Since Rokirith would stay behind at Diwa's treehouse the next morning, the dragonets settled in front of him to give their last regards that night. Fia stared at her claws for a long while until Viliant nudged her.

Her blazing, blue eyes flung up to stare at him. This might be the last time that she ever spoke to the former flying ace—her hero. "Thank you, Mr. Rokirith. You saved my life, and you helped my people a lot."

"We need more dragons like you to count among our kind," Rokirith said with an approving nod of his ridged chin, "the kind who can shine a light for those mired by dark times." His gaze slowly shifted to focus on Viliant.

Compared to Fia, who absorbed Rokirith's words with intensely unwavering eyes, Viliant seemed disinterested. His green eyes, glazed over, gave a few blinks. It was now the reluctant dragonet's turn to share his parting words. You turned out to be better than I originally thought, Viliant said, unwilling to give Rokirith any more of a compliment than that.

"I hope you also prove yourself greater than my first impression," Rokirith replied in kind. His wings lifted upward, a hint of a smile, where his tail could no longer do so.

Fia lay in silence for a while. Once again, Viliant prodded at his perturbed, silent friend. Just to her, he encouraged, Pick his brain. Your clan is bound to need as much information as possible about the human-drakan army. Rokirith knows the enemy best.

Although Fia agreed with this sentiment, she did not have a clue where to begin. Shakily, she began, "There's something I don't understand." Her attention fell down to the brown dragon egg, marred with dark streaks from the Dragon Slayer's ritual. "I knew those humans were bad, but how can they be so cruel, even to an egg?"

Rokirith paused for a moment as he considered her question. The scales of his cheek whispered against the grooves of the eggshell. "The humans outbreed us. They have a lot of their own young to worry about—a lot to replace their fallen kin in times of war. The smaller the species is, the faster it reproduces: humans, rabbits, insects…." The elder dragon listed out a few creatures that he deemed comparable, losing the stain of contempt in his voice by the time that he had trailed off.

Quietly, Fia nodded along as she finally started to grasp the depths of her naivety. "I guess I just assumed that humans were kind of like us. They can talk. They have a big civilization…." She did not come up with another thing to list before Rokirith gently corrected her.

"But that does not make humans civilized. Even wasps build nests."

"I think I understand now." Gradually, Fia discredited the kindness which the healer had once shown them at the coliseum. Only in retrospect, after she had more experience with the foreign nature element, did she realize how incredibly potent his magic had been. If even he did not deem his strength enough to defy the command of his colony, then she should not expect so much from any of them. "It's in human nature to sting like wasps?"

"More or less." Rokirith's shortened tail twitched along the ground, a motion intended to be a flick of amusement.

Viliant sighed out of contentment with his chin laid against his claws. Finally. Someone is getting through to you.

Fia ruffled her wings and lengthened her neck above Viliant to let out a hiss. "Hey! My clan didn't have humans on our island. It's not my fault I didn't know."

"They are quite the peculiar species," Rokirith confirmed. "All others abide by the natural order. A predator hunts its prey, like dragons do to all that crawls upon the earth, swims in the sea, and dares to fly with us in the sky. But the ancient humans chose to capture and breed their prey instead. Now, modern humans view dragons no differently from any other animal. They seek to do the same to us."

A shudder ran up Fia's spine. Despite the hostile denizens of the human territory, the dragons had been able to raid the livestock for plentiful food. It abhorred her to think of dragons treated in the same way, confined to stables and ridden as mounts. Her mind drifted back to the memory of the chasm, how a brown dragon flew in the human army's company. The Dragon Rider might scare me more than the Dragon Slayer…. Fia realized, surprised that the unknown enemy brought equal fear to her.

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Already, she had experienced the pain and torture to be used for the humans' entertainment. The coliseum had been her prison, but at least her wings had been her own. Fia stole a glance from the corner of her eyes at Viliant's shredded ones. She could not imagine using their wings instead for their captors' gain. A truly great and proud dragon would not bend to the will of any other.

Upon noticing that Fia had registered what he had said, Rokirith continued, "The humans do not think the same way as dragons do. They treat themselves as a collective: humanity. Each dragon has value as an individual whereas humans think of their kind in numbers, to be leveraged and replaced as their king sees fit. The most prosperous place for humans will always be beneath the wing of a dragon-king."

