"To dance to flutes, to dance to lutes... Is delicate and rare... But it is not sweet with nimble feet... To dance upon the air!" - Oscar Wilde - The Ballad of Reading Gaol

Moon Dance

Shadowwing woke up on his side with a soft groan. He felt stiff and sore everywhere, which would have been odd except he had done a lot of flying and playing recently. But something about that explanation did not seem quite right to him. He shuffled slightly and nudged into something large and warm, only briefly wondering what it could possibly be in his waking confusion.

He felt her tail wrapped around his and her head nestled against his neck. He heard her peaceful breaths and felt the slow beats of her heart against his chest.

That all happened. My Luna.

He bent down and tenderly nuzzled her nose. She slowly awoke with a faint grumble and a hum.

"My love," he whispered.

"Hmm, Shadowwing."

"How are you, my life-mate?"

"Very warm in my liver. And hungry."

She gently nipped at the tips of his ears while chuckling softly. She rolled away from him, stood up, and stretched. He watched how she fanned her sparkling wings, and he did not bother restraining his hum of delight at the sight. She finished stretching and looked away and up at all that they could see of the hidden world from their grove.

"I can see it now. This will be our range. We can take a cave-den together and make it our own. We will be safe here and..."

She glanced back at him and saw his hesitant expression.

"What?" she asked.

He very carefully considered his words.

"Luna, you know that I love you. I also hold the Haven range close to my liver. My egg-mate brother is there as are others I hold close. I want us to fly there and live in my cave."

She sighed.

"Is this about the joining of nests, two-legs and kin living in one mixed-nest together?"

"Yes, and mostly no. I also want to live in the same range as my own kin. They are part of my life-flight, and I am an Alpha to the kin there. I cannot leave them."

She turned away and looked out over the cavern again. He got up, walked over to her, and slowly wrapped his tail around hers, a gesture which she thankfully returned.

"Why? Why do you have that vision of two-legs and kin all together? Why is it so important to you? I want to know. That is liver-truth," she asked.

He slowly sat down on his rear while holding her tail tighter. In their eagerness before and in all their previous talks there was something that he had not thought to tell her. Something that it was only fair for her to know. Something that he was not afraid to share now. Mostly unafraid at least.

"There is something that I must tell you about me, something almost not believable even though I will only speak liver-truth. Promise me that you will listen until I am done talking, will you?"

She did not seem to know what to make of this, but she eventually purred once and waited for him to continue.

"I was not always a kin."

She blinked once in confusion but did not interrupt.

"I was... hatched as a two-leg. No fire, no wings, no tail. Kin-liver was my dam."

Her eyes narrowed and her jaw hung open slightly with disbelief.

"I… found a Night Fury in the woods while I was still a fledgling. He became as my bond-kin that the other two-legs have, but he was more to me. He became like my only nest-mate. We learned to fly together with me on his back because… he needed me to help him fly. He had lost a tailfin, and I made him a new one with two-leg things so that he could fly. We killed a Monster that had been eating kin, holding kin as thralls, and making attacks on two-leg nests. I almost died and would have died, but he used his life-will-power to save our lives."

He lifted up a forearm.

"And he did save my life, only not how he thought he would."

He looked at his claws and flicked his tailfins against hers. He looked back up at her astonished eyes.

"We both started life new from one new-life-egg. He became my egg-mate, my brother, and taught me everything about being a Night Fury. His name became Was-Grounded. And I have been a Night Fury ever since I... hatched almost seven season-cycles ago."

He heavily sighed.

"I am sorry that I did not tell you about my past earlier. I did not know what you would think."

He stopped speaking and started waiting. She looked away and stared into the distance for several long moments.

"That explains much about how... twisted you can be. And I twisted your liver many times for being like a two-leg," she finally groaned.

"Does it change anything for you?" he warily asked.

She growled softly and narrowed her eyes slightly at him, all while clutching his tail tighter.

"Do you think I care about whatever you were very far in the past? You are not a two-leg now. Tell me this Shadowwing... what do you see when you look in the water and see what you are? Do you see a true Night Fury, or a two-leg in the scales of a Night Fury?"

"I am a true Night Fury who remembers his past life as a two-leg and... some of my thinking is still like a two-leg, as you know."

She laughed at those words.

