"Guys, stop it! We're never going to get anywhere at this rate." 

It was the morning after. Fennyr was trying to separate Coal and Blear, who were swatting ferociously at each other. Finally, Fennyr was able to wrench them apart.

Blear's eyes were blazing. "Why do I have to travel with him?" She pointed a talon at Coal. "We'd probably kill each other before the Lur'drake does." 

"You know what? FINE!" Fennyr threw up his claws in exasperation. "You don't have to be in his group if you don't want to. You can go in the other group."

"Great." Blear shot Coal a smug look. "Who's in the other group?"

Pyria counted on her talons. "Well, in the river group there is Coal, Benit, and Zelen, bringing Dulkrn and in the forest group there is Fennyr, me, Azul, Grali, Sulak, and..." She paused as if thinking. "Oh, right. Otner." 

Blear's eyes went wide. "On second thought, I'll go with the river group."

"All right." Fennyr was relived that everything was finally in order. "Let's-"

"Wait." came a small voice. It was Azul. She ran to her twin and clutched her trembling talons. 

"Why can't we be together?" Azul pleaded. Her emerald eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Are you mad at me? Was it something I did?"

"NO." Coal exclaimed with a fierceness that surprised Fennyr. He gently turned Azul's snout so that their eyes met, jade green to ice blue. 

"I'm going with Dulkrn. Pretty soon, he's going to wake up, and he's not going to be happy. He could blame you for knocking him out when he was going to kill Fennyr. He could take his anger out on you. He could really hurt you."

Coal shook his head as if the idea was too terrible to comprehend. "Fennyr and Pyria will protect you," he nodded in their direction. "even when I can't be there." 

"But what if-"

"Nothing can ever separate us. We'll see each other again, sis, in this world or the next."

The tears in Azul's eyes finally spilled over and down her snout. Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around Coal's torso and held him as if it was for the last time. Coal wrapped his wings around his twin like a protective cocoon around a fragile butterfly. 

The rest of the group was silent. Some were staring at the pair with pity. Some were awkwardly fidgeting or looking at their talons. Others were glancing back at the stone wall around Renzr, as if thinking of their own loved ones behind the thick gates. 

After a few minutes Azul's sobs quieted and she slowly weakened her grip around Coal. She backed away. 

"Well," She wiped away the last of her tears with the back of her talon. "I...I'm going to miss you." She said with a weak smile. 

"Hey, last one to Lok'shire is a rotten snake egg." Despite Coal's teasing tone and the playful grin spreading across his snout, his eyes were devoid of the carefree spirit that he usually emitted. Fennyr's own eyes went wide as he realized the truth. 

It's just an act. Fennyr thought. He's as terrified as Azul, he's just trying to hold it together for her sake. 

Azul either didn't notice what Fennyr did or she didn't show it. Her face brightened. She laughed. The giggle was a clean pure note in the silence. A breath of fresh air in the solemn atmosphere. 

"Guys." Benit interjected. "We should get going. Let's not waste any daylight." 

Azul and Coal glanced at each other. There was no denying it. Provisions have been exchanged between the two groups, the fire had been extinguished, and Dulkrn, still comatose, had been tied firmly to an old rotting log which the river group was going to drag behind them until he awoke. 

The time had come to separate.

"I'll see you later."Coal smiled, his eyes still missing their usual sparkle. 

"Yeah." Azul's smile faltered for a instant before she forced it to the surface again. "See you." 

And with that note, the two groups went their different ways, the river group to the east and the forest group to the west. 

And as they walked off into the great unknown, no dragon truly believed that they all would survive the week.