Author's note: I know I do take a long time updating. There's a lot of factors for that, including dissatisfaction with my own writing quality and lack of feedback. This chapter has something I've been struggling to write for a long time and I hope the end result is something that is worth the wait. The next few chapters definitely won't take as long to produce. Thank you for reading!

"I understand, Rue." I say to the angry Haxorus across the table. She has been scolding me for far too long. "In the future, I will take better care of my public image and think before I act."

"Just a small bit of restraint on your end would have saved us so much trouble!" she replies, not placated at all. I want to roll my eyes, but she would probably notice.

"Come on, that's enough," Phendrene says as I notice her tugging on Rue's arm, just like she did last night. I try to not snarl out loud.

My face still contorts somewhat but I am lucky that Rue turns her attention toward Phendrene. "But he sounds like he doesn't mean it at all!"

I saw you two cuddling as if you two were mates. The image of Phendrene snuggled close with her limbs clambering over the Haxorus remains firmly lodged in my mind. Clenching my fists, I take a deep breath.

No matter. I keep my face expressionless as I ignore their comments and finish off my food.

"I'm done," I say as soon as I eat up the last one, and stand up from the table. "I'll go for a morning flight."

"Really?" Phendrene asks, lifting her head up. "Maybe we could go together?"

"No, you're too slow. You can hang out with Rue," I answer curtly and step aside and away, walking past the other tables. You want to fly with me now? What about not even saying good night to me yesterday?

There are a few shouts of excitement directed at me from children. I ignore them. I'm used to being the center of attention in public at this point, and I have more important things to worry about.

It is the recruitment of the dragon who is the most powerful Pokemon on this island.

Before I fell asleep, I had been thinking of how I would go down the path of war. It seemed pretty straightforward - learn and understand my circumstance, and apply my own skill intelligently. In tandem with all the other talented dragons we have, it should be difficult to fail. But there was something that didn't make sense - if Father recruited the strongest dragons to fight, why is Sylvia here on guard duty?

In the morning, I approached Jet to inquire him of any history with Sylvia. The Garchomp was more than happy to explain. Father did try to recruit her three years ago, but Sylvia refused to help, saying that she only knew how to battle in an arena and not in the wild. She wouldn't budge no matter how much Father tried, so he requested that she at least defend the mothers and the children. To that, Sylvia acquiesced.

Though winning the war may not be impossible without her, she would undoubtedly be a great asset if I could somehow change her mind. Perhaps if I personally asked her…

The wind tickles my back as I land at the entrance to her cave. "Sylvia? Are you here?" I call out as I turn the corner, only to find her still sprawled in bed beneath the blankets.

"You're back!" she exclaims with a yawn as she rolls over. "Come over here." She pats the empty space on the bed next to her.

I would have expected her to be a bit more moody since I left her alone last night. Maybe she didn't realize that it and assumed I woke up earlier? I take a careful seat on the bed, intending to keep my torso off the bed, but Sylvia tugs on my arm with such force that I almost fall prone next to her.

"Wait, stop!" I pry her arm off of me. "Aren't you gonna get out of bed?"

Looking disappointed, Sylvia sighs and rubs her eyes. "For what? I get up whenever I want. Come on…"

She tugs on me again, but I remain firm in my position. "It's time to rise. The sun is already well over the horizon," I tell her sternly.

Sylvia makes a disappointed whine as she forces herself up, her mane messy and unkempt. "Fine, fine…"

"How do you usually have your meals over here? Do you eat in the dining hall with everyone else?"

"I've been there a few times but… the children make too much of a fuss because I'm different," Sylvia says as we head towards the cave entrance. "I usually ask food to be delivered here, or I go foraging by myself."

I don't think I should bring up the topic of the war yet, so I suggest, "Maybe we should go to the dining hall to get you breakfast? I still need to introduce you to my friends."

Sylvia pauses at the cliff. "Your… friends? Who do you mean by that?"

"Phendrene and Rue. Ah, Rue is that Haxorus," I explain upon seeing her perplexed frown. "Is something the matter? You already know Phendrene, right?"

