Listen, And The Stars Shall Speak

Promise?

As it turned out, Coal didn't have to worry about how to tell Dusk and Dawn that he was leaving. The job had already been done for him. There was a smattering of footsteps from the stairs and the two dragonets flew into the room, their eyes wide. Coal and Firefly were standing by the time they arrived. Dawn barreled into her father and clung to his leg with a whimper, as if he was going to disappear. Dusk stared at them in shock for a moment. Coal glanced down at Dawn's fearful expression and he attempted to pry her from his leg, but it was no use. She had an iron grip and no desire to leave.

"Tell me it isn't true!" Dusk demanded, his eyes shifting wildly from his other to his father and back. 

"Tell you what isn't true?" Firefly asked gently, slightly concerned. 

"Tell me that you haven't been drafted." he said in a trembling voice. Coal's face fell, and he could read the answer clearly. 

"Dusk," Coal began. Firefly reached out to comfort him, but Dusk recoiled.

"No! I don't want to hear it!" he exclaimed. He swallowed hard and turned away. "You shouldn't have to go!" With that, he ran back up the stairs, the door to his room slamming shut a moment later. 

"Is Daddy gonna die?" Dawn asked in a quiet voice. 

"What?" Firefly questioned. 

"No! No, of course not." Coal insisted. He managed to unhook her from his leg, and he picked her up. Her arms wrapped around him protectively, as if she didn't believe him. 

"Dawn, why would you even think that?" Firefly asked gently. 

"Cause I asked Duskie what drafted means, and he said that you go to an armys and that not all the dragons come back cause they die." she explained. Coal and Firefly exchanged a look. That would be a conversation that wasn't over. Dawn looked at them worriedly.

"Dawn, sweetie, you shouldn't worry about that." He insisted. "I am going to be just fine- I'm just going to go away for a little bit." He kissed the to of her head in reassurance. "I'll be back before you know it." She sniffled and held out a talon. 

"Promise?" she asked. He grinned and hooked his talon with hers, sealing the pinkie swear. 

"I promise." 

Coal's last week went by much faster than he had hoped. Before he knew it, it was the night before he would leave for training. It was later at night, and Coal found himself looking around his home one last time before heading upstairs to go to sleep.

He paused at Dawn's room and studied her for a moment. The little dragonet was sound asleep, one arm curled tightly around a stuffed animal. She shivered slightly, for she had unknowingly kicked away the blanket. Coal smiled softly and crossed the room, draping the blanket over her. It was then that he noticed the tears lingering on her face, as if she had cried herself to sleep. His smile faded a bit as he wiped the tears from her face. Dawn's grip on the stuffed animal loosened slightly as she relaxed and Coal crept from the room, shutting the door behind him. 

He stopped again at Dusk's room and smirked slightly at what he saw. The dragonet had passed out, mid note-taking from the looks of it. There were scrolls and various pens scattered all over the bed and the floor. Crumpled up papers were mixed in as well, and a pen was still clutched in Dusk's talons as he snored lightly. Coal walked in and put the pens away, re shelving the scrolls as well. He paused at the title of one of them.

The Technicalities Of War. 

Coal  frowned. Why would Dusk be reading something like this? He looked at the other titles.

Ways To Be Removed From The Army

The Laws Of Sandwing War

Debatable Discharges From Old Wars

The History Of Drafts

What the? Coal thought to himself. He found himself reading some of the notes Dusk had taken on the scrolls. 

"A Sandwing that has lost his/her tailbarb has the right to refuse their draft." -Cut off tail barb?

Coal wandered out of Dusk's room with one of the scrolls, reading the notes. It looked like Dusk had come up with every possible way to keep him out of the army, and some of them weren't too light.

"Have you seen some of the stuff Dusk has been reading?" he asked Firefly, still staring in shock at the scroll. "Cause this is pretty dark." 

"I know." Firefly replied softly.

"Then why-"

"I gave him the scrolls." she admitted. Coal glanced up at her. She stared back at him with tear filled eyes. "He just wanted to help." she went on. "It gave him hope, I think. Hope that there was a way to keep you out, to keep anything from happening to you." 

"Firefly," He set the scroll down and sat down next to her. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me." 

"And how do you know?" she questioned. "You don't. You can't. But, I could help and you know it. I could make something. I could keep you protected. I-" 

"No, Firefly." He was not going to let her use her magic. She had already used it once to help him, years ago when he'd been trapped with his brothers. But not again. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right. 

"But what if something does happen?" She asked. "What do I do then?" Coal sighed. He didn't have an answer for that.

"Let's just not think about it, okay?" he pleaded. She nodded slowly. "Everything is going to be just fine." He smiled softly and kissed her. Firefly smirked slightly and held out a talon, looking slightly childish.

"Promise?" she asked. He grinned and hooked his talon with hers.

"Promise." he repeated, kissing her again.