Black scales soared away, higher and higher until they breached cloud cover and disappeared from view. Jerboa watched them go, a faint frown creasing her face.
She didn't bother giving chase to the dragonet, Jerboa herself had never been particularly talented at flight, and even during her brief time of watching the Nightwing on the Sand Kingdom border, she had proven to be surprisingly fast for a dragon so small. Given the time of day, or rather night, she doubted trying to track her would be in any way effective.
Despite that, she absolutely knew where the dragonet was headed. It was rather surprising to Jerboa, that Moon would return so soon to her previous hiding spot, given that Jerboa now knew of it. Not that she wasn't thankful; the dragonet would be substantially easier to retrieve this way, but given it was Queen Glacier who was going to find her, Moon may have just personally signed her own death sentence.
Perhaps there was a reason she was hiding there instead of moving somewhere else within Pyrrhia, or maybe she planned to move on later. Or, perhaps Jerboa was thinking too far into this, and Moon's age and clear distress had merely clouded her judgment.
Jerboa was surprised by how much that saddened her. Not only at the thought of the loss of someone so young, but at the idea her friend was capable of such a thing. Normally Jerboa trusted Glacier's judgement when it came to intertribal affairs, she had proved time and time again during the war she was level headed and unbiased when it came to dealing with dragons of the other tribes. When it came to Nightwings though, her theatrics could be a bit much.
For the first years of knowing her, Jerboa had no idea of her friend's feelings towards the secretive tribe, she had figured Glacier felt the same towards them as any other tribe. That idea had been dashed however when Glacier had told her of how a Nightwing had been discovered and driven out of her kingdom. The pure glee that dripped from her words when she reported that the Nightwing her soldiers had maimed had been none other than their Queen, was enough to make her blood run cold.
Jerboa couldn't understand it. The animosity between the two tribes had run deep for thousands of years, before even Jerboa herself had hatched, yet it seemed in recent years the Nightwing's had had no want to continue the ancient feud. The same could not be said for their Icewing counterparts.
With that all said, this time Jerboa had felt Glacier's fears over the possibility of magic being used against her tribe rather understandable. Given the dragoness who had stolen it had a supposed connection to Darkstalker, and wished to help him, her immediate capture seemed necessary. Watching the shape of the dragonet flapping away, she got the impression she'd severely misjudged the true amount of danger the Icewing's were in.
She cursed herself. She knew she shouldn't have taken Glacier's words at face value. Perhaps if she hadn't, if she'd been even a breath more sceptical, her attempts to reason with the dragonet would have been more effective. Just maybe, if she'd cut her feigns to ignorance, Moon may have been more trusting of her.
Not that she blamed herself entirely though. Moon had this near-constant nervous energy to her that Jerboa doubted would be simple to ease. Still though, it made her wonder what would have happened if Moon had entrusted her with the scroll. That reminded her, what did that dragonet want with the scroll anyway? It didn't appear that she had used it, while escorting her back to her hut Jerboa had supported her in standing a talonful of times, yet she felt no magic emanating from her scales. If she truly did know Darkstalker and wanted to free him, why not just do it? It couldn't take any more than a sentence.
Jerboa didn't know, and spending so long worrying over the intricacies of animus magic reminded her uncomfortably of her mother so she stopped herself, stepping over her shattered door and inside towards her desk. She picked up the Gift of Communication, holding it close to one of her candles to reread the message Glacier sent.
"I've sent a patrol to your location. I'll be travelling with them."
Lower down on the slate, she had added,
"Apologies for missing our recent appointment, I'll be sure to call in once the thief has been apprehended."
Jerboa smiled to herself, tracing a digit over the words. Throughout the near three decades Glacier had known her, she had come to visit her on the third of every month. She had only missed the date a couple of times, and every time she did she was almost adorably apologetic. Jerboa found it rather amusing how long she'd have to spend convincing the Icewing Queen that it was in fact, perfectly reasonable that she had been unable to visit due to Burn's push deeper into Icewing controlled territory, and that ensuring her own safety was more important to Jerboa than their afternoon tea.
