Cosmos

Scout

Cosmos noticed from very early on how much her mother had wanted her to stay. Her older brother, Elena had chosen to stay, taking Cyanna as his mate. While the clan was welcoming and generous, there still seemed to be some stigma surrounding "outsiders" or "geners" as she had heard her mother and father referred to. It didn't help that Elena had chosen another gener, even if she was an Oracle and adviser to the clan leader.

Star was a newbie too, having joined the hunters shortly after coming to the clan. Another dragon dropped off at their border by the nature clan Karli was so close to. According to Contralto, "another mouth we would have to feed." Except Star more than proved himself, bringing in more prey in his first hunt than Contralto ever had on his own. Not that he hunted very often anymore. After being removed by Cerimi as second in command of the hunters, he had started helping Impa run her spies, choosing to be involved in their meetings instead of hunting.

Spruce brought Star to their fire one night, after a long day of hunting. As he sat with her family, watching them joke and talk, Cosmos watched him. He was quiet, gentle, definitely not pushy like some of the other dragons. And he seemed to genuinely care for the clan. And when he caught her watching him and smiled at her, it made her feel special. Something she hadn't felt before, being in such a big clan.

So when he asked her to be his mate, it seemed only right that she say yes. Staying in the clan with him felt like the right thing to do. Of course, others didn't seem to think so. Taking him as her mate didn't stop the whispers from others, saying that he was just trying to make his place by making her his mate.

Normally the whispers of others wouldn't bother her except that this night was different. After having her first nest, she had gone back to scouting, hoping to get back into the swing of things. When she came back from her shift, she found her hatchlings surrounding Contralto, who was talking to them outside Greenthing's den. Greenthing was looking on, a scowl on her face. As Cosmos walked closer, her heart dropped. What Contralto was saying made her feel cold all over.

"You don't really want to stay here do you? Don't you think it would be better if you explored the world, saw other clans? Your parents wouldn't mind."

Her hatchlings looked skeptical. "Leave? But what if our mother needs us?"

He shrugged. "She has a whole clan. Why would she need you?"

Their shoulders all slumped, breaking Cosmos' heart. She stormed over, shoving him out of her way with a shoulder. "What do you think you are doing? Who gave you permission to speak to my babies?"

He grinned at her, reveling in her anger. "Permission? I don't need permission to talk to anyone." He stalked away, head held high. Cosmos tried to talk to her children, but the damage had been done. As soon as they were old enough, they all left the clan, breaking her heart even further.

Cosmos brought this issue to Tempest's attention, hoping she could speak to Karli. "I don't know if he has spoken to others, but my children left just based off of what he said."

Tempest nodded. "He's trying to get as many to leave as possible. This way he can try to control the next generation of dragons."

"What would that do?"

"If he controls enough of them, he could get them to revolt, demand a new leader. I don't know if it would work, but I think it's the next step in his 'ultimate plan' to gain the leadership."

"After all this time? He still thinks other dragons would want him to lead?"

Tempest shrugged. "Some only listen to him. They keep to themselves and don't involve themselves otherwise. It makes them sheep. If he can get to the children when they're that little, he can convince them of anything."

"And Greenthing can't stop him?"

"She doesn't have the right to. He's not wrong when he says he can talk to whoever he wants. And we can't control what he says."

Cosmos sighed, worry for the future of the clan eating at her daily.