"Not as much as you think. You knew what to do with me once you stopped fouling your own flight."

He pounced, and they rolled in the grass until he again pinned her on her back. Unlike before though, there was none of that wild fire as they played roughly for the sake of rough play. She fought him back with a wild and joyous laugh and rolled to her feet again.

"And you do not care about my past? That I was not always a Night Fury?" he hesitantly wondered, wanting to be absolutely certain.

"Did anything about my past chill you?" she asked.

"No. You never let them... claim you, and even if they had you did not want them. No, it would not have changed my want."

She nuzzled his nose.

"I knew you would say that. It would be very wrong of me to turn my flight from you for having a twisted past when we both know how bad my old life-winds were. I choose to fly the winds of life with you Shadowwing. I will fly them with you in whatever range and skies we must. But I do fear being out there in the above because-"

"Because why?"

She hesitantly continued.

"My color. You can hide and hunt more easily. I am more in danger. I went above many season-cycles ago to try to find a mate who I could bring back here to this good, hidden range. To this place where we could both live away from any monsters that would hunt us."

She paused and looked up toward the far distant ceiling.

"I fear that flying above will be my death one sun."

He growled openly.

"I will kill any Monsters, kin or two-leg, that try to hurt you. I would die for you, Luna. What happened to not being afraid?"

"I am not afraid of the past. It is the future that I must think about. There is a difference between not fearing what might be and choosing to fly into a Monster's den where the danger is more."

"That is one of the good things about living in a range with warm two-legs. They help their own and their kin who have weaknesses. They hold every kin very close to their livers, but especially us. There is more safety in numbers and group-flights than there is alone."

"We shall live in that range and nest in your cave," she declared.

He gently nudged her shoulder with his nose.

"In our cave," he clarified.

She closed her eyes, hummed, and gave a faintly curious croon.

"You said Kin-liver was your two-leg dam, but you did not say who your sire was. There was a male you spoke of before, the one who died in the fighting at the island with the ice nest. You always spoke of him like you and he had a kinship. More than one who only gives food. Was that him, your two-leg sire?"

"Yes, that was him."

She unfurled a wing and covered him with it. He hummed softly and allowed her to gently cover him.

"Does it hurt much?"

He looked up at the nearest glowing crystals while clearly lost to his thoughts.

"My… kinship with him had many problems."

"Do you want to tell me?"

He thought for a moment.

"It is a long story."

She nudged his shoulder this time.

"And we have all the cycles that we need here. Tell me all."

He took a deep breath and could not restrain himself.

"We both lost my dam to a kin attack when I was only a small little one. He thought that she was dead. He had to be both Alpha of the two-leg nest and raise me with no other mate in her place. That was in a season-cycle when kin still fought to take food from two-legs and the two-legs fought against the kin attacks. He tried to make me something I was not. I was too small and weak to fight, but he wanted me to do that or else I would be nothing to him. He thought that I wished to hurt our nest, so he named me not his own. He said I was not his!"

"How could a sire say that to one of their own?" she sounded aghast.

"He later saw that he was wrong, but he thought that I was dead. He had to be the Alpha of the nest for many moon-cycles while thinking that I was dead. He had me live again but as a Night Fury, as a kin, instead of a two-leg. Seeing me be a different life clawed at his liver every sun. I think he took the hurt deep into his liver for what happened to me. After many season-cycles had passed though, he thought that he found a way to make me a two-leg again."

She gasped and stared very intently at him with a faint and worried growl.

"No! Promise me that you will never do that, never change and be a two-leg!" she implored him.

"I would not want to be a two-leg even if it were possible, which it is not. That is liver-truth. The winds of my life are with you, my brother, and all his kin now and always."

He leaned against her side. They briefly nuzzled in reassurance and lay there listening to the peaceful silence.

"But what about your sire and making you a two-leg in the past? What happened so that you did not change?" she whispered.

"He found a two-leg who said they had something like a life-will-power. Using it would have meant killing my brother. My sire wanted to do it to change me, and I even thought he did kill my brother! It hurt like nothing had I ever felt before to think that he was dead. But I learned that he was not dead, and I flew from the nest-island to find him. I left behind everyone and everything I knew. And I did find him, but it took over two season-cycles. And I was very warm when I did find him with Green-Wings and little Dawn-Singer after he hatched. They all came back with me to the ice nest where all would be safe. That ice nest is where my dam, Kin-liver, was nesting and helping kin be free for many season-cycles."

