Cold stone surrounds us, chilling our feathers as we descend into the unknown depths of White Mountain. With our wings pulled tight, there’s just enough space for Asha to walk beside me through the frozen passageway. The path before us is dark, covered in blowing snow and very little else.

“It’s just like the entrance to the aerie,” I say.

Asha rumbles in quiet acknowledgment. She’s squarely focused on reaching Keuvra’s den and learning the answers to questions that have plagued her since she became Kin. Daylight nips at our tailfeathers before extinguishing completely, leaving us to press forward in total darkness. The air is still, filled only by our own scents — it’s been a very long time since a Kin last traveled over these stones. Eventually, our talons’ sound changes, becoming more full and open. I sense we’re no longer in the passageway.

“Asha.”

My voice carries a distance, echoing off a distant wall.

“We’re inside a den,” Asha observes.

A flash of light leaves her muzzle, briefly illuminating the surrounding area. I catch just enough detail to confirm that the passageway had given way to a broad, airy den.

“You’re right!” I exclaim.

“Wait,” Asha drapes a wing across mine. “I saw something else.”

Another shot of fire illuminates the den, this time a feather longer than the first. Directly before us lies a series of stone pillars, rising straight to the den’s ceiling. Though I only caught a fleeting glance, they remind me of the pillars Asha and I saw in the Farlander ruins we burned. Somewhere closer to the ground is a pile of stones that seems to have been placed with intention. Was that what Asha noticed? As she takes a cautious step forward, something unusual happens: A flash of pale green light emanates from a stone before us, outlined in the shape of an unfamiliar symbol.

“Whoa!” Asha chirps, reflexively flinching.

I quickly join her at her side and examine the strange symbol. “Asha, is that the Goddess Language?”

To my surprise, she shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this symbol before in my life.” After a moment’s silence, she mutters, “If I were to touch it…”

Asha extends a wing forward, her feathers gently trembling. As soon as the barbs touch the stone, the den changes. Lights from unknown sources illuminate the den in a subtle orange glow, a radiance not unlike the lights of the Grandfather Tree. The breadth of the den is revealed to us — while far smaller in size than the aerie of White Mountain, a Dragon could comfortably take flight in here. A raised portion of rock, half a wingspan off the ground, lies in the center of the den, flanked on both sides by a row of five stone pillars approaching us. Directly in front of the raised stone is another one of those strange, transparent stones that I saw Asha as a Lemur through. But the most striking feature is a series of… talon symbols? I’m not entirely sure what to call them. But there’s a series of carvings against the stone walls on each side of the den.

“By the Goddess…” Asha whispers.

“What is this place?” I ask, gazing around the den. “Has this always been here?”

“Kuro, look.”

Asha flicks her ears to the carvings on the right wall.

“Is that…?”

We cross the den and examine the wall up close. To my astonishment, the carvings are a series of highly detailed inscriptions that, when taken as a whole, appear to resemble a scene from real life. Flourishes of color, weathered by time and applied through means I don’t understand, give the carvings a further sense of reality. I recognize the shapes of Farlanders, the shape of a small tree… Most strikingly, I recognize the shapes of Kin.

“Whoa…” I trail off in wonder. “Asha, what is this?”

My mate stifles a cheeky laugh. “It’s a mural, Kuro. Somebody with artistic talent carved this scene for future generations to admire.”

I gaze into the stone, mesmerized that entire stories could be told without a single word spoken. This one appears to be about Farlanders and Kin; Three Kin are perched in a field, gazing at the ground while a group of Farlanders look on. In the center of them is some kind of plant sticking out of the ground with green, wavy lines emanating from it.

“What’s going on here?” I ask. “Why aren’t those Kin preying on the Farlanders?”

“Look,” Asha points her wing toward the plant at the center of the mural. “Kuro, this is a tree sapling. They must be planting it.”

“Why would Farlanders and Kin plant a tree together?”

Asha rumbles in contemplation. “I don’t know. I wish I could tell which species it is, but there’s not enough detail to make a positive identification.”

Farlanders and Kin, working together to plant a tree? Why would Kin need the help of prey-animals to plant a tree? This mural doesn’t make any sense… could something like this truly have happened long ago? If so, why?

