Chapter Fifty One

Darkstalker seemed to freeze in place, eyes wide, his chest not moving as if even his breathing had stopped. His mind, only a moment ago filled with all the warmth and care in the world, was now crashing, speeding through so many different thoughts like someone flipping through the pages of a book. When he did move, he looked down at Moon with such a wounded expression, like she'd slapped him, that it almost made her want to take the words back.

"L-leave?" he finally managed to choke the words out. Moon could see his confusion, but he was trying to mask his upset. "What - I mean, why would you… Why?"

How could she put into words all the truths that had only just become known to her heart in the last few seconds? Gently, she reached out a wing to brush against his. "I just need time away from all this. After everything that's happened - I can't be here right now."

"Is it being an advisor? Did I spring that on you too soon?" His eyes got even wider as his mind jumped between conclusions. "I'm sorry, I just thought you wanted to be kept busy, to distract you-"

"And I did. But… maybe it wasn't time for me to take that role yet. The tribe doesn't trust me. They see me as an outsider - for which I can't blame them as I don't feel like I fit in with them either."

"Then we can fix that!" he said quickly, almost desperately. "We could go to the council, talk to them about integrating you into the tribe - clearing your name. They will listen to me and I will smooth everything over."

"But Darkstalker, I do not want you to fix everything," Moon said, a little loudly. He stared down at her, his expression like a dragonet struggling to comprehend why he couldn't fly to the sun when he had the wings to do so. Sitting on her haunches, Moon held his talon between her own, softly squeezing. "This… this is something I must do for me. I wish to see my friends, I want to be somewhere where there is no pressure on me to fit in, or to lead. I want to be away from the constant reminders of my mother and father."

Words didn't seem to come to him, so instead she felt him inquire at the edges of her mind. Reaching up, she took out her earring and allowed him completely into her mind. All at once he was everything, and with him came his music, searching through her thoughts and emotions. She let him see it all, though she felt slight shame as he beheld all the pain inside her. When he withdrew, his eyes were sad. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I…" Putting her earring back in place, she struggled to answer. She'd never put much thought into WHY she hadn't shared these things with him fully until now. He was undoubtedly perhaps the dragon who knew her best in all the world, yet she had not thought twice about keeping all of this to herself. Grief had been like a cage putting a barrier between her and others, but she had not once questioned the presence of the bars, not once even thought to go beyond its confines. And she realised it wasn't just in this instance that she'd not disputed her cage. "Whether it's been my secrets, or yours, or the prophecy, or… It just felt as if those were my burdens to carry."

"But aren't we friends?" He slipped his talons out of her, sliding his touch along her wrists so that he could hold her forearms and she his.

"Yes, of course we are."

"Then you can share those burdens with me. We have been in each other's minds for every waking and dreaming moment for almost three years. I know you as well as I know myself, I…" He snapped his mouth shut abruptly, cutting off his own words. He took a deep breath, and then another. Moon waited - what was it he wanted to say? When he looked at her, his gaze felt tired. "Your happiness is all I care about."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "But this will make me happy. At least for a little while. I won't be gone forever."

And she thought about her friends and how she felt excited to see them. She wanted Kinkajou's overflowing joy to wash over her with bright yellows and pinks. Or Turtle's comforting quiet warmth that would just allow her to exist with no expectations. Peril's brash honesty or Qibli's funny quirks that always made her smile. Even Winter, who always had a strength even he didn't seem to know about. Moon wanted each and every one of them; she wanted to wrap her wings around them and just be her.

Darkstalker gave a long sigh. "What'll I do without you?"

"This is your chance to show our tribe and the rest of the world that you're not evil," Moon smiled, trying to be strong. "You could even make some new friends."

He nodded. "At least promise me you'll come back? Doesn't have to be soon, just… at least for a visit. Suddenly not having you in my mind is going to be very jarring. Promise?"

She released his arms to once again grip onto his fingers. "I promise I'll come back."

He released another long breath, as if she had just averted his worst fear. He leant forward and pressed his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses brushing in a chaste touch. "I'll miss you."

"And I will miss you, too," she said. "But you can't be like a lost puppy waiting at the window every night for me to come home. And we can still send letters to each other."

"I'm not that bad," some of his humour attempted to creep back into his voice. "I just never thought saying goodbye would be this difficult."

