Hello everyone! So sorry this chapter was a long time coming - a lot of life things have been going on lately. But I wanted to get this chapter out to you all before the New Year, so thank you for being patient with me and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! Forgive any and all mistakes, my editing method broke on me, hahaha
Hope you all had happy holidays (no matter what you celebrate), and please enjoy!
Chapter Forty Three
Once they'd cleared the denser part of the rainforest, the Jade Winglet had finally taken to the skies. They'd flown through the night, not daring to slow or stop. Turtle was slowly returning to himself enough so that he could at least fly with only a little prodding and guiding in the right direction. His condition worried the others but they knew his magic could help fix him. Dawn broke over the bay of a thousand scales when the dragons finally reached the western borders of the rainforest and decided to rest. All of them lay, slouched and panting, exhausted. Their limbs shook and their stomachs churned. In each of their minds was the horrible knowledge that Secretkeeper was dead, and they all held a piece of the blame.
Qibli, though a little numb and sniffling back his emotions, grabbed a nearby snail shell and pushed it into Turtle's talons. "Repeat after me," he instructed slowly. "I enchant this shell to heal me of all injuries."
"I… enchant this-this shell to… heal me of all injuries - oh!" Turtle's eyes widened as the magic took hold and his concussion was erased from existence. As he fully came back to his senses and his brain fit the pieces together of what had happened. He first looked ready to cry and then terrified when he reached for his sack of enchanted items only to find it missing. He dove for a stray twig and immediately enchanted it to hide him from Darkstalker - the same as the last one.
Then he went to Winter and the others and healed them. When Winter's missing ear magically regrew, he wiggled it experimentally, looking slightly queasy. "We have to keep moving," said the IceWing prince.
"Allow me… a moment to… catch my breath!" Deathbringer panted where he lay on his back amongst the grass.
"Winter's right," said Qibli. "We have to keep moving whilst we still have a chance of getting to the Kingdom of Night before Morrowseer. You all have five minutes, then we go."
The SandWing looked over at Winter, who stared out at the rainforest behind them, his tail and wings drooping with sadness. Qibli stepped up beside him, and brushing a wing against his for comfort, he quietly asked: "You okay?"
"How're we going to tell Moon?" was all he said in a choked voice.
Qibli didn't know what to say at first, and gently, hesitantly, he put a wing around Winter's shoulders. "It wasn't anyone's fault. And we have a chance to make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain."
Winter reached up to fiddle with his new ear. "But what if I'd-"
"Hey," Qibli stopped his fussing claws and held them gently. "There's nothing you-"
"LOOK OUT!" Kinkajou shouted, a second before the trees rustled and out burst two NightWings!
How had they caught up with them so fast?! The NightWings looked tired, foam at the corners of their mouths where they had probably flown after them at a break-neck pace. They launched themselves at the Winglet, one trying to grab hold of Qibli and the other to get at Turtle. Deathbringer immediately intercepted the one heading for the SeaWing, grappling him and throwing him aside. Winter helped Qibli to battle the large female that had tried to pin him. Winter didn't want to use his frostbreath whilst Qibli was struggling so much - he could just as easily hit him! Slapping his the spikes of his tail into the female's face, he batted her again and again. She roared in pain and stepped back to try and escape his assault. Suddenly, her talon snatched hold of Winter's tail and she tried to drag him towards her.
"I don't think so!"
There was a burst of light and flash of searing heat that almost singed Winter's scales! The NightWing dragoness crumpled as something slammed into her. And then she was screaming as every part of her burst into flames! She released Winter's tail in her death throes, and he scrambled away to Qibli's side. That was when he recognised Peril - she was here! She stood on her hind legs atop the corpse of the NightWing who was slowly turning to ash, fiery wings spread wide and her mouth open in a frightening roar. The other NightWing, who had managed to get out of Deathbringer's grip, stared at her, terrified. In a flash, he made a decision and decided it was better to live another day. He leapt into the air and flew back into the rainforest as fast as his already tired wings could carry him.
Peril stepped off the ashen body and immediately pulled her wings in tight around her. "Is everyone alright?" she demanded, her voice strained with worry.
"Peril!" Turtle cried happily, running towards her. He might've thrown his wings around her if he could've, but instead settled for just beaming up at her. "You came!"
"But how did you know we needed help?" asked Kinkajou.
