The Dragons of Undari

Chapter Four - Conversational Thoughts

When Mera's eyes opened, the sun beamed through her window, illuminating her room in a warm glow.  Her head was pounding, and she was covered in sweat. Remembering what had happened during the night, she sat up quickly, and glanced around her room. The egg was in pieces, the pillow that cushioned the bottom of it was gone. Panic filled her gut as she placed her feet on the floor and stood, immediately falling back down as the world spun around her. She groaned, and held her head in her hands. What exactly happened last night? I remember bits and pieces but when it comes to right after I woke up in the middle of the night I can't remember anything, she thought to herself, her eyes closed as she focused on not getting sick.
Are you okay?
    Mera gasped, and opened her eyes, frantically looking around the room.
Mera? Are you alright?
    "Who is speaking to me? Who is in my room?" Mera said as she looked behind her.
    A small bronze-colored hatchling popped his head out from the foot of her bed, his golden eyes fixated on Mera.  He walked out in front of her, sitting momentarily, and then laying down across from her.  His long snout pointed up towards her, waiting for her response to its presence.
"You?  You're speaking to me?"
The hatchling nodded, his tail flicked back and forth, yes, I am, through your thoughts, which you should learn to do also.  You don't want your parents to hear you before you have a chance to tell them about me.
Mera slid off of the side of her bed and knelt down on the floor facing the hatchling, which, was as big as she was at this height, can you hear me?
The hatchling nodded once more, blinking slowly, and shifting his weight, yes I heard you.  Hello Mera, I'm your companion, it is nice to finally meet you and see what you look like.  Hearing you from inside the egg and not being able to reply was extremely frustrating.  He then stood, his four legs unfurling from beneath his large, bronze body, and his wings stretched outwards, touching the two walls lengthwise of her room.  His long tail flicked once more as he looked around, and he brought his wings back down to his sides, have you decided on what my name shall be?
Your name?  Shouldn't you already have one?
He snorted, no, nothing is born with a name, let alone hatched.  Therefore the name you give me will be a name destined for me.
Mera looked at him, admiring his beauty, I think your name going to be Solimar, what do you think?
He snorted once more, and his eyes glowed as a low purr came from his chest, Solimar, yes, that feels right.  I am curious of the name that will be given to my twin nest-mate.
You have a twin?
Yes, the second egg that I was laid with.  We are connected almost as one.
Mera stood, using the bed for support as the room spun once more Solimar quickly came to her aid, allowing her to lean on his side, his wing propped on her opposite shoulder to give her support. He held her still until she was able to hold herself up, and then he stepped back respectfully, keeping his golden eyes on her until he was sure that she was okay.
    Mera smiled, thank you, I am alright. Whatever you did last night has my head a little fuzzy, I read about it in the booklet. She reached over and grabbed the booklet that was at the edge of her bed, flipped to the page concerning communicating through a mental link, and held it out in front of his snout for him to see.
    He looked over it, then his eyes lifted to look up at her, I see, I suppose that is what happened. To me, it was instinct, and I was just following it.
    She shrugged and set the book back down on the bed, and sighed, I have to explain you to my parents now. There is no way I can sneak you out. You're growing way too fast.
    Solimar looked down at himself, then looked at the shattered egg remains, and then at her, I do seem to be growing quite fast. Last night after I hatched, I had to climb up the side of your bed until I was completely off of the floor just to link my thoughts with yours. He walked forward, his head able to reach the top of her bed naturally, without stretching out, now I can reach it without trying and, actually, a little higher than your bed. He quickly grabbed the book in his muzzle and dropped it in her lap, please open to the section right after communication.
