“There’s no need to speak out,” Asha continues, addressing the flock. “Hold your tongues and keep your muzzle shut, just as I was told. You wouldn’t want to upset your so-called caring deity!”

Oh, Asha, how could you do this?! Not only has she revealed the existence of Gust, but she’s openly mocking our leader before the entire flock! Across the gathering stone, I spot Khosa and Ashene’s tails flicking wildly behind them. If Keuvra doesn’t punish Asha, then surely the elders will!

Asha whips from the aerie to face the elders directly. “Keuvra couldn’t stand to punish me himself, so he had his lackey lead me on, slowly allowing my trust in him to build. Gust was the one who led us to the entrance on the side of the mountain. He was the one who cleared the cave-in just so all of you could catch us. Think about me the next time you call your leader ‘almighty’! This is what happens when—“

Without warning, Asha’s voice is cut off. The dragons beside her pounce on her back and slam her to the ground.

KREE!!

“ASHA!!” I shriek.

Khosa tipped her wings, signaling them to attack Asha! She was being cruel to her on purpose!!

That dung eating…! It’s unforgivable!

I can’t keep my claws coiled for this. Convinced that I have to respond, It only takes me a wingbeat to weigh my options and make perhaps the most important decision of my life. With incredible speed, I leap from my captors and charge headlong towards the pale elder. Despite her age, she senses my approach and whips her neck about to face me. But it’s too late for her. Shock reflects in her eyes as I tackle Khosa by the shoulders, raking claws across her face as we tumble to the ground. Feathers fly, and blue blood is spilled from a fresh wound against her cheek. She shrieks in pain as I land sideways, quickly attempting to recover for another attack. But before I can locate my balance, I find myself thrown to the ground by one of the Kin assigned to guard me.

Furious roars rise around us. I attempt to fight back, taking a bite out of the wing of the closest Dragon. As the world tumbles around me, I manage to push away one of the Dragons, only to feel another impact me from the side. It only takes a wingbeat for the rest of the Kin to subdue me into the ground.

ROOARGH!!

Fangs and claws pierce my skin from every angle. I attempt to resist, but too many Dragons are holding me down. I wince from the pain and go limp, the fire in me thoroughly extinguished. It’s over. I had my moment of disobedience, and now it’s passed.

Through the fierce growls of those subduing me, I hear bedlam across the aerie. Dragons are going featherbrained, as they rightfully should be. To attack an Elder is one of the gravest mistakes a Kin can make, but I don’t care. My fate was sealed the moment Asha insulted Keuvra. If the elders were judging us for our character, then we’ve failed. If Keuvra was testing us for some unknown reason, then we’ve failed. The only thing left for us is death, and I wasn’t about to go down with a fight.

Through a mess of feathers, I spot a group of Dragons surrounding Khosa. Grandmother is by her side, draping a wing across her body. She lowers her neck and asks, “Khosa, are you—“

“I’m fine,” the pale elder deadpans with a snarl. She quickly rises to her talons, blue blood dripping from a wound across her cheek. “Release Daughter-Of-Mecali.”

One of the Dragons restraining me stutters, “A-Are you sure?”

Khosa rumbles in acknowledgment. At that, the Dragons restraining me slowly move aside to release me. Free to move again, I gaze across the rock to see Asha whimpering beneath the bodies of the two drakons guarding her. She looks terribly distressed but doesn’t appear to be injured. The rest of the flock has their eyes on me… all except Grandmother’s. She’s turned away from us, gazing silently into fires with her wings drooped to her sides. I couldn’t care less what the flock thinks about me, but seeing Grandmother ashamed… it hurts.

Still, I will face those who have wronged me. With a loud grunt, I rise to my talons and shake my wings of dirt, brushing them against the Dragons who freed me. They’re close enough that I can feel the warmth of their bodies, tensed to pounce should I make the slightest provocation. Khosa is standing before me, a deep scowl competing for prescience against the wound I left across her cheek. Asha once told me that a leader has to project strength to their enemies, so I suppose that’s what Khosa is attempting. She doesn’t want to appear weak in front of the flock. Neither will I.

“So,” Khosa rasps without a trace of fear-scent. Her facial feathers look more tired than usual. “You would attack one of your elders, would you? Is your head full of sparrows?!”

