"I'm so tired of caves," Griffin remarked.
Trustbreaker glanced over to look at him as he pushed the boulder behind the two, sealing the cave entrance.
"I've just had to live in so many," Griffin explained further. "Magma's cave in the Sky Kingdom, all those caves near Agate Mountain, and now this one. Three moons, even the Deep and Summer Palaces could count as caves of a sort. It would be nice to live somewhere else for a while, wouldn't it."
Trustbreaker glanced around the cave the two were in at the moment. He and Sapphire thought it was fine, but the NightWing didn't bother to interrupt Griffin's rant. He continued to listen, trying not to hear what Griffin would say in his thoughts before Griffin actually spoke them.
"Wouldn't it be great to sleep under the open stars for a while?" Griffin asked. "I never got much of it, but I love the open air. It's just so freeing, right?"
Trustbreaker finished pushing the boulder shut, and stroked Sapphire. "I suppose," he answered, "but I like caves myself. They remind me of home, as funny as it is. Is this your way of telling me you'll be leaving?"
Griffin grimaced awkwardly. "You heard my thoughts?" he asked.
The NightWing solemnly nodded. "My apologies. It can be somewhat difficult to ignore them as I'm talking directly to you."
Griffin sighed. "It's fine." It wasn't as if he had any more secrets to keep from the mind-reader by this point. "So, yeah, I think I'm ready to go now."
He hadn't meant to be gone this long, but getting caught up with the Talons had taken so many months. In all honesty, he had enjoyed his time with Trustbreaker and the Talons. Asha, the dragon Fracture had asked Trustbreaker to recruit, was one of the kindest and most driven dragons Griffin had ever met. And while Griffin had initially gotten a bad impression of Loam from Glen, it turned out that she wasn't so bad after he'd gotten to know her better.
Yet, while working with the Talons to set up this place had been enjoyable, Griffin felt guilty about being gone from Torrent for so long. Torrent was his best friend, his brother, and Griffin believed he owed some loyalty to him. He was a bit worried that Torrent and Crystal might have already left Agate Mountain after the better part of a year, but Trustbreaker had suggested to Griffin that if that was true, Fracture would have told Griffin where they would be. Still, Griffin wasn't so sure — Fracture's 'premonitions' didn't always seem so accurate, at least from what Avalanche had argued, though it wasn't like Avalanche was a particularly trustworthy source either. Hopefully, they'd waited. Hopefully. If they didn't, Griffin supposed he'd just come back here.
Trustbreaker nodded, a bit unhappy to see Griffin leave. "In that case, I will prepare provisions at once," he responded. "I wish you the best of luck, and by the names of the moons, let this not be the last time we meet."
"Er, the same," Griffin said. "I'll miss you." he stroked a talon across Sapphire, who purred in reply.
With a twist of his tail, Trustbreaker whisked off, Sapphire prancing along behind him. Griffin walked down into the caves, alongside the river running through them, going to get his stuff. It was a good time to leave. Still early morning, no rain, and hopefully no SkyWing patrols overhead. He only had a few more goodbyes to say, and then he'd be off.
The flight back to Agate Mountain wasn't tense at all, and it was almost cathartic. Having a bit of time to himself was good for Griffin, and he enjoyed being able to sleep under the stars, even though he knew the slight risk of being come across by a watching SkyWing, SandWing, or MudWing. The weather was fair on most of the days, with only a slight drizzle part way through, and the moons were bright.
Yet according to Trustbreaker, the night would be much brighter in just four years, when all three of Pyrrhia's moons were full. It only happened once a century, and many dragons would be lucky just to see it once, though some very lucky dragonets might live to see it twice. Griffin wondered — would he be able to see it twice? He nor anyone else in Pyrrhia knew how long gryphons lived, and even if he found out somehow, Griffin, being an enchanted statue, wasn't sure if he'd count. Did that mean he'd just live forever, unless he was somehow killed (though if he wasn't even alive, would that even be killing)? Griffin wasn't sure; his body hadn't seemed to grow in his lifetime, in contrast to Torrent's. So maybe in another hundred-and-four years, he'd still be around, watching the same spectacle again, while Torrent, Schist, Crystal, Trustbreaker, Fracture, and every other dragon Griffin knew would all be dead and gone. It seemed lonely.
Trustbreaker claimed that in the Night Kingdom, the 'Brightest Night' was always a time of suspense. Apparently, dragonets born under three moons had strengthened gifts of mind-reading and prophecy, which could make them either a great blessing, or a curse. Griffin had asked him if Darkstalker was one of these, but Trustbreaker had replied that he didn't recall the name, which had seemed strange to Griffin, considering how many scrolls on the ancient NightWing animus had come from the NightWings themselves. Although it wasn't like Trustbreaker himself wasn't strange. Hopefully, it wouldn't matter much — if all had gone well, Torrent and Crystal would have taken care of the sleeping Darkstalker, and the magical presence under Agate Mountain would be gone.
