Chapter 2
Nova

Nova nimbly navigated through a kitchen that was overflowing with a colorful array of dragons, using her experience to pass through the group. Many of the dragons she passed gave a quick hello or waved with a wing or paw; Nova did the same in return. It was lively, loud and warm, which some may have disliked, but it brought Nova a sense of familiarity and comfort. This was her home, and despite the shift in attitudes among some of the dragons living there, it was a safe place for her.

The outside world, however, was not that way. The wedge of suspicion that separated Nova from most of society had been firmly driven into the ground by her actions, creating a chasm that extended far beyond her reach. Any trust she had built through her career as a fighter fell into the abyss, and the friends that had been nothing but supportive before, looked upon her with something that left her very soul reeling.

Fear.

She knew her actions warranted this. She knew what breaking the rules of the arena meant, and even if Kiran had forgiven her, the rest of the world wouldn't. She had become the very monster that she had been portrayed as and would have to live with that consequence for the rest of her life.

Does it matter? Nova's mind said bleakly. They never gave me a chance anyway. She closed her eyes at the thought, willing it away, and held back a shudder when it was replaced by something worse. Her friend's fear-filled faces sent needles of ice through her chest, hurting far more than anything she could have faced in the arena or otherwise. She couldn't bear to see them look at her in such a way, and responded in the only way that she could have in the moment: by running.

It was childish and selfish, but it gave her space to collect herself. Right now, her mind raced with anxiety-riddled thoughts that threatened her with the risk of loss and heartache if she talked to her friends face-to-face. She knew, deep down, that this wasn't true, but she gave into the inclinations of her mind and allowed herself to do so in the pursuit of a reality that was slowly unwinding itself.

She couldn't keep this up forever, though. Eventually, she would have to face them.

For now, though… Her nose caught the savory smell of meat, which drowned out the rest of her bustling thoughts. It had been a long morning, and her stomach was rumbling loudly in protest. Not wanting to have another reason to be upset, Nova worked her way to the food that had been prepared and grabbed herself a plate. She snagged two large drumsticks covered in a mix of spices. As the smell wafted across her snout, it made her mouth water in anticipation.

"Noba!" An excited voice called. Nova turned to see a red gremlin run up and wrap himself around her foreleg, making it impossible for her to move.

"Hey, careful, Ignitus!"

"Sowwy," he said with sincerity, though he only loosened his grip when Nova gave her leg a shake.

Once he was off, Nova set her plate aside and crouched down to his level. "What's got you all excited? Did you get another horn?"

He shook his head vigorously, which surprised her. He had been hitting a growth spurt the past week, and with that had come more than one new horn that he was eager to boast about. If that wasn't what had him excited, then what could it be?

"Hmm… Did you finally beat Dad in a wrestling match?" She asked with a teasing grin.

That made his snout scrunch up indignantly, but he shook his head again. "No! Not that!"

"I'm stumped, then."

"It might have to do with his newfound ability to breathe fire," Cynder said with a sigh. Nova avoided looking up as her mom walked over to the pair and swiftly picked Ignitus up by the nape of his neck with her claws. He curled up in a ball, and tried to hide from their mom, who was clearly worn out. Her eyes, along with the rest of her body, moved with a sluggishness that only accompanied repeated nights of missing sleep and the sheen that normally accompanied her scales was missing. "This little rascal has been causing all sorts of trouble this morning. I've been putting out literal fires ever since he accidentally burped out a wave of fire on my face."

Despite herself, Nova glanced up, and threw a paw over her face to stifle a laugh. Sitting beside the signs of exhaustion that she was responsible for, she could see a few char marks along her mother's jaw that had never been there before.

"I bweafe fire like Daddy!" Ignitus declared proudly.

Cynder grumbled tiredly but nuzzled the trapped dragon. "Yes, but you need to learn where and when to do that, honey. The house, for example, is not a place for fire."
Ignitus stared at Cynder in clear disagreement and sneezed, sending out several tiny sparks that danced down onto a few dragons below. He then smiled at Cynder's unamused expression, too proud of his accomplishment to realize the danger he was in. Nova watched with trepidation as Cynder prepared to scold him, but before she could, a voice cut through the kitchen.

"Nova!" Shimmer shouted as she wormed her way through the kitchen and over to Nova. "Sheesh, you should have waited for us! We didn't even get to finish what we were talking about before—" She interrupted herself with a squeal and reached toward Ignitus excitedly. "Ignitus! Miss Cynder, can I hold him? Please? Pleeeeease?"

