No Story Stands Alone

by VigoGrimborne

This is a collection of one-shots, short stories, and alternate perspectives all based in the universe created by the story Innocent Hopes, Twisted Realities, and its various sequels. So, in case it's not clear, new readers won't want to start with this one. No set genre or main characters, as it focuses on whatever genre and character I want to write about.

33. Lily: Victorious (AU)

CAUTION: Spoils aspects of Innocent Hopes, Twisted Realities, as well as aspects of When Nothing Remains and events of Usurpation of the Darkness through chapter 7.

Seriously, major spoilers here.

Assuming you wish to continue, read on…

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Background: It's another UotD AU one-shot! Not the last of them, either; there's at least one more I wrote a while back that needs editing. But in this case, the initial deviation point is simple. You'll know it when you see it.

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"Tonight, all seven of these fledglings are officially adults!" Claw roared, and the rest of the pack roared with him.

This was it. Lily did not place quite so much on the importance of being an adult as she had two season-cycles ago, but it was still a great moment. Finally. At that moment, all was well.

Then Claw kept talking. "And so we come to the question posed each year, to our newest males." He took a step forward, growled dangerously, and asked the all-important question. "Does anyone want my position?"

Here it was. Lily held in a growl, not wanting to give away any hint as to how she felt about all of this. Somehow, someday soon, she was going to put a stop to this, with Pyre's help. But this season-cycle, she had to pretend she did not mind. She had to pretend she accepted that this was just how life worked. If one was hatched male, one was nudged toward challenging by the alpha, and if one fell for the tricks and persuasion, one died.

Bone stepped forward, speaking and breaking the silence. "I do."

Two light wings in the audience wilted, presumably Bone's Sire and Dam. Lily felt like wilting too, more from frustration and a total lack of alternatives than sorrow. This was the first time she had ever totally failed to do something, and she had even been given an entire season-cycle to work on it.

Oh well. Lily forced her own failure out of her mind, looking over at Granite to reassure herself. The one she actually wanted to save was in no danger…

Granite was looking over to Lily's left. Staring at Crystal. Lily glanced to the side, and saw Crystal nod ever so slightly. What was that about?

With absolutely no warning, like a bad dream given terrible reality, Granite stepped forward. "As do I."

Lily could not take her eyes off of him, as if everything else had ceased to exist. He met her stare sadly but confidently, and nodded deliberately, seemingly expecting her to understand despite everything.

She didn't understand why he was doing this. Not in the slightest. But she did understand that he had decided to do this before now. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. And he had kept it from her so that she couldn't talk him out of it. This was such a mess.

But, she realized in a moment of foresight, if he succeeded she could chastise him all she wanted later. If he failed…

Pyre had not gotten to say goodbye. His last interaction with his mate had been an argument. Lily had heard the raw pain in his voice when he told her of that. She didn't want that with her brother.

So, instead of glaring or snarling or even whining, she nodded significantly at him, despite not understanding what he expected her to deduce. They could not speak, and there was nothing she would want to say right now in support of this, so maybe that was for the better.

Claw did not seem particularly upset or even surprised, which made sense. He had tried to trick Granite into challenging, after all. "Gold?"

Gold bowed his head. "No, sir."

Lily felt a flash of anger. That should be Gold challenging, and Granite safe. She would make that trade in an instant and feel not a hint of remorse, if it was offered.

"One has some sense." Claw lifted into the air. "Granite." The named fledgling followed him.

A fledgling. Lily moaned softly, seeing just how much bigger, bulkier, and more experienced Claw was. Had they become adults just a moment ago? Not in any way but definition, as Granite was still smaller than Claw, inexperienced.

But… maybe he knew enough. He had practiced fighting with Bone, and as far as Lily knew, that had never stopped. Would it be enough? It had to be.

Pearl bowed her head, silent. Crystal sobbed softly. This kind of thing was why younger fledglings were not allowed at the ceremony; they would not understand what was going on, and would either be frightened or confused by the grief so many of the dragons around the plateau were feeling.

Lily, for her part, waited silently. She had never been to a ceremony before, and didn't know how long the fights usually took. Was it over quickly, or did Claw draw it out? With every moment that passed, she became more uncertain. Should she be hopeful or worried?

She had no point of reference, but the adults present did. She turned to look out at the crowd behind her, searching for someone who would know. She saw Grass, scowling at nothing.

That was good enough to give her a spark of hope. If Grass was uneasy, then this was not normal, and Claw should have won by now.

In a fight between Granite and Claw, Lily would back Granite every time. "Come on," she murmured under her breath. She didn't know if he could do it, but she wanted him to. Were she less pragmatic, she would roar her support loud enough for the whole valley to hear, but if Granite lost, that would get her in trouble...

If he lost, she was going to do something. She didn't know what, but whatever it was, it would be helped by not attracting Claw's ire right now. So she hoped with all her heart, but didn't let it show.

As the moments passed, a low murmur began to build in the crowd, a mix of surprise and tension given voice in growls and whispered speculation, growing in volume as everyone slowly realized they were not alone in wondering what was happening.

Lily wished she could see what was happening, and then almost immediately thought better of it. If she could watch, so could others, and she didn't like the idea of the pack deriving any sort of entertainment from her brother's fight for his life. She could just imagine the likes of Gold making jokes and laughing.

It had been a while, and nothing. Claw had not returned. Lily looked over at Crystal, whose eyes were wide. She was practically shaking with tension, muttering something to herself over and over.

Gold, Lily noticed, looked particularly disgruntled, his eyes narrow and his wings half-spread, as if he wanted to go check for himself. He didn't like the uncertainty, though definitely for different reasons.

Pearl… Lily couldn't tell what she was feeling. She seemed to be trying not to feel. So as to not get her hopes up? But why would she hope, then?

A muted roar of triumph echoed out over the suddenly silent valley, everyone quieting instantly, straining to hear or see. A victor had been decided, and for once the outcome was in question.

Lily could hardly breathe from tension; her brother was either dead or the new alpha, and she didn't know which yet!

"Clear a way, please." His voice was so rough and belabored she barely recognized it, even as the crowd parted in front of him. He was stained with blood, red running in rivulets down his chest and face, flowing out of gashes in some places, but with no source in others, implying some of it was not his.

Granite walked slowly, favoring his left side, but he walked, triumphant, to the plateau, and leaped up.

Lily felt as if she might collapse with relief, and from the looks of it Crystal felt the same. He had won, somehow! He wasn't dead, he was alpha…

Granite was alpha. She felt all of her plans crashing down around her, the need to keep Pyre secret, the need to keep Pyre in the dark, the plan of changing the pack, all disappearing, turned to smoke by this one upset, this one unexpected occurrence, and she couldn't care less. Let them all fall; this was better!

"I won," Granite said loudly, his voice scratching with every low note. "I am alpha."

"I was going to challenge," Bone complained. Lily would have bit him if she was close enough to. How dare he interrupt now, of all times?

"If you still want to, challenge me next ceremony," Granite said firmly.

Bone tilted his head, clearly weighing that idea in his mind. Lily could almost see the simple thoughts forming, slowly and with great labor. Another season-cycle to practice fighting, but with no combat partner. Granite was weak now, but, Bone had to be wondering, was he weak enough to risk it?

"Okay," Bone acceded, clearly judging it safer to wait. It was the smart decision, but not the one Lily had expected him to make.

"Gold?" Granite asked, looking over at the light wing in question.

Gold was still scowling, his plans of waiting until Claw died of old age falling to ash just as Lily's plans all had. He bowed his head, unable to keep a sneer from his voice. "No, alpha."

"Good," Granite coughed. He looked out at the crowd, turning in a slow circle to see everyone. "I, uh... "

Lily wondered whether he had actually thought about what to do after winning. He was the alpha now, he needed to take charge, do something official to reassure people that he knew what he was doing. She resolved to get him alone and question him about what his intentions were as soon as possible, and if needed to help him plan. He wasn't going to be able to do this alone.

"Everyone go home," he decided, coughing again. "Mates of Claw, send him away, or something. Uh, females, Crystal and Lily and Honey…"

Crystal perked up, and so did Honey. Lily really hoped Granite was going to do the right thing here; she trusted her brother to be better than Claw, but maybe he was tempted by the idea of having Crystal and Honey? Surely not.

"I am not going to keep all the mates Claw had," Granite announced, "that is just wrong, one of them is my Dam, I am his son. Crystal, if you-"

"Yes, I choose you," Crystal said hurriedly.

"I do too!" Honey butted in, flicking her tail at Crystal. "He is alpha, he can take us both."

"Just one," Granite said harshly. "I do not want other mates. Crystal is my choice. You get to choose between Gold and Bone."

Gold and Bone. Lily felt her ears drop as she realized that she had to pick one of them. Neither was at all desirable, not for her. Gold was a creep, and Bone was a headstrong idiot.

"Or we could not pick a mate at all, and wait until some other ceremony?" Lily called out, catching her brother's attention.

He shrugged his wing shoulders, wincing as he moved. "Sure, yes, you can do that."