"I've spoken to her a few times," Sylvia says, her voice suddenly lighter. "Okay. We can go."

"Are you sure? You don't have to."

"No, it's fine. I need to make myself less comfortable." She pats down her mane for a few seconds, making it neat and tidy. "Can't have my bed face on for your friends, can I?"

Her prim smile and groomed mane reminds me of the time she was battling me in front of hundreds of other dragons. "Is this the side you used to show to the public back in your team?"

"No, this isn't half of it. I had to put on makeup."

"Makeup?"

"Human cosmetics that you use to decorate your face with. …Never mind, there's none here anyway."

There are a few conspicuous looks toward us as I glide down ahead of her. After all, we are both unique species here. The hall is less crowded than before, with most people having eaten before sunrise. I glance inside, and sure enough, the Haxorus is still there.

"Hey, Rue!" I call her from a table away. "This is Sylvia."

"Nice to meet you," the Noivern says and gives Rue a courteous nod. "I've heard a lot about you from Nova."

"Oh. Hey." Rue seems surprised as she glances around. "Uh… You here to have breakfast?"

"Of course. Also, Nova wanted to introduce me to you," Sylvia explains as she takes a seat across from Phendrene and Rue. "And hello, Phendrene."

"Hi." Phendrene's voice is quiet as she looks at her empty bowl. "I'll go get a bowl of berry soup."

"Thank you! You're so sweet," Sylvia says like Phendrene has done her a huge favor. Phendrene just smiles and excuses herself before heading towards the back kitchen.

"So… what are you doing here? It doesn't seem like you're, pardon me, raising any children," Rue asks.

I worry that Sylvia will react negatively to the mention of children, but she doesn't even flinch, and merely puts her paws together on the table together. Her position seems diplomatic and friendly, if a bit formal. "I'm just on guard duty, of course. It's good seeing these civilians safe and sound."

"How come you're here, though?" Rue says as she sips soup, her tone becoming more relaxed as her arms open up. "With your skill, you could easily earn a place in Blight's task force."

"Ah. I get asked that quite often. It's simply because whilst I'm a battler, I'm not a murderer," Sylvia says, her tone remaining cleanly demure in spite of the grim topic.

"Murderer, huh… That's an interesting choice of words." Rue's words mirror my thoughts.

"Is it really a strange? Didn't you visit the human world with Nova in your absence?" Sylvia asks in return, crossing her claws beneath her chin. "There is no distinction of dragons and non-dragons in terms of how much their life is valued."

"Okay, I sort of get that," Rue continues, "but you do hunt, right?"

"No. I do not. My diet of plant-based foods is enough to sustain life, just like everyone here in Sanctuary."

Rue frowns. "Have you eaten meat at all, then?"

Sylvia's brow twitches, but before a more obvious sign of annoyance can show she straightens her face. "I have. However, in those cases they were served to me, or I was just making use of a corpse, rather than hunting."

Rue's arm stops midair as it is bringing soup to her mouth. "Making use of a corpse? Er, no offense, but that sounds a bit odd."

"Back when I was keeping a berry farm, I would have to drive other foragers away. It would be easy if I could just scare them away, but some are very persistent, so I had to hurt them to disincentivize stealing."

"Well, with all due respect, that's still killing for your own-"

"Can we change the topic?" I interrupt and put my arm in the middle. I don't want Sylvia to have this notion reinforced, because then I wouldn't be able to convince her later. "This topic is a bit heavy."

"That's fair," Sylvia says with a nod. "I wonder when my food is- Oh, she's here."

Phendrene comes over and puts a bowl on the table, causing Rue to stop and turn to the Charizard. "What took you so long?"

"I was waiting for a cook to fill the bowl for me," Phendrene mumbles. "I'm going to check on the children now."

"Why? I'd love to chat with you," Sylvia says in that bubbly voice. It sounds very different from what she's usually like.