Nova bit her lip pensively, thanking the Ancestors for the distraction, and took a step back while Cynder negotiated with Shimmer for the rights to Ignitus. She didn't want to talk, and let her brother take the spotlight.

At least, she tried. As her paw moved, it bumped into another dragon. Nova whirled around, an apology already at the ready, and found Phyl sitting silently behind her. "Sorry, Phyl. I didn't know you were there."

He sighed and turned his head away. "It's fine." He paused for a moment, his eyes flitting between Shimmer and Nova, then asked, "Nova?"

"Yes?"

"Look, I know you've gained control of your… element, but can you not use that while we're here?" He didn't meet her eyes and ran one of his claws along the ground. "I mean, I'm glad you've improved, but, uhm..."

A cold numbness spread through Nova's chest, but she refused to let it show. "Of course. I'm sorry if it bothered you."

Shimmer, who now had Ignitus firmly planted on her head, slipped between the two. Her cheeks were puffed up and she gave Phyl a light shove, inadvertently knocking him off balance. "Hey! There's no need to say that! Look at how you're making Nova feel!"

She knows…? How? Am I that obvious? She thought with horror.

Phyl yelped and threw out his paws to steady himself. "I'm not being rude. I'm being honest."

"Really?" Shimmer asked with a huff. "How is that?"

"I mean…." he paused and swallowed hard. "All of us—I mean, you, Jolt and I—It was—I mean, Kiran wasn't, but he's hanging out with her all the time. None of us are used to her Fear, so I don't see why she can't save that practice for when she's with him."

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" Nova asked, jumping back into the conversation with a fervor that surprised herself. "We both like training, and there's not much else for us to do right now. It only makes sense that we spend time together."

"Well, that's…" his face fell like a rock. "It's not bad, I just—Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Phyl, what's wrong?" Shimmer asked while wrapping her tail around his. He groaned, leaned against her and remained silent, unwilling to answer. She covered him with her wings and began to whisper something behind the veil of blue. Ignitus was more than happy to be included in the secret that he didn't understand, and while the two of them had their private discussion, Cynder sat next to Nova.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

Nova didn't answer right away. Although it was almost entirely on her end, things between her and her parents had been tense. Her mistake in the arena had caused them no end of grief, as all throughout the city, quelled feelings of disgust that some had harbored toward her and her mother had sprung forth with new life. The political wrangling that they both had to do to prevent a disaster took an enormous amount of effort and left them both strained and tired. Her mom, who managed a school, a busy home and donors that supported them both, struggled to keep them from withdrawing. She had faced no end of criticism and accusations regarding her past, and Nova realized that the income that had existed before was only a fraction of what it was.

Her dad, on the other paw, was struggling to walk a tight line as he had to help decide a punishment that was both meaningful, yet proper for what had taken place. His involvement with the council and the decisions that were made had been met with criticism, and she could tell how much it was straining his patience. He was already tired of his position before, but the weight she had piled on top of it only made things worse.

Not wanting to burden her mother further, she tried to think of something to say. "We're all adjusting, I guess. We haven't had much time together since…"

"Ah, I see." she leaned down to nuzzle Nova's cheek. "Don't be too discouraged. Wounds like this will take time and effort to fix."

Nova returned the affection, savoring the warmth that her mother's touch brought. She wouldn't admit it, but she had relied on her parents' strength over the past few weeks to help her through the fog that her life had become. "I know, Mom, but that doesn't make it any easier."

"It may not be easy, but it will be worth it. Conflict is temporary, but good friends will last for a lifetime."

Nova braved a smile and gently pushed her mom's snout away with her own. "Since when are you so poetic?"

"Am I not allowed to be?" she asked with a smirk. Then, she gave Nova a quick side hug with her wing and stood up. As she did so, Kiran and Jolt emerged from the kitchen, the former weaving through the room like a fish through water while the latter bumbled along like a boulder rolling down a hill. Chaos was left in Jolt's wake, and he sheepishly caught up to Kiran and tried to ignore the shouts and growls that he left behind. They each gave a wave to the group, and Nova gave a half-hearted wave back. Cynder gave a kind hello to them before she sighed and sauntered off to handle a scuffle that had just broken out amongst the dragons that Jolt had just plowed through.

Kiran gave Nova a questioning look, but she just shook her head and sighed. She found it annoying that he had the ability to tell when she was agitated, and wished for a moment that he was less perceptive.