Gold made a noise of complaint, but didn't say anything. He glared at Lily.

Lily glared right back, feeling smug. "Then I choose neither of them, alpha."

"Okay. Honey?" Granite swayed on his paws and closed his eyes for a moment. "Pick, or say you wish to wait."

"I pick…" Honey looked back and forth between Gold and Bone, pausing for a long moment. "Do I have to choose now?"

"Weren't you going to be choosing now anyway?" Lily asked irritably.

"Oh, fine, Bone," Honey announced peevishly.

"Everyone go home," Granite said loudly, leaping off the plateau and out of Lily's line of sight. The crowd began dispersing.

Lily caught up with Crystal as she went after Granite, leaping over to the plateau and quickly crossing it. "He needs help tending his wounds," she said shortly.

"I know," Crystal said. "And you are his sister, but… Could you not follow?"

"If he is badly injured you'll need help tending him," Lily argued. She wasn't about to let her brother bleed out after his brush with death, that was just stupid. She would respect Crystal's desire for privacy, but only if it didn't lead to something terrible and preventable.

"Definitely, but his bleeding mostly stopped while he was talking," Crystal countered. "I do not think it is too bad, and he is my mate now. I want to…"

"No need to explain," Lily offered as they came to the edge of the plateau. "How about I stay long enough to be sure he is not badly hurt, and then go?"

"That would work," Crystal agreed. She hopped down off the plateau and looked around. "Now, where did he go?"

"Away from everyone else, and not toward the dark side of the valley," Lily guessed. He would definitely avoid that part of the valley after what had just happened.

"So this way," Crystal barked, running between two rocks, taking the only obvious path that led away without leading to the dark side of the valley. Lily followed, wondering if she would need to fly to find him.

"There you are," Crystal exclaimed, stopping by an intersection between rocks. "Are you hurt?"

"Not badly," Granite replied, his voice still hoarse. "He stepped on my throat, and these cuts sting, but I am fine. Just tired."

"You are sure?" Crystal pressed, looking back at Lily.

"Yes, I am sure," Granite said quietly. "I won… And now I have no idea what to do next. Did you see them? They were all worried and confused when I took over."

Lily wavered, not sure whether she should go to Granite immediately or stick to her promise and leave Crystal alone with him. Which was better?

"Lily will help you figure all that out tomorrow," Crystal said decisively, glancing back at Lily. "For now, do you want to spend the night with my Dam or yours?"

"Yours," Granite decided. "Mine will chew me out for challenging, and maybe for killing Claw… But I had to…"

"Think tomorrow. Tonight, recover and be happy you are alive."

Lily turned away, confident her brother was in good paws. She could wait. For once, time was not working against her.

O-O-O-O-O

Bright and early the next morning, Lily stole from Claw's fish pile. Then, halfway through swallowing her ill-gotten breakfast, she actually thought about what she was doing. That fish pile was not for Claw anymore, and she wasn't sure whether Granite would keep it around.

She might have to learn to fish for herself. That was not such a bad thought; really, she should have learned long ago. But what about the Dams who relied on the pile to start the day, to feed their children?

The obvious answer was that others could fish for them, but it was something to consider. Her brother had a lot to consider, and the more she could anticipate and solve potential problems before he ran into them, the easier his new role would be on him.

That in mind, she finished her fish and took to the sky, flying over to Crystal's family rock, hoping to find him there. Sure enough, she caught Crystal's family in the middle of waking up and beginning their day.

"Lily," Granite called out. He looked far less injured than he had the night before, the blood gone and his cuts clean, no longer oozing with every breath he took. His voice was still hoarse, but overall he looked far more alive and active. "Can we talk?"

"Can we?" Lily asked, landing beside him. He began walking, and she followed along. "Do I have to berate you, or did Crystal do it for me?"

"She kind of knew what I would be doing, so no, she did not do it for you," Granite allowed. "Can you get it out of the way quickly?"

"You risked your life for nothing, almost died, and broke your promise to me," Lily snarled, slapping his side with her tail. "I don't even know what you were trying to tell me right before you left with him. I would have been devastated if you had died, and I am not the only one. You would have left Crystal to Claw or Gold. What were you thinking?" She finished, hissing angrily.

"I promised you not to act unless I had firm evidence he was doing something despicable," Granite countered. "Crystal gave that evidence to me, saying you had advised her to, though you didn't know that."

Lily thought back. The only time she had advised Crystal… She had said to tell and let things fall out as they would, because that was the best choice. "She lied," she murmured, shocked. "She said it wasn't about you."

"To get a fair judgment," Granite explained. "She told me, and I challenged him, and I won. It might have been risky, but I could not bear to not take the risk, not when I knew I had a chance."

"Explain that," Lily requested, unable to deal with her own part in his near-death experience. She would think about it later.

"I trained with Bone, I thought about it for moon-cycles, and when it came down to it, Claw did not expect me to be ready for him," Granite explained. "It was a lot of luck, but I cut him somewhere that bleeds heavily, then held him off long enough for it to slow him."

"So easy," she murmured. But he admitted it was a lucky outcome; he could so easily have died.

"So it is done," he concluded. "Are you still mad at me?"

"You, Crystal, myself," she listed. "No, it doesn't make any sense. I'm not mad." She forced herself to put that feeling aside.

"Only you could just decide to not be mad and make it happen," he said, shaking his head. "I need help."

"Yes, you do." She was glad he trusted her to give said help, and even more glad that he was able to admit his need. "You didn't plan for this part, I'm guessing?"

"I have a few ideas," he retorted, sounding embarrassed. "I am only taking one mate, Crystal, and I will not be killing anyone like Claw did. I just do not know how to make it all happen without people complaining and everyone challenging me at the next ceremony."

"You should probably keep training just in case people do challenge you then," Lily allowed, glad he had at least set that precedent, to keep the males of the pack off his back while he recovered. "Not with Bone, though." He was an enemy now, if a minor one.

"I should, though I do not know who would help me improve," Granite agreed. "And I feel like there are a lot of small details I will be missing…"

"I have ideas," Lily said helpfully. "I can find all the little details and advise you, though…" An idea had struck her, a brilliant idea.

"That is the trailing off you do when you have just thought of something extremely pleasing and clever," Granite observed. "I like this."

"Do I do it enough that you know what it looks like?" she asked, taken aback.

"Yes," he said simply. "So?"

"I will advise you, but my first advice is to get a better advisor, and I know who that would be," she explained. "Are you up for a short flight?"

O-O-O-O-O

Lily landed on Pyre's ledge with a light heart, purring happily. "Wake up!" she crowed.

"Make me," Pyre rumbled, slouching out from his cavern, wide awake but playing at being half asleep. "What has you so excited?"

"Luck and relief," Lily answered simply. "You know how we have to figure out something to deal with Claw and the system the pack has?"

"Yes, though that was supposed to wait until we had a plan," Pyre rumbled, dropping the act and sitting on his tail, looking down at Lily. "Did you do something reckless?"

"No, somebody else did, and it paid off," Lily explained. She was aware that at some point Pyre was going to catch on that she had misled him about how bad Claw was, but she would deal with that when it happened, and felt no guilt at postponing that realization as long as possible, because she knew it was inevitable, and there were more important things to get through first.

"And now?" Pyre asked, intrigued.

"Granite, my half brother, one of my best friends," Lily reminded him. "Remember all I've said of him?"

"He challenged, won, and is now alpha, and either wants your advice or will listen when you give it anyway?" Pyre guessed.

Lily paused for a moment, adjusting to the abrupt leap forward in her explanation. "Basically yes, he wants my advice," she admitted. "Did you have to do that?"

"Take the wind out from under your wings?" Pyre chuffed in amusement. "No, but it's fun. This is good?"

"He already has said he will not take multiple mates, doesn't want to kill anyone like Claw did, and wants me to advise him," Lily crowed. "He's alpha, Pyre. He's reasonable, he's steadfast, and he asks for help when he doesn't understand something." He was not cunning like she was, but that was fine, because he had her and would soon have Pyre too.

"That is very good. I take it he is the one circling above us?" Pyre asked.

Lily sighed. "I had hoped you wouldn't notice, but yes. I told him a little about you. Fire into the air, and he'll know you want to meet him."

"And if I didn't want to?" Pyre asked curiously. "I will, but what would you have said to him?"

"That you were being stubborn and I'd convince you sooner or later," Lily replied cheekily.

"Fair enough." Pyre leaned back and fired into the air, a blue bolt detonating in a brief fireball above the center of the valley. "Anything else I need to know that you cannot tell me in his presence?"

"Not that I can think of. He's straightforward and kind, just don't expect him to be as quick as I am to understand what you mean." She didn't want Pyre looking down on Granite, but that had to be said. She had season-cycles of practice understanding how he thought; it wasn't fair for him to expect Granite to be as adept at following along.

"I do know how to talk to people," Pyre grumbled. "Even if it has only been you for a very long time."

"Good," Lily said. Granite landed beside her, dropping down from above with a thump. "Granite, this is Pyre."

