His eyes scanned his surroundings and a devilish grin appeared on his lips. He cackled madly once more, the sound seemingly keeping the others paralyzed.

His mind little more than a jumble of desires, Cassius loosed a roar that shook the earth. The other dragons looked on in awe at first, but soon they joined in, for they knew what it meant. The chorus of voices was that of fury and death. It resounded through the evening air and swept over every inhabitant of Avalar. At that moment, the valley stood still as the one collective thought crossed the minds of the residents. It had begun.

Evening was drawing closer in Avalar. Taelas looked out from their temporary home. The outcropping of land provided a descent view of the valley after all. The preparations for the coming battle were still ongoing. He had a feeling they wouldn't stop until they were forced to. Given how the guardians had been acting, as well as his parents, that hour was quickly approaching.

Lyara sat down next to him, he hardly noticed the silver dragoness until she nudged him gently. His eyes flitted to her, but quickly fell back on the valley. He exhaled loudly, clearly exasperated.

"You're all tense." Lyara mentioned idly as she too looked out at what lay before them.

"Hard not to be." Taelas answered quietly.

"It's not like you." Lyara added. "Where is the dragon that rushed into dangerous situations headlong without a second thought?"

Taelas' hung his head, not in shame, but seemingly because he was tired of holding it up. "I guess someone yelled at him about thinking before he leapt." He said giving the dragoness a sidelong glance.

Lyara rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips. "Am I truly that overbearing?"

"Well, if you're looking for exact examples…" Taelas trailed off.

"Alright, no need to answer that." Lyara replied, bumping shoulders with him.

Taelas smirked, feeling at least some of the heaviness leave him. He turned back to the valley. It only took a second for him to see something of interest. Two dragons flew towards them. They were growing closer by the second, although they were hardly moving at a frenzied or even quick pace. Even from that distance, the purple dragon could recognize them as his friends. He watched as Syra delicately swept around Ryn, she seemed energetic as she swept through the air around her slower companion.

Ryn landed on the ground taking a few clumsy steps to run out the rest of his momentum. His injuries were still clearly hampering him. Above him, Syra spread her wings wide, almost as though she were stretching. Gracefully, she circled above the earth dragon before gently touching down next to him to match his pace.

"Show off." Ryn mumbled.

"I told you I was a good flier." Syra laughed.

"I'm also injured you know." Ryn added with a frown.

Syra smiled at the comment. "Now, now. don't pout." She said leaning in and planting a simple peck on his cheek.

Ryn was about to say something, but a sudden gasp from several feet away made him stop short. He turned expecting trouble, but all he found was Aria, suddenly standing, her eyes wide, in excitement. Beside her, Ivarik displayed a much more timid smile, as he shook his head. In a matter of seconds, Aria covered the distance to her friends.

Syra's bubbly attitude dissipated in her overwhelming presence. The fire dragoness immediately flattened her smile and tried in vain to look disinterested in her giddy friend. Ryn, by comparison, only raised a brow in curiosity.

"So…" Aria started slowly, dragging out the word and prompting either of them to speak.

"So…" Ryn mimicked, peering at her inquisitively. He was well aware of what the dragoness was poking at. Still, he couldn't pass up a chance to torment her over it.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Ivarik asked casually as he walked up next to her. Aria assumed a pouting look, not even bothering to look at the lightning dragon. Ivarik examined the earth dragon, his bandages still wrapped around him. "You're looking a little rough." He said with a smile.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Ryn replied, rolling his shoulders, he smirked in spite of the weariness he felt, a gesture that the lightning drake was glad to see.

Ivarik turned to Syra who'd been trying, and failing, to find a focus for her gaze. When the golden scaled drake eyed her, she found herself looking back at him, despite not wanting to. "And you seem…happy." He added, making the dragoness blush.

"Glad to see you're alright Ryn." Taelas said as he and Lyara approached the four.

"Thanks, I guess you heard what happened then?" Ryn replied easily.

Aria cleared her throat gently, but as she did Taelas spoke over her, drowning her out. "The guardians mentioned you ran into a few scouts." He replied. "If you don't mind, I wanted to know exactly what happened. Sounds like it was quite the battle."

Ryn's eyes shifted between the two siblings awkwardly. Aria didn't speak, but looked as though she was about to burst. Having few options, the earth dragon looked to Taelas and continued. "Sure, I don't mind-

"No!" Aria snapped suddenly making everyone in attendance jump. The ice dragoness looked at her brother, mild irritation making her quake. "You." She said pointing a talon at Taelas who feigned surprise as he raised a brow. Her words seem to fail her then as she shook her head instead and pushed past Ivarik.

As she passed Syra, her tail whipped up and slung itself around the fire dragoness' neck, guiding her away from the group. A few paces later Aria paused, a tangled Syra in tow. "Lyara, come with us." She said forcefully, not bothering to turn around.

"But I-

"Lyara." Aria reiterated sharply as she turned keen eyes back on the silver dragoness.

"I guess I'm going." Lyara shrugged, prompting snickering from her friends. The three males watched as she joined the others and they moved further away.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" Ivarik asked, eyeing Taelas.

