Little earlier than I was originally going to upload, but re-reading ahead... I think there's another point for a break. This chapter was... well, not hard to write, but you'll see.

"What are you going to do now?"

Winter didn't have an answer to Cricket's question. Not immediately. His mind was still frazzled with the night's events, and he hadn't had a moment to rest. Moon didn't want to talk right now, and Qibli was off with Thorn and Sunny. He couldn't just wait around, so he instead decided to get Cricket up to speed with the situation. She was always a source of logic to him, and right now, he needed it.

"I genuinely don't know." Winter found his voice. They were in a dream version of Sanctuary, overlooking the town from their shared cave. Both he and Cricket tended to frequent here when they needed a moment to think.

"I will, however, likely bring Sandrunner to Sanctuary for him to recover if I can," Winter continued. "It's close to Jade Mountain, and we can use it as a meeting ground to figure out our next move. As soon as he's ready to be brought there, anyway."

"How bad is it again?"

"Moon asked me to look at him. It's…"

Winter described the image in his mind. He'd been allowed to visit, as he was very stoic in nature and wouldn't try and touch him. Truth be told, Winter thought he was looking at a corpse. His scales were so pale that even the darker splotches seemed a light purple rather than nearly black. Bandages covered a good portion of his body.

According to the doctors, he suffered a massive amount of internal damage. Turtle's rock healed the surface wounds, but his organs were pierced. His lungs in particular were in rough shape. His heart was nicked, same with his spine. They expressed doubts of being able to walk again. Winter hadn't told Moon this, instead going to Cricket.

He had no idea how he was going to tell her.

"You have to tell her the truth," Cricket said through a sad smile.

"I know I do." Winter ruffled his wings. "It's just… how do you do that?" A hollow laugh escaped him. "Now I know what Moon went through."

"It sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does." Winter flicked a pebble off the outcrop. "What's your take on all of this?"

"Ghosts aren't real," Cricket answered flatly. "Everything can be explained, including this apparition." She tapped her chin in thought. "Granted, I would have had to have been there to really know. But, going off what you tell me, it seems more like an illusion of sorts. I haven't the faintest of how it was done, but I'll hit the books."

"The illusion knew about Kinkajou." Winter pointed out.

"True, but someone would be wearing Darkstalker's face, so to speak. Your kind has animus, yes? It's entirely possible an enchanted object did this."

"But what?" Winter asked not her, but in general.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Cricket frowned. "Regardless, ghosts aren't real. The dead stay dead."

"Darkstalker wasn't killed."

"My point remains, Winter." Cricket shot him a critical glare. "As I said, I'll take a look through what I have for any explanations. You need to get some rest… and tell Moon what the situation is."

"Yeah, I'll tell her right now." Winter stood up, stretching. He didn't need to, but it still felt nice to do. "I'll be back in Sanctuary as soon as I can."

"Take your time. I mean it."

With that, Winter awoke, holding the Dreamvisitor in his claws. He grimaced, running his talons along the surface. The best way to tell Moon would be to be direct, but she was in such a distressed state. He didn't want to say 'he may not walk again' and set her off.

Yet, he spouted nonstop about telling the truth. He had to own up to that, even if it came back to bite him hard right now. With a sigh, he stood up and exited, trying to find Moon in the palace. She was instructed not to leave it, as they were still rounding up insurrectionists. Winter wasn't completely apprised of the whole situation with them, but from what he gathered, not all of them were controlled.

As he passed the throne room, however, he quickly became aware of shouting. As he drew closer, he recognized the arguing to be between Glory and Hope.

"… not part of the agreement!" Glory spat out. "I lent you Mastermind to help rebuild the kingdom, not make weapons!"

"And it is foolish to waste such talents!" Hope snapped back. "You can shout all you want, Queen Glory, but we NightWings needed crossbows to keep up with everyone else."

"What in the world do you mean by that!?"

"In my time, RainWings were feared." Hope's voice returned to a more neutral, but grave, tone. "If they really wanted to, they could wipe out entire tribes. Nobody would be able to fight them with their camouflage and venom. And they knew it. They leveraged that over everyone."

"The RainWings aren't like that now," Glory responded hotly.

Winter took the chance to peek into the room, seeing that Glory had marched right up to Hope's throne and was looking her dead in the eye. The body language between the two suggested they may come to blows if it got any more heated.