"Nice to meet you…" Granite trailed off as he saw Pyre's wings. "That looks painful."

Lily winced at Granite's straightforward comment, but Pyre took it in stride, spreading his empty wings to show them off. "Not really. It was, but now it is more of a nuisance. I would guess the cuts you are bearing hurt more than my wings do right now."

"Probably," Granite agreed. "So… You have been living up here, in secret, for how long?"

"Far too long," Pyre rumbled. "Many, many season-cycles. Long enough that Cressa is my daughter."

"I am alpha," Granite said abruptly. "Lily tells me you were exiled out of spite, and are not dangerous to me or my rule."

"Do you fear for your rule?" Pyre asked softly, dangerously.

"I do not know you, but I know myself," Granite growled. "So yes, because I cannot say what you might do with my authority. Do not try anything."

"I was not going to," Pyre hummed reassuringly. "I simply wanted to see how you responded to a veiled threat. Lily knows that. She would have stepped in and objected if she thought I was serious."

"True, he was just testing you," Lily revealed. He had been very convincing, but she knew him too well to believe it.

"You really did mean it when you said he was like you, but more so," Granite groaned. "Okay. Lily says I can come to you for advice, better advice than hers. I admit, I am in over my head."

"I don't know about better," Pyre said, purring in amusement. "I know nothing of how the pack functions now. But I certainly can help, offer advice in general terms, if you want it. I will be here most of the time, and you are free to come to me whenever you need."

Lily growled quietly at that. "About that," she interjected. "Pyre, surely you would rather come down and live in the valley? Granite is alpha, he could revoke your exile and let that happen."

Pyre froze for a long moment before sighing and shaking his head. "I would like that, but even if it could happen, I would have to say not yet. Things are in flux down there, right? Things will change over the next little while?"

"All the more reason to bring you in now," Lily argued. "While everything is changing anyway."

"Lily, I do not know if I should, not moments after I find out about his existence," Granite objected. "That is not responsible of me, he is exiled, and I have nobody's word to go on but your own, and that comes from him, does it not?"

"Exactly," Pyre agreed, looking at Granite. "I'm not asking for you to change my situation, not yet. There are things to handle, people to handle, and I have lived here for a long time. Let that question wait until we know each other and you trust me."

"You assume I will," Granite said cautiously. "Trust you."

"Eventually, I hope," Pyre said. "But I am in no rush."

Lily scowled at nothing; she had known, deep down, that things wouldn't work out that perfectly, and Pyre made good points. She didn't even have a place for him to stay, or any solution to the vile, possibly violent fuss Cressa would put up when she caught wind of the change, or any of the other frustrating little details.

But she could wait. If he could, then she certainly could; he was the one stuck up here, away from the pack, on his own. "Don't take too long, either of you," she said with a low growl.

"We will take as long as we need," Pyre replied sagely. "For now, let's talk about the immediate future. Lily, tell me what you see as needing to be done, and Granite, tell me what you want to do, what your goals are."

Granite looked over at Lily. She nodded, urging him to do as Pyre had suggested. She had hoped for them to get along immediately, but a slow building of trust would just have to do for the time being.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily wandered into the cave, feeling displaced. The sun had set on the pack's first day under Granite, and all was well… But nobody around her seemed to feel the same.

In the main chamber, Claw's mates huddled in groups, speaking quietly. Their children were held close, and every few moments someone whined. The atmosphere was sombre and almost fearful, though Granite had done nothing to them.

She ignored the atmosphere as best as she could, hurrying through the corridors and slipping into the side-chamber she called home. They would all perk up once Granite made some official declarations and actually stepped into his role as alpha.

"Finally back?" Cressa hissed. She was hunched over in the corner, clawing at the rock below her paws. "You were not at the sending-off ceremony."

"For Claw?" Lily asked. "I had other things on my mind." She certainly wasn't going to attend a ceremony meant for people who had known and liked Claw, people close to him. He had never bothered to act like her Sire, so she certainly would not pretend after the fact.

"You are his oldest daughter," Pina said sadly. "It was strange for you not to be there." She approached Lily from the side, staring at her. "That was rude."

"Cressa should hit you for it," Grass rumbled lazily.

"Why not you?" Lily shot back.

"Her responsibility, not mine," Grass growled.

"It was very disrespectful," Pina continued, shaking her head.

"Okay," Lily said neutrally. She was fine with that.

"Not okay," Pina shot back, casting a glance at Cressa, who was still carving deep lines in the stone beneath her. "You need to be better than that. Show some grief."

"I'll not show what I don't feel," Lily said flippantly. "It was either him or Granite, and I care far more for Granite." And even then, it was Claw's own rules and customs that got him killed. She felt no pity.

"Get out," Cressa snarled. "Do not come back."

"I do not think-" Pina began.

"I," Cressa roared, rearing up on her hind legs to slam her paws down on the scarred stone, "do not care what you think! My mate is dead, and any female who says she would rather the whelp who killed him live has no place here!"

Lily snorted, confident that she could be out of the chamber before her Dam could do anything. "You hate easily," she remarked, staring right back at Cressa, unafraid. "And I do not want to live with anyone who would rather my brother be dead than the Sire who killed people and never paid me any attention, so I will go." She flicked her tail dismissively and left-

Only to be immediately followed, not by Cressa but by Pina.

"Where will you go?" Pina asked tensely, right behind her as they walked through the corridor.

"I've got plenty of options," Lily said flippantly. "Crystal's family, an unoccupied rock, the ledges if I'm really desperate for privacy…" Pyre's cave, where she could commiserate with Pyre and maybe use this stupid, irrational expulsion to make him feel better about Cressa's hate. If it was indiscriminate, then it could not be all that personal, no matter how well she dressed it up as specific hate when talking to him.

"Good. I do not want you to be displaced." Pina trod on Lily's tail, holding her back. "But Lily," she continued as Lily whirled, "you have to know that what you said is not acceptable."

"I said that I am fine with this outcome, given the alternative," Lily growled, yanking her tail away. "That should be acceptable."

"You might be fine with it, but saying it to his grieving mates not a day after sending him off?" Pina whined. "That hurts, and it felt like you were trying to make it hurt."

"Cressa, maybe," Lily muttered. She hadn't meant to strike at Pina, not like that, and had underestimated the impact.

"You two were not on good terms before this," Pina growled. "But Grass and I were there too."

"Grass doesn't care what I say or think," Lily objected. "But I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You did," Pina said sadly. "Not a day after my mate's death, and you say you are happy about it. I am sure you have your reasons, reasons I might be able to understand someday, but right now I do not feel the same."

"Sorry," Lily said. What else was there to say? She was sorry the only halfway decent cavern Dam she had was hurt by her opinions. Really, she was sorry she had said anything; just keeping her mouth shut and warding off her Dams' admonishments would have turned out far better.

"I hope so," Pina sighed. "See you around."

"Soon, probably," Lily reasoned. "We do all live in the same valley."

"I meant… Do not be a stranger." Pina shook her head. "Please, do not."

"I make no promises for Cressa or Grass," Lily replied, "but for you… I didn't plan on it." She hadn't planned on any of what was happening, she had no plans at all, but avoiding and forgetting Pina wasn't an option. She would keep in touch.

O-O-O-O-O

"This is risky," Lily hissed.

Pyre laughed from the blurry, empty space next to her, and tapped her paw with his. "Not really. He is the center of attention, not you, and if I am caught I can play 'old and intrigued by change' until he has no choice but to let me off with a warning."

"It's still risky," Lily grumbled. Pyre had gone on and on about how there were difficulties in moving down to the valley immediately, and now only days later was sneaking around in the very place he had convinced her wasn't safe. She understood the distinction, and had no leg to stand on in her admittedly irrational discontent, but it still bothered her.

"I want to see your brother make his mark on the pack," Pyre rumbled, putting a camouflaged wing arm over her, the strangely empty limb lying across her upper back and holding her close. "Can you blame me?"

Lily shook her head, choosing not to admit that she could not. So long as she did not admit he had won, she could use this later, in some other argument, when she needed an emotional appeal to make him feel he owed her. If he was going to annoy her by taking risks, she would happily use it against him later.

"Light wings, one and all!" Granite called out, flying above the crowd, making a low pass and circling before landing on the plateau. "I have something to say!"

"It really sounds like we put words in his mouth," Lily groaned. "He could not be more awkward if he tried." This wasn't Granite, he wasn't flashy or attention-seeking.

"It's not him, but it's enough to ease the transition," Pyre said soothingly. "You were there for the planning. Why are you fretting now?"

"It's a good plan," Lily said quietly, "but he's not an actor. This doesn't come naturally to him." If it were her, she'd be confident in her own ability to pull off the delicate balance Pyre had said should be struck, but Granite didn't do delicate or deceptive.

"He only needs to do it well enough, not perfectly, and he is off to a good start," Pyre said.

"People of the pack!" Granite roared. "I am your alpha. I intend to be better than my predecessor."

His voice abruptly dropped, returning to something approaching a normal volume. "I didn't fight to make myself alpha," he said solemnly. "I fought for something else entirely."