    Confused, Mera flipped through the pages until she reached the section that Solimar wanted, and then held it up to him for him to read. She watch quietly as his eyes moved over the page, taking in the information.  He was very graceful and magnificent, even though he only stood at about 4'11" from the tip of his head to his claws.  She worried about his size already, as he only hatched a few hours before.  The two large fangs that came down from his upper jaw - much like a saber-tooth tiger, were slowly getting longer and more sharp.  The same could also go for the two horns protruding from both sides of his head, which were slowly growing in length, thickness, and sharpness.  She had also noticed that the little bumps that went from his head to the very tip of his tail were now also growing into spikes, and his wings were, too, getting larger.  Soon, he wouldn't be able to fit in her room at all, as she wasn't even sure if he was able to even turn around at this point.  He had to be about 7" roughly, and gauging by his size, her room only looked to be about 10" long.  She wasn't even sure if he could be considered a hatchling anymore.
Hm, he hummed as he flipped the page with his snout, this book only seems to talk in averages, but likes to add in that things vary.
    Mera giggled, I feel the same way. So, what did it say?
    Well, he started, taking a deep breath and sighing, his breath hot on her hands, basically, the growing process is different for each type of hatchling, as in, it depends on the breed of dragon. Sizes also vary based on the breed of dragon. Average, though, it says that a hatchling will double its current size every day until it finally stops, but the duration of the growth varies for each breed.
Mera turned the book towards her and read pretty much what Solimar just told her, and then she looked up at him, well, you certainly are not growing at the average rate, she pointed to his horns and his fangs, you're practically a dragonet now.
Solimar grumbled deep within his chest in agreement, his ears swiveling around the room, someone is coming.
What?  No!  What are we going to do?  You can hardly even turn around, let alone hide!  Mera started fumbling with the booklet, throwing it back into the basket, and pushing Solimar towards the window.
Mera I can't fit through that window, you're just going to have to tell them about me before I can no longer fit through your door, he snorted and stubbornly sat down in the middle of the floor as she pushed on his scaly chest, not making any progress in pushing him.
Panic rose within her, and her head pounded along with her heart, which was almost beating out of her chest, it won't work, it isn't the right time!  She pushed hard against the large, bronze dragon, but he wouldn't budge.  She froze when the door opened, and Zeff's head popped in.
    His eyes widened at the sight of Solimar, who was now slightly taller than his companion now, who stood at 5'4.  "Wow," he said slowly, opening the door completely, "he's amazing!"
"Zeff!" Mera rushed to the door, pulling him in by his arm and closing the door quickly behind him, "What are you doing here?"
Staring at the large dragonet that sat in the middle of her tiny room, he whispered, "He looks just like Iridi's dragonet".
Solimar's head perked up, his ears swiveled forwards, and his eyes grew wide, my brother has hatched as well?
Zeff watched Solimar, then turned to Mera, "What did he say?"
"He asked if his brother hatched today also".
"His brother?"
"Yes," Mera started, but a low grumble from Solimar stopped her from saying any more.
Is this human trustworthy?  He too has a dragon that I can sense outside, hiding in a tree.  An ambush?  Before you start telling him about my brother and I, make sure that he will not disclose it to anyone.
Mera sighed, why would it be a bad thing if he did tell somebody?
Because, Solimar said, lowering his head slightly, from what I can tell, my brother and I are important.  Our destiny is unfolding before us, and with each passing moment I can sense the importance of our companionship more.  However, what, exactly, makes my brother and I, along with you and his companion, important, I do not know.
Well, she started, I know that he is trustworthy, both him and his dragon, and I think that we should fill him in.
The dragonet sighed, my trust flies with you.
Mera smiled gently at him, and then turned to Zeff, who hadn't taken his eyes off of either of them during their conversational thoughts, "He said that I can fill you in, however we can't do it here.  If you can't tell, Solimar here isn't going to be able to fit through my door if we stand here any longer.  We need to get out of the house and somewhere private".
"Interesting," Zeff said, rubbing his chin, "his name sounds a lot like Iridi's dragonet's name.  And, don't worry, I already have Iridi and her dragonet in a private clearing in the woods a little ways away from here.  I agree we need to go, as your parents should be returning soon".
"Where are they?"
Zeff smiled, "I told them that there was a new merchant in the center selling his own dragon-nip.  They went to check it out".