"It's not a goodbye, that feels like we'll never see each other again. Instead we'll say 'see you soon'."

"See you soon," he echoed. "I'll be waiting for you,"

She didn't pull away at once, instead lingering in his touch, committing it to memory. It was harder than she had anticipated to be the one to initiate their separation. Something inside her didn't want to go. But she had to, for her own sake. Eventually, she pulled away, and Darkstalker let her slip through his fingers. Moon walked to the edge of the garden and leapt into the air. She hovered for a moment, staring back at her dear friend who still stood by the blue roses he had grown for her. They shared the music in their minds one last time, before Moon turned in the air and began her journey east.

Dawn had crested the sky by the time Crystal saw the first sparkles of Glacier's palace upon the horizon. Though she had begun her journey feeling fresh and rejuvenated, she had once again exhausted herself by flying as fast and as hard as she could returning home. She'd soared the highest she could, until the air was almost too thin to breathe, to use the winds to push her along. But she had done it, she was almost home, even as her wings trembled and her muscles were screaming from exhaustion.

She flew right over the gates, over the courtyards and between the towers. There was no point in landing until absolutely necessary - she didn't know how strong her legs would be when she landed and she needed to use the most of them. She'd flown all through the afternoon and into the night, hoping to make her all-important deliver on time. Clutching her precious cargo to her breast, Crystal had not allowed one single earring to even be jostled over the course of her flight. She would sooner die than allow a single one to leave her care. Though the news that her cousin had access to an animus still rocked her mind. Was that how the rebellion had done so well during the war? She remembered mother discussing Icicle's reports when she had been inside Jade Mountain, and she had alluded to something like that. Crystal had been wondering on if she should tell anyone, but decided to leave it up to fate. If these earrings worked, then she would consider keeping this secret. If not…

She landed at the balcony closest to Glacier's chambers. As she had feared, her legs threatened to buckle when she tried to put weight on them. Her wings didn't want to close, her muscles too sore, so had to settle for a half-shut position. The princess limped and hobbled from the balcony into a corridor. She tried to walk as fast as her tired body would allow, knowing that every second was precious and she needed to hurry before it was too late.

"Princess Crystal?" someone shouted, seemingly surprised to see her as she rushed around the corner. "Where have you been? Where're you going?"

Crystal ignored the voice, or the quick footsteps she could hear behind her. Two guards were posted outside of her mother's doors, watching her stagger closer. She hissed at them at the lurched to get out of her way. Throwing open the doors, Crystal lunged into her mother's chambers, praying to the Great Dragon and the moons and ice that she wasn't too late. Snowfall and Mink were huddled over their mother's prone form as she lay in her bed, their eyes rimmed with tears. Crystal froze, for a moment believing she was too late. But then her eyes caught movement - Glacier's back rose a little in a shuddering breath. She was still alive!

As soon as her sisters recognised her, their eyes widened in disbelief. "Crystal?!" Mink came over and threw her wings around her eldest sister.

"How is she?!" Crystal demanded, her voice hoarse and ragged.

Glacier coughed, and it seemed for a second that she had to fight tooth and claw to be able to breathe in again. The queen's eyes fluttered open briefly, only to roll into the back of her head. It appeared that even that brief movement was enough to take a little more life out of the queen. Snowfall shook her head, and when she spoke her voice was quiet so as to control the breaking of her voice. "Please tell us you've brought something that can help?"

Stumbling to the bed, Crystal put her sack on the floor beside her. She pushed her mother's wing away to reveal her side and ripped off the bandages covering her wound. Snowfall and Mink yelled and tried to interfere, but Crystal snarled at them in such a savage way that was so unlike her that her sisters recoiled in surprised fear. But she needed to see the wound, needed to see it in every grizzly detail. Then, she reached into the bag and pulled out a single earring. She clipped it into her mother's ear, and was it her imagination or did the snap of it fitting into place seem to echo down her spine. Crystal looked again at her mother's injuries. The wound and stitches disappeared, the scales knitting back together to once again become seamless. The dark blotching around the wound also faded, and the fever that radiated out of the queen ceased. Her usual pristine colour returned and the tremble in her limbs faded. The three princesses watched their mother, transfixed, waiting. Glacier remained still and silent. Had Crystal's miracle come to late?

There was a sigh, and Glacier's eyes blinked once, twice, and then opened. Her eyes were clear and vibrant once more, and when she looked upon her daughters, they could all clearly see she was back. She was back!