"They could be. You won't be alive forever," Hope said with deathly calm. "The SandWings have venom and flame. SeaWings can turn the very seas against us if they so tried. IceWings? One chill from a Frostbreath and that limb may as well be gone. Do you know how many I had to chop off to prevent a soldier from dying? SkyWings have the advantage over the skies, and that's not getting to what one with Firescales can do. If the MudWings sent fireproof dragons at us, we'd be hard pressed to win claw-to-claw. So, tell me again I was foolish for using Mastermind."

"You should have told me. That was part of our agreement." Glory did not refute her claims.

"If I did, you would have stopped me."

"I would have helped you find a better way to defend yourself. We just saw first-claw how destructive those bows are." Glory groaned, claw clasped to her face. "Three RainWing deaths. Five NightWing. Dozens more wounded. I tell you right now, Moon and Qibli will probably strike you if you dare say that it was a good idea to their faces."

"I did what I thought was right for my kingdom. I won't apologize for that. As for Sandrunner… he was attacked by well trained assassins. The situation would not have gone much better even without crossbows." Hope tapped her talon on her throne. "Fierceteeth knows nothing. That enchantment on her must have had a hidden part to erase her memory."

"What a disaster…"

Winter left them at that point, not wanting to risk getting caught. The situation was, as Glory aptly put, a disaster. They had no leads if Fierceteeth didn't know anything. Well, there was perhaps her underlings, but Fierceteeth was directly the one in contact with the Darkstalker apparition.

He passed the medical wing again, seeing Turtle inside trying to help the doctors with surface wounds. Peril was with him, a rare grim and serious look on her face. There was no joking, no innuendos. She was straightforward and direct with her actions like her to-be husband.

Thorn was in the ballroom with Stonemover, speaking indistinctly. Blaze was with them and like with Peril, held a rare look of seriousness on her face too. Reading lips, Winter saw Thorn mention 'Cobra'. As much as Qibli would probably dislike it, his mother would be an invaluable asset.

As expected, though, Winter found Moon in the one place she'd be after such a traumatic event; right where it happened.

She sat in the now cleaned, but ruined, tower. Moonlight poured through the burnt hole Peril made, basking her in its glow. Moon looked almost ethereal where she sat, and Winter said not a word at first. Her back faced him, wings drooped, and head held low. Before her was Sandrunner's bloodstains, unable to be fully cleaned.

"Where did it all go wrong, Winter?" Moon asked him after a moment. "Was it when we made Peacemaker? Is that when I was cursed? One final revenge from Darkstalker?"

"You're not cursed, Moon," Winter spoke softly.

"It feels that way. I lost you, I lost Qibli, I lost my winglet… and right as things started going right again, I lost my son."

"He's not dead." Winter tried to reassure her.

"I read the thoughts of the doctors." She turned her head back slightly to meet his gaze. "I've had vision after vision of me standing over his grave. Only two showed him recovering. So, tell me again that I'm not cursed."

"He's not dead." Winter repeated in a firmer voice. "Don't give up on him now."

"I'm not. I'm just… accepting it." Moon fiddled with some of the jewelry on her. "I have to. Because if I allow myself to hope, and he dies… I won't make it through your namesake."

Winter stepped forward, a hard look on his face. "Please don't talk like that, Moon." He spoke as softly as he could.

"Mothers should not have to bury their dragonets, Winter." Moon shook her head. "It means I failed."

"You did not fail." Winter snarled. "You did everything in your power. Tonight would've happened no matter what."

"Maybe." Moon nodded. "But Sandrunner didn't have to be here."

"He wouldn't want you to kill yourself, Moon." Winter circled around in front of her, keeping mindful of the bloodstain. With him now taking up most of her vision, she was forced to look at him. "Qibli wouldn't want it. He's suffering just as much as you are."

"I know, but I'm not as strong as he is." Moon turned away. "He has Sunny. He'll be okay without me. You all will. I've already lingered like a ghost around my former friends. Maybe it's time I passed on. It's not the first time I considered it. Sandrunner was the only thing keeping me around, and if he's gone…"

Winter moved closer and wrapped his wings and arms around her, pulling her into a gentle – but firm – embrace. "I wouldn't be okay."

Moon sat there for a moment, immobile. Then, he felt tears on his chest as she slowly returned the hug. She shuddered as more and more tears flowed through her. Open sobbing came next as she cried into his chest. He stroked her back gently, feeling her tense and relax at the touch. Winter rested his head over hers as she cried, remaining the stoic shoulder for her to cry on.

"I'm going to kill him." Moon suddenly spoke. Winter glanced down at her. "I hope he comes back because I'll beat him to death with my own claws. Sandrunner's blood is on his talons."

