Desperate Skies

[Yuna Braska]

Adelonda and her brother listened carefully as the clans fought and debated smoungst themselves. " Do you think united we will have a chance? Or will it make it easier for the humans to target us all" She said with concern to Raze. She always seeked advice from her grey brother, he would make the right decision.
"We will do whatever the dragon elders decide. That is our best chance" He grunted. He didnt look like he agreed with the situation but Raze was very loyal to the dragon species. He delayed for a moment before joining into calls of agreement before moving forward to bow to Sinuo, he was almost as big as the elder but still a lot younger. " I vow to follow you Sinuo. the humans are unintelligent barbarians" he spat as Adelonda came up to stand beside him, " No more death should be cause by their pitiful race" Raze felt very strongly about the humans, he wanted things to go back to the way they were.

(the best i could do sorry)

[Elario Luminus]

Asterion screeched into the air along with Sinuo's cry for victory, his head thrown upwards as if he wanted the very heavens themselves to hear his voice. He settled as the rest of the clearing did so, and he listened intently to the dragon who declared his allegiance to the Elder dragon. He climbed down to the ground and shook himself, flicking his tail to stretch it.

"I don't know about the rest of my kind, dragon, but I myself will be in this new alliance." He stated, addressing the Elder. Asterion would follow this cause; he himself heralded it. But something in him refused to bow down to another species. 'Pride doesn't leave and isn't curable, it seems.'

[Sparkles]

Upon having some of the young ones pledge allegiance, he bowed his head to each of them in turn. It was moments later that the phoenix took flight, three with thunderbird chicks in their grasp as the little chick's wings were not powerful enough for the speed and distance that they would be traveling. 'As I thought' Sinuo sighed slightly as he followed them with his eyes until he lost them over the treetops.
There was a small outbreak of discontentment that followed, but it didn't take too long for things to calm down once Sinuo had their attentions again, "Tonight we will farewell our loved ones.." the Silice clan leader had perished in the battle, so the clans would unite. Silice and Latet, Viribus and Aquilae Oculum.. though not tonight. "I know not the customs for your dead.." he addressed the Griffon populous before him.. "but tonight we must let them back to the Earth. So take your loved ones.. we will reconvene here at first light"

Once he had set it in motion, it did not take long for the clans to divide and begin to find ways of carrying their dead away for private ceremonies and the like with the rest of the clan. The dragons before him worked together to haul the dead onto their backs and prepare ways t transport them to the place Sinuo would take them.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Arakeil had skittered off once the Elder had finished speaking, finding his mother's body and his young brother, struggling to pull his mother onto his back -though anyone could tell he was being stubborn and surely could not carry her on his own- before he picked Irt'u up by the tiny spines on his back gently and attempted to begin walking, though he was having a lot of trouble on his own and his mother's hind legs and tail were dragging on the earth behind him...it was times like now he deeply missed his father...if he'd had his father's strength than he could have been so much greater than he was now, he could have easily pulled his mother to where they were going all on his own. Irt'u squeaked quietly to his brother, curling up into himself as his elder sibling carried him, looking terrified and sad, tears glistening in his huge eyes. He was too young yet to understand the argument that had gone on beforehand but he knew tension when he felt it and he knew that even now the air was tainted with sadness and death.

[Yuna Braska]

Adelonda felt so lucky to have her brother still here with her. If she had lost him she knew that she had lost everything she held dear to her heart. She looked over her dragon species and watched as many carried their dead away to begin the mourning and closure process. She spied one young dragon trying to carry a large female, most likely its mother. She didnt hesitate, she shook her furry white hair and went over to help the dragon, young ones shouldnt have to go through the torture of dragging their loved ones dead body. She tucked her head under the back legs and placed most of the weight on herself to walk just behind the larger of the two dragons. She nudged the black dragon in front of her and smiled just as her brother came to walk beside her. Raze was a very big dragon and his grey fur made him look wize but it was always his stern look that scared others from, mostly juvenilles, from talking to him. He tried to look more relaxed then scary this time.
" Keep your head high young ones" He said to them.

