Dragoncrest Cliffs There is no justice, there's just us.

Upon hearing her murmur, voice made heavy by the haze of sleep, Dacio guiltily flicked his dark ears backward. He offered a soft whine in quiet apology and remained rooted in his place - just out of her reach should she decide to shoo him out of her sight with her viper strike. The silver Gona remained quiet as she roused, his tail lashing at his hocks with uncertainty; while Opalia was not as quick-tempered with him as she had been when they were children, she could still be fiesty. In the wake of their mother's death which had turned their world upside down, Dacio was unsure how unpredictible the loss might've made his sharp-tongued sibling.

She spoke out to him through the darkness, and the boy made a tentative step forward to better look upon her. His claw clacked against slick stone, the sound echoing through the vastness of their cavern, and he furrowed his brow to accompany the thoughtful frown that formed on his muzzle. "I'm leaving," he told her, figuring it would be best not to tip-toe around his intentions, before he quickly added: "just for a little while."

The last thing Opalia needed was to be tricked into believing he would leave their family, not after all they'd been through. Dacio had promised not only his remaining sister that his loyalty to Drageda was forever, and after Sequoia's betrayal he had no plans to go against his word. "I want you to come with me," he included after a beat.