“Just kill me already.”

Khosa glares at me for a moment. In the silence somewhere behind her, Asha whines. Poor girl. More than anything else, I wish I could comfort my mate when she’s upset.

“We will decide your fate, Daughter-Of-Mecali.” Khosa growls and turns around to face Asha. “Our concern is the Farlander. We were not yet prepared to punish her.”

Still held to the ground, Asha raises her head slightly. “…Really?”

“Your presence in this flock is illegitimate,” Ashene scowls, approaching Khosa to stand by her side. “The refusal of our leader to appear proves that the matter of your existence is yet to be settled. We will not punish indiscriminately against those who can not rightfully call these skies home.“

Khosa glances at Grandmother, still gazing into the fire. Was she able to convince the other elders that Asha shouldn’t face death? Did she fail to do the same for me?

Asha shifts uncomfortably. “You mean you no longer consider me a member of the flock? After all I’ve done for it?!”

“You have failed to come of age,” Ashene says. “And you have failed to return the summer hunting grounds, as promised.”

“That isn’t my fault!!” Asha protests. She squirms, but the drakons above her reapply their weight. “Airship-prey no longer recognize my authority!!”

“The reasons are irrelevant,” Khosa hisses. “Your promises are as hollow as your legitimacy to be called Keuvra’s Kin. You are an outsider on these lands, and you denigrate Keuvra’s name with falsehoods and fabricated stories.”

“They’re not falsehoods!!” I roar. The Kin surrounding me try to push me down, but I remain standing. “Gust is real!! He gave me a Divine Flight from Keuvra to protect Asha!!”

“Really?” Ashene scoffs, turning to face me with an amused expression. “The Farlander’s madness has flown to you as well!”

“If my Granddaughter is mad, who allowed her into the elder’s den?”

Grandmother whips around, her wings tensed open. She looks at Ashene, in particular, for a response.

“And what of this bird she saw?” Grandmother continues. “If Keuvra will not appear before us, then I believe it makes sense for him to send others!”

Ashene’s eyes narrow. “Meldi, you are once more allowing your compassion to cloud your judgment.”

“My judgment guides my compassion!” Grandmother retorts.

“Your compassion has been little more than a wing to shield your Granddaughter from her failings,” Ashene takes a provocative step forward, matching Grandmother’s stance. “Her spat with Son-Of-Zuki, her ‘union’ with the illegitimate Farlander. Time after time, we have stretched the rules to accommodate your family’s problems. You would be wise to remember your commitment to uphold the values of this flock, Daughter-Of-Koco. You can not protect Kuro from the punishment now owed to her.”

Grandmother lowers her head slightly and lets out a low growl. Is she about to attack an elder as well?

“I do not understand how Kuro and Asha entered our den,” Uma says, re-entering the conversation. He rises from the back of the stone and continues, “But to me, the method by which they did so is irrelevant. Keuvra’s edict on this matter is clear, whether a divine being assisted them or not.”

“If they were, then they should not be punished!” Grandmother hisses as Uma strolls by.

The slate gray elder rolls his wings. “Only Keuvra can truly say if they should not. But, he has chosen to remain silent.”

Grandmother’s tail sways wildly. She growls and turns away, pacing back toward the fire with her head held low.

“Then we agree,” Khosa rumbles. “For entering the elder’s den, the Farlander will be exiled from the flock, and Daughter-Of-Mecali will be thrown to the fires.”

Khosa and Ashene nod to each other. As Uma approaches the group in the center of the stone, he tips his wings.

So… that’s it. I’ll be thrown to the fires. I’m going to die.

My head lowers, and I stare into the ground. A certain emptiness stews inside me, one that can surely only be felt when you know death is near. I can’t fight back any longer. Grandmother has done everything she can to protect me over the seasons, and it was all for nothing. I’ve worked so hard to try and be the best member of the flock I possibly could, but it still wasn’t enough. I’m tired. If I’m going to die, then I just want to get it over with. I can’t stand this cruel, heartless world any longer.

Maybe Asha was right. Maybe the deities truly have forsaken her family… at least they consider me a member. At least Asha will be able to continue living. She can return to the Farlands and resume the search for the family. Maybe she could one day resurrect her Kingdom and become Monarch. Wouldn’t that be something? A Dragon ruling over Ellyntide. She still has so much to live for, unlike me. If one of us has to die today, then I feel at peace knowing it’s me.