"Mother!" Mink shrieked with joy and pounced on Glacier's side, wrapping her arms around the Queen's neck. Glacier grunted at the impact but soon cradled her youngest daughter in her wings. Snowfall and Crystal both shared a look before they took succumbed to their emotions, smiling and crying and laughing all at once as they joined the embrace.

"What happened?" Glacier asked when her daughters finally stepped back. "The last thing I remember…?"

"It doesn't matter," said Crystal. "You're going to be alright. That's all that matters."

The three of them hung there in the glow of their happy family for a little while longer. Soon a guard came in and shocked to see his Queen's recovery, soon ran out the doors, proclaiming at the top of his lungs that the Queen was saved. After that came an influx of councillors and members of the royal family (including Narwhal) to ascertain for themselves that Glacier was truly well again. Each one that came in, Crystal would pull aside at some point to give them an earring (after she had also given one to each of her sisters), as she'd been instructed. Whenever they questioned where she'd obtained such an earring, Crystal forbade them from asking further questions. By royal proclamation, they were mandatory to wear. Glacier even seconded such a bold order. When all the earrings had been given out, Crystal felt as if she could breathe a little easier. The next step would be to duplicate more for the rest of the IceWing population as soon as possible.

Finally, everyone was ordered away so that Glacier could rest - aside from Mink who happily lay curled against her mother's side. Crystal would not begrudge her this and so quietly closed the door behind her. It did not surprise her that Snowfall was waiting in the corridor with her. Her face spelled out clearly that she meant to get some answers from her older sister.

"Those are animus gifts, aren't they?" Snowfall demanded in a hushed voice. "Where did you get them?"

"Where I got them is not important, sister," Crystal said firmly. She'd decided she would keep Winter's secret - his animus had saved Glacier's life, and if Crystal had to carry such a secret to her grave, then she would happily pay that price if it meant her mother lived. Snowfall clearly wanted to ask more questions, but Crystal threw her a look, and the younger princess shut her mouth, exasperated, but accepting. "All you need to know is that they will protect us from the Darkstalker. His magic will not be able to harm us so long as we wear these."

Snowfall quirked a brow and flicked the earring in her ear. "An advantage we'd be fools not to use when we go to war."

Crystal glanced behind her to stare at Glacier's closed door. Feeling a subtle, venomous hate race along her veins. She'd been so close to losing her mother, and that could not go unpunished. "My thoughts exactly."

The afternoon sun was bright and laid a comfortable heat over the southern peninsula. Slowly it was winding its way westward, blanketing the sky in fiery oranges and yellows. Rain clouds hinted at the very edge of the eastern sky, but they were so far away they were barely worth thinking about. The City of Night lay very quietly, its NightWing inhabitants slowly fitting into their new nocturnal pattern. Once the sun set, they would wake and begin their nightly activities, but for now the only ones awake were the SandWings and a few straggling NightWings.

And Darkstalker himself. Curled up by the window of his chambers, his chin propped up on his palm as he stared blankly at the sky through the diamond lattice windows. The candles had long since burned out and his last meal had been left with only a few nibbles here and there. He had not been able to fall asleep all day. Peace eluded him. Though he had not cried, his heart felt heavy as if from breaking. His mind kept agonising over the reasons why Moon had chosen to leave. He did not resent her going, he wanted her to be wherever she pleased. Was it something he did? Did he unknowingly drive her away? A foolish question - she'd let him see inside her mind and he knew there were no ill feelings towards him. No, he just had to trust her that this was temporary, until the worst of her grief was passed. He was just lonely and needed to learn to live without her for the time being.

He had tried to do as Moon had suggested, to make new friends so that he would not be so dependent on her companionship alone. And to be fair, Earthbreaker had done a wonderful job at keeping Darkstalker distracted for a little while. He was a quiet fellow, but his mind was quick and he had a dark sense of humour that managed to make Darkstalker chuckle on more than one occasion. It all looked like everything was going in the right direction. But then Earthbreaker had gone to bed and once again Darkstalker was left alone with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company.

None of which was helped by the flashes of the future that popped, unbidden, into his mind every few minutes. They were not true visions, just jumbled images that were too chaotic to make much sense of. They showed him things like Moon leaving him, of Jade Mountain crumbling, of IceWings coming for war. He did his best to ignore them - they were just fears preying on his anxieties. He wanted to trust in himself and in Moon. She would come back. She promised.

