The Dragon and the Fox

It was with fury churning through her body that Kira flew over the mountains, high in the air. Every wingbeat channeled her anger through the air. Every breath through her nose was an exhale of rage, rage at the Ice Dragons, rage at the Black Dragon, rage at the world and the sea and the sky.

Why do I have to do this?

Kira thought she knew the answer. Her mother had asked her, in her last words. Kira wanted to honor her, to repay for all of the hugs and talks that they never had the chance to give each other. Kira had never been close to her mother, but now she missed her more than anything.

I can’t do it. I’m sorry.

“Find the Dragons.”

But, Mother, Kira thought pleadingly, the Dragons aren’t all that they seem. They don’t want to help, and I never saw that coming, and I don’t know what to do, and everyone hates me, like they always have, and always will. I didn’t do anything wrong. This isn’t my fault.

But was it? Was it her fault? Kira recalled the way she yelled at Deya. How she had spat insults at Cyfrincato while he gave her valuable information, then walked away stating that he was useless. How the last words she ever gave her siblings were those of a whiny, spoiled little fox. Was it her fault that everyone seemed to hate her or lie to her?

No. It’s their fault.

Kira shook her head. She wasn’t selfish. Blizzard was wrong.

Her wings caught a draft in the air, and she turned in the sky. Her anger slightly disappeared in wisps like the clouds around her.

Where should she go next? Kira’s best guess was to Lelluys. After all, maybe there was someone there who had heard of or seen Deya. Kira had heard a rumor once from the vixens in the village that there were various trading posts and communities full of mixed creatures who weren’t even companions. Maybe she could visit one of those.

But one other thing the vixens had mentioned was how much crime was there. There were no rules or limitations. Stealing was so common that it was considered as just part of life. Many creatures died there every day, whether of murder or disease and sometimes randomly.

So was it really that smart to go there for Kira? She was young, she’d never seen crime, and she was looking for a wanted Dragon that was banished from her kingdom.

But maybe if she found sympathy among these outcasts…who knows what information they could give her. If worse came to worse, she could always defend herself using her powers, though she really didn’t know how to control them.

That settled it. Kira stiffened her resolve and trusted her wings to take her where she wanted.

Kira watched the sun go down from high in the sky, wondering if Deya was looking at the same sunset, or if she knew that Kira was on her way to rescue the big white Dragon.

The sun slowly crouched back behind the earth, granting peaceful darkness to the sky. Kira thought it was strange that such a big event in the world passed with total, comforting silence. It made her feel calm.

Stars began winking into existence, as if they were scared of the sun and relieved it had finally gone down. Far, far below, Kira could see the Giant Trees of Equellay, stretching their boughs to the sky as if to try and touch the clouds. Nobody knew why the trees in the Equestrian Lands grew so big, but they were colossal—as big as mountains, some even bigger. All around them were plains, with the occasional herd of horses or zebras running through them, and even some donkeys. Kira knew that a section of the Equestrian Lands was actually not “equestrian”, but full of antelope and deer as well as some moose and caribou. It looked like she had passed that region a long time.

Kira watched the moon rise, now less than half of its former glory, when she had last seen it. It was hiding the rest of its face from the world, shielding its secrets in darkness. Kira wondered why the moon went through its cycles—did it just have random emo phases of its life where it decided that it didn’t want to be seen? Why was part of it always hidden in shadow, except for those special nights?

Maybe, when all of this was over, Kira could visit Queen Eclipse again and ask her these questions. That thought gave her hope, and a smile flickered across her snout.

It was then that Kira realized how tired her wings were. It was like as soon as the sun disappeared, her wings began to falter. She quickly steadied in the sky, then drifted down slowly to land in the top of a tree. She could see the Nexus from here, shining silver in the light of the crescent moon.

Kira thought of her sibling pile, and her heart ached. Even lying next to Deya had given her the satisfaction of knowing someone else was there; that she wasn’t alone in the world of uncertain dreams.

The little fox curled into a little ball and folded her wings over herself, protecting her face with her fluffy, blue-tipped tail. Her fur pressed into the soft, smooth bark of the tree. Kira thought that was unusual—most trees had rough, hard bark. It was almost as if these trees grew for shelter and as homes.

As soon as Kira stilled, her thoughts rushed all over the place. For the first time in a few days, she remembered her nightmare, and the emotions that had accompanied it. She was certain that she had been dreaming about someone, maybe in their mind. But who? Why had those specific emotions come with it?

It was a mystery, and Kira hated mysteries. She wanted things to be solved right then and right now. But it didn’t seem like that was possible, and it made Kira frustrated.

No one truly holds all knowledge.

But why not?

Kira sighed. Would Cyfrin’s words ever leave her mind?

You must find your companion.

She mulled the advice over and over again, until her mind slowed down, as did her breathing. Finally, she drifted off to a fitful sleep, dreaming about cramped, dark rooms and voices in her head.

A cheerful cardinal call was what aroused Kira in the early morning. She stretched, flexing her sore wings and shedding a few feathers in the process.

Kira’s stomach rumbled, and suddenly she realized that she hadn’t eaten in at least two days. How had that happened? Normally her stomach alerted her every day, twice a day. She was also incredibly thirsty, so she decided to go down to the Nexus. She spread her wings in a flash of color and lifted off the branch.

Fish were rather easy to catch, which Kira was glad for. She wasn’t experienced in the art of hunting at all.

She lapped up the ice-cold water eagerly, soothing her parched throat. Then she straightened and looked around.

“Time to go to Lelluys,” she muttered to herself. Then she took off once again, flying through trees for a little bit before finding a place open to the sky.

But as she shot through the opening, something caught on her wings, yanking her down with force that rivaled that of the Black Dragon. She was hurtled to the ground, and hit a root with a grunt that knocked the air out of her lungs. Everything was blurred, and her head was spinning.

“We caught another one!” said a gleeful voice. “Oh, the Ringmaster is going to love this! She looks good fighting material, too!”

“Indeed,” another voice sniffed. “You did something right, for once in your life. She will make a great contestant. Let’s take her to the arena.”