"Scarlet used her dream visitor on me," Peril explained, her bright blue eyes looking away shamefully. "She knew you guys were coming to the rainforest and warned Morrowseer. Once she was dead I came here as fast as I could, hoping to help. I've been searching for you guys round the rainforest borders, hoping I'd catch you before you went in. But looks like I was a little late."
"Wait, Scarlet's dead?" Qibli's eyes were wide with shock. "Does that mean Ruby's now Queen?"
"No time for that!" Winter stressed. "Peril, we have to head west, quickly. Morrowseer knows where the Kingdom of Night is and he's coming for Moon."
"You found out where it is?" she asked, surprised.
Turtle nodded. "We'll explain everything on the way."
They all went to leave, when Deathbringer stopped them. "Wait! I'm not going with you."
"What? Why?" demanded Kinkajou.
"I don't know what mission you are on, but it's not my fight." He turned his gaze to the north, to the distant peaks on the horizon disappearing into the clouds. "I'll head back to Jade Mountain - I can lead a false trail there. Hopefully, any NightWing's Morrowseer sends after you will follow that instead. Or, at least, some of them will come after me, leaving less for you to deal with. And if Queen Glory holds any good will towards me, maybe she will listen when I warn her of the fight that's coming."
"Good idea," said Qibli before the others could voice their opinions. "I have a feeling that Morrowseer might move his plans forward because of us. Tell the dragons of destiny to mobilise the rebellion. Tell them where we've gone and… I don't know, tell them to prepare for anything."
Deathbringer nodded and flew north. The Jade Winglet took a moment to gather themselves, filling in Peril on everything that they had learned (and she also telling them of her own adventures). Then, they continued their journey westward. They flew along the coast, the winds from the sea helping to speed them along their way. Only twice did they stop to rest and find something to eat, and even then it wasn't for very long. Always they worried about being followed, of the NightWings coming to stop them. Peril, being the fastest flyer of the group, would drop back every now and then to see if she could spot any pursuers, before catching up with the group once again. It still took them all day to reach the mountains that bordered the northern entrance to the Talon Peninsula. Though they were not as tall as Jade Mountain, they were still an impressive height, dark and foreboding.
Winter looked visibly shaken as they neared. "Every IceWing is told horror stories of these mountains growing up. No one who ever goes into those mountains comes back out again. The elders called them 'Darkstalker's Teeth',"
Qibli almost lost balance in the air. He glared over at Winter, incredulous. "And you didn't think to mention this before now?! That might've been a big clue as to where the Night Kingdom was."
"I didn't think about that!" Winter snapped back.
They soared through the tight chasms, a labyrinth of tight cliffs and winding fissures. So many times did they twist and turn, with the high peaks obscuring the light, that it became hard to tell which way was north or south. When, abruptly, a weird sensation came over the group. Qibli was confused why everyone else seemed to become misty eyed. He followed, growing more perplexed when they all took one too many turns and came back out of the mountains - almost exactly where they had entered.
"Hang on, this isn't right," Kinkajou murmured, looking bewildered.
Qibli eyed them. "You all didn't notice taking the wrong turn?"
"I just got so confused," said Peril, shaking her head. "It was like something was turning me around."
Turtle dove down and plucked a stray flower growing from the side of a ledge on the mountain. "I enchant this flower to lead us to the City of Night, through the mountains known as 'Darkstalker's Teeth'."
The flower seemed to lean one way, pointing its centre straight through the pass. Turtle led the way and the others followed close behind. Once again, some of the group seemed to become confused, shaking their heads as if to clear them of dizziness, concentrating in order to keep following Turtle through the maze. Time became unclear as they passed through those mountains, as if they existed in perpetual twilight. But they knew the sun was setting in the outside world, and night would soon be upon them.
Abruptly, the winglet felt a slight buzz along their scales, like they had passed through some kind of electrical barrier. There was a loud crack, and Winter screamed, suddenly plummeting out of the air! The others yelled as they watched Winter tumble, flapping his wings with all the strength he possessed. But it seemed to only delay his rapid descent. His tail was bent at an odd angle, and no matter what he tried he couldn't get it to work properly and regain his altitude. Qibli and Turtle dove to catch him, grasping hold of his arms on either side.
"Don't let go!" Winter shouted.
"We're trying!" said Turtle, jaw clenched and nostrils flaring under the strain.
"Look…" said Qibli, staring down. The others followed his gaze and stared down into the depths.
