We may see each other as different and varied, but in truth, we are one culture fighting for survival. Whether we be from different castes, different families, or different colonies, we must remember that we all share our ancestors. They watch over us with pride and we must never forget this.

This is Our Law. 

~ From the Dragonling Grimoire

"Albina, please bring me the weather report as soon as you get it," I called out as I helped Masya, an Umny, heft some newly-felled trees into a vaguely house-shaped pile. It was ugly, but it had only been a few days since we started and we didn't have enough resources to make it look professionally done.

"Yes ma'am," Albina replied, dipping her head. "Mako and Lukyan should return soon. Is this area for storage?" She approached, picking up some iron nails and beginning to pound them into place.

"Thank you," Masya said quietly, dipping her head to me and then to Albina.

"It's for shelter." I corrected Albina. "Masya says the summer storms are going to hit hard, and I don't want anyone getting sick or drowning."

I felt Albina stare at my back as I used my claws to rip the stray branches off the trunks. "... Masya is an Umny," she began quietly, "so-"

"So what?" I turned and gave Albina a sharp glare. "An Umni has just as good instincts as a Lira. Masya is older than both of us. I trust her judgment when it comes to predicting the weather."

Albina's pale blue eyes rested on me for a long moment, her scales shifting from color to color, before she bowed her head. "Of course. I'm sorry." Then she straightened and walked away. As she retreated, I felt my heart sink.

Ever since we'd settled down on the outskirts of Watercress territory, it felt like we were constantly going in circles. I hadn't realized just how bad Queen Dominika's conditioning was. If an Umny or Mora had a suggestion, there would always be a Lira or Ryn who would argue. In return, the Mora sequestered themselves away and the Umny simply refused to work.

"I'm sorry, Masya," I said, turning to the wyk. She was busy inspecting the rough patchwork of the house, but I could see the disappointment in the way her tail drooped.

"It's not your fault," Masya replied quietly. "They've always treated us like that." She pulled out a nail that wasn't placed to her liking. "Liras... always with their tail up their own asses."

I snorted and walked over to look over the house. "At least they're not complaining about working anymore."

"Aye," Masya nodded. She turned towards me, her eyes becoming more serious. "The house is fine for now, but it won't withstand a storm. We need access to a mine or at the very least trading route with plenty of metals."

I sighed. "I know. Valka says if we can find enough mountain sheep, their wool will act as insulation when winter comes, and leather over it to keep the rain away."

"If you bring the carcasses back, I will have the other Umni skin it," Masya promised. "Speaking of Valka..." She hesitated. "Well... I don't think I can do this work on my own. I... might need some help. Mora help." Her words were halting, almost like it pained her to admit it.

"It's not a bad thing to need help." I reminded Masya. "We live together for a reason. One caste cannot do everything on their own."

Masya bowed her head. "I know." She said, her soft voice echoing with resentment. "I wish everyone else did as well."

"I know how you feel," I said, feeling a twinge of irritation. At what, I wasn't sure. Not Masya, or the other dragonlings. Just... at life. At the circumstances that had brought us all here.

"Of course you do." Masya blinked apologetically at me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining like this. You're to be my queen, not my shoulder to cry on."

"I can be both," I argued. "Being queen is nothing but a crown."

Masya gave me a look halfway between disbelief and pity, but she said nothing more as she began her work again.

Holding back a sigh, I decided to go find someone else to help.

A small town had blossomed in the days since we'd arrived, though 'town' was a bit of a stretch. It wasn't a lifeless compound like Lord Edik's city had been, but it was still a far cry from the glittering marble palaces of Queen Dominika's city or the ivory-and-gemstone walls of the Kestreldive colony. There were only half a dozen ramshackle shelters made of wood and stone, with dragonlings snoozing inside. Whenever they weren't working - which they usually were - they were usually trying to ignore anyone they didn't know.

Another problem. I inwardly sighed. They seemed to be piling up lately.

