A/N: Finally! Kirona has a past! Do note that all of the characters in this chapters are dragons. If you are interested, check out "Xantos' Past (Shortened Title)" by Moroni of the Mount of Ro. It's the story about Xantos's life BEFORE "Master of the Storm". Enjoy!

Aslar crept silently through the forest, making as little noise as possible merely out of habit. This was, however, completely unnecessary, as the raging thunderstorm overhead would have easily drowned out the sounds of his footsteps.
"Aslar!" his wife, Liara, called above the din. "We must stop!"
"No! The storm is at its weak point, we'll be able to make it to the camp." Aslar yelled back, not even turning around.
"No, Aslar, I must--"
He turned to look at his wife, and his eyes widened with shock. She was on her hands and knees, her wings unfurled slightly, her eyes filled with fire. The tendons in her neck stood out and her breathing came ragged and harsh as she dug her claws into the earth.
Aslar had seen that look only once before, on his mother before she had given birth to his brother. Liara was going into the childbirth stupor. He knew that if he didn't find a den for her quickly, she would go wild and kill any living thing that came near her when she was in labor.
Including her husband.
He lifted her up and draped her arm around his sturdy shoulders, half- carrying her as he searched frantically for anything that could serve as a birthing den. It took him nearly twenty minutes to find the shelter, if you could call it that. It was comprised of a large, leafy tree that had recently fallen on top of a gigantic boulder. The foliage was thick enough to keep out most of the rain.
Aslar released Liara and immediately left her to herself. The males never witnessed the childbirth, and they never named the child. All the males could do was provide a den, and wait.
Aslar huddled under a tree, worry consuming his thoughts. He had been unprepared. If the child were to become sick due to the exposure, he would never forgive himself.
Aslar slowly sank into a restless sleep, dreaming of sunny fields and laughing children and the smiling face of his beautiful wife.

Liara moaned and writhed in pain as the life thriving inside of her strove to break free into the night air. She tore at the ground, her eyes wide and bloodshot, her pupils dilated. She could feel the child straining to escape, and Liara cried out into the storm, pouring all her strength into the life of this child-
And then, it broke free. Liara let out one final gasp of pain, and felt the child enter the world it would grow to love. Liara lovingly groomed the tiny dragonet as it quickly adjusted to the world around it.
"A girl." Liara crooned, nuzzling her child. "My baby girl."
The child jumped slightly as a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky. Liara, thinking she was scared, went to embrace her, but the infant wriggled away. She stared up at the sky in awe, her fiery orange eyes reflecting the lightning flashes brilliantly.
It was at that moment that Liara noticed something else. On the child's shoulder, curled up against her neck, was a tiny brown field mouse. Her daemon.
"A mage." Liara breathed. "My daughter is a mage."
She let the child stare a moment longer, until a large drop of water fell on her nose, causing her to sneeze loudly. Liara laughed gently and pulled her daughter close, unfurling her wing slightly to shelter the dragonet from the rain leaking in.
"I will call you Kirona." Liara murmured.
The newly named Kirona blinked at her mother a few times, then yawned and curled up against Liara's chest. The mother chuckled and nuzzled her daughter.
"Goodnight, my child. Soon, you shall be a great mage."
Kirona, however, did not hear her mother. She had already drifted into a peaceful sleep.