[Elario Luminus]

Asterion nodded to Sinuo, then headed back towards where his parents lay. The image burned itself into his mind, no matter how hard he fought to keep his memories of them living vivid and real. Noticing both other Griffons moving to the dead of his kind and Aura looking off into the distance, no doubt for her mate, he decided he'd try to block the pain and help those he could, starting with Aura. Treading over towards her lightly so as not to startle her, he sat down next to her and looked in the same direction she was. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, and could see she was undecided on whether or not to fly. He'd heard others in the days before, warning her not to fly to too much of an extent to help protect the foetus.
"I know what you want to do. You shouldn't do it, but I won't stop you from doing what you must. If you would like the company, or for me to go in your stead...just give the word, and I'll be at your side."
There was no way Asterion could imagine the pain or anguish Aura was in right now. The thought of losing a mate wasn't one he wanted, but could never experience; he'd seen mating ceremonies before, but had never been in a position to participate.

[Sparkles]

Aura's heart skipped a beat.. and then another. It was war inside her heart; potentially save her mate or protect the egg held within.
Upon both seeing and hearing Asterion's address, her heart calmed down ever so slightly as she tried to shake herself awake. It was as if she were in a dream state; her mind clouded with possibilities; clamping her feet to the earth as her chest threatened to break from the strain of holding herself back. She so desperately wanted to go searching for him, but it may harm the egg, and then the chick, and she couldn't risk it. She wouldn't risk it. If he was alive, he would come back to her. He would come back to her and their chick.
Only a moment had passed since Asterion had spoken, and Aura would seemingly deflate before him now as she settled herself to the ground, the feathers on her chest fluttering before they touched the cold earth beneath. Then she stared at the treeline, willing herself together as her sharp eyes slowed in their search.
She would then look back to her clanmate and, though her heart protested and her eyes twinged, she gave a very sharp toss of her head, "No." her usually petite voice sounded unfoundedly centered, "Go be with yours Asterion. he will be back.. by morning.. he will be back" she once again lifted herself up and turned herself in his direction. He was grounding her for the time being, as was her maternal instinct, and that feeling.. that connection to him that she hadn't seemed to lose.. though she had fears of how long her grounding would last if her mate was not back by morning.

_______________________________________________________________________

Sinuo, having collected the bodies of 3 dead upon his shoulders and between his wings, walked with his head held high over the forest floor as they approached an area where the moss began to recede to give way to a solid granite outcrop.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

When Arakeil felt the burden on his thin legs ease, and of a furred muzzle nudging him, he glanced behind to see a white-furred she-dragon helping to carry his mother. Beside her was a much larger grey-furred male, likely a father or sibling, though his age suggested the latter. His natural instinct was to snap and them and tell them to back away, not being one for trust, but something about the female's calm eyes and her companion's evident attempts to not seem threatening soothed him and he decided against pushing them away. He was unsure, yet, but he did not feel threatened by them, which was unusual. The only other dragons besides his family that he did not feel threatened by the mere presence of them were Sinuo and the young dragoness from earlier, Sinuo's granddaughter. Now these two joined those ranks and it puzzled him, but he supposed perhaps it was because they were like him; he saw no parents that resembled them, nor any dragons that stood with them, they were two siblings on their own, like he and Irt'u, perhaps it was that similarity that made him feel more comfortable around them.
At the male's words, his large ears drooped a little, but his expression did not falter, perhaps an indication that he would not let his pain rule him, before he turned his gaze away and continued walking. Irt'u, however, kept his head craned to see the strangers, large eyes flicking between the two, before they settled on the brother, squeaking what was probably meant to be a greeting to the older dragon, despite the lack of any form of words from the tiny hatchling's lips.