Across the stone, the elders look to Grandmother with impatience. Uma speaks, “Your decision is requested, Daughter-Of-Koco.”

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She’s perched in the back of the stone, watching the roaring flames rise into the aerie. A silent moment passes, and she remains still.

Khosa thumps her tail impatiently. “We have considered Asha and Kuro’s character. We considered their contributions, just as you insisted we do. The time has come for you to respect the order of this flock and make a decision.”

For a wingflap, Grandmother says nothing. Finally, she folds her wings to her side and turns around to face the elders. Tears are streaming down her face. She knows she has to make the most uncomfortable decision of her life.

“T-Then I decide,” she stutters, feathers quaking. “I decide that—“

“Wait.”

Grandmother stops speaking. The eyes of everyone present are drawn to Asha, still restrained beneath the bodies of two drakons.

My head jolts up in horror. What is she… no, she wouldn’t…!

“Please,” Asha pleads in an unsteady voice. “I can’t be responsible for any more innocent lives. I’ve already lost everything dear to me; My family, my Kingdom, and now my place in the flock. If one of us is to die, then it should be me.”

“NO!!!” I screech, slamming my tail against the ground. “ASHA, DON’T—”

Her voice rises over mine, “A life without Kuro on my wing is a life not worth living. If you spare my life for Kuro’s today, then I will simply end it another. Two huntresses will depart this world solely to justify the inane rules of a selfish deity.”

My legs buckle, and my forehead falls to the stone. This can’t be the way it ends between us! I’m the one that’s supposed to die! I’m the insufferable drakaina that nobody likes! I have no reason to be spared! She does!!

Please don’t…

Please don’t…

Please don’t…

Please don’t do this, Asha!!!

“But Kuro still has a family. She has you,” Asha pauses to glance at Grandmother. “She has an ailing sister who desperately needs her help. I know that in exchange for death, she will likely be exiled instead. But she will be alive. So, I ask you: which would you rather keep? The tight familial bonds of three Kin from birth, or one wayward Farlander who never should have set her talons in Felra?”

I cry out, misery overtaking me. Grandmother is going to agree with her. The other elders will say it makes sense. They won’t condemn an outsider to death, but they’ll happily allow one to sacrifice themselves. Asha is going to die!

Asha begins fighting back her emotions as well. In a quaking voice, she continues, “I-If I can sacrifice my life to save Kuro’s, to give her family comfort… then I accept my fate. I accept my sacrifice. I’ll willingly fly to Maki’s skies and watch that far-off horizon, patiently waiting for the day my mate joins me.”

Through hazy tears, my eyes lock with Asha’s. Tears are streaming down her feathers, but she’s smiling. She knows it, too; her plan will succeed, and my life will continue. She would sacrifice herself to save my life, just as I would for hers.

“No… Asha, don’t…”

As tears begin to blur my vision, our eyes remain locked. Is this the last time I’ll see my mate smiling?

“The Farlander has a point,” Ashene rumbles.

“Yes,” Uma concurs. “Despite her outburst, Kuro’s contributions to the flock have had long-reaching and…”

I fold my wings over my head, unable to bear the elder’s conversation. It’s over. The mate I waited my entire life to meet will be torn away from me after a single season together. I wail, sobbing in anguish as the sound of the elders gets lost in my misery.

Please, Asha…

I can’t go back to the way I was before.

I don’t want the darkness to return…

I was so lonely before I found you, Asha.

I was so…

…

“…We can choose to dwell on them, letting the negatives grow to define us. Or we can choose to overcome them, embracing the positive aspects we have control over. I still have a choice: My life for Kuro’s. I choose to save…”

No!!

Asha, please stop!!

You fool… you’re the only one who can save me.

…

Nobody is coming to save me…

Please, Asha.

Please don’t…!

Someone brushes against my feathers.

My head shoots out from beneath my wings, and I find myself in the presence of Asha’s scent. She’s standing before me, tears streaming down her facial feathers. The Dragons restraining us have parted, leaving us alone in the center of the stone. Behind Asha’s wings are the elders, watching us with expectant eyes. How long have they…?

