Dragon Dreams

Chapter 39: Reunion (2/2)

On top of all those things, I was starving, as the rumble in my belly made me well aware. I flicked my tail in the direction of a deserted patch of grass, wordlessly indicating my intentions. Tenaya nodded, followed by Stolvir and Ferenor. The four of us stalked into the thicker grass in search of rabbits, which we soon discovered were in abundance. After a few minutes of easy hunting, my hunger was sated.

As I was using a talon to pick my teeth, I caught a glimpse of Nyraz sitting on a small hill in the distance, her silhouette limned in the soft glow of twilight. She had her eyes fixed on the stars that now emerged in the dying light. Her athka sensed my gaze, and she beckoned me over with a gentle tug on my spirit. I slipped away and shortly I settled down beside her on the cool grass.

"I did not think this day would come for a long time." The dragon's words were spoken to the wind; her eyes still raised to the sky.

Nothing I could say would truly capture how I felt, but around Nyraz I never seemed at a loss for words. There was something about her that made her easy to talk to. "I am sorry that I didn't get a chance to know him longer," I said. "But it still feels like losing my closest friend. He has touched my life in ways I'll never forget. In many ways, I think he saved my life, and I think you would say the same thing."

"Yes, he did."

"He gave me hope, and he helped me find my way when I was at my lowest point." My tail stirred in the grass beside me. "It's rare to find someone who cares so much."

Nyraz hummed in agreement. "I never thought I was anything special at all, even after all the changes in my life. But Rofar...he had this way of unlocking what made me special, what made me see the joy in every day of my life."

Somehow it felt good to talk about him like this. Even in the deep sadness I felt there was gratitude. I sat a moment in silence, looking at the stars and giving thanks for having a dragon like Rofar as a friend.

Nyraz was eventually the one to speak again. "What do you see up there?" She let the question float through the night air.

"I see the vastness of the universe," I said. "I see how small I am."

"Indeed," the healer murmured, "we are small—and fleeting at that. And yet..." Her words faded into the evening sounds surrounding us.

I let a few seconds pass before I asked, "What do you see?"

"I see a gift." The turquoise dragon sighed wistfully. "When Rofar and I would be apart for a time, he always reminded me that we could look up and see the same stars up there. It's an idea that's been passed down in the clan for generations. I see a gift that I can share with him even though he's not by my side."

A blur obscured the stars, and I shut my eyes to let the tears flow. My heart grew suddenly heavy. "I don't think I ever properly thanked him," I whispered, "after all that he did for me. He was there for me from the very beginning, through everything. He never gave up on me."

"He knew what was in your heart," Nyraz said softly. "Even if you did not share it aloud. He loved you like a son, and he was so proud of you."

My head moved closer to the other dragon and found the soothing contact as I leaned into the base of her neck. Her nose brushed me in return, gentle and warm. "I think you should see your family again," she suggested in a half-whisper. "They will see what is in your heart as well. But better still to tell them your feelings in person. They can give you the comfort you need right now."

I lifted my head from her scales. "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me." The healer lowered her muzzle to rest against her side where bloody gashes still leaked trickles of blood. She was silent for a few long moments; I knew that she was putting new healing magic on the worst of her wounds. Nyraz then kept her eyes closed and allowed her head to drop gently to the grass where it rested against her belly. "He gave me one last gift," she whispered. "The gift of life."