"You two… Wait here. I'll go find Blight."
Jet nods at the Charizard and Garchomp standing guard before entering through a passageway. I stare up at the stone castle. Fort Varia, Jet had called it. A stone fort perhaps a hundred meters wide, but only two stories tall. It is quite difficult to spot from a distance.
"We don't get many Flygon or Haxorus around here," the Charizard guard begins, his tone rather enthusiastic. "How come you're not in the desert? Wait, where are Haxorus even from?"
His stature small and his scales untarnished, in his eyes is a childlike curiosity. Maybe he's even younger than Phendrene. "I'm really sorry, but I'm not really in the mood for small talk," I answer. He seems a bit disappointed, but I have more important things to worry about.
I survey the landscape from this vantage point. There are quite a few Charizard, Garchomp, and Salamence moving about in the sunset, but it is not a scene I am used to. I did not spot a single child on the way here. Even among the adults, there are none frolicking or lounging, just those standing guard or carrying out errands.
A lot has changed about this world in these three years, it seems.
I close my eyes and bring up that memory: the image of the lush hills viewed from the desert. That was the image that I fainted to, after exhausting all of my psychic power. I thought I had gotten out of the Deadlands, but no, I was on the edge. And for however many hours it took for me to recuperate my psychic energy, three years had passed.
That is the theory I come up with, and if there is no foul play from Latias, it is the only one that is possible. And in the light of her help with Rue's surgery and prosthetic, I have no reason to believe that she would manipulate me that way. Or is it an extended ruse to teach me more life lessons? No, it can't be.
I glance towards the Haxorus. Rue's arms are crossed as she leans against the stone wall, staring vacantly into the distance. She doesn't seem to fully accept what has happened, because to her, it is a complete enigma.
I wonder if I should tell her. Would she blame me? Even if what I did was to save her life?
The sound of footsteps catches my attention, and Rue's head too rises as Jet emerges from the entrance. "Come in," he says with a gesture. Rue steps forward first, and I follow them inside.
We are silent as we traverse through the dimly lit corridors. There are torches placed sparsely on the wall, reminiscent of the ones that were lit in that room which is now rubble.
Rue is merely looking at the ground and following Jet, not taking in her surroundings. I'm surprised that she isn't hysterical, given her boisterous personality. Then again, I don't have much to say either.
We asked about Phendrene. Jet said that she was alive, but not here. Before elaborating, he asked us to come meet up with Blight first. And we didn't have the chance to ask about anything else. The Garchomp himself seems rather nonchalant about our return. Of course, we've only met him once at the festival.
"Blight. They're here." Jet's voice breaks Rue and I out of our trance and he steps aside to reveal a spacious and well-lit room, thanks to the windows on every side of the wall. There are shelves of books, tables for dining, and corridors leading to other sections of the castle, but our focus turns to the Salamence sitting at the center.
His face is still and expressionless. His left foreleg has one more scar, and his right two. I can't see how many more he has on his flank on his belly, but I assume there must be more. His tail flickers slightly as his eyes pan over Rue and to me, with an accusing glare.
"Father," I begin hesitantly. "Has it really been three years?"
He gazes at me for a few seconds, before asking, "How long do you think it has been?"
"Four days," Rue cuts in. "I've been awake for four days. That's all the time it took for me to take my new tusk." She turns her head and glances toward me. "But I wouldn't know how long I had been out."
"I-" I find myself unable to talk about the Deadlands. That cursed place should never be mentioned lest it incites interest. "I fainted from psychic overexertion after I stabilized Rue's condition. I sought the Legendary Pokemon for help, and she did. I…"
"I thought you were dead." Only his mouth moves. The rest of Father's body stays as it is, his eyes still focused on me. "I thought that both of my children were dead. I had no family left."
I return his stare, unsure of what to do. The desire to go forward and comfort him is deterred by how apathetic he is being.
"Should I excuse myself?" Jet asks from aside.
"No, you may stay," Father answers without taking his eyes off me. "Nova. You don't miss me at all. …Of course. To you, you only saw me a few days ago."
"Father." I walk up to him and put a paw on his face, getting a feel of his hide, rougher than I remember it. He flinches, but does not move. "I'm sorry I made you worry. I didn't know this would happen. I just wanted to save Rue."
