“You have to make a choice, Evelyn,” Rhodey said unsympathetically to Evelyn. Evelyn turned pleading Eyes to Amythe, but they just shook their head through their tears. “You know I can’t bring him back,” they sobbed.
“You don’t have to do this,” Evelyn pleaded. “Socrates didn’t do anything wrong. They were defending themselves against Wally, everyone saw it! You know he wouldn’t attack unprovoked!” her voice cracked at the end. “Please… don’t make me choose between family. Not again.”
“It is out of our hands. Everyone, especially Wally, is demanding that they leave. They do not feel safe with Socrates here. I am sorry, even if you don’t believe me,” Rhodey said.
“They’re your offspring. Do you really feel nothing towards them?!” Evelyn spat.
Rhodey frowned but tilted their head away from where they could see Socrates. Evelyn growled and adjusted the straps on her back that allowed her pressurized air jet pack to work. “Fine then. I choose the accepting one.”
Amythe sobbed behind her as she flipped herself around and flew after Socrates. “Evelyn, know that if you choose to follow them, you will not be accepted back either!” Rhodey warned.
“I can live with that!” Evelyn called.
In her head she went over what she could possibly say to Socrates. Of course, they’d have to let her stay with them. She was almost done rebuilding that ship, she could live up here with them, and they wouldn’t be able to dissuade her. Her thoughts started to drift towards what Rhodey and Amythe would say to the clan about her and Socrates’ absence. Would everyone be relieved? Sad? Angry? A combination? She didn’t know, and that was maddening to her. Socrates started to speed up and Evelyn knew that she couldn’t keep up with them for long, and she didn’t have enough air in her tanks. “Socrates!” she called.
They shook their head and accelerated again. “Socrates, please!” she tried, this time with more force.
Socrates slowed down and turned their head, their eyes widening as they saw Evelyn coming closer. They shook their head. “Evelyn, you have to go back!”
“I’m not going back! Stop, please! I’m running out of air in the tanks!”
Socrates slowed to a stop and snatched her up with an outstretched wing. “Evelyn,” they gasped. “Evelyn.”
Evelyn thought they were going to hug her, but they turned around and started to fly her back. “You have to go back. They’ll let you back. You deserve to be with family.”
“Socrates? Socrates. Socrates. Stop.”
Socrates paused. “What?” they sobbed. “What do you want?!”
“The Black Clan is not my family.” Evelyn bit her lip to stop her own tears from falling. “You’re my family. And if they’re not your family anymore, then they’re not mine either.”
“Do you have any idea what that means, Evelyn? They want me dead, now. They just can’t do it at their own paws. If you come with me than they’ll try to kill you, too.”
“Let them try,” Evelyn said with confidence. “Together we’ll be all right. Understand? I’ve got that ship, we can store supplies there, get it up and running, we can start our own lives out here, without them. They won’t kill us, so neither will anyone else. We’ll make our own way in life. Anyone who doesn’t accept us can kick the dirt.”
“Evelyn…” Socrates sighed. They hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”
“Socrates?” Evelyn asked.
They were in the Stardust Dunes, away from the Black Clan’s nests, even though no one from the Black Clan was resting there, not even any fledglings. Mating season wasn’t for a while. Socrates shook their head free of sand and looked at Evelyn. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes and poured sand on Socrates’ forehead. “I think we should talk.”
“About what, pray tell?” Socrates asked.
“About what we do from here. Our relationship to each other and the Black Clan. Things like that.”
“Ah,” Socrates said. “Yes, that would be good. Where should we start?”
“No place like the top. The beginning should work, right?”
Socrates nodded. “Wally was attacking me. Verbally, not physically. Sticks and stones will break my bones. It was actually nice to not have sore wings for once. But they crossed a line. You know that… that One, that I like, yes?”
Evelyn grunted softly. “Zarah,” she said the name with a subtle hint of contempt, but not so much that Socrates could notice. Anyone who threatened Socrates’ time with her did not get in her good books easily.
“Zarah,” Socrates agreed. “Wally said that I would never be able to have a life with Zarah, because I could never gather the courage to tell her how I feel.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened. She knew how important having a mate was to Socrates; they’d always wanted a large family to share their time with. And this meant that to others watching the argument, Socrates had indeed attacked unprovoked, when that couldn’t be farther than the truth. “Oh, Socrates…” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“They are not wrong,” Socrates said mournfully. “I will never get to tell Zarah how I feel, now.”
“Hey,” Evelyn said, wrapping her arms around the 7- foot long dragon as much as she could. “None of that. Don’t beat yourself up over this, all right? Wally was wrong. They may look right now, but you know what you tell me? Family is not born, but chosen. I chose to be with you and support you, and if Zarah chooses to stay around Wally, then they aren’t as good as you see them to be, okay? No beating yourself up.”
“I do not understand that statement.”
“It means you don’t get mad at yourself over something that isn’t your fault. You allow yourself room to make mistakes, too.”
“Human expressions are odd…” Socrates grumbled. “I may never understand them.”
“Well… you have the rest of your life to learn them, ‘cause you’re stuck with me now, Socks,” Evelyn said with a smile.
Socrates returned it, though not with a lot of strength.
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