A/N: Welcome, all, to Chapter 5

Sorry for the long wait for this one. I have little real excuse except that its been a hectic few weeks with classes and life, and I just had trouble getting myself to sit down and write. And when I was finally able to do that, I was never able to actually get it finished. I guess that's how it goes sometimes, but the important thing is that this one's out now. I'll try my best to be more timely on the next one.

As always, feel free to fav/follow and leave a review if you're enjoying the story so far. And, of course, enjoy...

Chapter 5

Further Concerns

The next few days passed by in a rather uneventful manner. Darkstalker spent as much time as he could with Fathom, but he still had other matters to attend to. He was, after all, still a student (even if there wasn't much useful information he could get from his "teachers"), and the queen had him performing other duties around the capital; although she wasn't forcing him to use his magic, she still was doing her best to get some use out of her animus. As such, Darkstalker only had so much time to spend with his Seawing friend, and he had to use some of that time for other things as well.

Like spending time with Clearsight.

He'd noticed that the arrival of Fathom had led to him getting less and less alone time with her, and while he didn't mind it too much since they were doing things together (only with Fathom, too), he couldn't help but feel as though he was neglecting the love of his life a little bit. So, Darkstalker had resolved to clear his schedule and spend an entire day with Clearsight, just the two of them. He didn't have too much planned, but he knew that it would be good just to spend some time with her. Even if he knew that the two of them were destined to be with each other, that didn't mean that could take any time with her for granted.

He arrived at her room in the palace in the early evening, just as many dragons were still waking, and knocked on her door. She opened it almost immediately, and Darkstalker wasn't surprised to see confusion on her face. Yes, he'd planned this day to be with her, but he'd kept it a surprise.

"What are you doing here so early?" Clearsight asked him as he entered her room. It was a rather small chamber in the palace, one not richly decorated, and though Clearsight never complained, Darkstalker always thought that she was deserving of a much bigger and better one. He'd see that she did eventually, one way or another.

"It's early?" he asked jokingly, "I hadn't noticed." He looked over her room and saw several scrolls on her writing desk with ink still fresh upon them. It looked like Clearsight had already been up for some time.

She rolled her eyes at his lack of a real response but followed him back into the room. He noticed that she went straight back to her desk to do some more writing, apparently figuring that he wasn't here for any particular reason, which was only half true.

"Anything important?" he asked her, gesturing to her scroll. If there had been any big changes in the future then he probably would have already seen it, but he liked to ask Clearsight anyway. She always had been so much better at seeing different paths than he had.

Clearsight shook her head in response. "Nothing big, no. Just a few minor war things. Queen Vigilance wants a complete report of all Icewing activities for the next two months, and she wants it by next week, so I've had to keep my focus on those events."

"Two months by next week?" Darkstalker asked, surprised, "That's…a lot."

"Yeah," Clearsight said, deflating a bit, "You know, when I thought about being the queen's top seer, I didn't quite expect this."

She didn't have to elaborate further—the dozens of scrolls in various stages of completion lying around her desk and the one she was working on now showed just how much she was putting into her work. Some of the scrolls were pretty thick, too, and Darkstalker wondered if she had written all of them in the not-quite-week she'd been in the position. If she had, then it was both impressive and concerning.

Yes, Darkstalker could tell that Clearsight was a dragoness who could clearly use a break, and he was here to give one to her.

She was just about to put ink back to the scroll she was working on when he intervened, taking it from the desk and rolling it back up save for the parts that still needed to dry. Clearsight gave him a half-annoyed look, the same kind she always gave him when he interfered with her writing down her visions, but she didn't try to take it back.

"What was that for?" She asked, although by now she usually knew what it meant when he de-scrolled her.

"Tell me," he implored her, "With the exception of the flights we take with Fathom and sleeping, have you taken any breaks since becoming the top seer?"

She huffed and opened her mouth to give a retort, then closed it and let out a breath. "Well…no," she admitted, "I don't really have much time…"

"Well, you're taking one now," Darkstalker told her, putting on a charming smile as he set the scroll she'd been working on aside, "My day is free, your day is free, and we can do whatever we want."

Clearsight's eyes glanced to the scroll and he could see that she wasn't quite sold. "My day is not free," she told him, "I just told you, I still have so much to do. The future—"

"The future will take care of itself," Darkstalker told her, "Remember, there's still a present to live in, and amazing dragons to live it with." He flicked his tail and shrugged his wings. "Besides, if this one-day break makes you unable to finish, I can talk to the queen and keep you out of trouble."

"Still…" she said hesitantly.

"Look," he said, "Nothing bad is going to happen just because you took a break from a job that the queen forced on you. Who knows, it may even help in the long run."

Her wings slumped slightly, but she gave a small smile. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Nope," he said confidently, grinning at her.