As much as her heart ached at the thought of clearing the message, she had more important things to say. She wiped a talon over the tablet's rough surface, and the impressions in the stone rose back up, until its face was entirely smooth again. She picked up her chisel, considering her words. For most dragons carving tools wouldn't be necessary for writing in rock as soft as sandstone, but given Jerboa's at least partially involuntary lack of claws, she couldn't do without them. Eventually she carefully carved,
"She escaped. I don't believe this Nightwing is a threat. Please be patient with her, it's the only way to get through to her. All she need's is guidance."
She flicked the chips of stone off the table with the edge of her wing, going over the message several times to make sure it was carved deep enough. She doubted Glacier had her tablet with her. Given that she was on her way to speak to Jerboa anyway, and that she would likely travel light to reach the Nightwing as quick as possible. Still, it was worth a shot.
Golden light began to leach into her floorboards, seeping in through the gap where the door should have been. She watched it spread, glancing up to where she was sure she could make out the distant dark shape of a dragon silhouetted against the rising sun.
Lynx hopped up through the spiralling staircases of Glacier's Palace, headed towards the library. She didn't know for certain a particular Prince would be in there, but given his behaviour during his time back at the palace, she imagined it rather likely. Her claws tapped against the smooth icy floors, a foreign sound she still had yet to get used to, even after all her years living in the palace.
She turned a corner, and there at the head of the corridor was the entrance to the library. Even from here, she could make out the sound of shuffling papers and claws scratching out words. She chuckled, picking up her pace as she neared the doorway. She wasn't quite sure why Winter had suddenly decided animus objects and history were his new obsession, but his devotion to scouring the library for every scrap of information on the topic was rather impressive.
"Hey." She said, striding in through the entranceway and over to his desk. Winter startled, as though he hadn't heard her approach and looked up.
"Hey." He replied lamely, watching her with slightly squinted eyes, "Have you come with more information for me?"
"I have indeed," she responded in a mocking tone, sitting on the edge of his desk. "I know talking to a petty commoner such as myself must be very strenuous for royalty like you, but I do promise that you can speak to me like your friend and not a servant."
"Apologies, I mean, uh- sorry." His face flushed blue and he looked away. "It's not on purpose, just habit."
She arched an eye-ridge, "Habit? From what? Oh dear, you don't mean you spoke to the other students at Jade Mountain like that. I'd despise it if the other tribes thought us all that stuck up."
Winter laughed, his embarrassment seemingly forgotten, "Indeed, that's what we did all day there, just stomped around ordering all the other tribes about." He shook his head, "It's habit from what I've been working on," he said, turning back to the parchment he was scrawling onto, "Narwhal came by earlier and told me to "write it like true nobility"-" Lynx giggled at his impression of his father, and Winter gave her an easy smile, "-so I've been fancying it up a bit."
"Right." Lynx leaned over, peering at the many pages of rewrites strewn across the desk. "Why are you doing all of this anyway?"
Winter shrugged, turning his head away, "I just think animus enchantments are quite interesting."
Lynx squinted up at him, tapping a claw rhythmically on the desk.
Is this to do with Hailstorm? I heard he was under an enchantment while Scarlet imprisoned him, so it might be research for that. But then why exclusively look at Icewing enchanted objects? Surely he's better off looking in the sections on other tribes if he wants to know the exact spell.
Lynx sighed. If Winter didn't want to tell her the actual reason that was his prerogative, even if it made her heart break just slightly that he didn't feel as though he could confide in her.
"So, what's that about?" Lynx jabbed a claw at a parchment stacked atop a pile of others, recognising the handwriting instantly as belonging to Princess Crystal. She shot him a sly grin, "Love letter?"
"What? No!" Winter thwacked her with a wing and she giggled, "It's a message from Queen Glacier, I'm returning to school three days from now." He frowned, glancing at the words, mumbling, "Not too sure why she couldn't tell me herself though."
"Probably because she's been away," Lynx answered absentmindedly. Winter gave her a quizzical look.