As I walked, a familiar shape appeared, flying through the camp with a trill. Mishal saw me and banked to the side, landing on my head, a short moment before a gaggle of younglings appeared. They were old enough to shift forms, but they hadn't been blooded yet, so I guessed about fourteen summers or so.

As soon as they saw me, the younglings froze and flicked their wings out in pseudo-defiance. I couldn't help but snort to myself.

"Are you bothering my phoenix?" I asked.

The largest, a young Lira whose scales couldn't settle between red and violet, stepped forward. "The phoenix was just playing with us." She said tentatively. "Or, we thought so. We, um, we didn't mean to upset you!"

I laughed, which caused the younglings to visibly relax. "I'm not upset, young ones. Mishal was having fun, I'm sure. Stop being rude, Mishal." Using my wing, I prompted her into flight again. She chirped at me indignantly before gliding over and landing on the Lira's head.

The younglings made happy chittering noises, reaching up to stroke Mishal as she soaked in their attention. I settled down to watch them, a bright feeling bubbling up in my chest.

Of the dragonlings who abandoned Queen Dominika, a couple had been from Lord Edik's guard. They had snuck back into the compound and retrieved several dragonlings, including Garik, his mate Risa, and their two clutches. Several other wyks had come along, bringing their draggies with them.

"Anita?" A little voice asked beside me. I glanced down to see a little Mora fyn. He was peering up at me with wide blue eyes.

"What is it, little one?" I bent down to meet the draggy at eye-level.

"I..." The Mora faltered, playing with his claws. "I, um, can I have a feather? It's so bright..."

"Mishal will give you one if you ask her politely," I said, gently nosing the Mora forward. "Go on."

The Mora, a good few summers younger than the other draggies, stumbled forward and caused the others to look at him. He glanced back at me with wide eyes and I gently nudged him with one claw. "Go on. Ask her."

"Um, Mishal?" The Mora stepped forward, addressing the phoenix. She flew down and stood in front of him, tilting her head to the side. "Can... can I have a feather?"

Mishal stared back at the Mora with her liquid eyes for a long moment before turning her head and plucking a feather from her back. She offered it to the draggy, who squealed in happiness. He took the feather and licked Mishal's face in thanks before darting off.

I chuckled at Mishal's startled chirp before standing. Time to work. Life seemed a lot better after watching the younglings play.

As I started to walk away, I saw Alek was watching me. He had a deer dangling from his jaws and his eyes were glimmering. "You'd make a fantastic mother."

I snorted smoke and sidled up next to Alek, leaning against him while keeping an eye on the younglings. "I hope that deer is for me. I'm starving."

"It can be." Alek laughed. His tail curled around me, the blade resting gently on my hip, and he tore the deer in half with his claws. "Here. Have you not hunted today?"

"Today?" I scoffed, tearing off a chunk of the meat. "I haven't eaten since we caught that boar."

"Anita," Alek scolded, whapping by back with his wing. "That was two sunrises ago!"

"I've gone longer without food." I retorted in between bites.

Alek shook his head like he was about to argue but evidently thought better of it. His gaze returned to the draggies. "... I meant what I said before, Anita. You really would make a great mother."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Not for three more summers, Aleksandr. Even then, I don't know if I'll want to have draggies. Between trying to run a colony and... well, I just don't feel ready."

My words had gotten defensive, and Alek dipped his head to gently nuzzle mine. "Of course. I wasn't trying to pressure you." A bit of wryness crept into hid voice. "Besides, I can't imagine having more than one of you running around. I don't think the world can take it. And ancestors save us if you and Dmitri reproduce. That child would be the end of all of us."

I choked on a bit of bone and glared as Alek laughed, his wing pounding my back to help me spit it out. "You!"

"Me," Alek agreed before jumping away to avoid my headbutt. "Make sure you eat more, okay? I'm still overseeing the draggies' learning so I barely have time to hunt for myself, let alone you and your appetite."

"You act like I'll eat the entire forest," I replied with a mock growl.

Alek didn't dignify me with a response, only gave a light-hearted laugh as he walked away. I rolled my eyes, but my heart felt lighter now, and I decided to go find Mako and get his report.