"Shh." Winter held her tighter. "He won't come back at all. We'll make sure of that."

"He always finds a way out. No matter what. We were idiots to think that he'd stay down forever." Moon shook her head, her scales scraping against his. "What… is Sandrunner's condition?"

"I'll tell you once we get to your room. You need to sleep."

"Tell me now." Moon's talons dug into him. Not enough to break the scales, but it was enough to show she meant business.

"No." Winter remained unflinching. "Hurt me all you want, but I am going to bring you to your bed. Staying here will only make you perseverate over it."

Moon didn't seem to be receptive at first, but eventually caved. Winter helped her stand, and together they slowly walked to the guest rooms. Her head was bowed low the entire time as if in a trance. He couldn't even begin to understand what she was feeling.

Once inside, Winter sat her down on the bed. She didn't let go of him once. Part of him wanted to pull away from the amount of touching, but he didn't. She needed him.

As predicted, she did not take the news well. She went almost catatonic, barely processing his words. She held on tighter and tighter with each passing word.

Silence fell over them. He heard her breathing slow as she finally started to relax. He stroked her back again, holding her in his arms. She felt so… warm under his claws.

"Winter?" Moon murmured, half asleep.

"Yes?" Winter asked softly.

"Don't leave me again." She pressed herself further into his chest.

"I won't, Moon." Winter lay down in her bed. He clearly wasn't going anywhere tonight. "I promise."

The gentle rapping of knuckles on her door stirred Moon from her sleep. Her ears flicked and she tried to go back to that sweet oblivion where no pain awaited her. Yet, the sunlight was in her face. There was no going back right now.

Especially since she quickly found herself atop the chilly glacier that was Winter. She immediately lifted her upper body, heat crawling to her face. She looked down at herself, and breathed a small sigh of relief. Nothing had happened. They just… slept together, not slept together. Truthfully, Moon barely remembered anything from last night.

It was a blur of pain and misery ever since she held Sandrunner's body. She was aware of returning to where he previously lay and Winter finding her, but otherwise nothing. She didn't remember a word outside of him getting increasingly distressed. Something stupid must've flowed from her mouth.

Another knock drew her attention, and this time she finally removed herself from Winter, who had begun to awaken. Moon answered the door, mildly surprised to see Queen Glory standing there.

"Hey," Glory spoke in an uncharacteristically sympathetic voice.

"Hey," Moon answered quietly.

"I spoke to Tsunami via the Dreamvisitor last night." Glory told her gently. "Told her what happened. You don't have to worry about teaching; she said to take all the time you need."

"Thank you." Moon nodded gratefully. "I was going to contact her myself but… I couldn't. Not yet."

"I figured. That's why I took the initiative." Glory offered a small smile. "You'll be pleased to know that Sandrunner survived the night, too."

Moon just about collapsed at that news. It was only by leaning on the doorframe did she manage to stay standing. Winter came into view at her movement, keeping her steady. Glory's eyes shifted between them, but she said not a word.

"The doctors say he's stabilized enough for you to visit. Deathbringer is watching over him. Said something about working out a theory. I have no idea what it is yet, as I've been running around trying to do damage control." Glory bristled as she continued speaking.

"Thank you again." Moon spoke hurriedly before making her way to the medical wing. Winter followed right behind. She was grateful for his presence; he'd keep her from doing something emotional. Like if Qibli walked in with Sunny and she lashed out as she did the night before.

Walking into the medical wing, she honestly thought Glory had lied to her. Sandrunner was so, so pale. He barely looked like himself. Bruising under the scales made it seem like more black splotches had grown on him. His eyes were closed, and there was no emotion on his face. No peace, no pain. There was just… nothingness.

She couldn't even hear his thoughts.

Moon stood over his bed, having slowly approached. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him. Yet, she kept herself from doing so. Instead, all she could do was sit next to him and hope he woke up. She knew he wouldn't. It didn't stop her from clinging to that thread of hope.

"Your dragonet's strong." Deathbringer's voice came from above as he glided down from the rafters. "Wounds like that would've killed most dragons."

"He's always been stubborn." Moon chuckled emptily.

"Stubborn enough to defy death itself." Deathbringer glanced to Sandrunner. For now. She heard his mind add.

"Glory said you had a theory?" Moon decided to get right down to it. Anything to help focus her mind.