"He skipped a lot of what we had planned," Lily noticed. He had jumped straight to the end, really.

"I think he had the same doubts as you," Pyre rumbled. "Let him forge his own path, then. They are listening."

"I wanted to be happy, to have my mate and live in peace," he continued. "My mate, my sister, my Dam, everyone was telling me not to challenge, asking me not to. But I learned of something I could not condone, something I could not let continue.

"Think of the worst thing you could witness another doing," Granite requested. "Hold it in your mind. Would you stop them? Would you step up?"

Lily had to give her half-brother credit; he was very good at sounding sincere and speaking plainly, because he was sincere. The crowd was silent, captivated by his words. Some of that was probably because they were used to Claw addressing them, and Claw did not like being interrupted, but part of it was pure fascination.

"I learned of something horrible being done by our alpha to an innocent," he admitted. "I will not say who, because she would not like to be named, only that it was terrible and against what any good dragon would ever consider. It was worse than what you just imagined. So I decided to challenge."

"I am telling you this," he continued, "to show what kind of alpha I want to be. I want to be strong, and sure, and a good leader, but I did not take this position out of greed or lust for power or anything like that." Lily could see where he was adapting the speech she and Pyre had coached him on, and where it was his own words. She liked how he was mixing the two.

"I just wanted to protect someone who needed it," he concluded. "I will be the alpha who protects. The pack, if something threatens us, or whoever inside the pack needs it. Anyone who challenges me had better be ready to take up that task and do it well, do it better, because I will kill if it means protecting another innocent from another Claw. But I do not want to kill anyone, so as of now, killing the alpha does not mean the killer is alpha."

A burst of noise followed that, so strong it was like a physical thing, and the backlash had many people wincing, silencing it as quickly as it had come. Lily blinked, startled. She hadn't expected such a sudden outcry.

"I know I got the position that way," Granite roared out, staring at someone in the crowd. Nobody in particular, just fixing his eyes in one place. "But it is not right, not fair, not good for protecting everyone. If I am challenged I will fight to defeat, and nothing more, and if I am defeated, I will concede, but none of it will mean anything. Whoever is most suited to protecting will have the position, and I plan to give it up in ten season-cycles, no matter what, to whoever proves to me that they want to protect like I do.

"Only for ten season-cycles, and only while they protect. Nobody can take the position twice, nobody can take it by force. Maybe the next alpha will be female, maybe they will be male. Whoever shows that they will do as I plan to."

"It's a good temporary measure, one that will keep the right mindset in place," Pyre murmured to Lily. "Once he is more comfortable in his own skin, we can change it. Turn popular opinion…"

"Rouse support, convince the pack that they want to extend his reign," Lily purred conspiratorily. "For the next ten season-cycles everyone will be vying to prove they can protect, and by the end of it they will be tired and content to let him do it for them." And if someone really talented and perfect for the position popped up, they could let that happen instead. Good plans were flexible.

Of course, that all depended on her and Pyre's manipulations smoothing the path forward at every step, clearing the metaphorical rubble out from in front of Granite's paws. Lily was happy to do as much, and she was fairly certain Pyre saw all of this as an invigorating challenge to keep him busy. This was all very much improvised, planned with room to maneuver and fill gaps as needed, but that was the fun way to do it, the way that let Granite be who he wanted as alpha in the meantime.

O-O-O-O-O

"You did great," Lily said, greeting her half-brother as he flew away from the plateau.

"Lily!" he barked. "For a moment, I thought you were someone else. You think so?"

"Definitely, even if you did throw out most of what Pyre and I came up with," she said. "Why did you do that?"

"It did not feel like me," he admitted. "But what I said worked, so it is fine. I appreciate the help."

"Good, because you'll be getting plenty more…" Lily glanced behind her and saw the person noisily flapping up to meet them. "Starting with me telling you that Pearl is approaching."

"Oh. That is who I thought you were," he admitted, circling around to let Pearl catch up. "I figured she might want to ask me about it."

About what? Lily held her tongue, her mind already rendering the questions more or less irrelevant. She would get an answer soon enough even if she didn't ask.

"Thank you," Pearl said breathlessly, falling in next to Granite. Her eyes were focused on the ground below, and her head bowed. "For what you did… And why."

"I did not know if you wanted it known," Granite said softly. "But I had to give a reason, to explain-"

"I am not criticizing you!" Pearl yelped, looking up at him. "Not at all. You could have said my name, I would have understood, but I am glad you did not. I do not want to be known as the reason."

Lily huffed sadly, looking at Pearl with new eyes. Granite had not given a name as to who Claw had abused, his reason for challenging, and neither she nor Pyre had asked. Now she knew, more because Pearl seemed oblivious to her presence than because anyone wanted her to know. She would keep the secret, aside from telling Pyre, but if they wanted it to remain kept, she might have to remind them to be careful.

"I am not complaining," Pearl said again, repeating herself. "Thank you. You really only did it for me?"

"You needed help, he needed to be stopped, and I could do it," Granite said. "So yes."

Lily wouldn't have put it that way, were she the one answering. He made it sound like he really had only done it for Pearl, not for the whole pack, which was contrary to his words on the subject earlier. Consistency was key, and if Pearl went around spreading a contradictory message…

Lily looked at Pearl, and caught her staring at Granite with wide eyes. The other female's expression was open and strange, one Lily didn't quite recognize.

"I do not think you want it known now, so Lily will not speak of this," Granite said, catching up to Lily's own thoughts on the subject. "Right, Lily?'

"Of course not," Lily confirmed. She watched as Pearl flinched midair, only now noticing her existence. Preoccupation, the obvious subject of which being Granite…

There were a few different possible answers as to what was going through Pearl's mind, and Lily suspected she knew which. The way Pearl awkwardly excused herself and dipped down was not proof one way or another-

But the way she looked back at Granite not once but twice in her descent was. Lily snorted in amusement.

"What?" Granite asked nervously, turning to look at her. "I handled that well, did I not?"

"You did fine," Lily said honestly. "I think you have at least one more solid supporter." She wouldn't mention the hint of attraction she had seen Pearl display; it was likely fleeting and almost certainly not something Granite needed to know about. He had enough to deal with.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily was surprised by how quickly life returned to something approaching normal, but in retrospect she shouldn't have been. Granite had addressed all of the pressing, immediate issues right away, and then did nothing more.

For the average light wing, not all that much actually changed. Claw's mates of course had no mate to occasionally visit them, but Granite had ensured that they would not suffer in his absence, and Claw had little personal impact on their daily lives.

For the mated pairs, life had changed even less. The males no longer had to adhere to Claw's every whim, and instead obeyed Granite, who ruled with an exceedingly light paw, only occasionally calling them together on Pyre's suggestion, just to ensure they did not feel that there was no authority above them at all.

For the young of the pack, absolutely nothing changed except that the ominous weight on their future was gone, something only the oldest of them even noticed. The same went for their parents; a future fear was gone, and that was all. Others dealt with more substantial changes.

She herself no longer lived in the valley, spending nights in Pyre's cave and days doing as she pleased, often advising or assisting Granite down in the valley proper, or wandering the forests and shores outside the valley with Pyre.

Granite, on the other paw, had settled on a rock with Crystal. He had a mate, the role of alpha, and a heavy sense of responsibility weighing him down on occasion. His life had changed immensely.

"Spotted her," Pyre rumbled, leaning out over the ledge. "Behind him, hiding in between the two largest boulders in the area."

"Nice one," Lily rumbled, searching out the location he had given her, and quickly seeing a telltale ruby glint. Pearl, once again lurking just within sight, watching Granite.

Two moon-cycles, and she still held onto a shy, persistent infatuation with the one who had saved her from Claw's clutches. Lily supposed she understood why, but it was inconvenient, and only Pearl's lack of action on that front made her willing to tolerate it instead of taking some sort of action.

"Tell me about her Dam again," Pyre requested. "And Sire."

"Diora is, to hear Crystal tell it, all that could possibly be wrong in a Dam," Lily said. "And Ivy is all but nonexistent. Diora apparently pushed Pearl to approach Claw for her own reasons, and Ivy did nothing. Why do you ask?"

"I am trying to work out what her current state of mind is," Pyre rumbled. "Diora, I mean. What caused her to push Pearl at Claw, and why does that not apply to Granite? There is actually something to work with in the latter case, and morals do not seem to matter."

"You'd have to ask Diora or Pearl," Lily said, "because I don't know enough to even speculate." She had not dug into Pearl's situation, having many more urgent things to handle. They were only now discussing it because Pyre had made a game of identifying light wings based solely on their glints from afar to fill idle days, and Pearl was one of the few with a distinctive enough glint to be noticable. Repeatedly noticing her near Granite, but not within his line of sight, had sparked her curiosity.

All within the last dozen days. She knew she was going to have to either bring it up with Granite and Crystal, or handle it soon. The odd, harmless equilibrium Pearl seemed to have would not last.