Phendrene's eyes remain on the floor. "Um, thanks, but I- the children just are- I don't want them to-"

"Just go, she'll understand." Rue says as she shoves Phendrene away, at the base of her tail. "Don't stand there stuttering." Is it even appropriate for Rue to touch her tail?

"S-sorry," Phendrene says as she stumbles forward, and give me a brief glance before heading away.

Sylvia comments on the flavor of the meal and Rue responds in kind, poking each other with formal yet probing statements. But I am too distracted by Phendrene's behavior to pay attention. In the time I have been gone, she has grown to be less shy and more mature. But just now she felt like that Charmander from way back then, one who wouldn't even talk and merely use gestures to communicate.

I want to excuse myself to check on Phendrene, but before I can speak, Sylvia asks if we want to see the farm and Rue accepts for both of us. As she rambles on and on about the different types of crops and berries, I keep on glancing back toward the lake to see if I can catch a glimpse of Phendrene.

"Thanks for showing us around!" Rue says to Sylvia as we finished touring the farm. "It's been great getting to know you."

"Same. You're quite knowledgeable for someone who was born on this island," Sylvia answers with her arms and wings tucked in gracefully.

"Thank you! I think I should go check on Phendrene now, though," Rue says and looks toward the building on the other side of the lake. "I feel like she could use some help handling those children."

"Of course, go for it. I'll see you later."

"I think I should go with them too, maybe?" I suggest to Sylvia. "I'll catch you at lunch?"

"Oh." She pauses for a moment. "Sure! I'll see you then."

"Alright, see ya," Rue says and waves.

Sylvia takes off toward the direction of her cave, and I am left alone with Rue once more. To my surprise, the Haxorus does not strike up conversation. Instead I ask, "So. What do you think?"

"She's pretty cool," Rue answers, gazing at the receding Noivern. "But that was really rude."

"Huh? Rude?"

She turns around and rolls her eyes. "Are you playing dumb? Why else would you bring her to Phendrene, other than to let Phendrene know you prefer her?"

I stand there, stunned for a moment, before answering, "No, I just thought that maybe I should have introduced her to you two."

"Don't tell me you didn't know Phendrene wouldn't like that," Rue says as she crosses her arms. "And why would you need to introduce her to us?"

"Why wouldn't Phendrene like that?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe because she wants to be your mate?"

"More like she wants to be your mate," I shoot back.

"Huh? What the fuck?" Rue steps forward and grabs my shoulders. "What's gotten into you? We're both females! I can't be her mate."

"I think you two would go pretty well together," I say, before pushing her off. I don't want to get into detail about my feelings, because that would involve explaining to Rue what I saw last night. "I'll go save dragonkind, and you two take care of the whelps. Perfect."

"What, you take me for some housewife? You can't even defeat me without your psychic powers!"

I was trying to stay calm, but she's getting a bit overconfident. "Of course I can! You wanna try now?"

Rue pauses for a moment before shaking her head. "Hmph. Never mind. Didn't expect you to call for a battle."

She must be referring how I usually avoid battle. "It's not as if I can stay inactive once I go back south to prepare for war. A moment of carelessness, and they could suppress my psychic power and kill me."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just don't dismiss me as some child caretaker," Rue says as she crosses her arms. "You know I don't like that."

"You can handle children, though. It's not as if caretakers are inferior to battlers. Phendrene is the only one that can handle that Gible, I heard," I explain myself, realizing that Rue took offense to my previous comment. "And… it's better if there are less of us out there. You should know. You thought you were going to die when your tusk was cut off. Do you remember how you felt?"

"Not really." Rue looks away, a vacant look in her eyes. "With that much adrenaline, no one can process their emotions. I just… accepted death, I guess." Rue's voice and quietened to a whisper.

"Forget I mentioned that," I tug on her arm, not wanting her to relive that memory. "I don't want you in danger of dying again."

"But there's no way I'd just sit here and let you risk your life by yourself, either! Do you take me for a coward!" Rue frowns and glares at me, her fists clenched in determination. "If you won't fly me down south, I'll walk."