Then again, Shimmer knew I was upset too, so maybe I'm not as good at hiding my emotions as I thought.

Whatever the case was, Nova was glad that she had friends that cared. Kiran particularly had turned out to be a better friend than she could have ever hoped for. He didn't take her at anything other than face value, and even after her deadly mistake, he had forgiven her and moved on with sincerity. He saw her for who she was, not what she was portrayed to be, and drove her to improve herself in multiple ways.

It was funny to her, then, that despite his perception, he could be clueless. From what she had gathered in their conversations, his upbringing had left him lacking the social experience that they had, and it left him floundering in situations that anyone else would find success in.

"Hey," Kiran said, slipping into a spot next to Nova. "Everything ok?"

"For the most part. We were just… talking," she said softly.

He rubbed his chin as if he was deep in thought. "Usually there's less sighing and whispering when everything is fine."

Nova turned abruptly toward Kiran and narrowed her eyes just enough to get her point across. He backed off, shoved his hands into his pockets, and shrugged. She felt bad for silently snapping at him, but they could talk later. Now wasn't a good time.

Before anything else could be said, Shimmer finished talking with Phyl and lifted her wing. He appeared subdued and skirted off to grab some food for himself while Shimmer hopped over to them. She had a hint of red bleeding through her crystal blue scales and had to clear her throat before she spoke.

"Hey!" she said, throwing on a face of mock anger while pointing a wing at Kiran and Jolt. Ignitus copied her movements and a few of her words as if to emphasize her points. "What took you two so long?

"…so wong?"

"I was this close to coming back to look for you!"

"…for yew!"

They did take quite some time. I wonder what they were up to?

Kiran lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Well, Jolt and I—"

Nova caught the slight flick of Jolt's tail that was out of Shimmer's sight. He snapped distressed eyes to Shimmer, shook his head ever so slightly, and then stared pleadingly at Kiran. It took a few seconds for Kiran to get the message, and as the gears in his head turned, Nova's curiosity piqued.

Something that Jolt doesn't want Shimmer to know about? What could that be?

Kiran shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, in what Nova guessed was an attempt to play it off. "Well, I had to pick up my stuff, and Jolt stayed behind to help me. It's not a good idea to leave things lying around with all the dragons wandering about."

"Y-yeah! That's right! I gave him a helping paw!" Jolt added quickly.

"Oh, gotcha! Well, you should ask us all for help next time so you don't get left behind. I thought you were right behind us!"

"Sorry, Shimmer," Jolt lowered his head. "I didn't mean to worry you."

Shimmer threw a wing over Jolt and hugged him close. Ignitus attempted the same with his own wing, but it didn't quite reach. "Don't apologize!"

"…Apogize!"

"It's not a big deal; you didn't do anything wrong."

"…wong."

"Oh, ok. Sorry."

The conversation died out suddenly, and the group found themselves at a loss for what to say. Thinking quickly, Nova offered a solution. "You guys look pretty hungry. Why don't we all get some food and eat?"

There was a chorus of agreement, and everyone grabbed some food before making their way over to a table. Unfortunately, the food did little to reignite conversation, and Nova felt her stress rising as their table stood in stark contrast to the rest of the room. It was filled with the chattering and liveliness that accompanied groups of hungry dragons, but their table was silent and bleak, lacking the warmth that blanketed the space around them.

It was only after a few minutes of this that Shimmer appeared to tire of this and cleared her throat. "So… today's a busy day for you, right, Kiran?"

"Yeah, it is. Hopefully it goes well."

"There's no way it won't! With the council helping you, it'll only be a matter of time before everything is figured out. You might even be able to go home soon!"

"I'd be surprised if things go that well," he said with a shrug. "If I am ever able to go home, though, I'll be grateful. It's been too long; there's a lot I have to do."

"We'd miss you," Nova murmured, dipping her head.

Shimmer nodded emphatically in agreement. "Yeah, we would! I want you to make it back, but I don't want to lose a friend. If this all works out, do you think you could also try to figure out a way to visit?"

All the attention at the table was on Kiran as they waited for his answer. Kiran absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder where the crystal was and thought quietly, forming his words. His slowness to answer caused Nova's chest to tighten. She thought the answer would be simple. Was it not?

I'm not being selfish, am I? Wanting him to return… Is that asking for too much? Nova tried to shake away her doubts. It's what a friend would do, given the chance. So why the hesitation?