She sighed one last time and began to clean the ink off her talons in resignation. "Very well," she said in a voice that tried and failed to sound truly disappointed, "You win. What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to do whatever you'd want to, short of writing in scrolls," he answered, "Of course, if you have no preference, I do have a few ideas…"

"No, you go ahead," she said with a small eye roll and a smile, "You obviously intended for something today."

"Well, there's a certain beach that I know of," Darkstalker said, attempting to be a little mysterious, "One we've been to before, but didn't have much of a chance to do anything at. I thought it would be fun to go there again and spend a little time doing what we couldn't before."

"Oh dear," Clearsight said with a laugh, "You're supposed to be the mind reader, but I have a feeling I know exactly where you mean."

"Hey," Darkstalker responded with a grin and a shrug of his wings, "At least there won't be a thunderstorm this time."

As it turned out, the lack of a storm made the flight much less interesting than the last time they'd gone to the cave on the sea. That first trip, flying through the winds and rain, commanding the sky as though it was theirs, had been exhilarating. He knew that he'd enjoyed it more than Clearsight had, but all the same he couldn't help but smile at that memory of power over the elements.

Of course, that had also been the day that had launched the events that brought Fathom to him. For this was the cave that he and Clearsight had found the Seawing that had fled so far away following Albatross's massacre, from whom the Nightwings had learned the story of what had happened that fateful night. It was because of that that Vigilance had contacted the Seawings, and it was a direct result of that that Fathom had come. In a way, Darkstalker knew that this particular cave was somehow woven into his destiny, in many more ways than one.

Still, he supposed that this was much nicer than the first time he and Clearsight came. For one thing, she wasn't complaining about any storms, and for another thing, he'd checked the future several times to make absolutely certain that there would be no injured Seawings waiting for them this time. Yes, he could tell that this was going to be a very good day.

So long as Clearsight lets it be, he thought, looking back at her as they made their approach towards the cave's mouth. He couldn't read her mind so long as she wore the bracelet he'd given her, but he could read her body language, and that told him that she was still thinking about all the futures and scrolls she still had to write.

They swooped into the cave and into a different kind of world. Emerald green rocks ordained the walls and ceilings, and phosphorescent moss lit the scene in an eerie glow. The only other light came from collections of glowworms than seemed to more reflect it than produce it. As they flew farther in, abandoning the outside moonlight, these soon became the only thing their eyes could rely on.

Not that Darkstalker minded that much; it was absolutely beautiful. With the way that things had gone their first time here, he'd almost forgotten just how much of a sight this place could be. No wonder Clearsight had told him that they would spend so much time here, a prediction that he'd confirmed in many of his own visions.

"Okay, I admit it," Clearsight said as they landed on some of the damp rocks next to particularly large tide pool, "This was a pretty good idea."

Darkstalker smiled and looked at her. He knew that she'd relax and enjoy the day once she gave it a chance. They sat down next to each other and admired the view.

Yes, Darkstalker knew that was indeed a place that would continue to play a large role in his life. From being a seclude retreat if he needed one to being a place where he and Clearsight could bond with each other, he knew that many important events in his life would occur right here.

He felt Clearsight's scales against him, leaning into him, and he leaned back against her. Subconsciously, he felt his tail twine around hers as his mind drifted where hers so often was—in the future. In those moments of silence, as neither said anything as there was nothing to say, he looked ahead to one of those amazing moments that would occur here. His mind settled on one of his favorite scenes, and he smiled as the future played out in front of him.

He could see it just as clear as he could see the glow of the cave in the present. It was a day not too long in the future, as he and Clearsight sat here not too unlike they were right now. It was a day where they finally and truly expressed their love for each other, making promises to never leave each other. His wings were around her and their tails were twined as they spoke words to each other full of heart and love.

His eyes closed as they nuzzled each other, lost in the bliss of the moment. He took in a deep breath, inhaling her scent as they embraced in such an intimate way. A few moments later and their mouths were on each other's, sharing a kiss before he pulled away slightly, reopening his eyes and meeting her beautiful violet ones. Around them, the faded light of the cave surrounded her, reflecting off of her dark purple scales in a way that made his heart flutter. She smiled and leaned back into him, and he moved to meet her, not hesitating at all as he continued to embrace the Seawing that…

Darkstalker's eyes shot open in the present, suddenly realizing exactly what it was he was seeing. Instinctually, he pulled away from Indigo—no, not Indigo, Clearsight—as his mind was left spinning once again from a vision that had come from nowhere and depicted an event that he was not expecting.

What in the three moons is going on? he thought to himself as he shook his head as if he could force whatever that had been out of his head. The first time he'd seen that future of him and Indigo in a…relationship, he'd searched as many futures as he could to try to determine whether or not it was probable at all. He'd decided that it wasn't and had almost (but not quite) put that whole thing out of his mind. Now a very similar vision had just occurred, and he had absolutely no idea what to make of the situation.

