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Curling green energy washed over ruby red scales, forcing bloody scrapes to stitch together, cracked scales to be made new, and broken bones to realign. The energy was absorbed into flesh and blood, restoring energy and revitalizing weary muscles. It flowed like mist and renewed like water, the refreshment of a cool mountain stream after days flying through the desert. It produced untold relief, like laying down in a nest after a day of pushing to further limits. The only response could be a sigh and a purr. The only feeling gratitude.

"Aah... thank you," the calm disorientated Drakin from a fire dragon was purred, "I never realised life energy felt so good."

The energy was shut off with a snap from its source, a young female life dragoness with pearly light green scales and drooping tired wings, "It's... it's our job."

The fire dragon grunted softly, laying his head back down on the leather nest he had been told to rest in, "I'm still grateful."

The dragoness only nodded her head, keeping her tired eyes to the ground. There was a bustle of activity around them. Hundreds of nests stretched through a large wooden building, each occupied by an injured dragon, whether that be red of fire or chaos or the yellow of light or electricity. Dozens of light dragons moved around, making sure all the injured were comfortable and cared for. Rarely did they have such an influx, so the building was incredibly crowded. Still, more dragons were being brought in, but all the critical had been cared for so all that was left was a few scrapes and broken bones.

"What's your name?" the fire drake asked.

The life dragoness glanced up at him, "Uuh... um... my names Agela."

"That's a beautiful name," he smiled kindly at her, "I'm Kalik. It's nice to meet you Agela."

Agela felt herself flush slightly at the compliment, "Th... thanks. Nice to meet you Kalik... I uuh... I better get going. More dragons to heal."

"Of course. I'll see you around?"

"Sure," she felt she had to say.

She hurried to her next patient, a light drake who was fast asleep but had several minor wounds across his body. With an open mouth, she summoned her power again, the light green energy cool and soothing even to her own throat. But it was getting harder to summon her power. She was feeling incredibly drained. Never had she had to heal so many dragons in a single day before. But that was the consequence of war. Her gut twisted at the thought. It was difficult to remember a time before the war.

She hatched nearly four years before it started, and even then relationships between the nations were fragile, at least according to her father. Now she was seven, getting close to her eighth hatchday. A day where she would be considered an adult, and she could find a mate and leave the nest if she so wished. But she wasn't sure she wanted to while everything around her seemed to be falling apart. So many had been dying, and what she had heard from the warriors that flooded into the village every day left her horrified. It wasn't until only three days ago when the distant power of equilibrium had washed over their home that she had been truly frightened. From what she had heard... it seemed the shadow dragons' home had been attacked... and they had all been slaughtered.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine. An entire species completely wiped from the face of the earth, at least nearly. It made her want to claw those responsible apart. To throw those involved to the wayside and refuse to help them. But no, now they had to sit complacently and help the very creatures that had done something so horrible. She could barely stand to look at them, bottling the emotions inside her like a waterspout about to burst. Instead, she kept her head down, moving from dragon to dragon as she healed the wounds of murderers.

An hour later she couldn't bear it anymore. She made her excuses to the two life dragons who oversaw the operation and left the wooden building. She wouldn't exactly be missed. There were plenty of older, more experienced dragons that could take her place. Her father would likely be upset, but currently, she didn't really care what he thought. He had been the one to allow them into their village in the first place.

Her home was set on a small plain with grassy green fields spreading miles outward from the village. Many of the buildings were dark wooden oak, glossed with sap that helped make them fire-resistant, courtesy of the many humans that lived within the village as well. The fields were full of livestock, plants, and herbs, all lush with life. Even now within the fields, several life dragons worked, gliding over the field and breathing their life energy into the ground. Humans worked alongside them, herding cattle or harvesting crops. With life energy, it only took a crop of wheat a week to grow before it was ready to be harvested, so they were constantly busy, emptying, and replanting the fields constantly.

To the north of the village, the terrain drastically changed. The ground became fractured and broken. Grass refused to grow, trees didn't take root, and the soil was hard and infertile. Further away from the village the ground rose up into sharp and jagged mountains, towering high into the sky where their peaks were shrouded in clouds. The shadow of the Living Mountains was often cast over the village, but many had called the place their home for hundreds of years and were too stubborn to relocate. Agela had never minded the mountains. She had grown up under their shadow after all.