Pyre seemed to be getting at that same point, in his own way. "Let's do some baseless speculation, then. If we assume Diora is pushing for Pearl to approach, we might be seeing her resistance. Approaching, but in a way that means she does not have to reveal herself. Watching from afar."

"That doesn't fit with her response last time," Lily argued, watching Granite move around on the plateau, addressing the various males of the pack, ensuring they all felt recognized and by extension remembered that he was alpha and thus in control, however lightly he wielded said control.

"She may have grown, or less positively, her dread and fear of what happened last time may be strong enough to accomplish the same," Pyre retorted. "Either way, her Dam is the driving force, and she the counter force. But maybe it is not like that."

"What other way could it be?" Lily asked. "Maybe Diora does not care, but then it is just Pearl's own indecision at play."

"Is that not another way?" Pyre chuffed.

"I was assuming that was the default interpretation," Lily huffed. "Was that all you were thinking?" She liked arguing with him like this; neither of them had any great stake in the outcome, and thus did not push too hard, resulting in pleasant contests of wit.

"Maybe Diora resents Granite for Claw's death and is discouraging Pearl from interacting with him," Pyre proposed. "Her stalking him may be a rebellion against her Dam, not attraction."

"Or it could be both," Lily countered. She had seen the beginning of the infatuation, so she knew that it was a factor. Pyre was right in pointing out that there could be other factors, though. She hadn't considered Diora being involved either way, approval or disapproval.

"If I could speak to her and Diora, I could discern which," Pyre mused. "You could do so, in my absence."

Lily's ears flicked up, and she turned to look at him, her eyes wide. "Or you could talk to them yourself," she said hopefully.

"It is too soon," Pyre sighed.

Last time he said that, a moon-cycle ago, she had reluctantly agreed. This time, she was going to put up more of a fight. "Everything has settled, Granite relies on you and values your advice, and I certainly am not holding you back."

"He relies on my advice so long as you are there to verify it and offer a more trusted voice in support of me," Pyre countered. "More time is needed to fully gain his trust. Besides, we have no plan for how to deal with… Everything else."

"Don't say that like it's an actual reason," Lily snorted. "'We have no plan' is never a problem unless there is no time to make a plan, and we have the time. And Granite does trust you." She was certain Pyre was nervous about the idea of moving into the valley; his reasoning would be far less flawed if he had actual reasons to delay further.

"I like it up here," he said weakly.

After a long beat of surprised silence, Lily snorted rudely. "You just forfeited any chance of arguing this with that excuse," she said sternly. He had just lost the illusion of having good reasons behind his reluctance, and in the most obvious possible way.

"Agreed," Pyre groaned, rolling onto his back. "I have no good reasons to stall any longer."

"You admit you were stalling!" Lily crowed victoriously.

"We both knew it," Pyre huffed. "So, what is your plan for Granite, Cressa, and the pack?"

"No way, we are not going to devolve into arguing about the plan, either," Lily barked, glaring at him. She knew his tricks, or at least some of them. "You give me your plan."

"How do you know?" Pyre quipped, closing his eyes. "That I have one."

"I just know," Lily said softly. She would be amazed if he hadn't spent sleepless nights lying awake and wondering about what it would be like, and they thought in the same ways, so she knew that sort of speculation would inevitably move toward practical solutions. That wasn't something she wanted to tell him, so she left it at that.

"And you are right, as you so often are," Pyre sighed. "Okay, here's what I came up with…"

He spoke, and Lily listened.

O-O-O-O-O

It was a normal day. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, fledglings shrieked as they ran through the valley, all was normal.

Lily pawed at a rock, swiping away some moss. It was small, suitable for a mated pair who didn't plan on having children, or alternatively liked sleeping on top of each other. It was in the middle of the valley, which was a big point in its favor.

"Lily?" a female asked from the next rock over. "That is your name, right?"

"Yes, it is," Lily hummed. "How are you today?"

"Good, very good," the female purred. "It is nice out, my mate is bringing fish… Are you planning on claiming that rock for yourself?"

"Would you mind?" Lily asked. This female was the only neighbor close enough to complain, if anyone would, another benefit of this particular rock. And her mate, but Lily knew well how that sort of thing tended to go. Granite was raising the average male's self-esteem, slowly but surely, but he had a long way to go.

"No, not at all, so long as you are not loud," the female hummed.

"Well, it won't be for me specifically," Lily revealed. "I'm looking on the behalf of someone else. He'll be here soon."

"Who?" the female asked curiously.

"You probably don't know him," Lily hummed casually, glad that this particular dragon hadn't been sure of her name. Such confusion would make this a much easier bluff to pull off. "He's my Dam's Sire."

"Really?" the other light wing crooned. "Well, good for you for helping out."

Lily held in a smug smirk. Putting it like that made him sound far more normal; there were plenty of new grandsires and granddams around. Crystal's parents, for instance, would count as such the moment she and Granite decided it was time. Hypothetically, one could be a Dam's Sire within ten season-cycles of hatching. It wasn't abnormal, though people rarely mentioned such ties.

"Yes," Lily purred. "You probably do not know him, but he is older and very polite. And he's a little self conscious about how forgettable he is, so if you could pretend you have seen him around even if you have not, that would be very kind."

"What is his name?" the female asked.

"Pyre," Lily said, hoping the female would not ask what that was. She still didn't know, and Pyre had refused to tell her when she asked, anticipating this very possibility.

"What is a Pyre?" the female rumbled, sounding the word out with a huff. "Is it a plant?"

"You would have to ask him, he makes a game of not telling me," Lily said, somewhat truthfully. It was not a game, not nearly so light-hearted, but her lack of knowledge was true enough.

"Well, he sounds interesting," the female asserted. "His mate will be coming too?"

"Oh, don't mention her," Lily said seriously. "He lost her a while back, and is still not over her. He'll be coming alone. He wanted a smaller rock, but I choose to be hopeful." She patted her tail on the rock large enough for two.

"As you should," the female said approvingly. "I have to admit, I do feel bad for not remembering him. I feel like I should have noticed if there was a distinguished older male around without a mate. I did not think we had any of those."

"He fades into the background a lot, and likes to go around camouflaged sometimes," Lily said. "But remember, if anyone asks, you did know about him before now. It might get back to him that you didn't, if you say so."

"I knew him," the female said convincingly. "Do not worry, my mate and I will keep an eye on him. How old is he, exactly?"

"Not that old," Lily snorted, seeing that she had done her work perhaps too well. "He doesn't need to be looked after. He just has a few quirks."

"No mentioning his mate, do not let on to anyone that I did not know he existed, and…" the female trailed off. "Anything else?"

"He's self-conscious about his wings," Lily added. "You'll see why. Don't mention those either. But other than that stuff, he is smart and quick and funny. I am sure he will make a great neighbor."

"With such a dedicated, considerate person as you helping him, I can believe that," the female said kindly. "I hope you will be around some, too?"

"Oh, definitely," Lily said with a purr. "I would not miss this for the world."

O-O-O-O-O

It was noon before Pyre ventured down into the valley, camouflaged and thus mostly unremarkable. He got a few stares, but nobody really bothered to find out why some random light wing, anonymous thanks to the camouflage, was bothering to walk around as such.

Lily knew such anonymity would not last; indeed, that wasn't the point in the first place. They were getting Pyre back into the pack, not hiding him in the valley. He had to be known to make that work. But it was good for getting him to the rock she had picked out without anyone noticing anything.

She leaped up onto Pyre's rock, and quickly spotted Granite. He was flying overhead, casually keeping watch. He knew what was about to happen. They had the support of the alpha.

Pyre followed behind her, his camouflage blurring the air. The female from before was present, and her mate was too. Both looked over curiously, and the female nudged the male, gesturing at them.

"Are they ready to meet old, unremarkable me?" Pyre asked sarcastically, hissing so that nobody but her heard him.

"More than ready," Lily snorted. "She was anxious to make you feel welcome by the time I finished talking to her. It's Cressa you have to worry about." Though not as much as he might have needed to be under other circumstances; Lily had it on good authority that Granite had made it clear to her last night exactly what would get her exiled, and how she was going to behave when the subject of Pyre came up. There was a chance she wouldn't cause any trouble at all.

"I'm not worried," Pyre said as his camouflage began to wear off. "It really is a very nice rock," he said louder. By the time he faded into view, he was poking at the edge. "Did someone smooth this?"

"I took a smaller rock and knocked off some sharp edges, yes," Lily revealed. "Don't want you cutting yourself jumping up."

"I am not so feeble as that," Pyre snorted. "If anything, I would be worried about you having a relapse of fledgling clumsiness when you come to visit."

Lily growled and swatted at him with a paw. "No joking about that, it was an obnoxious phase I am glad to be done with."

"Lily, Pyre," the female on the rock next to theirs called out. "Is today the day?"

