Chapter 32: Tomorrow (Jangra's POV)

I watched the clearing as dragons slowly began pouring in, I could tell that they were tired of all the meetings. I could not blame them, we had one about every day for the last couple of days. I would get tired of it as well...

I looked at my father, he somehow always managed to have a smile on his face. He had told me that was the essential goal if I was to ever be leader. Always make yourself happy so that the rest of the tribe will continue with that exact same energy.

He was right, I saw dragons frowns disappear, I had to say though. It would not be much longer when they start frowning again. Maybe Yikla was lying and maybe she had just been kicked out of her tribe. I wanted to believe that, but at the same time I really did not.

I was indeed in love with that dragon, she was just so beautiful and she was always so chill. When she had kissed me yesterday when I came back to life, it seemed like... At the exact moment in time, we were just meant to be.

I sat there as the rest of the dragons began pouring into the clearing, when there were no more dragon's coming in my father began to speak. I felt something nudge against me and I turned around to see that it was Socra.

I could not see how both her and my father were always able to vibrate that energy to the whole tribe, they knew the topic they were about to talk about was not going to be a good topic. I nodded back to her and gave me best impression as a smile.

I then looked at my father as he began to talk. He was right beside me on the rock with me and Socra. I would have never thought in a million years that I would be in this position. I knew that one of these days I would be the dragon that was talking to the tribe.

I looked around me, I did not see Yikla on the rock with us. She normally was here during the meetings, and I really wanted to be by her side in these troubling times. I looked at the clearing then and then once again did not see her. I did not think too much about it however, she was about to fall asleep when she was in the cave with me.

She probably had fallen asleep and might not have heard my father yell to the tribe. It was like that fairly often that a dragon would not come to a meeting, usually the cave dragon's did not, they usually slept during the day, they did not want to be around other dragons, and I could not blame them, a lot of the dragons in the tribe thought of them as jokes.

I looked back at my father as he hushed the crowd of dragons into silence. Once all the dragons stopped talking to each other he began talking to all the dragons in the tribe.

"Tomorrow... The when the sun is up, we will move the children and retired dragons into the caves on the far side of our territory." He began saying. A lot of the dragon's began giving each other looks and I could here a few begin talking.

Luckily it was not nearly as bad as I thought that it might have been. I could tell that a lot of dragons were concerned now that they remembered what my father had told all of them just the other day. My father let them talk for a few more moments to each other and then he began talking.

"Remember, the black dragons will be coming here soon. I have sent some dragons to notify the other tribes so we will be getting some help." My father said to all the dragons in the clearing.

A lot of the dragons nodded their agreement, I was expecting so much more from them about how they would feel about this but we were lucky that all of them were taking this normally. It was exactly what my father had been hoping for them to do.

My father then looked at Socra and then nodded for her to step up and begin talking. She nodded back to him and then they switched places with each other on the cliff. Socra looked at everyone and waited for everyone to be silent. Then she began talking...

"I will have most of the warriors guarding the children and the retired... If they somehow are attacked first do the shout and we will be there in a hurry... Hunters and watchers, we have many of you watching the camp, we now have you all over the territory... If you see anything fishy come to me first." Socra said to the tribe. Then a couple of hunters nodded and I saw some watchers nod as well.

I nodded as Socra began walking back and Himla took her place. It was well spoken and I could not complain about any of what she had just said. I thought that was going to be all that needed to be said, but he continued talking.

I stopped myself from going off the cliff and I looked at him a slight bit confused. Normally Socra was the last dragon to talk at the meetings just to cap it off. But it seemed like maybe my father was just trying to get a bit of change of space.

"Penta... Had lost in the fight yesterday... I will admit my sons actions were a little bit on the low side I will talk to him about that... He is still young just like I was..." My father began saying. A bunch of dragons all began looking at me and I lowered my head a bit disdainfully.

I saw some older dragons nod and luckily some of them laughed so it made me feel a little bit better. I looked back at them and luckily no more dragons were looking at me anymore, instead they were looking at my father for him to continue speaking.

"Now... However, you all see that he is the dragon of destiny... No dragon can now deny it. He survived a hard scratch to the soft spot... Just like it was nothing." My father said to all of them. They all looked at me once again, some looked at me with large smiles on their faces, but some also looked at me a bit scared which I did not understand.

I looked at the large medicine cave and I could see Ipse standing there with 2 medicine dragons holding on to him. I was happy to see him but I could tell that he was in quite a bad condition. At least he was still alive however. I felt disgusted once again that Penta could do something so terrible.

I looked back at my father as he had a peaceful look on his face. I thought back to Penta who was probably in the medicine cave potentially in a coma or maybe something much worse. I felt bad for her, I knew I should not but she was once a dragon that I truly loved.

"Penta... After she is healed will be cast out of the tribe... If anyone wants to say anything or try to override it than speak now." My father said to all of the dragons. No dragon said a single thing and I saw them look at Ipse a bit sad for him. I was just happy that he was still alive.