    Mera grinned and nodded, "Okay, let us get going then, before we have to break the doors down just to get Solimar out of the house".
    The group made their way out of her room, Solimar having to squeeze his wings close to his sides and wiggle a little to get through, and then having to do it once more to get outside. He hesitated before stepping off of the stairs into the grass, but finally stepped down and caught up to Mera and Zeff, who were waiting for him a little ways ahead. Whenever he caught up, they both shielded their eyes from his reflective glow. Solimar twisted his head back and looked at himself. His scales were glimmering in the afternoon sunlight.
As much as I would enjoy to stop and look at my new surroundings, we need to hurry, he said as his head swiveled back around towards the two, who broke out into a sprint when they noticed their parents walking up the pathway just a few meters away. Solimar's eyes widened, and he, too, broke out into a run. Quickly gaining on Zeff and Mera, he decided that now would be a perfect time to try out his wings. Pausing only for a second to pounce into the air, he swooped downwards and grabbed both of them by the backs of their shirts with his claws, being careful not to puncture and rip the fabric. His wings flapped hard, not used to the weight that they were now forced to carry. He flew quickly into the trees, hoping that his companion's parents did not see them. While he believed that they should know about his presence, he also respected his companion's decision to keep him hidden for a little while longer.
    Mera stifled a scream, as she was still in her nightgown, and she was afraid of heights. Solimar! What are you doing? Put us down! His glee filled her thoughts, and soon, she too, was having a fun time, even though she was holding her nightgown down tightly, and trembling from the fear of how high they were.
    "Mera!" Zeff yelled, looking over at her, "Riao is very angry with your dragonet right now!"
    They soared over the trees, wavering here and there, as Solimar was still getting the hang of the flapping and gliding ratio to keep them in the air. Mera looked around, both terrified and amazed by what the world looked like from this high. The trees looked like thousands of little bushes covering miles of land, the people looked like ants, and she could see the beautiful castle of the King and Queen standing off in the distance, the haze of the atmosphere turning the brilliant stone into a light shade of blue. The wind that rushed at them was fresh and free of smoke, free of smells, free of everything.
    "Solimar, the landing area is right there!" Zeff yelled over the wind as he pointed down towards the forest.
    Solimar grunted in acknowledgement as he angled himself downwards and held his wings out in a glide. Hold on tight, I don't really know how to land just yet, he said to Mera as the trees quickly approached them.
    Mera shouted this information to Zeff, who started shouting frantically, but she was unable to hear him. A roar in the distance was Riao's attempt at getting them to stop, but Solimar wasn't worried about him, he was just worried about getting them on the ground safely. They glided downwards at a high speed until suddenly he changed his positioning until his wings acted as parachutes, using the air below them as a way to soften the effects of gravity. Somehow, he managed to hover softly over the ground by a few inches, placing both Zeff and Mera down before he came to a complete landing.  Riao landed heavily beside them, snorting smoke and barring his fangs at Solimar.  Mera looked back at Zeff who was watching his dragon intensely, and, with one final hiss towards her dragonet, Riao grumbled and walked over to Zeff reluctantly.
"What was that?" Mera said as she pointed towards the red dragon, who was slowly becoming larger than Zeff himself.
Shaking his head, Zeff folded his arms, "A temper tantrum if I ever saw one.  Riao doesn't seem to understand the importance of Solimar just yet".
"What do you mean, Zeff?"
"You might want to wait until we see Iridi first," he said as he began walking past her, "that way I can tell you both".
Mera sighed and followed him, their companions walking beside them, as they passed through the woods a little further until they came to a clearing.  When she finally pushed the last branch out of her view, Mera saw a large, steel-colored dragonet elegantly sitting  with Iridi, watching her approach.  Zeff and Riao also emerged from the bushes next to her.  Solimar's head pushed out behind her, and a low purr from his chest rumbled the ground below her.
Ah, my brother, Solimar said as he walked ahead of her, stopping only a few feet from the other dragonet, who looked almost exactly like him.