He growled softly.

"But the much-bad two-leg Alpha and his bad great-tusk Alpha turned their flight against home-nest-island and the other mixed-nests. The bad ones wanted control and power, and did not want to see kin and two-legs free in the skies. All the two-leg nests that were close to kin came to the ice nest to be safe in numbers. Even my home-nest-island and all on it. I did not want to see my sire again. I… had clutched anger toward him in my liver for many seasons. I talked to him for a very short time and wanted to take our anger out of our livers, but he died before I could make peace with him. I will never know if we could have changed and had some kinship again."

She hummed peacefully at his side.

"But you say he died while fighting for his nest, yes?"

"He did."

"He died doing good."

He shrugged at that. It was true, but was of little comfort.

"It was not only him though that hurt. There was another that hurt more. You should know about the two-leg female Alpha who also died."

"A female?" her eyes narrowed possessively at him.

He blinked and slowly hummed, knowing what she was thinking.

"I wanted her to be my... mate before I was changed. It chilled my liver that we could not be mates and would only be very close in the liver. I think we would have become life-mates in a different life where I never became a kin. We learned how to be almost like nestmates and to work for the good of our nest. She became the Alpha of my old nest after my sire stopped being the Alpha."

"And she died in the fighting?"

He softly exhaled and nodded.

"Yes. She was a good Alpha, and her life-flight kept kin and two-legs together in peace as long as she was alive. I still wish that she did not die. I watched the death-ceremony that the two-legs had for her and I told myself that I would never let another in my liver, that I would never feel wanting again because it would be safer to not feel."

He softly chuckled at his own words and slowly glanced up at her while giving a wry grin.

"I fouled that bad flight."

"I am warmed that your flight was so fouled," she laughed.

The sound of her laughter was like a clear wind against the worries and pains that still clung to his heart. She paused and gave a curious hum.

"Did you have a different name when you were a two-leg?"

"Yes," he groaned.

"Tell me."

"Hiccup," he whispered.

"Hiccup," she repeated the strange word, "what does it mean?"

He hummed and closed his eyes, trying to buy himself time to figure out what to say and also trying to delay the embarrassment.

"It almost means little one who coughs."

A moment passed. A long moment.

"Your name was 'little one who coughs?'"

"Yes," he added meekly.

The next thing he heard was a muted laughter. Her tail repeatedly thrashed against his side.

"It is not funny," he groaned.

"Yes! Yes, it is! What twisted sire and dam would name their young 'little one who coughs?'"

"It was a two-leg way of keeping the little one safe from bad things. Yes, I know it is silly and twisted of them."

"Shall I call you Shadowwing or 'little one who coughs'?" she teased.

"Only very few know about my other, old, and twisted name. I am Shadowwing now."

She hummed happily.

"I like that one better too. You knew Was-Grounded when you were still a two-leg. He was your life-bond-kin."

"Yes, he was."

"You had a different name before, 'little one who coughs'," she snickered.

He rolled his eyes and groaned again.

"Thank you for saying that again."

"What about Was-Grounded? Did he have another name, a name before he flew as Was-Grounded?"

"Yes..."

"What was it?"

He groaned again.

"It was twisted of me. I called him Toothless, has no teeth."

She blinked and stared at him for several moments. She gave him a gummy smile completely absent any teeth. He blinked and stared at her.

And they both lost control of themselves in their laughter and ended up on their backs, their tails swaying as they laughed.

"You... named a Night Fury has no teeth?" she gasped.

"Yes..." he grumbled.

"And he did not bite your head off?"

"He did not know what it meant until after we were both hatchlings."

She shook her head with amusement.

"I am glad that he did not know."

"I did not have words, but I let him know what my name meant. He laughed much at that."

"As he should, 'little one who coughs'. I think we have learned something now."

"What is that?"

She rose to her feet and rolled her eyes at him.

"You are not giving our little ones any names unless I agree first."

He laughed and froze.

Our little ones... oh gods!

It finally struck him like a thunderclap just how serious this was and how much of his life was going to change because of what they did. Having a family would definitely mean that he could not easily do things that were important for him to do out in the world. A small part of him hoped that nothing would soon come of his and Luna's union simply for the sake of convenience. But there was a greater part of him that remembered the warmth that he always felt whenever Dawn-Singer and Aurora had snuggled up to him.

