Dragon Wars: Destined Through Fire (Book 2)

Chapter 23 (Jangras POV) A Meeting...

The pool that we had been in, had been warm for just a few moments, but then as soon as that dragon had said those words, it seemed to get a bit chilly and cold. I looked at Socra, as I could tell that she was doing her best to stay strong, but I could tell that she was in a lot of pain right now.
She was not looking at Ipse, or the other dragon that was with us, that had just spoken to us in fact as well, but she had her eyes on my father, as I could see. I could see the pain in her eyes, as clear as day, as she normally did her best to hide it, but this time, it was just too hard for her to do that.
I wondered how it must have felt when my father had killed her mate. She had to be mad right? I looked at her, I still could not believe this was all real. My father was no longer the leader of our tribe, it was real now, and it felt so scary to me.
I tried to think back on all that had happened, and how we had gotten to this point in the first place. I then felt a sharp wince of pain flow through my body when I thought those thoughts, and I realized that it had come from the water, as I quickly flew out of it.
At first I had thought that maybe it was trying to tell me something about all of this, like maybe it was trying to tell me that I did not need to be thinking those thoughts in my head all of the time, or else I would end up like my father...
I looked over at him, as I realized that I was not the only one that had felt the shock wave come from the water. I saw that he was staring at it for a few moments, until he lifted his head back over to Ipse, and the other dragon as well.
I looked at Socra, as I realized that she was doing the same as well. It was clear to me that we were still not quite done here. I sat there for a few moments, as I looked at both of the elder dragons for quite some time, wondering who it was that was going to speak first.
After just a bit longer as well, I then saw Ipse dip his head at each one of us, as after a bit more time, the other dragon did the same too. I looked over at Socra and my father, as I saw that they were copying exactly what it was that they had done.
I realized that I should do the same as well, as I then lowered my head down to the ground, almost to where I could taste, and smell the rock dust that was beneath me. I nearly sneezed as well, but I stopped myself thankfully, as I feared that it might ruin all of this.
I did not want my father to do this, but if it was his own decision, than I was not going to do anything to stop it. I knew just as good as the rest of them, that this tribe needed a leader right now as well, and I knew that my father knew that too.
I sat there for a bit longer, as I waited for one of the dragons to speak, after the long time of silence that had been in the room as well. As just as I had thought about that as well, I saw Ipse then lift his head up, as the rest of the dragons that were with me did the same.
I hesitated for a few moments, as I was not sure if this was just some thing between them or not, but when I lifted my head up, no one said a word, nor payed me any attention, so I kept it that way, as I then listened to Ipse as well, as he had finally decided to speak up for the rest of us to hear.
"This is over now... Socra, you are now the leader of the tribe... I pray that you do your job to the best, until it is time for you to give that same job to the next in line." He said to Socra, as I saw him look at me from the corner of his eyes at the same time as well.
I knew what he was thinking too, and he had practically said it in the words that he had just spoken to her. I knew that a lot of it had been meant at me as well, as I shivered at the same time as well. I did not expect the stress to be affecting me like this so soon.
It seemed like he was not sure as well about all of this, which I was not sure if I was thinking about it in the wrong way or not. I knew thar he trusted me, and I always knew that he had believed in me, ever since I was quite a young dragon as well.
But I did not blame him for it, I was still young, and I was still a few years out from being fully grown at the same time as well. It was quite scary to think about at the same time as well... Socra was old enough as is, and if anything were to happen to her any time soon, that meant that leadership would be given over to me.
It would not surprise me at the same time as well, if it did in fact happen as well, that if it did, then people would challenge me for the leadership as well. It made no sense why people felt like being a leader was a good idea, maybe it was some sort of bragging right, but they did not know all of the stress and the burden that came with it.
I remember as a younger dragon, all of my friends would brag about going to be the next deputy of the tribe, I was sure that many of them had grown up at this point, Kota including in all of that as well. But I also knew as well, that many dragons still wanted that power for some reason.
I shook it off, as I had realized already at this point, that having that sort of power as well, was in fact not as fun as it might seem to a lot of other dragons. I closed my eyes for just a few moments, as I let the silence of the cave hit me, besides the small little drips of water thaf I could hear from time to time in the background.
It did not really bother me all that much though, as I was happy to just be in a safe, and good place to just have some time to drown out all of the thoughts that were going on inside of my head as well. It felt nice, and I wish that I could live in here as well.
I shook those thoughts off at the same time as well, as I then began to hear Socea finally begin to speak again, as he cleared all of the silence that was in the air of the cave. As I opened my eyes and looked around me, I noticed that I was in fact not the only one that had been lost in the silence of the cave.
I sat there, as I then turned my head over to her, and then I listened in on her voice, just to hear what it was that she had to say about all of this in the first place as well. As I lifted my body, trying not to get too comfortable as well, as I realized how tired I was too.
"Thank you Ipse... I will do my best to lead this tribe, through all of the struggles that we are about to endure for the next couple of years... You can count on my promise." She said to him, looking at him to make sure he knew for a fact that she had meant it as well.
He looked at her for just a few moments, as he knew just as well as I did, that Socra was a good dragon when it came to her keeping promises that she had given. He sat there, as he lowered his head to her, and then he nodded as well.
I looked at him a bit confused as to what it was that was going on at the moment with him. Was he a bit confused as to what it was that he was doing? Was this still going on? Had we not finished this yet? He sat there for a bit longer as he then nodded to the rest of us, as he began to speak.