At the bottom of the rocky crags, almost completely hidden beneath growing plants and mud, lay skeletons - IceWing skeletons. They could tell by the shape of the horns and the curve of their serrated talons. Some were ancient, almost reduced to dust, but one or two looked more recent - a few decades old, at least. There were dozens of them, some more intact than others, marks on the bones where birds from long ago had pecked them clean of flesh.
"By the Great Dragon!" Winter whimpered in horror.
"This is why no one ever comes out…" Qibli said. "It's a shield, a magical barrier to keep IceWings out of the Night Kingdom."
"It's still working so long after the war?" Turtle frowned.
"Darkstalker never disenchanted it, and no one outside the NightWings ever knew about it." Contorting himself, Qibli managed to reach for his ankle, and snatch up a piece of the Skyfire dangling there. He put it into Winter's palm, and immediately the IceWing's tail righted itself and the new ear that he'd regrown hours ago disappeared, revealing the bloodied wound beneath. Slowly, Qibli and Turtle released him, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw he was able to keep himself aloft now.
"Wow," said Peril, circling down to them. "It's a good thing you came with us, Frost-face. If you'd tried to cross this barrier without us - you'd have died!"
"Thank you so much for that information," he grumbled and ascended back to his former height.
"Maybe," Turtle said thoughtfully, following the others. "This barrier works similarly to the one around Jade Mountain - it's why we couldn't learn Moon's location more directly before now."
"Ha!" Kinkajou said sarcastically. "No stupid barrier is gonna keep us out! Now, come on! Let's go find Moony!"
And they flew on through the mountains.
It was Midsummer's night!
Moon awoke this single thought bouncing around in her head, cheering excitedly. It made her leap out of bed, plan already in her mind, the sun still in the sky. Darkstalker was still asleep, she could now put all of her plan into motion! After how sweet he had been with her last night; giving her the library after restoring it to its former glory - she still felt bubbles in her stomach and tingles along her scales. It had been so wonderful. And now she wanted to make sure his hatchingday was every bit as magical for him.
She raced down to the ballroom, that she had been spending the past few nights cleaning in every spare moment she could get. In a closet she had hidden all the decorations she and Anemone had made together the other night with her guards. The SeaWings were already there - having woken much earlier due to the fact they were not as nocturnal as Moon and Darkstalker. Anemone's two guards had been spending the time collecting food and preparing it as Moon had previously discussed with them. Despite their initial misgivings, they liked Moon and were happy to help. Anemone had enchanted a stick so that whatever she touched with it would glow, and was using it to light all the chandeliers in the ballroom. Moon couldn't stop herself from grinning with delight as she watched her plans slowly come to fruition. Gathering her piles of decorations (strings of glass and seashells, all meant to reflect the light) she began to drape them around the sides of the ballroom.
From when he had shared his memories with her, Moon remembered clearly that the one good memory Darkstalker had of any hatchingday, was when he'd gone to a ball and wanted something similar for himself. She wanted to make that dream come true for him tonight.
The ballroom was just about ready by the time the sun set and true darkness rolled around. Moon marvelled at their finished work. The ballroom was aglow with light and life. It was like the castle was the phoenix, old and dormant for so long, had been rejuvenated and given one night to relive its youth and vitality. Somewhere in the castle, Moon sensed Darkstalker stirring. "Anemone!" she called to the SeaWing, unable to keep the excitement off her face. "He's waking up, can you distract him while I get the last few things ready?"
The princess wiggled with a grin. "Of course!" and she bounded away.
Moon made her way in secret back to her rooms and took a peek inside the one room she hadn't really used yet. She knew she'd been staying in the princess' royal apartments, and as such there was a walk-in wardrobe filled with all the finery befitting an heir to the throne. Rifling through shelves of crowns and bracelets and capes and sashes, Moon allowed herself to be picky. She thought that all these things were beautiful and too priceless for her to be worthy of, but she brushed aside those thoughts for a brief while. This was for a special occasion, she told herself.
Why did you send Anemone to chatter me to death? Came Darkstalker's voice in her head.
I don't know what you're talking about, she replied coyly.
Moon, it's my hatchingday - avoiding me is not a good present!
I am not avoiding you. I promise, it'll all be worth it when you see it. Just make yourself presentable, and meet me in the main hall in one hour.
Okay-okay, fine! his tone was sulking, but she could hear the smile in his voice - his excitement was palpable.