"No, I didn't- I wasn't trying to force you to do anything." A sense of discomfort washes over me as Rue's accusing stare fails to drop. "You know, it's hard for you to be effective in these fights. When fighting other dragons, you know what is coming, so you can prepare for their attacks and deal devastating damage with your tusks. Against unknown creatures? You can't just charge in. It would be too dangerous. That's why I thought it might be better for you to stay here…"

"And I could say the same for you," Rue replies the instant I finish speaking. "Your psychic powers are also easily exploited, they can just-"

"Stop, stop, stop." Beginning to feel tired of the excuses and justifications, I put an arm out. Rue doesn't stop talking, so I raise my voice and speak over her. "Listen! I never said I won't take you back to Novaria. So calm down."

Rue does manage to stop talking, but agreeing to that makes me feel uneasy. A moment of silence later, I suggest, "Let's just go visit the children."

Phendrene shows no signs of her prior anxiety in the nursery. She addresses me like she had done yesterday and has no problem meeting my gaze. We don't mention Sylvia or what her presence implied, and I am happy to keep the situation as that.

After greeting us, Phendrene goes back to teaching rhymes to the children, leading them along and encouraging them to recite it line by line. Her warm smile and voice is so maternal that I almost feel she is from a generation above me, and that I should be reciting along with those children.

My mind turns to her odd reaction to my statement last night. I wasn't lying when I said she would make a good mother. It's not even my opinion - anyone can see that. But if she still loves me as a mate, shouldn't she be glad to hear that? That I would value her as a potential mother of my children. I don't understand how female thoughts work. Sylvia, too. They make no sense.

No, stop thinking about females. I need to prioritize the war. Who cares about who Phendrene sleeps with!? It's nothing of my concern…

I become restless as the afternoon passes, and soon enough, it is dinner time. I am neither hungry nor feeling social, and excuse myself soon to watch the sunset at the lake. The gentle wind blows toward me, bringing tiny waves of water ashore as they futilely try to reach land, only to be blocked by the rocks. The warm red sun, no longer blinding to view, has its reflection quivering on the surface of the water.

As mundane as the life here is, it is something worth protecting. Seeing these mothers and children smile remind me of my early childhood, before everything was torn apart.

There's not much point in staying here for much longer. I will only get distracted. Tonight, I will ask Sylvia to come, and then we will leave next morning. I'm sure Jet would be okay with that. If Rue disagrees, she can walk back south.

The peace is disrupted by the noise of some wings, and I turn around to see Phendrene gliding down toward me. My eyes meet her in her descent, but in that moment she diverts it to the surface of the lake. I don't say anything as she lands softly and takes a seat next to me.

"I knew I'd find you here," she says. "It is nice, the sunset."

"Yes."

There is a short period of silence, perhaps because my answer was so short. I usually have more to say, but I don't find it of any use.

"Nova, I…" Phendrene breaks the silence as she reaches her arm around mine. "Do you think I've changed?"

"Huh? Of course. It's been three years, after all," I answer, keeping my gaze on the sunset. It's beginning to dip below the distant mountains now.

"And it's been zero for you," Phendrene continues as she shuffles closer. "You must still remember the younger me like it was yesterday."

"Maybe. Does it matter? That Phendrene is gone now, isn't she?"

"Yes." Phendrene pauses, and leans against my neck. "I'm older now. I'm no longer a child."

I don't know how to answer that at first, so I just let her lie against me as the sun slowly sets. "You have taken care of those two for a long time. Of course you'd grow more mature."

"So, you think I am more mature?"

"Of course." I wonder why she asked that, I thought it was obvious.

"I'm an adult now, right?"

"Yeah."

We fall back into a period of silence as the sun gradually disappears, leaving a shade of red in the distant skies while the clouds elsewhere darken.

"How long will you stay here?" she asks after the sun is fully submerged, raising her snout to poke at my face.

"Ah, right. I plan on leaving tomorrow morning."

"What?" Her grip on me suddenly tightens as I feel compelled to turn and meet her eyes. "Why? You still have a few more days, right…?"

