Outside the cave, the entire party was waiting in tense silence—Naga coiled and ready to strike, Leo with hand on his saber, Zale positioned near a water source (a small pool that had collected from melting snow), Granite with five snakelings (except River)arranged protectively around him, and Vega with her mates watching the entrance with barely-contained maternal anxiety.
The moment Alex emerged, Naga was there—scales pressed against him, hands checking for injury, eyes searching his face.
"I'm fine," Alex assured him. "I'm fine. He's... much better now."
Vega stepped forward, her silver eyes bright with something she was trying very hard not to show.
"He spoke to you?"
"He spoke to me," Alex confirmed. "More than three words. We talked about flying, about heartbreak, about what comes next."
Vega's composure cracked—just slightly, just enough to see the mother beneath the chief.
"What did you say to him? How did you—"