"Are you sure you want to hear this now?" Deathbringer questioned. It was so strange seeing the affable NightWing be so serious. Moon gave him a steely look as she squared her shoulders. "Alright." He breathed out. "Well… I really don't know how to put this any other way than bluntly, but I think he was the target."

Moon stared.

"What?" Winter spoke, just as confused.

"I had Turtle mark where the wounds were after he healed them." Deathbringer pointed at small, almost unnoticeable dots on Sandrunner's body. "There are several crossbolt wounds. Nobody else, even those who fought back, had so many. After hearing Duskweaver's story, I realized just how clever this was."

"What do you mean?" Moon demanded, fangs bared slightly.

"He was near Duskweaver. Darkstalker undoubtedly knew who she was, just as he knew who Sandrunner was." He gave her a sympathetic look. "He's clearly out for revenge. He wants to hurt the ones who killed him. Who was there?"

"Myself, Turtle, Qibli, Kinkajou, and Anemone. Hope was, too." Moon recounted as her face hardened. "He promised to never hurt me and my friends… but that doesn't apply to my son, does it?"

"No." Deathbringer shook his head. "He wanted to make you suffer, and if he can't harm you, what better way to emotionally devastate you than this?" He raised his wing to indicate to Sandrunner. "The fact that they didn't chase after Duskweaver sealed it for me. Darkstalker wanted to kill Sandrunner."

"So this entire ambush was a gambit to kill him?" Winter pointed at Sandrunner.

"I think it was a major part of it. Perhaps even the end goal. But I don't think it's the sole reason." Deathbringer scratched his head, frowning. "We all heard what he said about Hope. I think once things settle down and everyone processes what's happening, that'll cause a complete destabilization."

Right… Darkstalker had called out Hope as his mother. There were at least a hundred in the crowd. The information would spread and spread fast.

"Most I can do is stand over Sandrunner and make sure nobody comes in to finish the job." Deathbringer continued. "He's had visitors, namely from Duskweaver, but nobody's made a move. All it would take is one little nick or a drop of poison and he wouldn't be able to fight it. Darkstalker's not one for failure. He's going to try again. I just don't know how."

Moon returned her gaze to Sandrunner. She felt like hovering over him, fanning him with her wings in case someone dared try and approach. But, that was unrealistic.

"What can we do?" Winter asked Deathbringer. "We can't just sit around."

"No, we can't. But first thing's first, getting Sandrunner out of the Night Kingdom." Deathbringer jerked his head at her son. "However, he's not able to be moved. Flight will cause strain. But keeping him here, each day brings with it so many risks. I need sleep, and while I trust my RainGuards with my life, nothing is for certain." He gave her a steely look. "You have to decide if it's worth the risk."

"I… I can't just decide that…" Moon paled immediately. Her son's life was literally in her claws right now. If she made the wrong choice, he was dead.

"Tell Qibli what I said. Take the time you need, but I wouldn't advise waiting too long." Deathbringer winced as he looked back at Sandrunner. "Things can go from bad to worse at any moment."

"Let's go see if Qibli is awake." Winter gently placed a claw on her shoulder. Nodding, she summoned every inch of her willpower and pulled away from Sandrunner, departing with Winter from the medical wing.

Qibli stood in a void.

There was nothingness as far as he could see. The only color was a gloomy gray that stretched as far as he could see. He walked on air. It felt like he was going nowhere. With each step, he felt his hope sink even further.

He knew using the Dreamvisitor to visit Sandrunner was going to end like this. Yet, he had to try. He had to see if there was anything inside that he could latch onto. Some way to express his undying love and wish for Sandrunner to wake up. Yet… there was nothing.

Sandrunner, for all intents and purposes, was gone. All that was left was a comatose shell. And with this, Qibli wasn't sure if he would wake up.

After what felt like an eternity, Qibli willed himself to leave. Once he did, a sunny day greeted him. Not a cloud in the sky. He stretched, and found a familiar small golden dragon next to him. She stirred as he did, and they locked eyes.

"Hey." Sunny greeted him through a yawn.

"Hey." Qibli forced a smile. It didn't really work.

Sunny went to respond, only to see the Dreamvisitor in Qibli's claw. "Did you see anything?"

"Just a void." Qibli slowly shook his head. "There's no consciousness. No dreams. It's like he's not even there." He finished, jaw trembling. "Sandrunner's gone."

"That's not true." Sunny stroked his back, snuggling close. "You weren't awake, but Glory visited earlier. She said Sandrunner made it through the night."

That did steady Qibli a tiny bit, but it didn't stop the tears from glistening in his eyes.

