Chapter 3.
Within three hours, there were no Night Furies in visual distance from Toemnir valley. However, Lohengrin's problems only intensified after he got everyone up and flying.
He had to organize a formation out of his clan; and with dragons aren't used to flying in a group of fifty, it was not easy at all. He had the youngest and oldest Furies going in the middle, while adult dragons were around them in a circle, with Guards scouting in front, behind and above the formation, distant enough to have room for manoeuvring but close enough to be there where help is needed. The twenty hours long flight was quite an endurance round for everyone: many dragons were injured or very tired even before they took off, even more were either too old or too young to fly such a distance in such a hurry. So everyone was more than relieved when the Shalnar ridges began to appear, since almost everyone's wish was to just land somewhere flat, collapse, and drift into a weary slumber.
But they couldn't do that. Once the clan arrived and Lohengrin showed them a few caves they can take shelter in, Lohengrin had to summon everyone who had some strength left and he gave them tasks such as fetching food, helping the old and the injured, and send patrols and lookouts to certain high vantage point for the sake of safety. Lohengrin himself tried to be everywhere: he took part in the hunts, he helped Elder Tamaana treating the more serious injuries, and he relieved Guards who were on the lookouts, so at least they could get some sleep.
But the price for this was to neglect his family when they would need him the most, and this only added to Lohengrin's already intense feelings of guilt and shame. Even the clan as a whole started to show subtle signs of recovery, he felt horribly torn inside, in addition to the depressing exhaustion.
He saw Lenhardt a few times, and it was obvious to him that his son was trying to deal with the trauma by occupying himself with everything he can. He and other younglings were on search for herbs and ingredients for Elder Tamaana, sweeping caves with torn-off pine branches to make them more suitable for residence, fishing to help feed hatchlings and so on. Lohengrin had mixed feelings about this. As a Leader, he was really proud, that his son is trying so hard to cope with the events and help the others around him. But as a father, he was full of concern, for Lenny wasn't anything like he used to be. He was unusually quiet and serious, and no serious appearance or faint smile could hide the sadness in his eyes. Lohengrin knew that Lenhardt was just as depressed as he was, despite all the efforts to not show it. It would've helped both of them if they could have a chance to talk... But they haven't.
By the end of his second sleepless day, Lohengrin felt like he had never been this tired before in his life. As he landed at the entrance of the cave where his family was, he had to stop after stepping in, and just leaned against the wall and shut his eyes to stop the world spinning around. It was late night, he haven't expected anyone to be awake.
To his surprise, his son walked out from the sleeping chamber, and as he noticed him, he hurried over to him.
"Dad?" he asked quietly "You alright?"
Lohengrin slowly sat down, still leaning to the wall.
"Been better." he sighed "But I'll be fine. Son..."
"Yeah?"
"C'mere."
Lohengrin raised a wing, and as Lenny sat down beside him, he curled it over to cover him.
"You made me really proud these past few days. You showed hope to those who had little to none, and lots of dragons noticed that."
Lenny closed his eyes as he leaned against his father's shoulder.
"I just... I just tried to make things right." he mumbled.
"And that you did. How's your mother doing?"
Lenny's eyes opened, and he took a worried glance towards the smaller cave he came out, before looking into his father's eyes. He swallowed before saying:
"Not... well. I've tried to comfort her a bit, but... I just don't know what to say."
"Me neither." Lohengrin sighed "Because there is nothing anyone can say. I lost both of my parents when I was less than two months old, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. A loss like this cannot be cured by a few words, there are no words which would not sound empty and meaningless compared to it. But what did help to me, is that I felt I'm not alone. And we have to help both her and your grandmother to realize that they don't have to deal with their pain alone."
Lenhardt was silent for a few moments, thinking.
"I think I'm gonna go to Grandma's place..." he said finally "She shouldn't be alone either. I'll sleep there and come back at morning, okay?"
"Sure." Lohengrin nodded, and lifted his wing off him. "Keep it together Lenny."
"You too, Dad." Lenny bumped heads with him then went outside.
After a weary sigh, Lohengrin entered the cave where Lyara was. She was curled into the corner on the far side, and although she made no sound, Lohengrin saw her sobbing. He quietly approached her, and nuzzled her head. When he got no response, he settled down next to her, and gently raised a wing above her. Then she suddenly moved, and threw her forelegs around Lohengrin's neck, burying her face into his scales.