It was only when Zeff and Mera met up with Solimar that a smile spread across Iridi's face, and she ran forward and hugged Mera, "Oh!  Your dragonet is beautiful!  It's wonderful to finally meet him, Lunimar here told me that he had a twin brother and, seeing how beautiful he was already, I was excited to see yours".
"He's gorgeous," Mera said as she hugged her back, "I didn't think they would look so much like one another.  If they weren't different colors, we wouldn't be able to tell them apart!"
Lunimar was a large, steel-colored dragonet, his scales shimmering shades of light blue off of the sun's light.  His eyes were a deep shade of green.  He was a spitting image of Solimar, his size, growth, and his overall nature was exactly the same.  The two dragonets bowed their heads to each other, lowering their heads so far to the ground that they almost touched muzzles. 
When they returned to their seated positions, Zeff, who was leaning against Riao, stepped forward, "Alright guys," he started, "I brought you both here because I understand the significance of your dragons now, and I think that you both underestimate the importance of your destinies".
    "Zeff," Iridi said, stepping towards him, "what are you talking about?"
    He sat down on the soft grass, leaning back on Riao's side, then motioned for them to do them same, "You might want to sit for this. I know when I read it for the first time in the Undari Library I almost couldn't believe it".
    Both girls sat down, their dragonets laying across from one another with their claws crossed and their wings folded against their sides. Their size was now doubled, the length from snout to tail rounding out to about 15" their height climbing to a towering 11'11". Their wingspan had to be just cresting 20" from wingtip to wingtip. What used to be short and dull nubs running from their head to their tales were now long, pointed spikes. The same could be said for their large horns.
    Once everyone was seated, Zeff sighed, "I went to the library to read up on the history of dragons, along with dragon oddities and events in history. I found myself intrigued by the fact that only two eggs were laid last Hatching Event, so I set out to really understand everything I could about how rare it was. I knew something was special when I went home that night, and Riao was more interested than usual. Anyways, I pulled out a couple books that seemed promising, and while most went over the royal dragons, one, and only one, went over two twin dragons that were considered godlike in ancient times. These two dragons, the dragon of the sun, and the dragon of the moon, worked in harmony to keep the balance of the world intact, raising the sun and raising the moon, along with protecting the dragon kind from humans that tried to banish them from existence".
    The girls leaned in towards Zeff, listening intently, their dragons laying behind them with their eyes closed, one ear towards Zeff, the other swiveling around, listening.
    "It is safe to say that the need to protect dragons from humans has diminished greatly over the years with the help of the dragons of royalty, who discovered the bond between us was stronger than the act of predator and prey between human and dragon, thus bringing them both together in harmony. However, due to the lack of conflict, the two godlike dragons, Solar and Lunar, retired from their battling years, and settled to raising the moon and sun to give us the day, and the night".
    Iridi chimed in, "Okay? Can you get to the point please, Zeff?"
    He sighed, obviously disappointed that she was not as interested in the history as she was, "Alright, then. Pretty much, the destruction of dragons has started again due to the growth of man. According to the most recent books in the library, Solar and Lunar haven't been spotted in thousands of years, leaving the dragons vulnerable".
    "Zeff," Mera said quietly, "what does this have to do with Solimar and Lunimar?"
He smiled at her, "Listen to what you just said: Solimar and Lunimar.  Your dragons are twin brothers, one the color of the dawn," he raised his hand to Solimar, "and one, the color of dusk," he said as he raised his hand to Lunimar.  "I knew as soon as I saw them that they looked familiar to Solar and Lunar in terms of their colors, along with the fact that they were twins.  It was only when you both told me their names separately that I was sure of it.  Your dragonets are the replacements for Solar and Lunar in the battle to keep the earth balanced," he took both of his raised hands and clapped them together.
Both of the dragonet's, who were now almost full grown dragons, opened their eyes, both of their ears swiveled towards Zeff, and Solimar's voice could be heard throughout all of their thoughts, this makes quite a bit of sense to my brother and I.
