The majestic jet-black dragon soared through the sky, its huge wings spread wide, observing the actions of all the creatures below. Eventually, it landed on the smoldering rim of an active volcano. Obsidian eyes glowed with strength and power, examining every living thing for miles.

This watchful weredragon was Maxxus, the newly appointed king of Talonia. This planet and everything on it was his to rule over. He was taking the seriousness of his duty to heart. Every blade of grass, every drop of water, all the volcanoes, and all creatures (great and small) were now under his care. Not long ago they had been in jeopardy and could be again. Maxxus was determined to catch any issues before they became too large to handle. Peace and prosperity were his goals.

School children were studying the tiny creatures that lived in the pools below the waterfalls. They were learning the many and varied uses of each plant, fish, amphibian, or crustacean. What they learned now would be used in adulthood for the water held the key to food, medicines, pets, and the energy of life itself. Maxxus smiled; all was well among the children.

The deep blue waterfalls were flowing and sending out energy into the air. The volcanoes were adding their fire and heat, feeding the weredragons power. He turned to the valley and was pleased to see that the ugly gouge caused by the crash landing of a human spaceship was healing. The scar it had left in the ground was being covered by grass and tiny trees. New homes were replacing those leveled by the Outreach II. Soon there would be no trace of the accident to remind Maxxus that they were no longer a secret planet. But, he would never be allowed to completely forget. Every day, communications came from Earth. It was annoying to him, yet necessary. The alliance must be upheld, and communication was the key to smooth transitions and cooperation.

Far in the distance, a hundred miles or more, Maxxus spied something different on the horizon. A gray sort of mist seemed to be hovering over the land. Perhaps it was a trick of the light or ash from a volcano. It did not appear to be moving closer, so he refused to let it concern him too much. He would watch it for a while, and if it did not dissipate, he would send scouts to find out what it was. Small cities lay past the haze, and those weredragons were his responsibility as much as the ones here in the capital. No harm must be allowed to come to them.

A red dragon surprised him by landing nearby. It was easily recognizable, though it had seldom been seen outside the city in many years. It was Acer, the former king, and brother of Maxxus.

"Spying are you, King Maxxus?" Acer asked.

"I would refer to it as observing, brother. A king must know what is happening in his kingdom and the best way to do that is through watching from a distance, unnoticed. Spying infers I am searching for those who do wrong or defy me in some manner. That is not my goal. I simply wish to be certain all is well. Why are you here?" King Maxxus inquired.

"Using my new freedom to enjoy the sky. It was so seldom an occurrence while I was king. I flew every day, but within limits. Caution was paramount, and guards were always at my side. I never had the courage you do, to demand the guards stay behind or fly far out of the city. I envy that in you, although I worry for your safety," Acer replied.

"There is nothing to fear on Talonia. There never has been. Protocol is all the limitations were about: unnecessary rules that held you back and made you a prisoner. Shara hated them. That is why she refused the honor of ruling. I have no issue with ruling, seeing as how I simply did away with the nonsensical rules. Rules are for interlopers, not true Talonians."

"I am beginning to believe you are right. Not once in all the years I was king did anyone here try to harm my child or me. Those who came for us, namely the Savra, attacked the entire city. Guards and buildings could not keep us safe. I should have enjoyed my life more and allowed Shara her freedom. Ah, well, the past cannot be changed. Shara has Daer now, a baby due any minute, and all the freedom she desires. I too am free to do as I please. Care to fly a while with your old brother and soak up some energy from the falls?" Acer asked.

"I do not know that I can, however good it sounds. Do you see what I see, there on the horizon? I do not know whether it is a mist, a fog, or just ash, but it has not dissipated, and I have been watching it a long time. It has me worried for some reason. There is a tingling in my nerve endings that says it represents danger," King Maxxus replied.

"Yes, there is something hanging in the air out there. I do not think it is moving nor do I sense immediate danger. It is worth a look. Do you wish to send scouts, or would you like to go with me? I am feeling daring today. Going now would save a little time and allow us that flight together. I find that I miss our childhood adventures."

"Why not? I am not due back for the report from Earth until much later. If I am late, they can wait for me. Being king has its privileges."

"That it does." Acer laughed at his young brother. He was really having a great time with his new role as king.

The black dragon led the way with the red one close behind. Often, they switched places, like children playing a game. Those catching sight of them could not help smiling. They assumed that neither had a care in the world and the future would be peaceful. They were wrong. This flight was the beginning of more problems and a time of fear no one had thought would come to Talonia.

The closer Maxxus came to the area where he had seen the phenomenon, the more upset he became. Acer seemed to feel the same for his game of tag ceased. The mystery haze was ash, but it was not the burning embers they had expected. It was dry and powdery. It held no warmth. It was simply swirling in the wind over the land. They flew through it, almost blinded by its thickness. The volcano walls appeared so suddenly they had to use every ounce of power to raise themselves above it instead of slamming into the side. No lava flowed. No fire burned. There was no sound except for the wind. The volcano emitted no power. It was dead.

Shocked by the discovery, the dragons sank to the rim. They transformed into men and stood staring at the emptiness. King Maxxus reached down and scooped up a handful of the ash. There was no warmth. It was just dust. A shiver went down his spine. "It has been gone for a long time, I fear. Otherwise, there would still be heat. What could have happened to it? Have you ever seen this occur before?" he asked Acer.

