No Greater Disaster

AN: I know it's been a while since the last one, and this chapter is quite short comparatively. But...I don't know if I'm going to continue this one. Let me explain:

I've said multiple times in the past to many different people that this particular story has the lowest priority for me. It takes me so long to post chapters simply because I had three other stories, including my own original book, that I was working on. With my main fanfic, Dragons Change, coming to a close soon, I've actually started on a new one, meaning I've now got four other stories to work on.

This has never been my favorite story to write, at least not in a long time, but with Glorious Politics and my new story I haven't posted yet being so much fun to write compared to this one, I'm probably going to discontinue this story. I know there's a good number of people out there that enjoy it, and I realize how frustrating it is to see a story you've enjoyed stop getting updates. I've experienced the same thing for other fanfics I enjoyed, so I'm not making this decision lightly. I just...don't enjoy writing this anymore.

I may come back to it, or I may not, but I'll leave the story up in its current state. I am so very sorry to everyone who was enjoying it, but I hope you guys can understand. I don't want the quality of this story to drop off just because I'm forcing myself to do something I don't want to do.

Disclaimer: I do not own Raya and the Last Dragon. Ronin is my OC.

Chapter 17:

Four days didn't sound like a long time, but for him, it had been a small eternity. His siblings were still mad at him—understandably so—but Jagan still hadn't spoken to him. He'd honestly expected his younger brother to barge in shouting at him a day or so after the original confrontation upon his return, but that hadn't happened. Speaking of things that didn't happen, Raya hadn't left the palace since their return—even turning away Sisu when she came up to visit.

The Heart princess hadn't spoken much on their trip back, and he hadn't thought too much into it since he'd had his own worries and grief to work through. Perhaps, that was a mistake on his part, though. Since Pranee had taken his duties for now—something about him needing to get his head on straight—it left him with plenty of time to reflect both on what happened in Tail and Raya's behavior.

Tail was easy to work through. Or, at least, easier. A lot of dragons and innocent humans had died. While it had been hard enough for him and the survivors up top, he imagined it was so much worse for everyone trapped below ground. Which lead him to think on Raya's behavior.

There was no doubt in his mind that her isolation stemmed from crushing guilt. She was Kumandra's 'Dragon Protector', yet nearly thirty dragons had died under her watch. Whatever had happened down in that cave was hitting her hard, and he assumed it was why she was pushing away every dragon, including Sisu, that tried to check up on her. Maybe seeing dragons alive and healthy were just reminders of her perceived failure.

"I'm really getting worried about her." His thoughts were interrupted by Sisu, who had just entered their home. The others were gone right now, so he knew she was speaking to him. "She still won't talk to me. And we're supposed to be best friends!" His sister slumped on the ground and sighed heavily.

"She is upset," Pengu gently reminded her. "Try to understand that. Being upset at her for being upset will only make everyone more upset." His teasing smirk was an act, to show Sisu that he was still her confident big brother. In reality, he was just as worried as her, if not more so, but she didn't need to know that.

A sigh. "Yeah...yeah, I guess." It appeared as if she hadn't seen past his façade. "I just wish there was some way to help her, you know?"

Well...he hadn't gone to check up on her yet, assuming she would want some space. But maybe it was worth a try, at least. "Perhaps I could try talking to her?" he suggested after a few moments. Sisu didn't seem very confident that he would succeed where everyone else failed, but she just shrugged noncommittally. Not seeing any point in dithering, he stood with a stretch. "Then, I will let you know if I succeed."

"Good luck!" she called to him as he left.

During the trip over to the palace, he kept thinking through every conceivable line of conversation he could try and what Raya's reaction might be. He didn't want to say something that would make everything worse, after all. Then again, should he even try to say anything at all? Maybe his silent company would be enough to calm her down. Then again, if she hadn't even let Sisu in, he doubted she would let him in. He'd still try, though. Perhaps Chief Benja could help him.

Once he hit the city, everyone started bowing to him like normal, and though he smiled back at them, he felt as if he didn't deserve it—more so than usual, at least. The existence of the dragon hunters weren't exactly common knowledge, but word was spreading. Neither he nor his siblings were helping or hindering that spread of information. They didn't want to cause a panic, but they were more than willing to recommend courses of action to concerned citizens, human and dragon alike. And said courses of action usually involved staying within the bounds of civilization and not go exploring the wilderness needlessly—safety in numbers and all that.

He could tell the mood was rather reserved and nervous across the populace, and he couldn't blame them for being afraid. The Druun may have been more dangerous, but it was rather easy to figure out where they were and what they would do. Mindless creatures tended to be rather predictable in their behavior. Dragon hunters, however, were decidedly less predictable as it was much harder to figure out if the human next to you was an enemy rather than just looking out for a massive writhing blob of horror.

As soon as he stepped foot in the palace itself, the first person he noticed was the Chief of Heart himself. "Lord Pengu, how may I help you today?" he asked with a polite smile.

"I believe it is I who should be asking that question," Pengu responded, once again surprised that word of his arrival in the city seemed to spread so quickly. "How is Raya?"

Benja's smile slowly fell until he sighed, suddenly appearing exhausted. "She refuses to talk to me about it," he admitted. "If you come offering help, I gladly accept. Though I have no idea if she'd even speak with you."

"I would like to try, at least," Pengu replied calmly, Benja studied him for a moment before nodding and stepping aside as an invitation to enter. Pengu followed behind the chief for a short while before he motioned down the hallway he remembered Raya's room being down.

The door was closed, and upon checking the handle, he also discovered that it was locked. "Go away!" Raya's called, though her voice was muffled through the wall.

"Raya? Will you please let me in?" he called gently.