As she walked she passed several of the visiting dragons, keeping her head down and her wings by her side. Many were bigger than her, and she couldn't get the thought out of her head that they had nearly slaughtered an entire species. It made her throat constrict with rage and her tail tense in anxiety. Why did they do this? It didn't make any sense to her. Never in her life had she felt so disgusted or appalled. It made her want to yell and scream and drain away their very essence until they encountered the same oblivion as the shadow dragons.

A shiver went through her body at the thought. The ability to drain away a being's life energy was a rather frightening prospect for many life dragons. They were meant to be healers, after all, bringing health and prosperity to all those they came across. For this very reason, many life dragons refused to even learn the ability, so they would not be tempted to use it. However, Agela's father was of an entirely different mind and had tutored her rather eagerly in the ability. She could never forget the words he spoke to her.

'We are the conduits of life, Agela. We are able to control its ebb and flow, its vibrance, and its darkness. We may be healers, farmers, and givers, but we must also consider that we must be able to take when the time calls for it. To drain life away is also a part of us, and if we don't accept that then we are only part of our whole.'

Of course, Agela had listened and had allowed herself to be tutored in the ability. She could never forget the rush of adrenaline as a tree in front of her wilted and died, leaving nothing but a broken wooden corpse with hollow branches, it's very life essence flowing into her maw. It made her both sick and jubilant. Terrified and excited. The mix of emotions had left her feeling lightheaded, and scared. So, she swore to her father she would never use the ability unless she had no choice. He had smiled and nodded his head, proud of her decision.

Another shudder ran through her before she growled at herself. No, using such a thing for revenge, no matter how warranted, was not something she wanted to do. She wasn't a murderous dragon. She looked up as she approached her destination. A large wooden building along the outskirts of the village. A building occupied by their leader and representative, Tuden, who also happened to be the young dragoness's father.

She pushed open the door with her snout, walking inside as quietly as possible. She didn't know if her father was still home, or off with the leaders of the invading army having lunch. She snorted at the thought. The building was large and open, with plentiful room for even an elder dragon to walk around unhindered. It had glossy wooden flaws and walls, with an angular roof reaching nearly a dozen dragon lengths in height. There were several rooms within the building, all occupied by cotton blanketed nests made from wool, each for one of Tuden's children, those that still lived with him anyway. Agela was one of six siblings that lived under the roof, the others all currently out helping with healing the army.

She made her way through the corridors until she came to her room, and after a brief hesitation nosed the door open, "Shade, are you still here?"

There was a rustle from within, followed by a breath of relief, "Oh, Agela, it's you. You frightened me."

The dragoness chuckled as she eased into the room. It was a cozy place, just big enough for her to stay comfortable. There was the woolen nest in the corner, as well as several plants decorating the outer walls to help liven the place up a bit. She also had a stone at the other corner with several scratch marks ridden through it, something she often used to keep her claws nice and sharp.

"Sorry. I decided to come home a little early," Agela responded to the other dragon in her room.

A drake was curled up in her nest. He was a month or two younger than her, with obsidian black scales and a nervously twitching tail. His scales were glossy and smooth. His yellow eyes were tired and bleak, though he attempted to show some spark of life for the life dragoness.

"The... the fire army still out there?" he questioned.

"Yeah. You're gonna have to stay in a little while longer," she told him.

His head lowered with a sad sigh. It only made Agela's anger all the greater. When she had found him at the very outskirts of the furthest paddock three days prior he had been nearly dead, and probably would have been if not for her father. His wings were shredded and nearly gone. His scales were so badly burnt that they had been fused into his skin. Every movement he made had caused them to dig in further, creating numerous wounds that trickled a dangerous amount of blood. It required all of her father's power and knowledge to save him. They had been forced to dig out a majority of scales along his back, followed by trickle after trickle of life energy. Too much and they would accidentally heal the remaining scales back into the skin. Too little and he could die of pain, shock, and blood loss.

"Okay," he sounded completely dejected.

Agela didn't blame him. She had spent hours skimming across the outskirts of their territory searching for other survivors but hadn't found a single one. When the army of the fire nation came to their village, boasting of their accomplishments, she gave up. If there were other shadow dragons out there, they wouldn't be coming here.

"Are you feeling a bit better?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Shade nodded his head, "Not as exhausted as yesterday at least, still a bit sore though. And... missing my wing."