"No, the volcanoes have always continued to burn, erupting on a routine schedule. There are no stories or history lessons saying one has ever died. This is not a natural occurrence, not here on Talonia. Something unusual caused it. We have to find out what did this before others do the same," Acer answered.

"What if they already have? We cannot see the whole planet from the capital. Why has this not been reported? Surely, the residents of nearer cities have noticed. They must be questioned, and all of Talonia searched for similar issues. If we lose the volcanoes, we lose our power," King Maxxus declared.

"Not completely. We are weredragons with or without the volcanoes. However, they do feed our souls. It is more a perceived power than an actual one. The fire has always drawn us and fulfilled some need within us. We do need the heat for the atmosphere to remain the same. The volcanoes work perfectly with the waterfalls to maintain the exact combination we require for our air. Losing one is sad but will not harm our planet. Losing many would change everything."

"Plants would die, and new ones would not grow. The air would become unbreathable. Creatures, including us, would perish. This is a dire situation and must be stopped. I need to gather the soldiers and send them in all directions immediately. We have to go right now!" the king demanded.

"You go back. I will go on to the small village ahead and ask questions. Maybe I can get some insight on what has happened and why it was not reported," Acer replied. "I will work along with you in any way you require."

"Splitting up saves time, and we need all we can get, so thanks for the offer. Hopefully, we will discover this is an anomaly and will not happen again. My senses tell me that it is going to be much worse, but we can hope," King Maxxus declared.

"Find Eveline and Tae. Ask them what they are sensing. Send them to the falls. They have some sort of symbiotic attachment to Talonia and may be able to sense what is occurring and why."

"Believe me, I am speaking to everyone who might give me a clue or advice." Once more the black dragon appeared and rose into the sky. He was soon invisible in the ash.

Acer was weary in body and mind. So many problems had arisen in the last few years, and he was not sure how much more he could stand. For Talonia, he had to try. This desolate place seemed to sap what energy he still had, so it was best to leave. The red dragon rose without the earlier enthusiasm and made its way to the village.

The village appeared quite normal. School children were sitting around a large fountain listening intently to their teacher. Women were in the gardens and markets. Men were building a new structure on the far side of the village. Silence ascended when Acer landed. All recognized the former king. They started to bow, but he waved his hand in dismissal to remind them he no longer deserved that honor. One older man stepped from among the rest. Acer knew him to be the village elder who would speak for them all.

"To what do we owe this honor, sir?" he asked.

"I have questions, urgent ones, that require immediate answers," Acer replied.

"Come, sit with me and have a drink. We can talk in my home."

"No. I need to speak to everyone at once. Some may provide answers you cannot."

"Very well; what is it you wish to know?" the elder asked.

"How long has the volcano been dead? Why was it not reported?" Acer demanded.

"It never recovered fully after the Savra attack with the nuclear weapon. When Kelan checked it, we thought it had. But it lost power slowly each day. It has been gone for many months. We did not report it because we felt it unimportant compared to the crash of the spaceship and the consequent war on Earth. The fight to save the humans from the invasion of aliens and forming an alliance with them were greater concerns than one volcano. Talonia had been discovered, and we were more worried about that."

"Every detail of Talonia is important, especially to the king. Never hold back reporting incidents of any nature. They may be the key to larger concerns. Are there any other changes you have not reported?" Acer inquired.

A woman approached with her head down, as if too shy to look Acer in the eye. "The waterfall in the south is not as blue. The life within it has diminished. That is a recent occurrence, and I reported it to the elder. We use the one to the north now. It is just a few steps further from the village."

Acer glared at the elder. "When were you planning on telling the king about the waterfall? Or did that seem unimportant as well?"

"The village and city elders were to meet with the king in a week. I would have reported it then, and the volcano as well. It did not seem to require immediate attention. As the woman said, the northern waterfall is fine and almost as close. There is a volcano in the north too."

"You do not seem to understand the situation. Your lack of urgency could cost Talonia a high price. If all the village elders had the same attitude as you and left things of this nature unreported, Talonia would die, as would its inhabitants. There may be volcanoes and waterfalls all over the planet just like these. We need these reports to know whether or not the repair to our atmosphere has failed. I will have to let King Maxxus know of your failures. He will surely replace you with another, more involved elder on the council. I am ashamed of your laziness."

Shaking with anger and fear, Acer left the villagers standing in the square. He had to get back to the capital and report the dire news. The repair Kelan had brought from Earth and used on Talonia's atmosphere after the nuclear attack had not worked as well as they had imagined. The planet was in danger, and a solution had to be found quickly. Even if no other volcanoes or waterfalls had succumbed to the breakdown yet, they soon would. Food and air would run out, and life on Talonia would die. Its inhabitants would be forced to seek refuge on other worlds, namely Earth. That was unacceptable.

Acer felt sorry for his brother. Poor Maxxus was left with a mess to resolve. War with Savra had only started their troubles. Each passing day they seemed to grow larger. This one was the most devastating of all. Could it even be fixed? Would using Kelan's formula again save the planet or would it at least slow the decay giving them time to find a better resolution? He knew it was supposed to be Maxxus’ problem, but he could not let go of his authority so easily. He loved his home world and did not want to lose it. Just like Lydia, the commander's mate, he considered it to be paradise. He would not let it go without a fight, and he doubted Maxxus would either. This was a war, though one of a different kind. They had to win.