"If that's possible, then sure. I'd visit as often as I could," he finally said.

Nova felt herself relax at his answer. Its genuineness managed to put her doubts to bed. Across the table, Shimmer beamed, but unbeknownst to her, Phyl turned his head away and ever so slightly frowned, then saw Kiran hold back a sigh, very aware of Phyl's response.

Nova knew that Phyl wasn't on the best terms with Kiran. Whether that was related to his confession or not was another matter. Phyl had always been the least talkative of the group, preferring to let Shimmer take the spotlight, but she knew that he paid close attention to everyone. He was studious, after all, and she suspected that he had other reasons to be upset.

She just wished she knew what they were.

"So, Nova," Shimmer began, shifting her attention. "What are you going to do now that everyone is busy?"

"…busy?"

"Without us, you'll be stuck here all alone!"

"…awone!"

Nova felt annoyed with Ignitus' antics and shot him a warning glare. He only grinned gleefully in response. "I won't be alone, Shimmer. There's plenty of dragons around to keep me company."

She scoffed and held up a claw to her chest as if she was offended. "Uh, yeah, but none of the dragons here can match up to us!

"…us!"

"We're the coolest dragons in Warfang!"

"…'fang!"

"Really? So you're cooler than my mom and dad? I'm impressed."

Kiran stifled a laugh as Shimmer tried to formulate a response, which made her grin. Ingitus sat up to look down at Shimmer and pawed at her head to get an answer out of her.

"Welllll, ok, we might be a tiny, tiny bit less awesome than them, but it's close!" she said, waving a wing dramatically. Ignitus yelped at the sudden turn and grabbed onto Shimmer's horns for dear life. Nova sent him a smug grin, satisfied with her victory, and he responded by snorting indignantly towards her.

Rolling her eyes, she returned her attention to Shimmer. "Close? I guess I can agree with that, even if awesome wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe everyone," she finished with a pointed look at Kiran.

"Right, that word would be reserved for you, wouldn't it, oh great and mighty warrior?" he retorted with a foxy grin. That smile vanished when Nova's tail attempted to smack his head. He threw up his arms in defense and waved her tail away. "Hey, no need for violence!"

"But isn't that what a great and mighty warrior would do?" Nova asked, blinking innocently. "I must defend my honor against those that would try to mock me. Which is a shame, because for a moment I thought you held me in high regard. I suppose I should have expected less from a troublemaker like yourself."

Nova lifted a paw over her forehead and feigned a hurt expression. Kiran rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with a grin, refusing to be tricked by her act. Jolt watched on with worry until Kiran and Nova burst out with laughter at each other. This lasted for a moment, then faded when Kiran sobered up in a manner that Nova instantly recognized.

With a slight sigh, she understood that her dad must have been close by. Kiran, for whatever reason, was able to joke around with friends, but when it came to Spyro, Cynder, or any other authoritative figure, he was all business. It was an annoying trait of his, but from what she understood, it was a direct result of his upbringing and culture. Those in a station above his own were held in reverence, no matter how familiar he was with them. She wished he could learn to relax in such situations, but seeing as it wasn't a big issue, she left it alone.

Deciding to take a look back, she spotted her dad, who had been trying to creep closer to the table. Despite the deep bags under his eyes, they opened wide in shock. He let his head sag in defeat at failing to sneak up on her. A wave of guilt washed over Nova as his exhaustion only reminded her of the role she played in his current situation, and she attempted a smile as he approached.

"How did you know I was coming?" Spyro asked quizzically.

"I just knew. You're not exactly the sneakiest dragon in the Dragon Realms, dad."

Spyro hummed and lowered his head to nuzzle her heartily. Nova sputtered and frantically pushed the offending muzzle away with her paws.

"Agh! Dad! Really?!" she whined. A quick hug and nuzzle with distracted friends was one thing, but to dish out this much affection with them all watching? She could only imagine what her friends would think of that.

Spyro grinned from ear to ear. "What? Can't I give my daughter some encouragement and love before I head out?"

If Nova's irritated expression could answer, it would have said no. "You can, but have you ever heard of tact? Or restraint? Or anything resembling self-control? I'm with my friends right now…"

Spyro sat up and tapped a claw against his chin. "I have, but that would make it so that I would miss out on the chance to embarrass my normally infallible daughter."

Nova threw her face into her claws, but before she could respond, a new voice chimed in.

