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Ruari stared listlessly at his dragon-shaped plushy that his sister had given him as a third birthday present before she had left--over a year ago now. It was a toy she had played with when she was younger, but it still looked like it was almost new. He kept it safely tucked away in his little treasure box stored under his bed until now. He took it out mostly just to hold and look at it, and sometimes squeeze it as tightly as he could until his tears would go away.

I can't believe that she is gone...

The last time he had seen her was several months ago when she had visited. She didn't stay for very long, but just long enough that Ruari could play with her and show her a lot of his new scrolls--though he tried not to bore her too much with them. It had been such a fun day... and now he would never see her again.

Ever.

Ruari sniffled and wiped his cheek. He looked over at his empty desk and thought that maybe he should read or study to get his mind off of her, but he hadn't felt like doing anything for the last week. Instead, he sulked and moped around, constantly being reminded that his sister was dead.

Even though they were trying to hide it, his parents were in the same sort of condition too. His father stayed home for the most part, which under normal circumstance Ruari would have been thrilled, but it wasn't nearly the same. His father acted like it was his fault and blamed himself for not being there for her.

And his mother would read to him like she used to when he was much younger--Ruari didn't feel like reading himself. It was soothing to listen to her voice, and he didn't mind being coddled this time around. Ruari spent more time with his family instead of burying his nose into some scrolls, yet he still couldn't find his happiness.

Ruari heard some noises going on outside his room. Both of his parents were home again, but it wasn't either of their voices that he heard. It was his grandmother's raspy voice. He wondered what she was doing here, and he would have gone to see her if he didn't feel so moody. She was talking to his parents about something that sounded important, but Ruari couldn't hear what.

He hid in his room and held his toy closely, ruminating about old memories. He remembered the fun times had had with Raegan as well as their fights and arguments. A small grin curled his lips as he thought about the time he convinced her to take him on an adventure, far away from their home. They had both been scolded for that one, but it had been worth it.

Then, Ruari heard talons clacking on the stone floor in the hall outside of his room. They didn't sound like large footsteps like an adult's, and he almost expected to see his sister poke her head around the corner.

But instead, it was the white-scaled dragonet's head that looked into his room. Two crimson eyes stared at him thoughtfully while her feathers puffed out behind her skull.

Ruari's heart sank a bit, though he knew that it was impossible for his sister to ever return. "Hi," he said to her. He tried not to sound as miserable as he felt.

She regarded him with the dip of her head and walked past his door, further down the hall. Ruari wondered why she was in his house, but he didn't really care. He pinched his eyes shut and tightened his embrace around his plushy, sniffling while trying to hold back his tears. He didn't want to believe that Raegan was gone forever...

"Are you crying?" the dragonet asked, peeking into his room from the other side of the doorway now.

Ruari ignored her and hid his face behind the soft toy. He didn't want to talk with her, especially since she was a Northerner. It was probably a Northerner's fault that his sister died!

"She's dead, you know. She's not coming back."

Ruari's talons clenched, but he remained silent, hoping that she would go away. He knew it was true, but he never needed to be told that.

"Get over it," she grumbled and walked away, her tail swishing behind her as she disappeared.

Ruari growled and bared a snarl, but she was gone before he could even let her know that she angered him, though she was probably well aware. He quickly wiped his cheeks again and frowned. Who was she to tell him that?

I knew Dad shouldn't have saved her... Ruari shook his head and sighed, unhappy that his mood was dampened even more. He hopped up onto his bed and curled into a tight ball, snuggling his plushy against his blue-plated chest.

At least she'll be gone soon... and then I'll be starting school. Ruari sighed. He didn't want to go to school, especially now. He just wanted to stay home.

He glanced over at the satchel his father had given him... the one he brought home the same day he brought the news of Raegan's death. As much as he wanted to proudly wear it everywhere he went, he wasn't sure if he could do it without being reminded of his sister.

Ruari sighed again and shut his eyes, wanting to shut himself off from the world. Why did it have to be Raegan?

* * *

"This is where the city first began," Evelyn explained as she led Keira down a dirt pathway through the outskirts of the city. They were in her neighborhood, where old, wooden houses nestled in under a pine forest. "It used to be a small village about three centuries ago. My husband's family was the first to have gathered here long ago, and soon other families came too. I believe he said it was his great grandfather who was the founder, with his four councilmen."

Keira walked beside the old dragoness and looked around. She felt nervous. Finally, she was able to go outside and see what the city was like, but there were so many Southern dragons around. None of them really paid her any attention. Some glanced their way, and a couple of the older dragons gave her a strange look. There weren't many younger dragons in this district of the city. She saw maybe one or two dragonets close to her age; otherwise, everyone else was much older than her.

There were a few stone buildings in the district. Keira wondered how they managed to build such strong buildings, and then she realized that it was because they used magic in their daily lives. Unlike her village, everyone here seemed to know how to use magic. There were only a select few in her village that understood how to use it, and her father was one of them--though he never taught her how. It seemed like a commodity at the time, but Keira now realized how important it was for a striving society. And if more of her villagers knew how to use magic, then perhaps they could have defended themselves from the attack.

"When I had married my husband, the city was a quarter the size of what it is now: this was about a century ago. We opened several trade routes, established many diplomatic ties, and reached the pinnacle of our golden age about fifty years ago. Workers couldn't keep up with the demand for houses, and there were plenty of tasks for everyone. Then twenty years later, we struck a war with the Northern clans..."