No one says anything as I squat down to meet my father at eye level. It feels like he has aged so much since I last saw him.
"Seeing you reminds me of when we still had Spirit," Father says, unblinking. "You couldn't have saved him, too? No, I suppose not…" he mutters and shakes his head.
I stand back up, and take a closer look at my surroundings. After being in the human world, all the furniture and walls here seem so crude, but it is a step up from what we had at the cliff.
"I never asked," Rue begins. "How did you save me? How did you get me to the human world fast enough before I lost too much blood?"
I feel a pang of anxiety at the question, and find my way to one of the stools at a table. Taking a deep breath, I answer, "You already had lost too much blood. So… I froze you in time, and asked Latias for help."
"You what?" Rue arm reflexively rises up to her tusk as she fiddles with it nervously. "Y-you can do that?"
"Not by myself. Have you heard of the Deadlands?"
"Wha-"
"I know of it," Father interrupts. "It is region to the far west of the desert. It is said that creatures who venture near it disappear, and are never heard from again."
"Yes," I confirm his knowledge. "That is the one."
Rue glances anxiously between us, surely being paranoid of what I had done to her while she is out. Father continues to stare at me with that dull gaze of his, and I am beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"I don't know if it's what actually happened, but that might have been what caused… the difference in passage of time," I conclude, finding it difficult to say more.
"Wait! Isn't that the same as what happened when Silex left?" Rue quickly follows up on my theory. "So… we were just frozen in time…"
"That's the only explanation." I look to father. I can't imagine what my careless mistake put everyone else through. "Father, I… I don't… I'm sorry. Sorry."
"As much as I would like to say that it's all right, it is not," Father answers, keeping a stern expression. "These three years you, do you know how hard it has been for the dragons? For me?"
No matter how hard I try, I don't feel the real impact of the situation. But Father has lived through three years of who knows what. It's not as easy to forgive as something like… taking the eggs.
"There's no point blaming him now," Rue says from aside. "I… I know it must be difficult, but he did it to save my life. I would have done the same for him."
Father's eyes narrow as he scoffs. "Easy for you to say. You just got yourself a fancy new tusk in a few days." He bares his teeth as he slams his tail on the ground, sending a small tremble and making Rue take a step back. "How about you wait three years, too? Everything that had ever mattered to me, gone, just like that! My mate, my children, my…"
"Blight, stop." To our surprise, Jet reaches around Father's neck. And even more surprisingly, Father is still as the Garchomp holds him. "They're back now, aren't they? It's going to be alright."
I steal a glance at Rue, and she, too, seems at a loss for words. Father's breathing slows as he pushes Jet off. "Jet, you catch them up on what has happened. Don't disturb me anymore tonight."
"Understood," Jet answers as Father heads into one of the corridors, his footsteps heavy and his tail still. "Just give him some time," the Garchomp says to us. "It was really rough when you two first disappeared. The non-dragon rebels had overthrown the Salamence government in the mountains, and we had to deal with the aftermath."
"They what?" "How?" Rue and I blurt out simultaneously.
"I know, right?" Jet says with a chuckle. "I couldn't believe it when I heard it all these years ago. Anyways, this is going to take a while, so maybe you two should take a seat…"
Rue and I sit beside each other at the dining table and Jet sits from across us, as he begins to narrate the events after we had gone. It was a while after that festival, where Blight sought him out for help in searching me. Together, and with his sister Night, the trio began searching for Rue and me. But before they could make any progress, they met other Salamence, saying how that the non-dragons within their community staged a coup and seized the Salamence lands - all of Zeal mountains. They tried to fight back, of course, but the rebels proved to be resilient, and the Salamence could only escape. Some came over to the Charizard, and others scattered out into the wilderness. As one of the Salamence who had a reputation in dealing with other dragons, Blight found himself sought after to control the situation. Such was the beginning of the alliance between the dragon species that would remain until this day.
The rebels established a base in the mountains, and the territory was considered extremely dangerous for dragons to venture into. Then, they attempted attacks on the Flygon in the desert and the Sceptile in the forest. The hostile weather of the desert as well as the geographical significance of Lyrl had the Flygon work hard to repel them, but the same couldn't be said for the Sceptile. With many of the creatures from the rebels finding themselves at ease in the forest, combined with the fact that many Sceptile couldn't be bothered to defend their territory and simply moved up north, meant that they had also claimed Whitewind Forest as theirs.