"Today is the day I get my 'lazy rear end' down here, yes," Pyre rumbled sarcastically, casting her an amused glance as he quoted her. "I am sure I have met you before, but remind me of your name?" Under other circumstances his apparent forgetfulness might have come across as suspicious – or maybe not, he was very good at seeming genuine – but when asked of a female who had been convinced it was her forgetting him…

"It is no problem at all, we all forget some things," the female quickly replied. She gave her name, and her mate did without prompting, and Pyre asked them about whether they had any little ones… Lily sat back and watched the master at work. He ingratiated himself with the couple like he had always known them in the space of a few dozen moments, presenting himself as an affable, intelligent older light wing who liked to spend time of of the valley and mostly kept to himself, but was willing to open up and socialize because someone had given him a lecture. That someone being Lily, not that she minded acting as the excuse for why he wasn't going to be hiding and lurking like his fictional past implied he had up until now.

She kept one eye on their surroundings, but Cressa didn't show up to ruin it. Lily didn't want to leap ahead of herself, but–

As if summoned by optimism and the need to crush it, Cressa wove her way into sight, walking between boulders with a tense, stiff gait that either signalled discomfort, fear, or rage, and a lot of it. Her teeth were visible, though her mouth was mostly shut, just a hint of them peaking out.

Lily waited, her body and mind ready to repulse whatever method of attack Cressa might use. Granite flew above, prepared to dive down and disarm the situation with his alpha authority. Pyre was not nearly as oblivious as he looked.

"This changes nothing," Cressa hissed as she passed Pyre's rock, her eyes narrow. Her hateful tone was audible to everyone around her, but it was a far cry from the enraged shriek Lily had expected. "You are nothing to me, and I will spit on your bones when you die."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Pyre said solemnly.

Cressa disappeared, still walking like someone on the brink of doing incredible violence. Lily didn't relax in the slightest when she passed out of sight.

"She never forgave me for how her Dam died," Pyre sighed to the mated couple, his voice low and laden with all-too-real grief. "It was a long time ago, and my fault being too weak to defend her, but… still."

"It was not your fault at all, she is holding a grudge for a tragedy that befell you as much as her," Lily added, unwilling to let that stand on its own. Even if it was part of Pyre's plan for explaining–

"Is that how you lost your wings?" the male of the couple asked, biting exactly where Pyre had predicted someone would, were he to speak even vaguely of losing his mate when the inevitable question came up.

"In essence, yes," Pyre replied. "I will tell you the story some other time. Let us speak of less depressing things now, else Lily will be forcing me to make more cheery friends."

Lily snorted to herself when both the male and female all but leaped on the excuse to turn the conversation back to safer skies; it was almost too easy, guiding the average light wing away from difficult questions. She had no doubts that, lacking any more direct attacks from Cressa, Pyre would do well in maintaining his cover.

Pyre was back in the valley. His exile was over. Cressa was apparently cowed by the alpha's disapproval, though Lily would not have thought it of her. Lily could scarcely believe it had gone so well…

But that was the way of Granite's pack. Things were getting better. She might have to get used to it, and she definitely needed to protect it.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily snuck closer to the conspirators, judging her prey.

Two males, both panting as they walked back to the shore, both bruised and bleeding in various places. Their activities could be assumed, and their intentions inferred, but she knew all of that already. She had trailed them into the forest, after all.

No, there was no real reason to watch them. She knew who they were, what they wanted, and how they planned to get it. They were both mated, and both planning on challenging Granite next season-cycle, at the ceremony. He had spoken about ten season-cycles of rule and then abdication, but he had first promised Bone that he could challenge next season-cycle, and they preferred the latter precedent.

Or, they thought they did. She was here to disillusion them. Doing both at once would actually be easier than doing them separately; the moment she cracked the bravado of one, the other would follow suit.

"A good fight," the bulkier one said condescendingly as they passed her hiding place.

"You always say that when you win," the smaller one complained.

"From what I saw," Lily announced, startling them both, "it was not a fight so much as a slow, boring wrestling match. Fledglings fight better than that." In reality, she had not even watched them fight, but it didn't matter.

Both males looked around, but neither saw her camouflaged form. She had picked her moment well; the world was falling into twilight, and in the changing lighting she was entirely impossible to see, even as a clear blur in the air.

"Come out and fight us yourself, if you think so!" the bigger male growled.

"I don't need to," Lily hissed. "I could just slit your throats as you sleep." If it weren't for Granite and Crystal already being aware of that tactic possibly being used against them, she wouldn't bring it up, but that was handled. She and Pyre had been thorough when addressing the problem of keeping Granite safe and in power.

"Why?" the smaller one quavered. His confidence, a fragile thing after so long under Claw, had already shattered.

"That is the way of things, is it not?" Lily asked, slipping from behind the tree when neither of them was looking in her direction. She made sure to keep her hissing high-pitched, to mess with their ability to follow her voice right to her. It was a clever trick, one she didn't fully understand, and it helped her remain a faceless hiss of intimidation. "You scheme to kill the alpha and be alpha. I scheme to kill you and take the title."

"That is not how it works, it has to be a challenge," the larger one snorted.

"How it works is changing," Lily retorted, grinning as they fell right into her verbal trap. "Either it changes to how our alpha wants it, peaceful transitions, or it changes to slit throats in the dark. You get to choose."

"We want the old way to stay," one of them huffed.

"It's gone," Lily hissed viciously. "There will be a new way. One leaves you alive, one does not." In reality, there were infinite possible ways to determine succession in the pack, but by presenting them with a false choice, she was ensuring that they would feel compelled to pick one if the other was undesirable. Creativity was good, but not in feckless males trying to take power for no reason bigger than their own petty desires.

The larger male wavered, looking around worriedly. He was still trying to spot her, but the way he did it spoke of increasing uncertainty. "Maybe we want to risk it!" he called out.

"Do you?" Lily lurked behind him, keeping pace as he spun in place. His companion had backed up against a tree, his tail wrapped around its base. "Do you really? That way leads to going to sleep and never waking up… Or you could resolve to be peaceful, and I could too."

"Who are you?" the larger male demanded.

"A peacekeeper," Lily huffed right behind him. She leaped up onto one of the trees as he spun, and propelled herself out of striking range before he could see anything. It had taken much practice with Pyre to get that sort of move down, but she had plenty of time to practice such things nowadays. "One who likes the idea of no more challenges. My claws will stay in if yours do."

"I think maybe doing it the alpha's way would be safer," the smaller male quavered. That was the first one down…

"Fine," the larger male snarled. "No challenges."

"Good," Lily hissed. She didn't fully believe them, of course. This was not a one-off event; she and Pyre would be keeping a close eye on these two. Further persuasion would be required, but so long as they did not obviously train to fight Granite again, this was the last they would hear of the anonymous, hissing threat in the forest.

No, her next strike would come through their mates, and then the one after that through their friends. She did not lack clever plots or angles to strike at their desires. She and Pyre had this well in paw.

Granite might not have liked how she handled this. She doubted he would like threats given anonymously in a way that could be construed to be his doing. But she had been careful to imply she liked what he was creating, not him personally, and he wouldn't know about this. Any of it.

He would lead, and in her spare time she would make sure his plans continued without opposition. It wasn't even that hard.

O-O-O-O-O

"I have a problem," Crystal said miserably, whining as they flew.

Lily had suspected as much, given her friend's demeanor and how they had flown out over the ocean, to total privacy, but she was still all the more worried to hear it confirmed. "What is it, and how can I help?" she asked, flying close to Crystal.

"It's Pearl," Crystal admitted. "She will not stop staring at Granite. He is my mate, and she is one of my best friends, and I do not know how to correct her without being cruel."

Lily's first impulse was to tell Crystal to just tell Pearl off and be done with it, but she knew that was too simplistic an answer. "And you want to keep her as a friend," she added. "While also ensuring that she will not back off, wait for a good moment, and then try to lure him away."

"No, not that!" Crystal barked. "I do not think she would do that. It is just… You know." She shook her head wildly. "I do not feel threatened, she has not acted on it, but it is not good for her, it is not good for me, and it is not good for our friendship. I want to help her, not just scare her off."

"Your problem is not so much keeping Granite yours, as it is helping Pearl move on," Lily summarized. "Yes, I can work with that."

"Please," Crystal requested. "And be nice."

"I was not planning to be cruel," Lily objected, letting more than a hint of indignation into her voice. She dove to the side, smacked Crystal with her tail, and flew away. Crystal followed, hot on her tail, and growled playfully.

She would think about Pearl's infatuation with Granite later. Right now, that same problem needed to be taken off of Crystal's mind, and Lily was happy to do exactly that-

She shrieked in mock terror as toothless gums clamped down on her tailfins and sent them into a plummet.

O-O-O-O-O

"You should fly more," Pyre said bluntly.

Lily gingerly folded her wings in, amazed that he could tell she was sore. "What, no subtle hints?" she asked, flopping down on the unoccupied side of his rock. "Just 'you're fat' with no cushioning?"

"You're not fat, you're out of shape," Pyre clarified. "There's a difference. But yes, I am done with hints. You easily ignore those."

"Okay, fine, I'll work on it," she rumbled. "I have something more important to talk about. Remember Pearl's sneaking around?"

"Yes. Has that changed?"

"Not that I can tell, but Crystal has noticed, and she wants my help dealing with it," Lily explained. "I need ideas."