"It's a brother's responsibility." Taelas laughed.

Ryn watched as the dragonesses came to a stop and Syra immediately pulled herself free of her friend's binding. As if on instinct, she turned and gave Ryn a pleading look. He replied with a simple shrug that only deepened her frown. Then, before any more silent interactions could pass between them, Aria purposefully stepped between the two, leaving Syra cut off.

"Now then." Aria said, exhaling promptly as she focused in on Syra. "You know why we're here."

"I don't know why I'm here." Lyara said idly from beside them having not witnessed the earlier kiss.

"Lyara…could you just…I mean can't you…" Aria sputtered, frantically looking for a complete sentence before simply gesturing to Syra emphatically as if that would explain it.

"Could I what?" Lyara asked raising a brow.

"Syra." Aria continued bluntly, ignoring the silver dragoness, who seemed more than content with such a result.

The fire dragoness stiffened under her friend's scrutiny. She blinked several times as she met Aria's piercing stare. Silently, she wondered if her friend's eyes were drying out as she refused to even blink, as if that would cause her to miss something.

"Tell us what happened already." Aria prompted eagerly.

"Well…" The crimson dragoness started, already hesitating with her words. Aria's silent prodding forced her forward however. "Simply put, Ryn and I have decided to court." She said finally.

Aria squealed with glee as she moved to embrace her friend. Syra tried to downplay her friend's excitement as she gingerly attempted to wrest herself from Aria's hold. Behind the ice dragoness, Syra noticed Lyara smile and nod. It was a much more measured reaction, and one that she was far more comfortable dealing with.

From the corner of her eye, Lyara noted the males all looking at them. They seemed tired, Taelas and Ivarik especially. The two rolled their eyes and muttered something, probably critical, of the romance enthralled ice dragoness.

Her attention was then pulled away, watching casually as two other dragons landed near to her friends. She recognized them as Syra's parents, even before they had landed, they were gauging Aria's emphatic behavior with silent wonder.

"Doesn't take an expert to know what they're talking about." Ryn said idly as he watched Aria pull back from Syra, questions already on her lips.

"What's that?" A voice asked from behind him.

Ryn turned to Taelas and Ivarik, he stood a little straighter, his pride showing through his battered state. "Syra and I decided to start courting the other night."

The earth dragon wasn't exactly sure what he expected for a reaction. He certainly didn't expect the overwhelming bluster of Aria. However, when his companions stared at him with wide eyes and pursed lips he knew something was wrong. He watched as Taelas shook his head so slightly it almost looked like a nervous tick. Ivarik in turn looked away and tried to casually thrust his snout at the space behind the earth dragon.

A sinking feeling in his gut, Ryn replayed the question in his mind that had prompted his absentminded answer. He turned slowly, almost cautiously, to be face to chest with a bulky lightning dragon. Aegis' eyes were narrowed, his attention fully on the youth before him. Beside him was Azshea, who seemed more surprised than upset over the revelation.

"H-Hello sir." Ryn stuttered, unconsciously taking a few steps back to create some distance.

"Care to repeat that?" Aegis grunted.

Ryn gulped as his mind raced for an answer that would satisfy the question. Without fail, any formulation of a thought was interrupted by a silently plea to the ancestors for the adult's understanding. As he fumbled with his words Syra approached them, happily unaware of the situation she was walking into.

"Glad you made it back…" The dragoness trailed off as she slowly came to a stop, the tension in the air not lost on her.

"Maybe you'll have an answer for us." Azshea asked, turning to inspect her daughter.

"An answer for…" Syra looked at Ryn who was tapping his talons on the earth, a tortured expression on his face.

"Ryn just mentioned something about courting." Ivarik provided from beside the group. His tone was light, but the words felt like boulders to the crimson dragoness.

"I see." Syra said. She looked from her mother to her father. The couple waited quietly for her to continue.

Breathing a heavy sigh, Syra made her way to the earth dragon's side. Her presence next to him made the emerald dragon go still, whether it was calm overcoming him, or a daze, she couldn't tell. She turned to her parents. Her mother was slightly behind her father. Azshea seemed to be hiding a small grin. It was clear that her opinions on the revelation were unique from her father's.

In turn, Aegis, was an embodiment of austerity. While not normally a demanding parent, it would seem that her foray into romantics had brought out his paternal instincts. While Ryn might not be able to tell that it was unusual, Syra was aware of the nuances of her father's moods. She just found herself relieved that the extent of their interactions together hadn't been told.

"We made the decision to start courting the other night." She said after a moment, doing well to keep herself from stuttering. In a simple act, she sidled closer to the earth dragon next to her and placed a paw atop his.

The only way to get through this was to be bold. Even if her father was skeptical of them, he would fold easily if they were to stand firm. She could only hope that Ryn would follow her lead. Syra's eyes slid to the side to see if he would indeed act.

What she found was a different picture of what she'd seen only a few seconds before. The green dragon had steeled himself in that short time. He was looking at their paws atop one another and he set his jaw before turning to the two adults.

"It was a decision we made together. I hope I didn't offend you by not coming to you first. Things moved a little quickly." The earth dragon explained, as he considered the heated conversation from the previous night.

