Cody continued to spar for what felt like days, but when he considered what time it was he realized that only an hour had passed. Every once in a while he was allowed a few minutes to rest, but then was forced to stand back up and continue to fight the next person, while the other two fought each other to keep and endless stream of practice fights and allow Fearless to give tips to and observe his different warriors-in-training.

                Finally, when Cody found that he could barely lift his sword, Fearless called for them to stop. "I must admit, you are all pretty talented fighters considering you've never had any true practice your entire lives. Still, you all need to build up some muscle! Every day I expect you to practice simple but menial tasks like hauling heavy rocks, and especially practice your fighting when you can, where you can. Later this week you need to return, and I expect more muscle. Now go and find something productive to do."

                Without hesitation, Cody and his friends wearily exited the cavern and started walking together in whichever direction their feet took them. They couldn't tell where they were going or why, but they all went nonetheless. Cody felt shaggy fur brush his fingertips but barely noted that it was Ashheart before continuing through the passage. Before long the passage opened up to the main hall, where Playful stood impatiently, alone.

                "Where are those dragons!?" She shouted angrily, a surprising and terrifying change to her voice.

                "Inferno and Destiny were not in their stalls, nor our room for that matter," Ashheart commented nervously.

                All weariness vanished from Cody's limbs as the realization suddenly came to him. "They're missing!?"

                "This is the only way outside from this part of the realm, and I've been here since two hours before dawn!"

                "Standing here shouting isn't going to solve anything," Avalsmokes pointed out as he shook with terror. "Playful, h-have you been outside in the main tunnels at all today?"

                Their mentor shook her head slowly as she tried to make sense of things. But as soon as her head moved Avalsmokes and Cody pelted away, the others trailing behind more slowly. By the time Cody reached the door Aval was already heaving it open, despite the obvious pain it caused his weary muscles. Ignoring the ache in their limbs, the two raced down one eerily empty hall after another. Then suddenly they burst into the tunnel, chests heaving and legs shaking with the tremendous strain their running had caused. Cody gasped at what he saw.

                Only a few feet from the two riders, Willful sat on his gryphon in front of a score or more soldiers, all heavily armed for battle and astride their own winged mounts. The king's armor was especially grand: all black but with a ripple of blue that passed over the scale formation it was composed of. The gauntlets on his forearms had sharp, dark blue spikes extending at least six inches out, if not more. Last of all was his richly decorated helmet, where the metal on either side of his face extended into a graceful yet threatening pair of eagle wings just under a foot long.

                "What's going on?" Cody asked Willful worriedly.

                When the king realized who it was he relaxed a bit and heaved a great sigh before explaining, "In the dead of the night those dragons of yours kidnapped the guards that were on duty without us every realizing it. The dragons dropped them off on a mountain over a hundred miles away and sped on, far away from here. The guards summoned their mounts and arrived only a half-hour ago."

                "What about Destiny and Inferno? Where are they?" Avalsmokes asked.

                "Everyone figured...," the king began slowly, "that you two were with them and returned to your old home to raise an army to fight us. We were just about to lead a search party of sorts. You knew none of this?"

                "Nope," Cody said slowly, drawing out the word. "But I suppose when I woke up this morning Inferno seemed kind of distant. I figured he was still in the mountain, but I guess I just didn't pay enough attention. What would have gotten into them that they'd just take off? And even kidnap people!"

                "I couldn't say," Willful answered skeptically. It looked like he was going to say something else but whatever he was going to say was cut off when everyone heard the beat of wings.

Cody picked up on the heavy beat of wings that only Inferno had with his bulk, though his mind was closed off to his rider. Then with a tremendous effort the dragons landed on the cliff, side by side, and collapsed into the dust. As mixed relief and anger swept over the crowd Willful stepped forward and started yelling and lecturing the dragons. Ignoring him, Cody and Avalsmokes rushed forward and hugged their dragons tightly.

"I'm sorry I left...I did not mean to worry you," Inferno apologized regretfully as he opened his mind again. "I saw Avira, the beautiful dragoness...and that's when I decided what I can do. The Dreamkeepers deserve to have the dragons return...this is the true home for us."