He managed a smile at that. When they had found him, his right wing had been ruined beyond repair. Her father had ordered it chopped off, allowing it to regrow anew. It meant that Shade wouldn't be able to fly for nearly a year while it grew back, but that was better than trying to heal it as it was and it never quite being as strong as it had been previously. At first, Shade had been rather angry at what they had done, but when he calmed down and understood why it was necessary he had thanked them.

Agela sat down on her haunches in front of him, smiling, "Well, you're just gonna have to get used to walking around for a while."

"Yeah. How long does it usually take to grow back strong enough to fly again?"

"Umm... Dad reckons eight to nine months."

"Aargh."

"Yeah. Kinda sucks. But better than being dead."

"... I guess," he said rather solemnly.

There was a deep sadness in his eyes, one that fell all the way through to his soul. It made Agela want to curl up and weep until she couldn't cry any longer. It didn't matter how powerful a life dragon was, they could only heal the surface of a dragon. Nobody could heal the wounds of the soul.

"Hey... you're going to be okay, you know," she said kindly.

He gave her a forced smile, "Thanks."

The two fell into silence, and Shade rested his head back onto the nest. She could see him tensing his body, as unbidden memories shrouded his mind. She hated that they had to leave him there, all along with his thoughts. Part of her was worried that when she would come back she would find him dead, either found by one of his enemies or so distraught he decided to end himself. But she couldn't exactly blame him. If their positions were reversed she didn't think she could survive what it looked like happened to him.

"You know, one of the dragons today tried to flirt with me," she said, trying to brighten the mood a little.

He let out a snort, "Really, how did that go?"

"I got out of there as quickly as possible," she replied with a slight chuckle, "I think he thought I was older than I am."

"That or he is some sort of weird perv," grunted the shadow drake, "Wouldn't put it past them."

"Me neither," agreed the life dragoness with a huff, "I should have clawed his face or something. Would have made my day a lot better. Can you imagine the look of shock? My claws are really sharp you know. I could have done some serious damage. He would have been like 'Aaah! My face! How could you do that to my beautiful face!'"

Shade snickered, and Agela laughed. She liked to see the shadow dragon smile, even if it was slightly forced. She felt as though he needed it. Better a forced laugh at a horrible joke than be allowed to dwell on the monsters of the past. So, she continued to talk, recounting the events of the day, bringing up as many funny or over the top stories as she could. Shade didn't say much, but his body relaxed as he listened.

As she finished a story about a chaos dragon who had been whimpering and generally making a fuss over the smallest of wounds, a roaring voice echoed through the house, "Agela! Get out here now!"

She flinched, giving Shade a sheepish grin, "That's dad. I better go see what he wants."

"Good luck," responded the drake, "And I'll see you later?"

"Of course. I'll bring you something to eat," she turned and butted open the door with her head, quickly padding down the corridor to where her father was waiting.

Tuden was a large dragon, over twice the size of his youngest daughter, and a radiating aura that twisted and spun the life energy around him. His scales were pristine, perfect in every way, and his eyes were deep with the wisdom and knowledge of age. No one really knew how old her father was, but he was certainly older than his fourth century. It was a strange thought for the younger dragoness, considering her mother was only just reaching her second century.

"You left your post," said the elder drake as his daughter sat on her haunches, her eyes lowered to the ground.

"Sorry father," she said, "I... I was just feeling tired."

"Everyone's tired Agela. It gives you no excuse to just disappear as you did," he growled at her, "Especially at a time like this. Come on, let's get you back. Shade will be safe where he is."

Tuden was an incredibly frightening dragon for many. He was often considered the most powerful life dragon alive, and one of the oldest as well. He was old enough to have fought in the Ashen wars, and currently held the largest monopoly on livestock in the entire world. He was well respected even amongst the leaders of the other nations, and all life dragons looked to him for guidance. But to Agela, he was just her father, and a good one, if incredibly strict and demanding at times.

The dragoness scratched the ground with her claws, feeling the anger from before rise in her throat, "No. I don't want to."

"No?" Tuden narrowed his eyes, "They need your help Agela."

She shook her head, closing her eyes.

There was silence for a moment, "What's wrong?"

Her wings were tense, and her tail flicked back and forth erratically, "W... why... why are we helping them?"

"They need our help Agela."

"After what they've done? You saw... you know... they are evil."

There was another pause, "So that's what this is about."