"What's wrong?" he heard Clearsight ask, and he turned his head sharply to look at her. She'd noticed how he'd so abruptly pulled away from her, and her face was full of confusion and concern, like his no doubt was.

"Uh…nothing," he lied, his mind still racing, trying to process what he'd just seen. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that this probably wasn't the best response—if there really was nothing wrong then he'd probably make a joke or some other comment—but nothing else came to mind. No, it was still too busy trying to assemble whatever puzzle had just been thrown his way.

But it's impossible, he thought, I love Clearsight, not Indigo. I don't even like Indigo. Of course, he knew that it had to be possible that what he'd seen was a legitimate glimpse of a legitimate future, but somehow it was more reassuring to try to deny it than admit it. After all, he seldom saw similar futures twice unless there was a high likelihood of them occurring.

"Seriously," he heard Clearsight say as she put a claw on one of his, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head once more, forcing himself back into the present. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah…just…it was just a future I saw." It was probably best not to lie to her, at least not completely.

Then again, it might have been best not to say that, as he could immediately sense her concern grow. Clearsight always had a tendency to take unlikely potential futures out of proportion, which was exactly what Darkstalker was trying not to do right now.

"What did you see?" she asked, both fear and excitement in her voice.

Darkstalker swallowed. There was absolutely no way he was about to tell Clearsight what he'd just seen. He didn't have to be a seer to know how many problems something like that could cause. Back when he'd had the first vision, he'd asked Clearsight to check on potential futures involving Indigo without saying why, and he was satisfied when she'd answered that she didn't see anything too unusual. Neither now nor then did he want to be telling the dragoness he loved about a future of himself with a different dragoness.

"It was just a vision of the war," he lied, trying to come up with a plausible reason a vision would shock him so, "A big battle. It seemed like it was a long way off, though. Still, there were a lot of dragons dead, and not all Icewings." He let himself give a small shudder that he didn't have to fake.

"Oh…" Clearsight said, a bit of distress in her voice. She looked away for a moment, then back at him. "How far off did it seem? I mean, if it was…"

"A long time," Darkstalker cut her off sharply, hoping to put an end to any questions. Clearly, she would want to know more of any potential battle, especially with her new position, so her asking wasn't surprising. He just didn't want to lie to her any more than he had to—or risk saying something compromising. "Far enough away that it's neither imminent nor unpreventable. I doubt that it will ever actually come to pass."

"If you say so," She gave him a doubtful look but dropped the issue. He was glad she didn't try to launch into a lecture at how important even the smallest vision could be. He really did not want to hear something like that right now.

They fell into silence after that, just looking at the cave like they had before. This time, however, there was a bit of tension from what had just happened. Clearsight shifted slightly, as though uncertain what to say or do. Likewise, Darkstalker grew a bit restless as the beauty of the cave failed to take his mind off what he'd just seen.

Is there really a future where I come here with Indigo instead of Clearsight? He couldn't help but keep his mind from the possibility. As unlikely as it is, could it happen? Why would it happen? Then, worst of all, Would it be so bad if happened?

He shook his head slightly at that, but the thought didn't go away. He had seemed happy enough in that vision, maybe even more so than in many other futures he'd seen. Perhaps he shouldn't be quite so quick to dismiss such a notion.

He glanced at Clearsight who continued to sit next him, and he gave a small snort. No, he thought, I already have a love of my life, I don't need to think about any other.

He stood up and spread his wings, startling Clearsight from her thoughts next to him. "I'm going swimming," he declared, taking a step towards the nearest tide pool. He'd like to think that it was because he wanted to swim, but really it was because he needed something to do before his mind went someplace he didn't want it.

He took a few steps forward looked closely at the pool. Years of water hitting the rocks had eroded it in weird ways, with several different slopes entering the pool. In front of where he stood the stone went almost straight down, looking almost like a dragon-made wall. Not far away the path into the water was much less steep, so that a dragon could enter in gradually or only go in wrist deep. The light in the cave made it hard to see the bottom clearly, but it looked deep enough so that his claws wouldn't touch the bottom. He reached down and dipped a claw into the water in front of him. It was cool, but not as cold as he feared it would be. Since it wasn't ideal, he'd probably want to wade in gently at the other spot.

He was just picking up a foot to move to where the entry was more gradual when he felt something touch his haunches. He didn't even have time to turn his head back when suddenly he was pushed forwards, his body automatically leaping so his rear legs wouldn't catch on the stone and scratch, and he was in the air for a brief moment before hitting the water with a large splash.

He poked his head out of the water and was met with a burst of laughter from Clearsight. She was standing on the edge of the pool, right where he just was. It only took a second for him to realize what had happened.

