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Dawn of the Dragon	By : RotSeele Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 3875 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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Thirty-Three
"No."
Karidormi stared at Athena, open mouthed. "What do you mean, 'no'?"
"Do I need to find you a dictionary?"
The bronze dragon glowered at the black dragon. "Do you realize if you don't come back to Azeroth with us, everyone is going to die?"
Athena shrugged. "And that's my problem how, exactly? Deathwing brought me here from Azeroth and abandoned us. My fight isn't there; it's here, trying to save what's left of my kind. There's nothing left for us over there."
"There's Wrathion."
"A whelp that won't come into his power for another hundred years at least."
"That's why we need you!"
"You don't need me. You just want me to be the answer to your problems. I'm sorry. I feel bad for you, I really do, but I have to put my family first. What guarantee do I have that your kind won't turn on us once I've done as you asked? We both know the world hates black dragons. We have to shoulder the sins our Aspect committed, even long after he's dead."
Karidormi glowered. "So you'd give up before you even tried? People aren't the same! There are people who would recognize you as free, and they'd try to protect you!"
Athena laughed. It was a cold sound. "What is free? Even Wrathion is kept under a close watch. No one trusts a black dragon, even a free one."
"That's not true." Karidormi argued.
"Oh, yeah? Name one instance where you actually trusted a black dragon to do anything on their own, without a constant babysitter to make sure they did what they were supposed to." When Kari didn't answer, Athena smirked. "I thought so."
"It still doesn't change the fact that we need you." Karidormi said through clenched teeth.
Athena sat back in the chair she was in and looked around the common room of the Everglade inn. It was a small, one room building, where there wasn't much privacy, either because the night elves didn't believe that travelers should have their own spacious rooms or because no one actually stayed in Everglade long enough to warrant bigger buildings and more accommodations. Whatever the case, it allowed Athena's small flight - Tyrannia, Irritanion, and Sadirion - and Karidormi's group - Wrathion, Anduin, Shalya, Shandris, and Dashiell - to hear their argument. She could see looks of concern on the faces of Wrathion and Anduin. She saw calm acceptance on the faces of Shandris and Dashiell. She saw curiosity and questions on the faces of Tyra and Irri, and resignation on Sadi's. Shalya was the only one who seemed to be expressionless, her arms crossed over her chest. That girl, Athena surmised, would probably be the only one out of the whole group to accept whatever decision was made without argument or comment.
Athena looked back at Karidormi, and realized that the bronze would fight to her very last breath if that was what it took to get Athena to Azeroth. It wasn't a fight she would win, and they both knew it.
Karidormi narrowed her eyes. "So what do you intend to do? Just sit out here and fight orcs to free dragons that are malformed or unhealthy in some way, and just live out your days flying over a barren wasteland?"
Athena snarled softly. "Even one life saved is worth a thousand years of flying over this wasteland as you call it."
"You could save a thousand lives if you came to Azeroth!"
"I'm not arguing this with you again." Athena growled. "The answer is no. You have to deal with your own problems, not force them onto us." She rose abruptly and started toward the door of the inn. "I've decided that my people are more important than some world that turned its back on us. Don't forget, Azerothians came here and slaughtered my kind, bringing us to near extinction. So I don't really feel obligated to go there and help you save your asses."
Karidormi gaped at her. So did Anduin and Wrathion. Her small flight just looked thoughtful, and Shalya only looked as though she'd expected Athena's answer. Athena headed toward the threshold of the inn. Athena paused at the door and looked back at Kari. "I know what you're thinking. 'What a bitch', am I right? Well, that's your right to think that. You're trying to save your people. So am I. It just happens to be that our desires don't coincide." She gestured for her small flight to join her. Tyra, Irri, and Sadi slipped by her to the outside. "Good luck to you."
Karidormi gaped at the empty threshold, just staring in disbelief. She started as someone touched her shoulder. She looked up at Anduin and offered him a weak smile. "I tried." She whispered. Her chest felt tight, like a giant fist had wrapped around her and had begun squeezing. Her eyes stung too, but somehow she kept from crying.
Anduin just smiled, but even she could see that it hadn't quite reached his eyes. "It's all any of us can do," he said. "We'll just have to figure out something else."
"Like what?" Asked Wrathion. "There's no one else that could possibly be a good candidate for what we need."
"You might have to try." Anduin said. "That or try to relieve as much stress off of Go’el as you can."
"I don't know if I can!" Wrathion hissed. "I'm already struggling with, you know. If I added another set of powers, I don't know what would happen. Besides, I'm not full grown! What would power like that do to me?"
Shandris stepped up to the table. "We've done what we could. Whatever happens now, we're on our own. We've made it through before. We can do it again. We'll figure something out."
Karidormi rubbed her face. This wasn't how she wanted to leave it. This wasn't how she wanted to return. She'd be the laughing stock of Azeroth if she came back and had no one to help Go’el or anyone else. But that was exactly how she'd have to go back. Her responsibility now was to get Anduin and the others back safely to Azeroth, and once she saw them safely home, she could then figure out how to fight against Khargol and save Go’el. She looked up at those gathered around her and smiled. "I guess we'd better get going. Even flying, it'll take some time for all of us to get back to Hellfire Peninsula and the Dark Portal."
"It's almost dark." Dashiell said. "We should stay here for the night, and get an early start in the morning."
"Good idea." Shandris agreed. She looked at Karidormi. "You can't dwell on the past. You have to look to the future and try to fight for what you can." Then she looked toward Anduin and Wrathion. "And don't you two even think about slipping out and trying to do something stupid."