Then I noticed Ipse push off of the medicine dragon and he stood forward. I looked at him sadly, I knew that he was going to take Penta's side. Even though she had just tried to kill him. She was a messed up dragon, I could admit that she needed help, but she did not deserve help now.

"Please do have mercy on my granddaughter Himla... She has problems in her head, she needs help she does not need to be cast out of the tribe." Ipse said to my father. My father looked at him and the crowd all began talking to one another some giving sad glares at Ipse.

My father yelled at them to be silent and then he began talking once again to all of the dragons that were in the clearing. I saw some other cave dragons coming out, they were wondering what all of the mess was about.

"Ipse... This dragon tried to kill you, are you sure that you would want something like that?" My father said to Ipse. I looked at him, I could tell for some reason there was nothing but love in his eyes for Penta. I felt bad for him, I could no longer love Penta ever again.

"Himla... She needs help, I will find another dragon in another tribe that can help her after this is all said and done. For now I will just keep her in her cave." Ipse said to Himla. I looked at my father, I could tell that he was thinking the same thing that I was.

I had no clue how Ipse could still love his granddaughter. But for some reason he still did. I looked at him sadly, he was begging so badly to my father, for a dragon that was a bad dragon. I could tell that my father was not buying into it though.

I felt bad for Ipse because he noticed it based off of the look that was on Himlas face. I wanted to feel bad for him but Ipse would some day realize that this was probably for the better. My father then turned and he looked at me.

"I will let the decision come to my son Jangra... He too was in love with this dragon, she tried to kill him as well. He will make the best decision in this situation." My father said to the whole tribe. All the dragon's suddenly began looking at me.

My father began nudging me to go up to the top of the cliff and speak to all of the dragon's in the tribe. I was a bit afraid now and I did not know what to say to all of them. There was one thing about making a decision to the whole tribe, it was a whole nother thing to be fighting and not talking.

I looked at Ipse, I could see the sad look on his face but he nodded to me as I walked up to the top of the cliff. As I got up I could see how many dragons there really were out there. There had to be at least 1000 dragons staring up at me.

I looked at all of them not really knowing what to say. I knew what I wanted to say but I could not put the words out of my mouth. After a few moments of silence and coughing Socra walked over to me.

"Jangra... Your father was like this once, do not be afraid, close your eyes and breath. Then you can talk... You know the right decision, so you make it." She said to me. I nodded to her and I looked at my father and saw a big smile on his face. He then nodded for me to stand up to the tribe.

I turned back around and looked at all the tribe staring at me. They were waiting for me to talk but I could not speak. I began doing what Socra told me to do. I closed my eyes, I then took a few short breaths and then I opened them.

I opened them to see the whole clearing but this time when I opened them I realized, this is my tribe... I know a lot of these dragons, they are looking for me for the advice, they are looking at me to be strong in these troubling times.

I looked at Kota, he nodded at me, he was smiling and he had a look on his face that was saying that he was proud of me. Then I looked at my friend Kip, he nodded at me as well and I then began talking to all of the dragons.

I knew what to say, I had to make the right decision, even if the dragons in the tribe will not agree on it.

"Ipse... I was indeed in love with Penta... I am not proud of her, for what she has done to the both of us..." I began saying. I looked at him dead in the eyes, I was talking to him, not to any of the dragons that were in the clearing. He lowered his head and looked at the ground sadly as if he knew what I was about to say.

"Since this is true... I am willing to spare her to the tribe. After this is all said and done we will get her some help. Just please keep her in your cave and we will keep a dragon or 2 guarding it at all times." I said to him. The tribe all began yelling all in disagreement. I caught a couple words here and there.

"What if she attacks another dragon!" I heard one dragon say, I could not tell where it came from however because there were so many dragons talking at the exact same time.

"How can he love a dragon that tried to kill him and Ipse!" I heard another dragon say. I began to try to yell like my father did to keep everyone quiet but no one listened. My father stepped in front of me and he yelled loudly to all of them.

"My son Jangra has made his decision and it is final! The meeting is off, everyone go back to your caves! No more words from any of you!" My father yelled to all of the dragons. The dragons all looked at him, some with a bit of scared glances. It was not often when my father was that angry.

Everyone began walking over to their caves and Ipse looked at me for a few seconds and then he smiled and then he nodded at me. I wish I could say I made the right decision, but did I really? The dragon had tried to kill her own grandfather.

I turned around not wanting to look at him, Socra looked at me but she did not say a thing. Once all the dragons were out of the clearing and in their caves my father looked right at me and then he nodded to me.

"Jangra... If you believe this is the correct decision, than me and Socra do as well." Himla said to me. I could tell that he did not think it was the right decision and I could tell by the look on Socra's face that she did not as well.

My father then began walking away and Socra looked at me and she nodded to me. She talked but she did not talk at all about the interaction that had just happened with the tribe.

"Jangra... We will begin our training tomorrow."