Whisper walked off to give my father and me some privacy. He approached me with a different demeanor than usual. He seemed at peace and a little sad.

I had to pry, "Why did you come here?"

"Probably the same reason you did, for a little peace amongst the chaos," he said with a heavy breath. "I want you to know that it was never my intention for Finch to get involved. When Miranda came to me and then Ivan, I only wanted to speak with you. Then they told me the Anthro, she tricked you and took a swan dive off the floor to get you to follow her into the station after her. They told me you were being held captive. And …"

"And you believed them? Dad," I turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "Of everything you've witnessed me do, being held captive by a few Anthros didn't seem a bit far-fetched."

"It did and still does until you mention the name Whisper. She has you through the heart, Son."

"I know," I smiled, "But my feelings for her keep me sane and keep everyone safe. No one wants this Scaler back."

I tapped my foot on the glass lake.

"I'm still in awe of this. As sad as this place is for us. It was the pinnacle of your abilities. All of that rage and fire was magnificent to witness. It made me see how much stronger you are than me. And then it began to dwindle until finally, we have this. This version of you that stands before me today is something even more spectacular to witness. Growth and control. I came here today for some clarity on what to do about you. I called off the search already after remembering the kind of man and the type of dragon my son was. There's no bounty for you but I hear Skinner's looking for a rematch of sorts."

"I don't care about him," I replied honestly, "We have nothing to fight over. She's mine now. Now and forever. I marked her."

"Did you?" he raised an eyebrow, "I lost three scales on that to Grady. I never thought you would."

"Well he did," Whisper interjected from behind him. He turned around to see her holding her shirt down just enough for him to see the perpendicular line.

"Mate?" he asked eyeing us both.

"Yeah, Father. Not property. I can't do that to her. I can't restrain her. I don't want to control her the same way I never wanted Miranda to control and manipulate me. It has to be this way and if we have to leave Black Harbor to love the way we want, then so be it."

"I understand. Welcome to our family, Whisper Cane."

"Thank you, um, Preston," she blushed before stepping away again.

"You're sure about this?" he asked me with finality.

"Absolutely, Father."

"And where will you two go?"

"Empyrean," I mumbled.

"Very good," he nodded, "Tell Argos that the Black Sapphires send their deepest respect."

"You know about this place?"

"Of course I do. Where do you think your mother was headed when this happened? I just couldn't go with her. We couldn't go because you couldn't control yourself. No Scalers up there right?"

"Right," I nodded.

"Exactly," he sighed. "I'll, um, hold onto that bike Bart gave you. Maybe it'll shave some years off this old dragon's face."

"It's all yours," I laughed. "I'm going to miss you, Dad."

"Me too," he huffed pulling me into him. It was the first time in years, decades even, that he hugged me. This was the last place he did. In the fury that rained over everyone on that day long ago, my father was the one who bared the brunt of those flames to hug me. He put me out as his wings wrapped around me and we sat here for hours mourning the loss of the woman in our lives.

Letting me go, he stood back eyeing me up and down with pride in his eyes.

"We should get back on our way," I told him signaling to Whisper.

He understood, "I know. I'll spread the word that she's your mate and not your pet. If you two ever decide to come back to Black Harbor, I'll be waiting for you. I can't say you'll have the warmest reception, but you won't get any grief out of me."

"When she's stronger, I promise," I assured him.

Whisper stood by my side with her hand in mine as my father scaled before us and took off into the afternoon sky. We turned around to finish the last few legs of our journey.

It took us another three days before we finally reached something familiar from the map Aya showed me. We stood in front of a mass of rock formations. They had jagged peaks and stood as tall as The Towers.

"We have to climb," I told her.

Whisper panted as if she were out of breath already, "Can't you just fly us up there?"

"Oh, so now you're for flying and being all close with a Scaler? Sure you are now that we have to climb a few hundred feet," I laughed.

She rolled her eyes, "Well if I'm mated to one for life, obviously I've had a change of heart. But seriously? I don't know if I can-"

I cut her off, "Are we in this together?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Good, now relax," I told her, "I got us covered."

I pulled out some rope and flexed my talons in and out of my fingernails.

"Cheater," she huffed.

I couldn't help but snicker, "Will you relax? I may not be able to scale to get us up there, but I'm a lot stronger than the average Anthro man anyway. Now hush and let me get us up there."

She stood there silently while I looped the rope around her and through her legs like a harness. By the time I finished, she was in a sitting position as if she were swinging. I rigged the rest of the rope around my waist and my back. Looking at her, I smiled, "I climb, you sit. And don't swing. I can't scale if we fall and I'm in no mood to fight a pissed off, Golden Imperial. Okay?"

"Okay," she said quietly.

So, I climbed. Claws into rock, foot by foot, inch by inch. I climbed the vertical wall with Whisper trembling beneath me. I wanted to tell her to stop, but when I saw how high we were, I knew it was something I'd just have to deal with. I was used to this height, ever without my wings but still, I didn't have any issues with it. And to be honest, if we did fall … I'd just have to deal with a pissed off Golden Imperial.

Once I made it to the top, what I saw next was far more beautiful than I ever imagined. I had to pull Whisper up so she could see it with me. Her face was beet red, and her entire body was cold and shaking. I almost forgot how frail the Anthros were.

