It had been a strange few days, and Standig had hated every second of them. Obviously, the grief was overwhelming. So many people had died. Just, poof! Gone. It didn't feel real. Everyone was in mourning, and yet, they still felt obligated to congratulate him and his team for a job well done, for ending the war and saving the world. Even during the memorial service held for the fallen, people still toasted to “the primordials”, like they’d done something above and beyond the call of duty. Standig didn't feel like he deserved the hero worship. In the end, it had been Lolo. She was the real hero. She was the one willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, and now she was…. Standig swallowed hard. He couldn’t think like that. There was still a chance, however slim, that she could pull through this somehow.

***

Tamkhee was completely overwhelmed by his new role as the Dragon Tribe leader. (He’d nixed the title of Dragon King. It felt way too pretentious for his liking.) He didn't know the first thing about running a tribe, and the Dragon Tribe was in shambles, much worse than he’d suspected. There were well over a dozen villages that had been harvested for souls by the Black Dragon, and there was no denying that having the dragon army obliterated by the alliance wasn’t good for the Dragon Tribe either. The men that had been coerced into joining the military were the laborers that kept the farms running, artisans and tradesmen, builders, inventors, intellectuals. They’d left behind families, widows and young children, so Tamkhee found himself the leader of a tribe full of broken families, desperate villages, and depressed citizens.

His one saving grace was his association with Huo Lohse. Standig had been right. Being Lolo's friend held a lot of benefits. Just her name opened up doors and connections for Tamkhee, and he needed the help. Qingchi and Rensui Lang were quick to step up and “train him on the job” as they put it. They liked to tease Tamkhee about being yet another stray that their sister had adopted, and they seemed happy to honor that and welcome him into the family-- something that repeatedly surprised him as days turned into weeks.

"Did she do that a lot?" he asked one day. "Adopt strays?"

"All the time." They said it in unison without any hesitation, and Tamkhee felt a twinge of regret for not knowing Lolo better.

"Have you heard from Philige recently?"

Qingchi's face fell. "No change. Jadu still doesn't know for sure what went wrong or how to wake her up."

"And the Silver Wolf spirit?"

"Also sleeping. That might be the problem; both of them were injured pretty badly."

***

Ming Lang watched his son spiral into a deep depression, helpless to do much about it. Zhongyan was inconsolable. Haowan's death and the manner in which he'd died had shaken him cruelly. Despondent and disinterested, Zhongyan carried out his duties as the Alpha as though he were sleep-walking.

"He needs to declare a new Beta," Lingdao reminded his dad.

"Either of us would be willing to serve as his acting Beta until he finds a girl to marry," Zizai offered generously, "but every time we try to talk to Zhongyan about it, he shuts down almost instantly."

In desperation, Ming Lang spent the afternoon agonizing over a letter to the sphinx princess. If anyone could snap Zhongyan out of this, it was her.

To Princess Et’zana Dhaka’n, Sphinx Tribe, Qasron

From Ming Lang, Wolf Tribe, Pack Hall

November 4

Dear Et’zana,

I hope you will forgive me for dropping all pretense and coming straight to the point. I’m sure you’ve heard that Haowan was killed during the battle; the loss of his twin and best friend has left Zhongyan in a really bad place. I know you care for Zhongyan, even if you aren’t prepared to be in a relationship with him. I wouldn’t ask if I could think of anything else to try. If you can, if you’re willing, I know it would mean the world to him for you to come stay at Pack Hall for a while.

Sincerely,

Ming Lang

Four days later, Et'zana arrived at Pack Hall.

"You came! Thank you for coming." Ming Lang was both moved and relieved by her swift arrival.

"I'm glad you wrote to me. I was worried about how Zhongyan was doing, but he hasn't replied to my letters. How is he?"

"Let me take you to him. You can see for yourself."

Zhongyan had locked himself in his study, not to be disturbed by anything short of an emergency. Ming Lang nodded to the door, and Et'zana knocked.

"Who is it?" Zhongyan growled.

Ming Lang gave her a wince for an apology and gestured for her to announce herself before excusing himself silently and walking away.

"It's me." After a while with no response, Et'zana assumed that Zhongyan wasn’t going to open the door to her and started to follow Ming Lang out.

“How long this time?”

Et’zana turned to see Zhongyan standing in the doorframe. “What?”

“How long are you planning to stay this time?”

“I-I haven’t scheduled a return date yet.”

Zhongyan looked defeated. “Et’zana, what am I to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve been doing this on and off thing for a long time. Over five years! I’ve been anything but subtle about my feelings for you, my intentions. Is this some kind of game to you? Do you enjoy being chased? Is that what this is all about?”

The amount of hurt in Zhongyan’s voice made Et’zana want to cry.

“Why do you always leave?!”

She cringed. “You should be asking why I keep coming back?”

More games. “Fine, Et’zana. Why do you keep coming back?”

“Because I hope that eventually you’ll give me a reason to stay.”

“What-”

“Think! Can’t you give me a reason to stay?!”

“I don’t underst-”

“Ask me, Zhongyan.”

