So things here at home have been hard. I keep trying to come back and work on this and my other story and sometimes I just can't. We lost a foal on the farm that I was really really looking forward to. Not the mares fault, just a twisted cord. Mare received the best vet care possible and she is doing great. Just very sad. So while in quarantine, again, because we all have covid and its unpleasant to say the least. I am back to writing.

"At least from a weight perspective, can your one Roc carry all six of us?" Morrow asked.

"No and I wasn't thinking that all six of us would be going anyways. I plan on taking Bree and Harumi with me and sneaking in and stealing the sword while Fenwick is distracted." Moria said with a sly grin.

"How in the fuck do you think he is gonna be distracted? There is nothing left in this realm besides ghouls. And I am assuming that Fenwick isn't worried about them" Lloyd ground out.

"So I was thinking that the three of you would be doing that for us," Bree said grinning.

"Just how do you think that you are gonna do that? You can barely hold on behind Cole when he flies around on rocky. Do you really think that you are going to be able to hang on to the seagull on steroids?" Lloyd quipped.

The steely death glare Bree gave him was mirrored by both the other girls.

"Lloyd, if I can hang on behind Cole or you, what gives you the slightest fucking idea that I can't either hang on behind Moria or Harumi? Failing that I can shape shift into something that flies if I absolutely have to." Bree snapped back at him.

"That just worked out how well?" Lloyd asked. Referencing how Bree had just plummeted to the ground a few minutes ago.

"I can try something smaller next time. I just wanted the Roc to drop me. It takes practice and I haven't shifted into a dragon in a long time" Bree answered.

"When in Ninjago have you ever done that?" Cole interjected, curious but not as annoyed looking as Lloyd.

"You really never figured out how I carried you up to the fortress that first night we got stuck there. Alone also carrying a tiny Alana? Like I could have possibly carried your unconscious ass that far any other way." Bree answered her husband. Turning her head to look up at him in his arms. Giving him a kiss on the jaw as high up as she could reach on her toes.

Cole snorted in half amusement. Getting use to Bree's magic sometimes made him forget just what her and by extension Lloyd were able to do.

"Sesmi" Moria called softly. She closed her eyes in concentration and while the big male Roc clamored down to her two more Rocs flew up the cliff side and landed around them. Both females were smaller than Sesmi, the one being barely bigger than a horse. The larger female was a light tan and she chirped just once before ruffling her feathers and standing beside the big Roc. The smaller female was so light colored she was almost white in color and made constant low chirps, clicks and a few larger cawing noises.

"It might be better if we each took one and flew out. The neck feathers will cover one of us well, but all three might be visible" Moria explained. "Osilda and Indirah both fly very well with me, they are some of the fastest Rocs I have ever seen. Though Osilda will pretty much never stop chattering."

"I can see that' Harumi said with a half roll of her eyes. She didn't entirely mean it in sarcasm as she slowly reached out to Indirah and cautiously stroked a wing feather. The tan colored Roc rolled her eyes in response before stretching a wing out towards Harumi.

"Is she mocking me?" Harumi asked in surprise. Morrow was however grinning from ear to ear.

"They mostly understand human emotions and speech. Sarcasm they definitely get. She is offering for you to hop on" Moria explained.

Harumi glanced at Morrow before shrugging and hoping up and settling in comfortably. Morrow said something to her quietly that got her to laugh. Bree however was not laughing.

"Are you sure I can't just go with you?" she asked apprehensively. Taking a step back and bumping into Cole.

"You were the one just saying that it was no big deal and you could fly on your own if the roc dropped you" Lloyd said with a smirk.

Bree gave him a second nasty look before turning to Cole. Looking up she pulled him down for a kiss before letting go and gingerly stepping over to the still chattering Roc and waiting for her to offer a wing. Osilida did so with a constant stream of chirps and whistles. Bree more clumsily got on and waited uncomfortably.

"Ill fly right beside you till you get comfortable babe" Cole told her. Whatever Bree was going to say in response was turned into a drowned out squeak as the three Rocs spread their wings as a gust of wind blew up the ridge and they took off.

Cole and Morrow both pitched themselves off the ledge in pursuit. With Lloyd hanging his head back and huffing before drawing up his own elemental dragon and taking flight.

Harumi and Morrow dipped back and forth near each other. Morrow blowing small gusts of wind at Harumi to make her Roc glide higher. Bree sat deathly still on the littlest Roc while Cole flew protectively beside them. She softened slightly as Oslida chirped and prattled on in bird talk about who knows what. Moria flew in beside Lloyd as they went north again.