"Oh, of course!" She clapped her talons together suddenly, making Winter jump, "That's what I came here to tell you!" Winter still looked puzzled, so she continued,
"Apparently they found your Nightwing!" She waited a moment for dramatic effect before continuing, "One of Glacier's contacts found her on our border with the Kingdom of Sand. She's leading a patrol there herself to find her."
Winter looked positively dumbfounded. He stared at her silently for several long moments, "You're sure it's her."
"I have no idea. Glacier seemed pretty sure when she was gathering guards last night though." After a moment she added, "Don't ask what I was doing up that late."
Winter stared at the ground, slow confusion leaking into his expression, "Contact?" He questioned, emphasising the word, "Don't you mean one of her soldiers?"
Lynx shrugged, "Well "contact" is how Snowfall described it. I didn't get much out of her though, she was mostly just complaining she didn't get to go."
He chuckled, "Yep, that sounds like Snowfall alright. You two are on speaking terms again I take it?"
"Yep, we apologised about the argument, well, I apologised, she just promised she wouldn't bring it up again, which is probably the best I'm ever going to get out of her."
Winter smiled weakly, his expression shifting back to troubled, "Lynx, you- you don't think her Majesty would-"
"No! Of course not." She cut him off before he could finish the thought, "I'm sure your Nightwing will be fine. I mean, her Queen is probably going to kill her for all the paperwork she's going to have to do, but you know, not actually kill her."
She settled a wing around him, and he leaned into her, but he still managed to give her a hard glare. "She's not my Nightwing you know."
"Right," Lynx smirked knowingly, "Because I definitely can't see the look in your eyes whenever I mention her, and the way you smile when you think I'm not looking."
Winter blushed, hiding his face with a wing. "We're not, no- we're just friends, not even friends! I barely knew her, I mean-"
"Winter!" Lynx put a claw over his mouth and he stopped talking, eyeing her with a defeated expression. "It's just a joke, calm down." They stared at each other for several heartbeats, until she lowered her claw. Lynx gave him an amused grin, "You weren't quite so defensive when I suggested you liked your own cousin."
"Yeah, well that's obviously a joke." Winter huffed, turning away. His blush had mostly died down, but a noticeable sapphire hue still clung to his cheeks.
They sat in silence for a while, with her wing wrapped around him. "You know, I wouldn't care if you did fall in love with a Nightwing, in case you were wondering."
Winter frowned, "Well, okay then. Not that it matters, because I never would."
She nodded, "Of course, what was I thinking. Does that mean the other tribes are still on the table? You mention that Sandwing in your winglet a whole lot, how about him?"
Winter grumbled, folding his arms petulantly. Lynx smiled, pulling him closer. "You act so childish when you're flustered, it's pretty adorable."
"I do not." He said, swatting at her.
"Yes you do."
"No I don't!"
"Yes,-" she tapped him on the end of his snout, "-you do." Before he had time for a retort she continued, "Snowfall does the same thing actually, I bet it's a family thing. Oo! Do you think Glacier does that too? I guess I've never seen her flustered."
Winter chuckled, shaking off her wing and standing up, "I should report you for speaking of the Queen like that, and for not referring to her by her full title."
"Oh of course! My mistake, do you think Glacier VII, by the Grace of the Great Ice Dragon, of the Ice Kingdom and all her other realms and territories Queen, defender of the North, does that too?"
Winter laughed, rolling his eyes, "Not quite that full a title."
Lynx smirked, and in her pause she noticed Winter's face falling to a heartbreaking mixture of sombre and concerned. She couldn't tell if it was to do with the news of his Nightwing, not his Nightwing, she corrected, or just the general state of his life at that moment. Either way, what kind of a friend would she be if she didn't at least try to cheer him up? She noticed through the window that the sun had reached its apex and was beginning its descent down the sky, "Hey, do you want to go out for a swim? I bet if we head out now we can make it back before dark."