Lohengrin soothingly licked her ears a few times, occasionally whispering:
"Let it out. Let it all out, my love..."
A few hours later, Lyara woke up from her uneasy slumber. As she felt her head slowly rising and falling together with her mate's chest, she held her ear against it to listen to his heartbeat. The slow but steady pace of the beating helped her to collect her thoughts.
She heard a soft mumble, which made her to raise her head up. Lohengrin was asleep, but as Lyara saw his ears twitch and a paw flex a few times, she knew that the dreams weren't kind to him too. She put her paws on the ground and moved herself forward a bit. Then she began to softly lick her mate's face.
Lohengrin's eyes slowly opened.
"Lya..." he whispered drowsily.
"Lohen..." she rubbed her forehead against his chin, in response Lohengrin stretched his wings and folded it around her, hugging her tightly.
They lay silently for a while, caressing and occasionally licking, seeking solace in each other's presence.
"I'm so sorry..." Lyara mumbled.
"Lyara..."
"I completely fell apart... And ignored everyone else..." her eyes became watery again "I...I can't imagine what kind of hell you went through-"
Lohengrin pressed his forehead against hers.
"Lya. Don't make things even harder for yourself." he said with a soft look in his eyes "I understand exactly how you feel, so I can't blame you for anything."
Feeling a tiny bit better, Lyara sunk back to her mate's chest. After a few silent moments, she spoke up again:
"I can't recall what Lenny said about where he's going..."
"He's with Melyan for tonight." Lohengrin answered.
Another few moments of silence.
"I should be there too..." Lyara whispered.
"Maybe." Lohengrin said "But it won't help if we all sit beside her and cry together. She needs time to process this, and we should visit her, but not right now. None of us can offer her anything that Lenny couldn't. What we should be doing now, is trying to focus on what comes next. There's nothing else we can do."
"Right..." Lyara murmured "So, what's your plan?"
"This place offers us a temporary shelter. We need to reset the clan's life into normality again, then I want to check what's left of home."
"You want to go back?"
"If the humans don't stay there, I want to. We are missing twenty-seven Furies, I want to find out what happened to them for sure."
Lyara raised her head again to look into his eyes.
"You think they didn't kill everyone?"
"I have my suspicions. But I don't want to say anything until I've seen some sorts of proof."
The boar grunted a few times, as he dug his nose into the pile of snowy leaves and twigs, continuing his search for acorns. Cool chills of wind brushed through the trees in the early morning, and the snow sparkled with the rising sun's early rays. The boar, being driven by hunger, paid no attention to his surroundings, up until he heard a soft crack coming from the bushes a few dozen steps away from him. He took a panicking look to the direction of the sound, then his instincts told him to flee, so he began to run in the opposite way.
A blue-purple explosion tore the ground apart in front of him, spraying molten snow and mud everywhere. Blinded by the flash, the boar screamed and turned around...
When something black and scaly landed on his back, sinking its claws deep into his hide to get a firm grip. With a snarl, the young Night Fury ferociously bit down on the boars neck, and held himself tightly on it, as the boar flailed violently, trying to shake the attacker off.
As the struggle depleted his air reserves, the boar began to slow down and tumble to the ground. With a quick swipe of a paw, the dragon ended its prey's misery.
"Nice catch, Lenny!"
Lenhardt slowly got off from the boar, and turned towards his smiling mother.
"I still screwed up my approach..." he panted "I stepped onto something and it startled it. If you didn't fire in its way, it would've gotten away."
"You are right" Lyara nodded "but this is the reason hunters prefer to work in groups. It multiplies the chance of success. And the way you ended the hunt was spot on."
A sudden sense of pride beamed through Lenny's heart, and he began to smile too.
"When we practiced together, Nyssie said I'm not entirely hopele-"
Realizing what he's saying, he bit off the end of his sentence, but the damage was already done. Lyara's smile disappeared, and a deep sorrow appeared in her eyes as she sat down. Silently cursing his foolishness for touching a wound which is still far too deep and vivid, Lenhardt rushed to his mother and rubbed his nose against her neck in an effort to comfort her.