There was utter silence for several minutes, but he waited by the door patiently until she finally responded. "You're still there, aren't you?" she asked with a huff.

"Yes, I am," he affirmed, and he heard her groan in exasperation.

"I don't want to talk to you!" she snapped.

"Then what do you call this?" he challenged her with a small smirk, knowing she'd back herself into a metaphorical corner. "And I must say, this argument would be easier with the door open. Would you not agree?" Well...this particular line of conversation hadn't been one he thought of earlier, but it seemed to be working at least a little bit.

"No...because I still don't want to talk to you!" was her eventual reply. He frowned at that. Apparently, he'd spoken too soon, so to speak.

He was quiet for a few moments before responding. "If you do not wish to speak, that is fine. All you have to do is listen." No answer. "Please, Raya. You do not have to suffer alone. Not only are you hurting yourself by not allowing anyone in, but you are also hurting everyone who cares about you." Still no answer, so he tried his last trick. "Your father and Sisu are really worried about you, Raya. As am I. We just want to make sure you are alright."

Several more minutes of silence went by as he waited for her to say something. After ten minutes, he finally sighed, figuring she was merely ignoring him. Right when he was about to say goodbye and wish her well, he heard the door unlock, though it never opened.

He waited a few seconds before cautiously opening the door. The room was a mess with old food platters covering the table and clothes scattered all across the floor. Plus, the bed was as unmade as possible—the sheets all falling off on one side of the bed. Raya herself didn't look much better. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, her arms curled around her knees as she just stared at the opposite wall. There were bags under her eyes, a clear sign she hadn't been sleeping well, if at all. He wrinkled his nose at the rather unpleasant smell. Apparently, she hadn't been bathing, either.

This was way worse than he thought.

Trying his best to ignore the smell, he walked over to the side of her bed and sat down, studying the wall she continued to stare at. Then, he glanced at her for a second before pulling her closer to him with his right arm and rested his chin atop her head, uncaring of how greasy her hair was. It took all of ten seconds before her face was planted in his chest fur and she was sobbing uncontrollably. He said nothing, merely rubbing her back with his paw.

It took her several minutes to finally calm down and pull away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Feel better?" he asked gently.

"Not really..." she muttered, staring at the wall again, "But thanks, anyway."

He hummed at that before speaking. "No one blames you for anything. You know that, right?" She just sighed and looked away. "If you had not done everything you could, none of those dragons would have survived. The fact any of you are alive is a miracle in itself."

"I could have done more," she insisted.

"Like what?" he challenged her sternly. "Sacrificing yourself would only have done more harm than good."

"You don't know that!" she snapped. "Maybe I could have saved a few more if I'd taken one of the blasts directly!"

"And what good would that do!?" he asked incredulously. "What good is it to save a handful more when people like Ronin are free to do as they please!? Without someone to fight him directly—without youevery dragon will meet the same fate! Kumandra needs its Dragon Protector!" He gazed at her pleadingly, hoping she'd see reason in his words.

His hopes were dashed when she just scoffed. "Some Dragon Protector I am..."

Using a deft claw, he turned Raya's head to meet his gaze. "One single mistake should not define you, Raya. You have a choice now. You can either stay here and wallow in your own self-loathing, or you can gather your wits and help stop Ronin for good." Seeing the doubt in her eyes, he said one last thing. "Should I tell Sisu that you no longer care about finding her sister?"

That seemed to have struck a nerve in her. Guilt welled up in her eyes, but it appeared she had one last lame argument to try. "But I thought the trail was gone. She could be anywhere, or even—"

"Perhaps," he cut her off, not wanting to hear her finish that particular statement. "But I will not give up hope until I find her...or her body." He took a calming breath to steady himself before continuing. "Namaari is well-connected, as you know. I am sure she will find something soon. And I plan on going with or without you when she does, though...I would prefer you came with me."

Raya was quiet for a long time, deep in thought as she pondered upon his words. He watched as all manner of emotions crossed her face, from guilt and doubt to anger and hatred, plus everything in between. There was no rush here, so he merely allowed her to sort through whatever thoughts she was having. After nearly thirty minutes of silence, she sighed. "You're right..."

"Of course I am," he joked, ruffling her hair with a paw. "Now go get yourself cleaned up." As much as he tried not to show it, the smell was getting a bit much for his sensitive nose.

And that's exactly what she did. A nice, long bath was quickly followed by him helping her clean up her room, and then they shared a hot meal with Chief Benja, who looked relieved to see his daughter up and about once more. Those simple things did wonders for her as she was now getting back into her normal routine. While Pengu knew what happened in those caves would stick with her for a long time, she was doing better for now. And hopefully, if today was any indication, she'd let him help her through the bad days if—or when—she had them.

Until then, all they had to do was wait for Namaari to send word. Knowing how crafty Ronin was, it'd probably take time, and while he was normally a patient dragon, he was silently hoping word would be sent sooner rather than later. And he knew Raya would agree with him. Sitting here with no destination was probably torture for her as there was no goal for her to work towards, nothing to distract her mind from the recent unpleasantness.

He'd do his best to keep her company, as he knew her father and Sisu would, too. Still, he worried about her, which is why he spent the rest of the day simply keeping her company, watching the sunset together from her room's balcony. She sat on the floor, and he sat behind her, his chin resting atop her head and a paw around her midsection. It truly was the first peaceful moment they'd had together in a while.

But he was looking forward to the day Ronin was found. That monster had made this war personal...

AN: I think this is a good stopping point for the story despite everything. Yeah, there's more that was planned, but this is a nice, open place for it to end that clearly leaves room for more while resolving the last major conflict (the caves). Again, I may come back to this later, but I just need to step away for a while and focus on my other stories, the ones I really do enjoy writing.

Until Next Time...?

AdmiralCole22