Winter glanced back to his papers, "Oh, I really shouldn't, I've got a good bit more left I need to-"
"Come on Winter! You don't need to do anything. Besides, you'll be back to school soon, why not enjoy your break while you have it?" Winter's brow furrowed, as though he wanted to argue further, so before he could Lynx grabbed him by the forearms, dragging him towards her and pulling them to the side and backwards, so they fell in a tangle of wings and tails out the window.
Winter squawked, flapping lopsidedly until he pulled himself free, glaring at her with wild panic, "WHAT IN ALL OF PYRRHIA WAS THAT?"
Lynx laughed, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she doubled over. "Your face! By the lights of the North, that was the funniest thing I've seen all season."
Winter frowned, letting out a vaguely irritated snort.
Lynx flicked her tail, gesturing off into the distance, where the sea shone in the midday sunlight, "Well," she said with a meaningful look, "Those seals aren't going to catch themselves."
Winter considered her, glancing back forlornly to the library window. "Fine," he held up a claw, "But only if we're quick."
She chuckled, winking at him, "Right, gotcha, no funny business, just in and out like the professionals we are."
Winter smiled mischievously, diving for her as she just dodged out of the way. The two spun and twisted in the air, their laughter echoing off the walls of the palace as they made their way across the tundra towards the sea.
Twigs snapped below her as she walked, slightly thicker branches bending softly under her small weight. The heavy scent of pine permeated the air with every fascicle of needles she tread on, a smell she had become rather accustomed to during her impromptu visit to the Ice Kingdom border. It wasn't that she disliked it per se, as woodsy aromas came it was certainly preferable to the many damp, murky bouquets the Rainforest had to offer. Her distaste for it came from the fact its unfamiliarity served as yet another obvious reminder she was far from home, and far out of her depth.
Moon had been walking for some time now, ever since she'd woken several hours before. Since then she'd had that unexplainable, prickling feeling of danger sparking over her scales. She'd done well listening to that feeling when she was younger, and assuming it was just worry over the urgency of her need for a new hiding spot, she'd attempted to move inland towards the Kingdom of Sky. Much to her surprise, as soon as she began her trek the feeling increased threefold, and that was why she now found herself padding rather uncertainly towards the coast.
Gusts of cool wind swept in from behind her, an omen of storms yet to come. Quite literally as well. Every half hour or so she'd glance back at the cluster of large, darkening clouds flowing down from the eastern mountains that spilt from the peaks like water from an overfilled bowl. They moved with surprising pace for forms so large, Moon may have been marginally impressed by them if they weren't barrelling down directly towards her. The cold was uncomfortable but not unbearable, especially as the further she walked, more layers of warm ocean air began to brush against her face and chest.
The scroll as always swayed lightly with every unsure step she took, knocking against her forearms in an irritating irregular pattern. The leather was surprisingly stiff, numbing her scales with each blunt aching rap. The constant reminder of her cargo was certainly preferable to nothing, but only marginally.
The trees in this part of the woods felt much more spaced out, the tight, compacted air of the inland pines replaced by thinner, distanced trunks with an altogether more pleasant aura. The cool moonlight that before only occasionally broke through the tall, interknit canopy above now streamed down in wide swaths of placid, blue-tinted rays.
Ahead she could see a break in the tree line, deep mahogany columns giving way to an endless plane of night sky. She couldn't make out any sand from here, and even as she grew closer, only murky grey stone lined the edge of her vision before dropping away to the night; a cliff? She slowed her pace, intensely aware of how much more visible from the air she'd become should she continue. She glanced up to the gaping holes in the tree cover, convincing herself it wouldn't make much of a difference.
She stepped out onto bare rock, the scent of salt and rotting seaweed assaulting her nose. Even from this far above the water, the unpleasant smell was substantially more pungent than it had been back on Jerboa's section of beach. She frowned at the pang of worry that followed the thought of the Sandwing.
Should I have run?
At the time she'd thought it was all she could do, it's what she'd always done after all, running and hiding from the monsters in the dark until she was so far she couldn't even remember what had scared her. But she wasn't a young dragonet in the rainforest anymore, and Jerboa was no monster. She was certainly an unusual dragon, but whether she actually had intent to harm Moon was still a mystery to her.