Senya had told me as soon as we settled that this particular area - a wooded valley called dell - was prone to flooding and storms, which meant the threat of drowning was always around. Dragonlings are especially prone to dying in water - if any gets into our lungs, they will collapse and kill us.

As such, I had assigned Mako and a small group of dragonlings to keep their eyes on the weather. His squadron was made up of three Liras, two Umni, and a Ryn. I had attempted to mix them more equally, but it was hard to find Ryns that wanted anything to do with sky watching and the Moras had adamantly refused to even participate.

Just thinking about it dampened my mood again. Shaking my head, I looked around the camp. It was mostly empty, just a handful of guards and Risa, who was cooking up a stew. She was chatting with one of the other mothers, a pleasant older Mora. They seemed to be getting on much better than the others, despite their different castes.

I guess motherhood will make you softer. The thought startled me, making my wings perk. Where had that idea come from? After a moment, I decided it had been my conversation with Alek. I shook my head. No time for that kind of thinking.

Soon, Mako's makeshift weather outpost came into view. It separated the Watercress land from our land and was hastily built by both sides to stop dragonlings from straying over the border. I had stationed Mako and his weather team up there to keep an eye on both the sky and the Watercress colony, but so far the only problem had been lighting.

"Anita!" Mako's voice called from above. I looked up but saw nothing but the ramshackle wood-and-stone building.

"Stop hiding!" I called back. "I get it, you have a cool new trick, but you've got to come down eventually."

Mako's scales flickered, turned to a vibrant red, like a massive ruby suddenly appearing, and made a chuffing-laugh sound. "I'm getting better, right? You couldn't see me." He was clinging to the side of the tower like a gecko.

"As much as I love how amazing you are," I reared up on my hind legs and reached out of grab his shoulders, flapping my wings to keep my balance, "we need to know about the weather. Masya says the summer storms are coming."

"It's too early for summer storms," Mako said as he shook off my claws and leaped down. "I'm more worried about the runoff from the frost. With the warmer weather, the marshes are beginning to unfreeze. All that water is going to head straight here. It's a shame we don't have territory higher up."

"The dell was the only place Senya could spare." I pointed out. "Come summer, we might try to take some of Lord Edik's forestland, but for now I just want to survive."

Mako nodded solemnly, then laughed. "Less than a year ago, we weren't even blooded yet. Now, look where we are."

I felt a pressure growing in my head. "Tell me about it." After a moment, I glanced up at the sky. "... I almost wish things were different. Doesn't it feel that we've wasted away our youth?"

"Hey." Mako headbutted my shoulder gently. "Don't cry over fallen stars. What's done is done. Besides, talking like you're one of the elders doesn't suit you. We've gotta go do something reckless to even the scales now."

With a snort, I headbutted Mako back. "What do you suggest this time? Free-falling? Fighting bears? I think we're too old for that now."

"Anita." Mako's voice was filled with mock astonishment. "We are never too old to be dumbasses. Let's go." He started walking, then paused. "Well?"

"Don't you have a weather report to make?" I asked, feeling wistful. As much as I wanted to go gamboling around with Mako, I had responsibilities now and so did he.

Mako turned to me, raising his wings. "Anita." He admonished gently. "When you're overworked and stressed out, you get irritable, and what use will you be then?"

"I'm not useless just because I'm grumpy," I replied dryly. "And I'm not overworked. I just-"

"Then you won't mind coming hunting with me." Mako cut in. "Fantastic. I know there are some musk deer down by that burnt up tree, so we can head there." With a powerful flap of wings, Mako took off. He gave me a knowing, taunting look, and I growled before taking off after him.

Despite my earlier protests, I found that flying was soothing. The air had warmed, creating gentle updrafts that made it easy to glide. Mako flew just slightly behind me, as was expected of a fyn, and we drifted for a bit before he spotted a lone moose drinking from the stream. As I prepared to dive, I noticed it had a calf resting nearby.