"Look," I told her, "Open your eyes."

"Oh wow," her voice barely above a whisper.

The ledge of the jagged vertical wall wasn't as vertical on the other side. A hustling and bustling metropolis sat before us in what looked like the crater of an inactive volcano. There were roads, buildings, fully functioning buildings. Directly across from us was a huge waterfall. Clouds surrounded us on all sides until some began to shift. This crater actually sat against the mountainside of another jagged wall. Like a pocket of Utopia nestled into the mountain tops. We began our descent down toward the city.

That was another hour trek to reach the wall. The huge beige wall stood about a hundred feet high with gold trim. Every few feet was a large gate where two Golden Imperials stood at attention. Golden Imperials were even more glorious than I imagined. They each bore two large horns of solid gold that trailed down their spine to a poisonous spike on their tails. Their wings were feathered, and their scales were mostly brown with flecks of gold and yellow that made them glisten in the sunlight. The two on guard huffed smoke at us as we walked by.

Whisper clung to me as we continued through the gate and to a spot where we finally had to stop.

A man cloaked in a golden collar, along with matching golden guard along his forearms and shins held his hand out to us, "Who sends you?"

"Aya the Emerald Siren sends us by way of Preston Cane with the Black Sapphires, to Argos the Bull," I announced.

"And whom are you?"

"I am Ashton Cane, son of Preston and Lorna Cane, Black Sapphire. This is Whisper Chalice, daughter of Jasper, Anthro."

"Wait here," he said before returning to his booth.

"This place looks like the Colosseum," Whisper said to me.

"The what?"

"I've seen pictures of a place like this. Ancient times in a book about Rome or something like that. Lions were scalers and gladiators. Jasper had it in his collection. And thank you for that," she reached up to kiss me on the cheek.

The guard returned to us, "Follow me."

He led us to a carriage where we were driven by horse to the center of the city. There was so much to look at, so many people, animals. It was vibrant and colorful. There were shops and stores. The streets were clear, free of debris. No cars or motorcycles but plenty of horses, carriages, and people simply walking around. They weren't scurrying out of fear. Their eyes didn't once dart up to the sky. Even I was a bit overwhelmed.

Whisper, on the other hand, hadn't stopped smiling since we arrived.

The horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of the tallest building in the center of it all. Our guard stepped down and helped Whisper out. With a grand smile, he told us, "Welcome to Empyrean. Argos is very happy to have you. Head straight up to the penthouse."

We entered the pristine lobby of the building. No one was collared or on leashes. Everyone walked about freely with smiles on their faces. Another guard ushered us into the elevator that took us straight up to the top floor. It was outfitted much like the top floors of The Towers. No walls or windows. Seems odd for a place that doesn't allow Scalers. It made me sad that I'd never get to stretch my wings again.

Whisper squeezed my hand as a man came out to greet us. He was tall with brown hair that stopped just above his shoulders. A thick solid streak of white hair striped right down the middle of his mane. He smiled widely with a subtle tear in his eye.

"I can't believe how much you've grown my dear boy. I haven't seen you since, well since you were born," he sighed.

"I'm sorry?" Confusion struck me. "Have we met before?"

"No," he shook his head, "Never formally. You look just like your father, but the Glasslands tell me your temper is just like your mother's."

"My mother didn't have a temper," I laughed.

"Oh," he laughed loud, "You've never driven her mad like your father did, or myself for that matter. I am Argos Ornopolis, Eldest surviving Golden Imperial Scaler and father to your mother, my sweet and very volatile Lorna Cane. You must be Whisper."

"Yes," she eyed me just as crazy as I felt, "Yes Sir, I am."

"Welcome to the family. We should catch up, and while he and I talk family, how’s about we get you some wings, darlin?"

"Huh?" she looked back and forth between us. I simply shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm assuming that mark means you’re his mate and not his pet," he rolled his eyes with disgust at the term.

"Yes, she is," I told him.

"Then your mate must have scales, and wings-"

I had to stop him, "But I thought there aren't any Scalers allowed up here."

"That's a rumor I like to spread to keep the population down. Everyone's a flyer up here. You have to be! Can you imagine falling off that damn wall?!" he said, as we all erupted into laughter.

Just when I thought I'd lost out on my family, I gained an entirely new one in a city full of people like me. The transition for Whisper happened quickly as she adapted beautifully to her new body and set of skills. My Whisper as a Scaler was a marvelous sight, at least once she got used to flying. Everything else was seamless.

We found that waterfall too. A private oasis outside of the city where we could relax together in the hot springs. As if things couldn't get any hotter between us.

"Do you miss it? Black Harbor?" I asked her as she leaned against me with the water swaying delicately around us.

"No, but I do miss Jasper. I say he's in his element down there. I don't think he'd like it up here nor do I think he'd make the trek either. We'll go back one of these days, right?"

"I'll go wherever you go, Whisper."

She turned around, straddling me in the water and kissing me softly on the lips, "You really will, won't you?"

"Until the ends of the sky," I smiled holding her tight.

She smiled with another kiss, "I like that. Until the ends of the sky."