She shook out her wings. There was no point in toiling over that now, she had run, she couldn't change that, and it was much more imperative she figure out some kind of plan for what to do next.
She cautiously approached the cliff's edge, the strangest feeling of déjà vu passing over her. Perhaps it reminded her of something back at Jade Mountain? Or one of the many lakes they had flown past while searching for Scarlet? The waves lapped tiredly at the cliff face, a quiet, peaceful sound she could listen to for hours. She wasn't surprised he had liked it so much. A cold breeze swept up behind her and she shivered. She doubted the waves would be quite so peaceful for much longer.
From behind her she thought she heard something, or sensed something, sharp and refracting, like mental wind chimes. Before she had a moment longer, a vision crashed into her, sending her stumbling forward with a startled cry.
Flashes of white and blue danced behind her eyes, jumbled and confused and moving faster than she could process. Intense fear churned in her stomach, and with a bright flash her mind erupted in a chorus of agonised shrieks.
The vision was gone as soon as it arrived. Moon came back to herself with slow, laboured breaths. She was curled up, talons clasped around her ears with her face pressed against the coarse grass. She pushed herself up on shaking talons, rubbing the spot between her eyes with a wince. She hadn't had any visions like that for a while, perhaps that was one thing she could thank him for, holding back the onslaught of visions while she was at school.
The presence in her mind grew louder, but no more clear than it had been before. It sounded like a jumbled mess of thoughts, echoed and cut-off so it was impossible to tell what whoever that was was thinking. In her dazed state it took her a moment to fully process that idea.
Whoever that…. Someone's here!
She tried to run, to fly, to do anything to get away, but her talons were still unsteady and she tripped over her tail, landing in a clumsy, undignified heap. The voices were growing louder, and even in her panic, she was certain she recognised something about the odd why they sounded. They were cold and unwelcoming and…
Of course! Icewings!
Dragons thoughts tended to sound different when surrounded by others, but back at school Moon had noticed how Icewings' in particular seemed to reflect and bounce off each others', in an eerily bright cluster of hostility. Her brief triumph was immediately quashed as the entire weight of what that meant hit her. There were Icewings, many Icewings by the sound of it, headed directly towards her.
She swallowed hard, staring out at the flashes of white dipping between the trees. She didn't have time to run, and even if she did she was too petrified to try. All she could think to do was listen in harder to the thoughts, for any hint of familiarity. Most of the Icewings were peppered with ill-tempered spots of hostility, though after her experiences with their tribe back at school she guessed that was true of all of them. Most of them ripped with veins of curiosity, and some, rather surprisingly, ebbed with a hint of fear.
Why? I'm hardly a threat… unless…
Her stomach dropped,
How much did I say about the scroll? How much did the others tell Sunny-
Her musing was interrupted as a wave of piercing hot fury pulsed through her mind, and she flinched back just as the Icewing troops burst through the trees. There were nine of them in all, eight of whom carried long, narrow spears that Moon bet she'd have a better chance of impaling herself with it than anyone else if she ever tried to wield one. Her eyes fell to the one in the centre, the dragoness without a spear.
Even without Winter's memories as reference, she was certain she'd know who this dragoness was at a glance. She was just as regal and imposing as Winter had made her out to be, with long, glittering spikes that looked as though they'd never known dirt in all their years. The usual collection of jewellery and furs that accompanied her in Winter's memories were replaced by a talonful of silver rings, though their absence served to make her no less intimidating.
Queen Glacier of the Icewings peered down at her, her steely gaze examining every inch of Moon's scales so thoroughly the dragonet was certain she could read her mind as clearly as she read hers. It reminded her vaguely of Icicle's constant superior sneer, only so, so much worse. It made Moon want to curl up, to bow and scrape and apologise for every sin or transgression she'd even come close to committing. She found herself unconsciously dipping her head, but at the collection of disapproving, mocking thoughts emanating from the guards she stopped, forcing her petrified neck back to straight.