Anduin nodded and Wrathion only gave her a toothy smile. Shandris studied them both before she turned to leave the inn to look for a place to stay since they all couldn't stay in the single room inn. Karidormi looked at Dashiell, then rose and left as well. Dashiell followed her silently. Shalya looked at Anduin and Wrathion. "You're going to try and convince Athena to change her mind, aren't you?"
Anduin looked at her. "We have to try. I mean, Kari's right - if we don't try to get a fully-grown black dragon to come back to Azeroth and try to take over some kind of power from Go’el, then we might as well be fighting an army without swords and shields and magic."
"Plus, there's that Khargol guy who keeps sending his soldiers after us," Wrathion pointed out. "If he attacks us again, I don't know how we'll be able to fight him off. And if he has an entire army? What then? What can five do against an army?"
Anduin folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe we're going about this all wrong. Maybe we don't need a black dragon. Maybe we just have to convince the Horde and Alliance to work together. Both of those armies combined are more than enough to take on anything that's thrown at them."
"Okay," interrupted Shalya, "but how will you save Go’el?”
Anduin opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again. He couldn't think of anything to say to that. Neither could Wrathion, though Wrathion's expression was one of quiet resignation. Shalya glanced at both of them, then sighed.
"We don't have all the answers, you know." Wrathion said, wrapping his arms around himself.
Shalya shook her head. "Come on. They can't have gotten far."
"They're dragons, Shalya." Anduin said, moving after her as she headed toward the door of the inn. "They could be miles away by now."
"They could be."
"You're still going to look, aren't you?"
"Yep. And you're going to help me."
Wrathion and Anduin looked at each other, then hurried after Shalya as she took off running for the forest around Everglade. They kept up with her only because she was letting them, that much Anduin knew. Shalya could lose them if she really tried, considering this place was like her backyard.
She led them through the small town, dodging anyone that might spot them, then were out into the wild and were running at full speed, chasing after dragons that could cover miles in a single stroke of their wings. Shalya paused once, scanning the ground and the sky, then picked another direction and began to jog lightly down the invisible trail, following some sign Anduin and Wrathion couldn't seem to pick up. Then Shalya stopped in a small clearing bordered by sparse trees and bushes, and the base of a massive spire that marked the next part of the chain of the Blade's Edge Mountains. "Here."
Anduin looked around. "I don't see anything."
"Just wait."
"Why?" Wrathion asked. "I don't see any-" He stopped and stiffened, as though he could sense something dangerous. Anduin looked around, but he couldn't see anything except the shifting trees and shadows.
Then Tyrannia stepped into view, her face a mix of apprehension and determination. She hung back though, keeping a good distance from Anduin and the others. "I see you don't listen very well."
"Runs in the family." Wrathion said almost snidely. Tyra narrowed her eyes at him. Wrathion gestured to her. "You didn't listen either."
"Athena said we weren't going to help you. She didn't say anything about us acting on our own." Tyra came forward slowly, then placed her hands on her hips and looked at Anduin. "What guarantee do I have that you won't turn on me once you have what you want?"
Anduin shrugged. "I guess you don't. The thing is, what's stopping the people who're after us from coming after you? I mean, you said it yourself, right? That Orc back there was working for someone. When that someone finds out their operation has been compromised, they'll send someone to investigate or take over. And then what's to stop them from hunting you? If you come to Azeroth, you'll have at least some kind of chance to live freely."
"And all I have to do is save this Go’el of yours?"
"Well," Anduin shrugged, "that's probably not all you'll have to do, but it's a start."
Tyra studied him for a long moment before she looked at Wrathion. "And you? What would you do?"
Wrathion gave her a toothy grin. "That depends."
"On?"
"On whether I think you're a threat to our kind's survival or not. And believe me, I've taken care of dragons older than you without breaking a sweat."
"That doesn't make us want to help you then."
Athena stepped out into view, her human form materializing out of the shadows of her dragon body. Her crimson eyes swept across Anduin and Wrathion, settled for a moment on Tyra, then focused on Shalya. "You're pretty good, tracking us from the air."
Shalya smiled. "I doubted you'd go far. There's plenty of hatchlings in this area that could be freed. It was just by luck that Tyra happened to be swayed by these two idiots here."
Athena smirked. "I suppose so. The little blonde one is quite the orator." She pinned Anduin with a crimson gaze. "I meant it when I said I wasn't interested in saving your world from whatever destruction is coming its way. It has nothing to do with me or mine."
"But-" Anduin started.
"But," Athena interrupted, "what you say is true. We don't know if there will be retaliation for what we've done. If they don't come after us now, they will later. My only goal is to keep my kind safe from any threat, internal or external." She looked at Wrathion. "If you raise a hand to my brothers and sister, I will end you. Are we clear?"
Swallowing, Wrathion only nodded.
Returning his nod with a smirk, Athena turned to look at Anduin. "Since it doesn't seem like we're walking away from this, here's the deal - this agreement is between you, blondie, and me. No one else. I help you save this Go’el and the world you live in, and you'll help me when I need it. Other than that, once this over, we go our own way."
Anduin didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and offered his hand. "Fine. But that means you'll have to stay on Azeroth. You won't be able to return here."
Athena eyed his hand for a moment before taking it in a strong grip that didn't leave any doubt that she could crush all the bones in Anduin's hand to powder if she wanted to. "Then we have a deal, blondie."
"My name is Anduin."
"I'll call you whatever I want. I'm bigger than you."
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Dawn of the Dragon