During the last few days, Lenhardt tried to deal with the absence of his sister by simply not thinking about her. The moment she slipped into his mind, he felt a lack like never before. They shared every important aspects of their life so far, and Lenny was so used to her presence that...
"I don't want to believe she's gone." he mumbled to himself.
Lyara took a step back and stared into her son's eyes.
"Until we've seen something that would tell otherwise, she's just not here and nothing more." she said strictly "We must preserve the light of hope if we want to come out of this sane. This isn't self-delusion, we have no idea what happened to her or to the others, so they shall be regarded as such. And-"
"Mom." Lenny interrupted softly and nuzzled her again "We have to keep it together, I've got it."
Lyara closed her eyes as she nuzzled back her son. They were silent for a few heavy moments, then Lenny spoke up again:
"Let's take this boar back to the clan."
His mother lovingly licked his face, and her voice was filled with warmth again as she said:
"I appreciate your efforts, Lenny. And yes, lets bring the food back to the others."
"Why have you called me here?"
Lohengrin stood in the Hall of Enlightenment, looking ad Elder Ragnar's back, who seemed to examine the ancient runes on the wall. Lohen shifted impatiently, thousands of other, more urgent matters raced across his mind but he had to answer the Elder's call, who might have something important to say. He was not the one to turn down counsel, but Ragnar was more the elder of thoughts than action, unlike Zorhen was. Lohengrin would've preferred his guidance, but...
Zorhen wasn't available anymore.
"Because" the old dragon spoke up, interrupting Lohengrin's dark thoughts "I can sense your turmoil, and I hope give you some advice that should help clearing your path."
Lohengrin took a sharp breath, and sat down, tail curling tightly around his legs.
"So far" the elder began "you have done an admirable job arranging the clan's matters. Despite your own personal losses, you show no falter to the ones surrounding you, and you are doing your best to keep your clan from falling into despair. But anyone who has the eye to see it, can see that you are terrible conflicted inside about what should be the best course of action for everyone. You are constantly forced to choose between the well-being of your family, and your clan. It is a burden nobody should bear, but your emotions about it blind you from the obvious."
"Could you stop speaking in riddles?" Lohengrin growled.
"In other words" Ragnar went on with a chatting tone "you are acting like any other Leader would do in your place."
"Where's the problem with that?"
"It is not the best thing to do." the elder stated "Unusual situations require unusual ways to deal with them. This current crisis is vastly different than anyone from this clan ever saw, if you try to handle this like any other disasters, you will end up failing either the ones you love the most, or the ones you have sworn to protect."
A strange mixture of confused anger surged through Lohengrin, but he inhaled deeply with closed eyes to keep himself calm.
"So?" he managed to ask.
"What I am trying to tell you, is that do not hesitate to make a decision which would be unprecedented. You are different than any other Leaders I have ever had the honour to meet Lohengrin. Like many in your family before, you are destined to fly above different paths than most of us ever do."
"What makes you think I'm different than my predecessors?" Lohengrin asked, being more curious now.
"Your eyes tell all that one needs."
Lohengrin tore his gaze away from the elder. He hated when others commented that his eyes were blue instead of green. Like a mark of Fate itself, it was a trait which haunted him since the day he was born, and he hated being different than the others around him. He had never wanted any of this. When his hatchlings were still inside their eggs, Lohengrin prayed to the stars, and he was relieved when he saw that none of them inherited his eyes.
"Lohengrin." Elder Ragnar said "Your fate and traits bear resemblance to those who came ages before you. To those who played the most significant roles in the history in our kind. They all faced troubles like never before and they all conquered them in their own way."
"So..." Lohengrin looked at him again "you're suggesting that I should listen to my instincts and use my own foresight instead of logic and knowledge?"
"Exactly." Ragnar nodded with a smile.
"I..." Lohengrin was unsure what to say. "I'll think about what you said."
"That was all I have asked for." Elder Ragnar assured him, as he walked out from the cave, leaving Lohengrin alone.
Salkonyr watched his fellow Guards in training. Certain dragons were lifting broad logs from the ground as exercise, while others were practicing claw-to-claw combat against single or even multiple opponents. Their current training emphasized claws and fangs more over fire in fighting, which was a new idea, born from the experience of the recent disastrous events. As Salkonyr watched over the training Guards, his heart became heavy with sadness.