With the time-limit now set, Moon selected her outfit: a shimmering silver blue sash that wrapped around her chest and clipped behind her shoulders, a train draping behind her wings. She chose a small diamond circlet to match her diamond earring. Just these few simple things were more finery than Moon had ever hoped to have in her entire life, and still she felt like she belonged in a Royal SeaWing soiree! She looked herself over in the mirror and couldn't keep the smile off her face. For the first time in her life, she felt beautiful.
Still smiling, she hurried out of her rooms and down the many flights of stairs to the main hall. She found Darkstalker already there, pacing, his tail twitching and betraying his slight anxiety. In the hour she'd given him, he'd polished his horns until they gleamed and somehow washed his scales until they nearly shone like smoothed glass. He wore a deep blue sash diagonally across his chest, and he'd gotten himself a small pair of earrings. Moon had to admit that he looked quite handsome. She brushed his mind with hers to let him know of her presence.
He turned to her and froze on the spot, eyes going wide, mind crashing to a halt. She couldn't read anything from him. His reaction was so dramatic that Moon's confidence faltered. "What's wrong? Am I wearing it wrong? Is it that ugly?"
"N-No," he stuttered out quickly, as if he had to break his tongue out of being frozen. "No, it looks… you look, um… fantastic."
Moon smiled, relieved, her ears going warm. "So, for a dragon who has the power to do anything, you can imagine that trying to think of something to get you for your hatchingday was rather difficult."
"It's hard to improve on perfection," he chuckled, usual cockiness returned.
"That's why I decided… and I hope it's okay that I did-"
"I'm ready!"
They turned to find Anemone running down the stairs, jingling the whole way. She was dressed to an almost ridiculous degree in jewellery and finery. She must've enchanted items to transform into something else, because Moon had never before found a ruby the size of fist anywhere in the castle. Anemone had dangling earrings, strings of pearls around her neck, a bright coral-pink gown around her chest and back (with the aforementioned ruby pinning it in place), two bracelets on each wrist and ankle, and a ring on every claw.
Don't you say a word, Moon whispered in Darkstalker's mind.
Wouldn't dream of it, and even in his thoughts she could hear him giggling.
"Do you like it?" Anemone asked, spinning in place, the sparkle from her many baubles almost blinding. "Mother always said I had a remarkable taste in fashion!"
Darkstalker tried to hide a cough. "Oh, yes, remarkable."
The SeaWing shimmied her wings happily. "Well? Shall we get started?"
Without further announcement, she marched ahead of them to the doors of the ballroom, and whether through magic or the force of her enthusiasm, she pushed them wide open. Darkstalker's breath hitched as he stepped over the threshold. Moon tried to contain her grin of pride. All her preparations and decorations had paid off. The chandeliers glowed and the decorations glittered. The marble floor shone and fires burned in every hearth. Along one wall stood Anemone's guards, both dressed in a few pieces of polished armour, stood beside a table of food that they'd all laboured over for the past day.
Darkstalker turned around, amazement in his eyes, before turning back to Moon. "You… you did all this… for me?"
"We both did!" piped up Anomene.
Moon nodded. "In your memories, one of the happiest nights you ever had… was at the jubilee ball. And you said you wanted a hatchingday like that for yourself so… I wanted to give that to you."
He was rendered speechless. "Moon… I…" His mind brushed with hers, and there she felt a wave, small at first, but with another close behind, larger than the last. Each one washed over her with a warmth unlike anything she'd ever felt. An emotion that grabbed hold of her chest and squeezed everything inside her. It was a feeling that wanted to touch something deep within her soul, and when it did, it made her want to smile forever and yet weep at such sweetness. It was a sensation that managed to perfectly manifest what it felt like to be young, to be made of fire, to be free.
Darkstalker was holding her talon and Moon couldn't remember how it got there. Their minds shifted, and the same as the ocean sweeping away footprints in the sand, that mysterious and marvellous emotion vanished with it. It left Moon feeling a little confused - what was that?
"Hey!" Anemone's yell snapped the pair out of whatever trance had come over them. The SeaWing bounded over, holding up an hourglass that seemed to be filled with blue and green sand. "Darkstalker, look! I made this! A ball is not a ball if there is no music."