Evelyn sighed and dropped her head, stopping in her tracks. "Since our city is near the border, it hit us the hardest. There were many surrounding clans that came to our aid, and it was just enough to keep any offensive armies from invading. Luckily, our warriors were more than prepared and our city took minimal damage but... we lost so many lives in the last fifteen years."

Keira looked up at her and asked, "Who started the war?"

Evelyn cocked her head and shrugged her wings. "I... I can't really remember. It escalated so quickly. I don't remember why either... I think it started because of territorial disputes."

"My dad said it was because Southern dragons were attacking Northern towns to steal their supplies." Keira remembered some of her father's angry rants. He had no real part in the war, as their village was secluded and far from being a target. Still, she remembered the fighters and warriors that gathered there in case of an attack; she took great interest in them and asked all sorts of questions, mostly about how to fight.

Evelyn frowned. "I don't think that's quite what happened... We had our cities attacked by Northern clans who sought to conquer them and take the land."

Keira pursed her lips and wondered if that was true. She was almost positive that the South was at fault for the violent breakouts, but maybe it was the North's fault? She never paid enough attention to understand why.

"In any case, there was no winner but only two losers. It was completely pointless and a waste of valuable life. There's no end to violence," she muttered.

Evelyn started forward again, and Keira followed her. Their idle chatting disappeared and was replaced with a subtle silence between them. Other dragon's voices could be heard through the trees, and the tweeting of bird songs gave Keira some peace; but her wandering mind soon found more negativity to dwell on.

It wouldn't be much longer before she had to leave. At first, Keira thought that she would be more than ready to leave by now. She didn't want to live in a place that hated her, but she didn't want to leave the only place where she had someone to talk to. She didn't want to be alone--she was scared to be alone.

"Evelyn..."

Evelyn stopped and turned her head. Keira stared down at the ground at clawed at the dirt.* "Yes, dear?"

"Do I... Do I really have to leave?"

Evelyn's expression softened as she dropped her head to nuzzle Keira. "I'm afraid so... You wish to stay here?"

Keira took a moment before nodding her head. Despite being a Northerner, she thought she would be better off here. It was much easier to ignore hateful comments and glares than it was to starve and suffer. On top of coping with her losses, she wasn't sure if she could make it on her own.

"I'm sorry, Keira... I don't think there's anything I can do. The council already agreed that you would leave after a month."

Keira nodded sadly and dropped her head. "I understand." Her tail drooped behind her as they continued down the street. Keira didn't care much for looking around anymore.

* * *

Fallon watched as they lowered Raegan's limp, lifeless body into a shallow, stone grave buried in the ground. Her once beautiful black and sky-blue scales were battered and dull. The healers did their best to repair her body for the ceremony and clean it, but the sight was heart-wrenching to say the least. His gut turned and tightened; he felt like retching.

He heard Ruari whimper next to him, and Mara pulled him against her with a wing. Fallon bit back his tears and wrapped a wing around both of them, feeling a tremor shudder through his limbs. He felt cold, terribly cold. To lose another loved one... My own daughter...

A small tear fell down his cheek before he promptly wiped it away. His mate nuzzled into his neck and rested her head upon his shoulder. She was crying too, but she kept it quiet.

Aside from a few sniffles and whimpers, the graveyard was ominously silent. The moment seemed to last forever as time came to a standstill. Each second passed unmercifully: one long, grueling tick after another. Around them were friends and family, all with sad or expressionless faces. Dorian sat beside Evelyn on Fallon's left, and the other council members were spread out in the thin crowd. Fallon saw a few old friends and wished he could have met with them under different circumstances.

Everyone then took turns sharing a few words. Had Fallon been in the right mind, they would have felt comforting and reassuring, but his mind felt completely empty and drained of all emotion; and instead, a sharp, aching headache throbbed between his brows. When he finally stepped up to say his words, they spilled from his lips in a pained, throat-clenched voice.

"When Raegan had first hatched, I knew that she was going to be one of the greatest gifts in my life. That precious smile of hers was always so heartwarming. And I'll always remember the first time we took her flying. I was so proud of her then, and I've always been a little too proud of her, but she was my daughter..."

His voice broke and he pinched his eyes shut, taking a deep breath before continuing, "To see her life cut short is more than a tragedy. For me to outlive my own daughter... The anguish is terribly unforgiving. An accident it may have been, but I must still wonder why. Why did it have to be her? My sw-sweet, p-precious daughter..."

Tears unwillingly spilled from his eyes; he was breaking down, in front of those who held him in high regard as the leader of the clan. He hung his head low and backed away, sitting down next to his mate who immediately hugged him with her warm wings to comfort him. He laid his head against her shoulder and cried.

His wife was the last to say something. As she stepped away, Fallon hugged Ruari against him with a wing. Ruari sniveled and cried, burying his wet snout into his father's shoulder. Fallon nuzzled his son to comfort him, but it didn't do much good.

After Mara said her words, she and another Fire-dragon prepared their magic and then incinerated Raegan's body, laying it to rest in her grave by burning it to ash. The warmth of the fire's blaze didn't comfort Fallon in the slightest. Flames flickered menacingly in his sapphire eyes, reminding him of the death and destruction fire brought.

No matter how intense the fire was, a dragon's bones never burned. All that remained in the grave was his daughter's bones before they sealed it with a stone slab, closing it forever. Fallon regained his composure, but he couldn't move.

Everyone began to leave except for Fallon and his close family. They stayed together for a while after, mourning for their lost one.

* * *