There were so few of them left.
The most experienced and overall strongest Guards have all fallen during the defence and the hasty evacuation of Toemnir valley, including the leadership. Every time Salkonyr tried to face the fact that now he is the highest ranking Guard, he had to shudder. He had never even considered himself being on the same level as Naveron, Orlengiir, or even Wordren were.
He stood silently as Lohengrin landed next to him.
"New training pattern?" Lohengrin asked quietly, after observing the scene in front of him.
"Yeah." Salkonyr replied "I think we should be ready if the humans decide to use their fire-blocking trick on us again."
"Good idea." Lohengrin nodded "I'd like to formally appoint you as First Guard of Clan Toemnir."
Salkonyr gulped nervously.
"I guess I don't really have a choice..."
"Of course you have." Lohengrin explained "You can refuse my offer if you give me someone who's more competent than you. Thing is, the list of possible candidates are pretty short these days."
"True." Salkonyr sighed "I accept; despite that it makes me the youngest, most inexperienced and-"
"Salko!" Lohengrin interrupted "Age doesn't have anything to do here, and you have proven yourself over and over during the years. This whole scene here proves that you are fit for this duty."
"Maybe. I'm just not sure if it has any point... I mean, the humans came and we gave our best shot against them. It was barely enough to escape with our lives. Should they want to finish us, I don't think we could stand a chance."
"Salko..."
"What if this means how far they have come?" Salkonyr asked desperately "What if this means that our kin's time is coming to an end? What if we will be overpowered and forced to disappear by a younger and more powerful race?"
"Who has the right to tell who deserves to live and who doesn't?" Lohengrin asked back "I certainly don't; and I won't accept any mortal being's cast of judgement on me or my kind! We have a much longer history than the humans and we have ridden out many storms. This is just another one. And if we can't defy the storm, we will seek shelter from it; either way, we are the masters of our own life, and will never let anyone or anything to tell us whether we should go down or not!"
Hearing the outburst, Salkonyr took a step back and lowered his head.
"You are right. I apologize, my Leader."
"You don't have to." Lohengrin sighed "All of us are shaken, Salko. But we must not let ourselves fall apart under the pressure."
"Understood."
"Alright." Lohengrin nodded "I came to ask for two Guards who will accompany me to Toemnir valley."
"You want to go home?" Salkonyr asked in surprise.
"We are missing many dragons whose fate remains unclear, and I want to see the damage done to the valley itself. This place only accommodates us temporarily, and I have to see what are our options before planning what should come next."
"Right." Salkonyr acknowledged, sounding more sure now as he had a task now "I'd like to come, but-"
"You have to stay here to defend the clan."
"I know. I'd recommend Selara, she's one of our swiftest fliers."
"I agree."
"The second one would be Garenald. He missed most of the fight, and is eager to do something. And if I recall correctly, you two get along well together."
"Right." Lohengrin nodded "Tell these two to meet me tomorrow at dawn, at the hilltop to the south. We are going to approach the valley with stealth, and if there's no danger, we sneak in and take a look around. We fly fast, keep a low profile and be back before someone would notice."
"Understood."
A few minutes later, Lohengrin was almost at his family's cave, when he spotted his mate and son coming back too. As they came together, they began to exchange information about the day's events, and Lyara couldn't miss the opportunity to comment on Lenhardt's apparent improvement in hunting. It was worth it, as it drew a smile to Lohengrin's face, which happened very rarely recently. But when Lohengrin told them about his upcoming trip to Toemnir valley, both of them became worried.
"I'd like to come too!" Lenny said.
"That's entirely out of the question!" Lyara stated strictly "You're-"
"I'm not a hatchling anymore!" Lenhardt protested.
"But you-"
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Lohengrin stepped in, and turned towards his son.
"You're staying here, and let me explain why." Lohengrin said upon seeing his son's defiant expression "While I am gone, I'd like you to be my eyes and ears here. In other words, you'll be the Leader for those two days."
Lenhardt stood wordlessly, with jaws dropped. Lyara seemed to have her own concerns with this idea as well, but she remained silent.
"Look, I know this seems like a lot to place on him" Lohengrin explained to both of them "but should Lenny be in doubt about something, First Guard Salkonyr and every Elder have agreed to help him if needed. And it's only about two days. Consider it as a bit of a practice."
