It was with Daryth that I walked today, humming quietly to myself, finding it much easier to maintain that unique link I shared with him with this gentle, lilting song my mother had sung for us keeping my concentration focussed upon the draw of my magic. Some might think my singing meant I was happy, but right now, the melody was mournful and hushed, sung not only to maintain the link to my magic with relative ease, but to express the feelings of sadness and grief that plagued all of us since the discovery of Torasin's, and Solstice's body. The image of death was imprinted upon my brain, the stark clash of the deep crimson arterial blood staining the golden and white hide… I knew what death was about. I was omnivorous, I had hunted and broken necks and drank the blood of my prey before. But never had I seen one whom I loved and cared about taken down, without mercy, without a chance for him to ever survive such an attack… I had never before seen the death of one I considered a friend, a brother, a member of my extended family in the Edge. And while I was young and able to divert my mind to other things often enough, I was still plagued with the image of his dead, vacant stare, of the resounding unhappiness that permeated the air around us, of the lingering depression that haunted my mother.

It was not until Daryth tweaked me with a silent mental note, that I registered the quivering atmosphere to be caused not only by this sadness, this depression, but also something more global. I paused my step, lingering on the borders of our home, nostrils flared, ears swirly atop my head at the sound of nearby guards on patrol. But then there was running, swift steps, and sensed more than saw, that a blue dragon was flying nearby. A few lengths away, obscured by the mists and trees of our home, I saw the movement of the Wild Rose, and fuelled by a similarly frantic, impulsive energy, I followed her trail, whipping my elongated tail back and forth, as my wings unfurled in the next clearing, and I took to the skies. Daryth flew with me, and we easily tracked the mare and her dragon - soon we needn't bother, for ahead of me I could see exactly the reason for this strange, quivering atmosphere of instability and fear. I landed farther back than Smoke, but swiftly approached, ears pricked forward with keen curiosity, unsettled by the silent awe in Daryth, unnerved by how he seemed drawn to the strange energetic void that these great, powerful figures seemed to dance a war-dance around.

I recognised one of them, for I had seen him before. The Lord of the Sun, God of Light and Fire, had overlooked my presence before, and I was sure he would take no notice of my observation now. I stared at the others, and from my mother's descriptions, I recognised the one responsible for crafting my beautiful home out of the very whims of her thoughtstream; my heart soared, I could not lie, and it took a great amount of shivering self control to resist calling out to her a greeting. I looked at the third, the Earth Lord, and then the fourth, the Time Lord, with large, golden eyes that drank the information in and seemed to store it at the edge of my mind, the data seemingly too large and confusing for me to comprehend all at once. I sighed suddenly, realising I had been holding my breath as I watched them all struggle against this force, and then I remembered to check on Daryth, panic rising within me as I saw just how far he had pulled away from me, clearly wanting to go towards the battle.

Then, the deities disappeared, and everything seemed to occur instantly, yet painfully slowly.

Daryth! Come back!
I must go with them!
But I need you!
I will be back, child.
No.. Daryth!

He flew towards the vortex that swallowed the Gods, one by one, and I lost sight and feel of him as the charred and ivory God of Time stepped through last, my mind reaching out to an empty void, my heart and soul seemingly torn straight out of my chest, my magic gone, and my friend gone with it. Daryth… I kept murmuring to myself, blinking as the eerie darkness, and the unnatural illumination that followed, settled into my surroundings. None of it seemed to sink into my mind; I did not comprehend any who were around me, I did not feel anything aside from the vast emptiness that filled me up, leaving me standing there, an empty shell of raw and hurt emotions. Though I did not voice my pain, my mind was aching from the mental onslaught that followed, and in the wake of the Wild Rose, I turned upon my haunches, springing without thought into the air to return to the everlasting darkness of my misty homeland.. without him.