"What is chilling you?" she hummed as she strode up to him.

"I was thinking about us having little ones. I do not know what to do."

"What? You knew well what to do."

He rolled his eyes and snorted.

"No, not that. I mean that having them will be new skies that I we will be flying into."

"And we will together. It will make both of us warmer, and it is part of growing and life," she answered.

"When will you feel an egg?"

She closed her eyes in solemn thought.

"It will be moon-cycles and later in the hot-season before I could feel an egg. I do fear some though..." her voice died away.

"What? What do you fear?"

She said nothing as she stared aimlessly ahead into the distance, her drooping ears betraying her worry.

"Light Furies and Night Furies are much like the other kin, but we are also a little different. I hope that we are not so different that we cannot make little ones," she eventually whispered.

He could give no answer to that. And suddenly he felt guilty for ever wishing that they not make an egg together. The possibility that they might not be able to at all was too terrible to seriously consider.

"I will do all that I can, if that warms you at all, Luna."

She glanced up at him and gave him a soft hum.

"You can do no more than that. Neither of us can. It is probably a twisted-fear of mine."

He growled softly and nudged her shoulder.

"This is like you doubting that you would fly or flame again, I have no twisting-doubt that we will make a living egg together. No, not one, we will have many little ones in all the season-cycles to be."

"That is good," she hummed.

She stepped away from him and spread her wings.

"I know that you want to fly to the Haven-range, but will you fly one more flight with me in this world first?" she asked.

"Luna, I will never turn my nose away from flying with you."

She happily growled.

"Fly with me. I want to show you something down here."

She took to the sky with him following closely after her.

What are we going to see?

He was not sure how long they had been flying when the massive chamber narrowed considerably and became more of a corridor leading somewhere else. It was a narrow and rocky passage that got a bit dark in places.

"Where are we flying?" he cried.

"To light!" she answered.

More flying passed in an unknown amount of time. Just like the long walk down the pitch black cave into the hidden world, the flight could have been a moderate one or a lengthy one. It was much harder to tell time without the progression of the sun.

They burst out into the open air in a truly massive chamber. This one had no green of trees or plants of any kind. And it was filled with the glowing crystals that seemed lit from within or from below. These crystals were far brighter, rose many lengths in spires into the sky, and left the chamber covered in not a pale light but an intense light as if at noon in the above. The bright light seemed to fill his own scales and wings with tangible warmth, almost enough to make him want to fall asleep then and there.

And a spinning white swept down before him with a blissful cry. If her wings and scales had been stunning in the pale light, now they glowed from within in this bright chamber.

He chased after her in a mock attempt to tag her tail. She only laughed at his playfulness and danced joyfully through the sky as they spun around the glowing spires. They eventually turned back for the passageway that they had flown through, and both landed there.

She noticed how wide his eyes were as he stared ahead.

"Do you like what you see?" she teased.

"I love what I see."

She laughed her clear laughter. She bounded over to him and put a wing over his back.

"This was my favorite cave to fly in. My sire said that it was mine because it was my color, mine was the brightest of the little ones in his nest."

He grinned a very, very smug grin.

"I have never seen anything so liver-warming before, and this light cave is liver-warming."

She hummed at his sly words.

"I never saw anything as warming above as I have here below. But maybe that is because these ranges are closest to my liver because I was hatched here. The moon is close to my liver, yes, but it is not in the world above. It is above even that world," she chuckled.

"The things that are most warming above are not in the normal world Luna, they are in the world of life that two-legs and kin are making together. Things like hatchlings and fledglings from both kin and two-legs living together and playing. Things like hearing two-leg stories and giving them your own stories, as Dawn-Singer will do."

She gave a great sigh and stepped away from him with her wings spread.

"I have shown you the place I wanted you to see. Shall we fly and hunt? We should start on our flight to the above and to our range."

He gave her a happy growl and followed her into the hidden sky. They turned for the far distant cave that marked the only known entrance into and exit from this part of the hidden world. He had no idea what the path was, but she knew these ranges well and he trusted her to lead him.

Mimir said that other chambers are connected to the distant one he showed me. Could even this part be? It would have to be... weeks of flying to get that far from here even if it is possible.