"Two kinds," Pyre agreed, rolling onto his back to soak up the last rays of the setting sun. He spoke lazily, but Lily knew better than to fall for the illusion that he was not taking this seriously. "As to what, exactly, drives her, and as to how to correct it in a constructive way that does not harm her."

"Yes, exactly." A part of her whispered that she should solve her own problems, but that was her pride talking. She had an amazing amount of help from a smarter dragon than herself, and it would be foolish and pointless to ignore that. "My best guess as to Pearl's motivations is the obvious one. She was suffering, nobody was saving her, and then an attractive male around her own age stepped in, fought a tyrant, and saved her. He even did it for her sake, and has said as much."

"But she is a shy person who does respect the boundaries set up by him already having a mate, so she is pining for him without making any moves?" Pyre rolled his eyes. "Well, that has an easy solution. Give her some confidence and a male who is available."

"Neither of those is easy to come by," Lily objected. "Males are scarce, for one thing, and I don't know what I could do to give her confidence." Ever since Honey had made it official with Bone, the only available males in the pack were Gold and Pyre himself. Neither struck her as a good fit for Pearl.

"You say scarce," Pyre huffed. "If I remember correctly… Gold, right? The obnoxious one?"

"Yes. You sound like you already have a plan." Lily didn't know if she liked the shape of this potential plan, either.

"Nothing solid, just a few ideas," Pyre admitted. "You have a female who needs a new attraction, a male who needs an attitude adjustment, and a body that needs some challenges thrown its way. There is probably a way to put all of that together."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily ran through the forest, her entire body aching. That Pyre, running beside her, looked as if he could be walking for all the strain he was displaying did not help her mood, but it did motivate her to keep going.

They slowed to a stop as they reached the shoreline, and Lily flopped over onto her side. "I hate this," she complained.

"Yes, probably," Pyre said easily, not panting at all.

"Not probably," she growled, glaring at him from her place on the ground. "You promised this would be an easier run. I asked Granite to meet us here!"

"Well, get on your paws then," Pyre said, entirely unsympathetic. He circled around her, kicking plumes of sand onto her. "Or I could hide you under a pile of sand before he gets here…"

"Too late," Granite laughed, flying in from the mountains. "What am I flying into?" he asked, landing nearby.

"I am being tortured," Lily said melodramatically, heaving herself upright to avoid another spray of sand.

"Please," Granite scoffed. "It is sand."

"No, it is waking up at the crack of dawn, going for a flight until my wings ached, eating one fish, then running in the forest!" Lily barked. She scraped up a whole wingful of sand and flapped it in Pyre's general direction, but the wind was against her and she ended up showering herself.

Granite purred in open amusement. "Why?" he asked. "If you want me to join, sorry but I need my mornings for being alpha. And every other part of my day and night, too."

"Not that," Lily huffed. "I meant this to be me telling you about something I want to do."

"Something you need my permission for?" Granite asked.

"Blessing, maybe," she hedged. "Permission is a strong word, it's not that big a deal. I want to take some people into the forest for a while, to teach them how to survive away from the pack, and it would be a huge help if you cooperated."

"That sounds interesting," Granite mused. "But how do you know how to survive in the forest?" He looked to Pyre.

"Correct," Pyre purred. "I taught her the basics, and I'll be shadowing their group, to make sure they don't get into trouble."

"Half a moon-cycle, maybe more, going deep enough into the forest that there are things to hunt," Lily explained. "No flying out, no going back ahead of time. Sleeping in the forest, eating what we can catch-"

"Or fish from me, if they can't catch anything," Pyre interjected.

"-learning to be self-sufficient, that sort of thing," Lily concluded. "I have my eye on a few people who could really use the lessons, and not just for the things I'll be teaching directly. Some of them might not want to come at first, so if you could apply some pressure, that'd be great."

"If it was not for so long, I would want to go myself," Granite confessed. "Who are you planning on bringing?"

"Gold and Pearl," she revealed.

Granite blinked at her. "That does not sound quite so fun," he concluded. "Just them? You know Gold is going to be insufferable."

"Oh, I know," she laughed. "He's going to learn some sharp lessons." She had many different goals for this excursion, and curing Gold of his… everything was, while not the main goal, then at least a pleasant side-goal to aim for whenever she had the chance. If she was going to set Pearl up with him, she had to make him worth having.

O-O-O-O-O

"Day one," Lily murmured. Gold and Pearl would probably think she was talking to herself, but they didn't know about the camouflaged blur trailing them in the shadows as they walked. "We venture into the forest. The canopy will prevent flight, and anyone trying to sneak back will be stuck on waste pit duty for a season-cycle."

"We can hear you, you know," Gold said from behind her.

"I cannot," Pearl objected. "What was she saying?"

"That I am the most amazing male in the pack, which is why she chose me to come along," Gold said smugly.

Pearl wisely said nothing in response to that, which was, in Lily's experience, the best way to snub him.

"I said nothing of the kind, Gold," Lily called back, dodging a bush of sharp thorns that would stick in one's paws if one wasn't careful. "You're here because I thought you should know how to survive in the wild."

"Why?" Gold pressed. He had probably asked Granite as much when he was informed of this excursion, but Lily hadn't been around to hear her brother's answer. Probably some mixture of 'I'm alpha', 'she has her reasons', and most importantly 'she didn't tell me, but I'm sure she'll tell you'. She wouldn't put it past Granite to completely redirect Gold's complaints to her. This was her idea, after all.

"Aside from you being so obnoxious that you might end up exiled because nobody wants to deal with you?" she asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "Because I think you could use an attitude adjustment, and making you learn useful skills under a watchful eye who has no reason to put up with your behavior is a good way to make that happen. Pearl is here just for the learning part." Or, more accurately, Pearl's adjustments required that Lily be more subtle about it.

"You don't get to order me around," Gold said stubbornly.

"Granite did say we needed to listen to Lily," Pearl remarked, just as Lily had hoped she would. She was smart enough to know that a Gold under control was much more tolerable than one who had no higher authority keeping him in line.

"Granite says a lot of things," Gold grumbled. "Gold, go do this. Gold, go do that. Gold, you are awesome but I am not going to make you my second in command no matter how much you ask. No, Gold, I am not going to set you up with my attractive older sister… But if you come back from this trip with her wrapped around your paw, I will not mind at all."

Lily twitched irritably. Ignoring him was the best way to deal with him, but it wasn't easy. "Time to stretch our legs," she said loudly. "Keep up with me!"

She broke into a relatively slow run, forcing them both to follow. Hopefully Gold wouldn't feel like talking once he needed every bit of air in his lungs just to breathe.

"You look nice when you run!" Gold called out from behind her.

She ran faster.

O-O-O-O-O

"I do not know if I want to do this again tomorrow," Pearl whined. The forest was dark, but her underbelly glowed luminously at the bottom of a shaft of moonlight, and her paws waved like weeds in the breeze. "Everything hurts, and I do not remember any of the things you told us to remember while we were running."

"It'll get better," Lily assured her. She was keeping one eye on the white bulk of Gold, a short distance away but only partially obscured by the trees. He was supposed to be digging a small waste pit for everyone to use, as the first person to fall behind in the sprint she had led them both on around midday. Whether or not he was actually doing that was up for debate.

"Will it?" Pearl asked hopefully. "Are we not running tomorrow?"

"Not as much," Lily promised. "That was mostly to tire Gold out and stop him from hitting on me. Or you, for that matter. He is not out here to court a female." Specifically, he was out here so that she could beat into him, among other things, that not every female wanted to be courted. She had also thought to put him and Pearl together, but that was only a possibility, not something she had decided on yet. It would be convenient, and she had wanted to do it, but his behaviour today made her doubt that he would make a good mate for Pearl.

"And the learning?" Pearl asked. "I did not do well at that either…"

"You did just fine for a first day, and better than Gold," Lily said, purring reassuringly. "Did you like the idea of what I was teaching?"

"How to know where I am going, how to survive, not making stupid mistakes…" Pearl murmured. "Yes, but I do not remember–"

"You have time to memorize things, this is about whether you want to," Lily interrupted. "Do you want to be independent, to be able to live out here without needing to rely on someone else?"

"Yes," Pearl admitted. "That would be… different. Nice."

"Then you are doing great, and do not let anyone make you think otherwise," Lily assured her.

They sat in silence for a little while. Pearl's stomach grumbled, reminding Lily that she was going to have to move 'subsisting off of plants' up on her schedule. Pyre had told her the first signs of worthwhile prey animals were two days hard walking away from the valley in this particular direction, so there would be no easy food for a little while yet.

"If I need to want it to do good, then why is Gold here?" Pearl asked. "He just wants to annoy us."

"If it was just you, it would be too easy for me," Lily snorted. "I will make him want it, either for himself or to impress you and me."

O-O-O-O-O

"Give me a plant that can kill you if you eat them!" Lily barked, pacing in front of two ravenously hungry light wings. "Gold!"

"Lilies?" Gold guessed.

"Wrong!" Lily barked. "Pearl?"