"I do, but the earlier we get started on the war the better." I push myself upright and have to drag Phendrene up with me by lifting my arm.

"B-but… I wanted…"

"People want lots of things," I say with a shake of my head. "They can't get everything they want. I know I can't. I can only do my duty and help dragonkind survive."

Phendrene's breathing quickens and for a moment I think she is going to cry or whine, but she stops herself and steps back. "Alright. I understand."

A small bit of the old Phendrene had slipped out her, and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to avoid it, or let her fall into my arms as she did for so many years. In the end, I just say, "It's dark now. Let's head back."

Phendrene climbs onto me with much less hesitance before I once again fly her back over the hills that surround Sanctuary. Luckily for me, we find Rue and Jet chatting in the now-empty dining hall, and I explain our plans to leave next morning. To my surprise, Rue offers little resistance and agrees after I explain myself. Jet wants to stay up and chat a bit longer, since it would be our last day on vacation, but I excuse myself citing that I need rest for the teleportation back.

Instead of heading to the male dormitories, I fly upward to the Noivern's lair. There was no opportunity to catch her alone during the day, but she had always been surrounded the others.

"Sylvia? Are you there?"

"Yeah." As I turn the corner, I find her lying in bed but not under the covers.

"Not sleeping yet?" I say as I take a seat on her bed.

"I'm not really that tired," she says with a soft smile, but her eyes do not move from the ceiling. "Come overrrr…"

I shuffle a bit closer and she drags me down to lie next to her. I am almost surprised by it, since I got used to the face she put on for everyone else today. However, she just smiles and grabs my arm lightly, content to remain in silence.

The soft fabric and a fragrant smell makes me want to lie down and relax, but I resist that urge. I came here for a greater purpose. "So, what is your plan from now on?"

"Huh? I don't have plans. I do whatever I want." She rolls over to face me and prods me in the snout with her claw, hard enough to make me flinch.

I ignore her gesture, and begin to talk. "You were a pretty diligent guard yesterday. You came down as soon as we came over the hilltop."

"I happened to be going for a flight at that time. In the few months I've been here, it's been boring." She leans in, nestling herself against my throat. "I get to plant my own berries on the farm, but it's not the same as having a garden."

"But it's worth it, right? Keeping these mothers and children safe?"

Sylvia doesn't answer immediately, and takes a deep breath, tickling my chest. "That's what I tell myself. But really, I'd rather protect my own child…"

There it is again, her obsession with children. No, I shouldn't be put off, I should be supportive if I want to be able to persuade her. "I know you'd make a great mother when the time comes."

I expect her to give a standard flustered response from my flattering, but she doesn't answer. The pressure on my body becomes weaker. A sense of deja vu arises, the mood so similar to that when I gave Phendrene the same comment last night, so I try to divert the conversation. "So, are you planning to stay here? I have to go down south to help my father with the war. Maybe you should come, too."

"I'm not suited to being a murderer," she mutters. "I'm not getting involved in this."

"You lived and fought with all sorts of species, so it's understandable." I give her mane a small scratch. "But we won't be able to see each other anymore."

Sylvia doesn't react, and so I open my mouth to proclaim some sort of affection, to try and give her a reason to come south, but the manipulative words don't come out. Instead, I just answer, "If you don't want to come down south with me, I guess it's goodbye."

"But you can visit by teleporting," Sylvia mumbles, her voice soft as a whisper.

"I would be risking my life by being overexerted for my missions," I answer flatly. There is another period of silence, as she just lies there, not caring. This won't do, Nova. You need to pick your words carefully to make her emotionally charged, even if it hurts her. Because you'll be saving more lives. "It's fine. I'm sure you can be a mother to another male's children."

"What? And you wouldn't even be jealous? Seeing me in another male's embrace with my belly swollen with his egg?"

I stop any intrusive thoughts by refusing to imagine the scenario. In fact, her words are so heavy that I can't help but exclaim my thoughts without regard for my grand goal. "I don't understand. Why haven't you found another dragon? I've been gone for years!"