Lunimar's deep voice cut in, piercing their thoughts with a voice as sharp as a knife, Solimar and I discussed the odd sensations we felt whilst in our eggs.  I seemed to feel more powerful and energized at night, and he in the day.  However, we never put it together due to not having the knowledge of our ancestors, or our gods, his large head looked up at the sky.
We do not harness the power to move the sun or the moon, Solimar said as he stood, now standing over Mera entirely, so I believe that we should pay our gods a visit, don't you, Lunimar?
The large silver dragonets nodded and stood also, his large body casting an even larger shadow across the clearing, it will be a long flight, so we better be going.
"Wait!"  Iridi stood, raising a hand to both of the dragonets, "everything we know is here.  Our families, our friends, our homes; you can't force us to leave!"
Lunimar lowered his head to his companion, and spoke gently, it is our destiny to protect all of dragon-kind, and to restore harmony and peace in the world.  But, as your companion, I will understand your wishes to approach the situation differently than how Solimar and I would like.
Hesitant, she looked at Mera, who shook her head and said, "Iridi, I don't think we can go about this a different way.  I don't think Zeff is lying either.  Didn't you read the booklet?  Only special types of dragons can project their thoughts to more than just their bonded companions, and they're talking so that all three of us can hear!"
    Iridi sighed, "Fine I suppose. However I think we should return home, explain the situation to our parents, get some supplies and gold, and then head off to where we need to go. We also need a map, so Zeff, you need to scour the library or the merchants to try and find a map of Undari".
Zeff nodded, understanding his task, and Mera agreed that she too would like to go home and pack her things - not that she really had all that much to pack.  While she was excited to go on this journey, to see new places she had never seen before, to meet new people, and to visit new towns, she also felt guilty, in a way.  Guilty that she disobeyed her parents and went to the Hatching Event, especially now that she had to leave home and all of her chores to restore balance to the world before dragons and humans collided in a war.  However, no matter how much excitement or guilt she felt at the moment, she knew that, in the end, this was destined to happen to her from the start.  She was meant to be chosen by Solimar.  She was meant to go on this journey.  As she and the others said their goodbyes, promising to meet in the same spot early tomorrow morning, she found comfort in knowing that she could be saving millions of lives; including her parents' lives.
On the flight home, Solimar could sense that Mera was having troubling thoughts about her home and the journey ahead of her.  He found that, the longer they were linked together, the more their thoughts and feelings became one.  Her anger became his anger, her guilt became his guilt, and so on and so forth.  However, he didn't want to tell her of this discovery in fear that she would subdue her feelings so that they would affect him less.  Still, he wanted to make sure she was alright.  Are you alright, Mera?  You seem frustrated.
She looked up at him, as she was being carried back home within his claws, and leaned her head against his scaly paw, no, not really, she thought.  I'm just having mixed feelings about leaving home.  They've needed me the whole eighteen years I have lived here.  I don't know how they're going to manage without me around.  We don't have a lot as is and that is with all three of us working our butts off.
Solimar sighed, a loud hum coming from his chest that echoed through the sky, I would like to say that I understand, but I don't.  Parents aren't really a dragon thing.  Neither is anything else you humans do.  He flapped, and then started to angle downward for what he hoped to be a slower descent than before, we are here, tell me what you intend to do.
I am honestly not sure, Solimar.  I think I might apologize and explain first, and then pack.  What do you think?
He tilted his head from side to side a few times, then landed gently in one of the untouched parts of the field.  Watching as Mera's parents came running out of the house, he let Mera go, I'm not sure either, but I am sure that if you do not tell them that we are companions they will attack me, and I will have no choice but to attack back, he got low to the ground and bared his fangs, keeping his wings slightly outstretched, both to show size, strength, and just in case he needed to take off.  He wasn't exactly sure yet of what humans were capable of, especially if there were more than one running at him.