The large creature like a deer was dead before he even touched it. And he took his time carving away the furs while she patiently waited in the long grass under the tall mushroom. He tore away a large haunch of warm, bloody meat, carried it to her, and placed it before her.

"For my mate to show her that I can provide for her..."

"An Alpha who could not provide for their mate would not be much of an Alpha, would it?"

He laughed heartily at her tease.

"Providing is different in the mixed-nest where two-legs and kin work together. It is more what we all can do together and less what each does alone."

Luna hummed softly for a moment, clearly deep in thought in between mouthfuls of meat.

"Still, it is warming to know that my mate is strong, a hunter, and an Alpha. To know that the other kin will bow and respect you and all your nest," she eventually answered.

"Yes, they will. They know to respect all Night Furies."

"But I am not a Night Fury like you."

He gave her a deep hum and nuzzled her.

"Yes, you are in a way. If my scales and wings are as the darkness between the sky-lights, yours are as the brightness of the moon. Both are of the night, Night Fury and Light Fury. Dark wing and light wing. Small things like the shape of ears and wings do not have much weight."

He rolled his eyes and huffed.

"And about other kin not bending their wings to you, the other kin will see you always with me and will know that we are mates. You also have hot fire. That is always good when there are noses that need flaming."

A contented growl was her answer as she turned her attention back to the catch.

Rest in each others arms followed the finishing of the catch, and they flew with purpose, neither wasting time with playing in the sky. They both alighted on the edge of the cave mouth and turned to look back down the visible length of the hidden world. At the odd trees and mushrooms, glowing crystals, mosses, and visible waters. All was the same as it had been when they first saw this sight together after their descent.

"This is the second time that I will have flown from the hidden world. I wonder if I will ever fly back here," he groaned.

"Why would you need to?"

"Very true. Let us go. I want to see the true, open skies again."

She hummed to herself, acknowledging that seeing the sun and moon again would bring her liver a certain warmth. And the thought of the wide open sky also held another appeal.

Slowly up the dark cave they walked as the pale light dimmed behind them. All was dark again as they walked and gradually ascended the slope. They walked long before he broke the silence with something that had been bothering him.

"You said that the rest of your nest here was gone," he remarked.

"Yes, they all must have flown away."

"Why?"

Her sad warble followed.

"I do not know. Maybe another kin attacked them or drove them out."

He stopped walking and waited until she stood at his side.

"A kin would attack them? What kin would attack a pair of Light Furies in their own cave?"

"I do not know," she sadly answered.

He gave a wary grumble as he considered this possibility.

"I have never heard of that. A kin that would try to..."

And he paused as he remembered being told something several years ago in his talk with that strange dragon named Mimir. Something that made him faintly growl at the mere thought of.

There was a type of dragon that lived to hunt us. He said that he killed all those hunters that got into the hidden world. Hopefully they are all dead now, and I really hope her family is alive somewhere even if we never see them.

"What is it, Shadowwing?"

"I have heard of a type of kin that hunted Night Furies. Maybe it also hunted Light Furies. Have you heard about such a Monster?"

"No."

"I cannot think of why your sire and dam would leave unless there was danger. Whatever it was, it was in the hidden world. I do not know if that world is as safe as we thought," he grumbled.

Her wary growl followed as she glanced behind her even though there was nothing to see.

"There might be a danger stalking down there, but I know that there are dangers up above," she said.

"And I will always keep you safe. You will do the same for me, true?" he asked.

"As long as you do not do something twisted and fly yourself into danger away from me," she hummed.

She could not see his pained grimace.

"Still, I think they live somewhere since you did not see any bones," he offered.

"I hope so. I have flown the nest and will not be much chilled if I do not see them now, but I do wish good life for them. They were a very good and warm sire and dam," she sadly crooned.

They resumed walking. An unknown amount of time passed before they finally saw a faintly growing light up ahead.

They emerged in the main cavern that they had flown into what had to have been several days ago. They walked together toward the ledge and stared out over a chill, moonlit night. There were a few clouds in the sky, and the moon was vividly bright.

And he heard her deep purr rolling in his own chest as she stared up at the moon.

"My sire said that I was a sky-light that fell into their first egg from the above. Seeing the open sky feels much warmer to me now. I know that I will not be flying alone," she mused.