The princess hurried to a nearby table and turned the hourglass so that the green sand was the right way up. As she did, Moon heard a wind quintet begin to play, as loudly as if the musicians actually stood in the centre of the ballroom. The hourglass played a spritely tune that Anemone bobbed side to side to, a grin on her face.
"Isn't it lovely?" she asked, clapping her talons together. "Happy hatchday Darkstalker!"
"Most impressive," Darkstalker said with a genuine smile. "Thank you."
"Now dance with me!"
Though he tried to protest, Anemone gave the large NightWing no choice, grabbing his wrist and pulling with all her might. Moon couldn't stop herself from giggling, it was just too comical to see Darkstalker - the supposed nightmare of the IceWings and NightWings, being dragged into the middle of the dancefloor by a determined little SeaWing. Eventually, Anemone got Darkstalker to dance with her. His movements were practised and precise - probably because he had been trained to dance in the ways befitting of a royal court. It tinged Moon's heart with sadness to remember these small nuggets of truth, but she pushed them aside. Tonight was about celebration, not melancholy.
"Am I missing out on all the fun?" said a voice by Moon's side, and she struggled to control her reaction. Vulture stepped up beside her, wearing a fine, glossy black cape over his wings, spider earrings and a gold nose ring. Moon struggled to imagine if he might've looked handsome in his youth… probably not, she concluded, for that coldness in his eyes would have cancelled out any attractive features he might've had.
"You're just in time, actually," she said. "A ball needs guests, and your drakes can fill that."
"We're happy to be of service," the smile that slithered across his face was unsettling, but in his mind Moon could only detect thoughts of keeping the peace. He wanted Darkstalker's night to go without a hitch. Moon nodded and then left to browse the buffet table with the SeaWing guards.
The SandWings all came in, each one presentable and behaving like real gentlemen. Some danced amongst themselves, others browsed the food, one even danced with Anemone at one point. The hall was slowly filled with the sounds of music and chatter. Darkstalker returned to Moon's side and they talked a while. Moon showed an interest in some of the unique pieces of jewellery the SandWings wore compared to the SeaWings, and Darkstalker showed her memories of times he interacted with the other tribes. Each one had a unique look to them, unique customs. Moon always knew the tribes were different in terms of culture and structure, but she hadn't really been exposed to it whilst in Jade Mountain.
As time passed, Moon watched Darkstalker's eyes, the blue in them coming alive as he spoke with greater enthusiasm. It was as if the outside world didn't exist, the past had never happened, the future unknown to any of them - all that existed was this room, this moment. And in that, she felt that strange emotion again, not as fully realised yet, like a flower not yet ready to burst into bloom.
"I want to dance," the words sprung out of her mouth.
Darkstalker gave her an odd look. "Do you even know how to dance?"
"Well, no, but you can teach me and then laugh at me later."
He put a talon to his chest in false-shock. "Madam! I would never!"
"Liar," she said, and poked her tongue out at him.
He laughed but escorted her to the dancefloor. They stood in front of one another, wings half extended, tail slightly lifted. Darkstalker pointed out a few simple moves, a side-step followed by a wing-sweep and turn, that would keep them constantly moving without being too complicated. "Just follow my lead, and the rest will come naturally."
Nodding, she tried to quell the butterflies of both nervousness and excitement that were buzzing round in her stomach. The music began again, and Darkstalker began to move. Moon hurried to try and stay in step with him. She stepped on his talon and he tried to smother a laugh. Giving a grimacing grin in apology, she tried again. Step, step, forward; step, step, sweep her wing along his. Step, step, turn. Her wing atop his and step together, always connected. Turn again, tails brushing. Repeat the cycle. They danced and Moon felt a smile slowly creep across her face. Darkstalker led her effortlessly, and though it was apparent he far exceeded her in terms of skill, she appreciated that he restrained himself in order to guide her. With him encouraging her, Moon soo forgot to worry about others judging her or laughing at her mistakes. She didn't even need to put their thoughts into raindrops, everything else just fell away. And slowly, all she could hear was the music in Darkstalker's head, the music he reserved for their private moments, for when they were happy, for when they needed to be calmed, reassured.
Their eyes met, and again, a trance came over them. There was no war, no impending doom, just peaceful blue-silver irises that reflected the sparkle of a dozen lights, like starlight. And right there, there was a single moment in time, that Moon would look back on in the future and realise that had they only continued to dance… everything might've turned out differently.