"You didn't," Cody said in his thoughts with a smile touching his lips.

In the middle of the king's brutal, noisy lecture Inferno slowly stood, his right leg pulled tight to his body. Then Cody noticed the crowd of warriors parting, and the queen emerged in a beautiful silver dress. She looked Inferno over curiously for several moments and put a hand on the Willful's shoulder to silence him.

"What's the matter with your paw?" she asked.

Inferno dipped his head low in respect before slowly lowering his paw to the ground, where he delicately placed a large, dark rusty-brown stone. Perfectly smooth, over a foot long and half a foot across, no one could deny what they saw.

A dragon egg.

The sound of over 20 people taking a sharp, inhaling breath was surprisingly loud, Cody realized. Then suddenly a cheer rose from the back of the crowd, and the others quickly joined in, until anyone could hear was the chorus of overjoyed screeches and roars of laughter. Soon other Dreamkeepers came out of other tunnels and joined in the noise and excitement when they saw the egg.

"It is a wild dragon, Cody," Inferno explained. "It must be kept warm in order to hatch. But it will hatch within a month, and with luck the hatchling will choose to stay with the Dreamkeepers. The greatest token of friendship that Destiny and I could bring to these people."

Then Cody noticed that Blissful was also talking: "May this dragon end the conflict between our races and bring peace at last to our realm! I think it is clear that Destiny was named such because she was destined to birth the future ruler and peacemaker of our world. There will be a grand feast, and much celebrating tonight, and every night until it hatches!"

Cheers rose up all around from the crowd, and before Cody knew it he was being ushered away with the others into the first room he had ever been in when he entered the Dreamkeeper realm. He faintly recognized the drawings on the walls, the magnificently decorated thrones, and the massive beds of fire on either side of the room. In the center of the room three servants erected a pedestal over ten feet high and about three feet around in the middle. At the base and the top it stretched out as much as five feet across.

The tallest Dreamkeeper Cody had ever seen approached the pedestal and put a hand over the top. Flames flew up around his hand and the fire was born on top of the great nest. Inferno clutched the egg tight in his talons as he stood shakily on his hind legs and placed the egg tenderly in the flame. Cody watched in silent awe as the golden flames licked at the reddish-brown surface of the egg.

As cheers rose up again, louder than ever, Cody asked Inferno, "Why does it need to be in the fire? Isn't that too hot, since dragons aren't completely resistant to fire? Will it be that color when it hatches?"

Inferno looked at his rider and nuzzled his shoulder before answering, "Wild dragons are different from the more tame dragons, like Destiny and myself. They are completely resistant to flame, and it actually helps the baby inside to grow faster and healthier. But yes, it will be that color. Before you ask, when dragons have an egg it does not matter who the parents were, the hatchling could be either wild or destined for a rider. I can tell that it is wild. Now no more questions, it is time to celebrate."

There was a table beside the pedestal Where Cody, Avalsmokes, and Omen sat just in front of and a great feast was laid out for them all, as well as for all of the Dreamkeepers at separate tables. Large deer and various "small" game animals were brought to Inferno and Destiny, and there was much feasting throughout the day and all through the night. Course after course of strange new foods, and some familiar, were presented to Cody and his companions as many of the Dreamkeepers walked up to Cody personally and thanked him and Inferno and Destiny. Many thought that his service as Dreamwalker was complete, now that the egg was brought to their realm. But still, Cody felt that he had done nothing.

Nevertheless, he welcomed the chance to try all of the delectable dishes the Dreamkeepers served. Apparently the plant and wildlife changed drastically closer to the Dreamkeeper territory, as Cody quickly found out. There was an assortment of strange creatures that Cody had trouble describing, except that they all were delicious. But among them were foods he was accustomed to, or at least animals he had heard of. Wildcats of any kind were the most beloved of their race, and Cody was told that daring ranchers cared, not for cattle, but for clouded leopards and snow leopards.