…

“Asha—!”

We embrace, burying our heads into each other’s feathers one final time. I wrap my wings around my mate and try to commit her scent to memory. This will be the last time I know it.

“Asha,” I mutter. “Asha, please…“

Her wings tighten. “You’re going to live, Kuro. They’re going to let you stay in the flock. They said it would appease Keuvra, because—”

“No!!!” I shriek. “Asha, I can’t lose you!! I can’t go back!!”

For a time, we sob into each other’s feathers. Eventually, she pulls her head away from me.

“Frida is going to keep her sister,” Asha speaks into my ear, her voice shaking. She’s scared too. She’s in so much pain, so much more than I am. But even in the depths of her misery, she’s still trying to comfort me. “She’s going to grow up and become a productive member of the flock because of you. And Meldi will keep the granddaughter she nurtured into a fierce and passionate huntress. She won’t have to the face the agony of losing another member of her family.”

My misery is unyielding. I’m with Asha, yet it feels like I’m falling back into the darkness. How can this be the last time I’ll ever know her scent? How will I never again know the feeling of her feathers against my own? How could my mate be stolen from me by the deity I’ve spent my entire life following? How can this world be so unspeakably cruel?

“My story in this world is over… but yours is still unwritten. I know that you have so much more to live for, Kuro. And I know we’ll see each other again in the skies of Maki”

I gasp, heaving quick and heavy breaths. I try to bury my head so far into Asha’s feathers that they’ll never be able to take me away from her. I can’t say goodbye to her, I can’t…!

Again, we cry into each other’s feathers. Eventually, I feel Asha’s head pull away from me before quickly returning.

“It’s time,” she mutters.

“NO!!!”

I pull her closer with my wings. The sounds of heavy talonsteps are growing closer. They’ll have to kill me to take her away from me!

“Kuro…” Asha whispers into my ear. “Remember me, Kuro. Remember that I’ll always—“

FWOOSH!

An enormous gust of wind steals Asha’s voice. Acting instinctually, I pull my head away to see a pillar of blue flames erupting from the fire at the back of the gathering stone. Wind from unknown sources buffets our feathers like we were falling in a dive toward the ground. As the flames spread across the ceiling, the fires illuminating the aerie snuff out, plunging the mountain into darkness. The cries of Kin clash with the sounds of a furious gale.

“The fires?!” I gasp, pulling Asha closer.

Knowing what comes next, I gaze at the ceiling just as the dazzling lights come into existence. A jagged tear in reality itself comes forth, and the long, serpentine body of Almighty Keuvra emerges through the mists and into the aerie. Clad in a smooth gray plumage, gold-trimmed dorsal feathers line his transparent body from head to tail, bathing the aerie in the familiar pale glow that heralds the arrival of our leader. Long, flowing barbels hang from his muzzle-like tendrils, fluttering as he soars through the aerie without wings. There were times in the past two seasons when it felt like I would never again see the spectacular arrival of our leader.

“That’s quite enough!” Keuvra bellows, shaking the mountain to its core.

“Almighty Keuvra!!” An elder wails in shock.

“There will be no death in my flock tonight!” A mystic voice, old and wise, thunders across the aerie. “It was I who invited Kuro and Asha into my den. We did so to test the Lordanou, and I’m pleased to say that she has admirably passed.”

I try to open my muzzle to speak, but no sound is produced. This was… I was right all along?

“A test?” Ashene calls. “Great leader, why would you test the Farlander?”

The Dragon deity snakes around the ceiling, allowing his impossibly long body to unfurl. “We find ourselves in strange times, Son-Of-Pan. Asha’s presence in Felra is proof of the chaos that has ensnared the Farlander Kingdoms, a chaos which touches even us deities. We believe Asha has a role to play, one which affects the Snowfell Flock. It was necessary to understand her worthiness for this flight.”

The elders exchange befuddled glances. Khosa stretches her neck and asks, “Then, she won’t be punished for entering the elder’s den?”

“No,” Keuvra rasps. “Asha is as worthy a member of the Snowfell Flock as any brooded Kin. Her union with Kuro shall be maintained, as will her right to call the skies of Felra home.”

So, that’s it? We’re forgiven? Asha won’t die, and we’ll remain mates?! The misery that burdened me begins to subside.