“Let’s check the mural on the other side,” Asha suggests.

We cross the den, passing the raised portion of the stone and the pillars in the center of the room. The next mural seems to tell a story about Kin and Farlanders outside of a large stone den near a bunch of… blue stuff? Could that be a lake? The Kin are holding vines in their muzzles that are attached to strange, flat objects on the ground. Somewhere nearby, a group of Farlanders are also holding vines attached to the flat objects.

“More cooperation,” I observe. “Asha, do you know what this blue stuff is?”

She tips her wings. “I think that’s the ocean.”

The ocean? “You mean, Farlanders were in Felra before the continents rose?”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Asha rumbles in faint agitation. “But what else could it be? This scene must have occurred around the time the ancient Dragon clans were fighting each other.”

“To prey on the land, in the sky, and at the sea…” I mumble to myself, reciting a line from the parable about the history of the flock that all Kin know by heart. “But, the Farlanders in that story were mercilessly preyed upon by Kin. So how come this story shows them working together?”

An unspoken intrigue passes between us as we gaze into the mural. If this story is true, how has the flock been taught a different version of events? Gust told us we would find ‘lessons’ in this den, not more questions. Which story is right? Could both of them be true?

After a silent moment passes, Asha rises from her haunches. “Come on. Let’s check the last one.”

We trace the side wall, passing the columns and the raised stone rock. As the back wall comes into focus, Asha’s feathers perk.

“The Goddess Language!”

She lopes forward, coming to a halt beneath a mural of a Farlander transforming into Kin with some Farlander symbols carved beneath. On the left side of the story is a Lemur, perhaps the same kind Asha used to be, clutching themselves with their arms. The Lemur has become much larger in the middle, feathers and wings sprouting from their body. Finally, the right side shows the Lemur fully transformed into Kin, bellowing fire from the muzzle into the sky above them.

Asha studies the inscription below the mural, mouthing the words as she translates the weathered stone. As I catch up to her, she recites aloud, “The Lordanou Clan… tamers of elementia.”

“’Elementia’?” I ask. “Asha, what’s that?”

She shakes her head in dismay. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of that word before in my life. Kuro, do you think…”

She trails off, doubt lingering in her voice.

“Asha?”

Her red eyes stare into me before twisting back towards the mural. After a silent moment, she mutters, “I think I know what ‘elemntia’ is. But it’s… difficult to explain. And I’m not even sure something so fantastical could exist.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

My head recoils a little. For some reason, Asha sounded rather ominous. “What do you mean, fantastical?”

She shakes her head and opens her wings slightly. “We should locate Keuvra’s den. If I’m correct, you won’t have to wait long to see elementia in use.”

I feel my tail wrapping around my front talons. Usually, Asha is eager to explain things I don’t understand. Why is she deflecting all of a sudden? Is there something about her family’s history that she’s embarrassed to share? Could elementia mean something different in the Farlands?

“What about the rest of this den?” I ask. “We haven’t explored the—“

“No,” she quickly turns away and shakes her head. “I’m not interested in the past, only the future. None of this matters, Kuro.”

I exhale, flattening my feathers. It feels like Asha’s putting stones between us. But instead of being angry, she smells… frustrated. And a little bit scared. What’s going on? What is it about elementia that’s got her so worried? And why doesn’t she feel comfortable telling her mate?

After a long silence, Asha rises to her talons but keeps her gaze from me. “We should keep looking for Kevura’s den,” she speaks softly.

Feeling the urge to comfort her, I take one step forward before holding my talon half-way in the air. Does Asha want my comfort right now? I can’t really tell… she seems so distant from me, and it breaks my heart to feel like I’m no longer someone she trusts. But I suppose I have to accept these feelings… Asha’s been troubled ever since we left Ellyntide, and I could never hope to understand the pain she’s been through since her transformation.

“Alright,” I say, resigning myself. “Let’s keep moving.”

It doesn’t take us long to discover another passage in the back of the den, partially concealed by the side of a recent cave-in. After clearing the stones, we proceed onward, leaving the ancient den behind us. As we descend deeper into the mountain, the passage begins to narrow, constricting in size until we can no longer walk beside each other. Asha takes the lead, quickening her pace.