There were many dishes made from leopard, though Cody was relieved to hear that they would never kill a leopard for a feast; only use the meat of old ones that died of natural causes. The flesh was very tough and stringy, so Cody moved his attention to other foods. Mountain goat roasted over a fire made from a tree he had never heard of, various birds of monstrous sizes, and the more familiar deer. He also paid special attention to all the fruit cakes and tarts and meat pies, creamy leopard cheese that was surprisingly delicious, and a strange blue wine made apparently of blue grapes, though he severely limited his drinking; for some reason it had never appealed to him in the slightest.

Inferno and Destiny, however, were served a similar blue wine "touched with fire", as the Dreamkeepers called it. Whatever it was truly, all Cody knew was that the dragons loved it dearly. For the first time Cody was intrigued by the thought of a drunken dragon, but his thoughts were quickly turned away from the thought as music began.

The Dreamkeepers had little taste for happy music, even in such circumstances, but Cody found that the music was the most beautiful he had ever heard. Deep and mournful, the lyrical songs told stories of woe, misery, and shame all at once, and yet Cody only felt gladdened by the music, in some strange way. Over time, as he listened, he understood that the music represented all things bad in one's life, and from the lows in life the character could blossom into something better. It perfectly displayed the good side to misery, and the pain in joy. The music, it seemed, represented not pain and sorrow, but the growth and rebirth afterwards.

Cody finally began to enjoy the music and watched as Dreamkeeper couples danced slowly and beautifully to the rhythm of the songs. Some were humans, others shifted into beautiful animals with lustrous, flowing manes; elegant and winding bodies, tails sliding behind smoothly; and with powerful paws that floated gently over the stone floors, hardly making a sound in the cavern.

Out of nowhere, Cody caught sight of Mournful standing at the edge of the hall and watching all of her kin dance gracefully to the music, her silver hair striped with black billowing about her shoulders as bodies slid quickly past. Feeling suddenly inspired by the scene and all the day's happenings to talk to her, in the first time since who knows when, Cody slowly stood from his seat and made his way to her side.

He did not know how long he stood there behind her, both of them watching and listening to the merriness of the night, at least Cody guessed it was night. He could not tell if she knew he was there or not, or if she would like to talk or stay silent, watching. So he remained still behind her and was gladdened by her presence. She looked peaceful, standing in the light of dozens of torches and braziers with a slight smile raising the edges of her lips.

"I can't believe it," Mournful said suddenly, obviously to him.

Cody answered, surprised, "What don't you believe?"

The woman paused for a moment and shrugged, answering, "Everything, I suppose. Just...we've come so far for so long. I thought I would be living alone for the rest of my life while my supposed kin would hate dragons until the end of time itself. Now that I'm back...there's so much I've re-learned, and in so short a time I'm home. Home, Cody, I never thought I'd say that word again."

"I don't know when I ever will," Cody answered as he looked around. "This is the closest I've felt before, but it doesn't quite feel right yet."

"I trust your training is going well though?"

"I've learned a lot, that's for sure. Still, I'd like to know where I'm supposed to go," Cody answered.

Mournful looked at him thoughtfully. "Perhaps you just need time to find your place among us? In any case, you should forget it for tonight. This is a great occasion."

"I suppose you're right." Cody was silent for a few moments, then he asked, "Would you like to dance?

Mournful hesitated for a moment as she looked carefully at Cody, some hidden feeling in her eyes. "I guess, but in Dreamkeeper culture, dancing is more of a sign of friendship."

Confused by the tone of the response, Cody inquired, "We aremore than friends, aren't we?"

Mournful looked down at the cave floor and Cody's heart sank to his stomach. "It's a long and complicated story, really."

"I'm patient," Cody said quietly as his throat tightened. He waited for several long minutes, or perhaps only moments before she began to explain.

She started off with a shuddering breath that grew steadier and more joyful with each sentence, "When we went our separate ways after our imprisonment, I was put with other Dreamkeepers about my age that I had known before, and were even friends with once. Some still blamed me for what happened to my father, while others just ignored me. But there was one, the youngest of our group that I had never remembered seeing before. He was helpful and kind...and we just...clicked, like I never have before."