If there was one thing that surprised her about Glacier it was her expression. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to see there, hostility, disgust, rage? The Icewing Queen looked almost impassive, and Moon wondered if she was imagining the hint of sympathy in her cool blue eyes.
Now the Icewings were closer it was marginally easier to pull one set of stingingly bitter thoughts from another. There was one set however she was yet to identify. It stuck out like a broken wing amongst the others, bristling with a rage she couldn't place on any of the guards. With slow, agonised, recognition she met the Queen's gaze. After a moment to balance herself on the sword's edge that was Glacier's brain, she readied herself and slipped inside.
Glacier was alight from the inside with indignant fury. Here she was, the pathetic wretch of a Nightwing that dared attempt to endanger her tribe! And where was her precious Darkstalker now? Whether he was alive or not was of no matter to her, he was not here and for the rest of her days as Queen would never be whispered of in her court again. One thing did give her cause for concern, the absolute terror in the Nightwing's expression did nothing to support the idea of the malicious, conniving dragoness she'd had built up in her head. Princess Sunny had said Moonwatcher wasn't a danger-
Nonsense! All Nightwing lies! This was a trick to make her let her guard down, or the feeble creature was so lost in her arrogance that she wouldn't be caught she simply didn't know how to react now she had been. It was rather a miracle they had found her, had she not been so kind as to give away her location with that cry she had her dragons would have flown right past.
Glacier noticed with a scowl the Nightwing was no longer looking at her, instead, her eyes were hazy and unfocused, she seemed to be staring directly through her. Adding to that, she had a look of surprising concentration, as though she was listening to something no one else could hear. Glacier couldn't help the instant jump of her heart at that idea.
Is she talking to Darkstalker? Of course logically she knew it was impossible, even if Darkstalker was alive, how could they communicate? Her gaze settled on the dark, ancient case around the Nightwing's neck. It was just as Queen Ruby had described it.
Glacier hissed, low and dangerous, and Moon snapped back into herself, blinking rapidly as her eyes refocused. After seeing inside the Queen like that she'd expected to see a look of absolute disgust in her features, but that wasn't what she saw. Glacier still had yet to say anything, watching Moon with that searching expression. Her face had yet to shift even a fraction, a perfect cold mask to ice over any underlying unpleasant ideas. Moon could hear the volley of spitting insults and remarks desperately clambering to be shot her way, yet the Queen seemed rather determined to ignore that part of her mind. She supposed that was something she could trust of Winter's judgment of his Queen, one thing that could be certain of her, even stronger than her biting hatred of Nightwings, was her need to be fair and just.
There was something though, something in Glacier's mind that sparked her with curiosity despite the current circumstances. Some of the thoughts she had heard sounded, off. She wasn't quite sure how else to describe it, a couple of the more paranoid ones, though barely noticeable, had odd inflexions that didn't quite match up with the Queen's more rational thoughts. And there was something else, a feeling she had become very accustomed to over the last while. Faint traces of magic lingered in Glacier's head, not nearly strong enough for whatever it was to currently be affecting her, yet unmistakably present. Perhaps that shouldn't be such a surprise, despite not having magic in the modern era, the Icewings had had access to it for thousands of years prior. It made sense they would still be using it, but the possible options for what that magic did still flooded her with worry anyway.
Wind whistled in her ears, the clouds almost above them. Finally, the Queen spoke. "Am I correct in assuming you are Moonwatcher of the Nightwings?"
Moon tried to answer, but her throat was so dry she doubted she'd be able to. She nodded slowly.
Another pause from Glacier, but some of her guards stiffened, their talons tightening around their spears. Glacier raised her wing a fraction and they stopped, tilting their heads towards her for further instruction. "Under the authority of the Great Ice Dragon, I place you under arrest, for theft, breach of the peace, and conspiracy. Should you attempt to resist we are willing to use lethal force against you."
Moon's head was spinning. Had she really just heard that? She'd known the consequences of getting caught were great, but up until this point part of it hadn't felt real, as though any moment she would wake up back at home in the Rainforest.