"You're the only one that understands me!" Sylvia cries and burrows into my neck again. "None of them know me for who I am. They think I'm so graceful and calm, because that's what I'm used to putting on for show… I can't imagine talking about Kelsey or crying in front of them. Please, Nova. Forget about the war… Just stay here with me…"

For a brief moment, I feel like I could say yes. But the image of Phendrene tending to the two children comes into my mind. The dragons must have a future.

And my job is to get Sylvia to come fight for us, no matter what I do.

A shiver goes down my spine as I remember my anguish upon being manipulated by Latias. I hated her so much that I slashed her and even fantasized about her killing me to end my suffering.

How can I do the same thing and have my conscience stay at rest? Only because my reason is more noble. I would never do such a thing in times of peace. Even though I may be toying with Sylvia's emotions, her coming along could potentially save so many lives. Yes, I am doing this for the greater good.

"No, I can't," I begin. "The future of dragons hinges on me. I must go down south. Even if I…" The words are difficult to say. I remember how pained my heart was when I realized Aya was just an illusion. Do I really have the right to curse Sylvia through the same thing? Perhaps not, but then what of all the dragons that will die when claiming our victory without Sylvia? That is, if we even can win without her support…

Suddenly, the memory of my brother being split in half returns, everything so vivid - his horrified screams, the coldness of the slow, and the smell of blood. There's no way I can let that happen again, not just to any of my loved ones, but also the other dragons. I must do whatever it takes to save these lives, even if it means I lie to Sylvia.

What is one dragon's romantic happiness compared to all the lives it would save?

I take a deep breath, before looking her in the eye. "I have to go. Even if I love you."

Sylvia freezes at those words, and looks up at me with teary eyes. I must act in accordance to my words, so I close my eyes and lower my face to meet hers…

Only to suddenly feel a harsh force in my snout. It takes a moment for the pain to register before I yelp and clutch my face, feeling a wetness spread in my paw.

"How dare you!" Sylvia screams, pushing me away. "How dare you try and abuse me my feelings!"

I sit up, barely managing to hold my gaze to match hers. My mind is too focused on the pain to think of any ulterior motives, so I just sit there in silence.

"Leave." Sylvia says, pointing to the entrance of our cave. She holds her head high and looks down toward me, as if she is above all this. "Leave and I'll let you keep what's left of your face."

I manage to get used to the pain as I push myself off the bed and stand up. Feeling there is no point to keep the facade up, I ask, "How did you know?"

"Which male proclaims love for a female while refusing to stay and care for her! I should have known that you're like the rest of them," she hisses as she bares an ugly, seething face I did not know she was capable of making.

If she thinks she hurts me with these statements, then she is sorely mistaken. I take a deep breath and bring my paw away from my snout, before looking at Sylvia. I notice her flinch as her expression softens with a cross between guilt and sadness, eyeing me down as a drop of blood trickles past my lips.

Of course. She lashed out in the same way that I lashed out when Latias did the same thing to me. I just shake my head lightly, finding it unfortunate that she cannot see what I was trying to do.

I turn around, not wanting to look at her anymore, and she makes no sound. As I step toward the ledge, I smudge the blood before it trails past my chin. The injury on my snout still pains, and I wonder if it will last.

I contemplate what to do next as I glide off the ledge. I've lost my leverage over Sylvia, and there is no way I will be able to convince her now. I don't have to lie or manipulate her anymore. Letting out a sigh, I try to quell the unease within me by savoring the cool wind.

Landing by the lake, I splash some water on my face to clean the wound. It's merely a surface one, the pain far weaker than the battle wounds I have experienced before. What hurts more is that I failed in my task, and now she probably hates me.

No one understands me. I want to do good for the world. I want to save lives. But no one realizes this, or understands me. Phendrene sleeps in Rue's arms again, and Sylvia probably thinks I'm a sociopath.

The water trickles down my face, reminding me of rainy day where I fought father to try and take Vie's eggs away. I had the same feelings back then, being miserable at trying to do what I thought was best yet having people hate me. Looking back, I wonder if I made the right decision. Maybe the others were right and I was just too full of myself.