There was a loud knock at his door. The sound was so sudden amidst the previous quiet it felt foreign. Darkstalker twisted his long neck to peer at the large black and gold door. He could feel the minds of Vulture and a NightWing. He had half a mind to dismiss them but knew Vulture would not be so compliant. "Enter."

The door opened and in stepped Vulture with a civil smile on his face. Behind him came a bumbling dragon carrying several scrolls, a pair of tiny spectacles perched on the bridge of his snout. "Forgive the intrusion," said the old SandWing in a tone of voice that clearly indicated he was not sorry. "But I'm afraid I have discovered something that is too pressing to ignore. This is Mastermind, one of the lieutenants under Morrowseer."

"More than that," Mastermind huffed indignantly. "I was a scientist!"

Twisting his body to turn more towards his guests, Darkstalker narrowed his eyes on the NightWing and searched his mind for all the information he was too impatient to wait for. "It was you who experimented on the RainWings… and you who devised the means to imprison me."

Mastermind's ears flattened and his bloodshot eyes grew round in fear. "Yes, well… I-I was only following orders! I didn't - I didn't mean to-!"

"I'm pretty sure Queen Glory would love to get her claws on you after everything you did to her tribe in the name of 'science'." Darkstalker reached out as if he wanted to poke Mastermind's snout with a claw, but right before he could touch him clamped his talon into a fist. In the NightWing's mind he could see every callous decision his Keepers ever made, committing so many atrocities and not caring because it was for the greater good. "In fact, that would be a great offering in terms of reparations and forging alliances, don't you think?"

Before Darkstalker could magic Mastermind into chains, Vulture stepped between them. "Before we commence with the selling of prisoners, I believe Mastermind has something of great and personal interest to you, Lord Darkstalker." The old SandWing turned to his companion with a cold look, as if he found Mastermind to be the most pathetic thing he'd ever seen. He shoved him with a wing. "Show him."

Recovering quickly, Mastermind adjusted his spectacles, glancing between the two dragons frightfully. He juggled through the many scrolls in his arms focusing on something physical so as to distract from the tremble in his voice. "Um, well, my L-Lord, you see, after your… re-emergence at Jade Mountain, Morrowseer was very invested in finding any information he could about you. He had me compile scrolls I'd saved from the eruption, anything that pertained to you and… he was most interested in this one."

He held up a scroll with an old, broken wax seal. Darkstalker could see clearly that it was an old official document - the queen's seal. That meant this was important. He was almost hesitant to take it, some instinct inside his gut warning him that this was nothing good. But curiosity won him over and he took the scroll and unrolled it. He read through the reports written out by one of the queen's attendances. He read about the NightWing exodus from the continent and grew a little more disquiet. He didn't want to think of his tribe fleeing their ancestral home because of his actions, surely their worries had been exaggerated?

But then he saw his name and his eyes focused on that paragraph. As he read on, his brows dropped further and further down in disgruntled dismay.

The monstrosity that was the Darkstalker almost spelled the doom of our entire tribe and the fallout of it will be felt for generations. Considering that the fate of the Darkstalker remains unknown at this time, we have deemed it necessary to remove all traces of our existence and our current whereabouts from the continent. In the event that the Darkstalker is still out there, we must take every precaution to reduce the likelihood of him finding us. And what's more, the Queen herself wishes to prevent the chance of a threat like him from arising again. So it has been decided that our tribe will slowly phase out the tradition of moon-hatchings. This will likely take decades or possibly even centuries to reach full effectiveness throughout the entire population, but this is what the Queen has decreed and so it shall be.

So it was true. Of course he'd suspected but to see it written out so blatantly in front of him, confirming it, was quite something else. He was the reason the tribe chose to lose its powers. They never wanted another dragon to be like him ever again. It felt like someone had punched him in the gut. When he'd been a dragonet, he dreamed of one day saving his tribe, of being loved by all. But instead he'd been held up as an example of the worst things to happen, a monster used to frighten children, a cautionary tale to be reviled and feared. How had it come to this?

He almost put the scroll away right then and there. But as he did, his eyes caught sight of a familiar name. Whiteout? And he read onward.