Dark stars, I cursed and used my tail to signal Mako not to attack. He grunted, squinted down at the moose, then indicated we should try upriver. Not too long after, a sounder of boars was foraging for early spring bulbs. I caught Mako's eye and tilted my wings before waiting for him to draw nearer. As he drew abreast, we both folded our wings and dropped until we threaded through the trees, flapping them just enough to prevent killing ourselves.

Each of us managed to catch a pair in our claws, with Mako's tail snagging a third before it could flee. "Three boars?" I asked as I caught my breath, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. "Are you trying to get fat?"

"It's for Valeria and Risa." Mako shook his head. "They've been too busy taking care of the draggies to hunt for themselves."

"Once Garik returns from scouting, he'll be able to hunt for her again," I commented, nibbling at a haunch of one of the boars. After the deer Alek had given me earlier, I wasn't particularly hungry but I knew it would most likely be a while before I could hunt again.

"Luiza said that the last one was successful," Mako said between bites. "Why did you send another out? Did they not map everything out?"

I shook my head. "No, they mapped everything as I asked. Garik is scouting for resources along the edges of the dell. If we can find even iron or copper, we can build the basic necessities - nails, gutters, hinges. Hopefully some carbon deposits so we can make steel, too."

"We can also use bone char with iron to make crude steel." Mako pointed out. "But why use steel when iron will suffice?"

I kneaded the ground with my claws. "Steel is superior for weapons."

Mako stared at me. "We don't-"

"We do." I interrupted. "Valeria's oldest clutch is to be blooded this summer, and she has three Ryns. I know it's silly to you, but if they live, it's traditional that they receive their weapon. It's our sign of strength and pride, and to not have one would impact both their morale and loyalty."

Mako eyed me thoughtfully, staying silent for the time being. After a few more bites of food, he spoke again. "Valka wants to plant a small farm. I don't know how to do it, but Lukyan says it's simple."

"Wheat? For bread, right?" I chewed on a thighbone thoughtfully.

"Among other things," Mako confirmed. "Valka wants to powder it into flour and make plaster. When coated with resin, it can be good for plugging holes in our buildings."

"And we get resin where?"

"Walnut trees. Lukyan and I spotted a copse of them at the edge of the valley."

"I'll talk to Alek and Lukyan, then. If it takes to long to grow, it won't be worth it." I sighed. "It's hard to make all the decisions when you don't know anything about... well, anything."

"Won't King Andrei help?" Mako tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, the sunlight catching on his scales, which were currently the color of emeralds.

I shook my head. "He says I should make my own conclusions and learn from my mistakes."

"That... sounds exactly like Gvrilla. How much do you want to bet she was the one to tell him that?"

We shared a laugh and began chatting about all the little things that had been happening. I felt the knot of worry disappear as we talked about everything and nothing, the sun sliding through the sky.

Soon, I closed my eyes, enjoying the spring sunlight filtering through the trees. They caught on my scales, creating a luminous light beside the river. "You spend a lot of time with Lukyan. Do you like him?"

Mako cleared his throat awkwardly. "I- well, yes. He's very sweet and I enjoy spending time with him."

"But?"

"He's not interested."

I opened my eyes and sat up. "Oh, Mako..." His scales were shifting rapidly from black to blue, but otherwise, he seemed peaceful.

"Don't worry about it." Mako sat up and yawned, his ivory teeth glittering in the light. "Come on. We should head back and bring the food to Risa." His eyes glittered like orange gems. "Besides, your ceremony is tonight."

I jumped to my paws. "What?! No, we still have- it's not-"

"The full moon is tonight," Mako said calmly, tipping his head up to the sky and squinting. "It's the second night when the ancestors can see us most clearly."

My heart stuttered a bit. "Am I ready?"

Mako met my gaze and the intensity behind his eyes surprised me. "Anita. You've been ready ever since you made the decision. Don't let your nerves fail you now. You're strong, and you have all of us behind you. Our ancestors are just waiting for us to continue, one step at a time."

My heart immediately calmed at Mako's words. They rang with confidence and sincerity. I nodded. "Then let's not make them wait any longer."