After walking for seemingly a claw’s mark, Asha stops suddenly. “Do you hear something?”

I raise my head to taste the scents. “It’s just us.”

“Then what’s that noise?”

Asha rumbles lightly, her feathers perked in attention. She lowers her head and paces a few steps forward. As she does, I begin to make out what she’s hearing — a low noise, not unlike the growling of an airship-prey, or the sound of wind rushing past my head. What could that be? As we continue down the path, it gradually begins to slant uphill. With each step we take, the rumbling grows in intensity.

Eventually, a speckle of light becomes visible in the distance. Could it be light from Keuvra’s den? I open my muzzle to ask if Asha sees it, but find myself cut-off by the distinct sound of feathers ruffling behind us. I whip around, fangs bared, half-expecting to find another Kin standing behind us. Yet there’s nothing but unyielding darkness.

“What was that?” Asha asks.

I hold my silence, straining to sense another presence. But only Asha, myself, and the stone walls surround us.

“I don’t know,” I growl, shaking my head and turning back towards my mate. “Asha, do you—“

My words cease, stolen by the presence of a pair of red, glowing feathers on the ground before Asha. She stares at me for a confused moment before twisting around herself.

“Gust…!” she gasps.

“What is this?!” I ask aloud. “Why would he leave his feathers here?”

“C-Could this mean Keuvra’s den is up ahead?”

Asha stares at me, pale light reflecting in her eyes. It only takes her a moment to begin sprinting away from me.

“Asha?!”

She leaps over the feathers, causing dappled light to shimmer across the passage’s walls. I duck my head and take off after her, following the passage as it continues downhill towards the distant speck of light, the sound of wind growing with each stride.

“Asha, wait!!”

Slowly, the light grows until Asha’s feathers become visible against it. The ground levels out, and the sound of wind becomes overwhelming. I begin to see the far wall of a den at the other end of the passage. With one final burst of speed, Asha leaps headlong into the den before quickly stumbling out of sight. As I tumble in after her, I find Asha frozen stiff, her wings half-open, and her trembling gaze drawn to something extraordinary.

“By the…”

On the back wall is a swirling mass of mist, warping and bending in on itself, torn open to the den in a tempestuous show of light and sound. Though we find ourselves deep within White Mountain, I feel moisture against my feathers, and the walls are covered in a thin sheen of moisture that scatters pale light across every surface. I taste the scents of Felra — is this the Great Valley? A mountain by the ledge? I can’t be sure. I can’t be certain of anything right now. I’m at a loss to describe what I’m seeing, much less explain what it is.

Primal emotions surge through my body. My head screams at me to flee, yet my legs feel as heavy as tree trunks. I attempt to move something, anything, on my body, but nothing happens. I get the impression that I’m witnessing something viscerally wrong with the world, and staying here could harm me in ways beyond my comprehension.

Finally, something responds. I tear my gaze from the mists to see Asha in a similar state of shock, her fear-scent overwhelming. The urge to protect her — the most important Kin I’ve ever known — overpowers my own morbid fears. As I rush to join her at her side, the mists begin to waver, bending and parting until the image of a tree bare of leaves becomes visible.

What has Gust brought us to?! I thought we would find Keuvra’s den, not… this!

“Kuro?” Asha yells, finally breaking free of her trance. “Is this…?”

I stare at her, attempting to offer an explanation. But what I see before me defies everything I’ve ever known. Where’s Kevura’s den?! It couldn’t be somewhere inside the mists, could it?

Having seemingly thought of the same thing, Asha yells, “I’m going to enter it!”

“No!” I yell, feeling a sudden surge of bravery. “Asha, I’ll go first!”

“Kuro, it’s—“

ROARRR!!!

A furious noise splits the air, interrupting our conversation. We spin around to find a Dragon advanced in age standing in a second entrance to the den, her grizzled face filled with horror.

“Khosa?!” I shiver in horror at the sight of the elder.

Asha quakes, “W-What are you doing here?!”