[Yuna Braska]

Adelonda carried the deceased older dragon out of the clearing with the juvenile, the limp body on her back seemed to get heavier and heavier the further she walked. She didnt walk too far into the now darkening forest, knowing that it would be safer to stick to the bulk of the gathered group. Of course however she wanted the young ones to have their last moments with their loved one in privacy. " Will here be fine to rest?" She whispered to the black male in front of her. Raze was still with them.. at the back of the group, his head high and his ears to attention. He was more cautious then usual.

[Elario Luminus]

Asterion bowed his head in acknowledgement and retreated to those that were tending to the dead Griffons, helping them where he could. While the others lifted up the sides of a body, he crawled underneath and pushed up, supporting the main weight on his shoulders. Slowly, one by one, they moved their dead into a secluded area, forming a loose filled-in circle. He and the other Griffons gathered branches and leaves from the surrounding trees and piled it all upon the bodies, enough so that they were completely covered. As the last branch was placed, the Griffons surrounded the pile and sang low, mournful hymns to the sky, each of them silently praying for their loved ones deliverance to a better place.

Asterion himself imagined his parents entering a garden of peace and tranquility; the water was clean, the food plentiful, the greenery was everywhere. He could see them flying together and happiness and joy with each other, and he smiled to himself as a single tear rolled down his face. 'I'll miss you. I'll see you eventually, but I'll make you proud first.'

[Sparkles]

Sinuo continued on to the granite outcrop. The open ocean lay just beyond, and the sea breeze washed over his scales. Lowering himself, he gently allowed the bodies he carried to go to the floor by lowering his wings. He then turned back to those following him to assist them. They would lay the bodies in a circle... and the rest would be done by the elders.... by him. Then their brothers, sisters, sons and daughters could join their ancestors, and the survivors; they would not perish. This.. this was enough. As he watched the young ones struggle up the rocks, he swore an oath to himself. Never again would any caelum feras lose their life in vain. Because, when all was said and done; what had they gained?

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Ara looked back at the white she-dragon behind him, noting that she was beginning to look tired. He glanced back ahead again to see how far they were from where the others had gone, before he looked back again. "I...would like to join the other dragons, but I think I should be able to go from here alone if you wish to leave, ma'am..." he said, softly, bracing himself for when she would put his mother down, prepared to pull her himself. He didn't care how much larger than him she was, he would have to be strong to protect his little brother, so he was willing to put himself at risk to grow stronger, surely just pulling his mother's cold body behind him would not put his life at risk, so what was there to lose from trying?

[Yuna Braska]

Adelonda adjusted the body on her back with a quick shake and roll of her spine. " Lets keep going. " she said simply. Raze then quickened his pace and started to strut forward towards the other dragons, he was never one to stay around young dragons for long.

[Elario Luminus]

Asterion finished the hymn along with the other griffins and shook his head quickly to loosen his neck; he'd been holding his head upwards for a while now. He turned to see the dragons pulling their dead into a circle, and his peripherals showed the others either mourning or moving to aid the other species. He rushed over towards the giant red elder dragon, heading out onto the outcropping. In a show of humility and respect, he bent own leg and extended the other in front of him, bowing low and keeping his wings tucked in. "Do you need assistance at all, Elder? Our family and friends that have left us have been laid to rest, and we wish to help in any way possible."
The griffins may not have the strength of dragons, but they could find other ways to provide assistance if they had to. They were stubborn, and they'd make sure everyone was okay before anything else happened.

[Sparkles]

Sinuo looked down at the griffon before glacing around him at the others, then back at the young one. These last moments would be best donw in private. Any intrusions would normally be dealt with offence. However, as the clans would be coming together, it was probably best that they include each other in their traditions. "Our ceremonies are cloaked in fire, young griffon. For now, comfort and assistance lifting our lost to the outcrop is what is needed." There were only a few stragglers left; most others were forming a cresent circle about the side of the outcrop, facing the cliffs and the rolling ocean waves below.