Am I like that right now? Doing the wrong thing yet believing myself to be right? No, it can't be. While what to be done with the eggs is subjective, wanting to win the war is certainly not. As immoral some may have called my antics, it was all done in the name of saving lives.

Then why do I still feel so awful?

There isn't much noise at the dormitories when I enter the corridor building. There is a Sceptile lounging in the garden, but he is stargazing and I quietly step around and into my dark room, and leap onto the bed and bury my face in the soft blankets.

As tired as I feel, I am wide awake as a flurry of thoughts fly around in my head. Doubt, anxiety, and even guilt fill me as I toss and turn, wondering if I really am as good of a person as I believe I am.

I'm about to go for a flight to calm my nerves before the door suddenly opens. I scramble up and raise my hands defensively around my snout before I see a dim light from my guest's tail, and realize that it is Phendrene.

"Hi, Nova."

"Hi," I answer as she walks over and shuts the window. "Why are you here? I thought you were with-"

"Not so loud," Phendrene says and sits down onto the bed next to me. "I just… I wanted to talk to you before you left."

"Okay. What's the matter? Is something wrong?" I ask as I take her arm, concerned.

"I was just thinking that since it's your last night here, I-" She suddenly stops as her eyes focus on my snout. "Nova, what happened to your face? Where were you?"

"I was…" I stop myself before I answer, realizing that Phendrene might be hurt if I told her the truth. "I just crashed into a tree."

"Really? A tree?" Phendrene brings her paw up to cup my face gently. "You're such a terrible liar, Nova."

I don't know what to say to that. Admittedly, it was a terrible lie. "It's nothing. Just… don't worry about it," is the only thing I manage to say.

"Did you try to court Sylvia?"

Her question is so sudden and her tone so normal that I flinch and shuffle back against the wall.

Phendrene leans forward, her arms supporting her as she tries her best to smile. "It's okay," she says. "I'm here-"

"No, wait, I wasn't!" In my surprise I forgot to answer the question. "Yes, I went to see Sylvia, but not to court her! I was trying to convince her come south, so that we could win the war more easily."

Phendrene pauses before leaning on the wall, next to me. "Why did she claw your face, then?"

"I tried to persuade her using some… unorthodox methods, but she found out. So she did this in a fit of rage," I explain.

"Unorthodox methods?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You mean, pretending to love her?"

"Yeah." I flip back onto my belly, not wanting to face Phendrene's judgment. "I thought it was my best chance to get her in the war. If it could help save lives…"

"I understand." Phendrene leans onto me and puts an arm around my neck. "That's very noble of you."

I'm once again confused by her words, but her expression betrays no skulduggery. "You really think so?"

"You're able to focus on a goal and drop everything to achieve it. It's very admirable," she says with a smile.

I would have thought she would be upset, but instead she tells me this. Feeling a wave of contentment wash over me, I smile. "Thank you, Phendrene."

She too is quiet for a moment before she leans in. "Let me see your wound."

I lower my snout for her as she climbs in front of me and takes a close look, her snout poking me in the chin. "It's deeper than it seems. I'm surprised how little it bled."

"It's not a big deal," I say, finding my eyes focused on her face as she scrutinizes the injury. "I- I washed the blood off."

"Oh! So that's why your face was a bit wet," she says as she looks at the wound from the side. "I think it needs a bit more treatment."

"It's fine, just leave it alone and-"

I stop talking as I feel Phendrene's tongue on my snout, slowly licking along the wound and onto my cheek. My eyes narrow as a reflex, but her slow and soft motions allow me to relax as I just stare at her face. The pain returns for a while, but there is something calming about her ministrations that make me lie there obediently as she laps on and on.

Gradually, the pain begins to dull as Phendrene gives one last lick before pulling back. I suddenly find my snout very lacking in warmth, so I press it up against her neck. She is taken aback and yelps in surprise as I push her down against the bed, running my tongue along her neck and up her snout. I proceed to lap at her lips, prying at the entrance.