“Ask you? Ask you what?!”

“You really are an idiot, you know that? What else?”

“Y-you mean…? Right now?!”

She crossed her arms and waited.

“I… uh… Et’zana, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” She smiled and rushed to hug him. “Finally!”

***

"So, now what?" Ulana so eloquently put it one day. "The mission is over. We've literally ended the millenia-long primordial war. Do we just go back to our normal lives like nothing's changed? What do our normal lives even look like?! We've been riding this craziness for so long, I don't even remember!"

"I've been thinking about that too," Fortus had been dreading this conversation. "With Artibus dead, King Hospes has renewed his invitation to make me the Lion General. I haven't decided how to reply."

"After the battle, General Baatar invited me to take over the phoenix military's advanced training," Ulana remembered, "but I haven't given him an answer either."

Fortus grimaced. "Are we supposed to return to our own tribes now? Break up the team?"

"Philige already told me that you can stay here in the Bear Tribe as long as you want," Standig offered, similarly unhappy to see the team split up.

"I don't really want to leave until Lolo's status changes," Ulana came to a decision. "I feel like I at least owe it to her to stay close until…." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"She could still pull through this, Ulana," Standig stubbornly insisted. "Even Jadu doesn't understand what's going on with her. For all we know, this is some weird spirit animal healing process."

"Or she could be dying," Fortus stated bluntly, as though saying it out loud might help him to come to terms with this fact.

"I'm not prepared to give up on her just yet." Standig glared at Fortus.

"It's been three weeks, Standig." The pitying tone in Ulana's voice was infuriating.

"I know how long it's been," Standig snapped back at her. "I'm still not giving up, alright?!"

"We've all taken turns passing her energy," Fortus reminded him. "It didn't seem to make any difference. Jadu has been working night and day to come up with some way to help her, and, while her body has completely healed, nothing has worked to wake her up."

"At least she doesn't seem to be in any pain," Ulana highlighted the thing they'd all been secretly comforting themselves with, and the group settled into a troubled silence.

"How's Philige holding up?" Fortus asked.

"He is holding up, but I know he's been purposely keeping himself extra busy trying not to think too hard about everything," Standig reported, his voice tired.

Fortus nodded. "Aren't we all?"

***

“Hey, Lolo,” Philige had gotten into the habit of talking to her when he got home every evening. “Today was another busy day. The new trading post is coming along nicely. It’s become a popular attraction already with the view and the artistic design that you insisted on. Also, I finally succeeded in persuading Standig to be the new Bear General. He needs something to do, and with the Starkams… gone… he is the obvious choice to fill that position.”

He didn’t know why he was still hopeful that she’d sit up and say something to him, but he was. Stifling his disappointment and renewed grief, he got ready for bed and curled up beside her.

“Do you remember what I promised you before the battle? You would be such an incredible mom. I’ve thought about it. I hope we have another girl and that she looks just like you.” Philige hadn’t spoken these thoughts out loud before now. He had been planning on saving it to tell Lolo when she woke up, but that was seeming less and less likely now.

Draping an arm over her waist and moving in close to kiss her cheek, Philige closed his eyes to drift into an uneasy sleep.

***

Huo Lohse felt like she was floating. It was the strangest sensation. She was having a hard time remembering things-- things like how she’d gotten to this unusual place or why she was there at all or how long she’d been there or how many times she'd tried to remember the answers to those questions. From time to time, she could hear voices faintly in the distance. There was one voice in particular that made her feel safe and happy every time she heard it. She could never quite hear what he said or remember whose voice it was, but she knew that she wanted to find him. Every time he spoke, she went looking for him, following the sound.

This time when he spoke, she followed his voice until….

“Lolo, please wake up.”

She was asleep? How long had she been sleeping for? But that would explain this weird floating feeling. Actually, she should have known that this was all a dream.

“I miss you, and I could really use your help right now.”

Struck by how profoundly she missed him too, Lolo started struggling to break free of her dream. She felt someone’s hand brush her face and realized that she hadn’t felt connected to her body in quite some time. Now there was a warm weight on her stomach. Someone’s arm perhaps?

“It’s been a month since the battle, Lolo.”

Battle?! What battle?

“I’m trying not to give up on you, but I’m scared.”

Scared? Why was that so upsetting to her?

Whomever it was pulled her into a hug. He was warm and strong, and Lolo could hear him breathing and his heart beating. This felt… familiar.

Lolo wanted to wake up, but to do that, she had to open her eyes. What did that feel like? She couldn’t remember. Getting frustrated and starting to despair, she began to cry. Tears! Tears come from your eyes!

She blinked. She was in a dark room. It was nighttime.

She blinked again. The person to whom that voice belonged was lying next to her, sleeping.

Blink. She knew his face. His name…?

Blink. “Philige?”

He must not have been sleeping very deeply because her voice, croaky and quiet from lack of use, woke him.

“Philige,” she repeated in a whisper.

Instantly in tears, Philige wasn’t sure what to do with her first. He eventually settled on pulling her into a tight hug and sobbing into her hair.

“I’ve missed you too.”