Gasping, Mera went running towards her parents, waving her arms and telling them to stop.  When they reached each other, they hugged her, and then collapsed on the tilled soil together, still embracing.  Mera sat still for a moment, letting her parents go through their emotions, and then finally sat up when they reached the anger that they also had.
"Where have you been, Mera?"
"Why the hell is that dragon with you?"
"What is going on?"
"Is that dragon dangerous?"
"Is that dragon yours?"
"How dare you disobey us?"
Mera waited until they were finished asking questions, scolding her in between thinking of new ones.  The least she could do is try to reasonably answer their questions, and not argue back and forth with them, even though, she thought, they were overreacting just the slightest.  When her mother broke down into tears, and her dad started to comfort her, she decided that this time was better than never to tell them about Solimar, and their destiny together.  "Mom, Dad," she started, inching forward on her knees and holding both of their hands, "I have something I need to tell you, and I'm sure it will answer pretty much all of your questions for me as well.  Are you both willing to hear me out?"
Junsi's face lifted from her husband's arm as she hissed at Mera, "We deserve an answer for all of this!"
Mera sighed, already knowing that no matter what she said, her parents would never understand that there was life outside of this farm, outside of dragon-nip.  "I went to the Hatching Event that day.  I only went to watch, though, but I ended up getting chosen by one of the hatchlings, who is now no longer a hatchling," she waved at Solimar to come to her, "I raised this egg in my room into this magnificent dragon, and his name is Solimar".
    Solimar bowed his head, projecting his thoughts to them as well, greetings, parents of Mera.
    "So," Mera continued slowly, "my friends and I have discovered that our destiny is extremely important to the world, and that means that we have to leave for a little while".
    Over the newfound sobs of her mother, her father looked at her, daggers in his eyes, "You're telling me that not only did you disobey us, but because of that, you are leaving the farm? How long are you going to be gone for? What is more important than your family and the farm?"
    Mera sighed, losing patience quickly. They had been like this since she was little, putting the farm above everything else. She was homeschooled over winters due to being busy from spring to fall with the crops, and even then, her parents were busy with harvesting and preparing the seeds for the next season, so she had only gotten a few broken hours a day to learn how to read and write. She wasn't even sure how she learned to speak or walk, beings that they practically put her in the field as soon as she was born. She looked up at Solimar, who's tail flicked in annoyance, what should I say? Should I tell them about our mission? Should I tell them about you and Lunimar?
    A low rumble sounded from his chest as his golden eyes looked down at her, they deserve to know, I suppose. From the looks of it, they don't frequent the markets or anything, so the chance of them talking to others about it are very low.
    Alright, she said, looking back at her parents, "The fate of the world is more important than the farm, and I am doing it because of the importance of our family. Solimar and his twin brother Lunimar are the next sun and moon dragons, born to replace Solar and Lunar in the fight to keep the world with dragons and humans balanced and peaceful. For thousands of years, peace has settled across the land, but with the growth of humanity, conflict has once again arisen between dragon and man. We fear that if we don't try to find Solar and Lunar, conflict could turn into all out war, killing millions in the process, and breaking the bond between human and dragon. This is why we are leaving for an indefinite period of time, and this is why you have to come to terms with the situation".
Junsi had stopped crying, and was now looking at Mera, tears welling in her eyes, "Mera, our beautiful daughter, why would you do this to us?  After eighteen years of us caring for you, why would you abandon us?"
Anger swelled in Mera's heart.  How dare the act like this?  How dare they act like I'm the bad guy for wanting to help save the world, including this stupid farm?  I'm sick of the farm!
They sat silently for a moment, anger, too, growing in Solimar.  He felt as if he could rip the whole house out of the ground, and burn the farm to the ground.  Smoke poured from his muzzle, and his spikes stood on end.  He dug his claws into the soft dirt, closing his eyes, hoping Mera would calm down.  Mera, you seem tense, you should try to relax.
Mera looked up at him, woah, are you okay?  Your spewing smoke!
He nodded tensely, yes, just talk to them and start packing, we need to be ready to leave tomorrow.