"He just may be so injured his mind is blanked." Sunny continued to reassure him. "I'm sure as he recovers more, he'll start to have sparks of consciousness. I've never used the dreamvisitor on comatose dragons, so I have no idea what to expect. But, Sandrunner definitely has your resilience. He'll make it."

"Yeah…" Qibli nodded slowly. Sunny reached up with her wing and wiped his tears away before they fell.

"It's okay to grieve either way. I was the same when we weren't sure my mother would make it." Sunny held his claw tightly. "Don't be afraid to cry. Don't be afraid to break down. Everyone understands."

"I want to." Qibli admitted. "I want to. But I… can't. Something's stopping me."

"Don't force yourself, then." Sunny nestled her head under his chin. "Everyone copes differently. Know that I'll be right here with you whenever you need me."

"I… need you now." Qibli forced himself to say.

"Then you have me."

Together they lay, Qibli holding her tightly. He focused on her scales, how she felt against his body. Their lips met, and in the passionate despair he felt, he found himself atop her. She didn't resist. But, her eyes were questioning if this was what he really wanted. He didn't know.

He didn't know if he wanted this right now or if he was just so desperate to feel anything positive. He lay atop her, their chests connecting. Their breathing accelerated. He brushed himself against her neck, breathing heavily into the crook. She squirmed underneath him, letting out a small 'oh'. Retracting his head, she gave him a half smile that said 'go ahead'.

But her eyes asked 'is this what you really want?'

That broke him. Their first time shouldn't be mired with grief and misery. Instead, Qibli curled his head and neck into her. She held him tight, saying not a word. Tears flowed from his face as visions of Sandrunner's bloodied body flowed like poison in his mind.

There was a knock at the door, and Qibli pulled himself off Sunny. She stood by him as he answered, mildly surprised to see Moon and Winter awaiting him.

"How are you doing?" Moon asked him quietly.

"About the same as you,," Qibli answered without humor. One look at her and he knew she was about ready to curl into a ball and never wake up.

"Yeah…" Moon shuffled uncomfortably. "Look… we need to make a decision. And I wanted you to be included."

"What decision?"

Moon and Winter told him everything. From Deathbringer's theory – which sounded a lot more plausible by the second – to the decision they had to make regarding Sandrunner. Given what Qibli just experienced, he was almost ready to say no. Once he told Moon about the Void in Sandrunner's mind, he saw her falter too.

"I don't know what to do," Moon admitted after a moment. "My visions… they are all murky. I can't tell what chance we have either way."

"You've been looking at the future again?" Qibli asked not unkindly. He expected her to do so.

"They've been compounding on me ever since last night. I've been too weak to fight them." Moon averted her gaze, as if expecting him to yell at her.

"I understand," he said instead. Moon instinctively flinched, which caused him to feel worse, before relaxing.

"Do we know if he's getting stronger or if he's just stabilized?" Sunny asked them.

"It's too early to tell," Winter answered her. "I overheard some of the doctors when Deathbringer was explaining this. I would personally hesitate to move him."

"Mmm… but if we don't, he's open for assassination." Sunny followed his thoughts. "I just can't believe that Sandrunner was the target."

"I believe it." Qibli muttered darkly. "He's petty and out for revenge. Sandrunner has no idea what to expect from Darkstalker, making him the best bet at it."

"About that…" Moon shuffled again. "I… saw an apparition of Darkstalker at Jade Mountain."

Silence.

"What?" Winter broke the quietness first, disbelief on his face.

"He was behind me in a mirror. I thought I was going insane, because when I turned around, he was gone. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't really sleep that night." Moon folded her wings around herself, bracing for all of them to yell at her. Qibli recognized the look. "But after what we just saw…"

"Mmm…" Qibli furrowed his brow. "This is all sounding like a horror story now."

"It is one." Moon reaffirmed, tail slapping against the ground.

"Yeah… that's true." Qibli started pacing around the room. "We need to make a decision, though. I say we move him."

"What?" Moon asked incredulously. "We can't!"

"You just said we need to make a decision, Moon.

"I… I… I know but…" Moon shook, indecision clear as day along her face. "I can't! I can't do anything to hurt him!"

"He's in too much danger here. The Rain Kingdom has the best medicine-dragons this side of Pyrrhia, too," Qibli responded as gently as possible. "Either that or Sanctuary. I'd say the Sand Kingdom, but… well, we all know what that place is like on a good day."