"Never again," he assured her with a soft rub of her shoulder.

"Do you remember what I said that you are to me?"

"Hmm, many things..." he teased.

"What about there not being much sky to fall from as one under the ground?"

"Yes, I rememb-" he froze.

She swung her tail to the side to caress his neck as she passed him, and he shivered in delight at her touch. Her wings extended and almost glowed in the moonlight as she perched on the precipice and turned to look at him.

"Show me that you can fly and catch me," she hummed in challenge.

She turned away and jumped, the sweep of her wings quickly carrying her higher into the sky.

"I will."

He leapt as well, finding the updrafts and following her path up toward the stars. His heart was racing so fiercely that he barely even noticed the exertion of flight. His entire world was consumed with following that white moon as they soared higher and higher.

They eventually leveled off at quite a great height up just below the clouds. They drifted closer together in a wide circle until they both backwinged and hovered in place, both unable to tear their gaze from the other.

She deftly rolled to dodge his first strike to claim her. She tagged his tail as she spun under and around him. He heard her joyfully taunting roar as he spun around to prepare for another strike at her. He was not even bothered that she was being sly and teasing.

Alright, how to catch the Luna? I wonder if she will always be this hard to get. Maybe just a first time thing, like a test in some way. I will ask her later... afterwards...

He grinned as he came up with a perfect plan of attack. It had basically worked once already. But this time he had another plan in mind. A mere flight to prove that he was fast was one thing, but there was something else that he could do as well.

It was fun to twist his liver so much. She could easily keep up with him in open flight and could outfly him over short distances. Being slightly smaller also helped her be a bit more nimble in the air and dodge his strikes.

They had both been in the dim light so long that her eyes were much adjusted to the darkness. Even with his dark color, he was easy to see as he circled closer, eagerly looking for any weakness in her flight that would let him catch and embrace her.

Oh, that will happen. I will make sure of that, but will you catch me or do I have to let you catch me?

She saw him turn toward her as if to wildly hurl himself at her again, not that such a strike could possibly catch her. She was fast enough to dodge any of them.

A dark ball of fire hurled from his maw and flew up and above her. It looked like one of the shots that he used to hunt fish and could not in any way foul her flight with heat or wind.

She realized what would happen a wingbeat too late as the shot exploded into a bright ball of fire. She had been staring directly at it and wondering what he was thinking to waste a shot.

The completely harmless and normal flash of light was blinding in the night's darkness.

She backwinged and blinked furiously to get the spot of light out from her eyes as she turned and tried to put some space between him and her. The beats of his wings were perfectly audible for several moments until they vanished.

His full weight carefully fell on her from above as they began to fall.

You clever-

He was on her back and holding her tightly with his arms around her chest. He gently gnawed on one of her ears, and he let go and pushed away from her.

What!

They both recovered their flights, and she slowed down into an easy flight as he glided above her.

"Caught you!" he bellowed.

"But do you want me?"

"Do you want me?" he toothily grinned.

Her jaw fell open as she stared in total confusion.

"Now, you catch me!" he quickly beat his flight up and away from her.

She blinked and growled at how twisting he was being. He had already proved to her that he was a strong flier, though they both knew that already, but now he was testing her? Turning her flight against her! They both knew that they were life-mates already, so he was trying to twist her liver! But if he wanted to play and see how fast she could be, he would!

I will catch you! I will claim you, you liver-twisted... pile of waste!

They were off as fast as possible. Beat after beat and stroke after stroke of their wings followed as her eyes were narrowed on that dark shape ahead of her. The distance slowly closed until she was easily flying in his wing-wind-shadow.

But a problem became evident. She could not easily catch up any closer after her initial speed began to falter. Even flying in that wind-shadow of his did not much help.

She thought back to their last race down underground when he had only caught up to her by fouling her flight with his fire. The then-hunter was the now-hunted.

Maybe his trick will help my flight.

The hot and bright shot flew from her maw and erupted in a ring of fire in the air before him. He almost flinched in midflight but continued on through the fire with only a brief stumble. Their flight was so fast that she flew through the spreading fire herself in the same beat of her wings. The great warmth and good feeling seeped into her scales, and the night was dark again as she continued after him.

Now this is dragon racing!