It has been decided that it will be too dangerous to leave the dragonet with his mother. She could poison him against the tribe, have him wreak vengeance for her family. And what's more, the Darkstalker had been left with his own mother, despite all the advice against such an action, and as a result his upbringing hadn't been monitored closely enough. So Glassreader will be taken into the custody of the crown, to be cared for and monitored by the Queen's most trusted servants. Should he prove to be anything like his uncle, they are under strict instructions to terminate. As for Whiteout and Thoughtful, the Queen deems that they have served their purpose. Assassins are being sent as I write this to slit their throats whilst they sleep.

Hopefully, this will mean a brighter future for us all.

His hands were shaking, his breathing staggered in his chest. Whiteout… they'd killed her? No, no! Whiteout would never have hurt the tribe, she never had a bad intention in her entire being. Not against her bullies at school, or their father when he'd been horrible. But because of him, because they feared him haunting their every move, they'd killed his precious sister. In all this time Darkstalker had consoled himself with the belief that his sister had lived a happy life without him. Afterall, he had proof she'd managed to have a dragonet and a line of descendants that lasted into the present day.

Though he didn't want to, he couldn't stop himself imagining Whiteout's last moments. The terror she must've felt, waking from her sleep to find a stranger holding her down, smothering her cries. Her dragonet taken away and her mate murdered, she'd been all alone. Feeling the cold press of the knife against her throat and being helpless to do anything about it.

"They killed her…" he whispered. His shaking worsened and his claws shredded through the scroll as he crumpled it in his talons. Tears stung his eyes. "Whiteout never wanted to hurt anyone… and they-!"

"There is more, my lord," came Vulture's voice.

"I do not wish to see it!" Darkstalker snapped, spinning to face them. "Nothing could possibly-!"

He froze as he saw what Mastermind was holding up in his talon. A journal of bound pages of parchment. Instantly he recognised the claw-writing on the front. Darkstalker didn't know whether to feel rage or fear or surprise. It felt like a ghost had just stepped out of the void and into the room.

"Morrowseer made all associates of Moonwatcher high-value targets to be apprehended at the first opportunity," Mastermind explained. "Our scouts spotted a plume of smoke at the rainforest's coastal border and found them in a shack in a lagoon. When we captured them, we found several items on their person, including this journal…"

Darkstalker snatched it out of Mastermind's hand. He was possessed, compelled. His brother - his enemy - he didn't know what to call him! Like with Whiteout, Darkstalker had had to fill in the gaps and guess as to what had happened to his friend after he'd been imprisoned beneath the mountain. Now he held the answers in his claws. He flipped through, reading page after page as quickly as he could. He read of Fathom's recovery with Jerboa in the north, how the SandWing had gone mad and tried to take his power by force - Darkstalker didn't know how to react when he read a line that Fathom had learned from him and so protected himself against other Animus powers. He learned that Clearsight had gone to find the Lost Continent, and that was why she'd disappeared from history. Reading on, Darkstalker read through Fathom's founding of his home on the southern coast, his years of isolation and how he had found Indigo again. Through it all Darkstalker could not understand HOW he was supposed to feel. He felt no gratification at learning how lonely Fathom had been, nor did he feel any spite at how happy he'd been when reunited with Indigo.

In truth he felt… sad. But why? Fathom had betrayed him, had broken a sacred vow he'd been adamant to uphold all his life, even when it could've saved them so much heartache. And then he'd broken that vow to turn on Darkstalker. Fathom's enchantment had been the reason Darkstalker had lost the past two thousand years. By all rights, Darkstalker should still hold some resentment towards him and instead he felt so sad to learn how Fathom's life had turned out. He almost wish he had gotten a happily ever after filled with dragonets and laughter, so that Darkstalker could envy him and be angry with no guilt.

And then he came to the last entry in the journal.

Indigo is gone.

I waited too long to fix her. I dithered about with my spell, trying to get it right. I don't know if it's because of her life alone in her condition, or if it's something I've done. But for the past few days she just seemed… content. Like she knew something was coming. Was she sick and didn't realise? Was there some underlying condition that she couldn't communicate with me?

The past two days, she laid by the fire, curled up and content so long as she was warm. She hardly moved, not even to eat or drink. It concerned me, but whenever I came home she would just smile so sweetly at me, and would purr whenever I was near her. This morning, she just seemed so happy whenever I was beside her that I decided to leave my fishing nets and just stay with her. We lay curled up together for hours, just listening to each other's breathing. In a weird way, it was oddly satisfying to just exist with her.