"He won't survive the journey." Moon stood up, biting at her talon. "You didn't see him yet, did you?"

"No, I just woke up."

"It's bad, Qibli. He looks little more than a corpse."

Qibli stopped his pacing. He was afraid of that. His claws gripped tighter on the floor. He was going to kill Darkstalker the moment he showed his phantom muzzle again. Ghost or not, he'd find a way to make death permanent.

"I still say leaving him here is worse," Qibli said after a moment. Moon's face visibly fell. "Not all of the insurrectionists have been caught as far as I know. All it takes is one explosive and there goes Sandrunner and half the medical wing."

"Deathbringer is watching over him." Moon rebuffed.

"And he told us to get him out." Qibli reminded her. "He's skilled, but even he'd be hard pressed to stop an explosive from going off without dying himself."

"Maybe Turtle and Peril can weigh in on this." Moon fretted, panic in her voice.

"They were up all night trying to help Hope. They're still asleep." Winter interjected.

"We can't move him!" Moon finally snapped. "We just… can't! He's so weak, Qibli! And you said yourself that there is nothing in his mind! One stir from a wingbeat and he could rip open something else!"

"Does the Night Kingdom not have stretchers?" Winter raised a brow. "We can bind him tightly with that."

"That's a great idea!" Sunny exclaimed optimistically. "That solves the jostling problem."

"Right… that does make me feel better but…" Moon shook her head. "I just don't know."

"This is the hardest decision we've ever had to make," Qibli said sympathetically. "But, it's the best bet."

"I'll carry him myself with it." Moon paced this time, wings extended as she tried to expend energy. "That way he won't fall."

"Moon, no, you need to let the professionals do it," Sunny said soothingly. "You're strong, yes, but you're also a keg waiting to explode. He needs someone calm and knows exactly what to do to carry him."

"She's right." Winter nodded slowly. "You can fly next to them, but you must let them do their jobs if we go through with this."

"Where will we take him, then?" Moon stopped pacing, wings slumping. "I'm worried about disease in the Rain Kingdom. One mosquito bite and…"

"Sanctuary it is, then," Qibli answered her quickly. "It's close to Jade Mountain, too."

"The humans may have something that can help with this, too." Winter took Moon's claws into his own. Qibli watched him do so, a faint twinge in the back of his mind. It wasn't jealousy; no, it was something else. Hurt? That would be it, but he felt so much of it right now that it barely registered.

The darker part of his mind began to wonder if Winter was the reason why Moon called it all off. But, as quickly as that thought came in, he dismissed it. Right now, Sandrunner was the priority. He'd figure all this other stuff out later.

"I'm going to go speak to the staff and Deathbringer." Qibli announced to them. "I… also want to see Sandrunner for myself."

"Prepare yourself." Moon had sat down now. She looked exhausted, as if the conversation had sapped every ounce of energy. "Even though nothing will prepare you for it."

"I'll go with you." Sunny didn't offer. No, she flat out told Qibli she was coming. He couldn't help but smile a bit at that.

They departed and made their way to the medical wing. Qibli immediately spotted Sandrunner, and… yeah, Moon was right. There was no amount of preparation for this. He'd seen corpses with more color than his son. Sunny visibly shuddered looking at him.

He understood Moon's hesitation completely now and almost wanted to backtrack on his statements. But, he kept himself firm. He was absolutely certain this was the best move. Out of instinct, Qibli reached out and touched Sandrunner's claw, finding it rather cool. There was still warmth, yes, but it wasn't enough.

"Moon tell you what I said?" Deathbringer flew down to them.

"She did." Qibli nodded. "We're moving him away from here."

"Good. Don't say where until you're seconds away from flight." Deathbringer frowned. "Once he's out, I'm going to have a little chat with Fierceteeth myself. Something's not right there, either. She shouldn't have lost her memory."

"Sometimes, I forget that you're actually competent at your job." Sunny broke the tension with a quiet laugh.

"I am excellent at my job." Deathbringer boasted, puffing his chest out. "But… yeah. Something's really off. With Glory trying to figure out how to handle this mess with Hope, I'll be sticking to the shadows. In case I somehow miss your departure, though… good luck."

"Thanks." Qibli forced a smile. "Something tells me we're going to need it."

Probably the darkest chapter in this story. It's not much better for a while. You can thank my beta reader for not killing off Sandrunner, though. I was actually going to pull the trigger on him there. But, I was convinced otherwise... for now ;) I was very shocked to see that Sandrunner was so well liked (or at least tolerated), too.