"Well, well, I guess Spyro isn't as gracious as everyone thinks he is."

Nova's head sprung up with a gasp. "Uncle Sparx! You're back!"

"Unca Spawx!" Ignitus screamed in delight.

Sparx, a talking, glowing golden dragonfly, buzzed up to the table and winked at Nova and Ignitus. She gave a quick wave back and caught the bewildered expression that was plastered on Kiran's face. She could tell the gears in his head were working overtime, and she flashed him a quick smile as his eyes drifted to her. She probably should have mentioned her infamous uncle at some point, but it had slipped her mind.

"Hey squirt! Miss me? Wait, don't answer, because I already know you did!"

Spyro sighed, though it wasn't a negative one. He smiled knowingly and leaned down to match Sparx's level. "How was it out in the swamp? Are Mom and Dad doing alright?"

Sparx huffed and crossed his arms. "They're doing fine, but I wouldn't have to tell you that if you would come visit with me! Stop being all big and important and let someone else take care of the city for once!"

"I know, Sparx, I know… I would have come, but I had to stay back and sort out something important. I couldn't have left it in anyone else's claws. Next time, though, I promise I'll come. It's been far too long since we've all visited Mom and Dad."

"I don't understand what could be so important with all this peace we've been having!" he said indignantly. "Mom is starting to miss you quite a lot, which makes it so that she's asking me all about you, instead of focusing on me! Can you believe it!? Ridiculous, I know," he said with a wide grin. He then shook his head, letting him notice all the extra faces sitting at the table that were staring at him. His eyes narrowed as he started counting us while making a quick circle above their heads.

"One, two, three… Woah, woah, wait a minute! Are my eyes deceiving me or has Nova finally made some friends that aren't coincidentally related to her?"

Everyone at the table looked at each other while Nova threw her wings into the air in exasperation while glaring at Sparx. "What do you mean finally?! Why is that so hard to believe!?"

Sparx ended his circle abruptly and chuckled. "Oh, sorry, squirt. I just didn't think I'd live to see you so popular among your peers. It's a good change, believe me."

Nova gave up trying at this point and let her face fall into the table. A groan escaped her lips, but that didn't damper Sparx's enthusiasm. He put his hands on his abdomen and smiled brightly, zooming around the table once more. Shimmer tried to find a moment to say anything, but Sparx's exuberance and chattering didn't give her the chance.

"I'm surprised, but glad to see that so much has changed since I was last here!" he fluttered down to Nova's ear and whispered loudly. "Speaking of change, I'm not big on the rumor mill, but I've heard that you and one of your challengers caused quite the ruckus a few weeks ago. What's up with that? Normally you're a stickler for all the rules and stuff."

If anyone was willing to say something before, that notion died with Sparx's comment. That was the worst possible question he could have asked, and Nova had no idea how to go about answering it. The terror from before rose up and in a moment of pure panic, threw her wings over her face in an attempt to avoid saying something. Sparx, not understanding what was wrong, began to poke and prod Nova as he searched for an answer. It took Spyro frantically waving his claws in the air for Sparx to stop poking her and look somewhere else.

"Sparx," Spyro said hurriedly, ushering him away from Nova. "We can talk about that later. For now, don't worry about it."

He raised a tiny brow but didn't argue. He held a long stare with Spyro, making it seem as if they were somehow talking through their minds, and then shrugged nonchalantly. "Ok, ok, that's fine, but I expect to hear all the details. I haven't heard the gossip churning this deeply in a while."

"Or, you could leave it alone." Spyro countered, placing his tail protectively on Nova's shoulder, which only made her sink deeper into herself. He then puffed a plume of smoke at Sparx, making him cough and wave his hands around to dissipate the cloud.

"Hey, alright! I get it! No need to get all pushy. Sheesh, way to pick on the little guy, Spyro. Some hero you are," he quipped in a disgruntled manner.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero, Sparx. And if I was, that wouldn't matter because I have brotherly rights to pick on you."

"Brotherly rights, my thorax!" he pointed an accusing finger at Spyro. "To think, the great and infallible Spyro has quickly fallen once his heroic brother wasn't here to protect him from the hand of evil! I can see that my presence is needed here more than ever, as my short absence has allowed this darkness to flourish!"

Spyro's face fell flat, but the shift in focus allowed Nova to slowly peek out from her own wings with an expression of pure relief now that the focus wasn't on her. She scanned each of her friends and found a mix of amusement or curiosity between them that put her at ease. At least until she caught the very subtle frown Phyl was sending her way. When she caught his eyes, he quickly looked away, but the damage it caused remained.

