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X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X
~Chapter 7~
X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Everyone was around Aurora, waiting for her to wake up. Thanks to Alec and Spyro, Aurora's recovery has accelerated. Although Alec and Spyro experienced her recovery taking allot longer, Aurora's accelerated recovery was an unexpected side affect, though not unwelcome.

“Quarry's here,” Alec stated.

Spyro looked around and didn't see him, “What are you talking about? Quarry isn't…” Quarry suddenly arrived at the infirmary, “…Oh.”

“Instructor Silver, may I speak with you?” Quarry asked, “In private?”

“Sure,” Alec said simply.

I had just woken up. It normally wouldn't be a big issue…if it weren't for the fact that I'm still tired…and it's the middle of the day. Yeah, that trick I used with Spyro's dragon time really took it out of me.

Alec had gone with Quarry into the other room to talk in private, “Instructor Silver…I mean Silver…” Quarry said, realizing that they weren't in class, “…I mean Alec…”

“If it's easier for you, just refer to me as Silver,” Alec said, “But when you become a guardian, I will no longer be your instructor. And you'll have to remember that my name is Alec at some point. But there's plenty of time for that.”

“Actually, I'm here because of my guardian training,” Quarry said, “Master Terrador gave me a challenge. I've been given a week to come up with my own fighting style that isn't just brute force. He suggested that I ask others for help to develop my style. And I'm asking you.”

“Is there a specific reason why you're asking me?” Alec asked, “And is there a specific reason why you had to say this in private?”

“I know that you're the most likely to be unbiased. At least that's what I think,” Quarry explained, “And it's that unbiased thinking that let's me trust you that you won't tell anyone. Especially Shard.”

I would've asked why he didn't want to tell Shard. But before I could, he told me.

“Part of the challenge is to come up with a style that I can use to beat Shard with. And not just as a fluke,” Quarry explained, “And about the week to practice, he said that yesterday. So now it's only six days to practice. And part of the challenge was if I don't pass, my guardian training will be discontinued.”

Honestly, that's a bit harsh.

“I'll help you…on one condition,” Alec said, “Well, technically it's two conditions. The first is that Mal can help me. Second, you let Terrador know who's helping you.”

“Can I tell him after the training is done?” Quarry said.

“As long as you agree to letting Mal help, then yes,” Alec said.

“Deal,” Quarry agreed, “Can we get to training later today?”

“I don't see why not,” Alec said, “After Aurora wakes up, I'll spend a little time with them. But after that, we can start training.”

“Voltra is going to wake Aurora up!” Cynder called out.

How's that for convenience?

“Do you want to come and see Aurora?” Alec asked.

“I'm here, so why not,” Quarry said.

The group then watched to see Aurora wake up.

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Ember was with Sienna as they were on their way back from guardian training. However, they decided to take a turn to see how Aurora was doing. And Flame didn't know this.

Flame was waiting at his usual spot to 'bump into' Ember again. However, Ember never came by. As he waited, Volteer did come by.

“Why hello, young Flame,” Volteer said, “What are you doing standing here?”

“I'm waiting for Ember,” Flame said, “I always try to meet up with Ember when she's going to and coming from her guardian training.”

“Well, Sienna said that they were going to check on Aurora in the infirmary,” Volteer said, “Of course Ember had forgotten and had no idea what Sienna was talking about.”

“Volteer, can I ask you something?” Flame asked, receiving a nod from the electric guardian, “How do you get a dragoness to notice you and tell her that you…'like' her?”

Volteer realized what Flame was saying and nodded, “I figure the best way to tell her you 'like' her is to simply tell her you 'like' her,” Volteer said, “Of course you have to be sure she shares your feelings.”

“But what if I make a fool of myself and ruin trying to tell her I 'like' her?” Flame asked.

“If she 'likes' you the same way you 'like' her, one mistake won't make a difference,” Volteer said, “By the way, can I assume when you say 'like', you mean 'love'?”

“…yes…”

“If you're nervous about just telling her, then show her how you feel in another way,” Volteer said, “Come on. Let's go meet up with her at the infirmary.”

