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"Do you think that she could be special?" Fallon asked his brother. "There has to be a reason why she was the only one that survived, right? We didn't just find her accidentally..."

They stepped quietly through the forest, a couple leagues away from the city. Fallon kept his voice down, not wanting to scare off any prey as they both prowled beneath the trees. It was quiet except for the sound of their paws crunching into the snow.

Dorian gave a hefty sigh and shook his head. "You are acting as if there is something else at play here."

"Maybe there is," Fallon replied, shooting Dorian an uneasy expression. "Perhaps fate put her here for a reason. Nothing is ever an accident."

"Say you're right," he grumbled, "and if there is an underlying purpose for her existence, why would she be here? She is a Northern dragonet and nothing more. I don't care if she survived a massacre, and I don't care if she heals exceptionally fast. Her blood is as filthy as any other Northerner."

Fallon growled quietly in his throat. "Fate and destiny aren't things we can normally make sense of... Not until the future has come to pass."

"And by then it'll be too late, and we'll have a tragedy on our claws," Dorian retorted. "She doesn't belong here. She will kill one of us someday, and that blood will be on your talons. Fate isn't always in our favor."

Fallon frowned and suppressed another growl, turning his focus back to their hunt. Now, it was completely silent except for the sound of two dragon slinking around in the snow.

Fallon was always surprised by how much prey lingered even within five leagues of a dragon city. Not very many city-dragons hunted anymore, since food was so easy to come by, but there were a few like Fallon and his brother that enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. The meat tasted better coming from an animal that wasn't completely docile.

The coniferous forests were too dense for them to hunt their prey from above, so they had to carefully approach it like many of the land predators. However, they were much bigger than the land animals, so it was very difficult not only to be stealthy but to also be able to chase their prey between the trees.

But, it wasn't very difficult when all it took was a well-placed ice shard to penetrate the heart. Fallon had become quite accurate over the years of practicing his magic. He secured two different deer with two shots of his Ice magic, the limp bodies collapsing seconds after the other about fifty yards away from them. The rest of the herd quickly darted away, snow kicking up in their wake.

Fallon inspected his kills and remembered something Keira had said. "Do you remember the bodies back in that Northern village?"

Dorian nodded and caught the carcass Fallon threw to him. "What about them?"

"They all had scars in the center of their chests... like this," he said, pointing to the gaping slice in the center of the deer's chest. "Why would someone do that?"

Dorian glanced away and shrugged his wings. "They killed an entire village and burned it to the ground. I can't say that they are normal dragons."

Fallon nodded and sighed. He knelt down and began eating his kill, feeling his gnawing hunger abating after each and every gulp. It wasn't as if he didn't love the taste of cooked food, too, but the strong flavor of a fresh, warm kill couldn't be replaced.

"You haven't been acting like yourself recently, Dorian," Fallon said and licked his lips and teeth clean. "What's wrong?"

Dorian was bent over his meal too and wiped his snout clean. "I'm fine... Just have a lot to worry about," he answered in a much kinder tone. "I'm not sure if we're... safe."

Fallon squinted at him. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we be?"

Dorian shrugged his wings. "There's been a lot going on. The war just ended a year ago, and already there have been two villages completely destroyed from both sides. I don't want to see any more needless bloodshed..."

Fallon rumbled and gave his brother a firm nuzzle to the cheek. "The war is over. Both sides explicably agreed to a permanent ceasefire. If worse comes to worst, we'll gather another tribunal between the nations and sort this out. Whoever is in charge of these attacks is just looking to stir the fire, but we won't allow it."

Dorian winced and pulled away, shaking his head. "I have a bad feeling that it's more than we can imagine. That Northern dragonet is a bad omen," he stated with a growl. "Nothing good will come of her being here."

Fallon's expression softened and then scrunched tightly together. He wanted to comfort his older brother, but at the same time he hated his guts. "How can you put so much on such a little dragonet? How can she possibly be such an issue to you!?"

Dorian turned his head away and his tail lashed behind him. "It's their blood."

"What happened to our father was a tragedy, but it's no use brooding over it!"

Dorian angrily flashed his teeth at Fallon and hissed, "It wasn't just him! They took everything from me..." He snorted and shook his head back and forth. Fallon saw the glint of tears on his cheek. "They took my brother away first, and then they took Freya, leaving me with nothing. Our father's death just made me feel emptier. It's why I relinquished the clan over to you when that time came."

Fallon gingerly stepped up to the green dragon, concern painted on his muzzle. "Who was Freya?" It wasn't like Dorian to act distraught. Lately his brother smiled less and scowled more; it wasn't like him--there was too much hostility.