"I guess we can't go back to visit our childhood home, then," Rue comments with a wistful sigh. "Well, just mine, I guess. The desert's still fine," she says as she glances towards me.
"No, it's actually nearly impossible to travel there," Jet answers. "The rebels' territory spans through Whitewind all the way down beyond the Zeal mountains. It would be too dangerous to attempt to fly along the southern shore, so the only way would be to loop around the far north."
"Oh. That explains the hostile reaction those dragons had upon meeting me," I mention. "If they saw a Flygon flying from the mountains, they would question my allegiance."
"A Flygon actually made the trip. Oh, I believe you two know him. Name's Hale?" Both Rue and I react at the name, which makes Jet grin. "Yup, guess ya do. He came over a few months ago looking for you two specifically, for something important to tell you guys." Jet scratches his chin. "What was it again… Well, I forgot, but he met with Blight, so you could ask later."
"Something important," Rue repeats and glances at me. "What could it be? Did he learn of Vie's children?"
"Maybe. Wait." Rue's words remind me of something that is far more important than whatever Hale wanted to say. "Where are the children? Where's… Phendrene?"
"Ah, right. Well, since this place is basically a war zone and completely infertile, we relocated all the children far, far up north, along with caretakers. Everyone remaining at Fort Varia is a combatant, ready to fend off the rebels at any notice. We're still in considered within Novaria, which used to be under Charizard jurisdiction, but no one differentiates that anymore. Then there is another base up northeast in former Garchomp territory, at Sunview Canyon. Most able-bodied non-combatants are over there, since it's closer to the fertile Dragonite forest, and further from the war front. Food is hard to come by when we have Salamence and Sceptile sharing our territory… Ah, are you two hungry?" Jet says, his eyes lighting up. Before we can answer, he continues, "Even if you aren't, I am, so let me get some food."
"I mean, we could use some food, yeah," Rue answers, slightly embarrassed as she clutches her belly.
He heads into a different corridor from the one Father had entered. "Who knew we'd come back to a war," I comment to Rue.
"Well, I wasn't the one who- Sorry, forget about it, I should be more sensitive," she stops herself. "Anyways, with us returning, we should be able to end the war, right?"
"Ending the war, huh…" My mind turns back to that fateful venture that the three of us went on. "Is it really as easy as flying in and killing people? What if they disable my psychic powers again?"
"Obviously, we have to discuss it with your father first. But surely, as a whole, we dragons are stronger than them!"
"I… I don't know." The light from the window is fading, with only the torches illuminating the room, and a wave of nostalgia washes over me as I am reminded of Phendrene under that homely torch light. "I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to see Phendrene."
"Now you start wanting her?" Rue says with a snort. "Why not want her in peaceful times and actually do your duty as a dragon in war time?"
"Shut up, I just… She still thinks I'm dead!" I answer and clench my fist. I thought she wasn't going to say anything insensitive? "You make me feel bad for not caring enough her, then you make me feel bad for caring too much about her. What's your problem?"
Rue pauses for a few moments before sighing. "Sorry, I miss her too. It just felt weird that… She always… You know what, never mind."
We sit for a few seconds before Jet returns, saving us from further awkward silence. "It's not what you're used to, but this is all we have," he says as he lets the straw-woven basket slide off of his arm. "You know, sometimes I wish I had fingers."
Rue and I lean forward expectantly, only to find some… bread? There are some grains and vegetables on the side, and no meat at all.
"What is this?" Rue exclaims with disgust. "You guys don't have meat?"
"Where are we supposed to find meat?" Jet answers, pouting and crossing his arms. "You're welcome to go hunt for yourself. See if there are any more prey around these parts."
"You mean to say you've been surviving off of plants alone?" Rue says with a frown. "Dragons aren't meant to eat a vegetarian diet!"
"Dragons aren't meant to get new tusks either, but here we are," he says with a shrug. Rue doesn't answer that, and he continues, "Well, I'm gonna get my own portion now," before heading back inside.
"I was wondering why people cared about which lands were fertile," Rue says as she sifts through the beans and grains. "Turns out we're fucking farmers now."