Agela took a deep breath, and opened her eyes, looking up at her father, "After what they did? How could you help them? They all deserve to be ripped to shreds and driven to extinction, just like they did to the shadow dragons. Or do you think they did the right thing? Do you agree with them?"

"No, of course not," sighed the elder drake, "Agela, as life dragons, it is our job to offer refuge to the weak and injured... regardless of what they have done."

"But they don't deserve it," hissed the dragoness.

"There are lives at a stake here. Do you know how many have been saved today?"

"Better for them to have died."

"Agela!" her father seemed genuinely shocked by the comment, "We are not the ones that judge who lives and who dies."

"Why not? You said we control the ebb and flow of life right? You could just go in there now and drain the life force of their entire army. They wouldn't even expect it. Short of that, we could drive them out of here. Say you are appalled by what they have done and say you won't help them any more than they have been!" Agela was seething now, all the anger she held back before rushing out of her mouth in a fit of emotion, a tear trickling down her snout.

"That is enough Agela. Now is not the time for this type of discussion. Now, come with me, we are going..."

"NO!" roared the dragoness, "You saw what they did! You saw. You saw... I won't help those of that sort of evil. I don't care what you say. You can't make me."

Tuden closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Agela, when I asked you this morning to help with the healers, why did you agree?"

Agela was taken back by the sudden change in direction, "I... I shouldn't have."

"But why did you?"

"The only reason was that you told me to," she snorted.

"Okay. Why do you think they attacked the shadow dragons?"

For a moment, Agela was stumped, "I couldn't comprehend what would drive someone to that sort of evil."

"Because they were told to," Tuden lowered his head so he was looking Agela in the eye, "They are soldiers, young one, following the orders of those that they look up to. That is what they are. Many didn't want to fight, or at the very least they didn't believe they were in the wrong for doing so. If you look into their eyes, many are just as distraught and horrified as your shadow dragon friend."

"If that's true then why didn't they say anything," growled Agela, "If they knew it was wrong why did they go ahead and do it anyway."

"Because they trusted those that were leading them," responded Tuden, "Many still do. There have been many attacks by shadow dragons on light dragons specifically. It caused them to hate each other. And hate breeds destruction. But it wasn't any one individual's fault Agela. It's not the fault of the fire dragon whose life you saved or the light dragon with mortal wounds. They are simply doing what is asked of them because they believe in their leaders."

Agela lowered her head, shuffling her wings, "I... I guess. They still did something incredibly wrong though."

"I know. I have made my dissatisfaction with their leaders very clear," Tuden chuckled slightly, "I don't think they will be coming back here."

"That's good."

"But Agela... in the end, our role in life is not to decide who deserves what. If we did then life dragons would be a lot worse off. However, what our powers allow us to do... is help and defend those who need help. That is a life dragon's purpose. It doesn't matter who they are or where they are from. What they've done or who they are against. That is why I put so much effort into healing Shade despite the danger it brings to us here. It is why I am spending a lot of time and resources on healing the dragons who have been injured in a battle they were responsible for. Because they need help, and I can help them. We can help them. In the end... that's all that matters. Do you understand?"

"I... I guess," Agela sniffled, rubbing her eye with the elbow of her wing, "Doesn't make me like them anymore though."

Tuden grunted a laugh, "Same here. We don't need to like them. I know one or two life dragons who are making their thoughts on the army's actions very clear. But that doesn't mean that we don't help."

Agela allowed herself a smile, "Alright Dad. You've convinced me."

"That's a good girl," he gave her an affectionate bump with his snout, "Now, are you ready to help heal these 'evil' dragons, as you so politely put it."

She chuckled, "Alright... alright. I'll help."

"Good."

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Hey guys! New chronicle for you. This one is out a bit earlier because I won't have a chance to work on it in the next couple of days. Hope you enjoy this one, as it was an interesting one to write. I originally had more for it... but I think I like it like it is. So vote if you enjoyed and comment on what you thought. Below I have five more stories for you to vote on XD

Binding Souls: Yivian, Mind Drake - 47Yrs BTA

Crashing Powers: Ingun, Ice Drake - 3Yrs BTA

Hunting Humans: Juwil, Acid Dragoness - 10Yrs BTA

The Strength of Talons: Elessia, Chaos Dragoness - 22Yrs BTA

A Dragon's Final Breath: Gyssel, Gravity Dragoness - 34Yrs BTA

So tell me which one you want, and the one with the highest votes will go through. 'Till next time, See Ya!

Pennator^^