The knowledge which Rokirith tried to impart became increasingly abstract. As a result, Fia found her mind spinning. The spoken words made more sense than the ideas relayed over telepathy. Sensing her confusion, Rokirith realized that he had long ago reached the limits of the dragonets' ken. Viliant agreed insofar as he thought that dragons should rule over humans.

"You'll understand one day."

In contrast to her fierce eyes, Fia whispered in a soft voice, "Thank you, Rokirith. I still think you're a sage. You helped me understand the true nature of humans."

"I'm happy that I could be of service, although you didn't need me to explain anything. You only needed to trust your eyes."

Though Viliant remained a quiet part of this conversation, he could not have expressed himself any better if he had opened his mouth. With eyes drawn wide, the dragonet nodded repeatedly.

Rokirith stretched out his wing and pushed it in Viliant's face, thereby shielding him from Fia's view. "But do not let these revelations diminish the kindness in your heart. A child's heart knows best. Save it for those in need—who are most deserving of it." The crimson flap of his wing refolded, tucked back into his body so that Fia and Viliant could see each other once more.

Her parents had taught her to be nice to everyone. Always cheerful, the internal flame inside her would surely grow. They taught her nothing of rage, nothing of when a dragon should bare fang and claw against an adversary. She was not entirely sure how yet to distinguish friend from foe, but her tail curled into a smile when she held Viliant's gaze.

Remember: you need to find out more about the human nation. The black dragonet reminded her of this fact more sternly. As in their numbers, supply chains, weaknesses….

Fia nodded emptily. With a shake of her horns, she tried to clear her head of the previous conversation. "How many…?" she asked shakily. "How many humans and drakans were in that army?"

Rokirith provided an estimate. He expanded with relevant details when he deemed it necessary, remembering to keep it simpler so that the dragonets could relay the information. When Fia ran out of questions to ask, Viliant helped her form more.

What relationship does the human kingdom have with the surrounding areas? Any potential allies?

Before he answered that question, Rokirith first made a request of Fia. "Would you turn some of these leaves into ash? Let me draw a map for you, what my clans' scouts had once gathered about the world."

Fia coughed a spattering of embers over the leaves brushed into the center of the floor. A small fire flickered there, sometimes guided by a puff of Rokirith's blackfire to keep it controlled inside Diwa's house. Nevertheless, they did accidently scorch the floor.

Rokirith drew the tip of one claw through the ash. He began to make a map, explaining, "This is what the shore of the continent looks like. Here is where we are. His claw pointed to a spot on the southern edge of the continent, slightly to the east of center. Then, pointing to the west: Here is where you two came from." The dragon traced his claw a small ways to the northwest of the human capital before drawing a circle. "This is where the old Dagonir Clan used to rule, now divided between the Novemis Clan and the Kingdom of Syene. In addition to their alliance with the Novemis Clan, Syene trades with Malakow. The Malakow Empire could crush them, but it's easier to exchange for foreign goods than take them by force. To the west, there are the dragons of Elevire—the next most likely target of Syene's conquest. If they go to war, the Plains Federation of dragon clans to the north will invade Elevire as well. While Elevire can hold their own against either the Plains Federation or the Kingdom of Syene, they cannot handle both. I don't know if the Carlinoa Clan has made formal contact with Elevire, but they should send an ambassador. They might be willing to provide shipments of food or medicinal supplies to the dragons who fight the humans and pull a thorn from their side."

Elevire. Fia memorized the name of that country. A dragon kingdom to the west, possibly able to help.

Viliant continued to help her ask crucial questions. What's the best way to exterminate drakans en masse?

"Raise fire from below. You saw my demonstration earlier." Rokirith tilted his head to the side, and added, "Rain fire from above, I would also say, if not for the Dragon Slayer. Make sure to warn your people, whether they decide to fight or flee: do not fly."

Their conversation lingered late into the night. Fia and Viliant always grasped at more questions to ask until Rokirith refused to answer anymore. "You would do well enough to remember all that I have told you. Sleep will help you do that." Rokirith sent Fia and Viliant off each to their own rooms, settling back into the main room with the egg.