Volteer then lead Flame to the infirmary to see Aurora, as well as Ember.

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Aurora was beginning to stir as she began to regain consciousness. As she opened up her eyes, she saw that everyone was around her. She then realized that she was in the infirmary. She was still a bit groggy, but she remembered what happened. Iggy had woken up from a nightmare and attacked, still in the mindset of the nightmare.

“My baby!” Aurora heard her mother call, “Thank the ancestors you're awake!” Cynder then embraced her daughter.

As Cynder hugged Aurora, Aurora could feel a throbbing sensation on her side. It was then that she realized that her body was mostly numb from pain killers. Aurora knew that if she wasn't on pain killers, she'd be in agonizing pain right now.

“Mommeh…is Igg' okay?” Aurora asked, her words slurring from the combination of grogginess and numbness.

Iggy then walked up to Aurora with his head held low. Iggy's shame prevented him from looking his sister in the eye, “I'm sorry,” Iggy said, “I almost killed you. If Alec wasn't at the right place at the right time, you'd be dead right now…”

Aurora noticed the tears in Iggy's eyes, “I kno it wa'n't you faut,” Aurora slurred, “I kno you neveh hut meh on popus.” To everyone else, Aurora's words were hard to understand. But Iggy's ability allowed him to understand what Aurora was trying to say. “Igg', aw you ukeh?”

For a few moments, Iggy was silent. But suddenly, Iggy hugged Aurora tightly, “I'm so glad you're okay!” Iggy exclaimed, no longer holding back his tears. Iggy was crying tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy.

“Ah beh ukeh,” Aurora slurred. She tried to hug Iggy back. But her numb body made it difficult. First of all, she couldn't really feel her movements. Second, she couldn't feel the edge of the bed she was on, causing her to fall off. And finally, because of her numb body, she couldn't really get herself back up. Aurora felt awkward about her situation. She could barely talk; she could barely get herself up off the floor; she couldn't even feel when others hugged her. The only thing she could definitely be aware of was the throbbing lack of pain.

“You're body will probably be numb for about another hour or so,” Voltra said, “But I will warn you that when the numbness subsides, you will feel the pain. I just want to be sure you know of that.”

“Es lung es ah cen fell,” Aurora said, “Fellin da thobbin widout fellin da pen is ucomfabo.”

“Can anyone understand what Aurora is saying?” Vortex asked.

When I realized that Aurora would be okay…save for her slurring her words, I went with Quarry to the training dojo.

As Alec left with Quarry, Flame went up to Ember to try to show her how he felt about her.

“Uh, Ember,” Flame said, getting the pink dragoness' attention, “All those times I ran into you in the hallway on the way to your training, those weren't just accidents. I intentionally ran into you for a reason to talk to you.”

“But why would you make an excuse to talk to me?” Ember asked, “Why don't you just come to talk to me?”

“Well…it's hard to explain,” Flame said. Actually it was easy to explain. He loved her. But he didn't know how to say it. His nerves prevented him from telling her, afraid that she doesn't feel the same, “I…well…”

Before Flame could think of the words, he instead just acted on impulse. Flame had suddenly kissed Ember passionately. Sienna, who was with them, was surprised at this sudden act. After a long few moments, Flame released the kiss.

Flame saw that Ember had a shocked expression on her reddened face. When she didn't try to react, Flame feared the worse, “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that,” Flame said as he looked away in shame, “I should've known you didn't feel the same way as I do for you.”

“Ember?” Sienna asked, “Are you okay?” With that said, Ember suddenly feinted.

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Alec and Quarry were in the training dojo to figure a way to find Quarry his own fighting style, “So Quarry, let's start with the basics,” Alec said, “What do you know?”

“As you said, I know the basics,” Quarry said, “Earth shots, stone shell shield, earth wall…you know, the basics.”

“What about general melee attacks?” Alec asked, “You know, non-elemental attacks.”

“Other than how strong I am physically in general, there's nothing special about my abilities,” Quarry said.

“Have you ever tried combining your elemental abilities with melee attacks?” Alec asked, “For example, perhaps using the earth element to create a large claw to cover your own, creating a more affective weapon.”

