Three years later...

Dawn sat at the entrance of the cave staring bleakly at the misty gray morning. Flutterwing's usually not back yet. It's nothing to worry about. And yet here Dawn was. Worrying. 

Dawn couldn't help but think of the worst-case scenario. She's not coming back. A big dragon got her. Or, the worst one of them all. She simply forgot about you. Dawn nervously twisted a piece of vine that Flutterwing had cut her just yesterday. 

"Stop, stop, that's not helping. she IS coming back." 

After Papaya's death, Dawn had anxiety.

She WILL be back. Dawn always tried to think good, but in the end, her sister always came back to find Dawn on the brink of hysterics. And she thinks you're a useless waste of food and you should have died instead of Papaya you are a stupid waste of scales. She likes him more than you and ... 

"Stop, stop, stop." Dawn dropped the vine and pressed her talons over her eyes. "I'm such a mess."

"No, you aren't." 

The warmth of Flutterwing as she slid next to Dawn was so welcoming that she actually wept. 

"It's not your fault what happened when you were three." 

"But Papaya was sleeping in front of me and..." 

"Oh, give it a break sis. This is the last year of your dragonet-hood. You should be enjoying yourself." 

Dawn wiped tears from her eyes. "You really think so?"

 "Yes, now let's get you some food," Flutterwing said firmly. "You seem hungry, you'll feel better after you eat."

Dawn decided not to bring up the conversation they had a month ago where Flutterwing had said, 'You really should try to get a grip on yourself, Dawn'. 

Flutterwing's good and bad moods went on and off. Dawn had learned what things triggered her sister and what made her happy and avoided those subjects, often at the sacrifice of her own happiness. 

Usually, Flutterwing had a good memory and she had been a little distracted lately. I'll just wait THAT out. I know the cause, and it'll blow over. The storage cave was a small side cave.

Here comes the storm, Dawn thought. Flutterwing stood in the cave, a faraway look in her eyes. Sitting on the floor next to her was a pile of wilted, completely brown bananas. A single yellowish puddle that was a sorry excuse for an orange lay in a corner. And the rest of the cave was empty. Dawn prepared herself as Flutterwing seemed to remember where she was and gathered herself to speak. 

One of Flutterwing's triggers was seeing rotten food.

Though today Flutterwing just dismissed the orange and the banana with an absent-minded shrug. 

"Sis, when the fog clears, we can go food gathering. How about that?" 

Wow, she really is distant today. At least usually she could keep up her attitude. Dawn really did know what was on Flutterwing's mind. Flutterwing knew that Dawn knew. The sisters had a mutual trust to not say his name.

But Dawn could think it all she liked. Bamboo, Bamboo Bamboo stup-id stup-id Bam-boo. There. That made Dawn feel a lot better about it. 

"Sis, are you fine waiting?" Flutterwing continued.

 "Oh, um yeah, I guess I'm fine?" Dawn said, more of asking if Flutterwing was okay with her being elusive. At the response of a simple head nod, confirming that Flutterwing wasn't paying attention, she continued. "I'll wait."

Dawn actually was ravenous but neither the orange nor the bananas were appealing. Yeah, I guess I'll be fine a little longer. It definitely would be worth it for a fresh mango or better; Dawn's favorite, fresh papaya. To be accurate a fresh anything would be nice.

You're a big slug face Bamboo!  Dawn thought fiercely. Usually, she didn't like insulting other dragons, but in her opinion he totally deserved it. It all started when they were having Pomegranate over for dinner again. Not that there was anything wrong with Pomegranate, a kind RainWing who was around eighteen years old and was Dawn's only real friend. She lived in a tree hollow complex nearby and came for dinner quite often.

(Dawn had been almost ridiculously relieved when she learned that Pomegranate didn't live in a burrow. Her one brief experience in one had been enough. How any dragon, especially a sun-loving RainWing would willingly live underground was beyond her. )

Dawn and Flutterwing had been in the pineapple grove harvesting pineapples until they couldn't anymore. Just recently they had eaten the last of those pineapples. They had been kind of mushy in the end. Dinner was mostly going to consist of the not-quite-ripe fruit and the possible fish Flutterwing could catch. (Dawn still thought she was a MudWing and Flutterwing could camouflage one talon.) When he had come strolling up like he owned the place.

Dawn had instantly that he wasn't trustworthy. Maybe it was the fact that he kept his scales a basic lime green flecked with gold. Maybe it was the fact he had so much treasure. It wouldn't have been so weird to have a little bit of jewelry. Many dragons wore little bits and bobs now and then scavenged from the old Rain Kingdom. Pomegranate herself wore a thin silver chain around her neck, but this was just too much.

He had three golden rings pierced at the edge of both of his wing sails and a matching one on his right ear. Dawn had never seen the point of stabbing pieces of metal and gemstone in your ear. However, some dragons thought it fashionable, and who was she to argue? He had a thick metal armband, also gold. And then there was the necklace. A thick gold chain with a long clunky gold cylinder attached to it. How any dragon could bear wearing something that bulky was still also beyond her.

'Hello, fine dragons,' he said smirking. 

'What do you want?' Flutterwing asked with narrowed eyes. 

'Do you know the way to the nearest sexy dragon? Oh wait, I don't have to look far, because she's right here," he winked at Dawn.

That was too much even for the normally patient Flutterwing. She let out a loud hiss and, as quick as lightning there was a piece of Flamesilk dangling in front of him and he was franticly backpedaling. 'I mean sorry, pretty one. May I talk with you in private, I didn't realize you were single?' 

Flutterwing glared at him before starting to walk to the other side of the pineapple grove. Dawn could just watch him from where she was, still picking pineapples. At one point he shot a look at her. A smug look, a dangerous look that made Dawn feel funny. It made her feel scared.

So she had played along. 

She didn't speak up at all, talking to Flutterwing about the things she'd seen, because she knew her sister wouldn't believe her.

Flutterwing started seeing him every once in a while, then more regularly. Now she saw Bamboo almost every day. Dawn really wanted to go up to her sister and give her a piece of her mind, that they didn't need an extra mouth to feed, that Bamboo made her uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Flutterwing would see none of it. She barely ever fussed over the egg anymore, and lately, Dawn had been the one keeping it warm. 

"Dawn, you're zoning out again," Flutterwing pointed out. 

If only you knew. Dawn forced herself to look out of the cave. She had been idly twisting the vine in her talons and staring at a random spot on the floor. The mist has mostly cleared, I guess we are going to leave soon. As Dawn put the vine down, Flutterwing came up, looking kind of panicky.

 "Aster and Grove are coming over for dinner. How could you forget? How could I forget!? We're leaving now!" 

And before Dawn could protest she was being dragged out the door.