Mera stood and dusted off her nightgown, "I didn't expect you to understand the importance of the situation.  Nothing is more important to you both than the farm.  Even you both would choose the farm over each other, or even me.  Do you realize that if I don't do this, the farm could be completely destroyed?  Do you realize that you could both die?  My mind remains unchanged.  I need to go pack a few things for our journey, so if you will excuse me, I am going to head inside".  What that, she began walking around the side of the house and to the front door, Solimar following closely behind her.  She stopped at the door as Solimar tried to fit his head in, and giggled at him, "I don't think you'll fit in here anymore, I'll be right back".
As she went into her room and began grabbing a few supplies, and changing into her now dry day-clothes, Solimar sat outside in the front of the house, which he was now bigger than, and looked around at the surrounding woods.  He thought it was quite beautiful, the way the trees grew together, but far enough apart as to not starve each other of space, water, and sunlight.  Not only did he think the trees themselves were beautiful, but also the wildlife that was teeming within them.  He watched as a bird few from tree to tree, calling for its mate. 
A sniffle caught his attention, and he looked down to see Junsi standing below him, looking up at him, tears streaming down her face, "Please," she started, wiping her nose with her handkerchief, "please don't allow my daughter to get hurt".  She brought her hands up to her face and began crying once more.
Solimar felt sorrow for her.  She seemed to care a lot about Mera, regardless of what it sounded like when they were arguing.  He lowered his muzzle to her, and nudged her gently, I promise I will keep my companion safe.  We are bonded.  If she were to die, I would have no reason to continue living as a wild dragon.  I will not only keep her safe for my sake, but for hers as well, he raised his head, and stepped back from the sobbing woman, before we leave, I suggest you and Mera's father make up with her.  She is very upset right now, and feels as though you care more about the farm than her.  It is not my place as her companion to interfere, especially with human emotions, but I hate to see her so upset.
Junsi, between sobs, managed to say, "Okay, we will," as her husband came to her.
"Are you alright, Dear?"
"We need to apologize to Mera before she leaves.  Her dragon told me that she believes we think that the farm is more important than her.  Our own daughter thinks that our farm is more important to us than she is," Junsi put her handkerchief back in her pocket and wiped her eyes, stifling back more tears.
Her husband nodded, "I don't agree with her decision, but I suppose, if you think we should apologize, then we should".
They hugged each other and then leaned against one another in front of Solimar as they waited for Mera to come back out of the house, and when she did, she was carrying a small backpack on her shoulders.  Her parents went to her without saying a word, and hugged her tight.  Solimar stepped back, giving them some space.  He was glad that they had taken his advice, as he would have hated to leave on such a bad note.
"We are sorry, Mera," her mother said, "we were wrong to get angry at you for wanting to follow your destiny.  I mean, I suppose we couldn't have avoided it.  We care about you so much, so much more than the farm, and we are sorry that you ever thought otherwise," she stepped back and pulled out her gold pouch, looked in it, and pulled out a handful of gold coins, "This is our life's savings, please take it on your trip".
    "Mother, I can't take this!"
    "Please," Junsi said as she forcefully placed the coins in Mera's hand, "listen to me for once and just take it".
    Mera sighed and took the coins, "How are you going to make it through next winter without any gold?"
    "We will work even harder to sell more, don't worry about us. Did you get everything you need?"
    Nodding, and motioning to her small backpack, Mera said, "Yes, all that I had really".
    Junsi gave her a small smile and hugged her, as her father walked over and handed her a slip of paper, smiling, too, as he then wrapped his arms around her and his wife, giving them both a bear hug. Mera slipped the paper into the pocket of her shorts. Once the hug was over, Mera yawned and put her bag on Solimar's large back, "We should probably be getting some rest so we can leave bright and early tomorrow, right, Solimar?"
    The large, bronze dragon nodded his head, I will sleep out back as to not draw attention. We will leave at dawn to meet with the others.
    Mera patted his side, "See you in the morning," and then walked into the house with her parents, who were talking of making a feast in celebration of her destiny.