There was silence for a while as the words never before rang through Cody's head continuously, then Mournful suddenly continued, "His father died while his mother was pregnant, and in Dreamkeeper culture that meant that he would need a new name and so his mother chose Prowess. He has crimson hair that flows past his shoulders like a majestic river whenever the slightest breeze touches it. He's about eight feet tall, and as powerful and cunning as a mountain cat. In animal form he is a giant reddish-gold eagle with a wingspan greater even than my own, and my gryphon is huge by our standards. He's absolutely stunning!"

Choking back the bile rising in his throat, Cody answered quickly, "I'm glad that you are happy at least."

At the sound of his voice Mournful remembered who she was talking to and the awkwardness of the situation and sighed, almost too quietly to hear. "Come on Cody, we can still be friends. Let's dance in the light of the nest of fire. What do you say?"

Cody looked out at the dancers and shook his head sadly. "I should check on Inferno...last I saw, he was chest-deep in alcohol. I doubt anyone wants to see a drunken dragon. On tonight of all nights he should retain his pride."

Mournful looked at him and chuckled warmly, apparently thinking everything was put right again. Then she glanced behind him and chuckled again, louder and more unusually. Cody turned around confusedly to see Inferno flapping and ruffling his wings viciously in an attempt to steady himself, which had the opposite effect and sent him crashing to the ground. More than a dozen Dreamkeeper children, or "cubs", laughed and clapped as he fell roughly on his stomach with a sharp gasp of surprise. Cody rolled his eyes and ran to the dragon's side. Luckily, the crowd drew apart as he neared.

"What are you doing!?"  Cody asked in annoyance.

Inferno focused one crystal-blue eye on Cody before saying, "What are you doing? You just...let her go!"

"You heard?"

"Of course I heard. Are you just gonna let her go forever?" Inferno asked

Cody sighed, "I don't know what I can do Inferno."

The dragon responded instantly, "I know what you can do. We can share Destiny! She has a human form about your age...just like that 'Dreamkeeper'."

Cody didn't even think of Destiny before he realized how horrible of an idea it was. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because she's a dragon! And she's yours!"

"And don't you forget it!" Inferno growled in annoyance.

From there Cody's night was all but destroyed, and his spirits were lower than he could remember, since he had no one to talk to. At least, the only friend of his that was sober was Destiny, and she was far too busy talking to Dreamkeepers and his other friends. Gloomily Cody watched people having the time of their lives without a care in the world.

Then Cody noticed a stairway attached to the pedestal where the egg rested. With nothing better to do he made the climb, over stairs jutting out from the rock less than a foot long. But soon enough he reached the top, and the warmth of the intense fire licked at his face, chest, and hands. Out of nowhere he reached out and stroked the hard, cold shell, feeling again the touch of an unborn dragon. His fingers traced along the rich brown shell, its coloring perfectly representing a forest in Semiones; the same kind of forest that the child's father had first hatched in, not too long before.

As Cody traced random parts of the egg he thought of Inferno and felt grief-stricken, for no apparent reason. Then he began to think. Inferno already has a family now. He will be celebrated and worshipped for years to come in this realm and he and I will always be welcome. But do we belong here? If not...would it be right to leave a hatchling in the hands of this race we've only just discovered? What if the Dreamkeepers abuse its power and mistreat it, and what if it doesn't belong here, either? What will become of it? Will we all be safe anywhere? Could this child even turn on us?

Cody gazed long and hard at the egg, and realized suddenly that the fire of the nest barely felt hotter at all, even though the flames stirred ravenously around his entire hand. He saw a trace of color, somewhere in the depths of the flame, and was that a shadow that passed over the egg? A sudden presence brushed his mind and wrapped it in a warm cocoon of reassurance.

"Be at ease, little one," Avira cooed gently as the faintest trace of her tri-colored body circled the egg once more. "The inferno shall never harm you. The Inferno Legacy shall never die."