“I've never tried that,” Quarry admitted, “Will it help me develop my own style?”

“Well, it's a basic idea. Perhaps you could implement other ideas in the same way,” Alec pointed out, “However, using elemental abilities for melee attacks is only a stepping stone. You will have to develop your own style of fighting.”

Quarry tried Alec's suggestion. He pounded the earth below him to break up a few pieces. Then he put his paw in and used his element to wrap the broken earth around his paw. When he pulled his paw out…it was just a big pile of rocks.

“I guess making stone claws is out of the question,” Quarry said unenthusiastically.

“Well, practice makes perfect. And besides, that was just a suggestion. You have to come up with your own style,” Alec pointed out.

When I saw that he could cover his body in stone, that gave me an idea…okay, technically it's an idea that was taken from Naruto. But Quarry doesn't have to know that.

“How about you try covering your body in stone to create a type of armor?” Alec suggested, “Try and modify the stone shell technique. But instead of making yourself a boulder, make it more like armor.”

“If I couldn't make a stone claw, what makes you think I can cover my body?” Quarry asked.

“As I said. Practice makes perfect,” Alec replied.

Quarry tried Alec's suggestion. He began to create his stone shell. However, instead of making a round boulder, he tried to make the shell hug his body.

I suppose it's okay for a first try. Quarry ended up looking like he had a bunch of rocks glued to his body. But it was a start.

“The more you practice, the better you'll get at this,” Alec said, “What you have right now looks heavy and would hinder your movements.”

“I'm strong enough. The weight won't be an issue,” Quarry said, “But yeah, it's hard for me to move like this.”

“We can work on that at another point,” Alec said, “Now there's just the little matter of coming up with your own style of fighting.”

“What if I don't learn a new style by the time I've been allowed?” Quarry asked.

“Don't think in terms of what if you don't. Think in terms of what if you do,” Alec said, “The worse thing you can do is think negatively. If you think negatively, your actions will begin to reflect that negativity. The negativity will bring out worry, and in turn will cause you to make mistakes. If you think positively, you'll be more likely to be encouraged. So the question that should be asked isn't 'what if you don't learn a new style in time'. The question should be 'what if you do learn your own style'.”

“I guess I haven't really thought about it like that before,” Quarry said.

“You are stronger than Shard, but he defeats you because of his tactical skills,” Alec said, “If you learned your own tactical skills, combined with your strength, who do you think will win?” This got a smile out of Quarry. “You've constantly been trying to live up to your uncle's potential. Or at least measure up to him. If you created your own style and defeat Shard, how do you think you will measure up to your uncle then?”

“Do you really think I could be strong enough to defeat my uncle Terrador in a match?” Quarry asked.

“I see it as a possibility,” Alec said, “Shard has shown that it's possible to defeat someone who's stronger than him.”

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

After a little while, Ember was waking up, “Uh…what happened?” Ember groaned.

“You feinted,” Voltra said simply, “I've also noticed that you're a little flushed and you seem a little warm.”

“Oh…I guess I must be coming down with something then,” Ember said nervously, “And a fever would explain the hallucination I had.”

“Hallucination?” Sienna questioned.

“I hallucinated that Flame kissed me,” Ember said.

“Ember, that wasn't a hallucination,” Sienna said, “Flame did kiss you.”

“And boy did he,” Ember said in a daze before snapping out of it, “Wait, that was real?! I…I…I gotta go!” Ember then got up and an out of the room as fast as she could.

“It's cute to see young dragons when they don't realize they're in love,” Voltra said with a grin after Ember left.

“Why would you lie and say she was sick?” Sienna questioned.

“I never said she was sick,” Voltra pointed out, “I said she was a little flushed and felt warm. But I never said sick.”

“But you just said-”

“It was the shock from Flame kissing her that caused her to act how she did,” Volteer stepped in, “The shock caused her to feint. And then after waking up, the realization that it was real caused her heart to race, causing the reddening in the face from increased blood flow, which caused an increase in body temperature, and high energy from the increased heart rate that could seem like a panic attack.”