But instead, Darkstalker blinked and shook his head, as if waking from a dream. He reared away from her, wingtips quivering and tail twitching. "Stop," he said, and voice sounded oddly ragged. "I can't."
"Darkstalker?" Moon asked, concerned. "What is it? What's wrong?"
He looked at her, and seemed to wilt. "Moon, I'm so sorry. But before anything else happens, there's something I need to tell you - several 'somethings', actually…"
A ball of dread sank into Moon's stomach, but she nodded. Darkstalker spun and headed for one of the doors. Moon went to follow, but Anemone tried to jump after them. "I should come to - something this important should also involve your apprentice, Darkest-"
"No." Darkstalker insisted. "This is a private matter. Stay with the other guests."
Anemone's eyes widened, clearly hurt by the rejection. Moon wanted to comfort her, but Darkstalker was already charging ahead, so she had to leave the princess behind. She followed Darkstalker up through the many stairways of the castle, the chatter and the music of the party fading into silence. The large NightWing was silent throughout their journey, his scales allowing him to almost completely blend with the shadows. Whenever his face did pass by the light of a torch, Moon couldn't read his expression, and his thoughts were closed off to her. That ball in her stomach grew a little bigger.
Finally, they came to the top of a staircase with a large window, and off to the side was a small singular door. Moon recognised this place. It was the little room she'd first found Darkstalker in when she'd awoken in the Night Kingdom for the first time. The room he'd always told her was private, and for her not to enter.
"Why here?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"This… is my 'study', I guess you could call it," he told her in a solemn tone. "This is the room I was assigned when I came to live in the palace. It's filled with objects from my past… things I should have perhaps buried long ago."
"Darkstalker…" but she didn't know how to finish that sentence. Was it a question or a plea?
In either case, he seemed not to hear her. He opened the door, having to bend in order to squeeze his greater stature through the small entrance. Moon followed after him. It was a tiny room, barely big enough for the two of them to fit inside. Shelves lined the wall to the left of the door, filled with an odd assortment of objects and inventions. To her right was a desk filled with old pieces of parchment and ink. Opposite her was a bed, little more than an old mattress and rags. A layer of dust covered everything, enough to make her nose itch. But at the other end of the room, a sheet hung over something square on the wall. Darkstalker stepped up beside it, and reached for the sheet with trembling talons. He gathered his breath, bracing himself for something, and finally, pulled off the sheet to reveal a portrait.
Moon felt the world slip out from underneath her.
The painting was a simple portrait, of a NightWing dragoness with beautiful soft features. Her smile was warm, almost shy, and she stared out of the painting with great affection in her gaze. It was a good painting, and done with an obvious love for the small details. But the unsettling thing about it, was that the dragoness looked exactly like Moon. There were a few differences: this dragoness lacked the teardrop silver scales, and her eyes were purple instead of green, but there was no mistaking the resemblance.
"This is Clearsight… isn't it…" she whispered. There was no one else it could be. The painting had obviously been here a while, and to be held in a place of honour in Darkstalker's private quarters… Only his long lost love would hold such a position of worship. And Moon had never once posed for a portrait before.
"I planned to tell you," he said, his voice heavy with shame. "But there never seemed to be a correct time."
"Why does she look like me - or, I mean, why do I look like her?" Moon demanded, unable to take her eyes off the painting.
"I… don't know," his answer was uneasy. "Sometimes bone structures can repeat themselves without the need for a genetic link… Or, maybe…"
"It's fate?" she finished for him. "That the dragon who was the only one able to hear you, the only one who could free you, just so happened to also be the spitting image of your soulmate?"
She turned, finally, and saw his face stricken with panic. "I know how this looks. I was disturbed by it at first, also. But I know the difference between you two, there's no mistaking you for her. Ever."
"That's why I could never see Clearlsight clearly in your memories - you hid them from me."
"I didn't want to unsettle you."
"And what about now?"
"I promised not to keep secrets from you anymore. I am sorry I didn't tell you until now. But I felt it was something you had to know, before…"
She frowned. "Before what?"
His eyes met hers again, and there was a mountain of grief in his gaze, so vast and overflowing with pain that Moon wanted to run to him and throw her wings around him. "Moon… I'm so, so sorry. But there's something-"
He paused, frowning, distracted. And a second later Moon heard it too, a distant call in her mind, a thought just at the edges of her ability to hear. Gotta… not much furth… find Moony…
Someone was here.