LOST WITHOUT YOU
Scouting expeditions. Anaya loved them, understandable. They generally didn't entail any fighting, just flying around and maybe a bit of spying, both of which were things Anaya excelled at. Even better, it was a mission she got to go on with her sister. Going out with Lacey and Yansei was always fun.
The four of them quickly made it to the area they were supposed to scout. Anaya and Lacey went to the ground to scout while the dragons took to the sky, flying above wispy clouds and using their wonderful eyesight (and Illyana's great telepathic ability) to discover what they needed to. Anaya and her sister did the same on the ground.
Creeping through the trees and bushes was easy for the sisters. They'd done that before they found Excalibur for almost four years and were quite skilled when it came to moving without being detected. They regularly checked in with their dragons, confirming things they saw/heard and everything was going perfectly, just like it always did.
Then, things changed.
"Anaya, get out here, I need you!" Illyana's urgent voice rang through her mind. Anaya sent her a picture of where she was, running to get to a spot where she'd be able to meet with her dragon.
"What's going on?" She jumped, climbing a tree and running out on a long, sturdy branch that should get her high enough and in an open enough space that she'd be able to join Illyana from.
"Ryluth's dragons. Some of them spotted us. We need to get out of here now." The worry in Illyana's voice surprised Anaya. They'd found other dragons several times during their four years together. Why would Illyana be nervous now? She jumped from the limb and landed on Illyana's back.
Illyana turned, racing towards the clouds and Anaya glanced around. She didn't have as good sight as Illyana did, but she could see the Thunder of Dragons making its way toward them. There were easily half a dozen or more there and now Anaya understood why Illyana was nervous. That was too many for them to take care of on their own, even with Lacey and Yansei with them.
The problem was, the dragons spotted them too. As they were trying to get away, the dragons were chasing them. They caught up the four Excalibur Dragon Riders as they flew over the lake and a huge battle commenced. Anaya and Illyana opened up a telepathic "channel" with Lacey and Yansei, as they'd done many times in the past. It helped them coordinate their movements with one another, which was very effective in battle.
There were six of Ryluths' Dragons attacking. Anaya was glad there weren't more, but six was more than enough. The two dragons and their riders fought for their lives. They worked together, attacking and combining attacks. Anaya and Illyana worked on messing with their minds, while Lacey and Yansei returned their attacked with three times the power they used. Things were going pretty well, until the dragons realized that the four of them were connected mentally.
Apparently they had a mental dragon in their midst, that started attacking the link between the four. Illyana ceased the connection between their minds before that dragon could do any mental damage to the party, but doing so affected their fighting style. No longer did they know what was going on with one another. It was harder to coordinate between the four.
Anaya was caught up in a fight she was having with a dragon when it all happened. She was actually separated from Illyana, fighting from Yanei's tail. The dragon retreated and Anaya looked up to see a new dragon fly straight behind Illyana.
"Illyana, behind you!" Anaya screamed, jumping into the air, desperate to reach her dragon. She couldn't quite jump that far though, and Illyana's attention turned to her momentarily as she moved close enough for Anaya to land on her. That was her fatal mistake.
Even as Illyana turned to face the new dragon, they attacked with a fireball as big as a tree. Anaya's eyes widened, fear rushing through her as she saw the fireball draw closer and closer. Everything was in slow motion. She tried to run towards the fireball, desperate to do something, but Illyana turned so her back was to the ball as she looked down at Anaya.
"Be safe. You're much more powerful than-" her words became a scream as the fireball struck. Anaya screamed along with the voice of her beloved dragon, stuck in her mind as she died. Anaya froze as complete and utter agony racked through her body and soul. Her heart felt as though it was cracking and her head was ringing with the anguished shrieks of her lost dragon. She was gone, Anaya could feel that Illyana was gone, but she still heard her screaming in her mind. Anaya was frozen in place on Illyana’s back, unable to think clearly enough to even consider moving. Somewhere in the back of her mind she sensed that she was falling, that she should move, but her mind and body were aching from sudden loss. After what felt like a lifetime of falling, Anaya felt Illyana’s body crash into the lake and she was suddenly buried in the frozen water.
The cold water awakened Anaya, bringing her back to her senses. She fought the aching numbness in her heart and swam to the surface of the lake. Grief consuming her as she continued to hear Illyana's mental scream, Anaya somehow made her way to shore. The moment she dragged herself onto land, Illyana's scream stopped, leaving behind a deep emptiness that was much worse than the screaming. Anaya collapsed on the shore and sobbed, her body shaking ferociously as her heart continued to break. She heard the screeches of the battle raging above her, but she didn’t care. Illyana was gone. What else did she have to live for?
Eventually the fighting above stopped and Anaya sensed that the dragons were gone. The ones that killed Illyana were gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t even punish them for what they had done to her, she’d lost her chance. As this realization swept through her, a dark fury took place of her pain. She lifted herself to her feet and turned to face the lake. Her heart crumbled at the sight of her Dragon floating in the lake, but it only served to further her resolve. Briefly, she allowed her eyes to search for Lacey and Yansei, but she couldn’t see them. She closed her eyes and reached out with her telepathy and could only find Lacey, who was unconscious. Satisfied that her sister still lived, Anaya turned away and walked into the forest.
As her mind replayed the incident over and over, a realization came to her. It was her fault Illyana died. The moment of distraction when she caught Anaya was the moment Illyana lost sight of all her surroundings. The pain wedged itself deeper into her soul with that knowledge. She killed Illyana. It was all her fault. With that realization came another. She could never return to Excalibur. Not after killing Illyana, not for possibly killing Yansei. She could never return. She found a tree to rest in for the night, sobbing herself to sleep as she mourned the lost of her other half.