"You pushed me!" he accused, and she only laughed louder in response.

He felt some indignation rise up in him at the action, but let it go as he watched her face lighting up. This was much better than the thoughtful and moderately distressed Clearsight from a few moments ago. He let himself smile along and swam closer to the edge.

"That wasn't very nice," he said with a mischievous grin as he placed his foreclaws on the embankment in front of her.

"Then I guess you'll just have to get me back," she teased, then hopped away as he tried to grab her foreleg. "Nope, too slow."

"Are you going to make me come out?" he asked, not too unpleased with the prospect.

"Maybe," she said with a sly grin.

He swished his tail for a second then decided to go for it. He was just beginning to lift himself out of the water when he heard a few steps then felt a gust of air blow over him. He looked up just in time to see Clearsight's tail overhead before he heard a splash behind him. A few seconds later her head popped up out of the water.

"Wow," he heard her say as she shook her head, throwing water droplets everywhere, "It's colder than I expected."

"Did you just jump over me?" he asked, not sure if he should be impressed or concerned.

"Yeah," she said, then splashed some water on him, "You didn't get me, though."

"I'll have to fix that, then."

He took off after her and she swam away. Fortunately for him, Clearsight had put about as much work into learning to swim as learning to fly—that is, she could do it, but not as well as most other Nightwings. It took less than a minute for him to catch her, after which he forced her under in retribution for her pushing him in. She was laughing almost the whole time, and by the end so was he.

They stayed in the pool for a long while after, just swimming around and enjoying each other's company. It was a peaceful swim, just the two of them and the few fish and crabs that called the cave their home. In no time at all he felt his worries from the previous vision fade away, and he could tell that Clearsight was feeling the same relief from her stress.

All too soon, though, they finished and climbed out of the water, back to the shore they'd started from. Darkstalker laid down on a large patch of moss, and Clearsight rested herself against him. He lifted a wing and put it over her, and she moved in closer.

Yes, this is how it's supposed to be, he thought as he looked at her, dismissing once again what he'd seen with Indigo. This is always how it's supposed to be.

Beside him Clearsight sighed. "Thanks for bringing me here today," she told him with a tired smile, "This does beat writing scrolls."

"I thought you'd think so, once you got here," she said, nudging her tail with his, "Don't I always tell you to live in the present?"

"Yeah, yeah you do," she sighed again, and looked back out over the cave, "You know, I think we should bring Fathom here sometime. I think he would really like it."

Darkstalker just gave a humph in response. He knew that they'd bring him here eventually, just like she undoubtably did.

"And Indigo too," she went on, "I bet she'd enjoy it."

Darkstalker tried not to have a reaction, but he couldn't suppress a grimace at that thought. For one thing, he didn't want a dragon that he held mutual hatred with to intrude upon this private space. For another thing, he couldn't help but think that bringing her here would be practically inviting that future that he was already trying so hard to ignore and forget. No, Darkstalker did not want Indigo anywhere near here.

Clearsight noticed his reaction and gave a sigh, no doubt realizing his thoughts on the matter. He hadn't exactly been subtle in how he spoke of or treated Indigo since she'd arrived. "She's a good dragon, you know," Clearsight said, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "You should give her a chance."

"That will only work if she gives me a chance as well," Darkstalker said in retort, although he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she did. Would that lead to what he'd seen?

"Who knows? She might," Clearsight told him in a sincere voice, "All I'm saying is that you should at least try to get to know her. Just…just try to talk to her, Darkstalker. For Fathom's sake, if not mine."

He snorted but huffed out "Fine." It was better to just say so now and try to not follow through later rather than argue. Especially in order to avoid this subject.

"Thank you," Clearsight said with a small smile, "That's all I ask." She nuzzled against him then lied her head down on the cave floor, eyes looking out over the reflections of light on the water.

Why does it always come back to Indigo? Darkstalker wondered as he himself looked back over the tidal pools. She was always there when he was with Fathom, and now he couldn't even escape her name when talking with Clearsight, or even in his own thoughts. It was almost as if fate was trying to play a cruel joke on him using her.

He laid his head down next to Clearsights, resting his eyes but not his mind. Soon, they'd have to leave the cave and go back to their normal routines, which was what he'd tried so hard to break from today. He'd wanted to do something special, just the two of them. He'd planned and expected a fun and amazing day. Thanks to Indigo, he didn't get one.

A/N: Fun Fact: All reptiles (with the exclusion of land tortoises) can swim. For dragons, this swimming would most likely resemble that of a crocodile (rather than that of, say, a human or even a snake); holding arms and legs close to the body and moving the tail from side to side. Seawings, with their webbed claws, may use those claws to swim in a more familiar fashion, but it probably wouldn't be as efficient a way to swim as how the other dragons do.