Dorian sniffled and sucked in a breath. "She was my mate..."

"You never told me you had a mate," Fallon said.

"No one knew because..." He paused and clenched the snow tightly between his talons. With a heartfelt sigh, he looked at Fallon with wet, golden eyes. "She was a Northerner."

Fallon couldn't read all of the emotions spilling out of his brother. The sadness he could understand, but there was a strange mixture of regret swirling in his golden orbs, filled with memories and hatred. "I'm... I'm sorry, Dorian."

"We met when we were young before the war... I spent a lot of time with her and snuck out of the city at night just to meet her in a secret place. When the fighting started breaking out, we agreed to stay out of it as much as possible, but they found out about us..."

Dorian pinched his eyes shut and elicited a quiet sob. "I loved her with all of my heart, and they tortured and killed her right in front of me. I was powerless to stop them... I can still hear their disgusting jeers_in my head. I can still feel all of the pain and anguish I had felt then. They would do that to their own kin..." He glared at his brother and bared his teeth. Tears were falling freely down his cheeks. "Tell me again how everything happens for a reason. Tell me that this is _fate!"

Fallon laid a wing over Dorian's back and tried to pull him close to comfort him, but he growled and shoved Fallon away before suddenly being thrust upward through the trees by a pillar of rock that shadowed over him. Snow showered down and pelted Fallon's black scales. Dorian took off back towards the city, leaving Fallon alone.

If I had lost Mara, would I be like him? he wondered. To lose someone he loved dearly... He understood Dorian's rage; he felt the same when Raegan had died. But there was no one to blame, so his anger didn't manifest itself like Dorian's did. Had a Northerner killed his daughter, he may have agreed with his brother.

He looked back at their unfinished deer and didn't feel hungry anymore. He sighed and found a safe place to take off, heading back home.

Fallon returned home early into the evening. It was still snowing, as it had been for the last few days, so the sun was obscured by thick, gray clouds. It did get darker much earlier than normal, but it was unusual for it to be this dark out.

He found Mara and Ruari waiting for him in the living area. The room was lit by several white, glowing crystals to provide enough light that they could see clearly. Ruari was lying on his bed next to his mother while he read to her.

Big smiles crossed their faces as he stepped in and greeted them. "Did you have a good day at school, Ruari?" he asked and lay down next to him on his bedding, putting the little dragonet between him and his mate. He gave her a loving nuzzle and rubbed their snouts together.

"I did! Tomorrow my friends and I are going to go to Vance! W-well, uhm... if that's okay with you. Mom said it would be alright!" Ruari looked up at his father with big, glowing blue eyes. Fallon couldn't help but to feel his heart leap in his chest. He hadn't seen his son genuinely happy in a long time--since Raegan's death--and the fact that his son had made friends warmed his heart.

"I don't see any problem with it as long as you're back here before bed time," Fallon answered and touched their noses together.

Ruari wriggled in place with his tail swishing behind him. "Thank you!"

"You've made some friends, huh?"

He nodded with a bright, toothy grin. "They're really nice! Aidan's great-grandfather is on the council, so you probably know him, but most of his family works as guards. He wants to be an explorer when he's old enough. And I don't know too much about Desmond yet... He moved here from a different city with his family."

Fallon grinned down at him and rested a wing over his son. "What's Aidan's great-grandfather's name?"

"Kevion!" he answered.

"Kevion? He's one of my more agreeable members, though I don't have much of a choice," Fallon chuckled. "At least it's not Elder Ryke."

"He's the mean, grouchy one, right?"

Fallon nodded. "Yes, he certainly is... Where's Keira?"

"She went out for a bit," Mara answered. "She didn't say where or how long exactly."

Fallon frowned and stood up. "I'll go find her."

"No, Dad," Ruari said, "stay here..."

Fallon gave him a soft smile and licked between his horns. "Sorry, Ruari, but it's getting late and I don't want her wandering around on her own."

Ruari mumbled his disappointment and nodded, turning his head away.

"I'll be back before long, and we can all relax together." Fallon saw how Ruari's expression shifted and felt an ache in his chest. Someday soon, I'll spend a whole day with you and only you, my son. I promise.

* * *

Keira sighed and rested her head on top of her forepaws. It was much colder now, and the snow made her feel more at home. She lay in it and slid her tail back and forth to form small drifts. The icy, wet chill against her scales was a welcome feeling. She always felt a certain affinity with the snow because of her pure-white scales. She didn't know many dragons aside from her mother and father that shared the same snowy color as hers.