"It's a little while till we get to the city ruins. That should give Brianna some time to get comfortable" Moria said to him. Well to everyone but catching Lloyds attention the most.

"Are you so sure that Fenwick is going to be there. And that he has the sword? And that either of them can use it on him, or to open a portal home? Or that any of the people in it are alive?" he asked in a slue of questions.

"I had taken the flock fishing in the sea just yesterday and saw him there. Its the only place on the ground that has a semblance of lighting, probably from some magic. And that keeps the ghouls away. And yes that's what the lore says. What all our history says" Moria answered, turning to look at Lloyd in what was left of his green tattered clothing and armor.

"Then why didn't you take the sword and try and go to Ninjago? To any other realm at least and not stay here alone. If you thought you might even have had family else where." Lloyd asked again. This time somewhat less testy as he wasn't currently watching Harumi and Morrow fly together.

A gust of wind from Morrow brought sand and grit along with it. Both Moria and Lloyd banked to avoid it. Bree squealing again as the little Roc must have done the same.

"If I could get the hell out of this realm on my own of course I would have. But I can't wield the sword like either of them can, it won't work for me like that. Fenwick must have something that magical that makes it work for him. And I have looked... for years... for a portal out for us. I know how time can be different from realm to realm. I had honestly been here so long that I assumed everyone that would have known me would be long gone. And this realm is as good as dead. Between the fall, and then whatever magic they did to the ghouls it will never support healthy life again. The Rocs and wolves and everything else use to keep the balance in check. Now its been so screwed up for so long that no amount of magic is gonna fix this." Moria said her accent again creeping into her voice.

Lloyd softened slightly. He knew what it felt like to have home ripped out from under you.

"Won't the ghouls eventually die out with umm, nothing to eat?" He asked. Lloyd didn't want to come out and say no one. But Moria understood exactly what he meant. He banked in closer to her to talk.

With a huff and a pause Moria answered him.

"No, Ghouls aren't exactly alive like you and me. Nor do they reproduce and make little ghouls. They are a spirit manifestation of evil deeds made flesh. Anytime an evil dead occurs in one of the realms a ghoul is formed here. Djinjago was the equal and opposite of the departed realm. So much evil there had its effect here. However because there must be balance the rocs and all other wild animals here would eat them and tada." Moria smoothed her hand along in the air. Indicating that things balanced and smoothed themselves out.

"So it will just get worse and worse forever" Lloyd said stunned.

"This whole realm from the depths of the sea to the top of our pink skies will be nothing but ghouls. Trapped here forever, starving. Hungry and never dieing. As bleak as it sounds I was hoping that I would at least die of old age before that happened. When I saw your cousins and their husbands and you here at first I thought that perhaps you had been in league with that monster Fenwick like the wraith Clouse. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw it was Brianna, your Bree." Moria said with a smile.

Lloyd smirked and smiled over at her watching the wind blow her long dark hair back. She was not just pretty. But even dusty and in dark tattered clothing extremely beautiful. Her dark hair and hazel eyes set off her light coffee colored skin. It reminded Lloyd of the fro fro drinks that Nya and Jay would bring home. Coffee and cream and cinnamon all together. She was gorgeous and for a second it had distracted him from watching Harumi. But just for a second.

"At first I thought the same of you, But Bree's magic is pretty hard to lie too or fool. And no, Bree and Cole are married, they have a little girl together, Alana. Harumi and Morrow just started dating" Lloyd told her. And privately to himself thought that maybe just maybe that gave him another chance. He had unconsciously slid his dragon away from her a little. And closer to Harumi on the cream colored Roc Indirah. Glowering as Morrow flew circles around Harumi and then upside down to make her laugh.

With a laugh Moria seemed not to notice his face as she watched them as well.

"I might not have the correct word then in Ninjagian. Married, spouses, tied... umm bonded? No whats the word in Caladonian? Oh yes handfasted. The colored ribbons on their wrists. In Caledonia that is like an engagement when you literally entwine your lives. But you can't make a promise to a female Djin and not have it be binding and eternal. It's kind of our whole thing." Moria laughed. Amusing herself with a puff of burnt orange smoke she held aloft.

Lloyds face went dark. And he didn't say a word. In fact he hand to clench his jaw to keep his mouth shut and not growl out loud as all six of them flew along.