The excited dragonette squealed and jumped up and down as her father's flight path brought him to the clan's meeting spot. "Papa! Papa!" Fia cheered.

"Fia...!" huffed out her father when his claws landed and his wings folded. Before the red dragon took a single step, Fia charged against his raised foreleg.

The pink dragonette flung her wings around her father in a hug. I missed you, Papa. I was so scared that you were gone, and it was all my fault. A rock hardened like lava in Fia's stomach, just imagining what would have happened if he had gone to Syene. I'm so happy you're home.

I'm glad you're home too, Fia. Her father mirrored the dragonette's sentiment, even though it did not encapsulate his overwhelming relief. He cherished this reunion with his long neck bowed down to his daughter, unfazed by all the dragons gathered around them. Despite the abundance of their well wishes, Fia's father only shared this moment with her mother who added her wings to the hug around their daughter.

Despite the joyous occasion of their family reunion, Fia's father swung his neck around to the Elder Council. The family would have more time to gush over each other at home. Right now, Fia's father needed to focus on the five elders who perched on their thrones. What's happening with the council meeting?

Fia quickly filled him in on the most important details. The elders said Viliant gets to stay here! When Fia realized that she had yet to introduce her father to Viliant, she summarized, He's my best friend. He saved my life.

Before she could get to the next point, Fia's mother prompted her, What about the humans?

Right! An audible squeak caught in Fia's throat. There's a human invasion on its way! Much to her own surprise, this revelation did not come to any surprise for her father.

With his head raised high, Fia's father declared to the elders, "I've learned much about our enemy from the great Sage Rokirith in the north."

"You met Rokirith?" Fia echoed, amazed and excited that her father had happened across one of the dragons who had helped so much on her journey.

"Indeed." Fia's father seemed proud of the path that he had flown after his daughter. The red dragon ruffled his wings, contented by the fact that he nearly found Fia even if the kind dragons in the north had not offered their aid. Nevertheless, the long journey had taken a greater toll on the pink dragonette than the adult dragon. Fia's father instructed her mother, "Go home with Fia, so she can rest. I can handle everything here."

Fia's mouth peeled into a yawn when she tried to object. I want to stay! she thought, but she also needed a nap. Her attempt to explain everything to the clan elders with Viliant had taken the last reserves of her energy.

We already said our piece, Viliant pointed out, encouraging Fia to leave with a jerk of his horns. The black dragonet was ready to slink away before the fire dragons changed their mind about him.

Fia let her mother gather her under one wing. Before her mother ushered her away with Viliant trailing close behind, one of the elders called out to them.

"We still have one more matter that pertains to Fia." Elder Nura's voice rose to address the other elders and the rest of the dragons in the vicinity. "It is our tradition to celebrate any dragon as a warrior who fully awakens his or her magic." A wry smile curled into the tip of Elder Nura's tail as her steady eyes gazed at the pink dragonette. "Fia has done just this. During her escape from enemy hands, her fire magic has exploded to its full potential."

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The air at the center of the Elder Council elevated in temperature. Every fire dragon puffed out a heated breath of disbelief.

"She's just a dragonette—hardly more than a hatchling," Elder Kivo muttered. "We should wait until the wyrm has grown more."

"But fully awakened magic is fully awakened magic. That's more than most dragons can achieve in their lifetime," another elder pointed out.

"We'll need more warriors, based on her report," a pragmatic third concluded.

The elders dipped their horns together to make the most important decision of Fia's life.

Her blue eyes glimmered up to them. I wanna be a warrior! I'm ready! At this rate, Fia might achieve her dream to become a flying ace before she knew it.

The elders all raised their heads, and their eyes bore down on her like hard gemstones. Elder Kivo issued the decision. "The dragonette might have power, but does she have control? We invite Fia to prove herself to the warriors tomorrow morning. We shall see if they deem her worthy to be accepted among their ranks."

A sharp breath drew into Fia's lungs, roiling with her fire. She puffed out her chest and whistled, "Thank you! I'm going to become a warrior tomorrow!" That was her way of expressing her gratitude, and communicating her desire to make good on the opportunity that they had given her.

Fia's father regarded her with a proud lift of his wings, but also his tail coiled on the ground in a bittersweet smile. He stooped his chin in a nod when Fia left the Elder Council with her mother.

The pink dragonette wanted to skip out of excitement, if only she did not already struggle to lift her tail. Fia headed with her mother to a good take-off point, overlooking the clan's huts along the mountainside.

Along the way, her mother misinterpreted her daughter's body language. "We don't have to go to your trial tomorrow," she offered. "After you sleep-in, we can go to the tide pools where you can sun your scales and play with the starfish. I can catch some parrotfish, so you can crunch the scales while I steam it...." Her mother enticed Fia with a long list of many things that she had missed about home.

"I want to do all that…" Fia gasped, "after I become a warrior!"

The lilt in her mother's voice fell away with the smile in her tail. "Let's head home," she snapped. "We'll see how you feel in the morning."

When Fia clambered onto her mother's back, she poked her claws into the chinks of her scales. "Hmph!" The dragonette plopped between her mother's shoulder blades. My mommy doesn't want me to become a warrior. She doesn't think I'm strong enough. Since Fia already knew her mother's extreme urge to protect her after her disappearance, she confided her frustration to Viliant instead.

You'll show them all tomorrow, he assured her. His genuine sense of confidence inspired the dragonette to have more in herself too.

Fia nodded before the wing beats of her mother's flight made her begin to nod off. She jerked awake when Viliant had fallen out of range of telepathy. Mama, where's Viliant? she whined. You can't leave him behind!

Your friend is going home with Evander, Fia's mother reminded her.

The dragonette focused on how Viliant had wanted to leave the Elder Council with her, and he no longer had her there to speak up for him. What if they throw him into the volcano?

Evander is right behind us, Fia's mother pointed out gently, swinging her neck back to see how much longer the orange dragon had delayed his departure.

Soon enough, Fia sighed when Viliant rejoined her over telepathy.

What did I miss? he asked when he sensed the panic of her sleepy mind.

"Mmph." Fia snuggled back against her mother without the energy to form a coherent thought. The adult dragoness tucked her daughter into the fresh pile of down in the loft as soon as they got home.

***

Viliant stood outside the neighboring dragon nest with Evander. The black dragonet glanced longingly at the more familiar hut where Fia's mother had taken her inside. I suppose she's not that far away, Viliant thought of his best friend. When she woke up again, they would be within range of telepathy.

In front of him, Evander let out a whistle that lifted with great cheer. "Come on in, Viliant. Welcome to your new home!" The orange dragon brandished his wing before the open space of the front door, pulling aside his wing flap like a curtain.

Viliant took one, trepid step forward. His muscles tensed, about to meet the other dragons inside.