“But there were no signs before now that she even liked Flame,” Sienna said, “Except for the fact that he is one of the only dragons that has managed to stick in her memory. And that even though Ember thinks she's running late, she will still stop and talk with Flame. But if she's in love, then why didn't you just tell her she's in love?”

“Because that would defeat the purpose,” Voltra said, “Sure, you'll still react and feel the same whether you know you're in love or not. But when you know, there's no mystery. And with no mystery, there's no exploration of her feelings. So by not knowing, how she feels when she realizes what she feels will feel that much more satisfying.” Voltra then grinned a little, “And besides. It's fun to see people act when they don't know that they're in love.”

“So you find amusement in her suffering,” Sienna said flatly.

“Not really. After all, is it really suffering if it's love?” Volteer asked, “I mean, I suppose it could be suffering if the one you love doesn't love you back. But that's not the case here.”

“But what about Flame?” Sienna questioned, “He left earlier thinking that Ember didn't return his feelings for her. By definition, she's suffering because of what he doesn't know. I've gotta go find him and tell him-”

“Telling him would also defeat the purpose,” Voltra said, “In fact, because of the fact that Flame is disappointed about what he thinks, when Ember realizes how she feels about Flame and goes to him and tells him, his spirits will be lifted that much more.”

“Is this all some sick game to you?” Sienna growled.

“Not at all,” Voltra said, “It's just that it's best to let events play out on their own. Love is more successful if the dragons realize how they feel for themselves. If anyone were to play match-maker, the chemistry won't be as built up as some may believe. Allowing them to experience these emotions on their own without our intervening will allow them to learn and grow.”

“Generally, being told the truth isn't as affective as experiencing the truth,” Volteer said, “If you tell a hatchling that fire is hot, they won't know how hot it is or that it would hurt. It's not until that hatchling touches the fire and gets hurt that they truly learn not to touch it.”

“So basically, we have to let Flame and Ember 'touch the fire' for themselves?” Sienna asked.

“Now you're getting it,” Volteer said.

Description

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X
~Chapter 7~
X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Everyone was around Aurora, waiting for her to wake up. Thanks to Alec and Spyro, Aurora's recovery has accelerated. Although Alec and Spyro experienced her recovery taking allot longer, Aurora's accelerated recovery was an unexpected side affect, though not unwelcome.

“Quarry's here,” Alec stated.

Spyro looked around and didn't see him, “What are you talking about? Quarry isn't…” Quarry suddenly arrived at the infirmary, “…Oh.”

“Instructor Silver, may I speak with you?” Quarry asked, “In private?”

“Sure,” Alec said simply.

I had just woken up. It normally wouldn't be a big issue…if it weren't for the fact that I'm still tired…and it's the middle of the day. Yeah, that trick I used with Spyro's dragon time really took it out of me.

Alec had gone with Quarry into the other room to talk in private, “Instructor Silver…I mean Silver…” Quarry said, realizing that they weren't in class, “…I mean Alec…”

“If it's easier for you, just refer to me as Silver,” Alec said, “But when you become a guardian, I will no longer be your instructor. And you'll have to remember that my name is Alec at some point. But there's plenty of time for that.”

“Actually, I'm here because of my guardian training,” Quarry said, “Master Terrador gave me a challenge. I've been given a week to come up with my own fighting style that isn't just brute force. He suggested that I ask others for help to develop my style. And I'm asking you.”

“Is there a specific reason why you're asking me?” Alec asked, “And is there a specific reason why you had to say this in private?”

“I know that you're the most likely to be unbiased. At least that's what I think,” Quarry explained, “And it's that unbiased thinking that let's me trust you that you won't tell anyone. Especially Shard.”

I would've asked why he didn't want to tell Shard. But before I could, he told me.

“Part of the challenge is to come up with a style that I can use to beat Shard with. And not just as a fluke,” Quarry explained, “And about the week to practice, he said that yesterday. So now it's only six days to practice. And part of the challenge was if I don't pass, my guardian training will be discontinued.”

Honestly, that's a bit harsh.