"I had some bread with Latias, it's not that bad. You should try it." I grab a loaf an take a bite, to find that it's quite a bit worse than the one I had with Latias. Stale and unsweetened. But still edible. "I mean, you have to make do with what stops people from starving to death," I try to justify the situation to Rue.
"Ugh, fine."
When Jet returns and sits with his own loaf of bread, I notice that he doesn't have any beans on the side, likely because he has no paws to pick them up with. In fact, he basically uses his claw-spike as a skewer and bites the bread off.
Neither Rue and I eat very much, the taste unfamiliar enough for us to stop as soon as we no longer have hunger pangs. Jet sees that we have leftover beans and simply grabs the basket and puts it to his face, as if he is drinking soup from a bowl.
"Where were we up to? I think I covered most of what happened,' Jet says as he grabs the basket. "Come on, I'll show you to the guest room."
"Wait, what are we gonna do?" I ask, not at all feeling tired, as I had stayed up rather late last night using Latias's computer. "I want to visit Phendrene."
"Ehh, I thought we would discuss tomorrow with your father." He says as we follow him into the dimly lit corridors. "You saw him, we should probably leave him alone."
"I'll talk to him now," I say firmly as he puts the basket on a shelf. "Where is his room?"
"Ohh, boy, you really want to go there?" Jet asks, looking nervous. "Well, if you insist, but don't blame me if he gets angry. He has quite a temper."
I glare at him, unamused. "He's my father. I know him."
"And you?" Jet turns to Rue and asks.
"Show her to the guest room," I answer in her place. "I'll wait for you in the lobby."
I turn and head back down the corridor without a word. I hear Rue muttering something to Jet about just following my commands. As foreign as this world is, I'm glad that I have the same Rue to keep me company. She knows that in the rare case that I start ordering people around, I mean it.
Jet doesn't take long to come back to the lobby. "Alright, over here." He leads me down the corridor opposite to the food and the guest rooms, and stops at a wooden door. "Well, when you're done, the guest room is in this same location, but in the opposite corridor," he explains in a hushed voice. "If you need me, my room is the next door along the right side of this wall. That's it, I s'pose. I'll be heading off to rest. Night."
I give him my thanks as he heads down the corridor before disappearing into the next door. Taking a deep breath, I give the wooden door a knock.
No response.
I give it a knock again, and wait patiently, but there is still no response.
I put my arm against the door, ready to push it open, but I hesitate. How sure can I be that this is the right decision? Maybe instead of being grateful for my company, Father would be angry. But I can tell that he held himself back in front of Jet and Rue. I want to be able to talk to him in private.
So I push the door open.
"Jet, I said to not disturb me." Father's voice comes from around the corner of the wall, out of sight. "Leave at once."
"Father, it's me," I say and step into the room, closing the door behind me. "I…"
I turn the corner, and find Father lying prone on the bed with his forepaws holding a pillow above his head. "There's no one else here. I told Rue and Jet to go away." I take a tentative step toward the bed. "I am… sorry."
"Why are you here?" he asks from beneath the pillow, his voice barely showing any weakness.
"You must miss me. You… It would have been awkward in front of others, so I came to see you in private." Feeling an intense regret in my heart from how hard it must have been for him, I take a seat at the side of the bed. "I can't make up for what has happened in the past, but I'm back now. And… I love you," I say as I wrap my arms around his neck.
The words are actually easier to say to my Father than to any female. He is my family - in fact, the only blood relative I have left in this world. To him, I had been dead for three years. Of course it wouldn't be something that he could easily forgive.
"I know I will never understand what you have been through these three years. And I know that you might still resent me. But I'll always be your son, and I-"
A sudden movement from Father cuts me off, and before I know it he has pushed me down onto the bed and is holding me close. His breathing is erratic, and I can feel his tears on my face. But he doesn't make any vocal cries, and just holds me tight as his chest pushes against mine with every breath he takes.
I try to adjust my position, but realize I can't move. It's mildly uncomfortable, but I let Father have his moment. In fact, there's something primal that makes me feel safe, as if I were a young whelp and being protected by his father…
It isn't long before Father's tears dry up and he loosens his grip. I take the opportunity to shuffle into a more comfortable position, slightly aside but still cradled under his arm.