Most Northerners had dull-colored scales, colors that matched their environment. There were a lot of grays and blacks, and even the colors like blue, red, and yellow were all pale compared to the beautiful colors she saw here. So many vibrant dragons flew around the city every day, and they made her a little jealous.

But now her surroundings reminded her too much of her home. She found her spot on the cliff just above Evelyn's home, though the view was entirely different. Snow fell from the sky and drifted with the wind. It was thick and fast enough that she couldn't see very far; she saw the dull, gray sky with white, blurry specks drifting down. It was a depressing sight.

Maybe I should just leave... Maybe it is wrong for me to stay. I'm a Northerner and not a Southerner. I could find my mother again... but... Keira sighed again and shook her wings free of the snow accumulating on top of her. I don't want to leave.

Despite her loneliness, she had a family. She had a mother and a father that truly cared about her. Even though no one else cared whether she lived or died, they did, and that was enough to keep her there. Anywhere else she would be alone--completely alone--and she didn't want that.

Keira grit her teeth and dug her talons into the ground. If I wasn't so weak, I wouldn't have to rely on anyone... I would be able to survive on my own and not have these stupid emotions!

She remembered how strong Fallon was and how he defeated her mother so easily without taking a single hit. It was because of his magic, something Keira was never taught to use. She'd always taken interest in it, but not very many of her villagers knew how to use it properly. Everyone here apparently knew how to use magic; even Ruari could use it when he was three years younger than her!

With a terse growl, she tried to focus her mind and steady her breathing. She read through one of Ruari's scrolls countless times, yet she could never figure it out for herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't feel that energy flowing through her. It was like it was trapped inside her.

Keira raised a paw and concentrated on a pile of snow in front of her. She focused her attention on it, closed her eyes, and relaxed. It felt like time slowed down, and she could feel everything from the tiniest snowflake melting on her to the bubbling energy in her chest struggling to be released. She could hear everything, too, thousands of snowflakes pattering against the trees and ground, and the wind whistling and rustling around her.

But nothing would happen.

Keira growled and swiped away that snow pile with her claws, huffing and shoving her nose back into her arms. She was weak.

She heard someone land beside her and turned her head to see Fallon stepping through the snow. "I thought you might be here," he said. "Is everything okay, Keira?" He lay down next to her in the snow and covered her with his wing like a blanket.

Keira hesitantly nodded and turned her head away. "I guess so."

"You guess so?"

She sighed and shrugged her wings. "I'm weak. I can't use magic. I'm depressed. I'm lonely. I'm just a sad excuse for--"

"Keira," Fallon interrupted. He pulled her against his flank and nuzzled the top of her head as their tails entwined. "That's enough."

Keira sniffled and wiped her cheeks. She tried to hold back her tears, but the more she tried and failed, the more frustrated she became, so more tears would fall. It was a never-ending cycle that brought sobs while she buried her snout into Fallon's neck. His wing was warm and his touch was soothing. She never wanted to leave his embrace.

Fallon rumbled deeply in a steady purr while keeping her tucked under his wing. "You're much more than that. I've never met someone stronger than you, Keira; you are not weak by any means."

Keira sniffed and wiped her eyes, beginning to calm down once again. "I am... I keep letting my emotions get the better of me."

"You bottle them up too much and try to hide them... That's why you came out here, right?" he asked.

She nodded and pulled her head away to look up at him.

"Emotions are difficult to control, especially at your age. You've gone through so much... Don't be afraid to let them out. Talk to me or Mara whenever you start feeling like this." He smiled down at her, with deep, sapphire spheres that looked into her eyes. They felt so soft and loving, and it made her warm and happy.

"I've tried to appeal a few laws to help you feel more at home, but sadly the majority of my council disagrees with me." He sighed and mumbled beneath his breath, "Maybe if Turi wasn't missing, things would be different."

Keira leaned her head against his neck. "Thank you for trying, Fallon..."

"I'll do more than try," he said and affectionately licked the top of her head. "Have you talked to Ruari yet?"

"He doesn't want to be near me."

Fallon grumbled and exhaled. "I'll talk to him and see what's going on."

Keira nodded and pressed her paws into the snow. "Can you teach me how to use magic?" she asked quickly. "I tried doing what you said, and I read through a few scrolls, but it doesn't work."

Fallon touched his nose to hers and nodded. "But for now, let's return home. I'm sure Mara is worried about us." He stood up and lifted his wing from her.

Keira shivered and finally noticed how cold it was getting, since the sun had descended. "Thank you, Fallon."

He smiled kindly and said, "Anytime, Keira. Let's go."

* * *