"She is my daughter." Aegis said firmly. "And you would-

"Aegis." Azshea interrupted gently, moving up beside him. Her coat glided against his as she looked at the two with a smile. "They do look cute together, admit it."

Syra immediately blushed and Ryn turned away from the dragoness, his eyes turning to saucers. They heard Azshea chuckle and Aegis mumbled something indecipherable. "Sort of like us when we were young, don't you think?" Azshea continued bumping her hind quarters against her mate's. The gesture made Aegis frown deeply, but it seemed to be more annoyance than true anger.

"Were you planning to pick for her?" Azshea asked lightly.

"I wouldn't subject her to such archaic customs." Aegis scoffed. He seemed to already be losing his will to argue.

"Then it would be best to let her pick. Don't you think?" Azshea pressed. She turned to look at Ryn, her eyes scanning him. "Besides they must get along already, and he seems like the sturdy sort. Good temperament, nice shining coat, well-toned, and-

"Mother!" Syra shouted, cutting her off. She could feel the heat coming off of Ryn's cheeks. She leveled a scowl at Azshea, who winked at as she closed her mouth tightly.

Aegis shrugged. His tough demeanor fading away entirely. He eyed the young earth dragon before him who was still recovering from the previous comments. Ryn took a deep breath and composed himself, meeting the lightning dragon's heavy gaze. Aegis couldn't deny that there seemed to be a true connection between the two. The revelation gave him some pause, a small smile tugging at his lips as he saw his daughter's anticipation mounting. She felt for him, that much he could be sure of.

As Aegis opened his mouth to speak, a blood curdling roar swept over them all. The vicious sound was soon accompanied by a chorus of guttural howls. The previous conversation was swept away in the din. Spyro and Cynder, who'd been casually watching events unfold, stood tall at the sound, their visages hardening as they scanned for what they knew was coming.

Aegis and Azshea watched as the younger dragons before him turned to face the cacophony as well. They, including their daughter, did not seem fearful. They instead listened and watched with the steady gaze of those familiar with combat. It was a sight that left the two adults with mixed feelings, but regardless they turned to face the threat as well.

In the distance, past the edges of the valley, dragons burst through the foliage. Their bodies darkened the sky as more and more rose up into the air. Together they surged forth, through the sky towards the valley proper.

"Ancestors…" Azshea breathed quietly as she watched the coming swarm.

"It's time." Lyara said, having stepped up next to Taelas. The young purple dragon nodded as he turned to his parents who'd already begun to stretch and open their wings. Before he could move towards them Aria was at his side, she was holding herself together, but her family's coming departure was clearly weighing against her.

"Promise you'll come back." She said firmly to her brother.

Taelas cracked the most reassuring smile he could muster. "You won't even know we're gone." He answered before his features hardened. "You stay safe, alright?"

Aria nodded meekly before bounding off towards her parents to force similar promises upon them. Taelas watched her go as Ivarik joined him. "I expect you to come back you know." The lightning dragon said as he observed Aria saying her goodbyes.

"I'm pretty hard to get rid of." Taelas smirked. He paused and looked to his friend. "Keep her safe for me?"

"You don't even need to ask." Ivarik replied with a grin.

Lyara watched as the others conversed. Inside, she couldn't help but feel somewhat hollow. The sight of families parting was not lost on her. She couldn't help but think of who she was about to confront, and what ties would be severed, permanently.

"Lyara?" A voice called quietly from beside her. The silver dragoness looked up, being pulled from her thoughts. Syra stood next to her pensively, her shyness evident. "Are you alright?"

Lyara looked at the dragoness, somewhat confused. Unsure of what to say at first, she simply nodded. "Just nerves." She answered quietly.

Syra returned the nod. "Just focus on one thing at a time, okay?" She asked, tilting her head. Lyara only nodded, the concept of the fire dragoness being supportive was still a bit foreign to her, although she wasn't opposed to the kind words. "And make sure you come back alive." Syra added.

"The same goes for you." Lyara answered. "I expect to hear all about what happened with Ryn afterwards."

Syra flushed slightly. "I thought you didn't care about that sort of thing."

"When all this is over, I may need to pick up a hobby. Aria seems to find it entertaining enough." Lyara replied with a sigh and a smirk. She turned to join Taelas then, leaving a dumbstruck Syra in place.

"Dear ancestors." Syra said shaking her head. "Aria is actually rubbing on her."

Taelas and Lyara joined Spyro and Cynder. Aria stood beside them, but refrained from attaching herself to anyone else. Despite her fragile appearance, she had steadied herself and was ready to see them all off.

"Ready?" Spyro asked looking at the two.

"As we'll ever be." His son replied, nudging Lyara who nudged him back.

The purple dragon nodded before turning to Cynder. "You lead?" He asked.

"You just want me keep the wind at our backs." Cynder said in mock irritation.

"You know me so well." Spyro laughed.

"You're lucky I love you." Cynder chided. "Come on, keep close then." She said as she bolted into the air.

The other three were close behind. The group on the ground watched them go. As their friends faded into the distance the sounds of war grew louder all around them.