"Ooo-kay." Lenny mumbled, and slowly walked into the cave.
Lohengrin watched his son go, then looked at Lyara who shot a questioning glance at him.
"I know this face of yours." she said assumingly "You have another Mighty-Leader-type of plan in your mind, haven't you?"
"What?" Lohengrin asked, ears flattening to his head.
"Like the one that got rid of the Skrills fifteen years ago?"
"Oh. Hey, I promised to not do that again!" Lohengrin protested, but then he gave a feint smile "But I am starting to work on some sort of plan."
Lohengrin felt a barely resistible urge to cry out and roar his despair to the stars above.
He, Garenald and Selara arrived to the valley at dusk, and as they looked around with the red rays of the setting sun giving a final look at the place they used to call home, all of them felt like a piece of themselves are slowly disappearing with the fading sunlight.
They glided into the valley and began to thoroughly look around, but every passing minute they spent doing so, the weight of sorrow on their souls felt heavier and heavier.
Where the glade used to be, which was littered in flowers during spring and covered in a thick layer of snow during winter, giving a playground for hatchlings, was a smoking, black, barren wasteland, devoid of any life. Where the entrance used to be, which linked their world to the one outside, was a graveyard of scrap metal and dead bodies. Where the enormous aspen used to be, which survived every storm and trouble for ages, there was only a burnt chunk of coaly trunk. Where the Y-shaped river used to be, which fed them, quenched their thirst and kept them clean, there was a greyish slipslop of mess which tasted anything but water.
The mountain which housed the Central Cave collapsed into itself. The cave entrance was nothing more than a pile of rubble.
And the whole valley was littered with filth, ugly remainders of the human fighting vehicles and dead. Lots of dead. Every fallen dragon they've found multiplied their grief, and not before long, all three of them had tears rolling down their faces only to be drunk by the tortured soil under their paws.
Lohengrin stood in front of the cave he used to call home. While it remained somewhat usable, it had little chance to have residents ever again. The place that once used to be Toemnir valley seemed like the way it was now, Lohengrin wasn't sure if the place can become liveable once again.
With a rueful sigh, he entered his former cave, and walked to a certain spot at the stone wall. A long time ago, he decided to heat up a spot till it melts, and pressed a certain blue lazulite into the stone so it can have a permanent place. Now, as he pressed a claw against the edge of the gem, it popped out from its place easily.
As if it would feel that it doesn't belong to this place anymore.
When he finished and took a look around again, he spotted something strange. Following a strange trail on the ground, he eventually found someone he hoped to never see that way.
Wordren was lying on his side, his scales looked paler than usual, as the fireproof element slowly vanished from them. Before he spotted the wounds on the older dragon's body, Lohengrin could've sworn Wordy looks like he's asleep.
A few steps away from him, were strange marks on the ground, and more importantly, feint traces of his daughter's scent. Sniffing the ground, Lohengrin followed the trail with his head dropped, and tried to solve the puzzle here. Judging from the trail's size, shape and scent, it seemed that Laranys was here. She was forced to stay somehow. Then she was moved somehow, not by her legs. And she was carried away.
Reaching out with his mind, farther than any time before, Lohengrin mentally flew through the whole territory of Clan Toemnir, but he could only find a vague echo of his daughter's presence. She was alive, but far away.
He took a sharp breath as he opened his eyes. Stretching this far for this long made his head hurt. He had only a few moments to collect himself, when Garenald and Selara appeared, and landed beside him.
"I've counted everyone here." Selara reported with a heavy voice "We are still missing four Night Furies. Two Guards, a huntress and-"
"A youngling." Lohengrin whispered.
"Yes." Selara nodded.
"I flew to the spot you've mentioned" Garenald continued "I've found the... remains of Eienarth No traces of Volkownyr, though."
"So that makes five." Lohengrin assessed.
"Yeah. Lohen... Just what in the name of the Spirits is going on here?" the male Guard asked "Did they came here to kill us or to abduct us?"
"I don't know, Garen." Lohengrin growled.
"Yet."
A/N So here we are, another chapter done. And where's poor Nyssie now? In Chapter 4! ;)
As always, ask, comment, review. Every bits of feedback is appreciated, and I answer every questions.
Till next time!
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