Manus Pluma Volantis

4 - Storm Spire

Ezran sat with Zym in his lap. He petted the little dragon. "They're gone. How could they leave me like this?" Zym chirped at him. He smiled. "At least I have you." Amaya sat beside him with tears in her eyes. She hugged him close. She must know. "Soren told me," she signed. "Well, Gren told me, but Soren said it." Ezran laughed.

He didn't think he could in a time like this, but he laughed. Amaya always knew how to make him laugh, even if it wasn't that funny. Amaya reached out a hand to Zym. He licked it, and chirped at her. The baby dragon was a social one, that's for sure. "They should've been here to see Zubeia wake up, to see their reunion, but they're not," Ezran said.

Amaya laid a hand on his shoulder. She looked at him with the kindest eyes. Tears threatened to spill out of them, though. Ezran could understand. She had lost her nephew. One of the few people alive- well, he was alive, that she cared about. Tears filled his eyes, too. His lip began to quiver. His brother was gone. His best friend was gone. They died together. Side by side. At the same time. Neither could comfort him when the other was gone.

The tears rolled down his face. He missed both of them so much, he couldn't bear to hold them back. Amaya gave him another hug. Gren sat beside them, respectfully waiting for Amaya to sign another thing. Ezran motioned for him to join the hug. Gren was a little surprised, but didn't hesitate to join them.

The three sat, in a group hug. Usually, those were for happy times, but now, there seemed to be nothing happy in his dark world. He wanted nothing more than to be in Callum and Rayla's arms again. But he couldn't. Never again. He cried in his aunt's arms. And Gren, of course. He couldn't, and never would, see why they had to die.

He just wanted them back. He wanted to hug them one last time. He wanted to hear one more bad joke from Callum. He wanted to learn one more fact from Rayla. He wanted to say goodbye. "Hey, Ez," came a voice from in front of him. Soren stared down at him. "I just wanted to ask... if you're ready to see them."

Ezran stood and followed him outside. As they walked down the 7,000 steps, Ezran just let the tears roll. Soren tried to comfort him as the great crownguard he was, but it didn't help. He had lost his brother. Soren tried to help by saying he had lost a sister. Ezran responded with, "It's not the same! Claudia's alive! Callum's not. Rayla's not. Nothing is the same. It'll never be the same."

Soren started to cry, too. He tried to hard to choke back the tears. He tried to be the strong, fearless crownguard he was supposed to be. But he couldn't. He cried with Ezran. Finally, they reached the bottom. "They're this way," Soren said through sobs. They tried to talk as they traveled to the willow, but they couldn't. They wouldn't. They weren't exactly in a talking mood.

As they neared the beautiful tree, Ezran spotted the two mounds of dirt. He collapsed beside them. He let his tears soak the dirt. He let himself bask in despair. In pain. In agony. He cried the tears of the wounded. Of the pained. The angry. He was... he was mad at them. How could they do this to him. They can't just leave. No. No...