"Thank you Socra... We believe in you, and we do trust you, we know that you will lead us through these troubling times... With that being said, we praise you as the new leader of our tribe..." He said to her at the same time as well. I looked around me, as I then noticed something that I was doing wrong.
All of them had their heads bowed down onto the ground, and I was just still standing still like I was some sort of idiot. I noticed that Ipse had his head bowed to the ground, but I still saw that he had his eyes squinted at me, at the same time as well.
I then quickly did what the rest of them were doing at the moment, as I then lowered my head to the ground too. As I just sat there still for a bit longer, as I dared not lift my head up, even a tad, to see if they were all done with what it was that they had been doing.
I then heard Socra begin to speak, with her head down to the ground, as I could tell based off of the waves that were coming from her voice. I kept my head down at the ground, but I was close enough to see her face at the same time as well, as I then listened to what it was that she felt like she must say back to Ipse.
"I thank you for that, it is not often that you get to hear that from another dragon now a days." She said back to him. I thought about what she had just said back to Ipse for just a few moments, as I then realized that she was correct at the same time as well.
Most of the dragons in the tribe no longer trusted any of the other dragons in our tribe, not even their own family as I came to notice from time to time as well. I suppose, that Yikla had a lot to do with that too. As a lot of the dragons blamed my father for trusting a black dragon.
A lot of the older dragons liked to bring up the fact that he had been in love with one at one point as well. Though my mother did her best to hide her emotions, I could tell that it still hurt her a lot when she overheard another dragon speak like that about her mate.
Were they even mates anymore? I still was not too sure about all of that, and I suppose that I should just leave it at that as well, as I should just have my mind on the future of the tribe at the moment, as that was the whole point in all of this in the first place, none the less.
I turned my head over to Ipse, as I heard him begin to speak back to Socra, and though I could not see him in the first place, I did my best to keep my ears open, as I listened to each and every word that he said back to Socra, the new leader of our tribe.
"We trust you Socra, you were taught by one of the best leaders in the history of our tribe." He said back to her for a few moments. I wondered what he had meant by that for a few moments. Had he meant that Himla's father had taught her all of that.
I lifted my head up a bit confused at all of it, but then I realized that I had forgotten that all of the dragons had their heads bowed down to the ground in the first place as well. As I looked around, I realized thankfully at the same time, that it was okay, and everyone else had their heads lifted up as well... All besides my father of course.
I was still a bit confused as to what it was that he had meant in the first place, for just a few moments, but I then turned my head, and my eyes over to Socra, as she spoke back to him. This time I made for sure I could hear what it was that she said back to him, as I was so confused as to what it was that he had meant.
"Yes... I was..." She said back to Ipse. I was still so lost, as I had no idea what it was that they were getting at in the first place as well. What were they talking about? I looked at her for a few moments, still quite a bit lost, as I then saw her turn her head to my father.
I looked at him, as I saw that his pain had seemed to swell even deeper than before. As he looked away from the rest of us at the same time as well. The stories that many of the older dragons had told me about my father, had all came back to me at the same time as well.
I was stuck in a cycle, that had been telling me that my father had always been as weak as he was right now, but I had completely forgotten what it was like before all of this had happened. Before my own brother, had been murdered in front of the eyes of all of us.
I shook my head, as I did my best at the same time as well, to just try and shake all of it off, and pretend like none of it was real either. But it was about damn near impossible for me to do that, as I knew that all of it was real, and the pain was unbearable.
Luckily I did hear Ipse begin to speak up to the rest of us, as I lifted my head up to him at the same time, and nodded thankfully to myself that he had gotten all of those thoughts from out of my head at the same time as well. I listened to what it was that he was going to say to all of us, just keeping my thoughts clear as well.
"Yes... And that same great dragon, has also got a son that may become even greater than his father ever was." He said back to me, as I looked at him, he was just staring at me for just a long period of time, as I also saw him crack a little bit of a smile at me as well.
I did my best to shake it all off... I did not want to be the deputy of the tribe already, I had quite some time before all of this was supposed to happen to me, and it scared me all the more to even think about all of it. I knew that he thought that I was excited about all of it, but that was quite the opposite of where my thoughts were at right now.
I looked away from him, as I then looked over at me father, as it came as a bit of a surprise for me, that he had his head lifted up finally, and he looked just as strong, and just as proud as he had ever been. I saw that he was staring right at me as well, as I wondered what was going on.
It seemed almost as if he were suddenly back to his normal self. I wondered what was going on, as I saw him nod to me at the same time as well. As I took my thoughts away from all of that... I knew what was going on... He was proud of me, no matter how hurt he was, he still did love and care for me.
It made things feel just a slight bit better, though I knew he was still not normal at all. I shook my head, and then I looked back over at Ipse... As I finally felt like I had something to say back to him after the short time of silence that had fallen back upon the cave. He looked at me and then nodded for me to go ahead and speak, which I did so do.
"Thank you Ipse... I will do my best to make him proud of me, and I will do my best to show that I am truly the dragon of destiny." I said to him. He looked at me for just a short period of time, as I realized that I was 100% being certain about what I had just said.
It came as a bit of a surprise to me as well, as it seemed like as soon as I had gone through that water, I had just suddenly grew to some sort of higher power. I wondered it that was what was supposed to happen, or if I had just had some sudden change of who I was, and what I was.
I shook my head, as I smiled a bit at the same time as well. I lifted my head back up too, as I realized that Socra was looking at me. She nodded to me, as I was a bit confused as to what she was nodding about. She then turned her head away from me, as she then began to speak to Ipse.
"Thank you Ipse... All of you be safe... We are about to go and have a meeting..."