I'm sorry, Phyl. Please don't hate me.

"Sparx, c'mon. You're being ridiculous". Spyro said. "Evil isn't flourishing here, or anywhere else."

Sparx clicked his tongue and made a quick turn to the table with a wink, leaving Spyro sighing. "As you all can see, the true hero of legend is needed in the city to stop the spread of whatever is poisoning Spyro's mind. Now, I have many new and important matters to attend to, but before I do… Squirt! Would you mind introducing me to your friends?"

Nova was slow to respond to the question, as it took a good amount of will power to ignore the aching in her chest. "Um, sure. That's Phyl, Shimmer, Jolt, and Kiran. I met them all while you were out of town."

"You don't say…" he mumbled.

Sparx floated around, taking the time to analyze each one of them, starting with Shimmer.

"Heya! I'm Shimmer, one of Nova's best friends!" she said, smiling. Ignitus beamed from the top of her head, and Sparx took a moment to rub his head affectionately.

"Well, Ignitus, I gotta say, I like this one. Good energy and great smile, unlike a certain purple dragon."

Shimmer practically glowed at the compliment while Spyro rolled his eyes, and Sparx moved onto Phyl. He raised a brow but nodded politely.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Phyl."

"Yes, I can see that. You seem calm, which is… good, I suppose. Not a bad choice, Nova."

If Phyl was bothered, he didn't show it, choosing instead to sidle up to the still exuberant Shimmer. Sparx zipped over to Jolt, making him jump and gulp nervously.

"Hello, uhm, Mr. Sparx. I'm Jolt."

"Uh-huh. I see that." Sparx said while rubbing his chin. He then moved a bit closer. "You alright kid? You seem a bit squirrely."

"U-uhm…" he sputtered.

"Wait! You don't have to say anything. Your face says it all."

Jolt scrunched up his snout in confusion. "It… does?"

"Oh yes." He said, puffing up his chest. "My heroic presence has left you speechless, as it does to many, and you are in awe of my amazing, stupendous hero-ness. I understand, and Nova, another fine pick. Great job so far!"

Jolt blinked several times and looked over at Shimmer, who was stifling a giggle. Sparx then flew down in front of Kiran and flew around him several times, until he stopped in front of his face and narrowed his eyes.

"Odd choice of friend here, but hey, I've seen worse." he said while shrugging. "Your dad fell in love with a monster at some point, so this type of decision making must run in the family."

Nova's mouth fell open and she looked at Kiran with unabashed horror. Kiran, while not seeming to take what Sparx had to say seriously, did flicker his eyes down. It was so fast that Nova almost missed it, but in the sole moment his eyes wandered, she saw how much Sparx's joke hurt. Tired of the stress of it all and angry for her friend, Nova snapped at Sparx with more fire than she meant. "Uncle! You can't say something like that!'

"Uh, yeah!" Shimmer said, in a show of support that Nova wasn't expecting. "Kiran isn't odd, or anything like that! He's our friend! …fwiend!"

Sparx, to his credit, realized he had gone too far and apologized immediately, waving his hand frantically in front of him. "Eh-heh, shoot, that didn't land quite like I thought it would. Sorry about that, Kiran."

"It's… fine." Kiran said with a polite and neutral tone. Nova winced at the facade but appreciated his ability to remain polite.

"Ok, well, thanks for saying hi, Sparx!" Spyro chimed in. He threw his wing out toward the kitchen. "Why don't we go say hello to Cynder? I'm sure she missed you just as much as I did."

Sparx hummed quietly and held a hand up to his chin. "I could, but shouldn't I give all of these newbies a run down on who I am? There's a lot of history to cover, and I know for a fact that they don't discuss all of it in class. For some reason, they don't mention the heroic dragonfly that much."

"I don't think that's necessary, Uncle Sparx…" Nova said while letting her head sink down to the table. This morning was a disaster. "At least, not right now."

Sparx crossed his arms and let out an over the top "hmph", though his grin faltered for a moment. "Fine, fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted anymore. I'll teach my history lesson some other time."

Sparx gave a quick wave and then zipped to another table. After a few excited calls for "Sparx!" from a few of the other dragons, Spyro sighed heavily, and took Ignitus in one of his paws. "C'mon Ignitus, let's make sure your Uncle doesn't cause any more trouble."