She didn't have any time to get over her shock as the guards began advancing towards her, spears glittering dangerously in the moonlight. The sickening, twisting in her stomach worsened with every step they took, and the feeling of déjà vu was too much to ignore. She had seen this before, or something like it, and from the tightening in her chest she doubted she'd seen it end well. She scrambled back holding out her shaking talons, "P-please! Don't!" One of her talons instinctively went to the scroll, roughly grabbing the strap and pushing it down and away from herself, anything to rid herself of the maddening pulse of magic, to gain some semblance of her senses back. The guards stopped, rumours they'd heard of the scroll whispering in their minds. Glacier raised one uninterested eye ridge, even while her insides were flaring with concern.
"You can't… Don't take it!" Words surged up through her, tripping and tumbling in their hurry to be let loose, to avert whatever great disaster was about to occur.
"I'm afraid we must," Glacier's tone was calm and steady, "That artefact is property of Queen Ruby of the Skywings, you cannot simply take it."
Ruby? Oh, right.
Peril had said something about returning the scroll to her Queen while the others were tossing around ideas for what to do with it. She hadn't known that it actually belonged to her though.
A single fat raindrop landed heavily on the ground before her, followed by a volley that splashed across the Icewing's glittering scales. Though she didn't dare look up and take her eyes off them, she knew the storm was upon them. When the guards continued their approach Moon lifted a talon, preparing to move further away when another vision slammed into her. It was quick, a sudden burst of white and hatred and noise before she was enveloped in cold, empty darkness.
When she came back to herself she was on the ground, the side of her face scraping stone. The talon she'd lifted must've given way as she'd automatically moved to balance herself. Her ears were ringing, and she wasn't sure if the whispering she was hearing was aloud or in her head, or simply the sound of the downpour she was mistaking for voices. Much to her relief the guards had stopped moving, but all of them were watching her with odd, bewildered expressions she couldn't make sense of. Something warm dripped down her snout, and assuming it was rain she wiped it away with a claw. As she did so the strong scent of metal filled her nose, and she knew even before looking down that a red smear had been left behind on her scales.
When she lifted her head again she was surprised to see a crack in the Queen's facade, her features edged with concern that matched the hurricane of thoughts flowing through her. The immense mound of hatred welled by inside of her seemed to thaw just slightly, the longer she stared at the dragonet. Moon wondered for a moment what could have possibly caused this level of contempt directed towards her tribe. Had Glacier ever even met a Nightwing before? The Queen signalled with a flick of her tail for the soldiers to step back, and they did so immediately, watching as Glacier took a sure stride towards Moon, even as her brain screamed at her not to.
Moon forgot how to breathe for a long moment. The Icewing's minds were brilliantly bright, and so close they mingled and tainted her own, distracting her to the point she didn't notice how close Glacier was getting until they were only half a wing-length apart. The rain beat down around them, mingling with the tears that were gathering in Moon's eyes.
"Are you alright?" The Queen's voice was surprisingly gentle, and low enough the Nightwing doubted the guards could hear what she was saying. Moon knew she wouldn't be able to answer without her voice wavering almost indecipherably, so she shook her head instead.
Glacier crouched so their heads were level, sheltering the two of them from the rain with her large, snow coloured wings. The slight comfort the isolation provided was dampened by the prickling feeling of impending danger with the Queen so close.
"I can help you. I want to help you." Even from the brief flashes Moon could hear from behind the Queen's mask she knew it was a lie, but one she wanted desperately to believe. "I just need to take the-"
The moment Glacier extended a claw towards her another vision swarmed in, a mirror of the others but with something else, a reminder of-
Oh, of course
Now she remembered, that dream, well obviously it wasn't a dream. Pieces of it slowly came back, dredged up from the deepest pits of her brain where her mind discarded things it deemed unimportant.
When she opened her eyes again she found she'd fallen forwards, held up only by ice-cold talons wrapped around her shoulders. The Queen looked greatly alarmed, and as another trail of blood dripped down her chin and into the grass she understood why. She steadied herself, leaning as far back as she could reasonably manage without leaving the cover of Glacier's wings.