And then, as the sun set, she turned her head. I remarked that she looked sleepy. She smiled and said "Fathom funny…" And then she closed her eyes and just… didn't wake up. I stayed with her for a long time, crying, grieving. When I finally accepted she was gone, I went outside and built her a raft. I filled it with all her favourite flowers and the fruits she liked. I then carried her out and laid her on her vessel and then set it alight before I pushed her out to sea. I watched her go until her blaze faded into nothing, and my heart went with her. That's when I realised that I don't want to be here anymore.

Darkstalker was right. I am too afraid of my own power, and it cost me the dragon I loved most. Darkstalker would've fixed her the second he found her. But I was too much of a coward. Now they're all gone and I'm the only one left. Clearsight thought she could find the Great Weaver, believed she could "rewrite the threads" of our futures. I hope she succeeds. Maybe she can weave for me a future where I'm happy. It's too lonely here. I don't want to be alone anymore.

So I write this final goodbye, to whichever curious RainWing might stumble upon this someday. Maybe Darkstalker will dream of me. Should he ever wake up… I hope he knows that I loved him till the end. Goodbye.

The tears fell and the worst of it was that Darkstalker couldn't stop them, couldn't stop this crushing guilt in his chest. Indigo - his accidental spell - it must've brainwashed her completely, she wandered the world for years, not remembering who she was or where she came from, until Fathom found her. And in the end, the spell might've even taken her life. And Fathom was so alone he ended it. And through all these years, even after everything Darkstalker had done, Fathom still did not resent him. He thought of him with fondness and even recognised that one day he might be free and even then he did not wish for his destruction! I hope he knows that I loved him till the end… the words repeated over and over in his head and each time Darkstalker could see Fathom's face, his brother, smiling. And then he imagined his face at the end, sorrowful and lonely.

Again, all because of his actions… even if he never meant for it to end this way.

And now he had proof that no one was left. They were all dead. Mother, Clearsight, Whiteout, Fathom. They'd all lived miserable lives before it ended. And he was all that remained.

"I can see this is upsetting you," said a voice. Darkstalker could barely recognise that it was Vulture over his own quiet weeping. "We shall leave you to your thoughts."

Clutching the journal and the scroll to his chest, Darkstalker slowly curled up on the floor. He wept. He grieved. He felt more alone than he ever had in his life. His mind reached out and though he could feel so many dragons all around him all over the castle, not one of them could reach back to him, not one of them could ease this pain. And the only dragon who could was miles away. He wanted Moon, he needed to see her.

She'd flown through the day, and after so long on the talon peninsula, the rest of Pyrrhia seemed to stretch out incredibly big and endless before her. As soon as she'd passed the mountains a spring seemed to jump into every wingbeat. She felt sad to leave but she also felt excited to go. When the desert and the grass planes and the forests had been laid out before her, it was like looking onto a familiar yet new world. It had taken her longer to travel between the Kingdom of Night and Jade Mountain than it had Darkstalker. He was the stronger flyer and Moon had decided to rest for an hour or two half way through her journey.

Now it was almost sunset, with rain clouds forming in the east. Moon knew she would make it in time to miss the downpour, though she almost wanted to linger so she could feel the droplets against her scales. As Jade Mountain neared, she felt an unexpected sense of something akin to stagefright. What if it was awkward? What if her friends were not as excited to see her as she was to see them? Of course these were foolish thoughts, but she couldn't help but worry.

Familiar landmarks began to pass her by - an enormous felled oak, a pond with a particular rock formation, a naturally formed ditch. Each one she passed made her excitement grow. And then she came to the boundary line and felt the subtle wash of sparks roll down her back. She'd passed through the shield - she was still welcome here! Moon flipped in the air for joy and sped faster towards Jade Mountain. Would anyone see her coming? Would guards she recognised come out to greet her? What would she say to them? It almost felt like unknown territory. Yes, faces and names would be familiar, but Moon felt like a different dragon to when she left. She'd changed and would that make a difference to the dragons she once knew?

Something speckled in the sunlight off the mountain side. Moon squinted, trying to get a better look. It was growing larger and headed her way. A dragon? Did she recognise them? Definitely yellow-ish and coming fast. A SandWing? After spending so long with Vulture and his goons, Moon automatically tensed her body, ready for confrontation and-

"MMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNYY!"