There is a period of silence, and I decide to speak first. "Father… can we go north to visit Phendrene tomorrow?"
He doesn't respond instantly, but simply lies still for a while. "Sanctuary is a week's flight," he says quietly. "For you it might take only two or three days, but… I would prefer to not let you out of my sight for now."
"Ah." I try and think of a shrewd way to answer. There's no way I would want to wait a few days before going to find Phendrene. "She would want to see me if she knew I was alive, though. Wouldn't she?"
"Yes." Father lets go of me and places his forelegs in front of him to hold his head up. "But you need to come back soon. I need you."
I don't know how to answer a statement like that, but he amends his statement upon seeing my expression. "Ah, I only meant that I need you for the task force. There is a shortage of high skilled battle dragons, which we need if we are going to win the war."
"A task force?" I ask, my curiosity piqued. "Why do you have a task force?"
"Didn't Jet tell you? I suppose not." He pauses for a moment, as if trying to recall the details. "The enemy outnumbers us significantly. There is little hope of victory if we fight them head-on. But if we establish an elite task force, we can stealthily eliminate key targets or take down key locations with ease."
I take the moment to take in the concept. "I guess that makes sense. How is the task force like?"
"There is one warrior for each species - that is, Salamence, Charizard, Garchomp, Sceptile, and Dragonite. Jet and I are both warriors. Then there is one advisor for each species as well. They don't head into battle, but are privy to the inner workings of the task force and aid us on whatever they can. They're usually just the given leader of the species, though. For example, I function both as the warrior and the advisor."
"Isn't one per species rather limiting, though?" I say the first thing that comes to mind. "What if there are multiple worthy Charizard?"
"We do have secondary task forces. If there is a need for more than the five of us, then we can borrow members." Father sighs and rests his head on the pillow. "It has only been formed in recent months, and we haven't done anything serious other than securing the perimeters of dragon territory. We're not strong enough to go on the offensive. At least, until before you two returned."
"Right." I lie still for a moment, thinking. "Shouldn't we go through this again tomorrow, so that Rue knows as well?"
Father gives a slight nod. "Yes, I should be resting. You should, too. We'll talk tomorrow."
"All right." I rise from the bed and head the door. "Good night, Father. I'll see you."
"Good night, Nova."
I wonder what others would think of Father if they saw him so emotional. It must be hard, maintaining a tough image for other dragons to look up to. I can't imagine how broken I would be if I lost Father and Phendrene for three years…
I push the door into Rue's room, and to my surprise, she is sitting upright on her bed, her prosthetic tusk missing. "Rue? You're still up?" I ask, before noticing that she is clutching her right arm. "What's wrong?"
"I cut myself when taking my tusk off," she says, not moving from her position. "It's not a big deal. I'm not tired, anyway."
I head over to the empty bed opposite of her and sit on it. It feels rather soft, though it would never be able to compare with Latias's bed. On the table between the beds lies Rue's metal tusk, a small drop of blood at the tip.
"How was your dad?"
"He was alright," I give a perfunctory answer, and try to redirect the conversation topic. "Phendrene is a week's flight away, he says. I want to depart tomorrow. Are you coming?"
"Of course!" Rue says immediately. "She's as good as my family too, you know?"
"Right, right. That just means I have to carry you, and I won't be able to fly as fast. Oh well."
Rue doesn't answer to my statement, and stares blankly at the wall. "You know, I was thinking. Phendrene is actually older than you now."
"Huh?" The thought had never come to me, but now that Rue mentions it… "She's how old, now?"
"Over eighteen years, or nineteen winters by Charizard calculations. Whereas you're biologically seventeen." Rue shuffles forward and lies down on her back. "I wonder if Phendrene got herself a mate?"
The statement is enough to make me flinch. The concept of Phendrene being with a male doesn't feel like it would bode well.
"Three years is a long time," Rue continues. "And someone as sweet and caring as her would have plenty of suitors. A good age for dating, too. Ahh… what a lucky male."
"Are you trying to make me feel bad?" I burst out as I glare at her. "Can you stop talking about it?"
Rue rolls over and lies on her side, something she would not be able to do if her right tusk is still there. "I was just thinking out loud. You know, if it bothers you so much, maybe you do have a thing for her."