The elder rips open her great wings and falls into an attack posture. Reacting on instinct, Asha and I take a similar stance, baring fangs and raising hackles. But instead of attacking us, Khosa rears her head and issues a shrill warning cry.

RO-ROARGHH!! ROARGH!!

Panic lances my body. What’s Khosa doing here?! Are we… no, we couldn’t be! There were no scents here but our own! This can’t be the elder’s den! Gust can’t…!

“How did you get in here?!” Khosa snarls. “The entrance is guarded!”

“Stay back!!” Asha roars, splaying her wings in a vain attempt to protect me. “We’re entering Keuvra’s Den!”

“NO!!”

Asha turns to flee, but the elder is too quick. She pounces Asha from behind and easily slams her against the ground, swatting and kicking against her back. Asha roars in pain and tries to fight back, but Khosa easily overwhelms the far smaller Kin. Acting on instinct, I raise my talons to defend my mate before a surge of dissonance stops me cold. If I attack an elder, I’ll be committing one of the gravest acts a Kin can do. But if I don’t save Asha—

ROOARRRR!

Another yowl rises above the chaos, dissolving my thoughts. I spin around to see Uma leaping into the den, his slate-colored plumage sparkling blue in the light of the mists. His gold eyes fixate on me, and he wastes no time leaping forward with claws outstretched!

I can’t… I won’t do this!

I leap to the side, easily dodging Uma’s initial attack. Although I’m a much more formidable opponent for an elder, the last thing I’m after is a fight!

“STOP!!”

I lower myself and splay my wings across the ground, indicating a yield. Uma flinches, a feathers’ edge from leaping into battle, but steadies himself with his fangs bared.

I grit my fangs and yell, “We yield!! Asha, stop fighting!!”

With the elder pinning her against the ground, the melee between Asha and Khosa pauses just long enough for Asha to shriek, “WHAT?!” She snarls angrily, ignoring my plea and snapping her jaws at Khosa’s face to resume the fight in earnest.

“NO!”

I leap into the fray, joining Khosa in an attempt to restrain Asha as much as possible. Feathers fly as we snarl, working to contain Asha’s limbs and stop her from resisting. With her body pinned to the ground, Khosa reaches to hold her forelegs while I apply pressure to the hind. With both of us holding her down, it seems to work — Asha roars, smacking her tail against the ground in a vain act of defiance. But her mettle begins to taper, and it isn’t long before she’s reduced to heaving breaths and weak, sputtering growls.

“Kuro…” she whimpers in dismay. The sight of my mate in a pain I knowingly caused hurts worse than any physical wound I’ve ever received.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Uma hisses, stepping forward to get into my face. “How did you get inside our den?!”

I hear feathers rustling and look up to see Ashene and Grandmother standing at the second entrance of the den. Ashene looks horrified, while Grandmother looks like she’s seen my corpse. In a certain way, she has.

I can’t possibly tell them how we got here or who it was that sent us. Gust’s instructions were clear: we must conceal his existence from everyone, including the elders. Is it our fault that we were discovered? What if Gust was acting maliciously and wanted to see us captured? Could someone with the power of the deities truly act that way against mortals?

I don’t know what to think. I can’t possibly think straight at a time like this. I need time to sort things out, even if it’s to our detriment.

So, I won’t tell them. “…I can’t say.”

“What?!” Khosa snarls. “Why can’t you tell us?!”

I draw a breath and flick my gaze to Asha. Patches of feathers are missing from her body, replaced by rough bruises and splotches of purple blood. Khosa looms above her with a talon against her chest, staring into Asha’s eyes with hateful reproach. She’s been broken, humiliated, and torn, but she keeps her muzzle clamped, refusing to reveal the secret of Gust’s existence.

“Petulant Fress!” Khosa bellows. “I don’t know how, but you’ve made a grave mistake today. If you will not speak the truth to us, then we are forced to judge you before the flock.”

My heart sinks deep into my chest at her words, and my stomach freezes to ice. Feeling guilty, I force myself to meet Grandmother’s gaze. She looks mortified, heaving heavy breaths as she strains to keep herself upright. By entering the elder’s den, she knows precisely the fate that awaits us:

Death, in the fires of White Mountain.