“I'll help you…on one condition,” Alec said, “Well, technically it's two conditions. The first is that Mal can help me. Second, you let Terrador know who's helping you.”

“Can I tell him after the training is done?” Quarry said.

“As long as you agree to letting Mal help, then yes,” Alec said.

“Deal,” Quarry agreed, “Can we get to training later today?”

“I don't see why not,” Alec said, “After Aurora wakes up, I'll spend a little time with them. But after that, we can start training.”

“Voltra is going to wake Aurora up!” Cynder called out.

How's that for convenience?

“Do you want to come and see Aurora?” Alec asked.

“I'm here, so why not,” Quarry said.

The group then watched to see Aurora wake up.

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Ember was with Sienna as they were on their way back from guardian training. However, they decided to take a turn to see how Aurora was doing. And Flame didn't know this.

Flame was waiting at his usual spot to 'bump into' Ember again. However, Ember never came by. As he waited, Volteer did come by.

“Why hello, young Flame,” Volteer said, “What are you doing standing here?”

“I'm waiting for Ember,” Flame said, “I always try to meet up with Ember when she's going to and coming from her guardian training.”

“Well, Sienna said that they were going to check on Aurora in the infirmary,” Volteer said, “Of course Ember had forgotten and had no idea what Sienna was talking about.”

“Volteer, can I ask you something?” Flame asked, receiving a nod from the electric guardian, “How do you get a dragoness to notice you and tell her that you…'like' her?”

Volteer realized what Flame was saying and nodded, “I figure the best way to tell her you 'like' her is to simply tell her you 'like' her,” Volteer said, “Of course you have to be sure she shares your feelings.”

“But what if I make a fool of myself and ruin trying to tell her I 'like' her?” Flame asked.

“If she 'likes' you the same way you 'like' her, one mistake won't make a difference,” Volteer said, “By the way, can I assume when you say 'like', you mean 'love'?”

“…yes…”

“If you're nervous about just telling her, then show her how you feel in another way,” Volteer said, “Come on. Let's go meet up with her at the infirmary.”

Volteer then lead Flame to the infirmary to see Aurora, as well as Ember.

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Aurora was beginning to stir as she began to regain consciousness. As she opened up her eyes, she saw that everyone was around her. She then realized that she was in the infirmary. She was still a bit groggy, but she remembered what happened. Iggy had woken up from a nightmare and attacked, still in the mindset of the nightmare.

“My baby!” Aurora heard her mother call, “Thank the ancestors you're awake!” Cynder then embraced her daughter.

As Cynder hugged Aurora, Aurora could feel a throbbing sensation on her side. It was then that she realized that her body was mostly numb from pain killers. Aurora knew that if she wasn't on pain killers, she'd be in agonizing pain right now.

“Mommeh…is Igg' okay?” Aurora asked, her words slurring from the combination of grogginess and numbness.

Iggy then walked up to Aurora with his head held low. Iggy's shame prevented him from looking his sister in the eye, “I'm sorry,” Iggy said, “I almost killed you. If Alec wasn't at the right place at the right time, you'd be dead right now…”

Aurora noticed the tears in Iggy's eyes, “I kno it wa'n't you faut,” Aurora slurred, “I kno you neveh hut meh on popus.” To everyone else, Aurora's words were hard to understand. But Iggy's ability allowed him to understand what Aurora was trying to say. “Igg', aw you ukeh?”

For a few moments, Iggy was silent. But suddenly, Iggy hugged Aurora tightly, “I'm so glad you're okay!” Iggy exclaimed, no longer holding back his tears. Iggy was crying tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy.

“Ah beh ukeh,” Aurora slurred. She tried to hug Iggy back. But her numb body made it difficult. First of all, she couldn't really feel her movements. Second, she couldn't feel the edge of the bed she was on, causing her to fall off. And finally, because of her numb body, she couldn't really get herself back up. Aurora felt awkward about her situation. She could barely talk; she could barely get herself up off the floor; she couldn't even feel when others hugged her. The only thing she could definitely be aware of was the throbbing lack of pain.