"No, it's just… It doesn't seem right. Forget about it, I'm going to sleep."
"Fine by me."
Despite her earlier claims of not being tired, she starts snoring rather soon. I am left staring at the stone wall, wondering how Phendrene must be faring. Even someone as stoic as Father had a large reaction upon my return. Phendrene…
I find myself enjoying her imagined embrace, patting her and promising her to stay for her as she holds me close. But will it really be like that? Maybe she would be apathetic, having thought me as dead long ago. Maybe she forgot about me and moved on to some male Charizard, and that sort of behavior would be unacceptable. Maybe her mate will be beside her, and forbid me to even touch her. Hah, Nova, where is your imagination going…
I ought to save my energy for the actual reunion.
Next morning, we gather in the lobby with Father. Rue and I sit on the table's chairs, but since father is quadrupedal, he stands upright on one side of the table where the floor is slightly elevated. The table appears to have been arranged this way so that Father could be the same height as other bipedal dragons while present at the table.
Compared to last night, Father seems calmer and more serious, speaking to us in a tone not dissimilar to how he has always been. I listen intently as he explains the nature of the task force to Rue, until he proposes for us to join.
Rue pauses for a moment, before answering, "As long as I have a say in what we do, you can count me in. These 'advisors' aren't going to be ordering us around, are they?"
"Though the warriors have input, the advisors are usually the ones that formulate the plan," Father explains. "However, you needn't worry, since you can be both a warrior and an advisor, since you are the lone Haxorus representative."
"You sure about that?" Jet's voice sounds from the corridor, and we turn to see him carrying the food baskets. "We held an election for all the advisors and a tournament for all the warriors. You sure Kyverion and Senjer will just accept her?"
"Those two are warriors and not advisors for a reason," Blight responds nonchalantly. "Pyron and Eve will keep them in line."
"If you say so," Jet says as he drops the baskets onto the table and takes a seat. "I'm not gonna deal with Kyver's fit once he finds out there's another female warrior in his squad."
"Wait, what?" Rue stands up all of a sudden, startling the rest of us. "You guys let some sexist dragon on the task force?"
Blight is the first to answer her. "He is the one who won the tournament. And he is one of the strongest Charizard. We need strong dragons for the task force, regardless of their personal views."
"Yeah, well, how about you go find him and have him fight me!" Rue says and slams her fist on the table. "I will not-"
"Calm down." Jet shows a courage in doing something that I wouldn't, which is to placate an angry Haxorus by grabbing her shoulders. Or just resting his claw-spikes on them. "He's literally upstairs. And no, we're not going to stage a match between you two right now, so chill."
"Aren't we going to visit Phendrene first?" I offer something to divert Rue's attention. "I was planning on leaving this morning."
Blight narrows his eyes and shakes his head. "Even for you, it would take a two days minimum. And that is assuming you aren't carrying Rue. You wouldn't be able to find her by yourself, either, so you're going to need a guide. It'll be a week before you reach Sanctuary."
"Yes, you told me. It doesn't matter. I'm still going."
"Okay, if that's what you want," Father concedes. "But you're going to be Flygon warrior one when you return."
"Warrior one?"
"The warrior of task force one. It doesn't matter, you're the only Flygon warrior anyway," he explains. "And the classification is only for nominal purposes. We'll need you on every mission for your psychic and earth powers."
Rue pipes up with her arms crossed in her chair. "Wait, why did you say that I could be the advisor, but not Nova? Is he not going to have a say?"
"Of course we take everyone's opinions into account," Father answers impatiently. "I'm also going to be on the missions I send the warriors on, so there's no conflict of interest."
Rue shakes her head. "That's not what I meant. Why can't Nova be an advisor, too?"
Father pauses and his eyes widen briefly, before he blinks twice and sighs. "Ah, I forgot to mention. We already have a Flygon advisor, Zeta."
Rue and I turn to look at each other in confusion. I'm the first one that catches up to his words, and blurt out, "Zeta?! The Flygon?"
"Yes, your friend. He came over more than a year ago, after the rebels had failed to siege Lyrl," Father explains calmly, not at all fazed by our reactions. "He said that he wished to help the other dragons and investigate an underground human facility near Sunview Canyon. In truth, he's been a great asset to the alliance, helping us cultivate fertile lands with a diet that would support dragons' biology on plants alone. In addition, he also managed to dig up archives of human records, detailing the abilities and behavior of non-dragons. We've managed to hold Fort Varia this far out thanks to him."
