Samantha Edwhan

Alita's Youth

Chapter 7

Spring 2832

The warm sun did little to bring Alita joy as she sat on the sand, facing the ocean. She was still reeling from what had happened the week before. High Caln Griffin had come to visit from Hiza Calndom. To any other Tribe-Alian, that might be a wondrous and exciting moment. But for Alita, that was the day she lost her best friend. Evelyn was taken to live in Hiza Calndom, in the castle, and be Prinze.

Good for her, I guess, Alita thought to herself. But why couldn’t I go with her? We’re best friends.

She felt a warmth on her side and glanced over to see Matthias leaning against her, a sympathetic smile on his face. Cloe and Erika were standing next to him.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” Matthias asked.

Alita glanced around at the estuary and ocean around them. “I miss Evelyn.”

“We all do,” Cloe said, sitting on her other side. “But she’s gone to live an amazing life.”

“Yeah, she’s Prinze now!” Erika sat in front of them with a grin. “She’s so lucky. I’d love to be a leader like that.”

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Matthias reminded her. “It’s not all fun and games.”

“I know that. It’s still really cool!” Erika insisted. “Right, Kailey?”

Erika looked past them and Alita craned her neck to follow her gaze. Kailey was standing a few metres behind them. Alita hadn’t even realised she was there.

“Yeah!” Kailey said with a smile. “We should all be happy for her.”

“I am happy for her,” Alita insisted. “I still miss her though. She’s my best friend.”

“That’s alright,” Matthias said. He sat straight and twisted around so that he could look directly at her. “My mother always says it’s okay to miss someone when they’re gone. What’s important is that we remember the good times with them and that we don’t let their absence bring us down.”

“You’re making it sound like she’s dead,” Alita told him.

Matthias chuckled awkwardly. “Well, she normally says that when she’s consoling Isabella so…”

Erika waved a wing at him. “So she actually was talking about a dead dragon then.”

Cloe frowned. “That’s a bit harsh.”

Erika winced. “Sorry.”

Matthias shook his head. “We’re here to comfort Alita, not me or my family.”

“Yeah, why are you even out here specifically?” Cloe asked. “This is about as far from the caves as you can get without leaving the beach.”

Alita ducked her head and stared at the sand. “The day Evelyn left, she had suggested we could watch the sunset from here. We never got to, so I thought I’d come here and wonder what it would have been like.”

“Aww, that’s cute,” Cloe cooed. “You two always seemed so close compared to the rest of us.”

“Well, we have known each other the longest,” Alita pointed out. “We met when we were only hatchlings.”

“Alita, as your second best friend, I’m sorry that she had to leave,” Matthias said.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Second best friend?”

Matthias grinned. “Yeah. You and I met when we were three, right? That makes me the one you’ve known second longest, hence second best friend.”

Alita blinked at him. Then she sputtered a laugh. “You’re such a doofus! That’s why you’re my second best friend!”

Matthias only grinned more. He wrapped a wing around her and pulled her into a hug. “And that’s why I’ve gotta be here to comfort you!”

“We all do,” Cloe added, wrapping a wing in front of Alita and joining the hug.

Erika rolled her eyes. “Alright, yeah, me too.”

She spread her wings and did her best to wrap them around Alita, despite the limited space. Alita smiled, unable to hug them back, but grateful nonetheless. After a moment, they all stepped back and Alita felt a rush of cool air hit her fur.

“We should head back,” Matthias said. “It’s starting to get late and our parents will start looking for us soon.”

“You guys go ahead,” Alita told them. “I want to be alone just a bit longer. Tell my family I’ll be back soon.”

Matthias nodded and got up to leave. Erika and Cloe followed him. Alita watched them go for a moment before turning her gaze to the sky. The sun was getting low; it was likely early evening now. She considered staying out long enough to watch the sun set completely, but her family would likely come looking for her long before that happened. But for just a moment, she could imagine what it might have been like to watch the sunset with Evelyn. They could have counted the stars as they appeared or guessed shapes on the few clouds in the sky. It would have been nice.

The crunching of sand alerted Alita to the presence of another dragon. She glanced at Kailey as she sat down beside her and stared up at the sky. She had completely forgotten about her.

“I thought you left with the others,” Alita said.

Kailey shook her head and smiled at her. “I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I figured you could use the company.”

Alita turned her gaze back to the horizon. “Thanks.”

With Kailey by her side, sitting quietly and staring at the sky, Alita could almost pretend she was Evelyn. They were both Ice Dragons after all. But Kailey’s horns were much shorter and she had stripes on her neck and tail. It wasn’t the same but Alita appreciated the similarities. Perhaps she could spend more time with Kailey and they could form a new friendship. They knew each other well enough already, just from proximity. Perhaps it was time for Alita to change that and really get to know her properly.