The Icewing's talon was extended expectantly, and Moon barely managed to push against the thoughts pressing against hers, only just holding the scroll away, "Y-you can't"
The smoky image of the white creature collapsing to the ground in pain replayed in her mind over and over, as an eternity seemed to pass without Glacier replying.
"Why not?" The soft tone was still there, though Moon thought she could hear faint trails of irritation from the words.
She shook her head again, searching for words that could even begin to explain what she'd seen. "I-I, I don't…"
"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." Another lie, less so this time.
"I, I have to- to keep it." She forced out, tightening her talons around the case.
"I'm afraid," Glacier paused for effect, emphasising the dangerous glint that edged her tone, "that that is not an option here. You will give me that scroll, and you will fly back with us to the Ice kingdom where you will be dealt with, do I make myself clear?"
The Icewing sounded so authoritative Moon almost automatically agreed, the only thing that held her back was the half-memory of the white creature's agonised shrieks, as its talon fell away into nothingness.
"No." It came out harder than she'd anticipated, much more sure than she'd possibly felt in her entire life.
"No?" The Queen's eye ridge quirked up, folding back her wings so she and Moon were drenched in the downpour. "You do not say no to me Nightwing."
Glacier stood to her full impressive height, tail flicking in an odd circling motion that made her spikes rattle. On command the guards formed a semi-circle, cutting off any escape route that wasn't the air.
Not that I'd make it particularly far in the air.
The guards moved forward in near-perfect unison, giving her less and less space on the rock ledge. Still, she tried to push back, moving until her talons scraped the cliff's edge and she could retreat no further. Howling wind tugged at her wings, forcing them open as she clung to the ground as to not be swept away. With her wings half-open she was seized by the brief wild impulse to turn and fly, away from the Icewings and straight out to sea.
"Make this easy on yourself." Glacier watched her with those piercing eyes, her intonation not shifting, "We aren't going to hurt you."
It was a ridiculous idea, flying out into the vast ocean with no plan, she would certainly drown. And yet, if she focused she could imagine herself doing just that, disappearing into the dark, angry clouds where no one could find her and no one could hurt her, alone truly at last. No, she wasn't just imagining it, she was seeing it. Her real, actual, not so future self doing just that. Why? Surely she wasn't that without hope-
Yet another vision, but this one entirely distinct from the others. She was standing alone, in a seemly endless plane of yellowed grass, taller than any she'd ever seen before. Sun beat down, warm and comforting, and off in the distance stood vast monoliths buzzing with activity and interconnected with long strings dotted with what she could only assume to be dragons. She was filled suddenly with the need to be here, wherever here was would be safe, and more importantly, wherever here was, it was not Pyrrhia.
She struggled to keep her balance as she was dropped back into reality, the cold gusts rattling her as the artificial heat of her vision dissipated.
Surely she couldn't do it, how great was the distance between here and wherever that was? Even if there was a possible route it was unthinkable she would somehow be able to find it. Yet her heart continued to cry out for her to fly, to take the chance and trust in her powers to guide her. She didn't like the idea, she had no control over her future sight and the visions she did receive were few and far between.
She glanced back at the Icewings. They were barely half a dragon length away, she would have to make a decision soon. She swallowed hard, wiping rain and slick blood from her face. She hated it, but with her dream replaying helpfully in her mind she knew both her and the Icewings would be in for a much worse fate if she stayed.
With one last heartbeat to ensure this was what she wanted to do, she twisted, spreading her wings and taking hastily to the air. The wind spiralled around her, snatching it hungrily in its powerful maw as it dragged her out towards the sea.
Several guards tried to follow, but Glacier stopped them, ordering them instead to fan out across the coastline to catch Moon when she inevitably tried to return. She could hear faint worries in the Queen's mind, that with a storm as powerful as this any of her dragons she sent after the dragonet would be lost to the sea. Moon tried not to think about that, focusing instead on each wingbeat, as she disappeared into the storm.