"Okay. So where is he?" I ask.
"He's at our headquarters at Sunview Canyon, which is Garchomp territory. Fen's with him, too. It would be nearly a day's flight from here, though I'm sure you could make it in an hour or two."
I do want to meet Zeta. Assuming he hasn't changed, he would be able to give the most reliable and objective information on what has happened these past three years.
…But I should visit Phendrene first. I have to.
"Shouldn't ya tell him about that Hale Flygon, too? I already told 'em he visited, but forgot what it was he had to say," Jet interjects from the side, his mouth stuffed full of bread. He is the only one who has even started eating.
"Oh, thank you for the reminder," Father gives him a nod. "This is something which is rather important, and I would like you to investigate in. Hale spent a great deal of effort flying around rebel territory to reach us, in order to find you two. He wanted your help in tracking down Silex, after spotting her in wild Flygon territory."
"Silex." Rue is the one who speaks first this time, her tone wistful as she reminisces of our former caretaker. "What was she like when Hale found her?"
"She claims that Hale mistook her for someone else, but Hale was certain that it was her after the fact, because she disappeared as soon as Hale took eyes off of her," Father explains.
I find myself uncertain of his motives, and say, "But is Hale telling the truth? Maybe he still hates us for… Vie?"
"It's been three years, Nova. He's over it. Plus, he wouldn't risk his life and spend weeks away from his mate and child for spite."
"He has a child?" Rue exclaims, waving her arm in the year. "Okay, so our home is crushed, we're all vegetarian, Zeta is now your lead scientist, and Hale has a kid. What else is there? Ooh, maybe you settled with a new mate? Got some new kids, too?"
I wince as Father bites his lips. "Rue, don't," I say, but Father has already began speaking.
"When I thought Nova was dead, I decided that I would not bring any more children into this world only to see them die. If that answers your question."
"Y'all really should start eating," Jet says to us and shoves his plate of bread crumbs forward, diverting our attention. "You know, I wouldn't mind guiding you two to Sanctuary. Blight, I know you want to hurry and assimilate them in the task force, but you gotta let them visit their Charizard chick."
Jet's sentiment is enough for me to forgive his usage the term "Charizard chick" for Phendrene. Father sighs, and only says an "Alright" before he begins eating.
"How is Phendrene, anyway?" I pipe up in between gulps of beans. "She didn't search for me again, did she?"
"We didn't let her," Father answers without raising his head. "It has been a few months since I last visited Sanctuary. She's quieter than before, but optimistic enough given our circumstances."
"That's good to hear," I say and turn back to my food.
Just as I am back to forcing these dry grains into my mouth, Rue speaks. "Does she have any suitors?"
"Hm? I didn't pry into her romantic life," Father answers. "But I assume that even if she has many desirable traits for a female mate, the fact that she is taking care of others' children would put off many males."
"Good to hear," Rue repeats my words.
"Why do you care?" I ask, irritated that she brought this topic up. Now my appetite is gone. "I thought you would prefer her to be happy with someone?"
"Ha? I'm not allowed to ask about something as simple as this? I bet you're jealous, you-"
"Behave." Father calls my name sternly, and I turn back to my food. "This display of immaturity won't be tolerated in the task force."
The rest of the meal is finished in an awkward silence. Rue and I steal nasty glances at each other, but not enough for Father to comment further.
"So, Jet can lead you to Sanctuary. On the condition that all of you are back in Fort Varia in fifteen- no, twelve days."
"Wait," Jet says and holds an arm up. "The trip is going to take a week. How, uh, is this gonna work?"
"Nova can teleport a great deal of the distance on return. It would take a maximum of two days for him to teleport to a midpoint, have a good night's rest, then teleport back here. With twelve days, you'll still have three or four days with them."
I want to complain about the restriction, but I keep it down. Father is trying to win a war, one that I had been absent for. I merely give a nod. "Alright, then we should leave as soon as possible."
"You may leave now. Keep safe, and Jet, make sure they don't wander into the Deadlands."
"Ha. That's actually one of your better jokes, which is kind of sad."