“You're body will probably be numb for about another hour or so,” Voltra said, “But I will warn you that when the numbness subsides, you will feel the pain. I just want to be sure you know of that.”

“Es lung es ah cen fell,” Aurora said, “Fellin da thobbin widout fellin da pen is ucomfabo.”

“Can anyone understand what Aurora is saying?” Vortex asked.

When I realized that Aurora would be okay…save for her slurring her words, I went with Quarry to the training dojo.

As Alec left with Quarry, Flame went up to Ember to try to show her how he felt about her.

“Uh, Ember,” Flame said, getting the pink dragoness' attention, “All those times I ran into you in the hallway on the way to your training, those weren't just accidents. I intentionally ran into you for a reason to talk to you.”

“But why would you make an excuse to talk to me?” Ember asked, “Why don't you just come to talk to me?”

“Well…it's hard to explain,” Flame said. Actually it was easy to explain. He loved her. But he didn't know how to say it. His nerves prevented him from telling her, afraid that she doesn't feel the same, “I…well…”

Before Flame could think of the words, he instead just acted on impulse. Flame had suddenly kissed Ember passionately. Sienna, who was with them, was surprised at this sudden act. After a long few moments, Flame released the kiss.

Flame saw that Ember had a shocked expression on her reddened face. When she didn't try to react, Flame feared the worse, “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that,” Flame said as he looked away in shame, “I should've known you didn't feel the same way as I do for you.”

“Ember?” Sienna asked, “Are you okay?” With that said, Ember suddenly feinted.

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

Alec and Quarry were in the training dojo to figure a way to find Quarry his own fighting style, “So Quarry, let's start with the basics,” Alec said, “What do you know?”

“As you said, I know the basics,” Quarry said, “Earth shots, stone shell shield, earth wall…you know, the basics.”

“What about general melee attacks?” Alec asked, “You know, non-elemental attacks.”

“Other than how strong I am physically in general, there's nothing special about my abilities,” Quarry said.

“Have you ever tried combining your elemental abilities with melee attacks?” Alec asked, “For example, perhaps using the earth element to create a large claw to cover your own, creating a more affective weapon.”

“I've never tried that,” Quarry admitted, “Will it help me develop my own style?”

“Well, it's a basic idea. Perhaps you could implement other ideas in the same way,” Alec pointed out, “However, using elemental abilities for melee attacks is only a stepping stone. You will have to develop your own style of fighting.”

Quarry tried Alec's suggestion. He pounded the earth below him to break up a few pieces. Then he put his paw in and used his element to wrap the broken earth around his paw. When he pulled his paw out…it was just a big pile of rocks.

“I guess making stone claws is out of the question,” Quarry said unenthusiastically.

“Well, practice makes perfect. And besides, that was just a suggestion. You have to come up with your own style,” Alec pointed out.

When I saw that he could cover his body in stone, that gave me an idea…okay, technically it's an idea that was taken from Naruto. But Quarry doesn't have to know that.

“How about you try covering your body in stone to create a type of armor?” Alec suggested, “Try and modify the stone shell technique. But instead of making yourself a boulder, make it more like armor.”

“If I couldn't make a stone claw, what makes you think I can cover my body?” Quarry asked.

“As I said. Practice makes perfect,” Alec replied.

Quarry tried Alec's suggestion. He began to create his stone shell. However, instead of making a round boulder, he tried to make the shell hug his body.

I suppose it's okay for a first try. Quarry ended up looking like he had a bunch of rocks glued to his body. But it was a start.

“The more you practice, the better you'll get at this,” Alec said, “What you have right now looks heavy and would hinder your movements.”

“I'm strong enough. The weight won't be an issue,” Quarry said, “But yeah, it's hard for me to move like this.”

“We can work on that at another point,” Alec said, “Now there's just the little matter of coming up with your own style of fighting.”

“What if I don't learn a new style by the time I've been allowed?” Quarry asked.

“Don't think in terms of what if you don't. Think in terms of what if you do,” Alec said, “The worse thing you can do is think negatively. If you think negatively, your actions will begin to reflect that negativity. The negativity will bring out worry, and in turn will cause you to make mistakes. If you think positively, you'll be more likely to be encouraged. So the question that should be asked isn't 'what if you don't learn a new style in time'. The question should be 'what if you do learn your own style'.”