Narrowed body and tucked limbs. Wings wide and stretched and working without thought.

He barely saw the shot pass him before it erupted. His eyes were closed when it did explode, but the blast still unsettled his flight slightly as he passed through the hot fire.

Oh, come on. That was a wasted shot. You think my trick will work on me?

A few moments passed before he hazarded a very brief glance over his shoulder before turning back for the open air before him.

He blinked in surprise.

Wait, where is she?

He looked again and saw nothing in the air behind him. Worry filled his thoughts in that moment. They were flying in the clear moonlight at the moment, and he should have been able to see anyone on the wing now. He slowed as he looked beneath him, above him, and all around in a growing confusion and fear.

What happened to her? Great, I managed to lose a whole dragon, again! She was right-

Something slammed into his tail and rear. The strike flipped him over in the air as the world itself spun overhead. He recovered himself and quickly looked around after crying out in alarm.

There was nothing there. Nothing except the audible beat of another set of wings nearby. Wings that were impossibly right next to him somewhere.

Whaaaaat?

"Caught you!" she growled.

He jumped in the air in alarm at the voice from the nothingness.

What did you do now? How did you foul your flight this time?

She let herself fall lightly into his flanks and his tail. He and she both were tumbling wildly for a moment until they recovered their flights.

And his confusion was very great. She stared directly at him as his gaze wildly swiveled around and passed over her.

He did not even blink.

She almost called out to announce her triumph when a Shadowwing-height-of-twisted thought occurred to her.

He cannot see me now? How?

She looked back at herself and blinked as she stared directly though where she should have been. Nothing but a faint shimmer in the empty air was visible to her eyes.

I can hide from all eyes? What! How did I not know that?

And with that thought certain memories started returning. Seeing her sire vanish in the sky to a flash of fire. Being told by her dam about a way that she could be safe always once she learned her hot, white fire. Yet one more thing that had been hidden from her for so long.

He looked to be getting truly alarmed at not seeing anything near him even though he could surely hear her flight at his side.

"Caught you!" she growled.

He jumped mid-flap and looked completely surprised.

"Luna?"

The worry and confusion was evident in his liver and his voice.

"I am here, Shadowwing!"

"Where?"

She angled closer to him and brushed a wingtip with her own. He immediately looked over in her direction and gave a very confused cry.

"Is that you... I do not see you..."

It was a further confirmation of what she suspected.

I can hide from being seen. How? Maybe the fire on my scales...

There was indeed an odd feeling on her. A warm comforting burning that was not normally there. Several more wingbeats passed when something felt like it changed. Her scales and hide that had been burning with the almost tangible warmth felt cooler as the cold in the air devoured that warmth and as she wished to be seen again by him.

She was staring directly into his eyes when he blinked and his eyes widened in relief.

"Luna! I see you!"

They stared into the other's eyes for a moment more before something changed within them. The play and teasing ended as they both turned their flights straight up in a tight spin, never looking away from the other's eyes. Through the final clouds and out into the moonlight. They spun closer together with fire burning inside them both. He hurled himself at her, wrapped his wings around her, and embraced her.

They tumbled through the clouds as one, completely lost to the world around them as they filled the sky with their shared roars. They only opened their eyes when they were nearing the ocean again. They separated from each other, and she threw out her wings and was instantly carried aloft on the wind. He took one more moment before he caught the winds and found himself floating and catching his breath.

He felt a wing brush against his. He turned to look and lost himself in her light blue eyes and pure wings that had their familiar sparkle. The eager fire was mostly gone from both of them, leaving behind a glowing warmth as they gently flew wingtip to wingtip. A warmth that the far northern and cold night sky could not chill.

"My ear?" he growled.

"I wanted to chew it," she laughed.

"Is it still there?" he wiggled said ear.

"Most of it," she gave him a toothless grin.

They both laughed so hard that they heard it over the normal wind of flight as they turned for the south-east and for home. It would be a long flight against the wind most of the way. Neither of them cared as they softly played and caressed wings in the sky. A lengthier flight only meant more time for them both together before they arrived back home and had to get back to something resembling a normal life.

And of course there was his own confusion about what exactly had happened in the sky when she had completely disappeared from his sight.

How did she do that? We can avoid being seen if we wish, but to disappear entirely... I have to get her to tell me how she did that.