"N-Nova, what are you doing?" she asks without moving her head away.

"It's called kissing," I explain as I caress her face. "It's what humans do when they love each other."

My mind is a blur as I lap again and her snout, and this time she lets me in. In the back of my mind I notice that it is warmer, and that her snout is longer, but I barely focus on these details as we hold a long, passionate kiss. As I pull off of her, I find myself panting as my heart pounds against her chest.

"That was nice," she says with a giggle.

"Phendrene, I…" I begin, feeling a softness in my heart. "I love you. I- I don't think I was ever the one to say it first.

She just smiles and pulls my head down, our throats touching. "It's alright. I love you too."

I wonder what washed over me. Maybe it was because I realized I had someone who would unconditionally accept me. Or it was just because she licked my snout one too many times. Either way, it stirred something within me and I did something that I never thought I would.

"I just wanted to hold you one last time," Phendrene murmurs, the creaks in her voice alarming me. "I've waited three years for you to return, and now you're leaving again…"

I push myself up a little, just so I can see her face. I bring my paw up to wipe away the tear at the edge of her eye. "I'll hold you close however many times you want," I say in response. "I have to defeat all of those who threaten you and the children, so you will be safe. But after that, I'll always be there for you."

Phendrene suddenly leans forward and grabs my head, bringing me into another kiss. As our tongues intertwine, I forget everything that has troubled me, my mind only full of desire for her. The tighter our grips on each other become, the more certain I am that we both love one another. There have been times where we felt loneliness or despair, but now that time is ending. For the future, we'll always have each other.

The sea stretches to the end of the horizon. I wonder how far it is. Maybe I could fly over it. But I don't know for sure. If I couldn't make it over, then I would drown. And I would never be able to see my mother again.

"Tabi!" Sophy calls from aside. "Isn't it a bit too late? Won't Masha get mad?"

I watch the Spheal waddle through the waves and up towards me. "I can't fall asleep," I admit as I look down. "I miss her."

"I know. I couldn't imagine not having my mom around for so long," Sophy says as she settles next to me. "But I'm sure she'll come visit as soon as possible!"

"Uncle Haze said that it might be a long time. It's already been so long. I…"

Sophy nudges her head against my side, and I stop talking, knowing that my friend just wants to comfort me. Instead, I sit down in the sand and put a wing around her.

The peaceful stargazing is interrupted by the noise of a large creature wading through the bushes, and I don't bother to look behind me. "Tabion! It's far too late! We need to wake up early to pick berries tomorrow." Sophy described that scolding tone as just like her own mom, but I couldn't relate.

"Thanks, Sophy," I say to my Spheal friend as she nods and wades back into the water. I turn around and stare up at the giant Feraligatr. "Sorry, Masha. I can't sleep."

"Nonsense. You will lie beside me and try," Masha insists as she steps forward and scoops me up in her strong arms. Her grasp makes me feel safe and sheltered, like nothing will ever be able to harm me. My mother could never provide me such a feeling. But just the fact it is not from her shatters the illusion of comfort.

"I don't want to sleep. I want to watch the horizon to see my mother returning."

"Ah, don't we all. I wish I could see my mother again too," the Feraligatr says as she walked into our small hut. "But it's not safe on the mainland. You're here because it's safe."

"I want my mother to be safe too," I say as she set me down on the sleeping mat. "Uncle Haze hasn't visited in ages, too. What happened to them?"

Masha lies down next to me, trying to pet me despite her gigantic paw. "You must trust that they'll be fine, Tabi. I swam out a week ago and have heard news of Hazelnut, so he is fine."

I want to believe Masha's words and take comfort in her care. But no matter how much I like her, she is not my mother.

The Feraligatr seems to notice me shifting and instead pulls me close to her chest. "It's okay, Tabi. You're a good boy. Just close your eyes. It will all be alright in the end."

So I close my eyes and lean against her, feeling every pulse of her heartbeat against me. Instead of her scales, I imagine my mother's softness, and I let myself be lulled into sleep.