Keuvra’s gaze slides to us, and our eyes lock. Though we’ve never spoken before, I don’t find myself intimidated. In a way, I find his presence calming. “Daughter-Of-Mecali. It is regrettable that you had to endure the agony of Asha’s demise. Had it been possible any other way, I wouldn’t have flown a path that necessitated so much heartbreak. For this, I apologize.”

I stare into the deity as Asha nuzzles hard against my neck feathers. Keuvra… apologized?! To me?! An unsteady “Yeah…” is the best I can muster for a response.

Keuvra smiles softly. He seems to be pleased.

“The matter of the Lordanou has been settled,” he announces, snaking around to face the rest of the aerie. “If there are any lingering doubts, let it be known that Asha is my Kin and always has been. From this time forward, she shall be treated with the same respect and dignity afforded to every member of the flock.”

Wearily, the elders lower their heads and mantle their wings. “O-of course, Almighty Keuvra.”

“Good,” he rumbles. “Sons and Daughters, this concludes our gathering. I know our time together was brief, but I have faith we will meet again soon beneath blue skies.”

“B-but Almighty Keuvra!” Khosa whimpers. “You have been absent for two seasons! There is so much we must discuss with you! The greenwing thaw, the illness that spread during frostwing, and the deception of Son-Of-Zuki!”

“In due time, Daughter-Of-Ciro.” Keuvra snakes around the aerie, allowing his body to coil up again. Asha gasps as he comes together, and the tear in reality reforms across the ceiling. “May warm currents bring us together once more.”

Kevura smiles, looking one final time across the aerie before allowing his gaze to fall onto me and Asha. His eyes lock with my mate, and I feel her feathers tense. Something unspoken passes between them before Keuvra casts about and snakes his way back through the rift. As his tailfeathers slip past the swirling mists, I drape my wing across Asha, attempting to calm her frayed nerves. The tear closes, and the fires across the aerie return to life.

For a breathless moment, all I can do is reel in shock from everything that’s just occurred. Did that really happen? Are we truly forgiven? I gaze across the gathering stone to see Khosa in a similar daze. Her neck lowers, and her wings droop to her sides. She glances at Asha and I, a look of tacit regret across her feathers. To her right, I spot Grandmother, her face quivering on the verge of tears. I’ve never seen her so relieved in my life.

“Kuro…!”

A meager voice calls my name. I gasp and look down to see Asha tugging against my wing. Tears are streaming across her facial feathers.

“We’re going to be…!”

Powerful emotions well up inside my heart. This time, I’ll be able to comfort my mate. I’ll be able to comfort her every day for the rest of my life.

“We’re going to be alright!” I cry.

We nuzzle our heads, sobbing profusely as we slowly collapse into a pile of feathers and tears. I feel Asha’s warmth, smell her scent, and revel in her love. Never again will I take these things for granted. I’ll cherish them for as long as I live.

“I love you, Asha!”

Through the haze of a dreamless sleep, something sharp nips at my feathers. My head shoots up to see Grandmother standing above me, her wings half-open and her gaze squarely on me.

“G-Grandmother?” I mutter, trying to focus through sleep-stained eyes. “Why are you—“

“It’s Keuvra,” she speaks softly. “You and Asha have been summoned to his den.”

My head inclines backward. “…Really?”

“No tricks this time,” she smiles. “I spoke with the deity himself.”

“Oh…” I trail off in surprise. My gaze falls away from Grandmother and settles onto Asha, sleeping beside me. Flickering light from the aerie reflects off her facial feathers — for the first time since we left for Ellyntide, she looks peaceful in her sleep. Once last night’s gathering concluded, we quickly found an empty den and settled in to rest. After everything that happened yesterday, we were both thoroughly exhausted. “Um, I guess I’ll wake her up.”

So, we’ve been summoned again. And with the elder’s blessing this time, it seems like we’ll actually enter Keuvra’s den. I wonder what we’re going to talk about? Surely, Asha is going to finally learn the truth about her transformation. But what else could our leader have in store for us? Feeling a tinge of excitement, I nuzzle Asha’s neck, searching for the place she likes to be affectionately nipped. I nibble her skin, and she begins to stir beneath me.

“Asha,” I speak softly. “Wake up, Asha…”