Crossroads

[Tismri]

Xerra considered her mother's words at length. To appreciate the best of life, she had to know the worst of it. The idea was at once terrifying and understandable. She hoped that she would be able to one day fully appreciate all that life had to offer, though the road to it seemed rough. She stood as her mother suggested they go outside.

"I would like to enjoy some fresh air before bed," she admitted, stepping outside. "Thank you, Mom. You've given me a lot to think about, and have put my mind more at ease."

[Trinn]

"As you wish." Cyan stood and walked with Xerra to the tent flap. "If you ever need to speak about anything that concerns you, know you can talk to me." she said to her daughter before they parted ways. She watched Xerra walk off, and then looked up into the sky. A hazy sunset was spreading across the mountaintops. The valley was growing dark quickly. She caught sight of Lux's brilliant white scales, and Chatura's fiery orange ones. The two dragons lay coiled together, intimate mates. It had been quite a sight earlier to see Chatura slam the younger gold dragon to the ground, and then to hear the roar that came out of Lux. A real battle between dragons would be ferocious indeed. Somehow, Cyan wouldn't mind seeing such a fight. To witness the sheer might of such a fight would thrill her. She wondered if Ashod would feel the same.
***

Not too far off, Kili and Joro roosted in a cave on the mountainside. They had decided to bunker down there for the night, rather than fly back to any of the dwarf settlements. It would have been stupid to do otherwise. Kili had kindled a fire and was roasting some meat he had brought along with him. Joro lay behind him drowsily. "So, what do ye thing, Joro lad? Will we have an apprentice to take to New Doru Arabea tomorrow?"

The pain in my neck tells me know. Joro responded grumpily. These are stubborn people, brother. At that, Kili laughed.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I'm a dwarf."

[Tismri]

Xerra parted from her mother and walked only a few feet before she came face to face with Zee. They stared at each other for a full minute, each obviously having a lot on their mind and much they wished to say. However, neither really seemed to know where to start.

"Well," Xerra finally said, "Out with it; what are you thinking about?" With that, the two began a long discussion of all the evening's events, from the dwarf's confrontations to the discussion Xerra had had with her mother.

"I think I want to go out on my own," Xerra finally admitted. "If only for a few years. I want to see what life is like outside of our tribe." Zee gazed at her thoughtfully.

"You're scared of being close to anyone," he said, reading her like an open book. "You don't want to open yourself up to loss like your mother has known." Xerra gazed at the ground and said nothing. "I guess I can see where you're coming from. It seems like such a lonely life, though. I can't imagine my life without my parents, or Myst, or Ian...or you." He stared up at the stars as she continued to look to the ground. "I'm going to miss you, Xerra. But I wish you the best. Perhaps the gods will see fit to cross our paths again."

"You're not staying either?" she asked him.

"Not for long," he admitted. "I have no desire to go to Bromsland. I am hoping to locate Arucane while we are still here in the mountains. I feel that my place is by Ian's side for the duration of this war." Zee lowered his head while Xerra raised hers, and their eyes met. They said nothing, but they both felt a deep sadness in their hearts. Their friendship was something that neither of them ever doubted, and they both knew that the time apart from one another would not shake it.

"Maybe you and Myst can take me to a village or something nearby," Xerra suggested. "It seems like a good place to start a journey." Zee nodded.

"It'll give me an excuse to get away before that dwarf comes back to pester me into returning to Bromsland with him," he said, both of them laughing softly.