The yell grew in volume until suddenly Moon was tackled mid-air! The breath was knocked from her lungs and she was sent spinning head over tail before falling out of the sky. Arms were around her middle and there was the sound of shrieking laughter in her ears. The dragons went tumbling towards the ground but both instinctually pushed away and righted themselves before they could crash. Moon quickly landed and spun to face the dragon who had come at her. Only for her to immediately to be tackled again and wrestled to the ground.

It was only then that Moon looked up and realised it was Kinkajou! Her scales were bright yellow with rolling pink spots, her smile wide and her eyes big and bright. She was squealing with joy, alternating between hugging Moon tightly and jumping up and down beside her.

"Oh. My. Coconuts! You're back! I missed you soooooooo much!" she spoke in that impossibly fast way that almost made it sound like gibberish. Moon hadn't realised how much she'd missed that, it made her grin infectiously. Kinkajou hugged her again and poked a claw into her chest. "You are not ever allowed to leave again! Not ever-ever-ever!"

"Kinkajou," Moon laughed. "If you squeeze me any tighter I'll pass out!"

Just as quickly, the RainWing released her and stepped back long enough to allow Moon to sit up at least. As the RainWing began her bombardment of questions, she shifted from foot to foot, as if unable to contain her joy. "But you're back! How? I mean, of course you got away, you're Moon - you're awesome. But seriously, how did you do it?"

"Moon!"

She turned her head to see Peril descending out of the sky from the same direction Kinkajou had come from. Had they spotted her from the mountainside? Turtle was not far behind her. The pair immediately rushed to her side - though the SkyWing held back to be sure not to touch anyone.

"I didn't think it was possible, but the little rainbow actually beat me here." said Peril, but she was nodding, impressed.

Kinkajou shuffled her wings proudly. "I can be fast when I want to be."

"You're back!" Turtle exclaimed, throwing his wings around Moon in a quick hug. "We were beginning to think you'd never come home,"

Home? The word echoed in Moon's head and she wondered why she even questioned it. Was this home? Was the Night Kingdom? "I'm sorry for not coming back sooner. I missed you all so much."

"Moon?"

And there stood Qibli and Winter, side by side, staring at her as if she were an apparition. How had she forgotten how big they were? She was as tall as them, yes, but they far out-weighed her in mass. Moon stood, Turtle and Kinkajou stepping aside to give her room. Why did she not know what to say? Was this the reason she'd gotten such stagefright before? But then, just as she was about to let the doubts win, both the SandWing and the IceWing moved as one, rushing forward to either side of her and pulling her into an embrace. Cold on her right, heat on her left. Moon couldn't stop the tears of happiness that sprung to her eyes.

"YAY! The Jade Winglet is back together again!" Kinkajou cheered as she and Turtle also joined in the group hug. Even Peril was smiling as she hung as close as she dare, holding a wing over the group and allowing her heat to hug them where she physically could not.

It was Qibli who pulled away first, his brown eyes bright with questions. "How did you manage to get away?"

Peril snorted. "You say that like she had to squeeze out the tower window and flee an army."

"Did something happen?" Winter asked worriedly. "Is it Darkstalker? Did he…?"

Moon didn't know what he meant by that and reflexively tried to read his mind to ascertain his true meaning. But then she realised… she couldn't read him. In him was this cold hum that put her scales on edge and it completely blocked her out. In fact, she couldn't read any of them. Had they somehow managed to get Skyfire for all of them? Were they keeping her out on purpose?

"N-Nothing's happened." Moon said quickly to cover her falter. "I just… I wanted to see all of you. The NightWings are settling into their new home and I wanted time away from reminders of…"

Turtle's big webbed talon touched her shoulder, his claws squeezing gently. "We're so sorry."

"Come on," said Kinkajou, rubbing her side against Moon's like a cat. "Let's get you back home, and get you some nice mangoes and roasted bananas. Maybe Clay can get you one of those disgusting goat-things you like."

They all leapt into the air and soared leisurely back towards the mountain. As they approached, Moon realised that she couldn't see any of the patrolling guards or hear the thoughts of any of the bustling dragons she usually could. And she knew for a fact there wasn't enough Skyfire to hide all the dragons in the mountain. It was if the entire mountain had emptied out. "Where is everyone?"