“I guess I haven't really thought about it like that before,” Quarry said.

“You are stronger than Shard, but he defeats you because of his tactical skills,” Alec said, “If you learned your own tactical skills, combined with your strength, who do you think will win?” This got a smile out of Quarry. “You've constantly been trying to live up to your uncle's potential. Or at least measure up to him. If you created your own style and defeat Shard, how do you think you will measure up to your uncle then?”

“Do you really think I could be strong enough to defeat my uncle Terrador in a match?” Quarry asked.

“I see it as a possibility,” Alec said, “Shard has shown that it's possible to defeat someone who's stronger than him.”

X~ ~ ~ ~ ~X

After a little while, Ember was waking up, “Uh…what happened?” Ember groaned.

“You feinted,” Voltra said simply, “I've also noticed that you're a little flushed and you seem a little warm.”

“Oh…I guess I must be coming down with something then,” Ember said nervously, “And a fever would explain the hallucination I had.”

“Hallucination?” Sienna questioned.

“I hallucinated that Flame kissed me,” Ember said.

“Ember, that wasn't a hallucination,” Sienna said, “Flame did kiss you.”

“And boy did he,” Ember said in a daze before snapping out of it, “Wait, that was real?! I…I…I gotta go!” Ember then got up and an out of the room as fast as she could.

“It's cute to see young dragons when they don't realize they're in love,” Voltra said with a grin after Ember left.

“Why would you lie and say she was sick?” Sienna questioned.

“I never said she was sick,” Voltra pointed out, “I said she was a little flushed and felt warm. But I never said sick.”

“But you just said-”

“It was the shock from Flame kissing her that caused her to act how she did,” Volteer stepped in, “The shock caused her to feint. And then after waking up, the realization that it was real caused her heart to race, causing the reddening in the face from increased blood flow, which caused an increase in body temperature, and high energy from the increased heart rate that could seem like a panic attack.”

“But there were no signs before now that she even liked Flame,” Sienna said, “Except for the fact that he is one of the only dragons that has managed to stick in her memory. And that even though Ember thinks she's running late, she will still stop and talk with Flame. But if she's in love, then why didn't you just tell her she's in love?”

“Because that would defeat the purpose,” Voltra said, “Sure, you'll still react and feel the same whether you know you're in love or not. But when you know, there's no mystery. And with no mystery, there's no exploration of her feelings. So by not knowing, how she feels when she realizes what she feels will feel that much more satisfying.” Voltra then grinned a little, “And besides. It's fun to see people act when they don't know that they're in love.”

“So you find amusement in her suffering,” Sienna said flatly.

“Not really. After all, is it really suffering if it's love?” Volteer asked, “I mean, I suppose it could be suffering if the one you love doesn't love you back. But that's not the case here.”

“But what about Flame?” Sienna questioned, “He left earlier thinking that Ember didn't return his feelings for her. By definition, she's suffering because of what he doesn't know. I've gotta go find him and tell him-”

“Telling him would also defeat the purpose,” Voltra said, “In fact, because of the fact that Flame is disappointed about what he thinks, when Ember realizes how she feels about Flame and goes to him and tells him, his spirits will be lifted that much more.”

“Is this all some sick game to you?” Sienna growled.

“Not at all,” Voltra said, “It's just that it's best to let events play out on their own. Love is more successful if the dragons realize how they feel for themselves. If anyone were to play match-maker, the chemistry won't be as built up as some may believe. Allowing them to experience these emotions on their own without our intervening will allow them to learn and grow.”

“Generally, being told the truth isn't as affective as experiencing the truth,” Volteer said, “If you tell a hatchling that fire is hot, they won't know how hot it is or that it would hurt. It's not until that hatchling touches the fire and gets hurt that they truly learn not to touch it.”

“So basically, we have to let Flame and Ember 'touch the fire' for themselves?” Sienna asked.

“Now you're getting it,” Volteer said.