The great peak of Agate Mountain stood tall in the distance to the flying Griffin, with the secondary old peak a flat nub off to the side, a wing of flat snow stretching between the two. A blast of cold wind swept beneath Griffin's feathers.
Griffin approached closer, heading towards where he thought he had left Torrent and Crystal. It had been long enough that he was no longer even sure exactly where the cave had been, but he had hope. The sky was still clear here, fortunately, and he could see a good difference. A blue dragon would stand out vividly here, much more than Griffin's dull feathers.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Griffin saw his target — a cerulean blue spot in the distance, on the ground. For a second, Griffin was worried that the dragon might be a different SeaWing, but that seemed unlikely. How many SeaWings ever came here? As Griffin approached, the blue figure turned their head, and took off towards Griffin. As the two converged, it became more clear that it was Torrent in the distance.
"Griffin!" Torrent shouted when they came within hearing distance, with a hint of surprise and relief on his snout. "You're back!"
Griffin smiled, and started to fly past Torrent, veering to the side to allow Torrent room to make a turn. The SeaWing did so, and the two continued towards Agate Mountain. "Yeah," Griffin replied, "it's been a while."
Torrent nodded. "It really has," he spoke, almost in wonder. "I'm so glad you're safe," he expressed, "when you were gone for so long, and with no word, I just assumed . . . you know."
"Yeah," Griffin grimaced, slightly uncomfortable, "I wasn't really sure how to contact you, since the Talons of Peace don't really offer any messaging services."
"The what of what?" Torrent asked, confused.
"The group that Trustbreaker and Avalanche are in," Griffin explained, "they're a peace group."
Torrent shrugged his forearms, keeping his wings flattened out. "So you were with Trustbreaker after all?"
Griffin nodded with a slight sigh. Why was Torrent asking so many questions? "Yeah, we spent most of our time in Crosswinds and some caverns beneath the Claws of the Clouds." He didn't bother mentioning that he had gone to see Schist, Griffin didn't want to get started on that discussion so soon after returning. "So, how have things been here?"
Torrent grimaced slightly. "We didn't end up killing Darkstalker," he grumbled. "That was months ago, I think. Haven't done much since. Er, yeah. This way."
Torrent sailed down with Griffin, heading to the same cave that Griffin had left them from. Had Torrent just given up? It didn't seem like him, but then again, it had been the better part of a year. Griffin was surprised that they had stayed here so long, instead of going after another animus. He remembered there being more blotches on the map past Darkstalker. He was thankful, though, that Torrent had remained here for so long, even if it only made him feel more guilty for abandoning them and expecting them to wait.
The two gently touched down on the fresh ground, in front of the cave Crystal had found. Torrent poked his head in, and Griffin quickly followed. He looked around. It was more cluttered than when he'd left. Torrent and Crystal's belongings were at the side of the cave, and a leather pouch with water was to the side of the entrance. Various SandWing foods were also piled up; apparently the two had been visiting a nearby town to buy it. It seemed a bit risky, considering the war, but Griffin understood why.
"Where's Crystal?" Griffin asked, surprised that the IceWing wasn't in sight.
"In the cave beneath this one," Torrent quickly answered. "She's sleeping right now, so let's wait until she's awake to tell her you've returned. I'm sure she'll be glad."
Griffin nodded, and glanced around the cave again. He was somewhat relieved. He was sorry about being rude to Crystal before he'd left, but still wasn't sure if he fully forgave her for what happened with Schist and the RainWing dragonet. This way, he'd have a little more time, though it still made him more anxious. Here he was, all prepared for this, but now he just had to wait even longer. He scratched a talon on the ground.
"Alright, that's fine," Griffin answered. He set down his satchel, on the opposite wall of the cave from where the majority of Crystal and Torrent's stuff was.
Torrent carefully positioned himself between Griffin and the end of the cave, as if trying to prevent Griffin from going back there. Griffin was slightly suspicious. Had Torrent killed Crystal or something, and her corpse was back there? It seemed unlikely. Torrent was probably just a little uncomfortable about seeing Griffin again, after him being away for so long. Understandable.
As soon as Griffin's stuff was in place, Torrent spoke up. "So, do you want to go catch up on a flight or something?" he asked. "Or a walk, if your wings are sore." Griffin gave him a glance of confusion. "I don't want to wake Crystal," Torrent explained.
Griffin nodded. "Sure," he answered. It would be good to stretch his legs out, after having been flying all day. "That sounds fun."