Ignitus was not happy to be ripped away from his perch and reached back toward Shimmer with his claws outstretched. While he squeaked indignantly, she gave him a sad wave and brushed her claws against his just before he was dragged away from the table.

Nova might have thought it funny, but was too busy feeling glum while watching Kiran sit back and run a hand through his hair. He sighed to himself, glanced between Shimmer and the now far of Sparx and shook his head. "Ok, you've got to explain how Sparx can possibly be your uncle. Unless I've missed something important, I don't think dragons and dragonflies mix."

"Kiran, I am SO sorry," Nova said, ignoring his question. "I can't believe Sparx said that."

"Don't worry about it too much. It was an accident, right?"

"Accident?! That was downright rude!" Shimmer growled, startling everyone at the table.

"Maybe a bit, but I think Kiran has the right idea," Phyl said with a sigh. He set his paw on Shimmer's. "I don't think we should make it more than what it was. We can let it go and not worry about it."

Shimmer's tail lashed back and forth behind her. "Let it go!? But— He—And we—"

Kiran looked at Shimmer pleadingly.

"Rrrgh, fine! But if it happens again, I'm going to tell Sparx exactly what I think!"

"You and me both," Nova muttered, rubbing her eyes with her paws. "But, to answer your question, Kiran, my dad was raised by dragonflies. He grew up with Sparx and they are brothers in every sense of the word."

"Really? I find that hard to imagine."

Jolt tapped his front claws together and chimed in. "It's true. I love that part of Spyro's story."

"You do?" Kiran asked. "Why is that?"

"W-well, he grew up thinking he was a dragonfly, and didn't realize the truth until the swamp he lived in was attacked by apes. What I like is that even though he didn't fit in, he was accepted and had a family that loved him. It's nice to think about."

Oh, Jolt. You poor dragon. Though Jolt had Ruby looking after him, Nova was under the impression that he was still hoping to have something akin to a normal family someday. She didn't miss the way he looked at her mom, and the amount of time he had spent in the family library since his first visit made it clear how much he enjoyed being here.

Considering how much he was afraid of her, though, she doubted anything would come of it.

"That is a great lesson. I think everyone can appreciate finding family in odd places," Shimmer said. Without another word, she reached a wing over to pull Jolt into a hug. He looked bashful but nestled into the hug before going back to eating his food. Kiran stood up with a wide stretch and arched his back.

"Well, I hate cutting things short, but I have to get going."

"To see Leah?" Nova said, disappointed that Kiran had to leave already.

Kiran nodded, though it was less than enthusiastic. Nova reached a wing over and gave him an encouraging nudge, followed with a silent smile that he returned. In the weeks after their fight, he had talked to her about Leah and how he had left without a word. He regretted that decision, especially after he had worked through why he had acted that way in the first place.

With some encouragement and time, he had come to understand that he was afraid of forming a bond with her. Though long gone, the similarities between Leah and his own mother had been apparent, making him keep her at arm's length. He didn't want to become attached, and acted out in the way he felt was best at the time. He now understood that the former approach was wrong, and Nova was gentle in encouraging him to try and repair that relationship. She wasn't sure what exactly would happen between the two, but she knew that it would do him good to see her again.

If something came of it, though? Well, that would be a sign of his growth, and poetic in a way that she had only seen in stories.

"Well?" Shimmer said, knocking Nova out of his thoughts. "Don't just stand there! Go see how she's doing and tell me all about it later!"

Kiran smiled and gave a quick wave. "All right, all right! I'll see you all later." With one final goodbye from everyone, including Phyl, Kiran left the table and started making his way to the city gates.


A/N

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you thought with a review! I greatly appreciate all of the feedback I get.

As a quick note, I'd like to say that I haven't been posting as quickly as I would prefer. Unfortunately, an abundance of overtime has left me little time outside of work and it will continue until December. I hope to be back to a normal schedule by then!

As always, I'd like to give a huge shoutout to Authorsan9001. Thank you for the feedback and suggestions! You're the bomb.

The Silent Insomniac - Ahah, yep! Perhaps my naming convention could have been better, but I'm back! Hopefully by the time you take a second look I'll have a few more chapters posted, but yeah, I've been slow. Thanks for the review though!

JyroRL - I'm glad you enjoyed the start of the story! I have a lot of juicy things planned for this story, and I can't wait for things to be revealed as the story plods along. Thank you for the support!