The Fight for Salvus

The celebration was quiet, but exuberant. Salvus, now floating in the middle of an ocean on a completely different planet, was free. Dragons and riders alike hugged and laughed and stared up at the brand new sky above them. Those that were hurt were getting treatment, those that weren't were helping those that were. It was bittersweet, but it was delightful all the same. Someone left to send word to those that had been evacuated with the good news, with directions to their new home.

Teeba couldn't find it in himself to join in with all the hubbub. His feet took him on a wandering path, back to his old home - the old metal hut with the tree on top, the first structure that ever rose up in this town. The tsotska climbed up the side of the shack and sat on the roof, under the shade of the tree. A cold breeze chilled his scales.

His mind was quite numb - he was lost in his own world. So he almost didn't notice when Aren hopped up onto the roof and sat next to him. "You alright?" she asked.

Teeba jolted in surprise. It took him a moment to answer. "I thought you'd be celebrating with everyone else."

Aren'dra shook her head. "No, this one isn't quite in the mood. After all that's happened, the fight with Tenoch... Aren's just pondering things."

"Hmm," Teeba hummed. "Same here."

Silence settled over the area. Aren looked towards the ground, deep in thought. Eventually, she spoke again. "Aren heard what happened. She's sorry that it went that way."

Teeba stared off into the distance. "You don't even know the half of how it went."

"Then enlighten this one, hmm?"

A sigh. "Time happened twice. I died, the Company saved my life, but... someone else had to die instead." He couldn't bring himself to say his dragon's name. Couldn't bring himself to make it final.

"Really?" Aren pauses a moment. "I didn't know your dragons were that powerful."

"I didn't either," Teeba agreed. "I never expected any of this. It's always been me and Otulius, you know? We were just hiding out in the woods, helping out. And more folks kept on staying until we got this big. I - I've never imagined leading this place without him by my side..."

"You two were a great pair," said Aren. "Great enough to change this one's life around, for one. You really have a knack for helping people."

"Hmm," Teeba said again. He was fairly lost in his memories, not quite paying attention.

"Remember when you got Aren a dragon egg? And it hatched into Boo and brought warmth into one's life one was missing. It was quite nice of you."

Teeba nodded, absently.

"Well." Aren reached into a bag by her side. "Perhaps this time Aren can help you out a bit." Teeba glanced over to her, to see what she was pulling out of the bag.

Aren handed Teeba a dragon egg.

"Apparently, during the fight, someone found this egg out in the open, and there's no better home for it than with you, is there?"

Teeba blinked the memories away, took the egg, and gasped. Glimpses of the future appeared before his eyes, a bright future. One, for the most part, free of strife and fear. One where Salvus was truly Safe. A voice spoke from the egg, into his mind - 'Friend!'

It felt like coming home. After bonding with so many dragons, Teeba had a feeling he knew what kind of dragon this was - somehow, Aren had found him a day dragon, one filled with so much warmth and optimism that it brightened his heart, just a little bit.

"Aren... thank you," Teeba said, lost for words. She simply smiled, gaze upon the sky, their future bright before them.

Above, in the stars, two ghostly dragons looked down at their former riders, come so far - one as a leader, and the other as an honest friend - and smile.