"Well… the RainWings returned home," Qibli explained with a shrug. "The war's over now, so… no need for a rebellion headquarters."

"But Clay and the others have got this great idea!" Peril exclaimed. "They're gonna make Jade Mountain a school! Dragons from all over the tribes are gonna come here and learn about each other so then they can make friends and then there will not be another war ever again!"

Moon smiled. "That… actually sounds like a wonderful idea."

"If we can avoid another war," Winter muttered. Moon was surprised by the grim despair in his voice. She tried to look into his mind but again that dreadful cold hum shielded his thoughts from her.

Kinkajou dove and swatted Winter's snout with her tail. He snarled but Kinkajou glared him into silence. But they didn't speak what they were clearly trying to avoid. Moon felt a ball of dread forming in her stomach. Her friends were purposefully trying not to talk about something in front of her. And she wanted to know what…

They flew to the great entrance hall of Jade Mountain, and to see it once again, to feel its stone and walk its halls filled Moon with a sense of nostalgia. It felt both like yesterday and a lifetime ago that she was last here. Again, she felt that sense of being an entirely different dragon to the one she had been back then.

And then her thoughts drifted to Darkstalker. He never got to come inside the mountain - while some corridors might be a squeeze, he wasn't too big for these halls. She wanted to share this moment of homecoming with him. What would he think of Jade Mountain, she thought. Which of her friends or the Dragons of Destiny would he like, and which would he annoy purposefully? She figured he'd like Peril and Glory the most. And maybe he and Winter could work to reconcile their differences. Maybe that could all come true if she brought him back with her.

She realised unsurprisingly that she already missed him. She missed having his mind be only a thought away, so that even when they were physically separated, they were never truly apart. Now there was only silence in her mind for the first time in almost three years. She now understood what Darkstalker had meant when he'd said it would be jarring. It never occurred to her until now how much she relied on his company, how much of a hold he had on her heart.

"Moonwatcher?"

The sting of that word jolted her out of her own thoughts, but she pretended not to have noticed. She turned to the voice and saw that four of the dragons of destiny stood in the entrance to one of the hallways. Starflight's wing was draped over Clay's back so he could be guided.

Clay waved. "Moon! You're back!"

"We're so happy to see you safe, and after everything that happened…" Sunny trotted to her side and put a warm talon on Moon's arm. "I'm sorry about your mother, and I'm even sorry about your father."

That surprised Moon. "Really?"

"Oh," Clay snorted, "he was definitely evil and caused all of the tribes a lot of trouble and even hurt you-"

Starflight thumped his wing into the back of the MudWing's burly neck. "Clay!"

"It's alright, I understand," Moon eased, holding up a talon. "My father needed to be stopped, his crimes… they were too much."

Tsunami approached her, legs rippling with a warrior's muscle with every step. Moon instinctively lowered her head a fraction in submission. Tsunami had always been the one who trusted Moon the least. The NightWing tried to gauge her reaction but again found nothing but cold hums in the dragons of destiny. How was this possible? But then she noticed that they were all also wearing matching earring similar to Qiblis. Not many of them used to wear Jewellery before. And why did they all match?

The SeaWing paused right in front of Moon. And then she held out her talon. "Sometimes family sucks. And it's okay to be confused about it."

A pressure eased off of Moon's shoulders. She gladly took the offered talon and shook it. "Thank you."

The other dragons of destiny also seemed to find Tsunami's attitude reassuring. Starflight smiled. "We're all glad you made it back safely."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Moon joked. "The war's over, it's not like I had to navigate battlefields to get here."

Tsunami made a face. "Well, considering who you had to escape from-"

"Darkstalker is not evil," Moon argued, her amusement gone. "I thought you all would've known this by now - he wants peace. You saw it yourself back in the rainforest."

"Not after what he did to Glacier," said Qibli.

"Glacier?" Moon frowned. Had something happened? Glacier had been fine in the rainforest just a few days ago. She turned to look at Winter, his face unreadable. For the first time, Moon cursed the fact that she couldn't go prying into other dragons minds to see for herself how they were feeling. "Winter? What happened to Queen Glacier?"

The IceWing prince did not answer her right away, and when he met her eyes, his voice was quiet and grave. "Perhaps we should all sit down? There's a lot we need to talk about, Moon."