"The vines with red-striped stems?" Pearl offered uncertainly, at least somewhat cowed by Lily's demeanor. She didn't think this particular approach was going to work particularly well on either of them, but she had wanted to at least try it out.

"Yes!" Lily said loudly. "You may eat."

Pearl darted past her to get at the four-legged creature that had 'appeared' in their path, already wounded and bleeding out. It had made for a great lesson on what prey was, what it looked like, how to make sure it wasn't sickly and thus poisonous, and several other topics Lily was thankful Pyre had gone over with her before this trip. Especially as she was sure he had wounded it and sent it running in their direction. It was easy to forget that he was out there, watching them, a silent stalker…

She might have to do something with that at the end of the trip. For now, the intense hunger Pearl, Gold, and she herself were feeling proved a potent motivator that made Pearl forget any irrational unease she might have had at eating something so unlike the fish she had lived off of her entire life.

It also made Gold antsy and now intensely envious of Pearl, who was tearing into the carcass, so Lily quickly turned back to him with another question, an easier one. "How do we find prey, Gold?"

"I just want to eat," Gold complained. "We have already found it!"

"You can eat once you get an answer correct," Lily said sternly. "How do we find it? Or do you expect it to always come running straight at us while dying?"

"Scent, tracks in the dirt, I do not know and I do not care!" Gold exclaimed.

"Yes and yes, go–" Lily cut herself off as Gold leaped past her and literally ripped a leg off the prey. "Eat."

She didn't think she was going to get any of this particular prey. That was fine, she could ignore her hunger and use it as a further learning experience. Maybe one with a less dramatic, stern version of herself teaching.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily looked across a river, and saw a white figure where none should be.

She glanced back, but Gold and Pearl were still sorting the pile of greenery she had assembled for them the previous night. Gold said something in a low purr, and Pearl growled at him, taking a chunk of the pile with her paw and sweeping it away from the rest. She settled in to sort her own pile, leaving him the rest.

Lily looked across the river again, and saw Pyre. She shook her head at him and quickly flew across. "I didn't intend to reveal you yet," she hissed, pushing him behind a tree in her agitation. "It has only been six days."

"Consider this a check-in," Pyre rumbled. "How is it going? I can watch from afar, but listening in is beyond me ever since you taught them to always keep an eye on their surroundings."

"I did wonder if that would stymy you," Lily said with a small laugh. "Pearl is showing promise, but Gold is… Gold. I am starting to think the only way to get through to him is to use my body, and he's too annoying for that to be worth it."

"Do not give yourself to someone on the off chance you can change them afterward," Pyre said seriously. "That is a horrible idea unless you have absolutely no choice."

"Like I said, not worth it," Lily confirmed, doing her best not to think about what sort of circumstance would have her trying something so distasteful. "He is learning some things, though. Pearl showing him up is a good motivator, like we predicted."

"Are you planning on going back soon, or do you want to turn this into a longer excursion?" Pyre asked. "This river was known to me, but I have never bothered crossing to the far side before, so we are standing on new territory for me."

"At least four more days before we turn back," Lily decided. "But I feel like I did not actually accomplish any of my goals here… Pearl is certainly not looking at Gold, and I doubt this trip will have made her feel any different about Granite. Gold is still as annoying as ever."

"It was a good idea, but nothing about it promised certain success," Pyre reminded her. "Be happy with what you did accomplish, and remember that the stakes are not so high as to demand success. There are no consequences for failing to do anything more than teach survival skills."

She had to purr at that; it was exactly what she needed to hear. "As usual, you are right," she admitted.

O-O-O-O-O

Lightning crackled in the sky above, striking so frequently that the noise never ended, a constant rumble shaking the very air. There was no rain, though the clouds were dark and brooding above, and the wind shook the forest with every gust.

Lily walked behind Pearl and Gold, her mouth firmly held shut despite the unforeseen weather. Her lesson for today was meant to be having Pearl and Gold do everything on their own, without any help from her. Some extra difficulty wasn't enough to get her to talk, not when they were doing just fine so far.

At surviving, that was. Not necessarily at getting along while doing so.

"I am telling you, we should be digging in and waiting this out," Pearl growled, uncharacteristically assertive. Some genuine fear for her life, a bit of newfound confidence, and certainty that Gold was wrong seemed to be enough to draw some aggression from her.

"It is just lightning and we are safe under these trees," Gold argued. "Besides, we are almost back at the valley. I do not want to stop now!" He walked stiffly, his twitching tail giving away his unease.

He glanced back at Lily, but she gave him no sign as to whether he was right, barely even acknowledging his existence with a flick of her ears. In truth, neither of them was wrong; she hadn't touched much on extreme weather, and all the lightning-related warnings she had given were less relevant in a massive forest, where every tree was a target, and thus any individual tree was fairly safe. Neither approach was bad, as far as she knew. Just different.

A few large drops of water splashed on Lily's head, and then one smacked Pearl right in the nose.

"Ugh," Pearl groaned. "Okay, now your plan is better. If it rains hard enough any hole I dig will flood."

"I knew it!" Gold crowed, running forward and trampling a small bush in his impromptu victory celebration.

"I cannot wait to be away from you," Pearl growled under her breath.

Lily snorted. If her plan to set up Pearl and Gold wasn't already dead, that would have killed it.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily sat with Crystal on the plateau, watching the small mob of light wings that had formed around Pearl and Gold. All of the fledglings old enough to understand what was going on were asking questions, and a not-insubstantial portion of the adults were listening intently. Gold was hamming it up, talking about himself as if he was a prodigy, but Pearl was correcting him, and most of the listeners were giving her more attention than Gold…

"I did not expect such an enthusiastic reception," Lily admitted to her friend. "Did something happen while we were gone?"

"Word got around about where you all were when people noticed you were missing," Crystal said. "I think a lot of the younger males are feeling passed over, and with how Gold is talking it up, you may need to lead a second expedition just to soothe ruffled egos. Other than people talking, no, nothing important happened."

"That's good," Lily purred. This was the first time she and Pyre had taken a break from interfering on Granite's behalf, after all, and knowing that the pack didn't descend into flames or anarchy was comforting. Granite was capable of sustaining his rule without their help.

"How did it go with setting them up together, anyway?" Crystal asked hopefully. "They do not look like they are getting along any better now…" She eyed the two light wings in question – Gold was scowling at Pearl as she corrected one of his boasts – dubiously.

"It didn't work," Lily said bluntly. "But maybe she has gotten over her infatuation with Granite after some time away?"

"Maybe," Crystal sighed. "If not, I will talk to her. She is my friend, but this cannot go on indefinitely, and you tried your best to fix it without getting me involved."

O-O-O-O-O

Time passed, and quickly at that; Lily felt like every time she blinked a day had flown by. Between living her own life, spending time with her friends and family, and organizing another, longer and larger trip into the forest for those who were interested, she barely had time to sit around and think anymore. Not that she minded.

Granite continued to be a good alpha, as she knew he would be. The pack settled further into obeying him, undercurrents of dissent or dissatisfaction popping up more and more rarely, and squashed with ease by her, Pyre, or Granite himself. Possibly the greatest point of contention between him and any large subsection of the pack was his continued refusal to take more than one mate, despite many of Claw's former mates requesting he reconsider.

Crystal fended them off, where appropriate, and where not Granite disillusioned them with blunt but kind words. Pyre, on the other paw, had put his mind to the long-term problem of the lack of balance between male and female, and Lily expected him to have some genius solution by the end of the cold-season.

Pearl, though, was not so easily dealt with. Crystal had that talk with her, but judging by the dissatisfied way she had spoken of it afterward, they hadn't come to any real resolution. Pearl could be seen moping around the valley, and for a time it looked like Lily might have to put her mind to intervening again, lest the rift between her best friend and Pearl grow to something unfixable.

But that problem took itself out of her paws before she could properly begin solving it, and in a way she hadn't expected in the slightest, even though she had, in hindsight, planted the thought in her head and given her the tools to make it reality.

One day, the pack woke up to one less light wing in the valley. Pearl had left, off to find something out in the unknown, away from the valley and its bad memories and awkwardness. Away from Granite, from Crystal… Away from everything she knew, and with only stilted, subtle goodbyes to a few people before she went.

Lily could only hope Pearl found what she was looking for out there.

Author's note: This is not the ending I had in mind for UotD and would never work as canon (not in the least because it diverges at an unrealistic point, Granite in no way should win a fight with Claw), but it works well as a mostly happy AU. It's positive, things work out, and Pearl even goes out into the world to eventually help Ember and co, though I would think her mentality and specific actions might be different this time around, because she has a different recent past. Less ignoring the past, a happier reason to return to the pack, Ember to give her an alternative to Granite, all of that. Realistically, her change in circumstance probably would have some negative ripple effects on WNR, but I don't feel like exploring that. One dark WNR AU is enough.

Also, this was 13,000 words into being done for months before I finally went 'screw this, I'm finishing all of these little things I have sitting around mostly done already.' I really need to get out of the habit of mostly writing things and then letting them sit.