I expect Father to scold him for that comment, but Blight just ignores it. He must be used to Jet's personality. "Let's get going, then?" Jet asks us.
"Of course," Rue says as she stands up, excited. "See ya later, gramps."
Father lets out a gust of air from his nose as he rolls his eyes. "You haven't changed, either."
After getting a rucksack, Jet stays true to his word and takes off as soon as Rue climbs onto me. Once I am aloft, I overtake him easily and have to slow down to accommodate for his speed. Rue and I keep telepathic communications to a minimum as we travel and the view becomes greener. Jet motions for us to stop as trees come into view, and he heads towards a small hut adjacent to what appears to be farmlands. We watch him talk with the Sceptile from afar, and then when he comes out of the hut his rucksack is noticeably fuller. "That's gonna cover a few days of food," he says.
We reach the forest before midday. The trees here are sparser than Whitewind, and there is plenty of space to land. Though occasionally we spot dragons of various species, by now it is mostly Dragonite and Sceptile.
Afternoon is when I find myself rather tired and actually falling behind Jet. I didn't think it was possible for me to be out-flown by a normal dragon, but apparently Rue's weight is taking a toll on me. What exacerbates the situation is that with her on my back, I cannot flap my wings freely, and so much of my airtime is sustained by levitation. I manage to hold out until sunset and when we land to rest, I lean against a tree and the next thing I know, Rue and Jet are waking me up for breakfast.
The journey becomes more of a chore the longer it goes on. Sure, the view up here is good, but it gets boring and worst of all, I am too overexerted to enjoy the company. At lunch, it is usually the two of them talking as I gobble up as much food as possible, even if it is mostly bread and grain.
The forest turns into shrublands and hills, as sightings of dragons become fewer and fewer. Jet is surprisingly familiar with the geography and tells us when to rest so that we are near a water source. As our food supply depletes, the two of them take to foraging, and Rue even manages to hunt some fresh meat, which I devour ravenously before falling asleep regardless of how uncomfortable the ground is compared to the bed I've been used to.
"Why is it this far out?" I mumble during the lunch of our fourth day. Jet said that it was only two days away, but is still seems ridiculous. "It seems pretty safe from those non-dragons here…"
"We don't know how far north the rebels have gone through Whitewind," Jet answers. "And plus, this is a biome with no tree cover and few edible plants. Not only isn't there much prey, but if the south is to fall, there would be no safety here. On the other hand, Sanctuary is lush with bountiful resources, and is also surrounded by mountains. If things go wrong, we would retreat and settle here."
We only see the mountains in late morning of the sixth day. They are not nearly as imposing as the Zeal mountains, perhaps because of the lack of snow-tipped peaks. We arrive at the foot of the mountain for lunch, and Jet manages to gather a few spicy berries that I haven't had before. As we ascend the hill, I find my anticipation growing until it reaches a point where I manage to shoot ahead of Jet despite being exhausted.
As I cross the summit, I am greeted with a view what must be Sanctuary. Surrounded by mountains on all sides and housing a lake larger than any I've ever seen, I can understand why they wanted to move the children here. I spot many younger evolutions of the alliance's dragon species, playing around a river that flows to the lake. Directly below us are Sceptile and a few other dragons working on a plantation.
I almost dive forward, ready to glide in and find Phendrene, before I spot something black zoom toward us. It seems to originate from a particularly high spire from the opposite side of the mountains. I shove Rue off and prepare for any hostility, until the figure comes closer and I make out the purple belly and the white mane.
I can only stare as she nears us and lands. The Noivern first seems confused and then shocked, as she looks to the three of us.
"You… what? Jet? Are these two…?"
The familiar voice incites a surge of emotions, and I find myself muttering her name. "Sylvia…"
"Didn't know you were taking guard duty this seriously," Jet says with a chuckle. "You know where Phendrene's at? They wanna-"
"I asked you a question," Sylvia interrupts as she focuses her eyes on Jet. "Answer it."
"Sylvia, it's me," I find my words coming out involuntarily, "I'm Nova, I-"
"I don't know you," she says. I only get one good look of her face before she turns away without even looking at me, and suddenly I feel a pang in my chest. Without a word, she takes off and flies back toward the spire, and my gaze can only follow her flailing tail as her figure recedes into the sky.